bonus from Friday photo!

Back to Crissy Field with Ginger where I snapped our famous bridge and inadvertently captured a racy (I hope) tattoo on this young woman in the short skirt. I can't quite read it. Surprisingly, I appreciate all sorts of tatts from my working days at Borders and Barnes & Noble. My friend Marsha spied the tattoo which I had missed, being so overjoyed with the splashing surf, bright blue sky and aforementioned bridge.

a poem for Sunday

Afternoon in the House

Jane Kenyon

It's quiet here. The cats sprawl, each in a favored place. The geranium leans this way to see if I'm writing about her: head all petals, brown stalks, and those green fans. So you see, I am writing about you. I turn on the radio. Wrong. Let's not have any noise in this room, except the sound of a voice reading a poem. The cats request The Meadow Mouse, by Theodore Roethke. The house settles down on its haunches for a doze. I know you are with me, plants, and cats—and even so, I'm frightened, sitting in the middle of perfect possibility.

from the book THE BEST POEMS OF JANE KENYON / Graywolf Press (NOT MY CATS IN THE PHOTO, BUT APPROVED BY ANNABELLE, OF COURSE...)

Thanksgiving Day pictures to enjoy

And yes, to cherish! 

onward on Friday after Thanksgiving

A terrible day when I worked retail. Black Friday ~ set up the sales and try not to kill the customers who were already rude and impatient. Yes, even in a bookstore. Ick. 

Yesterday was wonderful outside at Doug and Barb's and my Jello Elvis Salad was exceptional, I must brag. I left my phone at home so we must all wait for photos from the hosts. 

I found this note and some tea in Annabelle's courtyard when I returnd home yesterday. Annabelle is greatly loved by the little ones in our neighborhood and this brought me deep joy on a day that was not easy. I try to live in the present, but Thanksgiving was probably our favorite holiday and there was some melancholy on Mullen Avenue. 

 

T G I Thursday

So grateful to be going to Doug and Barb's today at noon. It should be warm enough outdoors, but we will all bundle up. Of course I miss the hustle and bustle of the old days, but Annabelle and I have learned to live life on life's terms. Like we have a choice? Happy Thanksgiving to all and xoxoxoxo.
 

psssst ~ do you know where I can buy some J-e-l-l-o?

My neighborhood is waaaay too chi chi for Jello® but I managed to buy two boxes of cherry flavor and no one recognized me. Today, per Dodger Doug's request, I am making (cooking?) his mother-in-law's Coke salad which Chef Sarah calls Elvis Salad. I am looking forward to doing this and have been knocking back the Coca Cola to get into a good sugar high. So happy that Thanksgiving is on Thursday (duh) so I can hit Doug and Barb's back deck tomorrow. Do I miss the old days? So much, but I steer my thoughts once again to gratitude for all that is wonderful in my current life. And we will have a Presidential President in January, one who doesn't make me cringe on a daily basis. Gratitude. 

RR was 17 yesterday ~ how beautiful, how smart!

 

let's talk City Life

 Today it will be 58 days until a DECENT man assumes the office of the President of the USA. In the meantime, this house down the street cheers me daily. We moved into Bernal Heights back in the 70's, when real estate in this neighborhood was cheap because "the projects" are two blocks away. They still are. In all this time we have never had problems with neighbors despite the fact that all of our walls connect in that colorful SF way.  After Bill died neighbors started bringing me food and just enough attention. (Not too much.) Yesterday a brand new neighbor (Lynn) said she would be cooking tomorrow and could she bring me a plate for dinner tonight? What's a widow to do? And yes, gratitude reigns here in my now way overpriced neighborhood. Ommmmmmm.

do you call this Winter?

On Friday last, Ginger and I walked at Crissy Field as we often do and it was so lovely. We found a bench and poured strong coffee from the thermos. Counting blessings during 2020 takes a bit of work, but we did our best. You can just barely see the SF skyline here. Still standing, one and all.

Maggie, Diana, Mr. Fagan

Season Four of The Crown sparkles with recent royal history. The Iron Lady (Mrs. Thatcher), the shy Princess Diana and Michael Fagan who broke into the Palace, the Queen's bedroom, to be precise. I am enjoying this program so much. 

