Friday Night Sleepover

 Not as exciting as it once was, I'm sure.  After camp, they had to get showers and change clothes, so it was after 7 when they got there. They rode their bikes, but we parked those and ran over to take care of their cat duties.  I let them do everything alone as a rehearsal for going by themselves tomorrow.  Hail, the black kitty was friendly and immediately ate his half of the food, plus a couple of treats.

Kipo was shy with us today.  I think he's really missing his family.  

We stayed awhile and tried to coax him out, but he was not feeling social.

So Hail cleaned up his half of the wet food.  They have plenty of dry food in an automatic feeder, so he won't be hungry, but I feel sad for him.

They added more water for the cat fountain and changed the litter.  Hail got brushed and petted, but Kipo remained under the table.

 

We had planned to stop at Ria Bravito on the way back for quesadillas, but when we got there, we found they had closed at 8:00.  They comforted themselves with taking pictures of their surroundings. 

Kate wants recognition for this beautiful photo.  I just noticed the bug on top.  Gray took the one with the sunset brightening Mount Si.

No one was really hungry, so we came home and thawed their leftover pizza from their last sleepover.  Along with vanilla ice cream with caramel topping.  It was a beautiful night, and I didn't really want to go inside.  

I guess the soccer games were successful.  Emily worked until 8:30 and will start over on day 2 tomorrow.  

Girls are watching Emma with Elise and have been promised 3 episodes of some Pokemon movie. 

I hope no one wants to stay up late.  😴

Summer Chaos and a Long July Catchup

 It seems that half my life I have trouble finding anything going on worth writing about, and then there are times like this where I can't keep up with it all and have no time for writing it all down.  What a crazy time it's been this year.  On top of the usual activities for the girls, this Proliance Clinic opening on the Ridge has consumed all of Emily's time and energy and thoughts, and we're trying not to NEED her so much.  It's not over yet, but they did have the soft opening Wednesday, which went well, I hear, and yesterday I even received some texts with FUN emotis and laughing faces and a sense that it was a really nice day. 

I got invited up to see the remodeling (almost finished) Tuesday night, and it was just lovely.  It looks like double the space and so light and open.  

I know there will be glitches and problems, like anywhere, but I'm really proud of her for giving up so much to get this project finished.  Her only reward will be sleeping for about a week when it's all over.  Which won't happen this weekend, because the company is sponsoring the Cascade Soccer Tournament here in town, and they will be on duty Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at two different parks.  Fortunately, Graysen doesn't play until next weekend - and yes, it happens again NEXT weekend - for a different age group.  Our tiny town will grow by 7000 people over 3 days, and I can't even imagine where they're going to park or sleep.  I'll try to think ahead next time there is an event like this and go on a vacation and leave the apartment and, more importantly, my parking space, to a newcomer.  One of the exits onto I-90 is also blocked because of construction.  Luckily, I just don't have to worry about things like that too much.  

All that's been going on:

--School ended, and the girls seem to have found employment to fill in their time around camps.  I'm going to have to make appointments to see them.

--Kate has been asked by a young family to be a "mother's helper" for 3 mornings a week to help out with entertaining their 6-year-old while one or both work at home.  I don't have all the details, but I know that Kate met and bonded with the little girl when she was her reading buddy at school.  Fifth graders are assigned a kindergarten reading buddy during the school year, and this worked out so well.  Kate has been beside herself with excitement.  I hope it works out as well as it seems to be going.  

Then one afternoon a week, Graysen is going to watch both children - the 6-year-old and the 2-1/2-year old for a few hours.  They accompanied them to an event in town, and it sounds like it's good for everyone.

Unfortunately, the SweetLines mountain bike camp that the girls love so much is every day this week in Issaquah, so they can plan nothing but that.  So much fun seeing friends from years past and getting all that exercise - plus bruises, bug bites, and dirt.  That ends today but so glad they got a chance to do it.

