Live imperfectly, with great delight.
To change one's life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions.
~William James
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 Who you gonna call? Last year we bought a washer-dryer unit. One of those skinny, dryer-stacked-on-top, units to replace one we’d been using since Atlantis was a super power. Funds were short but laundry will not be ignored. A Craigslist search and several phone calls brought us the new (to us) unit in just a few hours.
It washed and dried just like it was supposed to but the wash cycle was NOISY. Soon the basket was out of center and the banging during the spin cycle threatened to bring down the building. Thanks to the 6-month warranty, repairs were made and the noise returned to a more acceptable jack hammer level.
Two days ago the whole thing threw itself cockeyed again. Between not being able to find the receipt with the phone number, and being pretty sure the warranty had long ago expired, we were facing either a repair bill or a new machine. Neither one of these options agree with my financial plans.
So now what? Thank you Al Gore for inventing the internet. I found a service manual on line and discovered that with the removal of just a few fasteners, we could have the whole guts of the machine out and available for inspection. And that’s exactly what we did yesterday.
First thing in the morning. First thing after coffee, breakfast and the crossword puzzles, apart came the machine. My master mechanic husband determined which parts were defective. I found a local supplier with the parts in stock. Repair was within reach.
But first I had a networking event to attend. My plans were to attend the Successful Thinkers event in Alameda, head up to Montclair to deposit a check, than down the highway to pick up the parts.
I’d completed step one and step two and was on the freeway, about 4 miles away from the parts distributor when my cellphone rang. It was Armand telling me not to buy the parts, “We don’t need them.”
I arrived home to find the machine guts upside down in the living room and a triumphantly smiling man putting the finishing touches on the shock mounts. They had shaken themselves apart and all that was required was to screw them back together again.
Reassembly of the machine commenced and after the inevitable putting it together, then taking it apart again to fix something that fell off, then putting it back together, then pulling the machine out to pick up the tool that fell behind it, then pushing it back in to place, we loaded it up with the towels used to sop up all the water spilled when we turned the tub upside down, and started it up. Water flowed, the tub filled and . . . nothing happened.
It was about 5pm by then and I was done for the day. The towels were going to have to soak overnight. There was no way I was going to extract another screw or remove another panel that night. It had to be one of the two electrical connections but they are carefully tucked away behind those screwed in panels so it had to wait.
Bright and early this morning (after coffee, breakfast and the crossword puzzles) we broke out the sockets, ratchets and screwdrivers. Had the panels off in record time (practice has its rewards). Checked the electrical connection at the motor and found it not quite in position. A quick unplug, replug then back on went the panels, back in when the screws. The towels started to agitate and there was celebration and congratulations all around
A little later Armand had to go check on the machine because he couldn’t hear it running. That’s because it runs so smoothly and so quietly that even with the laundry room door open it’s hard to detect any noise. It has never run this well.
There is a real likelihood that the original problem will recur (a design flaw) but we know how to fix it now, and how to do it much faster and easier.
The latest story from Diane:
“So I go to play a local course late one afternoon. I’d be lucky if I could finish nine. This kind faced older gentleman comes over to me with this great big smile, puts his hand on my shoulder and says to whoever is in ear shot. ” This is one famous lady. They’re making a movie about her”. To say I was stunned is a gross understatement. Is he all there? Is it possible this is a case of mistaken identity? Who does he think I am?
Well later after playing, I saw him again and told him I was not who he thought I was. He was so surprised. He said, “You look just like her, the coach from MTSU”. So I asked him her name, but he couldn’t remember.
The next time I saw him I asked again, and he said his son who works in the pro shop knows her name. His son said Starks, Miss Starks.
The older gentleman said “Yup you look just like her.”
Well I finally had a chance to look up Miss Starks. I am sending the article I found. Boy was I ever surprised.
You never know…..
Love
Diane”
 Diane's Look-Alike Dr. Catana Starks Dr. Catana Starks. Read about her here. No surprise that Diane’s story happened on a Tennessee golf course.
 Hands full in South Beach
I’m spending this week in Miami – lucky me. The photo was taken in South Beach – just as glamorous as it is on TV. The drinks are three times as big as they appear in the photo. Enough to fill large to go containers and then we had left overs at the golf course the next day. Waste not; want not.
