Reentry

So, yes, we did arrive at Logan Airport on Wednesday after a delay at JFK in NY. We had to de-plane and get on another plane due to "a mechanical problem." I always feel better with a different plane in those circumstances, don't you?

Mercifully, Emily decided to drive me straight home from the airport and that was wonderful. After a nap, she happily headed to her house to cuddle with her kitties.

Knowing that I would be returning to a house with no 'refrigerator food,' I picked up a couple of things at the supermarket on the way home (like eggs, hamburger and cream for my coffee). That was a good thing because I spent much of the next two days trying to get the internet working again. 

I had put the internet on "seasonal hold" and had called Comcast from California to stop the hold the previous week That did not work. (Apparently, the automated menu options do not relate to a seasonal hold, but it leads you to believe that it does.) The young woman said it would be 24 hours before the hold was off -- and the internet would work. Nope. The next Comcast guy said, 'No, it takes 48 hours. Sorry for the misinformation.' The third Comcast guy (after 48 hours) said, 'Does your TV work?' Well, yes, it does. 'So obviously, it's an internet problem.' Ya think??? He transferred me to another guy who got it to work. I still can't reach Netflix though. That's another job for Emily, but I may have broken her with the travel ...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I noticed water on the floor in the bathroom. As in a puddle. It turns out, there was a leak coming from under the sink. Congratulating myself that long ago I had put all of my 'under the sink stuff' in three plastic basins, I quickly emptied the cabinet and put a big bowl under the drip. It was dripping at a rate of slightly more than 8 ounces an hour. I put in a voice mail to Mr. Cooper (the most reliable plumber in the world!) and switched to a larger basin to catch the drips. I stayed up way too late wondering if it would overflow during the night (it didn't). Luckily, it wasn't the pipe, but rather I need a new faucet. He'll bring that next week some time. And I don't care when because I don't have to worry about getting back to work. Woo hoo! (And that is the story of how I was on the phone with Comcast, and at the same time, letting the plumber in.)

But wait, there's more. Having thought that my online mail forwarding order was set to expire March 15, I happily packed up two flat rate packages of fabric and books and sent them home 10 days ago. Seven days ago, I checked at the Post Office (because I got something forwarded to Mom's house) and it said "May." I have no idea how that happened. The only thing I can think of is that it's a drop down menu and thinking I had selected March, I hit May instead. So the supervisor at the PO in Palm Springs had me fill out a form and STOP the forwarding order as of that day.

Flash forward to yesterday (Friday). Deb's on the phone telling me that the two packages I had mailed to myself in Amherst and an envelope from my accountant had been forwarded to California. I go to the Amherst Post Office and the supervisor there says, 'We do not have any stop forwarding notice here.' We fill out the SAME form I filled out in Palm Springs. By the way, all of this is AFTER we got a note from LuLu, the letter carrier in Palm Springs. She wanted to know if I wanted to stop the forwarding of my mail -- and her hand written note was stapled to a copy of the stop forwarding order. 

The rest of my piddling tales involve a woman stepping on my foot at the supermarket -- it's beyond me how someone of my size can be invisible -- and inconsequential things. But since I have been here, I have been cold and after getting groceries, I was wandering in the parking lot looking for my car in a cold mist of rain.

So now that I'm done feeling sorry for myself on this sunny Saturday, I'll share with you my "new" refrigerator door.

The rest of the fridge has more food but I can't quite figure out how to move the shelves again. When I emptied the fridge and cleaned it, I moved the shelves and now they seem immovable. They are definitely not in the right spots. 

Old habits are hard to break. I have to buy snacks for the artists' reception on Thursday and I thought, "I wish I didn't have to go on a Saturday when everybody in the world is at Costco." Silly me, I can go any day of the week! Woo hoo!

And now that I don't have to do cooking for a week, I don't know what to do with myself. Oh, wait. I'll be dusting up 4 inches of dust from the bakers' rack and vacuuming and ... 

Short Timer Blues

It's Sunday and Emily and I return to Massachusetts on Tuesday. We don't arrive until Wednesday, but I truly hope I will be sleeping for most of our red eye flight. I cannot believe that I have been here since Thanksgiving -- it has gone by in a flash. But I am definitely ready to be in my own house again. I won't get back until Saturday because Emily has to go to work, but I'll have time with the fur baby grand kitties.

I know that I have fallen down on the blogging, so here goes.

We had rain! The mountains are now green.

 

 Sprinkles are just beginning in these pictures.

Below is the aftermath which is  snow on the mountains.

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This morning on Sunday Morning, they had an interview with Takashi Murakami whose art is now being exhibited at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He is one of the artists Maria and I saw in Chicago (at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art). The rest of the photos from that exhibit are back about a year ago.

 The story focused mainly on his "happy" art such as shown above. They barely touched on his 'serious' art such as his macabre images and references to war.

But I think it was interesting that the interviewer noted that Murakami was called 'the Andy Warhol' of his time. (He liked that.)

Two Thursdays ago, Mom and I went to see the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Palm Springs Art Museum. 

 This portrait above is one of the many Childers' photos of Andy Warhol. They were long-time companions and associates.

