Karl the fog has gone easy on us, the last couple of days. That misty Monday has given way to a new Tuesday, Wednesday fraught with more sunshine. All throughout Glen Park everything is blooming. The front of every home is a cascade of many floral colors. A walk about is a real visual treat. We’re at the height of bloom time in town.

Hello June.

We are absolutely winning the war of the weeds this year. Garry has been making it his, almost daily mission, to pull the damn things. When I’m not working, I get some time in as well but I’m clearly Robin to his Batman. Mind you, this battle is an ongoing affair for the ages but in this 2023 year, we are killing it.

Ever since getting back from the trip, the garden has been a focal point. I think, after dropping our bags and having a 60 pound pit bull treat us as bowling pins, we looked up at the growth and color outside and went to work.

We’ve got three games left in our softball season. It feels as if we’ve blown through the schedule. After five losses, the team put a few wins together on sheer offense. The guys are starting to get used to each other. We still need to continue working on the defense a bit. It’s a developmental year that has turned out better than I thought. There is definitely something there with this group and I hope we continue working it out for ’24.

That said: this is not a World Series team yet. I know that reflected in the team decision not to play for the World Series berth this year. It’s disappointing that our division only has one team with an interest going. San Francisco will have other teams from different divisions attending.

There is still a chance I may go. One of our senior teams may be looking for utility help. It will not be starting (I don’t have an ego about these things) but could still be fun. I haven’t been to Minni since 2007; time will tell.

There are thick clouds above. Garry is weeding, Luna is nearby, sniffing the air, and I’ve come out with a mug of passion fruit tea. We’re like a Norman Rockwell painting… minus the everything.

The neighbors next door are afoot, in and outside their abode. Daddy is playing happily with child, while mommy is busy waking up late. We have enough greenery separating each of the neighboring houses, that it’s quite private. There are spots however, where you can see through but that’s fine and certainly good in an emergency situation. This is a no drama block.

Tomorrow, we will attempt to have another softball practice, if the weather gods allow it. It’s hard to believe we haven’t thrown a ball in March. I know many of us will feel rusty but we need to dust off the gloves and get going.

Yes, it may be an ugly navy blue shirt kind of year but the show must go on. It’s twenty five years later and I still look forward to getting out there, tieing up the cleats, taking grounders etc.. There have been many changes in my life since that first game. Softball remains a constant passion.

We were able to score tickets for a few musicals in London. It brings our total to 5 shows for the UK trip. I think we are good with that and fitting in some museum time. We are a month and a half away from the trip, and I’m beginning to get excited.

The shows are Operation Mincemeat, Guys and Dolls, The Motive and the Cue, The Lehman Trilogy, and A Little Life. I’m happy with the choices. It’s a good balance of drama and musicals. A Little Life is now sold out. I got in at the right time. Yes, we’ve all seen Guys and Dolls but it’s on my top ten list. I purchased tickets right before the great reviews came out. I remember Mincemeat’s previous run and was not able to catch it. I had a similar fate with Lehman, whether it was in London or NY. We were like two ships passing in the night. We will see it. It’s a cool mix.

Anyway that is London, the Lisbon part of this adventure will be very different. It will be the more relaxing part of the two-city thing. It will be a combo of sightseeing and putting feet up (after city hikes).

I’m now all out of passion fruit tea but I’ve got a few miles to go before I sleep. A certain canine is stirring like she’s sporting some kind of pit bull watch that tells her it’s time for a walk and a snack (not in that order).

You know there are times when you feel like you’re holding things together with duct tape. To be completely fair, there are also other times that feels like a cool breeze and you’re coasting or even gliding uphill. Who wouldn’t want to blog on those days. I mean, it’s been a minute. It’s not always going to be rainbows.

Rant Alert:

Work has ticked up for me as I’ve taken on a new section (due to being suddenly short-handed at the office). It was handled as smoothly as: here you do this…but I’m aware it’s a bit of a challenging time. I do it. I keep my head down, my shoulder up, and stay back until I see the pitch.

This year, I decided against working on the new softball shirts for our team, as I’ve done for the past two seasons. Appropriately, I need to keep quiet about how crappy the new shirts look. I’ve got nothing to say about it. There is really nothing to say about a navy blue shirt with the lettering of the team name in the center, drawn as if by a child with a crayon. Actually to be more accurate it’s like an intoxicated child experimenting with poppers. It’s a pooper but what can you do? It’s only a shirt.

After rescheduling my usual dental cleaning to have a client video meeting. He then moved it from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. That’s alright, except for the fact that it’s beautiful out; one of the best afternoons we’ve had in San Francisco in awhile.

