Remembering the past
I recently came across a envelope full of old photos of my mom when she was a child. A relative had sent them to me after she passed away, and I guess I was not ready to look at them at the time. Now I see in the photos a beautiful child posing in front of a quaint south Boston brownstone, alongside relatives or friends whose faces I do not recognize. I remember my Irish family members as so much older than the folks pictured there. They were all characters who loved to sip whiskey and sing songs of the old country, but you would never know that looking at their stern, stiff expressions in the photos. I wonder what they were doing and saying just before the photos were taken, and I wish their names were listed on the backs. It would help me distinguish between my endless relatives named Mary.
Wine your manners
Don’t wear fragrance. Colognes can interfere with your (or other’s) ability to sense some wine’s delicate notes.
Baby it’s kale outside
A number of years ago I was on a tour of Highgrove Royal Gardens in England. At this, the private residence of Their Royal Highness, we marveled at the beautiful hostas and ooohed and aaahed over the meadows of wildflowers. It was all quite stunning, my dears. And at the end of the tour guide slowed her pace. She lowered her voice nearly to a whisper as she announced “And here … we have … the California Wild Lilac!” Sounds of delight and awe rippled through our tour group. My colleague and I exchanged quick glances—so much build up for a native California plant that we routinely fly by on the highway without a second thought (no booing here, I truly love our hardworking ceanothus). And I couldn’t help but think about how much coddling and care must go into keeping that Mediterranean climate-loving shrub happy so far from its native soil.
Best race yet
It took 160 hours of training for a 7 ½ minute improvement. To set a personal-record (PR) at the California International Marathon (CIM) in Sacramento on Dec. 4, I had to train harder than ever. That meant running 60 miles a week, six days a week (Sunday was my lone day off). My “recovery” runs were anywhere from 7 to 8 miles.
Loan options
With mortgage rates rising quickly post election, there has been much more attention paid to Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) loans. Many people have stayed away from these types of loans in the past 10 years as the fallout from the mortgage meltdown drove the market to fixed rates. Also, when long term 30-year fixed rates are in the mid to low-threes, it doesn't make much sense to look at an ARM loan.
Police find drugs and handgun during traffic stop
Police reportedly found illegal drugs and a firearm on a parolee in Morgan Hill after an officer made a traffic stop Jan. 13.About 9:15 a.m., a Morgan Hill Police officer ran the plate on a vehicle in the area of Tennant Avenue and U.S. 101, and discovered it was displaying false tags, according to MHPD reports.The officer made a traffic stop and contacted the driver, Michael Wario, 24 of Morgan Hill. The officer learned Wario was on parole for shooting from or into an occupied vehicle or dwelling, police said.While the officer was awaiting backup, he noticed Wario appeared to be concerned about something in the back seat of the vehicle as he repeatedly glanced that way, according to police. The officer asked him why he kept looking behind him, but Wario said there was nothing illegal in the car that he was aware of.Wario was removed from the vehicle and detained until officers could complete a parole search, police said. The officer opened the rear passenger door and saw a .38 revolver on the floorboard behind the front seat. Police determined the handgun was loaded.Police also found cocaine and methamphetamine in the vehicle, according to the MHPD report. Wario told police that knew the gun and the meth were in the car, but the cocaine was not his.Wario was booked at Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of weapons, narcotics and a parole violation.
