Of Still being on Jury Duty and missing Goth Day~~~~

Hello Darklings,

I have a few minutes before  I leave to go to the courthouse.

Yes I am still on Jury Duty!

And it looks like it's going to drag on a while, each side bringing in their own experts, two different teams for the two defendants.  Where they get the money to pay for them I haven't a clue.

Then postponements because something or another comes up.  It is throwing my life off. 

And we lost a jury member last week, came down with appendicitis, rushed to the hospital.  So an alternate was sworn in.  At least it happened during the trial and not during deliberations. 

And when that happens I hope it's not going to be like that movie "12 Angry Men".

Anyway I just wanted to let you Darklings know I'm still alive and among the living.

And I'm so upset--- I MISSED GOTH DAY!!!  May 22 is Goth Day and I missed it!!!  Oh I did wear black, wore purple eye shadow and dark lipstick and took my coffin purse, one female jury member asked me if I thought she could pull that look off,  I thought she could. 

But considering the weather here the whole bay area looks like it's being Goth!   We have not had one really warm day for the past 3 weeks, the weather man said that May has been colder than January, but we did get now and then a few drizzels, most welcomed. 

So we've been having May Gray, I wonder if it will match the eventual June Gloom.   And now some weather people are wondering if the heavy rain patterns that is being experienced in Texas (heavy flooding) will shift over here for some type of el Nino in July.   Now that would be interesting. Hmmm maybe a Goth Summer??

My poor brother and his family came down sick with what appears to be either terrible allergies or Summer colds, they've all be doing so much with the schedules and the moving in they had completely exhausted themselves.  Poor things, so I suggested to just only do that which really needs to be done, put off everything else. 

They are doing much better, but I do worry about them especially the children.

Well I have to go, Doyle is going to drop me off and then if need be I'll take the bus home.

Later Darklings

Of Jury Duty, Dark Shadows and chilly weather~~~~

Hello Darklings,

I have not been posting as often as I like, the Jury Duty is taking up time and energy, bleh!!

We were let go early today, but back tomorow!

And Decades T.V. was running "Dark Shadows"!!!   last week.

The good thing is Brian was working from home so he had the timer set so that every 6 hours he'd change the discs to record the episodes I and Sis would  be missing while doing what we've got to do.

We'd watch it during the evenings and record our other shows, just when you think "Oh well, I'll just go and make myself a sandwich!"  Darn if it doesn't sucker you right back into it again.

Even Doyle got caught up, he missed it years ago when he was at the Academy and then working,  so we confessed to each other----we have GOT  to buy all 1225 episodes (well it's listed as 1245--but it was a numbering situation),  and they come out in volumes.  I missed the last year of it because of my job.

So that is on our shopping list

It was such fun!!

Unfortunately I cannot talk about the trial I'm on, I'm still constrained but I think this next picture will give you and idea of what at least I feel about it, Doyle did manage to come into the court room to listen in and his attitude is the same.

Like Really??!!

But we will do our best to be objective. 


And the weather!!  It has been so chilly, some an occasional shower but I understand snow is showing up in the mountains.   But I have not been able to get out of my winter clothes.  At least not yet, over cast and cold, over cast and cold.

And all the children have come down with Spring colds, we thought allergies but no, colds!  At least they were healthy for Mother's day.


And now I am going to go have have lunch, a friend of mine called me a few minutes ago and I pleaded with her to take me out into the normal world --- or what passes for normal so I can think of nicer things.

Later Darklings

Of Mother's Day~~~~

Happy Mother's Day My Darklings,

Although I'm not a Mother I am an auntie and auntie's count too.

We are going over to my brother's house of a bar-b-que dinner, and taking a few things as well that Sis and I whipped up yesterday. 

Such a nice difference from the Court Room, and yes I'm still stuck with Jury Duty.

But oh it has been cold, cool and breezy, with a splash of rain here briefly, snow in the mountains and I think hail down in Fremont.   The last time I can remember weather this cold was back in the 70's and Snow was still on the ground at Lake Tahoe on Memorial Weekend.

So sweaters are still called for my summer clothes is sharing the closet with my winter clothes,  until the weather can make up it's mind.   And I get an automatic robo call from the Water District saying we are in drought conditions and to only use 35 gallons of water per person per day???   I know what 35 gallons looks like and it looks like the water district is asking us to take sponge baths, while the oil companies do fracking!   IDIOTS!!!

O.K. it's Mother's Day it's best I calm down.

Sis and I went to church this morning, it was full, then later we went over to the cemetery to leave flowers on Mom's, our Aunt's and Grandma's graves.  We were concerned about the calcium scale on the stone left by the hard well water.   As well as the tarnish on our Uncle's head stone that has his military plaque on it. 

Fortunately we were told at the Cemetery Office that the best thing that works for the metal is this product called "Mother's" it's used on automobiles, so on the military plaques to use that and to remove the calcium scale from stone to do a mixture of 1/3 cup white vinegar to 2/3 cup water and a lot of elbow grease with a rough sponge, no metal, it seems that CLR does not do the trick and is harmful to the stone.  Or maybe for a larger amount 1 cup white vinegar to 2 cups water and a lot of elbow grease, so I think during the warmer month's we'll be doing that.

