Succulent Flower and Shadow

Coffee at Cafe Frida this morning highlighted by Tobi's basket of home grown heirloom tomatoes* and a 'Puppaccino' (a tiny espresso cup full of whipped cream with dog biscuits in it) for Spike. 

Bob, awaiting parathyroid surgery elected to stay home as he doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize the removal of a parathyroid gland which has apparently gone ballistic and is flooding his bloodstream with calcium. I know whereof I speak because I had the same surgery about twenty years ago. It took forever to diagnose and I had a constellation of seemingly unrelated symptoms. I told Bob that the moment they got the offending gland out of there he would immediately feel better. I did anyway. I hope he does too because we miss him and his wife says if he isn't better she might have to kill him....Depression and crankiness are definitely symptoms.

I have finished the cleaning and sorting of the bathroom cupboards and now have four empty shelves, not to mention the almost empty television console freed up by the TV makeover. Anybody want a hair dryer, a flatiron, a sonic facial thingy or one of about four soap dishes, one with soap in the shape of a chicken and her eggs? Where did these things come from, and why are there so many hair dryers when there is one built into the guest bathroom and I never use one. And then there is the cranberry glass footed bowl that once belonged to John's grandmother? The bowl was always filled with candy at Nana's house. Here, it has sat in obscurity unused and unloved in the back of a cupboard.

I'd like to give it to somebody who will fill it with candy again but I think that it might be an artifact of a bygone era....

There was a helicopter flying around over the house today. The smoke was bad, and the sound of a helicopter always brings with it a sense of unease, even though it could have been a PG&E one checking the power lines. South Lake Tahoe has been spared from mammoth fire which has been turned back by the firefighters and a change in the wind direction.
Our firefighter neighbors are home grabbing a much deserved rest before returning to the fray*.

We are off to a Friday 'beer garden' party at some friends' house, er, garden.

*extras