A Real Tale of Christmas

I got an SOS phone call from a close friend who works for CPS (Children Protective Services) yesterday.  She told me that in her personal case load there are numerous children who not only do not have toys, but don't even have clothes.  Lack of clothing is a very real need I often saw.  At the at-risk high school where I taught, I've bought many a warm coat. 

Let me share a personal story with you.  When I was teaching at-risk teens, it quickly became apparent that the only 'Christmas' a significant percentage of my students would experience would be whatever I could provide inside my classroom and at my school.  I was extremely fortunate to have an entire congregation of United Methodists who supported me to the hilt.  Whenever they discovered any way they could make the lives of my students better, they always stepped up to the plate.  They didn't just donate school supplies, but time, money and food.  

That's why to this day I actively support charitable activities that involve food and/or children.  Now, the food banks tend to rake in the donations from Thanksgiving to the New Year.  The Salvation Army runs 'Angel Trees' in most large shopping areas across the country.  Churches prepare food, clothes, and toys for needy families at this time of the year.  All those charitable activities don't begin to cover the need. 

When I decide to support something monetarily, I'm very diligent about checking out EXACTLY where my donation winds up.  I'm not interested in advertising, or administrative costs which dilute the amount of my donation.   I'm not interested in sending money overseas when there's so much need here at home.  Therefore, I'm personally vouching for my friend, Kathy Conklin, who earned a social services degree long after she was an adult because she wanted to make a difference.  She's working as a social worker in a tough environment, with lots of children.  She knows which of her children's Christmas will be bleak.

If you are like Drake and I, we seek out worthy causes for charitable giving at this time of the year.  If you want to help Kathy provide a Christmas for children, buy an Amazon gift card electronically and send it to her email address:  katmom31@yahoo.com.  She'll do the shopping.  There's no amount too small (or too large).   

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a long time, you know I don't ask my readers for money casually, or for causes I can't personally ascertain to be worthwhile.   Let your conscience be your guide.

Merry Christmas.   

2022 Thanksgiving Cruise - Mexican Riviera

 Drake and I decided upon a Thanksgiving cruise of the Mexican Riviera (the Pacific coast of Mexico) mainly because I did not want to be depressed over the holiday.  I knew not spending the holiday in New York would be depressing to me.  Best of all, we didn't have to get on an airplane.  Getting on an airplane at Thanksgiving is a "just shoot me now" experience.  Our week long cruise left out of San Diego which is a six hour drive from Sun City.  

We arrived at the exact time of our ship boarding.  All went very smoothly.  I trotted off to the Spa even before the ship left the dock for a pre-booked massage.  It was just what I needed to work out the kinks of the drive.  Now, spa time on a cruise ship is great.  Unfortunately, it's very expensive.  I also learned, via my Sun City therapist, people who provide spa services on a cruise ship are expected to 'push product'.  The ship sells its own line of creams and potions, and after a session, you are encouraged (but not browbeaten) to buy some.  Plus, booking ANOTHER session gives points to the person providing the service. They have a quota they must meet.  Fail a pre-determined number of times to meet your quota, and you are fired.  All of these expectations are carefully explained to the person being hired, but none of this is ever explained to a cruise guest.

Normally, I wouldn't go on the cruise we booked simply because there were too many days at sea.  (3 out of 7).  However, the price was more than right, and we hadn't been to two out of the three ports.  The three ports we visited were Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta.  There are always surprises on every cruise I've ever taken.   On this cruise it was was the time changes.  San Diego:  Pacific time (one hour change from AZ).  Mazatlán:  Mountain Time (one hour time change).  Puerto Vallarta:  Central Time (one hour time change).  Then, the time changes reversed as we sailed north from Puerto Vallarta.  I have a strongly fixed circadian cycle, and I always struggle with time change.  [One of the best things about Arizona is the clock NEVER changes.]

Another somewhat unpleasant surprise was the brevity of the breakfast and lunch time windows.  I hate getting up early, and breakfast was a bit too early for me most days especially considering the time changes, but I struggled up each day.  Because of the time changes, my stomach wasn't really sure when it was supposed to eat.  The dining room was supposed to be 'open dining', but it really wasn't.  You needed a reservation for dinner each night. 

Mostly, we wound up eating about 8pm.  The reason why?  The multitude of families from infants to doddering grannies all cruising on Thanksgiving week.  It wasn't uncommon to see several tables seating 10 to 20 people even at 8pm.  The kitchen still presented food piping hot of the highest quality to every table no matter the size.  Drake and I both marveled how toddlers were managing to hold it together to eat at that hour.  My expectation was a chorus of unhappy babies and toddlers.  Instead of crying children (of which there were none), we heard Mr. Lobster Fork.

My expectation was guests on a cruise ship would at least have some semblance of manners.  That was before we got a load of Mr. Lobster Fork.  One evening we sat down and were having a lovely dinner when a man seated about 15 feet away from us started harassing the wait staff in a loud angry voice.  His first volley at the top of his lungs was:  "I WANT MY DINNER, AND I WANT IT NOW!!!"   I guess he thought he was eating at Denny's.  The family with two elementary school aged children sitting at the next table were mortified.  Of the many cruises I've taken, I've never seen anyone behave so badly in the dining room.  

Oh, but he wasn't finished.  When he and his partner got served, he immediately began yelling for a LOBSTER FORK.  His tirade demanding a lobster fork (more yelling on his part) went on for about 10 minutes as he was presented a variety of forks, none of which was to his liking.  Here's the irony:  You don't use a lobster fork when you are only having the tail of the lobster - the only kind of lobster served in the dining room.  The purpose of a lobster fork is to be able to pull lobster meat out of small places on a whole lobster.  This rude and brutish man didn't know what a lobster fork is used for, but he certainly wanted one anyway and at the top of his lungs.  

As is often so true of the rude, they choose to vent their ire on the lowest level of service people.  In this case, it was the waiters and their assistants.  He never asked to see the dining room supervisor.  He just wanted to throw his weight around.  I guess he thought SOMEONE would be impressed with his temper tantrum.  From that night on, we were on the lookout for "Mr. Lobster Fork".  We didn't want to be seated away from him; we just wanted to greet him with his nickname.  😁  

We were careful to pick a cabin that faced the 'land' initially, so we could stand on our balcony and watch the ports come into view.  The Cabo port entry was the most dramatic.

