Random Thoughts

Palm Springs Hummingbird courtesy of Lorne Huston

Here are some random thoughts -- when I'm supposed to be doing something else other than talking to you! (I think this was on Saturday ... )

*  It's important to notice that your MOO hand/body lotion is the exact same shape as your hair gel/conditioner. Luckily, I keep my tooth paste in the medicine cabinet.

*  Why is it when you want to feel virtuous about doing a mass housecleaning, there is still so much to do that you're only half happy?

*  Why can't we be like California and recycle everything every week? I always have to go online to see if it's the bottles/cans week or the paper week. 

*  The beauty of having opened Christmas gifts early is (1) you can use them, and, (2) when you're sitting in the living room on Christmas Day due to an excess of eating, you don't have to look at gift wrap all over the floor!

*  I'm annoyed when my Words with Friends buddies don't take their turn, but usually I'm glad because everyone beats me and it draws it out before I lose.

*  Got deviled eggs made, sausage/hamburg meatballs are in the oven, Miracle herb Noodles are in the micrwave. The fettucini shaped noodles will be covered with a jar of alfredo sauce. Oh yes, two chicken thighs with pork rind dust "breading" are heating in the oven. If Emily can't find something she likes to eat, I'm making her drive right back home! 

*  Vacuumed everywhere, washed the kitchen half of the floor, put away clean dishes, and now it's time to clean the glass collection on the glass baker's rack. Feeling satisfaction (and hunger for lunch at 2 p.m.).

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Put on some nail wraps to go with my blouse.

Christmas Eve 

Yes, the reading went well, thank you. The carols were a lot of fun. I caught Emily singing and later she said, "It wasn't as bad as I feared." I'm not sure why she would think church -- particularly our church -- is so terrible. We don't even care if you believe in God. We accept everyone just as they are.

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Sunday, Christmas Day

We had a blur of hanging around, Netflixing, until I roused myself from my 33rd nap and Emily and I decided to have Chinese food and a movie. The Chinese restaurant was SO busy!!

I really enjoyed Passengers. Yes, Mom, it is scifi, but you might like it anyway. There are some interesting twists and turns and a heavy ethical dilemma. The story begins with a huge spaceship on its way to the Homestead planet with 5,000 passengers and 200 plus crew members. Everyone is in suspended animation because the journey will take 90 years for the homesteaders to reach their new homes. They have booked passage and paid for it -- much like a cruise ship (on the ocean).

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Today, Monday, I slept late and finally got my butt to the Post Office to pick up my mail. I love that the boxes are open 24/7. If I ever get insomnia, ha ha, I could get my mail at 3 a.m.

Then it was on to the supermarket because you know I live a thrilling life. The leg o' lamb is not done yet and there's no picture because you know what it looks like. It came all the way from Australia. Good day, Mate!

I just finished making my version of crack slaw. Crack slaw is supposed to be ground beef, bacon fat, a lot of spices, some chili paste and cabbage.  I used sausage, bacon fat, spices, 0 carb buffalo wing sauce, and cabbage. I may be headed for the Heartburn Express.  We'll see ...

Tina's Crack Slaw

Did I mention the brussels sprouts that I'm roasting to go with the lamb?

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Anticipation

Well, it's finally over. Emily's endoscope went fine and everything seems o.k. They told us to be at the clinic at 6 a.m. and when we got there at 5:45 a.m., we had to sit in the car until they opened the door at 6 a.m. 

Emily was only a little loopy after the procedure, but she was alert enough to want breakfast. After a couple of errands, we both took naps.

Then it was off to the 5 p.m. showing of Sing.  It's a great (animated) movie! The characters are all animals and they are auditioning for a singing contest. The music is great and there is a lot of it. I highly recommend this movie.

Then it was on to the Longhorn Steakhouse for supper. I tried a Montana Mule.

It was delicious! This had bourbon, ginger, and freshly squeezed lime. Yummy! Of course, the prime rib was good too.

Speaking of food, do you like my cupcakes? That's actually meatloaf wrapped with bacon and topped with mashed cauliflower. It's quite good.

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This year I am happily anticipating our 9 p.m. church service on Christmas Eve. That's when we sing lots of carols and I'll be reading the story of the annunciation. My favorite part is when Mary says, 'How can that be for I am still a virgin?!' I've often wondered that myself. 

My next door neighbors and I bought Christmas presents for a mother and her 10 year old son. It seemed like such a small thing, but I just couldn't take any of the other adopt a family cards. They had six and eight people in their families! I hope somebody else found a way to help them. 

