taking pictures

No matter how many times I look at pictures and think to myself how wonderful it is to have those moments captured, I fail to keep in mind that enjoying them later means taking them now.

One of the local area blogs has the occasional entry that features photographs and memories from yesteryear. I enjoy these immensely, thankful that someone took the time to snap the shutter on what my hometown looked like back in the '60s and '70s. For instance, a photo of the Big "C" tower that stood over the local shopping center for years and has since been made over to look more modern, but now has less personality too.

Even as I type this, I'm not making plans to go out and capture what my town looks like, anticipating how wonderful it will be to have such photographs sometime in the future. I should be keeping in mind to take pictures of family, particularly my nieces and nephews, even though as mostly grown-ups now they'll be changing less with time. I'm just thankful that we have so many pictures of them from when they were still growing up.

With the advent of the digital camera, it's not as expensive to take pictures as it once was with film. Just as with much of modern technology, I wonder how it affects the lives of those that are growing up in the digital age. Maybe I'm making the taking of pictures too much of an event or effort, whereas for the younger generation, it's something much more casual. After all, they can take pictures with their cell phones, can't they? On the other hand, discretion is important too (another modern conundrum with the ease of digital convenience) - but overall I'm glad that they are recording so many memories - it's really such a treasure to have.

Purple Haze by the Kronos Quartet

Like most people my age, I grew up on rock and roll. The music can be so powerful, with the sounds of electric guitars screaming through the amplifiers. And with rock to enjoy, I've never gotten into classical music. Although an experience watching a string quartet perform live convinced me of the power of strings.

It was back in college that I used one of my electives to take a music appreciation class. And one of the requirements was to attend a live performance. This was in San Luis Obispo, and I found a concert being given by the Kronos Quartet at a place called The Spirit. That evening, a friend and I watched the Kronos Quartet come out wearing bodysuits, which let us know that it was going to be anything but a stuffy concert. The music they play tends to focus on 20th century compositions (and maybe 21st century now too), and not on the classical music that most of us think of initially when thinking of string quartets.

As I went because I was taking a music appreciation class, I really did appreciate the music! But what really stood out for me was when they performed a medley of rock songs - I loved it. I loved the familiarity. In particular was when they performed their version of Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix. That's when it dawned on me the true power of orchestral strings: how the act of drawing a bow across strings resonates. The vibratory effect is so much more powerful than simply striking or plucking the strings of a guitar. It was memorable how they played that song as powerfully as can be imagined - I can hardly capture the experience I had with mere words. I guess you had to be there...

the power of jingles

Curious how things can get stuck in one's head. In particular is a commercial from many years ago for a retailer called Denevi Camera. Although they expanded to more locations, I still remember the four from a very catchy jingle played back in the day: Berkeley, San Lorenzo, Cupertino, San Jose. The names of those cities just roll off the tongue...

space cadet

Although I'm certain that I have the personality for it, I've never gotten hooked on video games. That is, I've never owned a video gaming console or whatever they have nowadays. Many years ago, I did go out to the video arcade with my cousin and his girlfriend for a short while, but never anything that I could hook onto a television.

I'm an avowed Macintosh person, even though the very first computer I ever got for myself was a PC - a tower to be specific, with a 386 chip (that should be a good indication of how long ago it was). I remember the computer salesman at the time telling me that Windows was just as easy to use as the Mac... and this was back then! Well it most certainly wasn't and the only thing I found myself using that computer for was to play games, specifically solitaire, pinball, and inexplicably the diabolical minesweeper. I can't explain how I let myself get hooked on that one.

Fortunately, someone helped me out by offering to buy that PC tower from me, which helped me make up a fraction of what I paid for it, and then some time later I finally got myself a Macintosh. No games though.

Towards the end of the class I took to learn the software programs of MS Office a couple of years ago, a classmate offered to give me an outdated computer running Windows from his wife's workplace and how could I say no? Primarily because I could once again play the one game I couldn't do without: Space Cadet pinball! As far as I know, it's all I need to sate my desire to play games on a computer, or a video game system for that matter. And as far as an electronic pinball game goes, Space Cadet is really very good. Fast and interesting and it even has some quirks that I've learned to adapt to.

For a non-gamer, I think I've gotten pretty good at it too. I couldn't possibly stand toe-to-toe with people that grew up playing video-type games, but gaming-wise, I've devoted myself entirely to playing pinball, so that must count for something. And although I'm sure that my top scores aren't all that great compared to the truly adept players in the Space Cadet universe, I'm happy with them. And wouldn't it be nice to somehow transfer my computer pinball skills to a nice career?

