All the Things Lead Somewhere Friday Round-Up

This year, I’m admitting defeat with my garden before May. This ends a charade of fifty years, proving you are never too old to face the truth. Kiko and Renee are coming on Monday to diagnose my garden troubles and look at my fence which is a ‘crumbling in your fingers’ wreck. I love Kiko and Renee, they know things and don’t judge. And then they make everything beautiful.

Any meeting involving the public, as in people who aren’t paid to be there, needs to have treats. Paid folks can suffer with their water bottles and granola bars but people who put off dinner to come hear your spiel need a reward. A plate of chocolate chip cookies trumps the best PowerPoint on earth.

It’s hard to predict what’s going to irk people. At a community meeting last night (yes, the one without treats), what the speaker was saying as a professional, thinking the thoughts would be welcomed as innovation, was regarded as criticism of things they love by many in the audience. It had to do with welcoming spaces and whether a space is welcoming because of the architecture or because of who is smiling at you when they open the door.

It is a surprise to me but I am developing as a person even at this advanced age. I am doing things I would not have done ten years ago or ever, actually. I am waving my hand to speak even when I don’t know what I’m going to say. I am taking chances I would normally avoid. I am wearing skirts.

Our beloved mechanic gave us the gift of a new word today: coddiwomple. It is defined thus: “undertaking a journey without a predefined end point” or “to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination.” This is what I’m doing these days. It’s unexpectedly fun.