#3017 a lengthy recap with lots of photos of trees and coffees

We have a lot to catch up on, don't we? 

This might be a longish post, but let's just roll with it. Let's start with Dec 11, a Thursday, and the last work day for me of my career at Granite. I did actually do a little bit of work that day, then there was a retirement luncheon. Food was catered from Cafe Rio (my choice), and all my work pals were gathered round the conference room table. There were gifts and tears and words and hugs and it was really nice. Afterward, there were photos. Here's one:

my work peeps!

The next few days, Friday through Sunday, were kind of a blur. MT and T came home on Thursday night and stayed for the weekend. MT went back to Pocatello on Sunday morning, and T stayed here because he was taking care of the dogs while I went to California to visit Mom and Lizzie. 

I arrived in Southern California on Monday afternoon. We went out for dinner, then to the house to chat and chill. Every day Lizzie and I went out for a walk and coffee. She picked easy trails for me, which was kind of her. I really like the urban hill trails in the area where they live. The trails we walked on were all part of parks, but they still feel a little wild. The weather was good, in my opinion. We had some foggy mornings that gave good vibes. After the walk and coffee, we went home to hang out, then in the later afternoon, we go somewhere for late lunch/early dinner. 

On Tuesday we went for a walk at Laguna Lake park. It was a foggy morning, and one of my favorite things about the trail was the part where all the trees were decorated! A family who lives along the trail had decorated about a dozen (or more) trees with baubles and it was so sweet. I think if you double click on the photo, it will fill your screen with the image so you can see the decorations.

Laguna Lake Park trail

We went for coffee at a cute place in Fullerton called Lulu Coffee. The bagel with cream cheese and salami was delicious and the cappuccino was good, too.

at Lulu Coffee in Fullerton

That evening we went to Old World Village in Huntington Beach. We had dinner at the Old World Biergarten. I had schnitzel and cheesy spaetzel and it tasty. A fun thing was that there was a Christmas Market onsite that day, so we wandered around in there. It was nicely decorated, and there weren't too many people, so it was good.

in the Christmas market

The next day was Wednesday, my mama's birthday! Lizzie and I started the day with an easy walk at Creek Park. 

it was still fall in Southern California

For coffee, we went to a favorite place, Civitas (no photo) and took it to go along with a chocolate croissant for Mama. Around noon, we drove to San Juan Capistrano, about a 45 minute drive from their house. We had lunch in a cute restaurant called Sundried Tomato Bistro.

birthday lunch!

After lunch we crossed the street to walk around the mission. It was a beautiful day, and the grounds were all decorated for Christmas. If I remember right, the lighting ceremony was going to be the next evening. We didn't come back for that, but we sure enjoyed strolling around. A nice lady took our picture.

awww!

The light that afternoon was amazing, and we were happy to be together.

ussie with perfect lighting

We stopped at another restaurant, Bloom, for coffee and dessert before we headed back home. The drive down only took 45 minutes, but it was at least double that going back north. That's how it goes, I guess.

On Thursday morning, Lizzie and I walked at Clark Park. It was a lovely morning, and everything was so green, it looked like spring.

a blooming meadow on the Clark Park trail

For coffee, we went to Enchanted, a coffee shop in La Mirada. I had one of the seasonal drinks, a maple latte that was really good, and the biggest, most Nutella-stuffed croissant I've ever seen. I couldn't eat the whole thing in one sitting. The place was busy and the vibe was not relaxing, but the coffee and croissant were top notch.

coffee and croissant at Enchanted

That night we went to Il Gatto in La Habra. It is an Italian trattoria that is completely gorgeous. We didn't get the table we wanted, but the food was good and the wine was excellent. I'd be glad to go back to this place anytime. I didn't take pics of the food. We ordered from the happy hour menu, so we had a variety of delicious snacks that were really filling! The hostess did take our photo by their pretty Christmas tree.

we are full of Italian food

On Friday morning, Lizzie and I went another park in Fullerton, I think, to an area she called Lost Trail. We walked through a softball complex to a series of dirt trails. There weren't many people on this trail, so it was really quiet and nice. There was an amazing tree just off the trail.

I loved this cool tree!

An interesting thing to me about the trail is that it went to the Brea Dam, which is interesting because it doesn't dam anything. Lizzie wanted to go up a trail above the dam, but I didn't really want to, so she was kind and cut me some slack. It was a cool area, and I liked the walk a lot.

For coffee, we went to Golden State Roasting Company in Placentia. The seating areas were large, and the exposed brick was pretty. It wasn't exactly cozy, but it was nice. The coffee was good - I had a peppermint mocha along with a breakfast sandwich. Nothing special about the sammy, but it hit the spot.

peppermint mocha at Golden State Roasting Co.

Later that afternoon, we had late lunch/early dinner at Zumaya's in Whittier. I didn't take a pic of my meal, but I had carnitas tacos and they were really good. The meat was tender and flavorful, and the tortillas were amazing. They may have been made from masa; they were sort of chewy and soft and mmmm. So good! After the meal, we drove over to a Mexican bakery to get a coffee and a dessert to take home. The dude told me there was coffee in that mocha, but it was so smooth and chocolatey, I didn't taste coffee at all. We also went to a nearby store called Pour le Bain. I have been in the store before and it smells so good and has pretty things. Then we took an ussie with a giant Santa.

this Santa is BIG!

