HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU ARE AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD?DIZZY, BREEATHLESS, WEEK-KNEED, AND ELATED.

Today we went to the top of Europe. 11,333 ft. Whenyou are in Switzerland, you go to the Alps, right? We went to Jungfraujoch andon the way we went through the magnificent Bernese Oberland mountain worlds. Wehad a short time in Interlaken, and then drove to board a train to as nearheaven I am going to get before the real time. We began at the foot of Eiger,North Face and then up, up, up. I was overly anxious and worried about the tripfor Skip and for myself.

Switzerland is having an early winter and it wasraining and all of a sudden it was snowing. Flakes came down softly, thenswiftly, and soon everything was heavy with white. We continued up the mountaintaking pictures and loving the trip. Train stopped and we were taken out andput onto another train for the actual pull to the 11,333 ft. mark. Ears dobegin to stuff and breathing becomes shallow and difficult, plus there is alittle dizziness. Now I am really, really anxious. We arrive and are taken offthe train into the building. The wobble in my legs scared me, but the guidejust went on into an Ice Palace once we de-boarded the train. It was unusual. Itook a wide stance and walked like a chimp. I was no chump and did not want toslip on the ice and fall. I heard from a climbing guru that if you spread yourfeet out and create a wide base you would be safer.  Then we were takenoutside. Going outside is a big deal. The wind pelts the snow into your body.It is so bloody cold and the wind is gusting beyond anything I have everyexperienced and the snow is fiercely everywhere. So this is what freezingreally is.  Next time it is cold, and I say I am freezing, I will know Iam wrong. Everyone ran back inside immediately. Thinking them all chickens, Istayed thinking I would get a few photos. Suddenly, I realized I was alone outthere except for a little lone lady who was running back inside, No I said tomyself, you have to experience this snow storm. It was so cold that within afew seconds it pierced through my 5 layers of clothing and a jacket. It slappedat my face and gloveless hands. It hurt and was so awfully uncomfortable. Itwhipped me fast. I was inside whimpering. That kind of weather, stings, slaps,pierces and freezes you in a flash. They say freezing to death is easy and doesnot hurt. Like hell it doesn’t and it can’t be easy.  I feel fortunate tohave experienced this phenomenon of nature. It was such a storm that all youcould see out of the windows was white, white, white, and whiter stuff.

The Swiss sure can make chocolate. It rivals Belgium’s. The cheese in Switzerland is so delicious it is like eating dessert.It is sweet, nutty, deep tasting and full of flavorful eating. Let’s have anexotic cheese party. Oh it will be great. Skip and I will bring the wine andthe chocolate. Your entry fee will be your favorite exotic tasting cheese. Wewill enjoy the time.

Switzerland is beautiful in a way I have not seenbefore. It is incredibly green and mellow. Have you ever seen Alpine meadows?Have you ever seen splendid natural beauty wherever you look? The cities arestill quaint and quietly livable. There are little mountain houses perched onhillsides and snowcapped mountain peaks wherever you look. Of course, they havejust had two days of snow.  Picture the changing of the colors and snowbackdrop. I think that says it all.

We met a traveler from Dubai. She teaches EnglishLiterature at their international school. She says that they know their hold onoil will run out in 10 years so they have made their city a playground for theworld. They think they will capture the tourist industry and make up for lostoil revenue. The city just opened up a 7 star hotel among so, so many otherincredible malls, hotels, and living quarters. I can’t imagine what they willdo for you in a 7 star.  Feed you? Wipe your buttocks, shave you and cutyour hair, be at your beckon call? Make your bed, carry you from place toplace, shop for you, and deliver goods and services to your bedside. You don’teven have to leave the bed, etc. Well, in my opinion you can get the sameservices in a nursing home. Oh well, maybe not, but maybe yes. Anyone have anyideas on a 7 star hotel?

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YESTERDAY’S RAINBOW

Yesterday’s rainbow experience really set the stage for highlights in Switzerland, land of beauty extraordinaire. The organ. Oh my goodness, what an opportunity the organ concert was for us. I just can’t stop thinking how we were the only two privileged guests for this soulful performance. I will never forget that performance for the two of us. It was a gift from a higher place or more than likely it was his time for practice; who knows.

