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

A little hope. For tonight.

We waited a long time to visit our cabin. We hadn't made the trip since we fled last August at the onset of the KNP fire. Last year's KNP complex fire was frightening, and ultimately devastating. But, thanks to the good work of the firefighters, Silver City, the little community where our cabin resides, was spared. The road up to the cabin, however, was evidence enough of the effects of the devastating fire. The farther up the road we went, the more burn areas appeared. Some