Here are my top five scores:

1. 110,218,750
2. 109,610,000
3. 105,904,500
4. 92,409,000
5. 87,566,000

a good win

The 49ers just defeated the Detroit Lions, which was the expected outcome given the win-loss record of the Lions going into the game. In a way, the 49ers can't win for winning. The same goes for next week's game against the Rams. Given such expectations, even more credit should go to the Niners for buckling down and doing enough. It's not easy at this level, period.

skull cap

Today I was in a store that had a monitor over one of the aisles for customers to be able to view themselves as they shopped. Unlike most of them, this one allowed me to view myself looking down at the back of my head, and was it ever disconcerting. I've watched my hairline receding over the years from the front and never really knew how bad it was looking from the back. It's awful! I've got a shrinking tuft of hair right on the top of my head encircled by a ring of baldness, surrounded by the hair on the sides of my head. It reminded me of some of those extreme hairdos seen in samurai movies. What to do?

It's been years since anyone got a good look at U2 guitarist The Edge's hairline because of the skull cap he wears. Not only do I suppose that he and I share a similar male pattern baldness, but maybe one of my best options is to start wearing a skull cap too. As it is, I've been shaving my head pretty close to the scalp for years to minimize the contrast between (what's left of my) black hair and my skin. Short of shaving my head completely bald, maybe going skull cap is the way!

decorating the tree

Is there anything cuter than seeing how a tree gets decorated by really young (walking but not yet talking) children? The smiles on their faces as they pick up decorations and walk back and forth hanging them on the tree - and before you know it, all the bottom branches are laden with decorations, and the rest of the tree is practically bare because they couldn't reach any higher!

at seventeen

Another artist from the '70s was singer-songwriter Janis Ian. The one song of hers that I recall listening to is At Seventeen: "I learned the truth at seventeen, that love was meant for beauty queens... "

We had a teacher in high school named Mrs. Peterson whom I remember talking about the meaning of this song to the class. As she did, she held up the album cover for all of us to see. This particular album of Ms. Ian's featured a close-up portrait. And I can still hear a student named Keith exclaiming "I don't know what she's talking about - I think she's kind of cute!"

famous brother

When I'm channel surfing, I often like to check what's playing on the Music Choice channels. Among the wide variety of music styles offered are: Jazz, Blues, Solid Gold Oldies, Adult Alternative, and Reggae. The first channel I usually go to is the one devoted to the '70s. I remember back when '70s music was derided, but now for me it's what feels the most comfortable.

I've got the '70s channel on right now, and the act that was just playing is England Dan and John Ford Coley. For those familiar with the country singer Dan Seals, he's the same guy as England Dan. But the first bit of trivia that I think of is that he was the younger brother of Jim Seals of the pop duo Seals and Crofts.

As I was typing this, I made a quick visit to Wikipedia and found out that Dan passed away earlier this year from cancer. There is more interesting information about England Dan and John Ford Coley here. R.I.P. Dan.

what do dreams mean?

There have been books written about dreams, what they mean, their symbology, how to interpret them, etc. I find that they tend to come in cycles for me, at least when it comes to my recalling them the next morning. I'll go several days where they are fresh in my mind, and then longer periods in between when I have no memory of them whatsoever. If I weren't so lazy, it'd probably be worthwhile noting them down every time I can remember them.

I wonder if they have the same significance for everybody, or if their meaning is as individual as the people that have them. Most of mine are so nonsensical, I can't even begin to describe them even to myself. Others I can describe, although I don't understand what or wherefore, so to speak.

One particular dream that stands out in my memory involves a woman (she worked at a music store) I was crazy about years ago. I never wrote it down - until now that is. Unfortunately, waiting so long has cost me some of the details. I never so much as dated this woman, so it never got beyond the stage of an intense infatuation... it's a long, pathetic story. In any case, this dream remains a favorite:

She and I were together as I was driving my brother's old Nissan 260Z through the Sacramento foothills. The road was two-lane, a country feel as opposed to the freeway. We were the only ones riding around the golden hills until the source of conflict in this dream - a villain! I know it sounds a little bit lame to have a villain, especially this villain, but that's what happened. We drove around trying to get away, as we were being chased and harassed by this guy who was driving a semi-trailer. I can't even visualize if he was pulling anything or was just in the cab; all I remember is somehow being able to see who he was. Now this is a dream, so although our car was much, much lower to the ground than him, I was still able to get a good look at him: he was the villain from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, aka the Child Catcher! Don't ask me where I got the idea for this - believe me, I don't think about this guy much at all. Terrifying to be sure, but I don't recall thinking about him much after seeing the movie when I was a child until he appeared in this dream.