The Chubby Noodle

 I miss noodles and pasta so much. Chef Husbando was an expert with the al dente noodles and I am not. So yesterday I asked Dancing Jen for this treat and we met on Green Street down in North Beach to sit outside and catch-up. I forgot to take photos, too busy with my garlic noodles. So this is a stock photo, taken before the build out of parklet phase of this nasty pandemic. I hadn't seen Dancing Jen since March and we had a lot to cover over lunch. A very good day, thank you, Jen.

ooops, I missed Treat Street

Now how could I have missed the side view? You can see that I walked again yesterday and honestly, I had no idea that this home had three units. It's BIG.  I promise to get off my anti-beige rant tomorrow!

war on beige

I have carried on about how much I dislike DMV beige for years and honestly, it is one reason I could never live in SoCal where they use both shades of beige in all those horrid housing developments. So imagine my delight with this corner house on Precita, down by the Park. They have been working on it for a few months and it is all coming together (or not) and I wasn't the only one who stopped for a photo. Fun! 

back on BART

Yesterday I had a lovely lunch outdoors with our friends Joha and Mary who live in the Oakland Hills. I took BART to the Rockridge Station and wow, what a change. No homeless, spotlessly clean, everyone in masks and spaced appropriately. It was a delightful day and I did not need supper last night.

totally perfect birthday

 

Wonderful, dear friends gathered safely yesterday in Pat's Grove to celebrate my "How is this possible?" birthday: outside, seven of us, masks, jokes, tears and food. Even coffee. I am so, so fortunate. That is the Blogmaid in the bottom photo who helped (as always) with this delightful occasion. 

oooooh, I'm undone

Wow, thanks to Linda in Albuquerque for recommending The Undoing on HBO. Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant and some glorious NYC scenes (pre-pandemic) and some scary stuff already in the first episode which I enjoyed immensely last night. Watch it, dear readers...

Crane Cove Park

This is brand new and I like living in a city that values public open space along the waterfront. This used to be a ship building and repair facility and I'm guessing the crane name came from boat cranes that are still visible. Ginger and I had our Friday coffee and a sweet at a picnic table (bottom photo) and then walked amongst the little gardens and paths. Crane Cove Park is down around 18th Street and Illinois, not far from the newish Warrior basketball complex. We just missed the much-needed rain!

quiet jazz at noon

I met Doug and Barb here for our Thursday lunch ~ sandwiches in the Noe Valley Community Square. Cold in the shade, okay in the sun. This is winter for us, maybe rain today. Two weeks until Thanksgiving and maybe tRump will admit he lost by then. Maybe? Please.

let's escape

The Guest List is a fun little mystery set on a remote island of Ireland. A posh wedding is about to take place and so far no dead people, but that is about to change. 

honoring the veterans

I bought this cap for Bill and sort of pushed him to wear it on Memorial, Veterans Day and 4th of July. His Navy experience was of utmost importance to him throughout his life, but he didn't talk much about it, except in his taped memoirs. His parents were so proud to have three blue stars in their window.

 

out of Australia, back to the USA

I gave up on A Place to Call Home as it was becoming tedious (to me) and now I'm enjoying The Queen's Gambit even though the game of chess has always been more than my wee brain could handle. Netflix does it again.

grand daughter visit = success

Ceci is a close friend of the house manager at Palette down on Folsom Street and we had a fabulous dinner there Saturday night. Yes, it was cold outside, but they provided a heater and blankets. I had halibut and CC the duck, plus lots of extras and sides. Sunday morning around the fireplace and then the g.dot polished off the jigsaw puzzle.  CC adds sooooo much to my life.

one glorious Saturday in November

The grand daughter, Ceci, and I celebrated with fake champagne yesterday after the election was finally and officially called for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the morning. There were people out in the streets all over America ~ delighted that tRump would be gone in 2021. I watched a lot of TV, bathing in this feeling of hope. Finally I got a walk in and the Walgreen's cashier told me that everyone was in such a good mood and of course that makes her job easier too. 

we needed a break

Yesterday Ginger and I went to the Legion of Honor (with reservations, of course) and then had coffee overlooking the Bay. I've always loved this John Martin painting from 1840 ~ The Assuaging of the Waters, whatever that means. The black crow is studying the snake wrapped around the tree trunk and so I know that dreaded symbolism is involved. Do I care? No. 

you must be joking

 I was downtown yesterday. Early November and the damn fake xmas tree is already being installed in Union Square. This did not help my mood one iota.

still waiting

Perhaps today we will know who our next President will be. We don't need to see the gun-toting Trump supporters at vote counting places in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia. But I did sleep last night ~ hooray!

exhausting night

I had such hope that Americans would repudiate tRump and his dictator dreams. I really don't think I can listen to four more years of this hate mongering and all of the lies. Come on Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania ~ do the right thing. Patience.

11,413 steps to ease tension

I spent the afternoon walking with one stop to buy a bathmat and another for a latte at Peet's. This photo is of 24th Street, the Latino part, as you can see. If there is one recurring theme in this mostly boring Blog it is that walking helps everything. But you already know that...

board 'em up

SF is preparing for a messy election. I hate seeing all the boarded up stores and restaurants, but I do understand. If tRump loses (please god) his tough ass rifle toting followers might descend upon our city to do battle. Wake me when it's over...

ghostly time in Pat's Grove

We had fun. Delicious hot dogs and ice cream. Jokes and stories and memories of Halloweens Past. I came home with coleslaw and pumpkin ice cream and gratitude that I could be with friends during these strange times. Thankful today that Apple has set most of my timing devices for the sad end to Dayling Savings.