Friday Randomness
Before we dive in to this week’s randomness, let me apologize if you received an email on Wednesday saying my Friday Randomness post was live. I was trying to save my draft, and accidentally hit publish. Bah. I should have just changed it to Wednesday Randomness, but instead I moved it back to Draft. So, here we are.
Do you play the NYT game, Connections? Are you a Gen X gal? If so, were you as happy as I was when you opened it up on Tuesday? OK, enough Judy Blume, time for this week’s randomness.
Last weekend our neighboring town had an art, wine, and music festival, and Ted and I decided it would be fun to go walk around on a beautiful May afternoon. It was perfect weather (though I wished I had brought my hat, it was a very bright, sunshiny day). We got there and walked around a bit, and stopped to have a snack before trying any wine.
We found this food truck, which is Indian and Cajun I think. We ordered a tasty chicken Naanwich to share, and while the guy was taking our order, he said to us, ‘You smell like the mall’. What?
Ted asked him what that meant, and the guy said, ‘You know, Sunvalley Mall? Are you from around here?’ Which still made no sense to us, but thankfully the guy dropped it. I’ll admit that I thought an art, wine, and music festival would have some local vineyards there selling wine. Nope. You bought a glass and a couple of tickets, and went to one of two or three booths, where you could select from a small selection of wines that they probably bought at Costco. Strange. I think they could have easily said it was an Art and Music festival and just served wine. But I guess charging $20 for a wine glass is a big money maker for the chamber of commerce.
The art was crafty type stuff. I thought of Nicole and Michelle when I saw these little gnome planters. There was a lot of metal work, woodwork, some textiles, jewelry, that kind of thing. It was fine, but not really our jam, other than getting out of the house. I feel like I did absolutely nothing on Saturday (besides getting caught up on blogs, which is worthwhile but makes my butt sore), so it was nice to do something outside.
What’s kind of funny, beyond the obvious ridiculousness of it, is that we were planning on going to the mall after the Art and Wine festival. Crazy, huh? We decided it was time to retire our every day dishes, our Sakura, Masquerade stoneware, circa 1993. Above are our new plates, showing off the delicious frittata, salad, and strawberries – ingredients mostly sourced at the Farmer’s Market on my Tuesday lunch hour. I say mostly because I bought the eggs and avocado at the grocery store, and the salad dressing was in my fridge already. Our new plates are much thinner than the old plates, hopefully they will last. They were pretty inexpensive. I like the stark white with the teal border around the edge. I have been wanting to replace our dishes for ages…and yet I started getting sentimental at the thought of discarding our old set. Why am I this way? We put them in storage for now. Not because I plan to pull them out again, but what if these new, thinner plates break too easily?
Speaking of sentimental, DB Stewart got me in the heart strings with this charming post. I don’t often link to specific posts by my blog friends, because so many of us read all of the same blogs, but I’m not sure how many of you know DB. I loved the idea of him circling the store trying to resist a certain purchase.
Wednesday morning’s walk included coming across these articles of clothing. Sweat pants and a t-shirt. I hope the owner of these clothes wasn’t going commando when they shed them, is all I have to say. Also, I’m glad that I didn’t come across said person.
Tuesday was 3 years since we lost Mulder. UGH. What a good boy he was. I miss him so much. Engie had a post the other day, and in the comments there was a discussion of dogs taking selfies. I decided these two would be the kind that Mulder would take…all nose. The one on the left is the day we first met him in October of 2015. I’m not sure when Maya took the other one.
Wednesdays I usually go to our local Petco and clean up the kitty habitat, but this week there were no cats – the two scared kittens were adopted! I considered what to do with my lunch hour…I could take a nap, read my book, do some yoga, clean out a kitchen cupboard…then I remembered that I had wanted to get some herbs at the nursery down the road on Sunday, and we hadn’t done that. So off I went! Gosh, I love wandering around the nursery.
So many pretty flowers! I was reminded of Monet’s Gardens in Giverny, and how all of the tourists (myself included) spend much of their time taking pictures. I enjoyed taking pictures of the flowers. I may have to remember this on future Wednesdays if there are no cats to care for.
