My youngest son flew home for the weekend to celebrate Father’s Day and his 24th birthday. As a young adult living away from home, I cherish each visit.

This weekend also coincided with the opening of the latest Pixar movie, Inside Out 2.

My husband’s company provides Pixar with technical services. They hosted a vendor appreciation weekend, inviting vendors and family to a premiere showing at the Pixar Studios in Emeryville. We attended many movies there over the years, but once COVID hit, it ended. Four years later, we’re thrilled to be invited back.

The entire movie industry is struggling to find its legs, so I’m encouraged by the success of the opening weekend. Inside Out 2 received an audience rating of 96%

Here is the synopsis from Rotten Tomato: “Spicing things up with the wrinkle of teenage angst, Inside Out 2 clears the head and warms the heart by living up to its predecessor’s emotional intelligence.”

Also, this past weekend, I attended a free seminar at our local library about growing culinary herbs with my friends Cami and Mary. We picked up various growing tips, and now I know the difference between herbs and spices: herbs are leaves and spices are from other parts of the plant or tree including bark, roots, rhizomes, and the like.

“From Middle English herbe, erbe, from Old French erbe (French herbe), from Latin herba. Initial h was restored to the spelling in the 15th century on the basis on Latin, but it remained mute until the 19th century and still is for many speakers.”

Saturday night, we attended a celebration of our friend’s daughter from pharmaceutical school. We’ve lived next door to their family for almost thirty years. Watching her grow up next door has been terrific, and we’re equally joyful about her success.

Suffice it to say I kept dozing off on the couch Sunday night, but it was worth it. It’s been one of the best weekends in recent memory.