an unusual road trip

 For her birthday Amy requested some famous Tony's pizza and a Netflix movie here in my home.  Door Dash delivered a yummy vegetarian pizza and a caesar salad and we thoroughly enjoyed this documentary about Will Farrell and his close friend of 30 years who had recently transitioned from a man to a woman now named Harper Steele.  I so recommend Will & Harper because it is funny and yet poignant and helps us all understand why people change their sex, even when they are older and how they just want to be comfortable in their own bodies. 

finishing touches

 Handy Jan will be here Friday to install towel racks, etc., so yesterday I walked and circled and asked sales people at Lowe's for help. Great customer service! When I got home I put up the shower curtain and congratulated myself once again. Next week I will spend an entire night in the new bedroom and see if everything works perfectly. But first, we need a woman President and a woman Mayor and then maybe we can all exhale.

door knocking 2024

 I know quite a few active people who head to Nevada to try to get out the vote for Kamala and the Democrats. This description from an acquaintance who was up there this weekend cheered me  immensely. From the email:

The door-knocking was fun. The Harris campaign has a fabulous ground game because of all the PACs that are out there. I was with Seed the Vote and we had 7000 canvasser out on Saturday alone and we were just one organization going door-to-door in the area. We also went out on Sunday and Seed the Vote goes out everyday.

It's amazing.

Village People

 The Bernal Heights (Frights) faction of SF Villages met here yesterday afternoon and the topic was Halloween memories so of course I recounted the horror of managing that Spirit Halloween store back in 2000. Not great photos here but we had a good time and even though we are all seniors we managed to avoid those tedious old age topics and complaints. Boo!

almost over

 To think I dreaded this early shift at the Noe Valley Farmers Market every Saturday. No more. This has been a delightful experience and I will miss all the dogs and people and hard working farmers. Lana (above) and I have bonded and I will see her again after this is all over. Next Saturday is our final one (the last campaign) and no one knows who will be the next mayor, nor the next president, nor much else, really. Tense times but good people.

belated birthday lunch

 Neighbor Heidi and I celebrated Gini's birthday yesterday with pizza, salad and Heidi's lemon cake. Granddaughter CC and her Zac joined us (they are going to a concert in Oakland) so that was some last minute fun. Then the World Series last night ~ oooooh, a Grand Salami. 

the pleasures of home

 This week was a fine balance of busy and relaxing in my cozy home. Beautiful clear Fall weather and time to walk every day. Fireplace mornings and a (sometimes) devoted cat. Yes, I do remember to count my blessings...

a little slapstick, please

 They say that farce is the most difficult form of drama to write and produce and yes, a few folks left at half time yesterday, but Neti and I laughed and got lost in the silliness of The Play That Goes Wrong at SF Playhouse. This play from 2012 won the Lawrence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and during this stressful political season it was just what the detective ordered.

almost finished

 The sliding door between Emma's Room and the new bathroom was a great idea (not mine) and over the weekend Handy Jan and Mike installed the toilet, vanity sink and shower. We still need towel racks, shower curtain, etc. but am I pleased? This year has been a bit of a challenge, but the end results are so worth it. Good job, everyone!

and for the November book club

 I am a fan of Colum McCann so when Suze assigned us this read I immediately ordered Apeirogon from Amazon for my Lindakindle4 and also for my ear pods. This novel is based on the true story of two fathers, Israeli and Palestinian, who lost their daughters due to senseless violence. I will start reading today. Eagerly.

my lazy Sunday, then...

 ...Book Club at 5pm up at Karen's home on Moultrie ~ many writer memories on that street. We discussed The Lion Women of Tehran and friendship and lots more. A lovely time.

our day in Napa

Sarah cooked, we read our writing, Doug played his guitar and we laughed and talked and had a splendid day outdoors where the weather was perfect. This is our yearly Tiapos event and it was perfect in every way. We toasted Jane who brought us all together twenty or so years ago.

pizza for the grands

 Here is Samantha in the Bride cap that I found for her when we were in Ashland. She and Luke and big dog Harlow came for a simple dinner last night and then she did the dishes. Hooray. We talked about Thanksgiving and her job, his Stanford law education and their wedding next summer. A lovely time indeed.

a new book on order

 My friend Joe Zitt lives in Israel and I will be excited when Afternoon Prayers arrives on my front porch. He generously provided a free read for me on my LindaKindle, but I like to have the real thing in my hands for the special occasion books. Congratulations to Joe, this is great news!

