Musee du Louvre

As you can tell from the quality, or lack thereof, I have not done any editing on these pictures. At this point, the tour guide had been droning in my ear for some time. My mind and body wandered on ahead, mainly to get through the crush of the crowds.

The crush of people against the rail in front of the Mona Lisa was huge. I was about six people back. That's when I discovered the best about the extremely pushy people -- most of them were shorter than I. I still had to hold my camera up as high as possible and hope that I actually got a shot.

La Giaconda

Mona Lisa

Now you know the secret to the bemused smile: she's looking at all of the fools trying to photograph and copy her.

She does not seem too thrilled with this encounter. It looks like she has a headache.

Karen, a retired pharmacist traveling with her granddaughter, took this photo. This is one of the blouses I made before the trip.

From My Tablet

Yes, I have pictures on my tablet, phone, and camera. I am too lazy and tired to get out the daily run down to accurately caption most pictures, so I'll give you what I remember from the tablet pics for now.

The Journey Begins in Boston (6 hour flight to Paris)

On the Boat at Le Pecq (suburb of Paris)

Upper Deck

Putting Green on Right, Herb Garden on Left

Stanchion Is Part of Collapsible Shade (for under bridges)

This Is Me Relaxing (first day)

Typical Breakfast; on the far right is salmon with dill and lemon; other side has fruits and all kinds of breads. A woman brought a tray of croissants and offered one to everyone. We usually got our own pots of coffee.

My Roomie Showing off the Cabin and Balcony

Banana Smoothies and Other Stuff also at Breakfast

Chef Wanted Color at Breakfast

First Night Dessert -- a Table Mate Said Chocolate Called for Red Wine

I Ordered a Cheese Plate for Dessert. The Spoon Had Apricot Something; the Cheese Plate Was Different Every Night (You Could Also Have a Cheese Plate for a Starter)

Okay, I really am too tired for this, but ... since I know I have a million more pictures in my camera, I have to show you just a few from Monet's Japanese Garden -- my all time favorite! (It was hot as blazes and VERY crowded. I didn't care.)

As I sat here, working on the pictures, the birds are roosting for the night and singing busily. The birds were singing merrily at Giverney punctuated with a cock's crowing. There was a very large chicken coop surrounded by a lot of foliage. One visitor said the cock was upset because there were so many people in the garden. I thought it was because he wanted to get a date.

Good night for now.

Paris, here I come!

So maybe it wasn't such a great idea to be hours and hours early at the airport. I have eaten my snack aka lunch and I have played all of my words with Friends games thanks to Sue's wonderful gift of a Nexus tablet. I have to admit that this is a bit of a surreal experience. When I type the words here, I cannot see the page. I can only see the keyboard...

Ah , I have discovered that if I hold the sucker vertically, then I can see the page. It kinda takes away the suspense ...

They have changed the music from the pop I was bopping to and replaced it with Victor Borge {ed.note: a week later, I see that the stupid auto correct goofed up the name. It's Victor Borge!) type music. Go ahead and Google him, Sharon. You know how I alert you to cultural iconography.

My travel companion wishes to be anonymous so I will
 Refer to her as SB which is short for sexual Babe. She is not here yet because she's too smart to be here so early.

Thank you to Farah and Jon who are feeding Bruce the Rottweiler. He roams around my house ready to chomp a burglar who doesn't give the password in polish.

I'm hearing an announcement about a maintenance delay on another flight. Are all of these planes falling apart? If you hear an airplane, duck.

I'm desperately trying to stay awake so I can sleep on the plane. But they were just playing a Frank Sinatra knock off and I'm yawning like crazy.

At work, we joke that, "Tina is always right" and that's how I feel about my mother. So that's why I brought my carry on with wheels instead of a great chic tote with the look of real leather.  So I think I will wheel over to Star bucks. Ah revoir.😂

Is it Me?

So even though it was almost 5 p.m., I was happy to be doing errands because the stores are air conditioned! (It's 84 F. after being in the 40s and 50s for two weeks.) First stop is Home Depot. It's difficult for me to walk back and forth looking for stuff because it's so big, so I usually ask for directions. As I walk in, I spy a young woman who seems to be fascinated and sort of following about 4 men who take no notice of her.

Me: Hello.
She looks at me.
Me: I need a knob.
She: For what?
Me: I need a knob for a pot top.
She: You need a cover for a hot tub?
Me: No, I need a knob for a cover for a pot. (I'm speaking slower.)
She: A cooking pot?
Me: Yes.
She: We don't have those.
Me: How about a knob for a cabinet, do you have those?
She: That would be in aisle 15, but I don't think it will work.
Me: Thanks.

I stopped before aisle 15 and checked out plumbing fixtures but that would entail more design than I had patience for. Nope, nothing there.

I spent at least 3 minutes in aisle 15 checking out various shapes. I dunno, she may be right. This might not work.

Whaddya think?

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Last week, at the beginning of the week, I noticed that my favorite trees are in bloom.

That little window that you can see is part of my office. It's actually not a little window, but it looks like it in this picture. 

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So maybe it's not me. I just viewed a bunch of funny people at Walmart pictures. But what followed was even better. It was badly decorated cakes.

