TGIF! Is it just me, or is time flying? Okay, let’s get right to sharing five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

1. I think it’s obvious that I’m still not writing. But I am living a happy life doing all the things I didn’t have time to do when I was writing. That surprises me in a way. Writing has been such a big part of who I am that I wasn’t sure I could be happy not doing it. Life can surprise us. But I do think about stories and ideas, so who knows what the future has in store.
2. I finally ordered my standing planter for my herbs and I’m excited! I know it’s a little thing, but I’ve been looking forward to getting to this point in our backyard plans. Once we get it assembled (thoughts and prayers for a swear-free experience, please ), I will be able to get my herbs! The standing planter is pretty small and easily moved, so I can easily protect the plants from the elements when needed. I’m not big gardener, but fresh herbs are just one of those little things in life that make me happy.
3. Wizard has a birthday next week, and I just got all the things I need to make him a mini cheesecake as he requested. He’s pretty happy about that And I’m happy as I can get another use out of two mini spring form pans that I recently bought. I think I’m also going to try making sourdough bread again.  I’ve decided to use the same recipe and maybe do a couple tiny tweaks. I think sticking with the same recipe for the first few times will help me learn the feel of the dough better. Experience is the best teacher. Thankfully the bread seems to freeze well too.
4. I’ve been researching microbiomes, gut health and various related things. Let me just say that this is a huge rabbit hole! I fell in hard, LOL! And then I kept stumbling into new rabbit holes like sugar in children’s school breakfasts and I don’t even know how I ended up there. Then my incessant need to verify stated facts with my own research sucks me into an endless tunnel system of rabbit holes via Google! I’m not sure I’ll ever escape now. Don’t believe me? I can now tell you what the elementary school nearest us offers for breakfast to those who cant have it at home, and I don’t have school aged children. I actually had to look that up to see if what I was reading was correct (sadly, it was correct). That is only one of the rabbit holes! I think I need an intervention!
5. This weekend, Wizard is racing, and I’m meeting Special K to take Turbo to a little craft show/Easter egg hunt. It’s by their house and sounds like a fun thing to do. I’m looking forward to it!

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

My website was down on Monday, I’m so sorry. I don’t even know how long it was down for. I’m starting doing research on moving hosting sites, but I’m fighting my own inertia on this for many reasons. We’ll see what if I actually do it or stay with the same, very reasonably priced one I’m using now.

The other night, I let Maggie out for her final pottie break, and a heard a coyote howling so close by chills went down my spine. It’s hard to tell because of the way the hills surrounding us can bounce sound, but it sure sounded like he was right on the other side of the street behind our block wall. Maggie had gone to the side of the yard I couldn’t see clearly, so I call her in. I wasn’t sure if she’d gone or now. So I waited.

Now I don’t know of the coyotes can really jump over a block wall fence as I’ve heard, but I’m not risking Maggie’s life. A half hour later, it was quiet, so I let her out again in case she hadn’t done her business. But this time, I spontaneously picked up the piece of PVC pipe I happened to have handy and followed her, while holding this plastic pipe like a bat.

Seriously, what was I going to do? That plastic again a coyote’s teeth probably wouldn’t have ended with me being the hero I imagined, LOL. But I wasn’t letting my beloved dog out there unguarded. I may need to rethink my plan next time!

Maggie had walked outside, turned and saw me — the woman in pajamas wielding a white plastic pipe — and darted right back inside the house, She was like…Coyotes are a danger I understand, but mom suddenly going all Granny Baseball Ninja with a plastic pipe? I’m out! When I got back inside, she was  burrowed under her blanket, eyes closed and pretending I don’t exist

How’s your Wednesday going?

We were lucky enough to have another beautiful weekend. It’s cold overnight and in the sixties in the days.

Friday, Biker Witch and I had lunch and did a bit of shopping. It was such a great day! And Wizard went to see his brother and also had a good time.

Saturday, we took advantage of the lovely weather and went to the garden shop to spend our house payment on flowers for the front planter. Then we came home and planted them. We brought Maggie out to hang with us and she was a good girl. When a salesman came by, she held her sit-stay and just watched.  That’s exactly what I want. Then Maggie spotted her brand new boyfriend, a French bulldog named Boston. He and his mom live across the street and this was our first formal meeting. OMG Boston is a sweetie! They were really cute and Boston is so friendly! They left to go for a walk. Just when Maggie thought her day couldn’t get any better and she’d plopped onto her belly to watch us, the next door neighbor she already knows came over to chat. Maggie ran right up to her for some pets and love. She’s so ridiculous with her happy wiggles. Despite managing Maggie’s busy social life, we actually got all the flowers planted. We just need a couple more to fill in, but it’s 90% done. It helps since the rest of the front is just some bark spread on the ground. The flowers add some color and warmth.

