yesterday and today

Let's blend the uneventful with the way more fun; just kind of marking time on Sunday, maintenance. Today, swell session at the indoor climbing joint with my longtime friend and climbing partner. She decided to play hookey from a minor work meeting on her day off, and finally, I say; her co-workers do it all the time. We climbed ourselves silly, cheering us both.
Then, of course, it rained.

Abby normal

Unusually late evening, out with the girls; we went to a fundraiser for a local climbing area which featured a movie about climbing. I had seen a trailer of it, and tried to let the others know it might be kind of strange, but they didn't listen. And so it went; they didn't really cotton to all the bouldering footage, and decided we needed to leave early. I had actually gotten into it, but didn't want to miss my ride. It's odd, watching climbing must be like watching golf for some people, inaccessible and boring, but I get vicarious thrills from seeing people move on rock in ways that I could never do in this lifetime. Probably why guys like sports.

Floppy Friday

Caught up on this and that; got our nonegenarian out for her usual beautification, a couple of walks. Saw an "Avatar"- themed cake at the store which had copious gobs of hideously blue frosting all over it. The woman buying it said she had no idea what it would taste like, but knew her friend would get a kick out of receiving it for his birthday. Am very glad no one remembered me in that way, for any occasion. That blue does not occur naturally on our planet.
Onward into Dorian Gray; classic Wildean remark: "They know the cost of everything, and the value of nothing." Could be applied to so many people these days...

Carbonized Earth Day

Ironically, needed to use a car to get everything done in time; I observe more Earth Days than most people, though, so I felt no guilt. I see people hauling their fat asses to the supermarket several times a day, and it's eminently walkable. We did some walking about, in increasingly lovely sunshine. Found some herbs and onion starts, and hope it is finished frosting out so I can put them in the ground.
Found an old copy of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. I know I read it ages ago, but it seems new to me. Since I think he was a fabulous old thing, I will continue reading it.

Gassed

Up and away far earlier than usual for a chore, and out of fuel much too soon. We suffered under a "super convergence" all day, watching our breath steam out while we walked. The reservoirs got some desperately needed water, though, so we'll suspend our complaints.
Too cold for anything to grow.

Brief beauty

Fleeting bit of time at a salon for moi; the long-persevering woman who does the maintenance on my mop was her usual cheerful self. She now has two kids, one of them a wild preschool boy; we had fun comparing notes on that topic, even if mine are based on decades old material. Sounds like he needs to be exercised to dropping and then put to bed on a daily basis. Not much else can slow them down when they're so active.
Spring fled again, and back came winter. Perhaps the Icelandic eruptions are seeding clouds?

Big relief

Thank goodness my very good climbing buddy was able to get away for a session; she and I have such fun and get so much out of the time. Some day we may actually coordinate some time out-
side on real rock, like we used to do.
The rest of the day, although not wonderfully spring-like, seemed bearable. Planted some spinach, arugula, potatoes, and wrangled some other ones which somehow managed to winter over.

Running behind the time

Always the day after here lately; have to sleep on the previous twenty four hours' worth of life, I guess. We had a wonderfully warm Sunday, fine for moving the old limbs around. The two surviving chickens across the street had managed a coop break, and it fell to me to shoo them back inside their back yard. Tricked them by flinging a couple of baby slugs for them to munch, and they galloped after the airborn gastropods.
Many little boy denizens out mucking around with a parent in tow. This block is full of boys, aged infant to teen; there's one little girl, about ready for kindergarten. Nerf footballs were flying, and a little brother was being watered along with the tulips.
Evening tristesse, until beloved offspring's beloved girlfriend came by to borrow a pizza pan, and invited me over to try the results; delicious, naturally.

Mood swing

From acceptably pleasant earlier hours to cold gray torrential skies by late afternoon; at least we got a pretty good walk in before that happened. Not much else to observe; all seemed reflected in the face of the day.

