Rocks and Wildflowers and Earthquakes

I  found several times in recent weeks I was so tired I didn't take my pain meds or Tylenol PM. I slept fine. I hope to have more days like that!  However, I'm not willing to experience much pain. When it starts it can be harder to control if I wait.  Then I end up with little sleep and/or poor sleep and lots of pain. I do get severe pain, so I cannot stop my pain meds.  I also think I sensed I was starting to go through withdrawal after a couple of days.  So I need to take at least a pill a day, because I probably will always have pain.  And I don't care for withdrawal.

On Tuesday there was a 4.9 or 4.8 (depending on who you read) earthquake 3 Miles from Wasco which is about 23 miles from Bakersfield. I was lying down reading with both of my cats with me.  I didn't feel it as much as I heard it. It was as if there was a pipe underground below the street and a truck hit the street at a particular point making the pipe make a loud thump from being hit and then vibrating. I didn't realize it was an earthquake but my cats did. They took off running like they could escape it.  I felt confused. But the local news station said it was an earthquake. So far no damage reported.

The article here was published by KERO channel 23 news from Scripps. Fascinating- it was very deep under the ground. 

In-depth analysis of Tuesday's earthquake

While Kern County had little to no damage as a result of Tuesday's 4.8 magnitude earthquake, a Caltech seismologist says that the earthquake stood out.

"This event was particulary deep," said Dr. Jen Andrews, a staff seismologist for Caltech's Seismological Lab.

"It was down around 22 kilometers which, statistically for our area, is quite deep."

22 kilometers is a little over 13 and a half miles. Andrews says that many of the California earthquakes peak at around 9 miles deep, depending on where the occur.

Earlier this month, 23ABC reported that USC released a study showing a correlation between oil fraching and a string of earthquakes that occurred in Kern County in 2005.

Andrews says that while Caltech doesn't necessarily track oil field operations, Tuesday's quake probably had nothing to do with fracking.

"These earthquakes were way deeper than any operations that would be occurring."

Instead, Andrews says that plate tectonics are most likely the reason for the earthquake.

Andrews explained that a strike slip fault occurred between the Pacific and North American plates.

"One side of the fault moves sideways relative to the other. This was a right lateral motion, which means if you stood on one side of the fault and you looked at the other side, you would see it moving to the right."

This right lateral motion is similar to what happens along the San Andreas Fault. So is this Tuesday's earthquake a sign that bigger quakes are on the horizon?

According to Andrews, no.

"At this point, there's no reason to believe that it is anything other than the normal earthquakes that we have here in Southern California because of our plate boundaries."

Scripps Only Content 2016 ©

My friend Mike has been working on my family tree. I am learning things I never knew. I was told My middle name was after a great aunt per my grandmother Fannie's request. She wanted my first and middle name to be her sister's name (though I didn't know sit was her sister until now), but my mother who was not raised Jewish wanted to Americanize it and make it shorter. So my great aunt's name was Simi Chaya Weinstein.  My middle name is Simmi. Simi Chaya died in the Holocaust. Painful to see that. No birthdate listed. My grandmother Fannie had two sisters , Rose and And I find out now Simi Chaya.  She also had three brothers.  I'm also getting sibling names of my grandfather Julius on my father's side. No other info yet.  My brother Ben responded. He did not find her name listed at the Holocaust Museum on line.  I will be spending a day with my friend Barbara at the main library in Los Angeles with a group looking at ancestry and she believes there may be information which will help me in my search. This will be helpful.   She said I could look up on line the sort of information I am looking for which I could print out or write down in preparation for this trip.  Mike has been searching the other side of my family too.  It is I just knew very little on the Jewish side of my family.  Mike gave me a site to explore http://www.jewish.org which I'm glad to get.  I think my friend Barbara had also shared this with me.  I haven't looked at it, but will soon.  He also suggested http://www.hebrewsurnames.com for Jewish genealogy in Argentina where some of my family went.  I will have to let Simy, my second cousin know about that.

