Chewing on some wires in the Normal library, I ran across this old news clipping about Travis Opal.  Sorry the edge is a bit frayed (hee hee).

Conflict is the human condition. Embrace it. If all else fails, try hypnosis.

JIMMY:  How do you find time to do so much, Miss Kira Benson?  Home-grown produce, flowers, your dessert sensations…

KIRA:  Don’t forget knitting. My mufflers in winter are a top seller!

JIMMY:  Ah! You’re a whirlwind of entrepreneurial spirit. With so much talent, I never asked – how did you end up at the Pick Me Up?

KIRA:  Pretty simple, really. I was living with a boy friend at Crater Lake about three years ago, and we just wandered over here. I fell in love with him and with Normal. But, um, the feeling wasn’t mutual.  We broke up a few months later.

JIMMY:  He didn’t fall in love with you, or with Normal?

KIRA:  Totally indifferent across the board… I know, a sad sad sad story.

JIMMY:  It is very sad.  And I thought your life was the tops, you with the little bit of sunshine in your pocket.

KIRA:  It’s all about how you deal with things, not what life hands you.

JIMMY:  True true true. So, cutting to the chase:  His loss, Normal’s gain.

KIRA:  Thank you, Jimmy.

JIMMY:  Where is it exactly you came from?

KIRA:  Oregon, up near Portland. My mom still lives there. My dad, well that’s a long story.

JIMMY:  For another time.

KIRA:  Yes. Although growing up for me was pretty nice. The perfect all-American family – until my dad left. But anyhow, no worries. I love Normal.

JIMMY:  It suits you…  So I’m wondering, maybe we could catch a movie sometime. Commiserate on our lowly beginnings.

KIRA:  Sounds cool. As long as it’s not scary. I don’t do scary.

JIMMY:  Only sunshine, I know.

Kira Benson - she with the pocketful of sunshine

Jimmy Franklin - gaming app wiz kid

What a gorgeous day for the Farmer’s Market. Just bought a lovely flower bouquet and some fragrant basil from Kira Benson’s booth.  So many of my students are lounging here today. I’m sure Brodin Rushmore will fit right in. He’s a feather in our cap, for sure.

Text msg to Donatello: “On my way.  Driving north  from SF via Interstate 5.  Stopping at Berry Patch in Orland for breakfast.”

Watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.