News from gloomy land

 

Our colds are progressing through the typical, boring stages of misery. I don't feel as sick, other than sudden violent coughing. (The sounds in this house are not pretty.) John is a couple days behind me in symptoms, since I gave it to him. Nice.

It's been raining almost constantly this week. The sun came out today, and the bright light seems intrusive. No worries, more storms move in tonight.

I found a quarter inch of water on the front floor of my car this morning, for second time after overnight rain. All the AC vents were bone dry, so the culprit is likely a damaged/leaky door seal. The new seal costs about $100, although the Toyota dealer probably charges 10 times that to install it. Appointment next week--stay tuned. 

I've been grateful the well-stocked freezer, even though we don't have much appetite. After all the mushy soups and casseroles, I'm making fried steak and baked potatoes tonight. Maybe red meat will build up our strength. And some popcorn and football. Have a good weekend.

Feeling low, laying low

 

We made vegetable beef soup yesterday with some leftover pot roast. That was about it, other than a quick trip out for cold medicine. I've been mostly horizontal since Monday. And now John has come down with this same nasty thing. We are seldom sick, so a miserable experience. Travel has a way of catching up with you.

We are avoiding the political clown show as much as possible and just watching a little diversion TV, until I fall asleep at 7:30. We saw "Martha" on Netflix, the new documentary. 

Oh, Martha. She was displeased with how she was portrayed as an "old lady" in the the production, and made her feelings clear afterwards. A formidable, tireless person, and the documentary was kind of fun to watch. Not one to hold back, she had some real choice words for James B. Comey and former boyfriend Charles Simonyi. And opinions on every subject.

 

Waiting for eggs

 

Red Sex Links are usually the most friendly in the chicken world. Amanda says that's true with hers-- the hens are never skittish, they come running and follow you around like pets when you go in the coup. Gentle Nica looks worried. What a funny dog. This is one who goes berserk at the sight of a deer or wild turkey and the chase is on.

The hens are plump and healthy after 6 months of eating table scraps and expensive chicken feed. Where are the eggs? An increase in day length is a key driver, so Amanda put a light in their house, also some fake eggs in the nest boxes. If all 12 start laying at once, that will be a very good problem.

I came home from California with a bad cold (what a surprise) and spent yesterday laying around the house. It is good weather for hunkering down.

Mood indigo

 

 

With all this jet-setting around, we fell behind on the fall outdoor chores. Yesterday was the last dry day in a long time, so we had a window to get stuff done. 

John cleaned the gutters; I tided up the messy front porch and threw out the dead mum-- the pumpkins can stay until after Thanksgiving. Then my least favorite seasonal job, putting lights on the arbor, which goes a long way in brightening up the dark time. 

As for the garden, I'm taking a laissez-faire approach to cleaning out the beds-- I usually have everything cut back to the ground by now. This is better anyway for the wintering birds and the insects. Not to mention, more interesting to look at. When the trees and shrubs drop their leaves, I'll mulch the beds and skip the compost delivery this year.  

Today is Veteran's Day:

“A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.”

Bob Dylan

 

 

Last but not least

 

 

The traditional picture-- John bids goodbye to his old friend at the airport.

Give me the simple life

 

Believe it or not, that mess is a gussied up fish taco plate from the upscale Palm Springs restaurant Clandestino. Calling it a Mexican restaurant is a bit of an understatement. We also had cheese-stuffed fried squash blossoms, which disappeared before I could take a picture.

All good things come to an end, and a person (at least this person) can't eat like that every day. 

But the good life goes on in southern California, and we often notice how much happier people are, especially those working in stores and restaurants. At least compared to Seattle, where the food service workers radiate depression over their jobs and life in general. It must be the climate.

The Palm Springs Art Museum has free admission on Thursday evenings during Village Fest, so we waddled over after dinner.

They had a wonderful special exhibit called "Particles and Waves." From 1945-1990, Los Angeles was the center of advanced scientific research, and artists (many of them born at the turn of the last century) produced these amazing abstract art works using the new materials, processes and machines-- such as the first "computer art."

So we had an enjoyable last evening in Palm Springs...

One more desert sunrise, then was time to head to the airport for an easy flight home. At least, everything seems easy compared to our recent Delta experience. It was a smooth flight up the coast, with all the familiar Northwest volcano mountains "out."

But not for long-- now it's going to rain into the foreseeable future. We're happy to get back to normal routines of eating and exercise-- time to hunker down and let the Northwest winter (and everything else) run its course.