Five things Friday #27 - A very quiet week

Oops, looks like I did #17 twice so now we are back on track…and it was a really quiet week but still fun was had and life went on.

1. We walked to the city’s World One 4th of July festival held in a city park in time to hear a jazz band perform. Lots of vendors, food trucks, organization & agency booths, rides for the kiddos and two women on very high stilts in costumes. The festival has been held for 27 years and seemed bigger than last year. plus very well attended and I found out they hire circus performers such as the stilt walkers as entertainment along with bands. Afterwards I walked to get a latte and cookie while Hubby headed home.

2. I watched Enola Holmes 3 and, as one character says during it, it was a “merry mess”. Light entertainment but not nearly as good as the first 2.

3. I'm trying to figure out why I have lots of energy for 2 or 3 days and then am quite low energy for a few days. Wondering if I'm not eating enough protein & too many carbs? Anyone else faced and solved this at an older age?

4. I'm not complaining, but while most of the country has been suffering under terrible heat, we have been running the furnace and feeling cold until mid-afternoon. Being so close to the SF Bay and Golden Gate means that it can be quite cool plus damp/foggy and windy this time of year. I am discouraged to find I am now an old woman whose joints ache under those conditions! The weather is slowly getting warmer.

5. We live on a half block long court with 8 houses. For the second week in a row half have been empty as families are on vacation and it has been very quiet as a result. 

I have mixed feelings about not having taken a vacation since we moved. We did go to a destination wedding and I went to visit friends once while Hubby has gone several times to visit a friend and to a funeral. I'm not seeing those as vacations though as we didn't go anywhere simply for enjoyment. 

We certainly could take one, but I can't seem to rally the planning, dog sitter arranging and travel energy. Looks like it will continue to be a summer of finding local things to do and not touristing or visiting family and friends who live further away.

Five things Friday #25 - Drawing from inspiration, DMV success, Planning Nana & Papa camp

1. The 2026 calendar I have is "Art Dogs" where each month has a dog painted in the style of a different artist. June was "Yaydog Kusama" inspired by Yahoo Kusama who really, really likes polka dots. I used watercolor markers on journal paper, did a quick drawing and don't have exact colors. I like the way it came out and think it captures the inspiration in it's own way.

2. It turned out that renewing my driver's license was super easy despite my at fault car accident and being over 75. The process in CA was simple: receive an email renewal reminder, complete an online renewal application, schedule an appointment and then walk to the DMV office down the street for a vision test, photo and payment. I was done 5 minutes after my appointment time. Easy peasy. I'll count it as a gift from the universe.

3. We are running "Nana & Papa" day camp the last week of July by request of the 9 year old grandgirl. She has swim team practice starting late afternoon 4 of the 5 days which leaves just one for a longer field trip. After talking with her, I think we are going to the Sonoma Botanical Garden to see large mosaic spirit guide sculptures which are presented in the garden setting and then lunch of course. That will be fun for me too.

It is about an hour drive from our house so the outing won't exceed the pup's approximately 5 hour proven tolerance for being home without a walk. I offered the Museum of Modern Art in SF plus lunch as another option, but we will do that on our own.

4. Yeah for PBS streaming of foreign shows: I just finished watching a season of the French detective show “Agathe Koltes”We get PBS Passport through being a member of our local station.

5. And little things that add up - 

Hubby used an ACE Hardware $5 off coupon we received in the mail to buy a small item. 

I walked to the DMV to renew my license (the irony!) saving gas and getting exercise. 

Inspired by other bloggers steady small improvement projects, I finally ordered a blind for the upstairs bathroom window as the top half is clear glass and it gets intense, hot sun in the summer. We really only use that bath as a 1/2 bath. It does have an old small shower which could be used if the main one was out of order. We are not motivated to remodel that bathroom!

I tried the "how long could it take" approach and made a list of little things I wanted to get done. I'd say it took half an hour to get all 5 done. This month I'm going to continue this practice to get those pesky or boring tasks done. I want to stop putting these type of things off as retirement is so open ended which makes it easy to procrastinate.

AND in the I didn’t know that category - San Francisco 4th of July fireworks are launched from the Golden Gate Bridge. Makes sense though.

Design Your Dream Summer

NPR recently had an article about how to design your dream summer which included access to a printable worksheet by Gretchen Rubin (4 ways to design a dreamy summer). I filled it out to get my summer bucket list ideas down.

I liked the "five-senses portrait" of summer exercise and went with my instant first thoughts for each blank. I can some are from childhood (lilacs scented air) while others are lifelong or triggered by what I see and here now.

Then I filled out the "My summer bucket list" of activities I want to do or have been meaning to cross off my list. Again I brainstormed and didn't look at my To Do Lists. I wrote them down as they popped into my mind so it is a hodgepodge list with a mix of fun ideas plus To Do items that are obviously weighing on my mind. Aspirational for sure but many are readily doable.

* Photograph of draw flowers & butterflies

* Buy watermelons and cantaloupes

* Watch Enola Holmes 3

* Go to MOMA in San Francisco

* Jazz night at bookstore in Berkeley

* Find a trust lawyer and get started

* Walk to the city's World One 4th of July Festival (jazz after lunch)

* Shop for card table sized table & chairs for upstairs

* Shop for a shade for upstairs bath window

* July 31 days of stretching

* Draw first 6 dog pictures from calendar

* Get better at jumping (bone density & strength exercise)

* Go to Sonoma Botanical Garden for mosaic art exhibit plus lunch in Sonoma

* Go to the Ashby Village orientation (aging well resource & community) 

* Ask about book clubs at bookstore

What's on your list for summer?

