Ask Luke’s Mother-in-Law: Break-ups, Oil Changes and Martin Milner

Got questions? Martha Boyd has all sorts of answers. A desert-dweller, self-proclaimed crazy cat lady, former LAPD officer and widow to a Green Beret, she’s seen and heard things crazier than you’ve imagined. And is ready for whatever odd questions you have, so bring them on!

Hope everyone had a nice Labor Day for those who have the day off. This week, I am showing off one of my newest obsessions. Solar dancing bobbles. This is from my bathroom window; a good place for sun and the kitties can’t reach these shelves. They are at various dollar stores. They have a little solar panel and then the head/arm/body dances. Quite fun to watch while sitting on the potty. I started with the flowers, next the cat, and just found the little scarecrow girl. For a buck they are cute.

Well, with this one just about everyone is back to school again. Sorry kids, but trust me, when you are out and really making your way in the world, you will be wishing just to have homework again.

The show rehearsal is still going well. We now run the full show every night up until we open. In a couple of weeks we will be doing makeup and setting lights, etc. That is when you can really see what will be the finished product. Opening night is Oct 2 and we close on Oct 31. In a couple of weeks we will be announcing what shows will be done next year. Can’t wait to find out.

Everyone remember the Joshua Tree Film fest is fast approaching. Opening night is Sept 18. You can get tickets on line at Joshua Tree International Film Fest. JTIFF.org – very reasonable prices. I hope to see many locals and out-of-towners in attendance.

Can you believe this? Well no – so I have the evidence. Gas in Southern California at DRUM ROLL: $2.99 per gallon for unleaded. Put $25.00 of this in my tank and it was at a Mobil station. Every other price in town is $3.19 or more, but I found the $2.99 station. Just love treasure hunts.

So this week we have the following:

Matthew K:
How often should I realistically get an oil change?

First I will say check your car’s owners book. Then for reality. I do mine every 6 months. I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Every January and every June it gets all of its tires, belts, hoses, and fluids checked by my mechanic. The best one in the Morongo Basin, English Joe. Lord help me if this man ever decides to stop working on cars. He has been fixing the family cars for about 25 yrs. This now included Luke and Julia’s cars.

What’s your opinion on self-service kiosks?

Hate them. Okay, yes I will from time to time deal with a vending machine if I want a soda. But past that I don’t care what it is; I want to deal with a human. You can’t ask a kiosk questions or try something or get useful advice from a kiosk.

Bryce Abood:
When nostalgia is cool in 2040, what 2015 trends do you hope resurface?

2015 – hopefully none. Not really much of 2015 I would really call trending and would necessarily want it to come back to haunt us again. Besides by 2040 I’ll be 84 and probably will not remember or not give a you-know-what about 2015.

Edward G:
So is Instagram now the right social media to break up with people?

I don’t have an Instagram account. I know Julia has one as I see her posts to Facebook from Instagram. But frankly, I don’t think that you should break up with anyone on social media. That’s just low and being a chicken. If you are going to break up, do it in person.

Citrus King:
A question out of curiosity: what is ya’lls favorite song of all time?

Any choice that is not “Bohemian Rhapsody” is wrong, but I am interested in hearing the responses.

Mine is “Hurting Each Other” by the Carpenters
Then “Fame” followed by “Feed the Birds.”

Patch Ninetynine:
I’ve been traveling for work, so apologies if this has already been asked.

With Fall TV coming back, which shows are you excited to see?

Whisperers, anything Gordon Ramsey, Bones, Shark Tank, Orange is the New Black and Once Upon a Time.

On the no list and shows I wish they would get rid of: anything “reality.” Hate this type of show.

John Zoidberg:
Is your cat Pirate a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team? Or could he care less about baseball or organized sports in general… or is he a hometown team kinda cat?

Pirate, despite the name, is a girl kitty. Julia named her, and the full name is Pirate Luke – connection here. I guess at the time it was a good name for black cat #2 other than black cat #2. We already had Boo. She thought that if she named a cat after Luke he would let her take it home – didn’t work so I got the kitty. Hey, but now they have Toby.

In closing, I would like to say my best wishes to the family of Martin Milner. I have watched Route 66 reruns thru the years, and at one time I lived on Route 66 in Glendora, CA. But I really came to know Mr. Milner from Adam 12. The unit’s call sign was 1 Adam 12. In LAPD that means the car was out of Central division where I was proud to work. This show, along with Dragnet, inspired me to go into law enforcement. The tribute to Mr. Milner from Chief Beck was wonderful. I had several training officers who were like Pete Malloy. I once was honored to meet this fine actor at the LAPD academy, which was such a treat.

Hope you all have a wonderful and productive week until we meet again. As always be good to each other and HUGGS.

All your questions will be answered! Just post them below, or if you’d rather your name be kept confidential, email to boydappraisal at yahoo dot com. No issue is too weird or too trivial.