'Contributor' Files Federal Lawsuit Against Brentwood

The image above is the way dad drove to Pasadena, the road was fancy and very wealthy; it was the only way I knew to get to Pasadena and my grandmother house. Once when I was visiting the Huntington Library in San Marino, California and I was walking this route to South Pasadena on my way toward Pasadena to my grandmothers house when a patrol officer picked me up and escorted me to South Pasadena. Apparently young Mexican boys were not allowed to walk the streets here in this fancy neighborhood.
B is the Huntington Library where my Grandfather Pablo Diaz worked and where I assume my mother is buried.
A is the The Huntington Hotel where my dad always drove by to my grandmothers home in Pasadena (photo below). This is also the hotel I wanted to take mom for a stay while we were in California on a visit to see my son Eli.

I found this to be informative in my history but my wife said to me, "Who Cares?" Sometime we search to know what the world around a human being is like and why after 55 years it makes a difference as to where places are or are not. I found this interesting because my uncle Ralph said that Temple's son of Temple City was his high school friend. My cousin Vivian said that Temple was part of the family by marriage. These roots are very strong in my family. My grandfather Pablo was a prominent in the history of San Gabriel, Temple of Temple City was a member of the family. My grandfather worked for Huntington at the Huntington Library who built railroads for my great great grandfather Porfirio Díaz and my grandfather Pablo located his family in San Gabriel near The Huntington Library after leaving Mexico.

Another Route

Transportation Security Administration

From Wiki:

"The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security responsible for the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States. The TSA was created as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, sponsored by Don Young in the United States House of Representatives and Ernest Hollings in the Senate, passed by the 107th U.S. Congress, and signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001. Originally part of the United States Department of Transportation, the TSA was moved to the Department of Homeland Security on March 25, 2003."

Watch the Water

The sun is shinning so I will fire up the solar heater. It has been off for the last 4 days ( Saturday) because it has been overcast everyday since then. It will take the whole day to warm it back up above 80 degrees. California surfing water temperatures are in the low 70's and that is what I used to swim in as a child in California. 1950-1960
My sister and I were swimming at Long Beach when I got hit on the back of my head by a big wave (7 or 8 foot) and went toppling backwards like a cartwheel (with my knees in my chest) and lost my bearing as to what was up or down until I felt the sand. The pull back to the next wave was so strong that it took every once of my energy to fight my way back to shore.

I searched the Internet for Long Beach and I found this picture postcard of where I got caught up in the undertow. The photo is exactly where dad and Margie took Sandy and I to the beach. We stayed out too long and the tide came in while we were swimming.
On the other side of that pier was a rock breakwater and a rainbow pier to keep the waves off the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium and on the other side of the auditorium was the Pike Amusement Park.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pike
One thing the photo did was to show how volatile the waves were at Long Beach in this area. I have told a lot of people what happened to me that day at that point in time. I did see one high school student at Temple City High School later on in my Freshman year that had a neck brace for a broken neck where a wave hit him just as it hit me ( I was maybe in the sixth or seventh grade when it hit me).

I looked at the sports page and the NFL was not even mentioned. It was as if the planet just walked away from the sport. I know that those that love to play the game are playing at home with friends but the area to play the game is none existent.

I did not expect the rain this morning but it is raining as I print/speak/think. I had planned to mow today but that is off. I need to do a little maintenance on the tiller so maybe I will do that.
I had also planned to plant some bush beans but the weather is a constant rain/wet/muddy garden.

The deer fence is working as I still have tomato plants.

Noon
It Raining again. Marion is in the exact center of the radar image. A White Winged Blackbird has been at the feeder the whole time of the storm.

Founding GardenersHow the Revolutionary Generation Created an American Eden

The Cloudy and Wet Day

The Sun Day is wet with rain and the sun is above the clouds. It has been thundering and raining for at least 5 hours (not constant). It woke me up at about 3AM and has just been doing what thunderstorms do, thunder, rain and make strange noises on the roof and neighborhood.
I have been drinking to much coffee and it shows, my head feels as though I have a hangover (slight aggravation). For me mornings are comfortable and clear of mind and thought (headaches are rare).

Good Morning. I refused to help my daughter load rocks into her truck yesterday (rocks hurt my back just by mentioning them) so I am in deep _hit trouble.
Today it is raining outside this morning. I had planned to clean the pool and plant bush beans.
So I mopped the kitchen floor instead and washed some towels. Maybe some dishes are in my future.

