Home

Yes, where I live is home and I love going to the library and the grocery store and everywhere else and running into people from different parts of my life here, but I also call where I grew up home. 

I love swimming at the old community pool.

I love running by the little lake near home.
Yes, it was very humid.

It was a treat to be chaperoned to a new-to-me all-purpose
trail by my friend, neighbor, and former math teacher.

I really wasn't going to go to the library book
sale and when I did go I was just going
to look, not actually buy anything.

I sorted my mom's playing card collection.

We escaped the heat by taking an air-conditioned tour of places in my parents' life (where they were married, their first apartment) and drove by my grandmother's house. Not shown - the missing golf course behind the house!

If I could twitch my nose and show up at home for a long weekend every month or two I would definitely do it!

Slow Learner

 I spent time at my parents' house and loved going through old treasures. It was so much fun, but made me wonder if I am holding onto too many things (just kidding, I didn't wonder because I know the answer).

Junior high school instrumental solo and ensemble medals 

a coin purse and its contents (penny is from 1949

theatrical playing cards

So there I was, flying home with luggage a bit more full than when I left. I didn't really need a napkin when drinks were handed out 

but I could see it had an Olympic logo.

Then the next set of drinks came by and 

different napkins were being handed out!
I had to have one of those, too!

Some of my dear readers will be proud to know that in the end I actually used the napkins and did not save them!!

More noticing

I thought I had been clever to notice house numbers and write about them.

I had no idea that there were books about the topic.

I learned about it from this post. The author walked every single street in one ZIP code 

and created a map noting the percentage of serif and san serif house numbers on each block. I found it fascinating and was a little jealous I had not thought to do it. On the other hand, I am content to notice and not always take action.

Stay tuned for the next photo collection.

Vexillogical Issues

I love the word vexillology, based on the Latin word for flag, vexillum. 

I learned the word after an article appeared about the Mississippi flag, which is currently the only state flag that incorporates the first national flag of the Confederate States.

It got me thinking about the flag that my roommate, a University of Georgia student on exchange for a semester, hung in our room. I found it fascinating to read the history of how this Georgia flag was adopted and how it the state had three different flags during a 27-month period before settling on their current flag.

It was in this article that I came across the North American Vexillological Association, which discusses all aspects of flags including history, design, and conservation. I already want to join because I debate their idea that it is ok to say that Maryland's flag is an acceptable exception to their rules.

"Maryland’s complicated heraldic quarters produce a memorable and distinctive flag."

"The flag should be so simple that a child can 

draw it from memory"

I don't actively collect flags. They just seem to find me.

We received a US flag as a wedding gift, just as my parents did.
As a kid I loved to be the first one up and to put on the flag on holidays.

I can't remember where we bought an enormous wool Danish flag.

My dad gave me the Hungarian flag.

And a teacher visiting from Argentina gave us a flag.

We almost bought a Catalonian independence flag, of which this is one.

I don't need another collection, but I do enjoy new words and hobbies.

House Numbers

I love collections. I love my postcard collection and other things maybe I should not admit to. The good news is that my recent collections are visual. I love to look for the highest license plate (based on the California numbering system).

I also collect sidewalk markings.
This is a recent gift from a friend.

Just this week I started looking at house numbers and the variety, or sometimes the lack of variety.

Big numbers

Little numbers

Stickers

Die cast

Tile

And so many locations
On a planter, on the porch post, on the mailbox

And plenty of people seem to have two sets

Not shown - houses with numbers not visible at all. I know the city is pushing for people to change that, which seems like a good safety plan.

Next up, little signs people have by their door.

Holiday

How did you celebrate National Baseball Card Day? I heard about it while listening to a game and looked to find a local store. Lucky for me it was very close to the bicycle store where D. was picking up A.'s bike, which had an unusual problem that one unusual part (and some money) could fix.

D. was given this pack - what luck! The store is one part collectibles and one part tables with people playing games, mostly Magic the Gathering, but some others, too. Maybe one day I will take in my boxes of complete sets that I got with Bazooka bubble gum comics back in the late 1980's (I think).

Fluke

Is there a word for the term when you learn about something you had never heard of and all of a sudden it appears again? That's what happened today.

I heard the radio announcer talking about the LA Yarn Crawl (which I wish I had heard of before) and about collecting all 28 pins from all around the county.

Then I was running errands on my bicycle and right by the rack I saw a pin. I picked it up (hoping it was from CicLAvia), turned it over, and saw a pin that had been given away from Make One in the town to the west.

Maybe I should do a blog post on all the things I find on the side of the road.

Like this, right next to the curb in the left-turn lane on the way home from the grocery store.

Stickers

The paper had an article about getting rid of things that don't spark joy, but what if it will spark joy in the future?  Or what if it will spark joy as one of a set and it is just waiting to be joined with others of its kind?

I unpacked my Halloween decorations, which fit in a quart-size storage bag, and found a few years of Trader Joe's stickers and added this year's set to the collection.

I don't have the year marked on them, but the bottom set is the most recent.

Also in the bag were a few years of Halloween cards sent by mom and our book of Halloween knock-knock jokes.  Definitely brings a spark of joy to all!

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

Statue!

Statue who?

Statue over there?  I'm over here.

Stuff

Remember when I wrote about getting this as part the adult summer reading challenge?I am not sure why I am so attracted to this size pouch.

I already have this one, which works just fine.

And I already had bought this one for when the other one wore out.

Not to mention buying this because it was so irresistible and so useful.
Good thing I like to carry change.

Automotive Museum

A neighbor shared a New York Times article about a license plate exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.  A similar article was in A.'s ALPCA magazine so we were well read before deciding to visit.  I was excited until I realized that everyone else going wanted to stay and look at cars much longer than I thought I could be patient.  So off went A., a friend, and D.

This seems to be the new way of enjoying a museum - photograph everything!

And they're off...

probably faster in this car (nice that they have cars the kids can climb in)

fuel cell vehicle

This is THE car from Who Killed The Electric Car? (all the others are crushed).

But where are the pictures of the license plates?  Sorry, D. didn't take any.  You can check out some other blogs here and here if you want to see some.