dentist

I felt a rough spot on one of my back teeth for a couple weeks and since I am coming to the end of my dental insurance (even though it's crappy insurance) I thought I better get it checked. Sure, I am so naive that I think they can just file the rough spot and I will be good to go. Not so.

An hour later, I have a temporary crown and a numb face. I had the nurse look up when my last dental work was and it was 1996. She said I should be very happy about that and I guess I am but it makes me a nervous patient.

She offered me laughing gas and I had a terrible time deciding. I had to tell her the story of my first endoscopy which involved me almost choking to death because they convinced me to do it without sedation. In the end, I declined the laughing gas even though she said it's like having a few drinks without the hangover. Ha!

I made it through without crying. Regis did not have to take time off from his job to hold my hand. I survived.

My next appointment is June 30th, my last day of work, at 2:20. I should get out of there just in time for Happy Hour. Ha!

Jill's sweet daughter, Anne, is undergoing surgery right now at St. Mary's in Rochester. That is much more serious than my lame story. Wishing her well. If it weren't raining torrentially about once an hour, we would be lighting candles in the garden in her honor.

I am managing to get things finished up at school even though two weeks ago, it seemed impossible. I have slogged through the lists and done one thing at a time. I have cast a lot of paper into the recycler. I have met with many people, handed off ten jump drives with files, and purged my computer of one thing after another. I put one set of keys in the mail today and have a note on two others to deliver them on the 30th. I have piles of folders with notes about who they go to in the end.

I am starting to move into my space at River Rock. I have a pair of shoes and a binder in a drawer. I have a coffee cup and saucer. When I go in tomorrow, I will bring a couple extra aprons and a few other things that I need every day. I think I have met everyone now and tomorrow I will learn how to do invoices and I'll meet the accountant.

I feel less confused today than I did yesterday. I think my calendar for the next two weeks is accurate. At least I know where I am going today and tomorrow.

Yesterday I saw three baby squirrels crossing the road. There must be lots of baby squirrels this time of year but I rarely see them. They must be kept in the nursery until they are of a size where they are mistaken for adults.

I am trying to get better organized in my life. I bought a thing with clear pockets to store shoes. It hangs from a door. I'm going to store tights and leggings in it because with the clear pockets, I can see what's in there instead of rifling through a drawer in the dark. Good idea, no?

I also bought a thing with clear pockets for storing jewelry. Regis gave me a beautiful jewelry storing thing a few years ago and I keep a lot of stuff in there but I am a huge fan of cheap and colorful jewelry and I usually have it strew about the house. This will be my attempt to keep it corralled.

This afternoon, I have an appointment with the eye doctor. I have flex money for glasses so Regis and I went up yesterday to look at them. The doctor will most likely dilate my eyes and I can't see anything closer than about a mile after that. I brought three pair home. Here they are:

I like the first ones in the burgundy color of the second pair. The last pair has a nice blue color inside but they're too dark in the front. I don't know why this has to be such a process. Regis has been patient but he might have been inwardly rolling his eyes.

An aside: I had a previous husband who had me get safety glasses once because they were cheaper. I kid you not. And why did I put up with this, you might ask. I don't know. That's all there is to say. I don't know.

Heck, I have bought cars in less time than I took to decide on these glasses. I had my friend, Joanne, buy a car for me sight-unseen over the phone once. Probably just goes to show how little I care about cars. And I spend more time in glasses than I do in a car. Now, that's funny.

My face is starting to feel less numb so I will move on and try to do something constructive. Not making any promises, but it's a thought.

dancing

Dancing is one of those things I never did until just the last year. I was too self-conscious to get up in front of people and move around. Now, I love dancing even though I don't think I have acquired any sense or rhythm as my affection has grown.

Friday night we had dinner at Cedars Grille then went to the Redmen to listen to the Lost Walleyes which are really three members of City Mouse, a band from my youth. I listened to City Mouse when they played at the Comfy in Mankato. It's a bar that's been gone for so long, most people don't even remember it.

The men wouldn't dance, but Nikki, Vickie, and I danced a lot. Just us three in front of the band. Ah, hell. It was fun. Actually I do better when nobody tries to dance with me. I am not very coordinated and it's hard to move with someone else. I attribute this to the fact that I was tall in high school and when we danced in PE (Honest to God, we did.) and the ratio of boys to girls was uneven, I had to be the boy so I always want to lead. Ha!

