Crazy Fog

January 16, 2026

Today for the first time in 23 years, Clovis Unified called a Foggy Day Schedule. We ultimately ended up on a four hour delay, which made our classes, for the few students who came, about 15 minutes each. Something I've always been bothered by is that if it is so foggy that they believe it is unsafe for school busses to run, why on earth do they think it is safe for regular cars to be out on the road? The parents who drive their little ones? Young teen drivers navigating foggy roads for the first time? School employees? Y'all, none of us can see 10 feet ahead of us in those conditions. In fact, I found out that one of my students got into a horrific accident on her way to school this morning. She was transported to the hospital in critical condition. It breaks my heart for her and for her family! In addition, in the evening Rafe and I drove out of town to Palm Springs. We thought we'd drive out of the fog, but there were still huge patches of it all the way to Bakersfield. On the other side of the freeway near Tulare, we saw a big rig totally engulfed in flames after a wreck. I just hope the driver made it out. Stay safe on those roads, all!

Knitting Class #2

January 15, 2026

Since I have been making progress (really, just so I remember how to do it), I wanted to be able to keep working on my green project and not have to unravel it or change it to learn something new because I'm proud of it, flaws and all. (Yes, I did drop a couple of stitches here and there. It gives it a little character!) So tonight in class, I bought a second skein of yarn and knitting needles to practice casting on and perhaps to learn how to purl as well. Turns out we didn't get to purl, but that's okay. I love the variegated colors of this skein, and the different textures. We'll see how this one looks on a few weeks!

More Knitting Progress

January 14, 2026

I'm just practicing and not actually 'making' anything in particular yet, but I am feeling really good about my progress! I can see this being a hobby I stick with.

Pub Quiz, Round Two

January 13, 2026

We decided to check out a different pub quiz this week. We went to House of Pendragon, which is much closer to home and had great food. Unfortunately the acoustics weren't great, or maybe just our seats were not ideal, but it was nice that they had a screen to project the questions. I liked the variety of types/formats of questions. This particular night was themed, and it happened to be a theme I felt pretty strong in--culinary. I was definitely able to come with some answers not everyone in our group had! That being said, I don't know if every week is a theme night, but next week is all things Star Wars, for which I would be decidedly less useful. 

Book Club

January 12, 2026

We held book club to discuss Lisa Wingate's Book of Lost Friends. Most of us who read it enjoyed the concept but didn't love how long it took for the multiple storylines to converge. Nevertheless, it was a good time as always catching up with these women.

Self Care and Crafty Day

January 11, 2026

Lisa came over for a craft day and while we didn't do much crafting, we got all of our craft days on the books for the whole year. (Lisa and I both love a full calendar!) We also decided to go get a massage, and I did sneak in a little knitting in the evening while Rafe and I were watching TV.

Football Playoff Time

January 10, 2026

When I say football playoffs, you know I actually mean football Playoff snacks, right? Mo and Scott invited us to their new place, along with Chris and Sam and Doug and Di. It was actually a really good game, plus I got to use my new charcuterie tray that Rafe got me for Christmas. Such a fun night with friends!

First Week Back

January 9, 2026

End of the week me was so thankful for my beginning of the week meal planning me, because I knew how tired I'd be at the end of this first week back to school. My wholeeal plan for Friday was to have a date night and go out to dinner. (I like to be forward thinking like that.) Dinner, drinks, and no dirty dishes. Perfect.

New Year, New Skills

January 8, 2026

Lisa and I decided to take some knitting classes and a local studio! I have tried to teach myself a couple of times over the years, but it's a little tough to troubleshoot when you don't know what you're doing. Class was pretty good, and I think I got the hang of the basic motion. Now I have to practice A LOT to commit it to muscle memory. We'll see how my progress goes!

Trying Something New

January 7, 2026

I have always been a little bit intimidated by the thought of a Pub Quiz, because what if I don't know ANYTHING?? But tonight our friends invited us to a Pub Quiz, and we had a great time! Our team didn't win, but we made a respectable showing for our first time out, and it really was impressive how each person had their own specialized knowledge about some pretty obscure and random things. (It doesn't hurt that this particular group is definitely intelligent and well-read.) I'm excited to go give this kind of outing another try again soon!