There's Always Room For Jell-O*

Nearing the end of our recent travels, we spent six days in Seattle, Washington. While there, we were able to spend very special time with San Geraldo's uncle and aunt and we even got to see two of their three "children" who are now in their 30s. San Geraldo is the oldest of his generation and Elizabeth is the youngest. Thirty-six years separate them. His uncle Roger has always been more like an older brother and his aunt Jane is three weeks younger than San Geraldo.

Being from South Dakota (Roger) and Wisconsin (Jane) they share the same culinary upbringing as their nephew. For better and for worse. Elizabeth grew up in Southern California and Seattle and didn't share those same culinary experiences.

Jane is especially creative in the kitchen serving healthy and unusual meals. We had the best two dinners with them. However, to honor tradition, Jane made a Jell-O salad.

Lime Jell-O, crushed pineapple, and ... wait for it... Cottage cheese! Yum!!!

Well, OK, for me, not at all "Yum!!!" And Elizabeth agreed. But Roger, Jane, and San Geraldo were in Mid-Western heaven. I guess it's an acquired taste.

ELIZABETH'S REACTION: HMMM, MAYBE NOT!

SAN GERALDO'S REACTION: MAGNÍFICO!!!

And here's a very special recipe, Jello Shrimp Salad Supreme, found in an old recipe box Roger inherited from his mother (San Geraldo's grandmother). Even Rog, Jane, and San Geraldo found the combination a bit questionable (although, if they tried it, they'd probably love it):

AMONG THE INGREDIENTS TO BE ENTOMBED IN LEMON JELL-O:
OLIVES, GREEN PEPPERS, ONIONS, HARD-BOILED EGGS, CELERY, PIMENTO,
AMERICAN CHEESE, MIRACLE WHIP**, AND TWO CANS OF SHRIMP!
I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP.

*The slogan in the 1960s was "There's always room for Jell-O." I'm not so sure.
**Miracle Whip (described as "salad dressing spread") is a product that would never have been permitted in the homes of anyone I knew when I was growing up.

Every Woman Alive

AFTER I POURED THE PERFUME
DOWN THE DRAIN.

When My Mother The Dowager Duchess was in hospital for her back surgery during the summer of 2015 and I spent my "down-time" cleaning her apartment, I noticed a full bottle of Chanel Number 5 perfume sitting on a shelf in her bathroom. The label was brown with age, as was the perfume. The bottle had sat on a shelf in my mother's bathroom my entire life. When I was visiting her that day, I finally asked about it.

"Your father brought that from Paris for me when he came back from the war," she explained. "I hated that scent, so I would never use it."

"Over the next 39 years, until the day he died, he never asked you why you didn't use it?" I asked.

"Oh, I immediately told him I hated Chanel No 5," she said.

And, as if it made perfect sense, she told me, "I didn't want to hurt his feelings [um, too late] by throwing it away."

So, she instead placed it in plain view on a display shelf in their shared bathroom.

And there it remained for nearly 70 years.

EVERY WOMAN ALIVE WANTS CHANEL NUMBER 5? REALLY???

Traveling With A Saint

We arrived home to Málaga yesterday (Tuesday) morning. I feel great at the moment. Well, not at this specific moment. OK, now I feel great again. But only at the moment. Jet lag and two months of non-stop activity and travel.

I have four gazillion photos to sort through and then share. But, don't worry, I plan to hone that down to under three gazillion. Today I'll simply share what it looks like to travel with San Geraldo.

It's a good thing I don't care about what anyone thinks (within reason).

On the other hand, San Geraldo is clearly without reason.

AMAZINGLY, NOT SAN GERALDO UNDER THAT BLANKET.
FLYING FROM NEW YORK TO MINNEAPOLIS.

COMING IN FROM THE SCREEN PORCH AT NEPHEW AND
NIECE-IN-LAW'S, RYAN AND EMILY'S, SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA. 

GREAT-NIECES AND GREAT-NEPHEW (ELOISE, ALICE, AND BENNETT).
THEY WARMED THEIR BACKS AT THE FIREPLACE AND THEN WARMED SAN GERALDO.
(THAT'S AN 'ELOISE' STICKER ON HIS FOREHEAD.)

AT A SUPPER CLUB IN SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA (MORE ON THAT LATER).
I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF WHAT WAS GOING ON HERE. (TOWEL AND FAN BOTH?)

