Three a Day

As we were leaving the performance area where we had just watched As You Like It, I told Walt that I think I'm getting too old for days like that.   It was a 3-event (sorta) day and my body was telling me it had to get to sleep now.

It wasn't exactly running a marathon kind of day.  Just a normal running errands kind of day, but I seem to be having more trouble with them lately.   Maybe it's the stress of having my mother to deal with, though she certainly has hardly been much trouble now that she is settled in Davis.

The day started with a trip to the post office to mail a couple of packages.  It was a typical Davis morning at the post office, with 8 customers in line and only one clerk working.  I was amused, though, by a toddler behind me who was making a fuss.  Her mother handed her an iPad and told her to go sit down and play.

And she did...very efficiently.  Today's modern baby, growing up in the computer age!  I imagine this is something Lacie could do quite well also

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After the post office, I drove in to Sacramento to meet my friend Kathy for lunch, as we do once a month.  We had two months of catching up to do, though, as I was unable to make our last lunch date because of being in the middle of stuff with my mother.  So we talked and talked and taked until I realized that I had to leave now if I was going to get to work on time that afternoon.

I actually got home with 25 minutes to spare before I had to leave for Logos.  The drive home had been a rough one, as I desperately wanted to sleep.   I don't understand why, since I had a good night's sleep (for me) the night before, but I parked in the carport, staggered into the house and told Walt to wake me in 25 minutes.  I climbed into my recliner and was asleep almost instantly.

The mail came while I was asleep (Walt had thoughtfully put Polly's bark collar on her, knowing the mailman would probably come soon, so she wouldn't bark and wake me up!)  I grabbed the mail and took it with me to read at work.

The nap was just what I needed and I awoke refreshed and ready to go to Logos.  It was a not too slow, not too fast afternoon.  One guy came in with his son, who ran right to his favorite book shelf, pulled out one he wanted and curled up on the floor engrossed in the book while his father browsed.  I always love it when I see young children having such a good time with books.  It gives me hope for the future.  :)

In the mail was a package, which I assumed was something from Swap Bot, but I was pleasantly surprised to open it and find a book that I just ordered.   When our kids outgrew their kid books, I put them in a box to save for our future grandchildren.  The box has disappeared.  I have been searching for it literally for 10 years or more.  I found a box of books that were Walt's favorites when he was a kid, but the ones that our kids loved just don't seem to exist.  There were two in particular that I have been sad about because they were two top favorites.   

One was a book called "How Joe the Bear and Sam the Mouse Got Together" and I don't know why I always think about that book when I'm with the girls.  I remember some of it  and I figured I could tell the story, making up the parts that I'd forgotten.  On a whim, I checked Amazon for the book and they had it.  You could actually buy a new copy of that book.  For $172.  Yes, $172 for a run of the mill children's book.  BUT, they also had a used copy for $7 and, thrilled about that, I ordered it.

The other book was Jeri's very favorite for a long time, though I'm sure she doesnt remember it.  It was called "I'm Suzy" and is just a simple little book about a girl realizing who she is.  Amazon had that, too, for some astronomical price, but they also had a used copy for $9 (though by the time I ordered, the $9 copy was gone and the cheapest used copy I could get was $15...but by now I was a woman on a mission and I ordered it).

"Joe the Bear..." will probably arrive today.   Yesterday's package was "I'm Suzy" and how excited I was to read the familiar little story again.  It's probably geared to about a 2-3 year old but it's the pictures that make it so cute and I can hardly wait to get to Santa Barbara again to read it to Lacie, and maybe to Bri.  I know they won't enjoy hearing it nearly as much as I will enjoy reading it.

 Walt, bless him, ordered Chinese take-out food for dinner, so we came home and ate and got ready go to up to the university to see As You Like It.   Shakespeare is never my ideal way to spend an evening, but this was a good production.  However, something happens to my body when I get tired like I was yesterday.  It's like every molecule in my body is fighting to go to sleep.  I can't really explain it, but I get to a point where I just ache to lie down.  It's too much effort to keep my head up.  Everything in my body feels heavy. I didn't fall asleep during the show, but I sure wanted to lie down to watch it!

