DOWNTOWN WOMEN'S CENTER, #1

I will be writing a lot about the Downtown Women's Center. Downtown as in Los Angeles. Women as in older female persons without children in tow. And Center as in a place to meet and live.

When it was founded 30 years ago this month, it was the FIRST agency in LA devoted to the problems of homeless women. It has permanent living quarters for 45 women, a day center, social service help, meals, employment assistance, etc. They recently purchased a larger building so they will have 90-100 living quarters and a larger facility in general. They subsist largely on donations of money, time, and stuff. They have little governmental support.

I have gotten myself involved with this through the L.I.F.E. program (Living Independently in a Friendly Environment) here in Park LaBrea. That program is focussed, correctly, on providing support and information to seniors here. However, there was the idea that we should look outside of ourselves and the Downtown Women's Center Action Group was created. I am the coordinator, but the 10-12 members are all very capable.

Our first project is a clothing drive to be held September 26. More later.

This week's painting. I was trying something a little new to me.

Linda and I always wanted to visit the Channel Islands National Park and the opportunity (ie warm weather) came when she was visiting here in early July. The nearest one, Anacapa, is an hour out from Oxnard. To say it is desolate is not an exaggeration. No one lives there; a ranger spends every other week in summer. Everything must be brought in by small boats and hauled up to the top (150 steps for visitors) by a crane.

May and June are the months for flowers. June and July are the time the Western Gulls nest. Thousands of them, all over the place. The chicks fledge in August and all are gone until next year. The other end of the island, which is not accessible by the public, is where the brown pelicans nest.They were formerly endangered, but have come back big time. The ground and air are full of birds.

For would-be birders, The Western Gulls have pink legs, the California Gulls yellow. They are not fully adult for 4 years and their plumage gradually changes from dark gray to the mostly white with gray wings.

Volunteer scuba divers showed us the underwater area and the creatures that live there. Right below where the boat comes is a kelp forest. The divers, via closed circuit TV, showed us a small shark, a Garibaldi (a bright orange fish that is the State Marine Fish) guarding its eggs, a sea urchin, and a spiny lobster. Since Linda and I do not plan to scuba dive, it was a marvel to behold.

Andy, will you share some of Ted's experiences at Boy Scout camp? He's the first of the bunch to go to sleep-away camp.

Good advice

Thank you, Tim and Andy, for the good advice. Good points made by both of you. I will work on the email address thing later today. I am a little distressed first comments don't appear. I read them and enjoyed them, but can't get them on the blog.

Problem solved, I hope

Apparently some of you posted comments, but they did not appear. Boohoo. I think I have resolved that issue. If you do not see a comment you have posted, please email me. I want this to be a 2-way street as much as possible.

http://www.blogger.com/moderate-comment.g?blogID=1949802312486808738

Tracy and I are preparing for the coming anniversary of Dick's death. This is a time when grief revisits big time. As at Christmas, we have decided to be together for mutual support without distractions. We will be in San Luis Obispo staying at the Apple Farm. Linda and I have visited the area twice and found interesting things to see--wineries, quaint museums, an ostrich/emu farm, beaches, and SLO itself. This will be Sunday, 7/27-Wednesday, 7/30. Everyone finds their own way at such times. I hear that that Tim will 'wash his car.'

I expect that this will be the last published reference to my sadness. My new life is progressing well. I am enjoying the newness of it and the possibilities. I am keeping on keeping on, a good Southern expression

My blog is OK so far. Now it needs comments from you so it doesn't became totally one-sided. What do you think? What can you add?

A beginning

Hello to whoever is out there. This a my newest project in communication. I hope this blog will provide us with another means of keeping in touch. I will not guarantee how often I will add to it, but I will write as the spirit moves me, add images of my latest paintings and photos, and anything I find interesting. In general, I will try to convey my little life to my family and interested friends. And I hope that you all/y'all will read it and do something like this yourselves.

To start, here is a photo of my new cat, Sweetie. She is nearly a year old and already has a checkered past. The story I heard is that she had an owner (who obviously socialized her well), but had a stillborn litter and ended up at a vet's. There she was spayed and lived in a cage which wasn't to her nature. She chewed off the fur at the base of her tail. Eventually she found herself at a Petco being adopted by me. She is an entirely satisfactory pet: sits on laps, sleeps on beds, and greets me at the door. She is outgoing and goes to anyone who comes in my house. She doesn't try to go outdoors, a big plus.