#3047 weekend wrap-up

swallowtail butterfly on a pansy at RBGA

We have had typical Utah spring weather this week. The high temperature was in the low 90s the first half of the week, then it got windy and the temperatures dropped about 20 degrees in the last half of the week. We had the AC on through Wednesday, and I turned the heater back on today.  

I did take Stella back to the vet on Thursday. The ear infection in her left ear was back, so the vet cleaned it out again and prescribed some ear drops. I have been giving those to her daily and she is doing a lot better, back to her regular playful self. She's been expensive this week!

T and I have been watching the NBA Playoffs. We are now down to four teams left. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Knicks will play the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the in the Western Conference Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder will play the San Antonio Spurs. I guess I'd like to see the Thunder and the Knicks in the Finals, but I'll be on vacation during the Finals so I won't be following along too closely.

These next two weeks will be all about final trip preparations. I've got euros, have scheduled the mail to be held, and signed up for the international plan for our phones. I've bought a couple of new clothing items. I've been breaking in my new sneakers. This week I'll make sure all the clothes I'm planning to take can be mixed and matched for maximum 'fits. Mostly what I need to do is make some notes about places to see and things to try in each of our stops. I'll be seeing so many places I haven't been before! I am tremendously excited about the whole trip.

I've got a few things coming up this week:

On Monday, I'm going to meet my friend and former co-worker Wendy for lunch. Mac is going to the groomer on Monday afternoon. She is molting a lot, so she'll get a bath a a furminator treatment. The furminator is a de-shedding tool, and she really needs it.

On Wednesday, I'll go to the annual concert volunteer orientation at RBGA. It's a mandatory meeting for concert volunteers. We learn about active shooter protocol and hear from police and security. After that, my friend Liz and I will grab a bite and have a chat.

On Thursday, I'll be back at RBGA for a training about roses. Once a month, garden staff do a lunch-time training on various things around the garden. I've only been to a couple of these trainings since I've been a volunteer, and I always learn something cool. Also on Thursday, it is the return of #Ekpesbookclub. We are reading Theo of Golden. I started it today, and I'm already liking it very much.

Sunday is MT's birthday. It's a big one that ends in a 5! That day we will also get to check in online for our cruise.

I will record blooms on one of the days, maybe Friday, and gathering up art supplies to take with me on The Trip. There will probably be a couple little things I'll need to buy, but mostly I'm good, I think. 

Have a great week! xoxo

#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!
 

#3036 three things: Harley, a short walk, and Harry Styles

 1. Harley health follow up. I took Harley back to the urgent care vet this morning for a follow up on her appointment last month. Last month she had terrible runny poop, she looked emaciated and uncared for, and her leg was hurting. She had bloodwork, xrays, and got a bunch of medicine out of it (and it was quite expensive.) I'm glad to say that she is feeling much better. She hasn't gained any weight; she's still around 53 lbs and the vet wants her to put on about five more lbs. To do that, I'm going to add puppy food to her regular food because puppy food has more nutrients and fat to help puppies grow. (This is the recommendation from the vet.) Harley had a great time at the vet today. She really loves to go for rides and have new people pet her. She was such a good girl that I got her a pup cup from Starbucks afterward. Now she is sleeping off the doggie downer I have to give her before a vet visit. She is mellow at home but a totally bonkers Lab at the vet.

2. We went for a walk! Since I broke my wrist, I haven't taken the dogs for walks. I did walk Mac a week ago with MT because Mac is a bit easier to walk. She is content to amble along and smell all the smells whereas Harley just likes to walk and pull. Because Harley had some doggie downer on board, I decided to walk them around the block. I held the leashes with my left hand and they were very good girls. I had no problems or worries. My wrist is getting stronger, and I am whittling down the time I have the brace on my arm. I'm still sleeping with it on, but during the day, I have it off for longer periods of time. The wrist doesn't really hurt. It is stiff and doesn't have full mobility, but it's coming along. I can lift and carry stuff that I haven't been able to manage for awhile. I have a follow up with the surgeon on Tuesday, so I'll let you know what he says about my recovery and next steps.