So I have been continuing to read The Bible. I was very struck by the violence directed by God in The Old Testament. In The New Testament, the message is more about love and God leaves it to the people here to deal with the living.  I have been reading this on my Kindle and it measures by percent read. So The Old Testament is 68 percent of The Bible. The other thing I am struck by is seeing where different sects came from. I see how one sect is  pushing  toward End of Times, and I see deliberate moves now, current times to bring it about by denying climate change. I see the control of women, or actually little recognition of them. When they count people, they count men and leave out women and children.  I have read Matthew, Mark and Luke in The New Testament.  Those people who are antisemitic need to remember that all the main people in The Bible are Jewish.  Jesus Christ, their Messiah was a Jew. He pushed for helping people in need- the poor, disabled, strangers, orphans and widows, spreading love not hate. This is where all the Christian religions were derived.  

I will read something very light when I finish this.  I am not a fast reader, I just have more time. Of course I'm doing this instead of other things. 

My drawing class with Carol Bradshaw will be starting soon. We will start with drawing rocks. So, i went up the Kern Canyon to take pictures of rocks and ended up getting pictures including wild flowers, the streams and the mountains.  Beautiful poppies.  The orange on the side of the mountain is a field of poppies.  I have quite a few rocks, both on the mountainside and in the river, which is down.  Interesting.  I also went to Hart Park and the water in the river there was much higher.  But I wanted to get rocks so I needed to go up the canyon which is about 1/2 hour drive from my home.

Barbara came over and we watched a movie On Demand - Spotlight which was excellent.  It felt like how news investigators would have worked on the story of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic church.   Barbara had some tests done and found she needs to be stricter about what she eats to avoid symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Because of all the changes she made, she became independent and not limited because her her disease. She thought she probably got away to some extent from her healthy eating which lead to her feeling poorly again.  So she is getting back on the wagon.  She will be strictly vegan and avoid processed food. She was much better than me in doing this. So I know she she can do this.  She made a bean soup with spinach for dinner and picked up a vegan sandwich from Subway.  Then we each had fruit and combined for a fruit salad for dessert.  Delicious!  Both of us were satisfied.

Well that is it for the week.  I slept a lot, but was able to get a couple of things in.  I hope your week went well and that this next week is goes well too.                     Rachel

Just A Lot Going On!

My friend Barbara and I went up to Cloverdale to see our friends Jacquie and her daughter Debra.   They are wonderful hosts and their home is very comfortable.  Barb and I ate up their chocolates rationalizing we were doing them a favor by getting it out of their way.  They have a very good Pizza joint that they ordered a vegan and a meat pizza. Visiting Jacquie and Debbie just what the doctor ordered, wonderfully relaxing!  Debbie gave us each a nice hanging art piece for our patios for Valentines Day. I completely forgot about Valentines Day!  We love to see them and we will go back. 

The weather was unseasonably warm, in the mid 70's, but dropping at night making  it very nice for sleeping. We drove north to see a museum in Ukiah called The Grace Hudson Museum. This property has a plan to get volunteers by constructing senior living next door which will probably increase the volunteers from them at the museum. They had a fantastic gift shop with items made by local craftsmen. The prices were right too. 

Grace Hudson painting

Grace Hudson painting

Grace Hudson painting

Interesting artwork attaching a variety of objects

There were several large objects adorned
with shiny and other fascinating objects

A necklace I bought for a friend,
very inexpensive in their gift shop

I bought this necklace for myself,
also very inexpensive

We stopped to eat in this casual restaurant in Ukiah called Ellie's Mutt Hut and Vegetarian Cafe.  All eating styles covered here. It was tasty too!  We stopped at a wine tasting room, Jaxon Keys on the way back to Cloverdale and I got a picture of Jacquie with her daughter Debbie on the steps heading up to the tasting room.  I did buy one bottle, but I felt these grapes had a bitter under taste which was generally not appealing to me. Beautiful setting though and obviously it had a following with several people in the tasting room. 

Debbie and Jacquie on the steps of the
wine tasting room - Jaxon Keys

We went to Jacquie's son Scott's and his wife Elaine's home with their dog Mongo. Scott's neighbor had let his Zinfandel grapes go and he let Scott pick the grapes for himself since the owner wasn't  well enough to deal with the grapes.  No one wanted the grapes because they were too sweet. Scott ended up with about 400 pounds of grapes. Though they were very sweet he made a wine his wife called "Scott's Portly" (love the name).  Scott said it was slightly less sweet than port, but I think that was its appeal.  A pipette was used to draw wine up and put in a glass for me.  It was very good!