Yesterday we went to the Blues Fest in Minnesota Square and heard some great music. Reverend Raven and Al, the sax player, walked out into the crowd at the end and got up on a picnic table to play. One of our more reserved friends (you know who you are) said he had tears in his eyes it was so powerful.

So, that set the stage. We wandered down to the Embassy (after a nap) to hear Everett Smithson. That was such a weird crowd that we moved on to Willy's to hear more of Reverend Raven. Oh, man. I got happy feet and danced and danced. Regis doesn't like to dance so I was solo for most of the night...although a couple guys tried to dance with me. I am sure they walked away wondering why I try to lead. Thank my PE teacher.

It was a wonderful time but I would like to learn to dance.

Ambassador's Blues Fest 2011

What a great time it was!

selling cookies

Regis is famous for his strange and detailed dreams.

The other night he had a dream about me. I had been behaving in a way that aroused suspicion. He decided to find out what I was up to so he followed me down Third Street but lost me when we got close to downtown. When he saw me again, on Nassau Street, I was riding one of these.

I was embarrassed to tell him that part of my new job included delivering cookies on this cycle so I kept it a secret.

Good grief. I wonder what in the world spawned that dream.

It is a cool bike, though.

We went out for dinner at the Cedars Grille last night with some friends. Scott had prime rib and announced suddenly, "Hey, there's a ghost on my meat!" It's a little blob of sour cream with pepper flake eyes but it sure looks like a ghost. Somebody said it's a Konsbruck Hotel ghost. Ha! We went over to the Redmen after dinner for some dancing to the Lost Walleyes. It was a fun evening.

I have a cooler packed for the Ambassador's Blues Fest today...nuts and dried fruit, cheese, olives, dark chocolate, a bottle of wine and a few cold beers. Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys start the lineup.

My friend, Katy, in Georgia is making me a Day of the Dead apron this weekend. She found a cool pink and black fabric for the ruffle and she's going to make a skeleton button for the flap. It will be so cool I don't think I will wait for the Day of the Dead to wear it.

She's also making an apron for me out of this:

Cool to have my own apron designer!

a most amazing week

I started my training at River Rock this week. It's been a whirlwind of balancing both jobs, wrapping up my district job, getting my head around the new job details, and managing the usual stuff at home.

It's not easy to get an old head to learn all these new things. Monday I learned a lot of stuff about banking. Anybody who knows me, knows that numbers are not my thing. I can easily add three simple numbers twice and get a different answer each time. Numbers are random to me so the calculator, while it is a great tool, doesn't help if the numbers don't make sense to you. La dee da. This is something I will have to grapple with as we go along.

I learned to do dishes the River Rock way. It's a zen like job for me now. Faced with a huge pile of dishes, you just do them methodically one by one until they are done. It's the hospitality support part of my job.

I met some of the regular customers who seem to feel like this place is part of their lives, not just a place to eat or get coffee.

I learned where all the stuff is...the freezers full of preserved produce from last summer, the extra cups, plates, towels, aprons, the cleaning supplies, the cinnamon.

Yesterday I went in at 6 a.m. to work with Katie, one of the bakers, and later with Montana, the Kitchen Manager and chef. I watched Katie make scones and lemon bars and hermit cookies. I tasted Montana's chipotle aeoli and the lemon balsamic vinaigrette. I smelled a puff pastry fresh from the oven...local gouda, local parmesan, local pork, and dijon mustard. Wonderful smells.

There have been some hard parts:

• Do these shoes qualify as "closed-toe"? I wear sandals in the summer so this has taken some work.
• No jewelry on my hands so how do I compensate for that? Regis bought me two ankle bracelets. Sweet man.
• Do I dress like I am going in to wash dishes or do I dress like I am going in to work in the office and greet customers? Regis says this could be my narcissistic side coming out but I think it's just my need to look nice. Oh, that's what narcissism is, I guess. Wry smile.

So, none of those are insurmountable issues and I will figure it out as I go.

For the most part, I love this job. Warm and friendly people, wood floors, soft lighting, great coffee, wonderful made from scratch food, and a philosophy that food is sacred and feeding people is an art.