We got to the car and made the short drive home.  I went immediately to put on night clothes and was asleep within 10 minutes of arriving at home.   But I have sept the night and feel very well this morning and am elated to look on my calendar and see nothing written.  I think today is the day my mother can attend one of the memory classes, at 10:30 or so, so I'll do that with her, but the whole day stretches out before me with nothing pressing except writing the review.

Life is good, even if I do sometimes feel very old.

Have a Cuppa

Today I finally used my Linde Lane Groupon and took my mother and my friend Pat to tea at the Linde Lane Teahouse.

We were three different decades:  I'm 70, Pat is 80 and my mother is >90. 

I was a little disappointed this time around.  I thought my Groupon was for high tea, but it was just $10 off on the total bill.  Looking at the menu, both my mother and Pat decided they weren't really hungry.  But I ordered a "Royal Tea," which was soup, salad and then a tray of goodies for the three of us to share.

They included three different kinds of sandwiches (1/4 each), open face cucumber sandwich, and a scone, and then a layer that was desserts.  I decided not to order the tray that included "savories."

What I ordered turned out to be just perfect for two old ladies who don't like to eat any more and me, the human garbage can.  I was disappointed that they couldn't find a way to help us share the one salad and soup that came with the order, but they did give us two extra plates so I could divide up the salad and we all just ate from the same soup bowl, which made me happy because the potato soup was delicious.

We shared a pot of Earl Gray tea and I made sure my mother had the cup with a shoe on it, since she's such a shoe freak.

I decided that when Lacie and Brianna are older, Laurel and I have to take them to this place for tea, if we can schedule a time to do it.  The place was full of mothers and little kids, the little girls dressed in their finery (one even wore a crown), sharing tea in a grown up restaurant.  They all looked like they must have been between 5 and maybe 10, so maybe in 3-4 years we can try to take the girls there.  We could specifically request the table that is in a tea cup, which would really be fun for them.

There were three desserts, a lemon petit four, a cookie, and a chocolate cup.  When everyone hemmed and hawed about which they wanted, I decided that since I was paying for it, I would not be shy and would take the chocolate one.

When our tea was finished and I paid the balance ($6.75...such a deal!), we spent some time wandering around in the gift shop, where they have hats worthy of a Royal Family wedding.  Sadly, they do not permit photos to be taken of people trying on hats, so I didn't do that, but I actually found a couple of hats that might fit me if (a) I wore hats, and (b) I wanted to pay $70+ for a hat I'd never wear.   Usually the "one size fits all" hats perch on my head and never actually fit the head.

My mother was ready for a nap by the time we returned to Davis, but I think she enjoyed herself. 

Tomorrow she will be on her own, since I'm having lunch in Sacramento, working at Logos for the afternoon, and reviewing a show tomorrow night.

Mercury in Retrograde

Is Mercury in retrograde?  Isn't that when everything is supposed to go wrong? Or at least isn't that the excuse everyone uses when a day seems to build disasters on disasters.  Well, not exactly disaster, but just little annoyances.

The project for today was getting a document notarized for my mother and send it off to her financial guys.  She had also called to ask me to get her some toilet paper.  Last week we had gone out together to get her some toothpaste.

I bought the toilet paper, came to the apartment and handed it to her.  She put a new roll in the holder and the rest in the cupboard and then walked out of the bathroom and said "When we go out today, we need to stop at a store.   I have things I need to get.  I need to get toothpaste and toilet paper."   I reminded her I had just given her toilet paper not 2 minutes before and she went back into the bathroom to check and make sure I was telling her the truth.  She also checked for toothpaste and was surprised to find an unopened tube.

Before we went to the notary, I looked over the activities at the facility for the day.  I saw that something called "Keep your brain sharp" was starting in about 3 minutes.  I suggested we go check that out, have lunch, and then go to the notary.  She agreed

We met the woman who runs this particular brain class and found out that it had been rescheduled, but we talked with her about it and it sounds like fun.   Even my mother thought it sounded like fun, and the activities director talked about what improvements in brain function she has seen people have from playing the games in the class.  The next class is on Friday, before the hair appointment she has scheduled, so I will go with her to that (Walt says "don't tell them it's for you too or they might charge you."  Harumph.  Smart aleck)

With no class to attend, we drove down to the notary office.   The first thing he asked for was her ID, but she'd left her purse at home.   That was really my fault for not reminding her, but we had to return to her apartment to get it.  So we drove back (by way of Logos, so she could see the book store) 

When we got to Covell, I dropped her off and was going to wait in the drop-off point in the foyer, but a Covell bus came in, so I had to circle back and park behind it.  There is enough room for the bus to park and a car to pass it, but two women got out and just stood there, watching me trying to back up and maneuver around so I could get out.  They didn't even make an ATTEMPT to move to let me pass the bus.

