Well, I am generally healthy, but this week I caught a bug (and I hope that I never cross paths with said bug again). With some illnesses there is an obvious cure, one gets the Rx and starts to feel better right away. But that’s not what I have. ;-( But there is folk wisdom, so that’s what I’m going with. At the present time, chicken soup is considered to be beneficial (though not for the chicken of course) and the standard is the red can.

Soft, slightly soggy noodles with tiny cubes of chicken in a golden broth, this is probably familiar to everyone who was ever a kid. I don’t think I have eaten this in a number of years, but I put some faith in it (and it was on sale).

This is my white grandmother’s solution for illness, a spoonful of whiskey with sugar in it. Although as I think about it, it might be the cure for hiccups (oops).

This panacea is from my great grandmother who was born in the 1860’s, a time of alcohol and opioid based remedies. It is just apples fried in butter, with a sprinkle of sugar if needed. I think it’s the tastiest remedy and it’s most effective when your mom makes it for you.

A major pharmacy chain just pulled a bunch of cold remedies from the shelf because there is no evidence that they work. There is also not much evidence that any of these work, but, it’s tradition and far less expensive than OTC cold remedies. Mom based medicine still has a place in the world.

It’s been quite a while since the last post. I have been working to upgrade whatever needed upgrading and as I am computer illiterate and busy with other things this has taken a bit of time. But life goes on and I have been doing things like this:

Yes, I went to a four day writer’s workshop (and I know that you are thinking “it’s about time”.) This service dog was at the first workshop prepping for his debut as the star of a series of children’s books. The series could be titled “What a good boi”.

A number of the published authors at this fest were also selling their books. I liked this title because it made me think “What would stop a Canadian Werewolf? Not silver bullets, but perhaps maple syrup or poutine,” and where would one find this in New York?

And what kind of conference does not have a bar? This is where the important business of any conference is done.

Part of every conference is mealtime with a speaker. One enters a large noisy room, full of tables and chooses a place to sit, hopefully with persons one knows or wants to know. This conference requires presenters to each host a table so that one may have informal discussions over a meal. But at this point I was sick of talking to people and there was an empty table. So I took a place setting and made my own ‘pariah table’. I was joined by another introvert and we commiserated about speaking so much to strangers.

So was the conference worth it? I did get to hang out with my friend the writer, I spoke to a few souls, I ate hotel food and I spent a lot of time driving back and forth. Did I learn anything? Yes, my preferred way of punctuation is wrong and at least one editor would reject it on that basis (not that I am submitting anything). And I am not interested in selling anything, just writing this little blog mainly for myself. And you.

I love cars, I love car shows. Cars are a part of everyday life here in this spread out city, despite the city planners best efforts to force people to use bicycles and buses (like by limiting the roads and parking in the central area where they are encouraging people to go).

Anyway, there was a tiny car show at one of the oldest houses in town, and as I had never visited it in all these years, I decided to take a peek.

This is a lovingly restored example from the 20’s. It was probably expensive when new (even though it is a Chevrolet) and that it certainly true now, this is a rich person’s toy (probably a man. Like one of guys there who said he had 30 cars in his collection). But it is glorious to look at, all shiny paint and chrome. It shows both the lineage of carriage building, but also the adaptations necessary to this modern form of transportation.

This one looks to be “barn fresh”, it’s a find from somewhere, just waiting for the infusion of cash to turn it into a show car. It’s probably no more than 10 years later than the previous car, but it shows how the styling embraces a streamlined modernity. (And it probably already at least has a working engine as it is parked on the street).

This car from the late 40’s or early 50’s and it’s in the generic car style of post-war period, but it still features a lovely chrome bumper to give it a bit of class. (It’s too bad that chrome is so toxic to the environment.)

Modern cars don’t vary much in their styling (sedan, SUV, pickup truck) and it’s often hard to tell one brand from another. But this red convertible manages to stand out, in spite of not having any chrome, by virtue of the driver.

I certainly hope to spot this again someday as I am driving around town (I will probably not be biking or using the bus).

So my day started out because of a bit of nagging about an event from M and I was duty-bound to attend. It was a sunny day, but there was that hint in the air that fall is coming. And of course I was getting a later start than I had calculated, oh well, that’s typical. As I prepared to pop onto the freeway to drive across town, this is what I saw.

