Happy Birthday to Me

This piece by Carlos Perez is about 3 feet wide. (Artworks/San Rafael)

the green door

A visit to a real art store, not a virtual art store. A real one.

Sangria and fish tacos

A hike in the Marin Headlands

Back home over the bridge

Honored With

food from Peter's garden

a visit to Anne's studio ...

... where we saw her turtle series (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter)

and these amazing objects like something straight out of Blade Runner

live piano jazz

flowers and Champagne

a floor show

Happy Birthday, Tom

Today's Prompt: Photo #5

Today our prompt is a photo instead of a word or phrase. It looks like smears of red on glass, it looks like blood, it's eerie (thanks, msmasmush).

Red gooey pink chewy

I would like to bite your neck.

Please sit back and just relax

This will only take a sec.

(Sound effects.)

Do you need a tourniquet?

Do you own a scarf?

Vampires are the latest trend

But we don't want to shock your friends.

Here's a J.Crew catalog

I must say adieu––

You'll be wearing turtlenecks

For a year or two.

Along the Promenade

Art Therapy Day

We had such a great afternoon in San Rafael. Gina bought a bag of t-shirts to tie-dye, and I bought a bag of t-shirts to iron little pictures on. Most exciting purchase: 6 silk scarves @ $3.81 apiece, and a jar of chartreuse dye. Oh boy, I can't wait! You're supposed to dye the silk on your stove in a stainless steel pot. Will Tom mind if I use his All Clad stock pot?

Dear Diary

What Happened During the Eclipse

What happened during the eclipse?

Dogs danced.

Rocks smiled.

Driftwood levitated.

This Week's Treasures

The Right Idea

Our fearless leader wrote an Italian sonnet that I love. (She doesn't like to be called a teacher). Her name is Jane Underwood and she runs The Writing Salon where I take my class.

The Right Idea

When you have the right idea,
I say to myself, you'll know it.
Simple. So I drink tea and wait,
often for years, for that right idea.
It's such a relief when it finally
arrives (wearing sweats, out of the blue)
to tell me what I already knew.
(Sweats and an old shirt, so casually!)
I tend to expect more grandeur,
I suppose, from a right idea.
Not such a plain-clothed oracle.
But in one quick blink, no fanfare
The right idea can break thru rock, voila.
January, February, March. Then April.

Today's Prompt: The crime

Yesterday I downloaded a book called The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More Of It.

Today I didn't feel like reading it. I slept late. I knew I didn't need to meditate. I knew I didn't need to go over my work from yesterday and make a plan for today. I usually try to do both things before getting in the shower. 

Suddenly it was lunchtime and I was starving. I wasn't well, I could tell, and I needed nourishment. I plopped not one, but two tamales into the steamer. 

At 2:30 I knew I needed to lie down and rest. I had a headache. I wanted to take a Cold-Eeze, because basically they're yummy--and they always work. But we were out, so I had an Alka-Seltzer for colds (Orange Zest--delicious!) and went to bed. 

At 4:00 I got up and decided to go to Walgreen's to buy some Cold-Eeze. I didn't really have a cold––but I simply had to have a Cold-Eeze. On the way I remembered we also needed some cashews and almonds, so I turned around and drove to Safeway instead. I found the Cold-Eeze, some cashews, and a large bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin on sale. Then I remembered the Pacific Rim Dry Riesling that Tom had said he liked. It was so inexpensive. I put a bottle of wine in the cart and then it hit me how much I could save if I bought six bottles. (If you buy 6 bottles at once you get an extra 10% discount--but why am I telling you this; I'm sure you already know.)

I rolled over to the fresh baked bread. Tom can't eat wheat, and I know some people believe that carbs aren't healthy. But when you're not feeling your best, sometimes you need to give your body what it asks for.

They were out of the tiny buns, so I bought a 3-foot long Semifreddi's Sourdough Seeded Baguette.

Back in the car I tore into the sourdough bread. I didn't want to have to gorge myself in front of Tom, who can't eat bread!

I really didn't feel like walking, much less jogging. Today wasn't my day for sit-ups or arm exercises. And when you're feeling low, I'm not sure yoga is a good thing. So I gulped down a gin and tonic and Tom fixed a healthy dinner, along with dessert. I cleaned everything up. No clues.

On the Beach

6:16 p.m. at Sloat

6:45 p.m. at Pacheco