Hosting, Day 1 of 3

I promise (hope) I can be finished with the subject of "too busy" soon.

Yesterday imploded with the volunteer crisis again -- had to leave the morning coffee meeting and missed every minute I was there on the phone. Spent the entire day (and already this morning) dealing with this situation. Heartbreaking and hard and scary. 

I got everything finished, but it was a long and emotionally heavy day. 

Today is the start of the 3 day stretch of hosting. Hosting is on my 26 for 2026 list. These aren't exactly the hosting goals, but close ... and this will inspire me forward. My list says spontaneous gatherings and this weekend is more planned, but Monday is organic, spontaneous enough to count. 

I really, really, really need to relax and enjoy these days. I'm well trained from Priya Parker on how to gather and it's time to put these skills to work again. 

This includes:

Doesn't need to be perfect -- and actually perfect can make people tense.

A relaxed, happy host makes relaxed, happy guests. 

Remember the purpose.

Put some guests to work in small, meaningful ways -- makes guests feel a part of the gathering (and helps the host).

This weekend's events are back-to-back and that's a bit of the hard part making it feel like work and a task list. It'll help to remember this is FUN. I seem to need that reminder often. 

It's also a little crammed because I'm still squeezing my things into everything -- the things that give me little bits of happy.

Flowers for the brunch.

Homemade treats for bookclub.

Morning workouts.

Time to journal, etc.

Here are good bits from yesterday ... 

The spring garden is partially planted. I'll do the rest next week. 

Greens.
I'll direct sow peas
in the back.

Flowers waiting for me
to fill pots.

Absolutely beautiful
from Trader Joe's

Grow room is still iffy. Some definitely bonked -- herbs. Tomatoes are growing. Peppers are up, but maybe not growing. It's all such a mystery and surprise what works and what doesn't. 

The farm had to delay some seedling pickups because they needed to reseed from poor germination -- even professionals have issues!

There's a new cafe in town with a Michelin star chef. Two friends from Korea decided to open a coffee and sandwich cafe. They promised GF bread coming soon and I stopped in yesterday to check since I was driving by ... hello to lunch. It was probably the best cooked eggs I've ever had -- mixed with brie. It's going to be a new favorite -- I have a lot of new favorites. 

My cousin called about my aunt's birthday party. I'm taking more of the reins (by her request) and organizing the day. It's my pleasure and will be a lot of fun. Thank the lord it's not until next week though. I can't handle any more mental load right now. 

I like organizing and hosting AND I like being a guest that can just guest. Leaning more on the hosting right now. I think that's why the spontaneous gatherings were interesting to me. How can I host without going to so much trouble? Just gather people for a shared purpose. Quick, easy, fun connection. It's a learning process. 

That's all from here. Time to set up for the rock painting. If all goes as planned {*knocks wood*}, I'll have 11 new rocks for the snake rock by Monday. Grand total of 21 -- eeek, it's actually happening. That's more than enough to release her into the wild. 

Stay tuned for a grand premiere announcement hah -- I can't wait. This was a love project that hit a lot of FS, community, feel-good notes.

Have a good Saturday. Later gators.

Hello, Friday

Pretty soon I can be off the I'm-so-tired channel, but not this morning.

Yesterday was good and filled to the brim. 

Lunch with my cancel friend -- always nice when we meet up. Errands that included stopping at a local bookstore. My DIL recommended it long ago and I tell people about the store often, but haven't been myself. Someone I told about it just went on Wednesday and joined one of their bookclubs. I was driving right past it so ....

... it's hard to purchase books locally when Amazon is so much less expensive, but I wanted to support them. I'm excited to read Marie Benedict -- I've read most of hers. The 6 book Narnia compilation will wait. I have it in mind for something on my 2027 list. I don't think I ever read all six. (This year is the Pride and Prejudice flight, last year was the Stephen King flight.) 

Started this young adult book on recommendation from Gretchen Rubin. There's a podcast that deep dives each of this author's books. I got 2 from the library and have the podcasts cued up. Had no idea this was such a big book though. It seems to be a quick read, but it's almost 500 pages ... eeek.

Then the performance -- The Young John Lewis. Cast of about 9 or 10 people standing on stage behind podiums and a screen behind them. Hip hop and spoken word -- it was so good. Much better than I expected.

A couple of hiccups though. It started 30 minutes late and the sound system was acting up -- screeching feedback shrills and one performer's mic wasn't working. There was a 30 minute intermission and then only 20 minutes of show left -- opportunity to sell more drinks and food, and I understand the need to raise money, but UGH. 

