Meet our gardener - Mr. Long

5 foot 2 inches tall. Weight 75 pounds. Speaks in broken sentences. Can do that cigarette hanging out of the mouth trick while he talks, mows the lawns and drives his truck. Nicest guy...
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We have a busy weekend planned so I thought it made sense to have our gardener come Friday instead of the weekend. I call the number on his card and ask for him.

"Long not here... he dead... died in car crash" Excuse me!
"Long not here... he dead already. We're you a customer?"

Yes and I'm sorry to hear that. Click. She hangs up on me.

I'm shocked, embarrassed and sad. Margaret starts searching online for an obituary. 30 seconds later the phone rings.

"Were you a customer" Yes we were.
"When do you want him to come?" Excuse me?!?! I thought he was dead.
"We got into argument. I'm mad at him so I just said that" Why don't you have him call me?

Mr Long calls and in a sheepish, broken English, way explains that she was mad.
"That's my woman, that's my woman"

He shows up and does his usual masterful job on our lawn. I tried to get a picture of him to post on the blog but, after spending 10 minutes chasing him around the house like the CIA trying to get a shot (my kids cracking up the whole time), my camera has a technology melt down. I'm sure the Elk Grove PD would have wanted the picture just in case something happens to him...

Kabob House - What?

Now wait a minute here. This place was rated as one of the best in the Sacramento area? They even have the gold album looking plate thing on the wall to prove it. Somebody made a mistake...

The hummus was, dare I say, excellent. The pita bread was warm and freshly made. I think the awards committee stopped here. The lamb kabob was a bit dry although tasty. The ground sirloin kabob was better but...

The decor was picnic tables and chairs that were a step above fold out chairs. Let me repeat that, picnic tables and almost fold out like chairs. Location - auto row; AUTO ROW!! The service was semi ok.

It could just be me but if something is rated the best in a category, my expectations are high. This really, really didn't live up to the hype. I probably won't be back.

Green Wings & a Pacifier - Halloween 2006

Nearing the end of almost two years of orthodotic work and several thousand dollars invested in the beautification of Melia's teeth, Duane's reaction to the pacifier Kali was sporting as part of her 'baby' costume was, "I'm not spending another $X dollars on braces!"

Given the crisp autumn air on Halloween night, Kali's choice of costume was a wise one. Melia, in all of her lime green glory, was quite cold.... but definitely the coolest girl in the neighborhood with her bone straight black wig!

At one point Duane and the girls were part of a mass of more than a dozen kids making their way from house to house in our new neighborhood.

The cute little carved pumpkin is 100% Kali's work. She carved two pumpkins this year all on her own.