“There goes the neighborhood.” Mrs. leaves the birdseed block when a neighbor takes over.
While I’m up in the San Francisco area taking care of my children, I didn’t bring my camera or lenses. I did have some photos downloaded to my laptop of Red and Mrs. that I didn’t get a chance to look at before I left home.
I have taken a few photos with my iphone at my favorite grocery store called Berkeley Bowl, which was built in a former bowling alley, hence the name. I’ve written about Berkeley Bowl before HERE.
Here are a few views from Berkeley Bowl this week. Look at this variety of pumpkins at the entrance to the grocery store!
Sweet potatoes anyone?
Pomagranites, melons, apples and more.
More backyard bird buddies:
I was pleasantly surprised with how crisp and clear my photos of Red, Mrs. and a Mourning Dove turned out. I took these the day before I left to take care of my daughter.
Mrs. and her new pal Papa Quail. He doesn’t want to leave her side!
What a handsome guy! I worry that when I’m out of town, my Red and Mrs. will leave. My husband has assured me that he’s making sure they are well fed. They should be in my backyard when I come home.
A Mourning Dove fluffs up his feathers after a rain.
Happy Friday everyone! What plans do you have for the weekend? What’s your weather like?
This does not look like my desert view from home because it’s not. It’s the view from a living room window of the cottage we’ve rented for vacation each summer since 2018. It’s a nice break from the heat to be in the cool weather by the beach. Plus a change of scenery isn’t so bad, either.
Here are some more views:
The living room is upstairs and has a view of the ocean. The kitchen and bathroom are upstairs, too. Downstairs is the master bedroom.
The kitchen may be tiny, but it’s full of charm.
The stairs are proving to be a challenge for my ankle. All the ups and downs to unload the car were something else! This photo doesn’t capture the steepness.
Then we went for a beach walk with friends. I made it with a little push and pull, plus encouragement, to get over the rocks and boulders to the sandy beach. Hopefully, I’ll manage it without help in a day or two. It’s a short trail, only a few yards, but with obstacles that were in my way!
One of my favorite things about the beaches in this area is they are not crowded. You almost feel like you have the entire beach to yourself.
My friend pointed out that Ashton Kutcher and his wife are remodeling their $17 million beach house. It had a small cottage in front, that they scrapped completely and they’re making the main house bigger.
Here’s a photo I took of their property last year. I read that the small cottage in front got damaged by a mudslide. So now they’re going to have a different view as well.
What do you like best about a different view than your normal everyday one?
This was the wedding venue in a Redwood Forest. Absolutely beautiful!
But I had to walk WAY over there to the far distance from the parking lot, over the bridge and far away. My husband asked if he could drop me off at the venue but was told “No.” He parked down a hill even further away but dropped me off at the top of the hill by the bridge.
We stayed in a nearby town called Los Gatos. It was 20 minutes from the wedding venue. I discovered a week ago that I messed up on our hotel reservations. I had originally booked an upscale hotel in Saratoga, five minutes from the venue. That was for a different wedding for another friend’s daughter. My daughter was a bridesmaid. Unfortunately, I had surgery the day before the wedding. So I cancelled the airfare, hotel and car rental and rebooked for this wedding. But I forgot about the hotel. Last week I called and they said they were full.
Thank goodness for the wedding website where the bride listed five hotels. The first three had no room at the inns. I booked number four. On the website the top billing for rooms was “each room has a window and a flat screen TV.” Uh oh.
Fortunately, it turned out to be okay. Not perfect, but better than expected. Also, it was on the main street which was filled with restaurants, galleries and shops. I got lots of walking in wearing my ankle brace.
I found a new hat for myself. It made me laugh, but I didn’t buy it. Just took the photo instead.
The town was very cute, lots of trees, no homeless and very clean. It was a treat to be there and I had some amazing Chinese food and clam chowder, too!
We’re back home after a two-night trip and I’m beyond exhausted! I’m looking forward to a busy week ahead with PT, doctor’s appointment and a newsletter to write. I need to get my energy recharged!
This quail poppa was standing guard over his wife and young ones.
I’ve been nervous about traveling to a wedding this week. It’s in Northern California and the venue is in a Redwood Forest. I was supposed to go to a wedding in the same venue for a good friend’s daughter. My daughter was a bridesmaid. But, I ended up having surgery the day before after I fell and broke my ankle.
I’m cleared to travel by my doctor. But I didn’t feel up to it and I stressed all week. Right now I’m sitting at the airport. I went through security fine and was excited that we no longer have to take off our shoes. However, they made me take off my ankle brace because it had metal in it. That meant my shoes and brace had to come off. It’s a complicated brace with three layers of laces and velcro straps.
Next, our flight was delayed two times. I feel like this trip wasn’t meant to be. But it’s for our Palm Springs friends who moved one mile from us in Arizona. They have three daughters and one son. This is their fourth wedding in two years!
Hopefully, we’ll get on the plane and headed to our destination!
Happy August First! My mom and I played a game that one the first day of the month, we’d call and try to be the first to wish each other “Happy First Day of the Month.”
