Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Granny

Granny came into my life a couple of months ago with the subtlety of an armed narco-commando raid. Which is exactly what led to her arrival at my Palacial Wooden Shack (PWC).
The 88 year old woman had been living in a single room dwelling that was part of an extended family compound in a west-central Mexican state. Apparently, a young nephew had taken up with a local street gang. A dispute with other local narco thugs at a nearby park led to a 'hit', which led to a running gun battle. Masked gunmen chased the nephew's homeboy, who ran to the closest house he knew of. The nephew's compound. Which was where he was killed.
As the assassins searched the compound for other rival members they burst into Granny's room. The time was just after 3am. According to Granny and others, "That is the hour when Los Encapuchados (The masked ones) come to kill." I thought this rather interesting because I'd once read somewhere that military research had shown 3am is the hour when most humans are at their groggiest. It's the hour when your trained to attack - If you have military or police training.
Granny did not arrive alone. Let me see now, all told there were four adults, two teenagers and three children squeezed into my PWC. That would be a total of nine scared, hungry, tired people wondering what they'd done to deserve their present situation.
My significant other was still explaining this to me as I walked into my bedroom. Granny was sitting in Trini's rocking chair. She stood up as quickly as an 88 year old lady could and came toward me;
"I'm so sorry to disturb you Senor. But the masked ones came to my room. I told them, 'Why do you come into my room? Why do you want to hurt me? I have done nothing to you...'"
That last line, combined with the frightened look on her face, pierced my heart like an obsidian tipped arrow. If ever there was a chant for the poor, long suffering, put upon, exploited lower class masses in Mexico it is  'Why do you want to hurt me? I have done nothing to you...' Granny had spoken for a nation.
Suffice it to say, :The Refugees" as I came to call them were told they could stay as long as they wanted. I figured as jangled nerves settled, they would drift back south to the family compound.
Meantime, Granny took up a spot on our porch and spent most of her waking hours watching the world from the grapevine shrouded location. Trini had casually mentioned to Granny that I was very protective of my grapevines. Granny took it upon herself to be the sheriff of the grapes. The grapes weren't quite ripe yet but were so close that daily squeezings were becoming the norm. Whenever any of the juvenile refugees came close to the bright green clusters her voice would explode from where she sat hidden amongst the vines; "Don't touch those grapes! Those are El Senor's grapes!"
One morning I arrived home from washing dishes at The French Gourmet. I had been waiting in anticipation of the day the first bunch would be ripe and today was the day. I paused by the ripest looking cluster and reached for the Merlots. A voice stopped my hand inches from juicy joy.
"Don't touch those grapes! Those grapes belong to El Senor!"
Did I mention that Granny is partially deaf and blind?
"But Granny," I pleaded. "I am El Senor!"
"What!" she shouted back. "Don't give me any of your excuses child! I said don't touch El Senor's grapes!"
I sighed, pulled my hand away, and headed toward my home office/man cave. Grapeless, but content in knowing my crop was well protected. Good looking out, Granny.
                                   COFFEE'S READY, GOTTA GO!!!...
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

The Fellini of Clairemont High

When gang showers were standard for gym class
Granny came into my life a couple of months ago with the subtlety of an armed narco-commando raid. Which is exactly what led to her arrival at my Palacial Wooden Shack (PWC).
The 88 year old woman had been living in a single room dwelling that was part of an extended family compound in a west-central Mexican state. Apparently, a young nephew had taken up with a local street gang. A dispute with other local narco thugs at a nearby park led to a 'hit', which led to a running gun battle. Masked gunmen chased the nephew's homeboy, who ran to the closest house he knew of. The nephew's compound. Which was where he was killed.
As the assassins searched the compound for other rival members they burst into Granny's room. The time was just after 3am. According to Granny and others, "That is the hour when Los Encapuchados (The masked ones) come to kill." I thought this rather interesting because I'd once read somewhere that military research had shown 3am is the hour when most humans are at their groggiest. It's the hour when your trained to attack - If you have military or police training.
Granny did not arrive alone. Let me see now, all told there were four adults, two teenagers and three children squeezed into my PWC. That would be a total of nine scared, hungry, tired people wondering what they'd done to deserve their present situation.
My significant other was still explaining this to me as I walked into my bedroom. Granny was sitting in Trini's rocking chair. She stood up as quickly as an 88 year old lady could and came toward me;
"I'm so sorry to disturb you Senor. But the masked ones came to my room. I told them, 'Why do you come into my room? Why do you want to hurt me? I have done nothing to you...'"
That last line, combined with the frightened look on her face, pierced my heart like an obsidian tipped arrow. If ever there was a chant for the poor, long suffering, put upon, exploited lower class masses in Mexico it is  'Why do you want to hurt me? I have done nothing to you...' Granny had spoken for a nation.
Suffice it to say, :The Refugees" as I came to call them were told they could stay as long as they wanted. I figured as jangled nerves settled, they would drift back south to the family compound.
Meantime, Granny took up a spot on our porch and spent most of her waking hours watching the world from the grapevine shrouded location. Trini had casually mentioned to Granny that I was very protective of my grapevines. Granny took it upon herself to be the sheriff of the grapes. The grapes weren't quite ripe yet but were so close that daily squeezings were becoming the norm. Whenever any of the juvenile refugees came close to the bright green clusters her voice would explode from where she sat hidden amongst the vines; "Don't touch those grapes! Those are El Senor's grapes!"
One morning I arrived home from washing dishes at The French Gourmet. I had been waiting in anticipation of the day the first bunch would be ripe and today was the day. I paused by the ripest looking cluster and reached for the Merlots. A voice stopped my hand inches from juicy joy.
"Don't touch those grapes! Those grapes belong to El Senor!"
Did I mention that Granny is partially deaf and blind?
"But Granny," I pleaded. "I am El Senor!"
"What!" she shouted back. "Don't give me any of your excuses child! I said don't touch El Senor's grapes!"
I sighed, pulled my hand away, and headed toward my home office/man cave. Grapeless, but content in knowing my crop was well protected. Good looking out, Granny.
                                   COFFEE'S READY, GOTTA GO!!!...
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Used Cars

Next Article

Faith and fire in El Fin Del Mundo

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader