Happy Face

Inspirational song: I Could Have Danced All Night (My Fair Lady)

A very handsome man smiled at me this afternoon. It sent my heart for a loop! Granted, a couple minutes later his face scrunched up and he cried at me until I put a squishy piece of silicone in his mouth. That smile, though. I waited weeks to see it.

I only sat with my boy for an hour, to give his daddy a chance to put big sister down for a nap. She had a lot to tell me when I first arrived, but I didn't quite catch what she was saying. We need to work a bit on clarity still. There's time. She is only two. We all wonder whether baby brother will pick up on words and activities faster because he will have her to model after. Only time will tell.

Distribution

Inspirational song: Walk of Life (Dire Straits)

This was a walking-the-walk sort of week. I joined this whole Rotary thing because it would mean endless opportunities to volunteer and do good. Friday, we volunteered at the Unity in the Community event. Today we held our annual peach sales fundraiser, and I was one of a gaggle of folks standing out in the sun, loading pre-ordered cases of peaches into cars, non-stop, as fast as we could process buyers, for almost two hours. (Actually, I was there just over two hours, but things really slowed down after 6:30.) All these people need to do is hint they need warm bodies, and I find myself jumping in with both feet. Unfortunately, this means I get in over my head really easily, because it is so hard to say no to these people. 

I've been thinking about Rotary's over-arching stated goal a lot lately. Years ago, as an international organization, Rotary determined we had the power to eradicate polio forever. We have been working toward this goal with laser focus, and we had gotten incredibly close. There were just a few cases of wild polio still popping up in a couple countries. (Pakistan and Nigeria, maybe? I should really remember that.) Now, as of this summer, we are hearing about vaccine-derived polio turning up in wastewater in New York, and a few diagnosed cases. It's frustrating to feel like we have taken a step backwards. I know Rotarians all around the world will double down and work even harder to vaccinate this virus out of existence, but it sure would have been nice not to experience this setback.

Successful Quest

Inspirational song: Institutionalized (Suicidal Tendencies)

All I wanted was a massage, just one massage, and she wouldn't give it to me.

The universe really didn't want me to get my massage today. Yesterday, I got a text confirming my appointment, and moments later, one canceling it. They left me a voice mail too, saying there were other openings today for 90 minutes, and if I called, I could see a different therapist. I tried calling when I got home, and they didn't answer. I tried again later in the day, and by then all the 90s were gone, but I could have a 60. I took it. 

The appointment was for 9 am, and I was a little slow getting out of bed. At 8:15, as I was literally rolling to put my feet on the floor, I heard doors in the hallway, as my houseguest slipped into the bathroom ahead of me, and started showering. I watched the minutes tick by, and got more and more anxious. I gave up and took a washcloth bath in the kitchen sink, and threw on clothes. I was trying to decide what to do about my teeth, when they finally came out and I dashed in to finish the important things before my massage.

It's usually a pretty straight shot across town on roads with few stop signs or lights. I could hear a train as I hopped in the car, and I sent up a fervent wish that it wouldn't be crossing right at the last half-mile before the turn into the strip mall. As I drove south, I could see police lights at the stoplight where I needed to juke east. I turned at the stop sign ahead of it instead, forgetting that there was no cut through in that neighborhood. I had to go way out and drive back. Traffic was goofy, and there was a lane closure for a tow truck hitching up a work van. I pressed onward, got to the last stoplight, and there it was: the train, crawling back and forth as it decoupled some cars. I turned again, and went around a route that threw me three more red lights. I rolled in 5 minutes late, tense, agitated, wondering what the hell I did to piss off the spa gods.

Lucky for me, the unknown therapist ended up being super talented, and I hit that massage brain really early in. I lay in blissful silence as she worked me over at warp speed. She didn't scrimp on any work, she was just really efficient. I may want to add her into my rotation from now on.