--As for me, Elise and I are cleaning the garage still and gave away a whole bunch of stuff.  That's hard work, watching the FB page for people requesting things and setting up a porch pickup and changing times and items around.  It became a full-time job for a few days.  I was up in the middle of the night adding just one more item to a bag and trying to remember who it was who asked for it and when they were coming by.  I enjoyed some nice conversations during the whole process.  Some I remember:  Donating fabric and sewing books and patterns to a 12-year-old girl who is already making her own clothes as well as doll clothes.  What a go-getter.  I think she is even selling earrings and things she's made at a kids' bazaar somewhere.  So glad to help even a little bit.

Another person saw a random shower head I had taken off the apartment shower and asked for it since they all of a sudden had theirs mess up.  You never know.  I had caramel K-cups we weren't going to drink, and someone who likes caramel coffee ran by and picked them up.  Strangely, no one wanted a perfectly good coffee pot that uses K-cups and a brewer.  I think we handled a dozen or more giveaways and made a nice dent in our mess.  We have only a back seat full of donations now for when we have time to go to a thrift shop.  Ryan is going to take some things to try to sell.  I don't like that part of it - the selling.  I have found it easier to just open the trash can lid and throw away things!  Now I have to keep myself away from checking out other people's free things and bringing them home.  Luckily, there's very little I want right now - just more room for what I have.

This Barbie Camper was hard for the girls to part with, and they're in luck, because no one else wants it either.  I see a sneaky trip to the dump for that and a few other things.  

-- The girls have another job that I'm a little involved in until camp is over.  Our former neighbors and sweet friends are spending 10 days on the East Coast and trusting us to take care of their two kitties.  They will ride their bikes the mile or so (maybe) starting Saturday, but Elise and I went over to check things out and feed them the first 2 days and give them some petting.  They were friendly but not really excited to see us.  Give them a few days, and I think they'll be glad to see people.  And hopefully pictures to add today.

I'm really impressed at how early and how innovative some of the middle school and high school kids are with jobs and responsibility.  Dog walking, cat sitting, babysitting, running errands, yard work.   They're making their own ads and sharing them on FB through their parents' pages.  So nice. And still keeping up with the numerous activities they have.  I wish we could put some of these fast scooter and bike riders to work.  I'm so afraid of hitting one, the way they just dart out of nowhere in front of my aging reflexes!  

---- Mah Jongg!  We've had to take a lot of time off our twice weekly games because of family things - kids, vacations, just general busyness, but we did get together yesterday for a nice time at the Y.  The three of us regulars enjoyed catching up, and we had a new person join us.  She's only had a few lessons but is very eager to learn, and we all need to slow down and go over the rules sometimes.  She lives in Scottsdale and come here to spend some time visiting her WA grandchildren - just a few of her 11 grands! We're set to play Tuesday again.  

Kate and I finally got a chance to sit down and continue with her learning while Gray was at soccer practice.  She is going to be really good if she keeps on at this pace.  I helped a little, but she knew which hand she was looking for and accomplished it.  

We then sat on the porch while we waited for Emily to pick up and listened to the Music in the Park a few blocks away.  I'm not familiar with bands or anything.  Someone said something about a Tom Petty cover band.  I don't know, but it did sound good, and it sounded noisy and happy over there. It was so perfect as far as temperature - maybe a little cool - but birds singing, fresh air, people walking by and saying hello.  Emily thought Kate and I were having heartfelt conversations or something when she drove up, but she soon found out I was teaching her some Southern expressions.  One of Mike's favorites was "Mama and 'em" to describe several family members or even just one person.  You have to say it with just the right dialect though, so it comes out - Here comes Mama Nem. Or sometimes even Momern 'em!  She practiced and was going to try it on Ryan, who loves to collect Southernisms.  One of our favorite is "It's comin' up a cloud" which we can use here practically every day over 3 seasons.  

--- Today is cat feeding, picking up the few grocery items I forgot yesterday, picking up a book at the library, maybe some late-afternoon time with the girls.  I hope they're not too ambitious.  

