The Best of My Life

Switching to the Train

2012-02-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

This will be my last post here for the foreseeable future. If you have been following me here (and even if you haven't), please jump the tracks and follow me at Scenes from a Slow Moving Train.

One blog ends and another returns - Sometimes moving backwards is actually a move forward.

2012-02-03T14:37:00.000-08:00

When I first started in blogging in March of 2006, I was writing at Scenes From A Slow Moving Training. I took this name from my girlhood memories of riding cross country on the old Amtrak trains, the ones with the little Indian and the logo "Santa Fe, all the way". I would sit up in the dome car all day long watching the world pass me by and somehow, the motion seemed so slow compared to how fast I knew we were actually going.

As I entered what would be a five year countdown to retirement, I started burning out on my job. I had to keep the performance level up but I desperately needed something to offset the day in and day out difficulties of being at work and wanting very much to be somewhere else. Enter blogging.

One of the first photos I ever posted was a photo I took of a woman on a beach in San Diego in the mid-1970s. I've looked at this woman many times over the decades and have often seen myself in her. She seemed to embody how difficult life and especially during those last five years at work. Now I look at that picture and I see a woman simply slowing down and that is what is happening to me.

When I wrote of purpose a few posts ago, I knew that this particular blog might be slowing down. I had dreams to keep me going back then and those dreams have in many ways been fulfilled. The best of my life had arrived. But now I want to explore the growing list of projects that are springing up and growing me almost daily.

I have been finding myself posting less and visiting less. The posting less wasn't so bad. It seemed like a natural process, but, the visiting less was bothering me a lot. Blogging with you has been a joy and something I look forward to but somehow the posting and visiting was always linked in my mind. Somehow, I had to separate the two.

Today it occurred to me that what I needed to do was revitalize my old blog, Scenes From A Slow Moving Train. Before, my life seemed to be on a runaway trajectory. Posting at SFASMT slowed me down. Now with my life and dreams on track, the old blog seems like the right place to go again. Only this time, instead of slowing me down, I'll simply post when some event, some project, or some bit of news appears that I want to share. In reality, it may not be all that big a change. I will continue what I've been doing lately but doing it in the place where it all started.

When I look at some of the history there, I'm impressed by the changes I find. My mother is gone now, a boyfriend is not in the picture anymore, a friendship died. But there is also the constant of one particular friendship (you know who you are, B) and the evidence that things that I loved six years ago are still important to me now.

So I hope as you read this, you will come visit at SFASMT and if you are already following me here, I hope you will switch over and following me at the blog that started it all. I'll still be visiting you as I set my following list in motion there.

Strange and Wondrous

2012-01-31T12:24:00.005-08:00

Saturday, Kris and I took time out to drive up to Diamond Springs and spend the day with longtime family friends, Barbara Jones and her daughter, Kimberly Jones Johansen. The day started out in the usual way of food, this time at a really good place in Placerville called Sweetie Pies (check out the food pictures on the link) where they have THE BEST strawberry/rhubarb pie with crust that is to die for. I bought an entire pie to bring home to my pie man. We visited all the usual fun places and hit a couple of thrift stores where I scored some goodies. However it was our visit to Gothic Rose Antiques that inspired the title for this post.

Most people who know me well, know that despite my All American apple pie exterior, I have a twisted bent to my personality that attracts me to the bloody, the macabre, zombies, horror movies (cheesy or well crafted) and, well, just about anything that is "odd". So it won't be any surprise, to those who know me well, that I fell in love with Gothic Rose Antiques. It is the single most unusual shop I have ever been in. Okay, maybe there is a lot more of this in big urban centers (remember, I live in a farming valley) so I haven't seen much of this. But, visiting here - well - all the quirky parts of my personality just burst into song. I encourage you to visit the website. Better yet, go for a visit if you are ever in Placerville. Here is a taste of what you will find. Oh, and these are NOT my pictures. There was a sign on the door saying no pictures were to be taken. It wasn't a request. It was a statement and you have to respect the sign. Thank goodness for a picture dense website. I can visit anytime I like and might even find something that I can't live without. And so -

happy? viewing into the dark side of Victoriana.

A memorial keepsake coffin buckle

A vintage lab coat from the L.A. County morgue. Love this.

In the Garden

Hannibal Lector as an Infant

An unsettling parrot
Love birds and this parrot is so cool

Egyptian inspired Victoriana Decor

Vintage Steam Punk Travel Case - I WANT!!! this

And last but not least - meet my alter-ego
An Independent Victorian Lady wearing
a dashing Top Hat

My 2012 word - Purpose

2012-01-21T15:43:00.001-08:00

I love waking up every morning wondering where my day will take me. After 47 years of working, going to school, surviving a bad marriage and making a good one, and raising two children, I was ready to retire. All the hard work was behind me.

So, I decompressed, tackled two major projects, and then kicked back and enjoyed my time to myself. I enjoyed not working. Each day was a potential surprise filled with
my sewing machine,

my yarn,

a bottomless shelf of books,

coffee with friends, backroad run-arounds with my brother, he driving and braking hard on my "there!" and me clicking away at what unfolded around us. My camera got and gets a mighty workout.

In between, I wrote and enjoyed the overlap of my life with my husband's life and the fun we had (and have) together when the overlaps match up.

But . . .

Very early in this new year, I started to feel a lack of something. These past 18 months have been a great exploration and journey of rediscovery. I had absolutely no responsibilities to anyone, anything, any job. I was free. My timelines and objectives were my own. But finally, with the dawn of 2012, I find myself, well . . . getting bored.

My Faith grew and the understanding of that faith and what it asked of me opened the idea of purpose to me. Yes, Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life (QR Code Enhanced Edition): What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) covered a good deal of ground on this topic and I have read bits and pieces of it. But it was my own internal dialogue that set the music to the next chapter of my life.

I previewed this boggy quagmire to Don who simply said, "This is why you are re-inventing yourself."

Short. Concise. On the mark. That's my man. I called on my 2011 word, "focus", and zeroed in on what was missing in my life. In a word - purpose.

I started thinking hard about purpose I realized that the thing I was missing in my life was the presence of something that offered regularity, outreach, and hope. Outreach would answer the question of what I could do for others. This was about giving, not some money-making venture. But what???

I had coffee with Biene a couple of weeks ago and she mentioned that a memorial library had been donated to the CSUS Music Department by the widow of Quanah's old music teacher, Robert Danziger. With this knowledge, things started to fall into place.

We all know that budget cuts are gutting education around the country and at all levels. Cataloging library donations has to be fairly low priority in any spending budget. However, for a volunteer activity, it would be ideal. My background in the music department and my emotional connection to Bob would make this an ideal opportunity to give back to the place that gave me employment stability for 21 years. To that end, I met up with Debra, my former department chair, and volunteered to do this work. In a word, she was thrilled. Now that she's had a chance to run it passed the faculty, I can touch base again and arrange to start providing this cataloging services.

I've also started to feel the pressure of some future financial needs. We live on a limited income and while we are blessed to have enough for our needs and low debt, there isn't enough to stretch and cover things like property taxes and a mortgage payment that will convert to a standard 30 year loan in about 3 1/2 years. Add to that a desire for travel and the possibility of a wedding later this year and you have a formula for needing extra income. Oh, sure. We could take this out of our savings but really, why should we rely entirely upon that? So back to that 2012 word, Purpose, again.

Part-time work isn't hard to come by in the clerical field. I can join the temp pool at the university, sign on with a local temp agency, perhaps temp with city schools. There are a lot of options and the good thing about all of them is I CHOOSE THE TIME AND THE PLACE FOR WORKING. I'm liking this idea a lot.

Of course, I immediately started thinking about the logistics of such a decision. After all, we are now a one car family. A little thought and I realized, no problema. Don sleeps in. I don't. If he needs the car, I bring it home at lunch. He takes me back to work, does his thing, and picks me up. Easy.

With all this thought and resolution, I'm feeling a huge sense of relief. We have a trip coming up in June with friends and I have five months to work part-time and set aside the cash for the travel. I've accomplished my purpose - funds for the travel extra and our savings left intact.

Some quotes on Purpose

When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind. ~Seneca

Never ask, "What reason do I have to be happy?" Instead ask, "To what purpose can I attach my happiness?" ~Robert Brault

The purpose of life is a life of purpose. ~Robert Byrne

If Heaven made him - earth can find some use for him. ~Chinese Proverb

Sepia Scenes and Haiku My Heart

2012-01-19T15:59:00.001-08:00

Ageless locked door

Placards sharing the basics

Private stories cached

For more Sepia Scenes, please click HERE.

For more Haiku My Heart, please click HERE.

Taphophile Tragics

2012-01-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

We visited the semi-ghost town of Hornitos and its old cemetery again, just this past month. The cemetery behind St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church is a place of endless fascination for me. It isn't that new residents are being interred with new graves to visit. No, for me it is more that the older a cemetery is, the more it is visited, the more changes are noted and more of the smallest details continue to emerge.

This gravestone is one of the more unusual I've seen. There is nothing particularly outstanding about the headstone itself but the gargoyle is of special interest. Notice that Louisa M. died in 1937. From a distance, the gargoyle looks as though he is reading a book. Conclusion? Louisa liked to read. BUT. When you take a much closer look at the gargoyle and look at it from behind, the book much more appears to be a computer. Okay. We all know that computers didn't exist in 1937 (except in the fertile imaginings of Jules Verne perhaps and his steampunk followers of his time). So, I look at this headstone, this wee and weirdly cute, little gargoyle with a computer and I have to admit, this is one of the most unusual headstones I've ever seen.

For more views of the cemetery in Hornitos, please click HERE.

For more Taphophile Tragics, please click HERE.

Yellow Crocheted Purse

2012-01-14T20:58:00.001-08:00

Yellow Crocheted Purse, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

2012 is upon us and I've been retired for 18 months. Major projects around the house are behind me so I've started to focus, full time, on the things that interest me; the things that bring me pleasure.

The pattern for this crocheted purse can be found in Carry Alongs: 15 Crochet Handbags & Purses for Every Occasion by Carrie A. Sullivan.

I used Sugar and Cream Cotton Yarn, a Size G crochet hook, a glossy cotton lining, and Bamboo handles.

I like the way 2012 is going so far. How is it going for you?

My Lucky Day - Haiku My Heart

2012-01-13T16:06:00.001-08:00

I was out and about today on this Fall-like Friday the 13th and it turned out to also be my lucky day.

I found this beautiful Madonna at an unscheduled stop at the Sacred Heart thrift store today for all of 99 cents. I think the style is Mexican but not sure. The style isn't reminiscent of Poland's famous Black Madonna. I think her style is more Mexican and/or Latin American. Any thoughts?

Mysterious and

undisturbed. Stoic. Strong.

Arms hide strong embrace

Along with this find, I also picked up a couple of other treasures at the thrift store. My impulse stop also yielded me a Mikasa serving bowl in a heart shape with the Blue Bell pattern. Not for 99 cents but definitely a good buy at a way lower price than they are going for on eBay. Yeah. I checked. **Grinning**

The big news of my day though is pursuing a long held desire to learn Spanish. People are such in our life that having a conversational level of speaking skill has become very desirable. The local adult ed school is offering Beginning Conversational Spanish and the class starts on January 24th. Both Don and I are taking the class. I can hardly wait. Si! Es bueno!

For more Haiku My Heart, click HERE.

Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine

2012-01-06T13:52:00.001-08:00

Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

I found this tiny statue at Asian Gardens in Little Saigon, Southern California. I placed her in a Whitman Sampler tin and adorned her with a medal of Our Lady, areferenced 2 Corinthians 5-7, added a broken bracelet, and bits of twinkling net. She is my first shrine and a fitting offering for Rebecca's Postcards From Paradise this week.

Sutter Creek, CA

2012-01-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

Hear the name Sutter Creek for the first time and anyone would be excused for thinking that this was the site of the first gold strike that started the big gold rush of 1849 and wrote the 49'er (no, not the football team) into the history books. But, no, you would be wrong. That was at Sutter's Mill. Same guy, different place. Plenty of gold in both.

