Day 2 - LA County enters Orange tier!

Gardens of the World…

4/6/21. Tuesday.

10:00 –10:30 -  I lay in bed for awhile then go downstairs to say good morning to the dog.  She’s standing at the child-gate, wagging her tail – it looks like she’s been up for some time.  The dog rolls over so I can rub her tummy, then she grabs her ball and we go outside. The weather is so nice! She’s running around and sniffing at the fountain, then she finally goes potty.  Inside and cheese for her, coffee for me.

10:30-12:30 – Return outside to my patio table and do blog posts.

12:30-1:30 – I eat L.’s leftover poached egg and potatoes from Sunday and read Small Fry. I’m on the fence regarding whether or not I should go to the Gardens of the World. Technically, Tuesdays and Wednesdays constitute my weekend, but the day is passing quickly and the gardens allegedly close at 5:00.

1:30-2:00 – Shower. Lotion. Covid-19 uniform.

2:00 –3:30 -  I decide to go.  My lunch bag is packed and everything is ready so why not?  Also, I don’t need a reservation – people are allowed to just show up.  Very unusual for a botanical garden.

Driving. Traffic is…okay.  There are some congested areas on the 101, but for the most part the traffic is fairly smooth.  Unfortunately, Thousand Oaks is much further than I remember.  I feel like I’ve largely wasted the day and opportunity as a result of my poor planning. I listen to True Crime Garage.

Arrive in the general vicinity, but have difficulty finding the entrance.  This is a botanical garden right in the middle of the city, tucked away in a neighborhood – you will drive right past it unless you’re familiar with the Gardens’ location, which is what I do a couple of times. Once inside, I drive straight to the back and park, exit my vehicle, and I’m immediately in the Gardens. It’s free – no ticket takers or 5-step decontamination process, like The Huntington.

3:30-5:00 – This is great!  The Gardens are perfectly manicured and surrounded by sidewalks.  There’s no ‘going off the beaten path’ here. The pamphlet describes 6 separate gardens or features – 1) the Japanese garden; 2) the French Garden and Water feature; 3) the Mission Courtyard; 4) the English Perennial & Rose Garden; 5) the Italian Garden; and 6)the Bandstand.  It’s small enough that I’m able to see them all and still have time to sit on a bench inside the English Perennial garden and read. I’m so glad I came!

It’s peaceful here.  Shockingly, Thousand Oaks Blvd. is right outside, but you would never know it. I didn’t realize this place is 4 miles from The Melting Pot.

5:00-6:00 – Technically, the Gardens close at 5:00, but it doesn’t look like there’s anyone to enforce that if people want to stay longer.  I honor the rules and head home, listening to AirTalk.

Although this is rush hour traffic time, it’s not bad. Tuesdays are definitely good travel days. I eat apple slices and two dark-chocolate, sea salt graham cracker squares on the way home.  I’ve been experimenting with food and caloric intake this past week and noting the changes in my body.  Will keep you posted.

6:00-6:30 – I take the dog for a walk. I listen to This is Uncomfortable.

6:30-8:00 – Gardening.  More leaves again.  Tonight, I concentrate on the trellises and clean up the vines.

8:00 –9:30 - It’s too late in the day to eat.  Generally, eating anything past 6:00 results in a 2-pound weight gain the next day and it takes between 1 and 2 days of diligent monitoring to reduce the 2-pound difference.  It’s hard to understand why this is happening, but I’m certain it’s menopause. My metabolism has ground to a halt and any  amount of carbs results in a weight gain.  There seems to be exceptions, however.  Eating one portion of carbs in the morning and no carbs the remainder of the day will NOT result in added pounds. But the caveat is that all food intake, no matter what the items, must stop before 6:00.

I have a few apple slices with almond butter (for energy), then do an Insanity workout.  This one is called Cardio Pylometric.

9:30 – 11:00 - Recover.  I have a glass of champagne, one dark-chocolate TJ peanut butter cup, and read Small Fry.

10:30 – 11:30 – L. has a few minutes to spare so I ask her if she will help me take the mock midterm test for my DE#2 class.  We check Pronto and several of my colleagues responded to my request for help regarding how to set up the test.  L. correctly loads Proctorio and I complete the exam, scoring a 22 out of 30.  I can do better, so I retake the quiz – this time it’s 29 out of 30.

11:30-12:30 – I continue watching Divines for my French Cinema and taking notes, but fall asleep during parts of the movie so I know I’ll have to rewind.

12:30-1:00 – Light kitchen duty and I take the dog out.  Shut everything down.  Lock up.

1:00-1:45 – I lay my clothes out for tomorrow. Night time routine. Bed.