Our collection of vintage brass Christmas bells |
Every day for a year, starting on my 49th birthday, I did something I've never done before. Now that I've completed that project, here's more of my adventures.
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
A Poem To End The Year
Monday, December 30, 2024
Blues, Blacks, And Blends
Now I take a class once or twice a week. I still take good care of my suits, but in the past two weeks two of them bit the dust. One had a strap torn off in the water extractor. The other had a tear in the material right in the middle of the chest right in the middle of a class. (Fortunately there was a double layer of material there, so no skin was exposed.)
If I wanted to continue taking aqua classes I would need to buy a new suit.
I had no idea of what brands would fit well without trying them on, so buying online wasn't the best option. And since it was off season for swimwear, buying in a store wouldn't be easy. I started by searching websites for stores in the area to see what was available and learned there wasn't much out there unless I wanted to get a pricey resort season suit from Macy's or Dillard's. Just in case the websites were wrong I popped into Target and a couple of off-price stores. No luck.
However, when I asked about swimsuits at Kohl's the associate told me there was a sale rack back by the coat section. There, I waded through suits and pieces of suits that were either way too big or way too small, but at the very end of the rack I found a nice-looking dark blue, aqua, and white print tanktini top in my size.
There was no coordinating bottom piece, but I was pretty sure the dark blue could coordinate well enough with a black bottom to a previous suit that was in the bottom of a dresser drawer.
The piece was there in the drawer, and if I lower my standards enough I think I can get away with it.
Five years ago today: The Bag That Gets AroundSaturday, December 28, 2024
For Some People Christmas BEGINS On December 25th!
I had two packages to mail and decided to walk them to the post office. It didn't take long for me to realize that the fleece jacket I was wearing was too warm, so I took it off and continued the trip in my shirtsleeves. Eventually I saw someone taking down their Christmas decorations. I get that it's a job better done in nice weather, but that made me sad.
In the liturgical calendar of the Catholic, some Orthodox, and a few Protestant churches the Christmas season starts on Christmas Day and ends on the Feast of the Epiphany, which celebrates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child on January 6th. (Think of the Twelve Days of Christmas.)
The Journey of the Magi by Stefano di Giovanni |
Before Christmas the focus in our church was on the season of Advent. Now we get to see the beautifully decorated sacristy and sing the familiar hymns. It's the only time of the year when I don't need to refer to the hymnal for the words. Following tradition, Hubby Tony and I won't take down our decorations until more than a week from now.
Thursday, December 26, 2024
A Wonderful Holiday
Hubby Tony and I treated ourselves to a big breakfast-bacon, eggs, cinnamon
rolls, and strawberries washed down with plenty of fresh, hot coffee.
I got some lovely presents, including some crossword puzzle books and an
assortment of herbal teas. Tony seemed to be pleased with his packages. And
Pimento the Foster Cat declared that the discarded wrapping paper was the
perfect present.
Son Donald joined us for dinner. I made a pan of Savory Spiced Baklava from the recipe that Liz wrote about a couple of weeks ago. The dish had two mixtures spread between layers of buttered filo dough. One contained butternut squash/chickpeas/spices. The other one had chopped chestnuts/breadcrumbs/golden raisins/broth. Both of these included sauteed onion/leeks/garlic. Layers also included crumbled feta cheese. I substituted conventional sesame seeds for the black ones the recipe called for.
Although the baklava could have stood on its own as a vegetarian entree we also had ham. Green salad and sourdough bread accompanied the main dishes. Dessert was gooey butter cake, clementines, and chunks of good dark chocolate.
The day flew by and before I knew it was over. I could hardly keep my eyes open, and the bed felt so good!
Five years ago today: A West Coast Christmas
Monday, December 23, 2024
Saturday, December 21, 2024
Let It Be Christmas
Let It Be Christmas is a musical theater production that uses Beatles songs to tell the story of Mary, Joseph, and the birth of Christ as a modern-day love story. The tag line is "The Gospel According to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, George, and Ringo". The main star of the show was the band, which included keyboard, guitars, bass, drums, and saxophone. Many of the musicians also handled vocals, and there was a trio of backup singers. The handful of acting parts were Mary, Joseph, the Angel, and a Narrator that moved the narrative along.
