On Wednesdays we talk weather, weed, and waiting on full spring

Checking in. It's Wednesday. Weather chat like old people do. It's seasonal spring and it's calendar spring, and it is probably climate change spring in the northeast. The wind has been absolutely inhospitable, a burning assault one needs to lean into and push through. The morning chill remains through most of the days. It's always colder at the shore in the spring by a mile, but this is absurd right now. Upstate in PA Lori is under a lot of snow and without power going on day two, and can we just say screw an April winter? Really. Screw it. Go away, Third Winter.

I want chapped lips and dry skin to miraculously disappear. 

I want to spend lunch hours outside feeling sun on bare arms, mainlining the vitamin D right through the skin, be out on my last dog walk of the night moving through air that is so perfect it feels like a whisper of silk, exist with windows open day and night, and drink morning coffee and watch the day fade away both comfortably from the front porch. Comfortably is the key word. I don't mind a light blanket but I'm not doing it shivering in a coat. 

I want to put the socks, winter coats, and electric blankets away.  

At least the food is good in this period of fool's spring - I made beef tips with gravy and served it over rice with a side of asparagus. It was delicious and easy. I'm cooking through the freezer and pantry and I had all the items. Also on the menu this week are long pants, two layers up top, socks, heavy duty lotion and big guns lip balm.

I'm not even a person that tends to be cold, I swear.

Is it too much to ask that spring arrive and stay for a while instead of shooting us right into heat and humidity? Probably.

You know what is here on time? The tree pollen, which kills my eyes in the spring.

I'm existing on Netgalley advanced reader copies, Fleetwood Mac, coffee, cardigan sweaters, and dreams of perfect weather this week. 

Happy belated birthday to Gail! It was yesterday.

And Happy 4/20 - decriminalize weed, expunge records, legalize it, and give the licenses to Black people as a form of reparations. Alcohol and opioids, both legal, have destroyed more lives, futures, families, and communities than marijuana by a mile. And that's that on that.

 

TWTW - the one with the Easter

Thursday I flexed a lot of the day since I worked a full day Sunday. Beach walk in the morning, some driveway play and chalking, beach again with Mom while Rich went on a bike ride, salad for dinner, glimpse of a good one, and Easter nails. I was early to bed, passed out before Kate and Dan and kids even arrived.

Friday I worked in the morning. We got caught in the church's Easter procession on our way to the beach just as they were whipping Jesus carrying a cross down the street. That brought some questions from the kids. It was hot and nice on the beach until it was arctic cold, but we got a few solid hours in. Porch afternoon, and some of the crew went to Cape May Brewery. Aubrey made spaghetti, sausage and meatballs, and we had a chilly walk on the boards. The pink moon looked amazing out there. 

Saturday The ladies did the Asbury Avenue shopping and saw the no pants Easter Bunny. We all headed to the boards later which were so crowded. The kids did rides, I had my first Kohr Bros of the season (no mint yet) and the wind absolutely assaulted us on the way back. 

Saturday night was laid low lounging, Sixers, egg dying, more breweries for some of the gang, and early to bed to finish a book for me. 

Sunday I was up early making eggs. MFD fished in the morning and we did a family beach walk, then cobbled together an Easter spread with everyone adding something. All good things must come to an end, and everyone was cleared out by 5. We put the dresser that was a joint effort getting out of the house (thanks everyone!) out to the alley for someone to grab, had salad for dinner, and I read on the couch until I fell asleep. 

It was a great weekend, and this week will be busy enough for me to really want another one soon. 

TWTW - first in April 2022

Friday was a wow day at work, and that's an oh shit wow not a great! wow. I was sick of the wind all week, so no beach. Instead I took to the kitchen throwing shit in a pot and mixing like a mad scientist, which we ate all weekend - ground chicken, half a bag of coleslaw, half a bag of broccoli slaw, baby corn, water chestnuts, soy sauce, sesame sauce, garlic, green onions, eggs scrambled in same pot, topped with some cooked ramen and mixed. After that I worked more until 7:40, then put my zit creams on and lay on the couch to read half of a book, where I fell asleep with all the lights on and left them like that until 6 am. 

Saturday After an early dog walk, I lay back down to finish the book. Up to shower, eat breakfast, and putz around. MFD and Billy cat arrived around 12:30. We took Bruce & Ben to the beach for a long walk and crept on other people's flowers. A relaxing night with leftovers and I read another book.

Sunday was the most balanced day I've had in a while, where I felt things that needed to get done got done, there was relaxing and rest, and there was enjoyment and they were all in equal parts, which is hard to get right. I think I could get it right more often if the work week wasn't five days. Who's with me? 

We did a little relaxing in the morning and afternoon. 

Relaxing was broken up by some solid hours working in the house to ready it for spring personal guests, which means pulling all under bed storage out and inventorying, sorting, organizing, purging, moving, cleaning, restocking, list making, and all that jazz. Lots of work to do before paying guests start to come but a really good start. 

