Whew! Babysitting is hard work! I haven't had the time to get into the garden the way that I should - so things are a little ragged, but still happily blooming, for which I am grateful. I am preparing for watering restrictions beginning tomorrow -- which means: "Effective Wednesday, outdoor watering is restricted to two days per week, down from the current three, with watering permitted at odd-numbered street addresses on Mondays and Fridays, and at even-numbered addresses o

There are several completely hilarious things about this video: 1) Even though I complain a lot, and act like I'm really working hard...I did absolutely nothing except video my husband and daughter working. Maybe that counts as work? 2) It's clear in almost every video that both Julia and Robert, but especially Julia, are barely putting up with me, and don't think that I'm funny at all, and really don't appreciate being filmed while hard at work on the Water System. 3) In ret

It's a long drive up to our cabin - it takes us 6 hours door to door (we have to stop for dinner and gas!) so when we get to the cabin we're a bit tired. But that didn't deter Julia and Robert from doing their cabin jobs. Maintaining a cabin at 7,000 feet in a remote part of the Sequoia National Park is no small feat. This weekend we focused on making sure the city water system worked (more on that tomorrow), burned all the slash that had built up in the yard over the winter,

I filmed this yesterday before the school shooting tragedy. Today I donated to Beto O'Rourke's campaign because keeping Texas officials accountable is what we need to do right now. I'm glad he expressed his outrage the way he did. Thie video for today may perhaps give us some perspective on what's really important. None of the things that I miss are really important. We can do without them all. We cannot do without safety for our children. So view this with that intention in

We are all asking, "How did this happen? Again?" And I know I am feeling some responsibility for not doing enough to make it stop. Tomorrow we will start again. To fight. Everytown is a good place to begin. https://www.everytown.org/?fbclid=IwAR31kS4mIFOyqt3tlUT_BfQ8DfJQQcuQut77y1AK7Qagy4TYB0zZtQZ0WWE But tonight we grieve.

What a fun day with my Julia. Planning for a wedding takes all kinds of shopping! And Flower Girl shopping is one of the most fun! We will have to get dress approval from the flower girl moms, of course, but it's the bride who has to make the first decision. Julia's two flower girls will be my two granddaughters, Julia's two nieces: Abby & Cora. I think it will be so special to see them in their finery at the wedding. We hope that they will precede the bride down the aisle, w

Exhausted from a weekend of joy with the granddaughters...but also proud of myself for getting this birthday book done just in the nick of time. Cherishing memories is different than protecting them. And I feel like this book will help Julia do both.

Still working on the birthday book ... but took time out this morning to prepare for a ladies luncheon with my two granddaughters, their nannies, and my daughter, Jackie. Jenny was teaching so she couldn't be here -- but I will definitely do this again so she can attend because it was a delight! Now..back to the book! Have a great weekend!

No time to write...gotta finish the birthday book!

I record and write this v/blog every day...Monday through Friday. It started at the beginning of the pandemic, when we were all at home all day, everyday - and I was newly retired. Talking and writing about the garden, calmed me, centered me, and made me feel like things couldn't be that bad if my backyard brought me such joy. I was surprised to find out, that my daily musings brought others some calm and joy as well, during the difficult times that began in the pandemic. So,

Can't wait to take my granddaughters shopping here!

It was good for me to review the lovely video that I took this weekend, because tonight I am having the Sunday night blues. The Sunday night blues are a thing at our house, and precede Monday, when the work week begins. (And tonight the news of the weekend is particularly dispiriting.) Now, it's true I am retired, and I don't think that I should really have the Sunday blues anymore. But somehow marking the end of the week for me, marks the passing of time, and recently I've

If you ever meet Mr. Hubbell...the electric generator is an excellent conversation starter! Have a great weekend!

Gardening is about more than plants. It's about sun and rain, soil, color, insects, and creatures that frequent our green spaces. But birds are some of the most important creatures that visit the garden. I have lots of birds frequent my back yard, and insects too, including butterflies. I plant bee friendly and butterfly friendly plants, and I talk to them when they visit. Hummingbirds, though, have been some of my favorite visitors. Hummingbirds are very territorial and in s

The video can hardly tell it all - but even if you were there, you could hardly believe it. We won 12 - 0 against the Tampa Bay Rays, and it was so much fun to watch the Angels take charge on the bases and on the mound. A rookie, Reid Detmers, pitched a no hitter, and was only pitching his 11th big league game. When asked what he was thinking after the 6th inning, he said, "I blacked out...I don't remember what I was thinking!" Plus Trout was in fine form with 2 home runs, an

This is the exciting part of gardening. When there's lots of promise, and dreams of the harvest to come. Later in the season I will be fighting bugs, worrying about the heat, and trying to figure out just how much to water because of the new DWP restrictions. But for now, each morning that I go out for a wander, there is something new to see. And like today, there may be something new to taste as well! Gardening is so much like life in that way. Just hatched dreams can make o

This weekend, we attended a Faery Hunt with our granddaughter Cora at our local Los Encino State Park. It was so sweet and Cora was so dear. She just turned one - so we were worried about how much she would really be able to understand. But she was great! It was a little park musical, with fairies, singing, dancing, and sparkle. You can book them for parties, or events, and they occasionally do faery theatre at our neighborhood park. Lucky us! Here's their website! https://a

Cinco de Mayo is a big deal here in California, where we have many residents who share a rich Mexican heritage, and some of the best Mexican restaurants around! It is a yearly celebration held on May 5, which commemorates the anniversary of Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. And it's a time to celebrate the wonderful traditions of Mexican culture and food! Unfortunately, I didn't get a proper pictur

We didn't know what to expect when we set off for the auction house. I browse on line auctions quite frequently. I rarely buy things - but it's just fun to look. I use the auction site liveauctioneers.com to browse, because it's a site that aggregates a multitude of online auctions, and is very searchable. So I can always search for my favorite china! A any rate, last week, as I was watching an online auction I saw these plates, and bid...and won! I told Robert that I might b

It's been such a long time since I've been in a mall, alone, just wandering. I'm a mall expert. My girls grew up at the Fashion Square mall. It's the mall where the movie Clueless was filmed. It's not overlarge, just big enough for an afternoon stroll. In my youth, Fashion Square mall was an outdoor mall with stores like Judy's, David Orgell, and Bullock's. I remember fondly the Bullock's after Christmas sales...delight! It's a very different mall today. Some of the old stand