Sutter Creek, today, is a charming tourist destination with plenty to keep the avid shop crawler, tea drinker, and cemetery explorer happy. I fit into all the categories. Wednesday, Don and I kidnapped our friend Marie and stole her off to the gold country for all of the above and more.

Enter and enjoy the delights of Tea Eras.

For the music box lover, there is the Music Box Shop. It was here that I found a long sought after gift that was 20 years - yes, 20 years - in the making. I'm mailing it off in the next couple of days and as soon as I know it has safely arrived, there will be a separate post about the end of this quest.

Wine tasting is another happy opportunity in Sutter Creek. The vineyards are sleeping at the moment so we will have to wait for the season of new wine and tastings to arrive again.
I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I walked into the warehouse that is known as Water Street Antiques and Interiors. This was my kind of place. There was not a single thing I would NOT have taken home. The handcrafted milagro tree is at the top of my list. I love traditional milagros (little Mexican miracle charms) but this was something truly different.

This sweet little church would also find a corner to bless in my home.

This center piece would delight anyone's Christmas table.

And this sink. Oh, how I want this sink.

This gate that keeps visitors from the business area above would find a place indoors with me. I would never want it to suffer harsh sunshine nor inclement weather.

And wouldn't you just love to walk over this foot bridge knowing that your house was on the other side.?

We located the City Cemetery on a hillside above the town. The road surrounding it is deeply eroded and it appears that at least portions of the cemetery are being restored as is part of the road. The roughness of the road in the oldest part of the cemetery made me extremely uneasy so we decided to cut our visit there short but something even better was awaiting us.

The photo above was taken in the cemetery the surrounded the Catholic Church which is just down the hill from the City Cemetery. I have to admit, I haven't seen anything like this. There is the church and parish hall and a substantial parking lot.

In all other available land, a cemetery has grown up around it taking up every bit of conceivable space you can use for burials. There were even three very old graves behind the parish hall (which was literally built in a different century from the burials). I will be featuring this cemetery this in an upcoming post for Taphophile Tragics, a cemetery photo meme I recently joined.

We were thrilled to discover that the church was unlocked. I could now thoroughly explore and photograph it's interior.

The window above is centered over the altar. You can see the shadow of the cross that adorns the tabernacle silhouetted against it.

The side windows below are a sort of arts & crafts design with the donors' names at the bottom creating the part of the window that opens for ventilation.

And on this 12th day of Christmas, it is appropriate to close with one last look at a manger scene. Tomorrow, as we start a new season of looking forward into our various futures, I wish you all . . .

. . . a very happy and blessed new year.

Broken but not defeated.

2012-01-02T17:06:00.001-08:00

Broken but not defeated., originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

I ordered two butter dishes that were on sale through Anthropologie catalog. One was mint and the other this pretty, buttery yellow. Obviously the yellow one did not arrive intact. I called customer services and they are shipping me a replacement but rather than throw this away, I am repairing it. I didn't think to take a picture of all the broken pieces to be repaired until I was down to ONE, but better late than never. A bit of glue here and there and it's ready for new life. There will be nothing utilitarian about the new life though. I have plans for a shrine or perhaps a little fairy house.

First Lines From 2011

2012-01-01T09:27:00.000-08:00

Each year I review my blog from the previous year and post the first lines of the first post of each month. It's a wonderful way to quickly review my year and think about what the new year can and will offer. I encourage everyone to give this a try and consider the possible gateways that are waiting to be further explored in the new year. Here are my first lines from 2011.

January: The plan, after the book club meeting that didn't happen, was to check out Jeanie's new diner.

February: When I was 15 years old and in the 10th grade, I took the required art class to fulfill part of the arts credits for high school graduation.

March: I'm BAAAACCCKK. From Arizona. I have barely touched the surface of Oregon from a week ago and now this.

April: Once upon a time in a land far far away, there lived a princess named Mary.

May: Don is leaving tomorrow to drive cross country with his cousin Bill. For Bill, who is a long haul trucker and 77 years old, it will be a last trip to see his family in southeastern Missouri where Don also grew up.

June: One of the things I promised myself a year ago was that I would not shy away from taking photos of people doing interesting things.

July: The process of resurfacing isn't easy. I've been out of commission with just about everything for the past month.

August: After two plus hard months of preparing for and then working the Stanislaus County Fair, we were ready for a break.

September: I would take age over youth any day.

October: It took a while, longer than many I suppose, but the time finally arrived.

November: The article below is very important to me personally

December: All call me blessed - My soul rejoices in God - Forget not His love.

A Small Stone #1

2011-12-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

Home Sweet Home???

Our neighbor's cat has taken up residence on the top of our unoccupied birdhouse. He seems to enjoy this view of the world and nary a whisker is twitched when Tanner comes into the backyard. Kitty is quite safe. Birdies are not. Tanner is frustrated. And this also explains why this birdhouse is perpetually unoccupied.

********

What is a small stone?

A small stone is a very short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment. There are no strict rules for what makes a piece of writing a small stone, as there are for forms such as haiku. The process of finding small stones is as important as the finished product – searching for them will encourage you to keep your eyes (and ears, nose, mouth, fingers, feelings and mind) open.

Walking With Turkeys

2011-12-27T17:45:00.000-08:00

Well, after an exasperating afternoon trying to upload this little video to Blogger, Facebook, and/or Flickr, I finally got it to appear completely on Facebook. Then Facebook didn't work.

Finally, I uploaded to YouTube. Where was my head? YouTube is no trouble at all. Now I'm going to post the link here and see if I can actually share it. If this works, this will definitely come under the heading of "There is more than one way to skin a cat" or "There is always a Plan B".

I loved discovering these turkeys. They were so active. By the time I got started recording them, they had pretty much settled down. Here are a couple of stills as well.

They tore across the yard and over the rise, gabbling noisily - six escaped females making a break for freedom.

They sped at then away from my camera, almost there and then gone in the blink of an eye.

Then they settled for a moment, gobbled amongst themselves in the shelter of an old ruin and as quickly as they appeared, they seemed to come to a unified agreement and fled back to the larger group of females, all being watched over by three Toms, each puffed out in glorious full plummage. In the video, you can actually see one closing in on his runaway brides.

New Leigh Russell novel featuring Geraldine Steel

2011-12-26T08:42:00.000-08:00

It is will great pleasure that I introduce the fourth Geraldine Steel novel, Death Bed, for writer/ friend, Leigh Russell.

Dear Annie,

The new Geraldine Steel novel has been selected as 1 of 35 crime mysteries included in amazon kindle’s 12 Days of Christmas offer @ 99p. I would be very grateful if you could mention this on your site with the link http://tinyurl.com/Kindle-DeathBed. It is $1.54 on amazon.com and here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Bed-ebook/dp/B006ML8JPY/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=A7B2F8DUJ88VZ&qid=1324845657&sr=1-1-catcorr

Thank you very much for all your support and wishing you all the best for 2012.

Leigh Russell

If you have not met Geraldine Steele, check out these earliest stories too.

Herald of His Birth

2011-12-24T14:01:00.001-08:00

The Bells, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

The Bells

Peace Be With You and All Your Loved Ones.

The Week That Was . . . Laguna Beach at the beach

2011-12-22T13:13:00.000-08:00

There is something very special to me about a winter beach. It's cold. It's quiet. It's unvisited (except by other winter beach lovers such as myself). I find I can concentrate more on the sounds and smells surrounding the beach. There is no talk, no laughter, no music except the music of the ocean and the lapping of waves against the shoreline.

Our walk, late in the day, provide late afternoon light for moody and atmospheric photos. As we entered my favorite winter realm, we were greeted by great red aloes reaching for the last of the sunlight. I have their very small cousins growing in my backyard.

The gulls gather at the edge of the tide pools patiently waiting for the incoming tide that would shake loose and expose the night's meal.

A sea urchin makes an appearance as though to say "Hi! Remember me and the time you haplessly stepped on one of my forebearers? We are singularly unforgiving. Don't tread on me."

A lone surfer patiently waits for food for his soul, a wave swelling out of a quietly unconcerned ocean.
He is joined by two surf paddlers. They stop for a while, chat about the surf possibilities and then move on into the setting sun.

Eventually, the surfer's patience is rewarded and he catches a small, unspectacular, but I'm sure very satisfying wave, into the shore as the sun fades away.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear but my PIRATE, his seahorse, and shells for ears.

As we took the stairs back up from the tide pools, we came upon this incredibly gnarled and exquisitely beautiful tree. I have no idea of its identity. Perhaps one of my SoCal viewers can identify it???

And so ended our sojourn to the Laguna Beach tide pool and cave.

The Week That Was . . . Part IV - Laguna Beach

2011-12-19T19:14:00.001-08:00

I remember when I was growing up in San Diego decades ago, we would drive up the coast to Disneyland and points beyond. Back then, the coastal route wasn't wall to wall cities. Great expanses of beach and ocean ran before us, waiting for us to catch up. We rarely did. Even the beach towns were easy and accessible and traffic-free.

One such beach town was Laguna Beach. LB, of course, is still there, but in the ensuing 40 years since I left San Diego, much about Laguna Beach has changed. Back then, LB was small, artsy, and a mecca for privacy for those who could afford it. That's all still fairly true but add hillside construction and endless upscale shops, and you have a prescription for congestion. Hwy 1 (known as the Pacific Coast Highway) is narrow and congested at the best of times. At peak traffic hours, it's bumper to bumper and the ocean, so visible back in the day, is now crowded, on the west side of PCH, with endless lines of shops blocking the once unfettered view.

So yes, much has changed about LB but we were able to stay there for several days (hosted by my long-time college friend's son. SIDE NOTE - if the wording of the prior sentence feels awkward, then it probably is. My friend and her family are obsessively private and don't even want their names mentioned online. Hence, respecting that, no names, no pictures of fun with friends, none of the usual we went visiting and here is who we were with reports.

Anyway . . .

Monday, our planned trip to Disney was rained out so we spent several hours exploring the shops and beaches of Laguna Beach. We breakfasted at the very popular Cottage Restaurant. Our arrival was well-timed. Early diners were gone and lunch people had not started yet. We had a quiet, and blessedly warm, seat by the fireplace.

The front porch of the little converted house looks out onto PCH and I'm sure it had an ocean view at one time. But, alas, the west side of PCH had a large museum structure. No ocean view now.
There was a painting in there, as well, that jogged a sharp memory of my drives up Hwy 1 from San Diego. Laguna Beach had a Greeter. His name was Eiler Larson, aka the Laguna Beach greeter. He was well known for waving to and welcoming motorists as they drove on Pacific Coast Highway into Laguna Beach from the 1940s through the 1960s. He died in 1975 but prior to that, he eventually had to stop his greeting ways and a second greeter was appointed by the town to continue the tradition.

A statue of Mr. Larson now stands in front of the Greeter’s Corner Restaurant in his honor, and another statue is in front of the Pottery Shack. Both are on PCH in Laguna.

There is more to say about Laguna Beach but I will end this part for now since it's getting late. Tomorrow (I hope) I will be showing you driftwood Christmas trees and a beautiful beach, tide pools and a cave with its very own pirate.

The Week That Was . . . Part III - Disneyland

2011-12-17T21:14:00.000-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Turn your favorite photos into a photo book at Shutterfly.com.

I just finished putting together this Shutterfly book and discovered that I could post it here. So simple and what a time saver.

The best thing for me was our visit to the Haunted Mansion. Disney had it all decked out as the Nightmare Before Christmas - one of my favorite Christmas movies. I was enchanted. Got outside pictures (will post a few more later) but just sat back and enjoyed the ride. So much fun.

The Week That Was . . . Part II

2011-12-17T18:26:00.001-08:00

Saturday broke bright and in the 60's. Instead of Olvera Street, we went to the Orange Circle Antique Mall, Little Saigon, San Pedro's Battery Park, the Christmas tour of Rancho Los Cerritos, and Johnny Reb's BBQ. What an afternoon it was.

I'm a little out of order here but I'm tired so rather than correct this entry to part IV, I'll let it remain as it is. The Mall and Little Saigon, and Battery Park are up after this.

