As some of you might remember, I have been blessed with having redneck neighbors.  You remember, the cop!!  Kinda like Barney Fife!!  Remember these classic photos?

His pickup truck before all four tires went flat and he had it towed away with a crane.

 His trusty Vespa with the custom rust-colored paint job

 And who could forget his bicycle with the really cool seat??

Well, you might also remember that when we had our front yard sodded there was some leftover sod, so we had the landscapers sod the patch of dirt that we shared (we own 25% of it), with the promise that at least one of those bumpkins would water it.  They were thrilled and they were quick to agree.  Anyhow, they have yet, after a year, squirted one drop of water on it.  Guess who waters it???  Last week I noticed a brown spot and no matter how much I watered it, it just continued to grow.  Last night I strolled outside and saw redneck's son standing in the street urinating on it!!!

That was NOT what I meant by watering!!!!  IN THE STREET?????  This is the same kid who waxes his surfboard every week but doesn't surf!  We need to talk!

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

I hope you're not bored by these but I have another article by my favorite columnist, Chris Erskine!

In the pre-prom dance, I follow

******************************************************************************************************************************************

Update: ( I think) I got the sprinklers fixed except for the leak.  My friend , Jane, warned me that I would be walking with a sprinkler tool hanging from my neck!!  She was right!!  Having the leak fixed today by guess who?...... No!!  No the redneck neighbor!!!  By my wonderful gardeners!

That Steam Mop worked GREAT!!  Scared the crap out of the dogs, but it did a nice job and the floor dries in like 10 seconds!!  I just wish it had a longer cord.  If you buy one, buy extra cleaning pads and use distilled water.  I have yet to try the carpet attachment but I'm pleased with the mop.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************

Lakers won last night so they are in the finals!!!!  Killed Denver, 119 to 92!  It doesn't seem to matter who they play now.  They were awesome!!!

I hope you all are having relaxing and enjoyable weekends!

Yet another Great article by my favorite columnist, Chris Erskine of the L A Times.

Rethinking 'take them out with the crowd'

The T-ball team visits Dodger Stadium. Now for the apologies.

Chris Erskine
May 29, 2009

To the good people in Aisle 3, Rows V and W: From the bottom of my tiny, baseball-shaped heart, I am sorry for what happened the other day. Sorry for the giggle fits and the carnage. We thought it'd be nice, you know, to take the T-ball team to a real game, at a real ballpark, to cap off their magical-maniacal season.
For nothing bonds fathers and sons like baseball.

And, as you well know, baseball loves nothing so much as kooks and oddballs, which this T-ball team has in spades. No disrespect. There are few creatures as lovable and maddening as a 6-year-old boy. When they travel in packs, it can be a real floor show.

Big mistake. Sorry.

So I apologize for all that happened on that otherwise perfect day -- sunny, with a hint of heaven. In looking back, what really worked against us is that the game lasted four hours -- or roughly the length of a flight from LAX to Chicago. To keep a team of T-ballers entertained for four hours is more than you can ask of almost any sport.

And you have to admit that for the first two innings, we had the lads under total control. Then the dads seemed to lose focus, and here's what I think happened next:
Coach Italia had a beer and maybe Coach Nava too. The game got interesting, which means we dads paid more attention to what was going on down on the field than what was happening right beside us in Aisle 3, Rows V and W. The narcissist nearby in the micro-miniskirt and the killer tan didn't help the situation either.
The real turning point in the game, I think, was when the Scribner boy came back from the snack bar with a big bag of cotton candy -- which is good for kids, at least the cotton part. The candy portion of cotton candy affects them like little wads of nitroglycerin.

After a few mouthfuls of cotton candy, the Scribner boy was off like a 3-2 favorite in the Preakness.
His cellmates joined him, and before long, we were a big quivery mass in Aisle 3, Rows V and W. The little guy (my son) was thirsty, so I gifted him a few sips of my Coke, which looking back now might've been a mistake. As his mother constantly reminds me, "HE CAN'T HAVE SODA!" Which makes him crave it all the more.

In the fourth inning, he flies out of his seat like a North Korean rocket.

In the seventh inning, you may recall, the cry went up: "TOMMY'S TONGUE IS BLEEDING! TOMMY'S TONGUE IS BLEEDING!" The sight of blood seems to affect the boys like gin, but it proved to be a false alarm. Tommy was just doing something weird with ketchup.

