when writers zoom

Some exceptionally good writing yesterday for our Tiapos meeting.
These are such difficult times with the pandemic, police brutality and
the protests. Writing helps get us through.

where are the tourists?

No madras plaid shorts, no huge tour buses, no traffic and plenty of
parking. Even one clean public bathroom. Yesterday Ginger and I
drove to Sausalito to walk all over and have a latte as we watched
boat ownders scrubbing down their prized possesions. Quiet, peaceful
and unreal.  The fog burned off quickly, as you knew it would.

a quick binge

Very well done, in my opinon. Ten short episodes now streaming through
Amazon Prime ~ a couple in their 40's having marital problems. (Stop
me if you've heard that before.) State of the Union allows us to meet
with the couple in a little pub right before their therapy session. In one
meet-up they argue about "Call the Midwife", a TV program she likes
and he doesn't. Written by Nick Hornby, starring Rosamund Pike, Chris
O'Dowd and British humor.

Karl, you're back!

It was with great joy last night that I watched Karl the Fog return to our
hot city. That meant better sleep and a cool down for people, animals,
plants and (I hope) tempers. Residents of SF don't have the hated air
conditioning, we just rely on Karl and he is dependable after a three or
four day max heat wave. Whoooosh.

down to the dock of the Bay

I had a good walk down Market Street after the dental appointment yesterday
morning. It is hot here. Sigh. Pat and I had coffee under the ginkgo trees
in the Plaza, but first I had to sit and appreciate the Bay. Cooler today, whoosh.

this was fun

I met Kumail Nanjiani on Silicon Valley (HBO) and now I am also a fan
of Issa Rae. The Lovebirds is a short movie on Netflix ~ a couple near
break-up get into a scary murder mystery situation and they dash about
NYC and I enjoyed escaping for an hour and a half and you might too.

back to this beauty

I was forced to leave my TV Saturday night in order to snap this sunset.
Please know that I did not enhance or edit this photograph one iota. And,
as usual, it was even more enchanting standing at my back window than
it is here. Summer begins now.

my new mask ~ now what?

One needs a wardrobe of masks these days and I bought this in a little
shop on Valencia Street the other day on a walk. Well, not in the shop,
they were set up in the doorway. It says so much (I think).

Crissy minus the three P's

It's been about twelve weeks since Ginger and I walked along the bay at
Crissy Field. Yesterday: no parking, no picnics and the bathrooms were
closed. I brought a thermos of coffee and we sat on a bench and had a
lovely day. We wore masks (except while sipping coffee and eating strudel
and enjoyed dog and people watching. Always Bill's favorite place, so
he was with us in spirit.

oh for some good news, please

Last week Mount Everest was visible from Kathmandu for the first time in 
living memory.

The world without overwhelming pollution is something to behold. Any
chance we can learn from this unreal pandemic?

one beautiful puzzle

What a pleasure it was to work this William H. Johnson painting of Harriet
Tubman. I almost hated to finish it. I try to take a few days off between
jigsaws but then my fingers start to get itchy...

Alta Plaza Park

Yesterday after thermos coffee in her garden, Pat and I walked up to this
pretty park and then back on Pine Street where we admired this little
book exchange. They are all over the city, but this one featured a special
mini home for dog biscuits. A lovely walk and talk, 6 ft. apart. Or almost.

my poetry file

Actually it is a box on a shelf under my desk. I clip and save.
This was from the New Yorker last year and by now you know
that I love Billy Collins. He is every person.

DOWNPOUR

Last night we ended up on the couch

trying to remember

all of the friends who had died so far,

and this morning I wrote them down

in alphabetical order

on the flip side of a shopping list

you had left on the kitchen table.

So many of them had been swept away

as if by a hand from the sky,

it was good to recall them,

I was thinking

under the cold lights of a supermarket

as I guided a cart with a wobbly wheel

up and down the long strident aisles.

I was on the lookout for blueberries,

English muffins, linguini, heavy cream,

light bulbs, apples, Canadian bacon,

and whatever else was on the list,

which I managed to keep grocery side up,

until I had passed through the electric doors,

where I stopped to realize,

as I turned the list over,

that I had forgotten Terry O’Shea

as well as the bananas and the bread.

It was pouring by then,

spilling, as they say in Ireland,

people splashing across the lot to their cars.

And that is when I set out,

walking slowly and precisely,

a soaking-wet man

bearing bags of groceries,

walking as if in a procession honoring the dead.

I felt I owed this to Terry,

who was such a strong painter,

for almost forgetting him

and to all the others who had formed

a circle around him on the screen in my head.

I was walking more slowly now

in the presence of the compassion

the dead were extending to a comrade,

plus I was in no hurry to return

to the kitchen, where I would have to tell you

all about Terry and the bananas and the bread.

- Billy Collins

another new toy

Yesterday Amazon delivered this electronic wonder, the iTeknic milk
frother. Guess who has been missing her afternoon latte? And I plan
to branch out a bit with tea and chai lattes. My kitchen counter is
spacious, thankfully, but getting more interesting lately.

she is still Becoming

This is a very satisfying documentary on Netflix. Michelle Obama's book
tour with her best-selling Becoming memoir. No more "stand by your man
and worry about your family" stuff, she wants her own life. Such a charming
and brilliant woman. An inspiration.