Choices

Inspirational song: Runnin' Down a Dream (Tom Petty)

Veterans Day. That's how far ahead I am now on the donation project. I have removed well over 300 items from circulation here, enough to reach November 11 on the tally sheet. There will probably be more later in the week. I'm feeling pretty good about this now. I will hit my 365 mark months ahead of schedule, and this is something I can be seriously proud of. This current stack of things is a little harder to cart off, though. A bunch of towels need to go to the animal shelter or vet, which isn't as direct of a drop-off as the thrift stores. The tiny ceiling fan from my bedroom needs to go to Restore, which has a nice drive up for donations, but is still across town and inconvenient to access. It will get done, though. I need the bin empty so I can keep filling it.

Our guest from earlier in the summer returned, and will be staying here long term. None of us have any idea how long that actually will be, but they are welcome to use us as a home base for as long as they need the support. It just means I have to keep going past 365, and donate, donate, donate stuff out of my former dressing room. I don't want to get rid of all of the craft supplies, but I do want to thin down how much I'm carrying overall. I keep thinking of the future, once I have lightened my load so much it wouldn't even matter if I didn't have the extra bedroom to store all my stuff. Until then, I do need to figure out how to absorb the current round of clothes and whatnot I removed from the guest room today. Having the master closet already overflowing is helping make donation decisions a lot easier and faster. 

It's also helping me behave myself when out and about with the kids. We went to Target and were remarkably restrained in purchases. I went there for products I use up, not wear or decorate with. We did get a little indulgent with Valerie, but it's so easy to do so. There were some Frozen and Encanto things that made her eyes light up, so we caved on those. Her mommy did make her choose between the two beach towels, not get both. She chose Mirabel. We approved.

Permission

Inspirational song: The Rubberband Man (The Spinners)

I gave myself permission to have an easy day. I didn't do a whole lot, didn't eat much, and mostly just watched YouTube videos. Now, of course those very videos will end up getting me in trouble, because a significant number of them involved fall ideas for house and garden. As long as I mostly stick with things I already have, it won't get too out of hand. For house decor, I can craft a lot of my own stuff. Am thinking maybe painting a couple canvases with some simple line drawings on an off-white background. For the garden, I can try again to propagate some of the coleus I am already growing, to fill out where the spring flowers are completely spent. Beyond that, I just need to get creative.

I would have slept late, but apparently the nearby neighborhood by the railroad tracks had other plans for me. In the wee hours this morning, there was a disturbance that woke me up, and following a series of loud noises I could just barely hear raised voices from blocks away. This morning at 7, I heard what sounded like a monotone voice through a speaker, but it was super quiet. The only words I could make out were something about coming out the front door, and now you are under arrest. I got up, and looked in the living room, where the Mr sat with a tablet in his hand. I asked if he was watching a video (no), and told him what I heard. He went out on the porch, but saw nothing. I checked the police blotter this morning, and sure enough, there was something that warranted police action just a few blocks away. That was quite enough excitement for me this weekend.

Unity

Inspirational song: Scarborough Fair (Simon and Garfunkel)

The Chamber of Commerce sponsored Unity in the Community returned this evening. It used to be inside at the old convention center. But that event site was shut down and, if I recall correctly, torn down a few years ago. So they reinvented Unity as a street fair. And then Corona happened. They missed at least one, maybe two years of it. It's back now, and as strong as ever. Turnout seemed pretty fantastic to me, compared to the one time I went back at the old site.

While Rotary had a booth, the one I made hand-written signs for, I spent very little time at it. My volunteer job was to sit at the entrance down by the library, keep track of entrants on a clicker, and keep people from leaving with open beers. One guy left with a can in a koozy, but claimed it was soda. I said fine, rather than tackle him to verify his claim. One man asked to leave his beer on the ground next to me while he got something from his car. And late in my shift, I watched one guy drain his beer and empty the dregs into the bushes before he reached me. I pointed to the recycle bin so he didn't have to carry the cup. That was it. The three most exciting things that happened, directly related to my obligation.

