Merry Christmas and Welcome to the Whirlwind

Let me begin by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. And if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you are having a wonderful time doing whatever you are doing.
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No, I did not get a picture of a hummingbird. But Lorne did.

 Lorne calls the bird Herbie. I do think Herbie is a girl due to her lack of colors. But I'm sure she doesn't mind the moniker. 

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Speaking of wild life, Mom and I have been battling Attila the Cricket tonight. Since I was barefoot, I needed something to squash him. I dropped the three ring binder that contains Mom's 8,053 computer passwords on him. Three times. Each time he gleefully leapt free. Finally resorting to Raid, I squirted him and Mom said, 'That's all you need.' I went back to the comfy chair and settled in to watch more Doc Martin. Scuttle, scuttle, scuttle and out comes Attilla from the closet. He ran around yelling, "neener, neener, neener" at me and sat glaring at me next to the TV.  Mom comes back into the room.

Me:      'That's all you need,' she said.
Mom:   Well, he's dead.
Me:      He's not! He's not dead. He's sleeping.
Mom:   He's not hopping.
   Cricket: Hop, hop, hop.

Mom squirted him again. I think he drown. 

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 It all began on Thanksgiving -- we got together and celebrated Christmas. We did have a lovely meal at a Mexican restaurant at one point.

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Last night, we got back from Santa Cruz. We left at 9:30 a.m. and arrived back at 8 p.m. Yes, we made a couple of stops which included a leisurely hamburger al fresco. Of course, the line for the food was over 20 people long. Everyone and their brother were on the freeways. A couple of times we were going 20 m.p.h. in a posted 70 m.p.h. zone. 

We had been to visit my Uncle Bob who is in an assisted living facility in Santa Cruz. The place is gorgeous, even nicer than Applewood (that's in Amherst). And the care givers seem really invested in their residents. We had a couple of lovely lunches with my uncle and his daughter, Susan.

On the way back, Mom had fun taking pictures with her phone. We both found the rolling hills to be gorgeous.

The hills are very dry and some patches were burned. We saw a large plume of smoke in the Santa Barbara area. That's why we didn't Route 101 (the scenic route): we didn't want to drive through a lot of smoke.

While we were on the stretch of freeway that they call The Grapevine, the sun began to set. Mom got a lovely bunch of photos. The sunset show began at 6,000 feet and was still going when we hit 2,000 feet. I did not retouch these photos at all, so the colors really were that vivid.

Doesn't Mom take a great selfie?


And for contrast, here is a sunset in PS that Mom had on her phone's camera.

Again, Merry Christmas!

Is It Saturday?

Yes, indeedy, it's Saturday. One day is much like the rest when you're retired! Well, not really, the gardeners come on Fridays ...

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Those aren't red lights, but rather the color from the bouganvilla colors them outside of Mom's garage.

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Lorne took 5 of us to dinner at Spencer's tonight. Thank you! Elaine was in charge of desserts and they were wonderful, including sugar free for me. Thank you both! Oh, yes, and thank you to Robert for making the tea. 

 

Tree in the entryway at Spencer's

 

Tree on the patio where we ate

Above is the patio where we ate. It was about 61 F., but do you see how many heaters there were? I was nice and toasty.

 As you leave the restaurant, they have wrapped some palms in the Palm Springs tradition.

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It's Sunday now -- about 9:30 p.m. and we just got back from the Agua Caliente Casino (same Indians, different casino from The Spa which is in downtown Palm Springs). We drove out Bob Hope Highway and crossed Dinah Shore passing by Gene Autry. (Ask your mother, Sharon, she will know these people.)

I lost my shirt. And then they threw me out -- because me without a shirt is not a pretty sight! Actually, we ate dinner at the buffet and on the way out we saw this:

It's a hotel ginger bread cake. The palm trees are made out of sugar bordered with gum drops. You are looking at balconies that project outward. I'm only in the picture to show you how freakin' big it is! There's some kind of contest about pictures and going online, but I couldn't be bothered to read all of the directions.

Meanwhile, before heading to the casino, we heard the Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus. There are 110 members but only 75 were on stage. They are great singers! And they had a guest harpist, violinist and horn player come on stage for some of the pieces. The did everything from Christma carols to Chanukkah songs and Kwanza songs. The end number was a knock out.

About 20 guys in shorts and Christmas socks that made them look like elves sat in straight backed chairs facing the audience. Then they began a "dance" while seated which began with slapping their thighs but then got really really complicated with waving their hands and doing 'high kicks' . This routine was amazing and we did not see one mistake for about 10 minutes. The rest of the chorus was singing behind them. It was very clever.

Mom was seated next to a chorus member who had not tried out for this show (they do two different ones a year) and he said that one man had knit all of the hats and scarves which all 75 were wearing onstage. Wow. Some scarves were all red, some green, and some gold. The hats were typical round knit hats and matched the scarves.

At one point, the director said, 'We are going to sing a song that actually has a connection to Palm Springs' and he was speaking of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer because apparently Gene Autry sang it. I used to love watching him on TV but I didn't remember his singing that song.