Yes, that's a giant hole in the rocks in the Cabo harbor

  It always seems to be the case on the day the cruise ship uses a 'tender', the sea doesn't cooperate.  In the Cabo port, a tender port, there were three foot swells.  Doesn't sound like much, but it was a bit nerve wracking to move from the ship to the tender when it was going up and down three feet.  You had to time your move to the tender.  Old people and young children slowed down the process considerably.  By sheer chance we booked a shore excursion through the ship, so we got priority to use the tenders.  

The only reason I booked the shore excursion was to see the cathedral at the small town of San Jose del Cabo about 20 miles north of Cabo San Lucas, and to see a glass blowing exhibition.  Ever since I saw glass blowing at the Tacoma Glass Museum, I've been hooked.  The Cabo glass blowing operation was small compared to the Tacoma Glass furnace, but it was still fascinating.  The Mexican artist deftly took a glob of glass from the furnace and quickly blew a small souvenir turtle as we watched.  We were also interested to learn they collect all kinds of glass from all the bars and restaurants - think beer bottles and whiskey bottles and glass food containers.  There were piles and piles of this type of glass outside the building.  The glass blowers recycle all of it into new drinking glasses, bowls, vases, as well as souvenirs. 

Glass blowers furnace

  

First blow with turtle still attached to pipe 

Finished product

The attached store where you can buy everything glass is full of every variety glass.  More importantly, it was filled with artistic glass embedded into tiles on the floor as well as a complete wall of decorative glass.  

I love taking pictures, and one of the highlights of the shore excursion was the stop for picture taking of the Cabo coast.  I think I got some good ones.

We took the bus to San Jose de Cabo, a small town about 20 miles from Cabo San Lucas.  Unfortunately, instead of taking the highway to the town, we wound our way through all the hotels and condos.  The guide acted like this was what we had come to see.  Basically, it was a big time waster, so we really didn't get to spend as much time in the town as we could have.  The cathedral was very basic like most of the Mexican cathedrals.  My total purchase here was a magnet.

San Jose del Cabo cathedral

One of the things we like about the Holland America cruise line is they hire classical musicians to entertain on the 'Lincoln Center Stage'.  This time it was a quartet consisting of a piano, a violin, a viola, and a cello.  They played various classical pieces for an hour just at cocktail time.  I really like being dressed for dinner, having a drink in a comfy chair, and listening to classical music.  

Speaking of being dressed for dinner....  Usually there are two dress up days on a seven day cruise.  I always fret about what to wear.  My all velvet full length dress and jacket for winter evening ballets in New York was unsuitable.  Most of my other dress up stuff is really casual wear adapted to wear in the summer to NYC matinee ballets.  To solve the problem, I went to one of my favorite thrift stores to check out what they had.  I was delighted to find a full length sea blue sheath covered by a full length 'duster' in a jungle print.  Perfect for a cruise.  For the second night, I wore the blue sheath and covered it with a black swimsuit coverup I converted to an evening jacket.  Here's a picture on deck with the wind blowing the duster behind me.  The irony is I got a lot of unsolicited compliments on the $12 outfit.  Sorry about the shoes (totally wrong), but we all know my damn feet.

Jan, age 72, Thanksgiving Cruise, 2022

Our second port, Mazatlán, was my favorite.  It is a town famous for its sports fishing.  We didn't sports fish.  We saw this town on foot wandering from plaza to plaza.  In the closest plaza to the ship, we found Mayan dancers entertaining the tourists.

Next, we went on a campaign to find Mexican fire opals.  One jewelry store owner sent me to another store when I described what I was looking for.  We found the perfect pendant.  From there, we went to see the Mazatlán cathedral plaza.  This beauty of this cathedral was completely unexpected.

  

 Standing in front of the cathedral, we were offered another selection of jewelry from a street vendor.  Personally, I like street vendors.  There's no telling in Mexico what you may be offered.  This was the jewelry vendor's lucky day.  I found another modest piece which Drake promptly bought.  My favorite vendor of the trip was this guy.  I also found a few art deco buildings.  On our way to the market, I found a fabric store!  Drake went on to buy t-shirts while I used my rusty, rudimentary Spanish to buy six yards of material at $2 a yard.  

Then, it was on to Puerto Vallarta.  Puerto Vallarta sits on a horse shoe shaped ocean harbor that is very deep.  The mountainous jungle comes right down to the beach. This sleepy town was discovered in 1964 when the "Night of the Iguana" was made at this location.  Several of the Americans involved in the production loved the town and bought homes.  Forty years ago, six of us rented a villa to celebrate the recovery from cancer by one friend.  We had a wonderful time.  That weekend, we went to the plaza and were entertained by the battle of the Mariachi bands.  We spent time on the beach watching five foot waves roll in.  It was a great week.  

I was really anticipating the return to this town.  Well, it is a town no more.  It's a bustling city looking pretty much like a medium sized American city.  I sent this picture to one of the friends from the villa trip 40 years ago, and he commented, "That looks like Corpus Christi."  There are numerous high rise condominiums being built, and the town I loved is no longer in evidence.  Here's what we saw as we pulled into port.

There's a supersized Sam's Club next to the Walmart.  Between the cruise dock and the Walmart is a four lane highway moving at 50 mph every time I checked.  Additionally, PV was the only place with noticeable air pollution.  I was so depressed by the sight, I didn't even get off the boat except to see the tent vendors on the dock.  

Finally, photographers are a big part of every cruise, so Drake and I had a portrait made on one of the dress up nights.  The black bands on my wrists are pressure point sea sick remedies, and this is the swimsuit coverup I remade.  You can tell we really had a good time.

