#3043 the week in review plus April art

I can buy myself flowers

 Hello!

It wasn't a terribly busy week, but I felt kinda tired every day. I think with the weather being so warm then cold then warm then wet, my body hasn't adjusted to anything. I've been staying up later than usual because T and I have been watching the NBA Playoffs. There are 16 teams playing, so every day there are at least two and sometimes four games a day. Usually two or three games during the week and four games on both Saturday and Sunday. It's a lot of basketball, and I enjoy watching with my son. 

I went to Red Butte Garden and Arboretum (RBGA) twice this week. I recorded blooms on Tuesday. I am sorry to say the wisteria did not do well with the snow. SAD.

15 April

21 April

On Friday I volunteered at the Arbor Day festivities. It was one of the first times I have been able to volunteer during a weekday for an event. It was a beautiful day, and there were hundreds of people who came to the Garden that day. It was a free entry day, for one thing. The Garden gave away 500 little red bud trees - I was sad I didn't get one! There were tables from organizations like the West Jordan Conservancy District, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Sierra Club, and others. They were giving away information and stickers. RBGA had some interactive stuff for kids and adults, like the game I was helping with. It was a Plinko game where we learned the four things tree roots need to grow: space, water, oxygen, and soil. Watching the little orange disc plink down the board was hypnotic for me and the kids. I did a lot of squats in those four hours as I plucked the plinko discs off the board for the next player. We always had someone playing the games. It was actually pretty fun, and I had a good time, even though I was dang tired at the end. That's a lot of smiling, chatting, and being "on" for an introvert like me. 

Yesterday I had the urge to wander around Barnes and Noble. MT came with me and we just looked around. MT got a book, and I picked up a sketchbook that will be my travel journal for the June trip. It is bigger than I usually get, but I like to put lots of things in my travel journal like postcards, maps, business cards, pieces of wrappers or parts of bags, photos, and of course sketches and words. Since I'll be out in the world for about three weeks seeing lots of new things, I decided the bigger size book was a good option. Not only is it big in size, it has a lot of pages, too. It is not watercolor paper or even multi-media paper, but if I want to paint, I can glue two or three pages together and it will be okay.

On a sad note, Mom's sweet doggo Lulu crossed the Rainbow Bridge this week. I noticed that she was quite a bit less peppy in March than when I saw her in December. Lulu was Mama's companion for 14 years. She was a smol girl, but she took up a lot of room in Mom and Lizzie's hearts, and I know they are missing their furry friend. 

RIP Lulu

It's the last Sunday of the month, so let's have art show and tell time :)

Here are a few little things I did on my own:

These pieces were all responses to prompts from Jill Badonsky.

"Pretty Funky Chicken"

"Gaudy Gecko"

"Bubblebees"

"The Power"

"Come Fly Away"

