Month: March 2014

March 29, 2014

Hiking – Happy Camp Canyon Park in Moorpark, California

Against my inherent distaste for different and untried, my husband, Mayhem (the pup) and I hiked a new (for us) trail today. It took longer to get in the car and back out of the driveway than it took to drive there. And still we managed to forget Mayhem’s shoulder harness leash…We looked at it, talked about it, and still left it warming the garage floor.

Happy Camp Canyon Park is in Moorpark and rests at the edge of our bucolic town. It sits on 3,000 acres and sports 12.5 miles of trails. I assure you we did not cover all of that today. Mayhem loved the numerous and fresh horse droppings and had to be taught (over and over again) that they were not tasty biscuits waiting for her on the trail.

I pretended to be calm about the fact that we chose twists and turns on the trails at a whim and quietly assured myself that my husband could find his way back from anywhere. When he pointed out the freshly dug and overly large animal hole/den, I actually wished it housed a snake, but he said it was too big for a snake. I opted for my head-in-the-sand protective amnesia and looked the other way.

We came to a bluff overlooking a valley covered in green scrub and blooming Lupin flowers. The descent path was steep and thin and my husband said it might be too tough for me. His reverse psychology worked and we headed down or rather I, skidded down the rock/dirt path. I was so proud when I reached the bottom upright, that I took a multitude of pictures to document my mighty conquest. (I love hyperbole and since it makes me look braver, I employ it frequently.)

Mayhem barked at bike riders, horses and bees as she romped through the dirt and grass. We laughed at her antics and the fact that my four steps equal one of my husband’s and that I use a slight walk/skip to keep up with him. I also stop frequently to take pictures, remove an outer layer of clothing, and drink constantly from my water bottle. My patient husband vibrates with energy as he tries to match my slower, more peaceful pace.

As we rounded the last part of the trail, we came upon friends we hadn’t seen in a while. We walked and talked like we had just seen each other the day before. It reminded me that one of my favorite things about hiking, besides the natural beauty of the earth around me, is that while hiking there is nothing to do but move, absorb the views, scents and sounds, and talk – about everything and nothing.

What a perfect place to be.

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The beginning of the hike – My husband with Mayhem

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Looking up at the “steep” trail I hiked down

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A bee gathering pollen from the Lupin

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The end and the beginning of the trail

March 19, 2014

Earthquake Calm

My husband and I were eating breakfast when we heard the crack.  I stopped mid-spoonful and looked at him. The ground shimmied a bit and Mayhem (the pup) barked.  (Notice she barked AFTER the floor began to shift.  She in no way gave us any early warning.)

“Earthquake,” my husband announced unnecessarily.

I’ve lived in California my entire life.  Like snow and misery are to New York, sun and earthquakes are to California.  We stared at each other assessing whether we should react or continue on with our work day ritual.  I did briefly hope that this would mean a day off, but after a few seconds it was clear that this was a slight ground hiccup, nothing more.

Everyone gathered together at work and talked about the morning quake, the missing airplane, and the Ukraine/Russia issue.  As a group we were at times thoughtful, serious, and teasing.

No one glared at each other as they waited his or her turn at the coffee pot, or the copier.

So why do some people become selfish monsters when they venture out amongst strangers?  Which is the real us?

Over the weekend my husband and I ventured into Trader Joe’s.  It hummed with people, carts, and aggravation.  We debated leaving, but since our refrigerator held Almond Milk and nothing else, we didn’t have a choice.

He pushed the cart as we wove in and out of the bumper crop of people.  I reached into the refrigerator case to grab more Almond Milk (because you can never have enough) and noticed a woman standing in front of the glass.

“Sorry,” I mumbled as I reached around her.

“For what?” she asked.

“Uh…for getting in your way,” I replied, head bowed, eye contact minimal.

“Isn’t it sad that it’s come to this?  People have to apologize to each other…for nothing because you never know who’s going to blow up…over nothing.  They get angry if their card doesn’t swipe the first time or if someone talks to the checkout person and it takes an extra 5 seconds.  What is our massive hurry?  And why do we feel so entitled that any little thing will set us off?”  She smiled at us.  “What is really important?  Did everyone forget?”