As usual, if you haven't seen enough pictures, click on the link.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DnMHEs6ZoUY6vsvD7

 

Living in a Battleground State: Arizona at Election Time

 Be very, very happy you do not live in a battleground state.  Since the 2020 election debacle, Arizona conservatives have believed, with no factual evidence, the Presidential election was stolen from them.  Apparently, no other elections were stolen in 2020.  There have been numerous recounts, and finally the Republican controlled legislation actually gave the ballots to a conservative non-governmental group for a 'recount'.  No matter who did the recounts, only a few hundred ballots have ever been found to be illegitimate.  The 2022 election strategy for the Republicans is to select the most extreme right conservatives in the primary process.  There are no John McClain style Republicans still standing in Arizona.  Thus, there's a clear choice in Arizona as to which direction the state will turn.

Since we returned in late August, there's been an increasing crescendo of political advertising on the television.  Usually, you have a couple of ads for whoever is being elected at the national level the last couple of weeks before election day.  Not here.  We have ads not just put out by the candidates, but also a myriad of ads paid for by PACS (political action committees), and ultimately paid for by one or more moneybags hiding behind the PAC trying to influence the election for their own purposes - influence and access.  This is true no matter the political party.  I feel like I'm watching puppets (candidates) being controlled by a few red and blue billionaires.   

Another bafflement is I'm seeing the Democratic candidates talking to the electorate face to face in ads while Republican candidates are hiding behind the PACS which are completely focused on presenting negative unfact checked messages - the definition of the negative political ad.  If that's not bad enough, these ads SCREAM AT YOU.  We have one of the battleground senate seats:  Mark Kelly (incumbent, Democrat) vs. Blake Masters (Republican).  I've yet to see Masters directly speak to the electorate in his ad campaign, while most of Kelly's ads are just him directly talking about immigration, trucking, infrastructure, and taxation.  Masters is counting on the effectiveness of negative advertising and fear.  Don't get me wrong; Kelly is also using PACS to craft negative ads.  Why are we seeing thesenegative ads?  It's because research shows people tend to follow the cliche:  Where there's smoke; there must be fire.  In other words, negative ads work.   

If TV ads aren't bad enough, I just got an unsolicited text to 'stop runaway spending' by the state legislature - no definition of runaway spending, of course.   The only 'runaway spending' I can think of is the funding for a raise for public school teachers which was only instituted by 43% of the state districts.  Arizona is still 41st out of 50 in teacher salaries.  Lots of runaway spending there.  

The most chilling happening in Arizona are the armed people openly carrying weapons and dressed in cammo buzzing around the FEW ballot collection boxes for early voting.  According to the Arizona court case ruling as to the legitimacy of these tactics, it's perfectly legal to attempt to intimidate voters with open firearms being brandished about.  Fortunately, the sheriff/police departments are also sending out officers to babysit the boxes while trying to reassure voters. 

This is just one more measure to attempt to suppress the vote by minorities.  Other suppression techniques:  gerrymandering, overkill on documentation for voting, removing voters from the rolls.  (FYI:  The Arizona election officials removed me from the voter rolls since I mailed my 2020 ballot from NYC!  I  had to re-register to vote, and if I hadn't received the letter from Arizona Elections, I wouldn't even know I'd been dropped from the voter rolls.)  All of these actions are happening at the state legislative level.

The most important politics are LOCAL.  There's a complete ban on abortions in Arizona thanks to the implementation by the state legislature of a 1906 law on the books.  The legislators are being increasingly challenged since these type of implementations are NOT supported by the majority of voters, and another judge has put an injunction in place that the 1906 law can not go into effect until 2023 - just a few months away.   Battleground elections in Arizona are not confined to the national elections, and the state elections. They are happening all the way down to the school board election level where the MAGA candidates don't want anything about racism, slavery, some current scientific theories, or sex education taught in public schools.  They are determined to change the textbooks, and threaten teachers with jail time if they don't toe the line.  The state races for Governor, and Secretary of State are also being hotly contested with extreme candidates being presented by the Arizona Republican party.  [The Republican Governor candidate still believes the 2020 election was stolen, has called for secession from the United States as well as thinking cameras in classrooms are a good idea.  The Republican Secretary of State candidate is a former(?) member of the Oath Keepers, never opens his mouth, and likes to be photographed in cowboy hats.]

The real battleground in Arizona is being repeated all over the country.  It's rural voters vs urban voters.  Thanks to gerrymandering, the rural vote is being unfairly magnified everywhere a Republican legislature has drawn lines for districts such as Arizona.  There are fewer polling places and ballot boxes for early voting in traditionally minority neighborhoods in Phoenix.  Then, there is the indigenous reservation votes which are mostly unique to Arizona.  This by-election feels like the 'bad old days' of the smoke filled room selecting candidates.  Now, we just have green candidates - ones who are bought and paid for by dollar bills either overtly or covertly.  Welcome back to the Gilded Age!  

  

Moving, Moving, Moving - Goodbye, Brooklyn. Hello, Sun City

 The title says it all.  We are leaving Brooklyn after three years and returning to Sun City, AZ.  Considering all the vagabonding moves and all our personal moves (we've owned eight houses!), you'd think a move would be SOP.  Nope.  Not when you're 72.  I have so much less energy that it was Godsent, actually Drake sent, when he told me our 'stuff' from Brooklyn would not be arriving for two weeks.  Two weeks of sort of rest was terrific.  I've been to the doctor, the dentist, the hairdresser, physical therapist, and reinstated my weekly massage.  

When the UBox finally arrived, suddenly a house, which is completely full, had to absorb another household - our Brooklyn stuff.  What a struggle!  What to keep.  What to let go of.  It reminded me of when we downsized our 4 bedroom Hurst, Tx house into a 10'x20' storage unit.  Ten years ago, though, I had much more energy, and I didn't hurt as badly.  [I'm riddled with arthritis (osteo) in my spine and most of my other major joints.  None of that has improved with age.  Fine wine I am not.]

It was sort of exciting to see the art we bought and figuring out how to hang or display it all.  I've unpacked so many tubs - as I've done a zillion times.  I found things in Sun City I didn't even know I had.  I knew clothes were going to be a problem since I now have a 'winter' wardrobe.  That means a huge selection of coats to combat any climate.  My 1965 house has a coat closet which is about  3 feet square. It's already full of Sun City coats - well, jackets, really.  

