Big Day Just in Time

The weekend was so, so nice. Perfect amount of time. Great conversation, easy drive. Two excellent meals (didn't expect good food). The rental was charming second floor of a Craftsman house in the university neighborhood -- host had so many welcoming touches. Easy walk to shops, restaurants, and coffee shops. 

We took an uber the 2 miles to downtown. Walked around, stopped for music at a couple of bars. It was still the "day" bands and they were good. Dinner with live music too -- and it wasn't too loud so we could talk.

The podcast event was excellent -- much better than I expected. They didn't talk about the book at all. Lots of activism information, deep thoughts, thoughtful audience questions. Their daughter played music to start and end. We sat in the same row as their extended family who were there for the last night. It was PRIDE weekend too and Nashville showed up. 

It was a great reset. I don't have many pictures, but here's what I took.

Donated their entire tour proceeds
to help immigrant children

Tish

Tish's music blasting
just ahead of the start

00 beer -- always available
in bars now. My friend tried
one for the first time.

Classic Nashville venue

I started a book recommended by a bookclub friend and it's amazing. Such a thought provoking book. Found me at a perfect time. More on this soon. Spent a couple hours Sunday morning reading. Loved starting the day that way (my friend isn't a morning person). In bed with a cup of tea, reading, thinking, peaceful (i.e. no dogs bugging me lol).

Today is a BIG, BIG day for us. Closing on the old house. Walk through yesterday went "very well" according to the realtors. Everything is done and ready for today. Phew. That was a long 6 months. Another house in our former neighborhood just went on the market and 2 more are expected soon. I would've been freaking out over this information if we hadn't been under contract. 

We're celebrating with an early dinner using a gift card from the realtor when we purchased this house. It's a casual, okay place, but free works. Not somewhere I'd choose, but not somewhere I'd be upset going either. 

It's a strange schedule week. Last day of June on a Monday. Hubby's birthday. July 4. I'm all mixed up before the week even starts. This week is going to require me to step up into some Little Blue House moments with my own momentum which feels a little sparse this morning. I want to add some fun too. More on this later.

I slept in and need to get moving. The garden is ripe for a good harvest today. P.S. The word 'harvest' is such an overkill word home gardeners use, and I totally agree. Yet, harvest I shall -- haha. It's fun to pretend to be a farmer. 

Hope you're set for a good week. Later gators.

Nashville Bound

Heading to Nashville with my girlfriend to see We Can Do Hard Things book tour. Such a nice birthday gift from her. It's a quick overnight -- probably around 30 hours away, but it's so nice to be a passenger on the trip. All the planning and organizing was done for me. Be packed and ready for pickup on Saturday is my only marching order.

And, I'm completely in the life is 50-50 mode. Feeling the love from a number of friendships and feeling strange about others. I had 2 interactions this week with long time friends that felt really off. Why are friend relationships so difficult for me in this phase of life? Is it me? 

I listened to a coaching call and a woman was coached after listening to my coaching problem from last call. She could relate and wanted help with a similar situation. I guess I'm not the only one with this kind of friend problems. The coach shared a similar issue from her life too.

Hubby came home from an extremely long travel day with lots of weather delays. (I have the birthday chocolate bears ready for eating next week.) I know he was tired and frustrated, but we ended up arguing about the kitchen junk drawer. WTH. I went to bed sad and had sad dreams all night. The combination of these strange friend interactions and the argument with hubby made me feel lonely. I was looking forward to catching up with him -- about his week and my birthday week. We talked on my birthday for under a minute. We had bad phone connections and couldn't get calls to connect -- just a few texts went through. 

See -- 50-50. Headed on a fun trip. Another friend dropped off a super thoughtful gift on my porch yesterday. Ran into another friend yesterday and we have plans to get together after the holiday. 

Yet, I focus on the sad interactions. Still feeling sad this morning. I'll need to table this feeling so I don't shadow the trip. 

