Category Archives: My Life

Stepping Out

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If we were having coffee, I would tell you I have resumed my daily walk accompanied by Google Fit which is counting my steps. I did a good loop around the community enjoying the sunshine. The temperature was below 90 F with a slight breeze, compatible with walking. I kept an eye out for roadrunners. I did see one at a distance heading into someone’s yard. I saw two fluffy white-tailed bunnies who quickly hopped away. On the way back I was admiring the green Palo Brea trees and almost missed the tiny hummingbird perched on a thin branch. He didn’t wait for me to take his photo.

Black-chinned hummingbird by Renee Grayson on Flickr.com

“When you see a black hummingbird, it signifies change, rebirth, and spiritual transformation. You can move to a higher realm of awakening. A black hummingbird also means that you might face a challenge that can bring setbacks in your life. If you are persistent and confident, you can overcome those setbacks.”

Weekend Coffee Share is hosted by Natalie at Natalie the Explorer.

Hummingbird quote via themindfool.com/hummingbird-meaning/

Going Bananas

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If we were having coffee, I would ask you if you have noticed lately that bananas go bad within a couple of days of coming home from the store? I end up with more bad ones than good ones. I usually eat one banana a day but still can’t eat them fast enough.

Overripe bananas

I have started to buy green bananas in hope that they will last longer. We bought a bunch today and I noticed they had a plastic wrap around the stem. I have heard that the plastic is there to keep the bananas from ripening too quickly. I hope it works.

Since Spring arrived, I have seen more roadrunners around the neighborhood. One visited our backyard the other day. I was able to get a photo through our patio door of the roadrunner on the wall. I look forward to getting more visits.

Roadrunner on neighbor’s wall

Even though it’s Spring the temperatures have been high this week. It’s supposed to get to 100 degrees F this afternoon. Cooler weather is forecast for next week, mid-seventies to mid-eighties.

Weekend Coffee Share is hosted by Natalie at Natalie the Explorer.

Turning Pages

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If we were having coffee, I would tell you I turned over a new leaf, tea leaf that is. I’m having a cup of honey chai turmeric this morning. I do have coffee available if you prefer.

The weather continues moderate here and good for walking outside. We did have some wind the other day which kicked up quite a bit of sand into the air. But none of the extreme weather like I read about in other parts of country and world. Life here continues mostly indoors.

Our book group is starting up again this month. I had already purchased three new books and I am in the process of starting to read the third one. We will meet on Zoom but the plan is for in person in March.

The three books:

‘The Sentence’ by Louise Erdrich

‘State of Terror’ by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny

‘The Dark Hours’ by Michael Connelly

The book group book for this month:

‘The Vanishing Half’ by Brit Bennett

Of the two books on the top list that I just read; ‘State of Terror’ is the page turner. ‘The Sentence’ centers around a haunted bookstore in Minneapolis. It includes current events like living through the pandemic lockdowns and protests after the killing of George Floyd. The bookstore is able to remain open and sell books by curbside pick-up and sometimes home delivery. I picked up a couple of books curbside, but now I order them online for delivery. I did have a book arrive damaged recently and had to go to the local Barnes & Noble to exchange it. I didn’t expect to see so many people in the store, all wearing masks. Like in the book, bookstores are a balm during these times.

Maybe we’ll turn the page on Covid soon.

‘I’m feeling a little prickly.’
But Spring is on the way

Weekend Coffee Share is hosted by Natalie at Natalie the Explorer

And Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt word for Saturday is ‘page.’

Tea Bag Wisdom

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If we were having coffee, I would be having herbal tea. It is a habit I have developed after being advised to give up caffeine. The paper tab attached to the tea bags I use has sayings or words of advice printed on it. So, every morning I get words of wisdom with my tea. This morning’s selection said

Inner peace creates peace in the world

I do aspire to find inner peace since there is plenty going on in the world that makes me feel upset. Like reading about the ‘son of Omicron’ in the paper. I did read an expert’s opinion that it was not a son but a sibling. But whatever you call it, it’s not good. This kind of news keeps me up at night. It’s constantly being required to adjust to this pandemic on into the future.

On the local front, some indoor exercise classes have resumed here. Everyone is required to wear masks, but I am not ready to start up with it again just yet. I have lost my trust in the management here since they allowed people to go maskless in those same classes a few weeks ago and then they had an outbreak. I will continue walking outside for now. Walking does contribute a lot to my inner peace.

And so did harvesting our grapefruit tree this week. I did not realize how many grapefruit were on the tree because they were hidden from view by the leaves. We had over 50 grapefruit. I gave nine away so far to the neighbors, so only forty-one to go.

Some of our grapefruit harvest

Always glad to spot my roadrunner friend, too.

I like this photo because you can see his spotted feathers

Weekend Coffee Share is hosted by Natalie the Explorer.

Taking Steps

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If we were having coffee, I would still be having herbal tea, mango ginger to be exact. I continue on with my daily walks. I am noticing more people out doing the same thing. Not sure if it is the moderate temperatures or that our indoor exercise classes were canceled due to Omicron.

The roadrunner was out for a morning walk the other day. He usually walks or runs everywhere, so this was not new for him. If he had a pedometer or smart watch, I wonder how many steps he would record a day? Probably a lot more than me.

Are you looking at me?

Weekend Coffee Share is hosted by Natalie at Natalie the Explorer.