The tour of Rancho Los Cerritos is without pictures. Several times, the tour guides were very specific about no photographs as, after all, there was no electronic technology of any sort in 1872. Rather than be anti-social, we did as we were requested and no photo-taking distracted from the excellent and informative tour. I hope the link I posted offers a few pictures for you to enjoy.

The evening ended at Johnny Reb's BBQ in Long Beach. This destination BBQ place has been a town staple for decades. Even a fire, back in the day, couldn't keep it from going away. In fact, it is so popular, the city of Long Beach provided funds to assist with reconstruction. This place is a true peanut shells on the floor sort of place and they have the BEST mac & cheese on the planet. Really!!. And so ended Sunday and the door opened wide for the crown jewel of our trip - Disneyland at Christmas. NOT. But more about that later when the Disney post finally arrived.

End of Part II

The Week That Was . . . Part I

2011-12-17T17:58:00.000-08:00

We had been talking about Disney at Christmas for six months. When the day to leave for SoCal finally arrived, we were excited. Well - I was excited. Don was merely looking forward to it.

We left Friday the 9th for Laguna Beach where we would be staying with friends. Our drive down was filled with some little surprises (birds' nests at a rest stop)and an unholy amount of traffic between San Fernando Valley and the far end of L.A. It took two hours to negotiate this leg of the trip. Average speed? 8-15 mph. Traffic was bumper to bumper and wall to wall. Motorcycles cruised though every open space there was. It was, in a word, INSANE. I was a wreck. The two pictures below illustrate my daily reality and the knuckle biter that is L.A. traffic.

This is where we live

Typical L.A. traffic

Fortunately, south of that mess, it wasn't so bad. However . . . the potential for taking a wrong turn was fraught with possibility and we did make that inevitable wrong turn. In fact, we made two wrong turns. Happening as this did at the end of the trip, needless to say, tempers were frayed. Well, MINE was frayed, anyway. Don's unraveled but he had been driving for seven hours. He was allowed.

Funny how plans become very fluid on holidays. Monday, turned into the designated Disney day. After 3 days of anticipation, I awoke early and found it . . . RAINING.

Backing up . . .

Saturday turned into a day of decompression. We spent the day visiting and catching up and then went to 5:30 Mass at St. Catherine of Siena Church.

Sunday we planned to go to Olvera Street. But remember how I mentioned the fluidity of vacation plans? Well, here was change number two. (Change #1 was decompression Saturday)

My major objective was to see the historic church and shop for Mexican folk art, particularly Sacred Hearts. However, the plan changed and we put off Olvera Street until we were on our way home. More about that later. Instead we went to the Orange Circle Antique Mall, Little Saigon, San Pedro's Battery Park, the Christmas tour of Rancho Los Cerritos, and Johnny Reb's BBQ. What an afternoon it was.

End of Part One

I'll be back soon

2011-12-16T09:11:00.001-08:00

Untitled, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Here lies the remains of an apple burrito. Like vacation, it is all done. Now I have lots of stories to tell and pictures to share. See you soon.

Nesting

2011-12-09T19:19:00.001-08:00

Nesting, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Nesting

Wee birdie sleeping
Egg cracking and beak pecking
Not alone anymore

A Virgin A Day - Day 9

2011-12-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

This will be my last day of participation in A Virgin A Day. We are on the road for a while. Yesterday was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The account of the Annunciation is one of the most awe inspiring and mysterious Biblical accounts. Just imagine a young Jewish woman, pure and beautiful receives a most noble heavenly visitor, the Archangel Gabriel. Who is delivering a message that is even more amazing.

Below is Luke's exact account of The Annunciation...

"And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.

Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her." -Luke 1:26-38

A Virgin a Day - Day 7

2011-12-07T23:16:00.000-08:00

Winter's Night - Thomas Merton

When, in the dark, the frost cracks on the window
The children awaken, and whisper.
One says the moonlight grated like a skate
Across the freezing river.
Another hears the starlight breaking like a knifeblade
Upon the silent, steelbright pond.
They say the trees are stiller than the frozen water
From waiting for a shouting light, a heavenly message.

Yet it is far from Christmas, when a star
Sang in the pane, as brittle as their innocence!
For now the light of early Lent
Glitters upon the icy step -
"We have wept letters to our patron saints,
(The children say) yet slept before they ended."

Oh, is there in this night no sound of strings, of singers!
None coming from the wedding, no, nor
Bridegroom's messenger?
(The sleepy virgins stir, and trim their lamps.)

The moonlight rings upon the ice as sudden as a footstep;
Starlight clinks upon the dooryard stone, too like a latch,
And the children are again, awake,
And all call out in whispers to their guardian angels.

A Virgin a Day - Day Six

2011-12-06T11:27:00.001-08:00

Salvation of the World, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

The traditional pieta shows our lady holding her son after his death on the cross. But, during this Christmas season I converted my pieta image to a swaddled baby.

He so loved the world, He came to us as a human child and then sacrificed Himself for our sake. Mary held Him in her loving arms from beginning to end.

A Virgin A Day - Day #3

2011-12-03T21:55:00.000-08:00

Visit the market place
then knock gently at my door
and abide with me

Rustic painted Madonna was found adorning a

kitchen cabinet at the Mystery Castle in Phoenix, Arizona.

(Feb. 2011)

A Virgin A Day - Haiku My Heart

2011-12-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

All call me blessed
My soul rejoices in God
Forget not His love.

For more Virgin A Day, click HERE

Catching up

2011-11-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

I have some serious blog reading catching up to do. Before I do ONE MORE POST, I'm going visiting to EVERYONE. Sheesh. Where does the time go?

You snooze, you lose.

Black Friday

2011-11-25T09:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was wonderful. The best part was that I wasn't all crabby with exhaustion by the time dinner arrived. I don't know what happened this year (other than the kitchen disaster the day before) but after that everything went smooth as silk.

I've never been a Black Friday shopper. The one time I was, it was totally by accident. I wasn't paying attention to what the day was and found myself in a mess. I left. Yup. I've never been a Black Friday shopper. But . . .

. . . then I discovered the joys of online Black Friday shopping. Easy. Hassle-free. And - hazard-free. Amazon has great deals on EVERYTHING so if you are like me and like a good deal but can't stand the rush to get, get, get, then peruse my sidebar. Amazon has great deals on everything. Oops, I already said that. Oh, well. It's true. Click on over. That is where I'll be shopping this year too.

Kitchen disaster.

2011-11-23T10:00:00.001-08:00

Kitchen disaster., originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

I am weeping over the remains of my mother's cut glass bowl. I poured my just prepared cranberry sauce into the bowl to cool and the heat of the sauce made my much loved bowl explode. Who knew?? I sure didn't. fortunately, it broke into big chunks. I'll have Don glue it together. it won't ever be used for serving again but it's better than tossing it. I just couldn't do it.

Ruby Tuesday

2011-11-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

Somber, sober, doze

Slides into slumber's embrace

Autumn's shift complete

Sepia Scenes

2011-11-19T14:33:00.001-08:00

Sepia at my feet, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Decaying fence holds
Small trash heap attracting down
Cast eyes. Skoal salutes.

Snipe Hunting

2011-11-19T08:20:00.001-08:00

We have this routine of leaving birthday cards on top of our entertainment center. For years, I've gotten up in the morning, walked expectantly into the living room, and looked for my card. Yesterday was no different.

I shuffled into the kitchen and looked across the room to the entertainment center looking for the white shadowy edge of the envelope. It wasn't there. Hmmm. I frowned. Then, in a split second, I found it - leaning against the coffee brewer. Hah! Don had done it to me again.

Don likes to stir things up from time to time and yesterday morning turned out to be a very vigorously stirred pot because apparently there was also a birthday present for me to find - unwrapped and in plain sight.

Well, according to Don, I am very unaware of my environment and apparently he's right because I never saw what was right in front of me.

Hours went by. Krista called with birthday wishes. Don took the phone and informed her that I still had not found my present.

A present, I thought. I did a great imitation of a ground squirrel popping its head up and out of its hole to examine the living room. Hmmm, more frowning. There was nothing unfamiliar on the landscape of the living room. It was snipe hunting time.

I slowly and thoughtfully walked through each room of the house. Minutes later I'm frowning (yet again!!). This time at Don. He informs me, with great exasperation, that I'm so unaware of my environment. I walk off in a huff determined to prove him wrong.

No new furniture. Nothing from his workshop. Nothing hanging on a wall. No loaded gift card ready for spending. Really. REALLY!!??

I stood in my studio thoroughly befuddled as he walks in. He looks at me, baffled beyond words. "For crying out loud, you're standing right next to it". I look down. Nothing on the floor.

And. Then. I. SEE. it.

There it was. A beautiful and oh so comfortable chair at my workspace. No more hard discomfort of a chair from the dining room table. I love it. I can spend HOURS in it. And Don has proven to me once again that when it comes to pulling off a surprise, he is absolutely unbeatable.

Good Read

2011-11-16T06:26:00.000-08:00

Anyone who is a fan of the writers Douglas Preston and/or Lincoln Child knows they are an unbeatable writing team as well and is no doubt familiar with their fabulous FBI character creation, Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast. I first met the team of Preston & Child when I read Relic (Pendergast, Book 1) several years ago. Ten Pendergast novels (and one seriously deformed movie later), I was browsing the books at the local grocery story and discovered a new Preston & Child creation, Gideon Crew.

The first book, introducing this new character is entitled Gideon's Sword. This character shares nothing in common with Pendergast accept for an exceptional talent at creative problem-solving. They've also given this character a dramatic twist that seemingly creates a built in limit for just how many books about this character can actually be written. My reaction to that??? Please P&C, say it ain't so.

If you like mystery, suspense, and human interaction that stops at the bedroom door (yeah, really - no details), than Gideon Crew and the world he is drawn into, is defintely worth an exploratory read. Book Two comes out in January and I, personally, can't wait.

Ruby Tuesday, and while I'm at it . . .

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last night as we went out, we were greeted with this spectacular surprise - the light of the sunset positively ignited the tree across the street from us. It's fiery red emphatically shouted, "It doesn't get much more Fall than this!"

And while I'm at it . . .

I have a couple of old and worn silver plate candlesticks. The silver is rubbed away on much of both leaving bare metal. Rather than consign them to GoodWill, I repurposed them. I painted this candlestick in metallic hues giving it a Fall color. Then I took a plate I picked up at Walmart ($2.97) and glued the two pieces together. Voila! A pedestal plate. This one will be perfect for Thanksgiving. The next one will be for Christmas.

Cosmic Weirdness

2011-11-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

My longtime friend, Toni, lives in Long Beach and being a non-driver, she spends a lot of time on buses and the metro link. Over the years, I've been regaled with many a story of her adventures while riding public transportation. Today was no exception but this latest incident just had to be shared. I thought it was cosmically weird.

Yesterday she was passing L. A. County Superior Court when the verdict had just been read on the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray - you know - Michael Jackson's private doctor. The crowd outside the courthouse was huge, overflowing with spectators and media reps from every radio and television station in the county and not a few from outside the country as well.
As it happened, the opposite side of the boulevard was filled with OWS - LA protesters. They had their own attendant media swarm. As the bus slowly passed by these two separate but weirdly connected events, I couldn't help but shake my head in wonder as Toni told her tale. On the one hand we have the 99%'ers protesting the 1%'ers and the media recording their every move for the masses that can't seem to get enough of these people. On the other hand, colleagues from the same news agencies are across the street jockeying to be among the first to report the verdict on a man whose sole occupation in life was to server an individual who was in the highest ranks of that protested 1%.

As Toni talked about what she witnessed, she remembered that on another day and another bus ride, she was passing by the Staples Center the day of Michael Jackson's memorial services. We all remember the mob scene, the crescendo of emotion, that covered the exterior of the Staples Center. On that day, Toni observed from the quiet interior of the bus, not only the crowds of mourners but she was able to look down and gaze at Jackson's hearse as it arrived.

The odd connectedness of these events, all from the safe interior of public transportation added up, in my mind, as bus riding bookends to a great tragedy and all set to the accompaniment of shouting protesters and cheering spectators. Yes indeed, cosmically weird

Photo credit to the L.A. Times

Hamilton's Cafe

2011-11-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Create your own custom photo books at Shutterfly.com.

