#3011 pdin 30 (!) first and last

me this morning

There was snow on the ground when I woke up this morning - the first snow of the season at my house! It was just a dusting, but it was sticking to the grass and actual snowflakes could be spotted falling from the sky. The snow didn't last very long, but the sky remained the perfect shade of November grey all day long, I liked it. It felt cozy and quiet.

Most of my morning was spent right here at my computer doing the bookkeeping. So many accounts to keep track of! This afternoon, T and I went to see Wicked for Good at the movie theater. I liked it, but I liked Part 1 better. The song "For Good" made me weep. The harmonies from Erivo and Grande are so lovely.

I've got a lot of stuff coming up next week. Monday and Tuesday will be busy at work because it is month-end close and I will be training DM, my replacement, on the processes. Wednesday T has a dentist appointment and Thursday he has his final follow-up with the back surgeon. I have a doctor appointment on Friday, which was scheduled awhile ago. I think MT will be home on Friday. I would like to do some Christmas shopping this week or at least on the weekend. Plus, I still need to set up my new laptop, and I feel like it must be done this weekend.

Today is November 30, and I have completed my personal challenge of posting here every day this month! I don't think I had too many dud or throwaway posts, and I had fun doing it, so that's what is most important to me. 

Cheers to the first snowfall of the season and the last post of my Post Daily in November challenge!

Have a great week!

xo

 

#3010 pdin 29 snooze-y Saturday

a brave little marigold

It seems like this little marigold is not quite ready for winter. She's cute.

I had big plans today, but it didn't really work out that way. I was up by around 7:00, played with the dogs, then made a cup of coffee. Sadly, the milk had turned -thankfully I sniffed it in the jug before I sipped it from my coffee mug. I don't care for coffee without a bit of milk, so I decided to treat myself to a coffee from Dutch Bros. Oh! I don't think I told you that a Dutch Bros is being built closer to my house, right across from the McDonalds on the busy streets! YAY!

After I had my coffee and the rest of the delicious cinnamon roll from Pocatello, I read for a bit, filled the bird feeder, and decided I needed a nap. The dogs and I snuggled on my bed and I had an absolutely delicious, glorious nap for a couple of hours. It felt so good!

Since then I've just been puttering around the house, reading, making a shopping list, playing games on my phone, and just kind of passing the day away. I made T a dentist appointment on Wednesday, and I'm glad I did because that darn crown popped off again tonight while he was eating a slice of pizza. Dammit. 

Because I didn't do many of the things that were on my to-do list today, tomorrow will be busier than I would have liked. It's okay, though. It won't be too much longer before I won't have to cram so many to-do items into my weekend days. Thinking about how I'm going to spend my days when I don't work anymore is taking up a lot of space in my brain right now! It's going to be a big change, and it may be a bit weird, too. I'm really looking forward to it. 

In some ways, November seemed kind of slow, but on Thanksgiving, I felt like Halloween was just a week ago. I feel like the next two weeks will go by in a rush and Christmas will be here before you know it. 

Talk to you here tomorrow!
 

#3009 pdin 28 they didn't have stuff like this when I lived there

My BFF LA and I got together for coffee this morning (I never thought I'd say/write those words!) at what may be the cutest coffee shop I have ever been in. Gate City Coffee is in Old Town Pocatello on Center Street. It's one of those places you just know will hit all the right notes as soon as you see the pretty window display. The place is enchanting.

LA and I sat at that table on the right. In the back section, there is a little wine bar. Dreamy!

The owner told us she had spent several hours last night putting up the Christmas decorations. 
They were expecting a lot of people to come in this afternoon and evening as Pocatello is holding it's annual Christmas parade which goes down Center Street.

I really liked all the old black and white photos of the early days of Pocatello.

If this little scene doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will. And look at that exposed brick wall. LOVE!

Please look at the curved ceiling with the pretty raised frescos. There's LA on the left placing her order!

The shop is so cozy and inviting to look at, I couldn't stop gawking. I wanted to stay there all day! There is a little bit of Idaho merch for sale in the shop. The couple also owns the building next door and it is a full on gift shop that is equally enticing. These folks really have their style dialed in.

