Had brunch at Erik’s for my birthday. I was given a pot of hydrangeas which was a beautiful gift from everyone including Julie who could not be there. Erik made a frittata and crescent rolls and Isaac made a berry crunch for dessert. They also provided a very hot salsa for me. I was told to take it home. It was all yummy. The boys made birthday cards with intimate messages.

Touching touches.

I talked to Isaac the other day and asked how he was.  He said, “Excellent.”  I pointed out that, during the pandemic, most are not feeling that way.  He told me that he had received the holiday money my daughters and I sent him and he had just invested it in a stock he was very optimistic about.   

I relish his way of being in the world.

There are two men I went to high school with, in Michigan, who invited me to celebrate our birthdays together since I moved to California nine years ago.  We have met in restaurants.  The plan this year was for one to initiate a virtual lunch with his program, not Zoom.  I clicked on the link, saw both, but I was not visible.  When I clicked on the cue to become visible, my name appeared a second time and my voice began to echo.  The man who was not the host, could not be heard.  You name it, we tried it, including beginning again.  It never worked. We are trying again with the other man’s Zoom in March.

I did eat my salad. 

As I walked this morning, the wind was over 40 mph.  It is garbage pick up day, and canisters were tipped everywhere.  Trash was flying.  As I walked North and West, I was walking into the wind. Will this contribute to burning more calories.  

Thinking while walking.  

As I stepped into the shower today, I realized I had not shaved my legs in a while. It is winter, my legs are covered, and I see few people during the pandemic anyway. And then the possibility of contracting the virus occurred to me. What if I end up in a hospital?

I shaved.

Walked, as I do every day now, on one of my four paths. Something was different. I realized that finally, everyone had removed their holiday lights and decorations. The inflatables were down. The trees were in the street for garbage pickup.

Another holiday season over.

All of us will have this problem at some time in our lives. There is a good chance we will have it a few or many times. What do we do when we receive a gift we do not like? Dare we tell anyone and seem ungrateful? If we are in front of the gift giver, do we smile and verbalize our appreciation and feel fraudulent? Do we pass the gift forward? Do we return it?

I still have not mastered this.

Isaac has developed an interest in investing, particularly in stocks. He asked me about my investments. First, he sent me his recommendations. Then I told him what I have. He then sent me a message commenting on my portfolio and offering alternatives, though he liked my portfolio except for one stock which he has a moral problem with. So do I. And so, I trust his opinion and will schedule a conversation with my financial advisor.

Time to take a different risk.

Julie now has Harold, her rescue puppy. He has acclimated to life with her as though he has been there his whole life. He will be two soon, based on her estimate. He goes for walks and loves the other dogs and cats that he sees on his ventures. But he is very attracted to the squirrels in the trees. He has decided he wants to climb the tree and play. There is a video of him trying to jump as high as he can.

Ongoing frustration.

I miss fall in the Midwest. I loved the change of color with the trees. As I walked this morning, I was aware of the amount of leaves on the sidewalk. At that time of morning, the sound of stepping on dry leaves was very noticeable. As the sun rose, I became very aware of the colors of the leaves. There was brown, red, yellow and orange. Until I started walking, I was less aware of the color change.

I felt closer to home.