A few years back I started using Shutterfly to make photo albums and to keep a record of family events. Reviewing my photos now, I realize that I've followed several themes over the years and have many pictures all from the same place. Now seems like a good time to start putting together theme books.

From past posts here, many of you know that I love to go to Hamilton's Cafe in Hughson. It is a quintessential mom and pop cafe and I've introduced many friends, local and out of towners, to this warm and homey place. I decided to put together a book about the cafe and wonder of wonders, five people want to buy it.

I've thought of putting together theme books from time to time and with this little success, I think the universe is pushing me in the direction I need to be going. So welcome in. Browse around and enjoy the many happy faces you can see at Hamilton's Cafe.

Good Reading

2011-11-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

I love it when I discover a new (for me) writer and a new series to sink my teath into. I was browsing at the used book store a few days ago and found a series of six mystery cozies, the Mommy-Track Mysteries. by Ayelet Waldman.

You may be familiar with Waldman with her more serious works - Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, Daughter's Keeper, or Red Hook Road. But I love cozies and I love a good series. I took my chances on the maybe discouraging to some series name and picked up all six books. I'm sure glad I did. I just finished Nursery Crimes (Mommy-Track Mystery) and when I'm up to date with all six books, I'll be watching for the next one, for sure.

Here's the synopsis from Waldman's website:

Nursery Crimes, the first installment in Ayelet Waldman's delightful new mystery series, introduces readers to Juliet Applebaum, a public defender turned stay-at-home mom. Juliet shares parenting duties with her screenwriter husband, but she's bored with playdates and trips to the park. That is, until she finds a way to spice up motherhood—with murder…

Getting accepted at Hollywood's hottest preschool is every bit as cutthroat as getting cast in a Hollywood film. Even Juliet's own two-year-old, Ruby, got butted out of the Billy-goat room. But when the school's principal is killed in a hit-and-run accident, Juliet wonders if someone is taking the competition too seriously. And even though she's eight months pregnant, with a toddler by her side, Juliet Applebaum decides to get off the mommy track—to track down a would-be killer.

Ayelet Waldman's Juliet Applebaum character is smart, fearless, quick-witted, and dangerously frank. She's clever and funny, a bit wacky, well a lot wacky, and I've fallen in love with her and her entire family. I'm not so sure yet of the recurring cast of characters but since I'm about to start book two, we'll see. If you like cozies, this series comes highly recommended.

Yet more proof of the goodness of Pope Pius XII

2011-11-04T15:06:00.001-07:00

The article below is very important to me personally. I have always believed that Pius XII was not guilty of Nazi collaboration. I've clung to this belief through my faith and the historic testimony of Jewish survivors who were not listened to. Since the Vatican archives have been open to this matter, I can only believe that if anyone continues to spread this lie, than they are doing so willfully. I hope to see Pope Pius XII canonized in my lifetime and at the least, formally recognised, to the world, for the lives he was able to save.

Researcher thinks Pius XII went undercover to save Jews
By David Kerr
Rome, Italy, Nov 4, 2011 / 06:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).-

The Jewish New Yorker who has made it his life’s work to clear the name of Pope Pius XII of being anti-Semitic believes the wartime pontiff actually went undercover to save the lives of Jews in Rome.

Gary Krupp came across the evidence in a letter from a Jewish woman whose family was rescued thanks to direct Vatican intervention.

“It is an unusual letter, written by a woman who is alive today in northern Italy, who said she was with her mother, her uncle, and a few other relatives in an audience with Pius XII in 1947.” Next to Pope Pius during the meeting was his Assistant Secretary of State, Monsignor Giovanni Montini, the future Pope Paul VI.

“Her uncle immediately looks at the Pope and he says, ‘You were dressed as a Franciscan,’ and looked at Montini who was standing next to him, ‘and you as a regular priest. You took me out of the ghetto into the Vatican.’ Montini immediately said, ‘Silence, do not ever repeat that story.’”

Krupp believes the claim to be true because the personality of the wartime Pope was such that he “needed to see things with his own eyes.”

“He used to take the car out into bombed areas in Rome, and he certainly wasn't afraid of that. I can see him going into the ghetto and seeing what was happening,” says Krupp.

Krupp and his wife Meredith founded the Pave the Way Foundation in 2002 to “identify and eliminate the non-theological obstacles between religions.” In 2006 he was asked by both Jewish and Catholic leaders to investigate the “stumbling block” of Pope Pius XII’s wartime reputation. Krupp, a very optimistic 64-year-old from Long Island, N.Y., thought he had finally hit a wall.

“We are Jewish. We grew up hating the name Pius XII,” he says. “We believed that he was anti-Semitic, we believed that he was a Nazi collaborator—all of the statements that have been made about him, we believed.”

But when he started looking at the documents from the time, he was shocked. And “then it went from shock to anger. I was lied to,” says Krupp.

“In Judaism, one of the most important character traits one must have is gratitude, this is very important, it is part of Jewish law. Ingratitude is one of the most terrible traits, and this was ingratitude as far as I was concerned.”

Krupp now firmly agrees with the conclusions of Pinchas Lapide, the late Jewish historian and Israeli diplomat who said the direct actions of Pope Pius XII and the Vatican saved approximately 897,000 Jewish lives during the war. Pave the Way has over 46,000 pages of historical documentation supporting that proposition, which it has posted on its website along with numerous interviews with eye-witnesses and historians.

“I believe that it is a moral responsibility, this has nothing to do with the Roman Catholic Church,” says Krupp, “it has only to do with the Jewish responsibility to come to recognize a man who actually acted to save a huge number of Jewish lives throughout the entire world while being surrounded by hostile forces, infiltrated by spies and under the threat of death.”

Krupp explained that Pope Pius used the Holy See’s global network of embassies to help smuggle Jews out of occupied Europe. In one such instance, the Vatican secretly asked for visas to the Dominican Republic– 800 at a time – to aid Jewish rescue efforts. This one initiative alone is estimated to have saved over 11,000 Jewish lives between 1939 and 1945.

Closer to home, the convents and monasteries of Rome—neutral territory during the war—were used as hiding places for Jews.

Krupp speculates that the wartime actions of Pope Pius XII, whose birth name was Eugenio Pacelli, can be further understood in the light of his own personal history. His great boyhood friend was Guido Mendes who hailed from a well-known Jewish family in Rome. Together they learned the Hebrew language and shared Shabbat dinners on the Jewish Sabbath.

Later, upon his election to the papacy in 1939, A.W. Klieforth, the American consul general in Cologne, sent a secret telegram to the U.S. Department of State explaining Pope Pius’s attitude towards Nazism in Germany.

The new Pope “opposed unalterably every compromise with National Socialism,” Klieforth wrote, after a private chat with the pontiff in the Vatican. The two men had got to know each other during Archbishop Pacelli’s 12 years as nuncio in Germany.

Pope Pius, explained Klieforth, “regarded Hitler not only as an untrustworthy scoundrel but as a fundamentally wicked person,” and “did not believe Hitler capable of moderation.” Hence he “fully supported the German bishops in their anti-Nazi stand.”

Krupp describes the reputation of the wartime Pope as both glowing and intact until 1963, when German writer Rolf Hochhuth penned his play “The Deputy.” It portrayed Pope Pius as a hypocrite who remained silent about Jewish persecution.

The Pave the Way website carries evidence from a former high-ranking KGB officer, Ion Mihai Pacepa, who claims that the tarnishing of the Pope’s reputation was a Soviet plot.

Krupp explains how the communists wanted to “discredit the Pope after his death, to destroy the reputation of the Catholic Church and, more significantly to us, to isolate the Jews from the Catholics. It succeeded very well in all three areas.”

But he also firmly believes that a fundamental revision of Pope Pius’s wartime record is now well underway. “The dam is cracking now, without question,” he says.

Ironically, perhaps, Krupp says he meets more resistance when he speaks at Catholic parishes than in Jewish synagogues. “Many Jews,” he explains, “have been extremely grateful, saying, ‘I’m very happy to hear that. I never wanted to believe this about him,’ especially those of us who knew him, who were old enough to know him.”

Mobless Shopping

2011-11-02T10:59:00.001-07:00

For easy holiday shopping, please click on any of the Amazon links on my sidebar. Amazon is always fast and reliable. The Black Friday deals are happening right now, so no waiting for the day after Thanksgiving, especially if you don't like shopping in a mob.

Recuerdo mi Corazon

2011-11-02T10:54:00.001-07:00

All Souls' Day, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

All Souls' Day

May the Souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

Haiku My Heart

2011-10-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

Glorious faded jewel

Your suffering ages you

Yet your luster bides

Remembering

2011-10-27T10:07:00.001-07:00

Remembering, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Remembering my mother who died six years ago this month.

Christmas Store

2011-10-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

Christmas is Don's favorite time of the year. He decorates the house to the max; no expense is spared; fruit and nuts appear in Christmas stockings; stocking-stuffers are HIS to buy, no one else; he bakes once a year, a banana layer cake ala his G'ma; and we never, EVER, stray far from home. Home is for Christmas, no discussion. However, I'm thinking that once grandkids appear on the horizon, if they aren't here, we will be THERE. But that is for the future. Back to Placerville.

Getting there, by way of Williams, AZ, it was pounded home to me a few years ago that no matter what time of the year, a Christmas store was always a great lure for my man. That year, in late March, he found a Christmas Scotty dog statue that now has a special place in our living room every December. So when I spotted an upsidedown Christmas tree in a Placerville window this past Friday night evening, I knew that Don would want to see this place.

Tired as we were by Sunday to head for home, I was not going to let us get out of Diamond Springs (where our friends live which is just above Placerville - literally) without a stop at Starbucks and THAT CHRISTMAS STORE.

I had my eye on a pretty Cardinal bird ornament I just had to have and, of course, Don could not miss the place. And just as I hoped, one of these handsome Cardinals went home with us.
We also found several other items that would be filling stockings and "open at midnight" packages. We added to our Fontini nativity creche and I have some other ideas all set for on-line shopping.

Another items I loved were Mermaids and Mermen ornaments. I had never seen such a crazy array of designs and true to fish tails, here's the one that got away. I wish I had purchased him for my brother who, at 50, is still an active surfer. Interestingly, this merman looks a lot like my brother in his much younger days. In true surfer parlance, I can't resist saying, "Cool Dude!"

I think I will rectify the oversight and check in at the store and see if they mail order. If not, well, this HAS to be somewhere else and you can bet that I'll find it.

What Men Do

2011-10-26T13:18:00.001-07:00

What Men Do, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Via Flickr:
Main Street Placerville is one of the most interesting streets in small town American to wander and roam on. Any person, man or woman, could spend a whole day here finding things to interest them separately or together. If you separate, all it takes is coordinating cell phones to find each other later on.

One of the best places for both to share is the Placerville Hardware Store. This place is a heavenly mixture of old and new, nostalgic and modern. Here you see what interested our men this particular trip. Jeff is looking for a post hole digger and the examination of options was intense.

For more information about the Placerville Hardware Store, follow this link - http://www.placervillehardware.com/index.wml/storeid/1717?SessionID=0a00001e07db0a1a0f0a203359

Sepia Scenes

2011-10-26T12:36:00.001-07:00

Cary House - Placerville, CA, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Via Flickr:
This picture is just in time for Halloween. Too late now but if I plan for next year, this would be a great place to stay. To learn more, click at caryhouse.com/

Click HERE for more Sepia Scenes

I'm Not Friendly But I'm Curious

2011-10-26T09:16:00.001-07:00

I'm Not Friendly But I'm Curious, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Via Flickr:
Don usually doesn't have any trouble luring even the most aloft of cats into his lap but this curious but stand-offish kitty allow no more than a scratch behind his ear. Then he walked away, his tail swishing.

No matter how you cut it, it didn't work out well for the wife.

2011-10-25T08:58:00.001-07:00

No matter how you cut it, it didn't work out well for the wife., originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,
Had a wife but couldn't keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin shell
And there he kept her very well.