I thought about her comments this week and agree that people do seem to go wonky over the littlest things.  A woman threw her arms in the air this morning when Mayhem and I didn’t cross the street fast enough for her.  Mostly, I’m used to people getting irritated so to deflect it, I throw in the apology before the possible annoyance occurs.  It’s embarrassing to admit.

If I don’t even leave my chair for an earthquake, why am I busting my butt to shield myself from others’ unfounded wrath.  I’m going to take my earthquake-calm self out into the world.  I’m going to walk head up, a smile on my face, and nary an apology will cross my lips.

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An earthquake calm day
March 12, 2014

More Than Chocolate – The Book

I’ve run out of excuses.  Let me try one more agent.  That one agent expressed interest but needed more time.  One editor suggested I try science fiction or young adult because those areas were “current.”  I did think about that for an entire five seconds; but honestly, I don’t do anything that even hints at science.  And young adult, let’s just say my stories might be too edgy for the last remnants of youthful innocence.  Last month I tossed the last of my fear and published my book on Amazon – Kindle.  More Than Chocolate (the book) has left the warm safety of my computer and is now available for all to read.

I wrote what I like to read; a book with strong characters, filled with humor, sadness, and the lurking danger we all find in life. We all read for different reasons.  I love to read to escape life’s daily minutiae  and to jump into a new world and visit for the evening.  I like a happy ending so much that as a young teenager, I read Gone With The Wind three times because I so badly wanted Rhett Butler to stay with (what I see now as the terribly self-centered) Scarlett.   But I also respect self-assured women and could not write a book where the man had to be the one who saves the woman.  (Even if it’s only from herself.)

Please take my Mammoth Lakes mountain adventure, More Than Chocolate, out for a spin.  You’ll laugh.  You’ll cry.  And hopefully you will find yourself transported out of your every day world and into a different place, if only for a brief time.

Click on the link below to order the book from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Chocolate-Debbie-Yanuck-ebook/dp/B00IGJKLL0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1394658313&sr=1-1&keywords=more+than+chocolate+debbie+yanuck

March 5, 2014

The Money Suckers

My son, Trouble, called the other night.  “Thanks, Mom!” he said.

“For what?” I asked.

“We used your Sharky’s (Baja Fresh – organic type restaurant) number and got $7.00 off our dinner.”

For every $100. spent at Sharky’s, you get $7.00 off on your next ticket.  It’s a pretty good deal and we like the food.  But since I was the one who spent the $100.  how come he got the credit?

Obvious answer, he’s my son and my money is his money…for the rest of my life.  Which is okay with me and my husband because we adore our little money suckers more than anything.

There is a report out that states that from birth through 18 years of age parents will spend, on average, $241,000. on each of their children.  Think of each child like a small condo, a super spiffy car, or a lifetime of vacations.  If someone had told me this prior to creating these endearing money gobblers, I still would have made the same choice, but I might have gone into it more aware.

As is, at the age of four our daughter, Princess, declared her love of all things horses through nothing but our own fault.  We went to the local stables on the weekends to watch the riders. (We could have chosen the park…)  Soon she wanted to be just like them.  Nothing made her happier than the scent of a sweaty horse and manure. At five, she took lessons and competed in Hunter/Jumper competitions.  This meant, boots, helmet, hunt coat, saddle and more lessons. (The cash register rang even in my sleep.) She rode for years.  Then, as children do, she fell in love with Karate and wanted lessons.  We gave her the choice of only one and she chose Karate.  My credit card and bank account sighed with happiness.

My parents used to say, “When you all were kids, you played out front…None of this organized stuff.”

Great for them, but although the world still turns the same, the people on it move differently now.  Every single sport has basic teams, club teams, and travel teams.  Somehow most kids gravitate into them.

Our kids participated in travel volleyball and basketball.  These teams ravenously ate our money and time. There’s a saying, “Pay now, or pay later…”  We paid a lot then, but the lessons learned on the teams were invaluable; rivalry, competition, pettiness, jealously, with the welcome, occasional glimpse of sportsmanship and friendship.

Even now, nothing makes my husband and I happier than when we can do or buy something for our children.  Forget the fact that we like them a lot, they are much more to us than a Tahitian vacation, or a car without sun-bleached surf racks and melted wax on the roof.

I’m thrilled Trouble took the $7.00 credit.  Not because he saved himself some money, but because I know he fed himself.  Warms a mother’s heart.

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Luckily sunsets are free – Sunset on the way home 2 nights ago.