Humboldt County Bookmark

Mondays are the best day to take off from work. After a busy and exhausting working weekend out of town I decided that I needed yesterday to recuperate and decompress. The laundry needed to be washed, the house needed to be cleaned, bills needed to be paid, the garden needed to be weeded. So I dove in to what was really important first. I packed a bag with sunscreen, a towel and a sandwich and took myself to Willa Crick for the day (aka Willow Creek in some circles.)

It was a lovely day; warm, sunny with clouds that would pass over and block the sun for a bit just as I was getting so hot I thought I might have to jump in the river. After falling asleep on Kimtu Beach for a few hours I woke up covered in a sticky layer of sand with dark clouds rolling in from the hills. I looked around me and the beach was deserted. Time to head to my other favorite place in the Crick - Bigfoot Books.


Bigfoot Books is wonderful, not only for the huge collection of all books Yeti-Sasquatch-Bigfoot related displayed in the front window. The store is in an old house, so you get to wander through maze-like rooms to see them all. The books, while well categorized, are stacked on bookcases and the floor all the way to the ceiling. The majority of them are dusty.

More often than not while you wander through the stacks, you are treated to overhearing phone conversations by the owner who I believe is named Steve. He'll either be talking about the latest Bigfoot sighting he's heard about, the latest hoax, a retelling of stories he's heard from locals and tourists alike or just his general philosophy about Bigfoot Love. This, of course, is my favorite part.

Yesterday I was searching for an old dictionary to make jewelry out of and a Caribbean cookbook. I found both. I took them up to the counter. The cookbook was five dollars, but since the dictionary wasn't priced, Steve started flipping through it to determine if it would be three dollars or four. As he ran his fingers across the edges of the pages, the dictionary suddenly opened up to reveal a large pressed marijuana leaf. He looked up at me with a mixture of amusement and trepidation.

"You'd be surprised at how many of these I find."

I laughed. "No, I really wouldn't. I was born here."

He smiled and closed the book.

"That'll be nine dollars. I won't even charge you extra for the Humboldt County bookmark."

Later at home I opened it up again and noticed that the bookmark had been very appropriately placed - on the same page with the entry for 'potato chip.'

Scenes from the June 5 Rally

Here are some photos from today's rally at the courthouse in Eureka to protest the latest appalling and unconscionable cuts proposed by Schwarzenegger to people with disabilities, the elderly, low income families and many other members of our community. The rally was well attended, and based on the number of honks, waves and yells, was also well supported. It was organized by Tri-County Independent Living.

For Kristabel: Guest post from New York

OK, so probably not my best work here, but really, what do you expect on my quick break for lunch? Thinking of you.

Goodbye Bladder of Gall

Sung to the tune of Elton John's Goodbye Norma Jean

Goodbye Bladder of Gall

Though I never really knew you at all

You had the task of concentrating bile

When organs around you would call

The stomach, pancreas and liver

All whispered, "Yo, get to work."

But you just sat there smiling

For a non-vital organ, I guess that's a perk

And it seemed to me, you lived your life

Like a lazy dog in the sun

Never wanting to leave the porch

Not even if there was fun

And I'm pretty glad that you're gone now

And left like you did

The surgeon tore you from my guts

Before I ever could

Just a little blog pause

Chocolate Covered Xanax will be in a holding pattern for a bit while I get a badly behaved part ripped out of my body.

Don't worry, I'll be back in a couple of weeks with exciting tales of the cleanliness, caring and culinary delights of St. Joseph Hospital.

I suppose I should wait until after the surgery to be so sarcastic.

In the meantime, Heraldo, Carson Park Ranger and Carol have all assured me that to honor my absence they will be posting their most outrageous Saturday night fantasies.

Big Giant Plant Sale

The weather is supposed to be sunny and lovely this weekend. What a perfect time to walk around a gorgeous yard drinking lemonade (or limoncello in a flask. Mmmmm), buy some plants and maybe even take them home and put them in the ground.

Charlie's Blossoms annual plant sale starts tomorrow. The plants are beautiful and healthy, and there's a huge variety: perennials, annuals, flowers, herbs, veggies. Plus the prices are super reasonable, and if you buy one or more tomatoes, you get one free.

Charlie's Blossoms Annual Plant Sale
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 15, 16 and 17
from 9 to 4
4180 Loop Road, Fortuna

Here's a map.

Check it out, and tell them Kristabel sent you.

I got my stash already. Don't they look amazing?



They're all ready to go in the brand new raised beds that Big Hands built for me. Although Zinnia, the sweet thing who adopted me several weeks ago, seems to have other ideas.



P.S. This is my mom's place, so be nice. And pick up after yourself. And please don't mention anything about Saturday night.

Did you hear that?

Date: May 10, 2009
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Place: Fortuna Safeway

Usually I reserve this space for conversations I've overheard. Well, actually, they're usually conversations that I've eavesdropped on, but overheard sounds less pathetic. Today, though, I'm sharing a conversation I had with a man at Safeway that I really can't figure out.

I am fortunate to have been born a nutball magnet. (Thanks, Mom, and Happy Mother's Day.) If there's a person who's a little off, a little rough around the edges, a little wild-eyed anywhere near me, they will almost always start talking to me, and it's almost always fascinating.

Today I was shopping for bananas. I'll only eat them when they're barely ripe, so I was trying to find the very greenest there. A man with unkempt grey hair started fondling the bananas next to me.

"You know," he said, "You can get these at Costco, and they look like they came right off the boat."

I looked at him quizzically. I wasn't sure what boat he was talking about.

"It's true. My wife and I got some, and when they turned brown, we ate them with cat."

I wasn't quite sure how to respond, so I didn't, just cocked my head in confusion as he hurried away.

I'm still left pondering. Is this a racist joke that I don't get? Does his cat like really ripe bananas? Should I stop shopping in Fortuna? Anyone?

Quote of the Day

Last night I attended a public meeting in Eureka to discuss the California budget crisis.

More specifically, to discuss the horrendous cuts being made to individuals and services of some of our most vulnerable community members, equaling over 100 million dollars, and how they will affect people in Humboldt County.

More specifically, to be lectured to about the inevitability of these horrendous cuts and how "we're all in this together" from someone who makes over $100,000 a year. My favorite quote:

"You see we're not actually talking about cuts here, we're just talking about how services will be provided differently."

I have no comment other than a deep and heavy sigh.