12  Feb 2014

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Judy's Notes:

Marsha missed the fact that I bragged about my four grandchildren at the luncheon on 31 Jan 2014.

Marin, who is the daughter of my son Devin, whom we lost just after Christmas a year ago, was accepted all the colleges she applied, including UC Berkeley.  Despite the fact that she would have been the fourth generation had she chosen Berkeley and having a sign on our home that announces we are in "Bear Territory",  Marin accepted entry to UC Santa Barbara.  Jake, who is the son of Douglas, our oldest, also choose UCSB and went in as a Freshman last year.  Then I joked about not being able to utter the words University of Southern California, where Douglas's daughter, Katie has gained a 60 % scholarship in crew after she and her team, the Oakland Strokes Women's 8, took first place  out of 82 boats in Boston....  Devin's eleven year old daughter, who lives in Boston, will be visiting us next week and we're looking forward to seeing her.

Many asked about my 91 year old mother who is living with us.  I am glad to say she is doing very well.  Many of the flower photos on my web sites are grown by her on her deck that surrounds her in-law apartment, which is the upstairs of our home.

At the luncheon, just as everyone was getting ready to leave, I heard Kathy ask someone about having to take our California Driver's test.  It is a new law that required all of us who are going pass 70 years of age to take the written test... Those of you who watch the tv series THE BIG BANG THEORY probably recall the program where Sheldon Cooper is in the California DMV.  The lady behind the counter was marvelous as Sheldon bombblasts the DMV questions on the written test.  It has never been my fear that I go into the DMV not knowing the rules of the road, it's the fear of trying to figure out the answers the DMV wants.  This time I went to take my own test with a different attitude.  I'd read each question and each set of answers carefully.  Then I'd mark off the answers I knew were wrong and hopefully that one left unmarked was the answer.  So, there I as this last July in the DMV waiting my turn.  I don't know about your DMV but here in the Bay area the lines are loooooooooog.  One needs to take a book to read and a lunch if you go in the morning with the hope of getting there before the lines get too long.  If you think you will try to go later in the afternoon in hopes that the crowd has dwindled, be prepared to watch the person lock the doors while you are still waiting.  Then, if you're lucky, you still get to take the test... If you are not lucky,  you wait, then they give you a pass which means you can return the following day.  If you think the pass gets you at the head of the line,  you'd be wrong.  Well,  that not accurate.  You do get in the shorter line which is ahead of the first long line and then you can wait for your turn with those who already went through the first line..  So, take a lunch.  After about two hours, it was my turn.  If I thought Sheldon's act with the clerk would have worked for me,  I would have tried it, but I knew it wouldn't, so,  I silently and quietly collected my test and went to the place where one can sit down to take the test.  I had just started to ready my test when my thoughts were interrupted by a mother telling her son,  "It's nothing to be so upset,  you can study and come back and take the test again..."  The teenage boy was fighting back the tears and his face was red with embarssement.   My attention returned to my test I knew most of the answers but for the life of me I couldn't understand why certain questions were on my test.  Yes,  being a grandmother, I made sure I knew the weight of the children who were to be placed in car seats, seat belts , etc. etc..  Anyway to make a long story a little shorter, I finished and went to my next line.  The face behind the counter in front of this line didn't want any communication from anyone getting their tests corrected.  Her two words were, "Pass." and "Fail."  I felt sorry for the elderly man, who, come to think of it, was probably our age, and hard of hearing.  He didn't know what the face had uttered. The next person in line stepped up to him,  gave him a smile and voiced loudly, "You passed!  Go to that line."  That kind person ended up missing one more than was allowed and left with his head down.  He was probably in his early thirties and thought he didn't have to study....  Finally it was my turn.  The face's hand reached up and took my test.  She marked the second  answer as wrong....  The face looked up and asked," Are these two corrections?"  "Yes," I replied.  "Pass." And she pointed to the next line. "Next," the face voiced toward the young man who had been behind me.  And, would be, again, as we waited for our picture and thumb print to be taken and receive our temporary licence. This huge smile was on my face.  Anyone within that huge building could tell I had passed the test as I walked out of the building and toward my car.  A friend of mine's mother, at the age of 97, had just gotten her drivers license renewed.  I don't think I'd even try.  I hope I will quit driving when I should quit.  It's going to be hard.  What will I do when I cannot driver anymore?  Huge changes will occur.  My basic freedom will be gone. I'll not b e able to drive to Lodi to lunch with my Class of 60!  So,  I and you had better take advantage of being able to meet and take up our old friendships during these years we can drive to or in Lodi.

The business Marsha mention for having to be in Lodi was to meet one of the people who are interested in renting the Remmick farm house which sits on 10 acres near Acampo.

Since our 2010 Reunion life has kept me very busy and I haven't had too much time to add anything to the photos I took.  Also,  with softwares changing and Apple dropping iWeb,  all of the sites which start with the Reunion of 2010 have been dropped and need to be reconstructed and returned to the internet.  I just haven't felt the urge to go through all the work it will take to establish all of it, again.  Not until this last luncheon.  I believe that if I do not do my sites now I never will.   I know many of you would like to see all those photos, again,  before our next Reunion, which I hope will be in 2015.

Meanwhile remember:

Photographs help us remember of what was and never can be again.

"Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things."

Cecero, De Oratore. Bk. 1, Sec.5