MUSING AND OTHER STUFF

I cannot believe nothing has been written on this page since December! So much has been happening. All exciting. I won't bore you with a day to day account but......here are some highlights.

RANCHO MIRAGE: The renovation of house and grounds look better than I ever imagined. The property has been designated a 1957 Historical Designation - Architects Wexler-Harrison. We were presented with a bronze plaque which is now attached to a huge boulder roadside. Just found out the road is a Private Road. That means we have to maintain it. I called the city of RM and suggested they acquire it as a public street. The answer was: "No Thanks".

WEXLER: Donald Wexler, the architect who designed the house is 84 years old and living in Palm Springs. As I previously mentioned a long while ago, our paths were destined to cross. 1/ His designs were our ideal while we were searching for a desert weekend house. 2/ Turns out he and I are from the same town, Minneapolis, and discovered we went to three of the same schools and lived in the same neighborhood. Not at the same time if you don't mind. 3/At his recommendation we hired the architect, Lance O'Donnell, to restore the house. 4/ His younger brother, Jerry, dated my sister Sandy in junior high school. The Palm Springs Museum of Art is exhibiting a 4 month retrospective of his past work.

NEW YEARS EVE: Eight of us celebrated in the RM house. Rather than cook I served big chicken pot pies from Dupars restaurant. With champagne bubbling, palm trees swaying and the pool sparkling, the evening was a success. New Years day began with a minor catastrophe. Seems unbeknownst to us the house is not on a city sewer (although the contracts state it is), it is on Septic. What with our 2 guests showering, dishwasher dishing, and the washing machine washing, everything backed up into the guest room shower basin. I helluva way to begin the New Year. Who do I sue?

MEDICAL: Seems each year there is one medical crisis in my life. As a former assistant of mine, Rosa Corral, used to say: "Age my dear age". One year a broken foot, another year something else, and on and on. This year I had an operation on my right hand pinkie. The operation is called a Mose. Yes, a few years ago I had one on my nose. Mose on da Nose. Not to go into the gory details, for a good couple of months I cannot use my right hand to play the piano. However it shouldn't be a total loss......I discovered there is an enormous amount of piano music written exclusively for the left hand and I am learning a beautiful Scriabin Prelude.

ADDENDUM: Basically, life is interesting what with frequent exciting and/or upsetting episodes. I look at the crazy world around me and realize how fortunate I am to be happy, healthy and calm most of the time. I can't complain. Celebrated M's birthday the other evening with a small group of friends. Drank good wine and ate good food. Who could ask for anything more? My two angels always watch over me (yes, there are two. One on each shoulder). Change, whether good or bad is constant. You can't let the negative overtake you. Even though I still do scream at Sarah Palin's image on television.