Okay, that is the end of my rant.

Earlier in the week I planted another Osteospermum plant in the same area where the last batch grew. The last incarnation lasted a couple of years and one plant became a whole beautiful section. I checked on the new one when my video meeting was delayed. It looks good. It’s getting sun as I type this blog.

It has been a frigid February day here in the SF Bay. I mean we are walking around in upper 40 degree temperatures, which yes, is colder than usual. We’re a mid-50s kind of town. It’s been an unusual winter anyway with the Atmospheric River and the intense winds (a couple of days ago); branches were down, and things were absolutely blowing off buildings. It revived an old debate about the worst blow job in San Francisco history.

I like to call this part of the year the offseason. This for me is similar to the baseball usage of that word; the time before and after the season. The season, I allude to here is our city softball season. And while this has felt like an unusually long offseason we’ve had breaks from the “off”. We were able to play in two out-of-town contests: a softball tournament in New York City in October and one in Palm Springs earlier this month. In both cases it was a nice break from not playing. Also, the usual camaraderie with teammates makes it a special time.

There has been some changeover in the ball club this season and we’re seeing what that looks like at practice. New players require more things to work out. It feels like we’re a bunch of steps behind other teams and that does not bode well for winning a berth to the World Series. We will see how things play out! We are about three weeks to opening day. I’d like to go back to Minny, we certainly had fun there back in 2007, playing with the SF Coasters team. #crossingfingers

Frigid days also means some more books to read. I seem to be juggling my fair share of them. My hubby joined a book club that meets on Tuesday. I decided to be an invisible member due to my pesky work schedule. I follow along with the group weekly. I read what the group is reading at the agreed upon amount of chapters and hear about how the meetings went Tuesday evening. We’re on the second book now. It’s fun.

The first book we hopped on for was from a first-time author. Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures shines a light on individuals in captivity. They are trapped in their own cages, including a very smart Octopus. I finished this book at the Palm Springs tournament because at one point I couldn’t put it down.

Lately I’ve been reading quite a few books on my iThings so I made a point to stop over at the local library and grab a couple of physical books. It’s great seeing people there, sitting down with a book or a magazine. The neighborhood I’m in has a small library but if it’s been a while you can generally step back in and find something different to read. I didn’t expect to walk out with two books but I did.

As I type this post the rain has started, I wonder if the accumulation will squish our softball practice dreams this weekend. I’m ready with a few books.

Marilyn of the Desert

It’s Friday night in San Francisco, the biblical rains have concluded and I’m randomly listening to showtimes. Life is good.

I find that many shows are tied to a memory. It’s fun to play a show after so much time and see what comes up. Can I remember that scene? Is there something about the production that pops up?

When I play the revival of Falsettos, it always takes me back to the drizzly walk to the Other Palace in London. We were awning-hopping to the theatre in the drizzle. I remember the tears emerging from my cheeks after two numbers, one that closes the first act and one that closes the show. Yes, it was raining in the theatre. And, while this wasn’t the Broadway cast, the West End cast was top-notch. They were making me feel it.

Upon playing Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet, I remember it being one of the best musicals in San Francisco. The creative and fun production made use of much of the theatre space as they could. The show explodes from all corners of the house. Good musicals can take you on a trip to another place for a couple of hours; when it doesn’t work, you can feel completely detached. Comet grabs you early on. The first song gives you the leading players and the lyrics encourage you to keep up, “It’s a Russian novel after all, every character has several names (like George Santos).”

On the show front, we have jumped on a subscription for NCTSF. Their 23 season includes Jonathan Larson’s Tick Tick Boom. I’m happy to support that. Also (from the makers of the Great Comet) Hadestown will be here for a short two-week run. We are all over that. The show must go on.

In our never ending battle against the weeds, I took a break to cut some palm branches. There were several hanging dead with a few slumped right along the walking path.

It was time for a Palm haircut. The task itself is mostly devoid of fun but I do like it when I finally cut through a branch and it drops. You could make wings out of these things but they’d be too heavy to take flight.

The last time we cut the Palms I came out of it with a sore shoulder, this time one of the Palm needles got me in the leg, and now the area is a little swollen and sore.

I can’t dance with these things without getting banged up. I cleaned the wound and put some triple antibacterial lotion on it. I’ll see what it looks like in the morning. My tetanus shots aren’t due yet so that’s good.

After the rain we had last week it was a good idea to take to the backyard. The weeds were back along with some nice growth in a few areas. We try to get some control over that and not allow a complete weed takeover.

It’s been a quiet weekend in Glen Park. I’m enjoying the mild weather. These days my canine never seems to want to go back home. She recognizes the end of the walk and her pace slows to turtle movements. Who can blame her?