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The Thomas fire is still raging in the Los Angeles area. Thousands of acres have burned and one firefighter lost his life. He leaves a wife and a 3 year old daughter with another child on the way. Even though the drought has technically broken, all of the underbrush under new growth is tinder dry.

They are ascribing these fires to illegal camp fires. It reminds me of finding remnants of a camp fire in the garden behind the Jones Library. 

 

 

It Wasn't Me

'Breaking news: Palm Springs police discovered 1200 marijuana plants in a house. The owner had left before police got there.' I think somebody was ticked off and dropped a dime ...

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 It's the bees' knees.

We went to the Spa Casino.

 

View from the Spa Casino garage

 

 

Entering the casino from the garage connector

 

 

I love the 'river.' There were tables made of this 'water' and they looked like ice.

Yes, I lost all of my $60 but I did have fun playing for a while. 
 
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Part of Mom's decorations.

 There are more lights but I'm too lazy to snap them.

 These palms reminded me of arrows ...

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I remembered three things today! The last was 'turn on the dishwaher after 9 p.m.' (because that's when the electric rate is lower). I can't remember the other two ...

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Happy Chanukah! 

I remember the year I explained it all to the girls and put a tiny menorah from my mother in law in the front window (facing the street). It fell over. It didn't burn the house down because, luckily, I had put it on a cookie sheet. 

I don't think I have had a real candle flame since. I use the battery operated 'candles.' 

Free Friday

After our morning walk, Mom and I decided to take it easy. We have been a bit over-scheduled. And we needed to do laundry ...

It quickly became too warm to be quilting, but I kept at it for a decent amount.

Then Netflix -- I was thrilled to see the new season of Broadchurch. 

Then it was out to the pool around 4 p.m. It had cooled down to 77 degrees from 80 degrees but it was fine. Unfortunately, I had to share the pool.

There was a fellow doing laps. We coexisted nicely.

 
 The hot tub was divine. (I know it's a long shot, but I didn't want that guy to see me taking pictures.)

 

Pre sunset

 

A Palm Tree Meeting

Above are some of the palms which housed a murder of crows who were bedding down for the night. They are much quieter at night than in the morning!

 

Pretty view

 So while it's not true that we spend every day by the pool sipping martinis, we do not have to worry about an impending snow storm!

It's back to party time tomorrow. Cheers!
 

I Am Now a Full Fledged Mizell Sr. Ctr. Member

Today I had my first lunch at the Mizell. (They are considering dropping "senior" from the title -- I have no idea why.) It was yummy! I especially liked the fact that I had to prove that I was over 60 to get the $3 price vs. $5. I whipped my driver's license on out!

This is after I said no thank you to the roll, butter and chocolate cake! People who arrived later didn't get chocolate cake with chocolate frosting -- they got a fruit cup. There was either water or lemonade to drink.

Then I went to a new members' orientation. (It costs $25 to join.) It was an hour too long. I left after an hour and 15 minutes and he was still talking. Of course, everything was in a folder with printed flyers that they gave us. There were 18 "newbies."
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Yesterday, the Desert Regional Medical Center Auxiliary (of volunteers) let me attend their luncheon at the Hilton. Their chicken breast was tough and overcooked. Mom and I were impressed with the salad: each one had one slice of cucumber, one cherry tomato, and one black olive. Their dessert looked impressive: it was cheesecake with strawberries in syrup on the side. 

A fellow joined us at our lunch table and he said he had been retired for a year and a half. He had been an academic librarian for USoCal. I was not impressed. Apparently, he thought I should be impressed because he was an academic librarian. Hmpf.

There is a small fee to join the hospital Auxiliary (I think $20) and all of that money goes to scholarships for two years of college for the lucky recipients. They never said what the individual grants were, but this year they gave away over $58,000! 

And the president read off the names of this year's Stars. Those are people who gave $250. Sounds like a good way to encourage people to donate. 

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Mom, Elaine, and I went for a walk this a.m. So now I'm committed to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning walks. And Tuesday and Thursday afternoon stretching class. I'm either going to get into better shape or die.

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Tonight is a tribute to Jerry Vale and Italian singers at the Rancho Mirage Library. 

Next day: well, I pooped out. Couldn't make it to the Italian singers last night. Today is Thursday (I think!) which means exercise class at 4 p.m. and the Villagefest starts at 6 p.m. The Villagefest is every Thursday during "the season" and the city closes off about three blocks downtown and they fill it with vendors selling everything from art to fresh fruits and vegetables. The art museum is free and the Spa Casino is nearby. It's always a difficult decision to decide what to do. I have learned that all three are TOO much!  

It's a balmy 72 degrees and sunny. The weather guy on TV last night said they get 345 days of sun here in a year. That wouldn't be too tough to take ... 

I have got to see if I can find my leather thimble. It is partly fabric too, but it covers a lot of my finger. I thought I had packed it. It has become quite a nuisance that the back of the sewing needle is chopping up the inside of my middle finger. I still have a lot more hand quilting to do. I'm going to change needles because I think this one is blunt, but I've got to finish this quilt! I wonder if I dare go into a Joann's Fabrics? Nooooooooo ... Stay tuned. (Going into a fabric store for me is like a drug addict going into a drug dealer's den to 'just look.' Not a good thing.)