 "Do you remember when you were in the Peanut Gallery on the Howdy Doody show?" Mom asked. I sure do. I was in the front row and had stretched my legs out, crossed at the ankles. "Someone tell this kid to pull in her legs," Buffalo Bob said after he almost tripped. I was mortified.

 Jimmy Carter was also a feature on today's Sunday Morning. Can you believe he was last President 37 years ago? I can't. He and his wife of 72 years, Rosalyn, were my inspiration to become a Habitat for Humanity supporter. I now have the time to become more active again ...

 Ted Kennedy, former senator from Massachusetts (JFK's brother). There's a movie coming out called "Chappaquiddick" and it can't bode well for his reputation. He actually did a lot of good for the people of Massachusetts, but of course, many people vilified him just because they didn't like his family. I have to admit to having a lot of doubts about his story of what happened at Chappaquiddick.

 I did not know there were so many Marilyns!

 Georgia is one of my favorite artists and I do not particularly like this portrait. But Warhol did many of this type and they glitter with diamond dust. I had never seen that technique before and it's really amazing.

Also new to me was this 'soup can dress' pictured below. I wonder if it was modeled by one of his friends. It turns out, you can have an original for $8,193.02 (why the 2 cents?) or a copy for $46. Who knew?

 And finally, here's what we all remember about Andy -- the iconic soup cans. I didn't know that he had been a commercial artist before his art adventures. He said, 'I used to submit what I thought was unique and original art to the client and they rejected it every time. So I stopped being original.' Many of his portraits were created for album covers (Liza Minelli and others).

On the whole, I was very impressed with the variation and experimentation of new techniques. And, unlike "common knowledge," Andy Warhol really could draw and was a good artist. He allowed Childers to do many portraits knowing that they would enhance his image and create "branding" for his art.

I just never got the impression that Warhol was particularly happy. From Getty images, which I Googled, I only saw 4 smiling (out of 15) from Warhol. So either he put on a good show in developing his persona, or he was a depressed individual.

Heckofa Monday

Yesterday I bought some great new outfits at Steinmart. It had been forever since I had been in a bricks and mortar store and it was a treat to get the right fit (as opposed to mail order where I have been settling for that baggy look).

I applied for a store credit card and ended up with $17 off! When she was partway through entering the information into the computer, I told the clerk that she should use my post office box. (The forwarding notice from the street to the PO Box has expired.)

The cashier said, "You'll have to call this number and tell them." I didn't do that because I figured that today I would go to their other store in Rancho Mirage and just pay off the bill. Presumably, the card would be flying around in the mail ensuring that I would get a late fee.

So today I pull out my Costco credit card which gives me money back at the end of the year according to the amount of purchases.

Cashier: You can't use a credit card. Only cash, check or debit card.
Me: I can't pay you with a credit card?
Cashier: No.

Remember, yesterday, they gave me credit approval, having looked up my credit rating.

Mom and I shopped and I got another blouse. Mom, not having a Steinmart credit card was going to use her Costco credit card.

Me: My mother is going to buy my blouse. Can she use the $20 coupon that I got for opening the charge yesterday?
Cashier (same one): Let me look you up. Give me your phone number. No, you're not in the system.
Me: Do you remember the bill for a Steinmart credit card that I paid by check a half hour ago?
Cashier: You're not in the system. That's not Steinmart. That's the credit card company.
Me: What was that -- a Visa?

Mom points to the picture on the counter and says, "It's a Mastercard." I look down and the picture of the MC credit card has Steinmart emblazed upon it.  Meanwhile, she's ringing Mom up and deducting the $20. That's all I wanted.

They wonder why old ladies get grouchy.

Wednesday Night at the Pot Farm -- Almost

A friend had told us that 'the largest marijuana farm in Coachella Valley" was at the corner of Ramon Road and ... Something. Mom thought that was impossible since it was a busy intersection and all built up. Since we were coming back from the movies, we decided to find it. As we were sitting in traffic, I read a billboard which touted Organic Solutions of the Desert.

I'm thinking, 'Everything around here is organic, I wonder what they mean. Solutions for what?' Then it dawned on me that they were talking about cannabis. No, there were no pictures of cute green leaves, no joints with thick smoke wafting above. The biggest clue was "armed guard on premises." It did say "1.5 miles ahead"  so we merrily added that to our odometer (subtracting 0.1 mi. in order to know when to look in earnest).

Nothing. We got to that intersection and there was nothing. We went through the intersection just in case, but there was nothing. (We did find another 99 Cent store and a Payless Shoes which are two good things.)

Again, then I remembered: a dark and closed store front with OSD on the sign. That was them! Just now I Googled Organic Solutions of the Desert and the actual farm is out near the windmills (a ways away) and that place is their dispensary. 

Their web sites are a hoot. (I don't know why there are two.) They only talk about medical marijuana, but since January, it is legal here for recreational use. [That term always cracked me up because the word "recreational" makes me think of 50s families climbing into a woody to go to some Dirty Dancing-type campgrounds. It just doesn't sit well with the idea of stoners sitting around a TV smoking joints.] 

