#3024 three things: coffee three ways

 

I wonder how I made this fun collage. Maybe using Canva? I don't know, and I know it's more than three photos, but I like it, so I figured I'd use it today because I want to talk about coffee.

I started going to Starbucks, or at least I became a Starbucks rewards member, in 2011. A chai latte was the gateway drink, then I cautiously moved to mochas and lattes with coffee. The drinks were quite sweet, so I don't think I noticed the coffee all that much.

When Lizzie and I went to Costa Rica in 2021, that's when I really started liking coffee for coffee's sake. Currently there are three ways to make coffee at my house.

1. Drip coffee. This is the American standard way of making coffee through a drip system. You put ground up coffee beans in a filter, water in the tank, press the button, and within five to seven minutes, you get a pot of coffee. I like this type of coffee because you have so many choices about what kind of beans you want to use, for example the roast, whole beans you grind yourself or already ground beans, and lots of different flavors and brands. I really like a Utah roaster, Cafe Ibis. I currently have a holiday blend that is quite tasty. My biggest drawback with the drip is that the smallest quantity setting on my machine is eight cups, and that is a lot of coffee. I'm usually good for a cup or two, and I dislike pouring the rest of the pot down the sink. It feels like such a waste! I'm considering getting a much smaller coffee maker like the one my sister has. I think it only makes two or three cups.

2. Pods. My coffee maker is a Keurig Duo, which means it has both the drip and the K-cup option. I don't use Keurig brand coffee because most any type of pod will work. I like the Green Mountain pods, especially the morning blend which is a light roast. It's a mellow coffee. It's great for when I'm in a hurry, which isn't often anymore, but it's still a quick fix.

Keurig Duo coffee maker

3. Moka pot. I remember that my abuelita had a moka pot that she used to make her morning cafe. I decided to buy one a couple of years ago when I was ready to expand my coffee making options. How the moka pot works is a bit of a mystery to me, but it's fun, and it makes a strong-ass cup of coffee, no matter what type of grounds are used. Currently, I am using espresso I bought at Trader Joe's. One little cup is satisfying, and since the moka pot just makes one cup, it works nicely. Moka pots are cute, and using it to make a coffee feels like a special little ritual.

My Duo is about four years old now and it is acting a little weird. When I make a pot, water drains from the pod side which isn't a problem since I keep a cup there anyway. I already mentioned what I don't like about the pot (it's big.) The pod side is also being weird. I have three sizes of cups available, 8, 10, or 12. Lately, when I push the 8, which is my usual choice, it drains water, then starts brewing, but brews way more than 8 ounces. It used to stop itself at 8 ounces, but now it gives me at least 10 even when I only want 8. I had a mess on my counter top the first time that happened! Now I am considering replacing the Duo with a smaller pot option and a single Keurig. I don't know, though. I'm on a fixed income now (heehee) so I'll probably just keep what I've got until it gives up the coffee ghost, so to speak.

First world problems, eh?

Enjoy the rest of the week!

xo

#3023 weekend wrap-up plus art gallery

 

my January wee calendar

Good afternoon! I hope you are having a delicious, relaxing weekend.

MT and T were here this weekend. They arrived on Thursday just in time for MT to go with me to the Red Butte Garden volunteer dinner and reception. It was a fun event. We sat by my friend Liz and her husband, and I saw my good friend Wendy B, along with many others. The best part for me was getting recognized for being a volunteer for 10 years!

10 years!!

I write about how much I enjoy volunteering at the Garden, and it's absolutely true. Red Butte Garden has been a sanctuary for me. It's a place I can go to clear my head and to be completely present. One of the "jobs" I have there, bloom recording, requires me to be focused and observant, and I relish the hours I get to spend noting what I see blooming. Last year, I had nearly 159 hours of volunteer time. I have no idea if that is average or below average; there were 572 volunteers last year, and the volunteer hours ranged from 30 to over 600. (The over 600 hour woman is there nearly every day!) My hours goal is always at least 101 hours, so I am fine with 159. Maybe I'll aim for 200 hours this year since I will have more time to give. We'll see. Anyway, I was glad MT was able to come with me to the reception this year.

MT also helped me solve the bird seed situation. He has lots of empty buckets from Lowes in the garage. We filled two of the buckets, then bought a lid (he just had one lid that was available), so now the birdies can have seeds again. I've filled the feeder a couple of times this weekend and it sure doesn't take long for the birds to empty it.

T was a total hero on Friday. He came with me to pick Stella up from the groomer. On the way out of the store, she got a little spooked and slipped right out of her collar in the middle of the road in the parking lot. She had a lot less hair around her neck than when we went in to the store that morning! T calmly scooped her up and carried her to the car. You might not think this is anything heroic, but it is, and I'll tell you why: Stella does NOT like to be picked up. We have had her for three years, and I have never picked her up. I've seen people do it; I think T even did one time before here at home, but in general, she doesn't allow the behavior. So for him to walk to her and calmly tell her it was okay and pick her up, man, that was awesome. He was amazing.  I'm so glad he came with me.

Other than that bit of excitement, we had a nice quiet weekend. Yesterday the three of us had lunch at Moochies. I cooked a couple of T's favorite dishes for dinner on Friday and Saturday - pasta on Friday and croquetas on Saturday. MT worked on a puzzle and the two of them watched some shows on TV. I read and puttered around.  The two of them left this morning, so here I am again, just me and the puppers.

I've got a couple of things coming up this week. On Tuesday, I will take Stella to the vet to have her vaccinations. I'll be sure to tighten her collar. On Thursday I am planning to go to my former office. I need to do some business at the credit union, plus they are having Dip Day and I was invited to come over for that festival. I even bought a dip to take with me, because you can't show up to a party empty-handed. I'm looking forward to seeing my friends, having a snack, hearing the gossip, and leaving.

I don't think we've had a little art gallery for awhile, so here are some things that I've made recently.

This first painting is from October. It was inspired by a photo I saw on Instagram from a guy I follow (provencallife) who takes beautiful photos of his home in Provence. This is my interpretation of a photo he took:

Provencal Doorway

These next two pieces are from a prompt from Jill the Artist. She gave a list of adjectives and nouns and the prompt was to select one word from each list and do an artistic interpretation of the words. Both pieces were inspired by art I saw on Pinterest.

Unfinished Spark

Green Balloon

The next one was also inspired by something I saw on Pinterest. It's how I felt one morning when I was out walking the dogs during one of the very brief  and infrequent snow episodes we've had here in SLC this month.

In the Snow

This last one is from my still unfinished travel journal. I bought the pretty postcard in Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic and I really wanted to try to duplicate it, so here it is:

my take on Cesky Krumlov

That is all for today. Have a great week!

xo

#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