Indio, California: Guys! June is gone! What happened? We were so consumed with the purchase of our new house, and waiting... waiting... waiting... the month just slipped by. I'm too old to have months slip-by! With the no where to go and nothing to do scenario of the COVID Lifestyle, I suppose many more months will slip by... as did March, April and May... now that I really think about the past few months. I only have this blog to catalog what I did/cooked for dinner.
I also used to believe that only boring people were bored, but maybe we need to rethink that old idiom as well. It's getting tough, peeps!
Having to be at the new house by 9a to meet with a locksmith, I - of course - woke at 5 o'clock and could not fall back to sleep. No bored mind at five in the morning, of course! Plenty of thoughts racing through my little mind.
The locksmith was amazingly qualified and efficient. All the locks (9 doors!) were re-keyed and we are safe from intruders (highly unlikely intruders as the past owner lives in another country).
One thing less to sweat over at five o'clock in the morning.
Before heading to the house this morning, Dave tossed our two folding chairs into the back of the car. There is no where to sit in the house. To keep myself socially-distanced this morning while the locks were re-keyed, I set-up camp on the back covered patio, played Words With Friends on my phone with my gal-pals, and watched a steady parade of duffers along the golf cart path behind the house.
NOTE ON PHOTO ABOVE: Notice the cattails? I have lived much of my life in Oregon. Cattails grow in swampy marshy soggy places. How in the heck are cattails growing in a planter bed in the Coachella Valley? How did they get here? Our gardener had never seen them in a garden. Ever.
Yes, they are lovely, but they completely block the view to the pool and they will be gone by the time you read this blog post. If I can't see the pool, I can't see my grandkids in the pool. Sorry, cattails. Bye-Bye.
Dave and I returned to the new house in the afternoon to measure windows. The window treatments - and all those paisley valances need to go. I must send approximate measurements to a shade company, they will give me an estimate, and then - if we say yes - will send a pro out to measure for reals.
I don't think you can buy enough stuff from my amazon.com link (top right corner on every page of this blog!) to help with this little project.
Our long-time gardener, Daniel, (from our lot at the Motorcoach Country Club) had his staff at the house most of the afternoon. The best way to describe the job accomplished today would be to say they gave our garden a CREW CUT! Daniel swears it will look AMAZING in two weeks. So many plants had bugs and caterpillars. So many palms had not been trimmed in years. It was a shock, but it is common to really hack-back palms this time of year. Daniel is also very aware that I like things to look a bit "wild" and unkempt, but he explained to me the best way to accomplish this look to to whack-the-hell-outta-everything now. We trust him - and we found TWO lemon trees on the property!
Another positive? We found only one stray golf ball buried under the foliage along the pool. We think our pool area is pretty safe from stray golf balls. (Unless Dave's cousin, or Woody, are playing.)
Unfortunately for me, tonight's menu only stated TURKEY BURGERS. There were no notes as to how the burgers were to be prepared, which spices were to be used. Nothing. No side dish suggestions. Probably had something to do with the notation on my menu calendar the other day that said: BAKE ONE SMALL BAGUETTE AND FOUR BURGER BUNS? This is my life lately.
I usually keep Tablespoon-sized cubes of minced fresh basil and olive oil in the freezer. It isn't exactly pesto, but it isn't exactly NOT pesto. If pesto is required, just add garlic, pine nuts, and parmesan. If only basil and olive oil are needed in a salad dressing - but not cheese, garlic, nor nuts - this is the perfect solution... and the perfect way to use-up any basil that is going a little wonky.
Tonight I used two "cubes" of the "pesto" in a pound of ground turkey. With just a little salt, that was the entire recipe.
Grilled burger. Grilled bun. Mayo. Tomato. Pickles. Ruffles.
Jackson Browne and Jimmy Buffett on the stereo.
Pefect ending to a perfectly busy day. Until my next update, I remain, your so-tired correspondent.
Those cattails may be telling you something more important. A friend had them growing in a strange place, later discovering they had a slab leak that was leaving the ground very soggy. You may want to ask the water company for what this property used in acre feet – they’ll usually provide it to new owners – which may help you tell if you have a bigger problem. The place looks awesome! Congrats
Your probably decorating in your sleep or not sleeping.
It’s also a lot of fun, a new stage of a sort.
Enjoy!