#3022 three things: 80 lbs of birdseed, grocery shopping on Tuesday morning, and going out for coffee

1. 80 pounds of birdseed. You know how much I love to feed the birdies in my yard. I have a cute little birdfeeder, just one, and it gives me a lot of pleasure to watch the birdies come to the feeder. I love it when the ones on the feeder kick out some seeds for their friends who are waiting on the ground. Sometimes there will be a dozen or so birds in the yard pecking at the seeds. Of course that only happens when the dogs are inside, but we (the dogs and I) watch from the big window into the yard. I usually buy about 10 lbs of seeds every month from Smiths. 

When the menfolk began going through the new property in Pocatello, MT texted me to let me know not to buy any more birdseed. He said they'd found some seed at the house and they would bring it next time they came home. It turns out that when I went to Pocatello for Thanksgiving, I just picked up the seed myself. 

That is two 40 lb bags of birdseed. It's still in the back of my car. I don't even know how I'm going to store this much seed. We have lots of five pound buckets out in the garage, but I don't want to have several open buckets of seeds because I worry that mice will come in to feast, and I am not interested in that option. I'll probably just have to find a container with a secure lid, or else buy one, and I need to do this soon. I'm out of the seed I'd last bought at the grocery store, and the birdies are hungry. They chirp at me from the trees and the power lines. I'll keep you updated on this important issue.

2. Grocery shopping on Tuesday morning. Speaking of the grocery store, yesterday (Tuesday) I went  shopping at my local supermarket, and can I just tell you how pleasant it was? There weren't many people to navigate around, and certainly no little kids. I didn't have to wait in a line for an actual checker, in fact, she was waiting for me to put my groceries on the conveyor. Shopping still isn't that fun (unless I'm at Trader Joe's) but being able to go on a weekday morning is pretty dang nice.

3. Out for coffee. One of the things I wanted to do in my retirement is to go to different coffee places in the valley. I have a small list of places that have popped up on my social media feed, and I'm looking forward to getting to all of them. Yesterday was my first outing. I stayed close to home and went to Azucar,

It is a Mexican coffee place not from from my house. I enjoyed a Mexican mocha and a chunk of pecan bread. The bread wasn't too sweet or crumbly. It was perfect for scooping up the rich foam of the yummy coffee. The dash of cinnamon made everything taste great. I saw a lot of avocado toast being served, so maybe I'd have that next time.  The cafe was quite busy with folks chatting over coffee, studying, and reading, like me. This West Valley location isn't really cozy. It's in sort of a strip mall and it's kind of cave-like. The front is a big window, so during the morning there is decent light. The last time I was here it was later in the afternoon and it was dark in the cafe. I know that Azucar has opened another shop closer to downtown, so I'll have to check that place out, too.

I hope you are having a great week!

xo

#3021 the first week

Okay, yes, I have been retired for several weeks now, but this first full week of January hit a bit different. The menfolk have gone back to Idaho to work on the new rental property. Everyone I know is back to work, so this really felt like the first week. It's when the reality that I don't have anywhere I need to be really sank in. I filled my days, but it felt like a long week. I'm gonna tell you about it.

On Monday I spent much of the day making phone calls and paying bills. I also did some art, did some Spanish lessons, exercised with resistance bands and had a FaceTime conversation with my mama and my sister.

On Tuesday I sat out on the deck in the sunshine and drank some coffee in the morning. This simple thing may well be one of my favorite things to do. The big dogs usually sit in the sun with me, and Stella brings me her frisbee to throw over and over and over. I also made bread!

I made this loaf of bread!

It was super easy with just four ingredients. There was no kneading. I just mixed the ingredients together, let it rise for a couple of hours, shaped it into a tidy ball, and baked it. It tasted good. I plan to make another loaf this week, and I think I will add Everything but the Bagel seasoning to zazz it up a little..

