Author Archives: kzmclain

Saturday Smile: I Love Birthdays

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I love birthdays. That’s what our now-4-year-old grandson Cole was singing as he bounced around our house when we celebrated his birthday Thursday night, one day early. And who doesn’t?

Four years ago, Cole presented himself to the world, and specifically to his two older sisters…..

Now he is a very busy, super funny, and much-loved boy, our youngest grandchild. He requested spaghetti and meatballs as his meal choice…..

As for his birthday cake, white cake with vanilla frosting, and sprinkles. Which piece do you think was designed for him…..

His sister Kaiya helped him blow out his candles…..

Happy birthday, Cole. You make me smile every day….

 

Have a great weekend.

Friday Book Whimsy: The Girl Who Takes an Eye For An Eye

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Lisbeth Salander is not for everyone, and The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye, the fifth in the so-called Millennium Series that started with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, won’t be a book that everyone would want to read.

The original author, Stieg Larsson, passed away a few years ago, and the series was taken over fairly seamlessly by an author named David Lagercrantz, who has managed to keep the flavor of the books. Both the original author and the new author are Swedish, and I find that the translations make the writing style very unique.

The main character, Lisbeth Salander, is also unique in that she is strong, brilliant, absolutely without emotion, and yet fights strongly for herself and anyone else she believes is being treated unfairly. In The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye, Lisbeth manages to save a young Islamic woman who is in prison with her from the woman’s evil brothers, and fights off a prison gang leader who has Lisbeth in her sights. She, along with one of the very few people she trusts – journalist Mikael Blompkvist – work together to  uncover a secret plan from years ago in which parents of twins were unwillingly required to separate their children for scientific research.

The books are brutal in nature, and usually have quite vivid sex scenes, though this one didn’t. I will admit that they are not my favorite mysteries, but there is something very compelling about the main character and the paths she follows that make me continue to enjoy the series.

If you have read the rest of the series, you can’t stop now!

Here is a link to the book.

Thursday Thoughts

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And We’re Back in Denver
We arrived home yesterday afternoon right at 3 o’clock, to find the man who transported Bill’s sports car to Denver sitting in front of our driveway in his big truck. He must have flown like the wind to beat us home. He was originally supposed to deliver it today, but he said it would help him a lot if he could deliver it yesterday so that he could get home earlier. Perhaps he has a wife who told him it would be nice if he dropped by once in a while instead of driving other people’s cars to and fro. Anyway, we all made it in one piece.

But, No One Expects the Spanish Inquisition
So, we spent a nice evening in Albuquerque, eating at our favorite Mexican restaurant, and getting to bed at a reasonable hour. We awoke early, had breakfast, packed up what few things we had brought into the room, dropped off our key, got in the car, pressed the start button……NOTHING. Absolutely N-O-T-H-I-N-G. So we called AAA and they sent a man to jump the battery……

He also did a diagnostic which told him that the battery was shot. About that time, the man with Bill’s car was probably shooting by in a desperate attempt to beat us to Denver. Anyway, we ended up going to the nearby Walmart, where they were able to install a new battery in pretty quick order. While we weren’t on the road at 6:30 as we had hoped, we drove out of Walmart’s parking lot at 8:30. It could have been worse. By the way, there is a scene in The Blind Side in which Leigh Anne Tuohy, played magnificently by Sandra Bullock, greets Nick Saban, who has come to visit her son Michael Oher. She says to her husband, “Now, I find him to be very attractive,” to which her husband replies, “You know I’m standing here, right?” That’s sort of the way I felt about our AAA fellow, whose name was Ulysses. I found him to be very good looking, even under the circumstances. Unlike Sandra Bullock, I kept my mouth shut, however.

Would a Little Lettuce Kill Ya?
Admittedly, however, it was not a pretty picture, because after finishing our marginal Hampton Inn breakfast, we at nothing but junk food until we went out to dinner in Denver after arriving home. No rest for the wicked, donchaknow. But after a day of Chex Mix, Red Vines, and Diet Mountain Dew, my body was screaming for something healthy.

Bloomin’
I had arranged to have someone cut our grass so that we didn’t have to hit the ground running with yard work, and it was nice to see the pretty green lawn when we pulled into our driveway. Not only that, but since we arrived home sooner than we have the past few years, we are able to enjoy these lovely spring blessings…..

Our forsythia bush is about done blooming.

Some of our late blooming tulips.

Looks like we might get pears this year.

