Happy Mother's Day!

A couple of years ago . . . errmm, . . . well, ok . . . maybe a f-e-e-e-e-w-w-w-w more than a couple . . . my Mommy was presented with the most wonderful Mother's Day present!   It was her very favorite one . . I'm sure of it!   ;)

Isn't this baby just the cutest?  (You must say yes, or my poor little ego will get bruised!)

It was my Mommy's very first Mother's Day present.  (pssst . . .  do you remember, mommy?  **waiving and blowing kisses at mommy**)

And here is a lovely blue and white (or is that purple and white? ? ?) splashed iris for mom . . . it's one of her favorite flowers . . .  It's the first one I've grown . . . the others are of flowers I snapped several years ago on my trip to Canada.  

                                                                                                           

    I got to visit the Butchart Gardens and they were simply lovely.  I would dearly love to go back some day.  Perhaps I'll post more pics of them one of these days.  If you ever get up to Vancouver Island you must stop to see them!

And here are some purple petunias for my grandmother.  Every time I see them, I am reminded of her.  I remember she seemed to have a sea of them at her pink house.

Happy Mother's Day to my mommy and to all the other moms out there!

Here you go, mom!  Enjoy! ! !

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone! ! !  :)


I hope everyone spends their days feeling the love of family and friends always, but especially so today!

Make someone you love feel special today!

Happy Mother's Day!

I would just like to wish my mother a very, very happy Mother's Day!  She is too far away for me to visit her in person, but I will be spending some time with her via phone!  I hope she spends the day with her feet up and not running around cleaning, cooking, washing, or anything else!  Unless that anything else is doing something she enjoys!  Like garage sale-ing, or crocheting, or  . . .  eating!  Our favorite sport!  ;-)

I hope each and every one of you also has a great Mother's Day!  

I hope you enjoy these flowers in celebration!

I am still working on getting my post ready from my San Diego trip last weekend!  Hopefully I'll have it ready for tomorrow evening!  See you next time!

Happy Mommy's Day, Mommie! ! !

Gardening and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

I come by it honestly.  I get it from my mom.  She cannot pass up a yard sale or a good bargain, no matter what it is or whether or not she needs it.  (Well, . . . to be fair . . . that has actually changed now! :-) ) But, I remember once, I believe it was when I was still in high school, we were out shopping and happened upon the clearance section.   She saw this amazing thing and just thought it was a magnificently good price.  

I believe our conversation went something like this:

Mom:  "Wow, this is a good price!"  holding it in her hands and turning it over and over, examining it with great glee.  "I think this is a really good price!", practically smacking her lips in anticipation of having found THE find of the decade.

Me, staring dubiously at it:  "What is it?"

Mom:  "I don't know, but it sure looks like this is a great price.  Go ask somebody what it is."

And being the perfect child that I was and am, I'm sure I obediently and cheerfully scampered off to inquire what it was, . . . this thing that we just had to have.

Well, if memory serves, it turned out to be something like a bracket to hold a tape deck or something, and I believe she did buy it.  But, whether we actually used it or not . . .    ;-)   Of course, my mom may have a wee bit of a different take on the story, but essentially, that is how it went.   . . .  ummm, . . . well, I may have taken a little bit of artistic license with the story . . . but, . . . it's mostly the way it happened . . .  ;-)

So, it truly is not my fault that when I go into an art store for one colored pencil, I end up buying a dozen pencils, some paper, and maybe some paints, etc.  It is not my fault that when I walk into a bookstore, just to pick up one book or magazine, I walk out with $100 worth of stuff.  And, I can't be held accountable for when I go to buy embroidery floss and have to have one of every color they have.  Or, when I buy coloring books (no, I have NOT grown up), I end up with dozens of them.  And then, like today, when I went to the nursery just to buy some compost and sphagnum moss for my planters, I ended up buying two more trees.

Two more trees.  I think that I may have mentioned before that I already have too many trees.  You'd think I live on a farm like my dear cousin over on her 9 acre farm with room for an orchard.  But, no, I live in the city on a very, very teeny tiny parcel of land.  Roughly about 40 feet by 50 feet, of which about 800+ square feet is taken up by my house and another 200 square feet, or so, is taken up by my driveway.  And, . . . well, you get the picture.  