They list their mission statement of compassionate help for patients, bla, bla, bla. But the kicker was, 'You can use your Tommy Chong card here!' The names of the different varieties are also very funny.

Will I go today and buy some? Nope. As you know, I have a problem with food -- I eat too much. And pot makes you very hungry -- so I am told. 

Speaking of marijuana, I had already seen Disjointed on Netflix. It's a situation comedy with Kathy Bates (I love her as an actress!) and she runs a marijuana dispensary. There is a moderately sized cast of characters including a guard (I don't think he's armed). The show also has some poignant moments along with the laughs, so I am hoping there will be more episodes.

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The movie we went to see was The Greatest Show on Earth. We were both surprised that it was a musical and that I liked it. (I have heard part of the Hamilton sound track and I didn't care for it all. The same with Les Mis. I don't think I'm cut out for musicals.) 

It was a thoroughly enjoyable movie and very positive. Uplifting even! I highly recommend it.

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It's done and will be on exhibit at the Burnett Gallery in the Jones Library as of April 1. The artists' reception will be April 5 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. I hope you can all come to the reception! There will be 5 other artists/Library employees showing their works as well.

Yes, it was photographed outside on grass. It looks much better in daylight. I just had to beware the sprinklers, lol!

Speaking of quilts, I have finished a new quilt top in case anyone is interested.

I'm kind of proud of the strip pieced blocks. This little top is the most pattern I have ever done. It's the busiest for me so far.

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Ever since Mom has figured out how to download e books from the Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory (yes, they have added a huge celesial observatory), she has become a reading machine. Her last book is something by Dave Barry. He has been one of my comedy faves for years.

He recounted a woman who was driving and who was stopped by a Florida trooper. It seems that she was driving to see her boyfriend and she wanted to be ready for the date, so she decided to shave her naughty bits. While she was driving. While her ex husband steered and she worked the gas and brake pedals. (Those of you who know Dave Barry, know that right about here he has written, "I'm not making this up!") He told this tale to point out that even though she was in Florida, she really was from out of state ("a Hoosier) and we shouldn't think all Floridians are crazy. Thanks for another laugh, Dave Barry!

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Sometimes even without the colors (I missed them), the sunset is pretty.

A Fine Birthday Was Had by All!

Wednesday was my birthday and Mom decided to take me to Temecula to go to the Callaway Winery.

 

Fountain Close Up

 To the right of this picture is the restaurant. We decided to have lunch before the tour and wine tasting.

 Mom had two colors of fingerling potatoes with her chop.

 

My steak had a gogonzola sauce. The asparagus were huge but tender and not woody at all. I had never seen such big spears on asparagus. They advertised everything as 'farm to table' and the waitress informed us they don't even have a freezer in the kitchen. Personally, if it's treated correctly, I don't care if food has been previously frozen ...

The tour began outside with LOTS of wine and wine making facts narrated by our guide, Monica. She also told us the history of the farm which is pretty uninteresting except to note that the wine they make and sell here is 'more special' than the Callaway wines in stores.

 See that beige hill? That's chaparal. It's vegetation 'consisting of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes,' according to Google. That's what all of the land looked like until they began the winery. (There are now many vineyards in the area, but this was the first and the only reason for people to settle in Temecula.)

 The glass area above is where the wine tasting bar is located.

 Since it is winter, the vines look like dead sticks. They will start to leaf in May and harvest is late summer. They are watered by the drip method.

 In the summer, Temecula gets to 115 degrees Farenheit. Consequently, the workers begin to harvest at 3 and 4 in the morning. The trucks that they dump their pickings into have huge light bars to illuminate the are so they can see what they are doing.

 This farm started with 120 acres.

 If you look at the W in the mountains, about 15 miles beyond that is the ocean. So ... moisture comes in on the winds, along with cooler air.

The trucks full of grapes dump them into here and the augur pushes them up a "ladder" to be further processed. Nobody's stomping grapes: once they are loaded into a certain vat, there is a giant paddle which squishes them against the side of the vat. Only one variety of grape is loaded per day. No mixing!

These fermenting vats each hold 3,020 gallons of wine. Each inch of wine (a slice of the vat) weighs 14 pounds. The indentations are (vertically) one inch apart.

On our way into the barrel room. Sample of red wine is on center vertical barrel. Each barrel holds 32 bottles of wine.

Yes, we got to taste the red wine. All of the wine is fermented for at least two years.

We got to taste 6 month old wine. It was more like grapefruit juice. Yick. Did you know all grape juice is white, no matter what the variety of grape? It becomes red or rose if they add some red grape skins. 

After tasting 4 wines (1 oz. samples), we were very mellow. I was fascinated by the clouds and took these pictures through the car window.

Mom was shocked that I took this picture of the moon -- there's another one with more visual clutter that I didn't care for as much as this. I told her it was my homage to Edward Hopper. (See: Nighthawks, 1942) 

Today is my Emily's birthday. She's a good kid, I'll keep her!

We played two games of Scrabble with Opal today. Mom picked her up and we had fun. Of course, Opal won both times. Nobody beats Opal.

Cheers!