Holy Cow

I never knew anyone read what I wrote and then I was mentioned on a Facebook page today.

Ok, Ok, I'll brush off the dust and get posting again.

There is a lot happening with North 40 right near me, the new Netflix buildings, the new stuff where Swanson Ford was, and the tearing down of the Sisters of the Holy Name off of ...ok, it's not College there...is it?

Anyway, OK, I'll start blogging again.

Fall Fashion Palooza

Hi, all! Just a quick post.

My friend Hasti Kashfia, The Bay Area Fashionista, is hosting a fundraiser for the Los Gatos Education Foundation this Sunday September 19, 2010 from 12:30-3:30 in the Opera House downtown.

You can buy tickets for the Fall Fashion Palooza online at LGEF.org

Had to adjust the settings for comments

Hi, fans, I set the comment setting to require a google id, sorry to have to clamp down but I keep waking up to 20 spammy comments and it's taking me too much time to remove them. Hopefully we can go back to normal later when they go away.

I've been busy again

I'm not sure where the time flies. The kid is going to be 12.

The garden is in again, 22 tomato plants, 12 pepper plants and oodles of squash and cucumbers. I'm going to move my gardening talk to Suburban Vegetable Gardener.

And for Los Gatos. Ok, I'm supporting Mike Wasserman for County Supervisor. Why? Because he's a great guy, a fiscal conservative, and in these odd times of money getting swiped by the state and feds, I want someone smart steering the county.

Great Pic of the new Mayor & Vice Mayor

Here's the swearing in of Diane McNutt and Joe Pirzynski which was on November 16th.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all of my readers (yes, all 2 of you, hi, mom & dad) a Happy Thanksgiving :-)

Congraulations to Diane McNutt

Congratulations to Diane McNutt for being elected Mayor. She brings a level head and strong leadership. It's amazing how much she does, and I am grateful.
She still runs her own business, McNutt & Company doing PR and marketing.
And I hope she starts up her blog again.

Squirrel in the Attic

So we got our roof replaced, thankfully right before the first rain in October (and that was a doozy)

Actually I had this post written and then it didn't get saved. Lesson learned. When blogging, save regularly.

So, a squirrel got caught up there somehow. We could hear something running around on top of the ceiling. I couldn't bear the thought of a critter hurting. And I called all around different agencies.

Bottom line, if you have a squirrel in the attic, it's your responsiblity.

I started researching online to find a Haveaheart trap. I was shocked that neither Ace nor Home Depot keep them in stock! Thankfully, OSH does, and I zipped down to the one off of Branham, and they had a good selection of humane traps.


I then stopped at the Wild Bird Store to find out what will tempt the little squirrel. Answer is the same as for rats: peanut butter. I did pick up some bird seed as well.

Well, bottom line, I hope the critter found a way out because after 2 weeks, I didn't catch anything. It's now below the house trying to capture a rat. I want to release the poor thing, but I'm outvoted.

Here's a link to the Haveaheart website dealing with trapping squirrels.

Missing McWhorter's

I know I sound like an old fuddy sitting on the porch, but I really really miss McWhorter's. When I rented in Mountain View, I would go to the one in Sunnyvale to get notecards. When I was active in ABATE, I would go to the one off of Saratoga and Moorpark to get tickets for the 50/50 raffle. And I have so many memories of the one in Los Gatos where Trader Joe's now is located. I love TJ's and am very happy they're there, don't get me wrong. But I miss a store like McWhorter's.

When you needed a graduation gift of a really nice pen, or a fountain pen, you would go to McWhorter's. When my daughter was born, and I would walk down to the Live Oak Manor park, I stopped into McWhorter's and bought a scrapbooking kit. My daughter loves her baby book. I would never have done scrapbooking had it not been for McWhorter's.

And I think back to a time and a place that was so very long ago. I had completed my sophomore year at CalPoly SLO, and was so busy that I hadn't lined up a job "in my major." I worked 2 weeks at Radio Shack in Saratoga, and just could not hack the "hard sales" job, and walked into Wherehouse Records and Tapes and asked if they were hiring. They were. I was hired on the spot. I was also taking 3 classes at night over at De Anza to try to get some of my general ed taken care of. I'd take a break, and walk down to Di Martini's Orchard (now Carl's Jr) and get some fruit, and love walking around McWhorter's during my break. And a friend of a guy I was sorta dating worked there, and we three would meet & flirt. It was a fun time.

