From Thursday to Sunday (Today)

On Wednesday, Mom and I went to a group birthday party (for any December babies from the Breathers' Club and the Fit after 50 Club). We looked very sparkly in our Christmas red -- I even bought two hair thingies that glittered. I must admit that Mom and I look good in Christmas red! (Tina L on the Left and Ruthie on the Right) That was a really nice happy hour at Antigua. The restaurant was very festive with little white light clusters interspersed with small golden reindeer. I don't think they were serving venison ...

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Friday we had free tickets to a concert with Williams and Ree (opening act) and the Desert City Ramblers at the Agua Caliente Casino. We had to pick up the tickets before 6 p.m. and the show didn't start until 8 p.m. Oh, what could we do for two hours???

I found my favorite game!! It's invaders from the Planet Moolah (above). If you get some matches, the cow says, "Moo." If you get three matches, three cows say, "MOO!!!" It's pretty silly. Mom introduced me to the machine where if you get a bonus, koi come up and you have to smack the fish. After doing that a couple of times, I was exhausted and it was all for about $8.25 which is better than a kick in the pants, but I was hoping for $30. No, I didn't win. Well, I did, sort of. At one point, I had $80, but by the end of the time I ended with perhaps $2 ahead. Or maybe $1 ...

So then we trotted off to the Show Room. We got orchestra seats which was amazing to us and we were happy. They put Mom on the end which also made us happy.

They didn't say anything about not taking pictures before the concert. Williams and Ree were FUNNY. We laughed and laughed. They call themselves the Indian (Ree) and the White Man. (I don't know why I capped that; I guess the title part threw me.) They told us first off that they were not politically correct and they had been partners for 51 years. It turns out, they graduated high school one year after me. Boy, was that a sobering thought because they looked like they had graduated in 1968. Ree played an electric guitar and Williams played an electric base. Their songs were funny too. We wished they could have been on stage more.

After some fiddling around with mics, the drummer for the Desert City Ramblers took the stage and began the opening. If the volume control on their speakers went up to 10, this drumming was at 16. The incredible thumping hit you right in the chest and whipped around to jangle your vertebra. The whole room was vibrating; it was like being next to a syncopated jet engine.

Mercifully, I had ear plugs in my purse. I was never so glad to have those babies! I offered them to Mom and she declined but she did remove her hearing aids fairly quickly. After an eternity of continuous drumming, the rest of the band took the stage. But the bass player (who looked like he was 12) couldn't get his speaker right. I thought, "who could tell?" The drummer was still at it. A roadie comes out and they fiddle for 10 minutes (really), including getting feedback. Thanks to my supersonic hearing, even with the ear plugs, I could hear feedback in amongst the cacophony. Finally, they began to play and sing.  You couldn't hear the vocals at all due to -- everyone's volume was up at 16! I wanted to scream, "Get a mixer! Get a sound engineer!" but I knew it would be like blowing bubbles into the wind. (I cleaned that up for you because I thought nobody needs to hear that urine analogy.)

Did I say it was awful? I asked Mom if she wanted to go and she said she needed her walker. I didn't care, right at the beginning of the next audio onslaught, I walked right up to the front and retrieved that sucker and we beat feet. Another older couple was leaving as well. It sounded o.k. behind the closed auditorium doors ... I guess it's true: you get what you pay for.

But I highly recommend Williams and Ree.

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Knowing that we are going to hear the Gay Men's Chorus holiday performance, I decided to do some cooking ahead.

Yes, that's eggplant parm, cheesey cauliflower, and blueberry muffins. I also cooked spinach and prepped green beans. That way I don't have to cook a zillion times during the week.

Deb texted us, wishing us a happy Sunday and I told her I was cooking a lot. The damn autocorrect told her I was cocking a lot. Sigh. Now I can't make fun of Carole who sent an early morning email to her son that began with, 'Hi Horney,' This is how mothers get a bad rap. We are being sweet and this technology makes us look bad. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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I am so thankful for our new hot tub mugs! Farah, Jon, Sofia, and Brownie sent them. Somebody put my name on the Naughty one and Mom's on the Nice one. I don't know how or why that happened but I'm happy to have an adult beverage container!

