ojai news at The Ojai Post :: blog, newspaper, events in Ojai, California

good on ya' Heather!!!

I have not seen the jogger and his llamas since we first moved here 8 years ago! Is he still around? I wrote about it here:
http://www.ojaipost.com/2006/07/fruit_hawkers.shtml
What about the man with lavender in his hair playing the ukelele - is he still around? And...the leashed goose lived in my backyard (before we bought the house)! What a small world! Only in Ojai!

makes me think of Chris at Mountain Meadows Nursery, and the little rooster that 'ran' the place. he always used to run up to me when I visited, and he would bounce up and down on my feet, giving gentle little pecks, to remind me that he was the 'top of the order' there in his territory. [not a comment on political Ojai!]

http://www1.venturacountystar.com/vcs/county_news/article/0,1375,VCS_226_5420686,00.html

as for today -- rain, glorious rain! if we are lucky an inch or two in the SouthWest-facing foothills!

for this I will pray!!

Last year I stopped to pick a hitchhiker up near Frontier Paint on the way to Santa Barbara. She came and opened the door, looked inside, and then said, "no thank you, I'm waiting for a friend to pick me up." I thought it was very strange, but then I was male traveling alone.

Later I spoke to this person, and got to know her a little, and she explained that she only takes rides from people she knows or recognizes. Of course, now we know each other and I am a viable driver for her. Yea! Only in Ojai.

P.S. - if A**** is reading this, please know I love this story and think the highest of your decision not to ride with me. I also appreciate what you do for Ojai. You are Ojai.

A crow, two mornings in a row just a week ago, burying an acorn and then covering it up, skillfully planting a new oak tree in a really lame place. (Our local scrub jays do this, and always have. But a crow?) Some sort of "Bird-brained, Knucklehead Convergence"?

Did anyone else see the topless female rollerskater cruising through downtown last Monday about 4:40? I know a few of the kids at the skatepark did, as I heard their hoots of approval.

I can think of many present and old 'only in Ojai' moments but the one of present that stands out is of the two dogs the run around all over Meiners Oaks. They are friendly and have a route, and in that route was a stop into Ace Hardware and stroll along the asile as if they were shopping. I don't know if they are still at it. I saw them there so many times, maybe I was supposed to join them.

Only in Ojai have I seen a llama eating a llama topiary at the Chevron. Only in Ojai have I seen the pastey clad pesticide protester. Only in Ojai have I seen Joe Subway DeVito open his mouth and say nothing.

The topless rollerskater also rides around on a bike with a trailer with the Earth in the trailer. I saw her a week ago Tuesday standing on the wall of the new Rotary Park dancing with nothing but pasties and a g-string. This was around 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon.

Only in Ojai does a septuagenarian stand on a tree-studded corner and consult her talking Tabby before giving directions to a "road up the mountain" - that does not exist.

Only in Ojai does one follow the directions of the attendant at Soule Park into a beautiful meadow full of horses - only to be chased off by an extremely angry whack job straight out of Deliverance.

Only in Ojai can you stumble on a roadside stand with delicious tangerines, avocadoes, and guavas, on the honor system - but be unable to find no matter how hard you look a processed agribusiness Subway "sandwich". (At least for the moment.)

Only in Ojai could a citizen be sued by his government, have the ACLU come to his defense, and have his government sue him again.

I'm not usually the late night/early morning person, but the other day I decided to walk around Ojai around 3am. I was surprised how many people were out. Sure they were drunk, but interesting people nonetheless.