The show used dozens of Beatles songs, both snippets and complete versions. I started out trying to keep track of all of them, but eventually just gave into the experience. However, some of my favorite parings were:
- Mary and Joseph met ("I've Just Seen a Face")
- They fell in love ("I Feel Fine")
- And got engaged ("Till There Was You")
- The Angel came to Mary to tell her she was going to have a baby ("Blackbird")
- Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, and he broke off the engagement ("Yesterday")
- The Angel came to Joseph ("Hey Jude")
- Joseph did some sole searching ("The Long and Winding Road")
- He apologized to Mary ("Got to Get You Into My Life")
- Mary and David rode on a train to Bethlehem. They tried to find a hotel room and failed ("Help!").
- Jesus is born offstage ("Here Comes the Sun [Son]")
- Mary and Joseph came out holding a baby (John Lennon's song "Beautiful Boy")
- The finale ("Let It Be")
Thursday, December 19, 2024
A Formula For Failure (And Frustration!)
The words rang true. With a little research I found out that the thought was an abridgement of a Herbert Bayard Swope quote. His complete words are "I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure - which is: Try to please everybody."
Five years ago: What A Difference A [Couple Of] Days Makes
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
The Dental Work Diet
She took x-rays and sent them off to the insurance company for a
predetermination. Several months later I found out the work was
considered restorative and would be covered up to the policy limits. New crowns
awaited!
Two Fridays ago I had an appointment to have the preliminary work done. I left with a temporary crown. This Friday I have a second appointment to have the permanent crown set in place. As I left the office, the assistant told me not to floss the area or bite into things.
I didn't realize how often I bite into things when I'm eating. Now, instead of chomping down onto food I have to cut or break it up into small pieces before wedging them into the back part of my mouth.
The process is annoying, but there's also an interesting side benefit. At the
holiday parties I've attended, instead of a loaded plate of appetizers that I
thoughtlessly eat while chatting with friends I've carefully selected items. A
Ritz cracker can be broken into four pieces, with each topped with a dab of
cheese ball. The result takes longer to prepare and longer to eat. (All the
taste, fewer calories.) A
Two-Bite brownie, whose name I usually take literally, tastes even better when divided into smaller chunks and savored one at a time. The same with deviled eggs and
cocktail meatballs.
However, there are only a couple more days until I can go back to having foods that need to be bitten into... sandwiches, pizza, chicken wings, cookies, and fruit like apples and pears. I can't wait.
Five years ago: White As SnowSunday, December 15, 2024
Mid-December Sights
The neighborhood across the street from our condo has a house that loves Star
Wars. During the Halloween season the yard had quite a few large decorations
which were now repurposed for Christmas. There was a Stormtrooper wearing a
Santa hat and carrying a candy cane:
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader was guarding the front door. He was carrying his
traditional light saber in one hand and a Christmas ornament in the other. At
his feet there was a gingerbread person wearing a stormtrooper helmet:
Later I observed something unusual right in my own development. There is a row of arborvitae planted along the arterial road next to the condos. Earlier this year the water department was doing some work to install mains for a new subdivision just to the south and had part of our street torn up. Soon afterwards two of the arborvitae right where they had been working started to brown up. A neighbor said an arborist came out and determined the tree roots were still alive and they would eventually put out new growth (which never happened). Someone added ornaments to the tree closest to the road.
Five years ago today: Good To Keep In Mind
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Office Conduct During The Christmas Season
- Running aluminum foil through the paper shredder to make tinsel is discouraged.
- Playing Jingle Bells on the push-button phone is forbidden (it runs up an incredible long distance bill).
- Work requests are not to be filed under "Bah humbug."
- Company cars are not to be used to go over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house.
- All fruitcake is to be eaten BEFORE July 25.
- Eggnog will NOT be dispensed in vending machines.
In spite of all this, the staff is encouraged to have a Happy Holiday.