--- I'm reading - on line - The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, the author of the book The Help which we enjoyed so much - the book and the movie.  This one takes place in Mississippi - I think The Help did also - during the Depression.  I can see it's going to make me cry before I get through with it, although this author is very entertaining.  I wanted audio, but it would have taken me a year to get that free, so I downloaded the actual book.  Sometimes it's good not to multitask and just sit down and concentrate on a good story.  I have so many library holds lined up, and I'm afraid they're all going to come in at the same time. I've not found any really good things to read lately, so this gives me hope.

Anything else to touch on?  Noreen has done exceptionally well recovering from her knee replacement.  I'm sure she didn't feel exceptional every day, but now that's the worst is over, I think it was a good decision.  I dread having to try to keep up with her once she gets out walking.   

And my computer has had a little of a rough patch.  As I told Ryan, the girls and I are hard on  computers, and mine is a large screen and awkward.  I won't mention how it got sick, but I'm trying to type as the screen just rolls and rolls enough to make me dizzy.  I have to go to my phone to edit pictures and make corrections, so I'm spending way more time than I should on this.  

---Can't forget a precious new cousin for the girls in South Dakota. A little brother for Sailer! More about that plus pictures next time hopefully.  

Hopefully, I'll be getting another computer soon and won't forget all that's happening in my little world.  

Well, June is Almost Gone

 This was probably the most boring June ever.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe it's because I'm entering a new time in my life where I'm more on my own and don't quite know what to do with myself.  I guess the main problem is I don't WANT to do anything with myself.  

Wins for the week were getting my hair cut yesterday, and that was a good thing.  Beth worked her wonders on my unkempt hair.  She had been to Alabama and Florida - and New Orleans - the same day as we were there, so we had a chance to find out about those trips.  It's nice to hear views from someone who has never spent much time in the South and never in Alabama.  They managed to visit before the heat took over so had some good days.  They went to Panama City Beach just for lunch.  I'm not judging!  It sounds excellent to me.

The girls had come over to swim on a warm day last week, and we went to the grocery store.  The problem is that the things they got to eat are here and are still uneaten.  If Graysen doesn't get that salad package opened today, I'll be eating it or will toss it.  The drinks and snacks will be fine the rest of the week, but they might not be wanting to get out much.  

It sounds like they had a busy weekend.  Ryan and Graysen went somewhere for a soccer tournament, and it was back-to-back days, a good distance away, and several games, so they just spent the night.  I think Gray enjoyed getting some time with the girls who don't go to school with her.  I take it they didn't win since I didn't hear about it!  So she rested up yesterday, and Kate had a friend over, so they'll enjoy doing nothing today.

Elise found a note on our door stating that we would have some sort of visitors (inspection type) over the first 3 days this week.  It sounds different than a lot of quick checks they do every once in a while, so that will be interesting.  We have no idea what day or what time they'll be here, so we have to stay semi-alert for that.  Everything in the garage seems to be scattered around the apartment, waiting for sorting and either donating or finding a place for.  We sort of know what we're doing, and the goal is to turn the "sewing room" into a bedroom for Elise so she doesn't have to sleep on the couch.  If we don't get a 3-bedroom apartment this summer, I'm not sure how we're going to manage.  It's just not enough room for 2 people in a 2-BR apartment - both with way too much stuff - even though I've pared down as much as I can.  

Noreen made it through her knee replacement last Wednesday, and even though I know it's been awful at times and just something you have to endure, she seems to have done really well.  Most of that is preparing ahead and anticipating all the things she would need and lining up people to be there when she needs them.  

While Elise was cleaning out her bins from the garage, I attacked the kitchen drawers and cabinets and made a little more sense of them.  There's nothing like opening a drawer and finding just what you need with no crumbs in the drawer.  We have duplicate sets of a lot of things, and we're seeing what we can get rid of and what Elise wants to save for a place of her own one day.  By now, I know what I need, and it's not much!  But there are still those sentimental mugs and bowls and even dish towels you can't get rid of.  