Yeah, but how was the coffee? Well, it really good. I had a cappuccino and a cinnamon roll.

The baked goods are homemade on the premises. The owner makes all of them herself. The roll was big; I only finished half of it and I'm looking forward to warming up the other half for breakfast here at home tomorrow. 

I had such a great morning hanging out with my friend, chatting, having breakfast at this gorgeous shop, then doing a little of of shopping here, too. Gate City Coffee will be a regular stop on every trip to Pocatello.  It's like the perfect chick lit coffee place. If they sold books, it would be a chick lit dream come true! I would love to find a cute shop like this here in Salt Lake. I don't know if one exists, but I'll be on the lookout. 

#3008 pdin 27 be thankful and have gratitude

my autumn art "quilt"

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate. I don't really think of this holiday in terms of pilgrims and the native people they displaced. I don't harbor childhood fantasies of white English settlers and brown indigenous people peacefully gathered around a table laden with turkey and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pies. Instead, I think of it as a bit of time off work. I think of it as a time to gather with family and friends to have a nice meal and enjoy each other's company. Daily gratitude is part of my routine, so it's not hard to think of all the things that make me feel like I have a blessed life. 

A quick note about the little autumn art quilt above. This came out of a prompt by Jill the Artist to celebrate the season with things that make you feel autumn vibes and gratitude. There are a couple of leaves and an acorn. Those things remind me of Red Butte Garden. There is a tree with falling leaves which represents my neighborhood. There's a red cup of coffee in the upper left corner paying homage to Starbucks and their holiday season red cup. There's a football with the words Go Utes and the red U for the University of Utah football season. There's a pie because, well, pie (!), and there is a wee family of three to represent me with my menfolk. 

Have a wonderful day! Do what makes you happy today: rest, read, enjoy your garden, have yummy snacks, and remember, I LOVE YOU!

#3007 pdin 26 Thanksgiving eve

scribble wreath with color

Yesterday I wrote that today would likely be a short work day, and the team did get notified that, if the workload allowed, one could sign off at 1:30. I did not feel that the workload allowed, so I worked my regular shift. The co-worker that I've been training to take over my position (let's call her DM) was also working from home today, and I know she was logged in until at least 5:30, just like I was. 

One might comment, "Sandy, you are retiring in two weeks. Why don't you go ahead and coast?" The answer is simple and sort of annoying: I can't. I mean, my sense of obligation, responsibility, and ethics, I guess, won't let me coast when I know there is work to do. (I get that from my dad, I think.) I already know there will be things that I won't finish before I go, but I don't want to leave a jumble for my innocent co-worker, DM. Next week is month end close; Monday and Tuesday will be big training days. From Wednesday on, though, work will probably calm down a little and I imagine that DM will take on all the things and I will be there to advise and help as needed until the 11th. December 11 is my last working day, after that, I'll be on vacation and holiday, so my last day on the payroll will be December 25. Merry Christmas to me! 

As of now, though, it is the Thanksgiving break. I'm planning to drive to Idaho tomorrow in the late morning. Cocktails are at 1:00, and the meal is at 3:00. I'll spend the night at my MIL's house. On Friday morning I have a coffee date with my BFF, I'll go see the new property that T and MT are working on, then I'll head back home by noon or so. I've got a few chores on my calendar for the weekend, and maybe I'll squeeze in a movie, too. I'd like to see the second part of Wicked.

I woke up with the hiccups this morning - how odd is that? I got rid of them quickly. Tonight I have a teeny tiny headache and I feel kind of tired. I have to be careful because this is the time of night when I tend to catch a second wind if I start doing something that I really enjoy. I want to play in my travel journal - no, it's still not done, but I have a plan to finish it before Dec. 15 - but if I get into it now, I'll lose track of time and then it will be midnight. I want to get up a little early tomorrow to clean up the kitchen and do a couple of things before I get on the road. It's probably best if I save the travel journal for Friday when I get home. 

Good night!

#3006 pdin 25 today is Tuesday

All day long I have been reminding myself that today is Tuesday. It's a holiday week, and the office will be closed on Thursday and Friday. I get to work from home tomorrow, and I anticipate that it might be a short day. Today is even better than a Friday, but I still thought it was Friday, so I had to remind myself that it is Tuesday.