I have to catch up on some things here at my desk, then get to work.

trying to find the gumption

I woke up at 4 and shut the alarm off so I could go back to sleep, which of course damn it, I could not do. So here I sit on the couch at 5 a.m. trying to find the gumption, and not being very successful, to go exercise. A morning begun so abruptly is not good.

I think I'll drink coffee for fifteen minutes and then go. Regis found a book for me so I have a new book on my kindle but I wish I had asked him for the moth podcasts instead. They are my absolute favorites. True stories told live online without notes. Yesterday I started one told by a woman who is comparing the Evangelical religion of her youth to Mary Kay sales. It was a riot.

Many times, they are funny. Like the one about the guy who gets his pants stolen by a goanna in Australia. Many times they are poignant and make me gasp like the one about the man who was a successful comedian by night and a dad with a dying daughter by day.

I can't exercise in the morning tomorrow because I am going in to River Rock at 6 to work with the baker and to observe the opening of the shop. I did dishes the last two days for part of my shift so I observed some baking then. All of their baked goods and some of their breads are made right there. I had no idea. Who does that anymore? Fresh and local eggs, local milk and butter, organic flours. Amazing.

Regis and I tried to sit on the patio last night. It wasn't humid and there was some air moving which made it feel less hot (99 degrees) but it was unpleasant. The wind was loud and whipping everything around, our neighbor was out grinding something into dust (serious noise pollution), and somehow tiny gnats that weigh .5 of an ounce were able to find their way into our ear canals. Probably looking for shelter from the storm.

We retreated to the house. I see the temperature on Friday is forecast to be 59 degrees. Regis has an expression that works for situations such as this but I won't repeat it on this family-friendly blog. You can imagine.

Oh, a busy weekend coming up. Double shifts (both jobs) the next few days, dinner with friends on Friday, Lost Walleyes at Redmen on Friday, Ambassador's Bluesfest on Saturday, Everett Smithson at the Embassy on Saturday night. The chances of us making it through ALL of this are slim to none.

Disclaimer: Everett Smithson is not going to be at the Redmen on Friday night but at the Embassy on Saturday night. Edit note: This is an old poster. For the current information on the schedule, go to this link.

I think I'll stop at River Rock this morning and get an iced Americano with a double shot of espresso. It'm my new favorite drink.

Whoops. See I used a copyrighted photo.

first day of training at river rock

I did a walk-through with Alli. It was fun to see the whole operation from basement all the way through the kitchen and barista area. So much to learn. I told Alli I had no idea espresso was so complex. When you're on the other side of the counter, all you hear is "whoosh!" and your drink is ready. I knew there were a lot of motions, but I'm anxious to see more of that.

Then we did the deposit. I felt like a complete moron...I had to take notes. I didn't want to tell her that numbers float up off the paper and drift around my head...but they do. I got it all straight for three days so maybe there is hope.

I wore an apron to do dishes but I picked one of theirs so I didn't get my new one dirty. Oh, good grief. I can hear it now. Today, I'll take one of the less-fancy ones.

I learned a lot about how important it is to them to buy eco-friendly products, to use local as much as possible, to use seasonal produce, and to be creative. It's admirable.

This afternoon, I'll learn about hospitality and helping, then office basics. Thursday, I go in early to work with one of the bakers. Yesterday, the baker was turning out loaves of buckwheat bread, brioche, macaroons with ganache, and puff pastry with potatoes, chives, and gouda cheese. Amazing smells in that kitchen.

Regis and I cooked a beautiful Prairie Pride steak on the grill last night along with some Ahi tuna steaks and some Andouille sausage stuffed peppers. There is enough left over to feed us again tonight...at least. Good thing because I have a busy day with both jobs.

It was hot on the patio but not unbearable, except for the lawn mower noise and the grinder noise. Some people just can't sit still. I'm not sure it's even wise to cut the grass when it's this hot.

I filled up the bird bath and watered all the plants. I found this in the grass by the bird bath.

I think the birds have been drinking Two-Buck Chuck when they sit in the bath at night. I'm glad they're enjoying their leisure time. We support that even if the wine choice is questionable.

Regis just described the weather today as a blow torch. Lovely. Can't we have more than 3 days between furnace and AC? I still have sweaters in the pile of clothing in my bedroom. I haven't removed the electric mattress pad from the bed. I protest.

