Whew! Jumped back in with both feet into the deep end last night. Our trip home was relatively smooth, although I did have one melt down and needed to pull over for a 15 minute nap. We ended up leaving Seattle and our quickie visit to Willi’s brother and sister-in-law and the new nephew, early Monday evening and needed to camp out that night. We got a little bonus by camping out in Eric and Darlene’s yard. Got to have a too-quick-too-distanced-but-still-very-good visit with Eric, in whispers in the dark of his yard and then again in the early morning as we packed up and headed out.
Long ass drive of course, and we were in two different cars because part of the reason for the trip was to get a car that Willi was buying from his folks. Willi headed directly home to unpack and get the pile of laundry organized, I went to the store to get a few things that we needed to get today’s orders out the door. In hindsight, it probably would have been better to come home a day earlier so that it wasn’t jumping right into the thick of it. Stayed up too late working, got up early and today was a whirlwind.
Got in a quick sidewalk visit with Elizabeth and Jeff stopped by to pick up an order and a surprise cake for Sharon, on their way in from the airport. I adore that woman. Great to officially meet Sherman and his lovely little family when they picked up. Nice to start knowing our neighbors. Off to deliver to the east bay a little late, which meant too much traffic. Yuck. Got in a quick but satisfying visit with Becky and Marian and Eleanor (who told me that she loved my skirt… so I am a hit with the toddler set). Then off to see Megan and Jude and Mia… such lovely lovey kids. And Megan gave me a little self-care in a bag package… too sweet. And just what I needed. Then to Deb’s and in her box of returned jars, she gave me a little spider plant! Gifts all over the place! On to Perry’s place in the San Pablo hills. I love getting to see all sorts of corners of the Bay Area that until now were unknown to me. Zipped back down to Alameda to drop off to Ramona and then home to the city for a last stop to Johnny and Bench. Everyone so full of appreciation and love… made me love this community more than ever.
Home to sort out the mess from today and get organized for the Meals on Heels prep tomorrow. Our Jerk Chicken and Grilled Shrimp are both served with Black Beans, Coconut Rice, Caramelized Plantains and Pickled Onion. The Watermelon-Heirloom Salad is so good, I ended up making one to eat some today even without all the garnishes! Coconut Trés Leches Cake and a Dark Rich Chocolate Cake with Espresso-Mocha Icing rounds up the menu. All are available this Friday only, for pick up or delivery in SF. You can order directly from www.marthaavenuefood.com. Our regular menu is also available for Friday (SF) and if you want to get a jump on next week, Monday is North Bay and SF delivery, Wednesday is East Bay and SF)
I hope you are enjoying the turn of the seasons… I know we don’t really feel like fall until after the heat of October, but the turn of the calendar still feels “back to school”ish, even with this weird time. Time for a bunch of sharpened Dixon-Ticonderoga pencils and a PeeChee folder to doodle on. Sending out some good healthy self-care vibes to all of you. Hug yourselves for me. Xoxo