July 4, 2010

• Jennifer, Juniper, sitting very still. Is she sleeping?

  
  

  photo borrowed from
  

  Davis: The Best Bicycle Town in North America

  Alex Steffen, 10 Jul 06

  
  Summer is officially here NOW in Davis.

  
  
  Typical Californian
  
  And being the typical Californians that we all are, we are grumbling about the ninety plus degree temperatures after months of rain and gloom. Which we complained bitterly about, as well.

  So far only a couple of days in a row have reached one hundred plus temps. We just love to bitch about the weather.

  
  
  Esme, my dog-cat, in an older pre-haircut photo

  In prep for these summer temps I had Miss Esme shaved again. I recorded my first video on my iphone and posted it to facebook (try that link, I am not sure if it works or not) but I don’t know how to find it and post it here. Of course Miss Thing is hiding and hates it when I chase her with my camera. But, it is the same lion cut. It completely discontinues the hair balls and reduces the cat hair around 89% and after the shock and drama of getting the cut, she really does like. She poses in front of the mirror whipping her tail around and staring at her ass. I swear to you, this is true.

  
  
  I also got my car summer ready. Many of my long time xanga neighbors know all about my nightmarish car-ma. I have finally been legal, insured and driving a safe and so far dependable vehicle for the past six month, a record for me since last year. A bit of DMV time wasting but all comes out in the wash. Next week I will get the tires rotated. Good times in Davis, I tell you.

  
  
  I want to do a camping trip to Big Sur towards the end of summer. Making plans.

  

  z-pie in Placerville – image borrowed from kevinc from a yelp review (very positive, of course)
  
  My pot pie cafe venture baby steps forward. We are serving them at the Gallery Cafe that I work at part time. I need to get marketing ideas so that people find out about this new in town delish item. I have a couple of ideas. I am open to more.

  
  
  My brother continues to be a thorn in my side. Mom’s house is so far, not on the market yet. We completed some big dollar (fifteen grand, my dog!) items but the small important details remain incomplete as he locks me out of the house and refuses to let anyone come and do work. Aggravating. I am turning off the power next week. His only recourse is to get it in his own name but I am not sure if he is able to do that. You can only my imagine my frustration. If anyone has wise and calm advice I am so available to listen or read. Thus far I keep out of contact and have terrific legal counsel by way of my trust attorney. I have no desire to be the gasoline to his alcoholic bonfire and lack of reason.

  So, the moment we have been waiting for…
  PHOTOS OF JUNIPER!!!!!

  (I pretend to blog so that I can post photos!)

  
  Jennifer Juniper lives upon the hill, Jennifer Juniper sitting very still. Is she sleeping? I don’t think so. Is she breathing? Yes, very low. Watcha doing, Jennifer, my love?
  
  Groovy, baby

  

  My daughter is an angel with her daughter

  

  Jennifer Juniper rides a dappled mare, Jennifer Juniper, lilacs in her hair. Is she dreaming? Yes, I think so. Is she pretty? Yes, and more so. Watcha doing, Jennifer, my love?
  
  Uncle Michael with Juniper

  

  Jennifer Juniper, hair of golden flax, Jennifer Juniper longs for what she lacks. Do you like her? Yes, I do, sir. Would you love her? Yes, I would, sir. Watcha doing, Jennifer, my love? Jennifer Juniper, Jennifer Juniper, Jennifer Juniper.
   
       

  “I’m thinking of what it would be like if she loved me. You know just lately this happy song it came along And I had to somehow try and tell you.”
  
  Complete unabashed baby love. We ALL have it.

  
  
  My beautiful Ladies! (Miss Juniper smells so baby good!) They both have the MOST BEAUTIFUL SKIN!

  Jocelyn and Juniper came to stay at my place for four days while Juniper’s daddy was on a mini tour to S Cal. for a couple of weeks. Nothing makes a house more a home than a baby. All that baby stuff and sound and rocking and staring and kissing. Gosh. My son and I took lots of turns holding Miss Juniper. Rocking her, walking her, looking at her, kissing on her. It was just the best. The place is so quiet without her. I cannot wait for their next visit.

  Juniper is a little colicky and cries quite a bit. Joc is very patient and understanding. She journals everything she eats and takes time to help her digest and poop. I am so impressed and amazed by her perfect mommy abilities. So, we had a vibrating seat here that Jocelyn gave me. It really did not do the trick like the really cool swing thing that Jocelyn and Daniel had bought for her. It is pretty much the Cadillac SUV of baby swings, I think.

  

  The Fisher Price Aquarium Cradle Swing – only one word describes – SWANK!

  This thing retails for around a hundred bucks new. It soothes Juniper almost the moment they put her in it. I have seen it’s amazing calming qualities. Believe me, Miss J is not easily soothed. She is delightful but clearly has some discomfort with digestion and this amazing item seems to take most of the cry away for awhile.

  Well, I like to have all the IMPORTANT baby items here at the grandma’ma house and I found the exact swing for TWENTY FIVE BUCKS on craigslist. Barely used. Score!

