Well it is that time of year again when we get our lovely snow birds. Most I have to say are pretty nice and lovely to have around. They give our local economy a boost which is great in the midst of a recession. Yes I know the recession has been declared over but in my humble opinion we are still in the midst of it.
But there are a few my northern neighbors are probably glad some of their neighbors are gone for a while. Take for instance the ones that feel that they must decide what belongs in my shopping cart. No you do not get to decide what I feed my family or publicly lecture me on what I have in my cart. Or how much I buy.
We don't get to many of these each year but please remember that Tucson is not the wild west we have somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 million people in Pima County. This means that we would really appreciate it if you do drive while you are here please have a drivers license and insurance. We do seem to get a few accidents every year in which an unlicensed driver or one with a revoked license careens into another car and comes up with the same old story: "I thought that this was the wild west and anything goes, you really don't need a drivers license or insurance to drive here".
This goes with creative driving also. Right turns from the left hand turn bays are generally frowned upon. This also applies to left turns from the right hand lane. We really don't mind if you want to drive 25 miles per hour under the speed limit but please do so from the slow lane, you know the one on the right hand side of the road. Not the fast lane on the left side of the road. A lot of people who live here year round have things to do and places to be.
Please feel free to take hikes in our many local National parks; but, please know your limits and bring plenty of water and a cell phone when you go out. Also do not hike alone and by all means let some one know when you will be back. I just hate watching the helicopters circling the Santa Catalina's looking for a lost or injured hiker.
Please feel free to visit all our museums and take part in the pelortha of winter actives after all this is why you came here. So you would not be snowed in all winter; but please don't laugh at us when we start serving soup when the temperature drops below 100 or we are bundled in our winter clothes when it hits the 70's. After all you did decide to skip summer which is the best time of the year in Tucson.
Enjoy your visit to Tucson tell your friends about the great weather and people. Enjoy our plays, musicals and other forms entertainment while in Tucson.
Please remember that we expect you to be on good behavior. We try to be a very polite city so it is expected that you open doors for mothers with strollers or people in wheelchairs. Please remember to wear your sun screen, burns are no fun and take away from play time.
So enjoy your time in the sun and play nicely. By all means invite your families for a break from the snow. The more the merrier.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
My Week.
I have neglected my blog this week. I plead sick child as an excuse. Eric got sick Friday and was not able to go to school until Wednesday. As usual the days were long but he is feeling better and that's all that matters. This was on humdinger of a cold. It started off as a very runny nose followed by the requisite cough with a twist of projectile eyrping just to spice things up a bit. We were able to keep it out of his chest and for that I am grateful. It is my sincere wish that this bug passes over your houses.
Yesterday I played hooky all day starting with knitting at Starbucks followed by an hour walk around the Tucson Mall and a little shopping. It was a wonderful idea to play hooky yesterday as today Eric's cold caught up with me. I don't mind being tired and the runny nose but the spinning head is another thing.
I have been doing a lot of knitting this week trying to finish UFOs but my attention span is short and I keep jumping from one project to the next without finishing anything. I have spent over 10 hours knitting this week but as of yet have failed to add anything to my finishing basket.
It is time for another quick nap before we start Eric's routine for the night. Have a great weekend and enjoy your families.
Yesterday I played hooky all day starting with knitting at Starbucks followed by an hour walk around the Tucson Mall and a little shopping. It was a wonderful idea to play hooky yesterday as today Eric's cold caught up with me. I don't mind being tired and the runny nose but the spinning head is another thing.
I have been doing a lot of knitting this week trying to finish UFOs but my attention span is short and I keep jumping from one project to the next without finishing anything. I have spent over 10 hours knitting this week but as of yet have failed to add anything to my finishing basket.
It is time for another quick nap before we start Eric's routine for the night. Have a great weekend and enjoy your families.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Life's Unexpected Lessons
Power failures are never fun, but at least if they happen in the middle of the night you would think that every one would sleep through it. Well last night the power went out a little after 10 pm and it woke Eric up. Not only did the battery back up on the computer start to beep but Eric became very fussy.
