4th of July

The Fourth of July definitely means that summer is here!!!!!  For twenty years now, we begin celebrating on the THIRD of July when we go "up the hill" to Ann and Ray's house, sit on the roof, and watch the fireworks below us that Silverado Country Club sets off.   Sometimes we have our root beer floats BEFORE the fireworks, and sometimes we have them after, but those root beer floats are a family tradition that we never skip.   I cannot remember a time when it was not clear enough to see the fireworks go off.  In recent years, we have watched the downtown Napa fireworks from our balcony on the Fourth, and we can see almost all of them, except for the ones that are set off below the tree line.  

Before we had the balcony, we would go back up the hill and watch from there.  You could see fireworks from all over -- American Canyon, Benicia, Vallejo, Pinole, and sometimes even Crissy Field in San Francisco on an especially clear night.  Back in the day, the rooftop would be crowded with our kids, Raymond & Sue and their kids, sometimes even Pat & Robert and their kids.  Thee days it's just me & Rod, Ann & Ray.   

This year, we brought BBQ ribs, coleslaw, corn and baked (soy) beans up the hill on the third, and played Mexican Train before it got dark, and after the fireworks were over, waiting for the traffic to clear.   Rod drove the 1934 Auburn replicar down to the house for the parade the following day. 

And, on the Fourth. as we have done for about ten years, we drove classic cars in the parade carrying various  local dignitaries in American Canyon.  Rod judges the classic vehicle entries, and I usually drive the best classic with the mayor or one of the council members.  This year, I drove the mayor (Leon Garcia) in the 1958 Impala convertible.  We decorated the car with glittery "USA"letters, American Flags on the two antennas on the back, and a big flag that the Mayor brought on the hood, along with a red white and blue bow adorned with glittery stars on the hood ornament.  

                                                           Cindy with the Impala 

Other cars were the Auburn  driven by Rod's Dad, the '56 Cadillac Convertible driven by Shuree and her boyfriend with Councilmember Joan Bennett, and the 1974 Cadillac Convertible driven by Rod -- with the parade's Grand Marshall.   

                                                     Ray Driving the Auburn 

                                                      Shuree, Todd and Joan Bennett 

                                                  Getting Ready for the Grand Marshall 

It is always blistering hot and my foot is always tingly hot by the end of the parade from keeping on the brake the whole time as we S-L-O-W-L-Y cruise the 2 mile parade route with the Mayor and his wife greeting all of their neighbors as we pass by.   We almost always pass on the festival held in the park with bounce houses, hot dogs, and local crafts.  Too hot for that!!!!!!

                                               Driving Mayor Garcia and his Wife 

At home, I marinated steaks provided by Ann, made potato salad and a cheesecake, and took my Rambler out for a cruise around the Avenues.  It is pretty easy to drive and I look forward to getting it spruced up and showing it off. 

Then the Napa City Fireworks on the balcony followed dinner of the grilled steaks, grilled squash/mushrooms/onions, potato salad and cheesecake.  More Mexican Train preceded dinner  (I won this time !). 

And I always think back to the holidays of my youth.  Which Fourth of July celebrations were the best?  The one at Simmons Beach on a blanket when I was a teenager besotted with my first love?   Or the first summer in California, when we went to the beach in Santa Cruz and watched the fireworks lying on our backs in the sand , stoned and seeing animals in the shapes of the smoke clouds?   And always the intoxicating heat of a summer night that makes you want to stay awake all night long looking at the stars, the moon, the bugs swarming around the street lights, and breathing in that sweet night air. 

Sixteen Again

July First marked the one year anniversary of both my retirement and my smoking cessation.  My how the time does fly.  Rod and I drove to Fairfield and bought me a car -- yes my own classic that ACTUALLY runs although it does need some minor work -- paint, a new top, refastening of the door panels, installation of shoulder belts.

