Resting on Laurels

Back on December 1^st California’s Poet Laureate visited Bakersfield. For those that don’t know, that’s a position given to someone that does a lot to represent poetry. In particular, California’s Poet Laureate, Dana Gioia (JOY-yah), has made it his goal to present poetry in every California County. Which, given the population of some of our counties, means he’ll be talking to some pretty empty rooms.

“Birds” Watching

So recently I spent some time in the small towns of Bodega and Bodega Bay. The weather was rainy due to a small storm sliding down California, so there weren't a lot of outdoor activities that could really be enjoyed. I did some photography of the waves crashing into the beach. (Even a small storm can make some pretty dramatic waves.) And I did a little bird watching.

Retrograde

Every night about nine o'clock, Moonpi (our dog) and I step outside. For him it's an opportunity to do some sniffing around and do some other doggy business. And for me it is an opportunity to look up at the night sky. For the past few months I've been watching a small triangle of stars on the southwest part of the sky.

Historical

I've been getting exposed to history that I was never taught in school. I'm learning quite a bit from a podcast (which is an internet audio “lecture” or “discussion”) called “Stuff You Missed In History Class”. That podcast covers all manner of topics, from the tasty (a history of cheese) to the silly (the West Point Eggnog Riot of 1826) to the horrific (the Tulsa Race Riot). But there are many things that just don't show up in history classes. Partly due to time, there just isn't enough time to cover everything. And partly due to a certain kind of censorship, people just don't want to talk about certain things.

It's Too Hot

So far 2016 is the warmest year on record. Following 2015 which was previously the warmest year on record. Out there in Death Valley they're flirting with surpassing the world's record temperature (134ºF from 1913). But it wasn't that long ago that we were still getting glaciers forming in the Sierras.

Stuff

I have recently been involved in trying to help some people move. And since they are going to a smaller place they have to get rid of stuff. A lot of stuff. And even when something isn't an heirloom it can still be a memory. And a memory can be important.

Time to Celebrate

It's almost May and Summer is around the corner. The end of April has been very busy for me so I hadn't really thought of anything that I could write about. But I discovered the National Day Calendar (http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/calendar-at-a-glance/). And if you're needing a reason to celebrate they've got you covered.