9/16/24

When I say my life often feels like a novel, a magnificent picaresque romance, this is the kind of thing I mean: This morning I drove over to O—– Avenue, in Richmond, to look at a house for sale. It is a 30-sec walk from where I lived on C—– Avenue, with the friends who took me in 8 years ago. (One of those friends bought that house, in fact!). It’s a 2-min walk to the entrance of the Ohlone Greenway. It’s adorable, and there is a treehouse. I drove away musing about where I might volunteer, and guerilla gardening some open spaces, and just how big a thorn in Chevron’s side I might choose to become.

From there to Catahoula Coffee, on San Pablo Avenue (which began its existence as the Camino de la Contra Costa – the “opposite shore” from the Presidio – and which is an extraordinary urban sociology laboratory for its entire length). I came specifically for one of my favorite decadent treats, a “Mexi-mocha,” a mocha with cinnamon. I got to chatting with the manager, and said they should sell stickers – he said, “Oh, no, here,” and pulled an arm’s length of them off the roll (they seal bags with them). In thanking him, I explained that I am from Louisiana, and that my father grew up in Jonesville, which is in Catahoula Parish. He’s heard something like that before, I’m guessing from his smile, and he told me about the owner and his four Catahoula Curs. Turns out there is a woman in Richmond, CA, who breeds Catahoula Curs as search-and-rescue animals. I honestly couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried, so I’m thinking maybe I’ll try a little harder to document some of it.

xoxo – Rosa

[Post title is a line from the lovely boygenius song, “Without You, Without Them”]