 Nashville to Sheboygan Falls I arrived in Nashville Fri before last. Spent the night and drove to Atlanta to see my friend Gwen’s granddaughter who’s attending medical school there.
My traveling buddies flew home on Monday and I had Tuesday to prepare to fly to Wisconsin.
I love it here in Wisconsin. Last year I spent a weekend and vowed to spend more time on my next visit. So, lucky me, I got to be here a whole week.
Why Wisconsin? The Shivas Irons Society has an annual event called the Seamus Mc Duff Fall Finale here and it is coupled with a board meeting. The Society was founded based upon a book called Golf In The Kingdom written by Michael Murphy who is also the founder of Esalen.
I’m staying in Sheboygan Falls which is a hop skip and jump away from Kohler. Herb Kohler the sink, toilet, faucet guy founded this beautiful well planned village. In case you don’t know, he also owns St. Andrews , The Home Of Golf in Scotland as well as Whistling Straits here in Kohler.
 Quit Qui Oc Golf Course, Wisconsin One of my fellow Shivas members is on the board of the Kohler Arts Center and we’ll be having lunch at the museum cafe after which I get to experience the exhibits. Ah yes indeed. Lucky me.
I played golf last week at a place called Quit Qui Oc which is a combination French and Indian name meaning a crooked place in the river. It is so beautiful!!
I apologize that I cannot send photos at this time. I’m still in tech jail. But not for long I’m going to take a course.
Love Diane
Today’s report from the road came in shortly before 1:00pm this afternoon. Our travelers left Hot Springs AK, drove through Memphis TN and headed for Tunica MS.
Why Tunica you might ask? Apparently Tunica’s claims to fame are the casinos. Huge casinos. Huge casinos out in the middle of the cotton and soy bean fields. According the the Tunica Convention and Visitors Bureau, the nine world-class casino hotels provide “the best gaming, sensational dining and the hottest live entertainment between Atlantic City and Las Vegas”. Who knew?
After Tunica, Diane and her merry band of sidekicks headed toward Nashville. By the time they arrived in area it was too late to stop at Diane’s sister’s place so they decided that they might as well see another state. At the time of this report they are in Bowling Green KY.
After a very late night, Diane rose early to play golf. She found a regulation course and played 9 glorious holes. She says the golf gods were smiling upon her. Even her misses were excellent and she closed out the round with a score of 39. I could almost see her smile through the phone lines.
 Day 7 - Bowling Green KY
After the beautiful sunset in Santa Fe, NM our intrepid travelers made a mad dash across Texas and Oklahoma and pulled into Hot Springs Arkansas about mid-day on Tuesday. There they had lunch, checked into a hotel and started taking advantage of the local amenities; mineral baths and massage.
When Diane phoned in her report it was about 6:15 PDT. That made it 8:15pm in Arkansas. Dinner was the next item on the agenda.
They will be staying in Hot Springs an extra day for more advanced level relaxing. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a little golf involved as well. Diane didn’t mention it, but I don’t see her passing up a chance to play a round and then plunge back into the mineral baths.
The next leg of the trip will be a push on into Nashville TN. That will be a quick stop on the way to Atlanta, GA.
My very good friend, Diane, sold her house, put her furniture in storage, packed her truck with all of the food, drink, music, supplies, toys and sports equipment that will fit, recruited two friends with some available time, and started across country to Tennessee. She’s calling me each evening so I can update all of her local friends on her progress.
The trip started from Oakland (A) Saturday October 1. On Sunday morning she watched the sun rise over the Grand Canyon (B). Part of that day was spent touring Grand Canyon National Park. Then onward to Albuquerque NM (C) for the night. Monday afternoon brought them to Santa Fe (D), too late in the day to visit the Georgia O’Keefe house but in time for a glorious sunset.
Here’s the map of her travels through last evening:
Diane hopes the pictures turn out. Those of us who know her have no doubt that they will be breathtaking. Her talent is in the taking pictures, not in the transmitting them electronically so we may not get to see them until she returns for a visit in either December or February. If I can coach her through it from the road maybe I can add appropriate photos to these posts.
