Apricity West 2

February 5, 2022, Saturday

Trying out an air purifier in hopes it will clean the air of all that haunts me.

Met up with Terri and Jim at their house and headed out for an early lunch at Transplant. They "transplanted" to Tucson from Detroit.

A very thick, yet light and fluffy crust for pizza and roast beef and horseradish sandwich. Delicious! In line with the Detroit auto industry, they serve food on trays that look like drip pans.

On to the Gem Show which pops up all over the city and outskirts. There are dozens of tents along both sides of Interstate 10. 

Here at the Sports Arena shares a huge footprint with tents and outdoor booths - wares include gems, leather works, woven attire, animal pelts, furniture, musical instruments, rocks large and small. 

What we saw was a microcosm of the numerous popups around the city. The amount of labor that goes in to setting up the booths and their contents blows the mind. 

Sat in the “thrones" overlooking our “court” in the lovely backyard for cocktails - so relaxing...

 

It was a sniffle free day… got home to find that Lily had burrowed under the bedding on my side of the bed. 

 

February 6, 2022, Sunday 

Woke up sneezing and took a new, full box of tissues for the day and had a grocery bag to dispose of the used ones. Terri gave me some homeopathic tablets to try starting tomorrow. Fingers crossed. 🤞

 

Another early lunch, this time in downtown LaCo/Tall Boys, which was mobbed and had a 25 minute wait to get in, so we stood in line at the bar with one bartender. It gave us time to take in the eclectic surroundings and figure out what we wanted from the very diverse menu. When we ordered the waitperson told us the kitchen was behind about 40 minutes, so we ordered the salsa and chips to hold us over.  The food came early and was worth the wait and the guitar soloist was very talented. 

Then we walked across the way to the January 8th Memorial - 

On Saturday morning, Jan. 8, 2011, at 10:10 a.m., a young man shot nineteen people who were gathered at the Safeway store on the corner of Ina and Oracle in northwest Tucson to talk with their congresswoman, Gabby Giffords, about varied issues and concerns.

 

In the days that followed, the community came together to provide comfort and support to one another at spontaneous memorial tribute sites… These community-created tribute memorial sites were spontaneous and organic, a place for people to gather together in shared grief and hope. The beautiful and diverse materials placed at the three spontaneous tribute sites around Tucson in the wake of the shootings of January 8th form an amazing collection of the community's heartfelt response to this tragedy…

 

While the tribute memorials could not remain indefinitely in the locations where they grew up, the need to preserve these touching items for future generations was clear. In early February 2011, the tribute materials at University Medical Center, Safeway and Congresswoman Giffords' office were carefully gathered, dried and given basic preservation treatments…

Reflection Pool

 

Went back to the house and gave Terri a quick ukulele lesson and left the smaller instrument with her so she can dabble over the week. She is interested, but has beautiful long fingernails which will surely get in the way. Not sure she wants to make the sacrifice! My friend Marcia Eveland lived in Hawaii for years and has given me this information:

Ukulele is pronounced:   oo koo lay lay
It means: dancing flea for the speed of the flying fingers.  Uku means: head lice when you have a kid who is in Hawaiian preschools. 

 

February 7, 2022, Monday

Made calls to Allergists in the area - no one is taking new patients until March 1st. Existing patients have to do TeleHealth visits until then due to surge in Covid cases. Took the homeopathic medicine as directed throughout the day and the symptoms are subsiding. 

 

Other than that, the day started out very positive - apple fritter breakfast, working on art, strumming, lounging around with no worries. Then we went out for the afternoon errands and not much went right! 

• Trying to find eyeglass frames that fit my lenses since they have been glued and re-glued for several days now - Vision Works can’t help unless you bought frames there. Walmart (where I bought them years ago in Pittsfield) doesn’t have records before 2018. The clerk popped out the lens to find a match, but no luck. Then she gave me 2 business cards of shops who repair frames. Found one but the craftsman wasn’t there and I would have to leave my glasses until tomorrow. NOT!
• Got a call from Shear Force (hair salon) that my pedicure person was out for the week due to Covid exposure. The only other appointment this week is Friday. We had just made plans to meet up with friends on Friday. Will have to reschedule with them - thankfully, they are flexible and understanding. I haven’t had a pedi since October! I know…
• Next to USPS to mail 2 small packages for grandkids back home. The clerk was very courteous, helpful and efficient, but I couldn’t believe it cost $21 to mail them. 
• Drove to the Elks for a nice cold drink - they were closed!

So we went back to the RV park and poured our own...

 

February 8, 2022, Tuesday

Toured around the area in search of a better (more activities, not just free donuts) RV park for less. Ha! Checked 3 out and they are all lovely, but twice as much or more than Crazy Horse. For activities, we will have to get back in the saddle of our bikes and do some walking as well…                                                                                                 

 

💔 RIP dear friend, Barbara Puleri - has it been 7 years?

 

February 9, 2022, Wednesday  

Well, today was an expensive one and all before noon. Called another Glass Frame Fixer and knew he was the one when he said, “I can fix anything except your car and your marriage!” And he did, for a mere $85 - well worth it. He suggested we go to the Blue Willow nearby while we wait an hour or so. What a unique spot! It was 11am and there was only one parking spot left - a good sign. You walk through a gift shop to get to the restaurant which was serving breakfast and lunch. It was a toss up, but I got the Mac ’n Cheese and Rich got the Meatloaf. 

Both were delicious and I took 1/2 of mine home so I could leave room for dessert - Peaches ’n Cream Pie.

Since you pay for meal ($80) at the Gift Shop, I poked around and found a wall of pocketbooks - I have been on the look out for one lately. 

Voila - for another $50, I do not have to look anymore. 

Staying home for the rest of this gorgeous, sunny 73 degree day...

 

February 10, 2022, Thursday 

We are starting my new walking routine before our joints lock up from lack of motion. Rich walked for a while, and I continued. 

Walking while listening to a great book, These Is My Words, by Nancy Turner. How appropriate as it is about a diary of a young girl at 17 years old during her wagon train journey from Prescott, AZ to San Angelo, TX and back to Tucson, AZ. The story is based on the life of the author’s great grandmother, Sarah Prine, as told in a memoir by her older brother. With much research and imagination, Nancy portrayed it as a moving love story after many trials and tribulations earlier in her life. Times were hard for all in the late 1800’s and Sarah did the work of two men most of her life, and birthing and raising her 9 children while her husband, Army Captain Jack Elliott, was off chasing Geronimo until his surrender. Their love was strong. I plan to go to the small museum of Fort Lowell here in Tucson to bring the story to life for me. 

 

The week has been very good regarding the allergies!!