Victims of Murder and Murderers

Last weekend a young man that I knew was murdered. He had been a student at the last school at which I worked. He had been a reasonable young man in elementary school. He was one of a large gathering of youth in town, after midnight, and was stabbed. In olden days we would have said, "There was a rumble!"
He was not, by far, the only young person I knew to have been killed at the hand of someone else. There have been four to my memory. It is always a surprise to hear about it. Even those that hung with the "wrong" crowd, you don't expect them to be victims.
I've also known three murderers. I knew them as youngsters and in most cases it came as no surprise when they became killers. We discussed one third grader and thought then that he would kill some day in anger. He killed the high school football coach in the hallway of a clinic. Another killed his baby when he became frustrated. The third killed his girlfriend / fiancee, both had been to our school, classmates even.
I think it is much more likely to recognize, peg if you will, a future killer than project who might be a victim later in life.
I am saddened by this latest, needless loss.

Frogs and Toads

Years ago we used to have hundreds of toads on our property, mostly in the spring, obviously. By the driveway under the streetlight was a great feeding spot for them. Not so many in recent years and I'm not sure why.
At that time we rarely saw little frogs. The tables have turned, and I see lots of the little gray and green guys now. More telling, however, to their presence is the croaking I hear. They sit on the house wall- stucco - near the downspouts. And croak.
We are still having rain and the little froggies are happy.
The toads that do hang out are probably still burrowed in the ground, where the drainage is good. After all there isn't much to do for them right now, being it's too cold for insects to be out.

Cold, Wet, Reading

January has long been my least favorite month of the year. Since I don't want to wish away my life and hurry along to spring, I do January things.
I try new recipes, some with marginal success, never to be repeated.
I jacked up my thumb this last year and in order for it to heal I wear a brace, and with knitting being discouraged, reading it is. I just devoured the group of books by Philipa Gregory of the Tudor court. One of those is being made into a soon to be released motion picture: The Other Boleyn Girl. I finally have those wives and the offspring straight.
I checked some of those books out at our library and found, amazingly, other works to read. Think of all the money I saved by not buying them.
So today it's baked vegetables and homemade Pumpernickel bread, and a book.

Replacing the Trees

The front of our house faces south, so with a little bit of sunshine and warmth I can imagine early spring.
The tulips and daffodils are pushing through the soil. The grass is looking green, if not tall, and that's fine with me. By the middle of February our fruit trees will be in bloom.
Meanwhile I have to decide what tree to plant to replace the Sequoia we just lost. It provided summer shade and cooling for us in the afternoons. I want to stay with a tree that stays in the twenty-five foot range. I'm leaning toward an ornamental Pear.
Are there any other good suggestions out there for zone 9?
I'm yearning to take my morning coffee outside and plan my day while sitting under some tree.

Storm Aftermath

It's been six days since our big storm and I'm somewhat recovered.
The fence has been repaired. Alani dug a deep trench next to the fence and Azi found his way to the neighbors by going through another neighbors yard. I rescued him from my nice neighbors, and I hope I plugged the hole well enough.
The tree guys came back today and collected the final check. Oh, yeah, they did the last of the cutting and cleaning up. The lawn/grass is a churned up mess. I would be good with a little bit of drying out.
The carpets have been cleaned, again, and let's hope they'll stay that way for a bit.
That's the last report about this storm.
The End.

Yuk, and Double Yuk: Random Thoughts

The neighbor's roof is on the street. As are the grapefruit from her tree.
I'm waiting for the tree guy, again. He is just cutting trees this weekend. Cleanup will be done when it's drier.
The lumberyard was very busy this morning. Did I mention that I'm so, so sick of fixing our fence? Until we do, the dogs won't have free run of the yard. Luckily two neighbors propped up their sections, so we only have to fix one area. I got new Wellington boots today to wear when we fix the fence.
We played cards by candlelight last night. I did not win. I did not win at Trivial Pursuit either.
Ray made Stove Top dressing with hot tap water. Not the best.
When power is out for miles around, you can see constellations in the night sky that you might have forgotten about. Very cool.
While outside in the dark, you realize the light from the car's alarm is eerily bright.
Lights or not, dogs and cat want their food, on time, in light or dark.
When the carpets have been recently cleaned and wet dogs come into the house, the carpets will get nasty dirty in no time at all. Thank goodness there are baby gates that we use on such an occasion. The carpet can be cleaned again. Thanks, beasts.
Today the world is fixed, and I had a tasty, hot meal. Comfort foods.

Fired

I quit a job once without notice, but I was never fired.
The end of the year brought a notice from my long time family doctor stating that I was fired as a patient. We Medicare patients are not bringing in the bucks.
I feel like a girl that's not wanted at a party.
So I'm on the search for a new provider. How does one pick? Stab at a name on a page with a pencil? Gender? Ethnic name? None of the doctors available are native speakers of English. I am a xenophile, but will we be able to communicate when I'm sick and can't think clearly? Will our philosophies be compatible? Ultimately all choices are mine when it come to treatment options. I like to be advised, given options, but not bullied.
So we shall meet next week, the new doctor and I, hopefully it can be a lasting relationship.