j u n e . 2 0 2 6

 welcoming summer

     blooms from the garden!

m a y . 2 0 2 6

 looking forward to lots of spring activities. 

     the admins at work had one more gathering for admin professionals month.  we went to the opening day early afternoon performance of the new Miranda movie!  I had never been to this theater before but it's a cute little upscale theater with a nice bar!  parking is terrible!  while it wasn't made specifically for the movie, the bartender recommended a delightful bright red berry margarita.  the popcorn bucket purse was insanely overpriced, but I've received a couple of recognition bucks, so I used that to purchase it :-)  i met some admins I've not met before, and we had a delightful time! 

     we watched the Kentucky Oaks over dinner and my #9 horse won! 

     took a trip to Woodland to have lunch and a long catch-up conversation with old high school friend Kermit.  we spent four hours eating at a cute bistro with outdoor seating, watching the town go by, reminiscing about old days, and catching up on the present ones.  he also gave me his art deco era throne since he no longer has room for it.  in 1980 he took a picture of me sitting in it.  I promised I would take a present day version photo sitting the same way!  we talked about our friend Robert too and I promised to connect them both. 

     on the way home I was able to catch the race coverage and heard about the first woman trainer, and only the ninth jockey to win the Oaks and Derby in the same weekend!  my #9 horse was a scratch.

     when I told Robert I had the throne, he said he wanted to get the picture too!!  ahh. so many fond memories of those times long ago.   the following day, Robert reached out to Kermit and they had a long catch-up over the phone (since he's in Oregon).  both said it was 'just like old times' and were grateful I helped make the connection.  we will try to meet up when Robert drives down here for Memorial Day!  they sent me a pic from their meetup.

     some years May the Fourth sneaks up on me, but this year, I remembered to pull out my shirt!

     made a trip to the bay area for work, and also caught a local production of a Tony award winning musical.  I even knew three of the performers.  

     the next morning I got breakfast at an old favorite restaurant under New management.

     I took a detour on the drive home to pick cherries during the "you pick" event they have during the season.  I got a little over two pounds of delicious Coral Champagne variety. 

     on Mothers Day I went to a local comedy production called Franklinland in a little community theater in downtown Sac.  Joyce made sure I got to see my little man in a Mom Day FaceTime <3  

     mid-month my support group sisters gathered for food and crafts again.  we created a tree of life sculpture, in honor of our journeys!  it was at a different location than previous activities, and I saw this cool mural on one of the buildings. 

     after I got home I was able to watch the Preakness race.  since the Derby winner wasn't racing, there would be no potential Triple.  it was cool that the #10 and #9 horses came in first and second, and Joyce liked their names too.  they were Napoleon Solo and Iron Honor. 

     the week before Memorial Day I was on standby for Jury Duty at the courthouse around the corner from the downtown train station.  if I had to attend, I could take the train from Roseville to Sac and not worry about parking.  luckily each time I checked the website, I was pushed out to check again the following afternoon.  finally, Thursday afternoon at 4:30 I was released from service. 

     on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend I met Kermit and Robert at the same restaurant in Woodland.  I wanted to listen to as much of the Indy 500 as I could before our meet-up, so I listened on a web/radio app on my phone until Kermit joined me.  he made a face when I said I was listening to the race, so I turned it off.  I knew better than to ask to be seated near a TV too :-D  instead we were seated outside on their lovely tree-shaded patio, and our waitress was so attentive.  

     I had tried to recreate the famous throne photo 46 years later.  I made prints for both Robert and Kermit, since they both wanted to see the transition.  

  

and here we are celebrating 50 years of friendship!  we spent five hours
reminiscing about past shows, old friends, and crazy times.

     I made all the ingredients for our memorial day dinner; we had pico de gallo and chips for an appetizer, followed by grilled marinated portobello mushrooms topped with avocado chimichuri, smashed sweet potatoes with gouda (plant based), and steamed asparagus.  

     at the end of the month I made another trip to the Disney Museum in The City.  the guest speaker this time was the son of famous Imagineer Rolly Crump who designed so much of what we enjoy in D'land!  I figured there would be lots of walking again - I was right - so I brought the walker again.  this got me special seating and a ride in their special wheelchair lift too!  Chris was hilarious, and told great stories - he's a gifted storyteller no matter what he tells you!  he even offered to sign one item at the end of his talk.  I had him sign one to Finn, his first autograph!  it was in one of Rolly's books that I've had and read.  

