Five Things Friday: just five things I’m thinking about or things that made my week, or things that I otherwise feel like sharing.
As I mentioned earlier this week, we’re experiencing a record-breaking heatwave here on the West Coast and you guys it’s been hot. Like, “Death Valley”-hot. I think we peaked at 116F on Tuesday. We received power alerts from our local power provider five days in a row.
And on Tuesday, the hottest day, the whole state of California received emergency alerts (that even made national news!) on their phones, urging people to conserve energy. Californians heeded the warning and we were able to avoid rolling blackouts. That’s amazing, but also a warning for the future. Something has to be done about climate change. This is not poised to get better.
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I had a 3.5-mile run scheduled earlier this week and I picked an 80’s Run on the Peloton app to keep me company (and to match the 80F at 6:30 am in the morning, haha). The playlist was awesome (isn’t 80’s music just delightful? It always puts me in a good mood) and I couldn’t help but smile when an old NKOTB song came on. Psst, as you might recall, I used to be no, I am (!) a big fan.
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A recipe I tried was this creamy roasted red pepper pasta (I used whole grain thin spaghetti) and oh, you guys, I highly recommend you give this a try for a quick and super-tasty weeknight dinner. The recipe says not to substitute the heavy cream, but I am a bit of a kitchen rebel and did anyway (I almost always use half&half instead of cream these days), and I also threw in two handfuls of leftover kale for good measure. It was delicious and you can be sure that this recipe is bookmarked for repeat use!
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I am sure you’ve heard about the case of abducted and murdered runner Eliza Fletcher. I’ve been thinking about her nonstop these last few days and was hoping so badly that she would be found alive! As a female runner, this hit a little bit too close to home. It’s heartbreaking that this keeps happening to women who are just out doing what they love! We should all feel safe running outside (or do whatever!) whenever we goddamn please, but alas, that’s not the world we as females are living in.
I’ll be running for Eliza this weekend. Come and join me and let’s “Finish Eliza’s Run” (you can run, walk, cycle, rollerskate, swim… however you want to honor her!).
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And then also, Queen Elizabeth II died. I am just mentioning it as a piece of headline news I came across yesterday. I am not particularly attached to the royal family, I have mixed feelings about a monarchy in this day and age, but she did seem like a nice old lady and it’s always sad for the family when the matriarch dies. May she rest in peace.
Have a great weekend, friends. It’s supposed to finally cool down here, so I am excited!
NGS
September 9, 2022 at 7:22 amI can’t help but think that people in the UK must feel a bit out of sorts with the change from Johnson to Truss and then Elizabeth to Charles all within the space of a few days. It seems like the changes are all happening peacefully (and not exactly unexpectedly in the case of the queen), but I imagine it’s been a tough week over there and I am hoping all my friends in the UK are surviving what seems like quite an upheaval well.
Elisabeth
September 9, 2022 at 10:53 amI was so sad about the Queen passing away; it seems so odd that every piece of change or paper money in my wallet has her picture…and now she’s gone. She seemed so constant and really counter-cultural in some ways. Yet, for the most part, people adored her. She had a way to connecting with just about everyone. Like you, I have some feelings about the place of a monarchy in modern society, but she seemed like such a dignified, unifying and just sweet presence. And it really makes me genuinely sad she has passed away.
Hope the hot weather passes quickly and your area gets some much needed relief from the elements both now and long-term that some of the very real and terrible impacts of climate change can be reversed.
Grateful Kae
September 10, 2022 at 5:53 amYes, so sad about the Queen!! Your comment that “she did seem like a nice old lady” made me giggle. hahaha! It’s true- she did! Just struck me as funny though, hehe. It’s always so strange when a cultural icon passes away, especially someone like the Queen who was around for our entire lives! I remember clearly when Princess Diana died, too. I was only a kid, but we had been at my Grandma’s house that day, and the news broke of her death while we were driving home 1 1/2 hours (so we didn’t hear about it immediately- pre cell phone days!). I remember that when we got home and checked the answering machine (remember those?!), my Grandma had left a message saying, “Oh, hi.. I know you’re on your way home, but just wanted to let you know that Princess Di died.” I remember it so plainly, because of how it sounded -“Princees Di died.” – the “Di died” part sounded funny/ odd to me. Isn’t it weird the little things that stick in our brains? She was such an icon of the time, too. The Queen did always seem so sweet and dignified, as Elisabeth said. Something about her more old-fashioned style I always found refreshing and grounding, in this modern day when everything is so changed and different.
Nicole MacPherson
September 10, 2022 at 7:01 amI am sad about the Queen. She was a woman who spent her entire life devoted to her country. She worked up until the day she died, and who among us could say that? I hope she’s riding horses and cuddling corgis in the heaven version of Scotland.
That pasta looks great, but I think I WOULD make a substitute, and use cashew cream instead of heavy cream. I’ll report back.
I can’t believe your temperatures. That’s just crazy.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
September 11, 2022 at 12:36 amIt is really cooling down here and fall is just a step away so it always amazes me how it can be blazing hot on another part of this globe. Hope the heatwave passes. And I agree we are seeing the changes and it’s like an accident in slow motion. You know its happening, you know you need do something. but. your brain still tries to catch up how you got here until its too late. I am hoping we can at least partly save this planet.
Catrina
September 11, 2022 at 11:47 pmI often wonder how mankind is going to tackle climate change. It’s the most serious threat right now on our planet and I am missing a sense of urgency.
What will the world look like 10 years from now? You are right, something has to be done now.
I’m glad you are getting cooler weather!
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
September 15, 2022 at 12:18 pmUgh, that is so hot! And 80F in the morning? Yuck! We are having a hot month of September, too. A weatherman who writes the weather section of our local newspaper say Sept is the new August because the heat just continues, although it’s not as extreme here. 116F! I can’t imagine!
I was sad to hear of the Queen’s passing. I really came to appreciate all she had done and the sacrifices she’s made by watching The Crown. I also REALLY remember Princess Di dying. I watched so much of the coverage of her funeral. I was 16 at the time and that death just really saddened me, especially since her boys were so young. I’m glad the Queen lived such a long, full life and she had what I would call a good death – she did not linger in a hospital bed for long. That’s what I would prefer given the choice!
Stephany
September 17, 2022 at 6:59 pm116F is insane! I hope things start cooling down a bit there. We haven’t had a very severe summer here in Florida – we’re even seeing highs in the mid-80s right now, which is NICE for this time of the year, haha. And no crazy hurricanes to contend with! It’s been very weird.
I have very complicated feelings about the royal family, and especially the way Meghan Markle was treated, so it was hard to know what to feel about the Queen’s death. It was sad, though, mostly because she reigned for SUCH a long time!
anne
September 25, 2022 at 5:15 pmMy one thought on the Queen was that I hope my life is like that – working, productive, engaged until the end, and then slipping away when the time is right.
Climate change completely terrifies me. The impact on humankind is going to be unimaginable, and the lack of any type of coordinated action to address it is… concerning, depressing, and downright, well, terrifying.
Thinking of you, and hoping that the weather is still a bit better (I know your heat wave did break) and that you get a bit of a reprieve from the extremes.