Happy Birthday and Blogoversary

Yesterday was my birthday--Jace's too. Today is my 16th anniversary posting here. Jeff and I are in the process of getting a financial plan including wills and health care power of attorney. And, of course, Jeff's sister died in April. So, I'm thinking a lot about time, i.e. the time that I have left. 

I want to use some time to revisit my Merwinsville book. Over the last few days, I read about the Merwin and Gaylord families and double checked some dates. For a few minutes I wondered if I was wrong about Sylvanus Merwin and Peter Gaylord being half brothers. Luckily, I was right. 

I was surprised to see I hadn't written or edited anything in over a year. (Although I believe I journaled about Merwinsville a few times.) I'm trying to get into that head set and think about the people. I need to develop the rivalry between the half brothers and add details. I'll probably lose the original scenes between Syl and Flora. Beef up the conflict. Figure out the ending.

Mellow Monday Morning

I'm feeling mellow today. Jim and Liz were visiting Thursday afternoon to Sunday morning. We had dinner with Annette and George at their place, lunched at Bowleys and Loonasea, and went thrifting. Otherwise, we just hung around. I cooked one night and we got pizza a second night.  

I took it easy yesterday too. Jeff and I had gin and tonics on the balcony, I read, and I journaled. As for today, Jeff has a PT appointment at 1. I'll go food shopping while he's there and figure out tonight's dinner. I have several things to do but don't have to do them all today.

It's my birthday week, and we're heading into unofficial summer. The weekend doesn't look very good now, but things can change. Regardless, I'll just try to hold onto the mellow. 

Three Birthday Lunches and a Sun-shower

In the last eight days, I've been on three birthday lunches. The first was with Jeff, his sister and her husband. We went to Rive Bistro, a restaurant I've been meaning to visit for a long time. 

Next, it was Jeff and me. We went to the Goose. Today my brother and his girlfriend took us to Sedona Tap House.. 

I could get used to this. But alas, a birthday is just once a year.  

Although I enjoyed our meal at the Goose, I was very disappointed on my birthday. It was also Jace's birthday. Okay, we don't know his real birthday. I learned from asking about Lola's birthday that when stray dogs are taken to a vet, the day of the visit becomes the birthday. We picked a date for Lola's birthday. We liked that Jace and I had the same bday. 

It was cold and damp on our birthday with temperatures topping out around 52. I had hoped for a warm day when we could eat outside. Well, we didn't get out with Jace then, so we owe him a restaurant meal. 

We finally saw some sun today. In fact, when I took Jace out this afternoon, we walked in a sun-shower. I sang parts of this song. I love sun-showers, but it's odd to find them after a nor'easter. But the weather is screwed now. At least there are no sharnados ...yet. 

Thinking of Lola

 

Today is Lola's designated birthday. I wanted to take a moment to honor her. I feel guilty because I didn't even think of her on April 22, which is the anniversary of her coming to live with us. I was focused on Delaware real estate, I guess. 

We will always love Lola.

A Family Holiday

Our great niece Daphne turned one today. I even got our presents to her early (not like she'd know.) I was happy with the gifts we sent. Got a nice text from our nephew about the photo. It made me feel good.

Today is also the 23rd anniversary of when Spike came to live with us. Spike was a wonderful dog. No wonder we got two beagles after him. 

We love you, Spike!

Election Day and Spike's Birthday

It's been a long, exhausting election season. I'm appalled at the money spent on ads--we probably could have fed the whole country on the amounts spent on primarily negative ads. After today, the most annoying ads will will focus on the Medicare enrollment period.

I'm avoiding news about the election until later tonight. Lucky for me, I have something else to think about.

Today is Spike's birthday. He was born in 2000 and lived with us from March 2002 until his death in December 2015. Spike was special--not just because he was our first dog, but also because he was such a great dog. 

We still love and miss him.

Baseball and a Birthday

Jeff's birthday was Wednesday. He wasn't feeling well, so we didn't go out for lunch or dinner. Jace and I walked to Blue Cactus Grill and picked up a sandwich for lunch. I had made spaghetti sauce last week so heated that, added ground pork, and served it over angel hair pasta for dinner. I also made a salad and picked up a South African wine. Jeff ended up going to bed early--around 8 PM without dessert. You know Jeff  must have been feeling really bad for him to bypass chocolate ganache cake. 

The next day we went to Sedona Tap House for lunch. We had unexpectedly frugal glasses of sparkling wine--a $2.special. Beers were half-off and we got a free appetizer. Works for me. Jeff and I had cake after a light dinner. 

Last week I read an article Be Worried About the Mets Fan in your Life by Will Leitch. I can relate. I was devastated by the Mets loss to Atlanta on Tuesday 1-5. Then the next two games were rescheduled to a double-header on Monday with the Wild Card Series starting Tuesday. Ugh! 

It was hard to have to wait until Friday to see the Mets. Then they lost their two games against Milwaukee. Double ugh. I'm worried. If the Mets don't make it into the playoffs, at some point, I will be able to celebrate their comeback season. But in the near term, it will be a grave disappointment. 

