This morning I had two tasks. Take a shower and change the litter box.
I accomplished my tasks and I’m ready for bed. I feel like I scaled Mt. Everest. I had planned to write about a recent hack from Russia. That’s right, I got hacked by Russia.
But I’ll save that for next week when I have more energy.
Happy weekend! Do you have any exciting plans?
Have you been hacked? What have you done to protect your phone or computer?
The house I grew up in from second grade on. No we didn’t have a blue garage! What were these people thinking!
I grabbed the front of the house photo from Redfin.
After my aunt and I left Robe Valley and my mother’s ashes, we drove to my hometown, Snohomish, Wash. During our journey we detoured up Lord’s Hill to my old house that I lived in from second grade until I left for college. My mom sold it after “the divorce.” It was too expensive for her to keep up on alimony payments.
We stopped for lunch at Andy’s Fish House. The Pacific Northwest has the best seafood. I had chowder, salad and a piece of cod. My aunt had fish and chips. It was delish!
My nephew played Moonlight Sonata and Für Elise as a tribute to my mom. He used his Covid shutdown days to learn piano!
My aunt and I spent the night at SeaTac airport after our adventure in Robe Valley and Snohomish. Next door to our hotel was 13 Coins which was a favorite memory of mine with my mom. My aunt said it was a place she and her husband frequented in the 1970s. Sitting at the counter is more exciting than in the booths, because it’s where all the cooking takes place.
My aunt shared a small scrapbook she made for my mom’s 70th birthday. This was a photo in it that I loved.
Thanks for taking a look at my week in the Pacific Northwest.
It’s a busy week or two. We returned from a trip to Mexico. I wrote about that HERE.
My son and his girlfriend are visiting from the Bay Area. We are gong to visit Taliesin West later today. It will be a first for all of us. That’s the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright. We’ll be going on a self-guided tour. A coincidence is that a friend of mine from playgroup days in Palm Springs is a director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. What a small world! I found out from a friend in Palm Springs that our mutual friend had moved to Arizona a month or two before us. I wrote about coincidences recently HERE.
Next week, I fly to Seattle to visit my 90-year-old mom. I meant to visit for her birthday last March, but we were in the throws of Omicron. Both my daughter and husband got it. What weird days those were. I was taking care of my daughter — without being near her. We would wave at each other through her apartment window. I’d go to the laundromat and grocery store for her and leave things on her front steps.
When my husband had COVID, I moved into our Casita. It has a kitchen, so I cooked him chicken soup with lots of garlic and onions. I’d leave it outside the front door and text him. I was close if he needed me, but I wasn’t in physical contact.
I now have an aversion to flying. We have taken trips by car, which I’m comfortable with, but I haven’t wanted to get on an airplane. I can’t stand the wait at the airport, the crowds, being on the plane. COVID ruined flying for me.
Did COVID change your feelings about flying, too? Or did it affect you in other ways? Did you or your family get it?
I view Puerto Peñasco as three distinct parts. There’s Sandy Beach with all the condos and Americans. There is the downtown marketplace with shops, restaurants and pharmacies. There is a marina filled with fishing boats. There are probably more parts to Puerto Peñasco, but that’s what I’ve seen, so far.
The food was delicious and cheap! We had prime rib dinner with baked potato, clam chowder and asparagus for $15. It’s a Saturday night special. I had tons of shrimp at several restuarants. Plus Pollo Lucas. I can’t wait to go back for the beach, the views and the food!
What’s your favorite part of traveling? Is it seeing new sights or eating new food? Or both?
It was 4 a.m. when Olive jumped on the bed. She does this most mornings to catnap on my husband’s chest. However, this morning she missed and landed on his face.
My husband howled and ran into the bathroom, his face dripping blood. Olive got his nose, upper and lower lips and chin with her polydactyl claws. His face is a mess.
Later, I went to swim laps and the lifeguards told us to get out of the pool due to lightening.
My husband was out on errands when the car wouldn’t start. He had to wait 90 minutes for AAA.
I was at home amazed how the bright sunny day had turned into thunder, lightning, pouring rain and monster winds. There were tornadoes in Flagstaff — two hours away.
Heading back home after AAA replaced the battery, my husband called and said he was in a haboob!
I googled it and told him to pull over immediately. Everything I read said NOT TO DRIVE. Here’s a video of the haboob.
He said he was driving through it. There were trees on the freeway. Everyone was going under 40 mph and had their flashers on.
Once he drove out of the haboob he ended up in a flash flood.
My anxiety went into overdrive. He made it home safely — finally.
Have you ever had one of those days?
After my free one-week trial, I decided to join the local YMCA. I made my reservations for a lane for three days this week and I felt obligated to go. It’s a quick drive from home, so even if I’m not feeling it, at least I get there and jump in.
I am sleeping soundly thanks to swimming — and being off prednisone. The combination of the two is amazing.
I’m feeling grateful for many things today:
Warm weather and no wind.
Sitting in the back yard reading my book club selection “The Old Man and the Sea.”
My cat who is strangely affectionate this week.
My husband for playing daily ping pong with me. Yesterday I won three zip.
Being off prednisone and the tinnitus is gone. I’m no longer crawling out of my skin from the medication.
For new friends and I’m grateful for the old ones who have reconnected.
Cooking on our gas range. We got rid of the electric stove top.
Every day I’m amazed by the beauty of nature around me.
Im grateful for my new readers and bloggers who are friends and make up a supportive community.
What are you grateful for today?
There have been a few heartwarming and joyful moments the past few days that I captured with my iphone camera.
Several were simply watching our cat Olive. Then I spotted a bright red cardinal sharing a branch in a tree alongside 10 quail. I missed getting that photo, but I did manage to get the cardinal sitting by himself and quail enjoying the bird feed I put down.
Nothing big and exciting has happened this week so far. But It’s been a a nice week of walking, reading, writing, ping pong and enjoying the quiet moments with the cat and wildlife.
How is your week going? What are your highlights so far?