The rhyme is not present in any of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century collections published in Britain. The first surviving version of the rhyme was published in Mother Goose's Quarto: or Melodies Complete, in Boston, Massachusetts around 1825. However, a verse collected from Aberdeen, Scotland and published in 1868 had the words:

Peter, my neeper,
Had a wife,
And he couidna' keep her,
He pat her i' the wa',
And lat a' the mice eat her.

As a result it is possible that the verse was an older one adapted to include pumpkins in America. This verse is also considered to be an older version of the rhyme Eeper Weeper.

Eeper Weeper, chimbly sweeper,
Had a wife but couldn't keep her.
Had another, didn't love her,
Up the chimbly he did shove her.

Little wonder they made it more benign in the American nursery rhymes of 1825.

Waves of Grain and California Oak

2011-10-21T15:39:00.001-07:00

Waves of Grain and California Oak, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Waves of Grain and California Oak

Follow the Light and You Will Always Find Her

2011-10-20T16:03:00.001-07:00

Follow the Light and You Will Always Find Her, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

I love finding Marian images. I can never get enough of Blessed Mother, a guide for living for us all. This icon was found in an antique shop in Old Clovis, CA. She would have been lost in a corner but for the beautifully placed lights of the chantileer and the guilt framed mirror acting as a spotliglht showing the way for me.

These boots are made for . . . walking?

2011-10-18T15:27:00.001-07:00

These boots are made for . . . walking?, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

New life out of old
Leather worn but still kickin'
Ballroom for flowers

**************************************

If you have a brown thumb (like I do), you may find that container gardening will bring you more success. I love repurposing containers into mini-gardens and Thomasina Tarling has raised this to a high art. Her book, Truly Tiny Gardens: Creating Compact Gardens is a joy to look at and filled with a treasure trove of inspiration.

Woman's Work

2011-10-17T15:10:00.000-07:00

I will never look back. The "conveniences" below no doubt DID make life easier for the women of the day and even though they conjure up a bit of nostalgia, I look at some of the items below and I think of alternate uses (and in one case, stark horror). Decor with these items would open the door to conversations about grandma (well, MY grandma, anyway) and the look back would be amusing but like a lot of you, I would be looking for just the right corner for displaying, setting the scene for a look back and a lot of storytelling.

The Merced AG Museum is an American Pickers dream. Most everything is dusty and a decayed version of its former self. The Waterman stove/oven, however, was in beautiful condition.

I can't say the same for the washing machines above. These are just FOUR of the many, many old ringer washers I found around the place. My grandmother had one like the washer on the far left.

And seriously! This is just plain horrifying. Even the mannequin seems to agree with me. Her hands may be raised up to ward off this instrument of torture, but clearly it's too late to escape now.

This little three burner stove probably ran on kerosene. Perhaps it was a camp stove used as part of a gypsy caravan with the community kitchen set up outside?

I was thrilled to find this and would love to have it. My mother was in the Waves in 1945 and 46. Her MOS was communications and she would sit for hours at a time taking calls and transferring them from one place to another. This was also part of how dad would court mom. When she was on duty at night, he would call in and they would talk. Then a call would come in and she would put him on hold while she pulled cords from one location to another. These contraptions were lined up in long rows and all the ladies (yes, this was women's work) knew when someone got a call from their boyfriends.

And back to the kitchen, the pictures above and below, are two views of a corn husker. I had never seen one of these. The way it works is a dried corncob was dropped into the receiving tube of the machine and the wheel on the outside of the bin (better visual below) was cranked and the dried kernels would be shucked from the cob and spill into the wooden box. Then the corn could be ground up to make . . . cornbread??

The last item stopped me in my tracks and then spun me into a hard 180 away from this monstrosity. And THIS IS WHY I would never go back. Ladies, behold the . . .

. . . Birthing Chair!! YIKES!!!

Really? REALLY???

Oh, Darnnnn.

2011-10-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Seriously - the video below definitely rates an "OH, DARNNNN"; in fact, it probably rates more than that. Don and I were in Merced yesterday at the Merced AG Museum. We were attending a one day seminar on Confrontational Politics: How to Practice the Politics of Principle the subject matter of which covers positive vs. negative conflicts, the art of leverage in politics, tactics of confrontation and perseverance and professionalism. The book, by retired California Senator, H. L. Richardson, is one of the most readable books I've read on the art of political discourse. I highly recommend this book to everyone, no matter what your personal politics are.

I probably never would have visited the Merced AG Museum if it had not been for this seminar and it's worth a return visit for a couple of reason - 1.) I wore the wrong shoes, and 2.) I ran out of space on my media card so, sadly, I miss getting to share with you the last half of the barn. Scary stuff was there. Think that closing barn where farm animals were slaughtered in the final scenes of the movie, Twister.

What I have below, is the benign stuff so, here is my lesson to you all - when you have uploaded your pictures, DELETE them from your media card or you too could miss out on a great opportunity. So - ENJOY. Oh, and be sure to turn on the sound on my play list or you will have music competing with the commentary.

Something Went Very Wrong at the Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-14T15:19:00.001-07:00

Something Went Very Wrong at the Pumpkin Patch, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Remember when going to the pumpkin patch was innocent fun? I suppose it still is, but somewhere along the line my sense of dark humor developed. I've promised my children that when grandkids hit the scene, I will hide this side of myself. I wouldn't want to warp the little future darlings. Hahahahaaaaaa.

Reflection

2011-10-14T14:33:00.001-07:00

Reflection, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

There's a new meet-up place in town, the Dust Bowl Pub and Grill. These local brewmeisters have grown from their house, to their own micro-brewery, to an open air dining place. I hear the food is GOOD. Beers sampling coming up - SOON.

Magpie Tales

2011-10-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

Glut of information
None fit for peasant nor King.
I choke.

False promising smiles
floating up from page B1;
A1 is all shock and awe

Coffee gives strength
Spoon spins around
until it is cold

Refills refresh but oh
how I wish the news
when refilled, did the same.

Amazon Associate Again

2011-10-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited. This past Spring Amazon had to delete all California Amazon Sales Associates because state law was forcing Amazon Associates to charge tax on their online sales. For very small sellers like me, this was devastating. Thousands of people in California instantly lost income because of California's imposition of this tax requirement.

This week Amazon was successful in persuading lawmakers and the governor to not require that associates, such as myself, charge tax. Because of that success, I am in "business" again. As you can see, you can go to the search box at the top of my sidebar to search Amazon products. You don't have to leave my blog to go to Amazon and if you make a purchase, I earn a 3% finders fee for the sale. This will never pay the mortgage but it IS a simple way to add to income which can be especially nice when one lives on a fixed income.

I hope the book lovers amongst my readers, who also shop Amazon, will take advantage of this easy shopping option. And, thanks Sacramento, for the reversal, and just in time for Christmas too.

Moving Day

2011-10-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

It took a while, longer than many I suppose, but the time finally arrived. It took almost 27 years but Saturday was the first day of a new life for Krista and for Don and I. Krista moved. Our last bird has left the nest.

It was the right time and her situation is ideal. She's only about three miles away and is renting the master bedroom in a home owned by one of my besties, Elaine. And, not only that, the house is just across the street from one of Krista's best friends, Lori. And, Lori's husband. And Lori's three children. With a set up like that, it will be like Kris is living in a really BIG house with extended family all around her.

We were over there today putting up a new curtain rod over the sliding glass door. I looked at her room and everything looked so familiar but somehow, new. I guess that is was happens when furniture and personal position are set into new positions. It's all the same but, different.

She has her own bathroom, a big plus. A washer and dryer are in the hall right next to her room. The sliding glass door now has a doggy door insert and Tanner quickly became accustomed to the new door and the new yard. He still isn't too sure of things so he spends a good part of his time inside. During the week, Krista drops him off with us so he isn't alone during the day in a strange place. We provide puppy daycare.
The best part is the closet, or should I say - closets. Yes, there are two. I mean really, what more could a girl ask for? One is a walk-in and the other is long with sliding mirror doors.

And so, our adventures begin. Kris has been living her life very independently for several years so the move wasn't as difficult as I might have expected it to be. It's bittersweet but right. This is what happens with our children. They grow up, they work, build their own lives and with luck, aren't too far away. I'm half lucky. She remains near but even though Quanah is in Oregon, they are both in my heart, so neither is ever too far away.

A Day in Clovis - Part III

2011-09-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

For me, the great charm of Clovis is its buildings and its miles upon miles of booth aisles in countless antique malls. Here are a few of my favorites. Needless to say, Don and I spend a lot of time weaving back and forth between shops with only occasional overlaps joining us together. Typical but we both ended up having a lot of fun and Don found a treasure to add to his Civil War book collection.

Inviting places to sit

Layers of history on building exteriors

Nooks and Crannies filled with eye candy

And more inviting places to sit

A Day in Clovis - Part II

2011-09-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Remember the old TV show, Gunsmoke, that ran from 1955-1975? My favorite character was Festus Haggen, played by the actor, Ken Curtis. When Curtis retired, he settled in Clovis. After his death, his widow donated some of his Gunsmoke memorabilia to the local Clovis History Museum.

Bronze relief of Ken Curtis

His coat, boots, gun and holster from Gunsmoke

Lots of movie memorabilia

And best yet, a statue of Deputy Festus outside a modern day bank. Festus is still on the job and I had to get a picture of Don with my old favorite.

A Day in Clovis - Part I

2011-09-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

It's always fun to mix business with pleasure - in this case, today, it was pleasure mixed with a bit of business. With the business out of the way, Don and I started out exploring the village of Old Town Clovis which is just north of Fresno, CA.

The first stop was lunch at our favorite Clovis tea room, the Victorian Rose Cottage. A click on the link will give you many beautiful interior shots. I like to focus on the little details of such places and this pretty yellow rose salt/pepper shaker captured my attention.

Our table was set right next to a window with lots of bright early autumn sunlight pouring in. Aren't these late summer roses pretty?

These lovebirds tucked away in a dark corner of the porch, need to come out into the sunshine for everyone to admire.

One of my favorite shops in Clovis is Somewhere in Time. Alas, their website is not so great, so I didn't highlight it here. But they have the best display window in Clovis and their roses are lush, fragrant and inviting all the way up to the front door.

Playtime with Judy

2011-09-24T22:13:00.001-07:00

Playtime with Judy, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Thirty-one years ago this summer, Judy and I met in San Jose, CA. We were both living in married student housing. Our apartments were in different buildings separated by long laundry lines strung between the buildings. My upstairs backdoor and porch was directly across from her upstairs living room window. My son was about 18 months old back then. Judy's son was ten, I think. We took talking across the clothes lines to a whole new level.

We moved five years later to the Central Valley in search of affordable housing. She stayed in San Jose and eventually relocated to a truly magical little apartment over a garage on Mt. Hamilton. When I visited, we would spend hours sitting on the porch that overlook the entire Santa Clara Valley (known now as Silicone Valley) and southern end of the Bay Area.

The landlord, back then, had an incredible garden of plants and shrubs gone wild, rock walls and paths, and bottle glass stuck here and there. And best of all, Judy had her two horses, dogs, cats, truck and horse trailer, and a vintage 1970 Mustang. She epitomized free spirit in my mind.

Not much has changed about Judy. She goes bravely here and there, is a survivor of many health battles, and always smiles and accepts whatever comes her way.

These days she lives in an old mobile home on a horse ranch and life is just about perfect for her and through it all, we have managed to hang on to our friendship. Our orbit has be long and narrow, the center way off-center. But now she is in Oakdale, just 30 minutes up the road, and our orbit is close in again, as close as it will probably ever be now. Life is like that and staying settled in one place is pretty much the plan these days - for both of us.

Holy Family Sepia Tile

2011-09-21T14:27:00.001-07:00

Holy Family Sepia Tile, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Paper Camera App

2011-09-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I discovered an app for my phone called Paper Camera App. I was intrigued and checked it out today. Since getting my Droid, I've downloads several apps, all free. Today I spent a grand $1.99 for this lovely.

It does all sorts of stuff and YouTube is showing me the way. My poor family; I may never have my face out of my phone again (let alone my camera). This app is awesome and I also have plans to get another app called 8 mm. Hmmm, I wonder what else is out there?

