Watching Old French Film

Sooo good....suspense, 1955....Dan chose it....I will write soon.

Tropical Storm

Heavy rain all day. Gnite.

Good Morning

Once again, I didn't post even two words last night.

Dan and I watched the old movie "Reversal of Fortune"--the Sunny von Bülow story--starring Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons and Ron Silver. We had an old video that Will and Kelly brought up to the Cape Cod house, and Figgy had watched it there, but we hadn't.

It was very good, and Mr. Irons won an Oscar for Best Actor. I love him, especially when he voiced Scar in "The Lion King" [1994]. I had that soundtrack for years and now will add to my Spotify, as I've missed it. This is sooooo rich....watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0WjHJjYBYI

Now that I checked Wikipedia--click that link, he is so handsome--I see that he played the twin gynecologists in David Cronenberg's psychological thriller Dead Ringers (1988). Sis and I saw that with a guy she was dating--we went to a movie theater in Times Square after work--and it was gripping and scary. Unforgettable. [Her date chose the film.]

I spent a fair amount of money yesterday and will update later. I have an article to write today for ASPIRE. How long has it been since you heard me say those words? I've been been doing essays more.... I thought I would be on staff where I was freelancing full-time, and told my editor I could only do a couple of pieces for the quarterly magazine. And also, Covid. Everything changed during Covid, espeically magazine production--even Vogue did one issue for June/July instead of its usual two.

It feels good to be back writing a style article.

TTYL.

Yesterday TCOY

1. Blueberries at breakfast.
2. Went to dr. appt and to CVS. Dr. suggested Omega 3/fish oil capsules to bring down triglycerides, so I got some. Dan wrote a book about the dangers of the unregulated supplement market, so over the years, he has balked if I tried to bring supplements in. So far, I'm in this time. I have to take a big dose. Two 1,000 mg capsules twice a day. I got the odorless ones. But please check with your doctor before trying this.
3. Nice shampoo.
4. Chelsea Square, a store that has been in Montclair for about 40 years [under three different owners, the first and second for a long time] , is closing. It carries Kiehl's and a lot of other good brands; I've found a lot of beauty secrets there. Everything is 50 percent off, and I got some great TCOY items for face, legs, body--plus bath bubbles and a rose candle from Paris.
5. Lit candle and washed face--owning the products does not guarantee using them.
6. Dan made salad for our movie dinner.
7. Gardened.

Good Night, Humidity

TCOY

1. Had healthy foods--tomatoes, cherries, Ezekiel bread, raw spinach.
2. Walked near Cove Island Beach w Sis and Butter.
3. Reading.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET
Zero

Drifted to Sleep, Forgot to Blog Last Night

Things I've loved about being here at Sis's in Stamford, CT:

• Buttercup at my side physically. Sis at my side figuratively. Both auburn-haired, kind and supportive.
• I was able to do the Zoom family meeting call [with experts, for better Punchy plan] from Sis's dining room table. In some cases, the pandemic works for us--in this case, Punch was  2 1/2 hours south in Jersey, at Mimi's; Dan was in Montclair; I was here; and three team members were in different places. I was happy to see my Dan and Punchy on screen. She was at the office with Mimi. Her screen went off briefly and when she came back on, she was wearing a paper mask. She makes me laugh.
• Our walk to the beach [Long Island Sound] yesterday.
• Rest.
• Watching "Father Brown" episode on PBS, about crime-solving Catholic priest. I had never seen it before.

I am going home today. Punch is coming home Tuesday. I do feel bad for Sis. She is an avid traveler, and Covid has cramped her style. She had hoped to travel to Portugal and Costa Rica this year, plus San Diego and other places....instead she has armchair travel with a visitor like me.

I hope to declutter and organize back home.

Enjoy your day.

Tuesday $ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

ZERO.

Monday in Greenwich

It was a hot and sunny 90 degrees by 10:30 this morning. Sis had a doctor's appt in Greenwich, and I roamed a little on the Avenue. But then I got two calls regarding Punchy and her program, so I had to address those until my phone died. Before that, I noticed beautiful stone flower urns at a restaurant with outdoor seating and passed Saint Mary Church, with a white Virgin Mary statue outside. Would like to go to Mass there one day.

