Joan Didion

I like Joan Didion and relate to her while at the same time insist on describing her as disturbed and neurotic. In some ways I'm surprised that hipsters embrace her the way they do. Although this collection of essays is in some ways dated - a product of the nineteen sixties - there is plenty I could relate to. Like mine, her life mainly takes place in California and New York - but in reverse. I liked the essays about her upbringing in Sacramento, Joan Baez in Monterey County, the effects of Santa Ana winds on the Southern California psyche, as well as others. The title comes from a W.B. Yeats poem.

Yukon Gold

Gotta love them Yukon Gold potatoes at Frontside Cafe. Do potatoes even grow that far north in the Yukon Territory? Actually they do, but Canadian growers developed the variety in Ontario and picked the name to associate the Klondike Gold Rush with the golden color of the potato's interior. So there you have it.

Plumeria

While seated on the patio at Rumfish Y Vino this plant reminded me of our Madagascar Palm. It also reminded me a bit of frangipani. Turns out they are all members of the Apocynaceae plant family. My phone identified the above as Plumeria, which is both a genus of that family and an alternative name for frangipani. The name also honors the French botanist Charles Plumier (1646-1704). All this can get a little confusing but the main thing is that these are beautiful tropical plants that will bring you enjoyment if you let them.

Trouble

Way, way back in the depths of my mind I remember that popping thing that rolls the die. It took a few days however for that memory to well up from the depths.

I know a good cheese when I see one

Noe's revisited

It just so happens that we sat in the same place I did on my very first visit - the time when the table famously vibrated - except that this time the table didn't seem to vibrate. The veggie omelet however remained as delicious as before.

the humorous oven mitt