There was another part (after the villain had disappeared) where my girlfriend (yup, in this dream, she was my girlfriend) and I were standing in some large wood building observing an enterprise of some sort. It wasn't high industry, but more in keeping with being out in the country. Here's where I wish I had jotted it down sooner; I can't remember anything more than standing there with her and making some sort of comment about how pretty she was as we talked with somebody.

There was another dream that involved this girl and racing around in a car, but this one featured the stock car driver Bobby Labonte. I can't remember any details, but Bobby was not a villain or anything!

As much time as I spent thinking about this girl, there were just a handful of dreams of mine that she was in. I suppose she was such a part of my daydreams, there was no reason for her to be a part of my nighttime dreams too.

my Grinch moment

My eldest niece visited my sister and me yesterday. She's a young adult now, but with the holiday season upon us, I was reminded of a moment from many years ago.

We had all been gathered together as an extended family at my mom's house, watching TV. The oldest of my nieces and nephews were little children at the time, some still toddlers. Things always got a bit complicated with all of them together, having to share or offer something to everyone equally, and in this case having to consider whether or not having sweets so close to a meal was a good idea for the kids or not. Perhaps one mother wouldn't mind whereas the other would. It doesn't sound all that complicated, but it really was!

I was still in my twenties back then. I decided that I was in the mood for a couple of bon bons (the bite-size ice cream treats). I remember thinking that I didn't feel like asking who else wanted one, if it was okay, and if it was, maybe one of the kids would grab two or three and then all the kids would want two or three - like I said, complicated - so I figured that I'd sneak quietly to the refrigerator and eat a couple while I stood at the door.

And that's what I did. I opened up the freezer, opened the bon bon container, grabbed a couple and started eating them. Mmmm! Then as if it had been rehearsed for timing and greatest effect, I heard a little girl's voice asking, "Uncle Arthur, what are you doing?" I peered from behind the open freezer door and saw my eldest niece standing there looking up at me with her curious and innocent eyes. The scene I'm describing here only really makes sense if you are familiar with the scene from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas when the little Who girl wakes up in the middle of the night and finds the Grinch trying to shove the Christmas tree up the chimney. She caught me!

As frozen in my mind as this memory is, I don't recall how I responded to her. Just the moment of being caught. Although it's fun to imagine that I mimicked the Grinch and said: "Why little girl, I'm just checking to see if these bon bons are delicious enough for all of us to eat!"

out of the playoffs

With today's loss, the 49ers are out of the playoffs this season. I agree with the emphasis put on making them this year, adding a sense of expectation from the fan base although it didn't turn out that way. There's no reason not to place such pressure on the team psyche. And although it's not fair to make comparisons to the great Bill Walsh with all the success he had as the team's leader, even he was given two seasons that must have screamed for a change. Maybe times were different then. But in any case, it's important for the team to have continuity in its coaching, including the coordinators. Let's give the staff time to put it all together.

Sweden is beautiful in March

Here's an idea: Why not have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies somewhere else this coming year? Instead of the usual location in the United States, how about outside the U.S.? It could be anywhere, oh, let's just say, off the top of my head, how about... Sweden! Yeah, yeah, just like in today's entry title. Good guess, reader!

And here's why - I'm still worried that Agnetha wouldn't be willing to make the trip from Sweden to New York to be a part of the festivities. So why not bring the festivities to her? After all, ABBA helped break down the barrier that prevented non-American and non-British acts from entering the musical charts. Plus, I don't think the Hollies or Genesis would mind too much if the ceremonies were held in Europe. As for the other inductees, hey, it'd be a good excuse to take off for a vacation over there!