3. All Harry all the time. Maybe you know that Harry Styles released a new album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.  I like the music. On Monday night I watched the album release concert on Netflix, and it was enjoyable. He performed all the songs on the new record top to bottom, then he did a few of his older songs. The first single from the new record, Aperture, is an ear worm. I wake up singing it. If you have five minutes, I highly recommend watching this clip of Harry's performance of Aperture at the BRIT Awards. It looks and sounds amazing, IMO. 

Enjoy the rest of the week!

xo

PS I just noticed there is no mention of Stella in this post. She is absolutely fine and is a happy, noisy terrier. She still loves to catch a frisbee and run around the yard. She is the definition of play hard, rest hard.

#3034 spring refresh

 

new wee calendar!

Happy March! I feel spring in the air, don't you? The tulips in the dirt/flower patch between our house and the neighbor's house have started to sprout. The leaves on one of the maple trees are budding merrily. The other trees aren't doing anything yet, but they will. I know there is every chance that we will get snow this month, but I appreciate the weather we have had so far. Today was sunny and warm, around 60 degrees. The dogs were outside most of the day and I had the windows open in the house. 

Yesterday I went to get a haircut. I usually have one about every 12 weeks, but this time I went 15 weeks between cuts. Oof...my hair looked rough.

before

The same woman has been cutting my hair for nearly 25 years, and all during that time, she has been in the same salon at the same station. As a long-timer at my job, I can appreciate her longevity. I always like how she cuts my hair. She knows my hair and how to coax it into cuteness that I can not duplicate. 

after

I added the little flower-y frame with my sprocket printer. I am always amazed at how light my hair is getting as I grow older. It used to be so red. Now it is definitely strawberry blond with strips of white.

Wow! It is quite windy out now. I just checked the weather app and the high temperature tomorrow is going to be in the low 40s with a chance of rain. Good thing I haven't put away my sweaters yet.

That's all I've got today. I think I'll do a language lesson and crawl in bed to read for a bit. 

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

#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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

#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!
 

#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!

#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!

#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. 
 

#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.

#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.

#2988 - pdin 7 - boosted & bushed

mood

I don't know what it is about Fridays, but I always feel totally burned out and border-line exhausted when I get home on Friday night. Actually, it's not exactly true that I don't know why I'm so tired on Friday night. I stay up too late. I start writing or drawing, practicing languages with Duolingo, or otherwise playing on my phone and suddenly it's 11 PM. By the time I take out my contacts, brush my teeth, let the dogs out and crawl in bed, it's 11:30 or later, then I read for a bit. The next thing I know, the alarm is going off at 5:30 AM. It's not ideal for being good at anything. That's probably why I feel so good on Saturday and Sunday: I get a longer sleep!  In less than 40 days, though, I won't have to set that alarm for 5:30 AM Monday through Friday. 

Tonight I went to the pharmacy and got my Covid booster. I had a flu shot before my trip, but the Covid wasn't available yet. I would prefer to skip the virus, if possible, and the shot seems like a reasonable thing to do. 

I don't have any big plans for the weekend. I'd really like to finish the new Dan Brown book and spend a bit of time playing around in my travel journal. There's bookkeeping to be done, and laundry, and of course sweeping and dusting. The house requires daily sweeping. Other than that, MT and I have some paperwork to do for the property we are buying in Pocatello. Maybe I'll pop some popcorn and watch a movie tomorrow night. T and MT have been watching Succession on the TV downstairs, so I might have to watch a movie in my room. Who am I kidding? I'll be probably be right here at my computer looking at Pinterest, writing in my journal, and dreaming about where I want to go next. It's not a bad way to spend an evening. 

