Joan Didion + Prayer

Joan Didion, John Gregory Dunne and Quintana Roo, likely in Malibu, 

or somewhere else on the California coastline. 

Photo by Julian Wasser from here.

I'm reading Blue Nights, a memoir by Ms. Didion. Much of the weave connects moments with and memories of her daughter, Quintana Roo. Quintana was adopted. 

I have loved the author's crisp, precise writing since I took Slouching Towards Bethlehem, an essay collection, from my sister's book shelf in our shared bedroom to read on the long bus ride to Atlantic City to visit my boyfriend. Words carefully parsed, sentences lean and slim, but they say so much. They say everything.

Something in Ms. Didion's steeliness, especially for such a small woman, inspires me. She sees it and says it. I also read that she enjoyed buying beautiful clothing, such a little cashmere sweater, for her girl or herself, sometimes even matching. I did that, too, with Figgy and later, Punch (though not matching for Punch, since she was away from our fold from age 15 months to 6.5 years).  

Dan returned on the red-eye today after being flown out to Palm Springs to write 60-Second Novels at a fancy party at the Dinah Shore estate. He was home by 11 a.m. and then had to leave by 6 p.m. (in an Uber, still no running car) to write stories at a party in NYC, a bar mitzvah.

I was so low. So low about many things. Coincidence that Figgy moved out a week ago yesterday? Did the significance of that escape me? I'm happy for her, and she is happy, building an IKEA dresser with her friend, choosing pretty accent colors for her bedroom, setting up her plants. But with her absence, I'm fretting these days over worries I have about Punch and Young Romeo. With Figgy gone and Dan away, my lens has zoomed in and frozen. I need to zoom out.

Our kitchen sink is backed up. Don't ask, we had an expensive new garbage disposal installed but we can't turn it on until an electrician or two comes to install an outlet under the sink, since this model has a plug. I managed to catch up on all the dishes, by hand (vintage china) and in the dishwasher tonight. I have a half-price-after-Easter pot of tulips on the mantel. Can't tell what color yet, since the flowers keep their secrets in those tight green hoods.

I went on two Zoom support groups today and made two phone calls. I prayed, in fear and desperation. Over the known and unknown, over things I can't control. I think I am okay.

Good night.

A Dreamer and Her Big Santa-Size Sack of Books for Road Trips

Vintage magazines and recipe booklets are so enchanting--especially the holiday-themed ones. This Farm Journal is from 1966; my neighbor’s Mom saved it.

When I go on my New England overnight road trips--here to Cape Cod, or to visit our family in Maine, Meg and Greg in Vermont or Sis in Connecticut--I bring so many books. (I also brought several on the August 16 girls’ trip to Florida with Figgy, Florida Orange and Skipper, since we were driving there and back.)

It’s as if I think I can catch up on what I want to do in my life--read more--while I am away from home responsibilities for an overnight or longer. And when you drive--without any real baggage limitations or extra fees--it is easy to throw in another and another book.

Besides, I can’t predict if I will be in the mood to read about Cape Cod, page through a novel or learn more ways to tie a scarf.

It’s 10 p.m., and I changed into my red plaid flannel PJ bottoms and soft cotton top from The Salty Crown in Orleans. I would like to blog about Cape Cod now, but if I do, I won’t have read any of the pages in any of the books that I brought this time. 

We head home tomorrow. I’m choosing to read after tallying this list of books I brought. Eccentric to tote such a portable library? Maybe. Yes.

1. Cape Cod, Henry David Thoreau
2. 6 in a Ford, A Tale of a Nation-Wide Tour by a Family from Maine, Marion C. Holmes, gift from Dan found at old book shed in Maine
3. Trending into Maine, Kenneth Roberts, ditto
4. How to Tie a Scarf, 33 Styles
5. A softcover 12-Step book
6. A hardcover 12-Step book
7. A 12-Step dictionary to better understand the words
8. Own It: The Secret to Life, Diane von Furstenberg
9. Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life, Ruth Franklin, gift from Sis
10. Brave Enough, Cheryl Strayed, gift from Figgy
11. What Would Jackie Do?, Shelly Branch and Sue Callaway, gift from my neighbor
12. Start Where You Are: A Journal for Self-Exploration
13. The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett, Kate’s copy lent to me (book group)
14. Girl Scouts Handbook, W.J. Hoxie, gift from Sis
15. Java Head, Joseph Hergesheimer, copyright 1946, chosen at little free library cabinet at Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters in Brewster today (IDK what the book is about yet but it’s a pretty vintage edition)
16. Race and the Cosmos, Barbara A. Holmes, from the same library box--I thought it might interest Dan
17. Waterproof guide: Tidepools of the North Atlantic
18. Waterproof guide: The Ultimate Guide to Shells of the New England Coast and Beach Life
19. The Care and Keeping of Friends
20. Drew, holiday issue of the magazine from Drew Barrymore, bought at CVS in Montclair