Didn't get home until 9:45 and up early for Friday's meeting. That said, I'm really glad I got to see it. What they performed just standing on stage was incredible. I forget how much I like local theater -- the level of creativity was top notch. And, of course, the life of John Lewis is so important to celebrate and remember. Our government is trying (and sadly succeeding) in erasing black history and white washing our country's past -- this makes performances like this all the more critical. 

I'm so happy to say I'm home tonight. I CAN NOT wait to have a quiet night in pjs, reading, drinking tea. But before that, I have another hustle day and it starts now. Best get moving so I can enjoy quiet tonight. 

Hope your week is ending well. Later gators.

That's Better

I did a lot yesterday, but worth it to get almost caught up. I have another full day ahead -- tired, but no overwhelmed feeling 

Squeezing in my stuff too.

I ran 2 miles -- foot was fine. It felt so good to run. Next time will be the regular distance. Even 2 miles and I'm sore as shit today. Hah, of course. It's such a different exercise from anything else I do and it moves so many more muscles -- arms, core.

Little baby tomato seedlings got transferred to regular potting soil (nutrients) and bigger pots. Fingers crossed. Grow little ones. They already smell like tomatoes. 

Lunch and shopping was nice. I checked a couple of errands off the list while we shopped. GF bread for Sunday and gift card for my aunt's birthday. 

Had a late home visit for volunteering and some work for today, but it was a necessary add-on. 

As I said, a lot today too -- some fun, decent amount of work, and another night out.

Tonight is a local musical. Last night out of the 4 night stretch. It's going to be interesting (life of John Lewis), impressive (performances), but I don't expect to really enjoy it. Does that make sense? It'll probably be one of those things that I wish was half the time. I hope I'm wrong. Hip-hop based, small cast (might be only one performer), past my bedtime. I'll rally as best as I can to perk up for the evening. If I didn't have a ticket, I'd pass on tonight.

I finished this book. Much more interesting having met the author and heard about her process, research, motivation. But, the characters were too perfect for me -- even perfect in all their trauma. It was like a cozy romance, but everyone had intense past trauma. She's a good writer though -- beautiful descriptions and a good pacing. Fast read.

The week continues with odd asks from people. Can you... ??? over and over. Funny how often these things run in batches. I'm squeezing in the requests. Woke up to two more this morning. 

That's all from here. My cancel friend has NOT canceled today -- go figure. When I saw text notifications this morning, I immediately thought it was her canceling. I'm caught up enough and I'll have a good time, so I'm actually glad (now she'll cancel for sure hah!). 

Have a good day. Later gators.

So Much To Do

I felt almost back to normal yesterday.

First the hike -- 7 miles. Beautiful morning. Duke was thrilled. 

Ice feathers

It's so pretty.

Twirl tree

My favorite guy

Do you see it Duke?

Painted an owl rock for the rock snake. 

Both of those things were for me -- ways to get back to feeling myself. 

It was a full, long day. Boy, I wished I didn't have to go to dinner -- I have so much to do, but I'm glad I went. She definitely needed company. 

I'm up early and already DOING. Starting to panic a bit about how I'm going to fit everything. It's little things -- if I wasn't driving my neighbor today, I could stack some errands. If I want to run the errands, I have to drop her home and head out again -- not enough time before I need to go to the home visit (in lots of traffic). Today is almost a wash to be able to get ready for the weekend entertaining. Eeeeek - panic. 

My cancel friend has NOT canceled for tomorrow (although the day is young), the one and only time I want her to. Of course, I could cancel on her, but that doesn't sit right with me.

It's really one of those weeks. A friend asked me to help her plan a girls trip to Asheville -- I owe her a long text with suggestions. My cousin is struggling to throw a HBD for my aunt and I took over yesterday -- new plan and I need to finalize some of the details. That's not for 2 weeks though -- phew. Volunteer stuff just jumped up again. So, so, so many things right now. Too many for one little week to handle. 

AND it's one of those weeks where I have little chunks of time, but not quite long enough to do the things. I'm baking GF banana bread for bookclub and I don't seem to have a stretch to make and bake it. Plus I'm out of sugar -- only enough for one loaf and I'm baking two. Things like this. Yes, I could just buy something, but that steals from what I like to do. I enjoy baking for people, making the effort, having homemade offerings. Little special notes to a gathering. 

AND it's garden season in GA. Let it begin. I need to transplant in the grow room, ready the raised beds, pick up from the farm on Friday, get stuff in the ground (or at least care for it until I can plant). 