More cactus blooms in our yard. Isn’t that amazing for July in Arizona?
I wash my hands a lot. Every time I go outside and come back into the house, I wash my hands. I realized that my constant handwashing was a habit I picked up during COVID. I get up from typing on my laptop or using my phone and wash my hands some more.
I remembered other things that changed from the COVID shutdown days when we didn’t know much about how the virus was being spread that stick with me today.
Washing hands is number one.
Number two is I don’t like being in crowds like going to big sporting events or the movies.
Three is I’m not as social as I was before.
I worry about travel on airplanes. I’ve gotten sick from COVID after travel twice.
I was very confused about masks. In CA, masks and vaccination cards were required to go in public spaces like restaurants. After we moved to AZ, you rarely saw anyone in masks and no vaccination cards were required — even through we got vaccinated in huge stadiums in AZ with thousands of others driving through the parking lots of the State Farm Stadium where the Cardinals play and the AZ state fairgrounds. After visiting our kids in Berkeley, I’d be back home and realize I was the only one wearing a mask at the grocery store.
I had a close friend in Palm Springs whose daughter was working for a grocery delivery app. They’d have her strip at the backdoor after work and put her clothes in the washing machine, shower and then enter the rest of the house. They also took their groceries out of their car and wiped them down with alcohol wipes before bringing things into the house.
I have friends who traveled to visit family in Michigan and Ontario Canada this week who got COVID. They are holed up in a hotel recovering, but are not very sick.
Last summer, during our beach trip to Santa Barbara, we had several friends cancel getting together with us because they all got COVID. It was eerie. We ended up leaving early because of it. We checked websites and local news and COVID was breaking out everywhere in that area. We decided to go back home to our wildlife of Arizona.
I did lose my mother to COVID on January 1, 2023, so I so know COVID is a real threat to our health. I have to say, I was more worried about cancer after my daughter-in-law’s diagnosis of stage 3C colon cancer during last summer’s vacation. That was way more on our minds than our friends in Santa Barbara getting COVID. Thankfully, everyone, including our DIL and Santa Barbara friends are doing well!
Has COVID from 2020 to today changed any of your actions or behaviors? If so, what has changed?
I wrote this post on April 7, 2020. We were living in Palm Springs and on shutdown. It was such an odd time. I’m not sure I really managed to get over it. I have more anxiety now than I did prior to COVID. I need more time to myself and less engagement with people outside our family. Those are just few things that linger.
One of my favorite streets on my morning walk.
21 Days. Isn’t that something? My daughter came home a few days before we got the order. I’m so glad she made it here. She’s been a joy to have around along with her fur baby Waffles. We have plenty of room to have my husband, me and my daughter all working from home — together — yet apart.
Here’s a few thoughts I have about these strange days:
ONE I go from super calm and productive to anxiety ridden from day to day.
TWO I’m losing track of the days and the time. Twice I have woken up thinking it’s 6 a.m. and started the coffee only to look at the clock in the kitchen that reads 11:40 p.m.
THREE My routine of daily three pages of writing, my three mile walk and Bible readings to start my day are more important than ever. All three help me stay grounded.
FOUR I’m reading lots of good books. Sitting in my back yard in the sun reading is one of my favorite things to do.
FIVE 10,000 people have died in our country. My heart goes out to all the people suffering and losing loved ones.
SIX We are now told to wear masks when we leave the house. I’m using a make-shift one from my quilting supplies. It’s hard to breathe during my morning walks, though, and my glasses fog up.
SEVEN My writing jobs are completed and turned in and now I’m in uncharted territory without every minute of my day focused on meeting deadlines.
EIGHT My daughter and I cleaned and organized the food cupboards and the laundry room. It feels good to have clean spaces.
NINE I’m reaching out to family via phone and email. It’s important to stay in touch with your loved ones.
My new morning walk look.
What are your thoughts about sheltering in place during the pandemic?
What things have lingered into your life now from four years ago?
In Arizona, we don’t change time with the rest of the nation. At first, I was thrilled with this. But in reality, if the rest of the country changes time, we aren’t standing still.
For example, my husband starts work an hour earlier. The TV doesn’t stop changing times of shows. Everything is on an hour earlier.
It is confusing. It takes a little time for me to adjust to our new schedule.
I like the idea of not changing time, but time does not stay still.
In California, they voted to end time changes in 2018:
Didn’t Californians vote on this issue? Yes, sort of, but it isn’t quite that simple.
In November 2018, voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 7. But the measure only allowed the Legislature to change daylight saving time, either by establishing it year-round or abolishing it.
A change still requires a two-thirds majority of both the state Assembly and Senate and the governor’s signature. Permanently keeping daylight saving time also requires congressional action — and that hasn’t happened.
California doesn’t have to wait on Congress to use standard time, which is what Hawaii and most of Arizona do.
Arguing that standard time makes “the most sense,” Niello says his bill has the backing of the California Medical Association. A large portion of the medical and sleep expert communities also agree that standard time coincides better with people’s natural clocks.
