DRAT

 The Celtics won again last night even though I wore my Dubs shirt all day. No fun. NO FUN.

wild irises in bloom

 The June Swoon fog (Karl) spend most of yesterday morning with Ginger and me out at Stow Lake. It was still a good walk and we warmed up with coffee. Fun to watch the summer kids' camps and try to help the tourists. The sun came out, of course, when we got home. 

it's a wrap x two

 Last night after my delicious post-graduation-party leftovers I turned off all electronics and finished The Perfect Mother (Netflix) and Hacks (HBO Max). Very satisfying indeed. Now I need something new. Feel free to send suggestions. I'm not wild about the new Stranger Things, btw.

a very special day indeed

Congratulations to Ryan and her wonderful parents! RR is with her friend Bella in the top photo and of course Mr. and Ms. Blogmaid in the middle. Lots of food and fun yesterday at the graduation party. So privileged to be part of this family. 💔
 

the Grove and the Grad

 Yesterday we met for hot dogs and all the fixings at Pat's Grove where we spent so many happy hours during the pandemic. It was good to catch up and eat too much. Today it is all about RR and her graduation ceremony and party. There was a gentle rain last night and the world feels fresh.

baklava anyone?

 Most of the parklets from the Great Pandemic of 2020 remain because we feel safer outdoors. The Vax cards are needed for indoor dining (thank goodness) but I prefer being outside. Here I am Thursday afternoon at "the Arab place" on 25th and Mission, waiting for my latte and baklava. The dessert was extra sticky and delicious and the sunshine most welcome. Life is good. Now let's ban assault rifles, ok?

hmmmmm, and so it begins

 Ooooops, so much excitement here in SF with the NBA playoffs beginning last night. The first quarter was great fun. The last quarter was a disaster. Back to the drawing board, Dubs.

dinner at Nopalito

 Nopa = North of the Panhandle. Great Mexican restaurant and lovely time. We are getting to know Leah who is marrying Britney, Barbara's niece, in September. Doug and Barb are so good to me. I skipped lunch yesterday because I wanted to overdo at Nopalito on Broderick Street. Done. The joint was jumpin'.

the ocean heals

 There were very few of us strolling along the ocean in Pacifica yesterday. Ginger and I had a fine walk and then some coffee and a sweet. We stared at the waves and talked about nothing/everything.

a sign in my neighborhood

 Walking, thinking, taking a photo here and there. Inspired.

Memorial Day 2022

 I am much more solemn about Memorial Day now than I was when I was young. It used to be a good old 3-day weekend. Today I think of all the young men and women who gave their lives so that we could say and do non-patriotic things which are necessary in a Democracy. Gratitude. 

ultra clean and organized

 The three young women took charge of Chez Stein for six hours yesterday. Man, what a wonderful difference. They even made sense of the rat's nest charging station here in the back porch. Nothing missed their diligence: stove, refrigerator, medicine cabinet, under furniture, ceiling cobwebs, etc. I am one happy woman today. Never underestimate hard working women. 

good spy story (and true!)

 Last night I watched Operation Mincemeat ~ a World War II movie with intrigue and romance from Netflix.  Good cast: Colin Firth and Kelly Macdonald and others, all holed up in London plotting revenge on the Nazi's. Perilous times ~ then and now.

China's premier couturier

 Guo Pei is dramatic and remarkable. I so enjoyed her exhibit at the Legion of Honor yesterday afternoon. The lavish embroidery, over-the-top designs and obvious fun this designer has as she hits the Paris and Beijing fashion worlds. A lot of crystal and sparkle ~ displays are not only only in the official exhibit but spread throughout the museum too. Well done!

the pod reunion

 It's been quite awhile since Doug, Barb and I had lunch down on the shady "bottom deck" of their lovely home and look how their garden has grown. The glorious bird feeder and sweet peas are new. Our weekly pod gatherings during the Great Pandemic of 2020 probably saved my life more than once. Gratitude.

turtle karma

 Uvalde, Texas and another massacre with assault rifles. Too awful. I shot these guys on the log earlier in the day before the news. Ginger and I went to Stern Grove and it was so beautiful and peaceful yesterday. Impressive speeches from Coach Steve Kerr and President Biden, but now it's time for gun laws. Now!

parklet at Luna Park

 Nancy and Scott returned from Placerville last night and are already on a plane back to Chicago early this morning. We had a pretty good (not great) dinner at Luna Park on Valencia Street. I heard all about CC and Zac's wedding plans and lots more family news and gossip. Never a dull moment with Nancy and her three brothers and that is how it should be. 

this poet is a doctor

 We all want to avoid hospitals, but this poem is just too spot-on not to share with you today.

Little Pharma on Rooms

Laura Kolbe

She thinks in a smaller hospital She would remember each face With some embarrassment She can remember all the rooms 1421 From whose eaves pigeons tumble Its permanent winter of shit Where she would like to put a thin strip of suspended garden Something in love with guano like hay Some ruffling infancy of color 707 Where a couple lay in bed, one sick The two now faceless in ozone hoods The room wore its stretch of curtain Tight and broad like a bandeau in June Unspeakable honeymoon Ringing for ginger ale all the time 1603 With its own sitting room A surplus of telephones One almost expects a little home bar Silver shakers a cigarette tray 707 Where a couple lay in bed —was the smaller one sick Is that just farm logic— Its stretch of green curtain Smooth and stiff like a banker's lamp Amortizing a fixed account 830 She thinks somehow she belongs there Its shadows and somnolence appeal to her The clock runs behind The television sometimes stuck on a Mass Just its own digestion Plasma and diode It is what she will ask for when sick 1118 Snow falls to water The nurse's badge Clicks on the bedrail with a bell's tread The green fixtures spell nausea Like a lighthouse one sees the swing Begin before the beam's upon

from the book LITTLE PHARMA / University of Pittsburgh Press

two new hires

 Yesterday I met with two young (key word) women who will be coming to clean my house every other week. What a relief. They work in the neighborhood and I know that they are punctual and efficient and have good references. Alas, I have never liked cleaning and when the vacuum was out for a week or so around the holidays a friend suggested I decorate it with xmas lights. 

a new daily addiction

 I play 7 Little Words and Monkey Wrench on my iPad twice a day ~ trying to keep my mind sharp. The Blogmaid helped me figure out how to work Wordle last week and now I am hooked. It is a clever game and I am so very pleased to join the Wordle world.