The next day Lizzie and I did our traditional Saturday walk around La Mirada Regional Park before hitting the Farmer's Market for pastry and stickers, then picking up coffee from Starbucks. We stayed home the rest of the day. Mom cooked canalones and we drank a bottle of cava to celebrate my retirement, Mom's birthday, and just being together.  

On Sunday we didn't go for a walk, but we did go back to Civitas for coffee and pastry to go. Then I had to pack and get on the plane to come home. 

The highlights of this past week were getting a live Christmas tree, this cute Norfolk pine...

our Christmas tree

...going to the Christmas breakfast at the country club with my work friends, then taking my final walk of the year through Red Butte Garden (the Garden is closed from Dec 24 - Jan 1)...

no snow to be seen

...taking a drive down Michigan Ave to admire the thousands of lights on the sycamore trees...

magical Michigan Ave

 

...and celebrating Christmas at home with my menfolk.

Happy Christmas from MT, me, and T!

The bummer part is that I've had a cold since Christmas Eve. It's still hanging on, but I do feel better today.

So, yeah, this is a long post, and if you've made it this far, thanks and nice going! It's just a little snippet of my exciting life LOL

I don't have much on the agenda for next week. Of course, Wednesday is New Year's Eve followed by New Year's Day. I'll be surprised if we make it to midnight on Wednesday, but we'll try! I think my main activity will be figuring out how to spend my days productively since I won't be working anymore. I've cut myself some slack this month since I've been on vacation and it's the holidays, but I know myself well enough to know that I must have some kind of structure planned or I will default to scrolling through Instagram and playing games on my phone. I have a list (surprise!) of things I want to do daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly, so I'll use that to shape my days. I'm excited to see what's next.

xo

 

#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!

#2899 three things: Dixon update, a rough year, and the walk

First thing...each of these topics could be an entire post in itself. I will attempt to keep them brief and related to each other. 

1. Dixon update. This is the first month since September that I have not traveled to Dixon. That certainly doesn't mean that nothing is happening. Most of the month has been spent waiting on the county to approve the well permit. The permit was issued last week, so we are ready to proceed. The driller needs a tree to be trimmed, but the tree is actually dead and covered with trumpet vines, so it is coming down tomorrow, then the driller will determine a day to begin the drilling process. I'm told it will take about a week. After that comes the pump installation, hook-ups to the existing waterlines, and potability testing. All of that will be done by the pump company. After all that is done and water is running in the house, I would expect the house to be listed on the MLS and hopefully it will be sold fairly quickly. Crossing my fingers. 

2. A rough year. Since my uncle passed away in July last year, I have taken on a lot of the responsibility for my aunt and the property. Sometimes I have felt overwhelmed. I am so thankful for all the help and support from MT, Lizzie, Mama, Rick, and David. I'm also thankful to my doctor for prescribing anti-anxiety medication. I often wonder how I would have managed without it. I'm sure there would have been a lot more tears and more physical ramifications. It wasn't just the monthly trips to Dixon and the worries about Mary, Lee, Bettie, and the property. I had a heavy load at work as well, plus my commitment to volunteering at Red Butte Garden. Of course something had to give, and volunteering got the short shrift last year, but I still had over 100 hours there, which was about half the hours from the previous year. 

Looking back through my journal, I often noted how tired I felt, and how I didn't feel well physically, mentally, or emotionally. I didn't sleep well or long. I ate poorly, relying on take-out often because I was too worn out to prepare a meal at home, or sometimes even get to the grocery store.  Another thing is that my body decided it was time to menopause. As a result of all that, I gained nearly 20 pounds in these 10 months. I fucking hate it. I feel every one of those pounds on my body. The good news is that I finally feel like I'm in a good spot to take better care of myself with healthier food choices and exercise.

3. The Walk. On Pinterest I saw a cute, helpful pin about taking care of yourself. I'm terribly surprised I didn't pin it because usually I do, and now of course I can't find it. Anyway, the first thing on the list was to walk 30 minutes a day. You would think this would be so easy. When I'm on vacation, I think nothing of pulling on some shoes and going for a walk. Why is it that here at home I think I must put on some exercise clothes and have just the right shoes? After overthinking this for a few days, I decided to just go for a walk. Today it happened. It's not that simple though, is it? Not for me.

It was lunchtime and I figured I'd take about 15 or 20 minutes to walk. I decided not to take the dogs because I just wanted to be quick. I headed up the street and crossed the road to walk on a little path between houses. I got to the end of the path, and I'd only been walking for about five minutes, so I turned right and walked through a nice neighborhood.  Pretty soon I felt a bit disoriented. I wasn't lost, but I wasn't exactly sure where I was in relation to my house. I finally came to a place I recognized, a school, and I turned up the street knowing I'd get to the street light and I'd know exactly where I was and how long it would take to get home. Turns out I grossly miscalculated the distance between the school and the stoplight. I'd been walking for about 20 minutes, and I was still a good 10-15 minutes from home, all up a slight-but-steady hill. Oh, and did I mention the pollen count was high and it was humid (for here?) I was a gasping, snotty, watery-eyed mess of a woman those last 10 minutes.