Wine Tasting at Scott's Portly

Wine Tasting at Scott's Portly

They also had gorgeous orchids on the porch.  And, the tree which we had seen all over this area was in their yard -an Acacia which had such beautiful yellow flowers. 

I saw these in Hawaii going like weeds.  I've not
seen them grown so casually on a porch!  Lovely!

This is very small maybe 3 inches at most, very delicate
picked from an Acacia tree in the wine country

Acacia tree at Scott's and Elaine's home

We also went to Coppola Winery where I replenished my wine. Jacquie felt it was too commercial and doesn't want to return there.  That is not a problem, since there are so many wine tasting rooms and vineyards. We drove up to Sonoma Lake which was full. 

We stopped for an early dinner at Thaiway 101,  a Thai restaurant in Cloverdale.  Very tasty!  The weather was perfect this whole trip, in the mid 70's.  The word was  a major storm was coming on Wednesday. That is what we need to help us in our drought. In Bakersfield it was a mild rain. 

We stopped to eat on the way home and it was not good.  Apricot Tree is closed. Harris Ranch is open but it is not half way for us and attached to a feedlot for cattle. Barbara is vegan which makes this a bad choice for her even if she could get a salad. The previous time we stopped for Anderson's split pea and we did not like it at all. It tasted worse than canned soup!  So this was on Interstate 5.  We decided that next time we head north and come south,  we are taking Highway 99.  There are a lot more choices there even if it adds a little more time to our trip. 

I am continuing to read The Bible. I'm about halfway through. Proverbs has more to it and are the lessons from The Bible.  I'm up to Ezekiel, at 57% on my Kindle. 

I keep sending materials I receive from family to my friend Mike who is doing my family tree. My cousin Barrie sent me some gems. My second cousin contacted my cousin Steve for information. He responded to her, but from what she shared with me, it wasn't what she wanted. She wants to meet family that is currently Orthodox and I don't think this generation of my family who grew up here are Orthodox.  I think we have blended in. Mike thinks our family is the story of immigrants in the United States. I'm so glad he likes working on this. It is like a puzzle to him!  He has 238 people identified on both sides of my family. Simy said she will send me a link to understanding the Jewish religion better.  She also promised me a couple of pictures but has a lot on her plate with a son marrying soon.

I was watching a recorded episode on CBS News Sunday Morning from 2/7/16. There was a part of this on the Japanese toilet with the many features it can have. My step-mom Kate and I went to Japan a couple of years ago and experienced many of these features. I was so impressed that I believe it makes out toilets antiquated.  It was particularly special when traveling when it was so cold. The seat on toilets at rest stops was nice and warm!  They are expensive though, with some being around $5,000.  I would love it! 

Video from CBS News Sunday Morning

Japanese Toilet Museum

Another short on a person who was terminally ill and mentally competent wanting a choice to end his life.   This takes place in New York.  There are just a few states that allow this with California going into affect. Of course there are people who think this is wrong because people also beat the odds. 

Arguing the Right to Die

Here are recent pictures of my great grand children. They are soooo cute!  And, another granddaughter Alyssa, is expecting a child in September!  

Photo with California Poppies as backdrop taken of
Crystal holding her daughter Nylah, my great granddaughter.  Picture taken by
Crystal's mother Jennifer

Billy holding his son Conner, my great grandson

Billy holding his son Kason, my great grandson

My kitties each have a bed on top of my bed. It is unusual when they share the same bed. It was not particularly cold that evening, but, I suppose they needed more comfort than usual. 

Here is my most recent attempt of a horse with a head shot.   I actually feel it improves with each try at drawing it!

The full picture I did

I think I like the cropped version more.
Maybe the head is too small for the body above.

My granddaughter Heather posted this from Nicole Gabert.  Heather lost her grandfather on her dad's side of the family.  She was very close to him and is grieving.    It certainly felt this way to me also.