 I got all the sheets clean and on the bed this weekend with Elise's help and all my laundry done, so I can coast a little bit and see if we have visitors this morning.  My favorite time of day is sitting at the window early in the morning with the blinds up listening to the birds sing and seeing what kind of precipitation we're having today.  It looks like a gray day but beautiful anyway.  I'm waiting to see if the girls want to come over today and also talking with Sharon about whether or not we're going to play Mah Jongg tomorrow.  We have to have just the right combination of people to make it fun - number wise - so I'm holding out until tonight before I commit.  

I entered an online MJ tournament Sunday and surprised myself by making 128th out of 828 players.  It's a charity event, and no one knows how you score unless you tell them or end up the top 5 players.  

I don't know how to do a screen shot from my computer, so here are the results I snipped from the web page.  I'm not RebeccaW, although I'm envious.

Each person played 16 games against bots, and I won 6 of them, even with the timer on.  When I draw a tile, I like a little more than a few seconds to make a decision on what I want to do with it.  If you don't think quickly, the computer just discards it for you.  That's the only thing I don't like.  

I have a few things I want to get done this week, but I'm not very ambitious.  The next week, the girls are set to start feeding our friends' cats for 10 days while they're out of town, but since they'll be in a mountain biking camp for 3 of those days, I might help out a little.  They really look forward to that camp every year.  Graysen is going back to Camp Seymour for a week later on this summer, but Kate is just not the camping-with-peers type.  She loves to go with her family but does not enjoy all the activities you have to do.  I think she just hasn't had a good experience yet.  

The PT clinic here is set to open on the 8th - just 2 days late - and maybe Emily will be able to carry on a conversation of more than 2 sentences with me after that.  

I'll get out later today with my camera and see what I can discover.  In spite of the drizzle this week and the cool temps, it's just beautiful to see all the green outside.  The tourists are all out in Snoqualmie town and North Bend, but here on the Ridge, it's just nice and quiet with everyone working or sleeping in.  By afternoon, the dog walkers and bicyclists and kids playing will liven things up.  I'm hoping for some warm days for drinking coffee on the porch.  

This was the sewing room at one point this weekend when Elise was staging her bins and getting rid of lots of stuff she's accumulated.

It worked fine when it was just me and the sewing machine, but it doesn't make a very nice room for living and sleeping, so we're working on it.

This was not a fun thing to see this weekend.  Black bears are not known to pay much attention to you, but there was an attack nearby when a person got between a mama bear and her cubs.  He's okay, but it's still scary.  Community Park is just blocks from here, walking distance even for me.  Poor things are just hungry and doing what bears do.  

From the time we moved here, Mike and I were impressed by the huge flower baskets hanging from the light poles.  I saw this at an intersection in North Bend yesterday.  I wonder how they keep them looking so beautiful all the time.

I put out two hummingbird feeders this weekend since I could hear some in the trees above us, but I haven't seen one yet.  Cats sitting in the rocking chairs watching them might be too intimidating. 

That's all I can find to record this Monday morning.  I guess I'll start with my day before it gets too far gone.

Sidetracked

 I was rocking right along with keeping up with my life events, as small as they are, but all of a sudden I just lost my desire to keep tabs on myself.  

Not that I'm turning over a new leaf, but here's a start.  

It's been a rough patch for a few weeks with so much busyness and so little time and some misunderstandings that turned out to be nothing.  I tend to overthink and worry too much, and somehow I'm going to have to work on that.  I finally gave in to a home health visit from my United insurance company just to keep them from calling me every day, and it turned out to be quite nice.

I see my primary doctor and cardiologist enough that I don't think I need anyone new coming in and checking on me, but I did enjoy Meri, a sweet nurse from Duvall, who kind of wove all my various messes together into a plan of sorts.  She asked all the right questions and was very interested in my answers and just more than my physical health.  I tend to worry about things I can't do anything about, avoid things that don't fall into perfect alignment with my expectations and waste a lot of time thinking about all the what-ifs.  Getting old is quite an adventure.  Sometimes I think I do okay, and other times I just want to give up and be invisible.  