And oh! My neighbor Beth was just going through her mom’s belongings and knows I love cookbooks, recipe brochures etc. So this time, I slipped these cute old reads into my Lilly laptop case. Their vintage typefaces and photos!!!

• Recipes for Happy Holidays and Goodies for Giving
• Recipes with the Marshmallow Fluff Touch
• Betty Crocker’s Cakes Kids Love for Birthdays, Holidays, Any Day
• Martha Holme’s Holiday Recipes, from the Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company, 122 S. Michigan Avenue
• Farm Journal’s Christmas Book, copyright 1966

Thank you to Beth and her mom!

Good night.

Lovely Book Group

Karen hosted our book group at 5 pm; five of us were there. Two couldn’t make it.

Karen is a gardener by trade and she and her husband, Keith, have a beautiful backyard. So tranquil and green, with flowers and candles. They set up lounge and regular chairs at a distance in a circle. Icy cold bottles of vino were served and Karen made mixed berry crisp with homemade peach ice cream (!) and freshly whipped cream.

Since I’m skirting sugar, I had icy seltzer, a little rich cheese, hummus, raw vegs and some tortilla chips.

We talked about how horrifying it was to think of the black women Toni Morrison wrote about in Song of Solomon. How (this was 1931) they were not able to give birth in the whites-only hospital, only on its steps. (I know this is a novel, but assume this ugliness is based in historical truth.) There are no words to effectively express how unjust and cruel that was. How humiliating. And unsafe. How exposed those women must have felt, and how frightened.

Then that led us to talking about the higher rate of birth complications and low birth weights among black women still, and then about having babies as older moms--two of us were 40 (not me, though I tried that).

And on and on, from vital issues to baking tips...how we hope our daughters will know not to wait too long for babies, the horror of what is happening in Kenosha, Wisconsin--and the berry blend Karen likes best for crisps (frozen mixed berries from Costco, delivered during this time of COVID-19).

Good night.

Mon-daze

Great read.

Feel tired. Ready to slip into nightie, here it is only 8:34 PM, and curl up with great book, South Toward Home. It's a collection of essays/columns by one of my favorite authors, Julia Reed.

TCOY
1. Bought some healthy groceries [lox, dried golden figs, gallon organic milk, etc.--and striking orange ruffled tulips] at ShopRite, where everything is more affordable.
2. Ate some peppers and tomatoes.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• ShopRite, including Provolone, vegan mock mozzarella shreds, pita chips for Punch, whole-wheat bread, $62.71.
• CVS, melatonin gummies for Punch and 3-portion bag of Cheez Doodles, $11.88.

total daily spend: $74.59.

ongoing monthly spend as of March 2: $92.59.

avg daily spend: $46.30.

Good Night to You

Figgy got me the 150th anniversary hardcover edition, above, of Little Women for my birthday. About to curl up with it. Punch likes it, too. And the cover is beautiful.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Ate a little of Figgy's tofu stir-fry. Does that count?
2. Worked productively. Does that count?
3. Private Benjamin appt. Yay, had not been since Jan. 10.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Grove Deli, sandwich, Diet Snapple and small jar tip, $11. Stared down chips.
• Vesta Chocolate, small dark Dominican Republic hot chocolate made with oat milk; jar of handcrafted hazelnut spread, plus tip, $31.
• Parking meter, 35 cents.

total daily spend: $42.35.

ongoing monthly spend as of Jan. 30: $3,025.60.

avg daily spend: $100.85.

COMPARE TO LAST 5 MONTHS:

december 2019 [Christmas and all that entails]

total monthly spend as of Dec. 31: $3,998.16. 

avg daily spend: $128.97. 
__________________________________________________________________

Total spend for November (30 days): $2,979.03. 

Average daily spend: $99.30. 

__________________________________________________________________

TOTAL SPEND FOR OCTOBER (31 DAYS): $2,495.36.

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $80.49.

