the French chef

 My tenant, Ari, prepared Easter lunch yesterday before he hopped on his bike to head out to Baker Beach. He is a delight and so easy to be with and interesting. A lazy Easter for me, for sure.

The Marsh before Paprika

 Yesterday I met John and Mary (of Ashland fame) over at The Marsh on Valencia Street. We thoroughly enjoyed Dan Hoyle who portrays fascinating characters from all over our country. So much talent. Then we walked down to Paprika for some chicken paprikas (with mashed potatoes) and all in all, a really lovely evening. So nice catching up with my friends again. 

Calamari anyone?

 

Granddaughter Lindsay (top, left) is here from NYC and we had a lovely pre-Easter dinner at La Ciccia, a wonderful Italian restaurant over on 30th Street. We had lots of pasta and lamb and the middle photo is a delicious calamari. Lots to talk about and such a happy celebration. The sisters are off to Big Sur this morning ~ Lindsay very happy with our gorgeous weather. A delightful evening for sure.

not an April Fool's joke

 The Blogmaid felt this relatively strong (4.6 magnitude) earthquake but Annabelle and I didn't. Or maybe she did, and just doesn't want to talk about it. This one was centered in the Santa Cruz Mountains and residents down there felt a strong jolt. Somehow, compared to Trump, this seems mild to me.

hers was not an easy life

 For some reason I really like this Andrea Gibson poem above, even though it is not the one I will be "presenting" at book club in a few weeks. That one is entitled How the Worst Day of My Life Became the Best. I  have printed it out and am reading it aloud to get the full benefit. 

next book club = poetry!

 A couple of us were recently intrigued with the poet Andrea Gibson who died in 2025. There is a documentary about her (Come See Me in the Good Light) which we will watch after dinner and after a bit of reviewing of some of Andrea's work. I have been enjoying her poetry in this used book I bought, Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns. I will share a poem or two here later. That's a promise.

needles and pins

 Yes and hooray for acupuncture! After an internet breakdown (NOT my fault) this morning I found that my scheduled appointment with Dr. Sparrow and this ancient medical practice solved all sorts of physical and emotional upheavals. Soothing.