To be fair, there were several periods of solitude, where the boys sat back quietly. In the fourth inning, that period of calm lasted 90 seconds. In the eighth inning, they went almost two full minutes, till someone decided to have a tickle contest. To 6-year-olds, laughing till you pee is a sport unto itself.
Whew, that was unfortunate. We also regret that we happened to be sitting amid, what I understand, were members of a Dodgers fan club, folks who take their baseball pretty seriously.
Thank heavens for folks like you, for whom baseball is a passion. Most of you can tell me in a heartbeat not only who gave up the home run to Bobby Thomson (Ralph Branca, that's too easy) but who was also warming up in the bullpen with Branca that infamous day (Carl Erskine, no relation). Bad choice. I'll never forgive Chuck Dressen either.

Anyway, I hope we haven't turned you off to such pursuits. America needs baseball and baseball needs America. It's a great game that has survived scandals, strikes and Bud Selig. It ought to survive the pure boyish joy of one little T-ball team.

In the meantime, please take solace in the fact that we won't be back in Aisle 3, Rows V and W, real soon. As we left, stadium security thanked us for our business, then begged us tearfully never to come back.
"Look, we made a cop cry!" Ian said excitedly.
Yes, we did, son. For that, we are sorry too.

LMAO!!!!!  I love this guy!!!!

****************************************************************************************

YEA!!  It’s Friday!!  I have a few loose ends to tie up and then, hopefully, it will be a stress free weekend.  The first (Yes Jane… you tried to warn me) is to try to repair a sprinkler valve.  Also, I bought one of those ‘Steam Mops’ (As Seen On TV).  It looks pretty cool and seems to be well made.  I’ll give you a full report later!

****************************************************************************************

Game 6 of the L A Lakers, Denver Nuggets Western finals tonight!  Lakers can advance to the finals if they win.  Last night’s Cleveland, Orlando game was really good!!  I really want to see L A / Cleveland in the finals if if only to watch a showdown between Kobe and LeBron!! 

Well, I’m off to tie up those loose ends!!  Have a GREAT weekend!!!

PS:  Had to play this song again......

Finally!!  Here some pictures from the Atrium.  Mainly flowers and cactus.

Check out the pot!! 

The flowers are mainly Impatiens and Petunias with Ivy

These are Double Impatiens ready to bloom!!

Sego Palm

Small Palm that I intended to be a Bonsai.  It got out of hand!!

I’m not Catholic.  Becky’s Saint Frank!

Nasty Cactus!!!!

I swear that they jump out and bite you!!!

Lavender

Hibiscus

Two shots from the front looking in!  That window is the dog’s TV!!  LOL!!

I guess I got carried away but Spring does that to a person!

I hope at least SOMEONE has listened to the song I posted!  Otherwise, it’s staying up there!!  I think you’ll love it!

If I don’t post tomorrow, have a GREAT weekend!!  Oh!  One last thing!  Another friend of Becky’s has a timeshare in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico and can’t use it!  Hmmmmm…..!

Take care my friends!!

It sure seems to me that California voters have more elections than any other State…. Like every 3 months!  This one concerned budget proposals since, thanks to Schwarzenegger and his cronies, California has gone from having a budget surplus to having a deficit of being millions of dollars in the hole in two years!  The Governor’s ‘Plan” was his typical ‘Tax and Pay” deal.  To the tune of $16 Billion!!  Well, with only a 25% voter turnout (we voted, but that was a disgusting figure), all of the measures were defeated by a 3 to 1 margin except for one.  That one was for an 18% paycut for all lawmakers and no new raises until our budget is balanced.  And those lawmakers and the Gov. had better watch their backs come the next election!  We are all sick of this crap…… Well, at least the 25% of us who bothered to vote.

Read on if you want:

The "big five" elected leaders -- Schwarzenegger and the legislative chieftains from both houses -- are slated to begin closed-door meetings today upon the governor's return from Washington, where he spent election day after casting a last-minute absentee ballot.
On Thursday a small group of Senate and Assembly members will hold the first of what's expected to be a slew of daily public sessions to wrangle over the details of the budget.

Schwarzenegger has called for cuts that would hit every corner of the state. He announced plans to lay off 5,000 of the state's 235,000 workers and has proposed slashing education by up to $5 billion, selling state properties, borrowing $2 billion from local governments and potentially reducing eligibility for healthcare programs.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa predicted that the city's budget could take a hit -- but he vowed a fight: "I'm going to do everything I can to protect the city coffers."
Worst-case scenarios also call for the release from state prisons of up to 19,000 illegal immigrants, who would face deportation, and the transfer of up to 23,000 other prisoners to county jails.