~~Author Unknown~~
Five years ago: It's Closed And Ours!Thursday, December 12, 2024
Feline Fasting Fraidycats
That appointment was this afternoon. The shelter made the appointment, then forwarded an email from the facility confirming it. The message said that instructions for preparing the 'patient' for his procedure could be found on their website. When I checked out those instructions I was surprised to learn that Pimento had to fast the morning of the appointment.
Have you ever tried to withhold food from a critter? They don't handle it well. Especially cats, who are creatures of habit, and can be very demanding when they're hungry. Pimento is used to getting breakfast from Hubby Tony right after he wakes up.
The instructions had an exception for medical conditions, so this morning Tony mixed the cat's liquid medicine into one tiny spoonful of wet food. Surprisingly, Pimento seemed to be satisfied with that. However, Tony and I knew the satisfaction wouldn't last so we made plans to make ourselves scarce until just before it was time to leave for the appointment.
After a trip to the gym we ran a couple of errands. Next, we went to lunch at the latest pop-up restaurant at the mall food court (which featured burgers and chili made with locally raised, pasture-fed beef and tallow fries). When lunch was finished we walked around the mall.
The next part of the day was timed with military precision....ten minutes to drive home and walk upstairs up to the condo, ten minutes to grab the cat, put him into the carrier, and take it down to the car, and ten minutes to drive to the facility. Everything went better than planned, and there was an extra five minutes to stop by Panera for a cup of coffee to go.
We were in and out of the facility in a half hour. Back at home, I put food into Pimento's bowl and let him know it was there. He couldn't decided if he should eat or hide under the bed but his stomach won. Then he disappeared for quite a while.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Sin City (Fall 2024 Western Adventure)
(I'm documenting our latest trip through several blog posts for my future reference. Feel free to read along, or if you're not interested come back in a few days.)
When Hubby Tony and I left Barstow California after breakfast we only had a two hour drive northeast to our last stop in Las Vegas. However, our room would not be ready until late afternoon, so we decided to add in one last nature experience and detoured to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
The canyon offers a 13-mile scenic drive in addition to hiking and rock climbing opportunities. It is so popular during the non-summer seasons that you have reserve a timed entry slot. I was pretty sure that we wouldn't have a problem on a Tuesday, and I was right.
At the visitors center the ranger cheerfully answered our questions. She told us they no longer offered printed park maps, but we could download one to our phone as long as we did it inside the building (the park had no cell service). She also recommended a picnic area where we could eat lunch.
The Scenic Drive was well named. At each parking lot Tony and I got out of the car to take advantage of the vistas. Many of the lots were filled with cars of people who were hiking and climbing.
After eating lunch we decided we would do some hiking ourselves. The trails were categorized by difficulty into easy, moderate, and difficult. We chose an easy trail right next to the picnic area that was a little over a mile long. I thought it was a little strange that the map said the average completion time was 1.25 hours, but when I had to scramble up some boulders I realized why.
It was easier than it looks :-) |
It was an easy drive back to Las Vegas. Tony had booked a condo at a time share resort two blocks off the Strip close to its northern end. After we got situated in the room we went to the Strip and walked around. Eventually we got dinner at a Pan Asian restaurant then came back to the room and crashed.
Wednesday (the last day of our vacation) we started at
Flyover, which is an
immersive flying experience that uses special effects to make riders feel like
they're actually flying. It was like
nothing I have ever done before. The experience started in a circular room
with a screen in the middle that projected images on the walls and screen.
After the preshow we moved into a room with chairlift-style seats and buckled
in. The lights dimmed, the floor dropped, and the screen in front of the room
came to life. I felt like I was in a helicopter with a camera as it
zoomed up, down, and around. The chairs moved back and forth, and sprayers
offered a gust of wind or a hint of mist when appropriate.
We bought passes for The Deuce, a bus that ran between the Strip
and Downtown. Our first ride was to the Arts District, which is roughly
halfway between the two areas. We got off and walked around. I saw the pawn shop that is featured on
the TV show Pawn Stars. I was not tempted to stop in.
Back at the resort, we headed down to the bar for a free glass of wine during
happy hour, then headed off for a simple dinner. Before going to be, I set
my alarm to allow enough time for us to check out, return the rental, and get to the
airport in time for our trip back home.