BALLARD, WASHINGTON (IN SEATTLE).
TOO COLD. NO HAT.

BALLARD (AGAIN).
TOO SUNNY. NO SUNGLASSES.

NEW YORK TO MÁLAGA.
OK, EVERYONE WAS COLD.

PHASE 2. IT GOT A LITTLE BETTER LATER IN THE FLIGHT.

FED UP WITH ME AND MY CAMERA: "UH, JERRY, MAYBE YOU
WANT TO TRY AGAIN... WITH THE CORRECT NUMBER OF FINGERS."

"THAT'S MY BOY!"

Taking The Long Way Home

From bidding a loving farewell to the Dowager Duchess to having the chance to spend special time with family and friends, it's been a long, emotional, elevating, busy, exhausting and eclectic seven weeks.

Since the 7th of August, we've flown from Málaga to New York City to Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota; driven to Pierre and then Sioux Falls, South Dakota to spend time with family; driven back to Minneapolis/Saint Paul to spend time with friends; and flown to Seattle, Washington, for more time with friends and family.

SEATTLE. OUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME AWAY FROM HOME AWAY FROM HOME
AWAY FROM HOME AWAY FROM HOME AWAY FROM HOME... MORE OR LESS.

Tomorrow, Friday, we fly from Seattle back to Minneapolis for a quick sleep-over before flying back to New York for two nights, to include one day with The Kid Brother. 

We are fine. We are happy. We are grateful. And, finally, we are physically and mentally exhausted.

We head home to Spain Monday, arriving Tuesday. We will miss [just about] everyone here and we are grateful for [just about] everything. But we look forward to once more sleeping in our own bed, cuddling with Dudo and Musy, being with our 'home friends,' and sipping cafe con leche in the Mediterranean sun.

So, expect my reemergence next week with more reading, commenting, and stories (and, of course, photos).

It's Not The Heat, It´s The Indignity

The Kid Brother came over this morning and he, San Geraldo and I took a walk for an early lunch at an air-conditioned restaurant in Coney Island. It's about a 15-minute walk. It was a very hot day. The minute we left the building, San Geraldo started to sweat (excuse me, Dowager Duchess, he began to perspire).

"Oh, this was a mistake," he soon said.

He took out his IKEA dish cloth and wiped the back of his neck.

"I don´t know if I´m going to make it," he said.

The Kid Brother and I slowed the pace for the very uncomfortable San Geraldo.

He DID make it to the restaurant, but not before sticking the dish cloth under his baseball cap.

(Click the images for bigger chickens... and other things.)

ABOUT TO CROSS SURF AVENUE. WHAT ARE WINGS FOR?
TO PUT SOME DISTANCE BETWEEN US AND THE PUBLIC EMBARRASSMENT. 

When I pointed out "the look" to the Kid Brother, he said, ¨What the...?!?," shook his head and moved a few feet away. I joined him.

After a very pleasant — and very cool — lunch, we decided to take the subway home. San Geraldo rode the two stops to The Duchess´ apartment and The Kid Brother and I rode another 15 minutes to his neighborhood. It was hot (remember?), so the Kid Brother suggested a stop at Carvel´s for ice cream.

THE ALWAYS PRESENTABLE KID BROTHER ON THE ¨F" TRAIN AFTER LUNCH.
(ALTHOUGH I THINK IT´S TIME TO REPLACE THAT 'GOOD LUCK' YANKEES CAP!)

FORT HAMILTON PARKWAY SUBWAY STATION, BROOKLYN.
A LONG, HOT WALK TO THE STAIRS.

OCEAN PARKWAY IN THE KENSINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD OF BROOKLYN.
NEAR THE KID BROTHER´S DIGS.

TWO BANANAS FOSTER SUNDAES. A BRILLIANT IDEA.

Kid Clobbers Clowns

I spent the day with the Kid Brother today. We walked; we talked seriously; we chatted; we did Abbott & Costello, The Honeymooners, Superman, and Get Smart routines.

We ate Nathan´s hot dogs and fries. We drank root beer sodas. He played skeeball and we both played arcade games. We shopped. We had a great time together. But the highlight for us both, I think, was when he knocked out a bunch of clowns.

(Click for the bigger picture.)

AT THE 100-YEAR-OLD ORIGINAL NATHAN'S .
THE KID BROTHER IS AN ORIGINAL, TOO, JUST NOT AS OLD.