Drake came up with an ingenious solution:  Hang all the coats and winter clothes in our trusty trailer which is housed in the Sun City lot - $100 per year.  I asked Drake if there was room for a seconds bars, and he was POSITIVE there wasn't.  He did agree to fairly assess the situation.  He came home with the momentous news that HE WAS WRONG, and there was plenty of room for a second bar.  Anyway, using the trailer for a storage unit has eased things somewhat.

After all of this, I've come to the conclusion I have too much stuff.  Now I'll need to meditate and ponder until I make up my mind to sweep through this house ruthlessly and get rid of lots of stuff.  It's so wrenching because I attach memories of people to my 'stuff'.  We needed a second bar because I have memory clothes.  Yes, Drake rolled his eyes.  I acidly pointed out to him that one of the items was his mother's wedding dress.  We have two girls in the family now, and who knows?  One of them might want the antique dress. 

The worst part of the move is searching for where you put something you just saw two days ago.  I have this weird allergy/auto immune response, and my tongue swells - so far in just one half of my mouth.  Woke up at 6:13am  this morning with a swollen tongue.  Then, I was searching for Benedryl.  I know I'd seen it; now, where WAS IT.  Finally found my emergency stash, took some and in a few hours I was fine. Ten hours later, I finally located the plastic box with the medical supplies.  What a doofus! 

So far, I've looked for pens that really write - AZ tends to dry out ink.  Filtered out my Christmas socks and shoeboxed them.  Trailer or house?  I don't know.  I've make a gazillion little decisions about which kitchen utensils to keep, what make up to purge, how to organize what I'm keeping.  I only have about four solid hours of working time each day, and then it's time for a nap..... Yes, I can't work from 8am until 8pm like I used to.  That's 72 for you.  However, our mantra is:  "It will all get done over time; why worry?

We're basically down to the fun part now.  First, we are going to do some furniture moving.  Let's shake things up a little.  Next, we will be hanging exciting new pieces and rearranging older ones, and we will be one step closer to house beautiful - well, house beautiful J/D style.  .In the middle of the unpacking came 'birthday week'.  [For those who don't know - my birthday is 9/25/50; Sarah's is 9/26/85/50), and Drake's is 9/29/50.]

Amazingly, birthday week went well.  Sarah took the whole day of her birthday just for herself.  (Believe me when I tell you that time NEVER happens with a marriage, a mother-in-law, two kids under the age of five, and a high powered job in Manhattan.)  I was thrilled for her.  I had a quiet day with flowers, unpacking, and a steak/seafood dinner out in the new swank restaurant at the Desert Diamond Casino.  Drake had a dynamite day:  Cholesterol breakfast (corned beef hash, eggs, potatoes, toast, OJ) followed by three hours of gambling (playing blackjack and winning $225.  Even I broke even.)  Next, we got decadent ice cream shakes at our locally owned ice cream store that makes the ice cream in house.  We followed with our 'nap time'.  Then, we went to the first movie in three years.  I have to confess I actually fell asleep in the movie theater during the movie.  That's a first for me.  When I started to snore, Drake gave me the elbow.  I was mortified!  

Finally, having ruined our appetites with the breakfast/shakes, we settled for Subway sandwiches, instead of Mexican food, and watched the terrible Texas Rangers.  I'm pretty sure this meal was 'practice' for Spring Training.  All in all great birthdays.  Kudos to everyone who sent me a card.  Plus, some people sent me gifts. [I like gifts.] Thanks!

Still arranging and re-arranging.  That will go on quite a while, but why worry?  Eventually, it will get done.  Welcome, 72.  It's going to be a great year.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

 Any New Yorker who can afford it, leaves NYC for as long as they can during the summer.  NYC in July and August is hot and steamy.  Since New Yorkers walk, walk, walk everywhere in the city the hot summer and the concrete heat sink makes living here miserable.  Last year we took a family vacation to Long Island.  We were pleasantly surprised when Sarah negotiated another house in the middle of the Hudson Valley for ten days in July.  It was a big sprawling place with bedrooms for all of us.  Drake and I scored a full floor suite with a bathroom, sitting area, fridge and microwave.  

Who was so amazing was Fiona Lynn.  She was six weeks old, and she went everywhere.  Strapped on the front of either Jay or Sarah, she went berry picking, hiking, shopping, and train riding.  I think she just loved being constantly held.  Surrounded by three grandparents, two parents, and a three year old brother who pronounces her 'my baby' and stops playing to circle around to pet her, let's just say it's a good thing she is baby number two, so nobody came to blows about who got to hold her 'next'.  She just got passed around.  

Fiona Lynn and Sarah Lynn on a hike

Cedric & Fiona

Matthew Vassar, Founder of Vassar College

When we weren't with the family, Drake and I did some trips on our own.  First, we sent to see Vassar College.  I absolutely had to see this place.  In 1968 I was a senior in high school and I wanted to go to Vassar.  Looking back, I now realize how truly ridiculous that pipe dream must have seemed to my blue collar parents.  I didn't even know WHERE Vassar was located.  I just knew about it.  It just seemed to me to be the place where everybody liked books, art, theater and ballet rather than baseball, football and church.  Sigh.....  You can see why I had to see this place.

Vassar was actually founded by Matthew Vassar, a very successful brewer right.  Vassar was the second college to admit women.  (Elmira was first.)  It was founded in 1861.  The first building built on the campus was designed so it could be converted into a brewery if the college went bust.  Well, it didn't go bust.  Women were starved for education at the college level.  And the coincidence of the Civil War and resulting high numbers of Union casualties meant there were unattached women of college age.  

One of Matthew Vassar's innovations was he donated his entire art collection and created an art museum.  This was the first college in the USA to have an art museum attached to the campus.  Vassar hired Dutch landscape painter Henry Van Ingen as the first professor of art and the curator of the Vassar Museum.  He was a reasonably well known painter of his day.  

Henry Van Ingen

Vassar was lovely.  It was built around a courtyard as were so many early American colleges.  Their pictures were nice - lots of Hudson Valley pictures, of course.  However, they had a really exciting Tibetan art exhibition.  You can check out the pictures if you're interested by clicking on the link below.

