February almost gone! 02-26-25

Rhaphiolepis (Indian Hawthorn)

 I have essentially lost 22 days of this month!   The RSV has stolen it, leaving me with just a few days to try to catch up.  I need to have some lab tests, an X-ray, and a haircut!  Usually do that early in the month, I am feeling pretty shaggy.  

Thanks to Dottie, I have Amazoned two possible solutions to my cane problem.   One is a sort of large tie-tie that twists around the cane and forms a hook. The other is the "glue" Sugru that can be shaped and glues to many different kinds of surfaces.  Interestingly the name comes from the Irish for "play".   I'm sure this is the product I  remember reading about several years ago, but I didn't think to look for a glue.  I was thinking and searching for plastic clay.   I never know how to word a search.

Today was 81F here and tomorrow 86F is predicted.  I said awhile back that it looked as if we would not have a winter this year, seems like I guess correctly.  We have had some cold temps, but never down even to 40F at night. Sure hope some rain falls soon.  

Lots of illness going around all over the country.  Wear a mask, wash your hands, avoid crowds.  Be safe. Stay well. 

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Wordless Wednesday 05-15-24

 

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Friday Food - Sort of! 05-10-24

I don't know how many thousands of photos I have  on my laptop, a lot.   One of the handiest features is "search" where I type in a word and hit "Enter" and the little gremlins go searching for whatever. In this case "Food".  And up come all the photos with food.  The gremlins aren't sure sometimes and they throw it in anyway.  Some of these images are really far reaching, others could quite  possibly be food.

A box of Monica Shaffer's EPPs ready to use.

Dye set up in a Sue Benner fabric dyeing/painting class. 

The magazine sales table at a Surfside Quilters Guild meeting.

Nancy Pestal with Philanthropy fat quarters to sell. 

Baskets at November Fest, full of fabric and other goodies, but no food. 

This one makes me laugh.  It is "food", but the bottles sat out in the sun and developed a slouch.

Well, they do resemble eggs.

The gremlins can read anyway.  

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Miscellaneous 05-01-24

 Just a few views of our everyday life.

When we walk in the morning we stop to put several papers on the doorsteps of our neighbors.  KoKo will "Sit & Stay" on the sidewalk while I go up to the door.  He is just that little dark spot beyond the landscape roses.

We were stopped at a signal when this great egret flew close in front of the windshield to perch on the wall.    

I don't know if he is the one that some neighbors call "Willie".  However, he  may be one of several that visit our yards this time of year, searching for lizards and other nibbles.

Here is a picture taken last year in a neighbor's yard.

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Sometime since January I bought this white, waxed Amaryllis and it bloomed justas I was leaving for Empty Spools.  I knew it wouldn't enjoy a car trip  so  I "loaned" it to a neighbor who I knew  would enjoy it.  She will return the bulb and I will plant it in my big amaryllis pot - white among the Xmas red.

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Miscellaneous 12-16-23

I suppose I should title this something like "Glimpses of my life"!   Just some random images  snapped in the last few weeks. 

We went to In-and-Out and drove through behind this silver Lotus.  License plate?  "HaHa  Nice". Even in this red area I rarely see a Lotus. A Rolls Royce is more common!!

When I pick up Julian (4th grade) on Wednesday I stay at his house until one of his parents comes home.   He is usually in his room playing on the computer or doing his homework.  But occasionally he will come in the living room to watch a movie  on the BIG TV.  This week he was watching something violent  with  lots of noise, flames, screaming, etc.  I was reading  a book on Kindle and can pretty much block out the TV. But I couldn't help taking some shots of his positions on the sofa.  I didn't notice his facial expressions until I saw the pictures.

No TV when I was growing up, but I would get in weird positions while reading.  One of  my favorites was on the bed on my stomach with the book on the floor.   Of course, under the covers with a flashlight was something ever dedicated reader learns early. 

This is KoKo's favorite sleeping position.  My head is to the left and he is between my thighs with Froggy held close. No matter how cold it is he never wants to be covered.  

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Miscellaneous 11-11-23

I think I may have  to start posting  stories from my past.  I just don't seem to accomplish much  these days.  Lots of naps, two walks a day with KoKo,  keeping  up with bills, and keeping up with Facebook, SAQA, Surfside QGuild, etc.  Since I have a few days without outside obligations I went to CVS  this morning for a flu shot.  My arm has started to  swell  and itch - as it usually does with any vaccine - so I have been putting an ice  pack on part of the  time.  Interested to see how it  will be in the morning.    After  another  week  I'll  have another  few  days free  and  I  will go for the "biggy", a Covid booster.   In the past they  have put me  off my feet for a few days.  Maybe this  one won't  be  so bad.  

A few days/weeks? ago I posted a picture of the local bird bath and said I would try  for a better image.   Didn't see many birds this morning, but we walked earlier and the shadows were  better.  All the  darker spots are holes  the birds made  with their feet  and wings  as  they  bathed in the dry, sandy soil.

I  have managed some sewing.  Mostly mending, but  here are six recorder covers for music students at a south county school.   They needed   over  200!   A small group of SQG members got together to  cut out the two  layers (cotton  outside  and  flannel inside). They made up kits with instructions and Velcro  for members to take  home  and  sew together. I thought it would be an easy project, but I have  lost  some  of my sewing skills and it took me a long time.