I would have died from boredom if my family had not made an appearance. My daughter came with both kids, and I was allowed to leave my post long enough to grab food with her (once a replacement arrived). Then later, the Mr showed up, to walk around and then be my ride home. It might have been a somewhat boring place to sit, but overall, it was actually quite pleasant. It was overcast and cool, and a little breeze remained until it got dark. The people who walked past me nodded and responded when I greeted them or wished them a good evening. And there were so many cute dogs walking around. I only got to pet one, though. She was the cutest one there, so it worked out for me.

My Sign

Inspirational song: Tilted Cross (Fish)

I feel guilty for wanting to make another installment very short, but I have a lot to do before bed, and it's already pretty late at night. I tried and tried to get the exact wording I'm supposed to put on signs to hang on the Rotary booth at a street fair, and I finally got an email mid-day today, not from the person who said they would call. So I have to just assume what I was told was correct. By the time I saw the message, it was too late to start before heading to a scheduled event all evening. I dug out the art supplies I had on hand for this once I got home, and sketched out a plan for the layout. I am to make two copies of each sign, and I started on the easy one first. I'm pretty sure I like how it turned out. 

I can't decide how late to work on these tonight. I am afraid I'll get sloppy if I get too tired. I just don't want to run out of time tomorrow before they have to be attached to the booth. Well, back to it. Have some photos from my evening up until now while I work.

Pinchy

Inspirational song: Shattered (The Rolling Stones)

Ouch. Just... all over. Owie. So sore, so tired. We didn't get back from the airport until past 1:30 this morning, and I was so wired up on coffee that I couldn't fall asleep for another hour on top of that. Got up at normal time all the same.

I tried to whip this house in shape, and I just didn't have the time to get very far. I was on the hook to babysit both grandkids on my own this afternoon, and once they were here, I was obligated to do nothing but hold Dmitri. He had all the crankies, and needed cuddles and diaper changes, non-stop. Thankfully, the Mr made it home from school at a reasonable time for me to make dinner ahead of game night, but by then, my arms were already so tired I could barely lift them. It was a recipe I have made so many times in the last 40 years I could do it blindfolded, but still. 

We ended up playing tabletop games next door. We were all on the couch, scooted up to play over the coffee table. It meant I sat with my knees higher than my hips for too long, and after three rounds of Donner Dinner Party, all the ligaments holding my thighs to my hips were pinched in half and refusing to work. I limped home early, just so I could stretch out with my legs straight. I refuse to stay up late one more night. It's recovery time.

Another Run

Inspirational song: Up All Night (Boomtown Rats)

I need to find some way to stay awake for the next four hours. I have to make another midnight airport run, and I'm already sleepy. I may try things like washing dishes with cold water to shock my hands. I might heat up some coffee to take with me. I think this is the last trip down there for a while, so I just have to make it through this one last time.

I don't want to sit and write. I think I need to jog around the house or something to keep my brain active. Wish me luck. Or rather, wish me alertness.

Spilled Milk Tea

Inspirational song: Pure Imagination (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)

Another day with my best girl in the books. I had Val for a few hours this morning, before meeting with the others for lunch. As I promised yesterday, I tested her out with a live-action musical instead of animated. I put Willy Wonka on the iPad, and propped it up on the piano bench. She mostly ignored it, instead playacting her usual Frozen scenes in the living room. She wanted to help me wash dishes, by sitting on her tall chair and asking to have her hands washed. And after the movie, we tossed her in a bubble bath. For the first five minutes of it, she just paced back and forth, carrying on a non-stop commentary while she lined her duckies up. Her feet got super clean, but it took persuasion to get the rest of her done.

And then, while we waited for her parents to show up in front of the pho restaurant (that ended up being closed on Mondays), I looked down, and there she was, squatted down on the sidewalk, hand in a big smear where someone spilled a milk tea drink, drawing with chalk. So much for clean hands.

We went to the chicken restaurant across the street once we figured out the Vietnamese place was closed. It was a much tastier, much more expensive choice. But man, it was good.

