this time of year

 Yesterday I was running some errands and yikes! here was a Spirit Halloween store right in the heart of the Daly City Westlake Center. I did not go in. Twenty-three years ago I managed one of these super stores in downtown SF. This gig was right up there with some of the WORST jobs of my life. Thank god for Husbando ~ I hired him to run the warehouse and to walk to the bank with me carrying gobs of cash every day. The store was hugely successful, I was exhausted, traumatized and so relieved when the season was over and the store closed. Argh.

my pretty city

 I never tire of this view, especially early morning when the sun comes up and reflects on a few of the buildings. Counting my blessings on a Tuesday...

good morning, Berkeley

 Lovely yesterday morning at the huge and comfy Caffe Strada (College and Bancroft) in Berkeley where I met Chef Sarah for coffee and chatter. I always forget how much I love this vibrant city with the beautiful old homes and amazing diversity of students and residents. It was an easy drive to/fro for me too. 

wistful poetry for a Sunday

 

Encounter

Max Sessner Translated from the German by Francesca Bell

We talked about all sorts of things about poets we once knew about how expensive everything had become and that the cat of an acquaintance disappeared for days there was no more proof of its existence only in her dreams it often appeared but always as if it belonged to someone else a cold comfort we thought and the story of a friend occurred to you too complicated to tell so it went back and forth this standing-next-to-each-other was puzzling random and fruitless until I heard myself say at the end yes see you later and we went our ways and I know that I thought for whatever reason: the last ride in the carriage belongs to you

an unlikely spy

 I had to put down Covenant of Water in order to "prepare" for our October Book Club. So I'm reading a fun WW II novel by Ashley Weaver entitled A Peculiar Combination about a young woman safe cracker in London who helps her country by picking locks and spying. Fun.

time for Tudor talk?

 The Savannah Four (bottom photo) reunited yesterday for a fun visit to the Legion of Honor to see the Tudor exhibit which closes soon. I'm not really INTO this, but the Blogmaid is and we all had a good time roaming around my city and chatting away and then looking at all the suits of armor and tapestries and paintings of kings and queens. An excellent day for sure.

five older women

 We gathered up at Nicole's last night ~ she loves to cook and we love to eat. I found it amusing that all of us age 70 plus were still wearing jeans. I didn't expect this, but I'm more than ok with it, as we all had to be dressed and professional before we retired. Forever in blue jeans...