We saw this styrofoam on our walk. This is on the other side of the road from where we cleaned up last week.
As I wrote last week, we decided to have a quiet weekend without cooking, cleaning and entertaining.
It was lovely. We’ve been entertaining and going out with friends more than introvert me prefers. I don’t know why our neighborhood is so darn social. Maybe it’s the years of being shut down. The newcomers — like us — who moved during the pandemic were looking to end isolation and make new friends.
Anyhow, a weekend alone was much needed and appreciated.
Some of the highlights were our morning and afternoon walks. We decided to double up on walking and although my feet and knees hurt, I think it may be good for me?
Last week, we noticed trash on the side of the road and sidewalk. We picked up several bags and felt good about our good deed. I wrote about that HERE. After this weekend, we are up to eight bags of trash. The side of the road we started on looks wonderful. But then one day we ventured to the other side of the road — and it’s a mess!
As we were headed back to our garbage cans at our house with our stuffed bags and my husband holding random pieces of styrofoam too big for the bags, we ran into neighbors. They said they thought about doing the same thing. The wife asked her husband to take a photo of us holding our trash! She said, “You can put it in the newsletter and maybe it will encourage others to do the same.”
“That’s a great idea,” the husband said snapping our picture. “We’ll put you guys in the newsletter.”
I laughed along with the wife. He obviously didn’t know that I’m the one who writes and lays out the newsletter.
After they left my husband said, “Over my dead body.”
He explained that he likes to pick up trash because it makes the desert cleaner and it gives him a sense of satisfaction. He doesn’t want any recognition or attaboys for it. Thankfully, he doesn’t read my blog!
Another highlight of our afternoon walks, besides listening to the birds, who I can now identify by their calls and songs — thanks to Bird Buddy — was when a neighbor drove up the road and unrolled her window.
“Down across the street is a big bobcat,” she said.
We thanked her and I wanted to turn around. My husband pushed on. “They are afraid of us,” he said.
We walked to the end of the block and a few feet from us was a bobcat — who is much stockier and filled out than the skinny one we see in our yard. He walked nonchalantly across the road. He was in no rush and didn’t give us a glance. My husband tried to snap his picture — for the newsletter of course — but he quickly disappeared in the brush on the other side of the road.
This is our skinny bobcat on our patio. She passes through for a bird snack from time to time.
Saturday night we watched football. But in two different rooms. I’m a big Utah Utes fan. My husband is rooting for USC and both games were on Saturday night.
USC is already headed to the PAC 12 champs, regardless of what happened Saturday.
Utah had a few hurdles:
They had to beat CO — done 63-21
Oregon State had to beat Oregon — done 38-34
UCLA had to beat CAL — done 35 – 28
Washington had to beat Washington State — done 51 – 33
All the dominoes fell into place. Can you believe it? Our next game is Utah vs. USC for the conference title. I have a feeling we’ll be watching in separate rooms again.
What are some of the simple pleasures you enjoyed this past weekend?
