Sunday, July 31, 2011

Maybe Tomorrow

When I wake tomorrow....

It may be morning, it might be much later....




After the chores, to-do lists, and schedules....

Maybe I'll write a worthy blog post....

Maybe tomorrow I can find the words...

At least I am hopeful - FOR MANY THINGS ...

Maybe tomorrow my Dad will be conscious and responding...

Tomorrow is what I'll dream of...

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

One Thought




For the last three days.....

but one thought....

I WISH

for my Dad to get well !!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Cat Eye Sunglasses At The Pool


Goin' retro this weekend! 1950's, Baby!


I'll be sporting some crazy retro sunglasses this weekend - I'll have someone take my picture...
 (they're my Mom's from the 50's and they're prescription so I won't be able to see)


I've got an aqua swim cap packed in my bag


Gonna rock some pointed toe shiny heels - polka dots and aprons too




Notified that pearls and cardigans are party essentials






A 50's theme for a gal turned  50 !!

Three nights at a lovely hotel

Swimmin', and yakin's all we got to do.....


SEE YA LATER ALLIGATOR!! 

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Beat The Heat

Why have I chosen a hot summer day to turn on the oven?

It's not yet sweltering ~


But then it's only eight a.m.......

In this little house of very little insulation - the summer heat ratchets up the thermometer quickly!

So, I go and decide to bake a quiche this morning...



Hurry, hurry!! get this thing cooking and outta the fire fast...



Pie crust filled with lots-o-goodies! Some veggies from our garden.

Then, what do I go and do???

Change my mind and eat "Breakfast Pizza" instead!....



So delicious! A chunk of baguette grilled on cast iron, spread some cream cheese, slice a fresh out of the garden tomato, grilled turkey sausage patty, and an aromatic sprig of my own basil!!

QUICHE for a later meal!!

No, I did NOT beat the heat ~




What I won't do for a great meal!!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Post-Game Show

Same weekend

After tailgate party

Drive to Wine Country

Another milestone Birthday of a friend

Theme du jour - TOGA!!!





me & Hubby
 Imaginative, creative toga togs!! There were cowboy togas and fireman togas. There were Spartan warriors and Queens of the Nile.


Long banquet tables held the masses....



The "Empress" was toasted...

Strike up the band - yet there was nary a lute....


Light candles for shimmer



And dance by the light of the moon.....

They danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Baseball Birthday.... SORTA!

Our friend wanted to celebrate his Birthday at the ballpark. He will mark a banner year - not until December! He says that he will have a couple of parties all leading up to the date, and then doesn't really want to have a big shebang for the real date.   ALRIGHTY then!! So we tailgated the morning away in style!





Hubby and I never made it inside of the stadium. We paid, parked and partied! Then we headed off down the freeway to another Birthday celebration. The Baseball Birthday was great fun ~



The food was out of this world - delicious!!


bunuellos -  fried tortillas sprinkled with cinnamon & sugar

The friends & family in good form ~






Celebration NUMERO UNO was a hit.....

OUT OF THE BALLPARK !!


Wonder what his next party will be???  and - hope we're invited!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Weary



What would it be like to have a life less abundant ? If the morning sun didn't seem to shine on your face any longer? How empty might my soul feel if I couldn't wander as I do; each day abundant in so many ways; like  one never ending picnic? Simply put - I WOULDN'T BE ME !

The freedoms that I talked about in my 4th of July post weren't merely written because of the holiday. I truly do cherish my life and the blessed way I'm allowed to live. If a day came and suddenly all doors were closed - if I could no longer walk, hike, bike, dance, shop, drive..... would I sit in shock, staring at the four walls and dream of what I was missing outside?

When the seasons come and go and trees change from bare and twiggy to green canopies; and onto flowering and fruiting ... as flowers sprout, gain fragrance, lose petals as they age - If I were unable to witness this divinity, might I wither and die? At the least a piece of my heart would crumple.

Should there be a time that birdsong, recorded music, film, written words give no pleasure to my senses - then I do know that I must be truly weary of life. For these pleasures are all mine for the taking, for the using for their utter SIGNIFICANCE to happiness!!

How might someone live without these examples? Well, I can tell you how they live..... NOT WELL! Also not as life should be experienced. There is someone very dear to me that has this sort of existence. As I listen, her voice is a whisper, yet her tone so very heavy. The hope for life's pleasures is yearned for..... but, beyond grasp. The closed doors are there for her, and most times there is not a key. The color, texture and noise of the world are often times now only seen through glass. HELL must look this way, I'm thinking.

Does she feel she's slowly sinking, circling.... down, down... melting towards the ground....?  Yes, I am visualizing..."what a world, what a world"... Drama and dark thoughts for this writing...