It took me about 30 minutes to figure out how to turn off the power interrupt alarm. However in the dark it was hard to figure out and I was turning it every which way to find the button that was on the front with the bell. I plan on putting a bright sticker on the front for the next time it happens.
After calling the power company and finding we were not in the main area of the power outage and sending the report in the nice automated voice said it would be about 4 hours before power was restored. So on to the cranky Eric.
I tried to explain to Eric that the power was not necessary to sleep. That his kangaroo had enough power to last until the power went back on. That the house was nice and quiet enough to sleep. I also explained that Tucson Electric Power would get everything working by morning before he had to go to school.
I held his hand, rocked him the best I could, held him but nothing seemed to work. At around 2 am the power came back on and he went straight to sleep. The worst part of the whole 4 hours is that everything I had cast on my knitting needles was in dark colored yarn, which I am sure you know is not great to knit with in moonlit rooms.
But this also got me thinking why I could not get Eric to sleep in the almost total quiet while John slept through the whole thing. After mulling it over for quiet a while it dawned on me that with no sight and relying totally on his hearing the hums of the motors and other electric gadgets were his "visual" world. As we rely on sight he relies on his hearing to give him the most accurate assessment of his surroundings. Even being safe in bed without the ambient noise that we tune out his world was turned upside down.
Eric did stay home today not because of the lost sleep but because we are dealing with the cold de jour and the eyrping that seems to go along with it. Now it is time to go do a little cleaning before the nurse leaves for the day.
Have a nice evening and enjoy your families.
It took me about 30 minutes to figure out how to turn off the power interrupt alarm. However in the dark it was hard to figure out and I was turning it every which way to find the button that was on the front with the bell. I plan on putting a bright sticker on the front for the next time it happens.
After calling the power company and finding we were not in the main area of the power outage and sending the report in the nice automated voice said it would be about 4 hours before power was restored. So on to the cranky Eric.
I tried to explain to Eric that the power was not necessary to sleep. That his kangaroo had enough power to last until the power went back on. That the house was nice and quiet enough to sleep. I also explained that Tucson Electric Power would get everything working by morning before he had to go to school.
I held his hand, rocked him the best I could, held him but nothing seemed to work. At around 2 am the power came back on and he went straight to sleep. The worst part of the whole 4 hours is that everything I had cast on my knitting needles was in dark colored yarn, which I am sure you know is not great to knit with in moonlit rooms.
But this also got me thinking why I could not get Eric to sleep in the almost total quiet while John slept through the whole thing. After mulling it over for quiet a while it dawned on me that with no sight and relying totally on his hearing the hums of the motors and other electric gadgets were his "visual" world. As we rely on sight he relies on his hearing to give him the most accurate assessment of his surroundings. Even being safe in bed without the ambient noise that we tune out his world was turned upside down.
Eric did stay home today not because of the lost sleep but because we are dealing with the cold de jour and the eyrping that seems to go along with it. Now it is time to go do a little cleaning before the nurse leaves for the day.
Have a nice evening and enjoy your families.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
t-sac
I like to use loose teas sometimes but I hate to clean up the mess of the tea leaves in the filter. Not to mention the mess it leaves in the sink during clean up. Or the small bits of tea that escape the plastic filter in the tea pot and land in my tea cup. If you like small floaters of tea leaves in your tea you can stop reading right here.
OK so I decided to try the t-sac's that Teri left at home when she went away to law school. She bought the size 1 filters which are designed for a single cup of tea. I found that each bag can comfortably hold 1 tablespoon of tea, so I use 2 bags for a 4 cup pot of tea. They work very well at containing the tea leaves and I could not tell the difference in the flavor of the tea. Best of all there were no floaters left in the tea. Clear tea at last for loose leaf tea. Did I mention that the clean up was very easy.
For the environmentalist they are chlorine free and compostable/recyclable according to the package. They come in 4 sizes with size 1 meant for a single cup of tea to size 4 designed for 12 cups of tea. The price is nominal. The ease of use is great including a very fast clean up.