     I also spent several hours, this time slowly going through the museum and seeing what I missed last time.

     driving out of the Presidio I saw this classic Bug Bus, now being used for tours!!  I had to send it to the boys. 

     on the drive back home, I made a quick detour to stop at my ninth California Mission, the one in San Rafael.  it is a beautiful well maintained gem right in the middle of town.  as I was getting ready to leave the sanctuary, the padre came bustling in; it was obviously a well-used and busy chapel.  

a p r i l . 2 0 2 6

the showers of April have started!

     here in Cali it's raining but on the Space Coast it was a great day for a moon launch of Artemis II! 

     the roses were blooming, enough to bring in the house. 

     for Easter, neither of us had energy to cook, so we enjoyed a country baked ham, their Mac & cheese and green beans, and we baked yams.  I also made the cream cheese apple cake that was so good at the last holiday. 

    

     before we were done with dinner, cousin Phil texted to let me know that Uncle Don had joined Aunt Sylvia the day before.  I passed along the sad news to the west coast family.  over the next few days I talked with Denali for her birthday,  Cheryl to express our condolences and Grant to talk about possibly attending services as representatives of Sylvia's sisters' families.  

     ten days after they left earth, the Artemis crew safely landed back on earth!  another one for the history books! 

     after spending months following a strict low calorie diet, eliminating alcohol and added sugar, plus adding easy low impact exercise, I still showed zero weight loss since my surgery 2 years ago.  SO frustrating!!  in a face to face visit with my oncologist I expressed all of my concerns, and she determined she wanted me on a whole food plant based diet.  I went home and started planning all the things I would need to make that happen.  I really want to be able to wear a lovely mother of the bride dress in September. 

     I had an opportunity to get tickets for us to see the legendary Frank Oz in an interview with another legend, Pete Docter in conjunction with the Disney Museum!  Craig fell ill again the day before this event and had to be admitted to the hospital again.  since I couldn't be useful there, I used one of the tickets to attend the event.  photography was forbidden but I'll keep the memories forever!  I wore a Muppets tee shirt that received many comments and compliments from the crowd. 

     since my mobility is not awesome and I run out of steam pretty quickly, I went to the medical supply store and bought a rolling walker with a seat.  this particular event wasn't at the museum, but was instead at the ILM Theater at another part of the Presidio campus, a 5 minute car ride away.  it was still a long walk from the parking garage to the theater doors, so I was glad I had the walker!  as we were waiting outside for the doors to open, one of the ushers asked if anyone needed special attention and I was lucky enough to be in that group to go inside early.  I don't do well in direct or heavy sunlight and warmth. 

     I sat in the front row with another handicapped person and we were less than fifteen feet away from Mr. Oz!  Mr. Docter had a direct line of sight me, so I was very attentive and responsive those whole time. when it was over and they were walking out, they was less than four feet away from me!!  I capped off the afternoon by spending a couple of hours strolling through the museum exhibits.  there was some kind of event on the lawn with food tents and a bandstand, so the crowds attending that made parking a little challenging. 

     I have been to the museum before, so I've seen many of the permanent exhibits.  this one I love especially because I think it was Mama's favorite Disney movie, which came out when she was seven.  she bought the music book shown at the top and learned and played all the music from it to us as kids growing up.  I still have this book in the collection I got when I inherited the piano on behalf of Joyce. 

     the winter olympics that happened the year I was born in the state where I ended up living most of my life! 

     this one news illustration is one of many that were published when he passed away.   as you leave the exhibit area, there are more uplifting images and quotes from people who worked with him to raise your spirits again. 

     for admin professionals day my team got me a beautiful bouquet of flowers, as well as $50 for a food delivery service!  a local golf event company gave admins a free afternoon party where we could tour their facility, nosh on some good food, drink some no-jitos (mojitos with no rum) and play a little golf!  it was challenging but fun to get a club in my hands again.  I did ache in every bone in my body by the time I got home though. 

     at the last weekend of the month I attended two theater related activities.   the Celebration of Life for my English teacher and fellow thespian Mr. T was held in Los Gatos.  after the lovely service that included several musical moments and a spirited eulogy by his nephew, we gathered in the church's reception hall where a couple hundred of us enjoyed good food and fellowship.  I saw SO many theater friends that I miss so much!  

     back at home on Sunday, I attended a local production of Treasure Island.  in this version the character of Jim Hawkins is a teen girl, so the story line has all the tension of her being pigeon-holed for her sex and she showing them she had no limits!  it was also interspersed with musical interludes of both traditional sea shanty music, and popular pirate music of today!  it was quite enjoyable.