Up the Down Staircase

In my garage here is a pull-down stair. Obviously all of my Christmas regalia is up in the attic, and with two broken ribs I deemed it unwise to go trotting up there. Agreed? So the spirit of Christmas was celebrated at 8824 with hanging a few Russian Easter eggs from a polished Manzanita branch which always adorns my dining room table. Today Lee's niece

Julie, visiting from Virginia with her whole family, gifted me this year's white house ornament, celebrating Calvin Coolidge. It is adorable and now competing for attention with the the Easter eggs. Plenty of Christmas parties paid yo yo with my waistline, but I found the Christmas sweaters and sweatshirts in the cedar chest at the foot of my bed still stretched over my widening waistline. The other holiday coverings, including a quilt I made of three untraditional wise men never emerged from the chest.

Christmas eve I went to a lovely dinner with friends here who had a white elephant exchange of gifts. Catherine was there (see photo) and I happened to draw her contribution to the exchange. It was filled with many of her Mom's tiny pin-on sweater decorations and many Christmas clip on earrings. Like me, Cath is trying to downsize. Well, I have been wanting to learn to make a wreath, so my goal this year is to make one and decorate it with all the miniature white elephants received. It will be a way of honoring Cath's birth mother and I can see her smiling now. 

Yesterday, Christmas day, I bought take out Chinese for two friends who also were alone. One is an ex-nun, one is a no-longer Jew, and then there is me. We laughed and laughed and told stories about our selves and our dysfunctional families. 

Some  of the stories were tragic, but we somehow found joy in sharing.
Pictures:Julie and Bonnie, Catherine and Bonnie,  Julie's husband Ray, and son Jordan, now working for a political research firm in D.C

Winding Down

Seems like I couldn't disagree more vociferously with Barbara Walters choice of Person of the Year.
Why oh why does she think a spoiled, egocentric, millionaire transexual dressed in seductive clothing
deserves our applause? Come on, Barbara...
On the other hand, I think I deserve some bouquets for having transformed myself.  Another year in my warm and older middle class surroundings, having gathered so many new friends, and still cherished by my old ones. And so does everyone else on my gratitude list. We are sturdy thinkers and survivors relying on Social Security and whatever we have saved. The bulk of my furniture is over forty years old, and some of my duds the same..Lets hope the new year brings some sanity to Washington, and to the world.
As usual, my dear niece Cheari helped me format my Christmas letter, and my good friend Jan helped me fix my computer ram problem over the phone. How fortunate am I! If I could figure out how to add it to this blog I would, but that's something I still have a lot to learn. Yeah!

Bats in the Belfry

With the El Nino rains this past week my garden is in transition. The bird pack in the back yard has changed in population and temperament, many fall birds feasting until dark on seeds of weeds. But it turns out that isn't all that has taken up residence. If you look closely at the photo you will see little black specks on the edge of the rock plaque I made in  1958. Yes, 1958, when Lee and I first bought the house on Carisbrook in the Oakland hills. At that house it perched to the left of the front door. I put it together with rocks and wood from Maacama creek with the help of Willhold glue, and this is its third residence. I almost left it by mistake at Cathy Lane but the new owners rescued it for me.
Now it seems a bat has taken up residence behind it and the little specks are bat guano. Just where either I or my house guest would step in or out of the front door. Now my hair is already speckled black and white but I dont think I want to add bat guano to the mixture. So my trusty handiman Ralph promises to relocate the newest resident next week. He promises me he wont harm it.
I wish I knew if this had some deeper meaning in the Native American culture. Please let me know if you do.

CHANGES

When I left for the East Bay pre Thanksgiving my Japanese maples were a painting onto themselves, stunning. But it seems a very big wind and a three day cold snap transformed them into shiny nude  ladies. The gardener had filled my huge green can to the tip top and an additional pile, two feet high, circled the Asian pear. I was lucky the weather did not get the Christmas cactus, a gift from Marianne when she moved, which greeted me with smiles and bright pink blossoms from a sheltered bench on the front porch.   "Take me in," it screamed.

Its taken me almost a week to unpack, wash clothes, and pamper my broken ribs, which are taking all too long to heal. Could it be that I am getting old? Or maybe I just ate too much while I was away?
Two groups of dear friends had luncheons in my honor. How fun. But imagine this: they both picked the same Chinese restaurant. What kind of coincidence is that?
Its good to be home, even if the yard got transformed in my absence.
I just came from my current events discussion group and am feeling overwhelmed about climate change, as well as the San Bernadino  murders. Looking for  any little sign to give me hope. Then I spotted this leaf.  Its dead now, but I think still mesmerizing.
Remember to keep the things around you that bring you joy.

