favorite stuff at Trader Joe's

Chili Lime Chicken burgers (four patties per package)--yummy chicken,  with garlic, lime zest, cilantro (yes!!), and red pepper flakes. 

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups ( 9 or 10 per packet) 99c!!!

Asiago Cheese with Rosemary (in the cheese department)  great on crackers!!

big baking potatoes for 49c each!!

free little cups of coffee in the back of the store

The nice big restrooms near the entrance.

what's not to like? 

Citizen.....

about the only thing that seems to be available here is being a CITIZEN--a good one, working with local officials on improving our lives.  We have no representation in Congress, and depending
on the madman in the white house seems futeless, as Pogo would say.  So....we can gather together
anyway.  Onward!!

Gevalt!!

I was in a local convenience store this past week, and a young black man turned to me and asked, "Are you Jewish?"  "No," I said.  "You look Jewish," he said.  I said, "Well, my great-grandmother in Germany was Jewish."  And he nodded and said, "You've got Jewish blood in you."  I was about to ask him what exactly made him think I looked Jewish, but he had already turned and walked away. 

Now usually I would just describe that person as a "young man", nfs.  But upon reflection, perhaps this encounter was more significant than just odd banter.  In reading about the swastikas painted on venerable synagogues and temples, it seems most of the perpetrators are young and white--"Aryan Nation" types.  Guess in this case, anyway, it's more widespread than that.  Heaven help us.

Resolutions?

Trying to organize my New Year's Resolutions.  I've never made any in my 80+ years on the planet. But I've been inspired by Emilie Johnson's blog.  Her parents sat her and her 7 siblings down every year and helped them consider their lives in 5 areas:

1. spiritual
2. physical
3. academic
4. music/art
5. emotional

In her most recent post from France, she talks about what she'd like to do this year, and
I've adapted some of her suggestions to my own life:

1. spend time outside every day.
2. listen to music.
3. read actual magazines and newspapers in addition to print books (because of our wonderful library here, I can do this without having to buy these things).
4. work on my Spanish (She said her French, as she is already fluent in French.  I know a tiny bit, but I want to get more into Spanish, since there are so many people here who speak it--and there are
free Spanish newspapers at the metro stop).
5. eat less, but more really good food
6. formalize my creative projects (hoo boy)
7. call friends more often. (oy)
8. travel
9. be mindful and never let the local beauty go unremarked/unappreciated.

It's now 10 a.m. or so, and I started this just after 7 a.m.  so...there's work to do.....