Why are there Star Wars cosplay persons standing on the street corner? Are they waiting to cross the busy road for some unknown event? Did someone call for a meeting to take place on this street corner? Just what is the evil empire up to now? I have no idea, but I was intrigued as I snapped their picture while I waited for the streetlight to change.

Yes, my actual destination was another pow-wow, and I had brought my summer dance shawl in case the spirit moved me (it wasn’t moving me much that day). This guy was part of a drum group, and he was waiting for his bunch to be called on to sing.

Some young woman was selected to get a title (perhaps for this pow wow, I really was not paying that much attention). And this was a dance in her honor, so I put on my shawl, shook her hand and took a turn around the dance circle. But it is still summer sort of, and it was quite hot, so then I buggered off to go home, when I notice this.

It was a nice breezy day, so the witch had no trouble flying. Thank goodness the residents had boarded up the windows to prevent the skeletons from breaking in (note to self: remember to do this as well).

Also, beware of giant evil pumpkin heads roaming about.

Because the town backs up onto the mountains, there is quite a bit of wildlife that comes into town. It is not uncommon for bears, bobcats and mountain lions to be spotted, but this is the first time that I saw a werewolf in broad daylight (note to self: procure some silver bullets).

So all in all, it was a pretty typical day for me.

The equinox is here, even though it hardly seems like there was a proper summer. It’s the official birthday of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins (and others), so a Happy Hobbit Day to you all. And here are the first signs of fall.

The first of the scrub oak leaves are turning, next, those traitors will exit the trees and fall in the driveway, just waiting for me to tidy up (it might be a long wait).

There are Virginia creeper vines by the front sidewalk. And they live up to their name by their gradual attempt to take over everything. These ones by the rocks have turned yellow, a sure harbinger of what’s to come.

This bit of creeper has climbed up into the pine where it makes a nice contrast to the green (I did mention that this stuff is unstoppable).

The trees across the street are losing their leaves and soon the wind will bring them to my driveway also. I suppose that it is comforting that the season is changing, perhaps this year will be over before we know it. And we can move on to the uncertainty of next year.

Although I am acquainted with many, many dogs (I do love them so), I also have a number of cat friends.

This is Freya, who came from the Humane Society as a kitten (not actually in that box). That thing on her neck is a cat locator. Should she by chance escape into the great outdoors, it helps to find her. One just points this radar gun sort of thing in different directions until one hears a beep. Then one follows the beeps until one sees the cat. It’s really quite handy.

This is her brother Thor, a purebred Maine Coon cat. He was still a kitten when I took this photo, now he weighs almost 15 pounds (he’s a big boy).

This is Cupcake (and she is no sweet treat), who is a bit of a devil-girl. She enjoys being petted until that fateful moment when she has had enough. Then she whips her head around and bites you (or me). But she is pretty and her owner loves her, so she does her job.

This is Nico, a sort of Siamese-ish cat. He’s quite friendly with beautiful blue eyes. He normally wears a collar to prevent him from leaving his yard, but he had broken this and was waiting on a replacement (he is a bit of a naughty boy).

This time around I didn’t get to actually see this cat, but I have seen him before. It’s Tuna, the amazing acro-cat. He has been trained to use his paw to bong away on a cowbell, among other things (Yeah, I know if he was a dog it would be no big deal, even rather mundane. But training a cat to do anything on command is truly amazing).

Combining patriotism and strength, this machine is more about divining one’s personality rather than telling the future. But I suppose that one’s personality type leads to a certain sort of implied future (after all, no one wants to be a weakling!).

One of the oldest forms of fortune telling is the horoscope, that somehow one is subjected to astrological influences based on the date of one’s birth. Of course, just like going to an expert a palm reader, for a really special prediction, one must consult an astrologer and have a chart drawn up. Based on the minute of one’s birth, as well as the date this is said to be much more accurate. But how can we trust the factual basis of this prediction (plus it costs more than a quarter).

Then there is the Magic 8 Ball, allegedly a child’s toy, that will give one an answer to any question. Was this the right question?

One can also get a prediction for the future from a fortune cookie. The cookie one gets is a truly random choice, as this fate is hidden inside a cookie. Perhaps the universe is telling us something? I guess I am looking for a sign.

And here it was, displayed on an official street department signboard. Well with a sign like that, the answer is clear. Turn around and go back to bed, it’s the safest prediction, at least for the immediate future. 😉