As you can see, that leaves very little space for trees.  And I now have 11 trees.  Well, twelve, . . . if you count the dragon fruit cactus, which will get as large as some of my trees!  Granted, the trees I buy are of the dwarf variety, but honestly! ! ! !  I would say it is a sickness, but I think I have already established that it is a genetic thing!

Well, anyway, the reason I was put in danger of this new tree spree is the weather this past week.  We went from torrential rains (ok, a little bit of an exaggeration, but we did get lots for a long period of time), and freezing temps (ok, another slight exaggeration, but we Southern Californians are a spoiled lot, if we have to get out a sweater or jacket, it counts as being freezing) to the most beautiful weather in the world, which is why we all crowd in here like ants on candy.  It has been perfect.  Spring fever has officially struck.  This was a perfect weekend.  Blue skies, warm temps, slight breeze . . . just balmy!  The kind of weather that makes you want to be outside.  Even now, as I write this at about 7pm, I have the windows open and it is just heavenly.  You get the picture . . . anyway . . . 

So, yesterday I got brave and decided to finally tackle the removal of all the rest of the dead basil bushes that had taken over my back yard.  I got them all out but one before I gave up exhausted.  Well, before you decide I'm a complete and total wimp, you should have seen the size of those babies!  And, I had already weeded the rest of the yard and still had to do the watering.  (Shhhhhhh . . . don't tell my cousin how many baby tomato plants I had to pull up.  The basil will soon be trying to come up again, too.  Thousands more little seedlings I'll have to pull up. The joy just never ends!)  

I should probably have taken the time today to take out that last lone basil skeleton, but . . . I was sooooo over that task and sooooo ready to move on to getting closer to having my planters ready to plant.  So, after hitting the local farmer's market as I do on Sundays, and after I had gotten the rest of my shopping done, I headed over to the nursery and got the compost and moss, and as everyone knows, when you do that, you MUST pick up a grapefruit tree and a peach tree.  There is just no getting around it.  I think it is a law or something.  Besides, the grapefruit tree already has about 5 grapefruits that are almost ready to pick!  So, my official tree count is now this: 1 lemon tree, 1 Meyer lemon tree, 1 lime tree, 1 orange tree, 1 grapefruit tree, 1 peach tree, and 5 plumeria trees (3 white, 1 pink, 1 red).  Hmmmmm, looks like I will have to learn how to espalier the fruit trees in order to be able to actually walk through this little patch of heaven on earth that I call home . . . .  Honestly, what was I thinking? ? ? ? ? ?  And, if truth be told, I would have to confess that I was even eyeballing the apple and cherry trees, too!  And, with the cherry trees, you have to get two varieties for pollination! ! ! !  Aiii-yai-yai!

Anyway, when I got home, I got the soil mixed and some of the planters ready, but there are a lot more waiting.  Perhaps next weekend I can get the rest of the soil ready and in and start planting! ! Yayyy! ! ! !  But, it's going to take another trip to the nursery . . . perhaps I need a bit of a tree intervention before I go back . . . 

Speaking of shopping . . . after I got what I needed at the farmer's market, I headed over to the supermarket to get the rest of the things on my list.  I was just walking through one of the aisles, minding my own business, and just look at what jumped right off the shelf and right into my basket!  The cheek! ! ! 

Do you remember the email that went around a while back about the 5 minute chocolate cake recipe that you can make in the microwave in your coffee cup with just a few ingredients?  Well, . . . .  these are even worse.  All you do is add a few teaspoons of water to the mix (mix well), squeeze the caramel or fudge pouch over it and microwave for 30 seconds.  30 seconds, people! ! ! !  You then get tortured, because you have to wait 2 long minutes, just staring intently at it while it taunts you mockingly with its gooey goodness before you can dig in.  Instant molten caramel cake and instant molten chocolate cake!  Somebody needs to be punished! ! ! !  I haven't tried them yet, but I hope they suck.  If they don't . . . . I could be in serious trouble.  This is just WRONG! ! ! ! !  Wrong, I tell ya!

