Joe rents the attic apartment of my house. He's very prompt in delivering his rent check to my door on the 1st of the month. So this morning when I was preparing the bank deposit I realized that I didn't have Joe's rent. Being the 3rd of the month I gave Joe a call. "Joe, while I was preparing the bank deposit I realized I don't have your rent check for the month." Joe says "I slid it under the door on the 1st. Maybe the dog ate it". 
I told Joe that I did remember coming home one evening and seeing chewed up paper on the floor. It was nothing discernible but it was white and envelope-like. Ranger has been known to chew up papers. I thought it was something she pulled out of the trash can in the library or something. I just picked up the scraps without thinking about it and threw them away.
Joe promptly wrote another check for the rent and brought it down.
Before I left to run my errands I found a scrap of the paper on the floor near the piano in the living room. I pulled the little corner and there it was, the remnants of a check, just three of the pre-printed numbers along the bottom of the check, but definitely a check.
All of the windows and doors in the house are open and the breeze is blowing in. The weekend has been warm and sunny and we walked to Cliff's Edge for dinner last night for our belated Valentine's date. Walking off of Sunset into a rustic outdoor dining hall straight out of Africa. I don't know if that's what they were going for, but that's what it evokes for me. Feels like the Kirurumu tented camp on the ridge of the Great Rift Valley and the Serengeti. 
We started with a couple of Mojitos and French Fries with a gorgonzola dipping sauce. My warm seafood salad was wonderful. A mound of fresh mussels, clams, calamari and shrimp with red peppers, olive oil and lemon on a bed of peppery arugula. 
For desert, Red Velvet Cake and Espresso. Then the nice walk home wrapped in the warmth of a balmy evening.
I wouldn't say that I love shoes. But I've always liked shoes. I have plenty of them. And usually when I find a pair that I really do love, I wear them constantly and hate to throw them out when I've worn them out. Then wish that I had ordered two or three pair when I got them. But you never know which shoes are going to turn out to be your favorite shoes. I have recently bought a few new pairs of shoes. Although I'm a very economical shopper, you get what you pay for in a shoe. And quality and comfort cost more. I like the Merrell Performance Footwear and recently bought Sketchers that are super cushiony and comfy. So in an effort to find space for my new shoes, I decided to purge my closet of my old shoes. 
Yes, I actually used to wear these platform crazy-ass healed pumps. How long ago? A long, long time ago. Those are getting tossed in the yard-sale bin to make room for my new Sketchers.
It's raining today and a perfect day for making soup. I tore out a soup recipe from last week's Food Section of the Los Angeles Times and asked the dogs if they wanted to go to the kitchen. They followed me there flopping on the floor. Will strolled in a few minutes later and then went and cozied up to the window seat listening to the rain and reading a book. I poured a glass of wine and sipped it as I diced and minced and rinsed. Soup with winter greens and chickpeas:
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 turnip, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound chopped mixed greens (mustard, kale, turnip, etc)
1/2 teaspoon minced rosemary
1 16oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano
1 baguette sliced and toasted
In heavy soup pot, warm the olive oil and add the carrots, celery, onion and turnip. Cover and cook until softened, about 20 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 or 3 minute.
Add the mixed greens a handful at a time, stirring and giving them time to soften and shrink before adding the next handful. When all the greens have cooked, add 8 cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the rosemary and chickpeas. Bring to a simmer , cover and maintain a simmer. Cook until the broth is deeply flavored, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
When ready to serve, stir in 1/3 cup Parmigiano cheese and season to taste with pepper. Arrange two toasted slices of baguette in the bottom of each warm soup bowl and ladle the soup over the top. Sprinkle with more cheese to taste.
Serves 8
235 caloriesWe're going to head downtown to see Pan's Labyrinth and we'll come home to the soup for dinner.
Best buds sitting at the window, watching the world go by. 