And I have a confession. I have long had an odd love of office supplies. A new pen and a notebook would send me over the moon. Even when Office Depot moved in, my loyalty was for McWhorter's.

And for good reason. I swiped this from the website:
In 1996 McWhorter's was purchased by U.S. Office Products (USOP) of Washington D.C. This ended the local ownership and our long affiliation with Hallmark Cards. USOP purchased over 200 small companies, attempting to form a powerful nationwide commercial office products company.

We bought our house in LG in 1995. And I would always get my cards at McWhorter's, sign them, and then run a few doors down to Mailboxes Etc. (now The UPS Store. I love Elroy & promise to devote a whole post to my love of the man) to get it out so hopefully it would arrive not TOO late after the person's birthday. And, let's face it, we all knew Hallmark. We were slaves to the brand.

I wrote a letter to the president (yes, I used the internet to research who he was and where to send it), and within 2 weeks, got a personal letter back from him explaining the situation. It went into more depth than this blurb up there, and I won't mention it since, you know, it was a personal letter, personally signed. He made me feel special. And he had my loyalty until the end of time.

So I lift a glass of Testarossa Pinot Noir to you, McWhorter's. Well done. I miss you.

Not the sound of silence

We're getting our roof replaced. They pulled it off last Wednesday, and the Los Gatos inspector took two days to show up. So the roofers are back today to finish putting down the felt, and then the steel shake. We went with Cal-Pac Roofing, and can also highly recommend Woods Roofing. It was a tough choice as they're both amazing companies.

So Wednesday, it was a funny sound of things getting pried off. Thursday, they fixed some dry rot, and the materials got delivered. Holy cow. Listening to them drop the stuff on the rafters. I mean, removing the roof sounded like elephants dancing. The delivery sounded like meteors hitting the house. And it would shake the whole building structure.

So, they're here today. The meteors are hitting a bit as they move materials around, and I'll know the sound of the hammers really really well by the time this is done. Wish me luck. And no, I can't blare music or put in earplugs. I'm waiting for a UPS delivery :-) After that, though....

It was time for a facelift

When I first started this blog, I wanted Orange & Black (go Los Gatos High!). And it was fun. However, it's time for a facelift, so I hope you like the new theme.

My garden is nearing it's end for the summer. I did buy some cauliflower and broccoli and cabbage and Brussels sprouts but I haven't planted them yet. I still need to do some more cleaning out of the old before putting in the new.



School has been in session for a month now, and the routine is finally settling in.

Until next time, leave in the comments your favorite thing about Autumn. Mine is the smell in the air. It's subtle, but definitely hinting of fall.

Plumber Picking

So, we had a bad plumbing problem this summer. Our wall was squishy. Walls shouldn't be squishy. We got the three bids and threw out the high and low. The high seemed like he was looking for more things to tack on even though it was already a pretty high bid. The low seemed to be really "lego mentality." He was going to come in, and just deal with it, but I didn't get the confidence that he would be able to handle the problems that I knew would come up. And they did. Plus, I asked him to come in and do a face to face meeting with dear husband to explain about the written bid (which took a lot to get out of him. Another big warning sign, no?).
We chose Nelson Plumbing. I Yelp'd about them. They're wonderful, and I'd call on them again. And did. But Mercury is Retrograde and so mis-communications are abounding. :-)
We found another leak, so it was nice to get that all repaired. The walls are repaired and re-textured.
We repainted the living room the same Navajo white (or whatever we chose). We still have to get some BRIGHT white for the bathroom. And dear daughter managed to convince us to paint the family room with a color. Woah. That was kind of hard for two nerds. We do like things to be simple. And she chose a lovely color that looks like very rich vanilla ice cream. Dear Husband has been good about taping and painting in the evenings. Now it's my turn to get the clutter cleaned, and getting some new drapes.

My next big thing - more coaching to stay working at my home office

My next big thing is going to be Success in Sweatpants coaching. I have already taken Trish Lambert's Winning with Elance coaching, and through it was able to land 3 more clients. It's not paying the mortgage yet, but I've got a good momentum. This way, I work out of the house and keep blogging about life in Los Gatos.