Five things Friday #24 - A quiet but good week

1. I was very pleased with my Kaiser family practice Dr. when I went for my first full body skin check there. In the end she identified 4 areas of concern including one I hadn't noticed. They take closeup photos with a special camera & send them to Dermatology. I got a phone call to make an appointment with Dermatology for treatment.

2. After scrubbing our patio with a deck brush we already had from a previous house, I decided it sure would be a lot easier if I replaced its very worn brush. I was able to buy just the brush so didn't have to replace & discard the adjustable metal handle.

3. We had bought quite a bit more food than usual for the out of town family visit and were able to not waste any of it. Breakfast and lunches were make your own with attention to using things up if possible. Our son and DIL also brought perishables from their home as they drove and will be gone for 2 weeks what with pet sitting after visiting us. The frig was very full when they arrived and pretty depleted when they left which was perfect.

4. This week our local family are off on vacation or pet sitting so Father's Day was a trip to the farmer's market for pastries and live music. However, on Wednesday the pet sitting couple brought the dog they are caring for (other DIL's brother's family dog) to our house to visit and for the pups to play. It went well and was a nice follow up visit before they head home.

5. Dinners at home

    Saturday - ham & cheese omelet, green salad, toast

    Sunday - homemade minestrone, sliced fresh peaches (from the farmer's market)

    Monday - pork chop, broccoli, pasta

    Tuesday - leftover minestrone, green salad, garlic bread

    Wednesday - turkey burgers on buns with lettuce & tomato

    Thursday - spaghetti with sausage, green pepper & mushrooms; green salad

    Tonight -  leftover turkey burgers on buns with lettuce and tomatoes 

Five things Friday #23 - Family all week

We are tired but happy after having a family heavy week.

1. Picked up our granddaughter from day camp and delivered her to swim team. The drive to the camp location on the fringe of UC Berkeley campus was easier since school is out but still stressful for Hubby. A big smile awaited us though - worth it.

2. Our older son & DIL arrived Tuesday afternoon. All the housework and food prep we did was a workout but then we won't have to do it for a while. The local family arrived about 5 and everyone had a good time. It was a good idea to have a make your own chef salad bar set up. Chicken strips, hard cooked egg slices and/or cheese for protein with lots veggies and lettuce/arugula mix. Garlic bread on the side and Trader Joe's chocolate biscotti for dessert. It went well, we weren't having to cook while everyone visited and the final clean up was easy. 

3. My favorite moment of the evening was the 3 year old's question: "Papa, why do you and Daddy have hair on your faces and the rest of us don't?" She is an observant and thoughtful little one.

4. The pup got so worn out and discombobulated from the party that he kept getting up and down all night despite my efforts to get him to sleep. 

5. The rest of the week went well with a bit more family time, I got to go to the theater with a neighbor who was given free tickets, and Friday noon we will be back to just us as the visitors head to their pet sitting job nearby and the local crew goes off on vacation.

Five things Friday #22 - Busy week & fun ahead!

 

This cactus went all out for one flower!

I'm really enjoying looking closely at flowers that I pass on my walks.

I thought this one was really pretty and such a delicate contrast to the plant.

1. We walked to the closest donut shop last Friday and got our treats to celebrate National Donut Day. It was a really nice walk. Sunday we again walked on another beautiful day to check out the city’s Maker’s Fair. It. Was small with lots of activities for kids, live music,  a couple of food trucks and a nice variety of vendors.

2. I received an email saying it was time to renew my driver’s license. The process is streamlined. Fill out the renewal application online and make an appointment at the DMV to have an eye exam, get a photo taken and pay $46. I can easily walk to the DMV so just have to figure out if they need my car there too for any reason. 

3. We were given some freshly picked cherries and weren’t eating them quickly enough. I made cherry muffins this morning which used up most of them. If I made these muffins again I would use less sugar, a few more cherries and a bit more liquid. They are definitely edible though!

4. I was able to finish cleaning the patio. Now I just need to wash the outdoor furniture, get out the patio rug and set things up.

5. Next week has a full calendar. I was invited to join a neighbor in using free tickets to the Berkeley Rep to see a production. Our older son and DIL will be visiting us for 3 nights. Add in Dr. appointment, dog grooming and my haircut. We are also picking up a grandgirl from summer camp and delivering her to swim team practice one day. I want to come up with an activity to do with our visitor's too.

Five things Friday #21 -

1. Lots of flowers to see on my walks right now. This is a favorite display on the way to the library.

2. We went to our granddaughter's elementary school talent show last Friday at her invitation. She and her friends did a great job with their skit. There were lots of performances: knock, knock jokes - dancing and tumbling - other skits - a boy on a pogo stick to music - and more. It was actually lots of fun and had many minutes of intended laughter.

3. I am making myself watch YouTube videos about our new car's features including CarPlay. I had saved them once we found the manual to be unintelligible. Taking notes. I will finally get this done!  I might even learn something.

4. I sat down and did a pile of mending that had been put off way too long. I need to ask myself "How long will this really take?" when I am procrastinating. I also wiped down the stair railing and some doorways (handprints and dog nose prints), filed a stack of papers, etc. I mean, none of these tasks took more than 15 minutes and most took less that that.

5. I did our month end financial record keeping. I have $21.52 left in my "budget" for my clothing purchases. I don't really need anything although I can increase my budget without a problem. For now I'm going to sit tight and see if there are any gaps to fill later this year as I have little desire to manage more clothing. I'm a Less is More person in terms of clothes.