_____________________________________________________________________

TOTAL SPEND FOR SEPTEMBER (30 DAYS): $2,214.43.

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $73.81.

___________________________________________________________________________

TOTAL SPEND FOR AUGUST (31 DAYS/PLUS VACAY IN HERE): $2,895.06. ⬆️

AUGUST AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $93.39.  ⬆️

Monday

TCOY

1. Read "A White Heron," a beautifully crafted short story by Mainer Sarah Orne Jewett. First published by Houghton, Mifflin and Company in 1886. Also: "Taking the Veil," by Katherine Mansfield. Delicious reading on bus to NYC. My phone had lost its charge. When it's charged, I check emails, instagram etc. I think I like this reading time and will plan for it.
2. Walked over an hour, NYC.
3. Ate some vegs: raw spinach, roasted vegs Dan made, mushrooms.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• MetroCard refill, $6.
• Iced coffee from street cart plus tip, $3.
• Cafeteria lunch, $7.90.
• Duane Reade, don't ask. I dashed out without my makeup bag--to catch 7:29 am bus. So bought replacement mascara and brow pencil plus a banana and Lindt dark chocolate bar, about $28. From now on, I'm keeping extras of everything in my handbag.
• One dollar pizza place, $1.

TOTAL DAILY SPEND: $45.90.

RUNNING MONTHLY SPEND AS OF OCT. 28: $2,315.22. Finally added up all of October so far.

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $82.68. 
Well, I'm still under August, vacation month, but higher than I expected. Nordstrom purchases, class reunion ticket and commuter bus tickets have driven the price up.

COMPARE TO TWO PRIOR MONTHS:

TOTAL SPEND FOR SEPTEMBER (30 DAYS): $2,214.43.🍎⬇️

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $73.81.🍎⬇️

TOTAL SPEND FOR AUGUST (31 DAYS): $2,895.06. ⬆️

AUGUST AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $93.39.  ⬆️

Where Does the Weekend Go?

5 p.m.....Punch is out on the block with her pal...oops, they are at the back door....I spoke too soon....the peace was nice while it lasted....

Saved by Dan, who is taking them to Brookdale Park...he will run and they will continue to switch back and forth to pal's pair of online skates...

Plan to make Sarah Leah Chase's soup tonight....want to finish hanging up clothes in bedroom first.....

Made the Spring Pea Soup with Mint for dinner. Excellent and not too hard.

SATURDAY MARCH 23
$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• After Joyce Carol Oates* panel at Montclair Literary Festival [bought tickets a while back], Raymond's, dinner out w Sis and Karen. My part counting tip, $33.

DAILY TOTAL: $33.

*Great to see, hear and meet the author. I met her once as a student at a Douglass College event. "I remember going to Douglass College. It was very nice," she said when I brought that up at the book-signing table I want to read Blonde, about Marilyn Monroe; Black Water, about the Chappaquiddick victim; and an early short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You  Been?" Ms. Oates said many people say the story affected/terrified them. I just googled and found it to read. JCO wrote it in 1966 'for Bob Dylan.'

TODAY/Sent Dan grocery shopping....

• Yoga Mechanics, 5-class card, $120.
• Montclair Bread Company, rosemary loaf; iced coffee; delicious prosciutto, ricotta and fig sandwich; small bottle chocolate milk; and $1.40 jar tip, $24.

DAILY TOTAL: $144.

RUNNING TOTAL FOR MONTH AS OF MARCH 24: $3688.32.

SO FAR, THAT'S AN AVERAGE DAILY SPEND OF: $153.68.
MONEY THOUGHT: I have been missing yoga. I want to get back to going at least once a week. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, my body is off-balance, tilted to the left. Money spent on yoga is well spent and I would like to make that a priority. I saved the cost of an Uber home after Punch's soccer game yesterday by asking a friend for a ride. Sometimes people, including us, have packed schedules, but the friend I asked had a little leeway. Dan had been at the game but then had to take the car and drive to work.

Rough Day in the Fields

Just reaching out into cyberspace to check in with you.

Can you see my right hand, reaching? It's a hard-working, keyboard-punching, dishwashing hand...with two rings.....vintage gold w amethyst on my ring finger, silver heart band on the pinky...

Having a hard time with Punchy again.....yesterday I was writing here about dance leotards and tights, and now about ups and deep downs.....good heart, tough stuff...disrespect, defiance......though she is making some nice girlhood friendships, and that is golden....but when I step back and look at her behavior toward us, my heart is heavy.