GRIEVING

That is it. I hope your week went well and this coming week is good too. I'll see you next Sunday.        Rachel

Searching My Roots

Last Sunday afternoon my friend Barbara and my daughter Shelley came over for Super Bowl. The emphasis was on eating and talking. We enjoyed  some of the ads for creativity but there was little of that in our estimation. The weather was wonderfully mild and we had the back door open for some outside air. It was around 72 degrees F. The one dish Barbara made that I really enjoyed was an African Soul Soup. This was vegan and very tasty. The vegetable broth had peanut butter in and there were chickpeas, fresh spinach along with onion, garlic and tomatoes. The spices were perfect and Barbara sprinkled dried peanuts on top of the prepared soup. I've seen my friends modify this dish using the same broth and using other veggies. My friend Annemarie made a thicker version and called it a stew with different vegetables. So tasty!  It is a type of comfort food.  She also made a very tasty peach sherbet using coconut milk. She made it just before we ate it and it only took her a few minutes.   I made a hummus, but it was mediocre. This was a vegan recipe with no oil added. Also, I didn't get it smooth enough. 

Me, My Daughter Shelley and My Friend Barbara

I had chemotherapy this week and I also saw my Oncologist Dr. Tun. He said all my lab numbers and the results of my last MUGA scan all look good. He stated I would now have a MUGA scan every four months instead of three. That s a god sign  that I am stable. How nice!  Next one will be in April.  Chemotherapy was non-eventful which is always good.

My friends Janet and Barbara and I had dinner at Uricchio's, a fine Italian restaurant before the Bakersfield Concert Associations presentation of Kevin Johnson, a ventriloquist, comedian and magician. His show was so funny that I could hardly catch my breath before the next line came. We all enjoyed it.  I probably would not have tried to go see a ventriloquist so having it as a part of a concert series is great. It was already paid for last year by me.  It was great for all ages!

Kevin Johnson and His Birds

Kevin Johnson and His Birds

Kevin Johnson with his Curmudgeon

My friend Mike has put so much effort into my family tree. It has been amazing. My cousin Barrie got me in contact with a second cousin Simy who lives in New York. She sent me detailed information on her family. I sent it on to my friend Mike to add to my family tree that part that fit. I then did a review of mine and sent it to her. Our lives are so different. It was fascinating to read what that part of the family did. One of their family members was ill and they would not let him into the United States through Ellis Island. So the brothers were split up. They went on to Argentina. I had heard  about this part of the family from my cousin Barrie when his wife made a business trip to Argentina and met extended family while there. 

I wrote up my relationships like she had done hers and emailed it. I also sent a lot of pictures with emphasis on the part of the family she is related to.  Below are some of the pictures I sent to Simy.  Mike then did some more connecting on the other side of the family (my mother) and found some fascinating connections  Simy is Orthodox  Jewish.  My family is loosely Jewish.  In fact some would say we are not Jewish because this  it must come through the mother's side and mine comes by way of my father. I don't care. I am not denying my Jewish heritage however I get it.    I personally like all the differences.  So below are just a few of the family Gamarnick.  We are all a part of the family tree.  Our name was changed to Gaman when my father and his brothers were children.  The family in Argentina also had a name change to Armarnik when they entered that country.

My Father's Parents from the Old Country - Russia and Romania

A picture of me taken 23 years ago at a studio

My Father George and brother Ben visiting me just before
my mother died 1991

Simy was very nice. She admitted that in the picture of her family, she and her two oldest daughters were wearing wigs because they must cover their heads when they are married. She told me her head was shaved and that the sect she is in, married women do this.  She said that I looked like pictures she has of her father's sister.   I asked if she could send me a picture of her grandfather which is my grandfather's brother.  I'd also like to get a picture of her aunt. She also said there were other siblings of our grandfathers. She doesn't know who and I don't know who.      I'll ask other family if they know any of them. I think she is disappointed that I am not religious like her. And, I'm not sure that anyone else on my side of the family are as conservative religiously like her and her family. She thinks it was probably good that Ellis Island turned her family member away because he was sick.  She feels very fortunate for her strong beliefs.  I think the antisemitism in Argentina was so strong that it made their community stronger. 

She told me she was unable to give me any more dates of what she sent to me but did say there was an article of someone in the family in Argentina.  I asked why there were two names for each person and she said you could not use your Jewish name in Argentina because it was dangerous. They maintained their religious beliefs despite the difficulty in doing it there.  

Mike also found information on my mother's side in New York for those who were Dutch. Mike went to school there and was fascinated he was right in the middle of all of it. He found who he believes is an ancestor of mine from the 1700's also named  Rachel, but not Jewish. My grandfather had done a family tree that takes us back to Stephen Hopkins who came over on the Mayflower. I'll get it copied and send it to Mike when I find it.  I know I have it somewhere!   This is so mind-blowing!