The photos in this post are of some of the pages out of my coloring books.  I use colored pencils (I love Prismacolor® - they now make watercolor pencils - you just color like you do with a pencil then brush with water - but I just use the regular color pencils for my stuff.)  My cousin thought that I should share them, so here they are!  Proof that you are never too old to color?  ;-)  

Colored pencil does not seem to photograph well.  At least not in the light I have available.  Some of them come out looking a little grainy or spotty, but they are not that way on the original.  Also, the pages didn't stay flat when I was trying to photograph them, so some of them are a little curved . . . you see that in the text at the bottom of some of them.  The text is really straight at the bottom, not curved!  But, hopefully, you will enjoy them even with these imperfections!  And, just a note - not all of the flower pictures are from the same book.

The one above is just getting started.  I only have a little of the indigo undershading started.  It takes me forever to do one because of all the layers of color I put on them.  I have dozens of books, . . .  and if I never bought another coloring book, it would still take me the rest of my life to get the ones I already have all colored!

I couldn't share any pics of my garden in progress, 'cuz it is just waaaayyyyy too messy out there right now.  But, maybe when I get it all ready, if it comes out the way I hope . . . .  We'll see!

Anyway, gotta scoot for now!  See ya' later!

Internet, The Blog that Wasn't and Winter Preparations

Bolsa Chica path . . . makes you wonder 
what's around the corner, doesn't it?

I don't have the story I wanted to be able to tell you about, but . . I'll get to that later.  So, instead, for now, I will start out by saying I like photos in a post.  I just really like looking at nice photos and I am thinking that you may, too.  But, this post is one that I don't really have pics of to post . . . so, I am going to take you on a little walk with me through the Bolsa Chica wetlands while we chat.  I want to have some nice things for you to look at while you are listening to my little stories here!  I hope you don't mind.

Some of the grasses around the Bolsa Chica wetlands

So, how do you drive a person crazy (or punish them - depending on your purpose) in this day and age without resorting to violence or anything that will get you arrested?  Why, easy!  Just ask any teen, you simply take away their phone and internet for a week!  OMG!  Ten years ago, I probably wouldn't have even blinked twice at that possibility.  But, 2 weeks ago, I got home from work and as always, the first thing I did was try to check my email.  I have gotten so used to it always being available, . . . you just go to the computer and magically, it is just there . . . just waiting for me!  But, that night, I got . . . nuthin!  I kept getting the message that I wasn't connected to the internet!  What? ? ? ?  It was like someone telling me that I wouldn't be able to breath between 10 and 11pm or something!  It just didn't seem real!  I kept trying and trying and kept getting no connection.  It didn't occur to me right away to actually check the phone lines!  So, by the time I got so frustrated I was ready to call the tech support line, I think I was frothing at the mouth over withdrawals already!  And, when I did finally pick up the phone, I was stunned to find . . . silence.  Total silence!  Where the heck did the dial tone go?

Bolsa Chica ground squirrel . . . isn't he cute?

Well, remember my previous posts about my escapades building my patio?  Specifically, that little incident with sort of digging through my phone line and that someday if I stayed here long enough that it would come back to haunt me . . .  Wel-l-l-l-l-l, that was the first thing that popped into my head.  I had been having some static on the line for a while now, and I sort of recall that somewhere along the line (no pun intended), I had been told that moisture in the lines can cause static.  And, when they had repaired the line, they just put a little plastic-looking doo-hickey over the ends of the cut line and left it for me to rebury.  It was definitely NOT water-proof looking.  Soooooo, I immediately thought the worst.  I thought maybe it was water-logged and shorted out or whatever happens to water-logged phone lines, and I was just sure they were going to tell me they were going to have to dig up my patio to repair it.  It was really hard work putting that patio in, and I was a bit younger with a bit of a stronger back back then.  I just couldn't imagine having to try to repair all the damage after they tore it up.  So, I spent the night (and the next several days) angst-ing over it.  

