Wednesday
Dear Friends,
Let’s discuss toilets.
My toilet took so long to flush. I had to hold the handle down forever. I thought it was a California thing to save water. Every time I visited elsewhere I couldn’t help envying their rapid flush.
So I asked the plumber who installed my new washer. “Just normal,” he said.
A month later I asked the plumber who installed the new sinks. “It’s not a problem,” he said.
Tonight I asked Randall, the handyman who hung some pictures and steadied my wobbly table legs. “The chain is too long,” he said. And in 30 seconds he fixed it. Now my toilet flushes as fast as they do in Ohio.
“But why didn’t the professional plumbers tell me?” I asked Randall.
“They didn’t care,” he said.
After he left, I made Chicken Tikka Masala with meat from a bird I roasted a couple of days ago. I’ll freeze half for later this month. It’s good with rice and yogurt with cucumber, garlic, green onions and olive oil. My leftover chicken was good, but it’s even better if you marinate and grill or bake the meat the way the recipe tells you. Be sure to use lime juice (I used lemon and it was't as good.)
Love,
k
Dear Friends,
Today small things didn’t turn out as planned. Certainly you’ve had days like this — we are not in control!
One of the chores I’ve been putting off is maintaining Rosa. Clark would always see that it was done, and he could answer any question that came up. He loved cars. But me — I just depend on them. (I love you, Rosa!) Recently Rosa has been flashing lights that say she needs oil. (What a great idea: I would like lights to flash when I need a hug or a glass of wine.) This morning Zing and I took her to the car wash; then we drove to Auburn Boulevard to get an idea of where the Mazda service center is. We wandered the surface roads around there, to get a feel for the neighborhood, which is full of trailer parks. We got home, ate lunch, and then drove back like pros. Servicing would only take an hour, they said. Zing made lots of friends in the waiting room. Then I got the bad news (which Clark would have absorbed in a professional manner) that I need a new tire and I’m lucky Rosa didn’t split her wheel on the road. Not safe to drive home, they said. Come back tomorrow. To my amazement, Maita Mazda has a free driver service, and he got us home faster than I could have driven myself. Tomorrow afternoon we head back for Rosa, who narrowly missed a tire explosion. Clark would have been able to tell me just how close I actually came to disaster. Or maybe he used his next-world influence to keep me and Zing safe today.
Love,
k
Friday
Dear Friends,
Saturday
Dear Friends,
Today I made a turn-around, from doing things the hard way to choosing the easy way. For one thing, at least.
Renewing my passport.
Clark and I were about to do that when he died, but since then I’ve forgotten about it -- and so much else. Now I’m kind of coming to life (although that seems disloyal sometimes) and the other day I discovered my passport expires this coming Saturday. So I freaked out today and drove round and round -- to three different post offices and one library -- only to be told over and over that they were already too booked to take me. Renewing your passport is not like renewing your driver’s license, which is hard enough.
My plan, then, was to be first in line at the post office Monday. But that wouldn’t be a sure thing, either — I gathered this from today’s conversations, the details of which you do not want to know.
Later, as Zing and I were taking our walk, we ran into Sandra, Zing’s friend who owns the gym. She told me she’d renewed her passport quickly (six weeks is quick!!) by mail, with no problem. (I know, Rachel, you told me the same thing … ) So as I was going to bed I glanced once again at the passport website. What had seemed a tangle before was simple now. I filled out the information, wrote the check, stapled my photo down, and it’s done. No need to spend Monday in an uncertain line. Monday I mail it — overnight delivery, just to be safe.
I made this simple chore way too complicated. But I did learn how to drive to three post offices.
Love,
k
How to tell you’re not in Florida anymore: You learn that it's Cesar Chavez Day.
Maybe you need to renew your passport — only a few days left on the old one. You carefully plan: find the closest office (Yay! the library is only a few blocks away), download and fill out forms, grab checkbook (no credit cards accepted), even luck into a neighbor (Darrius) who wants to watch Zing.
The sidewalks around state offices were nearly empty, my walk to the library strangely easy.
The library door was locked. An apology in the window said sorry for the inconvenience. Closed for Cesar Chavez Day.
State offices and schools were closed across California and several other states honor the farm labor leader too.
I’m kind of glad I was taken by surprise, because that means I’ll never forget March 31 is Cesar Chavez Day. I celebrated by walking around Chavez Park, down the street from the library.
Dear Friends,
Today I made a turn-around, from doing things the hard way to choosing the easy way. For one thing, at least.
Renewing my passport.
Clark and I were about to do that when he died, but since then I’ve forgotten about it -- and so much else. Now I’m kind of coming to life (although that seems disloyal sometimes) and the other day I discovered my passport expires this coming Saturday. So I freaked out today and drove round and round -- to three different post offices and one library -- only to be told over and over that they were already too booked to take me. Renewing your passport is not like renewing your driver’s license, which is hard enough.
My plan, then, was to be first in line at the post office Monday. But that wouldn’t be a sure thing, either — I gathered this from today’s conversations, the details of which you do not want to know.
Later, as Zing and I were taking our walk, we ran into Sandra, Zing’s friend who owns the gym. She told me she’d renewed her passport quickly (six weeks is quick!!) by mail, with no problem. (I know, Rachel, you told me the same thing … ) So as I was going to bed I glanced once again at the passport website. What had seemed a tangle before was simple now. I filled out the information, wrote the check, stapled my photo down, and it’s done. No need to spend Monday in an uncertain line. Monday I mail it — overnight delivery, just to be safe.
I made this simple chore way too complicated. But I did learn how to drive to three post offices.
Love,
k
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