I have such mixed feelings about Christmas. Of course, it's lovely to get presents, but I don't really feel that is the focus for me. Anyway, I'll be glad when some of the consumer frenzy is over. Although I did hear a woman in the clinic waiting area this morning say that she saw Valentine's Day candy right next to the Christmas candy in the supermarket. That's really a bit much.

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I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy Chanukah. But most of all, I wish you peace. Let's make this a season of peace and possibly joy.

You Know How They Say ...

You know how they say, "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today,"? Whoever "they" are, they are right. Hence I found myself at 6:30 a.m. dragging my trash out to the curb. I should have put it out last night.

The icing on the cake was the four inches of new snow with more falling softly onto my jacket hood. Mercifully, we have a delayed work start and it was the Director's robo call telling me of this that woke me. Dazed and confused in my semi-awake state, I thought it was my alarm and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Got it now!

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It was supposed to be so easy: cream of mushroom soup. I googled a recipe and it was elegant in its simplicity. Saute mushrooms and onions, add chicken stock, and finish off with some cream. Well ... I didn't have any chicken stock. But since it was the day before trash day (cooking yesterday), I remembered the last of the rotissiere chicken that had a carcass and a plastic container that needed to go out. And then I remembered that I had bought celery ... so I made "official" chicken stock with the rest of the chicken and the carcass. 

I know it doesn't look like it, but it was delicious! I added the light cream in the bowl so the leftovers will be like fresh.

I guess I can figure out why, but it doesn't make sense to me that full stalks of celery are so much cheaper than celery "hearts." You pay less to get more ...

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What else did I do yesterday (besides cooking a zillion meals for the week)? I had a lovely time going to Cyndi's cello recital. There were actually four cellos (celli?) in her group, but I didn't know how others would feel about being on my blog. So you only get our star, Cyndi.

The hat was for a stylized arrangement of Jingle Bells. Everyone had a different hat. I really liked the one that was a single pointsettia with sparkles.  We need more sparkles, not just now but all of the time, don't you think?

I just love the shooting stars on the lamp post! Palm Springs knows how to do festive!

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Things that you thought would be fun when you were a kid. But they are not when you're an adult:

* Pumping gas. I remember sitting in the back seat of my Mom's car thinking, 'That looks like fun. Maybe I'll work at a gas station when I grow up.'  Nope, it's not fun. I have a lot more respect for those who do pump gas for a living.

* Using a squeegee on glass. Again, at the gas station, watching them clean the car windshield.  Well, using a squeegee on a glass shower door (to prevent streaks of minerals) just makes my ass freeze. And if anything will diminish the warm cozy cleanliness of a shower, that will!

* Rolling coins. It was kinda fun to roll coins and see how much you ended up with. It can be fun now -- if you make the time. You don't have to roll them, but if you go to one of those coin counters in the bank, it is way fun to dump a bunch in and let it count the coins for you! However, actually rolling coins is no fun. 

* Snow. Well, o.k., it can be fun if you ski or snow board. But I'm a long way from that. I did notice this morning (taking the trash out, remember?) that it's perfect for snow balls. But not wishing to incur litigation, I did not wake up my next door neighbor and throw a snow ball at him.

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The snow plow came! Woot, woot!

This guy actually spreads salt!!! Yay!!! And they shoveled the walks! I think I'm in love with my snow plow guy. (He's also my lawn mowing guy.) He's young. 

So now that I know somebody will take care of the snow, I'm fine with it. We need it -- don't want another drought next summer. Last summer was not fun.

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By the way, I learned at church yesterday that the pink candle that was lit on the Advent wreath is for JOY. (Peace and Hope have already been lit.)  I hope you all can find time to have some joy in your hearts, even if it's only for a little bit. Don't mourn losses but remember the joy for having had the love. Cheers.

Aids Quilt

Yesterday, we were privileged to see part of the Aids Quilt on display in Palm Springs. There was a picture of the whole quilt which covered the whole Washington, DC Mall. Some of the organizers requested the quilt sections for friends. A nice gentleman explained some of the quilt sections to us, showing us his partner's block saying, "I didn't expect to be a widower at age 22."

There were many more sections to the exhibit. Personally, I found it to be overwhelming knowing that not only had people lovingly made these blocks, but that each block represented a family member who was sorely missed. 

