Thursday

 Went to lunch with our friends.  I enjoyed the food and the company.  Sometimes I think I'm a tiny bit starved for social interaction.  But I'm picky: it must be with people I like and not a situation that makes me anxious.

Finished another book - our morning walk tomorrow will be to the library to return the one I finished.  Thankfully, I have a stack of several that I can choose from.  I so enjoy reading.

Saw this deer on our walk the other morning.  Saw another one today - feels kind of like we're seeing more of them lately.  

And my shirt?  I've had this shirt since before we moved into this house and we've been here for 25 years.  I keep wearing, washing and ironing it, but as is obvious from this area around the collar (and it is a representative pic of several identical areas on this shirt) it is truly nearly worn out.  The print is faded, there are a couple un-removable stains, but I don't care, I keep wearing it.

And really, I don't have a whole lot to say here.  Was doing a couple other things on my computer and decided to write a couple things.  It'll be the 4th of July, our National Holiday in a couple days.  We don't have any plans.  I always wish for invitations or people to do things with.  After being married for 55 years, you'd expect I'd be used to spending all the holidays just with our own little family.  Our family which grew from the two of us into six members and has shrunk again to just the two of us.  Then again, I'm not fond of crowds or noise or obligations and am not really up to lots of work (prep, hosting and clean up).  So I'm conflicted - as I so often am in life. Dislike feeling invisible but also dislike saying "yes" when I really want to say "no".   Bottom line is I guess I'm really ok spending the day here at home with The Husband.  We'll hopefully see our daughter and grandson at some point in the
day and that will be just right.   Netflix and Amazon Prime have been our go-to lately.  😊

They seem to be getting a handle - albeit small - on the Cottonwood Fire.  Fires scare me.  Droughts scare me. The two together are a tiny bit alarming to me.  Was asked yesterday if I was nervous about something specific, my response was that I'm always nervous about everything.  Haha, but yes, truly.

I'm grateful today for kindness that is extended to us - from anyone.  I like to see that there is still kindness in the world, even for old people that are seeing diminishing abilities.  And I'm grateful that it is finally July - only a couple more months of seriously hot weather.  Hoping for some summer monsoon to kick in - we need the moisture so badly.  I'm grateful the grass is more green than crispy, even as we baby it with only minor increased amounts of water. And I'm grateful for our country, flawed though it is, flawed as the leaders can be, divided as it is.  It is and can be again, a great country.

Yay! and Yay!!

 Today is a double - maybe triple  yay day! First and foremost:  my watch is found!  Putting clean sheets on the bed, The Husband said, "There's a watch under here."  My breathing stopped for a second.  Yes, that sounds overly dramatic, but frankly it is true.  I caught my breath as I picked up my much missed watch and just danced in happiness.  Silly?  Of course.  Don't care.  I feel like there's a huge weight off me.  It ispo0oi currently sitting in the window getting a charge, it's kind of been in the dark for a couple weeks.  Can't believe it is found, thanked The Husband profusely.  Yay!

Poking around the garden yesterday while The Husband was doing the weekly prune and feed of tomatoes, discovered the blooms on the beans.  Haven't grown beans like this that I can recall.  (Lately green beans have become what I gravitate toward.) So happy to see there are blooms and maybe pretty soon we'll have some to eat.  We did actually bring in a couple small tomatoes - I think they're the Early Girl.  Pretty tasty.  Absolutely nothing like fresh from the garden edibles. Yay for them.

Bean blossoms.

Yesterday was hard.  The wind was more than uncomfortable.  Hot, too strong and miserable.  Dust and ash and awful air quality.  So, so grateful for our air conditioning.  (I always sleep better with the windows closed.) This morning at six:  the temp was 61, air quality good, wind nearly gone and it was perfect for our morning walk.  I dislike being afraid of the air we breathe.  Yay for better air.

Today I am deeply grateful for tender mercies, which is what finding my watch feels like.  I know it's just a thing, just a watch.  It is important to me and I'm so glad to have it back.  Grateful for enough water to save our trees.  Grateful that so far we aren't aware of any lives lost from these horrid fires. My heart goes out to those who've lost homes.  And as always, so grateful for repentance.  It's a blessing I utilize every single day.

It's June

Sunrise the other morning.

And that means it's wildfire season here in the west.  Every summer I say it feels like the whole state is on fire -seems like there should be nothing left to burn.  But every summer there are more fires.  The disturbing thing to me is how many of those fires (that cost grundles of money, time and people to fight) are human caused.  That's kind of sad.  The smoke in the air (my son texted me the other day from Utah county to tell me it was raining ash where he lives) is scary to breathe.  It does make for some interestingly colored sunrises and sunsets - even the moon the other night looked really red.   

