Strawberries

This photo which turned out so well, and is my desktop background of the moment.

Being given these strawberries (in fact twice what is photographed).

Adding blueberries and cut-up strawberries to full-fat yogurt. Then (this is key), letting the flavors mingle for a while. Yummi!

Sampling a strawberry basil popsicle.

I'm trying to get a 5th one about strawberries, but it just isn't happening...I was pretty concerned about the birch tree outside my bedroom window this spring. It lost a big limb (sometime in the last year I forget) and when spring arrived it was almost gushing from the wound. It just kept dripping and then there was all this oozing all along the trunk. It just didn't look good.

Today I was startled when a branch fell from the tree, a dead one - no leaves. I looked at the rest of the tree full of green health and remembered my concern (that I'd forgotten) because it is no longer there.

It's All Matt

I've known my friend Matt for over ten years, but it wasn't until today that I played a game of soccer with him.

• After asking Matt to sub on occasion for a few years, today he finally could.
• I was happy to play with him no matter what. The bonus is, he is actually quite good.
• And I am not at all surprised by this, but he is the unselfish kind of good, the kind that includes everyone in the play.
• I am 90% sure he agreed to join our team next session.
• Which means instead of seeing him once a year, I'll see him almost weekly.
  

Retreat

#2291 - Trying to explain "retreats" to my Japanese sister-in-law. "What are they? Are they common?" she asked. They seemed common to her based on things I'd said about my friends. I tried to think of a correlation... I explained that a fair number of my friends do not have televisions in their main living room, but that doesn't mean this is typical in the U.S. Similarly a fair number of my friends might go or have gone on a retreat, but I don't think most Americans do.

It was cute and challenging to explain this term.

#2292 - Finishing reading the Lorax (helping someone practice her English with an excellent book).

#2293 - Ok, I am stuck after my first two gratitudes today - How about the weather? I am grateful that in general I am content with the weather and that today is a cool day, which many people would complain about, and I like it.

#2294 - How about - I was upset about something on Tuesday. I went over to a friend's house, laid on his couch and started crying. Two days later, the strongest part of my memory is not what I was upset about, but how sweetly my friend rubbed my shoulder and let me cry.

#2295 - I cannot find the cord that I use to attach the camera to the computer - hence I have not put photos on here a while. Maybe instead of getting frustrated again with not posting a photo, I could just take it as a "photo-free adventure"?

There Might Be A Message

Three musicians I discovered today while listening to Womenfolk. I listened to the last two songs at least five times each.

#2276 - Vanessa Lively
#2277 - Raina Rose "If You're Gonna Go"
#2278 - Amy Speace "Drive All Night"

#2279 - After my last big concert (which was Jason Mraz), I decided, "I am done with big concerts." They cost more and I enjoy them less!

However I find it a challenge to know about/find people I like playing in smaller venues. I just looked up the three musicians today and one is coming soon - $8. I put it on my calendar, maybe I'll go, maybe I won't...

#2280 - Someone called asking for my mother, which means she is around (even though she isn't). I need to pay attention. There might be a message :)

Not in Top 1000

• Wearing a dress in public that I thought I would never wear in public (not because it is revealing, but rather it reminds me of a dress from Alice in Wonderland, a bit silly.)

• I just looked and the name my brother and sister-in-law picked for their baby has not been in the top 1000 in the U.S in the last ten years! I don't quite connect the name to her yet, she's still Piko-chan (her in utero nickname).

• That there are libraries almost everywhere. You can make wherever you need to go, or in my case today need to drop someone off, near a library.

• Seeing someone who reminded me of a friend of mine (from the back), simple warmth.

• We have "yoga challenge cards" at the studio where I go. The owner puts them together and about 1/2 have to do with yoga and the other half are just cool things. One of them on the current card is to save your #5 plastics (yogurt containers etc) and drop them off at the appropriate place (like Whole Foods). This is part of an email I received today (I get staff emails since I clean there).

"A student told me she really had an “AHA!” moment when she started saving her clamshells—she realized how many she was tossing in the landfill. Two places I know take them are Whole Foods and Eastside Coop (special hours). Wonderful. We just HAVE to cut down on the single use plastics!!"

Just Call Me MacGyver

#2546 - Working at the library today I needed a pencil and an eraser (not a pen which is what I had). The library has those little stump pencils, so that worked. But what about an eraser? I checked my backpack again and found....a rubber band. Rubber = eraser. I erased away.

#2547 - On the way to the library a neighbor, my father's age, who I've never known personally asked, "What is your profession?" I'm pretty sure we both said hello first, but I don't think there were any other words than this. (This is why I don't talk to my neighbors :).

Anyway, I said, "I don't really have a profession...."and started to say a little more but she interrupted,

"What is your degree?"

"Elementary Education."

