Happy Friday

It is sweet hearing rain outside the bedroom window. I've been tired and going to bed earlier than usual, so I wake up even before John's obscenely early alarm.  For such a strange, cold winter, it's been quite dry. Now we have a series of wet, windy storms coming in and could get several inches of rain. More typical April weather for Seattle.

Yesterday my doctor confirmed what I suspected, that this was a mild case of flu, not just a slow-motion cold. I'm using the optimistic past tense here; surely it has almost run its course. My new doctor is a calm and wise naturopathic physician, and she said if I haven't been sick for a long time (I haven't) this will help recharge my immune system. Goody. A positive spin on 10 days of misery.

We're going to the Symphony Sunday afternoon-- always nice on a wet weekend.  Tomorrow John is taking me out for vegetarian pho lunch, a known cure for whatever ails you.  I also have a gift certificate (birthday present) for Fran's Chocolates burning a hole in my pocket, so we'll stop at her flagship store in Georgetown, which looks more like a jewellery store than candy shop.  They say chocolate works even better than cough syrup.  Who wants to argue with that?

Have a good weekend.

Tilting at windmills

Just change the word "reading" to "tweeting." You know that famous book about the foolish old knight who tilts at windmills because he thinks they're monsters?  Our president has an epic hatred of windmills.

Yesterday he went on a wild rant about windmills being cancer-causing bird killers that destroy property value.  "If you love birds, you never want to walk under a windmill because because it's a very sad, sad sight," he said.  Who knew he was a nature lover?  Apparently the petroleum and coal industries are better for birds.

We'll soon find out firsthand what actually goes on under windmills. Palm Springs is home to the oldest wind farm in the U.S. A landmark in the Coachella Valley, we go past the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm when we drive between Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs.  It is the windiest spot in southern California, and sand often drifts across the road. 

On our last trip to Palm Springs, we took a celebrity bus tour of the old neighborhoods and really enjoyed it. When we go back in early May, I booked an inside tour of the wind farm, which also includes a date shake at The Windmill Market, our favorite little store in the desert.  I can hardly wait, it's been a long time now since we took a vacation.

Take a walk

April 3 is National Walking Day, the free and easy exercise with great health benefits.  Only about 22% of Americans get even the minimum of recommended exercise a day.

How did Americans get so lazy? I never see children playing outside unless they're in an adult supervised activity.  We have the worst news always at our fingertips, but is life really so much more dangerous? Back in the day, kids were free-range and got kicked out of the house until dinner time.

OK. End of cranky old person rant.

I'm happy to say it's raining this morning, we need it. San Francisco got more rain than Seattle this winter.

I'll walk on the treadmill for a bit today, but speaking of exercise, I've been off my usual busy routine while this cold grinds slowly through the stages. This makes me feel worse than the actual cold. It finally feels like the end is in sight, but those were some powerful kid germs. I rarely get sick. Of course, after giving it to Nana, Maya shook it off in a couple of days.

April, come she will

One of the prettiest songs ever recorded by Simon and Garfunkel.  It was written in 1964, and was the shortest song on their second studio album, Sounds of Silence.  The lyrics are loosely based on an old English nursery rhyme called "The Cuckoo."

In April,
Come he will.
In May,
He sings all day.
In June,
He changes his tune.
In July,
He prepares to fly.
In August,
Go he must.

We went from winter to full-on spring in just a couple of weeks.  The second part of March was abnormally dry and warm, but now we're headed into a long stretch of cool April showers. 

Another classic April song, by the "Velvet Fog."

One to remember

Lemon cake

Metropolitan Market

I had a wonderful birthday on Saturday. Thanks for all the nice cards and messages.

 Fifth Avenue Theater

Seattle

We decided to leave the car home (fortunately) and took Uber downtown to the theater.  It was a beautiful spring day. The streets were clogged and the sidewalks teeming with people. Honestly, it felt more like New York or Chicago. That old laid back Seattle some of you remember is well and truly gone.

We went to a new musical show called "Marie- Dancing Still." It was a ballet musical, which is somewhat of a rarity.   CLICK HERE for an article from Smithsonian.com. 

The story was about the artist Degas and Marie van Goethem.  She was the girl who inspired Degas's Little Dancer Aged 14. The sculpture was the only one the impressionist master ever displayed in public. Critics praised the piece, but they also protested that "she was ugly."

Well, she was beautiful, and we had seats close to the stage to watch all the dancing, singing and acting. The girl who played Marie is also a principal in the New York City Ballet. So much talent!

Afterwards, a decadent dinner at Shucker's Oyster Bar.  I had a selection of 6 different baked oysters on the half shell. They were delicious.

That was enough for one special day, but there were presents too.

This sleek looking thing is an Apple HomePod with Siri living inside, ready to answer random questions, keep me company around the house, and play any of Apple Music's 45 million songs at command.  I just asked her to play NPR morning news while laying in bed in the other room. No problem. Quite a bit to wrap your mind around, actually.  

 The generous guy who make it all possible...

And a happy birthday girl waiting for her oysters...

The pause that refreshes

Coca Cola was invented by the Atlanta druggist John Pemperton on March 29, 1886.  Wounded in the Civil War and addicted to morphine, he began experimenting with coca leaves and brewing up "wine" as a possible cure.

The customers at his soda fountain were the lab rats. Made of sugar syrup and carbonated water blended with coca leaves, the drink was marketed as a "valuable brain tonic." Essentially a cocaine cocktail, no surprise that "Pemberton's French Wine Coca" soon became popular.

I like a plain diet Coke occasionally, but that's the extent of my soda drinking. They also make something called Coke Zero that is disgusting. It is supposed to taste more like the "real thing." John won't touch any diet drinks for all the right reasons.

March is going out like a lamb, on the dry side and a little warmer than usual.  By next week, we should have tulips.  Tomorrow is my birthday and John got tickets to see the new show "Marie, Dancing Still."  It's a story about the Paris ballet dancer who inspired the famous Degas sculpture.


We seldom see Broadway-type musicals and the Fifth Avenue Theater is beautiful, so I'm looking forward to it. Afterwards, dinner at Shucker's Oyster Bar at the Olympic Hotel.  Unfortunately, I caught a cold, courtesy of my darling granddaughter last weekend, but nothing a few oysters can't cure.

Have a nice weekend.
Welcome, lovely April.