I keep thinking about one thing she said when we were talking about handling my anxiety.  I said I've probably needed anti-depressants before but am afraid of side-effects and the unknowns, but she said, "Sometimes NOT taking a medication that can help you is a side-effect in itself."  I had to think about that a minute, but if there is a medication that might keep me from driving my friends and family crazy, maybe I should try it - for their sake anyway!  That's on my question list for my September visit.  Sometimes when I hear a siren in our tiny town or on the interstate, I will get a call from Emily saying - We're all okay.  What about you?  Maybe it's inherited.  

So the other positives lately!

It wasn't easy coordinating it, but I grabbed my girls yesterday and went to the grocery store and then to the pool.  Because of my procrastination, I hadn't left home by 10 a.m., and therefore they were my willing companions.  They're the sweetest and most helpful girls, but with a crowded store and no prior planning, we were backtracking all over Safeway and spending way too much money.  Of all days for some of the self-help registers to have glitches, it was when we were there.  Kate wanted to hand me the items for scanning, and Graysen wanted to put them in the bags and arrange them.  That took more coordination than I expected, especially when Kate will use any excuse to use the scanning wand or whatever that thing is called.  Half the time, I was reaching behind me to grab the item.  Then they love to do produce.  One types in the name, and one puts in the weight and bags it - taking twice as long as if I had done it myself.  I could see a line forming behind us but refused to make eye contact with anyone!  It was great though, even when I heard the announcement, "Oops, we're up to $100."  That was NOT helpful.

We got the melting ice cream into the freezer and everything else put away with Elise's help, had a snack and headed for the pool.  I was a little draggy by then with no lunch, but once I got there and got settled in a comfortable chair in the shade, it was lovely.  Nice breeze and only one more family there at first, so the girls had a good time by themselves, once they got used to the water being a little too cool.  

A bonus was having Mary and her granddaughter Vivi show up.  It's been so long since we've talked, and it was great seeing her.  My girls were ready to go, so we didn't overlap too much, but it was about the right amount.  

I let Gray indulge in her current favorite Dr. Pepper - just because I'm Mimi and I like to make her happy.  Within reason!

Unfortunately, a rainy stretch is starting today along with cooler temps, so we'll be working on doing something different if they come over today.  

Elise and I are serious about our garage cleanout.  We've tried this before, but this time we were truly serious.  Ryan came over and took away 4 or 5 items to take to the dump.  It already looks better.  I'm no longer going to hold onto a bin or a lid if there is not a well-fitting mate.  If it hasn't happened in all this time, it's not going to.  We're listing 99% of our stuff on the Buy Nothing page, so it should be a busy time.  I love this page.  I have no qualms about listing a collection of K-cups collected because of having caramel in the name and not being consumed here.  Someone reading might just love caramel-flavored coffee and take them off our hands.  Besides, I have a good coffee pot with a K-cup side and a regular carafe side that someone might enjoy.  It's too much for us.  

Elise is going to finally pack of all her grandmothers' old china and silver and other inherited things and get them stored.  I need my dining room for other things - mainly Mah Jongg and sewing  - if I may be allowed to entertain those hopes!  If we can find a 3-bedroom apartment next spring, we will be happy.  Otherwise, we'll continue to crowd into this one.

Elise can't go to the grocery store without coming home with some kind of plant, and this time it was a beautiful begonia.  I haven't even been to a nursery this spring but just continuing to keep what I have alive.  It's been a little chilly for sitting outside yet, but I'm about to change that.

Unfortunately, Noreen, my favorite porch-sitting friend, had knee replacement surgery yesterday morning, and it will be a little while before that happens.  She's getting it over with early in the year so she can enjoy the rest of the summer without pain.  According to her daughter, the surgery was a success, and she is now in that unenviable position of healing.  Luckily, she has sweet family members, a friend from her former hometown here for a few days, and a pre-med student home from school for the summer as caretakers.  

Speaking of knee replacements and healing, Emily is trying not to get her hopes up too high - but READY for the grand opening of the clinic July 6th.  For a while, she thought it was going to be delayed because of contractor and remodeling problems, but she sounded much better about it yesterday.  I'll try to get down and take some pictures of the blue and beige interior instead of that mud-brown one that was there before.  

