How to Have an HBD

I was lucky enough to receive all sorts of birthday wishes today, but of them all, this piece of advice stands out:

Happy Birthday! Hope it is full of beings you love.

Because it has been! And even though I did not consciously realize it, those words have long been my guide for planning and spending all of my birthdays, with many happy returns, indeed.

Those Meddling Kids

I spent the Sunday afternoon before the COVID shutdowns began browsing books at my local Barnes and Noble. Who knew that would be the last time I would set foot in a bookstore (or library!) until today? And as good as it was to be back, I was surprised by how unfamiliar so many titles in the kids and YA sections that I usually frequent were. Thank goodness the publishing world did not grind to a halt with the rest of us! 

Oh, and the Daphne and Velma series? The one that fills in the backstory of your favorite Scooby Doo gals, detailing how the two were friends from pre-K, until Daphne dropped Velma in middle school and never looked back? Well! That one was too good to leave on the shelf.

Not So Hotlanta

Down here in the deep south we were prepared to make it through the days by fanning ourselves and drinking sweet tea on the veranda (or staying in the a/c all day). But weather predictions have it that the temps here will be cooler than DC by 10 degrees or more for the next few days. And? Just a bit warmer than Ketchikan, Alaska where Josh is sweating through his fish-processing orientation in unseasonably toasty weather. But on the plus side? The landscape is breath-taking there, and he says the food is plentiful and good, and dinner will be served promptly at 5. 

Maybe he can find a veranda to enjoy a nice glass of iced tea with that incredible Alaskan scenery.

Saving Graces

Even though we sat in stop and go traffic for the first hour and a half, and all the top 18 songs for this week in 1974 were totally second rate (look it up!) and the podcasts were a little sad, and there was an accident in North Carolina that had my fellow drivers four-wheeling it over the median strip and onto a feeder road, and South Carolina was one 100 mile long construction zone, when at last we got to Georgia the golden glow of the evening summer sun and singing along as we scanned through the local radio naming that tune reminded me of how much I like a road trip. 

That, and seeing my sister made this a pretty great day.

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.