Nightmare

R.I.P. sweet Cleo

I last posted in 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic. Little did I ever guess that, two years later, we would be still battling this virus.  The virus is only part of the mess: climate change, voters' rights at risk in the US, an attempted coup orchestrated by the previous crooked president, and democracy being threatened are all part of the mix these days. It is hard to believe what is happening, and I am not particularly hopeful for the future. I'm glad I'm old and was around for the good years. What a mess!

And my dog died...

Not So Much

My high hopes for 2020 have pretty much hit the skids since the virus appeared on the scene in March. Actually it was here long before, but we were unaware. Once the country did finally wake up, it was too late and opportunites to defeat it were lost. Now, months later, we are still at war with it. Who knows how this will end? 

My calendar is blank, and I spend much of my time alone due to public health guidelines. However, there is still some joy. I found myself going to grandson John's graduation via a uTube live stream. I always assumed I'd be there in person, but that was not to be. 

Another source of happiness was the long awaited opening of the community garden in late May. We all scrambled around to get the grounds back in order, ridding the garden of waist high weeds that were so plentiful the paths between garden plots had disappeared. Within a week, all was back in order and our wonderful weed-eating sheep arrived to finish the job. 

And now fire season approaches while the daily virus numbers go up. I had high hopes for 2020. Not so much anymore. However, half the year is still left. I remain hopeful... and thankful that it hasn't been worse. It has been a devastating time for so many.

On we go...

Let It Be Sweet

Twenty Twenty! A new year begins. Here's the sweetness, personal and global, that I'd like to see this year...

• The Defeat of Donald Trump
• A Healthy Personal Profile
• Planet Well-Being*
• Good Fortune for Friends & Family
• More Kindness & Tolerance in General in the World
• The Rise of the Middle Class
• Continuing Loving Relationships (and maybe beginning some new ones)

*if it's not too late

Amen

My Greenish Thumb

This is how it all began way back in April when I began my first garden attempt in many, many years. A weed patch.

 With lots of hard work and help from my grandsons, it morphed into this much improved version of a spring garden. Tomatoes, radishes, chives, cucumbers, and zinnias began to fill my small area. However, that cucumber trellis looks ridiculously empty, the tomatoes don't look much better, and slugs are after my zinnias.

On it goes...

until it magically transforms into...THIS!

And THIS!

Started from specially ordered seeds, this Queen Anne's Lace is my garden favorite. I know it is a weed that  grows wild and free along country roadsides, but I have always loved the bloom on this fabulous plant, so lovely in bouquets.

Now it's August, almost September, and the cucumbers have overgrown their trellis, the tomatoes are spilling over the top of the wire guard, and my once tidy garden is beginning to look a bit like a green tangled jungle, though still producing marvelous treats for the dinner table. 

What a fun adventure it has been, worth all the hard work.

Good Move

And so...another chapter begins.

Adios 1400. I loved you.

Hello, 153! I have high hopes.

Bucket List

NOLA...I finally made it. I have wanted to go for years, and I was not disappointed. As if that weren't enough, we did Memphis and Nashville, too... getting a sampling of great music as we went from place to place. However, there's still no place like home.

Undecking the Halls

It's time. The holiday decorations must come down for another year. Why is it that it is so much fun to put them up and such a bore to take them down? 

It was a good holiday, spending time with both branches of the family. It gets harder and harder to get together with everyone as the family gets more spread out. Who knows what it will be like next year, with part of the family now in Bend, OR and Santa Rosa homes being put on the market, mine included. So, it's important to enjoy the good holiday that was.

My Great Nieces

Jane

Presents!

Good memories. And, now, I am going to force myself to undeck these halls!

Wine Country Fire

Press Democrat Photo

Judging by the newspaper photos, my beautiful city of Santa Rosa looks like a war zone in some places. It is very hard for me to see.

I have not seen much of the damage in person...only that little bit as I went to Kaiser Hospital, evacuated during the fire, for my flu shot.

Press Democrat Photo

It will be a while before I am able take in the full extent of the fire's vicious path, if I ever do. I'm not sure I want to see.

I grieve for the devastating losses that so many people have suffered. And I grieve for the trauma and deaths of wildlife and pets. Yet, I am lucky. The fire came very close to my home, but it survived. And I survived. However, that 2 a.m. robo call telling me to GET OUT will be forever embedded in my brain. 

I am not the same.

Will Santa Rosa ever be the same?

I expect so, but it is going to take some time.

Over the Moon

This photograph, courtesy of NASA, is my favorite of this week's solar eclipse. I was hopeful that I would be able to view it first hand here in CA, but clouds prevailed and the sun did not show its face the entire day. So, like many people too lazy to get in the car and travel, I turned on the TV. Well, it was awesome!