All right...it's 8:30 pm. Here's hoping I'm in bed by 10:00, and shut down by 10:30. No alarm needed tomorrow!

Good night!

#2982 post every day in November - day 1

my wee calendar

Wow! It's November! 

This month I am challenging myself to post something here every day. It's a throwback to the olden days of blogging when November was National Blog Posting Month (NABLOPOMO). I don't know if that's a thing anymore, but I think it will be fun to take the time and the energy to share something here daily. I imagine it will be quite a mixed bag of stuff that shows up. I'm going to enjoy doing it, and I hope all seven of you like it too.

It's 3:00 on Saturday afternoon, and I can't help but think the time passes way more quickly on the weekend than it does during the week. I didn't sleep in too late - it was probably around 8:30 when I got out of bed, and since then the hours have passed by in a hurry. I played with the dogs, I had brunch here at home, and I've been outside getting the potted plants on the deck ready for their winter sleep. I haven't done this before, but I'm hoping it will work out. I have some rocks that I've put on four of the plants, and I covered the other two with high quality topsoil, of which I have quite a lot right now. We had a good frost earlier in the week, and some of the plants suffered. It's a really pretty day here so I took about 90 minutes to trim and winterize these six plants. There are two pots of marigolds, a geranium, an Icelandic poppy, a black eyed Susan, and a tomato plant. 

ready for winter?

Some of the plants came through the frost well. The two Russian sage plants, the guara, the catmint, and one of the coreopsis plants are still blooming. The other coreopsis isn't blooming, so I cut it down and put some white rocks around part of it. The other plant with white rocks is a lavender. She still has a pretty twig that isn't blooming, but it is still vibrant. I will watch these plants over the next week and prep their winter beds when they seem more ready. In the meantime, I will enjoy them!

still blooming, not quite ready for winter!

This past week with the frost and the colder temperatures, the leaves on the maple trees in my yard, and the leaves in the trees around the neighborhood, turned yellow nearly overnight.  The sugar maple in the forefront is really yellow. The northern maple in the back isn't quite there yet, but it's changing.

fall colors in my backyard

We have been having work done in our backyard. MT put up that pretty cedar fence you can see in the background, and along with our contractor, he put in what will be a nearly 60' long flower bed. That's why we have so much topsoil. They built the flower bed along the fence, and there's another good size bed on the side of the deck to the right of the above photo. In addition, the sprinkler system has been updated, flat stones have been placed under the fence to aid in mowing and to decrease the need for weed whacking, and the whole mulberry bush was removed. We'll have to patch the hole in the fence and do a few other things before we stop work for winter, but it's coming along. I think the contractor will be finished next week, then MT will have some things he will work on to wrap it up. I'm excited about the changes and looking forward to making our yard pretty with pollinator-friendly plants in the spring.

If you were expecting to see a vacation memories post today, come back tomorrow. I'll be writing about exploring the castle district of Prague. There are just three more vacation memory posts to do - the one about Prague that I'll write tomorrow and two about  Amsterdam. I'll post those on Sunday, Wednesday, and Sunday (probably.)

Did you have any trick or treaters last night? We had zero. It's the second year in a row that no one has come to our house for candy.  I didn't even see any kids out on the neighborhood at all. I don't think there are many kids in the neighborhood. My neighbors have kids, but it didn't seem like they were home last night. 

That's all for today. I hope you'll check in tomorrow :)

#2967 looking ahead and art gallery

The good news is that Mac is back to her usual playful self. I really think she ate something on our Wednesday morning walk that was bad for her tummy. Even though I try to watch what they sniff and put in their mouths, I don't see all the things, and I know she was chomping on something Wednesday morning. 

The best things I can say about Friday is that the temperature was not over 90 degrees, and I was in bed by 9 PM and sound asleep by 9:30. I'd put clean sheets and a light blanket on the bed and it felt luxurious. I find that I am usually really tired by 8:30 or 9, but I push myself to stay up a little longer, and then it's midnight before I get to sleep. I woke up around 6:30 Saturday morning feeling refreshed and ready to go. I really need to make an effort to get to bed earlier during the week.

