My Birthday

Today is my 76th birthday.  Michael P. Garofalo, January 23, 1946 -  

My daughter, Alicia, and I, 2021

My two grand-daughters, Makenna and Katelyn, and I, 2021

My parents were Bertha June (1921-1994) and Michael James Garofalo (1916-1997).  My two brothers were Paul (1948-) and Phillip (1952-).  

My parents and I in 1947
In South-Central Los Angeles

My maternal Grand-Mother Mabel Ast Blaize on the left,
and my Paternal Grand-Mother Lena Garofalo in 1947.  

Paul, Big Mike Dad, Philip, Me, Mom
Circa 1958

I grew up in East Los Angeles and attended St. Alphonsus Catholic Grammar School, Cantwell Catholic High School (Honors Diploma), California State University at Los Angeles (B.A. Philosophy), and the University of Southern California (M.S. Library Science).  

I worked for the City of Commerce Public Library System from 1963-1969.  

Blanche Karen Eubanks and I were married in 1967.  We celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary in 2021.    

Karen and I in 1970
Biloxi, Mississippi

Served in the United States Air Force, Air Training Command, from 1969-1973.  Honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant.  

I worked for the County of Los Angeles Public Library System from 1974 to 1998.  I retired as a Library Administrator, and Regional Administrator for the East Region in the San Gabriel Valley.  I worked at offices in the Compton library, Bell Gardens library, East Los Angeles library, Norwalk library, Huntington Park library, and West Covina library.  

We lived in Bell Gardens and Hacienda Heights - both in the East Los Angeles  metropolitan area.  

Karen and I, and our families and community, raised two children, Alicia June and Michael Delmer.  We now have two grandchildren, Katelyn and Makenna. 

Alicia June, my daughter, and I in 1976.

Alicia, me, Karen, Mick, circa 1990

My colleagues in East Region at our
Community Library Managers Meeting, Circa 1993
For 15 years, I was the Regional Administrator for 22 libraries
in East Region of the County of Los Angeles Public Library System

I started creating websites in 1995, and a blog in 2005.       

Karen and I lived in Red Bluff, North Sacramento Valley, California, from 1998-2017, in a rural area on a five acre parcel.  We both worked part-time for school districts.  I was the Technology and Media Service Supervisor and District Librarian for the Corning Union Elementary School District; and Karen was a Special Education Instructional Aide.  We both enjoyed gardening and landscaping projects. 

 

Red Bluff, California, Sunny Garden

Yosemite, North Dome, 2005

Sean, me, Mick
Alicia, Karen, April
Circa 2007

Karen retired on June 14, 2014, after working part-time since 1998 as a Special Education Instructional Assistant for the Tehama County Department of Education in Red Bluff, California.  

Mike retired on July 1, 2016, after working part-time since 1998 as the Technology and Media Services Supervisor and District Librarian for the Corning Union Elementary School District in Corning, California.  

I taught yoga, taijiquan, qigong, pilates, and other fitness classes at the Tehama Family Fitness Center in Red Bluff from 2002-2016.

In 2017, we moved to Vancouver, Washington.  We are now both retired.  

Family in Oregon in 2013

Vancouver, Washington, 2017
Our New Home

Flinn and Garofalo Family Gathering
Vancouver, Salmon Creek, Washington, Summer 2021

I am very fortunate in having fairly good health, a positive attitude, and stamina for work and play for all of my long life.  I was fortunate in being able to be productively employed for 54 years, and earning good medical insurance for Karen and I.  

I am a philosopher by inclination and practice.  

I have been active with various sports, physical conditioning programs, walking, fitness, Taijiquan, Yoga, hiking, etc., during my entire healthy long life.  

However, during this past COVID epidemic period I did not walk each day, kind of huddled in my home office and read, smoked too much cannabis, daydreamed, lolly-gaged, goofed-off, and acted like a lazy depressed retiree.  Therefore, I was very out of shape at the end of 2021.  

My personal goals for 2022 are to:  

1. Maintain a dietary habit that reduces my blood sugar. 
2. Reduce my body weight to 225 pounds. 
3. Walk and exercise every day. 
4.  Read and write:    Four Days in Grayland     Cloud Hands Blog. 

5.  Help and take care of my wife, family and friends. 
6. Support humanistic and environmental causes. 
7.  Explore Photography using my Canon SX740 camera, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop; and work on our Family Photo Project😊 with Karen. 

8. Enjoy old age. 
9. Travel to the Coast and Yurt camp each month for four days.  
10.  Yet to be Determined, New Opportunities, Unknown

That about sums it up!

Trash Cleanup

For the last 16 years, a portion of our south field has been used for storing metal, plastic, and wood trash.  We decided to clean up the south field.

Karen and I rented a dumpster from Green Waste of Tehama County.  The 20 cubic yard dumpster was delivered yesterday morning.  We have one week to fill the dumpster, before it is removed and taken to the Tehama County Landfill.

We use Green Waste of Tehama County for weekly reliable curbside trash disposal - mostly paper waste.  We save aluminum cans, metal cans, plastic, and glass containers; and then recycle with Green Waste pickup.  We have a compost pile for garbage.  Larger weeding, pruning, and tree trimming green waste is piled in the south field and burned on December 21st after rain, and the ashes are used as fertilizer.  

Unfortunately, for us, the weather rapidly turned extremely hot.  Temperatures have climbed to over 105F in the afternoon.  We work from 5 am to 11:30 am.

Karen got bit by wasps five times while working on this cleanup project.  She is tough! 

Our dog, Bruno, smelled and dug his way into gopher holes, snake holes, bee and wasp hives in holes ...   He stayed with us the whole time we worked on the clean up project. 

 

Blanche Karen Garofalo Retires

Karen Garofalo, my wife, retired today, Thursday, on June 12, 2014.  

Her last employment was with the Tehama County Department of Education (TCDE) in Red Bluff, California, from 1998-2014.  She worked 30 hours per week, 5 days a week, as a Special Education Instructional Assistant helping physically and mentally handicapped students.  

She worked with preschool students at the special education center at the Barrendos Middle School campus in Red Bluff.  She helped severely handicapped primary school students at the TCDE Special Education Center at the Gerber School in the Gerber/Proberta area.  Then, she worked with adults, ages 18-21, at the Tehama Adult Learning Center (TALC) in Red Bluff.  She enjoyed working with and supporting the following teachers:  Gary Ulloa, Holly Allison, Judy Howry, Mary Craig, Ann Lieker, and the administrator Julie Howard.  

Karen has also worked for the Pacific Bell Telephone Company as a telephone operator; at the Popps Ferry Elementary School in Biloxi, Mississippi, as a instructional assistant; and, for an optometrist as a receptionist.  She, of course, has "worked" for many years, and will continue to do so, as a homemaker, mother, and wife.  She was very active for many years as the President of the Hacienda Heights Friends of the Library, and was given the annual Citizen's Award in 1993 by the Los Angeles County Public Library System.  

Karen has raised two fine children, Alicia June and Michael Delmer.  Our two children, their spouses, and two grandchildren live in Portland, Oregon.  

I hope that Karen has a long, enjoyable, productive and energizing retirement.