Monday, December 9, 2024
A California Crossroads (Fall 2024 Western Adventure)
At this point in our trip Hubby Tony and I had been traveling for a week and a half. There were four days left before we flew home from Las Vegas early Thursday morning. Monday was back to work/back to school for the kids and grandkids, so Tony and I decided to break the eight-hour drive back to Vegas up into two days. After walking to school with Grandsons Jay, Dee, and Ell we packed up the car and got on the road.
There are two passes over the Diablo Range mountains close to the San Jose
area. The fastest one between the Son Brian and Son Tony's houses is the
Altamont Pass, but our route took us over the more southern Pacheco Pass. We got off the
highway at Gilroy, which calls itself the Garlic Capital of the World. The
road had quite a few produce stands. Even though it was really too late in the
year for local produce, we stopped at one. The packages they were selling were
too large, but they also had garlic ice cream. I had it on a
previous trip, but couldn't resist another taste.
Chocolate and a hint of garlic |
After some discussion of how much ground we wanted to cover the first day of driving Tony and I chose to stay in Barstow, which is a city along Route 66. Unfortunately, we found out that on Monday many of the historic things were closed, but I enjoyed seeing the series of pedestals topped with classic cars along Main Street.
For dinner Tony found a great soul food restaurant. The food was served cafeteria style, and a plate consisted of a main dish, two sides, and a cornbread muffin. I couldn't decide if I wanted pulled pork or rib tips, so the associate gave me a sample of both. He also offered a sample of the oxtails. Farther down the line, when I asked if he liked the cabbage or collard greens better he gave me another sample.
The generosity continued once we were sitting down. First the manager came by with a side of ribs for Tony and I to share, and later he brought a small bowl of sweet potatoes for each of us. I had trouble finishing all the food, and there was certainly no room for dessert! I practically waddled across the street to our hotel.
After breakfast the next morning we stopped at the store to buy grab and go sandwiches for lunch and headed east for the last part of our adventure.
To be continued...Sunday, December 8, 2024
The Main Event (Fall 2024 Western Adventure)
Beatty, Nevada Day Two. Hubby Tony and woke up and packed up, then drove away from the motel. I was surprised to learn that the roads through Death Valley had many public roads, one of which was a California state route. Google Maps said the most efficient way to get to our next destination was to retrace part of yesterday's drive through the park. We did that, but before entering the park turned off to see the Rhyolite Ghost Town, then continued our trip. Halfway across the park, we again deviated from the Google route to head to one last place in Death Valley-the Father Crowley Overlook above the Rainbow Canyon, near the western boundary of the park.
National Park Service |
The next four days were spent with the two California families.
- On Thanksgiving we joined Tony and DIL Ie's family
for a Thanksgiving celebration. There were about 50 people there, and enough
food to fill three 6-foot folding tables.
- Afterwards Hubby Tony and I got in the car and drove across the Altamont Pass to Son Brian's.
- Friday we attended a San Jose Sharks game with them (The Sharks beat up on the Seattle Kraken, winning 8-5).
Friday afternoon Son Tony and family checked into an AirBnB by Brian's house and came to socialize. They stayed until it was time for the kids to go to bed.
- Saturday Son Tony's family came back for a family Thanksgiving lunch. It was nice to see everyone, but we all missed Son Donald, who was back in St. Louis.
- Sunday Hubby Tony and I joined DIL Nicole at swim lessons for the grands, then we ended up at the mall where they visited Santa.
Sunday night Tony and I started packing our things up so we could get a quick start after taking the grands to school. We had more places to be!
To be continued...
Five years ago today: 1 Corinthians 13 (Christmas version)
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Hottest, Lowest, Driest (Fall 2024 Western Adventure)
When Hubby Tony and I started planning add ons to our California family visit, the first decision was what route to take. We quickly figured out
that going north from Boulder City would run into winter weather, so for
the third stop on our trip we chose something that was the opposite of cold. As a
matter of fact, Death Valley National Park is notable as being the hottest
place on earth and driest place in North America.
