Grasshopper surprise

Talk about a surprise! This guy jumped out of the pantry this
morning, out of a coffee cup. After watching him bounce about in the
sink in an attempt to get away, I finally managed to calm him down
with an empty raspberry carton placed gently over him. I carried him
outside, but he didn't seem to want to get out of the carton. I just
left the carton on top of a bush and watched him clean his feet off
(maybe he liked the raspberry taste). Despite the length of his back
legs, he managed to get one of them completely folded and bring his
back foot up to his face. Amazing. He continued to sun on that spot
so I took the opportunity to take his portrait. I love the way his
little tail shows through his wings. I didn't notice that until I saw
the photo.

Matchstick House, Watford

I just had to post an image of this English house that I recently spotted on Flickr. Talk about imaginative! Who says you have to stick with plain ol' wood siding?

Help Katrina Pets

If you are willing to foster a dog or know of someone who wants to adopt an animal displaced by Hurricane Katrina, please visit Mutt Shack, an L.A.-based safe haven for incoming displaced pets. MuttShack Animal Rescue, a volunteer-driven 501(c)3 non-profit organization, also desperately needs crates. They are imploring animal lovers to donate $50 for a crate to house and evacuate a Katrina Animal. They are also appealing for donations so that they can make the animals more comfortable with a big tent and air-conditioning. Muttshack aims to get at least 500 crates delivered if they can get enough people to spread the word to sponsor a crate!

Illustration credit: Will Rafuse

Dining in Glendora

Not all foothill communities are the same, and to satisfy my curiousity, I decided to visit Glendora over the weekend. I had never been there, and knew that many people had spoken about moving there, and being able to find affordable housing. I knew they had a main street similar to Monrovia's, and wanted to see for myself. I rolled in on a Saturday afternoon, a time when I would have expected to see some activity. As I drove up the street, I looked at the shops on either side...they were even more authentic than I had imagined. And by "authentic" I mean unchanged for 40 years...I'm sure this isn't true for all of them, but I am speaking of an overall impression. People speak of Monrovia seeming like a small town, but I half expected to see a tumble-weed roll down the street.

My initial excitement turned into a mild curiousity, and hunger drove me into "The Vault", a long-time eatery that looked better from the outside. They were serving after 2 p.m., so I wasn't going to be picky. Well, as it turned out, they didn't pay me much attention, and barely wiped the table off. To their credit, they serve a decent sandwich, but all the loud noise, from slightly raised voices to the crashing of metal from dismantling some sort of buffet table had me wondering if they had forgotten that anyone was still trying to eat. The waitress spoke in whispered tones, and apparently her dollar tip from the last diner wasn't important to pick up off the table at any point during my meal. The last straw was the running of the vacuum before I had finished even my first half of my sandwich. Next time I'll get mine to go!

Home Improvement

I'm helping my mother with her Japanese garden and decided to freshen
up the bamboo wall. I used a gel stain which prevented a lot of
dripping. As you can see, there is quite a difference! Next I will do
the window wood above.

Help the Lost Families

It's been hard to watch and read about all the devastation in New Orleans. If any of you reading my blog are interested in helping, here is a link to contributing a bit of time remotely to help with the lost people database wiki. If you know anyone affected by the Katrina hurricane disaster, another resource for victims is the I'm Okay directory.