It is winter, but some blossoms. 12-09-22

Cold this week, mid 60s during the day.  Which doesn't seem cold to some of you, but SCalifornians expect mid 70s minimum!  I talked to a friend in Minnesota where it was 20F and she told me that Buffalo, NY, had 6 1/2 feet of snow in one day last week.  I am sooo enjoying SCalifornia, even in the 60s!

Lots of plants blooming including this pile of yellow.  This is just one shrub maybe ten feet high and there are three in a row in this front yard.  For some reason this one blooms earlier than the others and is solid flowers.  It is senna bicapularis, common names include rambling senna, winter  cassia, Christmas bush, money bush and yellow candlewood.  

On the far right is another of the same that is only now filling out with blooms. 

The sprained ankle is better.  I started PTherapy for Sciatica.  I still have not contracted Covid and wear a mask wherever I go, but most people do not.  Several friends have suffered and most of them have been traveling.  Hope you are all okay.  

The AT&T "technician" is supposed to come tomorrow between 8am and 12pm.  If he doesn't fix the problem of not being able to access the Internet anytime after about 5pm, I guess I will have to switch and the only option is Spectrum which has terrible customer service.  Price is about the same.  Oh, the trials of the electronic age, I miss old "Ma Bell".  Hard to believe that I worked for them 65 years ago.  Do you think back and wonder what happened to that young person?  On the other hand, can it possibly be 65 years!!

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Wordless Wednesday 12-07-22

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Christmas approaches 12-06-22

At a meeting last week a friend went all out for Christmas!

KoKo is indifferent to these giant dogs in a neighbor's yard. 

They do have dogs, I think two, but every year they add more to their blowup decor.  

And there is this light display that went up before Thanksgiving.

I am off to PTherapy this morning.  Same therapist, same problem - sciatica, and she will tell me I MUST so the exercises at home.  Soooo hard to do. 

A little rain this morning, but not enough to offset the drought.

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New quilt in TCQC 12-04-22

This is another 12"X12" quilt from the SAQA 2022 online auction.  A nice addition to the selection of birds in the Collection.  Soloveiko is a family name in Ukraine and Latvia, but I am not able to find a translation.  I think it might mean nightingale based on the places by that name on the Internet.  It is matchstick (channel) quilted which gives it a lovely texture.  There are several Martha Wolfe quilts in TCQC, check the right sidebar to find the others. 

"Soloveiko"  Martha Wolfe -Davis, CA  2022  12"X12"

Commercial cotton fabric, rayon (or silk) fabric, embroidery thread, sewing thread.

Fused, raw edge applique, hand embroidery, machine quilted, knife edge 

Back with sleeve and label.  I have this delicate yellow floral in my fabric library. 

And the label, she uses this fish a lot on the computer printed labels.  Nice that she includes her location and a contact.  

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A little drizzle, off my feet, and Friday Food 12-02-22

10:30am and I am online so I might get caught up on some postponed computer stuff today.  We had a little rain earlier, but not enough to stave off the drought anytime soon.  Another storm is moving down the coast so maybe there will be more rain.  After seeing Dr. Melanie yesterday I have a professionally wrapped ankle which is just sprained, not broken.  However, I need to stay off my feet for a while.  My kind neighbor Donna took KoKo for a walk this morning, between raindrops and another neighbor has offered for tomorrow.  I can't quite get comfortable to work on the laptop with my leg up on a chair, so I will figure out how to do it in the recliner.  Doc says I will have to limit activity for three weeks!  Not a chance.  I will try, but have places to go and things to do.  After Covid isolation I need to continue to grow my going and doing, can't fall back into the void.  

Friday Food.....I do like to try new foods and sometimes find a favorite, but rambutans is not one of those.  Frieda's is a company that offers many different "exotic" foods from around the world.  I bought these at TJoe's a few weeks ago.  I've seen them before and wondered, but never yielded to temptation.  Very expensive - about 10 in a plastic carton for around $5.  

They were about 1-1/2 inches long and look like some sort of bug, a hairy rolypoly. 

There is a sort of seam where I gently inserted a paring knife and pried them open.  Inside the fruit looks like a large white grape which comes easily out of the husk.   The plate is 6". 

Inside the fruit is a hard seed the size of an almond and it looks like one also. The cut open fruit (at the bottom) tastes to me like a grape and a pear.  Soft, the consistency of a ripe peach, it was very juicy (eat over the sink) and very sweet.  I did enjoy trying this, but seems like a lot of money and work, I will just buy grapes! 

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Online again this morning. 12-01-22

It is 10am and I am able to access the Internet - HURRAH!  Don't know how long it will last, but I will try to get this posted before I fall off again! 

Here is the KoKo dog zoning out in my lap.  He is very cuddly these days, I suspect because the weather is cooler.  Today we are supposed to have a little rain, but right now the sun is shining brightly.  

Froggy is still with us.  He needs more surgery and some replacement stuffing.  KoKo is very hard on him, but Froggy is a durable little guy.  They are the same age - 8 1/2 now. 

The temperature has not dropped below about 49F, so we have very little autumn color.  The crepe myrtle leaves just turned brown instead of the bright scarlet we have with colder weather.  The liquidambers and coral trees contributed this mild color. 

First decorations were up the day before Thanksgiving and now there are quite a few.  This olive tree is decked out solidly, but our neighborhood is not abundantly lit up.  Ours is one of many undecorated houses.  I don't DO Christmas anymore, just a wreath on the door.  

My garage is in terrible shape, stuffed with useless things and boxes of books!  I hired a young man seeking work to support his college fees to help me do a cleanup.  He was as nice as he could be, but only 19 and he didn't know how to work.  He couldn't quite get the hang of vacuuming!   I did manage to get rid of some stuff, but only cleared about half of the garage.  Dumb time of year to be doing this as it is cold and (sometimes) damp.  But I will persevere and find someone more mature to help.  

I am off to see the podiatrist for a complaining ankle.  I had hoped to just wrap it and try resting it, but it doesn't seem to get any better.  Sciatica just gives a twinge now and then so the epidurals are still working.  Fingers crossed.  

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Wordless Wednesday 11-30-22