Ducks and strawberries

Perception is a strange thing. And no, that's not a lead-in to a bit of Buddhist philosophy, although it could be. I'm talking about the way I looked at my body this morning compared to the way I'd have looked at it maybe 6 years ago, even if it looked exactly the same as it does today. What?

As of today the scale shows just under 10 pounds lost, and I was admiring myself in the mirror without those extra pounds of flab. Then, I had to stop and have a giggle, because there was a time -- six years ago before I moved to Brookings -- when I weighed even 10 lbs less than now, and the weight I am now would have seemed unfathomably fat. Perception. Of course, it does look good, by comparison, but it'll look even better once another 15 or so goes the way of these first 10. At that point, which is still a few pounds above where I like to be, I'll be content. And admiring.

Went to the farmers market today in search of eggs, and discovered the first Oregon strawberries of the year! These babies are the sweetest, juiciest strawberries in the world! Don't laugh -- I was skeptical too, when I first moved here. Then I tasted one and fell in love. Picked ripe off the vine, red all the way through, sweet as if sugar had been sprinkled on them, and brimming with juice. No resemblance at all to the kind you buy in the supermarkets, barely ripe, white centers, tasteless and dull. The carton started out full, but these are all that made it home with me. Not cheap -- but worth every $$.

Then, over to campus to sell that diet book at a bookstore, and since I was early for the next bus  and since I've been getting emails about clearance sales, I stopped in the Duck Store just to look around and scored the perfect t-shirt, on sale for $10. I've been wanting a yellow t-shirt, and one with the Duck on it. This one fills both bills. It's a size large, which seems awfully large, but it was the smallest they had left and anyway, all my other t-shirts are size large and they are fine.

My camera turned this almost pastel -- but it's not. It's bright yellow, as it should be. Between this and the strawberries, it's been a good morning.


Oh, and I also had my first Ritta's Burrito in 6 years and I still think it's the best damned burrito in existence. I have a photo somewhere in the archives of my last one. Here it is...

Six years later it still looks the same and tastes the same. If anything, the one today seemed even fatter and more loaded with stuff.  Absolutely yummy, a drippy challenge to eat but well worth it.  Music playing on the Saturday Market stage was a super jazz piano, which I enjoyed tremendously. My kind of music. And Ritta herself is still taking orders and serving up the goodies at her cart. I love that kind of thing.