Merry Christmas to you all! And especially Happy Chanukkah which begins tonight. I'll have to make my latkes out of zucchini this year.

Peace.

Keep Moving or You Will Rust

Yes, that has always been one of my mottos -- keep moving or you will rust!

Yesterday afternoon, Lee Anne and I decided that the hot tub would be good medicine for gym-sore muscles. It was about 70 degrees. 

Lee Anne (my faithful driver because I get lost in my own backyard) and I went to Shields, the Date Farm in Indio. I didn't know until then that they have a long (as in possibly 3/4 mile) path in the back which is a meditative garden. There are lots of statues depicting Jesus' life, but it is also a very relaxing stroll with ponds, trees, benches, and peace.

I really should have lightened up this picture, but when I was downloading these pictures, I was hogging Mom's computer so all of these photos are "raw."

I loved these birdbaths! The wrought iron base is hanging on the sides of the display. I may buy one next year at home because I am still mourning my amethyst glass bird bath which cracked last year.

This is one of many fruit trees interspersed in the meditative garden.

View from the car on the way home to Palm Springs

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Elaine, Lorne, and their son, Robert, graciously asked me to accompany them to the Wild Lights at The Living Desert. It was a wonderful night, not too cool although Robert never put his jacket on once. (They are Canadian, you know.) I didn't take as many pictures as last year but I enjoyed it immensely. (You could look at last December's blogs if you really want to see more pictures of the lights.)

The butterflies in this tree were animated, flapping their wings. I think this was a new installation this year.

I was so happy to get pictures of the live giraffes. They were quite a distance away and they were walking around. When we were about to leave, two of the babies folded up to lay on the ground and sleep. It was a graceful ballet.

Ooops! This is out of order. This is one of the date trees at Shields. See the ladders for picking and pollinating?

Sunset

Yes, I'm one of those lunatics who loves the full moon (and sunsets).

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Last Friday the 13th, Mom and I went to the Mizell Senior Center to pack holiday gifts for people who would be all alone on Christmas and Chanukah. The Meals on Wheels people will deliver the bags with their meal.

Below is the line of volunteers who were handing out the items as we circled around the tables with the bags to be filled. What is not shown here is the other row of volunteers who are back to back with these people. The gifts in my opinion are really necessities: tp, tooth paste and brushes, socks, deoderant, etc. 

The photo below was taken during the break. This is the first 200 bags for women. The next 200 bags are for men. Volunteers whisked away these bags to another room so that we would have room for more. Unfortunately, we ran out of bags, so the staff were going to have to deal with it the next day. We think they had already scheduled volunteers for the next day.

Did I mention it was the day after the full moon when we went to Wild Nights?

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Mom and I went to the last tutu making session. This is how the magic is accomplished. You put the elastic waistband around a chair and you tie on the strips of tulle.

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Today we're going on a jaunt to the Augustine casino in Coachella because I am told that's where my favorite game is -- Cows in Space! We're meeting Carole and Cricket and I have to watch it so I can afford lunch, lol!

And while you may have to go to work and/or deal with snow, just keep moving! If breathing is the only moving you can do, that's o.k. too. Enjoy! Be nice to yourself and it will shine through to others. Cheers!

'Tis the Season!

On Thursday, we went to the Mizell Senior Center to create tutus. The other ladies have been making tutus for weeks using Molly's wonderful system. She had bundles of separate colors of tulle strips that we knotted around an elastic waistband secured on the back of a chair. We used two separate colors, but for the second one I made, I used three colors (using up leftovers from bundles.

The goal is to make 200 for the Red Carpet Road Race in January which is part of the Palm Springs Film Festival.

Tutu Ladies at Work

 Tutu

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Friday was the Christmas Tree Lighting in Palm Springs and it was Deb and Paul's last day here. We were really glad that they could be here. We had lots of fun with them and they managed to work part time online (they were done by 2 p.m. California time).

We got there early for the hot chocolate and cookies!

It was sprinkling rain which made it a bit chilly.

New stars this year; the street light stands have shooting stars with tails. See the kinetic sculpture pouring water? We were sitting around the pool at the left that the water pours into through a trough.

