Garter Snake one summer

One summer day, when I was about 8 or 9 years old, I was playing basketball alone while my sister Sue and our neighborhood friend Janelle watched me. During one of my throws, my ball rebounded and bounced over to the edge of the garage of the house next door. It then slowly rolled in an eerily strange circular motion and stopped. I recall thinking, "How weird" about the way it came to a slow stop. When I picked up the ball, I found a pretty big snake underneath. In my young eyes, it looked huge and about 5 feet long, but it was probably closer to two and a half feet in length. Luckily, my uncle happened to be painting the inside of that house's driveway where the snake was lying. I ran inside to get him because I didn't want the snake to slither its way anywhere around where I was playing. Plus, I trusted he wasn't afraid to handle it.

What does he do? He grabs the snake and chases us with it. I had no time to feel betrayal, instead, I was instantly terrified. We all ran into my house. Janelle and I made it into the bathroom, but my poor sister Sue made it only half in while we tried to shut the door. It wasn't on purpose, it just happened that she didn't make it in when we wanted that door shut. I can still visualize my poor sister while my uncle held that snake in her face while we all shrilled blood-curdling screams.

He finally stopped torturing us and let the snake free off into the backyard of the house he was painting. He explained it was a harmless Garter snake. I stopped playing basketball that day but from then on, I am very aware of how a ball lands if it lands on top of something coiled like a snake. And, I will be careful about who to ask for help if my ball ever landed strangely the way my basketball did that day.

Note to a colleague

Hi Katie! 

I found a phone picture of our small Web Imaging Production Team minus one, (omg, I forget his name!) do you remember his name? Cool dude, and a fabulous artist. Our small department always arrived on time and worked a full eight hours on-site. Thanks to our awesome manager, Yuni, "diligent" became more of the meaning I've always interpreted it to be. I have great admiration for that woman. And the rest of you peeps as well. My five months of working there stick in my memory with endearment now 6 years later. If there was an attachment option, I would include the phone pic. Yet, since I am also posting this letter on my blog, I haven't asked and received an "OK" to post publicly, so I guess I shouldn't post it here.

I hope you are doing well. I enjoyed your website. I've been to New Orleans but not New York. My high school girlfriend and I had this lofty plan to 'run away' to Brooklyn from our homes in Torrance, which my sister called Borrance. I had a pen pal in Brooklyn who said we could stay with her in her apartment until we got our own place. However, Kathy's mom discovered that Kathy borrowed her credit cards (presumably without permission) along with acting out some other hijinks and unfortunately ended up in a juvenile hall. Or as she put it, I got sentenced to "Juvy" baby. 

Can you imagine me, the most introverted, sheltered, excruciatingly shy person in high school friends and a lover with the most outrageous, extroverted, bold, confrontational person? It didn't stop there. I've fortunately continued to make the most wonderfully unusual loving and compassionate wild friends with similar outrageous extrovert personalities that have entertained and enriched my life.

I have a picture of us, (my high school girlfriend) dressed up as two Rocky Horror Picture Show characters somewhere on Facebook. She was Columbia (also above, and in my favorite pictures (hard copies) box somewhere in my bedroom). I was Frank N. Furter in his doctor's gown. She was Columbia in her PJs. One weekend night at the Tiffany Theater on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood which played RHPS at midnight every weekend for a few years there was a look-alike contest. Check this out. On that upcoming weekend night, we had our costumes prepared. My mom took our picture prior to our drive up to Sunset Blvd. After the movie ended the contest began. When it came time for the Columbias to go on stage to be judged by applause Kathy chickened out. She stuck to her chair nervously giggling. When they called the Frank N. Furters', I didn't hesitate and walked on up to the stage with the other Dr. Furters. Maybe the bottle of champagne we shared in the parking lot before standing in line helped my (liquid) courage. And when called to step up I distinctly remember the sound of which was the second loudest applause for us Frank N. Furters. Had I been in the corset and fishnets I might have won.
Goodness, I meant to say hello and tell you I still remember how much I enjoyed working with you and the other team members at the San Bruno Sam’s Club during those enjoyable five months. This here is a little text I copied and pasted plus added some more detail to my blog.

Peace and Love,
Kathleen

Coming Out

In my late 30s and early 40 years old I experienced very clear and several recurring dreams. They were intense and felt real - not to be mistaken as surreal - it was as if it were actually happening again. There was an extremely deep sensation at my sides, that I could not stop on my own. Concurrent was this freakish sound like a scream coming from the outside of my dark cave, which I interpreted as a witch's mad laugh or cry. Finally, those thick-sized grabbing things (fingers, or claws) stopped pulling at my sides right when the screaming stopped and suddenly I was loosened to be exposed to such a brightness of which I was unfamiliar. The ordeal left me exhausted. While I wanted to rest I felt this intuition to keep an eye on my surroundings as I was being held by an uncanny familiar being unlike that previous buoyant of comfort. Those moments before the torturous extraction of that mad tickling sensation at my sides that pulled me away from what I now know was my mother's womb.