THE COLOR-COORDINATED KID BROTHER IN FRONT OF ONE OF THIS YEAR'S CONEY ART WALLS.
(LOTS MORE OF THESE GREAT WORKS TO COME...)

CLOBBERING THE HIGH-POINT CLOWNS FIRST.

SELFIE SIBLINGS POST-CLOWNS.

Los Ciclonicos And The Cyclones

As you might have noticed, San Geraldo regularly complains about what he calls the cyclonic winds (los ciclonicos) that regularly whip up throughout the year, but primarily in winter, in our area of the Mediterranean (Alboran Sea).

The Dowager Duchess lived in a similarly cyclonically susceptible area on the Atlantic Ocean where it approaches New York Harbor.

IN NEED OF SOME SKIN RESURFACING?

The "cyclonic winds" in Brooklyn are also less common in summer, but we had one of those days last week. If you were unfortunate enough to be on the beach, you would have received free microdermabrasion. I was on the boardwalk.

BROOKLYN'S MINOR-LEAGUE BALL TEAM.
LOCATED IN CONEY ISLAND AND APPROPRIATELY NAMED "THE CYCLONES."

CONEY ISLAND'S OLDEST REMAINING ROLLER COASTER.
IT OPENED IN 1927 THE DAY AFTER THE DOWAGER DUCHESS WAS BORN...

... AND IT´S CALLED THE CYCLONE! THE DUCHESS NEVER WENT FOR A RIDE.

57 Bras, 104 Panties, And A Few Hand-Knits

Can you hear My Mother The Dowager Duchess saying "MITCHELL!!!" after reading the title of this post?

I've gone through all the closets and drawers (both kinds of drawers, in this case). I knew my mother liked to shop, but I had no idea how much.

(Click the images and see the collections grow.)

SOCKS... THE FINAL PILE WAS TWICE THIS SIZE.

My mother wouldn't care that I've told you about the hand-knits. She´d be proud. And she´d be even more proud they've all been donated to JASA, a wonderful social services agency without which she would not have been able to live independently this past year. Dozens of beautiful items The Duchess made and wore over the years — including a crocheted and silk-lined purse. I'll share some individual photos one of these days.

I THOUGHT I WAS DONE STACKING THE HAND-KNITS.

THEN I WAS SURE I WAS DONE, SO I BOXED IT ALL UP.

BUT, WAIT, THERE´S MORE!!!

My mother would NOT be pleased I've told you about the 57 bras and 104 pairs of panties (at least I didn't include photos).

Nothing but gratitude and smiles remembering a life lived fully, independently and uniquely...

In really, REALLY nice underwear.


P.S.: Sorry to not be keeping up on your comments and blogs. I will get back to you all once I've dug myself out from under all the clothes, shoes and several hundred pairs of earrings. This may take a while. — m

Off The Wall And A Full Moon

We said our farewells to My Mother The Dowager Duchess Wednesday morning. The Kid Brother was exceptional. The day went smoothly. Several raindrops hit the windshield of the limo as we headed to the cemetery. It never really rained on us and there was no storm, but those three raindrops meant I had to fork over $4 (click here if you missed that story). I was happy to do so.

So, now San Geraldo and I are making phone calls, scheduling appointments, doing paperwork, cleaning house... We appear to have everything under control.

We had planned a trip here at the end of the month, which was to continue to the Midwest and Northwest for other family visits. We have decided to stick to that plan.

San Geraldo and The Kid Brother went today to the casino at Aqueduct Racetrack. The Kid Brother had a very successful day. San Geraldo did not. And I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with my cousin Evie who drove in from New Jersey. We visited our Aunt Sylvie, who will be 94 this year but, sadly, lives in a deep fog of dementia. We then headed out for lunch. So much to be grateful for.

Before Evie´s arrival, I went for a walk on the Boardwalk in the 95+ degree heat (35C) and high humidity. The weather here has been brutal. Still, the walk was a joy. And I did my parents´ traditional kick-off (click here for an earlier kick-off) at the end of Brighton Beach and the beginning of Manhattan Beach. The Boardwalk has been redone and it´s no longer the same wall, but it still counts and it still felt great.

Life goes on. Gratitude grows.

I SPOTTED THIS ON THE BOARDWALK AND COULDN´T RESIST.
I COULD IMMEDIATELY HEAR THE DOWAGER DUCHESS SAYING, "MITCHELL!!!"

