Another easy day 06-09-23

Sunshine all day and 70F.  Maybe the morning drizzle is over.  But the weeds are still running amuck and I haven't had any luck with a new gardener.  They just don't show up!   The redbud trees are all  leafed out and some leaves  are almost black. I cannot take a photo that shows how dark they are, but here are a few that I tried to edit. The newer leaves come in red which shine in the sun.  KoKo checking out the possibility of lizards. 

The older leaves are the size of my outstretched hand. 

Soon the small pink  blossoms will appear, but the large leaves rather cover their  glory.  Still a lovely tree, to bad I didn't take a picture of one.  

Not a happy dog because Froggy has been crunched again!  

Sciatica  pain is much less and we did two full walks today.  The nurse did a good job and there is only a small bruise from the puncture in my arm just above the wrist, high enough for my sleeve to cover it.  Not that I am going anywhere!

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Had the epidural today 06-08-23

And KoKo stayed home with Froggy.  He is very good when I leave him alone.  He barks at people who walk by (not very many) and especially at dogs.  But mostly I think he sleeps, with Froggy of course.  This morning we walked before 7am before I had to leave at 7:30am. 

My friend Dick drove me down to Irvine to the Hoag Surgical Center for Dr. Le to do his magic (I hope) again.  The last epidural was in October and the pain did not get bad again until May.  I hope this one lasts as well.  Who knows why some do better than others.  It is always an ordeal to sign in with dozens of papers explaining whatever horrible things might happen, both medically and financially.  I was surprised that nobody was wearing masks, so I didn't either.  Check in time was 8:15am, procedure scheduled for 9am, but happened about 9:45am.  All that laying on a gurney with no book, no phone, no idea when the procedure will start.  It is a drag.  They didn't put me out, just some relaxing drugs and, for the first time, oxygen.  Don't know why.  My age?  Then it was over in about 15 minutes and they hustled me out of there.  When I was home again I ate a small turkey sandwich and took my morning pills and drank an entire bottle of water.   Reclined with KoKo in my lap and slept for four and a half hours.  We did a short walk this evening so KoKo could do his business. 

No luck finding my calendar book.  I think it is gone forever.  I have a wall calendar from AARP and am filling in those little squares as I call to see what appointments I have scheduled.   And Book Groups (2) and Surfside QGuild.  I know there are some ZOOM meetings, but don't know how to figure out when they are.  A friend has almost convinced me that I need to do a calendar on my phone.  She says  that if I lose my phone I can still find my calendar in backup.  Thinking about it. 

Probably more than you wanted to know, but sometimes I just need to "talk" to someone about things in my life.  Love.

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Wordless Wednesday 06-07-23

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Sewing Again 06-06-23

It has been so long since I threaded my machine, the one I have used since about  1977, that I had to try a couple times to thread it correctly!  Gotta get  back in  business here.  

I made this little quilt for a Beach Cities QGuild challenge in 1998, but as much as I love the color, it is too chaotic.  I outlined the USA in red perle cotton, but it hardly shows.  Anyway, it is not a successful quilt.  I named it "Guard Thee" after the text in one of the fabrics. 

Several years ago I took a workshop with Elizabeth Busch which covered what to do with such a piece.  So the other day I cut two mug rugs from the middle of the quilt!!   And today I did the zigzag binding a la Sue Benner.

One has the "Guard Thee" text and a lovely lion's eye. 

The other is sort of fishy with a blue un-named critter in the middle.  

I will leave them on the porch table of Wendy, a neighbor who is undergoing chemo and doesn't get out much - just to the chemo treatments.  Her young adult daughter is living with her now.  I don't really know either of them, but a little surprise on her porch will hopefully bring a some cheer to her day.  I've left flowers, cookies, a plant, and a wonderful almond croissant from the French bakery.  But this is the first time she might know who is leaving her gifts.  Such a nice lady if not very talkative.  

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Return from San Diego (06-03-23) 06-05-23

The drive to San Diego on Friday afternoon is always slow and I expected it, so I didn't get uptight and other drivers seem to take it in stride.  There are always one or two maniacs that just jockey from lane to lane to get ahead.  All that does is slow traffic even more.  My average speed was 24mph, but, of course, that was an average between dead stop and 80mph.  It took three hours.  