Having the ceremonies take place in Sweden, of course, is no guarantee that all the members of ABBA would make an appearance, but I think that for something like this, it'd be very likely. I can't imagine why Bjorn, Benny, and Frida wouldn't make sure to be there, and with no reason to have to get on a plane, I can't imagine Agnetha not being there too. I just had this stroke of brilliance last night and wanted the thought to get out there as soon as possible. Securing a venue and organizing such an event is a huge undertaking and since it is scheduled to take place on March 15, well, there's not much time - so let's get moving folks and make this happen!

with all the money they make

Professional athletes in the major sports get paid so much money nowadays, it really is mind-boggling. Large amounts are thrown around so casually that people have become desensitized to just how much they make. For example, $3 million per year (a seven-figure income) is still an awful lot of money even though it might pale compared to a less accomplished player making, oh, eight-figures per year. I mean realistically, for most of us, wouldn't earning a relatively meager six-figure income be enough? High five-figures? Doesn't food and shelter cost the same for everyone?

There are so many directions I could go with this subject, but I'll just keep it light today. I think it's fun to see highly paid NBA players when they're ready to check into games, waiting by the scorer's tables: can they look any more uncomfortable? The amount of space is narrow and it looks almost undignified the way they have to contort themselves, sitting there on the floor or balanced on one knee until they are allowed to enter the game. For all the money they make, it's kind of funny.

Another example that comes to mind is the bullpen in baseball. Many, not all, bullpens have the relief pitchers sitting where they are barely covered from the elements and looking mighty uncomfortable for the duration of the games. From all the filth and spitting that takes place in dugouts, I wouldn't say that they are ideal to spend any time in, but they sure look preferable to the bullpens that are placed along the foul lines. With the amounts that modern players are being paid, it's actually quite humorous to see them sitting there, biding their time until they may or may not be called to warm-up and perhaps enter the game. Is that any way to treat rich people?

watching Star Wars in order

As long as I've been wondering about this, I suppose that it's really not that unlikely anymore - there really could be a generation of people that will watch the Star Wars movies in order: Episodes I - VI. Not in the order they were produced and filmed, i.e. Episodes IV - VI followed by Episodes I - III but in the order that the story takes place.

As I recall, George Lucas had nine episodes in mind when he first came up with the saga, and not knowing how incredibly successful the movie(s) would be, chose to begin by filming the original Star Wars film, which ultimately became (I believe) Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope. And after the first trilogy was finished and even quite awhile after, the prequel trilogy was filmed. As for the final three installments (Episodes VII - IX), as far as I know, there are no plans to ever make them. Now that I think about it, I'm curious how the story evolves through to the end of the final episode as envisioned by Mr. Lucas.

Anyway, although I am part of the generation that saw the six movies as they were filmed and released, I am curious to find out what the people that see them in the order of episodes think. I wonder how possible it is to see them without so much of a glimpse as to what Anakin Skywalker eventually becomes, for example, until it actually happens. Or to be unaware of the twins Luke and Leia until they're born, whom of course play such pivotal roles in Episodes IV through VI. It's not only this younger generation's following of the storylines that I would find so intriguing, but the advanced technology that is so prevalent in the prequels, both in the story and what was available in making them. I haven't even personally seen Episodes II and III in their entirety, just clips here and there. But what I've seen of the prequels looks so different from the original Star Wars films; I have a hard time envisioning them as taking place chronologically before.

Another thing I wonder is how possible it even is to see Star Wars as it was first released, without the advanced special effects that were applied later. I can appreciate the newer technology being applied to it, but as for what would take me back in time and jar special memories, I think I would actually prefer it in its untouched condition.

Maybe I'm just showing my age by remembering 'the good ol' days.'

Happy Birthday, you're in the Hall of Fame!

Sorry folks, I've been having problems with my telephone and online connection for the past few days. My phone still has static and my Internet access has been intermittent, but I was told by customer service this morning that it will be fixed soon. I'll see how resuming my daily entries goes.

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Where to start? Well, today's entry will be about what I read in the paper this morning: "Mamma mia! ABBA in Rock HOF"

Yup, they're in! along with Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, The Hollies, and the Stooges. Those of you that have been reading my blog since the beginning know that I like ABBA; one of my earlier entries was about them, particularly the beauty and the cutie. As long as my online connection allows me to scan the Internet, I'm curious to see what people's reactions are to this news. Some will be against it, either on 'rock purist' grounds or because they just don't like ABBA anyway. Others are ABBA fanatics (I guess that would be me) and can't help but imagine that there will finally be an ABBA reunion. I mean, they have to now... don't they?

