Gratitude Monday 7/12

Monday morning, another gray and chilly bay area summer morning.

Sunshine will probably hit around noon. I love this summer weather.

The garden is ridiculously abundant. I mean, really, look at that zucchini. As big as Avery’s torso. As big as my thigh. Totally not my style…This belongs to another of the gardeners in our little community garden, one who is famous for planting an abundance of veggies and then never harvesting any!

It’s really funny, you can’t turn your back on zucchini. It grows so fast!

I’m eating from the garden every day. Patty pan, yellow crookneck, green zucchini (I pick ’em small, as I do all my veggies) cut up into chunks and grilled. Green beans, purple string beans, romanos quick sauteed. And of course kale, chard, tatsoi, mizuna, beet greens cooked until just wilted and mixed with curried mushrooms. Yum yum yum!

And I add to that at the farmers markets with corn and artichokes. And avocados and yams. The mainstays of my healthy veggie-rich life.

I am so grateful for the time I got to spend with my daughter this weekend. I was moved to lavish her with gifts. I made a mojo bag for her with some magical stones (for clarity, strength, inspiration); some milagros for prayer and faith and strength; some garnet dust for safe returns, and a goddess amulet. I also gave her Our Bodies, Our Selves (late, I know! I apologized for being such a negligent mother!), and some shirts that don’t fit me right. Plus a bag to carry everything in.

All this, plus $120 to spend in Hawai’i. And taking her out to lunch. It felt so good. I love my daughter. I am so blessed.

(I’m forgetting as fast as I can the horrible movie we saw, Grown-Ups. Ick. The.Worst.Movie.of.the.Decade.)

I am very grateful as well for my family of choice. Had a lovely time walking up to Pixar with Ladybug, Webster and the boys. I actually got invited to see a screening at Pixar! What an experience. I’d never stepped foot on the campus before, although I drive by it all the time. A fascinating place! We saw Despicable Me in 3D. Wasn’t that impressed with the movie, loved the company and the experience. And then to top it off, Webster shared some of his homemade veggie curry, which became my dinner (I added some quinoa and some of the veggies in my fridge and yum! done and done).

I got to DJ again this weekend, in the blues room. Delightful. Got some good dancing in. Saw some friends. Expressed myself in movement. Had fun.

This week’s dance commitment: I will go blues dancing in Berkeley on Tuesday night. And I will go swing dancing once this week as well. So mote it be!!

Another wonderful experience this weekend for which I am humbly grateful. Andrew made a video homage of his mother’s life and shared it with a group of us. I was blown away by the experience of watching his mother’s life in pictures, with perfect musical accompaniment.

Lots of new work possibilities in the house. Time to get busy with them.

Gratitude abounds. Blessed be!