Our celebrity Santa's Assistant this year is Mary Hart. She is a very gracious lady who insisted she take a picture with Mom. Mary had stepped undercover to avoid some of the rain. It was a fine mist that wreaks havoc on hairdos (and makes me look like a poodle).

And then Santa arrived.

He did a fine job of lighting the tree.

The next day, Saturday, we went to Whole Foods to get almond flour and, later, to see the reprise of The Magic Flute from the Metropolitan Opera at the local cinema. I loved it because it was performed in English and the singer who played Papageno was very funny. This was the second time of seeing The Magic Flute for me but I was still awed by the magnificent costumes. 

As we left the opera, Mary Hart was getting her star on the Walk of Stars in Palm Springs. That was at 3:00 p.m. and, unfortunately, it was raining. (It never rains in the desert, right?)

When we got home, Mom and I had a few lively games of Mexican Train Dominoes. As Mom gets better, I am considering changing the rules in mid-stream -- which is what she accuses me of constantly!

We did not go to the new star ceremony, but we did make sure we were set for the 6:00 p.m. Parade of Lights on TV -- with Mary Hart as Grand Marshal!

Since the rainy weather calls for a cup of tea, I made (keto) peanut butter cookies to go with.

Today, Sunday, is a lazy day. So far I have made keto bread rolls and keto blueberry muffins. (When I say keto, I mean very low carbohydrate.)  I am considering going to the gym. Actually, I should do that because I want to taste a muffin. To be sure that they are good, you know ...

Life is good! Have a great week! 

Rainy Wednesday

Before the rain today, there was quite a bit of snow in the mountains.

Leeanne and I have been going to the gym every day. I may have overdone it a bit ...

I have been knitting a blanket for Mom with really fat yarn. I'm using a size 19 needle and can only fit 8 stitches on a needle!

Three panels here equals 3 full balls of yarn. One to go.


After taking the above picture, I got busy and finished the last panel. Mom sewed them together. The color above is closer to real. Below is under lights and the energy saving lights are yellowish. I don't think I'll ever use such fat yarn. It was difficult to wrangle. It's certainly nice and warm and a bit heavy.

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Palm Springs got about 0.40 inch of rain today. That's not much for the northeast, but it's a lot for the desert. It seems to have stopped with only minor flooding. 

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Last night Deb, Mom, and I played Mexican Train Dominoes and we had lots of laughs. Of course, my consuming copious amounts of tequila added to the merriment but I had to compensate for the two of them claiming that I was making up the rules. I only won a couple of games, they each won some too! It was a fun time especially since Paul bartended and ordered food in for us. I wasn't up to cooking.

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Tomorrow Mom and I will be making adult sized tutus at the Mizell Senior Center. They are for some road race. I'll have to find out which one.

I thought you might like to see a dawn breaking here. This is from another day. Today it was all clouds and mist.

I hope you all have relief from shoveling snow for a while. Stay warm and happy!

After Thanksgiving Greetings

The clouds you see below greeted me when I arrived tired, but happy, in Palm Springs the week before Thanksgiving. This was taken at the airport while I waited for Mom to pick me up.

More clouds.

While waiting for Thanksgiving, Mom and I went to see The Irishman. It was way too long at three and a half hours. It was great to see DeNiro, Pesci, and Pacino in a movie together, but... after a while there were too many executions and I didn't really care about the characters. We saw the movie at the Mary Pickford Theatre and next door was the balloon festival and food truck fair. They had painted a balloon on the wall of the theatre for photo ops. (The balloon was right near the fountain of the spitting turtles.)

Did I mention that those clouds provided buckets of rain? It seemed to rain for days, sometimes with very heavy rain overnight. In fact our neighbor's giant bouganvilla that normally sits on his roof is down on the ground. On Mom's patio (outside her bedroom), the bouganvilla has been beaten off the wall. We hope the gardeners can put it back tomorrow.

Needess to say, the picture below was taken before the rains although only some of the blossoms came off; it wasn't really damaged.