City of Ember

I watched a movie with mom last night and missed the NBA Draft. I think most teams will be happy with Kentucky players in the pros. They are normally good players and excellent on defense. My favorite pro was the young man from Detroit who's work ethic moved the team into a Championship season with his outstanding defense.

Yesterday I took the day off and washed clothes and cleaned house. Today I will clean a little more and relax.
I feel good though my ribs always ask to be excused at night when they say goodnight.
Mom is losing weight because of her work ethic. She works through the pain and hobbles home.
I keep asking her to take a vitamin but she just refuses. I have asked her for 40 years to take a vitamin but she always refused.

We had great times in this yard even though my mind was muddled. Can you see how level the ground is? Our dad had us lift the sod (10' x10' area at a time) level the ground with rakes and replace the lawn with Saint Augustine sod which my dad got from his father. Once you plant St. Augustine you can separate it just like you can separate Crab Grass. Then you plant each runner about 4" apart and by the end of the year you will have a sturdy mat of grass (it does terrible in cold states like Kentucky).

Coffee Mug

Good Morning. Mom spent some of the night online on FaceBook; she is hooked on some farming program.
I am hooked on computing in general plus I am a 69 year old man that does not like to work anymore because it hurts. I like online projects because they do not hurt a tired old man.
I think it is time for a cup of coffee.
I feel good.

Today I plan to put in beans into the garden and maybe make getting into the garden easier.
I am done buying machines as I cannot take care of them very well anymore.
I am up late and mom is farming (gaming). I told her to back to school but she likes school as much as I do, so that's out.
Mom is off tomorrow.

RADAR

Sunny and warm and today I go into the garden and clean the pool. Mom is off to work and the cats are outside soaking up the sun.
I feel great and may clean off the deck too. Cutting trees down and weed eating is also on the agenda.
1100
It started to rain. As I look at the RADAR I seem to be in a local shower.
When I was in the Navy I was a SONARMAN.
***
We as a society benefit by mans thoughts and inventiveness out of curiosity and incentives of war.

Good Morning. Mom is gone to work and it is hot a hot and humid 80 degrees here this morning. Today I mow as it will be the only day this week with no rain in the forecast.

I feel great, time for a cup of coffee.

Fathers Day

Thunder and lightning are here this morning but I was asleep when the heaviest and hardest part of the storm came through. I put a little square on Marion, Kentucky so you can see what came over while I was asleep.
Today is a day of peace and reflection. It was asked of me by our society to rest on this day. Tradition has created a place and time so I follow a simple non-repressive state of being by just relaxing and to be in presence.
Our birds have eaten all of one section of our feeder.
Mom is off work today and wished me a happy fathers day. Celebrations are always a good thing as they do create an atmosphere of civility and peace.

Obama touts importance of fatherhood

I personally believe that my state of mind today (my learning processes) are related to family parenting. I do not have the gifts that my wife, daughter and son have. I have concluded that my ability to retain what I see daily to my early childhood parenting (ages birth to six), after that my parenting was a distance as in disciplines and moral understanding though the eyes of religion.
My ability to hold my comprehension was lost.
How do I change that attitude or aptitude to comprehend and keep the values I learn each day?
Where are those tools?
"AP)

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says kids need quality time, structure and unconditional love from their parents, calling being a dad sometimes his hardest job — but also the most rewarding."

My clay soil caused me some concern with my tomatoes and I had to shake the dirt out of the sod to make use of that top soil that I had (maybe 3" of soil then clay). I loosened it up with perlite , sand and some potting soil. I used the clay I dug out of the hole bottom to cover my plants to keep the cutworms out (they might bake like an oven).

Today I mend my solar cover (the glued seam came apart), I will rivet Velcro to it and stick it together.
I did not have the right size rivet so I just glue the Velcro on hopefully that will last until payday.
0830
It just started raining, so I went on an errand. When the rain stops I will put the cover on the pool, test the pool then plant more tomatoes. So far the deer has stayed away from our tomatoes.
If it rains more I will put a new spark plug on my tiller and fire it up.