"So are you looking for teaching jobs?" The conversation progressed a bit from there.. Then she asked similar questions about my brother. :)

Thank God I was in a positive secure mood because I found the whole thing more humorous than intrusive. I do think it is an intrusive aspect of our culture that we want to immediately know people's occupations. What if we said, "Hello, how much money do you make?" or "Hello, do I value what you do to earn money?" To me, these all are more or less the same question.

#2548 - Which reminds me of a conversation I overheard my brother having with his friend recently. His friend was asking if he recognized the language a couple people were speaking at their pick-up soccer game. Then they got into a discussion about asking people where they are from and how often asking a non-white person where they are from includes a connotation of them being "other," asking because they are obviously not from "here." My brother was saying how that question is too easy.

"Well, what questions would you ask if you wanted to get to know someone," his friend asked.

"Do you speak any other languages? Have you ever flown in a plane? Do you like spicy food?" These were the questions I remember my brother rattling off of the top of his head, there were more,

and I really respect him for that.

#2549 - At three am this morning I woke up. You could say I woke up from the toilet flushing, because it did, but that does not usually wake me up.

In my head I heard this song -

Here I am Lord
It is I Lord
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go Lord
If you lead me...

And I started wondering if I should get up? It was 3am and I wasn't thinking clearly and so I had to listen to the song playing in my head again.

Here I am Lord
It is I Lord
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go Lord
If you lead me...

Obviously! So I got up and there was my sister-in-law, sitting by herself in the living room, in very early stages of labor. I had her lay down and did Reiki on for about an hour and she relaxed and rested.

#2550 - I just looked up reiki to link it and realized it originated in Japan, just like my sister-in-law! :)

Sunscreen continued

#2531 - Recently a woman I took a writing class a few years ago with started sending out weekly writing prompts. This week's involved, "Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen" (see my previous post). Isn't that a little weird? I think I'm supposed to write this one.

#2532 - It is often difficult to talk about death, even though everybody dies. I wanted to talk to my father about who he wants handling his finances and tell him that if it is me, I do not feel prepared for the job (have the info). Anyway, I prayed that I could find a gentle supported way to bring this up, and it happened.

#2533 - The card I made for my cousin's friend's birthday (while she was making one too.) It was actually a bit humorous.

#2534 - Giving a gift that I have been putting together for at least ten years (my cousin's graduation present).

#2535 - Finding something genuine to talk about briefly (running) with a relative I've never had luck conversing with before.

Plow

#2521 - Getting up early and baking rhubarb muffins (motivated by the fact they were in part a gift.)

#2522 - This was the first time I've used the rhubarb in the back yard.

#2523 - The muffins actually tasted really good despite containing only 1/3 c. honey (with the 3 c. rhubarb). One of the reasons I hadn't made anything with the rhubarb being I thought I'd have to douse it in sugar.

#2524 - Remember that song that was a spoken word advice essay with music in the background "Wear Sunscreen?... If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it...."

In the current issue of Consumer Reports they have ratings of sunscreens, and I wondered if they would follow this advice unequivocally. I am grateful to have found this -

"Almost every tested sunscreen contains some ingredients associated with adverse health effects in animal studies....Retinyl palmitate (look for it among inactive ingredients), a type of topical vitamin A, is an antioxidant that animal studies have linked to an increased risk of skin cancers."

Ha! The irony of humans! (I'm grateful this is at least being mentioned.)

#2525 - Plow - I went into this yoga move/stretch today for some reason. Usually I can't get my feet to the floor (over my head laying on my back). Once in a while I can, but if I do it is never really comfortable. Anyway, today I felt the impulse to try it and not only did my feet touch but it felt really good!

Lovin' the Mud

(My favorite part of a project I helped my Dad with yesterday.)

#2406 - The quiche and black eyed pea salad I had for lunch at a friend's.

#2407 - My friend's child being captivated by opening and closing the front door for a long time. (Which reminded me of being so bored at Menard's as a kid, then having fun playing in all the doors.)

#2408 - I initiated a search for flowers. Instead of noticing the bright orange ones 12 feet away, this two year old pointed out the one I'd overlooked - the clover - at our feet.

#2409 - When I told this almost two year old it was snack time, he requested blueberries :).

#2510 - The amazing lack of annoying small talk on my soccer team. I've played with them almost two years now, they still know extremely little about me. But there are other ways of knowing people besides a list of facts. I thought about this today because one of them asked if I had any plans for the summer. I realized I don't often have to answer questions at soccer, and when I do, they are sincere.

Gentle, Quiet

I thought I had much to write today, but now I am simply feeling really quiet and not in the mood for words...so briefly

• this quiet and the quiet outside that matches it, with an occasional gentle breeze
  
• simple evening watering of plants and successful strawberry transplants
• a rhubarb bar - dessert