Flowers in the rain 03-02-19

I spent some time looking online for the yellow flowering desert bush, but no luck.  So, this morning when KoKo and I took our morning walk in the rain I stopped to photograph just the flowers.  

The leaves show well in the top of this image. 

 There are two downward curling anthers and five petals on the flower.. 

Here in SCalifornia people often plant their potted poinsettias in their yards.  Some of the plants in the older sections are literally poinsettia trees.

In the rain it looks like the flowers are sprinkled with diamonds or, at least, crystals.  

I have no roses blooming at the moment, they do look especially lovely in the rain. 

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Not a good day!

Well, I didn't finish the quilt!  Working late tonight and tomorrow whenever I can find the time.   I seem to be the kiss of death for anything mechanical lately.  My sewing machine works great, but I struggled to adjust the top and bottom tensions to get the zigzag right on the edge.  Then I broke a needle.  And then I sewed around a corner with no bobbin thread.  And then …… That is just how the day has gone.  I spent some time trying to revise yesterday's blog post after some kind soul told me it was all messed up.  The biggest problem is the pictures.  I can't find them and can't make any adjustments.  I will find someone to help me learn, but right now I have too much going on to do anymore about it.  Sorry!  I'll see if I can find a picture to post.  I've already done Friday Food, so this will be anything but food.

Here is a house in the neighborhood with an enormous "firestick cactus" (actually it is a succulent).  There are some smaller ones showing bright red in the lower left of the image.  I admire this yard which is all desert plants and succulents.  They are in the process of renovating and painting the exterior, but the rain keeps interfering.  I'm trying to remember the name of the plant in the foreground which has interesting yellow flowers now. 

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A sense of accomplishment 02-28-19 Revised

Someone pointed out that the post I did last night was all messed up.  So, here it is again, hopefully in good order this time.

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This is my submission to the SAQA online auction.  This year there is a special Early Bird deal that ends tomorrow.  The quilts selected from those sent in by March 1st will be in a special exhibit some place; I forget where.  Don't know if they will accept this for that purpose because it won't arrive at the collection address until Monday.  But it is FINISHED and I am so proud of myself.  Sorry I haven't figured out cropping, etc. 

"Promise of Spring"  Del Thomas  2019   12"X12"

Cotton fabrics, thread, and batting.

Fused, machine raw edge machine applique, machine quilting.

Busy day with a list of errands and appointments and I finished all of them.  I am so stoked on myself tonight.  But tomorrow I must finish a larger quilt with similar trees for a different exhibit.  And I am determined to have it completed tomorrow.
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Wordless Wednesday 02-27-19

Sorry I got my days mixed up.  Yesterday was not Friday and I shouldn't have posted Friday Food.  Other than physical therapy on Monday and Thursday there is nothing to say what day of the week it is - except maybe Trash Day on Wednesday!  Poor old lady - I'll try to do better. 

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Friday Food 02-16-19

Still struggling with pictures.  

I think this is a "clean out the refrigerator salad".  Don't know when it was taken.  Looks like my favorite fruit salad with avocado and just a little lemon juice squeezed on top.  When I cut up the fruits over the bowl the juices collect and make a sort of dressing with the lemon juice. I see apples, bananas, "Cuties", avocado, and maybe some celery.  

This is a pizza somewhere!  I think it is at the Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens.  No caption, no date, no way of retrieving that info at this time. 

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On the Road from San Juan Bautista to Placentia 02-25-19

I did drive home from San Juan Bautista yesterday.  I left there at 8am and finally arrived home at about 6pm!  It wasn't non-stop, obviously.  First I stopped at Santa Nella on the I-5 for gas, a Starbuck's latte, and the use of the facilities.  Further south about two hours I stopped at Harris Ranch to get out and walk around, use the facilities, and do some e-mail.  The next few stops were to take pictures, especially of the snow covered mountains before me.  I did exit onto an overpass in the hope of better views.  And then a potty stop at the Pyramid Lake visitors center - my Empty Spools friend Dotty Daybill recommended this years ago and it is always clean and quiet.  But it is only open during the day, 8 to 5, I think.  I drove straight down I-5 through Los Angeles, and many other towns, to San Clemente in south Orange County to pick up the KoKo dog at Nancy Ota's house.  Then back tracked to north Orange County and home.  The actual driving time was about eight and a half hours.  I don't think I can do that many more times, I was exhausted.  Even with the stops to get out of the car and walk around, my body doesn't like it.  

Tonight I spent about two hours trying to access, modify, and locate the pictures.  Now that I have lost Picasa the pictures are all mixed together and have no captions.  I managed, in all that time, to find and somewhat modify these three images.  The spots are, of course, dead bugs on my windshield.  With Picasa it was just a snap to eliminate them, but I can't find a way to do that in Google pictures.  It seems to me that Google bought Picasa just to eliminate it, not to add that excellent program to their box of tricks.   Anyway, for what they are worth, here are three of the fifty or sixty pictures I took.  

This is a dried up rabbit brush that blooms in the fall.  It was just the other side of the fence at the Pyramid Lake location and it sort of glowed in the sunlight.  

This picture taken on an overpass of the I-5 shows the north side of the mountains between Los Angeles and the Central Valley.  I have never previously seen this amount of snow on them. 

And even closer to the north end of the Grapevine.  This was taken through my bug filled windshield.  

I have more images from the trip home, but it is now 1:30am and I am too tired to figure out how to retrieve and modify any more.  Maybe later in the week.  

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