First of all

Congratulations are in order for our great-nephew Sam and his wonderful parents, Julie and Brian. What an inspiring and beautiful family journey, watching him mature into a successful, handsome young man. In July, Sam starts his mission in central Washington. Marji is at Sam's high school graduation now in Provo, Utah.

Here's to the next generation.

Meanwhile, back in Las Vegas. The Pied Piper of Geese at Floyd Lamb Park.  I think they know him. Or maybe the bag of bread?  Anyway, we walked around both lakes early this morning, no problem for Dad and a big health milestone.

A stop at Trader Joe's on the way home. Seared bay scallops, fresh tomato, pasta, garlic and basil.

I put Marji's brand new gas range through its paces this week.
Back to Seattle tomorrow.

What a month

May draws to a close.  I was looking back at all the photos, and what a busy month.  Our California vacation, and now this nice time in Las Vegas.

After a long spell of chilly weather, summer has arrived, at least according to Nova and Maya's popsicles.  And it's finally heating up in the desert southwest.  Almost 90 here tomorrow, with triple digits by next week.

After Marji left for Utah this morning in her RV, this guy was glued to the window. Just for a bit. Sorry, sister, he didn't sulk for long.

Hey, life goes on.  Other laps are warm and other hands fill the food bowl.  I'll have a bed mate tonight.  He's not all that picky.

Dad and I had a busy, active day.  A trip to Costco, and then a stop at the chain "Seafood City," with an eye popping variety of fish, pork parts, fluids (don't ask) and plentiful Filipino groceries. I think he expected something more like the Pike Place Market. Nope.

And in the desert? Just window shopping.

For dinner, brave cook, I attempted the most iconic Pennsylvania Dutch family recipe: dandelion salad with hot bacon dressing, made by Grammy Bleam. And Mom.

Yes, you can buy dandelion "greens" here at an organic produce store called "Sprouts."  Not the same thing as the gritty hand-dug, bitter weeds from a farm yard, but close as you'll get. It's Vegas, Baby.

I brought along this photo of the recipe Mom gave me years ago, copied on the fly leaf of my 1967 Betty Crocker cookbook. Back when I still had nice handwriting.

Pretty simple.  Minced bacon, equal amounts of vinegar and sugar.  

An egg to bind it... 

"Between memory and reality there are awkward discrepancies."

 But still good.

The desert is blooming

Las Vegas has already exceeded the average amount of precipitation it typically receives in an entire year. Over Memorial Day weekend, afternoon high temperatures were the lowest levels in almost 10 years, with record cold across parts of California.  Go figure.

However, no one down here is complaining (except maybe the tourists) and temperatures will rebound to summer heat next week. In the meantime, it's about 80 degrees, extending that sweet time of year when you need neither furnace or air conditioning.

And some sweet pictures to go along with the sweet weather.

Dad looks fabulous!

Ditto Marji. 
Ditto tasty chicken dinner.

Raindrops on roses

Sorry, Charlie.

We made quick work of a poor old Dungeness crab on Saturday, with lots of melted butter and corn on the cob. We could tell he was old from the barnacle on his claw.  And he was big. And delicious.

Last night, bacon wrapped sirloin steak on the grill.  This morning, a bit of leftover steak with eggs and potatoes.

Life is so good, in more ways than one.

It rained all afternoon on Saturday-- a lovely, gentle, soaking rain. It rained not only in western Washington, but across the entire parched state. I talked to Amanda; they were ecstatic in the Methow Valley getting this bonus moisture right before the fire season starts. 

Now the clouds are gone, and Memorial Day will be lovely in the high 70's.  The roses and peonies get their day in the sun next week and should be spectacular this year.  God bless compost, regardless of origin ;-)

I'm leaving for Las Vegas early tomorrow morning and looking forward to spending a few days with Dad.  And there's an In n' Out Burger down there with my name on it.

I'll check in later next week from the desert.

Fun with Siri

"Hey, Siri"

Idiot Savant: a mentally defective person (device?) with an exceptional skill or talent in a special field, such as a highly developed ability to play music or to solve complex mathematical problems mentally at great speed.

What time is it in Berlin?
What's the weather in Las Vegas tomorrow?
When was Mozart born?
Play some Boz Skaggs.
Set a timer for 20 minutes.
Read me my new text messages.
Play classical music. 
Call Amanda.
Put on NPR News. 
Send a message to John.
How high is Mt. Everest? 
How may cups in a gallon?
Turn down the volume, turn up the volume (endlessly.)

Easy stuff for our Siri.