I ended up getting Italian parsley, chives, and cilantro. I already had basil, thyme, and oregano. I also got a dahlia, which is hiding behind the herbs in this picture, because then I can see it from the kitchen. Do you see the little brownish planter in the foreground, near the basil? My mom made that in a pottery class many years ago. I’m glad that I have it.
What else. Well, there’s the serious BS that is our current Administration. I’m so disgusted by the $1,776,000,000 slush fund, the dismantling of the voting rights act, and the absolute willingness of the Republican Party to roll over and take it. The grift and corruption is so far beyond the pale that I don’t even know what metaphor I can use. It’s infuriating. I’m trying to not grind my teeth down the stubs. Going to protests feels so pointless right now. I’m focusing my energy on letter writing. I would make phone calls, but the last time I tried that, I was there for a couple of hours and didn’t get through to a single person. Which is fair, because I don’t answer my phone and talk to people I don’t know either. But I found the process to be very frustrating and I do not want to repeat it.
Besides stewing in rage and trying to figure out who I’m going to vote for my the election for California Governor (I’m down to two, and neither one is a self funded billionaire, though of course if he is the candidate in November I will vote for him), no big plans this weekend. I suspect there will be a farmer’s market trip at some point, because the fruit right now is really, really good. Maybe I’ll have some time with a book or two. Maybe a movie. Today will be kittens again (two new kittens, unless they are adopted before I get there, which happens sometimes), and probably dinner out with Ted. Thankfully the weather is going to cool off. I mean, it’s been beautiful out, but almost warm enough for the A/C, which my cheapskate heart does not like. Monday is Memorial Day here in the US, the day when we honor those who have lost their lives in support of our country. It feels wrong to say ‘Happy Memorial Day’ for such a somber holiday. Enjoy the long weekend if you have it, and yay to the unofficial beginning of summer.
38 Comments
Nicole MacPherson
I do play Connections and I was so excited by the Judy Blume connection! I’m glad you brought it up because I had no one to talk to about it! How fun!
There is nothing so soothing as being in the garden centre! It’s my fave thing to do in the early spring (early now, back in Calgary it would be mid-May) and loading up!
J
You have such a beautiful garden Nicole, I’ll bet that you buy a lot of seeds, small plants, etc. It must be a lot of fun to plan, and also a lot of work!
Jenny
Yay! The scared kittens got adopted! I hope they went together.
I’ve never read DB Stewart’s blog before but I clicked on your link – what a great post. And now I need a winged pig statue.
Love Department of “Justice” although… it’s not really funny. WTH is going on? Do people not see this? HOW is this happening???
J
I know, I never thought about wanting a winged pig before. I’m glad it gave him a good talking to, so he brought it home!
Anvilcloud
DB is a very cerebral blogger and a sensitive sort a guy.
J
Indeed! I’m newer to his blog, but I always enjoy it.
NGS
Do you watch Only Connect? It’s like Connections, BUT BRITISH. I love a British game show, as you know.
J
I’ve never heard of Only Connect, though I’m not aware of many British game shows.
Margaret
I also play Connections but didn’t see the Judy Blume connection. I’m easily tricked and so I sometimes resist the obvious. Love the new plates! My stoneware is very heavy and clunky (was that a thing back then?) and I never use it. I should get rid of it because it takes up a lot of space. Smell like the Mall? I’m still trying to figure that out!
J
Sometimes the obvious ones give me my favorite…a rainbow row, one of each color. I know we’re not supposed to work for that, but I love it.
nance
I noticed the Judy Blume titles right away. My sister (GenX) was a big fan, and I read them when she brought them home. Remember how “Forever” was a big deal?
Rick’s best friend owns a garden center, and I get all my plants from there, including pond plants. I could spend hours in there, but my space is so limited at home that it’s always a sort of window shopping. Very wistful window shopping.
I love your new plates! White plates always make food look better. I hope their weight doesn’t mean they’re too frail for a dishwasher. Hand Wash Only is a dealbreaker for me. I mean, I have a machine to do that for me! Why wouldn’t I use it?
Those photos of Mulder are tremendous. They really capture his personality. I cannot believe it’s been three whole years. What a dear, sweet boy he was. You took such good care of him and made his life so happy and full. XOXO
J
OMG, Forever was SUCH a big deal. I read years later that she wrote it for her daughter, who thought it would be nice (for a change) to have a book where a teenaged girl has sex for the first time and doesn’t have a pregnancy scare or anything. I liked it a lot for that.