I got outta town

Yesterday I drove to Pumpkinville to have potato soup and artichoke bread
outside at the Blogmaid's. Lovely day including a walk and appropriate
social distancing. Sort of.

how did I miss this?

The Great Plotniks were surprised that I had not seen El Camino
on Netflix. It's a great movie, the final chapter of the spell-binding
Breaking Bad TV series that Bill and I loved so much. Just to see
Aaron Paul who plays Jesse Pinkman again. As I wrote my friend
Susan this morning, I do not know how I could get through this
l-o-n-g isolation thing without the Flix®. One can not watch the
news and stay sane for very long...

the book club re-zooms

We will meet again onscreen on May 27th and I borrowed this online
from the library. Clara and Mr. Tiffany takes place in the 1890's in
New York ~ a young woman works for the Tiffany Glass Company.
So far so good. So far not great.

Pat's neighborhood

trees holding hands

oh the bay, the bay

the truth with coffee

I took a thermos of coffee, two little cups and Costco muffins to meet
Pat who lives on Sutter and Fillmore. We could sit outside at the Grove
for talk-time, then she showed me all the glorious details of her world.
I couldn't photograph Cottage Row, but I will return. My Tuesday
was excellent as a result of this morning walk with a dear friend.

stretch-and-catch

My yoga instructor, Annabelle, refuses to do the downward dog, but
loves the reverse triangle on a grey Tuesday morning. For the umpteenth
time I need to tell you (and the world) that I would be lost during
lock-down without this adorable kitty.

well, Picture This!

The Great Plotnik introduced me to this very cool iPhone app and I
have been using it on my daily walks. What is that flower? That plant?
Snap a photo and in an instant you have the answer. Plus all sorts
of information, if one so desires.

Mother's Day 2020

Beautiful flowers from my step Nancy. I hope REAL mothers will be
safe today, probably zooming with children and grands. Today it is
grey and I am content in front of the fireplace with Annabelle roaming
about and another jigsaw on the dining room table. The too thin
Sunday paper is next to me here on the sofa and I will skip over the
many troubling articles on financial and health problems. I do like
that the film critic now reveiws Netflix and Amazon Prime movies
and specials now that movie theaters are closed.

never prettier

The Conservatory

The Rose Garden in Golden Gate Park is gorgeous this time of year. I have
never seen it so lush and colorful. And just when we need it most ~ sun
and very clear skies. People everywhere, keeping their distance. They have
closed off a few roads to cars so it is just a delight to walk and watch the
bikers, folks on roller skates and fellow park strollers. So this was the
highlight of my yesterday.

jigsaw #2

Thanks to the Blogmaid for this loan. For a few days I was sure that an
eye was missing, but those of you who are puzzlers understand how
everything can come together at the very last moment. If only this were
true of our everyday lives. Sigh.

another day, another park

Neti and I practiced social distancing in her Twin Peaks neighborhood
yesterday and it was beautiful, as you can clearly see. We walked in
Buena Vista Park (a no-car-ever park) and if your eyes are really strong
you can spot the Golden Gate Bridge in the bottom photo. Yes, we are
both feeling sorry for ourselves, despite the lovely weather.

picnic on Tuesday

We are getting braver here. Yesterday I met Pat in the garden of

her condo and we had a lovely time chatting and noshing in the

bright sunshine. Wondering if we will ever travel again, how

we will live our lives when this is over, will theater survive?

Those kinds of difficult subjects.

social distancing

hummingbird and finch

blogger and Barb

I stole the top photo from Next Door where "they" usually carry on
about parking and the homeless. This conflicted blogger walked over
to the Great Plotniks' for a bagel and coffee yesterday and of course
it was the highlight of my day. We sat apart on the bottom deck in
the shade and tried to picture what life will be like when we finally
emerge from this nightmare. And so begins Week #8.

early Sunday morning

This might become a tradition. It was so clear and quiet at the top of
Bernal Hill and I was pleased to see that the big rock was wearing his/her
knitted mask. A few folks out jogging and walking their dogs, but all in
all an inspirational experience. I was happy to use the walking sticks that
Husbando gave me ten years ago ~ ideal for the ups and downs. Well,
some of them, not all.

do I like zoom?

No, not really, but it's better than not seeing anyone. It's not as bad as the
phone, and I do force myself to wear a splash of make-up and a decent
top. There is a feeling of sadness when our Tiapos meeting ended, and
yet it seemed too long. I get restless and wander about. Doug is good to
arrange the zoom and once again there were eleven of us yesterday. I
haven't read any of my work here, but I will one day. Annabelle likes to
walk in front of me and will continue to do so until someone says, "What
a beautiful cat!" Here is Karen H. pictured, she wrote a very moving poem
about a small town newspaper. She lives in Brooklyn and I do love seeing
and hearing her.

walk, look, stop, shoot

The bottom photo was from Wednesday when I had to go back downtown
for a tooth (gum) check. Everything boarded up. Awful. But there was
no traffic so I drove and parked and walked about a bit. Scary.

The top two scenes are from my neighborhood walk ~ 22nd Street to be
exact. And of course there is no need to be exact.

and some more good news

And finally a book that I can sink my teeth into. My restless mind
has tried several and I just could NOT get past the first 40 pages,
which is my test. It's easy and free with the Libby library app and
my LindaKindle4, so nothing lost nor gained. But this, this
Valentine is glorious, breath-taking, absorbing. So this month starts
with the Flix® series and a May valentine from Elizabeth Wetmore.