Notices by Norcal Gma 2 (norcalgma2@sfba.social)

Pretty warm inside our house today.
Summer likes her new cooling mat.
Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer.
At least the carpets I washed dried fast.
One more thing done.
#Summer #DogsOfMastodon

Giant salads for dinner tonight.
I thinned the lettuce in our little container garden.
We have lovely tomatoes from the neighbors, ripe avacado, crunchy carrots. Sweet orange pieces, grated parmesan cheese and chunks of chicken with oil and vinegar to finish it up. The treat part for my husband is the broken pieces of taco flavor Doritos that serve as croutons.
We have settled into our water routine and decided to cook instead of takeout even though washing dishes is a pain. We all feel better when we prepare our own meals.
Today was a good day.

The wind stopped. .
Summer and I took advantage of the lovely evening and the fact that it is cooler outside than in the house.
These skies remind me of the Halloween skies of my childhood.
Some things feel the same but we know that much is different.
The weather is changing yet this morning smelled just like the back to school days of my youth.
It's almost like when you squint things can look the way you want them to.
I appreciate these moments of normalcy and calm. Even though I know normal or calm doesn't quite apply to these times.

Summer is in the best mood this morning.
It's contagious.
Usually these two are cuddling on the sofa while I cook but not today. All I could hear was a ball and two wild and wonderful friends bouncing off the walls.
A good night's sleep does a dog and her pal lot of good.
I finally had to join in.
Can't be missing out on the fun.
Hoping all our Mastodon friends are having a good morning.
#Summer #DogsOfMastodon

Holy moly!
This time of year I usually buy new premium flannel sheets.
Of all of the price increases I've seen since our current government came into power this one takes the cake.
The price for the same sheets I always buy has quadrupled.
I decided to buy half as many sheets this year.
Good time to go through our linen closet to bundle up any extra sheet sets to donate to the cancer society thrift store.

We decided to sit in the fresh air together and watch the roses bloom.
There are only two chairs out right now and three of us so somebody was going to have to share.
Summer offered me the edge of her chair but it came with benefits.
Beautiful day here on our northern California hillside.
#Summer #DogsOfMastodon

I feel better about our water situation.
The plumber was here early.
We will be testing several different faucets to try and pinpoint the contamination source. Our entire plumbing system will be inspected and the five feet of galvanized pipe will be replaced. He suspects either or both of two garden hoses or the washer or maybe even all three. Five valves to prevent backflow will be installed.
Getting water tested is a bugger. We will be using the same company I used for the first two tests even though they are expensive the turnaround is a week shorter.
Work will commence on Tuesday.
We decided to keep our dishwashing to a minimum and settled on take out for my birthday lunch.
We haven't exchanged gifts for holidays or birthdays for years but the kids all got together to make me a dangly thing for my purse.
I love it.

I was thrilled to see that the doors are back on the free food pantry. I was waiting for the rain to pass before I restocked the shelves. I am so happy to be able to leave food without worrying about the weather.
There is a shop across the street that sells local frozen beef. l was able to use a gift certificate given to me for my birthday to buy eight one pound packages of ground beef. I sat at the picnic table and along came a family with five kids. They were excited to see food on the shelves but even more excited to take home the ground beef.
The kids were most in awe that there was spicy ramen.
Our little town is a good place to be.

Summer wishes she lived in Canada.
I told her that we can only wish because we are too old to immigrate anywhere. We are fortunate to be in a blue state at least.
I am embarrassed and horrified at the stupidity of the orange demagogue ruining our country and renaming stuff.
The rest of our beach time we skipped around in the sand thanking our lucky stars for the gift of being together on this wild and beautiful shore even for an hour.
Love you all
#Summer #DogsOfMastodon

Laundry is the never ending chore around these parts. I wash and dry and wash and dry some more. If I have the time I dry laundry outside in the fresh air but not lately.
Summer cuddles up to me while I fold and organize the baskets to go upstairs.
Tonight she thinks she fooled me.
I know that Tennessee didn't climb up into my clothes baskets without a little help from a friend.
Grandma wasn't born yesterday.