My art teacher sent me an email. She is off having had a knee replacement and now getting physical therapy. She though I had come a long way especially with the mane  on the horse that I showed earlier.  She told me to work on the eyes and nostrils.  I asked for her feedback on the squirrel and said I wanted to draw another one which I did this week.   So next week I'll work more on the portrait of the horse to get the eyes and nostrils better.  Besides, my friend Martha who moved to the country and now knows that squirrels can cause a lot of problems by digging holes.  Then the horse steps in them and breaks a leg.  That is not good, because then they need to put the horse down!

My Squirrel

Charlie and Snoopy

That was my week.  Know that I read a lot. I don't include all of that time in writing about what the week was like. Just know it is a given in my life and very important. As I said last week I finished the Qur'an and I have read about a third of The Bible (on a Kindle). My plan is to read some other books like this when I finish this.   So far, lots of violence, but the stories are interesting.   I hope your week went well and you have a great week coming up.  See you next Sunday.                  Rachel 

Doing New Projects

When I visited my friends Marykay and Mike, there was a birdbath outside their backyard window. Their backyard is a haven for small critters including squirrels.  The squirrels enjoy the birdbath to quench their thirst. Marykay and I both enjoy watching them.  When Marykay is on walks, she picks up acorns to leave out for the squirrels. Mike then stated that he sees them as rats with furry takes. My husband Paul did not have kind words for squirrels either. I always was taking pictures of them. He finally got me a squirrel statue to look at through my back window. It broke and I think I'll get another so I can see one in my yard. 

Years ago soon after I adopted my daughter Ronda, we went camping with an adoption group we belonged to.   I had a package of Stella Doro cookies opened on one end on the picnic table at our camp ground. Most people were away from the site and no one was at the table. I noticed a squirrel go up to the package of cookies and gently pull one cookie out and then head to the tree line. When I looked back, there was another squirrel doing the same thing then also going to the tree line and then another one. I looked where they were coming from and there was a line of squirrels each waiting patiently it's turn, not moving forward until the last one had left the table. I was fascinated with this behavior. That incident increased my interest in them. 

An attempt at drawing a squirrel.  I'll do a better one next week

Our Red Hat group was much smaller this month. However, we still enjoyed each other's time together. Catching up is good.  When I was looking at us, I have this sense I'm shrinking.  Maybe it is the angle of the pictures.

Evelyn, our Queen, Judie and Pamela

Claudia and Me

Our Small Group this Month, Left to right,
Claudia, Me, Evelyn, Judie and Pamela

I got a notice urging people to go to the Board of Supervisors meeting to attempt to stop them in putting control of our county library in the hands of a private corporation from out of state. . Our libraries have been woefully supported for years, to such an extent that hours have lessened drastically, they buy few books and they have few librarians. Our county is rated poorly in reading ability.  Many are illiterate. The library is very important to encourage reading and to supply the reading material. We are requesting an 1/8 percent dedicated increase for our library system. The majority of people support a dedicated tax because without it being dedicated, it gets pulled to cover shorts in other areas. We are requesting this be put on the June ballot.  We'll see what happens. 

This is a nice picture of Bakersfield looking over a vineyard before it starts greening up. I got it on Facebook. I think that Mary Wardell may have taken the picture, at least it was on her Facebook site. Beautiful!

Vineyard in Bakersfield  by Mary Wardell

 Here are pictures of two my great grandchildren. 

Nylah has character!

Nylah is pretty when she sleeps too!

Kason is one happy child!

So I have a couple of projects I have taken on. One is reading the Qur'an, The Bible and the Talmud. Fascinating!  I finished the the Qur'an and about a quarter of the way through the bible. Though the Old Testament is a part of the bible, I want to see if the Talmud is different. 

The other project is the development of a family tree. My friend Mike is the one who started this and has done an amazing job. My cousin Barrie gave me the name and email of a second cousin Simy. She has responded with great detail.  Now it is my turn to give her information. I'm hoping I can get some dates to correspond to the people she listed. I also need to give her pictures. I have a lot of research to do. 

I hope your week has gone well. What I'm doing is very different from what I've done. I'm enjoying it. I hope this next week is good for you and I'll see you next Sunday.          

Rachel