This is all a reminder that I don't want to be so scattered that I don't enjoy the things I enjoy. The little excursion with my neighbor is set to be a lot of fun and I don't want to rush it or be in my head about other things the entire time. 

Slow down and enjoy is my motto for this week. Can I? Maybe. I'll try at least.

On that note, best get moving. Have a good day. Later gators.

A Reminder

Good morning.

I ended up spending THREE HOURS at coffee with my friend ... 3 hours!! That was a much bigger part of my day, but it was nice. She wanted to talk about navigating our growing group and some prickly group dynamics. Not in a gossip way, but in a constructive way. It felt nice that she trusted me to talk about how she's feeling.

I busted through some errands. Didn't get to all the walking ones because of the long coffee, but hit Micheal's for more art supplies (upcoming rock painting). Found these fun extras. (I've been trying to go to stores instead of ordering online since we live much closer to shops now -- bundled this with a Trader Joe's run across the street.)

The author presentation was fantastic -- really interesting insights to her writing and this book. I started it last night and I like her writing style so far.

Two things got added to this week -- all in the evening. Ugh and also, it's okay. 

First is tonight. Our little Friday group is going to dinner again, but no one else can make it. The organizer is a recent widower (and lost other family at that same time). I can't say no -- it makes me sad because she said she'd just go alone if other's couldn't and she seemed disappointed. She thought we already agreed to dinner tonight. I know she tries to occupy her evenings -- it's probably her loneliest time. I'd want someone to do that for me. 

Second is a home visit for my volunteer position -- this IS a must. I'll be out every night M-Th ... on a week I'm trying to convalesce. 

All that said -- I'm getting so much friend touching points this week. From texts, to calls, to invites. It feels good. I need to notice this and appreciate this -- it's really, really nice. 

And, it's something I've spent years wishing and working toward. In 2019 when I decided to let go of a lot of social relationships that didn't work, I felt a real sacristy of friendships. Yes, I have a few very close friends and that's a special and amazing thing in itself, but I didn't have many local friendships. Day to day, I felt a sort of being on the outside. Not exactly lonely, but more alone than I wanted. 

It's slow work and has to happen organically, but it doesn't happen without effort. I put myself in positions of shared interests. I introduced myself to people. I went alone to things. Most importantly, I had to do those things for the things themselves and not make it about making friends. That gets grabby or desperate and it attracts the wrong kind of relationships (learned this many times).

That's why when I notice that I have a full plate of friendships, I need to stop and be grateful -- to the work I did, the person I became, the answered wish for something different. 

I still practice this idea. Liking the moment for the moment and if a friendship develops, wonderful. If not, I had a nice shared moment. I have far, far more of these moments than actual friendships forming and that's totally okay -- it's actually good.

Don't know why I went off on this tangent today. Maybe I need a reminder to pause and really notice how much I've grown into what I wanted so many years ago. 

Makes me think, where am I headed now? How do I want to grow going forward? Feels like time for a FS meditation. It takes about an hour and that might be a perfect thing to do next week when all is quiet on the home front. Maybe that's why I thought of this today ... hmmmm.

Okay, going to start a rock this morning while I wait for temps to warm up for a hike. 

Have a good day. Later gators.

One For the Road

One for the road ...

I stopped for breakfast at my new obsession. Bean, rice, veggie bowl with eggs, and chia pudding (to-go). 

Started a re-read of this updated book too. I think it's going to be a timely read.

This breakfast-before-the-drive is perfect. My other go-to option has long morning lines and difficult parking. I could actually load the car and leave from the restaurant because I can see my car from the window.

Drove straight to my old library to grab a hold book and my library card has expired. The new out-of-county rate jumped to $60/year. Not worth it, sadly. End of a library era. This was my favorite library, by far. Hopefully, I can still volunteer in the bookstore.

Jumping into the fire today. This is a really, really full week. Some volunteer stuff, but mainly social -- crowded from postponements from last week. Hosting 2 "big" things this weekend that require a lot of prep. As always, trying to get my headspace around the thought THIS IS FUN and GOOD and part of a FULL LIFE.

Energy is still limited and that's part of the issue. Lord knows I do this to myself. I could use a few cancels this week, but it doesn't happen if you wish for it (it's the cancel law). I have a lunch date on Thursday with my cancel friend though, so there's always hope -- this is her superpower, don't let me down!

I'll whisper really quietly ... NOTHING on the calendar next week. Shhhh. Now I know that won't hold, but it feels exciting. An opportunity to fill it with quiet things. Space. Hubby is out of town so it's the real-deal kind of SPACE week. I need to be careful and think long and hard about what I commit to next week. Put myself on the calendar and HOLD THAT COMMITMENT (and then, you guessed it, complain I'm bored).