During my lunch break today I went to the liquor store to pick up some wine to take with me to Pocatello. It's one of my contributions to the Thanksgiving feast. I chose two bottles of cabernet sauvignon, and two bottles of sauvignon blanc.  I don't know much about wine, but I do know that I usually like these two types. These wines are from California vineyards. I hope they are good. 

I think it would be fun to go to a vineyard for a tasting and stay overnight. I wonder if that's a thing? I'm going to look into that.

One more random thing: when I left the office last night, I unconsciously thought, "One down, eleven to go." I did it again tonight, but now it's ten to go. That's ten working days until my last day on the job. 

Whoa.

#3005 pdin 24 what are you thankful for today?

 Since it is Thanksgiving week here in the USA, I guess my little prompt list decided to get into the spirit with today's prompt: what are you thankful for today? I confess that I often interchangeably use thankful and grateful, but a quick google search informed me that although similar, thankful and grateful are a bit different. Thankful is an immediate expression of appreciation. Grateful is a deeper, internalized appreciation. With this knowledge in mind, here are some things I am thankful for today.

• a "good morning" phone call from my husband
• the friendly barista at Starbucks who knows my name 
• my co-workers in general
• the co-worker who will take my place is a quick learner and asks intelligent questions
• the gift of beef (The construction team gave our department a box of beef for the holidays. My box had three lbs of ground beef, two packages of hamburger patties and a steak)
• the seat warmer in my car
• finishing another book that I enjoyed 
• the library
• dogs that are so happy to see me when I get home
• moving up a level in French in Duolingo
• not having to cook dinner when I'm not all that hungry and just indulging in some chips, dip, and a beer
• fleece relaxing pants and a soft t-shirt
• time to draw, paint, and write
• a basket full of clean clothes

Here's hoping you take a minute or two to recognize the little things you are thankful for today.

See you tomorrow!

#3004 pdin 23 maybe for the last time

Lakers vs Jazz tonight

I had the opportunity to go to the Jazz game tonight with a seat in the company suite. The company has had the suite for lots of years now, and I've been able to go fairly often over the years for Jazz games and concerts and now hockey games. In the past, I've been able to take family and friends to games in the suite, and I have always loved doing that. I haven't ever taken the suite for granted; it has been one of my favorite perks of working for Granite.

Tonight it occurred to me that this might be the last time I get to watch a game from the suite. It was a bittersweet realization. Of course I can go to a game whenever I choose to buy a ticket, but it won't be quite the same as sitting in the comfort of the suite with my co-workers. 

By the way, it was a good game although the Jazz did lose by two little points. They gave it their best in the final four minutes to get that close, and it could have gone either way, but in the end, the Lakers prevailed. 15,000 of the 20,000 people in attendance were thrilled. There were a LOT of Lakers fans in the building.

#3003 pdin 22 it seems like pickles are having a moment

 

my art

For Thanksgiving, I volunteered to bring some appetizers and wine. Scrolling through Pinterest is a good way to get ideas and find recipes because I don't want to just bring any old ranch dip, even though it's a classic and nearly everyone likes it. 

What I noticed is there appears to be a new trend, not just in dips, although it's there, too. Pickles are having a moment. All of these photos are from the internet.

cheese bread with pickles

dill pickle dip

pickle pasta salad

pickle pizza

The cheesy bread and the pizza are particularly offensive to me.

I do not like pickles, and I don't think I ever have. I don't like the taste of dill, either. I don't like cucumbers. When I was pregnant, I could smell cucumbers from far away. In the office, someone would have cucumbers on their salad or as a crunchy snack, and the smell made me low-key nauseous. The aversion isn't quite as strong anymore, but I still don't like the smell of cucumbers or pickles. If one of those items touches my food, I consider the food contaminated. (hahahaha...no, really)

Needless to say, I will NOT be bringing a pickle-related appetizer to the Thanksgiving feast. I think I've settled on a mini meat and cheese board and a spicy pepper jelly over cream cheese. I'll also bring a few bottles of wine and a pecan pie from Trader Joe's. I love pecan pie, although no one else in my house does. I know there are other people on MT's side of the family who will enjoy the pecan pie with me, and then I don't have a whole pie here at home. That's dangerous for me because I will eat the whole pie. 