Welcome May!

May is my second favorite month after September. It's my birthday month, the month when the nice spring weather takes hold, the month when school years or semesters are almost over, and the month when lilacs and lilies of the valley bloom.

I was writing in my journal last night about seeing May as new beginning, another new year. Well, so far, I'm not off to a stellar beginning. I did dress to return to the gym, but was moving slowly this morning, and generally felt off. So, I blew off the gym again, quoting Scarlett O'Hara, "Tomorrow is another day." At least Jace got me out walking. I also exercised today--mostly stretching and balance work. 

Tomorrow looks like a beautiful day. I need to take advantage.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

It's a big birthday for Jeff, but for various reasons, we're not celebrating big. Maybe next year. 

I did make a double batch of vodka sauce for dinner tonight. I need to go out and get something chocolate for our dessert.  

Today is also Jace's one month anniversary with us. Time to celebrate.

It's Sherlock Holmes Day

I'm surprised to learn about this holiday. I knew it's Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's birthday, and I'm proud to share the day with him. 

I read through a list of people born today. I've got Conan Doyle and Lawrence Olivier but also Ted Kaczynski. Take the bad with the good.

It wasn't a big birthday so we didn't do anything big. I went for a walk around Oyster Shell Park this morning--I had hoped to see egrets--but did see two groundhogs. I picked up bagels and veggie cream cheese, cut up some fruit, and opened a bottle of champagne for brunch.

Jeff and I watched the Mets win, invited a friend over for a drink, and went out for a birthday dinner. I decided on the restaurant based on an online menu. Unfortunately the menu was from another branch. The Norwalk location didn't include all of the appetizers that appealed to me. The food was still good. The service was off--too intense at the beginning--and then almost non-existent. The dining room was a bit warm, but a fan set up next to us kept it comfortable. 

I probably won't return to that restaurant in the near future. We have our favorite places, and there are always new restaurants to try.

Cinco de Mayo and Lola's Birthday

Today is Lola's designated birthday. I had wondered if (and hoped) she would make it this far. But it wasn't to be. It was a beautiful day, and we would have loved to spend it with her.

I was cleaning/organizing earlier today and picked up the book Dog Heaven that my friend Darlene gave Jeff and me after Spike died. I cried as I re-read it. It helps to picture Lola and Spike together having fun. We had even asked Lola to say hi to Spike for us. 

Today is also Spike's half-way day. 

For Spike and Lola

Today is Spike's birthday; he would have been 21. Okay, I know that's not a realistic age for a beagle; we were happy that Chinese herbs helped Spike reach 15. Spike joined us when he was one-and-one-third years old. We gave him a good life, and he gave us love, joy, and new dog park friends. Every year around this time, I think a lot about him. I still love Spike and miss him. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of him.

Lola joined us four months after Spike died. She was around five then. She's been with us for over five-and-a-half years. We didn't know her real birthday and picked May 5th because it's Spike's half-way day

Here are some pictures of our sweet Lola. 

Jeff and I have been blessed with two wonderful beagles. For one thing, both Spike and Lola like to sleep in. We never had dogs getting us up at 5 or 6 AM. 

Beagles are love.

Don't Blink

I feel as if I blinked, and not only is summer over, but September too (well just about.) I guess it hit me when I realized that next week is October. 

I feel I should have done more this summer, but can't think of anything specific right now. I spent a lot of time walking Lola at Oyster Shell Park, or so it seems, watching egrets and baby swans. We did fun things such as DPF's, outside dining, listening to music, looking at art. I participated in a class reading of stories, have continued writing and made writing plans even if I haven't been very productive. 

In September, we went to a celebration of life and a memorial service (both postponed by Covid) visited with family, celebrated our anniversary with a mini-getaway, and celebrated Jeff's birthday yesterday. Jeff, Lola, and I went to the Biergarten at Nod Hill Brewery for lunch. Later we met friends at the grand opening of 314 Beer Garden. 314 was too loud and crowded, so we headed to Sedona Taphouse. 

Jeff and I were too full to eat a regular dinner, so we had salad and chocolate mousse cake. I had made vodka sauce Friday. Tonight's dinner will be penne a la vodka--to make it a birthday weekend.

September is almost over, but it's just the beginning of fall--my favorite season. I need to plan some fun things to do, make a list, and anticipate them. Don't blink; don't let the fall get away. 

Transitions

There are certain times of year that are ripe for transition: New Year's Days, the starts of new school years, birthdays, and anniversaries.

I'm dealing with several transitions. The most shallow is the transition from winter to summer clothes. With temperatures flirting with the 90's last weekend,  I finally put my winter boots and shoes in storage under the bed. I moved summer clothes from the second to the master bedroom, and winter clothes in the reverse direction. 

I tried on several skirts and pairs of pants and bagged a few for Goodwill. I chose a skirt and blouse to wear for my birthday dinner. I even gave myself a pedicure, but I didn't have polish and my buffer didn't work well. At least my feet were improved. 

