Waiting for New Year

 

Here is half of the bouquet that Deb and Paul sent us.

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Leeanne and I went in search of good shots of the mountains with new snow. Here are what we came up with. (12/29/20)

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Last Wednesday, we had a "Come eat cheesecake and be merry" gathering on Mom's patio. I made Kristie Sullivan's wonderful Carrot Cake Cheesecake. Other goodies were chocolate flourless cake with ganache, and lemon tarts. They were yummy with no sugar, just Swerve and Sukrin. We had about 15 neighbors who sat on the common grass area at least six feet apart. There were lots of lively conversations and it was fun. Some of us even had cocktails.

 Oh my. 

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I have cleaned my sewing machine, and not that it needed it, but the ball of lint was about the size of a quarter and a half inch high. I worked a bit on my current landscape quilt. It either needs a lot of work or it's a disaster. Mom couldn't identify the subject matter so I think I am less than successful with this one. It's going to be one of those that the clue is in the title, I think. 

I have joined a FaceBook quilting group (Madame Sew) and there are so many amazing quilters who post pictures of their work. Some are amazing at making a zillion very intricate blocks. It makes me want to assemble a bunch of squares and assemble them back home. 

A couple of the quilts posted were by beginners and it showed. But what also showed was the love that went into them. Usually they were a gift for someone else such as a grandchild or adult child. One woman made many "memory bears" using (for instance) a shirt that dear departed Grandpa used to wear. She's a true craftswoman and giving bear hugs to many people.

I also have been with the Crazy Cat People FB group for a while so I thought it was time to branch out and I have joined the Doggo Group. Daily I get to see pictures of dogs and cats. Oh, yes, the Unitarian Universalist Hysterical Society on FB is always good for a laugh. Sometimes there are thought provoking threads as well.

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For quite a few laughs, if you Google "Frank the Christmas Gargoyle," you will find a very entertaining saga. It all began when a woman put a Santa hat on Frank the Gargoyle and put him on her front doorstep.

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I watched Midnight Sky with George Clooney on Netflix. I cannot recommend it. My first thought is, don't bother. However, I did read of someone on FB who thoroughly enjoyed it. So don't go by me. 

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I am thoroughly enjoying The Ranch on Netflix. Be forewarned: every other word is the F word which I don't mind. Mom has dubbed it "crap" but I find the show to be well written and funny. 

Of course, Sam Elliott is in it and I have had a crush on him forever. Ashton Kutchner is pretty good as is Debra Winger. Beau (Sam E.) is Colt's (Ashton K.) father and Beau is a very old fashioned gun toting rancher, while Colt is a facial moisturizing kind of guy trying to get along with his cranky father and learn about ranching. There's another brother -- Rooster -- and other characters, including Dale the Veterinarian. (I'm slipping; I had left out two letters of veterinarian.)

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If I don't get back to you before then, happy New Year. But otherwise, be happy now. We are blessed. Cheers!

Candy Lane

Last night, Leeanne was our esteemed chauffer and we went to see the Palm Springs Christmas tree.

The downtown street lights are festooned with shooting stars.

And then we motored on to Candy Lane. We got to be in a Grinch and Santa parade which was great so that we could see all of the wonderfully decorated houses. Here's the link to the album of pictures.

 https://photos.app.goo.gl/STDHM9aQAv2wFQGr7

[Just in case you forgot: highlight the above link. Then press control c. Go to Google and put your cursor in there. Press control v and it should paste the link in. Press enter and the album should come up.]

I wish you all a safe and healthy Christmas. Joy to the world!

Morning Has Broken

 Yes, you should be hearing Cat Stevens singing, "Morning has broken." Up at 6 a.m. again -- it's a trend. At least I get to see the glorious color changes on the mountain when the sun rises.

Ears on --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0TInLOJuUM

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I've a few recommendations for you today:

The first one is The Half Husky Brothers on FaceBook. This is my favorite post of theirs -- trying new foods.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=search&v=708910706428591&external_log_id=264bc825-0d26-4074-b266-6a6f4c7ccf64&q=the%20half%20husky%20bros

If you can't get them on FB, the link below is on YouTube, but it's not nearly as good (in my opinion) as the FB post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNSOy8q9wuo

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The Unitarian Universalist Hysterical Society has been consistently funny. (Also a FB group)

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=unitarian%20universalist%20hysterical%20society

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Noatmeals: I tried my first Noatmeals breakfast this morning and it's yummy. It's like oatmeal, but different with nutty overtones. I ate the cinnamon and apple flavor today. You might want to add a bit more cinnamon and possibly fresh apple. It depends on what you like. The total carbs are 6 grams but if you're a net carbs fan, it's only 2 g net.