I like the chicken. The gecko I drew upside down with a single line, then got a little carried away with the painting. (It happens.) The Bubblebees were a combination of two prompts from a big list. The peace sign made of words was an exercise in letters, and the last one was a "sky" prompt. 

~~~~~~~~~

Looking forward to:

* Final follow up with Dr. Holt about my wrist on Tuesday. It won't ever be like it was, but I think it's about as good as it can be.

* Training at RBGA about the app they are using this year. It's called Bloomberg Connects, if you are interested. I tested it last year, and it's informative. The idea of folks wandering through the Garden with their nose in the app makes me squeamish, so I hope one of the things we talk about is encouraging use of the app as a tool, but not a guide, if that makes sense.

* I will also record blooms sometime during the week, maybe Tuesday after the doctor appointment?

* Friday is May 1 and the official countdown to vacation will begin!

Have a great week! Stay safe. Be kind. Have fun.

#3042 weekend wrap-up

spring snow

It has been a quiet and relaxing weekend at my house. The photo above was taken on Thursday afternoon after a quick but fairly generous snow storm. It is said that April 16 is the average last day of snow for the season in SLC, which would be fine with me. We had a really dry winter, so any water helps. I'd be fine if the water coming from the sky isn't white, though.

Friday was clear, cool, and sunny. MT went for a hike then left for Pocatello. He is painting the outside of the new property, and he'll be back tomorrow afternoon. I decided to go see a movie because why not? I went to see You, Me, and Tuscany. It was exactly the eye and mind candy I needed. The people and the setting were pretty, the premise is a little sketchy about how the woman gets to Tuscany and the shenanigans involved, but it's total chick-lit-rom-com shenanigans. Along with popcorn and a soda, it was a nice way to spend a couple of hours.

T and I have spent the weekend watching the NBA playoffs. I don't really have a favorite team in the playoffs overall. The Utah Jazz are not in the playoffs. They were terrible this year and actually got in trouble for "tanking" - losing on purpose to try to get a higher lottery pick. Disgraceful. This is not the Jazz front office of old, and Larry Miller is probably turning over in his grave. I am a long-time Jazz fan and I could barely stand to watch the team play this year. Sad.

Yesterday I swapped out my winter clothes for my summer clothes. While I was at it, I culled the wardrobe, but truly, I still have a boatload of clothes, way more than I need or wear, especially now that I am not working. (Although, if I'm being honest, I usually wore the same few things all the time.) I have a dream of putting together a smaller capsule-type wardrobe, but I'm afraid (or something) of getting rid of too much and of keeping too much. I know I'm being ridiculous, and all I really have to do is remember the vast amount of clothing and stuff that came out of the house in Dixon to encourage me to purge my own clothing and stuff, but it seems to be much harder to do that to my own things. <<sigh>>

Let's see what's on the agenda for next week. The 22nd is Earth Day, and the 24th is Arbor Day. Friday the 24th, I've got a volunteer assignment at The Garden because they are having Arbor Day festivities. I haven't been able to do daytime assignments in the past, so I'm happy to be able to do this! It's supposed to be a nice day on Friday, too. I'll also go up on Tuesday to record blooms. The 23rd is World Book Day, which doesn't really mean anything special to me because every day is Book Day in my world.  

Time to sign off here to do some art. I read a lot today and took a little nap, so I didn't do the art I was planning to do earlier. Have a great week!
 

#3041 three things: technology, tax day, and insurance

3 things

Today was a big day of adulting.

 1. Technology. Today MT and I signed mortgage papers on the new rental property in Pocatello. We bought the property using a hard money loan, which is a high interest loan for a short amount of time. The hard money loan term was six months, and the balloon payment with principle and interest was due on May 15, so we were happy to get that loan paid with plenty of time to spare. Since the property is in Idaho and we didn't really want to drive to Pocatello for an hour's worth of meeting time with the title company, we were able to do a virtual signing with a notary. We got all the closing documents yesterday and had plenty of time to review them. This morning, we logged into the mortgage company's secure signing site, uploaded our identification, and requested a notary. In less than 30 seconds, Kyle from Minnesota came on the screen and walked us through all the signing, just as if he was sitting right at our table with us. It actually took longer for me to figure out how to connect with the notary than it took for the notary to come online with us. Immediately after signing, we were able to download the entire signed loan file, and had confirmation from the title company, our mortgage broker, and the new mortgage holder that everything was done. Pretty cool. 

2. Tax day. Today is the last day for Americans to send their federal and state income taxes. We had a very large tax bill this year due to the fact that we sold a house and were unable to find a property to invest in to avoid the taxes on the sale of the house. (The government has a short window for re-investing.) Fortunately, we'd set aside money for the taxes, but it was still pretty stressful to write a check that big.  Ugh. Painful.

