Leave it to the Pros

The text chain was humming. Our cleaning lady, whom we had recommended to several neighbors, had been working at a home in Bethesda (a referral from one of our recommendations) when a misstep led to injury. It turned out Estela was sidelined for at least 6 weeks with a broken ankle. Summer vacation made cleaning the house ourselves a no-brainer: after all, we did it for months during the COVID shutdown. And so this morning? We grabbed our bucket and mop and scrubbed from bottom to top, spit-polished til it shines.

Oh, and we also sent a Get Well Soon card to Estela, because nothing like a Saturday spent cleaning to remind us how much we appreciate her.

Friday x 9

As the midsummer sun subsides to the gloaming, I sit back in my chair and prop my feet up with gratitude for this day-- this day! Windows flung open wide, a morning yoga practice and meditation, an audio book and a few hours at the garden, poke for lunch, a walk to the grocery, blueberry pie, the pool, chatting with neighbors, and now? A fine meal and TV I want to watch. With weeks of summer stretching expansively ahead, I could not be more content.

Where is That?

You know that place where the weather is always around 80 degrees and sunny? Low humidity and a light breeze?

Neither do I.

But I sure have enjoyed it here the last couple of days.

Over-doing It

 There are many forms of the same advice:

There is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time.

The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

Take it bird by bird.

And in general, I try to live my life that way, acknowledging that any small offering is better than none. But on a perfect summer day in June, with sSY2021in the rear view and the windows wide open? It was hard not to gorge on the elephant, run a thousand miles, and fly with all the birds.

So, boy! Are my wings tired.

For a Rainy Day

Today, for the first time since March of 2020, I... 

wait for it... 

went to the gym!

It was cool and rainy, and with no comfortable outdoor options, I drove on over, scanned my key tag, and had a pretty decent workout.

Can the movies be far behind?

Please Forward

Since we moved into our cozy little condo in 1999, it's been mostly us and our pets. (The pets? Well... That's another blog post, but there have been many: 5 cats, 2 dogs, 3 turtles, 2 hamsters, 2 gerbils, and countless fish.) There have been periods, though, when we have had a couple of temporary co-residents, first our godson, Josh, and then my cousin Elaine. Both moved on years ago, though, so imagine our surprise this afternoon when, turning the key on the mailbox, we found correspondence addressed to both.

Door Number Two

When the FaceTime ringtone jangled my phone last night at around 9:30, Heidi and I exchanged glances. "It's Bill!" I said. "He's calling both me and Courtney." I shook my head and tapped join. "This is going to be either really bad or really random."

When the call connected, the screen was dark and jerky, like a scene from the Blair Witch Project. "Hello? Hello?" I called.

"Tracey?" my brother's voice answered, and I could just make out his shadowy figure somewhere in the night, surrounded by trees. "I'm crossing a swaying bridge at Gary's farm, and the bouncing must have butt dialed you. Sorry!"

"No problem!" I replied. "As long as everything is okay, I'll talk to you soon."

"Really random," I reported to Heidi.

"Much better than really bad," she agreed.