On Wednesday I puttered around the house. It was first Wednesday, so I went to Dutch Bros for coffee and a sticker. I did mess around outside in the morning because the sun was shining. Sometimes I don't drink coffee out there, but I do sit and listen to the birds and the traffic and contemplate life in between frisbee tossing. 

Thursday was a big day. I texted with several work friends. I had my teeth cleaned and picked up my new glasses.

new specs and clean teeth

I took myself out for lunch after the errands were complete. I've been wanting to go to El Habanero, a Mexican restaurant down the road from my house. I haven't been there in ages, and it really hit the spot.

enchilada of beans and cochinita pibil

Friday was nice, so I drank coffee outside.

good morning!

I had a couple of fun phone calls with my BFF LA and my beloved sister. I watched TV. I finished the Taylor Swift docuseries, so now I'm ready to watch the final concert video. I also watch the first two episodes of season 5 of Emily in Paris. Those first two eps are in Rome, and seeing the city made my heart go pitter-pat. 

Yesterday I put away the Christmas ornaments, swept and dusted. I had football games on the TV, and I had quite a bit of couch time. I also went to bed early, which was just wonderful.

Today I laced up my Hokas and went for a walk at Centennial Park.

invigorating!

 After the walk I went to Starbucks for coffee and reading time. The rest of the day has been really quiet. I wrote in my journal mostly, and started reading a new book.

Every day I do art, writing, reading, learning, and exercises. I also spend a bit of each day tidying up the place, including cleaning up the office. My office is the first room I am tackling to get rid of stuff. This first week I cleaned out a couple of filing cabinets and put a bunch of knick-knacks in a sack to donate. Starting tomorrow, I'm gonna tackle the closet. I'm weirdly excited about it. 

What else is coming up? On Thursday I will go to the Red Butte Garden volunteer dinner. I'm hoping that MT will make it home so he can come with me. I'll be getting my 10 year pin! Can you believe that? I've been volunteering there for 10 years already!

On Friday, Stella is going to the dog spa. She is super shaggy and doesn't smell very nice. One day, maybe Tuesday, I'm going to take myself out for coffee somewhere new. I haven't decided where yet. 

I'm keeping myself entertained. Mostly I like to say home and putter around in cozy sweaters, soft pants. and warm, thick socks. I do something, then I read or play a game on my phone. I stay hydrated and don't snack too much. 

Have a nice week! Do something fun!

xo

#3020 just…no

I was planning to write a cute little post tonight, but I don’t have it in me right now. I am so disgusted, enraged, and heartbroken about what happened in Minneapolis today. The best thing I can do for myself right now is to wrap myself in a cozy quilt and watch a familiar and beloved movie to try to get the images I saw on the news and on social media out of my head, at least for a couple of hours. 

#3019 a mother lode of new books!

I just wanted to tell you about the glorious book haul I got at the library this week. 

The Salt Lake County Library has a program called Reader's Choice that they do two or three times a year. Between 12 and 20 books are chosen from all different genres, both fiction and non-fiction. Readers can read as many books as they like, and then vote for their favorite. I think there's a gift card raffle for people who vote. I don't usually vote, but I like to read some of the books.

As luck would have it, I finished a book on Jan 2, so I decided to return it (it's a hot title with lots of hold requests). Since it was the first business day of the year, the Reader's Choice display was fresh and new and loaded with brand new books! Brand. New. I went ahead and picked up the four shown above. Two of them are romance books, as you can see, and the other two are about old fellas.

I'm currently reading The Borrowed Life of Fredrick Fife. It's set in Australia, and it's about an old fella, Fredrick, who is down on his luck until he comes upon an old fella who is in an even worse way - he's unalive. Things happen, and Fredrick ends up going to the dead fella's nursing home. Fredrick and Bernard, the dead guy, look enough alike that no one really even gives it a thought, which is pretty disturbing if you think about it. As much as Fredrick tries to protest and tell someone what happened, no one believes him because Bernard had dementia, so they think that Fredrick/Bernard is making stuff up. 

