Sunday Salon, May 18th

Tent Rocks National Monument

Weather: is is rainy and blustery right now. This morning it was sunny. We actually came home from some errands and turned on the gas fireplace. The house just seemed cold.

This past week: We were in Santa Fe the first part of the week (as I reported on my last Sunday Salon posting) and we were there when the weather turned from normal spring weather---dry and warm--- to cold and snowy. In fact, it was snowing as we left town. Our plane was delayed due to the weather in The Rockies so we got into Seattle around 9 PM, home by 10 PM. The worst part of vacations is the flight home and this flight took the cake for obnoxious flights. Since I missed two days of work I had quite a bit of work to catch up on and the week zoomed along. By Friday afternoon I was exhausted. I went to a dinner engagement with my husband but spent most of the time there yawning.

Yesterday: I finally got out to a few greenhouses and picked up annuals to place in flower pots and the yard. When Don got home from his meeting he helped me for a few hours but we had to abandon the task before it was completed because we were expecting company.

3rd Saturday bunch: for many years we met with a group of friends for a potluck dinner every 3rd Saturday of the month. We would shift the location from one house to another and always had a true potluck---if all anyone brought was dessert, that is all we would eat. Several years ago the group just seemed to poop out and we stopped meeting. Last month the group was resurrected, adding two new couples to the group. Last night was our turn to host. Six couples came over and we all seem delighted that the 3rd Saturday group has been reconstituted.

Today in church: was confirmation Sunday and we had ten or more junior high students join the church. At one point our pastor had the parents come up and stand behind their children and he got out the big baptism book and recounted the day that each of the children were baptized and who signed the certificate. It was very moving and a special event. It had me in tears.

Books completed this week:

• Secret Son by Laila Lalami---a book club selection. The story is really a quite depressing tale looking at poverty and privilege and the problems we make for ourselves.

Currently reading:

• Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor---book three of the Daughter of Smoke and Bones trilogy. I am on 200 of 600+ pages.
• Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan. I am on disc 7 of 7. Look for my review later this week.
• Noggin by John Corey Whaley---I keep trying to figure out if this is a modern Frankenstein story or not. 

Health tip: try to buy just one ingredient foods---fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, plain yogurt, healthy oils like olive oil or macadamia nut oil (my new passion.) Here is a link, in case you want to check it out, to the farm in Australia that harvests this wonderful oil very ethically: Brookfarm.

Video/Musical selection dedicated to California Chrome. Will he win the coveted Triple Crown?