Delightful

Dragging sort of day, but the evening was a wonderful experience. Beloved offspring played his first solo outing, all the jazz guitar arrangements he has mastered, in a cafe setting. Lots of friends in the audience, and his loving folks; we all went out for a celebratory beverage afterwards, and had a good time. We recorded the performance, and those unable to attend will be able to see and hear. Always tough the first time out, but I'm sure, if he gets the opportunity and takes it, he will relax and be able to fully enjoy the experience.

Sproing, it's spring

From dripping, gray cold morning to wonderfully glaring afternoon sun; that's what we like. Nice long supply gathering walk, through neighborhoods I don't visit often. Everybody's late getting their gardens planted, due to our belated springtime. It always intrigues me the number of mini climates there are, going up one side of a big hill and down another. Their wisteria is farther along than in our area, and their tulips are blown. I've been seeing some interesting tulips lately that almost look like a tall version of a crocus, and appear to spread along the ground like a vine. Upon research, I found there are a couple of varieties, tulipa greigii and tulipa humilis, which fit this description. The humilis ones are an amazing pinkish/lavender with yellow centers, and really glow in the sunlight. Should be worth trying to find this fall for planting.

Good things come from the sea

Highlight of the routine sort of yesterday was late evening repast at our favorite sushi joint. They had an escolar item that was succulent, and a delicious roll. That's the long and short of everything.
We walked home in chill air.

Worse things happen at sea.

Tempted fate yesterday with yet another climbing session, but it worked out well. During the course of my errand hiking, I stopped at a plumbing supply place to get some stuff; the fellow behind the counter was sounding stressed, as several of his coworkers evidently had gone to lunch and customers on their lunch hours were streaming in. He did maintain a sort of humor, as when someone mentioned some woe, and he remarked,"Worse things happen at sea." Odd bit that, but it's going into the file in my head which holds other such gems as,"What's time to a hog?", used by an old friend's wonderful grandmama.

good Monday

Again with a swell climbing session with my dear friend and climbing partner; she took quite a whipper when a hold spun, and I caught her nicely, flying up in the air about 12 feet or so, and not dropping her. I'm so glad I tend to keep my belays snug for the first couple of clips. If I'd paid out any more rope, she would have "decked", or hit the ground, not a good thing. We're supposed to be practicing this sort of scenario, but who wants to do it on purpose?! The kids do it for cheap thrills.
A pleasant evening had by all.

Yesterday's warmth

It turned into a lovely afternoon, which we spent most of engaged in an impromptu work party. It was to have been about an hour's time weeding and such, but others joined in unexpectedly, and we made a dent in the front area, as well as the back yard of the other house. No need for weights after that.
Pleasant dinner, and off for a good night's rest.

Fun and drama

Good morning climbing session with a friend I haven't seen for a bit; she claimed to be out of shape. That's about the only time I can keep up with her. We hope to be able to meet up next week.
Off to the the-ater in the evening with our beloved offspring; we saw Clifford Odets' "Paradise Lost", written in the 1930's. It was a bit on the quaint side at first, but its strange spirit grew on you as it gained momentum. Odets wrote it in response to the terrible toll the Depression was taking on people. He himself joined the Communist Party; horribly ironic that twenty some years later, he went before HUAC, named names, and disavowed his connection to the Commies. Many possibilities for that scenario, probably chief among them his need to make a living. Wonderful character named Mr. Pike, played by an enormous lumbering man whose crazy-sounding pronouncements made sense ultimately, and he addressed everyone as "Citizen." Of course there were things that still resonate in these hard times.
Good evening had by all.

Fun routine

Hairdoing was fun, very satisfying for our nonegenarian; we managed a good, sunny little walk to and fro. Normal sort of day, no ruckus from anywhere nearby. Pleasant evening with beloved offspring and his beloved and her dad, visiting from Back East. Their winter was truly one from a very cold level of hell, and I won't even whine about our crappy spring any more.