Mom is at work and I am planting tomatoes in a softer earth after this weeks rains; I am mixing what I get out (clay) with sand and potting soil, Miracle-Gro Organic , Perlite and Sphagnum moss.
Maybe I will have some luck. So far the deer have stayed away from my plants (two days) I planted early this week.

We spent our early hours with Allison and the kids and at noon we headed to Nashville, TN. Mom had a checkup at a moms clinic south of the city.
Everything is fine.

War

I just heard a Republican Congressman say that I was right all alone about the Iraqi War.
He says we must leave Afghanistan right now quickly to keep the death of our young men to a minimum.
Osama bin Laden is dead.

I have no clue what the weather will be like today. It rained all day yesterday, we just caught the edge of the rain that went north; it just poured all day, sometimes noisy thunder and maybe the sound of a lot of rain just hitting the house. We needed the rain so it just soaked into the ground and colored the flowers and washed the leaves and earth clean.
I am having a cup of coffee and it is so much better than decaffeinated coffee. Gut I only get one cup a day.
I feel good this morning.
I just added some new pages to Tomas Muse. What I added is here also. It is the closer of my mothers death.

I feel good but mom is having some serious pain in her hands and feet.
I hope you have a good day, it looks as though we may get some rain today as the clouds are pink in a powder blue sky.
1000
It is raining hard and that will loosen up the soil so that my digging will be easier for the tomato planting.
1200
It is raining hard and I am waiting to clean up (thunder and lighting). I am listening to a DVD (Santana - Sacred Fire (1993).

Family Tree Form

Mom created a Family Genealogy Form for everyone. It will work well for updates on Family Trees. The link is on the Our Home Page and at your right.
Encourage your family to save the form and fill it out and send to your Genealogy person in your family. Ours is Mom.
I planted some tomato plants today in hard pan soil hopefully they will grow as I also added some better soil around them. We have a high fence around them, hopefully that will deter the deer.

Cave in Rock

Good Morning. Mom took me out to lunch yesterday and we saw some bikers. Mom said it was "Hog Rock" at Cave in Rock IL. Do you remember the movie, "How the West Was Won"? This is where they shot some of the movie.
I just took the cover off the pool and then I cleaned the pool. I have a seam on the cover I have to fix plus do a little work on my fence.

Dad's Grave

Back in 1997 my dad left the area for a place under the soil.

To some my dad was well liked to me he was responsible for my mothers death.
After her death it is clear now that his father (Pablo) told him to get his act together and help those less fortunate and he did. He never gave up the love of having girlfriends but he did good with the money he earned by helping those less fortunate.
So a lot of folks I know like him for the help he gave them. I have deeper feelings and a story that would be a marvelous novel with secrecy, mystery, humor, love and an empty space on the planet earth.
I have places to fill in this novel approach to life.
Sometimes the whole family has to be responsible for the death of a family member; that was a heavy burden for Sandy and I. Now we understand 66 years later. It might have been easier to place the blame where it belonged. We are free now to make our assumptions come true.

Good Morning. Today is a pleasant day in Kentucky. It is cloudy this morning and today I talk to Vivian. Vivian has been looking for me for two years. She read something I wrote and forgot where she had read it and could never find that place where I could be reached. Well she finally found me and I promptly told Sandy and Gilbert. I asked Vivian to be my FaceBook Friend and she did as well as being Gilbert's, Mom's and Sandy's Facebook Friends.
Vivian is the granddaughter of my father's brother Genaro Diaz.

Mom is off work this morning and I do think we ave a chance of rain today; no one is counting on it but there is a chance.
The deer fence will be ready for tomatoes by the end of the day and tomorrow I will put the tomatoes in there new home (it is not complete as it may turn into a greenhouse).
I feel very good this morning.

Good morning. I awoke tired as I did some exorcises in the pool plus the cleaning. I also worked on the fence and I will do more of that today.
We have a blue sky again this morning and we have some moisture on the windows (humidity).

Vivian a granddaughter of Genaro Diaz; one of my dads brothers, wrote me last night on my email. I will get back to her via telephone.

