a rainy day side trip

 Yesterday I started reading Orbital on my LIndaKindle4 and also using the Apple ear buds. This is such a lovely, slow way to read. Six people floating around in space. One of the Russian astronauts has a post card of this large painting by Diego Velazquez, Las Meninas (1656) and so I took a delightful detour on YouTube where I learned so much about the artist and those times. He and Philip IV of Spain became good friends even though artists were considered laborers in those days in Madrid. With all the world problems we are so fortunate to live in a world where this kind of knowledge is just a few clicks away.

with the help of YouTube

 I missed a couple of speeches yesterday at the funeral for President Carter, so just now I enjoyed watching Gerald Ford's son Steve and then I clicked on Carter's eulogy for President Ford. I am grateful that we can re-visit history this way. The funeral was remarkable and moving, those leaders gave me hope even though I so worry about the next four years under tRump.

special guest blogger

 My writing partner this week is Doug, The Great Plotnik himself. I use You Tube all the time now that I live alone and this piece really hit home for me. Who does these selfless videos and god love 'em ~ there isn't anything I can't find. Ever.

Our barbecue has been misbehaving for quite a while. The other night, I turned it on to grill some salmon, but flames shot up out of the side of the kettle. I rushed out and turned off the propane, but decided I wouldn’t use it again until I had talked with Weber.

Once upon a time, Weber had terrific customer service. You called and whatever part you complained about, they just sent you a new one free of charge. Now you can’t get through to them at all, even though the robot says they are dedicated to all the fine citizens in their grilling community, but you can end up in an email loop where they keep asking you for your serial number.

So I turned to Dr. YouTube. I have no idea why people would spend time making a video to teach us arcane things like fixing a shoelace or making soup from Brussels sprouts or repairing a bbq, but, sure enough, I found an earnest Asian man from New Zealand who said the only thing I have to do is take a straight pin and make sure every hole in the burners is clear of gunk.

Easy for him to say. There are hundreds of holes and it’s a greasy job. But I did it, while sitting on a bucket under the avocado tree with a pail of soapy water. It worked!

old office, new yoga studio

upward cat approves of downward dog

I think Husbando approves of Annabelle and me turning his office
into my morning exercise spot. Have I thoroughly cleaned out
everything here? Hell, no, it's only been two years and he left
a mess of papers, photos, boxes, secrets, cartoons and books.
YouTube has a bunch of free yoga practice sessions ~ hooray.

and one more thing...

I sing the praises of YouTube. Why? Nice of you to ask. Everything is on
here: how to open a Kirkland bottle of conditioner, how to operate the
milk frother, how to get the stuck back off a battery pack, plus all sorts
of cooking instructions and lots more. People are so generous with their
time and specific talents.

Then there is entertainment and education. Museums, theater, classes.
But maybe best of all, if I happen to have the blues (who me?), I go right
into Bloopers and wowza instant smiles, even a LOL. I like Seinfeld and
now Parks and Rec, news anchors who breakup unexpectedly and with
all the folks working from home we see assorted pushy kids and animals
and family members wandering in front of the camera. Ooooops.