Then we went back to the Notary, this time with the proper identification (once she found it in her purse, which is THE frustration of all trips.   She can never find the right card.)  She tried her AAA card, her Visa card, and her MediCare card before I reminded her where she keeps her driver's license, and even then she couldn't find it because she didn't know what it looked like.

Turns out we need a super duper notary, not a run of the mill notary.   Something called a Medallion notary for large money accounts (my mother's is NOT a large money account, but her brokerage handles large accounts).  The notary tried to find out where there was a Medallion Notary near here, but he could only find one...in Orangevale, at the other end of the state. But we tried a work around and hope that it will satisfy the folks who need to have the notarization.

She wanted to go to "a nice place" to eat, so we went to Panera for lunch.  Instead of being surrounded by old people pushing walkers she was surrounded by young people on computers.  She pointed out to me several times that there were 7 women around her with black hair down to their waists.

After lunch, I dropped her off at home (did not go in with her, which is nice that I can do that now) and then came here.

My plan was to spend the afternoon catching up on some DVR stuff that had been recorded while we were in Santa Barbara and to finally start working on transcription for the history project again.  This project is becoming the albatross around my neck.  My co-author finally had to admit that she just doesn't have the time to work on it, so it now is all mine, which would be OK except that there is such a stack of work to be done...which should have been done 2 years ago.

For one thing, there is finally someone to work on the huge database, but nobody thought to check and make sure the on-line database had an unlimited storage and they have reached the limit of entries that can be stored, with lots more to go.  Secondly, I had asked for help with transcription and nobody has volunteered, so now they are going to try to hire someone to help (never mind that nobody has offered me anything for doing everything else...not that I want to be paid, but hearing that they will hire someone to transcribe, but not offer me money to interview [which usually involves 160 miles driving each time], transcribe, write the book, and then design it is kind of a slap in the face). In fairness, if I asked for money to do this, they would probably give it to me, but I'm enjoying being a martyr. 

But that may be a moot point anyway because it seems that the sound on my computer is not working.  It was working a couple of days ago, but I get no sound on anything, including especially the interviews to be transcribed.  I've checked all settings and everything seems to be the way it is supposed to be.

Tomorrow we have a fun activity planned, which should go off without a hitch.  I hope.

A Certain Smile

11 June 2013

Walt went and picked up the mail he had held while we were in Santa Barbara and there was a bumper crop.  Two journal through Swap Bog, a surprise box full of neat stuff, and two letters from Compssion kids.  One of the letters even had a photo of Emmanuella, the girl I sponsored because she looked so sad.  Her subsequent photos always showed a stern faced child looking seriously into the camera.

I was delighted to see her in this picture today.  She has had her head shaved and with the bald head and that hint of a smile she looks just gorgeous.   Her eyes really stand out, somehow, more than they did when she had hair.

She is only 12 years old, but she is going to be a beautiful woman when she grows up.

It was really nice to go and have breakfast with my mother this morning.  While we were away, Ed had come up and hung photos and the place looks like "hers" now.  She doesn't think she's living in a motel any more.

 

She was also sitting in a chair with a cup of coffee, which she had gone to get from the lobby because she didn't feel like making coffee...another good sign.   She's getting into the swing of things.

We talked for awhile and then went off to breakfast.  After we had finished eating, Jane, one of the residents whose name I know, came to sit with us.   I had told her last week that I was taking off for Santa Barbara and she asked me how my trip was.  I thought she was just being polite, but it turns out her daughter lives in Santa Barbara and she wanted to know if she could hitch a ride with us the next time we are going down there.

My mother has no desire to go to Santa Barbara, but we'll take Jane!

After breakfast we chatted a bit longer.  I reminded her that my 2nd cousin Niecie was going to come today to give her a pedicure (she's a cosmetologist).   I gave her a ticket for a complementary lunch so that she could take Niecie to lunch, then I left.