But the coolest thing -- it is a 1961 Rambler American convertible.  This means that my mother was on the assembly line when this car was made -- and she more likely than not added something to this very car.  PLUS she had a 1961 Rambler American coupe (beige and bronze, as I recall).  And FINALLY -- my first car was a 1963 Rambler American convertible -- only difference in this one is the black interiors, the grille, and it is a standard shift, not an automatic.

My first car -- I got it when I was 16 not long after I got my license. It was brand new and I loved that car!!!  I carpooled all my girlfriends to school (Sharon Naydihor, Pat Clark, Paula Mohr, Kay Daun) and we drove it to Chicago (got lost on the south side one time and scared the wits out of ourselves) Great Lakes (oh, the sailors!!!!!!), Milwaukee (my first Chinese meal at Toy's) and everywhere.  I remember the summer after I graduated, we were tooling down Washington Road when "Satisfaction" came on the radio.  We pulled over, jumped out of the car, and all got out to dance!!!!   And of course, we drove it to the bars -- what were they thinking???  Putting the bars where you could drink beer at 18 way out in the county so that you had to drive home along those dark 2 lane roads with a good buzz on??)  We called that car "the Playmate" and I had a big red rose taped to the antennae .  When Clark gas (a subsidiary of Esso) had their "Put a Tiger in Your Tank") slogan, I had my tiger tail attached to the gas cap!!!.

We hauled bales of hay for a club fall dance, and rode around in the winter with the top down and the heater blasting away. We went to the beach (Simmons beach) and the lake (Paddock Lake) cruising on Friday night, and to Dry Dock (where I met Jerry Ochs).    And one night, when I was visiting Sharon babysitting, someone sideswiped my precious car while it was parked in front of the house.  I was devastated!!!!

I also remember one night driving to Racine at night and hitting a huge bank of snow that had drifted across the highway.  I spun around several times and as luck would have it, there was no one else on the road.  And another night driving home when I ALMOST rear ended a truck on the road that was driving with NO tail lights!!!!

And of course, everyone knows that Ramblers are the best because the seats fold down.  And even though in a convertible, they couldn't go ALL the way down, I do recall they went down far enough!!!!

But strangely enough, I don't think I have any pictures of my high school wheels and that kind of makes me sad.

I am looking forward to making more happy memories in my NEW Rambler!!

Here's a shot of   bringing her home. 

I'm naming her Marylyn, after my mother 

Mexican Train Tournament

On the very first glorious day of the summer, we hosted a Mexican Train dominoes tournament for eight friends, Rod's mom & dad and the two of us.

For the past three weeks I have been watching the weekend skies all grey and cold and rainy, and fretting that summer would never come.  And worrying that the party would have to come indoors.  But after a frantic Friday of cleaning and cooking, Saturday dawned beautifully.  We went all out with decorations , including flags and pennants, serapes for table covers,  and Rod's sombrero that he got on his birthday at Chevy's many years ago!

Name tags were essential, since no everyone knew everyone, but we sure didn't need them for long.  We invited Paul and Cheri (from whom we learned how to play the game!), Rod's mom and dad (who love to play dominoes with us and by having the dominoes, I knew Ann would come to the party! ), Linda and Virgil (with who we played Mexican Train every night in Puerto Vallerta when we vacationed together 4 years ago) and Mary and Peter (who know that game and are good friends from Sacramento).   Then to make up even tables (three tables for four each), old friend and co workers Judy and Paula rounded out the guest list.

                                                   Paul and Cheri relax on the patio

Along with decorations, we made sure there was plenty to eat and drink, with a beverage station set up on the kitchen patio -- margaritas, sangria, corona, water, and iced tea.   Turned out the sangria was a definite hit with everyone!  The margaritas -- not so much!

                                                The outdoor kitchen set up as a drink station

For the chips, we had three kinds of dip -- pico de gallo, guacamole, and seven layer bean dip.  There were also fruit kabobs for early morning and steak and chicken fajitas for lunch, along with two salads -- a green salad with avocados, and a southwest corn and bean salad.

                                 The table set up with menu, chips, dips, and fruit kabobs ready to go

Just to be sure that everyone was on the same page,  the "Coombsville Road Rules" were posted on each table, and we drew numbers from a hat to set up the first round.

