Thanks for ALL the Kind Comments!

Hey there, everyone. Thank you so much for your comments of support. You all really help me center on what is important.

It has been an awful week, but I'm feeling better today. And, as of today, it has been one week since the lay-off. It really is a grieving process. What I hate most about it is that I've been there, done that - all ready! I certainly wasn't prepared to start all over yet again.

I'm gearing up. Dusting off and updating the resume. Not a pleasant thought, but there it is. I've got an iron or two in coals. Got some feelers out. Gearing up.

So, I hope to bring a few pics to the blog, a little commentary, a little progress on things as time moves forward. Gee, I probably will have a lot more writing time on my hands, eh? :-)

Good vibes, right?

Laid Off

Work Life sucks right now.

I'll be back when I'm able.

Maybe Three Time's the Charm?

So, unless you're living under a rock, or just plain don't care, you've probably heard that the California Supreme Court has overturned a gay marriage ban in a ruling that would make the nation's largest state the second one to allow gay and lesbian weddings. Click here to read the full article, and click here for the full text of the opinion.

Wow. This could be big. Many of my friends are jubilant. I am happy, but I cannot be jubilant. I'll be jubilant when the rug is no longer pulled out from under us. Kandy and I have been "married" in the Lutheran church. Oh, it's not legal, but the pastors married us - in our eyes and minds. Then, 10 years later we were married again in San Francisco at City Hall. But, again, the Governor took it away, and it was not legal.

Now, maybe it will be. I wonder if this decision could be retroactive to our marriage in SF? That would be cool, and justice served, I think.

We have some friends, Erin and Sam, who have worked tirelessly for this to happen. Today Erin wrote an email to Andrew Sullivan at TheAtlantic.com, and her email became his "Email of the Day" on his Daily Dish. You can see Erin's email here. I am so proud of her and Sam, living in the Southland. It is people like them who get these things passed, change people's minds. I so admire that they work so hard on these issues, doing things I don't or cannot do, for all the people like me in California who will benefit from their efforts. We are so lucky to have them. What a wonderful gift.

Other bloggers have posted their take on this today. My blog friend Tara Dharma has a good 'en here:Victory.

Is It Friday Yet? and Moms Day and Pics

Today was a tough day - almost as bad as yesterday. I'll just briefly say that my Linux cluster lost it's mind, and I'm still mining its depths trying to locate it again. If RAID5 means anything to you, and a bad controller, then you understand the work that has been occupying all my waking hours since yesterday at 08:52AM.

::sigh::

Other work things, people are really nervous, if not downright depressed at work. The lay-offs are going to start on the 22nd. What is that? Next Thursday? This is just so unreal. Working for the government, in a very high security field, has a whole set of unique issues involved when there are lay-offs. Talk about feeling screwed over - a universal feeling among my cohorts.

Okay, I can't think about this anymore. How 'bout something good?

Lori asks if we got "two - count 'em, two "AS SEEN ON TV" gifts?" Well, Kandy and I split up Mother's Day - we don't do it together. You see, it's actually easier that way. The girls and I celebrate Kandy's Momness in May, and then in June (on that other day), Kandy and the girls celebrate my Momness. It was really my idea, because that way we can help the girls while celebrating our partners. It works for us. That way the girls can pull off surprising one Mom or the other more easily. Of course, as they get older, this won't be as hard to do. By then, we'll have carved out a family tradition.

The girls and I prepared breakfast in bed to order. Kandy wanted poached egg on toast, French Roast coffee and orange juice. The girls went out in our rose garden and each picked two roses for a small vase to complete the tray. Unfortunately, we didn't get a photo of the pretty tray. Bad Deb.

Later, since it was a lovely day, we trekked up to Morgan Territory and spent the day hiking in the hills. (As always, click on the picture to see it better... okay?)


My favorite part was a little watering hole where there were thousands of tadpoles. It almost seemed like they swim in schools. Who woulda thought that?

How could an outing be complete without some Mom and Kidlets photos?

Happy Mother's Day!