We had all Asian travelers on our bus today. They passed around a sign up and we read countries of origin. So, I could see the countries were Korea, China, Japan (they do think they can go to the head of the line, be late for the bus, and think nothing of it) India, Bhutan and Taiwan. Some of them brought sick coughing little kids. It was awfully annoying. I had to move my seat to the back of the bus because the kids kept kicking our seats and coughing. Our guide was especially well versed in languages and did the tour in 3 languages. Of course, you know who talked and disrupted our ability to hear the English part. ARHHHF.

It is autumn here in Switzerland and the changing of the leaves is in full swing. It is so beautiful and something so unexpected for us as visitors from a place where leaves do not change. The farms, valley areas, the mountains and the cities are all in full transformation of variegated colors. You feel this is a set design and you are a player on the stage. The reds are brilliant, the yellows are staunch, the oranges are hot, the hues blend as nature intended in this part of the world at this particular time of year.

I also roused myself out of bed to tell you this. I kicked myself around the corner many times before and during the first days of our trip thinking we should have done Switzerland at the beginning of the cruise. Now, I see that if we had chosen the earlier time, we would not have seen autumn colors and would not have been in two snowstorms. Being a west coast, Southern California kid, I didn’t see those little white softly falling flakes until I was fifty.

Many of the houses in the cities and valleys of the parts of Switzerland we saw have window boxes in full bloom. This is the time of year where the flowers have been growing all season and now they strain their last effort before they are taken over by death. Full bloom is a strain.  Some of the houses have 8 or more windows facing front and ALL of them have window boxes full of flowers in full straining bloom. I didn’t have my camera ready for most of them so I will have to impart a feeling about one of them in particular that sticks in my memory.  The house was brown and the shutters were red. There were 8 windows in all. Each had a window box the exact size of the window opening. Each box had red hanging flowers, all straining with full bloom, and all striving to be the best. It was a sight I want you to picture.  It made me groan with ecstasy. It was the house, the flowers and the countryside, the quaintness and the sheer beauty of the terrain that brought the groans. Do you think these Swiss ladies have secret, unuttered contests on window boxing?

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Rain, Rain, Go Away

The rain, rain go away and come again another day is exactly the forecast for our stay in Zurich. We have tours planned that will show us many spectacular sights; only they will be covered in shrouds, surrounded by pelting rain and gently falling snow.  Off we go…

It was raining on and off, mostly on all day. It produced the most stunning rainbow any of us had ever seen in our lives.

The colors were perfectly delineated and the arc went from end to end, exactly how you see them in paintings and in re-created art. It was the perfect rainbow, too perfect to be true, maybe the most perfect of all time. The pot of gold was at the end of it, but we were on the bus and no stopping until we came to Mt. Pilates, then Mt. Titlis,  Engelberg, (Angel Mountain) a beautiful mountain resort where Skip and I walked to the Benedictine monastery and had lunch in their Cheese factory.

The lunch on the monastery grounds was memorable. All home made cheeses, and homemade breads were served with salads, and while you ate your lunch, the cheese makers were making cheese behind the glass surrounding your eating area. Astounding. Skip found the piggy bank of all piggy banks today and he was so excited. Now we have to pack that great big box. Seriously, what was he thinking or was he thinking how very far we are from home and the 6 bags have already to lug around, but I am getting better and didn’t say one single word, still haven’t. Next time we travel, we will stick to the three pants, 4-5 tops and the necessary undergarments, plus drugs, just in case.

They did set us off at noon in Engelberg and everything closes there from 12:00-2:00. That is why we walked to the monastery. By the way, we stopped on our way in the church on the grounds and found it absolutely as beautiful as any we have seen. Maybe it was on a bit of a smaller scale, but beautiful. All churches to me are beautiful and have an atmosphere of quiet, tranquil holiness. I lit candles for all of you on my list and some who aren’t. The organist came in bowed before us and started to play. An organ concert for two was heaven sent.

We were the only two on the tour who did the monastery, cheese luncheon and it was a highlight for us. We made it back to our bus just in time. Oh wow, it really took some big time team effort to get back. We then drove to see Lake Lucerne and the city itself. After 11 hours we are so dead tired we ate pastries in the room and are going to bed early. We have something scary planned for tomorrow and can’t decide whether to cancel or not.

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IN GREECE ONLY THE MEN WORRY. REALLY?