In Lieu Of Flowers

I will be responding to each and every message once this week is over and can never thank you all enough for your kindness. San Geraldo and I are, and the Dowager Duchess would be (and, who knows, maybe she is) overwhelmed.

This morning we say our formal good-byes to my mother, Marion Block.

All has gone smoothly this week. San Geraldo has earned his title "San" ten-fold. I´m thinking of awarding him a double halo.

The Kid Brother has been great. He´s been watching the weather forecast and is convinced there´s going to be a storm this morning.

When I told him it wouldn´t storm this morning (just so he´d relax and actually show up; how the hell would I know if it will storm or not?), he said, ¨How much ya wanna bet?¨

I said, "A billion dollars!"

He said, "You jerk! I´ll betcha four dollahs!"

The bet is on. I was kind of hoping it would storm. Then he´d be sure to be outside waiting for San Geraldo just to collect his money.

San Geraldo is picking him up at 7 this morning and bringing him back here. We three will then head off in the limo (The Kid Brother really wanted a white one) for our day of grateful remembrance.

For those who have been asking, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:

AHRC New York City
A family governed organization committed to finding ways for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities to build full lives as defined by each person and supported by dedicated families, staff and community partners.

www.ahrcnycfoundation.org
or write or call:
AHRC New York City Foundation, Inc.
83 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038
212-780-2690

Saying Good-Bye To The Dowager Duchess

FROM OUR VISIT IN APRIL.

After a long, active life filled with many hardships and many blessings, my mother passed away Friday at the age of 89.

She had been telling me a lot lately, "I'm just not myself anymore." She managed to get out once a week with a small group of wonderful friends for a painting class and dinner; it was the highlight of her week. But she found it very exhausting and usually spent the entire next day recovering.

Another day each week, she hosted a Mah Jongg game at home with other friends. She also loved that but, again, found it very exhausting.

Other than that, her life had become limited to walks down to the local market or some nearby shops, usually in the company of an aide. It was a better life than many experience, but it wasn't the life she wanted, and we worried she would soon have to give up more of her independence and mobility.

Her very kind next-door neighbor checked on her Friday night when he got home from work after he saw her NY Times still outside her door. My thanks — and my heart — go out to him.

Jerry and I are getting ready to head to New York. I expect that the funeral will be held Tuesday, but that remains to be arranged.

I haven't yet spoken with the Kid Brother, but I will. And he will be fine, especially because we three will be fine together.

I plan to continue to tell stories (many embarrassing) about the Dowager Duchess. She loved the attention. On her behalf, I thank you all for that.

A Sloth In Spanish

Yes, it's still summer here on the Costa Del Sol. I was sloth-like Monday and Tuesday afternoon, so decided to go for a long walk Wednesday. But I forgot to wear my new cap.

So, I walked along the beach for about 15 minutes before turning into town where I could shelter at times in the shade of the buildings. The shade led me to Bioparc Fuengirola (the zoo), so I headed inside figuring I would continue to find shade under the lush vegetation. Of course, I found so much more. And most of the animals were finding ways to relax and cool off as well.

(Please, click the pics. You'll be glad you did.)

I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE OF THE "HOOFED" ANIMALS GET INTO THE WATER.

THE KOMODO DRAGON WAS A SLOTH.

SPEAKING OF SLOTHS, THAT'S PEREZOSO IN SPANISH.
I'M SO IMPRESSED WITH MY EXPANDING VOCABULARY!
AND THE IDIOT TRUMP THINKS HE HAS "A LOT OF WORDS."

PARADISE IN THE HEART OF FUENGIROLA.

THE ORANGUTAN (ORANGUTÁN IN SPANISH) IMAGES
ARE NOT GREAT BUT AREN'T YOU IN LOVE NOW, TOO?

WELL-SCHOOLED: LIKE THE "HOOFED" ANIMAL,
THE FISH DECIDED TO COOL OFF IN THE WATER, AS WELL.

Red Hotness

It's been hot here. And steamy. And the air hasn't been all that pleasant. There were sand storms in Northern Africa in recent days that made their way across the sea to Andalucía. The red dust was said to reach as far as Sevilla (a couple of hours north of us). It definitely reached here.

(Click the images to see what the wind blew in.)

RED DUST BLOWING IN FROM THE SOUTH AT SUNSET SUNDAY.

BEFORE SUNSET: JUST LOOK AT THE HEAT RISING FROM THE SAND!