Happy Earthquake Day

10 years ago Mark and I were sitting in Dr. Duchin's Primates class at TCC when the Nisqually earthquake hit in 2001. We looked at each other and knew it was an earthquake. Dr. Duchin told us to "get out, It's an EARTHQuAKE!"
So we ran outside and stood in the grass away from the building.
Dr. Duchin is a tough, exacting, demanding teacher. She is one of the most wonderful teachers we've ever had. Yes, we are definitely monkeys and apes and some of us are Bonobos and some of us are Chimps. Bonobos are lovers, and Chimps are fighters.
There's only 2 kinds of humans...and from these 2 diversions, we come. We didn't learn this from Dr. Duchin, but this is the theory Mark and I know.....you're either nice or you're an asshole. Make good choices!

baby bonobo pic from PBS.org

Earthquakes kill people....they are not happy occasions. Please get together a safety kit of medicines, first aid needs, water, food, kitchen items, clothes, cell phone chargers.....Contact the Red Cross to get the details...or just google it. Earthquake preparedness.

We learned a lot. Thanks, Dr. Duchin. Every time we see a Monkey Puzzle tree, we think of you...every time I see a monkey or an ape in any context ...we think of you ! That's a lot of thinking of you.

(this is just a pic of my backyard...and not a Monkey Puzzle tree. See one next to the old Elks Lodge downtown Tacoma)


When we got home I thought for sure the fish tank would be crashed all over the floor and be an awful mess. But home was as we left it.....I did notice some things had been shaken and scooted around but nothing was amiss. That old house on N. 21st  seemed to sway around and settle back.
It's a few blocks from Lowell School, where there's a statue by Larry Anderson commemorating the 1949 earthquake and the little boy who died while he saved lives at the elementary school.

"April 13 is Marvin Alan Klegman Day the anniversary of the 1949 earthquake. Marvin was an 11-year-old patrol boy who was killed at Lowell Elementary School during the earthquake when he protected 6-year-old student, Kelcy Allen, from falling bricks.You can see the Larry Anderson sculpture at Lowell school."
(little Marvin was a bonobo, clearly)

 My youngest  attended Lowell. I transferred her there after many problems we had at Grant Elementary in her later years there. Dee told me "Wow, what a view" !
If the Tacoma School District is ever short of cash....What would a whole city block sell for with That View? Bunches of cash you know. That will never happen because the North End mommies and daddies will never allow their precious spawn to go to another school....Imagine the raucous screaming!

In honor of the Primates class with Dr. Duchin, here's a fun song by Louie Prima, Hep Cat, in the Disney movie, Jungle Book. Disney, another corporation that is 100% asshole chimp. yep, throw me some Dots, and I can connect them.

So What's Up with That?

well I am almost always in black......gray.....dark green.....navy....purple.......The Jewel Tones......The Dark Jewel Tones....
I know I'll always feel dark.....still.
So what's at work here....it's been brewing for a year or so....
is a slight shift in color and texture.
I always loved velvet, velvet, velvet and lace. And Leather.

and, being of A Dame of a Certain Age, I know I want to wear things that are simpler in style and fabric, and color.
and sepia, gray, cream, oyster, ivory.......
and black...

Some women want to keep with the multicolors....
the big prints...
the ooky pastels.....
And that's fine for them.

A closer look. The owl pin was a xmas gift. I love the autumn colors, the sparkly, and the fact that it has worn paint....Patina.

And I'm tired of looking at my burlap jacket that I thrifted in the 80s from the Salvation Army store on 6th (back in the olde days), and never wearing it ....there's a liquor store there now...so that's a pretty good trade.
So, my burlap jacket from the 70s. It has the Campus Casuals label. That's what I wore the other day. and a linen skirt, Espirit label from the 80s. And these chocolate leather otk boots from Ginchybaby on etsy.
Underneath...a simple gray cardigan and gray stripe mitts. Oh yeah, argyle tights in the same brown tones.
a color scheme faded as an old field in late winter......instead of shocks of separate color, my scheme flows neatly into each other........and the texture has spark and interest.
just about, but not quite sophisticated. More fun.



The jacket came with the holes.......and I love that.
I love the contrast between the fact it is a fairly structured jacket with holes..made of burlap. I love the shell buttons. I love the color of the lining. Faded. and torn.
It's the color of junk.







What possessed the Campus Casuals line to make a jacket of burlap? Were they trying to reach the college gal that was hearing the call of social justice, of ending the Vietnam War?
Was she listening to Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell instead of Van Halen and Kiss? A college girl......or a college age girl....she must have had more on her mind that matching her shoes and handbag.