Okay, so as I'm reading this synopsis, it sounds pretty awful. The good news is that it isn't awful. It's pretty sweet, once you get over what happens to Bernard. I'm close to half-way through the book, and my eyes have already leaked a couple of times, 

Anyway, the real high point is that each of these four books is brand new, never been opened. I'm the first person to crack the spines on these four copies. That is so rare for library books! I'm pretty delighted by the situation.

 

#3018 I'm a mystical hibernating bear

 

Here we are: a new month and a new year. Today is grey and drizzly in Salt Lake City. It doesn't feel like an auspicious start to a new year, it just feels like winter. I saw a post on IG from sacred.origins that resonated with me, about how Life doesn't get reborn in January. January is winter. It is a time of darkness and quiet as nature regenerates and everything rests. Life is reborn in the spring "when light returns, soil warms, and life actually emerges." In that sense, it seems more reasonable to celebrate the spring equinox as the start of the new year.  This makes so much sense to me. During these winter months of January and February, I just feel like nesting, sort of hibernating. So even though the calendar has changed and a new year has begun, I will take these next couple of months to rest and focus within myself and my home and prepare for the lightness and joy of spring.

I'm a little hibernating bear.

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My aunt Mary passed away on Tuesday. She was the last of my dad's siblings. We moved her to a memory care facility in Arizona in December 2023, and she did not thrive there. My dad was the first of the four to pass, then my uncle Dewey passed in July 2023 followed quickly by my aunt Bettie in September 2023. I think when Mary realized she was alone, she lost her will to go on, bit by bit, and she was sort of wasting away there, even though I know she had good care and the place she lived was nice. My cousin and his kids live nearby and they went to visit her, but she didn't have her dog and she wasn't at home and her siblings were gone. I feel sad that she's gone, and I feel hopeful that her spirit can now find peace. 

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MT is home for the weekend. Last night, he and I watched five episodes of The West Wing, gave each other a kiss at midnight, and went to bed. Big times at our house! T went to a family party with his friend Jordyn and spent the night at her house. Today MT is watching backpacking videos on YouTube and putting together a puzzle. I am planning to write in my journal and eat snacks and have a chill day.

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Lizzie and I did a fun thing. Again, I got the idea from Instagram, and it was to write 12 wishes for the new year, 12 things that I wish for myself. My 12 wishes ranged from the number of books I want to read in 2026, to particular fitness goals, to creative challenges. The wishes were written on strips of paper and folded up. I put mine in a pretty wooden bowl, then starting on the night of the winter solstice, I picked one folded up wish and without opening it, I burned it. I burned one wish every night until last night, new year's eve, there were just two wishes remaining. Choosing which wish to burn last night was the most difficult of the 12 days! This morning I opened up the last wish, and this is my responsibility for the year. This is the wish the fates or whatever have chosen for me our of the 12 wishes I wrote down. 

I wish to have the foresight to have protein and fiber with every meal.

Certainly it doesn't mean that I won't work on some of the other wishes I wrote down. Of course I'm going to set a reading goal for myself, but maybe it will be lower than the number I wrote on the wish slip. Of course I'm going to spend time working on my fitness goals and creativity, but the ONE BIG THING will be to have protein and fiber with every meal. And trust me, it will be challenging because I haven't really thought that way about food. I'm excited about this!

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One more thing to share today. At the start of the year, I pick a Word to be my guide and my mantra, I guess, for the year. Sometimes choosing a Word is hard to do. Last year I changed my Word three times because I found that the Word I'd chosen wasn't serving me and my needs. This year's Word came to me quickly and easily, and brought a couple of supporting words with it. My Word for 2026 is 

SAVOR

supported by Intentional and Deliberate

Usually I think of savor as something to do with food, but it can also be about finding joy and pleasure in a moment, or in a beautiful piece of music or a well-told story. I think of savoring as slowing down to soak in the appreciation of something, which is where intentional and deliberate come in. I feel like this is the right time in my life to slow down and fully appreciate all the things. I know the things won't always be good, and that's okay because there needs to be balance. 