It must be very complicated to be part of another family when your birth mom is raising a baby sister, who kind of looks like a mini-me version of your Brunetti self. [I spell Brunetti like that on purpose; it's another nickname I call Punch, with her shiny brown hair.]

I am not happy with the way I let my anger go, saying mean things. When it's after 10, and she's still roaming around, and left her clothes in the bathroom when getting into the shower at 9 after gymnastics and decides she needs a drink from the kitchen, something hot in a cup.....I just lose it sometimes....I have some ideas about what I can do differently, and one involves putting on my jacket and stepping outside to look up at the stars, even if it's bitter cold outside. Another involves getting back to yoga, and daily spiritual reading.

I am planning to get better at that. I am a work in progress.

I hope and pray. Pray and hope. And I also take steps to turn my wishes into actions.

Hope your day is going well. Peace & grace.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Two Montclair Literary Festival tickets to Joyce Carol Oates event with Sis, $40 each but ticket includes copy of the book. Check this link. The festival is another thing Montclair does right. https://succeed2gether.org/montclair-literary-festival/ $80.
• Rushed dinner before meeting. Picked up sushi for Punch, turkey burger for me, vegan patties, clementines, broccoli salad and more at Kings, $28.85.

DAILY TOTAL: $108.85.

The Producers

Today was productive. My friend Rachael and I both got blowouts [at separate Montclair salons], did our makeup and met at her house with Mark Wyville, a gifted photographer who lives right down the block from me.

Rach, a health coach, mother of three [including Figgy's dear friend] and chef with amazing recipes up her hot pink cashmere sleeve, will be launching her website soon. Mark was taking photos for it, and I'm in some shots, cooking with Rach. [I'm one of her clients, too.] Process shots included squeezing a fragrant navel orange for the dressing on a farro dish; holding a bowl of turkey Bolognese served over spaghetti squash; scattering chopped parsley over a lovely big salad; clinking wineglasses.

It was fun, but also work, and the shoot was from about 1 to 3. After that, we dug into the Bolognese [yum], plus roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts--and, for dessert, plain Icelandic yogurt with a dollop of lemon curd and fresh raspberries on top.

I made that last treat for my family tonite, fixing Fig a separate parfait with almond-milk "yogurt" and just berries. I filled my mother's shallow crystal bowl [a wedding gift, I think] with yogurt, some lemon curd and ruby-red berries for me, Dan and Punch. But she promptly ate all the berries--like a hungry bear cub in the mountains--and the lemon, leaving most of the plain yogurt behind for us. Do you have any more curd? she asked after.

Book group with my boot camp friends tonite [they call it Book Camp]. We read Becoming by Michelle Obama. We all liked it. Since MB grew up in Chicago, Becky served Windy City-themed foods--tapered triangles of deep-dish Chicago style pizza and rich, chocolate-lover’s squares made from the first brownie recipe--invented in the 1890s for the Chicago World's Fair. Those friends are something special.

Good night.

$ MONEY OUT OF POCKET

• Business expense: Blowout, $35 + tips, $45.
• Business expense: Barbara Eclectic, reading glasses with tortoise-style frames by Peepers [great brand, new to me] with tax, $25.59.
• Beyond the Bagel, turkey and Swiss on everything w lettuce, tomato and a little mayo, $7.94.
• Pink Bungalow, beautiful pink and gold Lilly Pulitzer luggage tag for future getaways, with tax, $12.80.
• Starbucks, energy bar, grande decaf latte, really cute picture frame and four 2-packs of dark chocolate graham crackers because I thought I'd bring them to book group but then Becky said she had it all covered, $23.72.

DAILY DOLLAR TOTAL: $115.05.

Au revoir

H. putting Punchy to bed, then going out to meet his pal in town for a beer or two. I am ready to read.

Good night.

TCOY

1. 8 a.m. yoga class.
2. Ate some vegs, plus made a nice veggie burger on wheat for lunch. 
3. Private Benjamin appointment.
4. Walked a loop at Edgemont Park after appt.

