It's 8 Minutes Until Tomorrow

December 11, 2018

That's when I began thinking about this post last night. I was waiting for one minute after Midnight in order to get a 'new day' of solitaire games.

A couple of days ago, I was coming back from pickle ball and I heard an acerbic voice, "Yeah, you think you're hot stuff don'tcha? Going to the gym and playing pickle ball right after?" [You should be hearing a Dorchester, MA accent.] I looked around and there was nobody in sight.

Then I looked down to see this:

It had been this guy. So I ate him.

He's delicious sliced into some Canadian Club and cubes. (Mom says I have to drink the CC because the big bottle is taking up too much room.)

******************************************************************
Last night we went to the Spa Casino downtown. I lost $60. I don't think I'll do that again soon!! But it was entertainment. They have a new (to me) slot machine that has cows in spaceships on  the top and they are determining if you win. The cartoons are pretty funny.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Today I couldn't resist.

This is after I read it was 22 F. at about 11:30 a.m. in Amherst. (Apparently, it was that cold in other eastern places too.) Yes, PS is like Paradise. Even though the outside temp was about 55 F., the hot tub was wonderful. And it wasn't too cold when I got out because the sun warmed me.

These oranges were not ripe at all when I got here. They look good now. I may have to pick one. The grass, by the way, really is that green and it's the new re-seeded winter grass. Can you believe it? They scrape up the grass every fall and re-plant all new grass.

We're very happy that Mom's bouganvilla is flowering nicely. I don't know if you can see her weather vane against it. She bought that at the Old Deerfield Craft show many years ago.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

December 21, 2018

We were delighted to hear Christmas carolers last night! About a half dozen people were walking around the complex, singing carols. I heard the singing under the TV and alerted Mom. They had come specifically to serenade her, which I think is wonderful. I'm just glad that I was able to alert her to the singing.  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Woo hoo! I just figured out how to get my phone photos into my new Chromebook! Here goes. Now if I could just figure out how to edit them, I'd be really happy!
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Two nights ago, Elaine and I went to see the Wild Lights at the Living Desert. It was wonderful and we walked around for over two hours enjoying the night filled with lights and animals. We got to see the real giraffes who decided to go for an evening snack. We were able to pick out some of the rams on a mini man-made mountain but I don't think they are visible in any of my pictures. It was very relaxing and fun.

The live music next to Santa was wonderful. This little girl was dancing.

 This is a projection of a giraffe with "Happy Holidays" written next to it. Can you see two rams?

The Road Runner gets his due. They are not really that big unless it's a mini cactus that he is standing next to.

We loved the Tunnel of Lights which kept changing colors in time to the beat of the music.

 These sculptures above appeared to be metal cut outs with the lights shining through spaces.

 Don't you love the zebras cavorting? We got to see some live ones but I think they were sleepy and not too thrilled with the noisy people and lights.

They were giving camel rides but that didn't look like fun to me. This little girl was having a blast, though.

*********************************
A couple of days earlier, Mom and I went to a happy hour at the Rowan hotel.

Front desk at the Rowan.

In anticipation of happy hour. We wish you all a Merry Christmas! 

It's 7:41 p.m. and it Feels Like Midnight

I love having a foster grand baby, but I had forgotten how tiring it is to be at the beck and call of a nine month old. And call he does. J is very vocal, trying out new sounds -- and his latest favorite is a high pitched squeal that puts dolphins to shame.

He's a very happy baby and only cries when he's hungry, which is a good thing. He has a genuine Buddah belly and he giggles if you tickle his belly. We have been having fun giving him new foods to eat. So far, he likes beef stew, does not like canned peas and carrots. (I don't blame him, I hate canned peas myself.) The baby foods that comes in a squeeze pouch are weird combinations in my humble opinion, but he eats them.

J is a joy, but at 22.5 pounds, he is difficult for me to lift. And Mom shouldn't really lift him, but I did put him in her lap because he's a very good snuggler. I will miss them terribly when Emily and J go back to Massachusetts on Thursday.

Tonight we said goodbye to Deb and Paul because their return fight is at 5:45 a.m. tomorrow. I miss them already. Auntie Deb is wonderful with J and she couldn't resist buying him genuine boat shoes. Uncle Paul is a huge guy (he competes in Strong Man competitions and pulls trucks and can lift 400 pounds) and J loves him because Paul tosses him in the air. But also Paul lets J perch in the crook of his arm and they 'relax' together.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

So now it's tomorrow and Deb and Paul have been in the air for hours. It's a beautiful sunny day, predicted to go to 77 degrees. Mom's out, baby J is asleep and Emily is showering. Ah, a moment of peace and quiet! I am savoring it.

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Our next adventure will be to bring J to a park and see if he likes the baby swing. We already know he will love it because he loves 'riding' the swivel chair. We have given him two tastes of the pool, (It's heated to 86 degrees.) He loves to splash, splash, splash!

Edit -- days later. J loved the swing. We had fun in the well-appointed baby section at Demuth Park. We saw so many pickle ballers waiting for a court that I wondered if they were giving away crack.

#################################################
I just finished making online charitable donations -- it is Giving Tuesday, after all.

I'm feeling virtuous and stingy. Should I give more? Should I give to 10 charities instead of 4? Unfortunately, I like living well -- should I feel guilty?

I prefer to give my time as an "extra" but I have yet to find my niche in California. I think I'm going to have to look harder ...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It's fun watching the hummingbirds outside of Mom's front door. She has put up a feeder with two pots of nectar. There is one male, however, who chases everyone away. I don't know why he can't figure out that there is plenty of nectar for all of them. As soon as it gets low, Mom replenishes it.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

So it's Saturday and Emily and J have been home since Thursday.  Sigh. The house is very quiet ...

Friday we had a luncheon and today we're waiting for the 1 p.m. reprise of the Met's Magic Flute (at the movies). Of course, we missed the time on the email and showed up for a 10 a.m. showing. That will teach me to read things more closely!

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

The weather is still delightful for this New Englander. I was wearing a sleeveless shirt last night when we played pickle ball. Although, I have to say, it is a bit chilly in the mornings -- about 40 degrees. We did have a rain storm that was heavy for the desert but nothing like the downpour and flooding that Riverside County got.

And we were dismayed to hear of the Alaska earthquake. Mom thought she felt a tremor the other day -- I didn't -- but many of the paintings on the wall were askew. That's always the telltale sign of a bit of seismic activity.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I have been using my new Chomebook successfully with Deb and Em's assistance. But using Google Docs in editing mode is totally new to me. Kate Flora has again entrusted me to edit one of her incipient books and I think I have to re-start and figure out the best way to use the editing part of Google Docs. I like the Office way of showing the edits. That way, she can zip right to anything that is highlighted. My excuse for not having progressed was having every waking moment take up by the baby. Now I have no excuse and need to wrestle that program to the ground. The reading/editing is a pleasure.

Cheers for now.