I am feeling sort of mystical today. (heehee)

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Okay, that's all! I've got some writing to do, and I'll throw in some drawing, too. Happy, happy new year to anyone reading this. I wish you all the joy and delight you can stand this year.

xo

#3017 a lengthy recap with lots of photos of trees and coffees

We have a lot to catch up on, don't we? 

This might be a longish post, but let's just roll with it. Let's start with Dec 11, a Thursday, and the last work day for me of my career at Granite. I did actually do a little bit of work that day, then there was a retirement luncheon. Food was catered from Cafe Rio (my choice), and all my work pals were gathered round the conference room table. There were gifts and tears and words and hugs and it was really nice. Afterward, there were photos. Here's one:

my work peeps!

The next few days, Friday through Sunday, were kind of a blur. MT and T came home on Thursday night and stayed for the weekend. MT went back to Pocatello on Sunday morning, and T stayed here because he was taking care of the dogs while I went to California to visit Mom and Lizzie. 

I arrived in Southern California on Monday afternoon. We went out for dinner, then to the house to chat and chill. Every day Lizzie and I went out for a walk and coffee. She picked easy trails for me, which was kind of her. I really like the urban hill trails in the area where they live. The trails we walked on were all part of parks, but they still feel a little wild. The weather was good, in my opinion. We had some foggy mornings that gave good vibes. After the walk and coffee, we went home to hang out, then in the later afternoon, we go somewhere for late lunch/early dinner. 

On Tuesday we went for a walk at Laguna Lake park. It was a foggy morning, and one of my favorite things about the trail was the part where all the trees were decorated! A family who lives along the trail had decorated about a dozen (or more) trees with baubles and it was so sweet. I think if you double click on the photo, it will fill your screen with the image so you can see the decorations.

Laguna Lake Park trail

We went for coffee at a cute place in Fullerton called Lulu Coffee. The bagel with cream cheese and salami was delicious and the cappuccino was good, too.

at Lulu Coffee in Fullerton

That evening we went to Old World Village in Huntington Beach. We had dinner at the Old World Biergarten. I had schnitzel and cheesy spaetzel and it tasty. A fun thing was that there was a Christmas Market onsite that day, so we wandered around in there. It was nicely decorated, and there weren't too many people, so it was good.

in the Christmas market

The next day was Wednesday, my mama's birthday! Lizzie and I started the day with an easy walk at Creek Park. 

it was still fall in Southern California

For coffee, we went to a favorite place, Civitas (no photo) and took it to go along with a chocolate croissant for Mama. Around noon, we drove to San Juan Capistrano, about a 45 minute drive from their house. We had lunch in a cute restaurant called Sundried Tomato Bistro.

birthday lunch!

After lunch we crossed the street to walk around the mission. It was a beautiful day, and the grounds were all decorated for Christmas. If I remember right, the lighting ceremony was going to be the next evening. We didn't come back for that, but we sure enjoyed strolling around. A nice lady took our picture.

awww!

The light that afternoon was amazing, and we were happy to be together.

ussie with perfect lighting

We stopped at another restaurant, Bloom, for coffee and dessert before we headed back home. The drive down only took 45 minutes, but it was at least double that going back north. That's how it goes, I guess.

