Spring in the City

 Here are a couple of small examples of the explosion of flowers this year thanks to all that tedious winter rain and to the gardeners who live and work here. And now sunshine and clean air to celebrate the first day of Spring yesterday. Counting flowers and my blessings...

Annabelle approves!

 Emma's Room is finished and I am delighted. Next I go to Salvation Army (shhhhh) and Ikea for a little furniture, nothing elaborate. And during this 2024, my office next door will become a small bathroom. I was so pleased with Handy Jan and her work so she will do this next project which we all know will not be easy nor cheap.

exhausting and wonderful

 A fun tour de force for four talented actors at San Francisco Playhouse yesterday afternoon. The 39 Steps is this decades old adventure book/movie/play with lots of great Hitchcock touches in this fast-paced production full of laughter and suspense. See it!

Paddy Party = success!

 Everyone had a great time yesterday, even the hostess. Especially the hostess? The guests pitched in to help with EVERYTHING and you can see Doug carving the brisket in the top photo. Neti was a huge help with last minute chopping and warming. Sorry the photos don't do this justice, but we all had a super fun day. And this year I hired two young women to come in and clean and do all those dishes, so that was very expensive and VERY smart. Yay! 

waiting, waiting...

 Annabelle, being a female, is nothing if not persistent. Then we have the corned beef and I'll drop that in the boiling water in an hour or so. I had a productive get-organized day yesterday and am ready for a joyful gathering today. 

Is Annabelle Irish?

 She must be because I am having problems keeping the kitty off the table that has been lovingly pre-set for tomorrow's celebration. Today I have a LOT to do, but everything was purchased yesterday and so today is up and down stairs a billion times and fretting just a bit, as is my wont.

flirty love bug

We all need some whimsy these days. Isn't this car with long eyelashes a delight? I spotted her on my walk the other afternoon. Very cool.

MonkeyBrains

 Yesterday I dropped AT&T (with many wires) and went wireless with MonkeyBrains a local wireless company. I am thrilled and already have better reception for only $35 a month. Here is their story:

Monkeybrains is a San Francisco based ISP founded by Rudy Rucker and Alex Menendez in 1998. With their crew of like-minded renegades, these two are bringing affordable, hassle-free, month-to-month internet service to the residents and businesses of San Francisco. Monkeybrains customers appreciate our incredible speed-to-cost ratio and our ability to install quickly, with minimal wait time from lead to install.

oh, those aristocrats

 Eddie inherits the gigantic home and has to worry about his screw-up brother Freddy and a few other problems, but The Gentlemen makes me smile between an incredible amount of British violence and lovely humor. On the Flix®.

pizza party and Oscars

 Nicole, Meredith, Heidi and I strained a bit around my tiny TV to watch the Oscars last night. I ordered too much pizza and thanks to the Blogmaid we had ballots and bingo cards. It was a fine production, with a few flaws, and a nice Sunday night celebration with neighbors/friends.

better already

 This is my kind of time change. I already slept in to a "decent" hour (6am) and I will stay up tonight until 9:30 or so. Of course the Oscars are tonight and for a change I have seen many of the movies. Plus no more heavy rains and the new floor is in Emma's Room and all in all, life is very, very good this lovely Sunday morning. 

on the road to...

 ...Mandalay was a poem by Rudyard Kipling (1890) and then a famous Frank Sinatra song and also the colorful Burmese restaurant out on California Street where parking is impossible. But we made it yesterday to celebrate Pat's birthday and review all of our upcoming plans for travel, family and friend visits, etc. Excellent food here and always busy with happy foodies.

International Women's Day

 This poster has been in my office since 1992. I knew the artist, Mary Siegfried, but can't find her now on Google. Speaking of women, I loved the Democratic-Women-in-White last night at the State of the Union address and was pleased that Potus did such a good job. 

we celebrate Lily

 Bad photo, sorry. Last night we all gathered at Heidi and Rob's to wish Lily a happy 33rd birthday and to catch-up on the neighborhood news. An early evening, but lovely, with the best china and two yummy cakes. As I've mentioned, this little Bernal Heights community embraced (and fed me) after Bill died. Yes, I do know how fortunate I am.

Emma's Room update

 This is exciting and it is a pleasure working with Handy Jan. We already have our routines and this weekend the new floor will be installed. She appreciates working inside as we still have rainy weather here and I appreciate her talents. And...she has a cat! 

Super Tuesday

 Of course I voted by mail ~ so sane and logical. I am looking forward to watching tv tonight because the pundits will analyze these primary results up, down and sideways. 

future tripping

 My friend Ginger Two in Santa Barbara is urging me to travel with her in 2025 on the AMA cruise lines ~ the Danube River is her plan. Tempting, no? We shall see...

a poem for Sunday morning

 

Wild Geese

by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

inspired by these brave mourners

 Thousands risked so much yesterday in Russia as they said goodbye to Alexie Navalny, a true hero and vocal opposition leader to that snake Putin. And thank you to his wife who will now continue the fight. 

change is constant

 I'm not surprised that the big downtown Macy's will be closing in 2026. When I shopped there in December I could see the handwriting on the wall. I loved to poke around there and buy the occasional gift or fashion item when I worked at the Big Box Border's, but nowadays I rarely venture in. Some of my friends loathe Amazon, but not me. My main concern about Macy's closure is that the SPCA successfully used their windows to raise money and help find forever homes for dogs and cats. They will find another venue I hope.