Music festivals, menudo cook-off, craft beer fest and The Eagles highlight the weekend, and northeast homeowners hold an Irish wake for a 60-foot tall coastal redwood tree

 * ... FESTIVALS: How fat is your wallet these days? I'm asking because if you are looking for something do this this Memorial Day weekend, there are plenty of festivals and music acts that will

be happy to take your money. You can start with George Martin's huge Rock and Country Music and Art Festival Saturday at the Kern County Museum featuring a couple dozen familiar acts like Leann Rimes, Chubby Checker and Eddie Money. If that is too pricey, head over to the CSUB amphi-theater for the Craft Beer Festival hosted by Moo Creamery and Imbibe Wine and Spirits. Fighting a hangover? Then the Kern Hispanic Chamber's Menudo Festival may be right for you at the fairgrounds, or you can save your money and try to score a ticket to The Eagles concert at Rabobank Arena on Tuesday. On the less expensive side, you might check out the Average White Band appearing Friday evening at the Park at River Walk, where tickets are just $15.

* ... DROUGHT: Bob Hartshorn sent me this missive about the drought: "I have a comment regarding the California water conservation efforts/laws. I am waiting for the port-a-potties to be lined up at the Sacramento legislative offices, so our lawmakers can lead by example. Also, I would like to suggest to the lady who goes to her neighbor to ask/tell him not to wash out the gutters. Invite that gentleman to observe you taking a shower so the he can make sure you aren't taking too much time. After all, it's for the common good.

 * ... SPOTTED: Saw this on Twitter the other day: "I've never been in love, but I imagine it's similar to the feeling you get when you see your food coming in a restaurant."

 * ... VISUAL CLUTTER: Here's a thoughtful note from  Anthony Malon: "What's with all the 'I buy houses' signs everywhere? Don't they ever have to take them down ? If there is a law, it's easy to enforce they have a phone number on the signs. Looks terrible on top of all the yards sales signs on Saturday."

 * ... GRANTS: One of the more generous benefactors in town is The Bakersfield Californian (family) Foundation, which recently announced yet more grants. Among the recipients were the College Dream Fund, $3,200 for scholarships; Have a Heart Human Society, $3,500; Kern Agricultural Foundation, $4,000 for scholarships;  Kern Athletic Fencing Foundation, $7,500; Salvation Army, $11,520; Keep Bakersfield Beautiful, $14,500 for two community gardens; Bit-O-Heaven Ranch, $25,000 in matching funds; and the Wings of Rescue, $28,000 for its Saving Bakersfield Shelter Pets project.                                                                                  

* ... IRISH WAKE: What's the proper way to say goodbye to a stately old tree? How about an old fashioned Irish wake? John Rodgers lives on Christmas Tree Lane in the Northeast and has the tallest coastal redwood tree on the block. "We have been told we need to remove it since it is six feet from our home and is causing damage to our foundation. Needless to say we are not happy having to do this. We are posting it on Facebook and hoping folks will come for one last look at the tree and share a toast with us."

Along with basketball, March Madness brings a spike in vasectomies and TV upgrades and three big local events in May will compete for our wallets

 * … MARCH MADNESS: It turns out that our obsession with the NCAA Basketball Tournament has to do with a lot more than simply college basketball. According to researchers, doctors report up to

a 50 percent rise in the number of vasectomies during the NCAA tournament, presumably so the men can spend their recovery in front of the big screen TV. Further, 27 percent of respondents to a 2014 survey say they watch games at work, and 12 percent would upgrade to HDTV if their favorite team made it to the Sweet Sixteen.

 * … MORE MADNESS: And speaking of March Madness, few households are more excited about the tournament than the home of Grimmay Farms counsel Jeff Green and his wife, District Attorney Lisa Green. Consider this: their son Matthew Green graduated from UC Irvine, brother Andrew graduated from UCLA and sister Rebecca from Indiana University. Jeff, meanwhile, is an alum of San Diego State. All four schools -San Diego State, UC Irvine, Indiana and UCLA - are represented in the tournament. Only Fresno State, Lisa's alma mater, failed to make the Big Dance.

* … EVENTS: Three big events are on a collision course for competing for our attention (and dollars) in late May. It is all starting on Saturday, May 23, when George Martin's huge rock and country show will feature over 30 acts at the Kern County Museum, all for a price tag of $130 a ticket. On the same day, the Bakersfield Craft Beer Festival will be at the CSUB Amphitheater, hosted by Imbibe Wine and Moo Creamery. And then, just a few days later, the Eagles will be appearing at Rabobank Arena, and you can bet tickets won't be cheap for that. Those are three popular events that will make a serious dent in your wallet, and how effectively they cannabalize each other will determine how successful they are.

 * … SPOTTED: A young mother holding the hands of her two very young daughters jaywalking across a busy south Chester, forcing two cars to veer into oncoming traffic to avoid running over them.

* … STARBUCKS: So what do you think of the Starbucks campaign to spark a conversation about race by writing provocotive messages on our coffee cups? As a frend told me: "Can I just have a cup of coffee please? I don't need a morning conversation on race with my local barista."

* … GOOD FORM: Don't you love it when people surprise and delight you? From Sheila Blackburn: "I read your column regularly and know that you often pass on a thank you to good samaritans in our community. I would like to publicly thank the kind gentleman who came to my elderly mother's aid following a mishap on Manor Street on Saturday morning, making sure she was okay, getting her car to the side of the road, and delivering her safely to my home  We didn't get his name, but we wanted to publicly thank him for his kindness. My mother couldn't stop talking about that 'nice man.' We are very grateful to him. The world needs more people like this thoughtful, caring gentleman."