hollygee Goes West

Progress

I'm sewing today. Finished Stephen's jeans mending and working on the shower curtain. And I've figured out what I don't like about the hippy-dippy window shade: I don't like the broad stripes of color, only the narrow ones, so I'll be cutting those down and replacing them with more white. Then I'll only have little intense stripes of color, not blare in your face color.

On my changing eating habits and tastes. I can't emphasize enough how my cravings have changed. We had a fresh blackberry crisp with breakfast yesterday (1/2 cup ramekins) which I topped with unflavored yogurt. Last year I would have insisted on some sweetened whipped cream mixed in, but I didn't need it. Now this is whole milk yogurt -- I'm still addicted to [and remain myself] full fat. But, to me, This is Big.

It seems that I forgot to post

Yesterday, I went to Petaluma with a friend. I must have been anxious to get out of the house, because I was back home after lunch and shopping and visiting, then took a nap before starting dinner before I realized that I hadn't made anything for Steve's lunch. He said that he had some peanuts. Don't you feel sorry for him? Actually, there was food readily available in already prepared forms if he had been interested enough to find it.

This morning I took a second, shorter walk with my new walk partner. I've been researching for a job on the internet (have I mentioned how much I love the internet?). I'm procrastinating mending jeans and cleaning the bathroom -- but I fear that both will be done today.

Time for a cat story.
I was awakened by my 2 AM flash, and at the same time, Chips decided he needed a drink. While he was gone from His bed, Diego stretched out on the warm spot. I went back to bed, Chips jumped back up on the bed and lay down on my chest since His spot was occupied. Then he sat on the window sill complaining that His spot was occupied. I got out a second blanket, pushed my pillows further down toward the foot of the bed and made a place for him. He decided that it was okay. I had to get up and take a picture to prove it.

Sunday date night

    I announced to Steve that we were going out this weekend. Luckily for me, he was agreeable. My laundromat friend told me that her husband's band was having a special concert in a lovely setting with drinks and snacks. That sounded perfect for me.
    We had some errands to do before getting to the concert: picking up a new hose, having a romantic hot dog dinner in the parking lot of the Home Depot, a trip to Trader Joe's and then to find the Saint Vincent's School for Boys in Marinwood (or close to it) an hour before we needed to be there, Doh! We found a cooler breeze in the colannades and as we waited saw a turkey hen and her two chicks comfortably at home walking in the other direction.

    Okay, the property isn't kept up the way it begs to be, and that's a shame. It has been operating as a boys school since the Gold Rush. It is still a lovely venue in a lovely spot. 
    My friend's Banda Italiana di Marin is a recreation of village bands who transcribe opera's vocal and string parts to be played by horn and wind instruments. Now this isn't a really experienced group, but it was charming; a gathering of amatures for the love of the music and performing. In that setting, I could imagine that it was the village musicians doing their best on their beloved opera.

    I finally got to the sewing machine! First project is a bit more hippy dippy than I wanted it, but maybe after it's washed and ravels and fades, I'll like it better. I still have to do the curtain for the window next to this door, but this is constructed so that we can push it up when we want a window out to see if a cat needs in. So this is from the outside during the day, the inside view, and outside at night.
 
    Stephen planted my new Cape honeysuckle (Tecoma Capensis) vine. No sign of the brilliant scarlet blossoms but I think it is going to be very pretty.

Weekend mash-up

    This is what I seat my kitchen sink these days. Roses and ripening boysenberries. Steve has promised to pick them for me this weekend, so I'll be cooking some jam and me to boot. We are having a little swelter here. 88˚ F right now, 92˚ F forecast for tomorrow, beginning to fall on Monday. Not my favorite weather, but when I can look out on this…

… I feel much better.

    I've been looking for cooling foods for these days. Today for lunch, we had something akin to Vietnamese Bun. It's supposed to be cool rice sticks, mung bean sprouts, a mix of salad greens and Asian herbs topped with grilled meat and stir-fried vegetables and topped with Nuoc Cham. But I didn't have a lot of those things, so it was a little different: rice stick noodles, chopped romaine, shreadded cabbage, onions, carrots, and cucumbers, poached prawns, and peanut sauce. I didn't even have any cilantro, let alone Thai basil. It was still good. Next time, I'm making the Nuoc Cham as it's a lighter sauce.
 

    Things are kinda up in the air about the project next door. Steve is working on this when I let him get up from the computer. It will be fun to watch this change over the summer.

   

And because you all have been good, I'll leave you with -- what else -- cat pictures!!!!
 

Successfully procrastinating

If I had angled the shot to catch the window-side of the table, you would have seen Steve's pile of reading material/bills/picture hooks & wire/keys/glasses, two utility knives, the big canister of nuts n berries, and the china box of my supplements. The only reason you don't see my pile of reading material/bills/receipts/notes is that I moved them out of sight when Steve got the sewing machine out for me.

I really recommend the Blister Peanuts (very crunchy) and those tins of dark chocolate from Trader Joes.

This morning I have done everything I could to stay on the computer as long as possible, but I think I'm done here and have to now attack the sewing.

Okay. Going now.

And…

The sewing machine is out!

We'll see if that means anything.

Over the hill(s)

It's laundry day, but I'm going over to Vacaville to see Stephen's sister, Esther, and doing my laundry at her place -- her offer! I'm going to try coaching her in the ways of the Mac and Photoshop Elements while there. Maybe something work-like will come up tomorrow.

Oh, and I successfully avoided getting out the sewing machine yesterday, but the day looms.