                                     
                                        The Coombsville Road Rules at each table with the chips and salsa

Explaining the rules, with Virgil on the left, Cindy, Linda, Cheri (blue shirt) Peter (car shirt)  Mary (seated) and Judy (seated) looking on.

   Everyone drew a number for table assignments -- 1, 2, or 3 -- with four players each per table.  Then the
                                                tournament began in earnest .

Plans to enter all of the scores on a whiteboard were quickly abandoned in favor of a spreadsheet - easier!

                                     Left to right : Ann (in purple), ray, Mary and Paula start the game!

By a strange coincidence, Rod, Peter and Virgil were the first players eliminated, so they were able to wander  around in the old cars, talking about cars.......... until they were called upon to take over barbecue duties and make the fajitas.

In the final round, Cheri, Ray and Linda played a fierce game for the gold ..........

Cindy, Ann. Ray (finalist) Judy, Paul, Cheri (finalist) and Linda (finalist) hunker down for the playoffs. Lots of comments and kibbitzing from the crowd ensued during this tense standoff!!!!!!!!!  meanwhile, the tres leches cake (in spite of falling when pulled from the oven) was devoured by all.

And at the end, Cheri pulled in the victory, with Ray in second place, and Linda taking the bronze.

                                                                  Cheri with her trophy

                                          First, Third Second -- the second and third place winners got medals

                                              And a good time was had by all.

Sangria for A Crowd      24 Servings
2 cups brandy                                                         1 1/3 cups orange juice
1 cup lemon juice                                                    2 bottles (750 milliliter) cheap red wine
1 1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate                    2 cups triple sec
3 lemons, sliced into rounds                                     2 liter bottle club soda
3 oranges sliced into rounds                                     1 small bottle maraschino cherries, drained    
3 limes, sliced into rounds

Combine everything except club soda in a large punch bowl or serving urn.  Macerate over night for best flavor. Add club soda just before serving, and serve over ice.

Tres Leches Cake               350 degree oven    9" springform pan

1 1/4 cup sugar                                                  1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
5 egg yolks                                                   1 (14 oz) can condensed milk
5 egg whites                                                  1 (12 fl oz) can evaporated milk
1/3 cup milk                                                  1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoon vanilla, divided                                          1 cup flour

Butter and flour pan, set aside.  Preheat oven

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cu sugar until light colored and doubled in volume.  Stir in milk,  1 teaspoon vanilla, flour, and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, add  1/4 cu. of remaining sugar and continue to beat until firm but not dry.  Fold into yolk mixture and pour into prepared pan.

Bake 45-50 minutes until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan at least 10 minutes.

Loosen edges of cake with knife before removing sides of pan.  Cool completely on serving plate.  Using a skewer, pierce top of cooled cake all over.

Mix together condensed milk, evaporated milk, and 1/4 cup of the whipping cream.  Combine well and remove 1 cup mixture.  Pour remaining mixture slowly over over cake until absorbed.   Whip remaining cream with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla, and frost cake just before serving.  garnish with strawberries or maraschino cherries

Serves 12

Southwest salad     Serves 12

2 small boxes frozen corn
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons corn oil

Combine all ingredients, mix well,  and let marinate overnight.  Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.

Reminders of my Age.

Most of the time, I forget how old I am -- then something happens and I am reminded.   Like when I looked at the new yoga DVD I bought, and said, well, this looks pretty easy.  Then I tried it and found out I have to do the "modified" version of some of the poses  (NO WAY can I balance on one leg with one foot peacefully on my calf) and some of the poses I cannot seem to do at all.  At zumba, the half hour workout has me sweating buckets.

And then I also remember that, for the first time in my life, the President of the United States is younger than me!!!

Plus it always weirds me out when the stuff in the antique stores is not just stuff I had as a kid, but stuff I got for wedding presents the first time I got married!  It's now "vintage" and "retro". (Like me, I guess).

