My daughter…

 …played with some Talking Heads last night.

The House

 

So last night, Julie and Sandra sent me this link to a house for sale in Seattle. 

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4067-Letitia-Avenue-S-Seattle-WA-98118/48745434_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare

By the time I went to bed, I wanted to buy it over the phone.

This morning I was already sipping my coffee on its deck and having dinner with Julie and Sandra at Ray’s.

Of course Gary knew none of this.

But Gary does know it’s been my habit throughout my entire adult life to immediately want to move wherever I’m enjoying myself on vacation.  This includes everything from fantasizing about applying for a paralegal job at the Laguna Beach Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel, California (because my higher power has a sense of humor and said job was listed right next to the I could never afford in a million years real estate) to an old stone farmhouse in Tuscany, Italy where I had the best damn meal of my life.

Oh yeah, I wanted to move to Bad Doberan, Germany after attending a Frank Zappa festival there in 2003.  I was obsessed and spent a couple years looking at houses.

Naturally when I visited Julie last summer in Seattle, by day 2, I was looking for a place.

Gah!  I quickly saw that the only Seattle real estate we could afford under a million dollars would be a one bedroom condo, which I already knew Gary would never agree to because I’ve been campaigning to downsize and either move to a one bedroom on Rittenhouse Square or anywhere waterfront since the kids moved out in 2008.

Seeing as we’ve lived in the same house since 1978, I think it’s safe to say my husband doesn’t like change.

Still, I know my taste is definitely not for everyone, probably most of you will be appalled, but this purple house was so me I practically wept and it’s financially doable.

Against my better judgment, I showed it to Gary as soon as he had his coffee.  Because I may be dumb sometimes, but I’m not crazy.

“Gary, look at this house.”  I hand him my phone, which always causes him to act like it’s radioactive and going to kill him because he still has a flip phone from 1998.

I put it on virtual tour so he could really experience everything.

“Julie is buying a house?” he asked, confused.

“No, that’s for us!”

He gave me that look, the one that makes me want to move to Seattle without him.

I waited for him to say more but he didn’t and I couldn’t have that, I needed to know if I could put an offer in 😂.

“Isn’t that house amazing?” I asked, trying to get a reaction.

I got nothing.

“You don’t like it?” I asked again. 

“No.”

My heart sank.  He says he’s a hippie.  A hippie would love that place!

“What don’t you like?  The purple paint outside? The red and green walls? The claw foot tub? The monkeys painted over the door?”

“I don’t like that it’s not in Philadelphia.”

Oh.

“You have no sense of adventure,” I replied.

“Not true.  In fact, I have a great idea,” he said.

“What?”  Oh my god, heart be still.

He pointed to the arched wall between our closet and dining room.

“You’re an artist.  Why don’t you copy that house and paint a couple of monkeys up there.”

He was dead serious.

I scowled but now that I’ve had time to think about it, maybe I will. 😎

So that’s been my day, and other than what’s going on in the world, life is good.

I hope it is for you, too.

Trouble Every Day

It’s one horrifying thing after another, isn’t it?

The pandemic, an insurrection, more pandemic, anti-vaccine people, more pandemic, anti-gay legislation, more pandemic, and now a war.

Oh, and a pro-Putin authoritarian Republican party with what appears to be a sole platform: white supremacy.

So forgive me if I have abandoned my promise to be kind to everyone, I wasn’t on social media for more than five seconds today before I shouted, “oh my god, shut up you ridiculous boring muppets, no one cares!”

Trust me, I know it’s awful, but I’m being honest.

So I’m not going to tell you what a great week we had with Julie here (we did!) or give any details other than here’s a pic of us headed to the Italian Market this morning, where we purchased bread from Sarcone’s and vast amounts of cheese, artichokes and olives from Claudio’s.  

At least for today, we intend to escape the world’s problems with caprese sandwiches.

Actually, until 2:30 today, that is, when we have to drive Julie to the airport.

Sob.

And then it’s back to the news and figuring out how we can best help.

Hang in there, everyone. Stay informed but don’t overdo it.  Trust me on that, too.

More when I can be civil 😎

Happy Valentine’s Day

 

So usually, these blogposts are merely cross-posts from Facebook, but today this post is blog exclusive because I’m in a journal writing mood and I’m absolutely loathing Facebook now.

Aside from the hideous disinformation being exchanged on that site, honestly for me, Facebook has become a ghost town with very boring people who contemplate their navels all day and then offer you their meaningless deep thoughts via several daily, I me mine monotonous posts.

Doom scrolling has taken on new meaning in my timeline 😎.

In other news, unless that motherfucker dies or has a massive, debilitating stroke on the golf course this morning, I don’t give a rat’s ass about a Valentines gift today. (Though truth to tell, Gary buys me flowers and chocolates every week so I may be jaded).