In the end, I was out for nearly 40 minutes and I walked nearly two miles. It was a bit more than I wanted to do right off the bat, but there you have it.  Now I just need to limit my visits to Crumbl and take-out places, and get to bed at a reasonable time. I got this, right?

#2831 mid-week check in

I listened to my favorite podcast, Vibe Check, today. The gurls (their terminology) talked a lot about the Grammy Awards. The three of them were mighty put out that Beyonce's album, Renaissance, was not named Album of the Year. I was kind of put off by their take on that topic. I listened to several of the albums in the category, and I thought they were all good. Yes, I'm sure Beyonce was disappointed, but don't you think Adele was bummed out, too? How about Kendrick Lamar and Lizzo? Those were good albums that I liked a lot. Bad Bunny's album was the first Spanish language album nominated for Album of the Year, and it was excellent. Harry Style's won the award for Harry's House, also a very good album, and I was happy for him. He did make me shake my head in disappointment when he said, "This kind of thing doesn't happen to people like me." I'm like, "Dude, you are a young white man. Stuff like this happens for people like you all the damn time."

Anyway, who really cares? Those awards are all subjective, anyway. Someone is going to get the award, and nine other people won't. So what? Does it make me not want to listen to Beyonce or Lizzo because they didn't win the Best Album Grammy? No, it doesn't. I will continue to listen to all the albums and enjoy the hell out of each one of them. 

I think this was the first time I was not on board with what Sam, Saeed, and Zach were saying. It's okay, though. 

You know what really annoyed me about the Grammys? It happened right at the start of the show during Bad Bunny's performance when the closed captioning on my TV said something like "non-English singing." Ugh. I don't know why there was closed captioning on the song. I don't even remember if there was closed captioning on any of the other songs. I usually ignore the closed captioning, but it was on and I saw it plainly during Bad Bunny's performance. Benito (that's what I hear his Puerto Rican fans call him) won an award a little later, and gave most of his acceptance speech in Spanish. I liked that. 

There seems to be a lot of heavy news this week. I'm still feeling down about the Tyre Nichols murder. The earthquake in Turkey and Syria is awful to hear about and those images of the crumbled buildings are terrifying, knowing that people were in their beds when the earth trembled mightily. I didn't watch the State of the Union address, but it's American politics, so it can't be good. Oh yeah, and the Jazz just traded three players, including Mike Conley, to get Russell Westbrook and some draft picks. 

Ugh! This is not a fun check in! I'm cranky/sad/bummed about so many things!

Ok...so what's good? Here's something:

This afternoon after work, I leashed up the doggos to take them for a walk around the neighborhood. Harley, the lab, is a terrible puller, so MT and I use a harness for her. MT told me to try attaching the leash to the loop on the front of the harness, then the leash would go between her legs and she doesn't pull as much. It really worked! She did much better today on the walk. I gave her lots of praise and kibble snacks along the way to reinforce her good walking. 

Stella gets so excited when we go for a walk that she yips and barks for a good couple of blocks. We stopped while she was in the middle of barking her fool head off, and I petted her and talked to her in a calm voice and she chilled out and had a good walk. 

Mac is an easy walker - I would have never thought I would say that when she was a puppy. She just trots along, sniffing everything and being good. 

After a day of work, I enjoy taking the dogs out for a walk. Sometimes I don't, like if it is raining hard or snowing, or if it's eleventy-hundred degrees in the summer, but most days I do take them out. There have been a few times when the three of them are out of sorts and are terrible walkers, and I'll cut the walk short, but it doesn't happen often. Mostly we all get straightened out within a block or so of the house. The majority of the time, it feels so nice to get outside, stretch my legs, breathe in the fresh air, and have fun with the doggos. Since Stella came to live with us, we have outside play time after the walk. Stella loves to play fetch. Mac has been getting into running after a ball - they have to have separate toys and throwing routes. Harley will sometimes chase a ball, but Mac always takes it from her, so Harley mostly just stands by me and waits to get a kibble and a snuggle. She's my sweetest girl. That 30 minutes I spend with the puppers after work is one of my favorite parts of the day, and I get to do it every day!

Yes, there are times when I really don't want to do it. Leashing them up, herding them out the door, getting them straightened out and walking in the same direction at roughly the same pace sometimes isn't easy or very much fun. Sometimes they pull and misbehave and eat poop out of the yards we pass by. Even on the worst days, though, there is usually something good and pleasant that happens. It is unusual for all three of them to act awful at the same time, and they almost always settle down. Come to think of it, if I don't enjoy the walk, it's usually because I reacted badly to the dog's antics. I lose my patience, and then the walk isn't good for me.

Anyway, that's all I've got for tonight. I'm going to spend a few minutes doing a bit of art. I hoped that I would have some time to work on it earlier, so I could show you what I'm doing, but I read a few pages of one of my books after dinner instead of drawing. Maybe I'll remember to share it with you on Sunday when I post here again.

Enjoy the rest of the week! 

#2717 three things: 10,000 steps, walking the dog, and a photo

 

1. 10,000 steps. Yesterday I worked at home. When I looked at my Apple Watch at the end of my work day, it told me I had walked just over 1,300 steps that day. I think I put my watch on around 10 am, and I finished working at 4 pm. That’s six hours, so I walked about 216 steps/hour. That’s not much. The wellness program at work gives me points that turn into currency to get gift cards and fitness devices and such when I get 10,000 steps in a day. While I was on vacation, getting 10,000 steps was a fairly common occurrence. Since I’ve been home, not so many steps each day.