If only there were someone, some THING to pluck her from these depths.....

Hang in there, Love! Surely sunlight will cast it's glow on your freckled cheeks one morning very soon!


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Bambi Then & Now

Are your tennies laced up? Walking shorts on and sweatshirt tied around your waist?? I haven't taken you on a walk in the hills for awhile. I much appreciate this cool weather when I hike.  My timing was different from the norm; I went in the late evening rather than morning. I took my camera along knowing that I'd spot a deer or five along the way.

Off we go ~






Always - such beautiful surroundings! above ^ and below too >







There were groups aplenty of Mommas and fawns. Seeing them together always makes me think of Bambi. I'm drawn to that Disney film. My parents bought me the album from the movie when I was a young girl. It was played on my small portable turntable. I still have that album!








I spotted a couple of really big guys, but they don't wait around for a close up portrait!




I was out during sunset. Gold and pink filtered through oak tree limbs....





And a parting song from that memorable soundtrack.....

Good Night!



Monday, July 11, 2011

Dew Good

Ahhh the pleasure of a cool morning. A dewy start to the day makes me feel refreshed.


Amazing dew drop artwork by Mother Nature! OH MY!!

It's even cool enough to turn on the oven. What with the plethora of fruit,  I was craving plum galette ~


Do you know how difficult it is to work with plums? Not easy to get enough "meat" to fill  crust. A tarte, or galette is not nearly so hard since it is not deep. This particular time the galette was worth the work! ~



Spent more time in the kitchen  grilling veggies and mixing up a batch of salsa (pico de gallo) from the first fruits of my labors! Finally have a few lusciously red tomatoes!


Happy time on the gardening front!!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

My Space

Giving Hubby and friends their space for poker left me with hours of time to create my own space at any place of my choosing. If you know me it isn't hard to figure out where I might journey for "ME" time.

THE BEACH OF COURSE!!

We live just over the hill (that's local speak) from the beach. Those of us grown up in Santa Clara Valley/Silicon Valley say we're going over the hill meaning driving over Highway 17 to get to the ocean. Santa Cruz is the nearest beach over that twisty, curvy road. Takes a mere half hour to get there!! Thank goodness!


I chose to drive a few minutes more to reach this beach ^ (New Brighton) that has miles of walking space.
Such a beautiful evening! The pelicans were in a feeding frenzy....






The diving skills of those pelicans is truly a marvel!

Reading, walking and arithmetic...  ha! house stalking were part of my itinerary...



check the deck on that baby..






I found homes of interest....

The birds found theirs too...



This decrepit ship hull is a landmark at Seacliff State Beach. I remember it from when I was a child. The local flying population has decided it makes for a McMansion size nest                    


Something about this whole scene was spooky. Reminded me of an Alfred Hitchcock film.....                   
yeah!! uuuhmmm - maybe THE BIRDS ??                  

By the end of the night everyone was happy, I'd found my space. Hubby & the guys had theirs. And even our feathered  friends had elbow room, good air to breathe and a sense of well being.                              

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Where The Boys Are

My guy, Hubby, and his guys (friends) took over the backyard the other night. They probably would have commandeered the house, but the temperature inside hovered near 90. They opted for a tiny rustling of a breeze outdoors.

Once a month their group plays poker. They take turns hosting. Hubby tries his turn during the summer months so that the game can be played out under the walnut tree..... where there is much more room. Our 40's era cottage is a mere 800 square feet! The card room was unique and also utter perfection. Starlight instead of chandeliers.... well, almost - there actually is one hanging from a branch of the walnut!



Cards are dealt with a dime ante! Isn't that the funniest.... really?

Only a dime to have such a good time !!

I was gone most of the evening. Give the guys their space. Then once home I holed up in our bedroom. As the game progressed I could hear the whooping and chuckling. Think this has anything to do with it?


They  partake in a wee bit o'the scotch.....



Then by midnight every thing is  a bit fuzzy, just like this photo, and the guys call the game until next month. That's where the boys are every first Thursday of the month.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

It's A Cloche Kinda Day!

In order to know what this post title means.... well, you'll have to go look at my Abundant Finds blog ~
http://abundantfinds.blogspot.com/2011/07/cloche-love.html...

And also you'll have to remember that I talked about this crazy looking item that I picked-up at Farm Chicks back in June.


See the sorta flower-frog-like item on the bottom? I was pretty certain when I bought it that I'd use it for displaying items with a cloche cover. And I have ~



Bumble bee as art.... taken to an even higher art form when placed on a quirky pedestal and displayed under glass!!

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