1. If I could, I would…

• Run a senior dog sanctuary for all dogs who had to be surrendered by their owners at no fault of their own…and perhaps even those at fault.
• Run a singer/songwriter listening room.
• Learn to surf.
• Have a second home in Tuscany, Italy.
  
  Best case scenario: home in Tuscany where I can house surrendered senior dogs, being able to ride my bicycle into town where I host singer/songwriter evening weekly…and travel back to Ventura to surf occasionally.

2. I’m a big fan of watching cooking shows, and/or short cooking videos on YouTube or Instagram. What I don’t understand is how they keep their pans so they look like they’ve NEVER been used before. #HowsThatPossible

Though I do admit, I have seen a few with grungy looking cookware and those recipes are not as appetizing.

3. Who the hell coined the expression, “Make good choices!”?

4. I came across this incredible story on social media from the Santa Barbara Independent (click for full story). It’s been years since I’ve visited the Santa Barbara zoo, probably not since Sydney Rose was a little girl (she’s 32 now). But I remember the habitat for these incredible apes (not monkeys because they have no tails). One recently gave birth in front of visitors. The fact it happened for the few who were there to witness it is amazing. But it’s the face of the mom that cracks me up! Nature is truly wonderful. Any thoughts on a caption?

5. So proud of Linda! One of her projects is to collect children’s books (English & Spanish) and then stock a local outdoor neighborhood library book stand. This weekend she took it one step further. With the permission of a popular breakfast place, she set up a table and handed out books to anyone who wanted them! Inspiration comes from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. To date, the non-profit has gifted 332,411,218. From the website, “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to children from birth to age five, through funding shared by Dolly Parton and local community partners in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Ireland.”

Well Linda is doing her part in Fillmore, CA. Way to go Linda! Let me know if you’d like to donate $10 or so bucks so she can buy more books to give away.

6. My friend Carol adopted a senior pup from the San Bernardino animal shelter.
I’ve been saying for months that I’m going to wait until the end of the summer then I’ll start looking into adopting again. I guess I’m on the hunt now.

She’s thinking of naming this scrappy girl Rosey.

#ILoveHer

7. Warning: this entry is basically for women, but highly educational for men:

I was reflecting the other day about menstruation. And yeah, I guess I’m speaking to women because we can empathize. I remember when I was a little girl learning about the facts of life and how I couldn’t wait to get my first period so I could join the ranks of womanhood. It was thrilling when it it happened, but literally took less than two minutes to realize, this sucks!

Then it slowly dawns on you that you will be dealing with this the rest of your life…whether you choose to procreate or not.

And of course it’s not only the cramps, but the bright red blood that “discharges” from your uterine lining. The past seventy or so years have seen all kinds products to help with this messy and quite colorful problem. From sanitary pads that you attach to a belt around your waist (my mother’s time), to pads that have a peel-off sticky strip that sticks to your underwear. I saw a comedian doing a bit where he thought the sticky side attached to the women’s skin. Funny, but ew. Then came along tampons that you insert and then pull out once they’ve absorbed the flow, but you never know and you can under/over estimate this. And now, there are menstrual cups and something called a menstrual disc, both of which came out after I hit menopause. You insert reusable device so the flow is kept from escaping, and you wear up to 12 hours. I can only imagine what that would look like though. But, it seems better than the tampons.

While doing this research I found one more option called Period Underwear. They’re designed with built-in layers to absorb menstrual blood, which is supposed to keep you comfortable and dry all day long. In appearance and texture, they are identical to regular undies, but it is suggested one wear a couple of pairs on the “high flow” days.

Young women today have more options both economically and environmentally, which is great, but menstruation is still a big inconvenience. For me, menopause was awesome. No more periods!!! The hot flashes (for me, warm flushes) were worth it.

And, I have to admit, I smile every time I get to stroll past the feminine hygiene aisle at the grocery store.

8. I’m fairly certain about this, when you call an older person young lady or young man, it sounds condescending.

9. This photo was taken today at lunch. What you don’t see are dozens of more pigeons outside the frame. It was crazy! Though I don’t yet have a caption for #4 above, I do for this one. “Some people will do anything for attention.” #Birdman #PromenadeVentura

10. From my favorite quotes file: “Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” – David Attenborough.

Thanks for listening!