IF YOU HAVE LEMONS, MAYBE YOU CAN MAKE GUACAMOLE.

Do you have extra fruit or vegetables in your yard? Do you have oranges falling off the tree? Are there figs going to the birds because you’re not a fig lover? Are your avocados turning into guacamole on the ground? I think it would be interesting if we could find a way to exchange what we have too much of for what we are lacking. Figs could be traded for avocados, and lemons could become oranges. There was an interesting article on this subject in the New York Times this week and there were all sorts of options. I’ve done a little looking around Escondido online, and hoped to find someplace where people could donate fresh fruit and vegetables. I came up empty. Does anyone have someplace where donations could be made? Right now, all I have producing fruit is one old Meyer lemon tree that is the image on today’s post. The only other tree we have in fruit is a Seville orange. The fruit is bitter but I hear it makes great marmalade. If you’re interested in trying them out, let me know. I’ll pick you a bagful. See you tomorrow.

IN PRAISE OF JUNE GLOOM

A lot of people love Escondido because no matter how grey and dreary it is on the coast in the month of June, out here the sun usually breaks through by noon and the weather becomes SoCal gorgeous. But not this year. I don't know if it's El Nino, or the lack thereof, global warming, or just some odd quirk in the weather, but we've had clouds and even a few sprinkles for quite a few days. That's fine with me. It means a few more nights with the fireplace on, a few more afternoons made for napping and reading under a light quilt, and a little more time for plants to prepare themselves for the heat--and dry--conditions they'll face this summer. I would even suggest that all these stormy clouds do Escondido a big favor and put out some real rain. I know it won't end the drought or even help with the water restrictions, but the thought of a Sunday with rain beating on the roof, the newspapers waiting to be read, and weather too crummy to do anything but stay inside is anything but a gloomy day for me. See you tomorrow.

POST FOR THURSDAY: THE BUDGET WAS NOT VOTED ON; IT HAS BEEN CONTINUED UNTIL NEXT WEEK.

So it appears next week will be the final date for the budget, though someone pointed out that it could go to a special session on the last day of the month if necessary. I still have not been able to find the proposed budget online at the city site. A nice woman gave me a copy of the changes that were presented tonight, but it should it be that difficult to get hold of the proposed budget? (She told me I could buy one at City Hall so guess I will stop by tomorrow and see if I can. ) I mean, Ed Gallo seems to have a copy of the budget, why shouldn’t the rest of us? (Oh, by the way Ed, Carlsbad has two libraries plus a literacy center, so Escondido is not the only city with two library branches as you said in the meeting) I was not sure how I felt about the idea of closing the East Valley Branch—I want the library open more hours—but given the discussion last night, and the fact that many people in the East Valley area do not have cars and can only get to a library on foot—I do not support the idea of closing the East Valley Branch. It does not save enough money to justify the loss for the nearby community. If you did not read yesterday’s comments, one person is disappointed that this blog has become “political.” I am not interested in having a blog that is purely political, but I do not think you can forever sidestep issues that are considered political. Well, at some point when you are discussing what makes a great city—especially when you are in Southern California—it does become political in some ways and it is impossible to avoid the issues that either bring communities together or drive them apart. I would love to see a flood of comments and emails on this subject so I can begin to see how people feel about this issue, so I’ll just sit back and see where we end up. See you Friday.

SO WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA FOR TODAY?

After all the conversation, presentations, discussions and demonstrations, today the new budget will be presented. There are no details online, so I assume the staff will be working furiously to get everything ready for 4 o'clock. For myself, and many others, the big question will be if, and how much, the council decides to dip into the "hotel" money that has been at the heart of this debate. As anyone who reads this blog knows, I desperately want this city to have a wonderful hotel right downtown. I think it would be busy from the day it opened. (We cannot look at figures on hotel vacancies today and think that is any measurement of real life. Here in San Diego County we not only have recession we also have the lingering effects of Swine Flu fears that caused thousands to cancel vacation plans to this area.) I also believe we need to think about what we can do today that may not payoff for a number of years. All that being said, I hope the council takes a piece of that "hotel" money to keep the library going strong and maintain needed services for those who are poor, disabled or just plain down and out. I will be there to see what happens. Following the budget will be a presentation on the General Plan Update. That's the document that will determine what happens in our town in the future. It will be interesting to see where things stand today. PS I think the Escondido Chamber of Citizens is a very interesting group. If you know someone in that group that might want to guest blog on the state of the city, please have them email me at this blog. Thanks.