Saturday was pretty mellow. I recorded blooms, paid the bills, and did some laundry. I bought a couple of clothing items to take on the trip next month that I'm certain I will wear often. I did a little writing and went to bed by 10 PM. 

Today I worked the docent shift at RBGA. It was really slow - we only had 13 guests take the complimentary tour, and one driver did all four tours. The other driver hung out and chatted with me, which was nice. The weather this weekend has been incredible with highs in the mid to upper '80s and lows in the 60s. Such pleasant sleeping temperatures! I didn't even have the swamper turned on last night and it was nice and cool anyway. We've got some hot days coming up, but I feel like fall is coming! Another tell-tale sign of fall: anemones have started blooming in the Children's Garden.  I love fall.

I've got a busy week coming up: 

• On Monday, Mac is going to the vet for a checkup and vaccinations. That night, I will do a recycling shift during the My Morning Jacket concert. 
• On Tuesday, T has an appointment with a physical therapist. His quad muscle has healed, but he has pain in his calf muscle and numb toes, plus, he can't stand all the way upright. I figure we'll go to the physical therapist and move on from there.
• On Wednesday, Stella has an appointment at the groomer for a bath and a haircut. That night, I will do a recycling shift during the ZZ Top concert.
• Thursday and Friday are clear. Friday is my 32nd wedding anniversary. It will be the first anniversary MT and I have been in separate states. (He is doing fine, BTW.)
• On Saturday, I'm planning to take my car to the emissions place to renew the registration. I'll also record blooms, then that night, I will go see Chris Stapleton in concert at Mountain America CU Amphitheater (formerly USANA Amphitheater.) I may take a Lyft to the show, but maybe I'll just pack some water, a snack, and my kindle and hang out in the parking lot after the show. It's always a shitshow getting out of the parking lot, so I might as well relax.
• Next Sunday, the 17th, I'm planning to just stay home and rest. I even put up my docent shift, so I won't be going to RBG. I want to clean up the house and seriously prep for my September trip.

It's fun to have things to look forward to, definitely, but I realize it's a lot. Maybe that's why I like fall and winter. More low-key!

Want to see some art I've made in July and early August? If you don't, stop scrolling now! Otherwise, scroll on...

All of these pieces were based on prompts from Jill Badonsky, aka Jill the Artist.

The prompt that inspired this one was self-portrait with butterfly. I took a photo of myself, then drew it without looking down at the page (blind contour.) I added the blue butterfly in the center afterwards and laughed.

What I Would Look Like If There Was a Bug On My Face

The next prompt was a Marc Chagall appreciation. I looked at several Chagall paintings, and I really liked this one:

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) L'Oiseau Bleu, 1952

Here's my take:

Inspired by Chagall's L'Oiseau Bleu (Sandy's Version)

The next prompt was Black Bird. Scrolling through Pinterest, I saw something like this, and I really wanted to try it. I ripped a page out of The Time-Traveler's Wife, glued it into my sketchbook, dabbed some paint on it and drew some birds. 

Birds and Words

The next prompt was pretty interesting. Jill posted a pic of a woman holding a giant pink owl. The instruction was to render it anyway we wanted, but to be quick about it. I did a partial blind contour, meaning I mostly looked at the image, only occasionally checking where I was on the paper. I used a gel pen to draw, then dabbed some water on the sketch in places. I did all of it in about 90 seconds.

Mystery and Wisdom

The prompt for this last sketch was to make up a celebration for the month of August since it doesn't have any holidays. I love to eat outside, so I decided that August could be National Dine Al Fresco Month. The tiny umbrella and chairs are kind of Seussian, maybe.

That's all for today! Have a great week. I'll likely check in here on Thursday with a report of the week's adventures.