Because I like to break things down so I know what I’m dealing with, I decided I wanted to know how many steps I would have to take in an hour to reach 10K steps in, say 12 hours. That number worked out to just over 800 steps/hour. It would take about 714 steps/hour to get to 10K in 14 hours. Today, I decided to see what that would be like. 

My sister has a Fitbit that alerts her every hour to get moving to reach her goals. The Apple Watch may have a similar feature, but I don’t know where it is, so I set a timer every hour to remind myself to check the step count and reach my goal.

My time frame is 7am to 9pm. The first five hours, I was right on track. Then I had to spend about an hour in the car going back and forth from work to home to take T to work. That hour I didn’t get many steps at all, and so by 2:00, I was about 1,000 steps behind. Right now, it is 8:30, and I have almost 7,900 steps. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow. 

Work’s wellness program also gives me points if I meet a certain level of active calories burned. I’m happy to say that even though I don’t have 10K steps today, I did reach the active calorie level, so I’ll still get my 10 points today. YAY!

2. Walking the dog. Speaking of walking…you know I walk my dogs in the neighborhood every evening. We pass by the same houses, hear the same barking dogs, admire the same trees, flowers, and yards daily. It’s a simple neighborhood walk, right?

In Rome, there are lots and lots of people who walk their dogs. Usually the dogs are a lot smaller and much more well-behaved than my beasties, but that’s another topic. The day we were at the Colosseum, I noticed a man walking his dog on the Colosseum grounds - not inside the gates, of course, but there is a large area around the Colosseum, Constantine’s Arch, Palatine Hill, and the Forum that is open space for anyone to enjoy. The gentleman and the dog were in this ancient space, minding their own business as they went for a simple neighborhood walk. What a neighborhood, though, right? 

3. A photo. I did not take a photo of the man walking his dog, but here is a photo of Constantine’s Arch that I took from inside the Colosseum. The grassy parts you see are not for walking on because they are full of ancient ruins. As you can imagine, Rome is full of ancient Roman ruins. Anyway, you can see the sidewalks, full of people, and that’s where I saw the man and his dog.

Fun fact: the Colosseum had already been in use for over 200 years before that arch was built. The arch was constructed in three years, between 312 - 315 AD. 

It boggles my mind. 

#2666 cat attack

As the dogs and I were heading home this afternoon during our walk, I saw a cat that lives in the neighborhood on the sidewalk about a block from us. I wondered if the cat was going to move, and then I saw that it did go back toward it’s house. I know this cat’s name is Danny, and his owners are Mr. and Mrs. A. (Name concealed, just in case). 

Nearing the A’s house, I see Danny the cat sitting by the car. Mr. and Mrs. A are out by their car, talking and getting stuff out of the garage. They wave and day hi. I tell them that the dogs were watching the cat watch them (the dogs). The cat then comes around the car and Mr. A exclaims, “There he is” followed quickly by “No Danny!” The cat has flattened its ears; it eyes have turned red and it is charging across the yard toward me and the dogs. 

We stand there, frozen, as this damn cat snarls and launches itself at Mac and Harley. Before I know it, the cat is batting its sharp, extended claws at the dogs, hissing, and leaping. Mac and Harley are just trying to get out of the way. I am yelling. Mr. and Mrs. A are yelling. I’m moving the dogs off the sidewalk and into the street, and the cat stays right with us. Neither of the dogs are growling or barking, but their tails are not wagging either and they are winding themselves around my legs. I was sure I was either going to get scratched by Demon Cat or fall over in the street from having leashes tangled around my legs. 

The cat runs back to his people and I move the dogs further along the road to get away, but then Demon Cat comes running back again, repeating the whole horrible incident. I make sort of a shrieking noise, which Mrs. A echos. Mr. A is yelling the cat’s name and telling me how sorry is he. Harley takes a claw to the nose. I can’t tell if Mac has been clawed.  We move down the street. The cat finally leaves us alone, and we walk quickly down the street toward home. 

I kept looking back to see if the cat was coming after us again. My heart was beating fast. Mac and Harley were now super-excited and a little freaked out. When we stopped a few houses down so I could look at the dogs to make sure they were okay, Mac was jumping up at me with all four feet off the ground. She has some white stuff on the side of her face. It was cat spit. Harley was spinning circus dog circles on her back legs and there was a little bit of blood on top of her nose. 

We finally calmed down enough to get the rest of the way home. The dogs were very quiet and docile while we passed the last couple of house and came into the house. They both looked at me like, “What the hell was that, human?” I gave them each a cookie for being such good girls. We’ve been walking up and down our street for a year and nothing like that has ever happened to us. That cat was ANGRY and kinda scary, too. We will always cross the street before we get to the A’s house from now on. Sheesh.

Not an actual pic of Danny, but close enough

#2655 self-care Saturday

I promised myself that I wouldn’t let Christmas overwhelm me, like it sometimes has in the past. Most of the gift shopping is done, which is great, even though there is always a bit of anxiety: Will my people like what I give them? Did I spend too much? Not enough? Are my people expecting more? I have worked to let those thoughts go over the past few years, but sometimes the thoughts linger anyway, don’t they?

