New Bright Shiny

Full House

Spent plenty of time in the Gulag Garden over the weekend; I was determined to get recently purchased plants into the ground, and I did - sort of. On Saturday, Jeannie came over with 'the next generation' of Bebe's kids (tee hee) - her grandson and her little nephews and niecelette. Her brother and his wife came and we stared at each other knowing we'd all met before, then I remembered. I'd attended their wedding many years ago. They've got two boys now so I guess their marriage 'took'.

Late last week I got word my other buddy Barbara was driving up to Napa Sunday to her Father's house. Her Dad, Dr. Hans, recently moved to an assisted living facility in Fairfield, which for me is even closer than Napa.

Shortly after I heard Barb would be in Napa I happened to discover - via Craig's List - in Napa a winery was holding a 'weekend blowout sale of wine barrels - only $10 each! I was floored by that - I've hunted barrels for months and the cheapest locally are priced at $30 and in some cases as pricey as $50 each. Cool that I could visit Barb in Napa and buy barrels in only one oh-so-economical drive. That was the sort of thing that makes it obvious that I was born in the Chinese Year of the Rabbit - the symbol of luck.

The sale was over the weekend, so I was worried they would be out of barrels by Sunday. No worries - a helpful winery guy loaded into my Honda, all it could hold - four 1/2 barrels and one 1/4 barrels. The man said he'd only just sawed the full sized barrels in halves and quarters that morning. The barrels were sweet with the scent of cut wood and Burgundy - ummm....

No Worries - Plenty of Barrels

I must say, my Honda smells teriff. After the car was loaded up I headed off to Barb's a few miles down the freeway.

Barbara and her sister Suzi are now getting their cousins and aunts and assorted friends (uh... that would be me actually) to pick out objects they might find useful or attractive that will also serve as remembrances of Dr. and Mrs Albertson (Hans is still alive & well enough).

Everyone is finding it melancholy and strange to pick among objects you know the Albertson parents gathered over the years. So Saturday it was just me and Barb, rummaged around the house. I opted to spend the night, which I hadn't planned on, so while we sorted through dishes, glasses of cut crystal and a zillion other treasures, we could yak, laugh, drink up port wine (me) and Bailey's Irish Creme (Barb). I am proud to announce only one porcelain vase was broken, and thank heavens it wasn't me who dropped it!

At 'Chez Claire' I cracked plastic tumblers are used exclusively, because frankly - I'm a klutz. The last time I had house guests I felt a tad embarrassed about my tacky tumblers. That will no longer be a problem. Bequeathed to me are a beautiful set of glasses; Black Forest theme - etched foxes, boar, deer, grouse, frolicking amid branches of oaks and pines. I will not use the glasses for every day use - they wouldn't last the weekend. Nice to think the next time I have company I can serve them up punch in classy glasses.

There were other treasures to bring home as well and over time I will show some of them in this blog, as they are unwrapped and placed next to my other treasures I've gathered over the years. Remember the line in the movie Jaws; 'You may need a bigger boat'? Well, considering all I brought home, I'm beginning to suspect I may need a bigger house.

Bugling Stag on a glass

A Friend Lost

Got sad news today. Once upon a time, when my parents and I moved to San Diego I had two good buddies; Joann, who lived up the street and went to a different school than I did, and Diane who was a high school friend. Over time her mother, Eunice Mock, Diane's sisters and my parents and I all became good friends.

My mother was always friendly and I wasn't surprised that she befriended Diane's mother. But I was totally surprised that my father became part of the friendship. In later years I decided that my father had a little crush on Diane's mother, Mrs. Mock, but who knows. She was a very amiable person and my father could be very amiable when he choose to! Anyway, soon it wasn't unusual for me to bring Diane home with me after school, and my parents would invite her and Mrs. Mock, Suzi and Heidi in for dinner. Daddy was the one who cooked usually and he was good at it; yummy baked salt cod with olives, tomato paste and rice, lamb chops with mint jelly, oxtail stew, all sorts of dishes he thought they might like to try - or whatever the heck we were having! Diane's family was going through a difficult time around then and come to think of it, maybe that was what softened every one's hearts. Anyway, whatever the reason, there was bonding. The whole time we knew them took place during my final year of high school, but it seemed like a much longer period of time - in a good way.

These days Diane, her sister Suzi, is now called 'Aveeda' and the youngest Heidi all live in Northern California & Yakima Washington. Mrs. Mock, Eunice has lived on and off in Yakima Washington, in Ukiah California with her oldest kid, James (who has since passed away) and recently, back in Washington.

Diane called me today and told me her mother 'Eunice' passed away during the night. I've only seen her a couple of time in the last few years, but she seemed as spunky as ever, though the years of course were wearing on her. I decided to mention her because she had an important role in my life. I will never forget I - still in high school, chatted with her one day and she said something like, '... and you'll do very well in college...' and I was like all 'what? Me? College?'.

Thing is, I had wanted to go as long as I could remember, because when I was very young I wanted to be a veterinarian. But I received no encouragement and frankly, the matter of fact way that Eunice mentioned the idea, gave me pause. She then said, 'Of course you'll do well in college!' and went on about it. She was the first adult that brought up the thought as if it wasn't stupid or only a pipe dream. That re-stoked my then floundering ambitions.

Thanks for that Eunice! While you're wherever you are now, I know you'll run across my mother again. Don't let my father talk your ear off, and hey, look up Irmgard Albertson while you're at it. I know you're all get along just fine.

Introducing HIS Lordship

[Management expresses sincere relief that at last - Claire is CURRENT with this blog. Amen. Pass the plate.]

Have to show this off - my office plant buddy, my Gloxinia. This plant is somewhere's around 5 years old now. I bought it at the farmer's market and am astounded with the thing's success in blooming annually, like clockwork; HUMONGOUS red bells with white ruffles.

His lordship, Emperor Fredrick Von Gloxinia

Purdy, huh? I recently ordered seeds of the colors/varieties below. They're easier to raise from tubers but no one has them this time of year and I'm too antsy to wait for next spring.

My future gloxinias - Mother Nature willing...

I used to have the variety Emperor William (above, top left flowers) which also bloomed like crazy. It died during an unfortunate pot transplant. I didn't even know it was possible to kill a Gloxinia, they're so amenable. Oh well, nice to know I have a talent at something.

Interesting side note. My office desk is on the 10th floor. All my office gloxinia and two geraniums have pink or red flowers and I can not have red flowers on the windowsill. Why not? Because hummingbirds fly up ten stories to hoover just outside my window and give longing looks at the flowers, and dirty looks at the human that dares to taunt them with unobtainable goodies. To save the little guys the energy loss I have nothing red in my window - the glox up top was moved shortly after its photo session.

Being an office building there are NO windows I can open, otherwise believe me, I'd be feeding the feathered little helicopters.