Some of the people had passed away in the 80's and at that time some ruthless people were saying this horrible disease was a punishment for the gay lifestyle. I noticed that women and children (possibly victims of tainted blood transfusions) were also represented. 

A Couple of Days of Celebration

Last night, we went to the Palm Springs Christmas tree lighting. They were very generous with whipped cream for your hot chocolate and the free cookies and brownies were sumptuous!

Tree Before Lighting

Waiting for Darkness and Tree Lighting

We Had Fun Waiting for the Festivities

Santa's Ride

Santa Was Very Jolly

And the Tree Was Lit

The shooting star on the left is on all of the downtown light posts. I like them a lot!

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A couple of days ago, we went to the Agua Caliente casino. We had to fuel up for gambling.

Fisherman's Salad

Can you believe it? Below is proof that I won at the penny slots! I have never won more than $40 before. I did lose $30 before I got these two tickets. Cashing out was sweet!

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Cashing In

I sat sipping my coffee, reading Chaos (Cornwell), and thinking about all of the high priced lab tools, helicopters, and Italian sports cars she likes to pepper her story with. High priced.

So that brought me back to last night. Mom, Deb, Elaine and I decided to cash in our winnings from last Monday's Trivia. Our second place got us $50 worth of food and drink from the Ace Hotel.

As I walked into the Amigo Bar, I was able to see more of the decor because there were few people there. We had arrived early enough to ensure getting our own booth. The brick walls were painted with midnight black and each booth's back wall had a very large mirror ensconced in an archway nook. It looked like a scene from Caberet. Bella da Ball greeted us warmly, further adding to my feeling that Joel Gray would be coming out of the pool room soon.

Anyone caught using a cell phone during Trivia would be summarily thrown into the pool -- along with the cell phone. Those are the rules and we abided by them.

Happily, clutching our $50 gift certificate, we ordered 2 wines, a beer, a Jameson's, and a coffee. (I needed caffeine before I had any sleepy-making beverage.)

They guys in the booth next to us if I would take a picture of them, which I happily obliged. When I got back, everyone at the table was giggling. This was the cause of the merriment:

So there went our winnings! After a short while, the waiter came back and informed us that the two guys next door had bought us the next round of drinks!! Yes, it was a very merry night and Deb bought the guys their next round. They weren't driving and Deb's two beers over two hours didn't impair her. A good time was had by all.  Oh, yes. We won SECOND place this time! We got theater tickets for Mom, passing up on the drink/food certificate ...

Pow Wow

Mom, Deb, and I went to the Fantasy Springs Casino to attend the Cabazon Tribes' Pow Wow. After his time at the gym, Paul put the pre-stuffed turkey in the oven. (I had made the stuffing the night before, so it was cool when I stuffed the turkey.) It was an overcast Saturday, but we were in high spirits.

The dancers took the floor in small groups, ever widening the circle.

Here the drummers (one of four groups of drummers) are working up to increasing the beat. The ends of their drum sticks had big white furry parts which made the blurring in the picture even more pronounced. 

They are not at the heart of their song because, as you can see, all of the men are not singing. I think the big guy has just started. Their music, while deafeningly loud did not make me cover my ears. It washed over me, covering my body in sound and rhythm that seemed to seep into my pores and transport me to a place of calm.

Their song, which could be heard by some as "yelling," affected me in the same way that a cantor's song had at a funeral. It touched my soul and I became one with the music.

Eventually, the floor was covered in dancers -- perhaps 200 people. 

The dance went on for a long time -- they alternated drums after about 7 minutes or so of unending drumming. It was most impressive. 

There were many vendors of Indian crafts.

Oh, and we had lunch at Pom, the Fantasy Springs casino restaurant.

This is just a small section of the waterfalls there. Each brick juts out about a half inch from the one on top, ensuring that the water sprays in this artistic fashion. This is one side of the outdoor pool area which has many plantings and is very beautiful.

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Paul took a group shot at Thanksgiving. That's Clara on the far left and you know the rest of us!

Where to Begin?

So, of course, I'll begin with now: 5 a.m. having just kissed Emily goodbye. She should be in Boston around 6 p.m. for her drive to Worcester. Deb is wonderful and is driving her to the airport.

Yesterday was a wonderful Thanksgiving for all of us. We went to 360 North and I had delicious prime rib. I'll be cooking a turkey tomorrow.

