The Other Day and Today

The Other Day.

The other day (who can remember which one? I'm on vacation!), Mom and I went to lunch in downtown Palm Springs. It was still fairly warm. Hence, the misters were going full blast on the patios.

This mist is the fuzzy part over the umbrellas. This is totally foreign to people from Massachusetts. We're used to just sweating and it would never occur to us to be on the patio in the 90's. Notice how neatly groomed the palm trees are? If they had been left unclipped, one could have been whacked in the face with a tendril. No thank you.

Today.

"Damn, it's cold!" Yes, that was my 6:30 a.m. wake up time. 

I have been leaving the window open in my bedroom. By 7:30 a.m., it was up to 63 F. (A week ago, it was 96 degrees.) I have been delighted with the 10 to 15 degrees cooler than normal temperatures, but I just bought lighter summer pj's! I think someone ought to remind me that I bring cool weather in the spring.

Sunrise Villas has stopped heating "Mom's" pool. Hers is one of the three that are heated year round. In the past, when the temperature climbed, the heater would switch off. Now they have decided to shut it off in May. The water is o.k. for me (considering that the heated pool in Amherst is still colder than the one here!), but the natives are furious. They can only go into the outdoor hot tub, which seemed REALLY hot to me the first night. Although it did feel good yesterday after the pool which was brisk. (The temperature has been falling daily.)

Yesterday.

Mom and I went to the Rancho Mirage Library to hear the Desert Wind Band's concert. We got there early to ensure a parking space near the door which was a good thing because the wind had blown up and was gusting heavily. One woman had the wind blow her car door right out of her hand, smacking the car next to her.

Even though we were early, there was a line of people waiting for the doors to open which extended out a side door. The building made shade (thank goodness!). Here's the side, sort of back, parking lot (as opposed to the front).

To those of you who know the configuration of where I work, you know that we all have parking envy. This lot, Homies, is narrower, but bigger than our CVS lot.

Here are a few brief shots that I took of the inside of the library.

The Book Nook is the Friends of the Library book sale room. It does say on the bottom of this sign that covered beverages are o.k. in the Library.

I don't think you can read it, but just past the woman in red is their internet cafe. There are a half dozen computers, but then there are about 8 tables with chairs and they stock real bakery items. I'm guessing it's a concession arrangement but it was closed so I couldn't ask anyone.

 As you enter, the Children's Room is on the left.

And this is on the right, just past the main desk with a person on the right as you enter. The named room all the way in the back is a reading room; the named room on the right is a computer room.

And finally, here is the room which is in front of the inside entrance to the library, and the crowd for the concert.

The concert was wonderful! They played everything from patriotic songs and marches to selections from West Side Story and Glenn Miller. Then they ended with a salute to every branch of the military, which I had first heard at concerts in Branson, MO. (Thanks, Maria and Jack!) It's a very large band -- about 25 people. It was the first LGBT (that's how the leader said it) in the LA area in the 70's. 

The concert was free but they were accepting donations. After the performance, they gave two $1,000 scholarships to local graduating high school seniors who will begin college as music majors. They said they would have liked to fund all 11 applicants, but they could only afford two. 

Afterward, we met friends for dinner at Rick's Cuban Grill. They give you a deviled egg as a complimentary appetizer! (Have I told you the Manhattan Deli gives you pickles and sauer kraut and a pickled tomato?) I'm amazed at these places that give you free stuff. And it works, doesn't it? I'm writing about it and when you come here, you will go there!

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The TV ads here are filled with doctors who will take care of ugly veins, doctors who will do face and other body lifts and tucks, make up artists, spas ... well, you get the idea. Those ads are followed by casino ads. So I guess the idea is to win money and spend it on surgery. Not! 

I feel very ignorant about a lot of the culture here and I have to ask for explanations, but I have to admit to being blown away by two different people who asked if we all have fireplaces because it gets so cold in Massachusetts. 

I did gently remind the young blonde woman that we have central heating and a fireplace actually sucks much of the heat out up into the chimney. Her boyfriend was horrified when I said a few years ago we used to have about one week where it went down to minus 20 in the winter. We had been talking about how mild last winter was. He was horrified and said, "What does it feel like?" I told him that once it's below 30, your nose hairs crinkle and it just happens faster when it's colder. "But you can't go out in that," he exclaimed, "Or only stay out for 30 seconds."  I laughed inwardly because he was serious. I just said, "Well, we bundle up," all the while thinking what would happen if people called out from work due to the cold. You Canadians know that I am not exaggerating and, in fact, we get less of the snow and cold temperatures than you do.