(Click on the picture to see a larger version)

Embarrassing Kidlet #2 with Pictures

Another Blog Topic: My kids. How do I love them? Let me count the ways....

I have talked bragged a lot about Kidlet #1 (Katie) here, sometimes mentioning Kidlet #2 (Megan) along the way. I wouldn't want anyone to think that I'm neglecting our Kid with a Thousand Expressions in this blog.

So, let me tell you a little about Megs. She and Katie are full sisters, and look very much alike. At least, you can certainly tell at a glance that they are sisters. But, that's about where their similarities end. I like to say they are two sides of the same coin - opposite, and often opposed.

Megan has refused to wear anything approximating a dress since Grandma sent her a beautiful Easter dress in 2001. She looked like a miniature football player walking around in it. She was not amused. We have a picture of her in that dress, and her lower lip is sticking out about 6 inches. When I dig it up, I promise to post it here. (Don't say anything to her, 'kay?)

In the mean time, I have another precious picture to share. Megs was about 4 years old, and she was posing for her school picture at Myrtle Farm Montessori School. The photographer wanted her to hold a flower, and look sweetly at the camera. She tried. I think. Her chin looks like it was quivering.

So fast forward to the present. It's a rare moment when I can get Megs to sit still in front of the camera. She usually takes off and hides, or if trapped, gives me a silly, posed grin. I got lucky about a week ago. She was patient with me. She knew I was desperate, and she didn't dash my hopes. She gave me a genuine smile not generally seen in any of her pictures. I really like this picture. Then, I told her I wanted to take a picture of her eyes. I was amazed that she didn't going flying down the stairs. She didn't lock herself in the bathroom.

She let me take the pictures. In this first picture, you can see just how long her eye lashes are! They're incredibly long - longer than a half an inch (ie. greater than a centimeter). And they curl. She says they get "tangled" all the time.

We should have that problem, eh?

Where Do I Start?

Where do I start? I've got so many blog posts in my head, I think it's gonna burst. A long time ago, in a field far, far away...

I went wandering around the ranches nearby. I just had a need to get out of the house, away from everyone, and maybe do a little lone exploring. I took my camera with me to record any tidbits I might happen across. About half a mile from the house there is a ranch or two, as yet untouched by developers. It's a wonder they haven't grabbed bought all the land yet. Seems that developers just keep on wearing down the owners of these old ranches, until either no resistance is left, or the original owner dies off and the heirs just want to dump the land.

Sorry, I digress. The ranch land which is not far from the house has cattle and sheep, or the land has been converted to vineyards. Some of the land still has the remnants of buildings too old to know their original purpose beyond what you can now make out.




There was an old gate that would have lead into the property, but it had rusted mostly away a long time ago. Someone had tried to do repairs, but the metal was pretty much eaten away from neglect and time.

I am really very fascinated by old, decaying buildings. I want to know more about them, the people who once laughed and lived in them. Falling back into the earth, they seem sad, yet not. It's as if they belong to earth, and really, they're just following the circle of life.

What is really sad to me is when these old "eye sores" are finally razed and a strip mall or an asphalt car lot is placed there in its place. All in the name of enriching city coffers. The inevitable result of malls and car lots is more traffic, more cement, more people, more noise. The bucolic existence that we love and embrace, disappears once again.

Wanting to follow a road I'd never taken, I wandered south and then east on that beautiful, warm Sunday. There was a small breeze and the "windmills" were turning in the distance. As the road wended around, I came to a driveway into yet another ranch, and this one had the windmills set very close to the road.
The windmills, in case you haven't got them around your stomping grounds, are used to generate electricity. The owners sell the electricity back to the local utility. Even homeowners who have solar panels or other means to generate electricity can sell power back to the utility.

Funny, while I was taking this picture, I heard some odd noises behind me. From across the road. Sort of a chewing noise. A whooshing noise. And ... a rustle. I turned around... and there they were. Cattle. Hanging out under the nearest oaks. Probably the only oaks they can find.












Another quarter turn, and I spied the rancher's home. You can always tell you're in California. The palm tree on a dry ranch is a dead give-away...