Stern Grove Crowds in Really Nice People!

I have to admit that I was disappointed and a little bit put-off by the Stern Grove table-of-twelve configuration at the San Francisco Ballet performance today!

It had occurred to me that my donation of $500 would pay for only six-eighths of the table, but I never thought we'd have only half of a table.  They may say that two tables are put together under one tablecloth, but we were going to be squished!  We had so much food that I wasn't sure there would be room for any people, even us.

It turned out, though, that people were really nice, and having them at the table enhanced the experience instead of making it uncomfortable.  It helped that two women chose to sit on a rock behind us--close to the mother of one and the husband of another.  (We had set up when they arrived, but we honored their request to move down so they could be closer to their family.)

We were also seated with a couple from Cupertino, who came up from Pebble Beach, where they were house-sitting.  It was her birthday, so it worked out really well that I'd made a chocolate cake!

We shared our food, which was plentiful and delicious!  Olga made eggplant wraps and a carrot salad, and Eileen made a farro salad.  I made veggie kebabs, corn bread, sauerkraut with apples and vegan sausage, and Olivie Salad.

Here are, starting with Olga and going clockwise, Olga, Mikhail, Sue, Mike, Charles, Eileen, Javier, me, Jim and Louise.

 A better view of Jim and Louise.  Can you believe he's 82?!

Sue, Mike, Charlene, Debora(h)

Mike and Charlene

Music Is Secure at Kaiser

I heard piano music when I got to Kaiser for a bone density test, and I was so glad that my hearing was unimpaired (as far as I know).

I followed the music to the third floor and found out that the pianist was a security guard.  He plays the piano every day before he begins his shift.

I told the other security guards lined up around him, "I guess you all are waiting your turn at the piano?"

Hand-Up and Desktop

I've become so self-indulgent in retirement, that I've added a "something unselfish" to my list of things I want to do each day, and there are a lot of days I can't check it off as done.

So yesterday I decided than I'd take a half-mile walk just to see whether a postcard to my brother could get there on Saturday instead of Monday, and in front of the post office I saw the woman I'd given a $25 Hand-up gift card to asking for handouts.

"Did you cash in the card I gave you?" I asked her.

"Oh, thank you for remembering me," she said.  "I called Glide."  But no, she hadn't cashed it in.

I asked her what her name was, and she said, "Jackie Robinson" and added something I think I heard as "and I have one hundred and eighteen children and three hundred grandchildren with there on the way."

I then crossed the street and saw Larry, the person I'd really gotten the Handup gift cards for.
Now I've located my second card, and should I hope that he'll be on the street again so I can give it to him?

Housing Crunch "Spurring Legislators into Action" in today's news

I'm grateful to have a roof over my head.  I wish everybody did.

Today's SF Chronicle front page story (to the left of the bigger "Frustration in Chinatown as new subway is delayed) is "Housing Crunch spurring legislators into action/with 130 bills in pipeline, vote is possible soon."

Here's some of what I learned:

This past decade, developers have build 80,000 houses a year, but 180,000 are needed.

In prior years 160,000 were built each year.

Of the 10 least affordable counties in the nation, 7 are in California:  Marin, SF, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa.

Home ownership in CA has dropped to 1940's level.

https://www.pressreader.com/usa/san-francisco-chronicle/20170715/281496456330781

Caution: Senior Crossing

My nieces and I saw " Caterpiller Crossing" at the Botanical Gardens last Thursday, when we were there to see the pianos.

Then yesterday I picked up a copy of SFWeekly because the cover said "Respect (Your Elders)  San Franciscans over 70 do cool stuff (& more)."  I thought we oldies but goodies were going to find out about activities for us, but it turned out to be about octogenarians roller skating down hills and stuff like that.  the "& more" that most interested me was "Caution:  Seniors Crossing."  We are going the way of the caterpillar, not getting the chance to metamorphosize.  We seniors make up 15 percent of the city's population but account for 44 percent of traffic deaths in 2016.  We are four times more likely than people under 65 to be killed by a traffic collision.    

http://www.sfweekly.com/news/feature/caution-seniors-crossing/