This adorable little bunny thought he was invisible!

The last time I had had to call the phone company, they were on regular 8-5 hours, so I thought I would have to wait until the next morning to make an appointment for them to come out to fix it for me.  Surprise!  Technology can be a wonderful thing.  I now know you can call 24/7!  Wish I had known that BEFORE I waited until after 8 the next morning to call, it probably would have taken less time that night to get through!  I thought it would be a 15-20 minute call to make an appointment for them to come out and repair the line and maybe a day or two wait for them to get there!  Surprise, again!  Technology can also be a curse, I hate phone trees!  It took 4 calls and over an hour to make the appointment for them to come out, only to be told it would take a week, A WEEK! ! ! ! to get here!  AND, they would only say they would be there sometime between 8am & 5pm.  Well, that narrows it down, doesn't it?  Holey-moley!  A week without phone or internet!  That should be considered some kind of inhumane punishment!  

Oh . . . four calls you ask?  Wel-l-l-l-l, the first one took probably 15 minutes of pushing selections on the phone tree only to get a recording that said a check of my lines was inconclusive.  They couldn't tell if it was on their end or in my house.  But, a couple more mins on the phone and a few more buttons and I get a recording telling me I could maybe save some time by checking the line myself.  All I would need is a screwdriver.  Just go to the phone box outside and remove the cover and plug in a phone to see if it works.  Yeah, right . . .

They didn't say whether I needed a flathead or phillips, so I took both and guess what? . . .  it took neither.  I needed a wrench, so I went to find one and tried again.  But, it just wouldn't come off.  I got a bit frustrated and gave up and went back in to call back from my cell phone again (how did we live pre-cell? ? ? ?)  After going through all those stupid phone tree things again, I finally got one that said to speak to a representative, press (whatever it was), I did . . . and got nothing.  Total silence.  I didn't know if I was on hold or had gotten into a no-man's land where no call is ever picked up.  Should I hang up and lose my place in line and have to start all over, or hang in there only to find out I would be on hold forever?  After 2 more mins, I finally decided to hang up and try again.  Third call . . .  I finally, finally got a real live person and everything was going pretty well, but then I was asked for my cell number so they could forward my calls from the home line to my cell while I was without service and so the repairman would have a number to call just before he arrived.  Well, since I only use it for emergencies, I don't really know what my number is and since I was on the phone, I couldn't look it up.  I was nearly panic-stricken because I couldn't bear to go through the phone tree AGAIN!  I was nearly frantic when I asked the guy if there was another number I could call so I didn't have to go through all that again.  He said sure, just call this number and select for repair and about that time I recalled that I had written my number down and asked him to wait a moment while I checked and then . . . the call got dropped.  sigh . . .  As it turned out, I didn't have it written down (and, yes . . . I do now) so it gave me a chance to look it up before I called back.  Well . . . to be blunt, he fibbed about being able to get right back through.  It was not that simple, it was another phone tree and the options he told me were not the options given, and so it took another 13 mins to get another real live person again.  And, as I found out later, they did not end up forwarding my home calls to my cell.  I sure hope no one else has to go through this!  It is brutal!

Anyway, when the repair guy got here and only had to replace a few wires in the phone box and was done in less than 1/2 hour AND he made sure I had phone and internet again, I almost kissed him!  Oh, and he said that particular box wasn't made for me to take the cover off myself, so that recording was . . . well, wrong. Now, it may have had something to do with my hysterical tears of joy to have my internet back!  Or, it could have been my hanging on him and thanking him over and over and over, and begging that he never leave me, but for some reason, it seemed he couldn't wait to escape.  Ok, in all honesty, I don't really think I scared him that badly!   . . .  I don't think . . .  But, it's ok . . . I have internet again! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh . . . . . . . . . .  :-)