We have three apple trees, and they are all in bloom. Lovely flowers.

Ciao.

Guest Post: Amazing Arizona: Flagstaff

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By Rebecca Borman

Every spring, a group of volunteers from the Desert Botanical Garden takes a trip to an Arizona destination.  This year’s trip took us a few hours north, to the city of Flagstaff.  Even though most of us had been to Flagstaff at some point, we all had some new experiences.

Our first afternoon’s activity was one of my favorites.  Willow Bend Environmental Center offers what they call the Downtown Geology Walk.  A young and knowledgeable guide first reminded us that there are a lot of rocks in that area of Arizona, and after several major fires, the city fathers decided that it might be advisable to use rock rather than wood for their buildings.  The tour took us to some of the best examples, and our guide showed us the different kinds of rocks that were used.  It was fun to combine just a little geology with a tour of some of the important and beautiful buildings downtown.  The Ice House, for example, is near the railroad tracks, because fresh produce was brought by rail from California and stored there.  The rock walls allowed the building to stay cool, even in the summer…..

That evening, we had another adventure, this time at Lowell Observatory.  Flagstaff is a “low-light” city, so its observatory gets spectacular views of the night sky.  After listening to several lectures, most of us decided to brave the cold and do some star-gazing.  With the help of the observatory staff and their huge telescopes, I got to look at stars that are hundreds of light-years away.  Very cool.  It was a great first day!

The next morning found us at the Museum of Northern Arizona.  The building isn’t very large and it’s so nondescript that it would be easy to pass it by on the way out of town.  That would be a big mistake!  Inside is a trove of beautiful artifacts.  There are several different docent tours, and we chose the one that focuses on the culture of the Native Americans of the Colorado Plateau.  We had the great luck of being there only 5 days after their newest gallery opened, and it’s one of the most beautiful galleries and exhibits I’ve ever seen.  The docent gave us some information about the general organization and pointed out a few displays, but he repeatedly encouraged us to walk back through when the tour was finished and take our time, which we did.  We spent more than two hours in the museum.  I’ll definitely return, and I’d encourage anyone who visits Flagstaff to take time to see it.  And, just as a side note, the museum gift shop has lovely items, including a bracelet I couldn’t pass up!

After lunch, we drove to the campus of Northern Arizona University to visit the Riordan Mansion.  I have to admit I’m not usually a big fan of touring fancy houses and mansions.  But this one did not disappoint.  The house was built in 1904 by two brothers, Tim and Mike Riordan, who were married to sisters.  The house is an enormous duplex.  Again, we had a great docent, who brought the house to life.  That wasn’t hard to do, however, because the house seemed so modern and comfortable.  It was hard to believe it was build over 100 years ago.  The bedrooms were big and sunny.  The dining room had a table shaped like a canoe, so that all diners would face each other.  And the living room had a large swing for a sofa.  I was ready to move in!  For me, it was an unexpected delight…..

The next morning, we set off in snow flurries for our last adventure, Bearizona in Williams, about 30 minutes away.  Bearizona is privately funded and features a drive-through wildlife park.  Visitors may drive their own vehicles, but if they want the full experience, the best choice is to take the “Wild Bus Ride.”  Once we were on the open-air bus, our driver/guide set out, and we began our trip through the animal park.  She gave us a lot of information about the park and about the animals.  Most of them are rescue animals.  It’s hard to believe that people actually think it’s ok to cage a bear or wolf as a “pet,” but that happens, and when Fish and Wildlife nab these evildoers, the animals are often sent to Bearizona.  The animals are in their natural habitat, but the different species are separated by fences.  Because they’re still wild animals.  They are not fenced back from the road, however, so they might come right up to the bus or saunter slowly across the road.  The animals are doing what animals actually do in nature, and it is very much fun to see them.  Our driver knew every animal by name, and she often predicted individual behaviors.  Despite the cold weather, we had a great time……

But, by this time, most of us were worn out.  Geology, anthropology, history, architecture, animal science, and lots of walking and good food.  It was time to go home.  We voted it one of our best trips ever, and I came home determined to visit Flagstaff again and soon.  It’s a city with lots of surprises!

Arizona Memories

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After doing just about anything to avoid the inevitable, on Saturday, we finally got busy for reals and began getting ready to drive back to Denver. If you read this post on Tuesday morning, we will either have hit the road or will be close to doing so. Mr. I-Transport-Ridiculously-Expensive-Male-Toys is coming today mid-morning to pick up Bill’s sports car to carry back to Denver and we will leave soon thereafter. Since Mr. ITREMT is picking up a second car as well, he doesn’t think he will be at our Denver front door until Thursday.

