O Tannenbaum

My friend Charlotte and I have done some memorably dumb things together (like our famous pumpkin pie fights), but right up there at the top has to be the time we went together to get our Christmas trees.

We went to a tree lot in Berkeley and searched for the perfect trees...and we found them.  Tall.  Full. Fragrant.  They would both be the start of the most beautiful tree ever.

We paid for our trees and took them to the car.

And we stood there, two large, full, lush trees in hand standing by Char's small Saab and wondering how we were going to carry them home.  I don't know how we did it, but somehow we got both trees in the car, but I remember the drive home, looking through the tree branches that encircled my head.  I don't know how Char ever drove the car safely.

At some point, Walt and I decided to give the kids the experience of cutting our own Christmas tree and we did that for several years.  They were pretty young the first year we went and someone--probably Paul; it was usually Paul--cried all the way because he was cold and wet and didn't want to be there.

But over the years, they started to enjoy it, and would be able to help with the sawing down of the tree and carrying it to the car.  Then we would sing Christmas songs all the way home, while the car smelled that wonderful Christmas tree smell.

By 1982, we were regularly hosting foreign students and that year we had two expected to be with us for Christmas -- Ndangi from (then) Zaire and Chieko from Japan.  I think they were a little confused by the whole cutting the tree thing, but came to observe these crazy American customs.

Ndangi and Chieko became good friends and for a few years after that, if either of them was in the United States in December, they turned up at our house to celebrate Christmas with us again.  Sadly, I have lost contact with both of them now, though Ndangi (now using his American name of Andre) lives in California, but I don't know how to reach him.  Chieko married and had a couple of kids, and there is no way to trace her because I don't know her married name.

When I was growing up, we always had a big tree and we hauled out the ornaments and trim it.  My mother always put the lights on.  She was very particular about how they went on so we just watched.  Inevitably a string would go out.  In those days if one bulb was dead, none of the other lights would light and I can't tell you how many angry hours over the years my father spent trying to find the offending bulb.

But once the lights were on and lit, then my mother, sister and I did the decorating.  I always got to put on the "face" ornament, my favorite.  It remained my favorite into my adulthood and it finally broke one Christmas when we were decorating with the kids.  I saved the pieces and put it in a craft project, which has now disappeared.  I still miss that silly ornament.  I think it had been my mother's favorite when she was growing up.

Our tree not only had the traditional glass ornaments and the perfectly hung tinsel on the branches, but it also had a little village around the base of it, with Christmas tree lights stuck in the back of each of the houses....and in the middle the manger scene.  My father built the house and we filled it with the characters from the Christmas story. 

I was always kind of jealous of my friend Stephen because he had a toy train that went around his Christmas tree, but we never had a toy train because we were girls (and possibly because my father worked on a train so was not enamored with having one circling his Christmas tree!)

Our Christmas trees, over the years started out with traditional glass ornaments and gradually added home made ornaments or specially bought ornaments (like musical instruments, 49er players, etc.) to befit the interests of the kids.  Now I don't think we have any glass balls left any more and the tree is all "special" ornaments.

The year Paul died might be the last year we had a "real" tree.  I didn't want to put up a tree at all, but everyone convinced me that we should do it.  The day we were to decorate it, most of the members of the band Lawsuit came over to help.  It still makes me emotional to think of how wonderful those guys were making what was going to be a painful experience into something more loving.

The spiced egg nog helped.  :)

For a few years, we only had a centerpiece tree that I put on the dining room table.  With no kids at home, the grandkids not expected to visit, and no plans to entertain, it seemed pointless to have a tree, but the first year that Brianna and Lacie came to our house, I had to have a tree, so bought a teeny artificial tree, barely more than a table decoration itself.

Last year I invested in a larger artificial tree which is just the right size, about 5' tall, with lights already on it, and just the size for the most special of the ornaments...all of which now fit into a shoebox.

If I want the real "tree experience" I can go to Atria, which seems to have a tree in every room, every hall.  It's sad that my mother doesn't read that as "Christmas" and seems mostly unaware of the, but once in a while she comments that one of them is pretty.

Christmas was always such a huge deal as I was growing up, and as our kids were growing up, that I  get a bit wistful when it comes around and it just isn't for us any more, but I see the old traditions playing out for Tom and his kids and know that the torch was passed to the nex generation, and that is nice to realize.

Old Photos

Ned moved in here for a few days to help Walt with any post-op needs he may have. I put off doing anything, hoping to be of help.

Walt?  He went to the grocery store by himself this morning!

He has minimal pain and the only discomfort is the one he has been enduring for months now, that of a catheter, which will be removed on Friday.  So the surgery appears to have been a great, uncomplicated success.  So far.  