Our friend, Elaine, brought the most wonderful lemon tarts and butter tarts to our Thanksgiving dinner. She picked the lemons from her own tree! I have often wanted to try a Canadian butter tart because I listen to Brittlestar from Canada on Friday mornings and he's always talking about them. They are delicious and I wanted to devour them, but restrained myself to one bite. They are almost like little pecan pies with no pecans. Maple flavored.

Above is Mom and Elaine before dinner.  I'm really happy that we had cocktails at 4 p.m. and dinner at 5 p.m. I didn't have to get up early to put the turkey in! I had cooked most of the sides the day before (whipped potatoes, squash, stuffing to go in the bird, homemade cranberry sauce, homemade cocktail sauce for the shrimp). Deb and Paul brought green bean casserole and Paul made cornbread-sausage stuffing. So everything was very relaxed on Thanksgiving Day!

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Mom's early Christmas present was a set of Mexican Train Dominoes. We had invited Elaine over last week (or the week before??) and we had fun playing it. It's a really easy game and it goes fast. We had a lot of laughs because you never know who is going to win until right at the end.

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Today is Sunday, December 1 and the day is nice and sunny and warm -- it's 69 F. They are predicting cooler weather and more rain. There is more snow on San Jacinto and El Gorgonio mountains than we have ever seen and the new rain will add more snow. At the Palm Springs Tram summit, there is at least two and a half feet of snow. It's interesting that it's listed as 2596 meters high. You'll have to google it yourself to see what that is in feet.

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Today we're going to hear Handel's Messiah at the 7th Day Adventist Church. We went last year and I was blown away by the musicianship. It was a very nice program. Their organist only has one arm, which is a major feat playing classical music and most of the musicians are volunteers with other careers.

The music was fabulous again this year. I really enjoyed it. I liked the tenor best but Mom liked the baritone. The collatura wasn't bad and the soprano had the best enunciation.

Today, Big Bear got four feet of snow! It's the most snow they have had in 50 years on December 1. We're hearing about all kinds of awful weather and car crashes on the TV news tonight. I hope you all have safe travels -- or better yet -- you stayed home safe.

Cheers!

Happy Day After Halloween

The term impeachment" is commonly used to mean removing someone from office, but it actually refers only to the filing of formal charges. If the House impeaches, the Senate then holds a trial on those charges to decide whether the officer — a president or any other federal official — should be removed and barred from holding federal office in the future. ~NBC News.

To me, this process, of impeachment, is what is important. Facts will be elucidated and a transcript (not notes, not a summary) will be available for all to read. I do not expect the president to be removed, but I do expect the impeachment should be continued to the end for a Senate vote.

Also, what are we doing to fix or eliminate the electoral college? Don't you think the election of an official should be the one with the most votes? Why are we letting backroom political deals decide for us, the voters, who will attain office?

Finally, it is imperative that we eliminate foreign influence on our elections, whether it's by hacking into voting machines or by flooding social media with "fake news." We are already losing too many foreign friends, let's not open the door to economic and political enemies.

Feeling completely helpless in effecting change in the political climate, I hope to foster a productive discussion.

Below is virtual reality art from last winter's Desert X.

Like

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The little kids trick or treating last night were so cute! Some of the costumes were outstanding. One little kid proudly proclaimed he was a bee after his big sister said she was a vase of flowers (in a really nice Mom-made costume). As he was leaving, he said, "I drank some of her nectar!" pointing to his sister. I sure hope Mom remembers those sweet memories. 

It was so mild, that I left the storm door open. There is a solid panel on the bottom and two screened (or glass) panels on the top. The really little kids quickly figured out to hop up to see over the solid panel. I would be sitting in my chair opposite the door and see a little smiling face popping up and down. It made my night.

I did have about 45 kids come to the door and only one herd of tween boys who said they lived, "far, far away." I have seen parents dropping off carloads of kids and I like to know how far they have driven. I guessed Belchertown and they scoffed which led me to believe that they are from the apartment complex down the street which has a goodly amount of subsidized housing and student tenants. Most kids don't trick or treat at the apartments around here because the many students make it slim pickings.

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All of the above was written on Thursday. It is now Sunday. On Friday, I drove to Emily's to meet her new Little Man. He is 8 months old, 21 pounds, and is a smiling little feller. He has obviously been well cared for so I hope his separation from Mom is short. He is so cute! He crawls but is really interested in walking. He's cruising (holding onto things and inching around) but some 
times forgets that he can't let go and -- plop! -- he falls on his butt. Good thing for diapers which provide padding!

