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Hemet’s Not So Bad
It’s about time I popped back on here to tell you that I’m getting over my funk. Hemet is not so bad. I grew up here and there are so many things that I do truly love. I think I just needed some time to adjust from all the fun I had in the Bay Area. It’s a bit of a culture shock at first. But now I’m back to loving the sunrises and sunsets, the beautiful wild flowers and cactus blooms, all the time I have to do fun projects with my parents… It’s good to be home.
My bedroom is full of sunlight. I’ve had time to sew a dress with very visible mending (something I’ve been fascinated by for a while.) I started a newsletter for the entire park and of course I’m up to my usual hunting for great things to photograph. Hemet is photogenic when you live way out in the sticks like we do.
I miss having a car. I miss going places. But I don’t think I’ll ever get bored here.
There is always something to look at here. I’m a desert child forever. I find so much beauty in the desert. It takes a lot of strength of character to live out here. The temperatures are extreme and I know summer heat waves are just around the corner. But like mid-westerners go inside all winter, we go inside all summer. Homes are built different. They have low roofs and long extended carports built in light colors. Inside we stay cool with just a simple swamp cooler. I know the word “swamp cooler” sounds gross but in a dry heat, running air over cooled water feels just like air conditioning. We don’t have humidity out here. It’s not swampy at all. And a swamp cooler is a lot cheaper than air conditioning. When I sit in the stiff breeze of a swamp cooler it reminds me of my childhood. I start thinking about popsicles and BMX bikes…
Another thing helping me stay happy and uplifted lately is, Marley, my neighbor’s dog who I’ve been dog-sitting all week. He is SO CUTE.
They don’t know it but I’ve been spoiling Marley rotten with all the walks, tummy rubs and treats. My secret agenda is to love him up so much that he comes back to live with me for good. Just kidding. I don’t want to steal my neighbors’ dog but I do want him to come running to me when we meet each other out on the streets for our morning and afternoon walks. I love all animals. I’ve loved not having to worry about who’s going to take care of Cody when I travel and never worrying about getting back to him to let him out to pee BUT I do miss him as a constant companion. There are an awful lot of serotonin hits to having a pet around loving you constantly. Someday I’ll get Momo and Cody back. Sigh…
So yeah, these are the skies I love. When the June gloom is gone I get to look at these skies and these mountains every day. They help a lot.
I’ve also added a new job title to my resume: Gardner. My dad needed help whacking down the weeds at my cousin’s house this week so I picked up a weed-eater and went to town. It was fun! Yes, it was brutal sweaty work but I love it when I can combine a work-out and making money at the same time. Physical labor has its perks.
Bug came to visit me this Friday and brought flowers. She knows me. Peonies are in season and she brought a bunch of them. I love them and her! I made her an apple pie per her request but my parent’s oven is not great so it was kind of not done all the way. Good thing we both love semi-cooked dough and soupy apples!
Anyway, that’s the latest update from Brenda in the Sticks!
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Bay Area Adventures Part 5: Wendy, Lulu and Flowerland
Next up was my lunch with Wendelonia. You might know her from her books on bento boxes for kids. We met when we both worked together for alphamom.com. You know when I said all the best artsy people live in the Bay Area? Well, Wendy is definitely representing in that department. Look where she took me for lunch: Lulu on Solano! Is it art or is it food? Is it art you can eat?? Yes!
I was swooning over the wallpaper and wondering why I never got into textile design, and then the food came, and I lost my mind. Forget bad manners, I interrupted our conversation, whipped out my phone, and had to take photos immediately. It was almost too pretty to eat. And guess what? It was so flavorful and delicious too! Everything was vegetarian and gorgeous. Sadly, some of the spices disagreed with me, and I found out later explosive flavors also like to explode in my gut but it was kinda worth it.
Wendy and I walked around Solano Avenue for a bit, and then she sent me on my way to Flowerland. Flowerland is my new favorite nursery. It blows doors off Roger’s Gardens back home. It is so aesthetically pleasing that I wanted to buy a tiny Airstream and move in. I wanted to set up tables and host a wedding there. It’s just so beautiful. The healthy plants thriving everywhere in layers and layers of leafy textures and colors. The little shop with all the cutest things I couldn’t afford to buy, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it. I took photos and stored notes away in my brain for future gift ideas.
Everywhere I look, I see adorable, pretty things. I never saw anything like this back home, where Walmart reigns supreme. Do people in the Bay Area just have better taste? I think they do. Maybe there are more artists here—more affluent artists, artisans, and craft makers with better supplies and better budgets supported by people who really appreciate them.
I appreciated every moment. I wandered around soaking it all in. You either have time or money and I’ve got time so I just lived in the experience of exploring such a beautiful place. I took photos like a hoarder taking things.
I definitely want to come back here. I wish I could have bought plants and gardened in Matt’s little slice of a side yard, but I also didn’t want to give him more responsibilities since he doesn’t have a green thumb like I do. So I just stored all the ideas away and dreamt of my home desert garden. I can’t grow plants like this, but I can make my desert a wonderland if I try hard enough
Look at those shadows!
I bought a strawberry milk latte at the HighWire counter and petted a cat. It was a very nice day to be out and about!
