#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!

#3015 getting in the Christmas mood

Last night I asked MT if he wanted to go see a street near our house that is always on the MUST SEE CHRISTMAS STREETS in the Salt Lake Valley. It's right in Magna, and the street is called Miracle Cove. Since I found out about it a couple of years ago, I've wanted to see it, and I finally made it happen last night. It's a cul de sac, and every yard in the neighborhood is fully decorated. It's amazing. People do walk around, but most just drive really slowly which is what we did, so all of these photos I took from inside the truck.

I liked this street so much I drove around it again tonight with T. He liked it well enough, although he said it was weird because there's no snow. I don't mind that there's no snow. It will come soon enough.

That's all for now. It's amazing that I've had all day to write here, but I saved it for the end of the day when I'm tired and ready for bed. It's a habit I will be glad to break. 

#3014 three things I will miss about work

OMG, it's here. Tomorrow is my last day at work. I will be on vacation until Dec. 25, and that's my last day on the payroll, but I won't be doing any more work for Granite after tomorrow. (If I'm being honest, I doubt I'll do any work tomorrow, either, teehee.)  Last Wednesday I told you three things I would NOT miss about work, and in the spirit of fairness and reality, here are three things I WILL miss, in no particular order.

1. A paycheck and having my health insurance covered by the Company. I will be getting "paid" through my 401(K) and eventually through Social Security (I hope), but it will be different than the checks I was getting for actually doing the job. After shopping for open market health insurance, I had a renewed sense of gratitude for the health insurance coverage provided by the Granite. Health insurance is expensive, for reals. We are going to be okay financially, but I will miss having a paycheck show up in my bank account every other week, and it will be slightly painful to watch the health insurance payment go out of my bank account every month.

2. Dip Days and December traditions. We all like food and fun things. At work, we would have little celebrations we call "Dip Day." Everyone brings their favorite dip or appetizer, maybe small bites or desserts, and we put it all out for everyone to graze on throughout the day. It is a fun way to mingle away from our desks and have some tasty snacks. I've always had a love/hate relationship with Dip Day. I love it in the morning, and sort of hate myself in the afternoon. The food is always so good. 

Our department also has many fun December traditions. We do Secret Santa. We decorate the office. We order buckets of cheese and snack on cheese and crackers all month. The whole company has an employee appreciation luncheon which is a catered buffet to which all employees are invited. We have a Pie Day, where we bring in pizza from the legendary Salt Lake pizza place, The Pie. The admin department has a Christmas breakfast, usually at a local country club, that is always fun and festive. 

I will miss these events and others that made work special.

3. People. Really, the people I work with in the admin department will be the thing I miss most about this job. I was lucky enough to be on the hiring team that brought many of the folks in the department on board, and selfishly, I tried to make sure we hired people I wanted to hang out with eight to ten hours a day. You spend a lot of time at work, so having cool coworkers is important. I have and have had cool coworkers my whole career at Granite and at the newspaper in Pocatello, too. Heck, my BFF LA was a friend I made at the paper! 

The people in the admin department are hard-working, dedicated, fun-loving, intelligent, and hilarious. It has been my pleasure to see some of them fall in love and get married, start their families. I've seen others go through terrible health crises and come out stronger, sassier, and full of life. I've seen some of them become grandparents and I've seen others find their second chance at love. I've seen them become leaders and experts in their jobs. I've seen them take on new challenges and thrive, redefining what that role looked like. I've seen them learn new ways of doing their work, and roll with the punches that come from working in corporate America. 

Through it all, each person remains kind, loyal, and loving toward each other. You're having a hard day? Someone will give you a hug (if you allow it.) You need a ride to work? Someone will help you out. You need something brought to your house? Someone will bring it to you. It's the little kindnesses that are freely given that makes the Utah office really special. 

I feel fortunate to have had a nice career at Granite. There have been some shitty times, without a doubt, but I feel like I can say that most of my nearly 30 years there (29 years and eight months, to be precise) have been a pleasure. I've learned a lot. I did the best I could, and at the end of my career, I can say I think the Company got its money's worth out of me.