oh boy, oh boy, oh boy

 The Blue Tsunami yesterday was even more than I hoped for. Democrats winning in Texas, Ohio, Georgia, and even South Carolina. Unbelievable. Amazing. Now we need to get to work on restoring this country to the land of the free and the brave. And yes, let's ask Musk a few questions under oath along the way. Impeach Kegsbreath, please. So much to do in 2027, but the citizens are behind you. Hooray!

change of book

 The Book Club members voted to delete Land and now we will read Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson for our December gathering. I read this years ago and loved it, so this agrees with me 100%. But for today I'm all about election results and my fingers are crossed. 

and once more in 2026

 On Thursday I fly down to Santa Barbara for a reunion of the folks who were on our Danube river cruise last year. I am reluctantly starting to pack and am not eager to leave the most comfortable little home in America, but I know we will have a wonderful time and I really, really like most of these people. Really.

what a WIN!

 Even the dusty old SF Chronicle surprised me this morning with a small special section dedicated to our Valkyries and their amazing Championship WIN last night. It was touch and go for most of the game, some terrific basketball and so every good for women's sports everywhere. And good pizza, too.

just a reminder

 Argh. My least favorite time change. Too much darkness. It will help if we are celebrating the Valks tomorrow morning. I am grateful that the digital things around here change without my help. 

I had a feeling...

 Right from the moment the Valks got into the Finals I was dreading Game 7, and yet I knew it would happen and now here it is. Tomorrow night, right here at home. I will host a small pizza party and we will wear violet colors and sit in our "winning" chairs and scream at the TV. So much fun, so agonizing.

Oh, brunch! Oh, Mary!

 What a delightful day. Dancing Jen and I enjoyed a delicious early lunch at Heist and then off we trotted to the nearby Curran to see Alaska Thunderfuck play Mary Todd Lincoln, the cabaret star and wife of Abraham. There we met Terri and Kevin Eye for a mini Borders reunion. This was a sold out show but we had great seats. Catch this play if you can, it is such fun.

the rabbi and the agnostic

 Season Three of Nobody Wants This and so far it is just as good as the previous two seasons. This year Sarah Silverman joins the cast as yet another rabbi and I have always appreciated her. Noah and Joanne have now moved in together and face some typical adjustments and changes. Good tv on the Flix®.

Game Five = WIN!

 Heidi, Rob and Laurence joined me last night for a mini Watch Party and wow, it was a great game. If they win in Atlanta (gulp) Thursday morning at 9:30am (double gulp) they are the champs. If not, back to Ballhalla at Chase Center on Saturday. VERY exciting indeed.

the before, the after

 Jen with two dogs works part-time at a nearby cooking school and yesterday she provided me with some of the overflow product. Chicken and veggies, barley with corn, Japanese bread in the lower left corner. I did furnish the water. Such a yummy dinner treat. Once again, I am such a lucky woman. 

10am and 6pm

 That was a lot of stress and emotion for a Saturday morning, but the Valkyries beat the Dream(s) and now return home to their adoring fans with this Final series all tied up at 2-2. Then, last night, after I recovered we had a great time over at Doug and Barb's. Two favorites, Mike and Brent, are here from Atlanta. Delicious food, as always, and a lot to talk and laugh about. One delightful Saturday ~ yay!

stroganoff and art

 Thanks to Terri I had a delightful yesterday. First, lunch at the new Cinderella (yum!) and then to see the Paul Madonna exhibit over on Bartlett Street. Terri found good parking both times so we salute her positive karma. I have been a huge fan of this local artist since he produced the much loved "All Over Coffee" drawings in the Sunday SF Chronicle years ago. His life has been difficult (under statement) since a serious car accident and his art has helped him recover. Gratitude to Terri for a very fine afternoon.

coffee and FLAN?