Bill’s Ferrari 308 and the McLaren that the driver will pick up in Scottsdale will be the lone vehicles in this massive truck…..

If the two cars were characters in Cars XV, they would pass the time talking about how boring it is to belong to men who can’t legally drive them more than 75 mph on a good day. Why can’t I be a race car like my cousin Lightning McQueen?

Each year when we arrive in AZ, we have big plans to take many day trips or overnight excursions around the state. This year, like most years, mostly that didn’t happen. Instead, Bill has been kept pretty busy between doing legal work and dealing with all of the things that surprise you when you own a home. My contribution to our lack of excursions was a visit to the hospital early in March.

Nonetheless, while we didn’t spend every weekend traveling around AZ, we did do some fun things. For the first time ever, we saw Zoo Lights. That has been on my to-do list for a number of years…..

We made it to Las Vegas, NV, where we got to see my niece dance as part of the Jabbawockeez dance group, and to enjoy time with her……

We took several drives up to Saguaro Lake – one in the Ferarri for a picnic, after which the car wouldn’t start…..

Our second trip was to find the wild horses which everyone brags about seeing. Everyone but us, because they were nowhere to be found. We did, however, enjoy the hike, and we will leave the damned elusive horses for next year…..

We made it to one Spring Training game – opening game at Salt River Field between the Rockies and the D-Backs…..

Bill and my brother Dave watched cars go around in a circle at NASCAR, and Bill spent cash money on duds representing his favorite driver, Chase Elliott…..

Bryce Thompson Arboretum turned out to be one of the most interesting excursions we took this winter…..

We ate Mexican…..

and German…..

and Polish…..

and Greek, and Italian, and even Chicago with a stop at Portillo’s…..

We celebrated New Year’s Day…..

Mardi Gras…..

Easter…..

…and even National Chocolate Cake Day…..

So, all-in-all, it was a good winter with people I love. The best news though is that I’m going home to more people I love!

Water, Water Everywhere, But Not a Drop to Drink

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As I have mentioned approximately 101 times in the recent past, there are things about living in AZ that I like, and things that I don’t particularly like. I like that I can sit outside on a sunny February afternoon and drink a martini on my patio because it’s warm enough and it’s 5 o’clock somewhere. I don’t like that I have to check my bed every night for scorpions. I like that I can open my front door almost every morning that we are here and listen to the mockingbirds go through their repertoire of songs. I don’t like that when it’s even slightly windy, there is so much dust in the air that the skies look gray instead of blue. I like to watch the road runner sprint across our back fence. I don’t like that I have to stop walking in the desert after March because I might run into a rattlesnake.

Perhaps the thing about which I grow most weary while living in AZ is that I can’t simply go to my kitchen or bathroom faucet and get a drink of water. It’s not that we live like Laura Ingalls of Little House on the Prairie fame and have to pull water out of a well. It’s just that the water in the Valley of the Sun is practically undrinkable. I’m not just being a diva. It tastes nasty and everyone who lives here will confirm that the water is foul. The ubiquitous lemon that you find in nearly every glass of water served in restaurants isn’t just for looks. The lemon is a desperate attempt to make the water drinkable. Mostly it makes it taste like lemony horribleness.

I’ve been told that the reason the water in this area tastes terrible is that it comes from the Colorado River, and as it makes its way down the mountain, it gathers minerals. Of course, I was also told as a teenager that it was a great idea to put baby oil on your skin in the summer so that I would turn a deep dark brown. That’s just a reminder to consider our sources.

At any rate, Phoenix’s hard water is the reason that you will see Water & Ice stores all over the place. The first time I saw one of these stores I was a young, wet-behind-the-ears woman coming from a place where Coors beer was brewed from Rocky Mountain spring water. I couldn’t imagine why there was a need for a store that sold water and ice. After all, in Colorado, I could get a glass out of my cupboard, get a few cubes of ice out of my refrigerator, go to the sink and get myself a glass of good-tasting water. Water that wouldn’t give you a stomach ache. It didn’t take me many visits to AZ before I realized why there were water and ice stores – because both water and ice must come from someplace other than your sink.