I went in to Lilly Pulitzer--fresh and uplifting, as usual. Nice necklace, wrap dress, swimsuit. Also popped into: Vineyard Vines; a granola and smoothie shop; and Aux Délices, with its cabana-yellow and white striped bags [including the one around the loaf of French bread I bought] and high-end takeout foods.

TCOY

1. Ate healthy foods--organic strawberries; fresh kale and Swiss chard Sis grew in pots on her terrace; tomato; capers; olives; artichokes.
2. We walked Buttercup by the marina.
3. Took a nap when it rained this afternoon.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Aux Délices, fresh loaf of French bread and an iced coffee. The former was great but I'm picky about coffee and did not love the latter. $8.74.
• Vineyard Vines, turquoise sea turtles iPhone case [Punch broke my case], marked down from $45 to under $8, and really nice pair of socks for Dan, total $21.03. 

Total spent out of pocket: $29.77.

Ongoing monthly spend as of July 6: $608.76.

Avg daily spend: $101.46.

Finally Catch Up

What I love about taking a breather at my Sis's peaceful sanctuary in Connecticut is that I reset not just my battery but my TCOY meter. As in, I wielded my black Lancôme mascara wand today, and even applied a little sunscreen for the face before we went out to meet friends for brunch outdoors at a pretty golf course.

When Punch left w Mimi Thursday afternoon, Dan and I took deep sighs of relief. We love her so much but she makes it hard, pulling out all the stops and even doing things like removing her sweet school photo from Dan’s wallet and cutting it with scissors...I have to tell him to put in a new one.

I looked at us Thursday and could see Dan and me aging right before my eyes.

He made dinner and we watched a movie for a date night Friday. :)  We will have more time this week.

TCOY

1. Rereading one of Ruth Reichl's wonderful memoirs with recipes, plucked from Sis's cookbook shelves. [I gave it to her for a gift. We each have a copy.]
2. We walked Buttercup by the marina.
3. Good discussion over brunch, and good shrimp cocktail in honor of Sis's husband, Don. We raised a shrimp to the sky. He loved that appetizer.
4. We went to Whole Foods and bought healthy foods--chicken, grilled artichokes, good fresh cherries, organic strawberries, milk, dark chocolate, flatbread crackers, etc.
5. Iced my foot and propped it up--it had swelled up with an infection.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET--end of June

Ongoing monthly spend as of June 30: $3,259.22.

Avg daily spend: $112.39.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET--FOR JULY 1 THROUGH JULY 5

• Uber plus tip, ride to uptown Montclair to meet wonderful Sasha to write about her upcycled fashion business for a magazine assignment, $10.80.
• I was Ubering back home after CVS Minute Clinic last week, so I got a lot of groceries since I was getting a ride, including a large, good frozen Flatbread pizza; graham crackers; snacks, including veggie chips and Cheddar popcorn; pistachios; hummus; icy/hot cream for swelled foot; Reader's Digest; face cleanser; 2 half gallons of milk; 2 canisters organic raisins; and more, $113.
• Ubers to doctor and nutritionist appts and town and back, with tips, $9.80 + $13.29 + $12.63 + $10.33 + $16.27 + $11.48, so $73.80. [We don't have a car now.] Adds up.
• Pink Bungalow, gifts, Lilly Pulitzer cup, pads, clipboard, bday card, $109.72. [Nutritionist told me to get special notebook to track progress, and this store has Lilly! I went right after appt.]
• Cedar Beans Coffee in Cedar Grove, iced latte, two vegan biscotti, $2 tip, about $11.
• CVS, tube of sunscreen for face, snack for Figgy, mouthwash, two deodorants, with $3 coupon, $29.50.
• Williams-Sonoma, sale, $34.48.
• Treated Sis for brunch in CT with tip, $57.55.
• Chipped in for groceries w Sis at Whole Foods, $60.
• Vesta Chocolate, road-trip treats for Punch and Mimi [2-hour drive to Atlantic City], $14.92.
• Dark chocolate, low sugar, $22.23.
• Amazon, new Lilly Pulitzer notebooks and used copy of Shirley Jackson's book Life Among the Savages, about raising her four kids, $37.
• Hulu trial month subscription, $4.99, to watch "Shirley."

Total spend for 5 days: $578.99.

Ongoing monthly spend as of July 5: $578.99.

Avg daily spend: $115.80.