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Ned has spent the last several weeks trying to organize things and get rid of stuff, collecting it for a garage sale.  It has all lived in a growing pile in the living room, but he decided to start pricing things and moving everything to the garage, so there is room for socializing in that room when Tom Laurel and the girls arrive, at which time we will probably celebrate our Christmas a week or so early.

Part of the sorting through stuff removed from upstairs was the voluminous collection of photos -- framed photos, photos in books, loose photos.  My photos, my mother's photos, my father's photos.  Single photos, duplicate photos and, in some cases quadruple photos (of Dave's funeral, taken by a good friend, who then decided we would want 4 of everything).

There were a lot of photos of gatherings of my mother's family, which I spent the afternoon scanning for the family group on Facebook, since the now 3rd and 4th generation kids don't know a lot of these people

This, for example is a group photo of the remaining 8 at Uncle Jim's funeral.  Aunt Mel had died many years before.  The lady in the pink standing next to my mother is my Aunt Marge, who was Peach's mother and who was one of my mother's closest friends.  On Marge's other side, in white, is Cathy's mother, Barb.

There was a whole book for the family reunion of 1982, which was held at a motel.  My crazy cousin Clancy, whom nobody had seen in a very long time, decided that everybody should be tossed into the pool, including 80-something year old Aunt Marie and our freshly arrived Brasilian student whose hatred for us for 3 weeks probably stemmed from this indignity.

Clancy

I found a book of photos from my mother's retirement party.  I knew almost none of the people, but there was one of the nicest photos I've seen of my father in his later years.

It would be just a few weeks later that my mother would let him know that she was leaving him.

And it was nice to have photos of my mother's parents

I think I have actually now been through all of my mother's photos and albums, which is one smidgen of what is left to do (I found another big box of my own photos two days ago).  Of course when they are all sorted and tossed or not, then there comes to decision of what to do with what is left over.

It's Over

Kaiser Vacaville was very festive, with Christmas decorations everywhere.

It was less festive in the "ambulatory surgery" department, where little clumps of people waited -- the person getting surgery and the loved ones who accompanied them.

Walt's appointment was for 6 a.m., so we all got up at 4 and left the house by 5:15.  When we arrived Alice Nan and Norm were already waiting.  It was to be another family Kaiser party (they had all been together for Walt's hernia surgery and for Norm's hospitalization several years ago).

We sat around drinking coffee

until they finally called him.  As his surgery was at the start of the day we didn't have to wait as long for him to be called as we did for his hernia surgery, or as long for him to be prepped and ready for us to visit.

In fact, there was just enough time for the 4 of us to have a brief visit, 2 at a time, before he was whisked off for the procedure.

Since none of us had eaten, we went to the cafeteria for a surprisingly good breakfast and then back to wait some more.  It didn't take long before his doctor came out to let us know things had gone well and that we could see him soon.

We found him lying under a huge blanket with warm air being blown in it to keep him warm.  "I'm paralyzed" was the first thing he said.  He had spinal anesthesia and it had not started to wear off yet.  He was amazed that he could hit his leg with his hand and not feel it.

They fed him lunch.

We visited in 2s again until it was time to get discharge instructions, as the anesthesia started to wear off.  He'll have a catheter until Friday and then they will removed it and see how things go, but the doctor is convinced he is going to be fine.

Ned brought us home and I don't know if Walt slept, but I went right to sleep for a couple of hours, as I had not really slept much at all the night before.  Ned made dinner and after Jeopardy and NCIS, Walt and I both went to sleep--he decided to sleep downstairs in his recliner.  I don't know how often he woke up, but I only woke once and then slept until nearly 8 a.m.  I don't remember the last time I've had that much sleep.

He seems to be doing well.  Not in much pain, so has not required pain medication, and the blood in his urine is more diluted this morning so that's also a good sign.

The doctor seems to feel this will solve his problems and he won't need a second surgery, which is so wonderful to hear.  We may at last be at the end of this problem which has plagued him for so long!

Austen Effect

At intermission I texted Walt:  "I'm suffering Austen syndrome.  Have sent Jeri for coffee."

We had gone to Sacramento to see a production of a play that supposes it's 2 years past the end of "Pride and Prejudice" and the Bennet sisters and their spouses are gathering for Christmas.  It's a beautiful set, and wonderful actors, and a funny script but...it's Jane Austen.  I'm the one who has never been able to finish anything by Jane Austen and uses the movie of Pride and Prejudice (If I can find it) to put me to sleep when I have insomnia.

I recently found the movie on TV and recorded it, thinking I would keep it forever use it whenever I need sleep help.  I had a night of insomnia and thought how clever I was to have thought ahead to have a recording on hand.  However, it wasn't quite what I expected.