Here's to a pickle-free holiday!

#3002 pdin 21 dance party!

just dance

My sister and I were talking the other night on her birthday, and she was telling me about her day. One of the things she said she did was to have a little dance party in her room, just her dancing to a song that made her feel joyful. This isn't the first dance party she's told me about. Sometimes she and Mom will dance around a little if the mood strikes. 

At work this afternoon, my cubie was talking with her husband on the phone. He must have asked what she was doing and she said that we were having a little dance party and that I was teaching her how to salsa. We weren't dancing at all, but it did make me think of a time I danced at work. 

It was a long time ago, probably on a Friday afternoon in late summer. Our office is a busy, hectic place in the summer, and we must have needed to blow off a little steam. I remember we put on some music and just started dancing. There were probably four or five of us just moving our bodies  and grinning the whole time. 

When was the last time I really danced? I always wriggle around a little bit in the kitchen when the dogs are having breakfast, though the song I'm wriggling to is only in my head. 

I think I need to make having a mini dance break part of my daily routine. Maybe we all need to do that!

#3001 pdin 20 - three things I'm retiring to

The question I have heard more than any other in the past month or so is this, "So what are your big plans for when you are retired?" I always say that I have a lot of hobbies and I don't think I'll be bored, but it's a legitimate question. I don't think the plans necessarily have to be big, but I do think it's good to have plans. I've always said that I am a person who likes to have something to look forward to, and that's not changing. So, in that spirit, here are three things I am looking forward to doing in my retirement, in no particular order.

1. Decluttering the house. This project may not ever end because there will always be things, but right now I have way more things than I need or want. I don't know if I'll focus on one room or flit about the house as I see something that bothers me. Every room needs some decluttering work, so like I said, this project may be endless!

2. Taking care of my health. I am looking forward to prioritizing movement. I do walk the dogs in the morning, and I would like to lengthen the time we spend walking. Or maybe I'll continue with 20 minutes for them, then 20 minutes by myself. The dogs are fun, but it's nice to walk without them tugging on me all the time, too. I'm also interested in doing a bit of strength training, just some light dumbbell work to try to tone my arms and legs. Another thing is more time on my bike because I didn't ride my bike at all this year, and I missed doing that. 

3. Dedicated time for art. Does that sound pretentious and weird? The thing is that when I spend a good hour so so painting or drawing, the time flies by and I feel content while I'm doing the project and with the end result. I enjoy the process. I want to make sure I take the time for it every day because it makes me feel happy.

These three things are a starting point of things I would like to spend time doing every day. Maybe they are not big plans, but it's something. 
 

#3000 (!!!) pdin 19 Paris to Prague

First things first...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LIZZIE!!

CHEERS!