I'm behind on a lot of pictures.  It's now the middle of the night, but as soon as I get up for good, I'm going to take a tour around the house and record the tornado that's hit our space as well as whatever else I can record in my limited existence.  

No Mah Jongg this week.  We just don't expect to get many games in this summer with trips and children and activities, but we'll start back in the fall.  I see that someone is giving lessons at the senior center, so maybe we'll have a few more people we can enjoy playing with.  Kate and I are getting out our pink set and playing some, while shaming Elise and Graysen for not being good sports and playing with us.  

What else?  Oh, we have a little watermelon and corn-on-the cob to look forward to.  The Fourth of July parade as such has been cancelled, but the whole town can still dress in their patriotic colors and walk from the school to the Y where the festivities are.  Noreen and I won't be sitting on the porch waving our flags this year.  We always say we wish we would walk over and watch the fireworks, but for some reason, they don't get started until we're ready for bed.  Good thing we have a lot of good memories of our fun Fourths through our lifetimes.

I lost my first and best childhood friend Tonnie this week in South Carolina.  She's always lived in Florida, but since the onset of Alzheimer's, she's lived with a daughter in SC.  That hurts.  Many sweet memories of the fun we had and the adventures.  I'm so glad we got together a few years ago when we went to St. George's.  We met one afternoon and tried to cover our whole lives in one sitting.  So much fun.  Such a special friend.  This is also something I'll try to come back and post pictures and memories of.  

The WinBins lost their outside cat Luna this year.  She has been around awhile and lived in both places at various times, but the past few years, she owned their fenced yard with her little heated house, sunshine to stretch out in, birds and racoons to chase, and we like to think she had a good life.  She was never very sociable to humans but seemed to enjoy having someone sit beside her and talk and bring her food, of course.  It's always sad to lose a pet friend, and she'll be in our hearts.  

It's been a season of sadness, including the death of one of our old neighbors from Thomaston, a young man with such a future and loved by so many.  

I need to go back to bed and get rested for the day.  Hoping we'll get some things accomplished and make room in this crowded apartment.  I'm thankful for the easy life I have now, even though I complain a lot!  Right now, my focus is on my right heel and getting rid of that plantar fasciitis.  Emily showed me two exercises this weekend and gave me some tips.  I think I need to invest in some better shoes soon.  I hardly wear shoes at all, but I'll try to do better.  It really hurts!

Getting a haircut this weekend should put me in a nice frame of mind to kick off the summer.  And planning for Stephanie and Gray to visit in September.  I can't believe June is almost over, and I spent so much of that time worrying and fretting over small things.  

Let the summer begin!  

Lost Weekend

 Just a weekend of things planned and not followed through with and dissatisfaction of my ability to follow though with anything.  

I can't even remember anything I did, but for the last part of Sunday afternoon, I finally found an audio book I'm enjoying.  I spent a good portion of time copying a list of books I want to read and reread - or at least books that have been recommended.  I have a feeling I'll cancel most of them.  I tried 3 times this week to read The God of Small Things just because I saw Anne Patchett give a good review about a new book written by the same author.  She said she had read this book when it was a on the best seller list a long time ago.  She gave the impression that I was the only person who hadn't read it at the time and had my life changed by it.  So I tried it.  I gave it several chances and absolutely hated it.  It was a good feeling to press the Return to Library button.  So there.  I tried.  Chances are I won't like the new one written by the same author, Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy.  It's on hold, and if I get it, I'll give it a try.

I'm not too interested in reading things I don't like.  I made a new list of 76 books just waiting for me, either recommended by people or written by authors I'm familiar with.  I'm just glad this new book is good enough to keep my interest all evening.  It's A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.  No great plot and no real action, but the writing is good and keeps me interested.  I think it matches the mood I'm in tonight.  It's a really long book.  I'm on Chapter 3 and only 10% finished.  

I can't do anything that involves thinking or distraction while I listen, so I did laundry and changed sheets and other housework, but I've re-discovered the mindless pleasure of online jigsaw puzzles.  No thinking involved but just the satisfaction of clicking those pieces together to make a picture.