In New Palz, New York, across the Hudson River from Poughkeepsie, and the location of this year's house, there's a recently built college, SUNY, which is still doing the same thing Matthew Vassar was doing in the 1860's.  An interesting man called Samuel Dorsey, who made his money in Garment District in Manhattan, funded a museum for the college.  It's a lovely museum which introduced me to a new artist:  Mary Frank.  She was the leading exhibition in the museum.  The other pictures and sculptures which are part of the permanent collection were quite good.  Here's my favorite Mary Frank piece.  The medium is clay.  This place is definitely worth a visit. 

Reclining Woman

I guess the two pieces from the permanent collection that resonated with me were these two:

"Still Happy Together"

"Wildness of Blackbird"

There were two family hikes in the Minnewaska State Park.  I was very pleased I could keep up with the three year old and the 36 year olds carrying the 10 lb. baby.  I'm pretty sure the other two grandparents felt pretty much the same.  One of the hikes was in the fog, which made it coolish.  Cedric, however, was very uncertain about this weather phenomena.  I tried to explain fog was just a cloud on the ground, but there was something about 'vanishing' which unsettled him.   The second hike was to a waterfall and had playing in the creek.  I pride myself on always being prepared, but for some reason I didn't realize there would be hiking.  Duh!  It's the biggest thing to do in the Catskills.  I was handicapped by not having my hiking boots and two sticks.

On the bridge in the fog

The water fall

Cedric and Sarah finding the right stones

We all agreed we just didn't have enough time in this area of the Hudson Valley.  We barely scratched the surface of things to do.  Cedric was so enchanted with the gigantic back yard surrounded by trees we had trouble prying him away for outings.  He could run and run and run, and he had access to a hose, a slide, and mud.  

Initially, we were all a bit hesitant about how Fiona was going to react to the pick up and go lifestyle we evolved into.  However, as we tried to venture out more and more including eating out, Fiona was quickly awarded the "Family Trooper" medal.  She never cried.  She just ate and slept and pooped as she was carried around in her basket carrier or in the body carrier.  Some days were a bit sweatier than others, but she never complained.  

Drake on the Deck at the house - his turn to hold Fiona

We all agreed our time in the Mid Hudson Valley went by too fast.  When we got back to town, Drake and I revisited the NYC Transit Museum with Cedric.  Riding subways, and changing trains is one of his faves.  This way he got to see how the tunnels were dug, and he ran from car to car sitting in subway cars from the early 20th century forward.  It's really interesting to see how the cars/turnstiles/payment methods have changed in over 100 years of operation of the subway system.

New York City just prior to the subway system

Early Brooklyn subway lines

Cedric sitting on rattan seats in an early subway car

Jan, being silly in front of a graphics corner

We decided to end our time in Brooklyn by re-visiting the Brooklyn Museum.  The very first time we saw this museum, we were so surprised at the quality of the museum.  We thoroughly enjoyed the visit.  If you want to see more pictures, well, we all know I take too many, but I have such fun doing it.  Here's a list.  Just click on the link.  

I have very mixed feelings about leaving Brooklyn.  The pandemic screwed up 1/3rd of our time up here, but because of it, we got to spend real time with Sarah, Jay and Cedric.  Drake has struggled with being up here.  He doesn't like the noise, the density, and the dirt (mostly dog dirt, to be frank).  I've been struggling more and more to be able to do the walking necessary to live here.  Plus, even if Drake wanted to stay up here, there's the financial angle, as well as my health issues.  It's taken me a year to agree, but we need to be retired again.  I'm looking forward to sleepy Sun City.  I'm thrilled with the idea of being able to pop in and out of Brooklyn to take advantage of the NYC cultural events and be the fun grandparents.  We already have tickets for the NY Ballet Nutcracker.  It will be Cedric's first ballet.  Finally, aren't we all ready for the Jan and Drake Vagabond Show again?  That will be our summer enjoyment as we escape the 110+ temps in Arizona.  Stay tuned.  More fun to come.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/AvWRGtwzBR5c325N7  (Mid Hudson Valley)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/4bq8G9HvK7kuZiUC7     (Catskill Hiking)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/5ASsDpYDiB5TcszW6  (Brooklyn Museum of Art)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yvaEpQ2UXLaegmQR7  (Vassar)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NwEkqKMHivBWAmtc9  (SUNY, New Palz, NY Art Museum)

 

J

Are You a Millennial?

 I was just tickled pink to discover that I AM A MILLENNIAL.  (I guess I'm going to have to learn to spell the word since I am one.)  According to Moneywise, there are fourteen things on which Millennials are choosing NOT to spend their moola.  I was just curious, so I started reading the article and realized this was actually a test to see how young I really am.  About halfway thru I realized at age 72 I was scoring like a millennial.   Well, read on.....

(1)  WEDDINGS.  Prepandemic:  28K.  Post pandemic:  less than 19K  I think my $35 wedding clearly puts me into the millennial category.  My wedding included a handmade dress, a gold wedding ring, a wedding lunch, (OK, it was Dairy Queen, but it was still 'lunch.), the license, and the gratuity for the Justice of the Peace.  No guests.  No open bars.  No hot meals for 300 of our closest friends.  No fancy flowers.  No special centerpieces.  No invitations.  I did, however, have to write a shit load of thank you notes since I got a pile of wedding gifts.  [Here's how that worked.  My mother's closest friends pooled a list of every person my mother had ever given a wedding gift to and those women went on the bridal shower list.  Then, they went down the list and checked off 'who owed'.  The women who 'owed' would be sent invitations.  It was fascinating to watch!  I told them they could NOT invite more than 50 people.  When I went back to college, they just ignored me   The weekend I returned for the shower, I discovered there was not one shower, but two.  Those 1950s moms knew how to rake in the loot.]

(2)  Dairy Milk.  I lose out on this category.  I'm still drinking cow's milk minimum of once a day.  I've tried the 'plant milks', and my verdict is YUCK.  Not a millennial on dairy.

(3)  Diamonds.  Millennials don't like diamonds, so they don't buy them.  They like hand crafted jewelry using alternative stones.  Duh.  I've been doing this for the last forty+ years. I only wear hand made jewelry by top crafters.  (Some of my jewelry makers have been displayed at the SMITHSONIAN!)  I've never owned a diamond.  I don't like them.  I never plan on buying one.  Definitely a Millennial on diamonds.