I'm feeling sort of quiet and mellow today, but I'm looking forward to seeing the children, we're going to take the books we bought at the book sale and surprise them with it.  I know Chris and Coralline will like their books, the twins are harder to gauge.

So now it's time to go.   I wish all of you a Happy Mother's Day.

Later Darklings

Of going from cold to heat back to very cool, Book Sales!!! and Hitler~~~~~

Hello Darklings,

There are times when I wish our Bay Area weather would make up it's mind!

Good thing is we had Friday off from Jury Duty, and considering the sudden heat wave we had it was a blessing.

I have never been so prostrated with heat before but this time I was, and I know why, and its a reminder to all Elder Goths you have got to avoid being dehydrated, drink plenty of water, for some reason many older people seem to not take in as much water, and I must confess Darklings I am beginning to become one of them,  well after this last Friday not any more.

The good thing is that I had fans on in the house, but still I became flushed, sweating, dizzy, weak, nearly fainting.   If it wasn't for Brian coming over via the back gate to ask me about something I think I would have passed out.

He recognized what it was and put his first aid training to good use. Granted it was only 1 p.m. in the afternoon but I was almost down for the count and not like that so called championship boxing match, (personally I think a fix was in).

I was sitting up and conscious but he laid me down on the couch, got a towel, put an ice pack on the back of my neck, took off the dark long sleeve blouse I had on (trust me Darklings I'm not shy nor timid being naked) put a fan on me and wiped me down with a wet face cloth, while the Dynamic Duo watched helplessly.

He he encouraged me to sip water, not overly cold, but cool until I felt much better and the fainting dizziness went away, my sister had come home to her house (he saw the car) from visiting a client and he went to tell her about my condition, she came over and checked me out, she asked me questions to make sure about my thinking process, and said I should nap, naked on the couch with only a sheet to cover me for modesty.   I drank more water and she saw that the flushness had left me.

I thanked Brian for his timeliness and aid and promptly fell asleep.  I slept for hours, waking up at 5 p.m. feeling totally refreshed Sis had been going back and forth between her house and mine checking on me and was there when I woke, as well as Doyle, I felt perfectly well but tired and just a little achy.

Sis was wondering if it would be a good thing to go to the Friends of the Library book sale, but Doyle said a breeze had come up and things were cooling down, so the four of us (Sis, Doyle, Brian and Moi) went to the book sale later, and found some wonderful things, fortunately they had a comfortable couch that I sat on from time to time to rest, but I felt much better and it was much cooler with a good breeze coming off the Bay onto the old Naval Air Base.

Doyle found some mysteries he wanted to read, I found some classic Raymond Chandler and a few Preston and Child books, Sis found some biographies, Brian was happy with a few finds on world history.   But the one or two  oddities were a couple of  books about the Occult history and knowledge of Adolph Hitler and the work of the British Witches to prevent the invasion of England these works were about 50 years old, most definitely out of print, and just right for the book shelf of an Elder Goth.  

The more amusing thing was this man, he must have been in his 70ties was about to reach for them but I struck more quickly like a serpent and snatched them first, the look on his face was as if he were shooting daggers at me, to which I just looked at him and shrugged him off as if he were so much yesterday's news.

He kept following me around the entire book sale, the good thing is I had this cloth wheeled carry bag so it was not a strain on my arm, so I decided to be a bit spiteful and buy the books, it was fun seeing his face get flushed.

But as I walked out with Doyle to join my sister and Brian at the van he followed us out and offered to buy the books from me for a goodly amount, and I said no, I wanted to read them and they were perfect for my own personal collection.    He repeated his offer, even increasing the amount and I repeated to him that I was adding them to my own personal collection and turned him down.

He finally conceded that I was refusing him ---Maybe Doyle saying "You heard the Lady, she's not interested."  in Doyle's best Bogie manner, so he gave me his personal business card saying if I was eventually interested in selling the books he would be interested in purchasing them, so I said that when the time comes I would give him first refusal.    The man gave me a small smile, a curt nod of the head and went back into the melee of the  Book Sale.

I really was glad that I had Doyle by my side, the energy of that man was not comfortable and the whole thing was strange, or maybe it was an after effect of my heat prostration.

But after a dinner of Wor Won Ton soup, Hibiscus Tea, and lime sherbert I put all thoughts aside of my Noir encounter and was also happy that I found some lovely books that I think Coralline, Chris and the twins would enjoy---although I'm not sure the twins are big readers, but I think books on their favorite football stars they would enjoy.

Yesterday all I did was rest and recover, and enjoy the news of the new Princess and the winner of the Kentucky Derby,  today, I'm not going to do much except go with my sister to do grocery shopping and a bit of laundry and lay out what I'm going to wear for the next week of court duty.   The gentleman's card I placed in my cabinet of curiosities along with those two books,  I think I'm going to have to read them to see what was so important.

And now Sis is asking if I'm ready, so must go.

Later Darklings