They are 16" long X 3"wide and hopefully sturdy enough to last a few years.

Autumn is sort of here in  SCalifornia.  We have  mild  daytime temps and a few nights down in the  high 40s.    Not low enough for a rush  of  fall color, but there is some color. This Nandina (known also  as Heavenly Bamboo) grows along the drive-thru line at Starbuck's.  KoKo is not smelling it, just sticking his head out the window.

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Miscellaneous 11-08-23

 I thought it was just Blogger that wouldn't let me post last night, but it was something else.  Still having a problem with  my space bar.  Guess  I will have to go visit the Geek Squad.  I think I was just born without  the  electronics gene!

The Fuyus (persimmon) are just ripening. This one hangs over an 8 foot wall along our walking route. I  think  I will knock and see if they will share.   I guess I will need to  carry a ladder over to reach them.   They are  my favorite fruit.  

I  am taking the boys to school  on both Tuesday and Wednesday this month and Julian can't stay alone  when he gets out at  1:15 or 2:15 so I stay with him until his dad comes  home. I have been doing surgery on Froggy while I am sitting at the  boys house.  Poor guy, I will need to replace his entire back again since KoKo  chews on him there.  But there are also many small  holes with a tiny puff  of stuffing sticking out.   I use carpet thread, which doesn't come in  green, but KoKo doesn't notice. 

Lots of Western Bluebirds lately.  This one turned his head just as I clicked. 

I think we need to have our fence  sanded and repainted.  

Here is  another local bird!  This is an artificial blackbird perched on the right hand  of  the giant skeleton who has been "re-garbed" for Thanksgiving.  

I think he needs  a pilgrim hat. 

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Miscellaneous 10-24-23

So nice to  have comments on this blog - you encourage me to try harder!    Thanks Gayle  in NZ and Carol in Placentia.   Tonight just a few  miscellaneous photos.  I have actually been doing  some  sewing!  Have  a  couple deadlines coming up and sewing recorder covers for a local grade school. We still walk twice a day,  morning and  evening,  and have  extended a bit going a block up and back  on the next road over..  We meet other dog walkers and  some  times a neighbor  working  outside or coming/going.  Always nice to talk to someone face to face.   

It took me days  to  figure  out what  these two pictures  are doing in my photo file.  I could not remember taking  a picture of anything violet.   

Finally, I knew: they are the inside of the pocket of my black dog-walking pants.  A photographic version of  the  cell phone "butt call".  

Julian's favorite ice cream, Cookie Monster. Blue ice cream with chocolate chip cookie pieces.  He never wants to try anything else. 

Am I not the cutest doggy that ever was?  October 2019

Dave, the mailman thinks so!  And gives me tummy rubs.

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Another Miscellaneous 10-01-23

On Saturday I dropped KoKo off with Nancy Ota in San Clemente and drove to San  Diego for the meeting of the Art Stream group.  We had the  meeting in the classroom at Rosie's Quilt  Shop which also gave us an opportunity to shop.  It is the largest quilt shop remaining in Southern  California,  but it is more than a two hour drive for me, so I don't go  there very often.  Great place for a meeting  - lots of tables and pin-able walls, with a good Mexican restaurant next door.  We are only six members now, which is a nice size for most homes and makes for more cohesive conversations.   We do have Show and Tell, but I don't have  permission to post that  part  on my blog.  

It was rather a surprise there was rain both going and returning.  Not a steady rain, but periods of misting and periods of really coming down.  Slowed traffic, but the traffic was light for a Saturday so it sort of evened the timing out. 

There were Nelda and Deb and Andrea and Judy and me (no picture).

Ellen is vacationing. 

After enjoying lunch at the restaurant next door we honored all the fall birthdays with a delicious chocolate cake topped with fruit on little clouds of icing.  Delicious. 

By the time the meeting was over I was too tired to do much shopping, but I looked for a bit and only purchased a yard of each of these fabrics.  The bottom piece is actually a much brighter green, but you all have probably seen it in many different shades.  

I stopped in San Clemente to collect KoKo, who always enjoys a day with Nancy. When we got home we took a little nap (KoKo and Froggy on my lap) and then  went to bed early.  That two-plus hours each way really wipes me out these days, but being with such compatible friends is worth it!

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Not much to write about. 09-26-23

We go for our walks twice a day and sometimes that is  the only time we are outside. KoKo needs to go out back in the mid afternoon and due to  the coyotes who  roam night or  day, I go out  with him.   He only takes a few minutes, so there doesn't seem  to be much to write about.

I have been watching this fig tree growing on the next street. I had hoped the owners would share their crop. 

However, it looks like the birds are helping them selves.  Might not be anything left when they are  ripe  enough for people consumption.  There is also a  Fuyu tree  along our way and it is loaded, but still hard and green. 

This car was parked  nearby the other day  and I am  mystified what the black "tube" does, I've never seen such before.

 
It isn't a homemade  contraption, but seems to be made to fit the car. 

The vehicle  is a Toyota.  It is very shiny, so what looks  like dents is just reflection.

I guess the biggest news is that Halloween is just a month away and the decorations are going up.  Love these Shrek hands on the palm trees in this neighbor's yard.   They also have styrofoam headstones and huge fuzzy black spiders.  Brrrrrr!

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