Some Gratitudes

Pushing 86, I still have some of my teeth, some of my hair, and even some of my savings, so I'm pretty blessed. Then too I have both Cheari and Catherine who watch over me daily by phone. not to forget Kelly, my housekeeper, who nags me when I forget my pills, and does a hundred things around here not on her job description.
But most fortunate of all, I have friends, new and old, that sustain me. Wherever I live or travel I embrace them. I still discover new objects of beauty, and I still have the ability to appreciate them, interpret them, and be inspired by them.
This Thanksgiving would have been 59 years for Lee and Bonnie, if she were still living. I remember our first, in fog encased Tacoma, and I remember most of them in between. How lucky am I.
So thanks, troubled world, for all the tender memories.
There are new ones yet to come. Next week I'll be hanging my hat in the East Bay where two groups of dear friends are having a gathering for me and where I'll get to connect with many old friends and haunts. Thanksgiving again will be with Andrea and Stace in Hayward, where I'll be hanging my hat (and oxygen machine).
Even though our days in the Valley of the Moon continue to be warm and sunny, I spent a pleasant afternoon Thursday painting persimmon greeting cards at the kitchen table. It was cheap paper, so the colors sort of ran in crazy patterns. The persimmons this year are from friend Steve's yard. I am waiting for them to get squishy enough to make cookies, hopefully  tomorrow. Meanwhile, my paint brush can interpret them.
My heart, if unsynchronized, is still overflowing.

Persimmons Anyone?

So many folk have begged for my persimmon bar recipe I decided to put it on my
blog for Friday the 13th, so here it goes:
Bonnie's Persimmon Bars

1 c dried currents (I like Zante)
1 3/4 c white flour (I use pre-sifted)
1 t each ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg.
1 c persimmon pulp (prox 2 very ripe persimmons)
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 t lemon juice
1 egg
1 c sugar
1/2 c melted unsalted butter
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves.
In another bowl, beat pulp until smooth. Stir in soda, salt, lemon, egg, and sugar.
Pour in oil or butter.
Stir dry ingredients into wet, one third at a time. Blend but do not overmix.
Add currents, then nuts. Spread butter on lightly floured cookie sheet, prox 10 x 14.
Bake 20-25 minutes at 350.

When cool, glaze with mixture of 1 cup powdered sugar and juice of one soft lemon.
(Some people like more glaze, some less.)

It takes a few tries to get just the right consistency of doneness and moisture, and the right amount of glaze. I tend to never make it the same twice, and follow my impulse on the lemon juice. They only stay fresh a few days, but they disappear fast anyway.

The Rise and Fall of Things

This past weekend I travelled to Lincoln, CA, about a two and a half hour drive north, to visit my dear friends Barb and Marianne, who recently moved from Oakmont to Del Webb, Lincoln City in order to be closer to Marianne's daughter, as well as to say good bye to my dear dear friend, Morella, who sold her house in Folsom and is moving to Miami to care for her parents, ages 94 and 95. Will I ever see Morella again? I hope so, but I doubt it, as I have no yearning to visit Florida, but from time to time Barb and Marianne and I will visit, either there or here.
The significant differences between the two retirement communities is size and age, as well as localle. Lincoln is only 14 years old whereas Oakmont is 50, though some houses are still being built.
Many here are bought by  contractors, and rebuilt, whereas up there everything is still shiny and new.
There are few trees there, and not a mountain in sight, whereas here the landscaping is mature and mountains caress both sides of our little valley.  On the plus side, because it boasts over 7 thousand homes, the recreation facilities far surpass ours in size and sizzle, and the Kaiser clinic is five minutes away. Morella and I ate in the lovely dining room which certainly surpasses the golf course menu here. I was amused to learn that in Lincoln City the pickle ballers are fighting for space with the tennis players, just like here. So much for comparing retirement communities.
One thing they don't have at Del Webb is Lifelong Learning. This afternoon was my last class in the course, The Rise and Fall of Civilizations. It compared the Egyptian civilization to the Mayan civilization to our own. it was rather scary to see that they same things causing the fall of a previous civilization are threatening us, environmental changes being the primary cause.
The teacher, though, thinks there is hope; that developing empathy is the answer. I wonder if I will ever have empathy with the Republicans who don't believe in climate change?