Deb and Paul

Emily and Tina

Elaine and Brian

The picture that I took of Mom and Clara came out so badly that if I published it, the two of them would argue to see who beat me. Deb did take some group pictures of all of us, so I have my fingers crossed that they are more acceptable. It's too bad that we forgot to re-take Mom and Clara because they both looked so good.

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Deb and Paul did a 3 mile walk/run that benefited the Mizel Senior Center. After the walk, they got a medallion. Before the race, they got a shirt and the hat below. Paul wouldn't let Deb wear her medallion to Thanksgiving dinner. I don't think she wanted to wear the hat. It's a great hat -- it's fuzzy to the touch.

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Oh yes, did you notice how short my hair is? Michael, the hairdresser, was accosted by a friend and his partner who insisted they had made an appointment. He agreed to squeeze the guy in, but my haircut was downhill all the way from there. It's lucky I don't have a crew cut.

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Yes, it really is nice being under the stars! We went to the pool yesterday after dinner. We left before it was this dark (the pic is from a couple of nights ago).
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Emily and I went to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at the Mary Pickford Theater. Here are some of the sights there (that's also where the balloon and fountain of a previous post are).

Holiday Lights

My Favorite Fountain; There's Another Spitting Lizard on the Right Facing This One

He's Happily Playing

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I can't believe I have been here for almost a week. I'm almost through with Led Astray by Kate Flora. It's another Joe Burgess mystery and I'm loving every minute of it. I left the other Crime Bake books home because they are too heavy to carry. Lo and behold, Deb brought Christmas presents and she gave me a Patricia Cornwell! (Chaos.) Woo hoo!

My second batch of blueberry muffins came out better -- using the right oven temp and fewer blueberries worked. I made some with fresh strawberries too. These are with low carbohydrate baking mix. The low carb bread that I had delivered here is not worth it. As Deb said about the taste, "Something's not right." Oh well, live and learn. 

I finally seem to be getting the knack of knitting on a "wire" needle. Everybody says, "What are you making?" I'm going to have to come up with a better answer than, "I'm practicing, trying to get better." But that's the truth. I figure if I can't do the basics (knit, purl), why try to go on? Nobody here seems to remember how to crochet so I'm going to have to try U Tube for lessons on that. I've already been told that I should have a pattern and it will tell me the size of the needle and what yarn, etc. I already feel like somebody on the bunny slope with the full ski/apres ski regalia since I bought 3 (count 'em) crochet hooks. (They were in a package that way and I liked the fact that the different sizes give me options.)

Well, it's 6 a.m. and time to go back to bed. Maybe I'll take a blueberry muffin with me ...

Hello from Sunny Palm Springs, California!!

[That's pronounced Cali-forn-eye-ay.] The trip here was miserable only because it started at 3 a.m. and because I just now (a day and a half later) have some relief from the worst sinus pain I have had in years. Apparently, massive doses of ibuprophen and Airborne have helped -- along with hot washcloths to my face!

I witnessed a rainbow this a.m. as the sun was coming up. 

It's pretty hard to see, but it's right in the middle of this photo. My little camera phone didn't pick it up too well. Below on the left is Deb and Paul's cute rental in Mom's driveway. Then it was off to Cathedral City to see hot air balloons. The sculpture on the right is in the little shopping area where we parked.

There was one (count 'em) balloon. And it was tethered. Apparently, we missed all of the other balloons yesterday and the day before. Oh, well, we had fun strolling around.

There were vendors, including one selling Maine lobster. Hats anyone?

Well how about a refreshment stand while you watch football? Those are team names on the flask and there are two shot glasses for your convenience.

Children were frolicking in this fountain when we got there, but by the time I took this, they were drying off. (It was about 70 F.)

Another vendor had sugar skull candle holders and many football and baseball logo stuff such as stained glass windows, blankets, and backpacks. Who knew there was such a market for sports logo'd stuff?

 This balloon just floated right out of the girls' hands! Yes, Deb has her Patriots shirt on. After this, we went to a local sports bar to eat, drink, and watch the Patriots.

Yup, you are looking at a woman hanging upside down on a piece of cloth. Deb knew about it -- said this is the latest "yoga" fitness craze. I don't think so ...

We're back from lunch and a couple of drinky poos. I got to see the first Pats' touch down. Couldn't believe the guy missed the kick. If I knew how to turn on Mom's tv, I might watch the rest, but since everyone else is sleeping ... I might join them. Deb and Paul stayed at the grill to watch the whole game. There might be some adult beverages involved too. They will walk back. Or perhaps stroll back to their rental in Mom's complex.