 

Face the Hordes

Inspirational song: That's Amore (Dean Martin)

Normally one would think, "Costco, on a Sunday, right at back-to-school time? Are you nuts?" And one would be right. But silly us, we ran out of half gallons of half-and-half and two-pound packs of the good butter, so we loaded up the family truckster, picked up the toddler for good measure, and headed out to face the throngs. It was as packed as one would imagine, and at first it made Papa tense and snippy. But rolling through the sample carts, trying to convince a two-year-old to taste new things flooded his brain with feel-good chemicals, and he calmed down. I think it helped that Valerie kept up a running commentary the whole time, holding court from her seat in the top of the cart. By halfway through the venture, he was showing up with giant bags of cheese and caramel popcorn to feed her on the way home, and letting her choose which kind of grapes we would buy to honor her request. The best part was him trying to teach her how to say "mozzarella," and her sort of getting close, but not replicating his terrible attempt at an Italian pronunciation. I'm not sure, but she might have been playing him by the end of the interaction.

Her cognitive skills thrill the heck out of me. She keeps coming up with astute observations about the world around her. It makes me wish I wasn't so exhausted by parenting her mother and auntie at that age that I couldn't imprint solid memories of them doing the same things. Her ability to re-enact movie scenes is improving. The lines from her favorite scene in Frozen are much clearer and easier to recognize. We listened to Hamilton on the way down, as I still hope to get her hooked on the tunes, what with her loving the other musicals by LMM. She seemed to have an idea what I was telling her when I said, do you know who is singing this song? That's Kristoff. She repeated enough back at me, that I think she understood.

She stayed here long enough to watch all of Frozen and nap after once we were done shopping. I get her most of tomorrow too. I wonder whether she will let me try the visuals for Hamilton as our nap intro movie. It's worth an attempt.

Picnic

Inspirational song: What Do All the People Know (The Monroes)

Social anxiety isn't one of the problems I focus on very often, but it is actually pretty high on my list of reasons I don't get out much anymore. I was always really awkward in crowds, never knowing if I was talking too much or appearing to hide in the shadows. I certainly don't know what to do with myself at parties, and thus I tend to plant my butt in a chair and rarely stray from it. I feel like a coin-operated fortune teller, only perking up and talking when I am specifically addressed, but then saying things people find hard to interpret. Social distancing with Covid only made things worse. I'm like a moderately well-behaved feral cat now.

There was a big Rotary party this afternoon, kind of our end of summer bash. One of our past presidents has taken this as his regular month to host, and he makes it a great shindig. He hired a caterer who was out of this world. (I meant to ask her whether she has any sort of store front, because I would frequent the heck out of that business.) There were tables set up along the sidewalk outside of his building, and it wasn't some rinky-dink affair. They were done up right with tablecloths and flowers and branded swag. Two neighboring clubs were invited, and a handful of those folks showed, plus the turnout from our own group was impressive. 

My anxiety nearly got the better of me, but I pushed through and went to the party. I had a really good time, but as usual, I sat in one spot as long as I could get away with. I tried playing corn hole for only the second time in my adult life, and I was predictably mediocre at it. My partner took to it faster than I did, and she clobbered me, if the score mattered. As great as it was, I shut down a couple of hours into it, and made one of the fastest exits of my life. I needed to go sit in the quiet, and I got myself home in a hurry. I hope those I practically ghosted weren't mad I left with little notice, but I'm not socially skilled enough to have done any better.

Late Season

Inspirational song: Gentleman's Excuse Me (Fish)

Yep. Did too much this week. Rested most of the day to make up for it. No one is shocked by this, I trust.

The sad part about the end of summer and the first stirrings of fall is the state of our plants. The lush flower garden I made on the porch started looking leggy and dry a few weeks ago. Now it's really getting brown ok the edges. A few plants gave up the ghost already, some from heat and lack of water (I missed a day here and there), and a couple of them drowned when I thought I was giving them what they craved. I trimmed a few dead things out already, but I need to prioritize deadheading one of these days. 