So, this morning I was on the treadmill.  Air quality index was over 100 and I'm not breathing that while I'm out walking trying to be healthy.  It was kind of fun to get some good reading done, but other than that I much prefer to be outside when the day begins.

Splurged the other day and bought some actual cherries.  I love them.  When it came time to take dinner to my friend, I included some for her and she also commented on what a fun luxury fresh cherries are.  We'll have little to no peaches / apricots this year in northern Utah - the late freeze destroyed the harvest. 

Yum!

Headed out today to see if I could actually look at a watch I'm considering buying. I really miss my lost watch and need to replace it.  Spent w-a-y too much time online looking at watches, and truly - things like that need to be seen in person.  So I did.  Saw a couple in person.  Decided that I can get it cheaper online but I'll have to figure out how to fund the purchase.  I could get a cheap watch.  Nope.  And I'm not a smartwatch kind of person.  Don't want lots of sparkle and clunky size, just a nice smallish, sort of feminine watch that can handle my every day. So, yes a bit more that I really want to spend.  But I'm thinking I want to go for it.  I'll be patient. 

After seeing the watches in person - also had a bit of a walkabout the mall - we headed to lunch.  Still had a R&R BBQ gift card.  Fabulous!  I always forget how much I love that place.  We shared a plate like we usually do, and got the free scones (loyalty member) and I'm still stuffed even after several hours.  We rarely go to lunch just the two of us, it felt good to just enjoy an outing together.  

Read this article that caused some thinking. Mental Subtraction  Don't have to agree with it all.  Just have to think and perhaps incorporate the things of value into my life.

Yay for gift card lunch.

Had to reset my email password the other night, think I got it done properly.  One never knows that it's right until it isn't right.  Complicated, right? 

They're saying we're going to have some thunder storms this evening.  Rain would be wonderful, our yard looks so bad.  Lightning wouldn't be great, we already have enough fires.  But if the air would clear just a bit that would be good. 

I'm just so very grateful for our air conditioning, and that we can keep the windows closed and all that wind-blown smoke outside.  And so grateful for The Husband who always tells me I'm important.  And grateful for hope that I might actually manage to make it through the summer heat.  I guess that's something to look forward to.  💛

Well, Tomorrow Was Better -

- sort of, mostly.

Went to lunch with some friends for The Husband's birthday.  They dolled up the cheesecake he ordered with a couple towers of whipped cream and a birthday message.  He loved it.  And that was fun.

I went to get a couple watches new batteries.  I gulped when he told me the total.  I had 1/3 of my birthday money left (from back in September - I've been carrying it everywhere with me since) that I decided to use as a splurge on myself.  So, calming my dismay at the cost with deep breaths, I spent the money and got the batteries and a new band for the one watch.  It's been fabulous to have a watch to wear.  Don't love the look of the new band, the gold color is a bit too bright/fake looking for me, but it was the one in his case that fit my wrist, fit the brackets and didn't have to be modified (woulda cost more). 

Got up this morning to put on the Kate Spade watch with the new battery and it is dead.  It isn't the battery, it's the watch. Sigh. That was the one I wanted to wear the most.  And I feel like I wasted that $25-$30.  But that's the way of things, right?  I did have a battery put in the old - or perhaps I should say "vintage" - Jaz watch that I have loved over the years and I'm enjoying wearing it.  Haven't ever had a stretchy band on a watch before and am surprised at how comfortable it is. 

So I have this one, and my "dress" seiko that I'm dreading when its battery goes.  Two watches are plenty, right? A luxury even.  I am a bit particular - these days the watch has to be easy to read: hands that are clear to distinguish from the face.  I have a couple old Fossil watches that I could re-battery but they'd be impossible to read.  I dislike clunky big watches.  And even though I spent the entire rest of my birthday money, I'm glad I have a good watch to wear.

I spent a bit of time internet web window shopping to see if I could find a new Seiko to replace the solar one that I've lost.  The cost is prohibitive (and there wasn't one that I liked the look of) for even the brands not considered luxury.  There's no way I would ever justify spending that kind of money on a watch.  Especially since the one I lost was one I paid for with my hard earned "walking" money from one of The Husband's employers. 

The Husband was treated to a birthday lunch today by our son.  He was generous with his time and money, we only see him a few times a year and it was nice of him to take the time for his "old" Dad.  

So, today, I'm grateful that sometime in the long-distant past someone gifted me a quality watch (the shop owner who replaced the battery said it was a really nice, good watch) that even after all these years only required a new battery to have me feeling better about things.  I'm grateful for the new thermostat that seems to be running the air conditioning just fine - 95 degrees outside today.  Grateful for someone that can take care of our yard for us. I'm grateful for a comfy pair of sandals to wear on a day like today when I am without socks.  (That happens maybe 2-3 times a year - I despise bare feet.)  And I'm grateful to be home for the rest of the day.  I'm ready to be here.