I can’t seem to get back into the rhythm of regular posting. I’ve been busy with work and making progress on my Gap year guide and I think all of that time in front of the computer makes it harder for me to want to sit down and put together a post of what I’ve been doing. So I may just continue once a week posts like this to talk about what I’ve been doing.
I tried a recipe for making seedy crackers and they turned out great. It is wonderful to enjoy that lovely crunch and nutty taste but not be eating so much starch (I LOVE crunchy bread!) I also used riced cauliflower instead of rice with a stir-fry and that was quite tasty too. I can tell when I have been eating too many carbs, it makes me tired and cranky, so I’m glad to find substitutes that taste good.
My morning walks have been full of many animals, such as deer, cranes and herons.
I went to Cafe Frida in Santa Rosa one Sunday to listen to their live jazz music and get a bit of work done. It was a wonderful spot – I will definitely go back there again. I met a lovely woman, Mary Lou, who lives in the neighborhood and is a frequent visitor to the cafe. She loves coming over to listen to the music and help with various community events that they have. It was a fantastic afternoon. I love finding places like this. There were also a whole bunch of artist open studios in the neighborhood where I found lots of beautiful collage art. Also a fantastic free little library with a seating area where I had my lunch. I found a couple of books I have since finished. One was called The Snow Child, a magical and heartbreaking book. I was not surprised to find out it was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
One morning I walked to the local FedEx to print off a few things and saw a beautiful sunrise and dew on the grass. I got to pick some blackberries in the neighborhood, which brings back such memories from when I was a kid.
I spent a few days looking after Rosco in San Rafael. On one of our walks we found someone had left a mini treasure box that encouraged people to ‘Take one and leave one’. Love it! Such a cool idea. I did some paper weaving and collaging while I was there, which was a lot of fun. I got to catch up with Annemarie, who will be here in less than a week!
Saturday was an up and down day, starting with a traffic free, beautiful drive to South Lake Tahoe, after I dropped Rosco off at a neighbor’s place for the day. I was headed to a memorial service for a high school friend who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in April and passed away in August. I know it’s a total cliche, but I still can’t believe he’s gone, it happened so fast. I was glad I got to spend time with his family and friends from different parts of his life – high school, college, church, pickleball and college. The service was held at their cabin, which I remember going to in high school. There were photos of him from throughout his life all over the walls. His wife talked about how much he would have loved being there with all the people who were important to him. It really made me think about how you have to make time to see those people WHILE you’re still alive and not keep putting it off to a time when you are less busy. That time rarely ever comes. I was glad for a quiet car ride home to think about Rusty and the fun we had when we were younger – basketball games, bowling, going to the beach, watching movies, just hanging out.
On Sunday afternoon, I checked out an event in a nearby neighborhood called PorchFest. There were over 60 different bands playing on people’s porches and front yards all over the neighborhood. It was so cool. Everything from a punk band called ‘Minivan Dads’ to high school kids doing a cappella, country, rock n roll and more. It was wonderful being around lots of very happy people enjoying the music. I will definitely make sure this is on my calendar for next year.
I took the ferry to San Francisco one day for a judicial nominee interview. It was apparently the hottest day on record, so the ferry ride was fantastic.
Today was the orientation for a New Economy MBA program I am doing through an organization called Lift Economy. We’ll be learning about principles of a non-extractive economy and a way of moving beyond thinking of the economy as only money, businesses or wealth, and looking at a vision for an economy that works for everybody. I am really excited to participate in this program and to get to know the others in my cohort. It is an amazing group of people from all over the U.S and different parts of the world. I love learning, and this feels so practical for myself and any organization I work for.
In my spare time I’ve been collaging and breaking in the cowboy boots I’ll be wearing for Kieran’s wedding, which is coming up in just over a week. I can’t believe it! My kids keep growing up – I guess they’ve been doing that since they were born 🙂 It just seems so fast sometimes.