Later in the day Niecie called to report on her visit and say how much she loved the place.  I asked if she had lunch.  She said she had.  I asked if my mother had used her complementary pass.  She had not.

Sigh.

I just have to assume that she won't remember anything an act accordingly!  (This morning she had to ask me what her last name was, which she forgot briefly.)

Tomorrow I'm taking her to get some papers notorized and the next day we're doing "high tea" at a tea house in Dixon with my friend Pat, who, I know, will get along very well with my mother.

Also in the mail were two journals, one a "shared knowledge" journal, where one person puts in some article she finds interesting, writes a short bio and tells why she chose that article, then passes it along to the next person, who does the same.  When the book is filled, it gets returned to the original sender.

The other is the Composition Journal (photos of the pages of my journal are on line and linked in the left column).  The journal was beautifully done and I spent the afternoon looking through it.  We don't have much in common, but my word is she creative in the way she presented her thoughts.  I wrote a note telling her how much I appreciated it and how creative she had been.

The partner who received MY 100+ page book which was about 1/3 designed to match her likes, including things like Hello Kitty items, a bunch of foreign coins (which she collects), a few pages of Mickey Mouse collage.  I also included stickers, envelopes, a CD and other surprise gifts along the way.  I know that I'm not particularly artistic, but it was like a slap in the face to get the comment:   "Thanks." 

That's it.  Just "thanks."  When I wrote to her to question her reply, she seemed to be angry that I would even say anything about it.   My initial response was that I never wanted to put that kind of time and energy into another book ever again, but then I remembered how much fun I had doing it...and how glad I was that I'd taken photos of all the pages so if my partner doesn't like it, I can at least remember what I did and how much I enjoyed the creativity.

Sunday Stealing

Do you wear slippers?
Slippers, no.  My slippers fell apart.  But I do wear thick, fuzzy socks almost all the time.  I never go barefoot.

How many pictures are in your living room?
Right now, five (one painting of the SF Bay Bridge and fourVanity Fair prints of Gilbert & Sullivan folks)

Do you ever watch Brady Bunch reruns?
When the kids were young, and living at home, I watched so many Brady Bunch reruns that I don't ever need to see one again.  Ever.

Are you allergic to anything?
Housework.

When was the last time you called in sick?
2003, when I had my bike accident (I retired after that)

Have you ever been in a car accident?
A very minor one, where we were sideswiped on the freeway late at night (fortunately no other traffic).  It sent us spinning across 4 lanes and we ended up in the opposite direction, but no injuries to anybody in either car.

What is your favorite snack food?
So many!  Ice cream, potato chips, peanuts, some crackers, a spoonful of peanut butter.

Have you ever seen a tornado?
Only on TV

If you won a million dollars, what would you buy first?
A first class (plane and accommodations) trip to Africa for a photo safari and to see the children that I sponsor there.

What time is it right now?
10:45 p.m.

Do you think it's cool for men to wear flip-flops?
Weather-wise, of course.  Fashion-wise, no.

How many pairs of shoes do you own?
Four, though I wear Birkenstocks 99% of the time

Do you think you are a hypochondriac?
No.  I was a terrible hypochondriac as a kid, growing up claustrophobic in the era of polio and iron lungs, but I think I've outgrown it.

Do you own a dictionary?
Yes, but I haven't looked at it in years, what with on-line dictionaries.  I do, however, consult a rhyming dictionary frequently.

Where was the last place you went on vacation?
Does the past 4 days in Santa Barbara count?  If not, then the last place(s) we went included Prague, Budapest, lots of towns in Germany and Austria, and, briefly, the Netherlands, on our cruise along the Rhine and Danube.

Do you talk about your friends behind their back?
Oh sure.  You always share things about what your friends are doing with other friends.  It would be pretty dull if you didn't let Friend B know that Friend A was going on vacation or getting married, or was pregnant, or whatever.  If I'm asked NOT to say anything about something, though, I don't.  

Are you actually fat but in complete denial about it?
Heck no.  I'm actually fat and it would be silly to deny it...it's out there for everyone to see!

What color is your mouse pad?
My desktop mousepod has a picture of baby Brianna on it.  My laptop mousepad is a picture of the Cathedral that I bought in Cologne.

Does your kitchen have a theme?
No, unless "messy" is a theme.