With only a bit of buying left to do for MT and T, I decided to take this morning, the week before Christmas, to do something for myself. I woke up fairly early, took a nice shower, gave myself a much-needed facial mask, moisturized thoroughly, then dressed in warm layers for an outing.

First stop, Les Madeleines for a Kouign-amann and coffee, specifically a mocha Madelienes - a mocha made with dark chocolate; it is not as sweet and is a bit more rich than a regular mocha. Unfortunately, the cafe doesn’t offer indoor seating, and the outdoor seating has been put away for the season, so I had to get my breakfast to go. The KA is too flaky and spectacular to eat in the car when I drive, so I had to delay my gratification. Had to take a photo of it, though:

Hello gorgeous

Next stop was my beloved Red Butte Garden. One of my goals is to have breakfast at Les Madeleines and to take a walk at RBG at least once a month. I missed November for some reason, so I am recommitting myself starting today! 

We had a pretty good snowstorm on Tuesday night and the Garden had a nice, heavy white blanket of the stuff on the ground. The path was well-plowed, though, and I had no problem walking around this winter wonderland. 

Clear path 

Frozen waterfall and pond

I sure don’t want to sit here right now

Feeling happy and warm

I felt like I was the only person there. The only thing I could hear was snow falling off the branches, thankfully not on my head! I did see some people as I neared the visitor center, but overall, I had a great time walking around by myself and enjoying the peace, quiet, and beauty of this special place. 

On my way back down the hill, my coffee had cooled enough that I could enjoy the rich chocolate and coffee flavor, so that worked out nicely, too. I stopped at Trader Joe’s to pick up a couple of things. It wasn’t as crazy in the store as I thought it might be, so that was good.

I got back home in time to enjoy my delayed breakfast pastry, even though the coffee was long gone. It was delicious, of course, and then it was time for book club. We discussed the last third of the book The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, a book I recommended and that I am glad to say most everyone really liked, myself included. We have one more book to finish off the year, Sula by Toni Morrison. It is a quick read that was referenced in The Sentence. 

After all that me-time, I felt relaxed and happy and ready to face shopping at an actual store. I’m happy to say that my Christmas shopping is now complete! At least for gifts. I still have grocery shopping to do for the meal, but all of that will be included in my regular shopping, anyway, so no big deal.

Are you enjoying your weekend? Are you taking the time to take care of yourself?

#2638 Sunday with Sandy

I am still in Southern California, spending the weekend with my sister and my mamacita. Lizzie and I had a big, full day of fun planned, and we got started early with an easy walk on a local trail. One of my favorite things about walking here is that there are lots of trails nearby. Mostly they are a mixture of trails through the hills with and without houses right on the trail. My favorite things are eucalyptus trees. I love the way they smell.

After the walk, which took about an hour, Lizzie and I had some breakfast, then went to Target so we could get the second half of her birthday gift, a coffee maker! We haven't tried it out yet, but I'm looking forward so some freshly brewed coffee in the morning. I hope she likes making her coffee at home as much as I do. Starbucks is great, but there's a lot to be said for having your own pot at home.

This afternoon, Lizzie and I went to see the movie King Richard.  I'm not sure if it is completely accurate or anything, although I have heard that both Venus and Serena Williams signed off on the film. We really enjoyed it. Lizzie and I like tennis and admire the Williams sisters very much. I know we both cried at various times during the movie. Good stuff. Can't really go wrong with a sports-related movie.

After the movie, we came home to pick up Mom and drove out the Seal Beach to watch the sunset. The sky was clear and blue, the tide was out with teeny little waves lapping up on the shore. Totally gorgeous sunset tonight. I felt so glad to be there with my womenfolk.

When will I learn to take off my glasses when I take the photo and control my smile?

I'll keep working on it, but this is a bit better.

When the sun said it's final good-bye for the day, we headed to Huntington Beach for dinner at El Ranchito. Here's another thing I want to learn: when to order just one enchilada. I was so hungry that I ordered two chicken enchiladas and they were big and filling. 

It was a good meal. I like Mexican food a whole bunch. We wandered up the street a little way. There was a block that was closed to vehicle traffic and many restaurants had tables set up in the street. It was fun. We found a dessert place called The Funnel Hut that made fresh churros, so even though we were  full from dinner, we went ahead and had a churro. It was delicious and totally pushed me into the uncomfortable zone. Note to self and sister: next time we will share a dessert. 

When we got home, we shared photos via Air Drop and chatted about the day. I get to stay until tomorrow afternoon. Lizzie has to work in the morning, and that's okay. I will have a leisurely morning writing and reading and enjoying my day off. Hopefully it will be nice weather and I'll be able to sit outside for a little while.

#2637 Saturday with Sandy

We went to bed kind of late last night after drinking some bubbly wine and eating the desserts that Mom and Lizzie brought home from the birthday dinner. I crawled into bed and felt a little chilly, so I picked out another quilt, snuggled in, and slept really soundly until about 6:45. I wanted to sleep longer, but it just didn't work out for me.

