Sunday, July 07, 2019

Violet's B.Day

Aagh, I just woke up at 8:15; had a terrible time sleeping last night. This happens every few months and I have no idea why.
I did have a pleasant day, but didn't get a lot of walking in. Possibly, that was the reason for my insomnia. Typed up my part of the script and practiced a bit, beside attending to a few other matters on-line. Bused to the mall in the morning to get Violet's presents, then back to shower, lunch, and pack up the car. Stopped at Von's to pick up an ice cream cake, as I had told Ellen I would.
Arrived at Ellen's at 3:00. She had already picked up the girls in Santa Barbara and I was so pleased to see them again. They were in their room (El's guest room) and El and I hung out. She said the girls had been watching re-runs of Stranger Things (on Viv's phone) and did I want to? No, so she tried me on Bird Box, with Sandra Bullock. Wow, I loved it! I watched intermittently before and after dinner. Since I don't have NetFlix or the other fancy stuff, this was a treat. (BTW, I guess I could get it, but some time ago, I consciously decided I don't want to sit in front of the television long enough to watch movies end-to-end. I think that was a good decision for me.) I called Lynne W. to check on my docent duties for today; yes, I'm scheduled and I'll be there at 1:00 to lead the tours on the first floor of Dudley House.
El served up artichokes, which she had bought raw and cooked herself. Why? Because Violet had been asking for them for ages. I can't remember ever having them before, but I put them in the same category as seeded grapes: I like them, but not enough to go to all the trouble of eating them. I buy seedless grapes, of course, and I like artichoke hearts, which come by themselves in a jar, packed in olive oil.
Anyhow, it was fun to draw the leaves through our teeth, harvesting on the tiny bottom, but it took some time. The heart at the bottom, though, but a bit more substantial and El had provided a nice dipping sauce of mayo, maple syrup, and spices.
The entree was a yummy pasta dish El made in the Insta-pot. We then sang happy birthday to the eleven-year-old (actually, her birthday isn't until Wednesday, but the girls will be at camp then) and she opened her presents.
Suzanne had given me the little hats and not only the girls, but Sebastian put them on:
El will take the girls to camp today and I'll at least see them before they go home. Violet is going to meet a former school friend of hers named "Roxanne." She now lives in France and her mother is a superior court judge there. She doesn't want her to lose her English language ability, hence the kid is going to camp in Ojai, California.




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Thursday

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