Sunday, Wizard and I decided to go back to the garden store to buy four plants. Two big ones to start the back planter, and two little flowers to finish the front. We were basically going to spend to spend a few dollars. I think our first mistake was getting a rolling cart instead of a basket. We ended up filling the cart for the back planter and spent roughly another house payment again, LOL! Okay I’m exaggerating. Sadly, we did not come home with the two flowers for the front and probably only an fraction of what we need for the back. But one step (and dollar!) at a time. Besides, this is the fun part.

I also ran to Trader Joes just because I like to go there. Then I made some sugar free granola that tastes like crunchy cardboard. Once it’s completely cooled, it might taste better than I think, but ultimately, I don’t mind it plain and will eat it. This recipe gives me a base to begin tweaking over time. I eat sugar, I just don’t want it in foods I eat for breakfast.

So that was my weekend, how was yours?

TGIF!! Let’s dive right into sharing five random things about our week.

1. In super weird news, we had a tornado in Southern CA that tore the roof off a commercial building. Tornados are rare here. So is the crazy amount of rain we’re getting.
2. Maggie and I took a LONG walk yesterday after the rain stopped. It was so pretty and we just kept going. We both enjoyed it, but about a half mile from our house, I noticed Maggie drooling a little bit. She never drools. They day was cool and perfect for walking so a part of me wanted to semi-freak out. The other part of me mentally slapped myself. Instead, I slowed down, gave her plenty of breaks and got her home. She was fine. I am clearly and over-protective pet parent!
3. Thanks to the rain, getting any more work done in our back is slowwww.We (and by we I mean mostly Wizard, LOL) are trying get the hill irrigation done. We all the values installed, we just need to finish laying the drip line and connecting it to the values but it’s just too wet to get it done. This isn’t any kind of problem, just a little bit of a patience issue. I also want to get a planter box for my herbs but holding off on that too until we’re ready to buy the plants. But again, this don’t even qualify as a problem.
4. I’ve had Rye-N, my sourdough starter, in the fridge for a week, then took him our to feed him twice and he definitely rose to the occasion. Sadly, this was exciting to me. I may be a little bit housebound, LOL! I will make more sourdough bread in another week or so, but for now, Rye-N is back resting in a dormant stage (meaning I’m not feeding him) in the fridge and continuing to mature.
5. Today I’m getting out to meet Biker Witch for lunch. I’m so looking forward to that.

So that’s my five and now I’d love to hear yours. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

A long while back, I read the book “Where the Crawdad’s Sing”.  I liked the book, but I didn’t love it like so many others. I remember that, and little else.

Then we saw the movie was on Netflix and Wizard asked if I’d read the book. I said yes, it was okay but I didn’t think it was the breakout, blockbuster book so many others did, but I could NOT remember why. I knew there was something in there that bugged me, while millions of others loved the book with no reservations. This book was on the NY Times for so long, it bothered me that I couldn’t remember what irritated me.

Anyhow, we watched it.

Part way into the movie, Wizard says, “It’s okay, but I don’t buy the kid raising herself in the swap.”

I’m like, “That’s it!! Now I remember, that’s the problem I had!” It was such a huge relief that Wizard answered what was bugging me about that book.

It was also nice that he agreed with me, but that doesn’t always happen. Nor should it! Fiction gives us a safe space to talk about issues and passions and ideas. It’s totally okay that most of the readers out there truly loved this book and believed in the premise. It’s actually okay to disagree

There’s another movie we watched that I won’t name because I’m protecting a relative’s privacy. That movie was about a person suffering from the same condition as our relative, and it moved us deeply. It has also helped us develop better coping methods for us. We use that movie as a touchstone so that when either of us gets off track, the other reminds us of that specific movie. It works and has given us so much more calm patience, which in turn helps things go smoother all around. Before we watched that movie, we’d understood the condition intellectually, but emotionally we were struggling. This movie showed us what it was like to be inside the mind of the person living with the condition. That was, and continues to be, so powerful it help us manage our emotions better.

That is some powerful fiction that is actually making our lives (and hopefully our relative’s) better!

This was a bit rambling, but I’d love it if you share any experiences you have with fiction that you’d like to share.