Well, during this time, I had planned on going to the Kinetic Sculpture Race.  And, that is what this post was originally supposed to be about, but sometimes, things don't always work out the way you plan them!  We don't usually get rain this early in the year, but that morning I woke up to rain.  Since I had no internet that weekend, I didn't have a way to check to see if there was a phone number or something I could call/use to check to see if it was rained out or if it was going on anyway.  It could have been just fine up there, weather-wise.  I just had to decide whether or not to drive the 2 hours up and take a chance on it being cancelled or not.  I decided that if it was going on, and if it was raining, I didn't really want to be standing out in the rain anyway, and that if I did go and it was raining, the photos would probably be a little gloomy-looking.  And then there would be the long drive home in rain.  So, I ended up staying home, and so, of course, it ended up clearing up fairly quickly and it probably would have been a great time . . . but, by then it was too late to start out, I would have missed most of it.  So, I will put this one on my list of things to check out . . .  next time.  And I will check out their site later to see the pics of this year's entries.

Once I got my internet back and was able to check my email, I discovered I had received an email from my cousin from over on her 9 acre farm.  She was telling me all about all her winter preparations.  Honestly, she made me feel totally exhausted telling me all about everything she had to do to be ready for the snow.  She told me about all the firewood that still needs to be chopped, the pipes that need to be wrapped in heat blankets, all the tires that need to be changed out for snow tires, the big gardens that need to be dressed with goat berries, yadda, yadda, yadda.  Phewwwww! ! !  I had to sit down and rest for a day or two, my head was spinning so fast! ! ! 

But, don't worry, I assured her that I knew JUST what she was going through as I, also, had just finished all MY winter preparations, too.  I had taken my air conditioner out of the window and put it in the shed . . .  I think that's probably about the time she made a funny gurgling sound, that . . . come to think of it . . . may have been a . . .  a . . .  a sort of . . . growl.   Hmmmm . . . wonder what THAT was all about?    :-)    Sorry, cuz!  But, as a consolation, I promise to try not to mention our 70 degree weather when you're having your -70 degree weather! ! !    ;-)    Of course, you can always just post all those pics of the gorgeous scenery in your neck of the woods to retaliate!  Your pics of Grand Coulee were really nice (and I liked the Windmill Garden, too!)!  If you haven't already stopped by her place, you might want to meander over and check it out!  And even if you have stopped by, you might want to swing by again, there's a lot to check out there!

Well, I think that is enough for this post.  Checking my calendar, it doesn't appear there are any events coming up in the near future, but I'll keep my eyes open, just in case!  Although, I really should pretend to be a grown up and stay home for a while and take care of a few things around the house one of these days!  But, so I don't neglect my blog (if nothing else) I took a drive up to Canada a few years ago and I have some really nice pics and a couple of stories to share from that trip, so maybe I can regale you with some of those tales later!  Hope you enjoyed our little stroll through the Bolsa Chica wetlands!  Talk to you soon!  Take care!

Family Ties

So far, I have only posted two things.  This will be my third.  I am brand new to this stuff.  But, already something really, really nice has happened.  I have re-established family ties with a cousin I grew up with long ago (well, . . . ok . . . since we are both still only 29, it was not THAT long ago, it was NOT 40 some years ago . . . good heavens no, since that would make us a year or two older than 29 . . .).  She has moved to a little place in the country, right snugged up to a mountain in a teeny-tiny town a long way from our home town (and I thought we grew up in a small town, but this one is literally 100 times smaller than the town we grew up in).  But, I don't mind telling you it sounds like paradise to me!  I wish I had a mountain in my back yard!

It's funny some of the paths life takes us sometimes!  We all seem to end up in different places and the routes we take to get there are sometimes even more diverse.  Then life gets hectic and you have trouble keeping up with yourself let alone everyone else!  And even with all the new-fangled things, like cell phones and email, we still have a hard time staying connected.  But, add in the Internet, blogging, Facebook and the like and all of the sudden we are sitting in each other's virtual living room sipping coffee together and getting all caught up with each other.  Go figure!

Anyway, it is really nice reading about her life there, and seeing pics of a really, really cute farm, so if you want to get a peek at life outside the city, I highly recommend dropping by her little 9 Acre Farm.  It is so cute and very charming!  And you're gonna fall in love with her dogs!

I wonder if 9 acres is enough room for all of us to move in?