(4)  Cable.  Millennials don't use cable tv; they stream.  Well, I dumped cable five years ago, so big checkmark on this one.  I'm a Millennial streaming Netflix; Hulu; Prime; MLB; Weather (2 channels), YouTube; YouTubeTV; Free Movies; Pluto; and by the by SHARING THE COST of the pay to stream channels.  

(5)  Wasteful Products:  Millennials don't use plastic straws, plastic silverware, single use plates, cups, napkins, or most importantly those damn plastic bags.  I haven't willingly used a plastic bag for the past TWENTY YEARS.  I'm constantly lobbying any store I see using them.  I routinely WRITE TO WALMART ASKING THEM TO PHASE OUT PLASTIC BAGS.  (fyi - The Walmart Superstore in the middle of Hudson Valley is plastic bag free, so it can be done.)  Tell restaurant servers NO STRAWS.  Take any extra napkins they bring you home.  I've used cloth napkins for thirty years.  And, I use napkin rings, so they get washed about once a week with the tablecloth (which I also use).  I look for paper packaging, and I buy my water in aluminum cans.  I'm currently washing and reusing three aluminum water bottles I scored.  If you want to refuse plastic when eating out casually, bring your own silverware.  It's not hard.  Next time you give a party, use real dishes, cutlery, and glasses.  Don't have enough?  Hit up the Salvation Army or Goodwill. I've been giving parties for the past twenty years using real stuff instead of paper/plastic.   I've been a Millennial in this category before millennial was recognized as a generational group.  TAKE THAT, HA!

(6)  Beer:  Millennials drink 'craft beer' preferably with tasting room where they can socialize.  No bud or miller for this group.  I can outsnob one better:  I drink CRAFT CIDER.  I've drunk locally made beer for over ten years.  Millennial, I think, don't you?

(7)  Houses:  Lots of controversy here.  Student debt?  Don't make as much money?  Priced out of the housing market?  I'm definitely a BOOMER in this category.  I've owned eight houses.  Thinking about #9.

(8)  Redundant Technology:  Millennials don't own a landline phone, a stereo, an alarm clock, an e-reader, a calculator, GPS devices, digital cameras, cook books, or paper maps....  You get the picture.  I'm mostly Millennial.  I do like my digital camera for museums, but take kid pix with the phone.  I like CD's because they sound better.  I tend to cook off index cards I've made from recipes I've found on-line.  BUT:  no landline, no alarm clock, no e-reader, no calculator, no GPS device, but Drake likes the paper maps.  (Sigh)  I'm 7/8th Millennial and 1/8 Boomer.

(9)  Doorbells:  Now this one is just bizarre.  Millennials find doorbells intrusive.  They don't use them.  They simply text 'here' when arriving at your house.  I'm a Boomer all the way here.  This just seems silly to me.  One rationalization:  keeps away nosy neighbors and scam artists going door to door.

(10)  Grooming Supplies:  This is where Millennials not only save money, but also buy based on environmental concerns:  No bar soap, no bubble bath soap, no disposable razors, no special shaving cream.  In addition, I've learned to reduce the amount of soap going down the drain by using aerated pump bottles filled 1/10th with dishwash soap and 9/10th water for handwashing.  No antibiotic soaps - redundant if you're using soap.  Definitely a Millennial.

(11)  Postcards and Souvenirs:  Millennials believe a heartfelt text accompanied by a special pic is better than a tacky postcard which is usually added to the landfill.  They are foregoing the hat/t-shirt/bag souvenir in favor of handmade, artisan purchases.  I'm squarely in the Millennial category.  My trip souvenirs are pieces of art or hand crafted jewelry or signed pottery.  My latest piece which is one of my NY souvenirs is a framed matted lithograph by a New York artist.  MTA (Metro Transit Authority, ie governing body of subways, buses, trains, ferries that serve NYC) asked several artists to each create an original painting (3' long by 18" wide) to fit in the advertising slots above the subway seats.  I got it for free from a person who was carrying it around.  She tried to give it to the library.  They didn't want it.  When she walked back by me as I was sitting on the stoop waiting for Cedric to come down, I asked if I could see it.  I loved it, and she gave it to me.  Now that's some NY Millennial action.

(12)  Department stores:  Millennials shop online.  They do not shop in box stores, particularly big box stores.  I've been shopping on line since Google came into existence.  I can't remember the last time I bought something at a 'mall'.  Additionally, Millennials like to re-use.  You'd think they'd invented buying used clothing/shoes.  Ha!  I've been dressing used and homemade for fifty years.  Definitely Millennial and even more so now that I've learned delivered groceries taste just as good as the ones self wrangled walking up and down the aisles of the grocery store.

(13)  Cleaning and Laundry Supplies:  Millennials have stopped using fabric softener and dryer sheets.  They generally look for 'green' cleaners, and feel vinegar is just as good as several individual cleaners.  I'm split here.  Still do dryer sheets, but I'm going to be investigating dryer balls as an alternative.  I've been into the green clean for a long time as part of reducing the chemicals being added inside my house.  I'd say 1/2 Millennial but moving in that direction.

(14)  Vacation:  Millennials want an authentic experience.  They don't do cruises - bad for the environment.  They want to steep themselves in local culture and cuisine.  Now,  I like authentic, but I also like not having to pack up and move hotel to hotel.  I did 'authentic' in Italy.  I did Alaska and the Caribbean by cruise.  I did ten years of authentic USA and Canadian travel.  I guess this is a 1/2 Millennial and 1/2 Boomer.

Toting up, I scored 9 Millennial; 2 Boomer; and 3 half and half.  I think I just reduced my age by 35 years.  Now, if I could miraculously wear high heels, and have my wrinkles disappear I'd be riding the gravy train with biscuit wheels.    

Grammar Jokes

 I have one genius friend who forwards to me wonderful things which pop up on the internet. 

 [NOTE:  MY 'DO NOT FORWARD POLICY IS STILL IN EFFECT FOR EVERYONE EXCEPT THE GENIUS.] 

Her latest is a public service announcement directed at people who did not pay close enough attention in English class, and now discover they actually have to communicate in writing just like your English teacher told you would happen. 