Meep, Meep!

Elaine (our lovely Canadian friend) and I went for a walk this morning. It was delightful and we walked out of the east entrance of Sunrise Villas and re-entered by the west (main) entrance. It's actually two different homeowners' associations. 

Anyway ... suddenly, Elaine said, "Where's your camera?!" as we saw a road runner near the pool. Then he was joined by Mrs. Roadrunner. They were about 100 yards away so I apologize for the not great photo. I tried to get closer but was only able to take three giant steps before they made their "I'm going to beat feet any second."

 I don't know how I did this one below! I think I cropped it and then enlarged it. Wish I could do it again.

 

What Day Is This? Who Am I?

You know, trying to keep up with my mother can take its toll ... Last night (Friday, 12/1/17) just about did me in. Let's just say that mason jars with handles are bigger than the ordinary glass for adult beverages -- and Tina should not drink two of them filled with whiskey and ice. 

We had gone to 'Western Night' at the 7 Lakes Country Club. It was a rootin' tootin' bar dancing and hopping to country music. The guys (including the waiters) were resplendent in their western shirts and hats and the women glittered in their bling covered Annie Oakley outfits. Although Mom's friend looked decidedly uncowgirl-like in her brown suede sheath with the fringe and her turquoise jewelry. She looked lovely.

It was too noisy so we had dinner on the patio overlooking the fountain.

 Yes, Mom's friend's condo is on a golf course. Either that or the flamingos were taking putting practice.

I felt like a country bumpkin snapping this, but I had to show you the ladies' room. I was going to take a picture of the huge bowl with rolled hand towels too, but a woman came in and I stashed my camera.

 

But I get ahead of myself. The night before (Thursday, 11/30/17), was the Palm Springs Holiday Tree Lighting. (Below)

 The two non-tree structures on the left are tubes spitting water into a pool and the water runs down the chute on the lower left. (The tubes move up and down and around -- it's a kinetic sculpture.)

 And the chute dumps the water out in another pool. The kids love running around the top. I never saw anyone fall in, but I'm sure that has happened at some point.

And the sun began to set ...

 Almost done setting ...

They were serving the traditional cookies, but this year, they added little bags of caramel corn adorned with festive bows. The hot chocolate with the add-your-own whipped cream was further down the table.

It was in the low 70s and do you remember how I said the natives thought that was cold? Look at this native garb!

 






His Honor, the Mayor, gave out awards to school children. The woman on the right was the Mistress of Ceremonies. She reminded us that this was the 25th year of lighting the PS tree.

Besides one table for making your own plastic tree decoration (you fill it with stuff), there were also two tables of easels ready for anyone to paint. This is toward the end of the festivities and the kids were done.

We waited patiently for Santa.

And he arrived!

 That's a school orchestra in front of Santa's sleigh. They provided great music! There was a chorus too, but they had left by then.

 Bella da Ball was proclaimed "Palm Springs' Sweetheart" and she and the Mayor waited for Santa.

I felt better knowing that Palm Springs' Finest were there. This is their undercover vehicle.

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Back to 12/1/17 (Saturday): we had to bring Deb to Verizon and the store just happened to be near Babe's ... they have the best ribs and everything else in California. Their cole slaw has golden raisins in it!

Above is a quick view of the inside after a rest room break. We ate on the patio and it couldn't have been nicer. There was a slight breeze and it was a dry 80 or so degrees. Great food, great weather -- what more could one ask?

 

Babe's Patio

 
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Today is SUNDAY! I know this for a fact. I'm waiting for CBS Sunday morning at 7 a.m. When I woke at 5 a.m., I figured I might as well finish this.

Believe it or not, last night we "did" the Palm Springs 25th Light Parade. Mom and her friends split a hotel room which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment since it was on the 5th floor. The balcony was smaller than last year's I am told, and the view was not great. The good news is that for the first time, they televised the parade live. So we had the two TVs in the room tuned to the parade and we told the people on the balcony what group was marching because we could read the signs. The view was great and the full moon was captivating.

You can just barely see the moon here.

The moon is now more visible.

 All of the marchers wore lights and the vehicles were covered in lights. Ross Mathews was the Grand Marshall. He is a Palm Springs resident and TV personality.

 

 There were three bands from Germany, one from Poland, one from the Czech Republic, and one from Brazil. I was impressed. There were over 100 groups marching including many area middle schools. Who knew that a middle school would have a marching band with flag twirlers?

By the way, I enjoyed soda water while the others downed a lot of wine!

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So as I mentioned earlier, today is Sunday. After Sunday Morning, it's off to the Desert Chapel for church. Then at 3 p.m. we go to the 7th Day Adventist church for a live performance of Handel's Messiah. 

Maybe I can get a nap in before 60 Minutes comes on ... meanwhile, we have been watching an Aussie series on Netflix. It's called "The Code."