Haiku My Heart

2011-09-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

In a time of economic distress, many schools make do and struggle to meet the needs of their students. Today, I had the pleasure of sharing a heart to heart gift from our TEA Party Patriot organization to the Turlock School District. In these boxes are 12,000 U.S. Constitutions.

These books are exactly the sort of thing that individual teachers might pay for out of their own pockets, for their students. Because of the generosity of local donors, donors across the nation, and the generous assistance of the National Center for Constitutional Studies, we were able to provide 16,000 pocket constitutions for K-12 schools in three different districts. In addition, we are awaiting delivery of Constitution coloring books that we will be giving to school for their K-2 students. We were also able to gather enough pocket constitutions for a local technical college that also wants to provide them for their students.

Make do and struggle

Sharing a heart to heart gift

Generosity

My Week in Pictures

2011-09-16T10:01:00.001-07:00

I had a quiet week this week, but a review of my photos proved that I had, indeed, been out and about more than I realized.

Below is a burned interior wall that was retained of our Carnegie Arts Center. The original building was gutted a few years ago through an act of arson. Now, through the efforts of the City and a save the arts center foundation, it has been restored and added to. Out of tragedy arose a Phoenix.

We remembered the lost one of 9/11 this week

We celebrated the union of two friends this week.

My brother, on the far right, turned 50 this week.

A burro shyly peers around the side of her stall to say hello.

I find stars in a window.

And like this old gentleman, I am ready for a cup of coffee

Wishing you all an excellent weekend.

It wasn't a fire after all

2011-09-13T22:10:00.001-07:00

It wasn't a fire after all, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

From a distance, and blocked by trees and orchards, the dust poured across the road, a billowing column of smoke blanketing the landscape. As I drew closer, I found it wasn't a fire after all, but a huge combine prepping the soil for a new orchard.

It's the little things . . .

2011-09-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

LITTLE THING #1
I learned a long time ago that it is the little things in life that are the most valuable. Take this dress as an example.

I haven't bought a dress in five years. I live in jeans and when I MUST, I will wear a pair of slacks. Dresses that hang unworn in my closet reach to my ankles, have matching jackets and hang on me shapelessly. There is a reason I haven't worn a dress for five years. They really need to migrate to Good Will. Anyway . . .

About a year ago, I started paying attention tothe TV shows, What Not To Wear and How Do I Look?. I especially paid attention to women who have my body type. More and more, I came to understand that belts were not a good idea for me and a sheath was actually a good style for me. So - I took a chance.

I tried on one shirtwaist dress (disaster) and the sheath to the left. I stared at myself, unbelieving, and then realized that Stacy and Clinton (WNTW) were right. This was my style for the time being. Once I lose my first 50 lbs (I'm at 15 now), I'll probably see a waist emerging from the layers of the disappearing me. I'll try adding belts back to my wardrobe again then.

LITTLE THING #2
Once upon a time a little girl was born in 1947. Her early years were spend in a small town in Northern Wisconsin where her great aunt Bea owned a little gift shop called The Treasure Chest.

All manner of wonderful and girlie things could be found there including a collection of Hallmark Cards of Dolls of the Nations. My great aunt gathered up a large collection of these cards for me to commemorate my 1947 birth. They came adorned with sequins and soft, gaily colored feathers at the top. I loved those cards but somewhere along the line they disappeared.

For decades I wondered what happened to them. I've moved so much that I thought it was likely I had lost them when I left behind some boxes in a storage closet I had forgotten about, in San Diego back in 1975. As recently as this week, I've thought about these cards. It was one of life's mysteries. But then, this week, they all came back to me - in the mail. My jaw dropped.

My sister is moving from Texas to West Virgina to her new job (yay, Marcia and a job - at last). She has been going through boxes and streamlining her life for a few months now, all in a quest to make moving easier. When she came upon the collection of doll cards, she was baffled. Where the heck had these come from? She didn't know if they were mine of not. She knew they weren't hers, but she figured they would be something I might like. So - rather than get rid of them, she sent them to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Marcia, for not tossing them.

I am happy beyond reason for the recovery of these cards. I loved them so much and though worn, I know they look thus because I read them and enjoyed them so much as a kid. Now I have a plan. They are going in a case. They will never get lost again.

LeGrand, CA

2011-09-07T12:57:00.001-07:00

LeGrand, CA, a set on Flickr.

Merced County backroads eventually lead you to the little town of LeGrand in the Central Valley of California. LeGrand is a sleepy farming community that used to be an active train stop in this part of the valley. Cattle, produce, and people all used this station at one time.

Today it is rundown, unused, and privately owned. The owners are slowly working at restoring the station. Out back you will see piles of old and glistening white marble counters leaning against the back of the building. The marble shares space with a pretty and completely undamaged mirror.

Out front a piece of equipment that looks like an old printing press stands out amongst other odd bits of equipment. Rusty and frozen, the press would be a challenging restoration all by itself.

And old wheel barrow lays in a trash pile. Like other unrelated objects that have found a leaning spot around the building, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the depot itself.

I have no idea what the owner's plans are but perhaps we are looking at what will be the future site of a local history museum. I plan to go back in another six months and certainly next summer to see what progress has been made.

Sunday Morning at Hamilton's Cafe

2011-09-04T17:26:00.001-07:00

Sunday Morning at Hamilton's Cafe, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

Elaine and I shared a light breakfast at Hamilton's this morning. Sabrina, above, was working and I was snapping away. I love the movement of this image. It clearly shows the fast pace the gals work at. The food is yummy and the kitchen cranks the food out at high speed.

Prouty's Corner. VIDEO0006

2011-09-04T17:13:00.001-07:00

Please click on title below to view the video on Flickr.

Prouty's Corner. VIDEO0006 a video by AnnieElf on Flickr.

For years, I have passed by this busy countryside intersection. The Prouty Co. has been rescuing burros for as long as I've lived in the valley. Sometimes there are five or six burros. Males used to be housed across the road from the females. Now I think they keep only females as there is no separation anymore.

This time around, there are only two burros in residence. When I first got out of the car, this bold girl honked and brayed a - welcome??? I grabbed my phone to video the brayer but by the time I got started, she had quieted down and was merely curious.

Further back in a separate stall, was another burro. She was blind in her right eye and clearly had been injured. It was entirely healed but poor baby must have really suffered from that at one time.

I have stills to post as well but for now, will quickly share this glimpse of a possible new friend. The next time I go out that way, I will bring a carrot.

Age over Youth

2011-09-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

I would take age over youth any day. With a longish life behind me and hopefully much more to come, I compare the struggles of youth with the struggles of age. Youth had me up against teachers, bad employers, and terrible parents of equally terrible (and therefore unfortunate) kids. Age, in contrast, offers me relief and time to be on my own without answering to anyone. There are no grandchildren yet so I don't have to worry about society trumping the excellent guidance I know will be there for these future possibles.

Age trumps youth for me. Even in the physical world around me, I see age as the sentinel of survival and triumph over daring youth. Barns and orchards that have stood the test of time are good examples. The SEPIA barn below was new when the oldest of the fig orchard was being put in.

The curls and folds of the trunk of this 100 year old fig tree stand as evidence of the abundance of fruit that maturity brings. We should care for our 100 year old family members with such sustaining care. The fruits of their knowledge and experience have the strength and wisdom to carry us through and perhaps even avoid hard times. We have only to listen.

True, youth has its virtues. Beauty and energy are abundant in youth. But youth is fleeting and too soon, like the cotton blossom below, youth can soften and take on hard edges.

I like to think, though, that the hard edges are simply the armor that we earn as we age so that we CAN age and survive gracefully and without regrets.

Click italics for more Haiku My Heart

The struggles of youth

Contrast with age's soft laurels.

I arrive unscathed.

The Benign Bovine?

2011-08-29T11:57:00.001-07:00

Saturday started out clear and stayed that way. Sometimes a hazy veil of clouds shadows the valley but today we were lucky. We could see far off into the foothills to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The snow is gone and from this position you are seeing a lower part of the range. North and south of this spot, the mountains are much higher and craggier.

Bear Creek, below, flows for miles through the range land. Occasional cattle can be seen in the distance but here it is peaceful and quiet. The only sign of life is the fence on the far side of the creek, evidence of man's efforts to divide up the land.

Farther into my walk through this Peaceable Kingdom, I see dots of black in the distance. As I drew closer, I am glad to have one of those fences between me and what I discovered. Though, considering what I discover, I doubt if that fence would have been must use as a protection.

This king of the range land peered up at me with deceptive curiousity. Who was this small person approaching my territory?, he seemed to be thinking with lazy distain.

Oh, yeah. A play thing. A toy. See my tail waving? I'm friendly. I'm just a big dog. C'mon. Let's play.

Mmmm. I think NOT.

I'm excited . . .

2011-08-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

. . . and so happy. Look at what my son is doing. Way to go, Quanah.

And, speaking of food, weight-loss, and exercise - I was driving by the university Saturday and saw hundreds of people running the perimeter. Here are a few.

Peaceable Kingdom

2011-08-27T21:38:00.001-07:00

IMAG0220, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

I have so much to work with. My brother kidnapped me today and we traveled the backroads of Merced County. I have so much to share. Stay tuned.

In Secret #3

2011-08-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

I didn't plan to have an In Secret series but I find myself discovering little moments everywhere that look private or hidden and I just can't resist.

We haven't had nesting doves for a couple of season now, no doubt thanks to the territorial actions of the small but noisy and mighty Tanner. However, recently I notices an awful lot of on-going activity around the meeting place of our two patio covers and a couple of days ago it occurred to me that it had been a bit quiet.

As I watered my potted roses, I looked up and there she was - secreted away from prying eyes and . . . Tanner's disturbances.

Shhhh.

Sepia Scenes - In Secret #2

2011-08-19T20:55:00.001-07:00

In Secret #2, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

No explanation necessary.

Ruby Tuesday

2011-08-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't participated in Ruby Tuesday for a while but my recent trip to Monterey inspired more playing around this morning.

Roses are always romantic. This dense cluster of dark red roses was found in the garden at San Juan Bautista Mission. I thought the romantic background made it perfect for dreaming of things of the heart.

Along Monterey's Cannery Row, I rounded a building corner and found myself in a secreted away courtyard. Climbing up the wall was this glorious red bougainvillea. I turned it into a thank you card. You are welcome to use it if you like.

And Bubba Gump's always charms me. In the background of one of pictures I took, of the exterior of the restaurant, was the entire Bubba Gump sign. I placed in on a digital scrapbook page found at picnik.com and voila!, had a fun way to memorialize the memory.

For more Ruby Tuesday, please visit here.

Postcards from Paradise - Burdens

2011-08-11T15:32:00.001-07:00

I visited Mission San Juan Bautista last December, with my sister, when she was visiting. While walking in the garden, I saw a statue of Blessed Mother draped in Rosaries, something I had never seen before but have seen since then. I regarded her and wondered at the strength of her heart that she could so bear the prayers and pleas of so many asking for her intercession of her Son.

Since that day two of my three most heartfelt and personal prayers have been answered. Not bad for earnest prayer of the past 8 months.

The third prayer is still waiting for fulfillment. Holy Mother - if I haven't mentioned it, I beg for a happy reply for this prayer so that one, even happier, can follow it; one that I know you will understand and listen for when the time is right.

I also see, Holy Mother, that your Burden has grown since my December visit. Knowing that you hear the quietest whispered prayer as well as the most desparate cry, I wait quietly for that happy reply, a reply that I completely believe your Son will give in His own time.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Sneak Peek - Roadtripping to Monterey

2011-08-04T18:08:00.001-07:00

After two plus hard months of preparing for and then working the Stanislaus County Fair, we were ready for a break. I have lots to share but since all my photos are on my NEW Inspire phone (it does everything but make dinner), the learning curve has been steep. Currently I'm working on learning how to upload my photos in one click.

I'm guessing I may have to load them to Flickr or Picassa or Facebook and then grab what I want to use from there. I suppose that's not the end of the world but I learned very quickly yesterday that no matter how good the camera is on your phone, it can't replace a camera. So - I won't be leave home again without my camera. In the meantime, here is a little taste of Monterrey.