[NOTE:  NOT TRUE.  NOT A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT, BUT THE REST OF THE STATEMENT IS TRUE!]

I've helpfully 'splained' each underlined grammar joke.  

[NOTE:  'SPLAINED' IS NOT A REAL WORD.  FURTHER NOTE:  THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A GRAMMAR JOKE EXCEPT TO ENGLISH TEACHERS.]

Are you ready????????

A verb walks into a bar, sees a beautiful noun and suggests they conjugate.  The noun declines.

(Conjugate:  different forms of the verb.  Declension:  different forms of a noun.)

A malapropism walks into a bar, looking for all intensive purposes like a wolf in cheap clothing, muttering epitaphs and casting dispersions on his magnificent other who takes him for granite.

(Malapropism:  mistaken use of a word for a similar sounding one.)

[NOTE:  RICHARD SHERIDAN, 18TH CENTURY PLAYWRIGHT, INVENTED A CHARACTER CALLED MRS. MALAPROP IN HIS PLAY "THE RIVALS" WHO SPEAKS IN MALPROPISMS - AND BECAME THE ORIGIN OF THIS WORD.]

An oxymoron walks into a bar and the silence was deafening.

(Oxymoron:  A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear.)

Hyperbole totally rips into this insane bar and absolutely destroys everything.

(Hyperbole:  Exaggerated statements not to be taken literally.)

A non sequitur walks into a bar.  Even turkeys can fly in a strong wind.

(Non Sequitur:  A statement that does not follow from the previous statement.)

A mixed metaphor walks into a bar, seeing the handwriting on the wall, but hoping to nip it in the bud.

(Mixed metaphor:  A combination of 2 or more incompatible metaphors)

Three intransitive verbs walk into a bar.  They sit.  They converse.  They depart.

(Intransitive verb:  A verb without an object.)

At the end of the day, a cliche walks into a bar fresh as a daisy, cute as a button and sharp as a tack.

(Cliche - well, you should know this one.)

A figure of speech literally walks into a bar and gets figuratively hammered.

(Figure of Speech:  A word or phase used in a non-literal way for a vivid effect.)

A gerund and an infinitive walk into a bar drinking to forget.

(Gerund:  verb used as a noun usually ends in 'ing';  Infinitive:  verb form with 'to' in front of it.)

Well, all you grammar freaks are now SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY, and the normal people stopped reading on the third line.  

Flower Meanings

I'm a big devotee of electronic greeting cards.  I especially like Jacquie Lawson cards, and as many of those as I send, I should be getting a kick-back.  (Just kidding.  I'm not.)  Several of my friends now use this website, and I got a card for Mother's Day which offered the 'meanings' of flowers in the ecard bouquet.  

Flower symbolism has its roots in rural traditions, but by the 19th century British aristocrats were well versed in flower symbolism and using them for social occasions.  An ancient example of the rural tradition would be the Druids who used mistletoe in place of a 'white flag'.  By the 1800's making advantageous marriage contracts for their aristocratic chattel daughters rose to a strategically played game by parents often interested in financial alliances and social climbing within a very structured hierarchy.  What's love got to do with it?  Nothing.  [However, it's fodder for romantic novels!] 

So HOW were feelings declared?  With bouquets of flowers sent from gentlemen of all ages to young ladies.  The chaperone system was no joke.  Young women protected their reputations since purity was a top selling point in contracting an advantageous marriage.  Men used flower bouquets to declare themselves as well as speculate on the character of young women.  Flowers arrived the afternoon after a major social occasion such as a ball, a theater visit, or a musical evening.  The number of bouquets received was signal of the popularity of young debutantes.  

Some of the symbols are fascinating.  Here's a list.  You can imagine the creativity of the bouquets.

Asparagus foliage:  Fascination

Acacia:  Secret Love  OR Elegance

Anthurium:  Happiness

Aster:  Love OR Daintiness 

Baby's Breath:  Innocence

Balsam:  Ardent Love

Bellflower:  Unwavering Love

Bird of Paradise:  Faithfulness (when given by a man to a woman)

Bluebell:  Loyalty

Calla Lily:  Magnificence & beauty

Carnation (red) - Love

Carnation (green) - Love between two men

Carnation (white) - Innocence, pure love

Carnation (yellow) - Rejection, disappointment

Columbine - Faithlessness

Daffodil - Uncertainty, return my love

Daisy - Innocence

Delphinium - Joy

Gardenia - Secret love  OR  Good luck

Honeysuckle - Devoted Love

Hyancith (purple) - Forgive me

Hyancith (red/pink) - Playfulness

Hyancith (yellow) - Jealousy

Iris (purple) - Wisdom

Iris (yellow) - Passion

Iris (white) - purity

Larkspur - Levity, OR fickleness OR haughtiness

Lavender - Happiness

Lilac (purple) - First love

Lilac (white) - Youthful innocence

Lily - Love between two women

Lily of the Valley - Sweetness

Lime Blossom - Fornication

Mint - Suspicion

Narcissus - Unrequited love OR selfishness

Orange Blossom - Good luck in marriage

Orchid - Refined beauty

Pansy - Thoughfulness

Poppy (red) - Sacrifice and remembrance - (this flower came to symbolize WWI, and is still used in 

                                                                       Britain today to symbolize loss in wartime)

Rose - every shade of a rose has meaning:  Red - true love; Yellow - friendship; Pink - Grace; Coral/Orange - passion; Lavender - love at first sight; White - purity; Red & White together - United; Red & Yellow together - joy

Snapdragon - Graciousness

Sunflower - Adoration OR Loyalty

Tulip, like roses, every color has a meaning:  Red - passion or perfect love; Pink - friendship; White - forgiveness; Yellow - cheerful thoughts; Variegated - beautiful eyes; Black - strength.

Violet (blue) - Faithfulness

Violet (white) - Daydreaming OR love between two women

Zinnia - Thinking of you

If you managed to work your way through this long list (and it's only a skimming of ALL the plants and flowers and their symbolism), then you can see a carefully put together bouquet in the 19th century is the equivalent of a 20th century phone call or a 21st century text.  Now, I don't know about you, but I really like the 19th century way of declaring feelings.  You might pause, though, the next time you send flowers, and make sure you're saying what's in your heart.

