Pizza + Puzzles

Wednesday | 7 October 2020 | La Quinta, California: David and I would have returned from our European "40-Days-for-40-Years" anniversary trip on October first. Our plan was to go directly from LAX to spend a few days with the kids, then drive back to our RV at the Motorcoach Country Club, and begin to look for a house to buy in the Coachella Valley. A pandemic certainly messes with plans... or let's just say we are ahead of schedule?

We are all healthy, which is the best item one can report these days. We don't leave our property (except to exercise or to check on the RV parked at the Motorcoach Country Club), and have groceries delivered. Anything else we need comes from Amazon. Monday-Friday are filled with on-line classes, homework, piano practice and then swimming. Saturday morning: ballet and piano lessons (all via Zoom or Facetime). Every other Sunday morning, Leo and Lucy attend Hebrew school via Zoom. I still prepare dinner six nights a week, and on Tuesday we have dinner delivered from a local restaurant.

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Sunday Night Pizza: mushroom and red onion on the left; turkey pepperoni (with and without cheese - don't ask) on the right.

The golf course has been scalped. Between the scalping and non-watering, the course is an ugly brown and bright. Several times the mowers have blown dry clippings into our pool - shutting-down the swimming fun for several hours. It's a dusty mess! Leo can swim the entire length - back & forth - of our 40' swimming pool in 30 seconds. His Australian crawl is nearly perfected. Lucy is trying this swim stroke, and it is a bit comical as her hands are completely open and her arms are flailing. She is trying. As I have already stated, Leo was a great swimmer before they arrived for this visit, but Lucy wouldn't get in the pool without her floatie vest. Now Lucy can "swim" the length of the pool - above and under water. With swim fins on her feet, Lucy is practically a mermaid.

There always seems to be a puzzle on the little table in the kitchen. Last week, it was Little Scientist 500 Piece Family Puzzle. This week it was Autzen Stadium (University of Oregon):

The Autzen Stadium puzzle was really difficult, and interesting. We found Santa Claus, the Pope, the Burger King, and Superman in the stands. Looked like the Ducks were playing the Beavers.

The kids made puppets yesterday, so we had a puppet show after dinner. Cute. Today, Lucy and I were wearing dresses with vertical stripes, so she thought we were wearing "matching" dresses... so photo op. Hope you can tell us apart.

Lisa and Lenny had a parent-teacher (Zoom) conference this evening... right in the middle of the Vice-Presidential Debate, of course. We kept the kids busy with a puzzle...

This Mermaids Glitter Puzzle had only 100 pieces, so it was pretty easy for Lucy (age 6) to put the jigsaw together within an hour. Instead of a missing piece, this puzzle had an extra piece... the second time we have found an extra puzzle piece during this lock-down-puzzle-mania.

I made savory crepes this afternoon and stuffed them with a spinach and riccotta filling, using a jar of red sauce to cover the "manicotti" rolls. Really good, and the kids finished their dinner... along with fruit and garlic bread (homemade, natch).

The adults had two manicotti each, garlic bread, and a tossed green salad - after the parent-teacher conference... while watching the rest of the debate via the DVR.

Until my next update, I remain, your puzzled correspondent.