Getting to Absolute Zero

Written last night:

Dear Friends,
Around here, some people had the day off and some had to work. I decided to take the day off —  to not go to the gym, and never mind that Monday is the hardest class! That had NOTHING to do with my decision to stay home. Not to cook or clean or even paint and draw and read and shop. 

I have been trying to simplify my life, because I feel a debilitating sense of urgency that makes me want to hustle. It’s because I know now for certain that my days are numbered (never mind that I do not know the number), and also that I just plain want to focus on the good things. So it made sense this morning to take a break, breathe, focus, meditate —To remove myself from the urge to DO things. 

Secretly, I thought that by not doing anything, everything would get done. 
But nothing got done.  No checking off my to-do list. I’m not sure this makes sense, but by not doing anything I didn’t do anything. 
It was indeed a relaxing day. Hope you had the same!
Love,
k

Idaho surprised me

Dear Friends,

I wish I had drawings and paintings to show you Boise, Idaho, but I don’t. Yet.

I got back home Sunday after a long Idaho weekend with my high school friends Carol and Susan. Carol and her husband Dennis have lived in Boise many years.

Boise (Pronounced BOY-See) was more beautiful than I expected. On a guided trolley tour Friday we learned the city began as a stop in the Payette River Valley for gold miners and fur traders and is now the fastest-growing region in the Pacific Northwest. It has volcanic soil that depends on irrigation from the rivers and, yes, grows lots of potatoes, many of which are sold to McDonald’s. Albertson’s grocery store started here. There's a big Basque community. There are lots of new homes and shopping centers and budding tech activity; Boise is the headquarters of Micron Technology. Yet Carol says there’s a feeling among old-timers that growth is unwelcome. 

Here are some photos. Oops! I didn’t take any of the city itself, but Boise is a lovely place. These  photos are from our Saturday drive to the resort town McCall, Idaho, two hours from Boise.  Carol said she’d drive us two hours north to McCall or three hours east to the famous ski resort Sun Valley; Carol said Sun Valley has higher mountains, longer and possibly more challenging ski runs, and more celebrities per square inch.  Susan and I chose the smaller, closer resort. There was even a little snow on the ground when we got to McCall. We celebrated Carol’s birthday at the Cutwater restaurant in the Shore Lodge on Payette Lake in McCall. 

And if you’re really interested, here’s a link to a map of Idaho:

Love,

k

Boise is a city along a river 

Around it is a desert
It's called high desert

After the desert, trees begin to sprinkle the hills

There are a lot of farms 

Farming is 20% of the gross state product