 Testing the waters A dear friend of mine purchased a floating home just about a year ago. When she purchased it the colors were a nice conservative brown with white trim. Nothing controversial but also nothing particularly interesting either.
For a lot of people this would be fine. However this person is an artist. She paints wonderful, vibrantly colorful abstracts and subtly nuanced watercolor figures. You can see her work at emilyweil-art.com.
If you went to look at her work, you’ll understand why the brown and white had to go.
Encouraged by conversations with her neighbors, she started working on a palette. You can see the first color test here. (Taking a picture very much like this is how I dropped my cell phone into the bay. This one was taken from shore where, if I dropped it again, all that would happen is it would get dirty.)
 The Lily Pad in all its glory After a little adjustment to the background color (it was too purple) her home has been transformed from drab to fab (did I really type that?) What doesn’t show in these pictures is the vermilion accent colors over the windows and on the railing caps. It’s a real show stopper, and the first thing you see when you pull into the parking lot.
She’s hoping it will inspire the neighbors to step up and join her in making this the most colorful house boat marina on either coast.
And then there’s the front door. I’ll have to get a picture of that next time I visit. It’s green. A green specifically selected to go with the house sign I made for her. I’m honored.
 House Sign And inspired. Inspired to live more colorfully. Inspired to be willing to stand out. How about you? What can you do to add color to your life, and I don’t mean just paint.
 I know it's here somewhere! Have you ever found yourself trying to track down an odor? That was me starting about a week ago. As I walked from the living room toward to bathroom I detected . . . something. Something not pleasant.
Sniff . . . sniff, did something die in here? It was faint and seemed to be confined to a very small area.
I checked the closet for the unfortunate remains of some rodent. Nope, nothing there, not even the smell. So I convinced myself it was something just drifting through.
Next day, late in the afternoon there it was again. A little stronger this time. More sniffing around, checking the nooks and crannies, around furniture, under the table. Thinking maybe one of us dropped a crab shell after dinner a few days ago. No sign of a source.
Am I having olfactory hallucinations?
Could it be a brain tumor?
What the hell is that smell!?!
This went on for about 5 days, with the odor growing a little stronger each day, but only in the afternoons. I even checked the downstairs to see if the neighbor’s cat had chosen my stored furniture as a good place to curl up and die. And if he did, can we just move and leave everything behind, because I REALLY don’t want to deal with it. No – no odor downstairs.
Finally one afternoon as I was sniffing the dining chair cushions, my husband asked me what I was doing. After I explained, he came around and gave the area a good sniff. That set him to searching too.
He started taking the kitchen apart; moving the microwave and checking behind the canisters as I, once again, sniffed my way along the counter. Not the tea kettle. Not the candle stick. Nothing under the coasters (I’m getting desperate now).
Then, as my nose passed over what I thought was an empty canister . . . Agghhhhh! That’s it! (Gag) But what is it?
A note to you home baked bread aficionados out there. Consider keeping your live sour dough starter in the refrigerator during warm weather. Or at least remember you have one happily fermenting away in the heat. Ours was working so vigorously it was trying to escape. Making a good job of it too.
How can something that smells so foul make bread that tastes so good?
 Yeah - that's me! Today is the second Saturday of the month. This means the warehouse is all swept out, all my tools are put away, the work table is clear, and the shop bathroom is clean. This only happens on the second Saturday of the month during the warm months of the year. And it only happens then because I’m expecting company.
This is pretty much the same method I use for my domestic housekeeping. My husband and I share the household duties and, fortunately we also share a similar . . . tolerance. There are some basics we take care of on a regular basis. Like vacuuming (my husband usually does this). If we didn’t vacuum with some frequency the whole place would fill up with dog hair. Advancing through the rooms like sand dunes.
But to get the place all pulled together, dusting done, all the floors washed at the same time, the piles of books sorted and stashed, and the laundry put away we have to be expecting company. Which is why we invite a small group of friends to dinner every few months.
My husband cooks up one of his special dishes (his Chicken Cacciatiore is amazing), we share wine, laughter and wonderful food with favorite people, and except for the dirty dishes, we get to wake up to a clean house the next morning.
If our friends ever stop accepting our dinner invitations I may have to hire a housekeeper.
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