Success in Sweatpants is based on the book Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling. Trish, a certified coach, is focusing on home based entrepreneurs. So if you've lost your job and want to start working out of your house, this is a great investment in yourself since it's not expensive, and you'll get a great understanding of who you are, what you want to do, and how you'll get there.

A common mistake when you start out consulting is to say "I'll work with anyone who will pay me." But then you end up with a lot of duds or people who don't pay. (been there, done that). And it really does help to have a focused niche. Like I enjoy copywriting. But no one really looks for a "copywriter." They'll look for an article writer, sales copy writer, or professional blogger. Then, word of mouse works in your favor.

"Say, Joe, do you know of any professional bloggers?"

"Why, yes, yes, I do."

rather than

"No, I only know someone who says she's a copywriter, but I'm not sure what that is."

Anyway, I get pretty muddled since there's so much I enjoy doing that I'll be going through Success in Sweatpants to get clarity, and to book myself solid :-)

Don't Miss Out on Leadership Los Gatos

Hey, you. Yeah, you. You can sign up for the Leadership Los Gatos and learn more bout how the town functions. It will make you a better citizen and a more informed voter. Maybe, you'll even learn how to become more involved in your community, and that's GOOD for everyone.

So check it out, fill it out, and get involved :-)

Oh, and Second Saturdays were so successful that it's being continued! Yeah! On the second Saturday of the month, go to the downtown where there are lots of specials, and helpful people who can show you all the cool shops that you didn't know existed.

Picnic in the Park

Dear daughter keeps wanting a picnic lunch, and why not? Well it’s 92 out. But we could picnic under some nice trees if we went to Oak Meadow park. Or if we walked down by the lake at Vasona.

When we were in Girl Scouts, we had a nice picnic lunch at Belgatos Park, and I used a picnic basket that was more like an insulated backpack. It kept everything in its place and the drinks stayed cool. It was nice having the utensils, not like you really need it for peanut butter sandwiches and chips, but, some day.

I should look into getting dear daughter a real picnic basket. You know, the kind made out of wicker that has the sides that flip up. It’s all delightfully mysterious. I remember a passage out of either The Five Children and It or it’s sequel The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit which talked about the delight and the mystery of what hides in a picnic basket. You wonder if there will be exotic things like duck eggs, and yet you’re so happy to get a simple sandwich wrapped in waxed paper.

Maybe that’s what dear daughter wants is the fun of the picnic. I keep asking her what we should pack and she said she didn’t know. So perhaps I’ll get a real picnic basket and stuff it full of a mixture of the exotic and the every day (hey, chips and pretzels are always fun and exciting), and then sneak her off to a magical place where we can eat and talk. School will be starting soon, and my young daughter is going to blossom into a young lady very soon.

I hope she has a good time in sixth grade. When I was her age, Sixth was still at the elementary school, and we didn’t get to switch classes or have lockers until junior high. I know she’ll do well.

And now for your public service announcement. Don’t put cut up melon into the picnic basket without an ice pack. I had no idea but you can get food poisoning from melon. Eek. Be safe. Have happy memories of the picnic.

Compost Tea

Compost tea is pretty much what it sounds like. You take well-composted compost, put it into a cotton bag, and then dunk it in a load of water letting it steep for 24-48 hours.

Then it’s ready to use!

What I can’t figure out is, what do you do with the stuff left in the “tea bag?” Maybe put it back on the composter or use it as mulch, perhaps.

In books, they talk about mixing tea with water in a watering can, and then watering the plant. I am wondering if I can put it into my old miracle-gro container that I haven’t used in years, and if that would create the right mix, or if it would just shoot out most of the tea at the start. It’s worth playing around with.

I buy the J. S Stone Organic treatments at the Ace down the street. So I’ve got blood meal, cottonseed meal, etc. etc. around the house. In theory, this compost tea supplements everything but the calcium, if I’m reading things correctly. I’m sure there’s some calcium due to the eggshells, but I suspect it’s trace amounts.

The tomatoes definitely need their calcium. Just today, I was out there picking off some small green potatoes that had the tell-tale signs of blossom end rot on the bottom. It looks pretty gross.




I’ve read that you can dissolve Tums or any other generic antacid in water, and pour that on to give a quick shot of calcium. But is it organic? I haven’t finished wrestling with that one yet. And do I want to be pure organic anyway?