I feel like there's a lesson somewhere in this for me. I've looked at my side of these things and I don't think it's me -- none of the issues are the same BTW. I don't mean to blame "them" -- just saying that it seems like they have stuff to work out that's bleeding on their interactions. Could this be a blind spot for me? Maybe, but I don't think so. Guess I carry on and see what happens.

Anyway ... dogs up and I need to get moving. Have a good Saturday. Later gators.

It was a HAPPY Birthday

My birthday was a happy birthday. 

Brunch was a lot of fun. My grandson is a delight and he was in a great mood -- he loves a brunch :) It's a good time of day for him -- so happy and NOT sleepy lol.

I started a few book category covers. Making the covers is the easy part. Categorizing the books is proving to be harder than I expected. I might decide to simplify. A little trial and error before I get this a way that works. Maybe broader categories. TBR fiction. TBR non-fiction. Then book covers for the READ shelves: Self Help, Fiction, Nature, etc. -- looking for some creative names. Trying to micro categorize the TBR might be a mistake.

Garden is making me happy too. Beans, snow peas, 2 kinds of cucumbers. More today. I made a quick bean dip and used the vegetables for dipping for dinner. I also shared a couple of cucumbers with the kids. Sharing is one of the biggest joys of gardening. I don't know why, but it makes me so happy to give and receive garden fresh goodies -- vegetables, herbs, flowers.

I pulled off the hike last night -- as did most of the list. A couple people hiked but had to cut it short because thunderstorms moved in -- I would've been drenched getting home. Good call for me. And, yea, no morning watering.

I'm hiking and lunching with my DIL's mom today. Then I have a marketplace pickup of some toy trucks -- 5 trucks for $10 plus the little people. Winner.

That's all for the day. I have a quiet late afternoon and evening and I'm going to enjoy it. Full day on Friday and then the weekend in Nashville so a relaxing evening is just what I want. More storms brewing for tonight calls for early pjs and sofa cuddles with the dogs.

Hope you have a good day. Later gators.

Happy Birthday to Me

The hike and brunch were really nice. It's still not the hike I'm looking for, but the brunch made up for it. A little pre-birthday celebration too. Giving myself an occasional Tuesday to hike outside the group seems like it will do the trick to find a better balance.

Another delicious salad ...
"Breakfast Salad"

I ran a bunch of errands and went to the house to pickup my plant stand and clean the toilets. Maybe my last time at the house? While I can't wait to be rid of the responsibility and expense of the house, there were a lot of great memories. The goodbye was bittersweet.

Woke up this morning to my dog having thrown up all over the carpet. Fun times lol. Happy birthday to me :)

Big risk of storms this evening so I'm not sure about the hike. Should I pull off? I'll wait until I'm back from brunch with the kids to decide. The downside to an evening hike is what comes of a workout this morning. Do I ... don't I? I planned a long walk with my dog (but he's throwing up) and the hike in the evening. I'll have to give it some thought. My mood requires something today.

More cucumbers yesterday and I used the basket my sister gave me for the first time. Says "Granny's Garden" on it. 

I hit my sunglasses with a door that didn't stay opened and it smacked my broken nose. Back to square one and it hurts. Hard to wear glasses again. Dang. Feels like I'm a walking accident lately.

I started the planning phase of a book organization. I don't have enough shelves to dedicate to groupings and they will vary over time. I'm thinking about putting a paper cover on old hardbacks and labeling them. They'll stand up right and can be moved as the book distribution changes. Thinking about claiming books from LFL for this -- ones that are old and no one will be interested in taking (we all know the ones). This will take a minute, but a fun project. 

First I need to make a sample to see if it works. Do I remember how to cover a book? Flash back to grade school. Then I'll group the books and start collecting LFL books for labeling. Guess this will be a project over time rather than an afternoon. Tackling my read books after the TBR. 

If I don't hike this evening, I'll play around with the sample cover. I made a list of group names with a little twist to make it fun.