Tradition has HOF inductees gathering in the U.S. somewhere (New York?) for a performance after an induction speech and however many acceptance speeches. The thing with ABBA is they have stated time and again that they would never get back together. There is the notion that it would only sully the memories, the circumstance that they are two ex-couples now, plus the fear of flying that Agnetha (the blonde) suffers from. As much as I would love to see them on stage together again, let alone performing, I'm concerned about any pressure that would be placed upon Agnetha because of this honor. I've imagined their induction for awhile now and we have a good time - although me getting an invite and sitting at their table and enjoying their reunion performance personally is pretty unlikely.

I'm also excited to see The Hollies inducted. Their greatest hits album is one I grew up listening to and I've also enjoyed viewing some of the wonderful videos I've found of them on YouTube. I wonder how they're doing this many years later? Which members will be able to make it to the ceremonies?

And Genesis too! I only really became aware of them after Peter Gabriel had already left - I hope that he will be there for the induction ceremonies. And now that I think about it, Phil Collins worked very closely with Frida (the brunette in ABBA) on her first post-ABBA solo album. That will be interesting to see them together again.

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Also in the newspaper each day is a listing of the day's birthdays. And by coincidence, two of today's birthdays belong to Tony Hicks of the Hollies and Benny Andersson of ABBA. Acceptance into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - pretty nice present, wouldn't you say?

another pun

this time a bad tag line for the International Seafood and Sushi Buffet Restaurant:

Food so good, it's Todai for.


ugh :-(

beautiful

California native plants are quite beautiful, such as our bulbs and bulblike plants, which often look ethereal. Others exhibit a more subtle beauty as they go through their seasonal cycles, such as our perennial bunchgrasses. They may be dry and dormant as summer extends into fall, but then come back to life when the rains come. They aren't artificially kept lush and green all year long as is typical of most gardens; using native plants reflects the natural cycle of California.

There is more than just the sights of California's natural beauty that you can introduce into your garden. You can introduce the most wonderful of scents too. Scents are probably even more evocative of a walk through nature than what you can see. Some plants permeate the air around them with their unique fragrance, like the Cleveland's sage and coyote mint. Others like to actually have their leaves rubbed before sharing their sweet scent, such as the yerba buena and hummingbird sage. The desert willow and Western azalea have fragrant flowers. There are popular non-native plants that grow very well in water-wise gardens, like the wonderfully fragrant rosemary and lavender shrubs. Imagine planting these alongside a California sagebrush and several native sages. Besides a hummingbird and butterfly garden, you can grow a scent garden at the same time!

What is also satisfying is having the opportunity to do your own little part in preserving nature. Whereas early settlers planted plants that were a reminder of home, small familiar patches amidst a vast and wild California, now the scales have turned the other way where large areas of open space are being replaced by landscaping that has little to do with the natural climate. The least we can do is use native plants in our built environments.

Being that gardening with native plants is a way to help preserve the beauty of California, it is important not to damage any native plant populations by taking them from the wild. Part of the fun and shared experience of gardening with natives is in obtaining your plants. As gardening with natives has grown in popularity, so have sources for obtaining plants become available. There are nurseries that sell natives. You can purchase plants, bulbs, and seeds by mail order. Certain local chapters of the California Native Plant Society hold annual sales of native plants. Native gardening tours often offer plants at selected locations. You can visit local botanical gardens to see native collections and perhaps purchase plants. I have even found many of my plants at the local community college, whose horticulture department holds plant sales in both the spring and the fall.

less work

Most suburban gardens are labor intensive. If you have a lawn, either you or the gardener is maintaining it on a weekly routine of mowing. And that's when everything is going right. Otherwise you have to worry about brown patches developing, keeping it watered, reseeding and aerating and ... the list goes on. And then there is the raking to be done whenever the trees and shrubs decide to drop their leaves. With the native plant garden, leaf litter is part of the natural cycle; you are more than welcome to let the leaves stay right where they are. If they are covering your walkway, then brush them aside, but no need to gather them all up for weekly collection.

Pruning is kept down to a minimum. Your native plants will reach their mature sizes and you may only have to prune a couple of times a year, unlike a lot of the common shrubs that need to be continuously cut back.

As mentioned in a previous entry, you don't have to strain yourself trying to change the composition of the soil to make it just right for some exotic. You will actually want to keep it in as natural state as possible. Even land that has been scraped and compacted can be brought back to a more natural state. Initially, that bane of all gardeners, weeding, is perhaps more labor intensive when first installing a native plant garden; in this case, you are trying to reestablish the proper balance of soil to plant. But once the natural system is working properly, weeds will have a harder time moving back in.