FARMER'S MARKET TODAY, CITY COUNCIL TOMORROW AT 4

I'm having a love hate relationship with my cell phone camera. Sure I almost always have it with me and can snap a pic anytime but the rest of it is not up to snuff. The photograph at the top isn't bad, but the one below it is certainly blurry. But the arugula made a great pasta dish when tossed with browned zucchini and the herbs I've purchased--sage and parsley--will go into the ground this week. But if you look at the pictures below, you can see what a terrible job my cell phone did. That beautiful flower in the glass vase is a zucchini flower picture I got from a free photo site. The other one, that looks like some kind orange and green mess, is the picture I took with my cell phone of a pile of zucchini blossoms at the market...I bought a big handful. (Luckily, they tasted much better than they look.) So one of the problems with the phone is how difficult it can be to see the image. Maybe I'll get used to that. We'll see if my pictures start to improve. If not, maybe I'll have to buy myself a tiny camera.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU BORROWED SOMETHING FROM YOUR NEIGHBOR?

It doesn't have to be the last item you need to finish that chocolate cake, but do you now your neighbors well enough to get help or give it when the occasion arises? Around here, when there's a fire or an earthquake we suddenly start talking to our neighbors, trading news about what we've each heard on radio and TV. But what about a Sunday afternoon when you need an extra pair of hands to move the picnic table? Or maybe you need a little charcoal for the grill and you can smell burgers cooking next door. Would you feel comfortable asking to borrow a few briquets? If not, maybe now is the time to get to know the people around you. Not for an emergency, but for every day. I used to live in the kind of neighborhood where everybody waved hi as they drove by, but even though we were a dead end street we never considered having our own private block party...I was as much to blame as everyone else, but we really missed a great opportunity to get to know one another, and maybe deal with some of the issues--barking dogs, yelling kids, go carts--that kept us apart. When I moved into downtown Escondido I decided to change that, and it has made all the difference. Now I have friends right where I live and we do for each other when we can and we don't feel funny asking for help. We've had help moving furniture, finding a lost cat, cat sitting for said cat, wonderful conversation, great meals, lots of laughs, and the knowledge there are other people who care about how we are doing, and we feel the same about them. Not every neighbor has to become a friend, but we should at least be able to say hi and call one another by name. See you tomorrow. PS The City of Escondido has a program called Neighborhood Porch. They might be able to help.

ANOTHER GORGEOUS SUNDAY IN ESCONDIDO

Pancakes for breakfast and now I'm lounging outside on my daybed with a second cup of coffee. The birds are singing, there's a fat bumblebee overhead and plumbago blossoms are falling onto the keyboard. Yes, I have decided to continue Sunday posts, but will do it leisurely. Since bloggin is new to me, I'm still trying to figure out how to do a few things. I'd really like to have a post that stays on the front page called "Why We Love Escondido." If I every figure it out, I hope folks will be able to come and add their own favorite things about the city. (If you know how I can do that please comment here or send me and email.) Look to the top left and you'll see that I kind of figured it out. I'm also having a difficult time keeping my pictures organized, both those I take with my camera and those from my cell phone. As I search around I periodically find one of my old ones and that's what just happened today so I thought it was a good time to post one of them. This is a very formal garden, which is the style I used to like, but now here in Escondido my husband and I have created a garden that is quite wild because that is the best way to attract birds. We've also added plants especially for hummingbirds and butterflies, which will be a full post one day soon. For now, I'm thinking about an afternoon nap. See you tomorrow.