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Lisa and I went to see Camelot on the Academy of Music stage tonight. It was presented by the Valley Light Opera (VLO) which is a group of amateur volunteers. It was a fun performance, but long. It was three hours plus a 15 minute intermission. I remembered seeing Robert Goulet singing "If Ever I Would Leave You," but I think it was on Ed Sullivan's show or something like that because Lisa said that was the Broadway show cast, not the movie's cast. So now I'm hoping they re-release the vintage movie.

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Last night, at 2 a.m., we were supposed to "fall back" and turn the clocks back one hour. I was at Emily's house so I came home to a houseful of wrong clocks. My VCR, phone, and computer are all correct (by magic). The other clocks are going to have to wait. I don't want to rush into anything. I'll see how it's going for others and see if I want to do that. Last time, I waited six months and I didn't have to change the clock in my car at all. 

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Last week I got to hear Archer Mayor who was promoting his latest book, Bomber's Moon. The last book of his that I read was Paradise City which is the nickname that Calvin Coolidge gave to Northampton, Massachusetts. Cal Coolidge was Mayor of Northampton at that time, well before he became President. In fact, Smith College is the only presidential library on the campus of a college. 

[Editor's note: Thank goodness for friends who correct me when I'm wrong! "I think it was Jenny Lind who called Noho paradise city since she was on her honeymoon.

The Coolidge library is in the Forbes library."  The Forbes Library is the public library of Northampton.]

Much of the book is situated in Northampton but Joe Burgess, Mayor's protagonist, is from Vermont.  Brattleboro, Vermont is only about 45 minutes from where I live. Vermont is also the home of Green Mountain Coffee, recently purchased by Keurig Coffee. 

Currently, I'm reading Presumption of Guilt by Mayor. It's a soft cover and two years old so it was cheaper than his newest hardcover book. Mayor writes a book every 14 months which seems to be a super human feat. His 31st book is half done. As he said when I heard him speak years ago, he is one of the few working authors who makes a living at writing. 

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I'm sorry to report that Muddy Brook Farm burned and three horses died. The farm is just around the corner from me. On a more positive note, three people and six horses were saved by smoke detectors. The smoke detectors awakened the people living on the premises and they were able to save the six horses. These horses are huge draft horses (similar to the ones who pull the Budweiser Beer Wagon). 

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Very early Monday morning ...


Guess what I made! Peanut butter cookies!

This Tree Is Now Naked

Okay, so maybe that's a little bit of hyperbole ... there are a few leaves left on the tree. But high winds and a bit of rain have decimated the foliage. 

It's a lovely Saturday afternoon with sunny skies and 57 degrees F. (Why do we say "skies"? There is only one sky.)

I have spent waaaay too long at this bloomin' computer trying out my new cable ($20 from Verizon) to download pictures directly from my phone picture gallery. Apparently, my laptop (which I use as a desktop) is going through a "I'm old, so leave me alone" stage.

I did. Went downstairs and loaded a laundry after fighting with the packaging on Tide pods.  Normally, I use liquid detergent but when I got back from California last April, the detergent was like sludge due to the cold in the basement. I thought I would avoid that ... and I tried the pods. The packaging was almost Tina-proof but I did figure out how to open the plastic container, making me wonder if it is indeed child-proof. I was surprised that the pods are squishy.

Before I came upstairs, I gathered some household items to give to the church White Elephant Sale. It's big stuff -- like the extra large serving plastic bowls that will either hold macaroni salad for 15 people or a six pack on ice. I'm probably not going to do that type of entertaining any more.  

Anyway, I need another break (and this program keeps telling me there's an error so I will give the computer a break) and I need to clean that glass baker's rack. The layers of dust remind me of a geologic site with stratifications ...