A perfect day for a stroll around the farmer's market. Sunny, breezy and friendly.
Freshly harvested everything.
We took a side quest for bagels and coffee, from a booth set up in the middle of the plaza, while listening to Dolly Parton songs covered by a local band.
My daughter gifted me a bolga basket so I fit in now. My good trouble t-shirt and embroidered jacket wasn't quite enough.
I bought my basket full of goodies and hers too.
I am really blessed by the universe in so many ways.

Yesterday was cleaning day.
Summer and I cleaned the house all day long.
Time to take care of deferred maintenance.
We met with a contractor who agreed to paint outside and will replace our largest picture window which failed years ago. Huge and way the heck up there it will be a project. Right when I think the last major projects are done they aren't really.
I also finished writing 200 more voter postcards to be mailed today to Texas.
100 Maine postcards to write before we wait for the next batch.
Time to get some breakfast on the table so I can head to the farmer's market with my daughter.
I wasn't sure what to think about the the attention my last toot got. I was surprised. The act of surviving shouldn't be such a miracle, but it is, and really hasn't gotten easier in fifty years.
My cheering section was keeping me company while I was flipping hotcakes this morning.
Summer says good morning Mastodon.
#Summer #DogsOfMastodon

Fifty three years ago I started the day as a child and ended it as a mom. This was the first photo of me and my daughter. We both still had our hospital bracelet on.
The hospital where she delivered never even gave me a room. I was left in a hallway and discharged about eight hours after I arrived. As an unwed mother I didn't warrant a red carpet welcome. I paid them $250 and went home to the room I rented in an old Victorian house. Obviously there were holes in the wallpaper but we were warm and safe and we were living within our means. I was fourteen years old and ninety eight pounds.
I'm sharing my story because it shows all good things are possible.
My daughter turned into the best kind of human.
It wasn't easy but I have zero regrets.
True grit was never personified by John Wayne types but by regular people surviving against the odds.
Disappointing the doubters was sweet consolation.
She gave me the gift of grandkids too.
I've had a good life.
So far.

Summer commandeered my hoodie for an extra pillow.
I guess I can wait to get it back.
I do love her to pieces.
#Summer

Summer blooper this morning.
She was so excited about her message she couldn't stay still.
We love our Canadian neighbors and are very sorry that the US sucks right now.
We had a great time on the beach.
I tried and tried but there was no wearing Summer out.
Good morning Mastodon.
#Summer #DogsOfMastodon

Our little free good pantry lost a door since last week.
It seems to be completely gone.
Hopefully just off to be repaired but if it's still gone next week I'll have to track down the door fixer guy again.

It's been awhile since I've made the trek to the largest regional farmers market. It is worth the trip if I'm looking for something specific.
I found everything on my list and then some.
It is a good excuse to spend some quality time with my daughter besides.
We were planning to go look at lawnmowers afterwards but didn't think our veggies would survive the delay in a warm car.
The booths were beautiful and well stocked.
We had fun.

You never know what the new day will bring at our house.
I woke up really early so Summer and I were doing our outside morning security check in the dark.
We were hoping her pal would sleep in a bit.
At first light he peeked around the corner to announce that he was going to take Summer down the hill for an adventure.
I was like wait... what!
But they were feeling good and determined so I said let me get my boots on. I had just enough time to hop in the passenger seat before we were off.
I didn't figure on our little family heading out to the wilds in our jammies but stranger things have happened I'm pretty sure.
I wanted to be along just in case of who knows what.
Turned out just fine.
We didn't walk far.
Fun was had.
Everybody was happy.
I can't ask for more than that.
Good morning, Mastodon.
#Summer #DogsOfMastodon

Our dahlia's were seriously neglected but haven't given up. Thr orangey color one is from our collection. The other two are in my daughter's garden.
Today ours got some trimming and water.
Outside chores have moved up slightly on my priority list.
#BloomScrolling #Dahlias

Summer was raring to adventure this morning.
She said that she heard that the trail wouldn't be as muddy as it was yesterday so she probably wouldn't get as dirty.
I asked her where she heard that and she said somewhere.
Hmmmm
I reminded her that she can't believe everything she finds on the internet.
The only way to know for sure was to check it out in person.
So away we went.
It appears Summer was a victim of misinformation.
Good morning, Mastodon.
#Summer #DogsOfMastodon