I zipped through a book and painted my nails (China Glaze Planted & Enchanted and OPI Princesses Rule!, the China Glaze color is beautiful), had a salad for lunch, MFD got a massage, we relaxed and watched old episodes of The Office, then we took all the dogs up to Corson's Inlet for a very brisk walk. Damn winds. I started another book at night as MFD was watching historical documentaries on YouTube. No thank you.

Happy Monday!

TWTW - the one that feels like old times

Friday I was up and working early to dip out around 10 and see a chiropractor. Post-appointment was instant euphoria, as very few things feel better about a back that was out being back in place. I should have gone the weekend before and just kept aggravating it. I got OPC at Drip N Scoop & my first Bungalow Bowl of the year on the way back. MFD did a late lunch of crescent rolls made with leftover Easter ham and cooper sharp cheese. Delicious.

After work we watched Thunder Force and ordered pizza and salad from Randazzo's. I started The Four Winds and stayed up until 1 to finish it. 

Saturday Started way too fucking early for having been up past 1. Thanks dogs. We were moving by 6 am. They were back to sleep immediately, but we were not. I showered and walked to my hardware store, then came back and scraped and sanded paint off the metal flashings on the upstairs porch and spray painted them. In previous times, I would really want a mask to wear during the job and not have one. NO WORRIES, I HAVE PLENTY. That is a literal band aid just so the metal can't be seen, they need to be replaced. Salt air destroys everything outdoors. I painted my toes (Essie suits you well, which I think is a great color for toes) and lay with the old dogs while they were drying. I also measured the bathroom floor, cleaned up on the main floor, went to Foglio's and ordered new for the small bathroom, picked up a chair and yard sign for Philly at Hearth & Sole, and replaced my rusted out wind chime that came with the house with a new glass one at Handlaget. It always feels best when I can buy what I need from small businesses.

MFD did a "soft clean" (his term) of the downstairs porch, and I took the best friends to the south end of the island for a long, foggy walk and some shelling for a few hours. I came back to see him set up for a solo driveway party. We sat outside listening to music, Michelle stopped by to pick up chairs, and then MFD went up and got Angelo's steaks as it's their opening weekend and they are a solid favorite - my favorite pizza in Ocean City. We were completely assed out at night. I started and stopped another book and MFD went fishing. That's about it. 

Sunday I was packed up and on the road back to Philly by 10. I even creeped on my own flowers. I have very few spring buds left. Thanks asshole squirrels. Every year I say oh I will remember to replant then I don't. It's fine. I unpacked outdoor cushions, broke down boxes, started laundry, went to pick up a table from FB Marketplace to replace the bathroom one at the shore that I've been looking for a replacement for for a few years, picked up a ceiling fan and storage boxes, got a few groceries, and purged the shit out of the upstairs - two bedrooms and linen closet. I got rid of three bags of trash, set aside three bags of donations, a bookcase, a king box spring, a chest my dad made in senior year woodshop (that's going to my brother), two nightstands, and the king bed frame will go next week. We also got rid of a queen bed and box spring, dresser, and two lamps. The twin mattress and bed frame in the basement are going too. I carried more shit down the stairs too, and took all the photos off the walls. Our floors are getting refinished up there half and half - the steps, two rooms, and hallway first, then the two smaller rooms. This way we don't have to move all the furniture out of the house/downstairs and can just cram shit into two rooms. We planned to do these floors over 10 fucking years ago when we moved in. Getting to it. I also think I'm switching our bedrooms and we'll paint our old bedroom. The coral color I picked in there a few years ago is a fucking disaster, and that ceiling needs to be painted anyway. The trim too as Bruce has destroyed it barking at his backyard friends like a fucking lunatic. 

I made pork tenderloin, quickbread from a Pampered Chef mix, and broccoli for dinner. I pulled frozen veggie meat sauce out of the freezer for tonight. 

A weekend that was solidly in forward motion and leaves me a little tired Monday morning feels like old times. Not totally like old old times, because I absolutely never would have rested until all shit was done. 

Still, it's fitting, as today is two weeks since my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine so I am fully vaccinated. Please remember you are not fully vaccinated in the science sense the day you get your second shot - you are only fully vaccinated in the social media sense. And in all cases, continue to mask up in public as you do not know who is vaccinated or not. Please sign up and get vaccinated when you are eligible. Also why is there such a cross over between people who scream about small businesses being hurt and people who scream they are not getting the vaccine? You're hurting them more now by refusing to vaccinate. 

Anyway. 

Show Us Your Books is tomorrow! 

Standing still

This is my favorite tree in full, glorious bloom.

It's across from my house and I usually have 10 seconds a day to look at it as I dash to my car to make the train. On mornings when I'm extra rushed and digging for my keys, I forget to look up at all.

By the time I get home at the end of the day, I just want to get inside, change, do what needs doing. I forget to look.