  Ok, besides Juniper Juniper and more Juniper I have made time to hang out with friends. My friend Stephanie and I have been going about weekly to Vacaville for beauty treatments. I bought us both a coupon for a number of salon treatments for a hugely discounted price at a spa in Vacaville back in February. We have finally been putting them to use before they expire.

  We have had facials, hair cuts, body scrubs and some waxing. I paid about a fourth of what all that would have cost. And the salon is a pretty luxurious Aveda spa in old town Vacaville. We have been making a wonderful girl day of each outing. Lunching, shopping, meandering in old town Vacaville (that so far, no one I know knew even existed!)

  

  This young lady travels WIDELY! She has been to Africa at least four times and last year she was in Africa, Mexico, France, Italy, oh my dog, the States for awhile and then moved to Alaska which is like out of the country!
  
  My dear friend Bridget who has recently (this past year) been living in Fairbanks Alaska came to Davis to visit and celebrate her 21st birthday.
  
    
  I love beer – I hate dresses
  
  First photo is Bridget enjoying her first adult legal bev with her pal Rob and the other is where my daughter forced her to don a skirt for her (Joc’s) Etsy site. Bridg looks gorgeous but you can see by her expression that this is not her favorite thing!It was a wonderful visit. Please do not ask me why I do not have more friends my age. I ask my grown up to go do stuff with me but they are all too busy. So, my Davis kid friends are always around. I love my Davis kids friends, but I don’t want to be their age. I promise.
  
  I have enough trouble being my age. (With all this practice, even…)

  

  Essenza Salon and Spa in Vacaville – beauty luxury central as far as we are concerned!
  
  So, on Steph and my last beauty treatment outing in Vacaville I had had had to address a sudden Coach hand bag obsession that I blame others for.

  

  I blame these fair ladies

  My dear and nearly first friend in Davis, Debi, also a xanga neighbor invited me to her birthday soiree this past Sunday. There were friends, family, neighbors and the likes of me! Imagine the mix! Wonderful food, her mom visiting from Hawaii. A reunion in the works. It really was a celebration. Chatting, laughing, eating! Her adorable mom Riki (another xanga neighbor!) was visiting from Hawaii and her sis was visiting from Oregon.
  
  Wonderful.

  Time for gifts, of course. Her future daughter in law and her son bought her a Coach bag. A beautiful purple handbag. It just screamed classy grownup with out their thumb up their ass. I do not know what happen to me.

  I still do not. Know. What. Happen.

  When I got home that eve (after three shots of Todd’s BEST tequila…) and woke up the next day…COACH permeated my head. WHY WHY WHY? I have perfectly cute and useful purses. Messenger bags, designer purses bought at the thrift store. But no. They would no longer do.

  I was all over ebay looking at Coach bags but realized my knowledge was little and poor. I needed to consult a professor of Coach. A Wizard. A COACH DOCTOR!

  I contacted a former xanga-ite and still facebook friend BEGGING BEGGING for her insight.

  She was the golden ticket, the gate keeper. She knew exactly what to do.

  I followed her extensive Coach guidelines and am now a very happy Coach owner.

  
  
  Oh do CLICK ME! Frau – begin the countdown!

  FIRST: Do not shop ebay. No no no and NO.

  Second: Find the nearest outlet to you.

  Third: They always have coupons, find one, print one, pretend you lost one when you go in and they do not give you one.

  Fourth: Check the clearance wall at the outlets. The closest thing to heaven any accessory girl is EVER EVER going to find on this planet Earth.

  Fifth: tell the sales girls it is your first Coach if in fact is is, you will not BELIEVE the sincere enthusiasm you will be enveloped in when you spend that paltry one hundred bucks on something so fine, so beautiful. So shallow, self defining and satisfying.

  Alright? Well, at least I CAN follow direction!
  
  As luck would have it, it turns out that there is a Coach Premium Outlet in Vacaville where Stephanie and I were to have our beauty treatments on Tuesday…

  

  Ice cold beer and half off sushi, not the worst combination…

  We had lunch first, NEVER shop on an empty stomach. I have heard that somewhere. We hit happy hour (at noon? It was a sushi place, so maybe it was noon in Japan…) lunch, drank a tall beer and fortified ourselves for proper outlet shopping energy!

  
  

  Luck or liability, I still did not know…
  
  There it was before me. The Coach Outlet. Gleaming in the afternoon sun. Like a sign from God telling me that all was good. GOD and good. And beauty treatments and an ice cold beer. A perfect day. Why not a day to over spend on an unnecessary accessory.

  Why not?

  

  My first Coach bag

  Bought at 70% plus discount.  With a happy hour three dollar margaritas at Chevy’s .

  And it was good.

  OK – MORE PUMPKIN PICTURES!

  

  She is so smart and so talented. She is a prodigy baby.
  
  And I leave you all with this!
  
  

  Jennifer Juniper vit sur la colline, Jennifer Juniper assise, tout est tranquille. Dorme-t-elle? Je ne crois pas. Respire-t-elle? Oui, mais tout bas. Que fais-tu là, Jenny, mon amour? Jennifer Juniper, Jennifer Juniper.

  Je suis heureux que je sois tourmenté moi sois déchiré moi sois remplacé moi sois béni moi sois béni moi sois vivant

  Yay.

  

   

  • 7:05 pm
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