We arrived hungry so headed for Bubba Gumps. I had been there this past January and I knew Don would enjoy it. He has watched that movie so many times, he could probably quote dialogue if he was so inclined. They had a little bench set up outside and people could pose as Forrest. Of course, Don had to immortalize the moment. Monterey's location is the first Bubba Gump restaurant in the nation. We were surprised as we figured a southern location would be the premier location.

After stuffing ourselves with Mom's Southern Friday Chicken (Don), a Vegetarian Mushroom Burger (me), and Shrimp Tacos (our friend, Marie, was with us), we waddled out to the beach and enjoyed the birds swooping and crying. The weather was gorgeous; it was 68 degrees F with a brisk breeze.

Flowers are lush and tropical on the coast. These beautiful bougainvillea are actually a brilliant red. I'll post the original picture later but since I like playing with my editing software, I decided to share this softened half-sepia version here first.

Monterey's shoreline as pepper with old seawalls and foundations of past building. As the older wooden buildings gave way to the weather and the sea, new builds went up. But, the foundations and seawalls remained. One local artist painted this fishing scene here. Of course, I had to play with it again but since it was very faded, this enhancement actually shows the mood of the painting in a more authentic way.

More to come. I think I'll upload to Picassa since I have that option and see how that goes. If it doesn't go, than it's another photo album on Facebook.

Sepia Scenes - In Secret

2011-08-03T09:47:00.001-07:00

In Secret, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

In secret she comes,
Private mourning older than
Remaining children.

Tears in Heaven - Sepia Scenes

2011-07-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

This past week has suggested to me that waterfalls are like tears from heaven. Just as Eric Clapton gave to us this haunting refrain -

Time can bring you down
Time can bend your knee
Time can break your heart
Have you begging please
Begging please

my thoughts have turned to waterfalls and the tragedy of a terrible fate.

This week in Yosemite, three young people were swept to their deaths in a terrible triple tragedy at Vernal Falls. Can you imagine the tears of the families? Can you? I surely can't. But today I witnessed the softening of tears, tears that are no less anguished but with the passage of time, gentled and tamed.

Vernal Falls is a young and powerful backdrop for the tears of this newly suffering family.

But the gentle fall at the Lakewood Meditation Garden holds a softer and more muted backdrop.

Here the tears in heaven are from my friend, Marie, as she visits her eldest child and only son, a child that met his birth and death on the same day in the same year.

Time mutes the pain but the love and attachment never, ever fade.

Missing You Already

2011-07-26T23:37:00.000-07:00

I'm missing you already, old friend. We had a lot of years together. I shared countless coffees and conversations with friends under your welcoming roof. I learned to knit and crochet in your cafe. You were there when I settled on crocheting. You brought books and music into our lives and no other place in town would do.

It was impossible to enter without running into someone I knew. As a town, we were big enough to have you but small enough that we could use you as our community meeting room. I even made friends there on my regular Tuesday nights; friends whom I called my Tuesday Night at Borders friends.

There was one memorable time when my best love was so upset about something (I can't even remember why now) that I took his hand and we drove to you. An hour later, he was relaxed and not so angry and had found a good book. I got a memorable series of pictures out of that trip and a post for my blog.

Don and I visited you today to say good-bye. Visiting you was so sad. The cafe was closed. The information computers were down. The Restrooms were - closed?? How strange was that? Does no restroom equate to no lingering. I don't know but it was sad. It was as though the life had been sucked out of you. I thought I might go over again in a couple of weeks to see what was left and look for deeper discounts; I wanted to take another little piece of you home with me. But as I sit here writing this I think not. I realized that I don't want to pick over the bones of you. So - I'll say good-bye here old friend. You will be missed.

Kitchen Progress

2011-07-23T16:45:00.001-07:00

Kitchen Progress, originally uploaded by AnnieElf.

And so it goes. I'm finally making progress in the kitchen again. The pantry and lower cabinets need a high gloss seal applied and they will be finished. The white is the pale yellow primer that went on first. The upper cabinets need to be painted yet.

Sepia Scenes / Haiku My Heart

2011-07-20T16:54:00.001-07:00

Curiousity
can kill a cat even when
a cat's not in sight.

Marie looks and wonders,
will the two sets of alpha males
jump and pound each other?

For more Sepia Scenes, please click HERE.

Ruby Tuesday

2011-07-18T15:12:00.001-07:00

I haven't contributed to Ruby Tuesday or Sepia Scenes for several weeks, in fact - months. They were my favorite memes to contribute to, especially Sepia Scenes. Along the way, as winter turned to Spring turned to summer, I found myself retreating from blogging and from any form of creativity. As I approached the anniversary of one year of retirement (this past June), I felt a withdrawal that just wouldn't go away; it would not stop.

I learned in Julie Cameron's The Artist's Way, several years ago, that you need to use your creative spark or you will lose it. When I first did the The Artist's Way, I had lost my way decades before. Her book was a muse saving experience.

But for some reason, I was sliding again. Perhaps it was just the natural outcome of an intensely introspective year. But whatever it was, it is my job to lift the downward spiral up and away. Passively waiting for it to move out of my way on its own will have me sitting here for a long time so today is my return to throwing off the weight of a stifling gloominess. It's my job to make my happiness, my creative spark, my health outlook in mind, body, and spirit. And what better way than to explore the beauty of a deep, deep red rose.

Fair Week

2011-07-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

Around our house, from May to the end of July, it's all about the Stanislaus County Fair. This is the second year in a row that Don has coordinated the staffing and training of the TEA Party Patriots booth. It's darn near a full time job.

Fair week is here now and the usual fair views are happening - chickens and rabbits and livestock (which I skipped this year), floriculture (which I actually saw on the first day of the fair instead of late in the fair when things are starting to look a little gnarly, FFA and 4H and photography and vendors and fair food, fair food, fair food, not to mention the rides (which I also skipped).

Here is a photo exhibit of some of the fair views for you to enjoy. I'll bet your local country fairs look just like ours.

Quilts are always popular

Rescued Wildlife for the Kids to Enjoy

Best of Show for Orchids
This Dahlia was as big as a dinner plate.

One of Many Patriotic Theme Gardens

One of the Many Childrens' Gardens
Friend Marie in the Time Tunnel for the Fair's Anniversary Exhibit

Tablescapes

Theme Trees

And what would be a fair without a man on stilts??

Arrivals, and Flats, and Ice Cream - Oh MY!

2011-07-11T23:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon's drive to the Sacramento airport was uneventful. We were picking up Kris from her return from Portland visiting her brother and his wife.

We arrived a half hour early so headed over to the food court for drinks. And surprise of surprises, there in the food court, like it was his home, was a small blackbird scavenging to floor for goodies.

Typical of the event, I caught the first glimpse of Kris as she came down the escalator. I have so many pictures of the kids coming down escalators on their arrivals home, I could probably put together a small book.

Clearly, she was happy to be home.

Unlike the drive up, the return home was a bit of an adventure and like so many driving adventures, the big events happened not too far from home.

We hit a patch of rough highway and the vibrations, instead of subsiding, kept getting worse and worse. Then there was a big bang as the right rear tire blew. Well, it didn't so much blow as it SHREDDED.

Fortunately, a CHP officer came upon us almost immediately and he called AAA. We were in the process of doing it ourselves but he indicated that if CHP called from the road, our call was bumped to the head of the line. Nnnniiiiiccccceeee.

Of course, being on the side of the road on 99 south was a visual adventure. Not by any stretch of the imagination could you call it pretty but me and my camera went to work. My friend Gemma, in Arizona, will be very proud of me. She finds heart shaped rocks like no one else I know. I, on the other hand, am hopeless. So when I spotted this pretty green rock, pressed into the pavement, I had to shoot it. Gemma, this one is for you.

And so the rest of the afternoon went. We finally arrived home, stopping at Donnelly Park first to catch of with friends who had set up an ice cream social. Homemade vanilla ice cream was on the menu and we definitely enjoyed our fair share.

Oh! And! We tossed the remains of the shredded tire into the trash.

Mark 4:23 to the rescue

2011-07-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

Occasionally things happen to us that really make an impression. Yesterday's picnic at Pacheco Park in Los Banos was one of those moments.

We were looking forward to attending the 2nd Annual Los Banos TEA Party Community Picnic. The picnic was publicly announced and the community was invited. Anyone could come. Free food and sodas. Forties swing band music. A very colorful guest speaker making an appearance as Samuel Adams. It stacked up to being a fun day, and it was.

That's Rex Ruth decked out as Samuel Adams. He is a docent for the state of California and is a popular speaker at community organizations, schools, and museums. He is a self-described American of Mexican descent so having him here today underscored for me what a great divide there is in the Latino community when the men below showed up.

As you can see, I've blotted out their faces. It isn't important who they are but it IS important what they represent. Their appearance disturbed me greatly but I also saw it as an opportunity to do some bridge building. Three times, men from our group went over to visit with them and invite them to join us for food, conversation, and hear Rex Ruth. Three times they refused. They were, for the most part, quiet but they weren't interested in bridge building.

A day later I was not at peace with any of this and felt pretty discouraged. If we can't get together over something as simple as hotdogs and just talk, how will we ever grow in our humanity?

I always have my Ignatius Holy Bible handy so I picked it up, opened it to somewhere in the New Testament section and then just flipped pages, ran my fingers up and down the thin sheets of paper, and asked God to lead me to a verse that might help clarify things for me a bit. I was lead to Mark 4:23 - If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. And that was my answer. In the most direct way possible, I was reminded that people may have opportunities to hear each other and learn about each other but that doesn't mean they are going to accept the opportunity. And clearly, that was the situation I found myself facing yesterday.

But it was a fun evening. No one was mad at them; disappointed maybe, but not mad. The food was good. Rex put on a good presentation of the history of the events that ultimately ended up in the development of our Constitution. And I got a reminder that just because we tried to build a bridge once without success, that doesn't mean we can't try again.

The Process of Resurfacing . . .

2011-07-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

. . . isn't easy. I've been out of commission with just about everything for the past month. I haven't blogged except for a couple of entries; I have sporadically painted the kitchen and annoyed DH because it's not getting finished fast enough; and, I've been eating like a fiend and you all know what THAT means.

Last night I was looking at an old video from 2007 and was stunned to see Krista as she was 4 years ago. She's lost 40 pounds since then and when you lose the weight very slowly over time, you don't really see the impact of it until you find yourself looking at the past. Quelle Shock!!

Well, this lead me to reflect seriously on the possibility of trying Weight Watchers once again. The last time was so many years ago, it must have been during the earliest days of their points program.

WW has always worked for me when I've done it but I've never stuck with it to the end. Sure, there are lots of excuses - raising kids, running in three different directions at once, working and the stress attached to work - I could go on and on. Anyway, it occurred to me that the one time I had never tried WW was when there were no distractions in my life. It's just me and my life now so this is definitely worth another try.

DH and I were talking last night about eliminating red meat from our diet to the point of only having it once a week. Chicken and fish and vegetarian were the favored entrees. And I know enough about WW to understanding that it is real world eating with real world food. I've been spending more time in the kitchen actually cooking and the summer Farmer's Market is filled with inspirational possibilities. The scramble above is turkey sausage, eggbeaters, potatoes, and fresh kale (hmmm, or maybe green chard). Whatever. So, the upshot of my musings is that I'm going to the WW office here in town to get their schedule, choose a day, and START.

Friday morning found me running around with Krista as she ran errands and prepped for her flight to Portland the next day. She flew up to visit her brother Quanah and his wife, Erin, for a week that included the Fourth of July. One of the stops was getting Tanner's rabies shot and having his nails clipped. A pretty female Pit Bull pictured here fell in love with Tanner and they played kissy-kissy for while. Of course, male that he is, Tanner had to get in a little tongue. She didn't seem to mind.

Quanah loves Pits and plans to have one someday so, Q, this picture is for YOU.

Saturday turned out to be the best day. July 2nd was Turlock's Fourth of July parade and festival of cars. Our small town parade was about as Main Street U.S.A. as you can get and the classic car competition is a blast.

Our TEA Party Patriots booth was up. I was down there at 8 a.m. helping with set-up and was having so much fun that I stayed the entire day.