3. Insurance. When I broke my wrist in January, I had to have out-patient surgery to repair it. Unfortunately, the expensive insurance I have did not cover out-patient, so I had to get a very expensive supplemental policy to offset the cost of the surgery. The weird part is that I was never billed for the supplemental policy - until yesterday, when the insurance company hit me with three months of the premiums, nearly $2,500. Gulp. Good thing I had money in the account because I was unprepared for the situation. (My bad; I knew it had to be coming.)

I called the insurance company this morning to cancel the supplemental. The woman I spoke to said she only saw one claim on it in January and did I want or need those two additional months? I said no, so she said she would submit a refund request for me for the February and March premiums, and if it was approved, I'd be getting a check in about three weeks. Wouldn't that be great?! She also confirmed that she'd cancelled the supplemental policy, so I won't be getting any more charges for that.  I'm bummed at myself for not being more on top of this situation, like setting the premium aside and calling to cancel the policy earlier, so if the refund works out, I'll be breathing a big sigh of relief. 

It's been a day! I think I'll drink a glass of water, relax my mind by drawing a quick doodle, and go to bed.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

#3040 the start of volunteer season and my art

this month's wee calendar

 Is it possible it's already nearly the middle of April? Sheesh! Those first two weeks flew by!

I officially began the 2026 volunteer season this week when I recorded blooms in the Children's Garden at Red Butte Garden and Arboretum on Thursday. The first entry: wild strawberries. There are lots of plants and trees blooming, so the task took awhile, then I walked around the Garden to check it all out. I hadn't been up there since December. Usually I try to go once a month, but January got away from me, then I fell and didn't feel like doing much of anything while I was healing. I have missed the place. It's really beautiful up there in the spring. The lilacs, viburnum, and wisteria are all beginning to bloom. I think it's going to be a glorious year for the wisteria. It seems to bloom spectacularly every other year. Last year's blooms were kinda meh, but the vines are already beginning to flower and perfume the air. Magical!

The concert schedule was announced on Tuesday. I'd like to have 11 or 12 shows this summer. There are eight shows I'd really like to see including Alabama Shakes, Ray LaMontagne, and Bonnie Raitt. The last time Bonnie Raitt was here, I had Covid and cancelled my assignment. Maybe this year I'll get to hear her play.

Also on Tuesday, MT and I met my friend Liz and her husband for lunch at Emigration Cafe. It was a gorgeous day! We sat out on the patio in the sunshine, chatting and eating. Crabapple trees with pink blooms lined the street and a gentle breeze blew the pink petals toward us. Afterward, we went over to Liz and Chris's house to look at their backyard. They live in a lovely, quiet neighborhood in upper Sugarhouse and the yard is a haven. It was a really nice day all around.

We are getting closer and closer to our big vacation at the end of May. Almost everything is set up and paid for. We still have to choose some tours that we'd like to do, and we will decide on those things this week. There are a few things to buy, like a European power connector for T, a sketchbook/travel journal for me, probably a pair of shoes, and a few other things. Nothing too extreme. This is gonna be a helluva trip.

I haven't been doing as much art as I thought I would, but I do have some things to show you. These are all things I made in March.

made my own little art banner :)

These first nine pieces are from prompts by Jill Badonsky.

"Seems Fishy to Me"

"Sitting"

"Picasso-style Self Portrait"

"The Road to Spring"

"Beware the Cranky Carrot"

"On the Deck"

I didn't give this one a name

This was a single line blind contour of a blooming rose

"Watermelon Butterfly"

The rest of these were inspired by Pinterest and my need to put color on paper.

I made this for my mom.

I like cats looking out windows surrounded by flowers.

I made this one for my mom, too.

I am interested in being able to show a European street.

Thanks for having a look! Have a wonderful week. Be kind and be safe.

xo

#3039 three things: trips and a movie

my three dancing squirrels

Hi! It's been awhile since I've written here. I was visiting Mama and Lizzie for a couple of the writing days, then I was busy adulting and time just slipped by. I'm ready to get back to it, though, so here are three random things.

1. The trip to CA. As I mentioned above, I went to southern California to visit Mama and Lizzie for six nights at the end of March. T came with me, and we had a nice time! Lizzie and I went for walks in the mornings and then to get coffee. The four of us went on a couple of adventures: to Sunset Beach to dip our toes in the ocean and have some lunch, and to the Fullerton Arboretum to look at trees and flowers. It was, once again, a good combination of chilling at home and doing stuff. The weather was really nice, and I think it was a perfect amount of time to be there. We weren't there long enough to be too annoying, but not long enough to be tired of each other. Does that make sense?

2. Easter in Pocatello. On Easter Sunday, MT, T, and I drove to Pocatello to spend Easter with MT's side of the family. I remember some of my childhood Easters when we had to look for eggs inside the house because it was raining or snowing. Not a problem this year, though. The weather in Poky was excellent on Sunday. Linda had tables set out on her back deck so all 19 of us could sit outside. She smoked a pork butt, and we had pulled pork sandwiches and every type of salad. Three of the great-grandkids were there, all under five, (I think) and it was cute to watch them look for the Easter eggs. We came back to SLC late in the afternoon because we had our tax appointment on Monday morning. It's a long way to go for a meal, but it was nice to see the family. 