She's also an absolute whiz with popular music and has millions of Apple Music songs at her fingertips, so to speak. Along with information about the artists and band members. But with classical music, she can be hilariously dumb. For example, if you tell her to play the opera "Carmen" and then ask her who composed it, she says, "Sorry, I'm not familiar with the songwriter for that band."  

Siri cracks me up. Tim Cook should be embarrassed how badly she wings it with classical music sometimes.  Other times she nails it.  John asked her to play all the Mozart piano concertos, and 5 hours later she was done. Bravo.

I asked Siri once why she was stupid then I felt guilty when she was sorry, and would try harder next time.  Really? We're talking about a machine here, not a human female, but it sure doesn't feel that way.  People get bored, and Siri is cleverly programmed to respond to thousands of personal and existential questions. 

I boss "her" around all day, and think nothing of it. Is this weird?  I've read that some exasperated mothers get rid of their Siris' and Alexas' because they can't stand the way their kids screech orders at the machine. I get that.

Food for thought. Do AI assistants like Alexa and Siri perpetuate gender stereotypes?  A United Nations UNESCO report says yes. These female voiced assistants enable the notion that "women are obliging, docile and eager-to-please helpers, available at the touch of a button or a blunt voice command." The report also notes that the assistants, voiced by women as a default setting, give passive and polite responses to abusive remarks. 

No, thanks

This is a rather shocking photograph of about 320 people waiting in line to stand on the summit of Mt. Everest. So many people are climbing the mountain, human traffic jams develop in the area known as the "death zone." At least two climbers in the crowd have died this week alone.

Sorry, that is a depressing story but fascinating.  What drives people to do awful things? I'm much too lazy, and it's enough to have "Moe" pack me around in the woods for an hour. He was a perfect horse yesterday.  There's nothing better than an unexciting trail ride.

No big plans for the weekend here other than a steak barbecue, and the weather suddenly turned cool and showery. This is John's first official work holiday since Christmas (Boeing is stingy with their days off.)  We'll leave the traffic jams (human, highway and ferry) to others and take it easy in West Seattle.

Have a safe and relaxing weekend wherever you are.  Hopefully not stuck on a mountain.

Oh, what a beautiful morning

It's a lovely morning and I'm looking forward to riding today. We're taking an early boat to Vashon Island because the ferries and highways are already heating up. In fact, they said traffic today will be even busier than tomorrow, with everyone making an early break for it.  

Memorial Day weekend is typically damp and chilly, and no surprise, we'll have some showers. But gentle weather really, compared to the violent storms in the middle of the country.  This strange weather pattern has brought more rain to California than the Northwest this Spring. They need it, we need it, we won't fight over it. But Los Angeles will only be 65 today while we hit the high 70's.

I wasn't demoted to donation processing at the Stop n' Shop yesterday, as I feared.  In fact, my brain clicked with the cash register and I only had one sales void, which wasn't even my fault. The wonderful world of retail is a learning experience.

For example, if someone piles stuff on your counter, it doesn't necessarily mean they want to buy it.  They might just want to talk about it for a while, then change their mind.  So don't be in a big rush to ring things up and get them on their way.  There's lot's of lonely people out there, and no one in that demographic is in a big hurry.

If the weather is nice, I walk to the Senior Center, about 8 blocks.  If it's raining, I take Uber.  All the parking lots at The Junction have 3 hour limits, and street parking is impossible in the afternoon.  John is my Uber coming home, and picks me up at 4:15, which is nice.  Of course, this is close to our dinner time.  What to make?  Here's a tasty and easy make-ahead Mexican chicken dish. 

Season and brown the chicken well in a bit of oil, then saute chopped peppers, onion and carrots.

Return the chicken to the pan.

Add a can of tomatoes with green chilies and a can of Navy or pinto beans.

Cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes until tender.  Chill in the fridge and heat up later, it's even better. Serve with tortillas and salad.

Natural organic reduction

Now here's some news. Washington just became the first state to allow human composting as an alternative to burying or cremating remains.

"Natural organic reduction" turns a body into about two wheelbarrows of soil in a couple of weeks, eliminating the environment impacts of cremation or burial. Such a perfect Washington state idea!

The new company Recompose envisions a atrium space where bodies are composted in compartments stacked in a honeycomb design. Loved ones are allowed to visit during the process, then keep the soil to spread, just like cremated ashes.

Of course, many people are offended by the idea of disposing of a body like fertilizer. It could be a while before this catches on in the heartland...

Slow news day

Garden envy

 Hydrangea Double Delights Stargazer

"Always try to grow in your garden some plant or plants out of the ordinary, something your neighbors never attempted. For you can receive no greater flattery than to have a gardener of equal intelligence stand before your plant and ask,

What is that?"