* * *
Will and I went on a late afternoon Costco run yesterday and stocked up on animal supplies, and picked out a couple of books each, along with a crate of oranges. So this morning I'm searching the cupboards for my glass juicer and finally finding it in a plastic storage container under the blue colander in the back of the lower cupboard I began splitting oranges and twisting the juice out of them. On queue, the sun streamed in through the kitchen window.
A year ago I made a resolution to get control of my weight. And I controlled it, for six full months. Then it took control of me. I struggled, and even won a few, but then I gave in. In the six months of the year that I won the battles, I lost 25 pounds. In the six months that I lost the struggles, I gained back 8.
Now another New Year is approaching.
I feel my motivation re-igniting, and my will power gaining strength. I see myself on the trail with my husband and two dogs. I can clearly see myself rising out of bed in the early morning light getting in a two mile walk with said husband and two dogs. And as the days lengthen I see myself lighten. And I look forward to it.
One more weekend of indulgence. Chocolates, wine, rich and robust meals. Then healthful eating can resume, with appropriately portioned, nutritious meals with lots of fruits and vegis.
This year I resolve to win more than struggle. Not to gain weight but to gain control of my weight. To be active in my pursuit of good health.
*Note: In the self-photo taken Christmas morning in my jammys and with my glassses on, I'm wearing a string of black pearls and pearl earrings, given to me for Christmas by my wonderful husband. On some evening, I don't even remember when, I made some mention of liking black pearls. Not even said in the "what I want for Christmas" way, at all. Just a comment. And do you know what, he went and remembered that.
Just back from a wonderful outing to Riverside. Riverside you say? Yeah, nice place to visit ...
But this was for what has become an annual Christmas (or in this case Christmas Eve) dinner with my husband and Mother-in-law. We had early reservations so we hit the long road to Riverside at about 3:30 this afternoon, and only hitting a smidgen of traffic around Montebelo, I believe, arrived at the Historic Mission Inn before 5:00. I wanted to have a drink in the Presidential Lounge 
but the place was packed so we took a couple of photos and ogled the beautiful old place then found our way to the Mission Inn Restaurant for our dining pleasure.
We were led to a courtyard table and once out there ogled some more. The place was dripping in holiday lights and there were gilded, animated characters situated at all of the little balconies. The fountain was topped with boughs and a gold deer and holiday music was playing softly.
The Mojio, sorry to say, was very disappointing, arriving sans muddled mint and tasting more Margarita-y. The food however was awesome, even though the service was not the greatest. Then, between the main course (I had the Lamb Osso Buco) 
and desert (a Carrot Cake Pyramid) we were treated to a couple of lovely carols sung a capella by a young strolling quartet dressed in period clothes. In fact during the second song their voices rang so true and beautiful that, yes, I cried. It was truly beautiful.
I realized last night during our company holiday dinner, held this year at Off Vine in Hollywood, that this was the 4th that my husband has escorted me to. The first time was only about a month after we had met, and when I invited him I was really shocked that he said yes. I think at the top of anyone's list of least favorite things to do would be to attend the spouse's company holiday dinner. And even more so the woman you've only been dating a month. But he said yes, and has been there by my side every year. Even though I know its definitely not his favorite thing to do. That is love. That is being a companion and a caring husband. That is being a good man. Besides, he was the best looking husband there, tall and handsome in his suit and tie, he's interesting, funny and just so wonderful. It's a good feeling.
There's a little run-down house I pass on London Street on my way to and from work every day. At this time of year like everyone else with Christmas spirit they put their holiday decorations out. Every year it's the same ensemble on the little patch of lawn, including inflatable Santa, Snowman and Penguin. On my way home from work they are plump and jolly as I make my way around the bend.
And every morning they are puddles of vinyl like snowballs melted by the Southern California sunshine.
But I know that by the day's end as I come around the bend they will be plump and jolly again.
I have a Flickr account set up. Yay! It's a work in progress. I'll probably be selecting some of our travels to put up there. It'll be a lot better than plopping them in to the posts here.
