The Comfort of the Familiar

The croquet pitch at the Four Seasons Lodge at Koe'le is one of those familiar places for me. 

Jacques, our previous basset travelled between Berkeley, Seattle and Northern B.C. for the first seven years of his life. He hated the flying and the kenneling that accompanied it. However, as soon as he arrived at his destination - he went straight to his water bowl and then to his bed for a nap. Ernest does the same thing - water, sniff around and nap, no matter how long it has been between visits.

There is something about having a well worn routine and a familiarity with a place that makes going and coming easier.  For some, it may be going to the same cabin every year or visiting family and knowing you'll be in the guest room with the really loud wallpaper.

This week I'm revisiting my old familiar, in a different capacity than before. It should be interesting and challenging and I'm clinging to the hope that there will be a little sliver of fun as well.

found weekend

That which is lost and found, Narcissus, March 2007.

I found a weekend and it was marvelous. I walked off my twice mechanicalized (is this a word?) flight from SEA-SAN and told them to refund my ticket and went home, no problem!

My parents suggested this. I saw them on Tuesday, I will see them again in two weeks and I really couldn't be bothered with another weekend spent away from my own bed.

TH was surprised and so was Ernest. So were the friends that TH was planning on seeing and thought that I was out of town.

It was great. I gardened, walked the boy, cooked a storm, did my eight mile training walk today, saw some great friends, caught up with some reading and enjoyed a weekend watching Spring happen here - rufus hummingbirds buzzing around, jays nesting, ducks swimming in vernal ponds and skunk cabbages in their brilliant yellow, making me smile.

Wow.

Yes, I missed my peeps in the 92037, but honestly, there is no place like home.

nm

almost perfect

All I'm saying is that if I was either stuck on a plane, at work or in California these past two days I would have been so pissed. Glorious weather here in the Emerald City. Enough to make you want to open your windows, hang your smalls outside to dry and start doing some winter yard clean up.

Oh wait, I did all that.

The rest of the week looks good, well, unless you don't like air stagnation.

I see a car wash in my future and many more smalls to be dried outside.

Yipee.

neverending pile

Today we stayed home. That is, a national day of mourning meant that we're on lockdown, so I worked from home as did TH. She didn't have to work, she wanted to and good for her.

I have a seminar on Monday to give and AMS is in a week.

Where did the Fall go?

Anyhow, I spent a bit of today doing some more organization and purging at home. I have managed to make many things go away, but I am still stuck with the pile. You know, the pile that really is full of things that have no home.

I hate that pile.

I'm going to spend the next five minutes going through that pile and and winnow it down to a pilelet.

I did a great job on my cards today. I have a grocery bag of cards to freecycle. I even managed to sort out my watercolor and hand craft cards from the myriad of cards that I have collected over the years. I now have a nice pile of such things for my next invitations.

I also found about three hundred postcards that I bought and never sent. Right now they are in a shoe box. I'll just grab a pile next time I'm going to Alaska, Siena or Denver. Who knows, maybe you'll get one.

All I know is that I'll never buy another card again.

Next stop, wrapping paper.

Oy!

nm

How can two people who were gone for five days and had done laundry before they left, have generated four if not five loads of laundry?

Geez.

Bags emptied, chocolate aliquoted, laundry started, mail sorted, bags put away, email checked and showered.

Off to bed.

nm

Peppery goodness, Billy's peppers, U. District Farmer's Market, October 2006.

Not much to say. Tired, busy, running around like a chicken with or without a head. Lots to do and not enough time in the day. I still have 40 pages or reading to do for class.

Sigh.

Right now the house smells like peppers. They got ahead of us, so we roasted them. Should be great in soup in say, November.

Sort of reminds me of Santa Fe.

nm

better than anything

I cancelled my trip to Boston, slept in my own bed, albeit with the equivalent of 15 otter pops on my back (blue ones), woke up stiff and sore and felt great.

The sun was shining after the fog lifted, TH, B and I went to the Market, did the normal TJ's run, hung out and scritched the dog and other things that I would be missing if I spent the day wandering around Boston.

I even managed to prune many things and leave the prunings for my garden assistant tomorrow.

TH recreated a pizza we had from Serious Pie. Chanterelles and crimini mushrooms on a cornmeal crust with truffle cheese and quattro frommagio.

Serious yum.

I even managed to pick raspberries, kiwis and the last of the apples.

Ernest managed to get in a bath and turnip chase.

My back feels way better.

Life is good.

nm