I'll post, again, for those who may not have seen it on FB, this picture of the latest creation of Regis. He calls it November Sky. I rearranged the lint and called it Two Dead Mice. hey, it ain't the Last Supper but it's art.

Mom thinks we have too much time on our hands but actually this was not a time-consuming activity. Regis carried the lint up from the dryer, plopped it on a towel on the counter, and took a picture. Voila.

I'm going to work out this morning in the air-conditioned comfort of the Pulse. I have some new Moth podcasts to listen to while I walk. See you later.

aprons on a summer evening

Ironic that we modeled all these great cooking aprons, then went to Patrick's for dinner. Ah, well.

I went to work out this morning after almost a week off...slothful, I am. I am drinking a cup of coffee and then have to get to my new job by 7:30! I'm so excited. I haven't had a new job in more than 30 years. Ha! Old dog...

Storms today so I will be lingering by the cooler in the basement a lot. I'll have to explain about my fear of storms.

I'll write when I get home!

garden pictures

saturday morning and open windows

The nights have been cool and we have been leaving our bedroom windows open. It's so pleasant to wake up in the early morning and hear the birds singing and see it slowly start to get light. Sometimes I wish I could go back to sleep but I can't so here I am.

We've been gone a lot this week so there is an accumulation of junk around the house...bags, jackets, shoes, lunch bags, coffee cups. We need someone to come after us and pick up this stuff! Even the dishes have been sitting by the sink for several days. Slobs, we are.

I'm going to cover myself with bug spray when it gets light so I can go out in the garden. I need to get some things planted and watered. Usually, I enjoy this but this year, there has been no time and the weather has not been conducive. Ah, well.

I noticed in my inbox this morning, I sent myself an email with the subject line: Stalking the Wild Asparagus. Nothing in the body of the message. I wonder what I intended to do with that little gem.

I'm so anxious to have one desk,  one computer, one phone...instead of desks on both ends of town, phones on two desks, a cell phone, and three email accounts. Remembering where I was supposed to be and when and for what was getting to be more and more difficult. Joanne and I talked about this yesterday...how often we both ask, "Did I say this out loud or did I just think it?" We are either losing our minds or spinning plates on sticks...

Well, I'm done being reflective about that crap. Moving on...

Today is my dad's birthday. He was a handsome guy.

Good blog post here today. It's about trying to control things in your life. Worth a read.

Well, I better get up and get moving. Lots of things to do today. Happy Saturday and find something to celebrate.

shoes and aprons

I cleaned out under my desk today. I found these shoes.

My friend, Joanne, was sitting there and she started to laugh. She said it was like a stranger left their shoes under my desk because these are not something I would wear today. She said I don't even have clothes to wear with shoes like these, which I don't. I managed to peddle them to a fellow teacher who was delighted to get them.

I am on an apron kick. Here are two more aprons that I bought from my new friend, Katy, in Georgia.

The top one is a Valentine's Day apron and the bottom one is a St. Patrick's Day apron. Mom sent me an apron for the 4th of July so I'm pretty much set although I wouldn't bet that I stop collecting them. They are so cool. Today, I spent an hour looking them over and trying them on. Then I got out my old (I should say vintage) table linens and looked at them. One belonged to Grandma Josie and the others belonged to Grandma Elsie. Ah, such fun.

Regis and I are going out for a quiet dinner. We don't have a lot of plans for the weekend but I know we'll be busy having fun. It's what we do best.

the ebd bell

I started teaching in 1975 at the Children's Home of Cedar Rapids. It was a residential treatment program for emotionally disturbed adolescents. I was the first teacher they had and I was pretty naive. About a month into the school year, one of the little delinquents stole my keys. He finally gave them up but I bought this bell so if it happened again, I would be able to detect who had them. This bell has been on my school key ring ever since. Today I am delivering to a young teacher I admire very much. Good-bye to my little EBD bell. It was a good friend for 36 years.

slow moving friday

Yeah, I'm not moving too fast today. I spent all day yesterday in a windowless room interviewing teachers and paraprofessionals. It was hot. It was...ummm...boring. They were nice people and all but I was not in the game.

At the end of the day, I went to a meeting/party. I arrived at what I thought was the right time but I was fifteen minutes late. Meeting over. Ah, well. I socialized there for a while, then went on to the teacher meeting/party at Patrick's. Wine, stories, more good-byes.