What We've Done in 17 Hours on the Cape

Well, about 9 hours were spent sleeping--and then Punchy and I slipped out and let H. doze later. We already hit a lot of our sweet spots since we crossed the Bourne Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal last night:

1. Hole in One Donuts. We sat at the counter on those old round stools. Punchy ate part of a sugar donut and 1/4 of my delicious toasted everything bagel w scallion cream cheese. This place is so popular; I clearly recall the sour cream, honey-dipped cake donut, and the nice gent next to me had one. But the bagel was really good! They have assorted cream cheeses. We had iced coffee. The young waitress said that one day this summer, the line went out the door and stretched all the way to Route 6. Yes, that's how popular the hand-cut jelly sticks, toasted coconut donuts and other treats are. We also bought a bag of Four Sisters granola pieces in Snappy Ginger. Punchy recalled that both she and Sug liked it. [Like many dogs, Sug likes ginger and cinnamon.]
2. Rite & Bob's house! Our dear old friends are gone, but their nephew and his family have moved into the house. We stopped by and introduced ourselves, and found out where R & B are buried. Want to put flowers on the grave.
3. Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary! Yay, we were back at the Audubon, though it was muggy and a little hot. It was time to renew our annual family membership [$65], which is among the most important money I spend all year. We saw tiny, slimy frogs on the lily pads, full-size turtles on the raft and tree trunk and a box of newly hatched turtles that two naturalists were about to release into the marsh. Inside, we saw Bubbles, the rare blue lobster, and a little turtle who swam so fast from bottom to top of tank, showboating for us. I also bought a new copy of Cape Cod by Henry David Thoreau. I have a copy somewhere, but not with me. It will be good reading when I'm alone for a couple days. Plus, as an Audubon member, you get 10% off all gift shop purchases. I got Moey a bday card, too, and a surprise for Sis.
4. The post office in North Eastham. Oh, memories of going there with my Mom when we stayed three weeks that one summer. I mailed the surprise to Sis and the card to Moey. I felt very efficient.
5. The general store next to the P.O. For organic milk, a gallon of water, hummus and baby carrots. 
6. Egg stand. A sign on Route 6 West says FRESH EGGS and so we turned back and went out of our way to go there. Mayer's Layers, the business was called, and a simple blue cooler holds the eggs; $4 per carton. Put the money in the coffee can in the cooler.
7. Hot Chocolate Sparrow. And now we are here w. H., who has to hand in an article. I have to do a little work, too. Punch got the artichoke sandwich that she and our friend Anne like so much. I told her she could play with my phone while we work, but that device can be the devil in disguise. I have to keep my eyes open.

Gotta go. H. wants me to take a look at his piece before he hands it in.

Trivial Pursuit

It's almost 10 and I signed up for an 8 a.m. yoga class. Haven't been to yoga in a couple weeks, and find it helpful. Deep breathing and all. Steady grounding. Reaching. Perspective.

Random thoughts:

1. I really wanted cake today, as in a nice, thick slice of layer cake, or cookies, or candy. None in the house. Tried to power through it with yogurt, but did then scramble for the vegan marshmallows I'd bought for Figgy and also, before bed, a small cup of a new Ben & Jerry's vegan coffee fudge flavor, which was quite good.

2. I'm in bed, ready to read. Too many choices: The New York Times, Vanity Fair or a book I heard about on NPR called American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers, by Nancy Jo Sales. Got that from the library and it was due back May 19.

3. Punchy had a rough evening. It's no surprise. This is a pattern after visits. Her therapist says she feels rejected or abandoned. Sad and/or angry over it. But she took a shower and calmed down and liked the salmon and sweet potato I made in the toaster oven for dinner. I also gave her some of my special Annick Goutal rose-petal beauty cream from Paris to put on.

Good night. Peace all around. Went to boot camp, dead-headed my pansies and used a nice deep hair conditioner with jasmine.

Still Lost in Space, but with a Page-Turner

Loving this mystery set in 1961 in rural Minnesota. It was our last book group choice, and though we met Sunday, I'm just finishing it now. Julie lent me the copy she renewed at the library.

Good night.

Signing off, Good Night

TCOY

1. Finished one Nancy Drew on my break, about to start another. Love them! Moey said she read them all when she was 12!
2. Night walk with Sug, up and around Potter Court; 7,104 steps on Fitbit today. Need more.
3. Nice long bath.
4. Talked to Moey.

Good Night, Sleep Tight

TCOY

1. Boot camp in the park.
2. Walked Sug around block.
3. Soothing bath with salts sold by the pound at Whoke Foods. [Last night, I listed hot bath but was too tired to take one.]
4. Got lots of veggies on my one slice of pizza.
5. Punch and I visited Anne & Nikki.
6. Read "The Tell-Tale Heart" from a book of Edgar Allan Poe stories borrowed from Montclair Public Library. Can't believe he lived 1809 til 1849. A. He died so young and B. The language doesn't seem to be from over 165 years ago. Made me think of Dad. When I was young, we talked about this story. I think he liked it. And he and Mom took me to see Poe's Cottage in NYC.