And I spend WAY longer fooling around with my makeup and my hair, and still don't ever get it quite right.  Plus I have a little thinning spot on top  -- YIKE!!!!!  And I have already commented on the appearance and disappearance of hair from where it is supposed to be (!!)

And keeping up with the lightening-swift blaze of technology is pretty close to impossible for me.  I have had my phone for a year now and I still don't know how to get a picture from the phone to the computer. I struggled for hours when I got my ipod to finally get the CDs loaded.

And speaking of CDs -- I have no idea who most of these music groups are anymore, nor most of the film stars.  They all look impossibly young to me.   Sometimes when I am driving down the street, I look over and I cannot believe that the person behind the wheel of the vehicle next to me is old enough to be driving.

Then there is the energy factor.  Yesterday we had a party -- a Mexican Train Dominoes Tournament and fiesta for which I have been preparing for over a week.  It was really, really fun -- more on the party itself later, -- but today I am totally wiped out.  Even have a sore throat, stuffy nose  and achy muscles.  Just wanted to nap today, but had all this clean up to do.

In other words, I can do the things I used to do, mostly, but it just takes me longer to recover now, and some of the things are just not quite as effective as they used to be (make up, working out).  And some things, I just have to admit I will never figure out (technology, most video games, the music these days).

                                                    Vintage Cindy in Vintage Corvette

Still Spring

After a couple of weeks of really great weather, today is a little chilly and overcast -- but that's OK because it's easier to walk when it is not HOT.  The photo attached is of the nest over th light fixture on the shop porch.  Safe away from cats, this little nest of babies is thriving!   Love it!!!!

And the roses are blooming -- cutting some of the house, including one yellow rose for the hall bathroom and pink ones for the bedroom upstairs.  I planted herbs on the porch -- mint, dill, chives, basil, cilantro, and thyme, and two tomatoes in the "topsy turvey" hanging planter.  It is doing really well.

On my birthday, I did my most arduous and longest walk yet -- Judy and I started at the Napa River boat launch and hiked up the ridge trail to Skyline Park, then from there walked up Fourth Avenue to Coombsville Road to the house !   Seven miles up and down hills, over rocks and boulders!  I am so proud of myself!!!  Have been trying to get in at least three days a week of at least three miles each time, and four days when I can.

But three miles takes an hour, and then there is Zumba and Curves workouts on M-W-F. I have not done my yoga for a while.  And believe it or not, I still have to buy groceries, do laundry, scoop out cat boxes, water plants, clean the house every other week, and cook meals once in a while,  Sheesh.   Right now I have a pot of tamales on the stove and I have been trying to get these thing made since las week!!!!  Judy is due over at 2:30 and I wonder where we will walk today?  yesterday with Carol we walked from the house down to the Farmer's Market at the Oxbow.  Believe it or not, I had never been in the Public Market there.  We had coffee (iced latte for me) but didn't buy anything -- pricey, pricey, pricey!!!   I am a cheapskate.

Planning a Mexican Train dominoes tournament in June and sent out the invitations yesterday.  Found some great decorations at the Dollar Tree and ordered trophies and medals today!!!  It will be really fun if everyone we have invited can come.

Spring at Last!!!

It's been a long dreary winter but it's spring at last!!!   My lilacs bloomed three weeks earlier this year than they have any year before. The daffodils have already come and gone, and today I picked a bouquet or Japanese iris, calla lilies, bearded iris, and the last of the lilacs.  Also have planted my summer basil and two tomatoes in the topsy turvy tomato thingie (we'll see how THAT turns out!!).