 

I am still on the lookout for a real broadcast of one of the movies and when it comes on, I will have my built-in sleeping pill.

So that's the effect Jane Austen has on me and while this particular play was written by others, it takes the style of Austen and there we were sitting in the center of the front row for a stage that is less than 3 feet from the audience and I was dozing off.

Jeri was good about keeping me awake, but I wonder what the cast thought about the critic dozing off through most of Act 1.  Act 2 was better (or maybe the coffee was effective)  and I enjoyed it a lot more.  Now to write a coherent review before morning.

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And so it's already over, so quickly after it began.  Jeri is back in Boston and we are on our way to Kaiser for Walt's surgery today.

Our day was mostly filled with driving to Sacramento for the show, and then through Old Sacramento to check out their big Christmas tree.

In the evening we sat and chatted and I got to see Jeri in her new bike riding Santa sweater

Poor dear...I made her sit through two episodes of Outlander, last week's and this week's.  I don't think she was too traumatized.  And I'm glad to know she saw this episode because I thought it the best in the season, thus far....and by watching last week's episode first, she could get all of her "who is who" and "how did we get here" questions answered without having to interrupt my watching episode 405 for the first time.

Both Jeri and Walt were exhausted and went to bed early, leaving me two hours to write my review before calling it a night.

Bing Crosby's Christmas

It's not Christmas until Bing Crosby sings "Jingle Bells."

The Christmas album has been played in my house ever sine I was a kid when it was vinyl and was played while we were decorating the tree.  When we had our own house and our own kids and our own tree, we played Christmas music, but it always started with Bing Crosby's mix of religious and non-religious along with drinking a glass of egg nog.  It was Tradition.

This year the tiny tree is going up long before it has in years past because Jeri is here and we could have our traditional tree trimming.  We didn't have egg nog, but Jeri and I both had the Crosby album on our various electronic devices.  The problem was that there was no way to PLAY it.  The speaker I have that fits my iPod is missing somewhere in all this mess and so there were no speakers.  Jeri finally put her iPod near the tree (see circled) and turned the volume up full blast.  It was barely audible, but Bing was there and tree trimming could commence.

I went a year or two with no tree when we had no kids to be around and there didn't seem to be any point, but with the grandkids coming around the time of the holiday last year, I decided to get a small-ish artificial tree at Michael's.  75 years old and it was the very first non-green real tree I'd had.

It was also much smaller than any tree we had decorated, but it worked an I whittled down our large box of ornaments to one shoebox size box with just the "special" ornaments in it, like the Necropsy ornaments -- collars from two dead dogs, one of the tennis balls Seymour liked to chase, a black leather jacket with "bitch" written in pink on the back for David (I wanted just a plain black leather jacket ornament, sure I could find one in the Castro District in San Francisco, but this was the best we could do), and then the "necklace" of smiley faces Paul gave me as a joke once, arranged like a silver string across the top of the tree

I also kept this Christmas poem Jeri wrote many years ago.  That year all the kids made "ornaments" like this which I encased in plastic but this one seems to be the only one that has survived.  I was always sad to lose Ned's "Jesus doing a front dive" ornament (those were the diving years!)

There are the 7 dwarfs, which my friend Kathy made for me decades ago.  I think I only have 6 now, but they definitely have to be in the "special" box.

There are also ornaments of each of the kids' faces.  Only Tom's made it to the tree this year because his picture shows his face covered with freckles and I thought freckled Brianna might like to see it.

And there are several ornaments which represent musical instruments, given to one or the other kid over the years.

Of course there is also a 49er ornament for Tom.

Once we got the tree trimmed, Santa made a quick stop and left a couple of packages for Jeri, including a sweater with a bike riding Santa Claus.

 

It's  gift I would not have purchased if she were going to be here for Christmas because by the time you open your Christmas sweater, it's no longer Christmas.  But since this is only the start of December, I thought she might enjoy wearing it as she bikes around Boston. 

We watched the "15th Anniversary of Wicked" program I recorded in October and then kept to show to Jeri and then she and Walt conked out by 10 p.m., and I was left with at least two hours to kill before I could think about going to sleep.

Sunday Stealing

Classical: If you were an Olympian god, what would you be known for?
I'd be the goddess of napping

Byzantine: Do you prefer gold or silver accessories?
I don't wear a lot of jewelry at all and I think most of it is (faux) gold, but if I have to offer a preference, I think silver

Medieval: Are you religious?
No.  Spiritual, I think, but I gave up on organized religion many years ago when a nun and priest in San Francisco, whose ministry was to the gay community, were forbidden to use the church for their services.  It was the straw that broke the Catholic camel's back for me.

Gothic: What is your favorite historic building?