Wikimedia |
Death Valley National Park is over 3.4 million acres, and the largest park in the United States outside of Alaska. It's filled with extreme and unique landscapes, but Tony and I came up with a plan that let us see many of the highlights. Among my favorites was Badwater Basin. At 282 ft below sea level, it's the lowest point in North America.
See the arrow? That's a sea level marker. |
Throughout the course of the day we saw scenic vistas, colorful hills, and show-stopping canyons. Our last stop was the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, which the visitor
center said was one of the best places to watch the sun set. Unfortunately
heavy clouds covered the sky and there was no sunset, but it was still
interesting to walk through the area.
At the end of the day we returned to the hotel. It was an interesting drive on a sometimes windy two lane roads, because the area is recognized as an International Dark Sky Place with very little artificial light pollution, and I was glad when I saw the motel sign.
To be continued...
Friday, December 6, 2024
Nevada's Garden City (Fall 2024 Western Adventure)
The second stop on our adventure was Boulder City, Nevada. It's home to Hoover Dam, an engineering marvel on the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona which provides water and electricity. The water trapped behind the dam is called Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the United States.
Hubby Tony and I chose a hotel five minutes from the historic district area of the city, but we drove there for shopping and meals. Our hotel was at the top of a hill, and we could see Lake Mead from the parking lot.
After a great night's sleep we drove to the dam for a tour, where our guide had fun sprinkling in "dam" jokes in between the facts.
Wikimedia |
Hoover Dam was constructed between 1931 and 1936 in an Art Deco style. I enjoyed seeing the sleek sweeping curves, chevrons, and pyramids. Inside, there were beautiful terrazzo floors and insets that incorporated motifs of the Navajo and Pueblo tribes of the region.
Different sides of the dam, different states |
Our last activity was a ride on the Nevada Southern Railway excursion train. Everything is run by volunteers, and the one in our car was knowledgeable and friendly. After lunch at a cafe recommended by the train volunteer we headed towards our next stop for the next part of our trip.
To be continued...
Thursday, December 5, 2024
LAS (Fall 2024 Western Adventure)
(I'm documenting this trip through several blog posts for my future reference. Feel free to read along, or if you're not interested come back in a few days.)
You didn't even know that I was gone, but this morning Hubby Tony and I returned from a whirlwind two weeks out West. We had a great time visiting family, historical places, and natural wonders.
The main purpose of the visit was to spend Thanksgiving with the California kids and grands. Because air fares take a huge price jump for the holiday we decided to leave substantially before and come home substantially after. For several reasons we chose to fly into Las Vegas, which is approximately eight hours from where our kids and grandkids live...but we weren't going to drive all that distance at once!
Our trip got off to a rough start. The flight that was supposed to get us to
Vegas at bedtime got delayed....then delayed....and delayed even more. At that
point we wouldn't have gotten in until long after midnight, so we rebooked for
a flight that would get us there at lunchtime on Friday. After the flight was
rebooked Tony canceled the Thursday hotel room and revised the
rental car reservation. I contacted the cat sitter about the change, and let
our downstairs neighbor know so she wouldn't be freaked out to hear us moving
around.Then we went to sleep in our own bed.
On Friday everything went as planned. You know exactly what city you're in when this is the first thing you see when you walk out of the gate:
After picking up the car we got lunch and explored Downtown (the primary gambling district of Las Vegas prior to the Strip), and the Fremont Street Experience (a five-block pedestrian mall, most of which is covered by the world’s largest LED canopy screen). We popped into a couple of the stores and casinos, but didn't gamble and passed on any tacky tourist experiences.Next, we drove to the Strip. Parking was horrendous, so we switched gears and headed out of town. Tony was navigating. On Google Maps he saw a green blob for the Ethel M Botanical Cactus Garden and we decided to visit. Later. I found out from the website that it's the largest cactus collection in Nevada.
Ethel M is a chocolate manufacturer, so we were also able to see the production line at work and have a sample before wandering through the cacti. The area was decorated for the holidays, and if we had been there after dark would have been lit up. However, we had places to go so we headed on.
To be continued...