Why. Doesn’t. He. Just. Die.

Because for whatever mind boggling reason - maybe because we’re worried about civil war - he’s not already rotting in prison. Instead, he’s free to summon up his racist, uneducated base for another zombie apocalypse.

I’m very worried about a second insurrection courtesy of the truckers. Bookmark this comment.  I knew January 6 was going to happen weeks in advance and could not believe no one stopped it from even happening.

I’m getting the same vibes.

Anyway, on to better things.

Yesterday, I learned my dog Jasper goes ballistic over the Puppy Bowl. Please enjoy this video as a cleanse for everything bad happening.

Okay, I feel better now.

Maybe I will have some chocolate for breakfast after all. Gary’s had me on a heart healthy diet since the summer and I’m wearing size 6 jeans.  I already know we’re breaking the diet for dinner, he’s making ridiculous pasta with burrata, spinach and artichokes.

Sigh…I’ll go back to all veggies and salad tomorrow.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy birthday, Julie ❤️

 

Happy birthday, @julieslick!  In honor of the occasion, please enjoy this vintage post from your 20th trip around the sun 😎 inherownwrite.blogspot.com/2006/01/happy-…

Happy Goo Year

 So I don’t do resolutions for the new year because I change my mind seven times before I decide what I want for breakfast, but this year I am going to try to be kinder, which is monumental for me because right now I hate everyone and everything and Gary just remarked this goal should also include not shouting out “Omg what an asshole” every time I scroll down my social media feed…anyway…for all of you, my best and fervent wishes for a happy, HEALTHY year.  ❤️❤️❤️

More…

 More Jasper because everything really sucks in this country right now Covid and asshole right wing Republican party-wise.  If you’re one of them, I hate your fucking guts.  Have a nice day!

Morning!

 Morning!

Merry Christmas

 Merry Christmas from our family to yours! (Photo from 2019, pre-apocalypse)

Happy holidays

 

Hi, how’s everyone doing?

Right now I’m trying my best not to worry and remember that doing so is unnecessary suffering.  I have no control over all the bad stuff happening in the world but I do have control over how I react to it.

So it’s 1:30 pm on a Monday and we’re blasting Jethro Tull’s Living in the Past, Jasper is perfection, sleeping on my lap, and Gary is baking his shortbread cookies, which, as per my fantasies, he’s amping up this year with some new flavors: brown sugar cinnamon and lemon almond.  

They melt in your mouth and I just saw my cardiologist, got a really good report, and weighed 130 pounds so screw the diet this month.

Anyway, enough about cookies, but yeah, we’re kind of nervously celebrating the start of the holiday season today, we just finished decorating the tree, approximately three weeks later than we’ve done it the last 50 years.  Due to everyone’s schedules, we’re celebrating Christmas January 1 this year. Assuming Omicron doesn’t raise its ugly head, Eric and Natalie will be here this weekend for Eric’s final week of Dr. Dog shows in Philadelphia and Julie will be here next Wednesdayfor almost two weeks!

Please oh please Omicron, stay away from my family. We haven’t had a holiday together since 2019. I don’t ask much.

So yeah, Omicron.  It’s a miracle I don’t have it, or just maybe, vaccinations work.

Ten days ago, I attended an intimate Christmas party with 19 other people.  I had dinner with the hostess the night before, and we sat next to each other for a couple hours.  We even hugged.  So when I woke up to the news two days later she had breakthrough Covid, I was pretty sure I would have it, too.  I immediately started isolating and home testing.

Guess what?  I’m negative and without symptoms.  So is everyone else who attended the party.

Are we the exception to the rule?  No clue, but I’m not anxious to find that out, so until we know more, we’re back in the house here at Casa Slick.

And we’re really hoping the kids can be here, but…

I can’t believe we’re still having this conversation almost two years later.

I still can’t believe Donald isn’t in prison for 850,000 American deaths.

Okay, I’ll stop because once I start on that mofo, I will stroke out.

In other news, Jasper is amazing.  He’s very smart and he makes us smile every day.  It’s like having a toddler all over again, he’s a handful and it’s glorious.

Retirement isn’t half bad, either.  I can’t wrap my brain around how much has changed in two years. I never would have believed Gary and I would both be home and actually enjoying ourselves.

Hahaha I was in Seattle for 4 days and when I called Gary to tell him I landed and to come pick me up, he was already at the airport, waiting.

You have no idea how out of character that is for him.

Omg the smell of cookies baking is killing me right now.

Gotta go, Gary needs a taster.  

More later, this puppy doesn’t give me much free time to write.

Happy holidays!