Time to get gardening. Have a good day. Later gators.

Last Day of 54

The hike was just what I needed yesterday. I'm really glad I did it. Fast and fun. Only 4 of us so good conversation and felt like a group. It wasn't too hot or uncomfortable, but I was drenched by the end.

Our Tuesday group is hiking today and I'm struggling with the hiking part. We hike very slowly and only 5ish miles -- but still takes us over 2 hours. Lunch after and that's nice, but the combination is HOURS of time. I'm having a hard time wanting to commit the day. We rarely do anything challenging or different. The group is growing and I don't like that as much either. It's starting to feel not a cohesive group while we hike.

That said, I want to stay connected and stay friends with the group. I've been troubleshooting a solution. I tried thinking about the hike differently. Just a social day that's adds a walk through the woods. The problem is the time involved. I can only be gone so many "all day" kind of things (because dogs and hubby). Now that summer is here and we're hiking earlier, it's difficult to hike extra or workout before -- that's been my solution most Tuesdays.

What I'm experimenting with next is not hiking every week. I already told the group I'm not available next week and I'm planning to solo hike instead. July is a weird scheduled month with lots of morning appointments and other things that will make it hard to hike other days. I'm taking 3/5 Tuesdays and hiking solo. This might be the balance solution. Seeing the group 2 or 3 weeks a month might be enough to stay connected AND give me hiking days that fit better.

If I don't hike longer, harder hikes I can't stay in hiking shape for the club hikes that I like. This is why I specifically need to get hiking miles each week at a good pace. 

Fussing with the garden yesterday and found some poop on tomato leaves. I know what that means. The search began and I found him. Clipped the branch and tossed him into the woods. I didn't see others, but they camouflage so well. I'll keep a look out. They are fascinating and rather cute, but they do so much damage.

On a brighter side -- cucumbers have begun. I picked the first one yesterday and 3 more should be ready today. This delights me. 

Summers mean rushed mornings. Garden needs to be watered (no irrigation yet), dog walked, etc. All to leave the house for the early hike and brunch after. I can't fit in more mileage ahead -- simply not enough light hours before I need to leave. Last time I rode the Peloton before and my back didn't like that combination so I hesitate to try it again. 

Anyway ...

After the hike I need to go to the old house and check on things, move more garden stuff (last thing), and do a library return/pickup. That'll probably be the day because I won't go until later in the afternoon (need to come home to dogs first).

Speaking of books ... I have WAY TOO MANY books hitting right now. On the "possibility" list this week is organizing my TBR. There are so many books, I want to organize by type -- working on those categories. When I'm in the mood for X, look to this area. Is it enough to divide by genre? Not sure. Looking some other options, but not sure if it'll work. I also want to put a sticky note on them with a little reminder of why I bought the book. When it gets too far away from purchase, I forget and I sort of lose interest. It's a big, but fun project. Not sure I can fit it in this week. It's something I can't work on in fits and spirts. It needs to be a start-to-finish project AND I need to be in the mood to do it. 

That's all from here. Last day of 54 -- wow does time fly. Later gators. 

Birthday Week

It's birthday week. 

I didn't plan a secret birthday celebration this year. Nothing popped out and my schedule was up in the air with some house things. Instead, I'm having a "Little Blue House" week. Adding a sprinkling of the things that I want to focus on this year.

Hiking -- 4 times during this heat wave week. Fingers crossed. Long, fast, local hike this morning. 

Connection -- via birthday celebrations. Grateful for family and friends who are taking the time, making the effort to celebrate with me.

Gardening, crafting, books -- all ME things. Lots of solo time this week with hubby in Europe. 

Eating what makes me feel good -- I made two soups yesterday. Zucchini ginger and vegetable curry quinoa. Garden and farmer's market fresh veggies. Not exactly soup weather this week, but it's a delicious way to get my veggies. A few days of less processed carbs and way more veggies and I feel so much better. (Also, hormones are evening out.) Big stash for the freezer.

