Dashing Toward the Finish Line

Birthday countdown is rushing toward single digits and I am scrambling to complete the lists. I may not be successful but I'm going down fighting.

I have recently sampled Arugula and some Trader Joe's baby greens. How did I miss the Arugula craze? I must have spent the last decade in a cave. I liked it okay, no big drum roll, though. The baby greens made for a cute salad, and really, don't we love it when our food is cute?

We journeyed over the mountain to the far eastern side of the state to visit family and along the way went to quite a few places I have never been.

We went rollerskating and I channeled my inner fifteen year old. What a blast to feel the breeze in my face as I gained confidence and sped up. It was possible I looked like a fool, but guess what? One of the few things that is good about getting older is the worry about what people will think of me is practically nonexistent. I had fun and that's all that mattered.

We spent the next morning across the state line in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. We walked the longest floating boardwalk, browsed some of the cool shops, and ate lunch at the Bonsai Bistro. Thank you Bonsai for the extensive gluten free choices. Eating out can truly be a pain when you're gluten free, and having a restaurant understand this is a blessing. On the way back, we spotted a nut factory and zipped off the freeway to check it out. This was my kind of day. No real schedule, no plan, just wander where you want and go into any place that catches your eye. Perfect.

The next day our daughter-in-law took me to one of the best places on the planet. Greenbluff. It is an area of around thirty farms in an easy driving loop, that feature gift shops, U-pick orchards and farmstands. I could have spent the entire day or even week exploring and spreading my oh-so-endless stack of cash around to as many of them as possible. Thank you, Sarah. This may have been a new place visited for me, but I guarantee I will be back.