a study in green

 I was intrigued by this woman at SF Moma on Monday. Even her hair was green, as was her hair ornament. If I was a REAL photographer I bet this would be an outstanding image, but alas...

award winning author

 I just started reading The Vegetarian by Han Kang, the South Korean writer who recently won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Asian woman to do so. The novel I'm reading won the Man Booker International in 2016 and somehow I missed that completely. Playing catch-up.

another happy museum day

 Chef Sarah drove down from Napa yesterday and we actually used the driverless taxi WAYMO and now I will be able to do this solo. Yay! We met Doug and Barb down at SF Moma because of the Kara Walker installation (top and bottom photos) which I urge you to see, if possible. Then we toured the museum and oohed and ahhhhed a lot. A really nice lunch on the 5th floor (middle photo, duh) and some more wandering around. Doug had to scoot off early to watch the Dodgers lose so Barb got to experience WAYMO on the trip back to my home. This was a terrific day and I am grateful to Sarah for instigating this adventure. 

an old friend appears

 Susan, Ginger and I worked together way back in the 70's ~ we were copywriters at the now defunct Capwell's store in Oakland. Yesterday Susan came to SF (she lives in Davis) and we had lunch at the Park Chalet and then walked, talked and sat looking out at the ocean on the Great Highway. Susan's husband died last December and she is learning to navigate alone and really doing very well, in my opinion.  Her daughter drove her to/fro and we will meet again ~ next visit she wants to see all the xmas lights down in Union Square. Yes!

Fifty years later

 Last night I went to a big gala 50 year anniversary celebration at John and Mary's gorgeous home in the Oakland Hills. Perfect weather, live jazz music and tons of food and drink. Husbando and I attended their wedding and when I saw him in an old wedding photo I had to grab a Kleenex®. I took Lyft to/fro Oakland, it is just so much easier. A lovely event and wow, 50 years. Zip/zip.

is it good enough for my sis?

 Yesterday I had a lovely downtown day and one of my tasks was to check out the Hotel Stratford where Sister Jane will be staying Thanksgiving week. The two young women at the tiny front desk were nice and helpful and wow, what a perfect location in the heart of Union Square. Good choice, Sis! Then I went right around the corner to the King of Thai to celebrate with a big bowl of duck noodle soup and all in all, a wonderful SF kind of day.

and more art

 This event was curated by Suze Riley, my friend Gini's DIL and a very talented artist. The gallery is close to home in the industrial part of SF so Heidi and I attended last night. Perhaps my favorite was this small Tony's Pizza painting (top photo) by Nathaniel J. Bice, a very nice young man who has a great future. VACANCY was the theme of the show and it was indeed a treat.

Mary Cassatt arrives

 Amy and I had a lovely couple of hours out at the Legion of Honor yesterday. The Mary Cassatt exhibit is excellent and impressive. Be sure to take time to watch the film and read all the words beside the artwork. I will return to this one for sure.

Mayor Breed

 Thanks to friends I do have a couple of photos from Monday night. This was a very good experience for many of us. And now my little home is back to normal and the fog has returned.

and the texts roll in

 Mayor Breed was impressive and warm and every vote counts so I think the event last night helped folks trying to decide who to vote for. We ended up squishing everyone down on the back deck which I had (thankfully) scrubbed and set up just in case a guest wanted some air. The food from Truly Mediterranean (bottom photo) was truly a hit and the middle photo shows that people stayed hydrated and is now one of my after-party tasks.  And yes, the heat wave is over finally and now it is 58º with a HIGH today of 71º, not 98º as it has been. What wonderful friends and neighbors I have to come out and support the Mayor and me. An unforgettable two hours.

yesterday and today

 This was sunrise yesterday from my back deck. Ah those lovely clouds gave us hope, but alas, this heat wave continues. Mayor Breed is coming here for a meet-and-greet at 5:30 so I have a long/long to-do list with #1 being KEEP COOL. 

my voting booth

 In between baseball games yesterday I tried to study the ballots and I do rely on endorsements and recommendations and some things are easy, some not. I did campaign for the Mayor for a couple of hours and came to the realization that I have met the nicest people doing this ~ not just for my candidate but getting to know all the other volunteers too. Interesting, no? 

big baseball day

 Four games today. I love the intensity of the Playoffs and I am currently rooting for: Detroit, the Yankees, the Mets and the San Diego Padres. But first I will campaign for Mayor Breed and then scurry home to my TV. Notthat and Dodger Doug will send their informative baseball emails and I appreciate those for sure.