 Well, what a treat! Yesterday I went to visit my friend, Pat, and she had created her famous flan and, oh yes, that was delicious. And good coffee and lots to talk about and a nice long and warm afternoon it was for sure. As I often say in da blog, I am so/so fortunate to have dear friends.

lunch and a play with laughs

 I met Amy at the old reliable Sears Fine Food restaurant yesterday for lunch because it is good, basic food and it is also right around the corner from the SF Playhouse where we had a great time with this fun farce of a play: Peter Pan Goes Wrong. It felt wonderful to laugh for two hours. Then home to watch our Valkyries lose (again) to the Atlanta Dreams. No fun that.

for the next book club

 My LindaKindle 4 (or 5) has accepted Land by Maggie O'Farrell and I am struggling a bit trying to get hooked. It's all about Ireland, a land (get it?) that I love, but I seek interesting characters to get me intrigued. I need to focus and really start reading this novel. Maybe tomorrow?

just a few blocks away

 A Russian spot in the heart of our Latino district at 24th and Alabama. Cinderella operates a famous bakery out on Balboa Street in the Richmond District of SF and now we have our very own cafe within walking distance of my home. A most welcome addition to the nabe. (And NOT to get political, who me?, but how dare tRump support Putin and not the Ukraine? Grrrrrrr. Where is Congress?)

little theatre rocks

 Yesterday I met Andrea and Kathy at Z Below, a small theatre near me. We saw two Russian love stories which were very well done, both illustrating the difficulties of Russian immigrants trying to adjust to American culture. Word for Word does a great job and we had a delightful afternoon. Then pizza and salad at my house ~ I keep it simple these days. One fine Sunday for sure.

our Human Banner

 They used drones and a helicopter to capture our No Kings Vote Early gathering yesterday at Ocean Beach. Heidi and I almost changed our minds because it was hot and we were busy and the Valks were playing, etc., but in the end we were glad that we kept our commitments and the result was impressive with thousands gathering together. There were other rallies throughout the city, the country and the world and somehow we will get our country back on track. 

two cats on the move

 Yesterday Ozzie (bottom photo) and Annabelle went to the SPCA for their yearly check-ups. Heidi did all the heavy lifting as you can clearly see in the top photo. Clean bills of health although one cat needs to lose a few grams of weight. I will let you guess which one. Ozzie is an outdoor/indoor cat and his situation is a bit different as he contends with fleas and also he was a VERY vocal traveler. All four of us were very happy to get back home.

the book, the food, the friends

 

Book Club at Heidi's yesterday and we barely had time to discuss Whistler (which we all loved) because each of us had been traveling and, in fact, Laurence just returned from Turkey the night before. So there was much to discuss as we devoured Heidi's delicious meal. Land is the book for our next meeting and I just ordered it on my LindaKindle4 (or 5). Whatever. 

the group photo!

 The Tiapos (aka Fluf) Gang last Sunday. Such a delightful day in and on Chef Sarah's patio. This was late in the day and it was getting a bit chilly so our hostess, on the end (left), was wrapped in a blanket. But still a lot of warmth all over and throughout the day.

in less than 3 weeks

 I have a bit of work to do before I fill out the ballot and mail it in. Mostly the confusing propositions and just a few of the lesser candidates require some research. Well worth the effort to keep our democracy alive, especially during these perilous times.

there is potential here...

 Still waiting for Doug's group photos, but in the meantime...last night I watched some Animals on Netflix, with Ben  Affleck and Kerry Washington. So far, so good and more tonight.

Sunday in Napa

 So much food and fun, thanks to Chef Sarah. Another perfect Tiapos with delicious food, as always.  We await the group photos from Doug's camera, but until then you do get a glimpse. My piece was about my "new" family on the East Coast and of course folks were intrigued. Top photo is Sam with his art, he is always such a great addition to our group and his fresh garden tomatoes? The best. Also grateful to Doug who did the driving and did not get lost once. Feeling blessed again.

and now, the Finals!

 I saw a lot of purple on my walk yesterday afternoon ~ men and women and kids wearing the colors of our amazing Valkyries Women's Basketball Team. So much fun and such a lovable and joyful group of young women who are giving the Bay Area a huge bolt of energy. Go Walks!

meet my "new" parents

 Catherine Beall and Charles Flook of Frederick County, Maryland. How did they meet? Was it a romance or a one night stand? They were not teenagers, in their twenties. We think Mom was in college. My adoption was private and at 10 days old my Aunt Kit of Mckeesport, Pennsylvania, brought me to Pasadena, California, on the train. I cried all the way. I still well up quickly and way too often.