The morning was hazy and overcast, but not especially cold.  Lizzie and I walked to Starbucks, where we got some breakfast. We sat outside and chatted while we ate, then we walked back home. It felt good to take a walk. There are some Christmas decorations around the neighborhoods. 

It is officially the holiday season to me. I decided this a couple of days ago, on Thursday. That day at work,  we had breakfast burritos from the small tools department, we drew for Secret Santa, then we had a team-building event at Top Golf. I didn't work on Friday; I took a sick day because MT had an endoscopy to stretch his esophagus. He has a lot of scar tissue buildup at the bottom of his esophagus from acid reflux, and the esophagus tends to swell and close up, making it difficult for him to swallow. This was the second time he's had the esophagus stretched. Of course, he has to be put under for the endoscopy. When he wakes up, he is loopy, so he needs supervision :) I felt a little bad about leaving him last night to come to California, but he is fine and we are good.

Today was book club day, so I participated there. We finished our fifteenth book of the year. I'm hopeful we will do one or maybe two more before the end of the year. 

For lunch, we picked up food from Reventaco. Their fish tacos are really good! 

Mom and Lizzie indulged my need to watch Utah football. The Utes beat up on the third-ranked Oregon Ducks. It was a fun game to watch, as a Utah fan! PAC-12 South Champs, baby!

I'm feeling pretty tired now. Lizzie and I have a full day planned for tomorrow, so I think I'll hit the hay. Today has been a nice day of lounging and being with my women-folk. It was just what I needed. 

#2620 the best thing (3/30)

I've used this one as my "best thing" before, but when it is the best thing about the day, it just is.

This evening around 6:22, I leashed up the doggos for a quick walk around the neighborhood. I worked from home today, so I'd been sitting for a long time, and it felt great to get some fresh air and stretch my legs. The dogs were surprising mellow, not pulling too hard, just intent on smelling all the smells and being outside. 

Just to be clear, when I work from home, the dogs are out in the back yard most all the day long. They chase after each other, and they play with the toys they leave out in the yard. They bark at innocent people walking by, and they wrestle each other. They lay in the grass, on the dirt, on the deck, or on the concrete. They dig holes. They run along the fenceline barking at the neighbor's dog, Sam. They come in and out of the house. In and out. In and out. They get treats. Today they got big marrow bones which kept them entertained for about an hour. On work from home days, I am certain that Mac and Harley are living their best dog lives. 

To add to that best life, when we go for a walk, these girls act like it is the greatest thing that has ever happened. I just say the word "shoes", and their ears perk up. Mac barks and prances around. Harley is  interested in every move I make while putting on socks, then shoes, and tying the laces. When I actually clip the leashes on, Mac often picks hers up and carries it to the door, where she then jumps, all four feet off the floor, until I gather up the ends of the leashes and open the door. 

So, back to today's walk. I know I am making the puppers happy just by walking them up the street and letting them smell what they need to smell. I recognize that they are both being attentive to my commands, paying attention when I tell them to slow down or to watch me before we cross the street. Mac even drops the random garbage she always picks up during our walks when I tell her to "drop it." 

I also recognize that it is a spectacular autumn afternoon. The sun is just starting to go down and the sky is a magnificent blend of blue and pink and pale orange. The leaves on the trees are changing colors or have fallen to the ground. It is satisfying to shuffle through leaves on the sidewalk, some already crunchy and some still sort of vibrant in a variety of colors. The air is crisp and clean. When I get away from the main road, it is quiet, with birdsong being the only thing I hear. There weren't even any cars coming up the road for awhile. 

I remember saying out loud, "Well, this is the best part of the day."  It's pretty dope to recognize it in the moment. 

Here's hoping you had a good day, or at least a good moment, too.

#2597 today’s best

The best thing about today, at least so far, was the walk I took with the dogs this morning. We didn’t go anywhere special, just around the neighborhood. It had been awhile since I’d taken the dogs out in the morning because usually MT takes them walking in the morning and I do the evening walk. Since today was a WFH day and I had a little time, I decided to do it. Also, I am working at a concert tonight, so hopefully MT will take them out this evening. 

I like the morning walk because the neighborhood is quiet. There aren’t a lot of people up and driving at 6:15. I could hear birds chirping in the trees. The air was nice and cool (it’s true!). The dogs were excited to be out moving around. Our neighborhood is pretty small, and I have a set path I usually take in the evenings. This morning I took a different path and I could tell the doggos were happy to mix it up. Both of them have smiley faces when they are happy and they were certainly smiley this morning!

Like I said, I am working a concert this evening. The artist is Matt Kearney. I’ve been listening to his music for a couple of days so I could be a little familiar with his sound. There is one song of his that I know. I heard it on the radio a couple of years ago**, I guess, and it’s catchy, upbeat, and fun. Here’s the video of the song “Hey Mama”. I’ll be tapping my toes to this one for sure tonight!

**HA! I just looked up what year the song came out: 2011. Guess it was more than a couple of years ago! Sheesh!!

#2588 the best thing

As I was going about my day, I thought about what I might write tonight. I knew the theme would be The Thing, so I kept an eye open for Things that would qualify. There were a few candidates: work from home days are always a good thing, as is having a fresh, home-cooked lunch. I watched a movie, a rare and wonderful thing. I sat outside this evening to read for a little while. The hummingbird came back to the feeder.