Lizards and Land

I love reptiles. Particularly lizards. I once caught a darling lizard up in Big Bear and brought it home. I was about 6 years old and wanted to keep as her/him as my pet. As a week passed my mom thought Lizzy (the named I gave her or him) belonged outside somewhere in the wild. Back then, there was a lot of space of nothing but dirt bushes and spare free land. Tumble weeds used to roll down our street many windy days. I loved it. Sometimes I would catch one on an August or September afternoon and turn it into an early Christmas tree the hang bright shiny found objects onto it. Then, later, let it blow on down the road. Tumbling a more sparkling than before I caught it.

Many stray dogs, and cats passed through as well. I would feed them when then stopped by. But every morning when I went to greet my new pet, they were gone. A vagrant feral animal could always get a healthy warm meal from my forts porch.

So, we let Lizzy lose in a field in Lomita near a high school. I was sad and happy at the same time. 

Today I'm mostly sad about the over development of our now called city. I think it was a town back in the early 60s. We used to have wild life like foxes, lizards, huge dragonflies, wild dogs and cats, and frogs, big frogs hopping all over the pace. My mom once saw a nice sized 6 inch or so frog swimming toward her in our swimming pool one afternoon in the late 60s. Unfortunately, we would often find frog pancakes on the street. At first I would just observe the flatten creature and go on my way yet as time went on and I grew a few months older and more compassionate I felt the responsibility to scoop the poor amphibian from the road and toss it in our garage can.

Over development is by far, and I mean, way far too over developed. For what? More money in the developers bank accounts? There is also too much over breeding. Seriously. Look at us. Too much traffic. Too many people. Nowhere to park. Frustration. Mass shootings. Homeless. Insanity. Control people! Control yourselves! I knew this as a child. That's why I NEVER envisioned having a child. In this world? So far, I think I was right. Don't even get get started on lizards!

Love Rocks

I often take pictures with my phone. They're usually abstract looking images of random objects in the light and shadow I see worth shooting, sometimes people, my dog, clouds, etc. I saw this that one of my neighbors put on their garden wall and thought it would be nice to share.

Wealth

I think the Earth's majority needs to start directing wealth into Earth and animals and plants and land and oceans and art and songs and everything beautiful that has nothing to do with a damn dollar.

Letter to a Friend

I'm cool with spiders. No fear of them. I just am not fond of the slowly moving innocent creatures that look slimy. I would probably leave my house if there was a snake in there until someone else fetched it out. Back in the early '90s, I was out in Joshua Tree this one time, out at my girlfriend's mom's desert cabin, out a few yards away making a painting of the cabin and the surrounding desert. Within 20 minutes I hear rattlesnakes coming up near me. So, I gathered up all my paints and everything and headed towards the cabin. What do I see? Two snakes slithering up the corners of the cabin. Both had stripes, one red and white, and the other brown and white. The doors and windows are all well closed, so I'm pretty sure none got in. Freaked me out! That painting never got finishes.
 
OMG, and once, I was driving to the cabin at night. Suzanne was already there. OMG, she was a humdinger. I need to write some short stories about all the girlfriends I've had. My friend Becky called me a weirdo magnet. Suzanne wasn't weird, she was just super wild, mean, and BTW, a great lover. I'm pretty sure I've grown out of it after the most recent, which was the Queen Bee! I loved her so much much. Anyway... you know how the road's in the desert or anywhere unpaved are lower than the surrounding area because it wasn't a road until a bunch of cars used it a bunch of times and made an indented pathway? And, in the center is a slightly higher area where the wheels rarely touch, depending on how straight or not the driver drives down that road. Real rocky too. So, this road was lower than the surrounding desert land by a foot or so. It had just turned past dusk to dark, so I put my headlights on and wtf did I see? A Sidewinder hauling ass across the desert. That snake didn't even dip when it crossed the road in front of me. It was almost a blur it was moving so fast...looked like a ghost. F'n awesome to witness. Or, how the young kids nowadays say, sick! Where the hell did that saying come from? When they see something "sick" it probably blows their mind so much they don't comprehend and put it in the mental illness category, subconsciously. I don't know...just want to make sense out of it. I need to make a motion graphic of that snake sighting that night. Coming soon! After the four other projects, I got going on right now.
 
Now I'm going to climb the ladder to get up on the roof and clean the gutters full of leaves.