- Richardson Wright

John was down at our pricey West Seattle Nursery this weekend looking for a gift for a friend, and he bought me this flashy hybrid hydrangea called Stargazer.  I'm really into hydrangeas lately, so that was nice of him, especially because I'm too cheap to buy such fancy plants.

 

I found the perfect little empty spot (there aren't many left) in half shade, half sun.  Hydrangeas are tough, long-lived shrubs once established. The garden is slowly but surely transitioning from high maintenance annuals to hardy blooming shrubs and perrenials. With climate change, you have to pick your battles.

Of the masses of vegetation growing in this yard now, only a single hydrangea, the holly tree and fig tree were here in 1980 when we moved in. Oh yea, and the indestructible laurel hedge. I'm responsible for the rest of the hodge podge, which is kind of mind-blowing when you look around.

The fig tree, ugly as sin all winter, is leafing out again. It's a useless tree, producing nothing but masses of green rotting figs in the fall, but it does make a shade canopy all summer. The yard is so much hotter than it used to be.

Well, a busy week coming up for me.  The Ukes practice today, then tomorrow we entertain at the Senior Center Mother's Day luncheon. Wednesday I go back to work at the thrift store. Will I be demoted to donations intake?

On Thursday, we plan ride before the mad ferry rush to Vashon Island on Memorial Day weekend.  And then next week, I'm off to Las Vegas for a few days.  Dad is doing much better, and I'm really looking forward to the visit. 

Some folks have all the fun

Community life in the Methow Valley makes Seattle look downright dull.  Not to be outdone by their kids, here's Amanda (second from the left) and friends dressed up for the Little Star Preschool Auction Gala. A big annual event in the valley, last night's theme was "Night in the Cosmos."
Love it!

Circus girls

Maya's dance class big performance last night, with a circus theme. Wish we could have been there. Maya is in the middle of the picture.

And here, with a hug from sister Nova and friend Adelina.

Sweet and damp May

The West Seattle turkey

There have been multiple sightings of a fine looking turkey wandering around West Seattle. Gobbling. I read about it on the West Seattle community blog, where people are posting pictures.

There's no lack of commenting experts on that blog, and the turkey experts say gobbling means it's a male looking for love. He's also begging for peanuts and treats to console himself, so I wouldn't be surprised if he drops by our wild kingdom.

Along with the birds, we have an elusive possum and new baby rabbits hopping around the yard. So it looks like my friends "Peter" and "Cotton" have been busy.

The weather tuned showery, misty and cool. We're not complaining. The west coast is always grateful for moisture.

From the bedroom window the garden looks like a wet green jungle.  Not much is blooming at the moment; it's that little pause between spring and early summer.  When it warms up again the roses and peonies will be glorious this year. So many buds ready to open.The compost? But we might not see 70 degrees until June.

The power must have gone out last night.  We were awakened at 4:30 am by a harsh buzzing (John's backup alarm) instead of the Chopin track he has cued on the clock radio CD player.  Now the microwave is blinking at me, but that will have to wait until he gets home.  I'm hopeless with those things.

A quiet weekend ahead for us. Yea, I'm finally caught up on the vacation laundry.
Have a nice one.

Life is short. Don't be lazy.

Rule #1: Don't make assumptions. I expected to be paired with one of the mature cashiers, or perhaps even the store manager. Instead, my trainer was a sweet and bright 16-year old volunteer.

Michelle said she was fulfilling a community service school requirement, but she seemed to genuinely enjoy it, and obviously has been working at the Senior Center for a while.

She told me she liked math, and thought she was “pretty good at it." Indeed she was. Especially at the end of the day, when my brain was fried, and we had to do all the tallying, accounting and sales report for the manager.

They say that getting out of our comfort zone is good for us. After all, being an "expert" is easy, learning something totally new is humbling. But I loved the store and the people, both the customers and the Senior Center employees and volunteers. We were much busier than I expected, and the three hour shift went fairly fast.

The store is run almost entirely by volunteers.  The manager reassured me that "everyone made mistakes, and some people made "LOTS of mistakes." I felt better. Not to stereotype, but she has a number of very elderly volunteers, including a 95 year old lady who insists on working as a cashier and kinda forgets where she's at in the middle of transactions. (I only did that once.)

The cash register was a challenge. And yes, I made several mistakes:

I shorted a guy 10 cents in change, but he didn't notice.
I accidentally made a totally separate 15 cent charge to a credit card (how on earth?)
I had a couple sales voids, par for the course.

Well, I was enthusiastically invited back next week, so that's a good sign. I'll have to wait and see if they put me to work in the back room processing donations instead.  Ha!