A group of us left there to go to another establishment. I asked about their wine. The bar tender said they have some left in a bag but he didn't know what kind it was. I asked about the color. White.

I got a little maudlin when we got home. Regis has been very patient with my journey this year. One of the teachers I have worked with for the past years (not sure how many) gave me the sweetest card and note. It means a lot.

Off to work. Moving slowly...but moving.

my last last week of the school year

Ever since I was in school myself, the last week of the school year has been crazy. No matter what your age or role, the week was busy with finals, locker cleaning, grading papers, doing grades, progress reports and the list goes on. I described it this way: You are in the movie Deep Impact and the big wave is right at your heels. That's how this week is.

So, in my whole career in education, this is my last last week of the school year. My last. I am moving on.

And even though I am not in a classroom, and have not been in a classroom for years, I feel the wave at my heels.

I spent the day making jump drives of all my accumulated knowledge for the ten people who will be doing parts of my job on top of the full-time jobs they already do. When you parcel your job out to ten people, each little part looks sort of pitiful and you feel like you have to apologize which I did.

I spent a couple hours this afternoon with some friends from school, eating, drinking, and saying good-bye and see you at the Bluesfest. It was nice. We speculated on which of us would be the first to take up making a reproduction of the Last Supper out of dryer lint. Tom insists that this is art. I am not so sure about that but quite sure it will not be me.

Two more days.

Regis and I had an interesting weekend.

He says it's like a baseball game. A baseball game of choppy little grounders.

We headed out to Faribault intent on visiting the Cheese Cave and the Java Live. We pulled up in front of the Cheese Cave...closed.

We went across the street to Java Live. Now the Coffee Shop. Bad coffee. Really bad coffee.

We found another place called El Tequilla. Uff da. ( Bad parking lot, bad signage, wierd look.) We decided to head back to Mankato to eat at a known entity...Mazatlan.

This is the mural in the women's bathroom. I love it.

This is Regis with his whatever.

This is our food and drink.

This is me with my wine. Not good wine, but wine.

We came home to sit on the patio for a while. The weather is turbulent and we're nervous.

We were on our way home on 14 and Regis starts laughing. He makes a big U-turn and goes back to this driveway. What a hoot.

Apparently it was Connie's 50th birthday and her loved ones hung all her lingerie on this line with a sign to honk. Which we did.

So, there you go. A holiday weekend coming to an end.

long weekend

Regis and I had dinner at Number 4 in Mankato last night. We meant to go to Olives and stopped by Pappageorge on the way and it was closed so we changed our plan. How adventurous of us. Both of us had looked at the menu so were pretty sure we would like it. We had a lovely booth that was quiet and private and the menu was interesting.

Regis had the Sunday night prime rib special and I had ahi tuna on asparagus spears. The food was good but the popover was burned which is an inattention to detail that means a lot. Bread is my standard. I don't eat much of it and I like it to be good. Even if it's mediocre bread, it should not come to your table burned.

I'm worried about storms today. It's supposed to get up to 86 degrees and that always feels like tornado weather especially with all the humidity. There's my weather paranoia in all its glory.

We've had a tradition of a Memorial Day road trip for a few years. We usually go out to the pioneer cemetery and walk around although today the weather may prevent that leg of the journey. We pick a direction and take off for a day of site seeing and dining. Today, we're going to Faribault and some possible destinations are the Cheese Cave, Java Live, and Me Grind, Inc. I'll take pictures of our trip and will post them here later.

a great truth

Making a ritual of pausing frequently to appreciate and be thankful...Notice that you become a connoisseur of gratitude, the less you are the victim of resentment, depression, and despair. Gratitude will act as an elixir that will gradually dissolve the hard shell of your ego- your need to possess and control- transforming you into a generous being. The sense of gratitude produces true spiritual alchemy, makes us magnanimous- large souled.

                                 Sam Keen, "Hymns to an Unknown God"

elliot, crustless pizza, and a lovely morning

We met Tiffany at Sam's Club yesterday and took Elliot for the day so she could work. We stopped at the pet store and he was fascinated by the birds, bunnies, gerbils, guinea pigs, and snakes.

We came home to have lunch and a nap. We went for a walk in the afternoon. He held my hand and was friendly to everyone we encountered. He would shout out, "Run!" and we would run. He would shout out, "Jump!" and we would jump about ten times. He is good exercise.