3. The Drama. No, no family drama; The Drama is a movie starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya. T is a Robert Pattinson fan, and who doesn't like Zendaya? T and I went to see the film this afternoon. I had no idea what it was about, but I like hanging out with my son, so why not? The movie starts out cute and sweet: Charlie (RP) and Emma (Z) are going to be married and Charlie is writing his wedding speech with the help of his best friend Mike. Through the speech writing, we learn how Charlie and Emma met and fell in love. Wedding plans are moving along until the night Charlie and Emma go with Mike and his wife Rachel (who is Emma's matron of honor) to dinner to choose the wedding dinner items. Over drinks, the question, "What is the worst thing you've ever done?" is asked, and each of them has to respond. Turns out, Emma had a doozy, and the relationships were put to the test after the revelation. The last half of the movie is uncomfortable to watch, to say the least. No spoilers from me, but damn.   

Enjoy the rest of the week!

#3038 family movie night: Project Hail Mary

 

Back in February 2022, I read the book Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I gave it four stars. Science fiction can be kinda stressful for me to read because situations get precarious, life and death hangs in the balance: is the hero going to figure a way out of this terrifying situation?  That being said, I did enjoy the book, and I have often thought about Grace and Rocky and how it all turned out.

Strangely, my husband didn't even finish this book; he just couldn't get into it, and he loves sci fi. He can talk for a long time about the whole Dune situation - he has read all of those books and seen all the movies. I couldn't get through Dune.

Imagine my delight when I learned that the book Project Hail Mary had been made into a movie starring Ryan Gosling! I was eager to see it. I knew T would come with me because he likes movies, and even MT wanted to see it, so we had family movie matinee this afternoon. 

I loved it. It was pretty long, about two and half hours, but that wasn't a problem for me because watching Ryan Gosling for two and half hours is not a hardship, and I had popcorn and a Diet Coke. Also, the story is good. There's a lot of action. There's science and problem-solving. There's a lot of emotion, too. I cried more than twice. I giggled several times, too. And yes, I clapped at the end. The menfolk liked it, too. 

It might not be for everyone (I'm looking at you, Mamacita), but for a fun adventure, this is a good one.

#3037 Oscar night

 

Have you ever heard the theory that people's interests change about every seven years?  I don't know about the time-frame, for sure, but I do think it's true that things you used to enjoy change over time. When I was a kid, I loved listening to American Top 40 and obsessively writing the complete Top 40 in a notebook every week. I grew out of that although I still love a good list. I used to listen to sports radio all the time and watch The Dan Patrick Show as much as I could. I haven't watched Dan in years now. There was a time when I would not dream of missing a Utah Jazz or Utah football game on TV. I still enjoy watching games, but it isn't something I make a point to do anymore. 

I used to look forward to Oscar night. I would try to watch all the films nominated for Best Picture back when there were just five or six movies on the list. I would plan my day so I knew I could sit on the couch for three or four hours and watch the show from the Red Carpet arrivals and interviews through the award for Best Picture. (I still like the Red Carpet but it's not as much fun without Joan Rivers!) I don't watch as many movies as I used to, though, and I've sort of lost interest in the pop culture of it all. I recognize the big name movie stars, but there are plenty of famous people I see on magazine covers and occasionally on Entertainment Tonight that I have no idea who they are. It's the same with the Grammys. I used to know most of the nominees, and now, not so many. 

Anyway, tonight is Oscar night, and there are ten movies nominated for Best Picture. I have seen three of them: Sinners, Hamnet, and F1. Actually, I have seen Sinners twice. It was good, and I am rooting for that movie to take home the statue. Hamnet was quietly wonderful; the actress who played Agnes, Jessie Buckley, is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and I hope she wins. She was fantastic. The last scene when she is seeing the play Hamlet in the Globe Theater is incredible. She made me feel all the feelings. I was surprised F1 was nominated for Best Picture. I enjoyed the movie, because Brad Pitt, and it's kind of a sports movie and I don't think you can go wrong with a sports movie, but Best Picture? It's kinda like when Maverick was nominated a year or two ago. I just didn't get it. Fun movies, but they don't seem to be in the same level as some of the other nominees. 

I'm planning to watch the last hour or so of the telecast so I can see the awards for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Picture. 

Speaking of movies, there is a film coming out that I will see on the big screen: Project Hail Mary. I totally loved the book, and I'm excited to see the movie. I think we'll be having family movie night next weekend because all of us want to see it!

I do really like to go to the movies. I love seeing a film on a big screen, having some popcorn, and feeling the vibe in the theater with other people. It's just so expensive to go to the theater and I'm already paying for streaming services. Also, I don't go to the movies just to go (anymore.) I have to be really excited about the the film, otherwise, I'll wait for it to stream, although I might not watch it anyway. 

Are you planning to watch The Oscars?

xo