Tag-Team Success

Punch & Nik at Bonsal Preserve today.

No school today for Rosh Hashanah. My friend Anne dropped Nikki off this morning. We went on a long walk with Punchy and Sug over to the Bonsal Preserve in Montclair, which has a pretty bridge and stream and paths. We brought sandwiches, crunchy farmers' market pickles, water, a water bowl for Sug and an apple for Punch. The girls also brought walkie talkies and spy supplies.

Then they played here awhile. Then Anne took them over to her house, and I was able to be productive around here, plus rest a little. Tag-team success!

Felt good.

Ready for work tomorrow.

TCOY

1. Boot camp in the park. Beautiful day.
2. That long walk with girls!
3. Read Nancy Drew The Mystery at Lilac Inn and rested.
4. Good dental care.
5. 16,018 fitbit steps today.
6. I decided music makes me feel better. Listened on my iPhone while doing chores today.

Great Vacation Reading

Reading is a big part of a relaxing vacay for me and H. I know, we sound old. But we love to crack our books open and get lost in them.

I want to blog but am at really good part of novel called Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. Plus tired/relaxed from biking to pond and back, finding heirloom apples on an old overgrown trail and going to Sunday Mass. Good night to you.

Go Set a Watchman!

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorite books ever...I love Harper Lee's heartfelt portrayal of life, in its simple beauty and raw pain, through the eyes of an innocent child. I've read it a few times.

I called our local independent bookstore--Watchung Booksellers--at 3 p.m. to hold a hardcover copy of Go Set a Watchman. When I got there near 6 p.m., I spotted the 6-CD set, read by Reese Witherspoon, right by the register. That was another must-have. And only one set left.

We sold over 50 copies of the book, the employee said when I asked about the buzz. And I can't believe I missed it: They opened early, at 8 a.m., and everyone who bought a copy between 8 and 10 a.m. got a free cup of coffee from Tiny Elephant, the adjoining cafe.

Sure, it would've been much cheaper on Amazon, but I like to support my stand-alone bookstore when possible. Besides, they give a 10 percent discount off cover price, so that helps a little bit. The cover price is $27.99; the store charges $25.20.

I know it's gotten some mixed reviews, but I don't care.

Have a good evening.

TCOY

1. Went to 8 a.m. yoga + meditation class at Yoga Montclair.
2. Kept important dr's appt., even though I had to walk most of the way home.
3. Finally got Safer soap spray; big green cabbage? worms eating holes in my petunias.
4. Had a nice fresh green salad with lunch at Terra Cafe.
5. Private Benjamin.
6. Picked up Rxs--even though all of this stuff takes time from workday.
7. Plan to take a cool bath tonight.

A Yen for Baba Ghanoush

It's nearly 10:30 and I could choose to focus on a screen--and part of me really wants to write a nice long blog entry--or finally dig into the book Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. I am choosing the latter. Good night, sweet dreams.

TCOY

1. Boot camp in park.

2. Went to Positivitea on Bloomfield Avenue in Verona for excellent vegan Mexicali sandwich [spicy!] with side of kale salad. They even have a rewards card. After 10 meal/burger stamps you get a free meal. We have four stamps already.

3. Did not get fries or pastries at nearby Greek?church festival. Chose salad, and lamb in pita.

4. Realize I don't have enough healthy snacks in house. Plan to get some whole-grain crackers, baba ghanoush and other options tomorrow. What are your favorite healthy snacks?

Curling up with a Book

My book has a different cover but I love the look of this one.

H. got me an old book* up in Maine over Thanksgiving: Especially Maine: The Natural World of Henry Beston from Cape Cod to the St. Lawrence, copyright 1970, selected and with introductions by Elizabeth Coatsworth Beston. She married the author of The Outermost House, a book I love and cherish! About to snuggle up and read this freezing night

Good night to you.

*H. recently discovered Penobscot Books in Searsport, ME and loves it. He has snagged a lot of old James Bond paperbacks there. 

TCOY

1. Boot camp in the dome.
2. Short nap.
3. Got to talk to Figgy, who is home overnight. Trying to listen more, opiniate less. When possible.
4. Kale salad.