One of the first things Bill and I purchased when we moved into our AZ home was a water dispenser. So, every two or three weeks, we drive to the nearest Water & Ice store, fill up our three big jugs with water that has gone through reverse osmosis, pay the attendant, and drive home……

It’s frankly a pain in the neck, but it’s the price we pay to have drinkable water. Many people install reverse osmosis devices in their homes; we haven’t done that as of yet. The water is inexpensive and it’s not like our days are frantic. Likely some day we will revert to that option.

When I had my overnight stay at Hotel Banner Hospital in March, I mentioned to the nurse that I have had three small bowel obstructions, and they have all been while we have been in AZ. That seemed particularly unusual to me, I told her, since we spend less time here than in Denver. She looked at me, raised an eyebrow, and said, “Hmmm, could it be the water?”

I don’t know. Could it?

My family and friends who know me are laughing at this post right now because they know how hard I have to work to get eight glasses of water into my system each day. I’m rarely thirsty, and when I am, it’s not for water. But I dutifully fill my water jug each day – twice, in fact – and drink the water. So there!

But if the nurse – a highly-educated medical professional – thinks it might be the water, who am I to argue? I prefer gin over water any day of the week.

Not eight glasses, however, so don’t start planning an intervention.

Friday Book Whimsy: The Dry

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The Dry, by Jane Harper, takes place in a small town in Australia, the kind of small town where everybody knows everyone else’s family and has their nose into who’s doing what. It’s from that small town that Australian Federal Agent Aaron Falk escapes after one of his friends is found dead decades before, and he was a suspect in her murder. Now, his childhood BFF Luke – who provided Aaron’s with an alibi that kept him from being arrested – has died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, after killing his wife and his young son.

So, after all this time, Falk returns home for the funeral, and to try and come to grips with how this friend could have possibly done something so uncharacteristic, so against his nature. Well, it turns out that Luke’s parents also don’t believe it, and they convince Falk – who isn’t a homicide investigator, but instead conducts financial investigations – to, well, investigate.

But here’s the thing: Falk knows that the alibi that Luke provided years ago was a lie; however, he also knows that he was innocent of the crime. Could the two murders be connected in some way? He reluctantly agrees to spend a few days looking into the deaths.

The author doles out the secrets of both crimes little by little, leaving the reader to suspect different people throughout the book. The plot is set against the worst drought in a century. The writing is so good that you can practically fill the heat and hear the crunch of the grass as the characters walk through the plot.

I found the solution unpredictable almost to the end of the book, though I will admit to figuring it out just a bit before the detective.

The Dry is the first in a series, and her second book – Force of Nature — was released this past February. I’m eager to see if it’s as good as The Dry.

Here is a link to the book.

Thursday Thoughts

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At Long Last
I finally got my rear end in gear yesterday and I started gathering together the things I’m going to be taking back to Denver. Mostly I went through my office area where I keep all of my files, crocheted goods, and other miscellaneous items. When I pack in my mind it always feels like it is going to be more things; when I pack in real life, I’m always surprised at how little we transport…..

I think Bill and I have both done a good job of figuring out what things we need to have here AND in Denver so that we aren’t hauling big items back and forth. This weekend I will begin packing our clothes. That is the one thing that we do take back with us since it will be summer soon. Yes Colorado friends and family: I promise, it really will be summer soon.

Last Bites
I mentioned that there are restaurants here in AZ that we particularly enjoy, so this week we are trying to have our so-called “last suppers” at these restaurants. Sometimes it’s not supper, but lunch. Day before yesterday, we had lunch at Fuddruckers, where I enjoyed the heck out of my hamburger. Yesterday, I had lunch with my sister Bec at our favorite pho restaurant near her house while Bill ate lunch at one of his favorite pizza restaurants near our house. Today we are having lunch with friends at a restaurant called Red White and Brew, where my niece Maggie serves food. The good news is we go home to good restaurants and food in Denver.