What's in this miracle breakfast? Shelled hemp seed hearts, chia seeds, flax seed meal, dried coconut flakes, MCT oil, freeze dried apple, cinnamon, natural flavor, monk fruit extract.

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Hummingbirds' Night Light

Some California Color

The East Entrance to Sunrise Villas

File Footage of Lights at Living Desert

Mom's Hedges Facing Street

View on Our Walk

Oleander

Once upon a time, a long time ago, when a certain evil woman was bedeviling Princess Tina, a loving mother offered to fill a suitcase with oleander. However, Princess Tina knew that the kingdom would survive if she could just persist. The evil woman slunk away in shame after her subjects revolted, including turning their backs on her at a holiday gathering to which she was not invited. It ended happily ever after. So ends this fairytale.

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I may have bored you with this before, but I can't resist passing on the easiest quiche recipe ever. I make it crustless and if you do, be sure to spray oil on the baking dish.

one frozen crust

3 large eggs

1 cup 1/2 and 1/2

1 cup shredded cheese (I use Mexican blend)

Enough real bacon bits (I use Krumbles from Costco) to cover the               bottom of the dish*

*You can use chopped ham if you wish

Optional extras: cooked broccoli pieces, chopped spinach (well drained), asparagus, cooked sweet peppers.

Cover the bottom of the crust/baking dish with bacon. Beat eggs and 1/2 & 1/2 thoroughly. Put cheese and optional extras if using on top of bacon. Pour in egg mix. Bake ~ 45 minutes at 350 F.

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I have pretty much run out of things to say. Have a great Saturday and an even better week! Cheers!

 

Friday Eve

 A woman on Spectrum news used Friday Eve to refer to Thursday. I thought it was cute but it doesn't have a whole lot of meaning for retired folks! Every day is special. The only day I really have to remember is "trash eve" so I remember to put my trash out. There's no way I'm going to be putting it out before 7 a.m.!

So I'm still quarantining in the lap of luxury here in Palm Springs. I'm very proud of myself today because I have made the bed and done other "chores" all before 10 a.m. At home, I never made the bed because I live alone -- and who cares? But after polling some friends, I found myself to be in the minority. I actually have been making my bed at home. However, I am careful to let it air first. I hate the thought of making a still warm bed!

View from Mom's house

The two pictures below are the definition of low hanging fruit!

Lacy tree leaves

I love barrel cactus!

Picturesque eucalyptus

Oleander

View on our walk today while overcast

Nothing much is happening. The photos are from two different walks around the neighborhood with Mom. We have a good time rubbernecking at all of the houses, seeing where there might be a For Sale sign. 

We splurged today and had Panda Express for lunch. Mom and I are practicing social distancing and wearing masks. She picked up the lunch while I got to watch a bit more of The Crown on Netflix. It's weird because the actor playing Prince Philip is the same one who played a bad guy on Outlander. (He also played a good guy on Outlander in a different century.) Sometimes it seems as if there are only five British actors -- you see them in lots of shows. The old guy in Last Tango in Halifax played Claudius in I Claudius. Gee, I wish they would re-run that series!

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It's Friday and I'm up at 5 a.m. Thought I'd chat with you.

 There will be no bright light displays at The Living Desert this year. Bummer. Some of the neighbors have Christmas lights. Mom got a very cute little Christmas tree. I think it's about 12 inches tall. 

We will have our own display right here. These pictures are from December 19, 2018. That was the first year Elaine and I went to view the lights. (Last year her husband and son joined us.)

Christmas 2019

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As I said, I am in the lap of luxury here and I have just 'made' more tea using the hot water tap here. It's a miracle! Instant tea-worthy hot water right from the tap on the sink. With lemon, of course, that I picked yesterday.

The sun is coming up -- soon as the rosy fingers of dawn approached * -- and I would take a picture for you but it's only 46 F. I know, I know, some of you are freezing your nose off, but I don't really want to put on layers over my jammies. Hmmm ... maybe I have a file photo. Be right back. 

Sunrise 2018, view from Mom's house.

* That's the only part of the Odyssey that I remember.

I hope you all take a day off from the news and just be in your own little bubble with your "pod." More and more I hear people using that term and it's o.k., but it really does make me feel like a whale. Four more days and I can expand my pod of one to include Mom and Friends.

Do something fun. Maybe bake something, or paint, or dance. I'm going to be snapping pictures after I eat a blueberry muffin with my tea.

Cheers!

Distractions

 Tomorrow I will leave at 5 a.m. to go to the airport on my journey to Palm Springs. Yes, I'm taking every precaution possible and I will self quarantine upon my arrival. I have to thank Elaine and Lorne for so generously loaning me their house in PS for my quarantine. I have the dancing boys scheduled for 2 p.m. the next day!