This Church of the Transfiguration on Kizhi Island in Russia, which we saw in 2010.  It was closed for repairs when we were there (may still be for all I know), but I loved the look -- it has the most onion domes in Russia (22).  It was completed in 1714 during the reign of Peter the Great and supposedly built by one man, using no nails (wooden nails were not "invented" until later), who is said to have tossed his axe into the lake when it was finished, saying that there was never a church like this and never would be again.  Whether the story is apocryphal or not, I think it's fairly safe to say the statement was true! 

Renaissance: Have you ever had a time in your life when you felt enlightened or changed?
Hmmm....I don't know.  Probably, but no "a-HA" moment comes to mind.

Baroque: Do you enjoy the finer things in life?
I probably would if I could afford them, but I am content with what we have.

Rococo: Is your bedroom full of trinkets and pictures? If so, which pictures adorn your walls?
There is a painting by my maternal grandmother and this poster:

Neoclassicism: If something came back into fashion, what do you hope it would be?
Well, most of the things that I liked that were once in fashion are things I am still wearing, they go out of fashion and then come back.

Romanticism: Do you often see things in a positive light?
Not since Trump took office.

Pre-Raphaelite: Which book would you like to see turned into a film?
You know...I've seen a lot of books turned into films and almost (not entirely) without exception, the film ruins a good book.  That said, I am still enjoying the TV series for Outlander even though it has taken a lot of liberties that are not in the book.

Impressionism: Do you look for details or take everything in at once?
I am terrible at catching details, though later I am surprised at what inconsequential things I did notice.

Art Nouveau: When were you last at the theatre?
Two weeks ago when I reviewed It's a Wonderful Life but I'm going to a matinee today, of a play called Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberly, which is an imagined sequel to Pride and Prejudice.

Surrealism: Why does the porcupine think it's a duck?

It's a secret between the two of them.  I don't pry.

Pop Art: Do you enjoy pop culture?
Not really.  I was a teenager in the 50s and didn't like Elvis Presley; I lived in SF in the 60s and never smoked pot.  I never have been a pop culture person.

Contemporary: What did you do today?
-Made strawberry pastries for breakfast.
-Visited my mother and took her to lunch at "the big restaurant" at Atria
-Stopped at Peet's with Jeri for frozen mochas
-Took a nap
- Decorated the Christmas tree

Saturday Nine

Call Me (1966)

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here.

1) Chris Montez sings that you can always call him, regardless of the hour. Do you believe that it's ever too late to phone someone?

I've always felt that if someone calls after 10 p.m., it's with bad news.

2) He insists that you can depend on him, even when your friends desert you. Who is someone you can trust to have your back, no matter what?

Walt and the kids...and Char.

3) Billy Crystal serenades Meg Ryan -- via answering machine -- with "Call Me" in When Harry Met Sally. Answering machines have been replaced by voice mail. Who most recently left you a voice mail?

Kaiser pharmacy letting us know that they had mailed out prescriptions we had ordered.  They leave more voice mail messages than anybody else.

4) Chris Montez is a graduate of El Camino College in Torrance, California. The average daytime temperature in November in Torrance is 70º. How is the weather where you are today?

59⁰.  Predicted low will be 44⁰

5) Today Chris actively promotes a healthy lifestyle to children. He was honored for his efforts by the group SOPA (Stop Obesity, Promote Activity). Do you believe you get enough exercise?

Bwahahaha.  The most exercise I get is walking from my office down the long hall to the bathroom.

6) Released in late 1965, "Call Me" became a big hit in 1966, reaching #2 on the charts. Even though it sold millions of copies and was certified as a Gold Record, it never hit #1. Is winning, or being the best, important to you?

I never think it's a big deal for me, unless I'm playing a game and then it suddenly becomes a very big deal.  (Comes from a lifetime of playing games with my very competitive mother!)

7) In 1966, when this was playing on juke boxes, kids were watching Batman and Star Trek. If you had your choice of watching an episode right now, which would you choose: Star Trek or Batman?

Star Trek, hands down!  (I don't know that I have ever watched Batman.

8) Also in 1966, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay was born. Do you enjoy cooking?

Good grief.  Gordon Ramsay is the same age as my daughter!  Yes, I enjoy cooking, most of the time.  I do get  tired of it sometimes and enjoyed when we had Blue Apron and Home Chef because I didn't have to plan meals, but I needed a break and am now back to making "something with chicken in it again.

9) Random question -- You have the opportunity to perform in the circus! Would you rather be shot from a cannon, or put your head in the lion's mouth?

Neither, actually, but if you put a gun to my head and made me make a choice, I guess I'd go with the lion...but make sure that it is well fed beforehand (I understand they only kill when they are hungry)