An Afternoon with Paul
Tuesday, Bill was busy doing legal work, and I was still looking at ways to avoid packing. I decided to go to the movies since there was a movie I have wanted to see in which Bill had little interest. Paul, Apostle of Christ, was making its final appearances at our nearby theater, and there was an afternoon showing. I thought I would be alone in the theater, but surprisingly, there were quite a few folks. People my age, of course. When I got my ticket, the young girl who took my money volunteered, “You’re going to like this movie. The story stays true to the Bible.” She also announced that St. Luke was being played by James Caviezel, who played Jesus in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. “He must like playing those kinds of roles,” she said, as the people behind me were tapping their feet, wishing that I would wrap up my ticket buying. I enjoyed the movie a great deal, despite the fact that the woman sitting next to me made me feel a bit like I was at a Baptist church service. Whenever St. Paul would say something meaningful, she would respond with an amen, or uh huh! Out loud. I was left with two thoughts: 1) The early followers of Jesus – and I’m not talking about the 12 apostles, but those in the first couple of hundred years – were fervent believers in Christ and such brave souls. They encountered so much persecution and martyrdom. People who now doubt their faith in Jesus today might consider these original followers’ faith and sacrifice as a sign of the truth of their beliefs. Just a thought. 2) The Acts of the Apostles has to be one of the most exciting and interesting books of all time. Catholics hear excerpts from Acts during the weeks following Easter, but I am going to re-read the entire Acts. St. Paul can get on my last nerve, but man, he was a strong believer.

Continuous Loop
I mentioned the other day that Luke Bryan’s Most People Are Good tends to run through my mind during the night in that way that songs do. Last night, Luke Bryan was nowhere to be seen. Instead, I sang When Someone Stops Loving You, by Little Big Town, throughout the night. Oy vey. Country singers: Just let me get some sleep!

Ciao.

It’s Comin’ Down the Street

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O-ho the Wells Fargo wagon is a-comin’ down the street
Oh please let it be for me.
O-ho the Wells Fargo wagon is a-comin’ down the street
I wish I wish I knew what it could be.

One of the catchiest tunes from the play (and subsequent movie) Music Man is the delightful ditty the townfolk – along with an adorable (and lisping) Ronnie Howard — sing when they see a Wells Fargo truck coming to deliver a package. Apparently Wells Fargo was to the 1900s what Amazon is to us today.

While I don’t find myself singing when I am expecting an Amazon package to be delivered, I do look forward to the delivery with great anticipation, if only because I don’t want it to be stolen from my front porch.

O-ho my Amazon delivery is a-comin’ down the street
I hope it’s full of lots of toys and books.
O-ho my Amazon delivery is a-comin’ down the street
I hope I hope that I can beat the crooks.

Amazon’s endless efforts to figure out more ways that they can become the one-and-only remaining retail business on earth result in all sorts of new and unexpected ideas.  You might have heard of the recent idea of giving Amazon drivers access to our homes so that they can walk right in and leave our packages where we will trip over them when we come home. Amazon promises delivery people most likely won’t walk off with our iPads and pain killers as they leave.

Apparently that idea isn’t going over so well, partly because people are a bit uncomfortable with allowing strangers into their homes when they aren’t there, but more so because of the $200 plus cost to even Prime members. But neither rain nor snow nor reluctance to allow Amazon delivery people to check out our abodes prevents them from coming up with more new delivery options. Now, apparently Amazon is testing the notion of giving delivery people access to the trunk of certain compatible cars, at no cost to Prime members. I guess that’s better, unless one of them decides to hide his murdered mother-in-law in a stranger’s trunk.

Yesterday, I was eagerly awaiting a delivery from Amazon. I had made sure to stay home to get the package because I have given Amazon access to neither my house nor my car. Since it’s a birthday gift for my youngest grandson, I didn’t want it stolen.  But lo, and behold, I wouldn’t have had to stay home, at least as long as I stayed close. Why? Early in the afternoon, as I’m reading my e-book on my iPad, suddenly a message pops up.

Your delivery will be there shortly. There are only seven stops before your package will be delivered.

I have never seen a message like that before, and I order A LOT from Amazon. There was a link to an interactive map from which I could follow the green dot (my package) as it made its way to the red dot (my house). I got nearly as excited as I do when I order an Uber car.  I love to follow the little car as it makes its way to my house. Similarly, as my package drew closer and closer, I couldn’t take my eyes off the little green dot. I found myself even getting frustrated when the dot wouldn’t move quickly enough.

“What? Did you stop for a cup of coffee?” I crankily asked my iPad.

Yep. I got crabby over a technology that I didn’t even know existed a half hour before my delivery.

 There are only six stops before your package will be delivered. There are only three stops before your package will be delivered.

The messages kept popping up, until finally, Almost there! The driver is on the way to you.

And it was true. Within a few minutes, there was my package on my porch…..

 

Within seconds, I got a message indicating the package had been delivered, and it included a photo of my little package leaning up against my door.

O-ho, my Amazon delivery is sitting on my porch;
I didn’t have to give a stranger my key.
O-ho, my Amazon delivery is sitting on my porch;
They left a photo so that I could see.