December
Almost the end of the year. It's been a good one. A spectacular and wonderful road trip. Took care of some stuff around the house, like getting it painted. Hiked some new trails. Found good homes for our Navajo Nation pups. Visited family.
What's in store for the next year? Can't say right now. I know there will by things to achieve, to accomplish, to see, to do. Travel? You bet. Home improvement? There's always something. Get back on the FitDay track? Definitely.
And as always with my husband at my side we'll ride into our future embracing every moment of it. Man I love him so.
After a frustrating attempt to set up a flickr account (which is apparently conflicting with a yahoo account I already have set up) I will have to continue to post photos here without a link to my flickr set.
However, my husband notes our boomerang trip from west to east and back with a link to HIS flickr set here.
The trip to Myrtle Beach was excellent. We flew Delta and all of the flights were on time and fairly comfortable. 
Mom hooked us up with a cozy Ocean Villa in the travel park where they have the primo 3rd RV spot from the beach. Each spot comes with an open cabana and picknick table made from wood that has aged to a nice driftwood color. They enclosed their cabana in plastic sheating and made it comfy with quilts and coverings warmed by a toasty heater. The perfect dining room to feast on the Frogmore Stew Mom made. 
Pre feast we visited over wine and football, post feast with pumpkin and apple pie and eggnog.
Will and I took advantage of our proximity to the sea and walked the beach to the north and south. Collected seashells, saw a jellyfished washed up on the sand, lots of birds; grackles, gulls, piping plovers (which are endangered), pelicans and a great blue heron in flight. The sea was beautiful and relaxing and the walk felt good. The air smelled clean and the water clear and sparkly.
Mom and Lorne and thier two cats, Red and Pamela, have been on the road fulltime for about two years. They've now decided to settle down there in Myrtle Beach and forego the road. I (selfishly) wish they had found a place closer to the west coast, but hey, wherever they're happy. Really, I might even go as far as to say it was a breeze getting there, even during the holiday. And I can certainly see the attraction.
With an early morning flight to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Wednesday I'm packing super light. Just gonna fit it all in my backpack to carry on. I'll be wearing slip on shoes so I can easily slip them off at the security check, toss them in the bin with my 3-1-1 baggie of appropriately sized liquids, lay the backpack on the conveyer, and off I go. I'm looking forward to the travel. I've been to Africa, twice, but I've never been to the east coast.
It's going to be a quick trip, but I get to spend Thanksgiving with my Mom and Lorne on Myrtle Beach. I believe we'll be waking to the sound of the surf on Thanksgiving day as they've reserved us an Ocean Villa. And Mom's going non-turkey traditional with a Southern Seafood Boil.
It's all gone non-traditional since my Grandpa passed away and Grandma moved to Montana. I had been traveling home to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Northern California for 20 years, since I moved to Los Angeles in 1986. It was always such a great escape for me. Their house in Ono was particularly wonderful. Wild turkeys flying into the yard, the view across the valley, Grandpa pouring wine, Grandma's Sweet Potato Pie. Ultra traditional, Turkey with all the trimmings, and my family all there together.
It's different now. But even if we're not geographically all together, we certainly are in heart and spirit. I'm married now. And Will is family too. And he's wonderful for sharing this time with me and my family. He understands how important they all are to me. So, I can drag him across the country to spend one day, Thanksgiving day, with my Mom and Lorne.
This time of year is always very poignant for me. This is the time of year when I see my family, not Christmas. For me it's not about gift-giving, because they are my gifts. It's a time of gathering, of coming home, of giving thanks. Here's to looking forward, to family, no matter where they are.
I told Joe that I did remember coming home one evening and seeing chewed up paper on the floor. It was nothing discernible but it was white and envelope-like. Ranger has been known to chew up papers. I thought it was something she pulled out of the trash can in the library or something. I just picked up the scraps without thinking about it and threw them away.
