Stranger in a Familiar Land

It is wonderful to be out of the Minnie Winnie and under a real roof. At least when it rains it doesn’t sound as if someone is emptying a bucket of marbles just three feet over your head! And it has rained!!! I’d forgotten the correlation between lots of green and lots of rain. It’s also cold which has caused some forgotten joints to complain. But I will not complain--it is wonderful to be surrounded once more by beauty. The Mojave has its own special beauty that I will always love. But Bakersfield wasn’t the Mojave--I never quite figured out what Bakersfield was but am thankful to be released from that particular brain teaser.

Moving during the week before Christmas is not a good idea. Mr. T decided a tree was needed--never mind that we don’t have anything but what we had in the RV! It’s very impressive that just 5 days before Christmas one is able to buy a noble fir, two boxes of colored glass balls, three strings of lights and some gold ribbon to curl onto the branches for around $30.00 TOTAL!!! I couldn’t find a tree topper anywhere but did snag this odd burgundy feathered “thing.” A little hollowing out with a wooden spoon and we have a unique crown for our tree. Mr. T says it looks more like an ocotillo in full bloom but I think it’s just “too too!”
We are living in a retirement community. That means you have to be at least 50 to live here. It really means that the average age must be around 80. At least it’s a nice ego-boost to be so much younger than almost everyone you meet. Byrdie and Talus get taken to the polo field every day to run with their new homies. It is de rigeur to pick up after one’s dog and this presents a problem: picked up the poop isn’t hard to do but remembering to stop at the exit to the parking lot and deposit the S.O.S. in the garbage can provided can be a real challenge to folks of a “certain age.” And forgetting to make the deposit of the S.O. S. is something to be avoided!!!! It can really make a car unusable. So the locals have devised a wonderful plan--the S.O.S. is placed on the car windshield wiper on the driver’s side. That way it is nearly impossible to forget to stop and MAKE YOUR DEPOSIT. I have taken it up immediately.
The Orthodox Church is having Vespers every evening from now until Christmas. All we have to do is stay awake long enough to get to the church before it starts at 6:30pm! Tomorrow we are promised a land line, basic cable TV and high-speed internet. Dare we hope to join the Real World once again? I CAN’T WAIT!!!!

O come, thou Day-spring from on high,
And cheer us by thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.