I made a real pizza and a crustless pizza, both of which involved a lot of cooking and dishes. Regis said the crustless pizza was ok but would not make his top ten list. He said it needed a crust...and it did.

We've had a wonderful morning doing just what I like to do...a little breakfast, some coffee, the radio, reading and writing, and some etsy shopping for aprons. I found some great holiday aprons on sale and I have my eye on a Day of the Dead apron. It's expensive so I have found the fabric and might try to find someone to make it for me. What a hoot, eh?

This is one of my coffee cup aprons. I am establishing quite a collection of aprons.

And this is the Day of the Dead apron after which I am currently lusting. Click on the picture and it should open in another window so you can see the skeletons.

It sure looks like rain. Every time I get a notion to go to the patio to read or pull some weeds, it gets dark and threatening again. Harrumph.

I'm going to spend the afternoon studying for my new job. I did some yesterday while Elliot was asleep and wrote about it on the other blog. I get a little mixed up about what I wrote where so if you find duplicates, it's not that I'm losing my mind. Really.

This will be my last week of school, well, except for summer school. But this feels like the end. I have a lot of projects to wrap up in June, meetings to attend so I can pass on this and that, lists to make of what to do when, and so on. I also have a busy training schedule for my new career at River Rock. So, if you see a streak past your window...white hair and a colorful apron...it's me.

Happy and safe holiday weekend to all my family and friends.

atypical start to the weekend

We decided to change up our weekend and stop for a cup of coffee instead of a glass of wine last night so we were sitting in River Rock at 4 o'clock instead of Patrick's. I'm not sure what strong coffee does for a person's head is all that much better than wine to tell the truth. I felt like sparks were coming off my hair by the time we left.

Regis felt that it just wasn't right and we should go back to our routine. Kind of like trying to hold a fork with your left hand, I think.

We have a three-day weekend stretching out in front of us. I'm trying to maintain that delicate balance of doing things and doing nothing. Today could be a busy day....Elliot is coming for the day and Tiffany will come for dinner after work. We're making pizza.

I need to buy some groceries and since our list is greatly simplified, I might try getting them all at the new coop. I'll have Regis come along to scope out the prices. We like to buy earth-friendly, fair trade, and all of that but we don't want to spend a hundred dollars for toilet paper either.

Peter came for dinner the other night and we made the best fajitas. We always use a flank steak and a spice blend we buy from Penzey's. Regis is a wonderful cook.

I packed some left-overs in my bento box for lunch yesterday. So pretty and so tasty.

I have a lot of grilled things on the menu this week but that will be derailed if we continue to get this wet and chilly weather. It's no fun to stand on the patio in a driving rain for two hamburgers. Stuffed peppers, grilled portobellos, steak, tuna. I bought some beautiful little multi-colored peppers at the coop the other day and they will be great stuffed with cheese and Andouille sausage.

I wonder if I can get a walk in this morning without getting doused. The radar looks good so I think I'll give it a try.

blues

We're listening to the radio and they're playing some old blues record that must have been on the Titanic...and under water all these years since it sunk. Holy crap. Doesn't that scratchy business get on anybody else's nerves?

We have these beautiful blue ray videos of a salt water/coral reef fish tank on the television. It even bubbles like a real fish tank. And no nasty cleaning! This is my kind of pet.

I'm finding it hard to keep up with holidays and celebrations. I was ill-prepared for Syttende Mai last week and now it's Bob's birthday tomorrow and I got nothin'. I am a disappointment to myself.

I have a limited number of days left in my teaching career. I called the TRA folks today to make sure they had everything they needed and they do. I should get my first check in July as opposed to October as it described as a possibility on the website. Seriously. I apply in March and it could take 6 months to get a check? Do they send it by turtle? Have they heard of direct deposit?


We watched Nowhere Boy last night. It's a biopic (new word?) about John Lennon. We enjoyed it. Mostly focused on the relationships he had with his Mum and his Aunt who raised him.

I love this poem.

