Essential Technology

The one thing I miss about Logos is the days when our schedules overlapped and I got to spend a few minutes visiting with Sandy.  When I told her goodbye on our last day together, we agreed we should try to stay in touch.  She has continued volunteering and I was naturally curious to know how the store under its new management was.

We decided to have lunch and she told me to pick a place, since she doesn't get downtown to eat all that much.  I don't either, other than my monthly lunches with Kathy, which are always at Cafe Italia.  I knew Sandy liked Thai food so I suggested Thai Nakorn, which is the restaurant Walt and I go to when we want Thai.  I knew that Sandy liked Thai food.

We made the arrangements by e-mail a week or so ago and confirmed it by email yesterday.  I mentioned to Walt that we were going to lunch there and he told me that the restaurant is not open for lunch during the week (his office is next door to it).

There is another Thai restaurant, Ketmoree, a couple of blocks away so I sent Sandy an e-mail last night to suggest we meet there instead.  By morning there was no reply.  Then I realized that e-mail was the only way I had to contact her, since I didn't know her phone number.

I called Susan (from Logos) and she gave me Sandy's home and cell phone numbers.  I called both of them and got the answering machine on both, so I left messages on both machines and then, since I now had her cell phone number, also sent a text message.

I realized, trying to find her, how much we rely on technology and how frustrating it is when you have all the right tools at your fingertips, but they don't work for you!

But she did finally call back and we were all set for Ketmoree.

The place was nearly empty when we arrived at 11;30, filled with people while we were eating and by the time we had finished talking and were ready to leave the place was empty again.  At one point, the waiter, hearing us discussing politics, came over to join the discussion with us.

It was so good to have the luxury of unlimited time to sit and talk with her.  Our chats at Logos were always so abbreviated.  I really enjoy her company.

I got the scoop in Logos, which seems to be doing well, but things have changed and ... I don't know ... it made me glad not to be there still.  I'm getting old and set in my ways and I don't adapt to change well, even little ones.  I hope the library is glad that they took over the shop.  They have signed a lease for a year anyway, so that gives them 12 months to work out the kinks.

When we finally said good bye, promising to do it again, I remembered that we were out of dog food, so I drove out to Target to load up on dog food and pick up a gazillion dollars worth of $1 junk to include in letters I send to the kids.  (Lemme tell you, this correspondence stuff is work!)

On the way home, I was like a tourist marveling at everything I saw.  Spring has sprung and the blossoms are just so gorgeous.  I even took a side trip through one of the subdivision to film a blossom bank.

When I got home, there was an e-mail from Compassion saying that all of the negotiations, the letters to congresscritters, begging the government, etc. have failed and Compassion India will close its doors on March 14.  

This will leave 147,000 babies and children currently served by Compassion without their services, which include things like a good meal, teaching hygiene habits, etc.  Apparently India feels that Compassion insists the kids become Christian, which the organization insists is not true, though they partner with local churches to use their facilities.

Compassion is not the only organization being denied access to the children, but any group which is spiritually based is being shut down.  Since India has 30% of the world's population of children in need of these services, this seems like an unnecessarily harsh decision on the part of the new Indian government (which came to power 2 years ago).

But perhaps India is dealing with its own version of a sociopath who does not know the meaning of the word "empathy" and who is not swayed by the feelings and needs of the people, merely sticking to his own agenda.

The world is changing and it's becoming not a pretty place.

I will miss my two Indian kids very much, especially Anjali, without whom I would never have become a Compassion sponsor in the first place.

Spring is Bustin' out All Over

Flowering trees in Davis always bloom in February.  And I always think it's too early because it's like...the dead of winter.

But our apple tree is starting to put out blossoms.  In another week, it will be in full blossom.

All over town there are trees that are already in full blossom.

F Street is always spectacular because it is lined on both sides of the street with trees that burst into abundant white blossoms (I don't know what kind of trees they are--not fruit trees) and when you drive down the street, it feels like you are passing through an arbor of flowers.  They aren't all in bloom yet, but one early bird is already.

Today I drove down to Crockett to meet Char for lunch, again, at the Dead Fish restaurant.  The drive from here to there passes by orchard after orchard and you can see the blossoms just beginning to come out.  I'm taking my mother to San Rafael on Monday for lunch (the group wants to celebrate my birthday, which is Tuesday).  I am hoping that by the time we start our drive, the orchards will be in close to full bloom.  She will love that.

Also, to go from the valley, where we live, toward San Francisco, you pass over the Vaca "mountains" (really just hills). For most of the year, the hills are covered with dry grass and cows (appropriate, since "vaca" means "cow"). But at this time of year, especially after the rain that we have had, the hills are a lush green, covered with the newly growing vegetation.  It only lasts a week or two, but that period of time is glorious and you really feel a sense of Mother Nature waking up from a long nap and starting to get to work again.

Char was already there when I got to the restaurant.  As I had requested, they had seated us at a window table, where we could look out on the Carquinez Bridge.

If there's one thing I love it's a restaurant with a view out to water and a bridge!

The lunch was, as I knew it would be, wonderful.  We both ordered gin fizzes and we both agreed that what we got wasn't exactly the gin fizz that we remember, but I thought it was still tasty.

For lunch this time I chose garlic noodles with crab.  I expected the crab to be a mound on top of the noodles...and that was there, but the crab was also all throughout the pasta, not only flaked crab, but lumps of crab as well.  It was a spectacular dish.

In fact, it was a bit too much for me and I brought a small amount of it home and served it to Walt for dinner tonight.

As I was driving home, I was not feeling well.  I had experienced some mild nausea earlier in the day, but was feeling OK when I left for the drive, but getting back into the car it returned and I couldn't wait to get home and dive into my recliner.  By dinnertime I was feeling fine, but I didn't have much dinner, just in case.

My cough is 100% better.  It's still hanging around, but the doctor recommended Mucinex, as a decongestant I could take that wouldn't interfere with the other meds I take and it is a miracle drug.  I don't know why I didn't contact her a week ago.