*Disclaimer: I did not buy the t-sac's, my daughter left them at home when she went to school. This is not a paid review. The opinions are my own. If you decide to use the link to order the t-sac's Amazon will pay me a nominal advertising fee.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
La Shana Tova
As this year of 5770 draws to a close it is time for introspection in my life. It has been a year of very high highs and some lows. The hours have been long and unpredictable. Some of the things I have learned along the way have enhanced my life while conversely some of the time I spent "learning" I will never get that time back.
Some of the most important things I have learned include that it is not necessary to use an 8 to 10 quart pot every time I make soup. Yes I have conquered the 4 quart soup pot. I can also now make a 9 by 9 inch pan of kugle (noodle pudding) and the world has not come to an end. Learning to cook for just 2 of us has taken a while. Eric does not eat much of my cooking anymore, which is fine with me although I don't mind using the magic bullet when he wants what we are eating.
It is really OK not to be a pack rat. It is easier to keep the house clean with less junk. This has been a long process for me as I come from a long line of pack rats on both sides of my family. The less accumulation of just stuff is very hard to do; but after having to clean some houses of a life time of clutter I want to make the process easier for Teri. So I am starting the process while I am still young enough to do most of the work myself. It does really feel good to de-clutter. Just don't tell that to John. But it is still a very hard process for me.
I have learned that if I don't like a particular yarn I do not have to knit with it no matter what. I can still find a good home for it. It is also OK to knit for me. Everything does not have to be for charity or for sale.
The things I need to work on for 5771 is to have more patience when I am tired. That it is OK to say no. It is OK to have me time. To find more couple time with John. To continue the work of 5770 by de-cluttering more. I also hope to be more available to Teri and to try to understand her new life better.
I hope everyone will join me in putting family first. They are our very core. Keep in close contact with good friends and try to make amends for past failures.
I know in my heart that world peace will not come easily as we need to over come many millennium of hatred and miss understandings. I hope for a year of more understanding, education and corporation in the world.
I leave you this year with wishes of health and a good life. May you have a sweet year. La Shana Tova.
Some of the most important things I have learned include that it is not necessary to use an 8 to 10 quart pot every time I make soup. Yes I have conquered the 4 quart soup pot. I can also now make a 9 by 9 inch pan of kugle (noodle pudding) and the world has not come to an end. Learning to cook for just 2 of us has taken a while. Eric does not eat much of my cooking anymore, which is fine with me although I don't mind using the magic bullet when he wants what we are eating.
It is really OK not to be a pack rat. It is easier to keep the house clean with less junk. This has been a long process for me as I come from a long line of pack rats on both sides of my family. The less accumulation of just stuff is very hard to do; but after having to clean some houses of a life time of clutter I want to make the process easier for Teri. So I am starting the process while I am still young enough to do most of the work myself. It does really feel good to de-clutter. Just don't tell that to John. But it is still a very hard process for me.
I have learned that if I don't like a particular yarn I do not have to knit with it no matter what. I can still find a good home for it. It is also OK to knit for me. Everything does not have to be for charity or for sale.
The things I need to work on for 5771 is to have more patience when I am tired. That it is OK to say no. It is OK to have me time. To find more couple time with John. To continue the work of 5770 by de-cluttering more. I also hope to be more available to Teri and to try to understand her new life better.
I hope everyone will join me in putting family first. They are our very core. Keep in close contact with good friends and try to make amends for past failures.
I know in my heart that world peace will not come easily as we need to over come many millennium of hatred and miss understandings. I hope for a year of more understanding, education and corporation in the world.
I leave you this year with wishes of health and a good life. May you have a sweet year. La Shana Tova.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
A Concert Benefiting Karla Ember
I am very sad to have received this e-mail today. Karla has been such an important part of our lives and has brought much joy to Eric with her wonderful voice. I ask that if you can not attend the concert to consider making a contribution to help her family with expenses and medical bills. Cantonial soloist do not have large incomes and do their job with the love of G'd in their hearts.
Please include Karla in your prayer's of healing.
Sheri.
This is the e-mail that I received.
A MESSAGE FROM CANTOR JANECE COHEN
Last Friday night, my dear friend Karla Ember, beloved Cantorial soloist of Congregation Chaverim and longtime musician of the Tucson Jewish Community was violently attacked and gravely wounded. She is now in intensive care fighting for her life.