I have been trying to walk at least twice a week but it's been hard getting Carol or Judy to commit.  Last week when Carol came to walk with me,  she got all tweaked about the narrow gravel path behind the State Hospital grounds,  obsessing about snakes and "look -- isn't that poison oak?"    No, carol,  that's  a blackberry vine (sheesh).  We had to turn around and head back to the river trail where it is wide open and paved.  We'll see how she does at Alston Park tomorrow.  Today we did five miles on the back roads in St. Helena, ending up at the Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company.  Nice!    But I also now have an ipod, so I can walk by myself  -- as long as I walk in open areas  (no hiking trails allowed).  I actually did that a couple Sundays ago -- 3 miles only, though.  Because I m such a technophobe, I couldn't figure out how to download songs from my cds to the damned ipod, but I did manage to find a good radio station to walk with.  I have since downloaded three albums (after sitting on hold to the geek squad for at least a half hour, then doing EXACTLY the same thing I did BEFORE I had a techie on the phone, but this time it worked).  I swear that gadgets have it in for me.  Honest to God.

Curves now has Zumba on Fridays, so I will be doing Zumba on Monday and Friday.  And ballroom dancing on Thursday night.  I think tomorrow might be the last class.  It is a REAL workout -- One and a half hours non stop.   I sweat like crazy.  The class is filled with old people who are as cool as cucumbers!!!  But not me.

Had a recent scare with a breast lump that had to be biopsied.  Lucky for me that it turned out to be only a cyst, but very close to the chest wall, so they couldn't get a good reading on the ultrasound.  I went through all kinds of head trips between the time the biopsy was scheduled and until I got the results.  I kept thinking of the complete irony of being in probably the best shape I've been in for fifteen years -- and then this!  But now the bruises are almost gone and I started walking again on the following day.

Tomorrow I turn 64.  How the hell did I get so old?  I think about my grandmother who, even when I was a little kid, wore orthopedic shoes, a hairnet, and an apron all the time over her flowered cotton housedress.  Our generation is so different at being old!   I still feel sexy and I still feel young.  I can do yoga (OK, not the standing on your head kind of yoga, but the stretches and the warrior poses) and I still like to drive fast.  I still want to get my nails done and experiment with makeup.  I color my hair (don't want to think about what color it would be if I didn't).   But oh, god, my FEET are old!!!!   Bunions and a hammer toe, and absolutely cannot wear high heels.   AND  -- the most supreme irony of all -- I didn't have cleavage until I was over 50!!!!  So unfair!!!!!!

But I'm thinkin' I still have a few good years left in me, and I'm thinkin' they're gonna be fun!

In just a year

It was just about one year ago that I was so sick, I thought I was going to die.  I could not breathe and had zero energy.  The day I made a doctor's appointment with a new doctor because I had only been going to Kaiser in Martinez and now I was going to go to the Napa clinic, the mere act of taking a shower to go to the appointment exhausted me to the point that I was light headed.  In sweats with a hat to cover the hair I was too exhausted to dry and style, with no makeup, I had Rod drive me to Kaiser, then go get a wheelchair because I didn't think I could make it from the parking lot to the office.

At the doctor, I found out I had pneumonia and met the doctor who was about to change my life -- Dr. Ines George, a tiny little thing in a white coat.  After 3 days of medication, I felt so good that I cleaned out the refrigerator.  But. Dr. George was not done with me yet.  She set me up for all kinds of tests inluding a chest xray, heart sonogram, blood and urine tests galore.  I found out that my blood pressure was slightly high, I was vitamin D deficient, and then there were the lung function tests.  Dr. George never shook her finger in my face and said "if you don't quit smoking, you will die".  Instead, she said, "When you are ready to quit, I have tools that will help you. "    The lung function tests showed asthma and early emphysema, so a hefty case of COPD and inhalers I will have to use for the rest of my life.  The test technician said that my lung function could be slightly improved by the inhalers, but would never be fully restored.  If I continue to smoke, she said, my lungs would continue to deteriorate.  At that poiont, I was so grateful that my chest xrays looked ok and my hear seemed sound, that I knew I still had a chance.

The day I retired was the last day I smoked.  Since then, I have lost 25 pounds (oh, why won't that other 25 come off?), work out (Curves or Yoga/Pilates) five days a week, and just three days ago started my walking training for the Susan G Komen 60 mile 3 Day walk.  I have not felt healthier in such a long time, and I am so grateful that I found Dr. George.

In just one year, I have turned my life around, I think!