Today I bought worry beads.  Now the man who helped us in an antique store said I should not get them that they were for men and the Greek women do not worry; it is the man who worries and frees the woman for other things.  I said,” Yes, but I worry all of the time and if I get these worry beads I may not worry. You see in my culture EVERYONE worries.”  He just shook his head and said ok.  I wanted to get the ivory ones at a bigger price, believe me.  But then, I thought that if I bought worry beads from a poor elephant that had to loose his life over the beads I would worry even more, so I settled on camel bone. Yeah, sure, there are no camels in Greece. They are probably cow or sheep bones, but to tourists if you say camel bones, well, now you’re talking exotic.

In Greece, 85% of the men have worry beads in their pockets and would not think of leaving home without them. Ever since I bought the worry beads, I saw drivers using their beads when riding in city busses (high seating).  I saw the men flipping them and moving them one by one in slow motion. Men flip their beads while sitting and talking with each other. I think it is an unconscious habit. It is interesting how one becomes more aware of some things in a culture when you learn about it.  In the buying process, I even stepped away from the store in thought and turned to go back in to get the beads. What an important decision.  Now the entrepreneur told me that it was for the man and I just shrugged and smiled and took my beads out into the world.  Within ten minutes I kid you not, Skip had them and was just like all the Greek guys. He has them in his pocket and flipping, and swinging them and really enjoying; I thought they were mine, but they are Skip’s. The man in the store imparted important Greek Culture to me and I wanted to give it to you. Remember fellows it does take practice to flip the beads certain ways to remove your anxiety and worries.

We spent the day roaming around the city of Athens. We had coffee; we shopped.  We had lunch; we shopped.  We spent some time in a lovely park; we shopped.  We had Ouzo; we shopped.  We had pastry; we shopped.  Pretty soon everything looked the same; still we shopped. We did not get a lot of things, just spiritual and old things, things that are light in weight and high in price. Oh, I shouldn’t reveal that because it is not all true. We did make sure to get all of you an evil eye. If we run out, we will have to come back to Turkey, Egypt or Greece. Maybe we can pick up some in downtown L.A. In any case, just put you hand up to bad Karma and it will not enter your space. There has been so much history to absorb and so little time. We have come to realize that if we spent the rest of our lives studying history, we would run out of time.  We are going to work on the here and now. We will look at what we have before us and we also have come to realize that the here and now is a lifetime of study and explorations.

Tonight chocolate bars and cookies from the countryside, FYI the cookies are melt in your mouth awesome. One was smothered in apricot jam and rolled in nuts. OMG!!

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TWO POINTS SHORT: A Poem for Wilmer

You do not need to know who I am to hear my voice.

I am obscured from you by an absolute choice.

You may want to start spending your efforts and your time

But if you do the meaning will be lost in the rhyme

Getting old and realizing your name becomes the focus of the day

You haven’t lost it; it is just located further back than you can say,

Having your bloated body plucked, sucked, poked, and rolled in a loop

Life has become centered on the waking moments giving way to pee and poop

You wonder and wander back to a remembered time when you were the king of the ball

You remember it well, that foggy hog stealing your memory; all

Changing the order of things blocking thoughts, ideas, and dreams

You are strapped to the mattress, but they don’t have your mind, but neither do you.

It can’t be night again, what happened to the events of the day, your debut

Was it yesterday or the day before when you arrived here in this cave, a tunnel of being?

Peace and hopelessness resigned, calming your mind leaving your ears to ring.

You have given of your time and moved along as they have prescribed,

Where’s the light at the end of this event. You’ve certainly tried.

Ahh, here is the help, here is the light, it shines on somewhere; it is waiting for you.

You see the light shining in prisms, you and the others in the room, here’s your crew

You move towards the line that is forming, as you are whisked along to the front

You are the center of attention. Are you the only one?

You hear the voices discussing all that you have done.

Your deeds, contributions, indications, hesitations, retributions and tribulations

Your strivings generate peace through instruction, love through modeling, contributions

Your prerequisite for truth and honesty shine through the assemblage piled high

Your cooperation in matters concerning the masses is legendary, essential, will never die

Your quest for trustworthiness and loyalty among all is illuminated time and time again

Your visions and hope for humanity won prizes, awards and claims a distinction; Bien.

Your responsibility towards justice and mercy for all mankind gave you benevolence

Your charity and kindness have been rewarded by never keeping us in suspense,

But through the loving, guiding, teaching, training, giving, hoping, and caring,

Doing and saying the right thing came as naturally as the load you were bearing

You find out you are two points short for eternity’s entrance fee.

Pearly Gates sure looked good all along the way, the ones now you can actually see.

No entrance fee dear soul not for you or me, go back, do it again for an eternity.