Wistful window shopping is what I can manage too, our place is tiny.
Oh, no way to hand wash only. We have that already with our fancy dishes, there’s no way for our daily to go that way.
I love Mulder’s nose.
Elisabeth
Seeing the discarded clothes reminded me a bit of the time you found all those groceries being given away (or were they just left behind) AND THERE WAS RAW MEAT!!!! I think I have it right and remembering that was you???
Those pictures of Mulder are just adorable <3
J
YES, that was me. Who puts raw meat out there? Especially chicken! There was a sign that said ‘FREE’, so I think they thought they were being kind.
Lisa’s Yarns
I play connections and got the Judy Blume one that day. I would say I get them right 4-5 times/week. It is not my greatest strength but it’s fun to play. I did have a 10 day streak going last week but it came to an end a few days ago.
Ugh this slush fund is ridiculous. Now that he’s backing candidates against people that publicly disagreed with him, there are finally some people with a backbone for a brief period of time. Things are going to get interesting for a bit. He is the most corrupt man but this should not surprise anyone. I want to see how those who back him justify this latest scheme. It boils my blood!!
J
You’re not wrong, this spine that is suddenly being shown is sure to be short lived as shit. I give it until Tuesday before they all cave again. I’d love to be wrong.
San
Oh, I was going to say: that art & wine festival sounds so nice but then it was kind of disappointing. And you smell like the mall? WHAT?? Why would anybody say that to anybody? People are weird.
I enjoyed our offline convo about the primary election and I think I’ve made up my mind. I know we’re living in weird political times. I still see the regular Saturday Street crossing protests, which is encouraging!
J
It was nice to get out, but yeah. Had its moments. I assume the guy who said we smelled like the mall was stoned. What else could it be?
Michelle G.
I also play Connections and was delighted about the Judy Blume one! I’m generally pretty awful at figuring out the connections, but I did get that one.
The gnome planters! Oh my goodness. I need one! So cute!!! I need outdoor gnomes in my life!
How interesting that someone said you smelled like the Mall. When I think of how a Mall smells, I think of Orange Julius, Cinnabon, and Bath & Body Works. Yummy smells for sure!
J
I wonder if these are outdoor gnomes or indoor? Hmmm. I think they could probably go either way.
Melissa
I wish you had found out what the mall smells like. Is it a good or bad smell? I enjoy wandering around a garden centre too—although it is very hard not to leave without buying something, ao best not to go too often.
J
Yes, it’s difficult to come out of there with NOTHING, so not sure if I can become purely a window shopper.
StephLove
Nice farmers’ market meal. I’m glad the shy kittens found a home (or homes).
Our garden got off to a slow start for all kinds of reasons. We hardly have anything int the ground and I’m going to be out of town for two weeks with just a couple days home in between so I am not sure if there is even going to be a garden this summer. Depends on how the seedlings in pots do without me. I have been fretting a lot about it.
Thinking about the political situation fills me with despair.
J
Well, if you don’t have a garden that produces food this year, you will be great support at the farmers markets! That’s how I look at it, because I’ve never been able to grow much of anything in my yard.
Yes, despair. UGH.
Diane
Mulder selfies!!!!! What a sweet sweet face.
We really need new dinnerware. I ordered some vitange ones off Etsy a few years ago – there is a person who compiles sets of plates with similar themed patterns from incomplete sets – so we got a set that was all farm/wheat themed. But we need more because the plates that we got when my in laws passed have all chipped horribly. My Husband ordered a set of Etsy that are really pretty, but he doesn’t always read the description and it turns out the plates are *plastic*. I can’t bring myself to eat off them – they just seem really cheap, you know?
J
I recommend going to Macys or Costco or even Marshalls for a sale. OR, you could try a consignment store for dishes, though those are more likely to be fancy. Or you might try Goodwill. Lots of options! Ours were still in decent shape, though not good enough to sell to anyone. But I was getting tired of the very early 90s pattern.
Sarah
Love your new plates! I think Crate and Barrel could make a million bucks by going hard after the 20+ aniversary set that needs to upgrade from our wedding registeries.