Buoying

Met a newish friend at the climbing gym, to help her practice her lead climbing and belaying; she'll do fine after some more reps. Another longer time friend arrived later, and we had a pretty good session, although it was uncharacteristically subdued. We'll try again later.
Calvino's The Baron in the Trees is slowly worming its way into my heart. Calvino's easier to binge on than Zola for me, maybe it's the philosophical underpinnings I prefer in the former.

fine eventually

Frustrating to get knocked back on garden work, but it'll change. A puttery sort of day, which wound itself up in a swell evening walk and meal with the beloved spouse. Somehow even protracted winter can be cheered.
Odd experience in the super market; a very old ballad came on the sound track as I was pondering options for breakfast jam. It completely transported me to the era of that music. Not sure if that's a sign of optimism or insanity...

Perigrinations

Strange start to the usual shopping while walking; on an impulse, decided to nip into a barber shop/salon for a pruning. The woman on duty started by making fun of hooded light jackets, such as I wear in the winter as a second layer - "A hoody? I don't even have a hoody! What are they FOR?!" Title Nine had some nice ones on sale last year around X-Mas, and I hardly ever remove it. This woman was "mutton dressed as lamb", as one of our relatives used to say. She was in her fifties, and trying for a sleek young look. FAIL. Oh, well, she did a good haircut, but I was subjected to her ramblings about her internet dating. Didn't even respond in revenge - "INTERNET dating? Who does THAT?!" Meanwhile, she was taking forever, fussing about, drying my locks, so I got out of there, damp hair, hoody and all.
At one of my usual stops, a coffee joint down in Fremont, a cluster of older men were camped inside, and as I walked in, one of them said loudly to me, "We're Swedes and Norwegians, and we're after the Finnish, we want their hats with flaps!" What in blazes can one respond to that?
I've got to ease up on being so inhibited about snapping back to people...
Found another Calvino novel, and started one titled The Baron in the Trees, which is most promising.

Lots of fun

Another swell session at the gym; we felt strong and clung to the wall nicely. Dear friend related a strange bit of information she'd received over the weekend. Some friends of theirs have been living on a big sailboat for several years, and were recently in New Zealand sussing out work possibilities. They said the office workers had bizarre attire: The men slouched around in teeshirts and shorts, and the women wore very short skirts, revealed plenty of cleavage, and walked around barefoot, since the five or six inch high heels they had were impossible as walking shoes outside, so they carried them as they sleazed along. The husband of this sailing couple thought that was wonderful, but the wife wasn't impressed. What an odd manifestation.
Finished Calvino's Cosmicomics, and found a couple more of his works in beloved offspring's library: Invisible Cities and The Baron in the Trees. I do like a vertical reading.

Skunked

Where are the warm springs of yesteryear? Obviously not around here. Oh, well, distractions were found, and presented; a dear friend became a grandmother to a lovely baby boy, something she'd been yearning after for a while now. She and her husband drove off to the hospital, honking their horn and yelling out the news as they drove by. As another neighbor observed, they must be ready for babysitting duties. Not yet for me...
Orbiting to the end of Cosmicomics; just the strange kind of reading I needed.

Twilit zone

Kind of a voidy day yesterday; cold, windy, people seeming out of whack. Little walk and workout was a bit revitalizing, although you had to wonder about all the little kids out trying to grab those plastic eggs while they rolled away in the wind and rain. Yard work was scuttled, which isn't always so terrible. Saw a friend who just had cancer surgery getting out for a walk, which is heartening. She could use as much of that as possible.

Blown away

We managed to dance around the wind and rain, although we nearly went Mary Poppins as we walked from the car for the hairdo appointment. The big golf umbrella swallowed a gust and yanked us into a nearby parking lot, but as neither one of us is waiflike, we didn't get airborn.
Anxiety about all the big trees existing on our property, but thus far none of them has succumbed.
Read about a Florida urologist who put a sign on his office telling Obama supporters to seek care elsewhere; the fucker needs to be boycotted, although evidently the area is heavily conservative, so that's not likely. Not a penny of government money should go to him.
Onward in the Calvino, which, although short, is proving to be challenging reading, challenging but charming.

A long walk

All afternoon, marched about, with two brief busing episodes; the skies were wild and threatening, then interspersed with blue. Many errands run, lots of exercising; fun light dinner with beloved spouse. No suffering over April Fool's.