I may put off doing too much to the container garden for a couple weeks, when it would make sense to rip out all the completely spent plants, and drop in some mums and such to get me through fall. I'm trying to squeeze every last bit of good from what I have before I go too crazy on mums, no matter how ready I think I am to switch. It's coming one of these days, though.

Comfort Weather Calls for Comfort Food

Inspirational song: In the Air Tonight (Phil Collins)

The last two days have been a whole lot of work, but the result was so worth it. I deep cleaned the living room, including shampooing the rug. I sorted as many things as I could, and took a large trunk load to the donation drop-off. As of today, I am two months ahead on the donation every day project, making a tick-mark that represents my birthday in mid-October. The kitchen was semi-cleaned (still staring at a pile of junk on the peninsula), clear enough to make dinner for the game group who came tonight. I hung a burgundy wreath on the door, changed the couch blanket and pillows to a mustard-yellow theme, and lit a redwood-scented candle. The decorating for fall has begun, and our friends were happy to accept my offerings for the first fall party.

Dinner was a beef stew that was above and beyond what effort I normally put into it. I cut up a pot roast myself, and browned the bits before putting them in the crockpot. I deglazed the pan, and then slowly sweated three sliced onions to give them a deeper flavor. I used Better Than Bouillon and red wine for the broth. I used a mix of fresh and dried herbs, and in the veggie blend, I put in a zucchini from our garden. Plus, I made a whole separate smaller crockpot of most of the same ingredients, to provide a vegetarian option. I had been under the impression that I already had a spice cake mix in the pantry. Nope. So first thing this morning, I was on Pinterest, getting a recipe to make it from scratch. To make it extra special, I soaked the raisins in spiced rum, and toasted the walnuts I blended in. Even after having to wait nearly two hours for my f'ed up oven to get to temperature, it came out perfect. Cream cheese frosting took it over the top.

We had to play our D&D game tonight, because the Mr, our game master, had to work all day yesterday as the fall semester approaches. It worked out just fine, except one of our group, the one who ignores the group chat most, didn't respond until we were all already here and eating dinner. We only got a little bit done in our game. But we had a lovely time eating, talking, and enjoying the turn to cooler weather. 

Don't look at the calendar. Look into my eyes instead. Repeat after me: happy fall, y'all.

 

Appreciate

Inspirational song: Black Magic Woman (Santana)

Black cat appreciation day, was it? Well, I do pay homage to my pretty black girls daily, but I'm happy to comment on it today. It has always baffled me that black cats ever got a bad reputation. They are so pretty, and if you have any good sense, you can form a lasting friendship with them. I'd say they are always sweet, but for every giant cuddly bear like my Jackie, there is a spicy, easily over-stimulated crankybutt like Athena. She takes a whole lot of patience and understanding, but once you meet her on her terms (and her terms only), she is a darling. She's curled up next to me now, where she always is at night, close enough that my hand brushes against the tips of her fur as I type, but doesn't actually touch her skin. We have Tinky Cuddle Time every morning, and after she watches me go to the bathroom (I suppose she thinks I might do it wrong if she doesn't supervise?), she leaves me the heck alone until the next cuddle time rolls around. If anyone else tries to pet her or, God forbid, pick her up, it's band-aid time.

I gave them special treats in the manner that they enjoy. It was laundry day, so Athena got to get in the way while I put fresh sheets on the bed. Jackie lay on the floor beneath the dryer as I pulled out the freshly-washed set, getting high on the intoxicating smell of laundry soap. You do what your cats like. Me, I know what these girls dig most.

I tried so hard to get a photo of Jackie, since she hardly ever gets featured. She jumped up on the foot of my recliner, and looked everywhere but at the camera. She moved in every single shot. The camera suggested night mode, and that didn't help a bit. So here is every photo that I got. The phone refused to click the shutter half the times I tried.