On Thursday morning, Lizzie and I walked at Clark Park. It was a lovely morning, and everything was so green, it looked like spring.

a blooming meadow on the Clark Park trail

For coffee, we went to Enchanted, a coffee shop in La Mirada. I had one of the seasonal drinks, a maple latte that was really good, and the biggest, most Nutella-stuffed croissant I've ever seen. I couldn't eat the whole thing in one sitting. The place was busy and the vibe was not relaxing, but the coffee and croissant were top notch.

coffee and croissant at Enchanted

That night we went to Il Gatto in La Habra. It is an Italian trattoria that is completely gorgeous. We didn't get the table we wanted, but the food was good and the wine was excellent. I'd be glad to go back to this place anytime. I didn't take pics of the food. We ordered from the happy hour menu, so we had a variety of delicious snacks that were really filling! The hostess did take our photo by their pretty Christmas tree.

we are full of Italian food

On Friday morning, Lizzie and I went another park in Fullerton, I think, to an area she called Lost Trail. We walked through a softball complex to a series of dirt trails. There weren't many people on this trail, so it was really quiet and nice. There was an amazing tree just off the trail.

I loved this cool tree!

An interesting thing to me about the trail is that it went to the Brea Dam, which is interesting because it doesn't dam anything. Lizzie wanted to go up a trail above the dam, but I didn't really want to, so she was kind and cut me some slack. It was a cool area, and I liked the walk a lot.

For coffee, we went to Golden State Roasting Company in Placentia. The seating areas were large, and the exposed brick was pretty. It wasn't exactly cozy, but it was nice. The coffee was good - I had a peppermint mocha along with a breakfast sandwich. Nothing special about the sammy, but it hit the spot.

peppermint mocha at Golden State Roasting Co.

Later that afternoon, we had late lunch/early dinner at Zumaya's in Whittier. I didn't take a pic of my meal, but I had carnitas tacos and they were really good. The meat was tender and flavorful, and the tortillas were amazing. They may have been made from masa; they were sort of chewy and soft and mmmm. So good! After the meal, we drove over to a Mexican bakery to get a coffee and a dessert to take home. The dude told me there was coffee in that mocha, but it was so smooth and chocolatey, I didn't taste coffee at all. We also went to a nearby store called Pour le Bain. I have been in the store before and it smells so good and has pretty things. Then we took an ussie with a giant Santa.

this Santa is BIG!

The next day Lizzie and I did our traditional Saturday walk around La Mirada Regional Park before hitting the Farmer's Market for pastry and stickers, then picking up coffee from Starbucks. We stayed home the rest of the day. Mom cooked canalones and we drank a bottle of cava to celebrate my retirement, Mom's birthday, and just being together.  

On Sunday we didn't go for a walk, but we did go back to Civitas for coffee and pastry to go. Then I had to pack and get on the plane to come home. 

The highlights of this past week were getting a live Christmas tree, this cute Norfolk pine...

our Christmas tree

...going to the Christmas breakfast at the country club with my work friends, then taking my final walk of the year through Red Butte Garden (the Garden is closed from Dec 24 - Jan 1)...

no snow to be seen

...taking a drive down Michigan Ave to admire the thousands of lights on the sycamore trees...

magical Michigan Ave

 

...and celebrating Christmas at home with my menfolk.

Happy Christmas from MT, me, and T!

The bummer part is that I've had a cold since Christmas Eve. It's still hanging on, but I do feel better today.

So, yeah, this is a long post, and if you've made it this far, thanks and nice going! It's just a little snippet of my exciting life LOL

I don't have much on the agenda for next week. Of course, Wednesday is New Year's Eve followed by New Year's Day. I'll be surprised if we make it to midnight on Wednesday, but we'll try! I think my main activity will be figuring out how to spend my days productively since I won't be working anymore. I've cut myself some slack this month since I've been on vacation and it's the holidays, but I know myself well enough to know that I must have some kind of structure planned or I will default to scrolling through Instagram and playing games on my phone. I have a list (surprise!) of things I want to do daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly, so I'll use that to shape my days. I'm excited to see what's next.

xo

 

#3016 cheers!

Wishing you a very happy Christmas Eve. Now I will follow an Icelandic tradition which I read about on social media so I know it must be true. I am going to read a new book I picked up from the library and eat some chocolate. 

I'll be back with a real post on Sunday. 

Cheers!