A Little Bit of Shaking Goin' On

Watching TV last Thursday, when I felt a big jolt...the TV shook, lamps swayed. Oh, another earthquake. We have to have these every once in awhile to help us remember. Although, there are mixed messages about just where and what is the best position during a quake, we need to think about what we will do. Do we have enough water and supplies to last three days?

Thursday and Friday, there were about seven jolts...although I only felt two of them. The first was 3.8 (not to worry), then a 4.0 (that gets our attention) and then four hours later, a 2.6. On Friday, there was a 3.1. No injuries or significant damage, thank goodness. The epicenter was about five miles away, 30 miles east of downtown L.A.

I still prefer the risk of earthquakes to hurricanes or tornadoes. I always feel bad though when I hear about someone back East just visiting out here when we have one. But then, we're overcrowded as it is.

The Joy of Giving

This poem was found on the back of a greeting card I was going to give a friend for her birthday. I thought it was too good not to pass on.

If any little word of mine

May make some heart the lighter,

If any little song of mine

May make some life the brighter,

God let me speak that little word

And take my bit of singing

And plant it in some lonely vale

To set the echoes ringing!

-Author Unknown

Late Nite Catechism

If you ever get a chance to see Late Nite Catechism, Til Death Do Us Part (Late Nite Catechism 3), or any of its derivations, you will be guaranteed a fun-filled experience.

Maripat Donovan, Playwright/Producer and the original "Sister" created this unique series in 1993. She has starred in productions throughout the United States and in London, Dublin and Toronto. She is the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Solo Performance and received a nomination for Best Writing. She also is the recipient of the coveted New York Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Best Solo Performance. The sequel to Late Nite Catechism is Sister Strikes Again, Late Nite Catechism 2 and Sister's Christmas Catechism, The Mystery of the Magi Gold.

Til Death Do Us Part is the third production of this series I've seen and I laughed as much as the first time I saw Late Nite Catechism, even if you sort of know what to expect in terms of Sister's conduct. You don't have to be brought up Catholic to appreciate this show, but it helps. What impressed me in this current show is how topical Sister is...mentioning Angelina Jolie, Ipods, etc. She pulls things from the internet straight from the Vatican to share current doctrine, changes from the new Pope, all told in an hilarious way.

Did I mention that it's interactive? Oh, yeah. Don't come in late, or Sister will really get on you.
And for heaven's sake, don't even think about talking on your cell during the show. Yup, someone in the center section had his phone confiscated for the whole show and coughed up $10 to boot. You don't mess around with Sister.

What did I learn? There's still a purgatory, but no limbo. That's huge.

Spring has sprung

Don't you just love Spring! People in other parts of the country think that if you live in Southern California that there aren't seasons here. Oh, contraire! There just may not be as dramatic a change, but we definitely can feel the difference.

If you have never been to Carlsbad and seen the flower fields, you owe it to yourself to visit. Fifty acres of extraordinary color in bloom on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean is a spectacle to behold.

So, today I planted morning glories, sweet peas (because my mom loved to plant these in our yard in Ohio), and California Poppies. Wish me luck. My track record hasn't been that great. However, two things have
inspired me: Listening to my cousin, Susan, talk about how much she loves gardening, and the other, watching my next movie in que from Netflix...greenfingers. The reason I had wanted to see this movie was I was searching out movies with Helen Mirren. Clive Owen does a great job in this as well. He sure is an interesting actor to watch. As you can guess, it's about gardening. If you haven't seen it, it's a real feel-good movie. I loved it.

"The grass is greener on the other side, but it's just as hard to mow."