The governor also wants to borrow up to $6 billion, but awaits word on whether Washington would guarantee those loans. The White House has never done so for the state but is considering the action as Wall Street expresses concern that California could become a deadbeat borrower.
In a bid to salt those prospects, Schwarzenegger met privately Tuesday in the U.S. Capitol with members of California's congressional delegation. "We have a major problem in California, and I think if we work together, we can make it through this crisis," he told reporters after attending the White House announcement on tougher vehicle emission standards. "We need assistance. . . . I didn't come for any bailout. We're going to make the necessary cuts."
Afterward, the lawmakers appeared split over the idea of a federal backstop for state borrowing, said Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Gold River). And some saw irony in Schwarzenegger's appearance in Washington while voters decided the fate of his ballot package back home.
"If the governor thought that the initiatives were going to win a smashing victory, he'd be in California right now," said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks).
Though he stepped squarely into the spotlight in the days before the election, Schwarzenegger had largely stuck to the wings during the three-month run-up to the vote.
The campaign for the measures hit hard with mailers, TV and radio ads early on, but the message shifted dramatically in the final weeks. Earlier, backers emphasized fiscal responsibility. But in the last stretch, the commercials tilted toward fears that the cash crunch would cut into critical services.
Schwarzenegger helped behind the scenes to garner big contributions for the measure's proponents, who raised about $30 million and outspent foes by nearly 10 to 1. Among the big contributors were businesses hoping to avoid tax increases if state finances slumped further: oil companies, tobacco and alcoholic beverage firms, sports teams and Hollywood studios.
Despite a big advantage in cash and manpower, the campaign failed to gain traction from the start. Polls throughout the race showed all the ballot measures -- except Proposition 1F -- losing badly, as voters expressed equal parts confusion over the package and disdain for the Sacramento politicians who crafted it.
Californians seemed upset partly by Sacramento's call for more money at a time when employment was sagging, retirement accounts were plunging and the average resident was struggling. Others expressed irritation at being called back to the polls just months after a presidential election.
The short campaign also created confusing bedfellows in support and opposition to the ballot measures.
Schwarzenegger joined with liberal Democrats and the California Teachers Assn., the group that helped defeat a 2005 ballot package championed by the governor. Foes of Proposition 1A, meanwhile, included several unions, which didn't like the effect spending limits could have on the state workers they represent, and anti-tax groups that hated its extension of tax increases.

eric.bailey@latimes.com

So bottom line, California is Broke!!  If you would like to help, send me a message and I’ll give you my address so yall can send me a check!!  LOL!  And they call California the Golden State!!  PFFFFT!

Swine Flu??  PFFFT!  We are leaving for Puerto Vallarta on Saturday morning (today!) to vacation with two good friends.  It’s a nice timeshare, on the beach, that another friend can’t use so the total cost, including airfare, is right around $1600 for the four of us.  First stop will be a Mexican Super WalMart for food and supplies.

The place is really nice with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, full kitchen, washer, dryer, dishwasher, 2 TVs and a hot tub on the patio.  As promised, when I win that danged lottery, this is where yall are going!! Temps should be in the mid to upper 80’s with no rain expected.

I promise to take tons of pics and just maybe get online.  I had problems last time so I might just rent one of their laptops! 

I know we’ll have a great time but I’ll be looking forward to come back here so I can visit with my friends.  I’m leaving you with this song because it’s so inspiring and encouraging.  Play nice and love each other as usual.

See you in a week!!

Adios!  Bob~

PS:  Just received a call from Orbitz that they had changed our flight plans. Fly to Mexico City for a 3 hour layover and then on the return, stop at Guadalupe for yet another 3 hour layover.  We were so trying to avoid Mexico City.  So our our second choice was to pay and extra $360 and fly to San Francisco for a direct flight!  Also, both flights left at 6:30am!!  But a friend directed us to a site called www.kayak.com and they offered us 2 direct flights for $200 less!  And they leave at 11:00 am.  We chose the Alaska Airlines one.  So this will be much more stress-free!

That’s www.orbitz .com!

PS Again:  Our friends can’t go.  Passports didn’t get to them in time.

Be back on Friday….. Take care!

When angry winds whipped up the fire late Wednesday afternoon, Capt. Ron Topolinski and Firefighter Robert Lopez were on Spyglass Ridge Road trying to protect homes in the hills above Santa Barbara.
"All of the sudden, the area ignited very rapidly," Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper said. "You can never outguess Mother Nature and which way the wind will take a fire."