Since being back from New York City, I’ve taken a minute to re-ground at home. I am currently floating in domestic glee. Work is chugging along at a nice clip. Garry is working on his next class. October is spinning down like every year but with many scary Halloween elections coming.

You know the time of year. It’s the one, fraught with ghosts, goblins, republican candidates, and Shen Yun ads (got my first of the season today). The thawing of Mariah Carey is in full gear. Folks are ready for that 800 calorie seasonal Starbucks beverage.

The San Francisco Gay Softball (SFGSL) Fall Ball season is over. I played this year. It’s a short season and a nice way to stay in practice; softball-wise. Additionally, my local team has begun off-season practice. The plan is to meet every couple of Sundays.

We did practice last weekend and invited a couple of new players. They both seem like solid pick-ups. One of these players is a Pitcher. That remains an area of need for us. He might be an excellent find; time will reveal it.

Speaking of time: the Lehmen Trilogy is coming back to London in 2023. Here is a play I want to see. I missed it the last time it ran. Then there was an initial plan for a touring show and it was slated for San Francisco but alas it didn’t happen. Someone at Broadway SF with a sense of humor, replaced it on the local schedule with CATS. Isn’t it time for a sequel of that show titled DOGS?

“I’d rather be lucky than good,” baseball coach Sparky Anderson liked saying. I’m feeling that.

It was the Tuesday of my flight, I was working my final shift of the week. We were pretty caught up with work and my supervisor, who knew I had a red eye out of SFO said, “why don’t you take off early, if you want.” It made sense to me, we had our full group in and work was caught up.

Our department is a group of 4 people, we are at desks that hug the corners of the room. We have a machine that pumps air in and a device that circulates it. With the new no mask freedom, it was obvious to me that there was going to be yet another spike in COVID cases at work. Omicron came knocking on our door.

On Wednesday my supervisor had a scratchy throat, she subsequently tested positive. A day after that, the employee that sits across from her had a scratchy throat, she tested positive. In other words, I missed a COVID outbreak in our work area by 24 hours.

I got on a plane, flew to NYC and visited my 82 year old mother. I didn’t check my work emails which would have given me a clue as to what went down at work. Scary yes but the good news is everyone is alright. I tested negative. Did I miss getting COVID because of my flight? Timing is everything and yes I’ll take some of that good luck any day of the week.

My calendar says September so that is summer in San Francisco. The fog, our usual protector from intense heat, steps back and let’s some of it happen. Case in point today, Sunday September 4th, it’s 77 degrees. I’m wearing sunblock.

We don’t have installed airconditioning at home (like most places here). There is a large mobile unit, that we bought a few years ago, downstairs. It’s no fun to carry up to use (for a couple of days) but I’m ready to do that. The house gets hot during the day (insulation wasn’t a priority), mostly the upstairs living area. The garage downstairs stays somewhat cool. My attic room downstairs, that my hubby dubbed my man cave is quite comfortable year-round.

We stayed in town for the Labor Day Weekend, with other parts of the state baking, SF is still the coolest option. They are doing triple digits in Sacramento. I’ll take my 77 degrees today in stride.

The real winner has been the garden, regarding the battle of the weeds. We are winning that war. Newly pulled enemies now include the hard-to-get ones left for the longest time. It’s looking clean back there.

The upcoming week will be super light. My office is closed for the holiday Monday. I work Tuesday and Wednesday, then back to the weekend. That works for me. Breaks are important.

The Bridge of Fog has no memory, It simply knocks out your periphery.

It’s been a lovely August here in the city by the bay (one of them) with more sunny days than one would expect from Fogust. This helps when I continue to make the city hikes a regular thing. That said, I love a good Fog blow; it keeps the skin moist.

The off-season from softball has been fairly quiet. I’m juggling a few pretty good books, but I can’t wait for the next great read. I don’t feel that I have that currently. However, I can recommend The Nix by Nathan Hill. It’s a story that follows a few generations of a family and jumps back and forth in time to tell each family member’s story. It was an interesting domino effect story-wise; how each of these characters made a choice, which affected their offspring and their relationship with them.

I’m continuing to plan for a softball tournament in New York City. The games happen on the first weekend of October. I’ll be there a few days early to visit my mother and squeeze in as much theatre as possible. It’s a crime that I still haven’t seen Hadestown. I need to get on that pronto.

It’s not an easy tournament to plan for because of the distance and the cost. Fortunately, there has been a core group from the beginning, pushing and excited for the event. In my mind, it will probably end up a tight roster, but that will be fine. We will play and go see some plays.

Play on Bridge of Fog play on.