I  checked into  HIE-Old Town, my usual stopping place, and Beth  picked me up to go to dinner at Jimmy's Famous American Tavern right on the water, but we sat  inside out of the wind.  The French Dip was delicious, the first  I have had in years, it came with house made chips (no sulfites), and an Arnold Palmer to drink.   Interesting  to watch the customers, I just don't get out much any more!   

Ouside in the breeze  way was  this  wonderful  fully blooming vine.  Looks like  honeysuckle, but I've never seen such huge blooms or leaves.  Not terribly fragrant. 

I was  early to bed in the firm center  of the king sized bed with my earplugs in.  Can never sleep on either side of those big beds because they are all broken down.  My other option is to sleep crosswise across the foot part of the  mattress.  My preference would be a recliner and I understand  that some motels offer rooms so equipped.  I'll have to check around. 

On Saturday morning off to pick up Andrea and Deb and drive to Jamul, which is southeast of San  Diego, for the Art Stream meeting.  There were only five of the eight members, but that gave us all more talking time!!  We do an "assignment"  at each  live meeting and this month it was trees.  I didn't ask if I could post anyone's work, so I am just showing mine.  It is obviously not finished - just the fusing is done.  It is an abstract of a forest and I am still debating how to add some foliage.  The color in this image is rather darker than  reality  and  I don't know how to fix that.  Sorry. 

There will be smooth outside edges, probably faced.  

After the meeting and lunch I headed home in medium traffic, some  fast, some  slow and picked up KoKo at Nancy's about 3pm. Then another hour home.  Of course, we both needed a nap before putting things away.  And the  discovery that I don't have my datebook/calendar.  It has disappeared and I am  completely  in the dark about any dates or appointments I have for the rest of my life!!  It  is  a horrible feeling to not know what tomorrow, or tomorrow, or tomorrow or.....   will bring!  I have started a list as I remember things (like my 3pm doctor visit tomorrow, which I called to confirm), but there are notes and phone numbers I will not be able to recall.  I have never switched to keeping a calendar on my cell phone - in case I lose it!!!  This has been very stressful and I feel unconnected to my own world. I have never been one to lose things, but guess I screwed up this time.  Woe is I!

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San Diego 06-02-23

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I will be in San Diego tomorrow (Friday) night to attend an Art Stream meeting on Saturday morning.  KoKo will stay with Nancy Ota in San Clemente.  Back on Saturday evening  

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Critters 06-01-23

There seem to be more wild critters around recently.   There are more birds and I've seen a few that I don't normally see.  In the daytime there are always small lizards enjoying every ray of sunshine.  I know  there are nocturnal animals - raccoons, opossums, rats  and mice, but I never see them.  There is a Great Horned Owl that I have glimpsed, but they fly so silently it is a rare view - the Crows chase him away from their nests.  There is a Wren nesting somewhere nearby, possibly in the ficus tree along with an Anna's Hummingbird.  And an Acorn Woodpecker has been pounding on the rotting wood fence in the backyard.  We have the usual resident Western Bluebirds, House Finches, House Sparrows, Crows, Bushtits, Goldfinches, and, most common of all, Brown Towhees.  They are almost always in pairs, searching lawns and underbrush for tasty morsels.  Cell phone cameras are not suited to taking pictures of birds, but I did manage to catch this gal/guy in my backyard, searching among the weeds.  They are constantly moving so many shots are required to catch one good picture - I took about 30 just to get these two!

Brown Towhee

This picture taken by a neighbor. Coyotes blend into the landscape very well.  They are here, but we don't see them very well.  They do, however, walk down the street and sidewalks and jump into backyards.  Wily!  

Then there are the coyotes with and increasing population everywhere.  I have not seen any since  last fall, but I hear them at night and  there are many reports of sightings and, unfortunately, missing cats and small dogs.  They cannot be killed so we just learn to live with them.  KoKo never goes outsie without his lease except to piddle in the backyard with me carrying a large stick by his side.  

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