And not only will you have cut down on how much time you will have to work in the garden (and consequently, you'll have more time to spend simply observing and enjoying your garden), you will also save money. No more spending on lawn upkeep, no more trips to the store to pick up fertilizers and insecticides. A reduced water bill. No more worrying about keeping all of the sprinklers working properly, and if you are starting fresh, you won't even have to install an elaborate irrigation system in the first place. According to some experts, drip irrigation is also bad for your plants. When first establishing your native plant garden, supplemental watering is only necessary the first season or two, but after that, the plant communities will take care of themselves.

Don't plant exotic invasives; keeping them in check is also expensive, both in terms of labor as well as cost. The ivy that many people plant out of habit will eventually get out of bounds and run rampant unless strictly cut back. It can ruin fences, walls, and take over other garden beds. Other plants that are beautiful to look at and are planted innocently enough can become nightmares to the gardener. French broom is notorious for taking over not only your own garden, but your neighbor's garden, and also open space. There may be a system of checks and balances for them where they originated, but they can wreak havoc on native plant communities. Of course, not all plants are invasive, but this increased awareness is always helpful, no matter how you garden.

soil and water

Our soil is also teeming with activity, most of it happening at a microscopic level. The critters that we can actually see without magnifying glasses and microscopes are the giants of the underground world. Much of this underground world has yet to be fully understood. But it is an ecosystem unto itself. Not just insects and other invertebrates, but fungi and bacteria exist in our soil, making crucial contributions to our ecology. Healthy soil is the foundation to the health of everything that springs from it.

How many gardeners are frustrated by all the clay (or sand) that makes up the majority of their garden soil? Why not work with it by finding the plants that thrive in such soil? I used to feel limited by what I could plant in the areas of my garden that were covered with a layer of rock. I felt limited by the thought of having to move the rock, mix in bags of soil conditioner to break up the clay, then planting my plant before moving all of the rock back again. Any time I wanted to plant something into the ground, I was always weighed down by the thought of all those bags of soil conditioner and feeling resentful of being stuck with clayey soil. Alternatively, gardening with natives allows you to work with the soil as it exists. And that allows the life processes underground to go about their business with less disturbance.

Native plant gardens need no fertilizer. And it's not that they don't need fertilizer; fertilizer kills native plants. Imagine what it does to the soil and all of its living organisms.

Native plant gardening has become synonymous with drought-tolerant gardening. This gives the image of California as being all chaparral and scrub. Which of course isn't the case. There are native plants for all of the different conditions up and down the state, from the mountainous regions to the north coast to the southern desert. So it is important when gardening with native plants to select according to where they naturally thrive. And if not, can you create a condition where they can thrive? I planted a Western Azalea next to my house in the east Bay Area where I know I'll be able to give it the supplemental water it will need. It is a plant that thrives in the moister conditions of our North Coast and not 'drought-tolerant.' But I wanted it, know I can give it plenty of water, and still, no fertilizer!

What is nice though is for the most part, and particularly where one might otherwise install an irrigation system, is that you can plant natives appropriate to your climate and after it is established, not have to give any supplemental water at all. This is especially appropriate for the areas of your landscape that are farther away from the house. It is an easy matter to water those beautiful baskets of nasturtiums hanging underneath your overhang, the camellias that line against your house, and the beds of annuals you pick up every spring from the local nursery. But the 'bones' and structural elements in the further reaches of your yard would do well to be natives. Trees and large shrubs are especially important to have native as they anchor your habitat garden. The smaller shrubs and perennials will grow alongside these larger natives like they have always done, and you won't have to worry about fertilizing or watering them. Even pruning is minimized.

habitat friendly

Continuing with copying what I wrote for a website I created a few years ago. It was done during the spring of that year, so when I mention that a plant is in bloom, has ladybug eggs, etc. it's not true now in December. On the other hand, my toyon currently has beautiful red berries!

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One of the most satisfying aspects of gardening with native plants is how beneficial it is to wildlife. Gardening with native plants means offering the trees, plants, and flowers that our wild neighbors have evolved with. For example, insects such as our native bees can be highly specialized, depending on particular plants for their survival. Over 1500 species of native bees are found in California. Having a variety of native plants in our gardens means attracting a variety of pollinators.