I particularly loved watching the crowds of people across the nation, everyone as awestruck as I was. I thought to myself...how wonderful it is that we can share an experience that allows us to forget all about Charlottesville and the negativity that is going on in our county and enjoy the wonder of our world, reminded that we are but a small piece of it.

A beautiful moment...

Good Day Sunshine!

Perfect weather! So, off we went adventuring to Spring Lake Lagoon, where the water park was in full swing.

Jane and Alex donned the required life jackets and had a grand time merrily playing on the equipment in the park, while John and I lounged in the beach area, enjoying the sun and taking photos.

And there was time for some inside fun too!

Chris has turned into a performer when posing for pictures.

Yes, a good day of family fun.

AS I SEE IT: Pet Peeve #2

"Activist" Obama Tells Americans "You Get The Politicians You Deserve”

Right! And I am pissed. I do understand that it is hard for some people to get to the polls. I wish we had a holiday or weekend voting, so that it was easier to cast a vote. These are not the people I am thinking about as I write these words. I am referring to the people who just could not be bothered to go to the polls; they didn’t think it would matter. “There’s no difference between Trump and Clinton,” they said. People wrote in Mickey Mouse for President. I have one friend who actually wrote in her own name because she could not make up her mind between Clinton and Trump. Now these people are complaining, upset, and distraught.  Boo fucking hoo! They are getting what they deserve. Unfortunately I am stuck in this mess with these losers. Yes. I am pissed! What did they think was going to happen? Or did they just not think?

So Fine

The Legion of Honor is a part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and some friends and I made a day of it to check out the Monet exhibit.  We lucked out and found a parking place very close by, so the showers that Mother Nature chose to provide did not dampen our spirits. The first order of business, however, was lunch in the convenient on site cafeteria. The quiche was as good as it looked!

Our tickets were for noon, so we finished our lunch and headed for the exhibit, which was very crowded but nicely organized so that we were able to get a good view of every painting.

Many of the pieces were unfamiliar to me, as this collection was comprised of his earlier work. No lilies!

 Luckily, we had a little time left before we needed to leave, so we headed upstairs to see what was there. Apart from Monet's art, this piece was my favorite of the day. Amazing!

We battled the commute traffic going home, but it was all worth it. Every time I travel to San Francisco, I think to myself that I should make the effort more often. A fun day! 

AS I SEE IT: Pet Peeve #1

The phrase "with all due respect", usually said in a syrupy & condescending tone of voice, has been bothering me for a LONG time. Most often used by politicians, it provides a sugar-coating for a snarky remark. I think it is wishy-washy and phony. Just say what you've got to say! Period.

But Not This Year

My favorite time of year is again upon us. 

Spring-

A time of renewal and new beginnings,

But not this year. 

All is different

Because hope is now riding in the back seat.

The new driver is Fear

Assisted by Lies, Corruption, and Arrogance.

It is dark, indeed, even as the dawn comes.

The once bright world has taken on a different hue

Since Evil and his cronies

Started lurking the West Wing of the White House, saying "You're fired!" 

To Truth and Compassion.

Will Spring return in all its glory

Once this growing black cloud, filled with Hate and Greed,

Is conquered by Truth, Liberty, and Justice?

A crisis, terrifying to watch, is approaching.

I can feel it, and it frightens me...

So, this different, unfamiliar spring, the likes of which I have never known,

Is making its move into reality.

Spring-

A time of renewal and new beginnings,

But not this year.

We Shall Overcome!

Here we are in downtown Santa Rosa, all 5000 of us!

Rain decided to come to the party, but our spirits could not be dampened.

Downtown Santa Rosa

What a great day. I'll never forget it!

We shall overcome.

Brunch at Tiffany's

Elegant! It's a birthday brunch for Bev, and Tiffany might as well have catered this affair. 

Even the birthday cake screamed Tiffany.

So, of course, we all got into the act.

Good Vibrations: Visiting Esalen

What a fabulous place! No wonder it has been on my bucket list for all these years. We arrived on Friday and were totally captivated by the view from our deck. Perfect.

 And the view from the dining deck was pretty spectacular, too. 

 The garden-to-table food did not disappoint. Shown below is the delicious pasta with marinara sauce that was dinner, and there were gluten free lemon bars for dessert. I had three! By far my favorite food item appeared at the first dinner there: celery root, battered and fried to a crisp, golden brown. 

I took a mindfulness meditation workshop, lazed in the hot springs, and enjoyed coffee surrounded by the beauty of Big Sur. Amazing.

It was relaxing and enriching. I didn't come away with any new knowledge, but it was a powerful refresher course in what life is all about.

OMMM...