DATE NIGHT

Nah! We really don't call it that. We're too old school, I guess.

Anyway, we decide to break loose and go out tonight. Dinner at an upscale steak place and then a movie--Hereafter with Matt Damon, (CA has a coupon! I hate coupons, but they do work.) Only thing, on our way there I note that the coupon has expired. CA is incredulous. He read it wrong

40 YEARS AND FAMILY

A quick trip to Peoria to visit with my Seattle sister NC and her daughter AE, and a 40th wedding celebration for the two kids featured above.

PM+MM's two sons, daughters-in-law, and good friend planned and executed a lovely luncheon for close friends and family after church services on Sunday in the new Grace Presbyterian Church facility.

My family's big on reenactment, so here're the bride with her four bridesmaids sisters in 1970 and 2010.

CHILLED

For whatever reason I've resisted turning on the heat. Silly. Chilly. If I'm home during the days when the house holds onto the chill, I wrap up in a white fleece blanket. I love my blankey. Silly. Chilly.

CA and I've made a pact that after a quick weekend trip to Peoria, we'll renegotiate the temperature so that our beloved abode is again snug.

Europe plans and arrangements continue with CA carrying the brunt of the logistics. He consults with me from time-to-time and I encourage him with assurances and smiles. Really, only one person can be in charge to keep together all the loose ends. Really. I could do it (after years of needing to in the markeplace), but I like it that he does it. He's always had a bit of the Walter Mitty about him, and vacation dreaming suits him well. He's also a bit more OCD than I am, so he does drive himself a bit nuts with the checking and re-checking.

The current plan is 9 days with the little girls in Bratislava (up from 6 originally alloted), 3 weeks near Nice staying in one place and exploring the south of Provence, and a final 5 nights in Paris at the luxurious Renaissance Place Vendome. A fantastic plan, no?! Oui.

Anyway, limited blog posts this Fall while I wile away the days, marking time leading  up to our trip. I'm bored at home. Tired of cooking and thinking. Uninspired by local day trips (and needful of conserving $$ for the upcoming adventure). I'm reading a lot, and have finally found a book or three to review for First Paragraphs. Can't believe how many books I've read or discarded half read this Fall. And, people get paid to write and publish these books.

WIND FARMS

Aren't they lovely? And, environmentally effective? And, peaceful? Yes. Yes. And, no.

I remember the first time I saw a wind farm--our first drive from LAX to Palm Desert in the middle of San Bernadino County somewhere. I was enthralled. Loved the look and especially the idea.

Now I'm not so enthralled. There are just a few wind mills within a 3 - 4 mile radius of our home in the countryside and guess what? It's like tinnitus--a constant whirring that invades my home. No more just the sounds of the nature preserve, birdsong, and cicadas. There's a cyclical whirring that is constant. Constant.

It's been rare for outside noises to permeate our windows and walls. Maybe a woodpecker or fireworks, or thunder. But, these beautiful wind machines are not silent, and the sounds they make are able to invade my solitude.

I'm not one for white noise. I hate the piped-in music restaurants and shops think necessary to lure me into their clutches and to loosen my purse strings. I don't need a fan or other ambient noise to lull me to sleep. I like the sounds of people conversing and dishes clattering.  I like quiet.

In the past when I've noticed signage along the highways urging residents to veto wind farms, I've been confused. Why would anyone be against wind power? It's good for the environment.

Now, I understand. Wind power is awesome, but not in my back yard or anywhere within a five mile radius of my home.