Butterflies can be particular too. Besides nectar, they depend on finding particular native host plants on which to lay their eggs. In deciding which plants to grow, you can also take into account what you would like to attract with them. For instance, if you would like to attract the pipevine swallowtail, you could plant the California pipevine. This is also a great way to get kids interested in natural science. They just might take an interest in the insects and bugs they see crawling and hovering around the garden. What attracts certain insects and bugs? What are their life cycles?

Being that I am trying not to worry about aphids this season, I am ecstatic to find that ladybird beetles are making a home on my California sagebrush. I am finding lots of their eggs as well, on the dry branches I am so glad I didn't prune back this year. My wild lilac is blooming now and I am looking forward to seeing the little bee that I saw laden with yellow pollen that I saw last year. Maybe it was a fly or some other kind of insect. Hopefully I'll get more butterflies this year as my garden matures. It's a lot more relaxing simply letting nature happen in my garden, rather than seeing a few leaves being eaten and reaching for the insect spray.

And then there are the birds. All of the insects that you are allowing in your garden are sure to entice them. Besides the insects, you can plant berry producing plants such as the toyon and the blue elderberry which are important wildlife mainstays in the garden. Nectar producing flowers will attract the hummingbirds. Native sages, currants, and gooseberries have flowers that bear the nectar that hummingbirds love, and when their flowers fade, will either go to seed or produce berries which will attract even more birds. Manzanitas, huckleberries, and native honeysuckles are also examples of plants that serve such double duty.

A great way to see existing native gardens is to attend a native plant garden tour, many of which take place during the spring in different parts of the state. In the southern part of the state, there is the Theodore Payne Native Garden Tour and up in the east Bay Area there is the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour. The south Bay Area and up the peninsula has the Going Native Garden Tour. These tours are self-guided tours in which visitors are welcome at dozens of existing gardens that give ideas as to how to native plants can be used in the landscape. On one of my visits to a particularly beautiful and established garden, I enjoyed the sight of a family of California quail making themselves at home on a hillside, while I also heard the rustling of a lizard in the underbrush. When I managed to find it, I saw that it had a beautiful blue tail. A garden teeming with activity is so much more interesting.

home page

For the next five days, I'm going to copy what I wrote for a website I designed for a class a few years ago. The site was called Native Plants for your California Garden. The only changes I expect to make are to remove any references to the photographs that were on the site.

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How many times have you been out for a walk through nature and said to yourself "How beautiful, I need to get out and appreciate this more often?" Do you realize you can create something like that in your own garden? Although suburban landscaping is seemingly defined as being limited to lawns, shrubs, and ivy, your options reach beyond that. You can remove the ivy, reduce the size of your lawn or even eliminate it altogether, and instead choose native plants that require no fertilizers, no pesticides, little or no supplemental water, and little or no maintenance. In exchange, you'll have a more natural looking outdoor space that can evoke feelings of that last hike you went on.

You can choose how far native you want to go - it's certainly not an all or nothing proposition. Around my house, I will always make space for double impatiens as they were my mother's favorites. Just keep in mind the differing needs of our native plants, and you can start adding an exciting new element to your garden!

There is also flexibility in gardening with natives. Through proper selection, you can have a formal clipped garden using native shrubs instead. Some have a more formal growth habit that is easily maintained. So don't feel that by growing native you are limited to a wild, untamed looking garden. Or you can have both: a formal looking front garden that will please even a homeowners' association, and an informal backyard that looks like a nature walk!

It's great to go green as more and more people are tuning in to preserving our precious ecology. And we can each start in our own gardens. California has been called an 'Island' for its unique geography, settled between various mountain ranges and the ocean, forming a large part of what is known as the California Floristic Province. Yet every region of the United States can benefit by gardening with an eye towards preserving nature. Ideally, every region of the world would garden this way. We can all tread a little more lightly on the earth, and still have beautiful gardens!

With all of the fantastic information about native plants available now, there is no better time to begin your native garden makeover. It's actually fun and satisfying to bring back some of what makes California unique. You'll just be turning over a lot of the work over to nature itself; the native plant garden, once established, requires much less supplemental water (if any), no fertilizer, and lets the birds and beneficial insects take care of the pests. By eliminating the use of pesticides, you'll be giving nature (including us humans!) a break.

Niner loss

A good, hard-fought game against the Seahawks that unfortunately ended in defeat. I'll have to keep in mind that the team is still relatively new under the watch of Coach Singletary and his staff. So I encourage those of you that are 49er fans to focus on the positives: the offense is moving the ball, the defense is solid, the players are in the right mindset... I think they are going in the right direction. Let's look at this as a steady progression that will take some time.