The compost is a good start. I’ve almost got dear husband trained to put leftover veg into the bag. Some day, I hope, he’ll buy me one of those composters for the kitchen counter where I can put the scraps in and let them do their work until I feel like taking them outside to the big composter.

When it’s cold or rainy, I do get a bit lazy.

What I Did with Compost

I was so happy when I was given a composter Winter of ’08. I did my duty of only putting in the right compostable materials and no fat or meat. My gardener put in grass clippings. Ok, honestly, I wished he’d just let them sit out & dry out a bit & then I would have put them in, but it’s OK. The smell wasn’t great. I did turn it somewhat regularly. When I’d remember. And then this Spring, by some miracle of nature, I had black gold.

Ok, by then, I’d already planted up my garden. Whoops. So for fun, I spread it around next to the side fence, and planted The Three Sisters in it.



For those wondering, The Three Sisters is corn, beans, and squash. In this case, I used Renee’s Garden seeds, which are Indian corn, red runner beans, and sugar pumpkins. And they grew. Here’s how they looked in the beginning.



Here’s how it looks now!



I got all excited & planted some Delicato squash as well. I’m not sure if it survived or if the stellar jay family ate the seeds.

What really surprised me was this:



I swear these are tomato plants or something. They just kind of burst out. They’re not really growing quickly like the other tomato plants that I started from seed, but maybe it’s because they started later then my seeds.

So yes, I’ve started another pile in the composter. The gardener isn’t putting clippings into the composter, so I’m not sure what’s going to happen or how much I’ll have. I may buy some straw to add in. And some well aged manure. Next growing season, I’ll put the manure on the asparagus patch.


And I’ll make compost tea for the rest of the plants. What’s compost tea? Find out next time right here on losgatosgirl.com

Cool Story About Growing Up in Los Gatos

This is the Los Gatos that I know and remember. The author Amy Graff writes about how we kids were free to strip down to our nothings and just play in puddles or sprinklers. No one worried too much about offending.

She wrote this article on summer in the 70s for young kids for The Mommy Files on sfgate. And she's right. We weren't a hippy commune. We may have had a few artists around, but overall, Los Gatos in the 70s were just families.

I wish we could be more relaxed and let kids be kids. Being a mom, though, I do have fears. And yet, I don't want to transfer those fears to her. I want her to learn to soar, make mistakes, and soar again.

And because I'm prejudiced, I have her here in Los Gatos where I think she'll have a safe environment to explore. Now I just need to get her her own bicycle. She outgrew hers and keeps stealing mine. Grr.

Remembrance of New Years

For years, our court would hold a New Years party. Well, if it didn't rain.
We own the long fold out tables and would put them out. Everyone would
pitch in food. And another neighbor would bring out their patio heaters.
Some years, this was essential! We would be out there in our heavy ski
jackets shivering until the heater would warm us up.

But we only got together twice a year (4th of July was the other court
party). (And we didn't need patio heaters for that). So this was a time to
catch up on the gossip and trade stories, brag about kids, share sorrows
about losses.

Then the kids got older. Some went off to college. Others wanted to go to
New Years Eve parties with their friends. Another neighbor started going to
Hawaii for the holidays.

Actually, there was someone who showed up at the house in the middle of the
party & set off the alarm. At first we were shocked & thought "how rude to
rob a house right under our nose!" And the police showed up promptly.
Which wasn't necessarily good since we had been setting off some fireworks.
Shh. Don't tell anyone.

It turned out the son was going to have a party at his parents' house while
they were away and this guy got the date wrong. And they forgot to lock the
side door. But the alarm was on.

And we huddled under the outdoor heaters snickering, and went back to
toasting in the New Year.

I do miss the get togethers, but it's a part of the process with the kids
growing up and moving on. Parents reclaiming their lives again. Some day,
the older residents may sell, and young families may move in. Then we'll be
huddled under the outdoor patio heaters again trading stories and wisdom.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

I have two announcements.

First, Musics from a Los Gatos Girl now has it's own domain. Please update all references to www.losgatosgirl.com

Second, I got my laptop back. (macbook pro) The Apple Store in Los Gatos is so great to deal with. And it really paid off to get the Apple Care. I don't abuse my laptop, but you know, it goes with me to a lot of places, and I use it, a lot.