Since I get weirded out by this travel bit every year, I have decided to distract myself this year to keep the nerves down to a dull roar. And this is my big distraction. 

Yesterday, I decided to put away the scraps and fabric from my last projects. At this point, that means putting the fabric in a large toter by color. Those suckers are heavy to move around! (Yep, back is sore today.) But of course, I continued tidying up my cutting table (aka card table) ... So now it doesn't look like a bomb went off in my sewing room but it does look like a fabricholic needs to make 80 zillion more quilts to deplete the stash.

I found quite a few UFOs. As any quilter knows, those are UnFinished  Objects. And in various places, I found random blocks. I'm sorry that's all of the pictures for today. Unless I find something interesting.

These are from years ago in "vintage" fabric. It was a way for a fabric shop to sell fabric. I 

dropped out after a couple of blocks (it was one a month) because I didn't really like the colors and I lost interest.

You might recognize the goof above.

Yes, I know that's embroidery on the right. I did it so long ago that I don't even remember doing it.

The mostly purple one has potential.

The bottom purple one needs serious trimming! I do believe I did not think this was good enough to include in Sherylann's all purple quilt. I'll bet I could cut it differently and salvage it.

This poor little misfit will not be used in the lap quilt that only needs binding. I might cut the binding today ...

This was my attempt at a log cabin block. After I made two, I thought, "I couldn't stand a whole quilt of these!" So I stopped. 

Many years ago, I went to Arizona (before I had even been to California) and I was so amazed at how different their mountains looked from anything I had seen. This piece, which needs serious ironing, is about 2.5 feet wide. It's made  from slacks and a shirt. 

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I've got the second and last load of laundry in. I've filled a bag with non-eaten food from the fridge for Phyllis. Of course, since she was supposed to pick it up soon, it has been raining like crazy. 

I have packed a goody bag of snacks for the trip. Let's hope I don't forget it like last year, lol. The fridge is clean. 

I'm all packed -- sort of. The big suitcase is totally packed. But I have to rearrange my purse and the carry on bag. Sigh. I keep rethinking -- will I have a need for dressy clothing? We can't go anywhere. Then I think, 'Well, I'll just dress up for the heck of it.'

As much as I love the tech stuff (computer, phone, Kindle), there's a lot of gear such as cords, ear plugs, and chargers to stow somehow.

And this 'puter will be the last packed.

I have made a radical decision: I'm not bringing any lipstick or makeup. I don't wear it in Massachusetts, but I always wear it in CA. But my stuff is so old, I can still hear Lisa admonishing me to throw out makeup once a year. Ha! These lipsticks have been to California at least 3 times. 

And this is also what I'm leaving:

That's at 3:30 p.m. Am looking forward to some sun!

It has dawned on me that since last May when I got back to Amherst, I have only had one shot of Jameson's on election night. I'm going to have to work up to the imbibing of the Mexican Train Dominos Gang! But I have always said that I would rather eat my calories than drink them. 

Cheers! Be well. Don't forget that the phone works in California and I'd love to hear from you. (Just not at 6 a.m.) I'm off ...

Yada Yada Yada

 Working on day 10 of a marvelous cold. (No, no fever but a wonderful cough.) I do believe I got it from my fabulous foster grand baby. Julius is a love, but I kind of wish he hadn't sneezed in my face.

Emily's favorite toy was Buster. When I saw one on EBay, I had to get it for Julius. Oddly, this one is older than Emily! Buster is the name Emily gave to the horse. They don't make them any more, which I don't understand because he's really a lovely horse. Julius scoots around happily on him.

1976 Vintage Buster

I was rummaging around today and I unearthed some fabric landscapes which would look better framed. I'm not up to doing a real framing job, including buying frames and matting and trimming, but this is what I taped together.

This actually has a black frame. I think it needs a bigger frame and matte.

This is only matte, no frame

Two days ago, I couldn't stand it any more and cleaned the glass baker's rack. Rearranged a bit too. Some of the pieces were gifts and they remind me of the donor. I love seeing the sun shining through the colored glass.

It took me a while to wash all of those suckers!

I did finish the hand quilting on the above surprise quilt. I'm working on sewing the binding. Wish I were as good at it as Jeanne is. But you know what? My heart is in it and it's still very warm and snuggly. I will wash it before mailing it to be sure no cold germs lurk in its folds. 

I'm almost at the last episode of Silent Witness. Boy, I will miss this series. It's about a forensic pathologist and her adventures (in England and, later, in Ireland). Of course, she's always fighting with the cops who thinks she's too intrusive into their investigations. She really is, but (of course) she's always right. You have to be able to look at an autopsy without fainting to enjoy this series. (It's on Amazon.)