J
LOL, totally! I had ideas of buying a new set for one of our anniversaries, but never got around to it.
Suzanne
“You smell like the mall”???? What a curious thing to say! And… is it a compliment or not?!?! From the mouth of a middle schooler, it could be very cutting indeed.
YES CONNECTIONS! I love Connections and I was delighted to see the Judy Blume books featured! I think it would be so fun/challenging to be the person who comes up with the connections words each day. At least, I hope it’s still a person and not AI.
(This is a total tangent, but I created my own sort-of Connections for a story I wrote, which happens to be called Everyday Dishes, and is about everyday dishes, and, partly, about how difficult it is to part with something old and known when it has carried so much in your life.)
MULDER. Great “selfies,” and I love that you share photos and memories of him.
J
Oh, I love that you GET IT about the everyday dishes! I mean, we’ve replaced our everyday towels, drinking glasses, and cutlery many, many times over the years. Not sure why this feels different, especially when I’m so sick of them! But still…
ernie
Oh, Mulder. Such cute photos of him. Those pics do look like selfies. The babies got a hold of my phone a few months ago. I’d just taken a photo, so the camera app was open. they ended up taking a video of themselved and it is hilarious. Sorry, I digress. I know you miss your sweet boy so much. Three years? Ugh.
Smelling like the mall? What a strange comment to make.
A wine event – with wine from Costco. That made me chuckle. I’m not exactly a wine officiando, so I wouldn’t know the difference – but it does seem like a strange way to stage an event like that.
I don’t do garden center shopping often, but when I have . . . well, there’s so much to see. I never know what will work in my yard, but wandering around makes it seem like the possiblities of creating a beautiful garden are endless. (and yet, I haven’t really figured that out).
I’m relieved on your behalf that you did not encounter your potentially naked neighbor. You have found such odd things out in the ‘wild’ near your house. 😉
J
Oh, the garden center…yes, I have dreams of a lush back yard, but we have shitty soil, with a huge eucalyptus tree on the other side of our fence, then there’s the lack of sun for much of the day, and when we’re in a heat wave, just a couple of hours of BRUTAL sun. And it’s arid here, so anything we buy has to be watered for probably 9 or 10 months a year. Let’s just say that I kill a lot of plants, and I don’t mean to.
Stephany
So many of us are playing connections! Do we need a group chat where we share our answers? Hmm.
Like I told you, I got the Judy Blume connection, too, and felt so proud of myself! And today’s was even better. <3
I find it so hard to follow the news these days, even though I know I need to be informed. The gutting of the VRA and then all these states implementing even WORSE gerrymandering is so disheartening. I'm just holding out hope that they can do all they want but the Republican party is just SO BAD and corrupt right now that nobody wants to vote for them. (Wishful thinking, I know, but it's this tiny ember of hope I'm trying to hold onto.)
J
A group chat! YES. Today’s connections purple row was ‘chef’s kiss’ for sure.
Maybe the current administration will piss enough R off that they will stay home, and the I’s can vote D. Fingers crossed.
Midwest Mark
Gen X guy here, not gal, but I still got the Judy Blume connection last week. “Superfudge” was a dead giveaway. Speaking of Connections, that’s by far my favorite NYT game. I like Wordle, of course, but I find Connections to be a much better mental workout.
J
Welcome Mark! I’m glad that you knew the Judy Blume books. And yeah, I really enjoy Connections.
Allison McCaskill
I love your plant shelf! And the Mulder selfies – what a sweet, sweet face.
You smell like… the mall? That’s one of those things that would haunt me to my grave – what could he possibly mean by that, and why did it not stay inside his head?
One year we kept finding clothing and accessories at the provincial park we camp at, and it all suited my daughter perfectly. She came home with shorts and a t-shirt and sunglasses (found at the bottom of the lake) that she still wears.
J
Oh, thank you! I love my plant shelf too! Sometimes it can look a little sad when I forget to water or in the midst of winter or whatever, but it’s so cheery!
I sent Nance a text immediately about ‘smelling like the mall’ and she asked if that was good or bad, and THAT question is definitely unanswerable. Cinnebon = good. Despair = bad. Hollister = HORRIBLE.