Weekend Recap

Good morning. 

Well, bookclub. Lordy, lordy. 

The one woman who was confirmed to go (who asked me not to cancel), canceled an hour before. "I'm just not going to be able to make it today -- let's take a raincheck." Ugh. She does this regularly. I think there's more to her story involving either anxiety or depression. 

One of my friends who was a maybe (for legitimate reason) saw the cancel and texted me she wanted to come unless I had had enough. I told her she didn't need to feel an obligation -- I was going regardless. She came. We had a nice, long conversation and brunch.

I appreciated that she validated what was happening. Last minute cancels, I had to reach out, ZERO apologies, lame excuses, no consideration for me. She said she was embarrassed for them -- acting that way. Group dynamics where you don't take any responsibility for your individual actions. Believe it or not, I didn't complain or bring it up. I told her I appreciated it and felt seen (she's a life coach and you can tell).

I'm taking a break for the summer. We both thought it was a good idea. Maybe gathering more informally if anyone is interested, but not planning anything. I hope this isn't the end of bookclub. It hangs by a very thin thread. 

WORTH REPEATING though ...

BTW, the run with Duke was great. Shade, breeze by the water. 

Walking to brunch, I stopped at the opening day of our town's Farmer's Market. Wow. It's twice as big. What a glow-up. Ran into some people I knew -- small town feel, just what I want. Got some local stuff. Looking forward to going again.

The author talk was okay, my least favorite of the ones I've attended though. The talk itself was boring. The moderator was another known author (although I didn't know her) and her questions and energy were blah. The best questions came from the audience. The author seemed like she had a happy personality and was funny at times, but the moderator kept stopping the banter and not engaging with her. An attitude like let's just get this over. (BTW -- I'll chat about books soon, including the one from the event.)

The event itself was well done with lots of work from the volunteers. Tea and homemade scones. Give aways. I sat with some other solo goers at a front table and we chatted books. That was the best part. 

The birthday celebration was an excellent family day. Lots of last minute work, but worth it. We had family laughs and the garden salad was spot on. Love bragging and sharing garden goodies. 

I painted this rock. How cute and simple. I copied from IG.

I picked up two flats of plants from the farm program. Gave some away to my son and need to squeeze the rest into the garden. Right now they're sitting on my kitchen counter because it's 42 degrees. Beautiful, cool morning, but too cool for summer seedlings. Good lord, this rollercoaster weather. (Great for me, great for spring plants, NOT great for the summer littles. I hope the seedlings just emerging are okay. I'll be able to reseed if I need to.)

Hiking with a former neighbor (and friend) today back at my old stomping grounds. She won't hike long, so I'll do a few solo miles. She's another one apt to cancel. I didn't get a confirmation text as she usually does, but also not a cancel text either. I could've reached out, but I'm over organizing and following up and babysitting people's calendars right now. I'm hiking regardless. We'll see if she shows up. I expect she will. 

We're occasional friends. She started a dog boutique and that ended most of our socializing because she was occupied with the business. We used the boutique for grooming and saw her more at work than two doors down from our house. She closed the store due to a leasing issue and is probably moving to AZ in a year or two. She a temporary, occasional friend now. She still does a dog walking service so she's tied up most days from late morning on. We're hiking early today. Probably. Hopefully.

This week is quite open. I'm on-call to help my friend who lost her husband and I'm holding time open until I hear from her and her schedule. There's no expectation that it'll happen, but I'm here if she needs me. 

It's kind of a win for me too. Forces me to white-space calendar blocks and that allows some slow days. Even if she needs me, it won't be all the availability I offered. As usual, I want to use that time for good. Quiet time. Reading time. Creative time. Gardening. Things that fill my cup. 

Best get going. I have a 45 minute drive to the hike and we're going as soon as the park opens. This early isn't my preference, but it's a great way to start a Monday and the week. Hope you are off to a good start too. Later gators.