One collapsed on the driveway, the other near the fire engine now blackened by fire.
Capt. Brian Bulger, 57, spotted them as he drove his Chevrolet Suburban. Bulger was not wearing breathing protection, but left his SUV to rescue his crew, inhaling the hot, smoky air.
The three were airlifted to Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks, where they told doctors their story.
Lopez suffered second- and third-degree burns to about 15% of his body, on his ears, neck, back, arms and hands. Topolinski was burned on his face, ears, hands and arms, roughly 10% of his body. All three were in good condition.
"You realize how close you came in your brush with death. There's relief, anxiety, joy, guilt. It's really hard," said the center's co-medical director, Dr. Peter Grossman. "The term hero gets thrown around so cavalierly these days. But these are truly men and women of courage."
The three were among 11 firefighters injured, a number fire experts said was unusually high and reflected the severe conditions facing fire crews.
Bulger probably will be released today. Lopez and Topolinski will stay for a couple more weeks. Both are scheduled for surgery today, with a follow-up a few days later if skin grafts are deemed necessary.
Lopez will undergo treatment twice a day in a hyperbaric chamber where 100% oxygen under high pressure should help decrease swelling, Grossman said.
During the surgeries, doctors will remove burned skin, said Dr. Richard Grossman, the burn center's founder.
Meanwhile, investigators will interview the firefighters to determine whether they made the right decisions.
Although the questions haven't all been answered yet, Roper said the proof is in Sherman Oaks, where the firefighters were laughing and visiting with their families.

It isn’t that large of a fire, as far as acreage, but it has certainly been devastating as far as injuries and property loss.  The winds have shifted and picked up and it’s now headed towards the city of Santa Barbara.

This will be my last post about the firestorm.  My next post will explain why!

I hope all is well with you!

Bob~

Update:

Hotter, drier and stronger winds Wednesday nigjt and Thursday.

Two firefighters overrun by flames

Over 100 homes gone so far

10,000 acres – 800 firefighters!  Not enough!

Water-dropping planes and helicopters have been shut down for the night.

Firemen are hosing down their trucks

The darned winds keep shifting!

Keep all involved in you prayers, please….

Our first wildfire of the season and it’s only May.  There’s a fire that started in Santa Barbara at 200 acres and increased to 4000 acres within 30 minutes.  It’s 95F there with 50mph winds and 10% humidity.  It’s gonna get worse before it gets better.  Many firefighters were already forced to retreat.

Here are a few early photos:

Those fires in the second to last photo are homes going up.  I hope it’s not arson but……

What I hate to hear are the words, 'More homes lost than saved!'.  At least 19 so far.

Take care

I hope you get a chuckle out of these.  Courtesy of Jay Leno.

Busted!

No questions?

YUM!!!

Need a job?

Not sexist at all!

I don’t think this is Mel Gibson

If you have a bald eagle

Copulating right on your plate

Those wacky French!!

Fire safety

Hurry!!!

The fewer visits the better!

New breed!

Oops!!!

OUCH!!!

No wonder they’re on sale!

Gun safety!

What kind of pet??

Ya think they meant tutors??

Yummy!!

Attachments???  Cabinet???

HAH!

Have a Great rest of the week and keep smiling!

It was a GREAT party!!  My MIL's 75th Birthday and also my wife's uncle's 78th and our Moroccan friend's 26th.  Great food and about 40 people!

This was one of the appetizers...  Korean/Cajun shrimp, sausage and corn on the cob!  Spicy and messy!!  But GOOD!

The main course was a 6 foot Burrito, two dozen each, chicken and beef tacos, the usual chips and dips and 3 cakes.  One was an unusual Rhubarb cake that was SOOO good!  Oh yeah, the double chocolate fudge was pretty good too. No pics of them.... don't want to share!!  lol  BTW, NO food left!!!

This is my wife (left) and her younger sister Mary Beth next to the outdoor bar.

My MIL (isn't she cute??) with my best neighbors Rod and Mary, with Becky. Rod is a GOOD neighborhood stirrer!!  lol!

My MIL with our Moroccan 'son' Mehdi!  He bought her the most beautiful roses

Becky's older sister and her cousin Charlie

Mary and Becky!!  Great friends!!

The girls... Nieces and my SIL Barb!

MIL between our two good friends, Jimy and Anthony.

No idea who this guy was!!  LOL!!  Maybe a party crasher but he was nice so we let him stay!!

Mehdi!!  He is staying with us for a week and then off to Morocco for a month and then to Wharton University Business school in Philadelphia for his SECOND PHD.....  He is 26!!!!!

The flowers he gave my MIL!

It was a wonderful party  SO much fun!!  Weather was perfect and yes, I got my chores finished!  lol  I so wish that you all could have been here too!