I could go on and on about how cool my sister is. She is simply one of the best people I know, and hanging out with her makes me feel happy. I'm not with her today, sadly, but I will see her next month and I already know we will have a good time.

~~~~~~~~~

Once you get on Viking Cruises mailing list, you get a lot of mail from them, both emails and real mails. Yesterday I got a Viking mailer that was a single card, front and back, with their Thanksgiving Sale trips. One of the advertised trips is called Cities of Light: 12 days Paris to Prague. I thought this trip sounded great. Paris! Prague! The thing is that Paris and Prague are not near each other. Germany is in between them, so most of the trip is through Germany, then you get on a bus to get to Prague. As cool as I'm sure Germany would be, I am really most interested in the cities on either end of the trip, Paris and Prague, so this probably isn't the trip I am looking for now. Not that I'm looking for another river cruise, but Viking sends the material, so why wouldn't I look?

There is a Viking cruise that I think would be cool. It's called Paris and the Heart of Normandy. I would like to spend a bit of time seeing France. 

France likely will not be my next big trip though. I've got my sights set on going back to Spain and seeing more than the Barcelona/Costa Brava area. I'd love to see the Alhambra in Granada, the capital city of Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia, and probably other cities that I've heard of but don't have written down. Of course, I also want to spend time in Barcelona as well. I am looking forward to planning this trip!

I'm definitely in my Europe era. My 40s was the island era, and while I'd like to sit by the sea and stare, Europe calls to my soul. There are so many places in Europe that I want to see! I'd like to go to Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries. Switzerland would be amazing. I saw a video on IG of a train ride through Switzerland that looked fantastic. Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia...the list goes on and on. I want to go back to Italy. There are many places I'd like to spend time in there like Bologna, the Tuscan hill towns, and the southern part of the country, too. 

For now, though, I'm looking forward to staying home and finding out how I will pass the time when I no longer have to go to work.  I have lots of ideas - I'll tell you some of them tomorrow!

 
 

#2999 pdin 18 the neighborhood

In my neighborhood, you can't really see into the houses when you walk by. You can see the lights shining in the front room on some of the houses; others are pretty dark in front. Maybe the people are lounging the back part of the house away from the street, or down in a basement family room. At my own house, I rarely hang out in the front room. The TV room is in the back of the house or else I'm upstairs. I do leave a light on in the front room, mostly for my convenience and because I think it looks pretty.

When I got home from work tonight, I decided to walk down to the mailbox. It was just after 6PM, so it was fairly dark and a little chilly. The mailbox is about five houses up from my house, about a block and a half. As I strolled, I could smell the aromas of dinner in the air. I couldn't identify any one thing, but it smelled good. Sometimes when I walk, I can smell laundry. 

You know, I don't often see people out and about in my neighborhood. Sometimes I'll see them get in their cars in the morning when I walk the dogs, and occasionally I'll see someone out mowing their lawn in the summer. We all kind of keep to ourselves. My next door neighbors are nice, and I've talked to the woman a few times, mostly about plants. She likes to putter in the yard. 

When I walk the dogs in the morning, if I see someone out, I always say "Good morning." Sometimes they reply. I also raise a hand to wave at folks in cars. Sometimes I get a wave back.  It's not that I want to be friends and confidants with the people who live near me, but friendly is okay. I wonder if people see me and say, "Oh there's that woman with her dogs." Maybe I'm the dog lady of the neighborhood. I guess there are worse things.

#2998 pdin 17 - Sunday scaries?

Sleep didn't come easily last night. Maybe it was because I'd been doing something I enjoy - playing around with the travel journal and writing in my regular journal and I wanted to stay in the flow. Maybe it was because the book I read in bed was getting good and I was sorry to leave the story. Maybe it was because Harley was cold and was pressed up against me so snugly that I could barely move. Maybe it was because as I was drifting off I had a terrible half-asleep/half-awake nightmare. Maybe it was because I had to go into the office in the morning and I was having a bout of the Sunday scaries. 

It's ridiculous, but there is something about going to the office on Monday that causes me to lose sleep. It's part of the reason I chose to work from home on Mondays and go to the office on Fridays. I don't have Sunday scaries when I know I get to work from home, and I don't have Monday scaries about going to the office on Tuesday.

Probably this particular episode is because I am training the woman who will replace me when I retire. It's not that I don't want to train her; I do! I think it's more that I worry I won't do a good enough job passing along what I know in the weeks to come. Of course I will do the best I can, and it's not like I'm the only person around who knows how to do the stuff I do. She will be fine, and there will be changes to the job once I'm gone, anyway, but still. It's my sincere desire that when I say good-bye on the 11th, she will feel confident in taking on the role.