Good Morning. Mom is off to work and today I just work on the fence.
We have had no rain in a while (5 days) and that is a concern for our tomato plants when they go into the ground. They love hot humid days and very warm moist soil. They would do well in a laundry window where the humidity is high from the steaming machines.
I feel great and I just had my morning cup of coffee and about to have another (this one decaf). Only one cup of regular for me.
Mom and I swam again last night and I love the pool because it is so refreshing after a hard day of work.
My daughter told us that when she got home ( from visiting us ) and she pulled into her driveway she saw 5 raccoons on her carport and two scampered out of the cat door (7 raccoons). She lives in town ( the Disney truck called and will be right over to set up for the documentary).

While I am washing dishes and clothes I am listening to Richard Rodgers Victory at Sea. This is one of my favorites compositions because of the intended interest.
Good morning I feel great. I will be soon be going out to work on the fence and cleaning the pool.
I have had my morning cup of coffee.
The children were over to swim yesterday. They had a ball. Younger sister put on my goggles and viewed the pool from a different perspective; eye opening is the appropriate term.

Opera Next

I am trying out a new browser and it is called Opera Next Beta. So far it works as well as any other browser.

Pessimistic bees forgo life's pleasures

All that and this too

Good morning, I feel great; no aches or pains and my balance is fine, the pool is in fine shape.

I did get mad at mom but all is well now. She dumped my K-Cups in Clean Kitter Liter after I had warned her not to place them on the edge of the counter. She cleaned them all and all is well (It was just a ceremonial dump).

I opened the cat door to let the cats in and out; after 4 days all was well until last night when one of the males decided to mark our home. The door is closed now; I never learn.

I worked on the fence for the garden yesterday and today I clean house, dishes and laundry first then floors. Then we swim.

0800

I have done two loads of clothes loaded the dish washer and did a little work on the fence. I will rest a bit and then wash by hand some of the dishes in the sink.

All seems quiet at the NARFE Web site as well as the Drug Coalition Web site; I add to LaurelRose . com as I please, it is the same with Tomas Muse.

The coffee is great this morning; the aging process mom developed seems to work well.

We went to town (Paducah, KY) yesterday and spent some money at SAM's catching up on big items that we can get at a savings there. Then off to Walmart to finish up our shopping. No groceries as the food locally is much better; vegetables are local and the meat is local or choice.
Today I work on the garden fence as I found a quicker way to link it together ( I was using wire before but that was tedious and time consuming) so now I use plastic electrical ties which moves along much quicker.
We have been in the pool every day this week and we love it.
Allison and family just got back from a well needed vacation (a week). They said they had a great time and she said she had a bushel of photos.

Happy Birthday Sharon

Good Morning. Today it is peaceful outside our abode. The cicadas and birds are singing their songs. It is not for us that they sing, it is for their survival that they sing. I only enjoy their company on this land of plenty.
My father was on my mind this morning. A Latin lover is his best description where his bed and garden were his domains. His ego moved as he pleased from flower to flower and in my mind from mother to mother. He never gave up that idea; his life was his to enjoy.
I do not mean to offend our grandson with this description of my father nor anyone else because he was a provider with a great work ethic. He was just a handsome playboy. He was handsome enough to hang out with the Hollywood party crowd and he was an extra in a Dagwood dance scene.
Today I feel good though I did pull a muscle while just toweling after a shower. I hate to stop lifting but it seems chores like that are not on my repertoire.
I think I just brushed up against some poison ivy out in the yard. I feel that tingle. I washed up with soap and cold water.

Happy Birthday

Temperature and humidity were both high today and I sweated Budweiser bullets.

There was a gift given to me in 1967 that has lasted over 44 years. That gift is the moment in time we occupy. I will never be bored again because that moment is always present and that view from my eyes is always new. You could place me in a crowd or a minute cell and the ever present gift of life will always make me happy to be alive. I have no problem looking at a blank wall for days and months or a beautiful woman for days and months. It is the gift of life that is ever present in my being.

Endeavour

We are now swimming everyday.
I awoke this morning feeling good. I may be over my dizziness. I think that the 12 hour Aleve was the problem, I am not sure but I quit using it plus I quit using the Tylenol back rub too.
My back feels better but I still have 30 lbs of sand on my glass table outside. I may hire mom to lift one side while I lift the other.
Mom wants me to remove my block and tackle from the edge of the pool. The last time I put it up I fell off the ladder so I am thinking maybe next time.
Maybe I can do like a flag pole and put a weight on one end with a pivot point. That would work but I do not have a pivot point that would lift 200 lbs. I think I solved my problem by looking at the photo at left.