All of those Things are good, but The Best Thing was when T came for a walk with me and the doggos. I enjoyed chatting with him while we walked. It was very hot here today, over 100 degrees, and even when we went for a walk around 8:45, it was still in the low 90s. A little breeze was stirring, though, and it felt good to be outside moving around. 

You know what else? I actually told T that walking with him and the dogs were the best thing about my day. He probably thought I was a bit of nutter, but I don’t care because if someone is part of your best thing, it’s a good idea to let them know, don’t you think?

I hope you had a Best Thing today!

#2585 three things: dog, lists, water

1. The Diva. For a few days, Mac decided not to eat her dog food. She wanted it, and she would snuffle at it and put a kibble or two in her mouth, lick off the flavor, then drop the kibbles on the floor. The first time it happened, I figured she wasn't hungry because it was hot and she'd had some treats that morning out on our walk. Then it kept happening. I'd purchased the same kind of dog food, but with the bigger kibble, and I thought maybe she just didn't care for the big kibble, so I bought some small kibble, too. She still wouldn't eat it. She would stand over it and stare at Harley, who desperately wanted to finish off the kibbles. MT suggested I call the vet because he was sure she had some kind of blockage because she has been known to eat random stuff off the road. The vet asked me if Mac had diarrhea or had been throwing up. Was she drinking water? Was she lethargic? The answer to all the questions is no. The vet suggested she is pushing her boundaries, hoping for more treats or people food. On Wednesday when I was home, I didn't give either dog any snacks an guess what? Mac gobbled up her kibbles, both sizes, without delay. Sigh. That's life with a husky-cross, I guess.

2. The Reset button. On Glennon Doyle's podcast this week, the topic was self-care. Such an interesting topic to me! She wasn't talking about external self-care, like pedicures and new makeup, but psychological self-care, taking care of our souls. G talked about a chart she has in her office. On one side of the chart is a column labeled "Easy Button". That side of the chart has a list of things that G has indulged in that are "easy", that make her abandon her self. The list includes things like binge eating or drinking, and online shopping. These are things that make you feel good in the moment, but in the long run might cause feelings of guilt or remorse. The other side of the chart is labeled "Reset Button." This is a list of things that centers her, or resets her frame of mind. The list includes such things as drinking a glass of water, taking the dogs for a walk, or reading a chapter in a book. 

It got me thinking about making my own Easy Button and Reset Button lists. I've got some pretty strong ideas already about my Easy Button list, that's for sure. I would like to work on that Reset Button list.

3. Is that grass painted green? When I take the dogs for a walk, I can't help but feel a little judgmental when I see really green lawns. As in most of the western states, Utah is suffering from drought conditions and  watering restrictions are in place. We water once, maybe twice a week, and our yard looks pretty dry. We have some green patches, but there are plenty of brown patches, too. The North 40 (the north part of the back yard) is only brown, and worn to dirt in some places. The dogs play over there and we don't really work too hard on it. 

The other day I noticed that one house in the neighborhood has a bluish-green lawn. Upon further inspection, it looks like they have spray painted the lawn. I'll have to take a photo of it to show you. It totally cracks me up. It's Monet grass: from afar it looks okay, but up close, it's kind of a mess. 

Happy July! Be safe, stay cool, and conserve water!

 

 

#2579 I’m on vacation yo!

Hello from sunny Southern California! I got to Mom and Lizzie’s house yesterday afternoon (Friday). It was a sweet reunion. I thought I’d cry when I first hugged them, but it was more joyful than tearful. The tears came, though, when Mom gave me a gift:

It’s a little meditating dragon! Isn’t he cute? The story behind the dragon is that a few years ago, the theme at the Children’s Garden at Red Butte Garden was dragons. A little dragon like this one was sitting on top of the Sprout House and he completely charmed me. I’ve often thought about trying to find one for myself, but the fact that Mamacita got him for me makes it even better! 

When I pulled the little dragon out of the gift bag, I couldn’t hold back my emotions and I started to sob, which set Mom and Lizzie off, too. The tears had to come after nearly a year and a half apart, right? Then we drank champagne, Mom made delicious croquettas and patatas bravas, and everything was great.

This morning Lizzie and I went for a hike.  It’s kind of amazing to me how many “urban hikes” there are in this area. It is a beautiful day here (surprise), and we had a good view of the valley.

You can even see some mountains in the background. I have no idea what direction I am facing in this photo. The trail we took was paved in some places and dirt in others. There were some steep hills, too. There was a lot of traffic along the trail and we enjoyed talking to different groups of people. Lizzie said it was the most social hike she’s had in months, meaning that she hasn’t talked to many other trail walkers before. Everyone we talked to was very nice. 

One of the groups we chatted with was a group of four women. One of them asked us if we were twins. LOL I think there is a resemblance, but twins? We’ve never heard that before!

(Why does my head look like such a block? LOL)

Here’s another things we saw on the hike:

I do not condone making a face on a cactus and giving it a scarf, but I admit that I giggled at it. 

This afternoon has been mellow. I read and took a nap. We had a late lunch/early dinner from Reventaco. I am completely full of fish tacos. They were good. Now I’m waiting to watch game 3 of the Jazz/Clippers series. I think Mom and Lizzie may stay in the same room with me while I watch the game. Go Jazz!