Texas Rangers - 2022 Season Analysis

 Every year I write an analysis of the upcoming Texas Ranger season.  This year I invited my resident expert to write this year's analysis.  As always, just skip this one if you are not a Texas Ranger fan.

It would be easy to be overly optimistic about the Rangers' chances this year based on the their off-season roster upgrades and their Spring Training successes.  They've out-scored most Cactus League competitors; and the pitching has been pretty good too.  All signs point to a much improved record after their 102 losses last year.  Possibly, there might even be some meaningful September games as well this season.  Just winning half their games would be a major 20 game turnaround for a team that finished last in just about every statistical category in 2021 including being the division cellar dwellers.

 Most baseball reporters were surprised how much money Texas spent remaking their roster given how far behind we ended up last year.  Usually that kind of spending spree makes sense only for an already good, playoff- bound team needing to fill just a couple of holes to spark a winning season and deep playoff run. 

 The Rangers didn't just fill holes.  They remade the team by upgrading key “up the middle” positions.  The management signed high priced, long-term contracts at shortstop (Cory Seager) and second base (Marcus Semien).  The remake decision stems from the belief the team is ready to blossom on a strong farm system base of maturing young players.  Further, the new hires are proven everyday players, expected to provide important clubhouse leadership for the younger guys to stimulate a winning on-field attitude and performance.  (The Rangers have been missing clubhouse leadership since the retirement of Adrian Beltre and the trade of Elvis Andrus.)  So this team remake will hopefully be the spark for the “lightning in the bottle” medicine to deliver winning success sooner rather than later.

 Of course all of the purchase of these new players is just gambling with team ownership money.  Even high-priced, proven players have volatile individual athletic performances.  Then, there’s the luck of the draw with injuries, and the mysterious team chemistry effect.  Every year there are a couple of teams whose gambling pays off, and those teams exceed expectations.  This is the time of year when all of us can hope for that lightning. Worst case, the new stars and excitement should put more butts in the seats to help pay for those ridiculous new salaries and provide more hope for next year.

 Here's the projected everyday lineup - new players marked with (*)

 2B (*) Semien

SS (*) Seager

CF Garcia

1B Lowe

C (*) Garver / Heim [Note:  Trevino was a last minute trade to the Yankees for pitching.]

RF (*) C. Calhoun

LF (*) Miller / Solak

3B Ibanez / Culberson

DH W. Calhoun / Solak

 Here's the projected starting rotation

 (*) J. Gray

(*) M. Perez [This is Martin Perez, former Ranger.]

Dunning

Hearn

(*) Howard / Burke

 The bullpen coming out of camp looks good.  The bullpen and the high minors will have a mix of replacement starters and actual relief specialists for the inevitable revolving door of a major league pitching staff.  This team will sink or swim with the ability of the starters to go 5+ innings and keep the score close for the new, improved offense without wearing out the bullpen.

 With all the new faces this year, the pitching, overall, is still the weak link.  The team has a lot of young talent (and depth), but there's just not enough proven guys with a history of ace performances needed for the long season.  Quantity is important here because pitching is notorious for injury problems on every team.  In my opinion, the remade Rangers just don't have quite enough pitching yet to make the playoffs.  If the Rangers have a good start, it’s possible there might be a couple of mid-season deals for starting pitching to stay in contention.  Otherwise, the management will work on the pitching weaknesses next winter and we can all get optimistic for 2023.

Musical Treasures

 While New York City and Washington D.C. have the biggest collections of outstanding museums in the United States, you can still find excellent institutions peppered across the entirety of the country.  Since we've criss-crossed the country for ten years, and we've sampled many, many museums, I think I can attest to the accuracy of my belief.  I won't bore you with a list.  (My, my, aren't you glad about that.)  This week, though, we made a visit to one of those wonderful museums which just happens to be in Phoenix.  It's called the Museum of Musical Instruments.  This is a fabulous museum containing not only musical artifacts, but also a small concert hall.  We went to see a new exhibition called "Treasures, Legendary Musical Instruments".  

This was a select group of sixty musical instruments from all over the world, from all different cultures, in many time periods of history.  One of the first instruments we saw as we walked into the exhibition was the earliest known surviving violin (known as a 'bowed lute') constructed by Adolpho Amati, the person who devised and designed the instrument in 1559.  Today, similar construction techniques he invented are still used by violin instrument makers today.

The violin wasn't the only oldest known instrument in existence we saw.  Here's the oldest known guitar created in Baroque times (1590).  It shows how the earliest guitars were constructed

A fascinating aspect of all the instruments was how lovingly and exquisitely each of these instruments was crafted.  Each instrument was often intricately carved, etched or decorated.  Sometimes, just the material itself was beautiful.

We also saw individual instruments which have become famous because of the owners who played them.  One example was the 'black widow guitar' played by Jimi Hendrix, an acknowledged expert electric guitar player from the 1960's.

There was an additional exhibition of these types of 'famous instruments'.  The one of these I liked the best was Pablo Casals's favorite cello.

Apparently, music and people go together like peanut butter and jelly.  As more and more ancient ruins, are uncovered by archeological digs, musical instruments are continually found world wide. Music seems to be an integral part of what it means to be human.  Drake's favorite instrument was this one:  A carved, painted, Mayan conch shell trumpet from approximately 250-400 A.D.

One aspect of an outstanding museum is what I call 'above and beyond'.  An above and beyond feature of this museum is the idea it's not enough to see an instrument, but the real value to the viewer is being able to hear its sound.  The entire museum is filled with instruments divided into geographic regions with scattered flat screen televisions showing musicians playing the actual instrument you are viewing.  The 'Treasures' exhibition had about ten of these screens tied electronically to individual headphones.  As we wore the headphones and moved around the exhibition,  we could hear the instruments being played by people who were acknowledged expert musicians on the instruments.  Additionally, they would also discuss the unique qualities of each instrument.  That's what I call 'above and beyond', and one aspect that makes the MIM such a great museum. 

As always, there are pictures, and this time there are blurbs detailing the age, history and significance of each instrument in the Treasures exhibition.   https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y24vgcmuWkvGtohM7