Turbo’s birthday party was awesome! At one point I counted 15 kids, but it was a fluid number so who knows. But man, those kids all had fun! They had a bounce house because my high drive, executive son is still a kid at heart. He may have been the first one it in, and probably the last one out LOL. But otherwise, they kept it simple and the kids loved it. Despite all the chaos that comes with any party, Turbo’s parents had a great time too, which I love. Our daughter-in-law had everything organized, but there’s always the last minute things you can’t control. She rolled with it like a champ, made the adjustments and didn’t let it faze her. I love that too!

Kids this age are awesome and so sweet. They’d hug, the hold each others hands to run and play, and were all just in an overall good mood. Seeing Turbo interact with his friends in such a normal, healthy and kind fashion was such a joy. Most of the parents were there too, and really pitching in to watch all the kids which was also really nice and helpful.

When we got there, I showed Turbo the small cake I made him and he exclaimed, “Grandma you made me a Monster Truck Cake!” I knew he’d get it, LOL! I was so happy. My very smart daughter-in-law had a variety of cupcakes for all the kids, so the cake was just for Turbo to blow out his candle, and she was including me by having me make it. I really appreciate her thoughtfulness. For me the cake was just fun to do. I put his name on it, so I’ll just show you a side pic of one of the simple, monster trucks I made. Oh before I show the picture, this is a very small 4 inch round cake and maybe two inches high. This monster truck was tiny and hand cut and shaped, so I did the best I could. Also his mom had a special topper to go on the top of the cake.

Sunday was quiet exactly as I wanted. While we’re just doing normal stuff, we get so busy, I’m learning to plan low key type days now and again. Maggie and I took a couple walks too which is nice.

How was your weekend?

TGIF!! I honestly can’t believe it’s Friday, but here we are! It’s time to share five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

1. I was on a wicked losing streak with audiobooks, and then I saw “Outlander” by Diane Gabaldon was on my free list (meaning books that are included in my monthly fee, so not really free). I read that book decades ago and never watched the series, so I figured I’d listen to it. I have to say, that book holds up for me. I’m enjoying it! In physical books, this week I read a nonfiction “The Microbiome Connection” by two gastroenterologist. It’s not exciting reading, but I found it helpful. Then I started listening to podcasts along the same line, and YouTube determined that I must be on a weight loss journey, and began suggesting podcasts like “How to melt the fat off” Or other quick fix quackery nonsense that I’m way too old and jaded to believe or care about. <<Insert Eye Roll Here>> One a more serious note, I’m concentrating on getting more comprehensive information on the things my doctors have told me. While they are good and dedicated, they don’t have the time to explain the in depth research behind the concepts.
2. Yesterday once the rain tapered off to a mist, I took Maggie for a walk along the stream behind our house. The stream has completely washed out a road to get up to the ranches in the hills which must suck for them. Maggie and I enjoyed the walk until the end. But before I get to that, here’s a pic
3. So we were very careful and I know this area well. However I failed to think about one critical detail — by the street, either the housing track of the city are planting trees and shrub. Looking at the picture, the road is on the right, up a small incline. Maggie and I walked on a flat area where I wouldn’t slip. That went great. But at the end, I needed to step up a slight rise to get to the street. I’ve done this so many times! But this time, once I stepped, I sank. Like quicksand! It happened so fast, the mud got up to my knee before I could get enough leverage to pull my leg out. I was fine–just soaked in mud. Maggie had, of course, stepped up there too, and her paws sank a few inches too. My best guess is maybe there was a whole for a plant there, and all the rain pushed the soft dirt back in, and when I stepped in the perfect spot — I sank! Once Maggie and I were free, I started to walk home, but I was soooo covered in mud, I gave in and called Wizard. If you listen carefully, you can still hear him laughing! It took a long time to get all that cleaned up! My jeans were so mud caked, I had to squirt them off with the hose before I dared put them in the washer. I dumped Maggie in the bathtub, and had to hand wash her collar and leash. It was quite an adventure! But it wasn’t until later than it dawned on me I could have been hurt, especially if I’d fallen with the bottom half of my leg stuck in that mud. But I wasn’t hurt so it’s all good
4. We have another storm moving in early next week, but so far, that looks like less rain which is very good. Flood and rockslides are a big worry. The good news for us is our backyard is draining really well. We are very happy about that.
5. Today is Turbo’s birthday! He’s five years old and growing into such a big boy. He’s having a party tomorrow and that will be fun. So far, that’s about all we have planned.

So that’s my five and now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a great weekend!