Weekends? I’m at the shore. When I pack and unpack my car, I'm focused on other things. I forget to look.

With nothing but time here, now, I’ve been going out to look at it with my coffee every morning. I make it a point to look. I've forgotten how much joy I can derive from a few moments of standing still and looking.

Being in a hurry to go and get and do already seems so far away.

Going back to some version of that also seems far away, and in this corona life I find myself not being able to look more than a few days ahead.

Today, this morning, this moment...it’s right here. It's what we have. It's the only thing 100% true and knowable.

The fact that it’s not gray like it’s been for four days feels like the most amazing gift.

I can’t only think about what we’re losing and missing through all of this. I hope you think outside of that too. The slow down can have bright sides too.

Happy April. Stand still and look.

A version of this message originally appeared on instagram

Make way for May

Certain times of year I feel more intensely how fast time is flying. The leap into May is always one of those times. 

I’m not sure if it’s because I know summer is coming and will go by in a blink compared to the halcyon summers of childhood that seemed open and endless or if activities ramp up with the return of nice weather and I’m hurtling towards good times ahead. 

I’ve got quite a long task list this month - our first rental at the shore is Memorial Day weekend and there’s a lot to be done before then, in Philly I need to get my flowers planted and bedroom painted, and I have big work stuff going on. 

On the less task oriented side, there are stacks of good books waiting to be read, sunrises to see, dog walks to take, family events, the final three GOT episodes to watch, elections to vote in, pedicures to get, Bruce Springsteen songs to listen to loudly with the windows open, strawberries to eat, a new pop up art event I have tickets to, and so on. Hopefully May also brings the end to dry patches on my face and vitamin D deficiency.

I’ve set my intentions for a good and fulfilling month. I hope yours is the same. Make way for May and everything that comes with it. 

Thursday Thoughts - You look like a photograph from yourself taken from far far away

1. I’m still thinking about Tuesday's sunset.

2. In addition to my favorite tree above, my spring flowers are blooming...what the squirrels haven’t eaten, that is. 

3. Center City blooming.

4. Love this new art outside of Elixir coffee. 

5. After five months of living here, Bender finally sat on my lap Tuesday night and didn't move. I think people get crazy when dogs that are not puppies don't fully settle right away. It takes time. He has not stopped dragging my shoes around in that time period so I guess he's fully settled into that habit. 

6. In other dog news, they love outdoor cushions. Except for Gus. He prefers his sphinx style sitting on the cement.

7. Everything seems to be taking an incredible amount of effort this week. It hasn’t helped that I've thought this week was next week all week. 

8. I need a pedicure like nobody’s business. 

9. Reminder: If you're struggling, you're also making progress. Sometimes it's hard to see it when you're in it but this is a reminder that you're doing great. Keep going. 

10. Ecards.

What appears after the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts is a song lyric to whatever I'm listening to when I start to write the post. This week is Untouchable Face by Ani DiFranco - I'm deep into my 90s self the past two weeks

Thursday Thoughts - And I will follow through and expect that you will follow suit

1. Look at these glorious buds which will soon rain down and cause mayhem in my yard. Still...leaves are coming.

2. How to start your day, everyone. Everyone.

Via Revolution_for_Nonviolence

3. Few things make me feel more put together in life than completing my nightly face routine.

4. Birthday month is ending quietly as it began, with a series of small treat yo'selves. This week I found myself in Shakespeare & Co. Rittenhouse staring  at bookshelves and eavesdropping on two young women talking about how literary fiction is just so throw away, you know? Mmm hmm.

5. I also closed out my birthday month spending some of my birthday money on less fun purchases. We've been in our house for 10 years this year. The outdoor cushions are the same age and they need replacing so I ordered a cheap version of replacements and am keeping my fingers crossed they fit-ish. Why the F are outdoor cushions so expensive?

6. The grill is beyond its last legs too, it's over eight years old and its insides are burned away and the igniter has given up the ghost, but I did coax it into making some delicious grilled chicken on Tuesday night. I could eat grilled chicken pretty much every day.

7. Where are you?

8. Between Devos cutting the Education budget (including Special Olympics) while increasing funding for charter schools, Barr's son being hired at the White House, the Antwon Rose verdict, activist Amber Evans found dead in the river, the NRA coming out publicly against the Violence Against Women act, the republican law maker praying for forgiveness in a state house here in PA in a hateful Islamophobic manner right before the first muslim woman to be a state rep in PA was sworn in, my idiot Senator talking out of his ass on climate change, and a host of other bullshit...most of our systems need to be broken and rebuilt.

9. Reminder:

via Indigo goddess

10. Ecards.

Happy Opening Day, Phillies fans! It’s a beautiful day to welcome Bryce Harper the Philly way.

What appears after the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts is a song lyric to whatever I'm listening to when I start to write the post. This week is Nanci by Toad the Wet Sprocket