Maiden Voyage

A news report I saw today says they broke all records for heat in the Sacramento area today.  We did not see the sun here, and I had to close the door to the back yard because it was getting chilly.  Tomorrow it is expected to be only 80 in Davis.  We have definitely lucked out!

When we arrived here in Santa Barbara, I noticed right away that the kitchen, which had been brand new when I was here a couple of weeks ago, is starting to look like a working kitchen.  Cabinets had food in them, there were "things" on the counter, the dishwasher was full.  They were settling in.

Tonight was to be the maiden voyage of the new kitchen.

Joe is a great cook and the remodel was designed to give him more working room and to make his chef's creations easier to create.

Walt and I went off to Tom's for the afternoon.  Bri had a friend over for a play date and they entertained each other.  Walt and I entertained Lacie.  I am the "reading grandma" (whenever Lacie sees me, she points at the books and commands "ree!"), Grandpa was the pushing grandpa.

Walt and I stopped at the store on the way home, so Tom, Laurel and the girls beat us here and Walt pointed out how much he enjoyed watching Tom and Joe in the kitchen together.

Chicken Parmesan was on the menu and as things got going hot and heavy, it was fun to see the full kitchen.

In the meantime, Lacie and Brianna were in the living room sharing some mini carrots dipped in hummus.

Joe decided to let Bri help him make chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  Laurel and I, the bakers in the group, cringed watching the making process without a mixer (Joe decided he never used his hand mixer, so gave it away), but in the end they turned out just great.

Tom et al. left soon after dinner, as it was the girls' bedtime and they were fading fast.  We hope to see them again in the morning before we head for home.

It's been such a fun time down here!  (And cool, to boot!)

 

A toast to the new kitchen...
and to the cook!

A Blaze of Color

At this time of year, Santa Barbara puts on an amazing show.  Not only is the weather absolutely PERFECT (low 70s and warm-ish) but the jacaranda is in bloom.  There is a blaze of purple everywhere

I remember when Walt's sister lived in a different house, before she and Joe got married.  In the neighborhood was a jacaranda that had three types of jacaranda grafted on the trunk.  Three different shades of purple each year.  But eventually that tree died.  Now I love looking out at displays like the above photo.

Walt and I spent a lazy morning.  I finished reading "Inferno," which ultimately I liked very much.  And I started another book on my iPad.  I now keep the same book on both the iPad and the Kindle so I can switch back and forth since it automatically updates one to match where I was in reading the other.  I'm so spoiled!

Around 2, we went to visit our friends, Dick and Gerry.  Jeri and I had gone to visit them two weeks ago when we were down here for the dance concert, but Walt was not with me then, and it's a whole different vibe when you get Walt and Dick together. 

We had such a good three hours, just sitting around reminiscing about a lot of things, the sorts of memories you have stored deep in your memory banks from 50 years ago (who else remembers the "death ray" Dick's physicist father invented that he swore was only good for opening potato chip bags?).  We're always better talking about the 1960s than any current hot button topics, though the kids and grandkids are always great fodder for chit chat.

We had been instructed to get to Tom and Laurel's for "Family Movie Night" at 5 p.m.  They live near Dick and Gerry. When we arrived, Laurel and Bri were out getting pedicures.  Bri came in with red toenail polish sprinkled with gold, for Daddy's 49ers.

Lacie was very interested in her mom's purple nails and kept indicating that she wanted polish on her nails too.

Lacie was a real livewire all afternoon, dancing to music on TV (their exercise time!)

We watched a new video Bri just received.  I didn't get much out of it because the volume was so low I couldn't hear, but it was about koalas being chased by dingos and a big fat crocodile.  I never did figure out why.  Bri watched intently, but Lacie took the opportunity to read.  She seems to be an avid reader and would bring three books out from her room, sit down, go through them page by page, then take them back and bring out three more.

After the movie, I showed them a video on my cell phone of a bird dancing that is so funny, I had to play it for them four different times while they giggled and laughed.  Sadly, I can't find it on YouTube, only on Facebook, so I can't link to it.  But the bird's name is Crusty and she starts dancing to Amazing Grace and it just evolves from there.  Hilarious.  (If you are on FB, I shared it on my page and you can find it there)

We stayed for dinner and then came back to Joe & Alice's, where everyone collapsed and we're all ready for sleep.

The news says it is 103 in Sacramento today.  How happy we are to be here!!