What's today?

Coffee with a friend who needs to talk about something. I like that she trusts me to talk about what's bothering her (BTW, it's not me ... at least, I don't think so).

Walking errands -- library and dry cleaner because I want that for myself.

Evening with an author presentation and book signing -- going with 2 friends.

Maybe a drop-in after the author talk to the town meeting in the same lot.

In-between -- driving errands, food prep for this weekend, rock prep for this weekend.

Hope you are off to a nice start to this week. 

Reminding myself that it's a good day to have a good day. 

Later gators.

Asheville Fun

Let's do an Asheville list -- all the nice Asheville moments yesterday.

1. Mountain walk. Rained most of the time, but it was cool and beautiful.

No idea what this means,
but always little love signs
to find.

Mountain view. Cute little
homes along the road.

Tucked along the side of the road.
Planters for spring.

Way up the mountain -- decorated
for Marti Gras. Little whimsy. 

2. So many birds. Songs, chatter, loud voices in the quiet mountain. I saw a robin bathing in a puddle -- so pretty.

3. Our Paper Plant is in spring bloom. If you've never smelled this flower, it's incredible. Scents the entire street. 

4. New electronic trash cans along the mountain roads. Bear proof. This initiative was delayed because of the storm and it's back on track. Signs of Asheville's recovery. It's designed to discourage bears from coming off the mountain on trash day.

5. There's a home tour in my neighborhood -- totally forgot about it. We were asked to participate and declined. I wish I remembered because I would've gotten a ticket. 

My street was a steady stream of people walking. Checking out my fairy village rocks (a couple of people took pictures -- made me feel good). Checking out the LFL. Smelling the Paper Plant. 

It was community. It was appreciation for little things. Lovely.

6. Finished this book. I've tried to read this several times and had to try again after I got it in the bookclub Christmas exchange. I decided to force read it in Asheville since I had more time to read. Felt an obligation to the person who selected it to finish it.

It was amazing. I kept getting stuck at the first bit with all the failed attempts, but it takes off after those few chapters. Cried the entire ending -- tear jerker in the best way. It was a perfect read for this weekend and Asheville.

Quote from the author's note at the end. Quoting Jon Mooallem's TED talk.

"Storytelling matters now. Emotion matters. 

Our imagination has become an ecological force."

7. Decided to try a new lunch place. Googled plant forward with GF options. Wow -- it has incredible selections. Most of the menu is vegan and GF. Vegan is important because all the "cream" things were non-dairy. 

I drove since I was out at a shop, but it's walkable from the house. New favorite unleashed.

Lentil soup.
GF corn bread.
Warm oatmeal.
Citrus green tea.
Good cry finishing the book.
Tried to be discrete about it hah.

8. Got a GF pizza for dinner from a local pizza place -- it's small, but delicious. I haven't had it in a long time. While I was waiting, I went next door to Fresh Market --  my first time, and also, not my last. What a nice market for unusual things. Bit $$$ so not for everyday shopping, but great for special things. We have them in GA too. I think reasonably close to my house -- I'll have to check it out. 

00 version of a family favorite.
I haven't tried it yet.
Hope it doesn't just taste like
apple juice hah!

9. Checked out a new shop that's two store fronts -- one vintage, one boutique looking for a HBD gift for my aunt's birthday party. Didn't find anything, but they had painted rocks. I took a sneaky picture to try and copy the owl for the Snake Rock. 

The drive down this road yielded a lot of treasures. I hadn't made the connection these things were on the same road. Not all walkable -- it's about 6 miles of driving down that road to get to everything.

Lunch place.

Pizza place.

Shops.

Favorite plant store. 

Yep, stopped at the plant store, but didn't get any plants (I was tempted). Got a new pot and footers for outdoor planters though.

10. Almost forgot -- after the teahouse, I visited my favorite vintage store. Got a winter coat from 1950s -- picture when I wear it. Also, this broach. It's so pretty in the light.

The purple gets really iridescent 
in the light.

That's a wrap on Asheville. Waiting on sheets in the dryer and a final cleanup before I go. I'm trying to time a library pickup from my old library. I want to start the book tonight. It doesn't open until 1:30 today so I'm not rushing too much this morning. Might be tricky, but will save me a drive tomorrow and I pass close enough on the way home. That said, I forgot a wind storm is moving through -- maybe should get over the mountains before it really picks up. Eeek -- need to think about this now (we just got a big wind gust).

Have a good Sunday. Later gators.