I chose the first one offered, and it was very satisfying.  I chose 500 pieces, because any smaller, I could barely see.

I guess I'll listen a little more when I go to bed, but I'm sure I'll fall asleep and have to rewind the tape.

Maybe tomorrow will be more lively.  It's hot, but we were cool inside.  Tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter.  I wonder if the girls will want to swim.  I hope so.  It will be nice to sit by the pool instead of finding something to do inside.  Tuesday is their last day - a half day only - and then it will be summer.  

Days and Nights

 One good thing about my life lately is that I have so few things I HAVE to do.  The summer will be different, but if I'm up for a couple of hours in the afternoons when the girls are here or available for Mah Jongg games twice a week, I can plan my days just like I want. I can also take a quick nap when I want to, but the problem starts when my naps turn into what I think is bedtime.  

I had been out and active and walking and cleaning for a big part of the week, so I was ready for some rest.  About 8:30 or so of what I thought was the next day, I heard vacuuming and noise and sounds of cleaning from Elise.  It surprised me, because she's not an early riser, but she was up and cleaning all the hard floors - vacuuming, mopping, discussing cleaners, etc.  I felt a little grumpy about being awakened and involved, so I just got a cup of coffee and went to read over some books I had ordered for the girls for the summer and see if I wanted to keep them all.  I heard people outside on the sidewalk talking and laughing and figured it was people headed to work or school (forgetting it was Saturday - in my mind).  I got deeply engrossed in my reading and note-taking and spent at least an hour doing that when I looked up at my window and noticed it was dark - very dark. The light finally came on in my brain that it was still the same day I went to bed.  

I feel totally out of it when things like that happen, but I've allowed it, and really there's nobody it bothers.  I do like the fact that I have 8 more hours to do what I want to (hopefully sleep some more).  I've tried being on more of a schedule, but I just don't sleep that well from around 3 a.m to 6, so I'm always off at some point. 

From the time I was 20 and married and working and then having children and then still working until age 70, I never seemed to have enough time.  So now that I have it, I'm treasuring it and just enjoying it, no matter if it's day or night.  I think it might be healthier to have a regular schedule, but I'm not sure how I can do that, so I'll just go with the occasional senior moment and laugh about it - more than an occasional moment lately.  

So now I have my time back, I'll post the pictures of my afternoon with Kate on Thursday and then practice Mah Jongg a little.  I have a new audio book that I should be able to keep awake for.  I have sheets to wash, but I'll take pity on Elise and my neighbors and wait until the morning.  I have several blogs and columns I read and neighborhood news.  I wish I would sew or do anything practical, but I'm not able to force myself to do much in such a small shared space.  

Anyway, after hanging out a bit after school on Thursday and having some conversation about what we should do, we decided to walk downtown to the gem shop so Kate could spend the birthday money Aunt CC had given her.  Gray was less enthusiastic but still wanted to go and maybe stop by the library and get something cold to drink.  As we started down the sidewalk, Emily called and said she was working in town and was just leaving the coffee shop where she had been on a phone meeting since the remodeling has started on the clinic.  

She actually saw us walking, and pulled into a side street.  We stood at her window talking and irritated one man and blocked a UPS truck briefly, so she pulled into our alley and Gray decided to go home with her and hang out and relax.  Kate is just the best companion when we're walking.  She watches those dangerous sidewalk eruptions for me and holds my hand crossing the street!  It's fun being an only child sometimes too, and going to her favorite shop was enough to make her day.  

We found the Earthlight Rocks, Gems, and Minerals shop open, and entered her wonderland. 

I've never known much about crystals and gems or learned to appreciate them, but both girls can spend as much time in there as they're given, just touching and admiring and exclaiming over the pretty things.  They don't get to go often enough with their parents because of the amount of time they want to spend each time, and children under 18 aren't allowed without a grownup.  I think I read that, but I may be wrong.  I'll have to check.  I would not let children loose in my shop with that many little rocks and jewels to admire  

There are two locations for this shop, one in Kirkland and one here in Snoqualmie.   I'm not a real jewelry person either, but I did find some necklaces I liked.