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Second load of laundry is in; baker's rack is sparkling and dust free. You know how nothing is easy? I was setting up the sewing machine in the living room next to the Ott light. (It's a bright light that shows true colors without a yellow tinge.) Mindful of Emily's exhortations to never use extension cords, I plugged in the new energy saving multiple outlet unit (from MassSave) and grabbed the extension cord to roll it up. I did not realize that cord was wrapped around the metal ladder-style quilt rack which promptly closed but did not fall because my foot stopped it. It did, however, dump the half dozen quilts and UFOs (UnFinished Objects).  Sigh.

Yes, I did make keto biscuits this morning. Over easy fried eggs were good on them, but my next project is to learn how to make a perfect poached egg. My goal is to make myself eggs benedict, which I love.

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Speaking of maddening  technology, I was at a friend's house the other night watching TV with her. Suddenly, we heard, "Yes, o.k." in a woman's voice. My friend thought it was my phone and I knew it wasn't. We heard one more snippet. It turns out, it was her ipad and Lexi was responding to ... ? My friend said, 'That's the only time that has happened.' I observed that she could be in bed asleep and her ipad was having a whole conversation out in the dining room. She wouldn't know it.

Also, I think my Chromebook (the one that won't let me do anything with my pictures except look at them) is listening to me. I was telling Mom and a friend (two different occasions) about how I like "Below Deck" on the Bravo TV channel. The next day I got an email inviting me to a yacht sale in Florida. Out of curiosity, I looked at the rentals for a yacht that holds 8 passengers, 6 crew. It's quite a bargain since the rental starts at only $145,000/week. 

The next day, I got an email offering to help me sell my "current" yacht. I laughed out loud since I had just had a debate with myself on whether I should go to Aldi's after Stop and Shop because Aldi's eggs are 50 cents cheaper. (I didn't -- I splurged.)

One last technology rant. When I turned down an aisle in Stop and Shop, I saw an older man do a quick side step to get out of the way of the robot who seemed to be advancing on him. The robot stopped abruptly but the guy managed to get out of the way. "And how did you get this injury?" "I was run over by the store robot in Aisle 3."

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Halloween 2013

Left to right: Lisa, Tina, Sue 

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It's Sunday now and it's raining like a summnabitch. I'm hoping it goes above the current 46 F. but we are predicted to get as much as one inch of rain. 

Was hoping to eat breakfast with CBS Sunday Morning but came back to the orange one giving a press conference about the death of an isis leader. (Yes, the lack of a cap is due to my disrespect for the organization.) I wonder if anyone has ever counted how many times he says "great" and "very."

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Remember in the old days when we all had wire hangers from the dry cleaners? We know those were multiplying overnight in the closet. I used to take out bags of them and there would be more the next day. I think they were having hanger parties. 

A few years ago, I decided to go with plastic hangers, one package at a time. With them, there's no danger of rust on a hand washed blouse. Anyway ... these guys disappear. I have donated two or three bags of clothing and I don't have enough hangers! I haven't bought anything since last winter. Do you suppose they are snow birds too and I'll find them in Palm Springs?

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I think people finally know that Palm Springs is in California and not Florida. Why do they say, 'When are you going down there?'? To me, "down there" is Florida and "out there" is California. Am I wrong?

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My breakfast is over and the food's all cooked and he's still rambling about nothing. Now what do I do? No Sunday Morning to enlighten and delight me.

Yes, I cooked for the week: turkey meat loaf and four different seasonings on chicken thighs. Oh, yes, and a cute squash.

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WOW! WOW! Two UMass graduate students have discovered a whole NEW galaxy! They said it was unseen prior to this because the light from them took 12 billion years to get here (how can they measure that???) and there has been a veil of dust hiding it. 

I'm so glad I switched channels to the local news!

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This weekend is Homecoming for both UMass and Amherst College. I heard fireworks last night around 7:30 p.m. and I'm guessing that was from Amherst College (which is closer to me). I'm glad they had a nice sunny fall day yesterday for the football game(s). I didn't go to any of the events even though I got an email inviting me as a "leader." I always thought I was anonymous at school so I think that was buttering me up to give a contribution.

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I did get to watch a very truncated version of Sunday Morning which closed with spiders in their webs from the National Preserve in Florida. As long as I know where they are (as in not over my bed), I am fascinated and love the patterns of their webs. 

Have a great week! Cheers!