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“Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb . . .

Restroom conversation

“She told you to dumb it down. Why for heavens sake?”
“ The public does not like things complicated and complex. They like you to lay it out there in third to sixth grade language.”
“Then, that shouldn’t be too hard.”
“It is hard. You have to think about it in a complex, complicated way and then, present it as a teacher to your students.”
“Like I said, not hard for you, you are a teacher. Dumb it down is your bag, lady.”
“Maybe, but, who wants to spend the rest of their life in the third grade?”
“You’ve got a point.”
“So where do I go from here?”
“ I guess you start with the most complicated things you can think of and then, begin to dumb them down.”
“Okay, thanks, but then again, no thanks.”
Both conversationalists left the rest room and I am left pondering their tiny bits of information. I am tired of people, books and writing classes telling me what to do, how to do it. They say you have to have a beginning, middle, end, and you have to write it for the market. Damn, the market changes every time you get the book lists, so I enrolled in a writing class at Beverly Hills High School Adult School. I lovingly wrote my heart out onto the pages and a manuscript began to grow. It was truly ecstasy. I acted, felt deeply and wrote about it. The directions were to complete only a few chapters for evaluation. The evening came where we all laid our manuscripts on the desk of our writing guru. There was an air of tension in the room. The air began to feel used and stale. The participants began to squirm in their seats, rubbing their hands, wiping their faces and noses too often. The teacher thanked us all for the work and said that next Monday was a holiday and he would see us back in two weeks. I was thinking to myself, two weeks is a damn long time. I can’t stand one day, how will I get through the two weeks? Is my writing good? Will I publish, perhaps become well known?
I am not going to say that the two weeks flew by like normal two weeks always seem to do, but these were filled with hope, desire to be the greatest, anticipation of the news of my writing skills, fear of rejection and I will stop the flow right here because of fear of not being dumbed down enough. The days came and went in some sort of a fog of eagerness.
This is the night we all find out about our brilliance or lack thereof. The teacher slowly and deliberately handed out the manuscripts, looking into each ready face, giving a quarter smile. Mine he saved for last. He looked into my eyes, laid the manuscript down with a full toothy smile. My heart began to beat wildly and my breath came in gulps. He moved on towards his des. My hand found the paper pile, I slowly sole a glance. Large, unusually large black print popped into my brain. My eyes blurred from the excitement and I could hardly see. Finally, I settled back and was able to read the oddly large script. It said, AN UNPLOTTED PSYCHOLOGICAL QUIRK, VERY THERAPEUDIC WITH NO SALABILITY. It has taken me over thirty years to fully understand his meaning. I do not think in all of these years I have perfected the theory of dumb it down enough to get out of that category. I don’t even understand it myself, but I do know that if you dumb it down far enough, people will understand and perhaps you will understand it yourself.

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To: The Huntington Park City Council
Ofelia Hernandez, Mayor

From: SheilaClapkin, President, Jos. Levin Realty Corp. of L.A.

Re: Amending The Zoning Designation from Industrial/Manufacturing to General
Commercial

Huntington Park is my Hometown. I was born, raised and educated here. My family has been in business in Huntington Park for sixty-nine years in pretty much the same spot. We built new buildings on the corner of Soto and Slauson fifteen years ago to the specifications set by the city of Huntington Park. Our buildings made a significant improvement to that corner in appearance as well as the use of this prominent corner.
We have been able to successfully rent all of our units during these years. Now you want to make changes that will impact and perhaps destroy our present Industrial/Manufacturing complex. You will hinder our abilities to rent and do business in Huntington Park. We do not want you to do this rezoning to General Commercial.
Have you looked at Pacific Boulevard in order to revitalize and enhance its commercial capabilities? In the northern sections, there are blocks on that street that if revitalized would add to the drama that has always been part of the Boulevard. It is already a built in commercial district. Why do you want to go after us, the little guys that have served this community for going on three fourths of a century? Why just these few blocks, I ask you and not Pacific Boulevard which is already commercial? Why not a revitalization,, rather than a destruction and obliteration of what is already working well and serving our community in its Industrial/Manufacturing needs?
Sincerely Yours,

Sheila Clapkin
President, Jos. Levin Realty Corp. of L.A.

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Dear Colby: This is your story.
I DON’T FIT UNDER THE BED ANYMORE
Once upon a time there was a little boy who used to love to crawl under his mom and dad’s bed. He loved seeing the things that were deposited there by the dog or the cat. He used to think it was a dark cave where he could see all kinds of strange animals and fierce people with long hair and some beards.