The Perfect Day
by Alice Persons

You wake with
no aches
in the arms
of your beloved
to the smell of fresh coffee
you eat a giant breakfast
with no thought
of carbs
there is time to read
with a purring cat on your lap
later you walk by the ocean
with your dog
on this cut crystal day
your favorite music and the sun
fill the house
a short delicious nap
under a fleece throw
comes later
and the phone doesn’t ring
at dusk you roast a chicken,
bake bread, make an exquisite
chocolate cake
for some friends
you’ve been missing
someone brings you an 
unexpected present
and the wine is just right with the food
after a wonderful party
you sink into sleep
in a clean nightgown
in fresh sheets
your sweetheart doesn’t snore
and in your dreams 
an old piece of sadness
lifts away

From Never Say Never (Moon Pie Press).

Especially the part about the old piece of sadness that lifts away. I've learned, as I've gotten older, that 

life is like that. Every day is new joy or new sadness. They fall out of the sky and they lift back up and 

you just keep going even though some days are hard. You just have to know that some days will be hard

and the next day could be a perfect one like this.

Happy birthday to Bob Dylan today.

sunday in pictures

 Tuesday is Bob Dylan's birthday. He'll be 70 years old.



I think I'll make it Bob Dylan Week and listen to his music all the time.

I got up at 5, and wrote on my other blog, then went back to bed at 6 for another hour.

Regis got up and made coffee. We bought this at Trader Joe's and we like it...strong and rich.

Bev and Linda gave me this beautiful verbena for a retirement gift. It's gorgeous and not too hard to keep alive, I hope.

These are all my herbs and flowers on the patio. They're all clumped together because I didn't decide yet where to put them. The ones in the back right corner are a beautiful orange color and Fred says they will bloom until October.

This is the fern-leaf peony Mom gave me about ten years ago. I know why they're so expensive...it takes forever for them to grow to any size. This one was the same for years. It came up and sat there all summer but never bloomed. The year Ella was two (3 years ago) it had one flower, last year one more, and now it has three.

Elliot was here yesterday. He's very good but like all small boys, you have to keep an eye on him all the time because he finds the tallest thing in the room and tries to climb it. The getting-up is not the dangerous part, it's the getting-down.

We were going to buy groceries this morning but after constructing my menu for the week, turns out we don't need to do that. Maybe a few things at the coop but no big list. Whew.

My plan for the day includes going through the paper piled in my office and getting a load ready for the thrift store folks who are coming on Thursday. It looks like it will be wet outside so I won't be tempted to lounge on the patio.

This is my new bento box. I bought it with a Mother's Day gift card, along with a cookbook called The Just Bento Cookbook. It's 5.5 X 5.5 X 3 so it isn't very big. I like the idea of tiny foods full of flavor packed in there. I wrote more about it on the coffee blog because I have an idea percolating.

Moving on into the day.

Friday and the Rapture

I just looked at my weekly spam digest. Here’s what I have:

• An offer for Louis Vuitton replica purses and watches
• Several offers for Viagra and other prescription medications
• Some offer for a product to help me grow two inches in two weeks…

I’m not sure I want to be 5’9”.

Really, folks. Where do these things come from anyway? The only thing weirder than the email is the idea that someone, a real person presumably, is sitting in front of a computer writing it. Writing it with their human hands just as I am writing this. The world is an interesting place which leads to my philosophy that when you buy a
ticket to the circus you should not be surprised by the clowns.

I started the day at the Pulse. All the heavy hitters are on their way to Fargo for the marathon so it was very quiet. I can only say that I am very glad I am not on my way to Fargo to run 13 miles. I’m not a fan of long car rides, I don’t like to run in the rain, and I don’t like to run 13 miles. All good reasons to pass on this event, wouldn’t you say?

My next stop was River Rock Coffee, a place with wood floors, soft lamp lighting, and great coffee. Joanne and I sat at a window table and watched the day begin. I had a nice dark roast Brazilian coffee and we split a scone.

Here’s a good one for you. http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com/ Apparently, after the Rapture, they (a group of nice Atheists) will go to your house, get your pet, and care for it...as long as the Rapture or your dog last, I guess. This little service is provided to the tune of 120 dollars for the first pet and 20 for each additional pet. The price has gone up with the news of the impending Rapture, for which we would throw a party if the weather were not so inclement.

Regis and I figure after the Rapture, we’ll just move into our neighbor’s house. They have a hot tub, a gazebo, and two nice cars. We can keep our house for a guest home.


We had an interesting Friday night. Ran into lots of fun folks we hadn't seen for years. Had a good meal. Slept all night. Good way to move on into the weekend.