Rainy Day

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If we were having coffee, I would be having herbal or decaf tea. I have given up coffee for a while because it was one of the things that was causing stomach problems. If you had asked me a few months ago if I thought I could stop drinking coffee, I would have said it would be very hard. It surprises me that it has been pretty easy. I don’t think I have had caffeine withdrawal she says as she falls asleep at the computer.

I made a resolution to get outside and walk every day and I have been sticking to it almost 100%. It does feel pretty good to go out and look at the trees, various cacti, flowers, and the beautiful expanse of sky over the Coachella Valley. I even like the dark grey clouds like the ones we had about a week ago that brought some rain with them.

So far it hasn’t really stormed here but we did get enough to soak our patio and one of the roadrunners. I spotted it up on a fence puffing up its feathers, trying to dry off.

Hawk on a lamp post as rain clouds start to clear away
Roadrunner puffing feathers to dry off after rain
Heather fluffs feathers too

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Weekend Coffee Share hosted by Natalie at Natalie the Explorer

Hope For the New Year

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At the start of a new year, it feels like more of the same. Except now we have had booster shots and purchased KN95 masks. A recent NY Times newsletter described it as being in pandemic purgatory. I really liked the description and when I googled it found out it has been used more than once in other news articles. So not sure who to credit the term to. Only to say to whoever it was, good one.

I don’t like making New Year’s resolutions, but I think this year I resolve to do more in spite of the virus. Not talking about running around maskless amongst large groups of people. I want to plan more activities. I don’t want my life put on hold like it feels like it has been.

One activity is to get outdoors and to walk outside every day. So today I took a walk around the complex for about 30 minutes for a start. I was admiring the neighbors’ plants when I spotted a roadrunner perched on a fence. Before I could get my cell phone ready to catch a photo it had jumped down. I thought I had lost it when I saw him again so was able to catch a few quick shots. It’s hard to take photos will the cell phone in the bright sun because I can’t see anything in the viewfinder. But I did manage to get a couple.

January Saturday Roadrunner
And off he goes
Notice the name of the company. Is that a good omen?

Weekend Coffee Share is hosted by Natalie at Natalie the Explorer.

Like It Or Lump It

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I thought by now we would all be looking in the rear-view mirror at the pandemic, but it continues to have a few tricks up it sleave. So here we are heading into another holiday season with a new variant. It’s having to worry about catching it, wearing masks, nervous about letting repair people into the house or getting too close to a stranger or slightly known acquaintance. I know some like to throw caution to the winds…

via giffy.com

And even though I feel like it sometimes, I don’t want to catch COVID or spread it to someone else. So, I don’t have to like it but, I will continue to take precautions and I hope you do too.

Hope you have Happy, Healthy, and Safe holidays!

Mill Rose Inn, Half Moon Bay, California

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt word for today is ‘opposite.’

Weekend Coffee Share is hosted by Natalie at Natalie the Explorer.

Photo of Mill Rose Inn by Wonderlane on Flickr.com

Holiday Celebrations?

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If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I have to cut out caffeine for a while. And I haven’t found a good substitute for my morning coffee, (that doesn’t have caffeine in it). I can still offer you some good coffee or tea.

We are still in the middle of the pandemic and I am trying to figure out how to comfortably celebrate the holidays without risking infection. I felt more confident with get togethers around Thanksgiving because it was with close family who were all fully vaccinated. Now we have been invited to couple of holiday get-togethers in our community. We did go to one with our masks on and it felt awkward because many of the other people were not wearing masks. How are you supposed to eat and drink at a social gathering while wearing a mask? I am thinking that I will ask the host of the next party if she knows if the other guests are fully vaccinated. If she cannot be sure, I will wear a mask. It makes we wonder if it’s worth it to go in that case. We are just getting to know people here and it makes me feel a bit anti-social.

There is a damper on the holidays this year, with all the worry about another COVID surge and the new variant. I feel like scrooge or the grinch. Bah humbug!

Weekend Coffee Share is hosted by Natalie at Natalie the Explorer.

Grinch via Giphy.com

Nature Therapy

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If we were having coffee, I would tell you that we have Columbian or French Roast available today along with cinnamon-raisin toast, bagels, or turkey sandwiches. I’m recovering from our Thanksgiving celebration. My kids, grandson, and a brother-in-law were here along with two dogs. The turkey and the trimmings turned out well. It was lovely to be together with family. My daughter and I fit in a couple of outings in the days leading up to the holiday. We did a short hike in the East Indio Hills Badlands and made a daytrip to the Salton Sea. I had never been there before and it was very pretty. A moderate temperature and breeze made it very pleasant. The beach was covered with a blanket of tiny shells which we later learned were barnacle shells. The barnacles were introduced to this small inland sea by sea planes, and they have reproduced abundantly. The Salton Sea is really a terminal lake, meaning it does not have an outlet. It is the largest lake in California, 35 miles long, 15 miles wide, and an important wetland for many species of birds. I hope it can be preserved for the birds and humans to enjoy long into the future. It was really therapeutic to be out in nature again.

Badlands view with me included
Another perspective Badlands
Badlands
Grasses and plants near Salton Sea beach
Grassy plant or abandoned nest
View of Salton Sea beach and mountains
Beach is covered with barnacle shells
Salton Sea and mountains
Fact sheet from Visitor Center Salton Sea Recreation Area

Weekend Coffee Share is hosted by Natalie at Natalie the Explorer.