Tonight I am feeling pretty tired, so I'll play around a bit with some art to relax and get to bed sooner than later.

Good night!

#2997 pdin 16 stay-at-home Sunday

stay home and paint

There is something so satisfying to me about being able to stay home and fill the time doing exactly what I want to do. Today was one of those magical days, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

I had three big things to do today: bookkeeping, changing the sheets, and watering the plants. Those were the must-do items. On the want-to list was reading, arting, and writing. I'm happy to say I have done it all! I do need to clean my bathroom, so I'll probably get to that tonight, too.

As forecasted, it rained here this afternoon. It was grey and overcast all day. While I was doing the bookkeeping here in my office, I had candles burning, the dogs were sleeping on their pillows, and a pleasant playlist was providing soothing background beats. 

The trees in the neighborhood have nearly all shed their leaves now. It's safe to say there are more leaves on the ground than on the branches. It's fun to shuffle through the crunchy leaves. I like the sound of the dog's feet walking through the leaves, too. 

In my backyard, one the of maples is totally bare. The other maple has less than a dozen leaves remaining. The honey locust tree still has its leaves, but they are all crumpled and dry. They are just hanging on to be stubborn. In the front yard, the aspens are bare and the mulberry tree is dropping it's leaves. Here's a photo from my front room looking out at the trees:

a rose is still blooming

Maybe next weekend I'll get the clippers and trim down the rose bushes and rake the leaves. Maybe. 

This week I'll be working in the office every day except Wednesday (WFH Wednesday!) I will be training my co-worker to take over my role upon my retirement. Monday afternoon, I get to have a mammogram. Wednesday is my beloved sister's birthday. MT and T will be home for the weekend, although I'm not sure what day they will arrive. On Saturday, I have an appointment for a haircut. There may be some snow in the valley this week, or maybe just a bit of rain. Either way, the temperatures are coming down. Winter is around the corner. 

Have a wonderful week! Be safe and happy.

#2996 pdin 15 a walk in the garden

mid_November vibes

Today seemed like a good day to take a walk at Red Butte Garden. I hadn't been there since toward the end of October, and I needed to drop off my bloom log, so why not stay for a stroll? The weather was perfect: mid-60s, partly cloudy, soft little whisper of a breeze, and I was ready to stretch my legs and fill my soul with the beauty of the garden. 

It's no exaggeration to say that the garden is gorgeous all year 'round. Each season shows a little different side of the personality of the place. You might think the garden in winter isn't anything to see, but you'd be wrong. There is a hush to the place in the cold months. The waterfall often freezes. The air is crisp. Berries look bright and tempting to the birds and squirrels and bunnies. It is a beautiful sanctuary of calm. In spring, it is pure magic to see and smell the sweet blossoms of wisteria, lilac, and viburnum. The air is cool and tinged with the promise of the warmer days to come. Summer is a bounty of colors, textures, and scents. It is also hot, so being able to catch a cool breeze there in the evening is a treat. In autumn, it's fun to see the different colors and the unique shapes of the tree trunks and branches. You can see little creatures better, too. I love the softer light of the season, too. 

Of course now it is late fall, and a lot of the trees have dropped all their leaves. Red Butte Garden is in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, so a bit higher elevation than my home in the valley. This morning here at home, I put a couple more of my outdoor plants to bed for the winter, and I was just wearing joggers and a t-shirt. I put on a light hoodie and a hat, as you can see in the photo, for my walk around Red Butte.

Here are some photos I took:

forest path with a rose

autumn light

obligatory waterfall pic

reflections in the pond

cool wild grasses in November light

a friendly little squirrel

I was also taking a few seasonal pics with my little fairy figurine. Sadly, she fell to bits from a tree limb in mid-pose. RIP little fairy. Here is one of her last photos:

she will read in the garden no more

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

#2995 pdin 14 just hanging out

The menfolk left for Idaho this morning. The dogs were extra happy when I got home tonight. They've been accustomed to having us around, so I think they were a bit lonely.

I stopped by Trader Joe's on my way home. Since I'll just be making food for myself, I'm keeping it simple this week. I'll be training my replacement at work, so I'll be in the office four days a week for a the next few weeks. It will be good to pack a lunch and to eat light when I get home. I have been feeling a little chonky lately. 

Guess what? I watched a movie tonight! It was called French Lover  (Netflix). I actually had to watch, too, because it is in French with English subtitles. I caught a few words here and there, but they spoke so fast I couldn't follow the French much at all.  It was not great and not terrible, just a nice way to spend an evening. 

My big plans for the weekend include:

• cleaning the house