I got my car washed after (I think) a year and a half. My usual carwash still isn't offering interior cleaning, which my car really needed. The next day I went to another carwash for an interior wash. They didn't get out all of the dust and Lola's hair, but the car looked much better. By today, the car is covered in pollen and bird droppings. Maybe that's why I don't wash my car all that often. 

Onto more important transitions: Jeff and I have noticed that Lola is slowing down, becoming more lethargic, napping more frequently. We think Lola is 10, so we thought age was just slowing her down. Unfortunately, it's more serious than that. Her heart murmur is louder, and she had more toxins in her kidneys. We're dealing with the heart murmur first.

I'm officially unemployed/retired from test prep teaching/tutoring now. I haven't written about it here, but have been journaling about it, and I'm still processing it. I didn't want to tutor online because the platform didn't offer face-to-face interaction with students. I didn't think I could be effective. After a year not teaching, I would have to be retrained and rehired. I said forget it. I can go on full Social Security in a few months. It's a big change. 

One day recently, I woke up and thought about my day, and asked is this the rest of my life?

As I wrote in a recent post, I need to decide on what writing I want to focus. Figure out where I'm going to write, as well as what I'm going to write. 

This is my chance. 

Happy Birthday Spike

Spike's been gone for almost five years, but he is still often in our thoughts. We will never forget him. He would have been 20 today. 

Jeff suggested we honor him and Lola (this is her designated half-way day) with a steak dinner. That works for me.

Here are a few of my favorite photos of Spike.

Here's one of Lola.

Evening at Taylor Farm

Friday was Jeff's birthday. We walked down the hill and had lunch at Sedona Tap House. Later we went to Taylor Farm for DPF. Our DPF's are winding down--maybe three or four more. 

 As we were getting ready to leave, someone mentioned how beautiful the sky looked. I took these photographs. 

Then, home for a dinner of penne a la vodka, per Jeff's request. 

September is Here

Besides the calendar, I can tell  it's September by seeing pumpkin flavored latte commercials. I've also started seeing Halloween candy, etc. in the stores last week. 

I love September. It's a new beginning of the school year, the start of autumn, Jeff's and my anniversary, and Jeff's birthday, among other family celebrations. September is especially welcome after two months of hot and humid weather, although we're not done with that quite yet. 

In a moment of hyperbolic melodrama, I could say that Covid-19 has stolen my spring and summer. It's true that I've missed out on many things, but they pale compared to what others have suffered. That's why I bitch about what I missed in my private journal. Technically, we still have three weeks in summer, though I don't think that I can make up for summer things missed in that time. 

Let's look to the future. In two weeks I'm starting another writing class with the instructor I've been working with for two years. I'm also starting an in-person collage and mixed media workshop, socially distant of course. I've also signed up for an online seminar about women's suffrage. I'm psyched for all of these things. 

Jeff and I are deciding how to celebrate our anniversary. We're not ready to go away anywhere, though we've been invited to visit Melissa and Karl in North Carolina. We're afraid of what would happen when we come home. We thought about going to Interlaken Inn, but we're not happy with their lack of packages and dining options. So. we'll stay close at home, as we've been doing since the beginning of the year. 

September is here, and we'll make sure we enjoy it. 

Birthday, Anniversaries, and Transitions

Last weekend marked some important milestones. I'm not sure why I didn't write about them then. Maybe I just needed more time to reflect.

I had a birthday, a big one. I'm now officially old. I am now on Medicare (which is financially advantageous for us) and I've started getting a pension.

It's weird. I've started out wanting to get older, wanting to be an adult. I guess most of us aspire to be 21. Then I wanted to be 29--I thought that age would be the height of sophistication. Later it was 39--I'd still like to be that age.

I didn't mind getting older. I didn't lie about my age.  I celebrated a 50th birthday party. 

But now, my age has put me in a bit of a funk. It feels different. I'm not just a year older. It's not entering a new decade. I'm in a new category--a new phase of my life. In many ways, it's the last phase. This doesn't mean that I'm giving up or waiting for the end. The best may be yet to come. But I have to be realistic, the majority of my life is over. It's only natural for me to mull over about what I have and haven't accomplished. 

May 23rd marked 10 years of blogging. I haven't always been consistent, but I'm still blogging.

Memorial Weekend Friday was the 15th anniversary of the first Dog Park Friday (DPF.) I think the heyday of DPF is over, primarily because of Covid-19. But we plan to continue going, and we have some fond memories of previous years. 

Happy Birthday Lola!

Today is Lola's designated birthday--her fifth with us. We think she is nine. It's also been two years two years since she first walked around the block with us.

I'm going to cook filet mignon for dinner tonight for the three of us. Who knows how long we'll be able to find some.

Happy Birthday Bette

I spent the morning thinking that April 5 meant something to me. Then it dawned on me--it's Bette Davis's birthday. She was one of the screen's great actresses and my favorite.

I've seen most of her films and several of her TV appearances. An early film I'd like to see is The Menace. On TV, I'd love to see Madame Sin; I think I've only seen excerpts of that. Another telefilm I'd like to see is Right of Way with Bette and James Stewart. She had always wanted to work with him, she finally got her chance.