Food For The Poor, October 2026 Edition

I have been purchasing food for the poor, for years (as you know).

Normally I have several jars of peanut butter, but never jelly.

This month I found jelly in a plastic container (glass is not allowed to be donated), for a reasonable price.

I was so happy to add a few containers of jelly to the donation.

Other things, cereal, as is normal.

Lots of cans of soup were available at a great price, and some ramen noodles for a steal.

Tuna in envelopes, was the final protein donation.

The next donation will probably be close to the holiday season, like early December.

A Beautiful Sunset On Sunday

We have had beautiful days, since the rain last week.

A stunning sunset was happening, and as usual, I saw it through the kitchen window.

I got outside, and this is what was happening.

Being we had some Santa Ana winds earlier in the week, the air was clear, and the plants are green and thriving.

Talk about a beautiful time of the year.

Our weekend visit in Phoenix, may have some rain, but not a lot.

Wish us luck.

Glazed Pots, Round 2

My Ceramics pieces were finally ready to be glazed.

Half-way through the process, I began feeling ill.

So I did not do anything fancy.

He showed us how to glaze with more than 1 color, but I could not take the time.

We will see how they come out, when fired.

I chose some bright and interesting glazes, different from the last time.

So we shall see.

Santa Barbara - Always

My Water Post For Today.

An extreme close-up of the shoreline in Santa Barbara, (photo taken in 2022)

We did not get to go over, and spend time there (except passing it by train).

For us on the West Coast, there is nothing better.

With our warm days, and evenings, you can visit it most of the year.

Maybe we will get out there, sometime.

I Voted Early (2026 Midterms)

We voted on the first day of early voting.

We had a few hours in the mid-afternoon, so we went to our community room at The Centre, in Santa Clarita.

It is the only one open this week, and we wanted our vote counted early.

I have heard of machines changing votes, so I triple checked my ballot, before I submitted it.

Amazingly, they gave us an early voting sticker, when we exited the building.

It looked just like this one, in the second photo.

All done now, nothing left to do, but hope for the results we want.

Firing Ceramic Pots

I have one more class to go, before I finish ceramics.

I was looking for my pots, which were not fired yet, so I took photos of the two kilns we use.

The first one is where dried Greenware is first fired. What is Greenware?

Greenware: Is the term given to clay objects when they have been shaped but have not yet been fired. Firing greenware converts the clay to ceramic. Within the greenware category, there are multiple stages that describe the clay as it is drying: wet, damp, soft leather-hard, leather-hard, stiff leather-hard, dry, and bone dry. At each of these stages, the clay will act in a predictable way as it continues to dry out.

The second photo is where we fire the pot that has been glazed. It reaches incredibly high temperatures, like 2,300°F.

Kiln Firing: The piece is fired a second time in a kiln. As the temperature rises, the minerals melt, fuse together, and bond with the clay body, turning into a smooth layer of glass as it cools. It makes the work waterproof.

It is quite a process.

Rain (El Niño Edition)

We had rain this week.

They say it is the first of the El Niño storms of the season.

It seemed to hit some areas hard, but we seemed to get just an inch of rain, here in Saugus.

My Son arrives on Saturday, so I am hopeful things calm down for his stay here.

Of course, we have to hope Arizona is also not hit too hard, while we travel there.

We will see.

Making Handles

This week, in ceramics class, we learned how to add a handle to our pot.

It was an interesting process, and he showed us 2 ways to do it.

The one closest to the camera, is done by stretching the clay out with water.

Note, it is circular in shape.

The one in the back is made by banging it on the work station. It is slowly made flat on one side, instead of round.

What makes it even better, is that no water is used, so you can attach it immediately to your pot. No drying needed.

I have no idea if I will be adding one to some of my work, but it was interesting to learn.

October's Bread

On Sunday, I baked my bread, and it had been almost a month since I last baked.

I was not happy with the Bread flour, so this time I decided to bake it half All Purpose, and half Bread flour.

That worked out just fine, not as heavy as the last loaf.

We tested it immediately, by having a slice of bread with our dinner, and even my Husband liked it.

Melted butter and hot bread...nothing better.

I am impressed that I have consistently baked bread for so long. I believe it has been 2 1/2 years now.

My Husband's Friend Has Died

I got the news yesterday morning.

My Husband's Army Buddy died.

He and his family mean so much to us, and it really hurts to know that he is no longer around.

We are flying out to see them next week, but obviously, we did not make it to Phoenix in time to see him.

The friendship goes all the way back to the height of the Vietnam War.

He and my Husband met at Fort Dix, NJ, for basic training. My Husband ended up in Korea (due to the Pueblo Incident), and his friend ended up in Vietnam.

Their friendship lasted almost 60 years.

Every other year, for decades, we made the trek out to Phoenix, to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. On the other year, they made the trek out to us, here in LA. It was never a duty to see them, it was always a pleasure, and we had such fun, anytime we got together.

On a personal level, I would have loved to take his Broadcasting classes. :-)

Goodbye Bil, we all loved you, and miss you, already.

Downtown Providence Rhode Island

My Water Post For Today.

Going back to 2024, and Providence, Rhode Island.

This view is of one of the bridges that go across the Providence River.

Downtown, is off in the distance.

They have truly made the area into a place you want to visit, and both my Son and I were glad we took the time to do so.

I hope you enjoy.

Buttermilk Biscuits At Costco

We shopped at Costco, for the first time in 2 months.

As we came to the baking aisle, we saw something different.

10 buttermilk biscuits, for $6.99.

I don't know about you, but that seems like quite a deal.

I have eaten them several times, and they stayed good in the fridge, and even better when I took them out of the freezer.

I don't know if they are just a trial, or if they will remain as a product in the bakery, but if you see them, get them.

Enjoy.

Good Signs

On Thursday I did indeed light a candle, for my baby.

I was surprised that on the fireplace, I found a very nice candle, that had never been used.

It got used for the wave of light, and it did a magnificent job (look at the beautiful colors).

I lit it a bit early, but let it go until 8PM, so it covered more than the minimum time.

I took this photo in the dark, but the camera shows off more details than I could see.

One of them is the fact that over on the far right, is a picture of us with our newborn son. I didn't realize that was showing.

Our wedding glasses, for all three weddings, our napkins for our first wedding, and a tray given as a gift, for our first wedding (with our names on it). In addition is the wedding invitation, over on the far left.

I did not deliberately set it all up, it is just there on the table.

The next morning, we ran the sprinklers, and suddenly I saw a rainbow.

I have never seen that on my sprinklers, so it was a good sign from above (IMHO).

I have recently learned that a mother carries a small number of her child's cells and DNA in her body long after pregnancy, a phenomenon known as fetal microchimerism. I never knew that.

Art Happens Here

My Ceramics building is right next to this one, and it always brightens my day.

This is the Santa Clarita Artists Association (SCAA).

They support artists who paint, and I am sure other things.

I painted through a school, so I never saw this place.

Though I am glad it is here, and available to creative people in the SCV.

Sometime, maybe, I will walk through it again, and see what they are.

Pregnancy And Infant Loss Day 2026

"The 2026 "Wave of Light" refers to the global, annual event on October 15th, which is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. To participate, people around the world light a candle at 7:00 PM local time and keep it lit for at least one hour to honor babies who have died during pregnancy or infancy. This creates a continuous "wave of light" that spans across time zones, symbolizing love and remembrance."

In the spirit of that, I will once again light a candle, for my baby who did not make it. My Son did, but the other baby did not.

It has been 36 years, but I remember, and send good thoughts to the baby who didn't get a chance.

We love you, and miss you.