What’s on tap for tomorrow? We are going to San Diego for the day! 

#2561 today's best: when she finally dropped it

Today has been a nice day. It was a WFH day for me, and I took the dogs out for a quick walk early this morning before I logged on, and for another, slightly longer walk at lunchtime. This evening I took them out for another walk, because why not? I decided to take them on a different route through the neighborhood than we usually take for some variety. 

We went past a house a block up from us. The people there aren't really into lawn care, and they only mow every couple of weeks. The grass is tall and thick and looks awful. Mac and Harley really seem to love smelling all the smells in that lawn. Tonight, they got a little more than a smell. They were both after something and when I finally was able to pull them away, Mac emerged with a large, flat, stiff mouse in her mouth. The tail was at least three inches long. 

I squealed, hopped up and down, and yelled at Mac to drop it. She would not pay any attention to me. Harley wanted to carry it, too, but Mac wouldn't share. She seemed so pleased with herself. Her ears were standing up, her tail was up and wagging, and there was a little prance in her step. I could practically hear Harley saying, "Come on, Mac. I found it, too. Let me have a turn."

What was I going to do? There was no fucking way I was going to reach in her mouth and take that mouse out of there. I didn't have any treats to bribe her with and no amount of angry voice would make her put the thing down. We kept walking. 

We came upon a group of teenagers playing basketball in the road. They said hi and looked at Mac. I said, "Yep, my dog is carrying around a stiff mouse." They came over to check it out, making the appropriate disgusted sounds. I thought one of the boys might try to take it from her, but he backed away.  Harley wanted to be friends with all of them, then remembered that Mac had a mouse and tried to get it from her. The kids wished me good luck and continued their game.

What was I going to do? I didn't want her to bring that thing to our yard. I kept hoping she'd get tired of it or maybe drop it in order to get a better grip on it, but that didn't happen. We kept walking.

We turned went around a corner and I saw a PowerAde bottle in the gutter. I picked it up, trying to decide if Mac would consider dropping the mouse for the bottle. She loves to carry around plastic bottles. A dog behind a fence where we were walking started barking, throwing off Mac's concentration. I chucked the bottle at her, and it hit her in the head. I yelled, "Drop it, Mac!" She didn't drop it, but she did look at me like "WTF human?!" I retrieved the bottle and threw it at her again. And again. And again. I was kind of yelling the whole time. Harley was jumping up on me like she was missing out on all the fun. The invisible dog kept barking.

Finally, Mac must have gotten scared between the bottle, the yelling, Harley's jumping, and the other dog barking, and she dropped the mouse. I quickly pulled them both away from it and praised Mac greatly. I felt bad about my tactics, but I was feeling pretty shook up about the whole situation. Mac was unharmed by the bottle throwing, by the way. I think I actually only hit her with the first throw. I was pretty desperate. I can only imagine what anyone who was looking out their window might have thought of the whole scene. 

We continued our walk without further incident. Both dogs were very good, with minimum pulling and eating of crap (literally) out of yards or in the gutters. We stayed far away from the mouse corpse. I will remember not to walk on that side of the road tomorrow. 

So even though there were other good parts of the day, the best thing was when Mac finally dropped that dead mouse. 

Ahh...the joys of owning dogs.

#2521 MT saves the day

Today MT did something that is bound to have an impact on my days for a long time. It was so sudden and so unexpected that I almost couldn't get over the genius of what he'd done. He said he didn't remember who told him about the method or where he learned it, but it certainly worked.

We were out walking the dogs and, as usual, Harley was pulling very hard. I was handling Harley, and her pulling was causing pain in my hand as well as making me angry. Halfway through the walk, MT suggested that we trade dogs. I happily agreed. 

He walked with Harley for a couple of minutes. She continued to pull and be annoying. MT stopped, wrapped the leash around Harley's waist and looped the end under the leash, thus creating a make-shift harness. Immediately, Harley was walking with a loose lead right beside MT, not pulling at all. It was like she was a completely different dog. 

I tried it on Mac, and the same thing happened. She stopped pulling and walked quietly. The thing with Mac is that she likes to stop and smell everything. I usually have to pull her away from whatever she's smelling or trying to put in her mouth. 

The second half of the walk was very pleasant. Both dogs were well-behaved and it was totally awesome. 

I remember that my friend, Nicole, told me about this simple hack. She learned about it at puppy training class. I wish I had remembered sooner! 

When I took the dogs out this evening, I did the hack and once again, it was great. When the dog pulls, the cinch tightens around their waist. I'm sure it isn't very comfortable because it doesn't stay tight for long. I don't think it hurts or damages them. Our walks are pretty short and like I said, the dog doesn't let the leash stay tight for very long.

As for where MT found this hack, my guess is Tik Tok. I googled "dog leash hack" before I started writing and the first thing that came up was "dog leash hack Tik Tok".  I found this little post about the hack. It's good to have a place to start. I understand this isn't a permanent solution; the girls need to learn to walk nicely on the leash. I continued looking for training ideas and found this post that had several suggestions that I liked and will try.

I just want to make it possible for both me and the dogs to have good experiences when we go for walks. I love my girls and walking them is my primary form of exercise at the moment. We need to have fun and be safe. Thanks, MT, for this cool hack!