• doing the bookkeeping
• playing around with the travel journal
• going for a walk to Red Butte Garden
• getting the oil changed in my car
• art time / reading time / writing time

Maybe I'll watch a bit of football. Maybe I'll watch another movie. Ideally, I'll stay home on Sunday and just chill and putter around the house. There's a chance of rain on Sunday, so being home sounds great.

I hope you had a good week and have something to look forward to this weekend.

Ciao!

#2994 pdin 13 growing the empire

The big thing that happened to/for our family today is that we closed on another rental property! The home is in Pocatello, not far from where we used to live and also not far from the other property we have there. The place needs some work, so MT and T are leaving tomorrow to get started on the rehab. I don't know how long it will take, but I'm hopeful it doesn't take six months like the other Pocatello property did. There is less work on this one and it isn't as big, either. It does have two units; it is a two bedroom house with a mother-in-law apartment.

With this property, we now have 11 doors. "Doors" is the term the property people use to describe the number of housing units they have. Most of our properties are duplexes, but there is one stand-alone house. That's not counting the house we live in, either.

It's gonna be mighty quiet around here without the menfolk during the week. I expect they will come back to SLC on weekends; we'll see how it all goes. This won't be T's first time working with his dad, but it's the first time for awhile, and it's the first time he's going to work since the back surgery. I think it will be good for both of them, at least I hope so. I'm glad for T to get out of his room and have a change of scenery. It will be nice for him to spend a little time with his Idaho grandparents, too. 

What will I do while they are gone? Probably pretty much the same things I do now. Maybe I'll watch more TV? I will have sole control of the remote!

And now, just for fun, here is a cute pic of Lizzie in Woodstock's nest at Knotts Berry Farm from when we went with Mom in February.

#2993 pdin 12 TBR

 

It was time for bold and decisive action on my Goodreads Want to Read list. There were 79 titles on that list. I add new titles all the time, and I don't add titles that I own. Mostly I use the Goodreads list to look for books at the library, but how am I supposed to narrow it down from 79? I had to do something, so I got rid of any book that I added in 2023 and 2024, then from the remaining books, I got rid of any with a Goodreads rating of lower than 3.5. I'm down to 47 now, and I've made a strategic decision. At the end of each month beginning in January, I will remove books that I added in that month in 2025. For example, at the end of January 2026, any book that I added in January 2025 will be removed UNLESS I feel very strongly that I must read it, then I can carry it over for a month. 

So many books, so little time. Although, I actually will have more time to read in less than 30 days.

I learned a new word today from Pinterest, and it was appropriate:

This can be amended for virtual piles of electronic books on my Kindle and on my Goodreads list.

Happy reading!

#2992 pdin 11 a weird commute

Thank you, Veterans!

I drew that little doodle at lunchtime today. Happy Veterans Day and thank you to all who have served!

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I just wanted to tell you about a strange experience that happened on my commute to the office this morning. It happened around 8:20 am. I was on I-15 heading north to the office, listening to a book and minding my business when I noticed a white pick-up to my right. The driver was even with me, and he was smiling and waving, so I smiled and waved back. I thought it must be someone I work with, but I couldn't really tell. He stayed right along side me. When I sped up, he sped up. When I slowed down, he slowed down. At one point he rolled down his window and was gesturing, like waving. I thought maybe he was trying to tell me there was something wrong with my car although there weren't any indicator lights on the dash that I would expect to light up if there was a problem. I decided to focus on the road and ignore the dude, but he wouldn't go away. I was unable to get over to exit I normally take, and that annoyed me, so I sped up and finally got in front of him. You know what he did? He moved over to my left and continued to stay right alongside me. He rolled down his passenger side window and was gesturing, but I couldn't tell what he was trying to say or indicate. It's quite difficult to communicate at 70 miles an hour on the freeway. I was trying to remember if I'd inadvertently cut him off or swerved a little or something to make him so persistent, but it didn't seem like road rage. It seemed more like road stalking. I waved my hand at him with the universal "shoo" motion, a flick of the wrist, and I peeled off at the next exit to get to the office. At the stop sign, I felt kind of shaky, and realized I'd missed some of  the book, too, as I was low-key freaking out about the dude in the truck. I kept looking in my rear view mirror to see if he'd figured out a way to get on my road even though I know there isn't an easy, quick way to do it. The relief I felt when I got to the office was real, let me tell you. Nothing like that has happened to me before, and I didn't like it. I walked all around my car to see if something was amiss, but everything was fine. WTF?!

Tomorrow I get to work from home, and I'm glad.