Speaking of which ... also on Amazon is Quiet Explosions: Healing the Mind by Jerri Sher. (She is my ex husband's cousin.) It's a masterful documentary of people with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). In this film there are people from all walks of life: a Marine, a gymnast, a heart attack victim, accident victims. All suffered life changing personality changes and many contemplated suicide. But the doctors in the film have devised new strategies that are saving people's lives. This is a very important film, especially if it can steer even one person to these life saving therapies. Tell your friends. 

I was finally able to get some Red Rose tea today. I have been drinking so much tea that I had run out. I found out that 3 large mugs of tea is the limit for one tea bag. ("It's a potent cup of tea.") Gotta stay hydrated.

Also in the hydration category: I have discovered that I can make a decent chicken soup in 20 minutes or so starting with boneless chicken thighs. Last time I threw in frozen chopped spinach. I kind of overdid it because the whole soup was green but that's o.k. Spinach is good for me.

Today was the first day in 7 that I went out of the house to the supermarket. I still have some frozen protein, but I had zero veggies! And no Red Rose tea! And no peanut butter! I'm not sure that peanut butter cookies are on the agenda tomorrow ... maybe the cookie fairy will come in overnight and make some for me. 

I've decided that 65 F. is too cold for me in the house. So I have turned on the heat. It was 50 F. but it's supposed to warm up again. The weather is weird lately. Warmer is ok. I hate wearing heavy coats and sweaters. 

I'm so grateful to have a warm house, plenty to eat, and friends nearby. I hope you are as blessed as well. Cheers!

If It's Thursday ...

 If it's Thursday, it must be trash day. Do you think I remembered that last night? Noooo ... and when I open the shades in the living room to let in the glorious sunlight, I see all kinds of trash barrels outside. Yes, I think I missed the truck, but I dragged my barrel to the curb anyway. In the "old" days (on Mondays!!) when they emptied the barrel, they left the top open. This new truck puts it back down with the top neatly closed. So you can't tell if it has been emptied or not. Life is difficult for the trash challenged. (I was too late.)

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This is my new favorite "commercial." There is a real Sam Adams commercial first; don't miss the SNL skit after it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1NIf8GeeY

I know people who have this same reaction to flavored coffees, lol.

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I washed my hair yesterday. Yeah, I know, big deal. My point is, I let it air dry and it was kinda o.k. with lots of curls. I get up this morning and it looks like I stuck my hand in a light socket. Somehow the curls stretched out, but are still sticking out a la Medusa. Makes me really glad for the mask. (Although people seem to have no problem recognizing me. It must be the queen size.)

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Luckily, Emily likes the snow suit I sent for J. I couldn't resist -- it has teddy bear ears on the hood. I got the black thinking he's a cool urban young man (instead of red) since he will be two years old in February. The kid's growing like a weed and has become a master of manipulation. I guess that's toddlers' job. They always manage to excel at pushing their parents around.

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I don't know about you, but I am darn sick and tired of not only political ads, but politicians asking me for money. I have long believed that we should drastically limit campaign spending and the money they can legally collect. I got an email today from 'Nancy Pelosi' titled "Not asking for money." This included a 'survey' asking if you support Trump. And at the end, lo and behold, the only way to register your 'survey' is to include a donation. This burns me up. And if the Democrats lose this election by thinking we are the same mentality of that other mob, I am going to be royally ticked off. 

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Here it is Saturday and what do I have to show for myself? Not much. However, I have taken a couple of walks on the bike trail (Amherst to Hadley).

                                                       Moo.

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Rummaging around the house, I found two more quilt tops that need finishing and I still have the yellow and blue one I made in California as well.

This one is called Blueberries.

Yes, I know it's all wrinkly. I'm working on that but in the meantime, I'm figuring out the back. So far it's mainly white, but I am going to add a quilter's block or two using very dark green batik (it looks like black) and a patterned fabric. Which is why I'm very happy that I ordered a chalk pen. Last time, drawing the diagonal on the squares was almost painful. I was using a white 'sewer's pencil.' It pulled the fabric and didn't want to really make a good line.

My first hurdle, however, is getting the darn package open.

I love my kitchen scissors! It can cut up chicken and open these ridiculously hard to open packages! And, yes, the pen works well. I'm on my way making half squares.

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There's one other thing I have been working on sporadically.  

It's a knit blanket I call Sand and Surf. Yeah, I know, why name a blanket? It's just what the colors reminded me of. And that reminds me that I haven't visited the ocean. I should do that. Hmmm ... Boston or Connecticut? Maybe both. I'll pack a lunch. But not today.

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I hope you all have a great week. The sun just came out so I may have to go outside and work in front yard. I've got some phlox seeds to plant. Cheers!