Sonic's got...

burgers and tots!

I recently saw a commercial for Sonic Drive-In and it featured a menu item with 2 burgers, 2 servings of tater tots, and 2 soft drinks. Too bad they don't have any locations near where I live. But it's a nice start - hopefully it (offering tater tots) catches on, and more places will do the same. Personally I like Carl's Jr. and maybe some day they (and all of the chains) will have tots on their menus.

an idea for Ford Motor Company

I've enjoyed reading how Ford Motor Company has been earning better and better reviews for its vehicles. Although it's difficult to ascertain quite what "buying American" is anymore, I am happy to see an American nameplate test so well just the same.

So now I'd like to make a suggestion to Ford: make an adjustment to your Ford nameplate, the one that is seen on your vehicles. Personally, I find the logos for most of your competitors to be much more understated and elegant. I believe that if Ford were to redesign its logo in a similar fashion, it would impress upon the consumer an elevation in class and style.

And I'm not even suggesting that the current script styling of the word "Ford" be changed. My suggestion is to change to a chrome nameplate with the name "Ford" inscribed in it. You see, it's the current blue with white lettering of the current logo that I believe could most use the updating. Personally, I find that having a silver logo better complements whichever color is desired for the vehicle itself, whereas a blue oval with white lettering doesn't.

Maybe it's time to upgrade the image and visual impact of your brand, especially now that your company's products are rating as well as ever.

Joan Baez

Last night, I watched a program about Joan Baez aired by the local PBS station. All that was familiar to me was the picture I had in my mind of her: playing folk music and wearing her hair short. Actually, more than that is her very name, which is more familiar to me than anything else about her... Joan Baez.

The show was fascinating - it had wonderful early footage of her before she was famous. What really caught my eye was how she looked with long hair. If I didn't know it was her, I wouldn't have recognized her. I wouldn't have told myself, "Oh, that's Joan Baez, but with long hair." I really enjoyed the parts that I watched, particularly the early years. Seeing the home movies of her and her sisters running around on their travels when they were young was especially touching; they even had snippets of them being filmed while they sat in their car during these trips. It took away her celebrity and showed a typical American family on vacation.

I learned a lot about her such as her work with Bob Dylan which I hadn't seen before. There was fantastic footage of them with a bunch of people gathered in a room, her playing her guitar and singing, and him sitting in front of his typewriter typing (what might have been) lyrics. That it was shot in black and white only added to the fascination of what I was watching, a time capsule.

Although I was vaguely familiar that she was an activist back in the 1960's, this program showed a lot of that footage as well. There were protests and defining walks with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and sitting next to and participating with him as he gave speeches to congregations. She also protested the Vietnam draft and went to jail for it.

Another snippet that was shown was of her (on black and white film and her with long hair) singing a song that was familiar to me as a song that Nirvana sang during their Unplugged performance: "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" which I looked up is an old folk song that dates back to the 1870's.

truth and food

Years ago, I saw a program on TV about how dozens of frozen food packages will be gone through to find just the right contents to photograph for the box. Something about truth in advertising - even though the majority of these meals won't look like the one on the box, at least what is photographed will have actually been found in one of the packages. Although not ideally representative of the average frozen meal, I think it's fantastic to be held to this standard, so as to prevent any indiscretions or dishonesty - I mean, imagine how elaborate the pictures of the meals would look if there were no such rules in place.

Which brings me to fast-food commercials. Somehow I get the idea that there are no such standards. Really now, when was the last time any of us got a burger or what-not that was fast-food and it looked anything like what we saw in the commercial? I'm not saying that the food doesn't hit the spot or taste good or anything like that, but it hardly ever looks as good as it does in an ad or commercial.

the strongest athletes

According to a woman that worked in the same office as me, the strongest athletes are:

horse jockeys


Not surprisingly, she rode horses herself. I didn't know her well enough to learn whether or not she trained them, rode them competitively, or what her experience with horses or horse racing was. I mostly just remember her saying (essentially) that horse jockeys were the strongest of athletes as they trained to race on 1,000+ lb. animals. She had a point: jockeys aren't so much sitting upon their rides but are in a continuous squatting position around the entirety of the track. And as humans, smaller of stature at that, they are controlling the actions of much bigger creatures. Besides, how can we definitively measure how strong an athlete is anyway?