The family went to the house in Cazadero to celebrate my birthday for the weekend. It was wonderful. It ended with us viewing pictures on the television of the Rice family’s trip to New Zealand. When it ended, Erik said, “The next slide show,” and a picture came up of me when I was three. It continued with pictures from my whole life, put together by Jules. Everyone had participated.

Yes, I cried.

Julie took me to Trader Joe’s. The goal was to introduce me, believing I would be wise to shop there. She suggested I bring in a shopping bag. We explored. I bought nothing.

She bought gummies.

I am encouraged by my kids to shop at Trader Joe’s. I am not familiar with the store. Ari is getting their driver’s license, and they told me they would come over and introduce me to the store, aisle by aisle. They reminded me that I did that with them at Costco.

A tradeoff.

Carrie invited herself over for lunch next Sunday. Being the sacrificial mother that I am, I said yes. This means I will not be able to stay in my pajamas, my ritual for Sundays, because we decided on a restaurant to go to.

Children are so special.

I will spend time with friends and family, the best part. Lunch with two guys from high school (we do this every year), lunch with a friend, dinner with friends, brunch with my family, and a weekend with my family away.

These events mean everything to me.

The wildfires in the LA area are on everyone’s mind. Cities are totally destroyed. Homes, businesses, schools, libraries. The air is awful, filled with smoke and the output of all the materials that burned.

Where is it safe to live?

On vacation, I became aware of how Julie stops eating when she is no longer hungry. I never learned that. Came home and was exhausted from the trip and discovered no food appealed to me. I skipped meals. A whole new experience.

Progress.

Went to Mexico with Jules. At the pool, I spoke with two women, also mother and daughter. They were from West Bloomfield, a city away from where I lived in Michigan. The mother is the daughter of the man who was the doctor/friend of my friends Jane and Steve Raitt who died of covid five years ago.

Small world.

Jane Fonda, 88 years old, says that the key to doing well as we age is to be around people, to nurture friendships and family times. I concur. I believe it was one of the offshoots of the pandemic that affected people dramatically. Many have still not gotten back to active human interaction.

I encourage socializing.

My grandpuppy Harold came for a visit over Thanksgiving. I had his favorite toy for him, ZippyPaw cookies. Watching him play is a highlight. When he left, the cookies went into the laundry.

Preparing for his next visit.