I'll add little treats this week too -- not sure what, but I'm on the lookout. Remembering fun and remembering for me to celebrate me. Mark the start of another year with intention. 

A little recap of the weekend ...

Dinner with the family was really nice. Loved playing with my grandson for the afternoon. Tapas dinner and walked for ice cream for dessert (they have GF cones and vegan vanilla).

I had a big chore list to finish ahead of this week -- productive and felt good to have it finished.

Bookclub was excellent. Four of us came. We have a plan for next month and we're pulling the group off of FB as the contact method. The conversation was incredible. Loved the local bookstore and the owner helpful and friendly. We had a table setup with a puzzle to do while we chatted. I didn't do the puzzle because I can't walk and chew gum, but 2 of the women finished it. A puzzle is a good idea to remember when people are sitting around a table talking. These are such smart, involved women and I learn every time I'm with them.

As for today, I have a long and fast hike. This hike leader is considered the fastest of the leaders. I'm a bit nervous about keeping up, but I know this trail well so I won't get lost. It's a small group (people dropped, probably the heat). I debated the hike, but the LBH focus (Little Blue House is getting long to type out) spurred the decision. 

Hope you have a good Monday. Later gators.

Thanks, Asheville

I found the Asheville "something" yesterday. 

I gave the mountain walk a go and it didn't disappoint (with the caveat that I'd stop if my back was bad). You know it's Asheville by the easy breathing up the mountain. It's what these mountains are famous for and you absolutely can tell the difference in the air as you walk up.

So funny

Left a rock

I planned a brunch stop as I got down the mountain but needed to re-route because of a bear. I love seeing bears. This one was a big guy and too close for comfort, but he turned the other way. They step off the hillside and you can't see them until they are right in front of you. Totally silent as they move through the mountain. Too close for a picture -- I needed to get out of the way.

Little Free Library message for my birthday. Also saw this plant stand and I'm thinking I want something like this eventually. For what, I don't really know, but it's so fun. Maybe for seedling giveaways when I use the grow room again next year. 

Asheville is crowded from the holiday -- I bet folks made it a long weekend. I skipped the brunch idea because line was to the street and walked downtown for chai. Grabbed a salad and soup at a vegan cafe on my walk back. Hello, veggies my friends.

Visit at my sister's was great. Babies are so, so tiny and adorable. My sister decided to make dinner instead of takeout -- it was delicious. She's a great cook and loves veggies. Got my veggies in yesterday.

I'm heading to the farmer's market this morning with plans to make vegetable soup on Sunday. I'm using the zucchini and squash from my friend too. I used up my freezer supply before the move. 

Hustle bustle this morning getting house ready and car packed. Downside of no garage and bears -- can't pack anything ahead. 

When I walked the mountain I decided to do a little walking meditation -- asked the walk to show me what to focus on this birthday year coming. It's a little woo-woo, but here's what I noticed and what came to mind as I walked. 

Saw friends walking and talking: CONNECTION

Saw a funny sign: REMEMBER TO LAUGH and HAVE FUN

Saw a fire hydrant painted in colors: YEAR OF COLOR

Walked by 2 people speaking Spanish: SPANISH STUDY

Sights, sounds, smells of the mountain: GET OUT IN NATURE

So many people out running: MOVE MY BODY

Pretty hidden flowers: PAY ATTENTION, BE PRESENT

Saw a man gardening and had a little exchange: LITTLE KINDNESSES

On the walk downtown, I passed a Little Blue House -- almost exactly what I picture in the FS visualization. Exact color, similar style, big garden in the back, little garden shed. Nice nod from the universe. 

I have afternoon plans with the family today and early dinner reservations -- first of the birthday week celebrations. I'm skipping the coffee stop on the way home since I'm going to the farmer's market before I leave and getting a later start. Having a couple of days without coffee is a good tastebud reset. 

Have a good Saturday. Later gators.