Members of our Jewish Community are trying to help Karla and her family by raising funds to help with medical and living expenses during this difficult time. We invite you to join us for a CONCERT OF HEALING AND HOPE to take place this Sunday night, September 12th, at 7 p.m. at the JCC, proceeds of which will assist Karla's family. Make checks payable to Congregation Or Chadash, with Karla in the memo line. Thank you so very much for your support and compassion.
Cantor Janece E. Cohen
Congregation Or Chadash
3939 N. Alvernon Way
Tucson, AZ 85718
(520) 512-8500 Phone
as one voice lies still...
a thousand take flight
A Concert of Healing and Hope
a benefit for and tribute to
KARLA EMBER
Sunday September 12, 2010
7:00 pm
at the Jewish Community Center
River and Dodge
suggested donation of $36.00
Performers Include:
Tucson Jewish Youth Choir
Jewish Community Choir
Shirim
Congregation Or Chadash Choir
On Broadway
Klezmerkaba
Organized by Cantor Janece Cohen and friends
please make check payable to:
Congregation Or Chadash
Please include Karla in your prayer's of healing.
Sheri.
This is the e-mail that I received.
A MESSAGE FROM CANTOR JANECE COHEN
Last Friday night, my dear friend Karla Ember, beloved Cantorial soloist of Congregation Chaverim and longtime musician of the Tucson Jewish Community was violently attacked and gravely wounded. She is now in intensive care fighting for her life.
Members of our Jewish Community are trying to help Karla and her family by raising funds to help with medical and living expenses during this difficult time. We invite you to join us for a CONCERT OF HEALING AND HOPE to take place this Sunday night, September 12th, at 7 p.m. at the JCC, proceeds of which will assist Karla's family. Make checks payable to Congregation Or Chadash, with Karla in the memo line. Thank you so very much for your support and compassion.
Cantor Janece E. Cohen
Congregation Or Chadash
3939 N. Alvernon Way
Tucson, AZ 85718
(520) 512-8500 Phone
as one voice lies still...
a thousand take flight
A Concert of Healing and Hope
a benefit for and tribute to
KARLA EMBER
Sunday September 12, 2010
7:00 pm
at the Jewish Community Center
River and Dodge
suggested donation of $36.00
Performers Include:
Tucson Jewish Youth Choir
Jewish Community Choir
Shirim
Congregation Or Chadash Choir
On Broadway
Klezmerkaba
Organized by Cantor Janece Cohen and friends
please make check payable to:
Congregation Or Chadash
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Dead Sewing Machine
Well I took the sewing machine into the shop today to try and get it fixed. They said it could not be fixed. Since they said it was beyond repair in their opinion, but I could pay them $200.00 to look at it! I might just tear the dang thing apart myself and see if I can fix it. After all they said it was to broke to fix, so how much worse could I make it?
So they said they had a new Brother sewing machine for $700.00 which is a bit pricey in my book They seemed down right mad that I would just not hand them $700.00 plus tax with out consulting my hubby. Well for that boo boo on there part if I do get a new machine it will be through e-bay, a local pawn shop or thrift store. I just don't see why sales people need to talk down to their customers, after all we are their paychecks, our purchases fuel their jobs. By the way the same sewing machine on e-bay was at least $200.00 less.
Well I am off to look at the product reviews to see if the machine is even worth the asking price on e-bay. Now if I can just get someone to carry in the machine from the car so I can fiddle with it.
So they said they had a new Brother sewing machine for $700.00 which is a bit pricey in my book They seemed down right mad that I would just not hand them $700.00 plus tax with out consulting my hubby. Well for that boo boo on there part if I do get a new machine it will be through e-bay, a local pawn shop or thrift store. I just don't see why sales people need to talk down to their customers, after all we are their paychecks, our purchases fuel their jobs. By the way the same sewing machine on e-bay was at least $200.00 less.
Well I am off to look at the product reviews to see if the machine is even worth the asking price on e-bay. Now if I can just get someone to carry in the machine from the car so I can fiddle with it.
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