My favorite has to be the graduation cake. It had a nice picture of a young woman and a diploma scroll. The fun part? An outline of a cat on her head. You know, a "cat and gown" affair ...

FaceBook, what would I do without you?

Two Weekends

Today, Ann and I had an excellent adventure. We drove to the Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Mass. It was a glorious sunny day in the 80s and luckily, there was a nice breeze.

I forget the name of this tree, but it's in the olive family

My favorite statue. I couldn't tell if it was a dog or a fox, but he wants the grapes.

I just love allium. Ann said it looked like fireworks.

It's a chicken!

Yes, you read that right. Below is the Wild Rumpus exhibit. I had no idea it was here, but I was thrilled to see it in person. I had seen a video on Patrick's methods and other installations and I was fascinated. 

First View through the trees

I left the guy in so you could get an idea of how large it is. You can walk inside of it. It's all made with local saplings.

And here I am in the new palazzo pants that I made. They are really comfy!!

After wandering around for a couple of hours and sitting on a bench in the shade enjoying the breezes, we picked Emily up at her house and went to dinner. 

My favorite place has become the Sole Proprietor where I had tuna steak stuffed with gorgonzola, and divine grilled asparagus. 

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I spent last weekend at Emily's. We had fun going to see Wonder Woman at the movies and on Sunday, we met Debbie for lunch.

Right before lunch on Sunday

Saturday Pansies

Outside of my spaghetti bowl

Inside -- I sure hope it gets darker!

Emily actually got to pick up her bowl today but mine hadn't been glazed yet. Hers is gorgeous! It's a flower with a big yellow center and lots of purple petals. She said she would send me a picture, but she hasn't yet so I can't show it to you.

Casserole en el Piso

Today I had a wonderful brunch with Tomi and Dave at Essalon in Hadley. The best thing was the conversation. It was so nice to talk with sentient adults with no agenda other than fun conversation. (Of course, no politics to speak of. We all know where we stand and we wanted it to be happy talk.)

After that, it was my Aldi's stop. I still love that store! Eggs were $0.55/dozen!!

Once I got laundry going, and much of the groceries stowed away, I loaded up the oven with: stuffed jalapenos, chicken thighs "breaded" in pork rind dust, chicken thighs in buffalo hot sauce, a crustless quiche, and roasted radishes. I divided hard salami rounds into serving sizes and put them into individual packages. Having determined that I need better portion control, I will be measuring out mixed nuts into single portion sizes so I don't overeat. My morning snack will be quiche and salami. My afternoon snack will be nuts. Sometimes I forget my morning snack and either eat it at lunch or in the afternoon. 

At that point, I figured I had better eat lunch because it was 2 p.m. and I didn't want to eat my evening meal too late. I "created" a nice casserole with pre-cooked cauliflower on the bottom, pre-cooked ground beef, some fresh mushrooms, and some leftover Alfredo sauce from a jar. I zapped it in the microwave, added fresh ground pepper and salt. I reached for my coffee and my elbow hit my dish of casserole which did a two and a half gainer off the counter before it hit the floor. (Yes, "en el piso" means "on the floor" in Spanish.) Oh, but wait -- there's more. At least half of the casserole fell into my open purse which was on the floor.  Yep, on my phone, my sunglasses, my diabetes test kit ... well, you get the idea. I not only have to wash the floor, I have to clean my (huge) purse! Darn.

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Cyndi hosted an art show with student art from Kanegasaki, Japan. Most of the students were ages 14 and 15 years old. I helped her set up. There were 26 water color paintings based on Emily Dickinson's poetry; I've only given you a couple of pictures here. You can see more at the FaceBook group called Kanegasaki Sister City and Friends.

Cyndi before guests arrived

Roses in Emily's Garden

"I like a look of agony ..."

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Got a load of clothes washed and hung up. Am drying the second load, washing the third load. Emptied the dehumidifier, once again proving that water is heavy. It no longer drains through the hose that empties into the sump pump. And I have to kick it to restart it. Really. The dishwasher is chugging away washing dishes.

The asparagus is cooked and looks very festive next to the radishes in my lunches. I'm pretty sure I bought some broccoli, but that can wait a bit. I have to do some serious re-arranging in the fridge. I'm thinking that will entail making salad or at least cutting up the lettuce.

Since we have Memorial Day off, I don't have to put the trash and recycling at the curb tonight because the pick up is delayed until Tuesday. That's a good thing because it will give me more time to get the recycling together. We alternate weeks and this week is paper and cardboard. I haven't put most of it outside (in the open bucket) because it has been raining off and on for two weeks. Ever since I bought a silver sun screen for my car, it has been raining.

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I have found a new show on Netflix: The Ranch. It's a comedy with a laugh track which I hate, a slow start with only mildly amusing jokes, which I don't like. They use the F word liberally, which is o.k. with me (but not Mom). There are two words that are the whole reason that I watch the show. Sam Elliott. Need I say more? Ashton Kutchner and Deborah Winger are also in it and the jokes (and writing) do get better after the first couple of episodes. Bo Bennett (the father, Sam E.) is a rancher in Colorado with two sons and an estranged wife. 