He used to think that under the bed there lived a world that no one else ever saw or even knew about. He saw castles, kings, queens and his favorite friend was a prince named Joel. Every day he and Joel would meet under the bed and have a long journey. The mom could not understand why the little boy was always so tired everyday. How could he explain his daily journey into a world no one ever knew or would believe? So he didn’t say anything for many years.

As the years passed by, the boy grew bigger and bigger. Every day he squished under the bed and enjoyed his journey. One day a big surprised happened to this boy. He barely made it under the bed for his journey into the unknown. He just thought how strange. He checked the bed and found that it was pretty much the same as it always had been, but what he didn’t realize is that he was growing up and getting bigger.

It happened! One day the boy could no longer fit under the bed. He pushed and squeezed himself. Nothing he did worked and he could not get under the bed. He found his mom and blurted out to her, “Mom. I don’t fit under the bed anymore.” He took his mom to show her and began to tell her the tales of his under-the-bed adventures. He told her everything. She smiled and said she understood how sad he must feel that he had grown too big to get under the bed, but that it was the growing up process and that means when you grow up, you have to leave some of your old adventures behind to make room for new ones. The boy understood and believed his mother, but every time he goes by the bed of his mom and dad, he smiles and remembers all the times he crawled under the bed and enjoyed the adventures that waited there for him.

Love, Grandma

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I received an email that I am pasting here for you. Before you read it let me tell you my experience with it. I received it, like I said, I read and re-read it. I sent it on. Hey, how about making it I said to myself. Okay, so I printed the recipe and went down to make it. I had all the ingredients except my flour was self- rising and the recipe said, no self-rising flour. So what. I don’t follow anything in total. Most often, Usually, Probably.

I did exactly what was prescribed in the recipe and it turned out majestic. Really. The cake puffed up way over the rim of the cup. It stayed there like a mountain. I dusted it with powdered sugar, I was thrilled with the experience and wanted to pass along to you the possibility of joy in accomplishment and the fun of following through. Here you go: Let me know how you do with this project. Do it now. Why wait. It is really awesome.

Most Dangerous Chocolate Cake Recipe in the World

MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
1 Coffee Mug
4 tablespoons flour(that’s plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
Small splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well . Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to share!)

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

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This is a story I would like to finish, but am stuck on the lessons they/you will learn. Read the attached story and then, please contact me with a good lesson you have learned and I will add it to the story. The most recent lesson was told to me this morning. An aging beauty queen had a date with an aging leading man. He finally kissed her and she said it was a kiss you give to your child. A quickie peckish kind of thing. Her lesson was that if the kiss does not send you and the spark is not there, it is over until something else worthwhile surfaces.

Here is the beginning of the story:
What are the Lessons of Forest Gnomes?

I opened the back door and found small footprints in the sand. The wind immediately blew and covered them so quickly that I only have my memory of them. What were they doing at my back door? Who made them? Why were they covered up so quickly? Was there some sort of message they were delivering? How can I begin to find out?

In my mind, I began imagining about those small footprints and how they disappeared almost as fast as I saw them. The next morning I opened the door just as I had done the morning before and the small footprints were there. They were there in the same way and the wind blew exactly at the same moment I saw the little prints. They were gone almost before I had time to remember them. Was this my dream? Was this my imagination? Were the footprints real? How did they get there? Who would be so tiny as to leave such prints?

On the third morning there was a note left through the little crack between the floor and the ending of the door. It was written on the bark of the tree in our back woods. It said:

You who have seen our footprints will be given a party at dusk. Please follow the pebbles, hard pieces of moss and pine needles leading the way to the tree that shines brightly just before the sun leaves the horizon. You will visit us and someone like you will see that there are many things to be discovered with us. You will stay until daybreak, the dawning and then you will be led back to your home with new understandings of the forest and the gnomes that live here. Do not be afraid. You may bring Mega and Pixel. They are very welcome to come our party. Certain dogs will not be allowed, but yours are welcome. They are not afraid. They will be your guides. Remember, before the sun goes down and before the dawning will be the main guest at our party and the lessons you learn, you can tell the world.

In the days preceding the gnome party invitation, many things happened at home. My broom was missing from the cabinet and all of the spoons were out of my silverware drawer and put in corners of my house. The wood on the furniture became polished and shone as brightly as a mirror…………….

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