Ha haaa the irony of my last post title. I DID get Covid! About a week after the rest of my family. I’d had a headache all week and by Friday, I had a little sore throat. Still, I tested negative at work that morning.

Saturday morning I woke up and felt like shit, took one of the free rapid tests we had at the house and BINGO–two lines. Post-vaccinated, 2022 Covid was way better than the horrorshow of 2020 Covid but it was no vacation, that’s for sure. Wouldn’t recommend it. 0/5 stars.

Out of all of us, my little un-vaccinated two year old had it the worst–a high temp of 103.8 one day while I was at work. Josh was out doing yardwork on Day 3. But you know how he is (nuts).

The may-juh thing I did last month in May was lop several inches off my hair, something I had been obsessing about doing for well over a year. I was worried that shorter hair would make me look “older”, “middle-aged”, “giving up on life” etc. but my Sagittarian boss who is very blunt and would never lie to me told me the haircut makes me look younger. Score!

Family walkies, post-Covid. All smiles. We love nature in this family!

We were discussing this over breakfast this morning–the boys and I had a picnic in the backyard one afternoon, with tiny sandwiches and apple slices. Josh was napping. He finds it hard to believe that he was napping in the middle of the day…but I don’t! His C-Pap machine has been on back order since God knows when but I THINK he’s supposed to get it next month. Let’s hope.

May 2022, absurdly, was the wettest, rainiest May on record since 1948, and believe me we all noticed. Even now in June the weather is still in the low 60’s. I’ve lived here long enough to recall that summer doesn’t begin until July…but that doesn’t mean I have to like it!

Some days for work I take my new short hair and curl it up into soft curlers overnight so I have spring-y curly hair that lasts all day. We always want the hair that we don’t have, right? I covet the little redhead’s beautiful copper curls.

Another gloomy weekend morning is made better with the presence of DONUTS from Henry’s Donuts in Mukilteo. Donuts are very much loved in this family.

Like many many people I spent 6 weeks of my life totally engrossed in the private lives of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, watching their defamation trial which was shown live on Youtube every day. Of course the moment the verdict was announced I was over it and ready for the next trial in my life. So I’m watching the OJ Simpson trial, which I was too young to watch when it happened in the mid-90s but plenty primed to watch now. It’s nuts. Nicole’s dog was named Kato. NUTS!

The day my sons stop wanting glow stick dance parties in the basement will be a sad day for this mama.

Just a little filtered. Why not? It exists.

Josh’s co-worker invited us over to her house for a house warming/house blessing party. We were two of three white people present. We wore head coverings and took our shoes off inside, and followed the traditions (bow to the musicians, sit in the meditation room for a bit) and were rewarded by good conversation and some really delicious Indian food. I think I could eat Indian food every day, easy. Mmmmmmmmm.

Another “parallel bars fashion show”, starring the lavender eyelet dress I scored on eBay a couple months ago. Unfortunately, as I was getting dressed I managed to get the liner of the dress jammed into the zipper and five people could not get it unjammed. Josh even ended up tearing the lining. Do you know who came to my rescue? Brenna, of course. She unclogged the zipper in five minutes using bar soap and tweezers, and offered to repair the lining for me. SHE ROCKS.

She also made this adorable little romper for the baby but had to take it back to make the straps longer because he’s a big boy! Wearing size 3 clothes, with size 9 feet. In comparison, Goo is 5 years old with size 10 feet.

Our neighbor’s poppies are stunning this year. She does a beautiful job with her front yard.

Remember this skirt? It’s one of the few maxi skirts I made in my 20’s that has survived (and hasn’t fallen apart). It’s the greatest, softest, swishiest fabric and I really enjoy wearing it.

This brings us to last night! A patient of mine had recommended a restaurant in Mukilteo called “The Grouchy Chef”, and it was quite an experience! The Chef laid out the majority of his rules on the phone when I made the reservation, which included: proof of vaccination/ID required, BE ON TIME, no lipstick, no jeans, no shorts, no sandals, cash only.

Before reading the menu, you slog through 3 PAGES of rules when you get to the restaurant. Josh got in trouble for not pulling my chair out for me, and I was admonished twice over the “no crossing legs” rule, which is practically impossible for me because I cross my legs when I sit.

After all these rules, was the food any good? You betcha. Four courses total–a creamy curry soup with duck to start, then a plate of salad, fruit, and cheese, the main entree (I chose scallops, Josh chose lamb), and then a small, elegant dessert plate. 80$ for the both of us plus a beer for Josh, and the Chef does not allow tips. You pay before you eat the meal. Would we go back? Yes, but maybe with someone else, so they can experience it too.

That’s all, Paul! See you in July.