I have to tell you one joke -- Bo (the father) is telling the sons that times are tight and they have to economize and only buy what they really need. And he looks at a carton and says, "What the F... is almond milk?? I never saw a teat on an almond!"  Those ranchers. So earthy.

I'm liking it because the third season of Bloodline was such a downer, I needed relief. Yes, I did binge watch Bloodline, and I should know better. But what can I say? It keeps me out of bars and taverns.
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By the way, the temperature has gone from rainy in the 50s to rainy and 74 F. It's HUMID. As we say, 'You can cut the air with a knife.' Combined with seasonal allergies, I'm huffing and puffing. I finally broke down last week and take an Allegra in the morning before work. (My face is so puffy in the a.m., I look like a drunk.) And then, as if a gong goes off, at Noon the Allegra gives up the ghost and I'm all snarfly again. I haven't been taking another pill in the afternoon, but I might have to give in: two sides of my office are covered with lilac blossoms. A woman stopped in on Friday and wanted to know the variety because these are still blooming when all other lilacs have stopped. I wanted to say, "Really Smelly Lilaculus!" but I didn't think that would be appropriate. I did say that Reference could probably help her ... (Anyone else would have broken off a bit and brought it to the Hadley Garden Center for identification, but ... )

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I "met" a really lovely pup at Aldi's. I thought it might be a mastiff but it's a really big (grey) pit bull. They said he's still young but his father weighed 110 pounds. This was a snuggle bunny and he wanted/allowed me to pat him. I'm glad I don't have to feed that dog! I'm guessing he goes through a fair amount of kibble.

Heat Wave and Aftermath

Who knew that two days in a row of 90 F. heat was a heatwave? Or maybe it's only a heat wave when it's May before Memorial Day. It was beastly at work -- 86 + in my office. Ugh.

One of my friends was bragging that his tomatoes are three feet tall. HA! My weeds are taller than that. (He lives in Maryland and if he asks me one more time if all of the snow has melted, I'm going to mail him a snowball. With yellow snow.

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Monday, May 22

It's back to rainy and 50s. That's o.k. I have been remiss, so here are "old" pictures I was saving for you.

The top three pictures are from a couple of weeks ago when it was spring (and not a heat wave).

  

This year, I only have single white lilacs. In the past, I have also had double lavender lilacs -- but they appear to have left ...

Below is the panda that Emily brought me all the way from California (from Mom). He holds my cell phone. Do you see Roxanne's cut work on my window? It's truly amazing. She does it all free hand (design and cutting).

And above is the Mother's Day bouquet that Emily sent me. This picture was taken yesterday and it's still blooming like crazy. It's very cheerful.
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So yesterday was a pilgrimage to Costco to buy BIG FOOD. I already had veggies, luckily, but I ended up cooking:

beef and mushrooms in the crockpot
curry roasted cauliflower
steamed cauliflower
roasted brussels sprouts with bacon fat
bacon (baked -- pre-cooked)
quiche with pancetta on the bottom (crustless)
ribs with cajun seasoning.

I did not make the mushroom soup, but maybe I'll do that on Wednesday. The fridge is a bit over stocked ...

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Cyndy and I went to see A Quiet Passion with Keith Carradine and Cynthia Nixon. Some of it was filmed in Amherst at the Emily Dickinson House. We were not impressed. Cyndi told me all about   the historical bloopers and I thought it was slow. Really slow. So slow, in fact, that if a cat had strolled across the screen that would have been the height of action.

I was tickled to see Barry Roberts as the driver of Emily's father's hearse. He is the local owner of draft horses, but these were regular horses. (Not huge, normal sized.)

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I saw Bette Midler on CBS' Sunday Morning and she's 71 years young and appearing on Broadway. She spoke of women 'of a certain age,' and I had heard that phrase before. I don't really know what that means because a much younger friend had used it about herself. Does it mean when the woman is certain about her life? Does it mean after menopause? Does it mean 'old enough to know better'? 

So I asked Google and I got:  "A lady of a 'certain age,' which means Certainly aged." ... The phrase was repopularized in a 1979 book by the psychotherapist Lillian B. Rubin, "Women of a Certain Age: The Midlife Search for Self," in which midlife spanned 35 to 54."

"Urban Dictionary has a far more specific term: "Ironically polite term for a woman who does not want her actual age known, e.g. one who is close to or just over the menopause."

So does that mean I am "a lady of an uncertain age"? Or just "incredibly vibrant and sexy, but old"? Maybe I should replace old with wise. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Personally, I don't mind telling my age -- I did a lot of living to get here and I don't regret one day. Well, maybe I regret a couple of days when I really should have told someone to fly off and I didn't, but that's another story.

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I am happy to report that my swishy palazzo pants came out great although I may have made the elastic in the waistband too loose. (Lautrec) I have a top that I'm making to go with them, but I didn't get a chance to work on it this weekend. Maybe tonight. I'm doing the boring parts like finishing raw edges. And then I have more fabric for one more top. I'm really impressed with myself that I can design and make something that I would actually wear. I'll report on progress later.

Have a great week! :)