She immediately went to the kid's area and found a frog that she fell in love with.  She went back in a few minutes to claim it and never let it go.  Funny how the craziest-looking things win someone's heart.  

We did a lot of looking and discussing of bracelets and pendants, just beautiful crystals and stones.  She loved touching every one of them.  We checked out the amber necklaces that Elise had shown an interest in and sent her some pictures.  She's pretty much as obsessed at Kate is, and I'll have to let the two of them go together next time.  

The necklaces I liked but would probably forget to wear.  Such pretty colors.

Sweet girl.  She's so polite and well informed about the things she's looking at.  I learned a lot.  She knew just how much she had to spend and came within a few dollars of estimating correctly.

She settled on 3 bracelets in patterns of black and gold and the frog plus one more thing that she loved - a disk with a hole in the middle.  Bracelets are in a picture below.

I'm not sure she would ever have wanted to leave if I hadn't finally sat down on a bench to rest, and she decided she was ready for her mango smoothie a couple of doors down at the Sno Thai Cafe.

She put her order into the kiosk - no stranger to kiosk ordering - and had time for the allowed free Pac Man games.  She said if she ever opened a restaurant, she would have machines that no one would have to pay for, and kids could play all they wanted.

Such a sweet guy.  I don't go in there enough to know his name, but he took great pains with her smoothie and even gave her a little bag of cotton candy.  

I got a taste or two of that smoothie, and it was perfection!  Just what was needed on a warm spring day.  I've had their regular food a couple of times, and it was delicious.  We're lucky to have them in town - both of these businesses.  This is right across the street from her DMW class building and a block from the new clinic Emily is working so hard to open by July.  Of course, the town is only three blocks, so everything is right there within walking distance of the apartment, including the library.

What could be better than this?  Her 3 new bracelets that she loves, her mango smoothie, and her froggie in the bag! We saw 2 little girls and their grandmother coming out of the gem store who had been in there when we were leaving.  We stopped and let them show off their purchases and had a sweet little conversation.

As we turned the corner to go back to the apartment, I spotted my new friend Helen sitting on her porch crocheting.  We stopped and talked for a few minutes.  She has a nice place that is bright and gets some morning sunshine. I'm envious of that.  She has a granddaughter in third grade, I think.  I was thankful to finally get home and rest a little, but it was a perfect amount of walking that was needed.  What a good day.

Countdown to the End of School

 Frankly, I'm not really sure of all the things that go on for the next week.  I'm just here for the ride.  I have all the times and dates in my calendar if I really need to know.

Yesterday, Graysen surprised me by coming in before 11:00, even though I knew she had a 10:43 release time.  She reminded me that she had been in school for nearly half a day by then, and it was time!  

We had about an hour before Katherine came home from her early release, so she did the usual catching up with her little cousin Sailer on FB and eating a few snacks and just lying on my bed and talking.  So many things going on to be excited about.  She's having a sleepover on the last day of school, and she and Sawyer needed to have a few discussions about that.  I think they're going to cook, for one thing, and watch some movies.  Who knows.  They get their yearbook today, and that's always a fun day for everyone.  I'm able to put names with faces of people she mentions if they've gone through kindergarten with her, but how they've grown and changed!

In this picture, about half of them started out with her in kindergarten and a good many are from Snoqualmie Elementary School.  These have know each other for 2 years now, and they will all end up at the same high school with about 4 more schools next year.  

She wanted to be in the WEB program in eighth grade, and there were 30 in all who were invited.  They'll have various functions during the next summer and on through the school year, acclimating the new class of 6th graders into the school and helping out where they can.  I hope it's a nice experience for her.  

I've already run out of time to write this morning, so I'll save mine and Kate's downtown adventure for later.  She did have her field day Tuesday.  I didn't hear anything about it, but someone had taken some pictures to send to Emily.  Looks like a lot of fun.  

Emily sent these pictures of the clinic under siege by the remodeling team.  Scary!

I can't wait to see the new and brighter space.