Of course, that was the day that it decided to be 99 degrees. By 4 p.m., even with several bottoms of water and lots of shade, I was in trouble.

For Don it was even worse. He didn't come down until 3 p.m. as he had driven Krista to the airport in the middle of the night. I told him to stay home and sleep since Marie and Kevin would be there for set-up. As long as we had at least one set of muscles, we would be alright and at 6'5", Kevin more that fit the bill.

I called Don and told him to use Krista's car and drive down since I was having too much fun to leave and come get him. So what did he do???? The man WALKED 4 miles in 99 degree heat!!!

When he arrived, his face was so red and sweaty, I asked if he had arrived early and walked around looking at the booths and car. He was really flushed. That is when he said he had walked. I could have KILLED him. The walk damn near did. His face was so red, you could have laid him down in a field of red poppies and he would have been invisible. Grrrr. Of course, that will never happen again because the next time he says he will use Krista's car, I WON'T BELIEVE HIM.

And so the day went. We sold American flags and gadsden flags; so many that we will have to re-order. We sold books, jewelry, and handed out lots of pocket Constitutions and information about the Patriots. I think we made a few new friends and connected with one Latino man who was very interested in us but very confused by what he heard on TV about the TEA Party. We assured him that the Patriot organization was grassroots, not affiliated with any political party, took NO money from any political party, and did not endorse candidates. For us, it is all about self-education and bridge-building between peoples. Yes, there are other TEA Party organizations but unlike our group, they are all affiliated with the Republican Party - bought and paid for. "Nuff said" about that. We look forward to seeing Jose at an upcoming meeting and we hope he brings a few friends with him.

We also had a raffle for two gift baskets that Marie made. I was going to help but darn, she was so good at what she was doing, I just stayed out of her way. My contribution was holding the ribbon with my finger while she secured the cellophane wrapper around the goodies. These are our two happy winners.

And so the days went this week. Elaine and I met up for coffee this afternoon and had lots of catching up to do. She may join us for fireworks tonight. Oh, and get this. Tonight's fireworks will be, for me, a bucket list experience. Marie's grandson (yes, Marie in the picture above is actually a grandmother!!!) has a treehouse in the backyard. When you sit on the platform, it provides an unobstructed view of the fireworks at the fairgrounds. I will be in a tree, in a treehouse, watching fireworks. Yup! Sounds like a bucket list experience to me. I'll have to make sure someone gets a picture of me.

Happy Fourth of July

2011-07-03T23:12:00.000-07:00

The common good is a concept central to the Catholic social teaching tradition beginning with the foundational document, Rerum Novarum, a papal encyclical by Pope Leo XIII, issued in 1891 to combat the excesses of both laissez-faire capitalism on the one hand and communism on the other. This letter guarantees the right to private property while insisting on the role of the state to require a living wage. The means of production were considered by the pope to be both private property requiring state protection and a dimension of the common good requiring state regulation.

Another relevant document is Veritatis Splendor, a papal encyclical by Pope John Paul II, issued in 1993 to combat the relaxation of moral norms and the political corruption that affects millions of persons. In this letter, Pope John Paul describes the characteristics and virtues that political leadership should require, which are truthfulness, honesty, fairness, temperance and solidarity, given that truth extends from honesty, good faith, and sincerity in general.

The prayer above, is an especially relevant prayer for our country and our world today. It is from Catholic Household Blessing and Prayers produced by the United States Catholic Conference 1988.

Opinion Piece

2011-07-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

I read a syndicated item this week written by Susan Estrich. The topic was Michelle Bachmann. I was struck by Ms. Estrich’s deceptively cool and oh so self-assured tone in her opinion piece of the Congresswoman, so I did a little biographical searching.

Michelle Bachmann - Anoka High School, Winona State University, J.D. at the O.W. Coburn School of Law at Oral Roberts University and an L.L.M. in Tax Law at the College of William and Mary

Susan Estrich - Eveleth School, Wellesley College, Harvard Law

Both these women come from similar educational backgrounds but no one would deny that Wellesley and Harvard are the definition of east coast elitism. There is an ocean of difference between their educational perspectives.

Estrich has joined the bandwagon of folks who believe that if you say it loud enough and long enough, than it must be true. Case in point – Chris Wallace patronizingly asks Bachmann if she is a flake. Bachmann is offended and she has every right to be offended. I was offended and I was simply a viewer. Of course, the liberal left will never let this go. Not only does she remind the reader that Bachmann was called a flake but she also says no one would ever consider connecting such a word to Obama. Well, I have a word for Obama, Ms. Estrich, and that word would be “liar”. He and his handlers sold the American people a bill of goods and once he was in office he did not fulfill any substantive objectives. And, no, ObamaCara is NOT an accomplishment.

Ms. Estich goes on to say that the Congresswoman’s accomplishments are not impressive. Ms. Estrich states “ . . . she (Bachmann) is better known as a cable television staple than as someone who has accomplished anything at all in Congress, apart from the Congressional Tea Party Caucus.” I think I could make an argument for Obama being a staple for Late Night TV and countless popular shows including several on Ellen DeGeneres.

It took less than five minutes for me to find Ms. Bachmann’s accomplished and I’m not disappointed. Her seven sponsored bills can be found here.

Topics includes End to Tax Uncertainty (helps business), repeal of Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (helps the consumer) , Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act (consumer help again), proposed project in the Lower St. Croix Wild and Scenic River (environmental), Military Health Care Affordability Act (helps the military), Healthcare Fiscal Accountability (more consumer help), and a bill to ease and limit how hard the IRS can come after innocent spouses. Details are on the link above.

Her 88 co-sponsored bills can be found here They are all bills of interest to me to one degree or another. What this list tells me is that Ms. Bachmann is present. She is at the desk working and she is working of matters that I find important.

Ms. Estich may not find matters of healthcare, abortion, energy independence, support of small business, the military, denial of social security to illegal residents of this country, support of off-shore drilling, and support of Israel important, but I do and I’m glad to see that Ms. Bachmann is focusing her considerable intelligence in that direction.

The last half of the article that provoked this response talks mainly about the rules of the game for electioneering and I had to take exception to her use of the word “game”. Finding good and qualified candidates is no game but the rules that allow for what the Democrats (who set up the rules in the 80’s) call non-establishment or insurgent candidates, opened the door for the Huckabee’s and Paul’s, and others. This shows how egalitarian we can be to let the guy with no money or strong backing try to make a showing and maybe even beat the system. Of course, this muddies the water in the early days of campaigning and might, in the end, lead to the selection of a candidate that ultimately will be unsuccessful. The heavy money and support is going to go to the other side.

Bachmann may be a “non-establishment” candidate by Estich’s estimation but Bachmann has been in Congress for ten years, and had many years of services before that in Minnesota. She is no Johnny come lately.

Of course, the best non-establishment candidate that I can think of who won two terms as president was Bill Clinton. He was a state Governor and outside of Arkansas, who had really heard of him? He had executive experience but wasn’t on the national scene. That Clinton was so heavily pushed and supported from the start by the DNC suggested that he was handpicked – just like someone else we all know. Of course, the DNC had to be a bit more subtle about their handling this last time around. After all, Hillary Clinton was running and she is no one to toy with.

Recipes Requested for Fundraiser Cookbook

2011-06-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I am putting together a cookbook to be used as a fundraiser for an organization I belong to. I would like to put together a collection of All American Recipes that actually come from all over the world. Many of our foods are the same but just served up with a twist.

If you have a favorite recipe(s) you would be willing to send to me, please include your first and last name so I can give you credit in the book. If it is a recipe you like from a cookbook, please send your name and also the title of the book the original recipe can be found in.

I'm not going to worry too much about copyright as this is strictly a fundraiser for a non-profit organization. I will be putting the book together myself and bearing the printing costs.

If you would like to participate, please send any and all recipes that you care to share at annejeffries@yahoo.com.

Thanks
Annie

That's a one bigga zucchini!!

2011-06-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors have ten green thumbs each. In fact, I think their toes are green too. If there is soil on their property, it is occupied. Flowers, trees, shrubs, and vegetables, including potatoes, flourish in their front and back yards. Every spring and summer season, I can depend on more tomatos than I can use and huge zucchinis. Last year I discovered the joys of homegrown potatoes. OMG, they were so good. Alas, none were grown this year. But back to the zucchinis.

I turned to Fix It and Enjoy It, Healthy Cookbook and from there selected Zucchini/Cranberry bread (yummy but next time I will skip the ground cloves), Tuscany Bean and Zucchini soup (divine), and Zucchini Lasagna (a surprise triumph). Amazingly, I still have one zuc left to use.

Don was out of town so Kris and I, along with our friend Meg, were able to dive in without me having to come up with a Plan B alternative to feed him.

Like any lasagna, it was work intensive but the results were surprisingly good. I chose the largest zuc and sliced it lengthwise into about 12 long slices. I popped the slices into the oven for about 35 minutes and then started layering the filling of mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, one egg, and a meat, onion, tomato paste, and garlic mixture. I happened to have a lot of leafy green chard left from the Farmers Market last week so I filled the middle with the chard. What can I say? It was absolutely delicious.

And . . . the really good thing about the meal was that we were able to eat the luscious garlic bread that Meg made, entirely guilt free.

Dropping in and Dropping out again

2011-06-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

I shot a six shooter today. Yes, you read that right. I shot a six shooter today. I, who have never held a gun (rifles yes, but not handguns), found myself in the backyard (and I use the word backyard loosely) of a couple who are members of the California Gunslingers Association.

You see, this is what happens when you retire. The Old Man gets politically active. His Better Half goes along for the ride and then gets interested herself. That leads to meeting people who know people who want to meet even more people and share their interests with them. I would have never guessed in a million years that I would find this gunslinging thang (yes, THANG) so much fun.

This morning Don and I drove south to Los Banos and ended up in the backside of beyond on W. Sunset Road. Yes, we drove into the Sunset in the morning. (This is were emoticons on blogger would be very nice so picture me grinning). Anyhoo . . .

We met up with friends Sondra and Les and several other folks - some newbies like us and some very experienced. The first thing we had to do was sign in. The first line asked for your nickname. Oh boy (picture rolling eyes emoticon). I was clueless so I handed the clipboard to Don and told him maybe he would like to call himself the Pirate (which is one of my nicknames for him anyway). THAT naturally led me to MY nickname - The Parrot. So the team of Don and Annie are now affectionately known as Pirate and The Parrot. :-) !!!!

Our hosts - Geneva and The Undertaker

First lessons - load, spin the cylinder, cock, and fire. Well, it's not as easy as that and it requires a lot of concentration. And safety is the order of the day.

The Pirate loading wax bullets into casings and learning to lock and load the pistol.

The Undertaker and Tawodi in a shoot-off. Check out that smoking gun.

Every Saturday morning the Brett's open their home for gunslinging. Don and I are genuinely curious about this bit of Western re-enacting. I think we will be going again and then also checking in at some of the events noted on the link above. Fun times ahead.

Taking a Breaking

2011-06-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends, I'm going quiet for a little while. I'll be visiting as usual, and probably moreso now that I'm taking the pressure off myself. I'll be back with lots of news and photos and a completed kitchen (I hope) etc. etc. etc. Hugs to all, Annie

Sepia Scenes - Warrior Stamp

2011-06-07T22:43:00.001-07:00

Visiting the Blues Cafe again, I was charmed to see a faux antique Chinese warrior. The full statue was larger than life, the perfect image to play with this week for my contribution to Sepia Scenes. More to come, soon, about the Blues Cafe.

The End of the Egg Saga

2011-06-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

The last three double yolk eggs were consumed. Well, almost double yolk all. Would you believe it? Fifteen eggs in that bag and one after another, a double yolk appeared. I felt like I had actually found the proverbial golden goose. Then the last egg cracked. It was a SINGLE. It had a lone yolk. I was so disappointed and then my glass-is-half-full temperament kicked in. I didn't have one single egg with a single yolk; I had 14 eggs with 28 yolks!! I wonder if that guy will bring eggs into Kris' office again. I sure hope so.

Blues Cafe on Ruby Tuesday

2011-06-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

Last year at Patterson's Apricot Festival, Don found a funky little coffee house that he said he was sure I would like to visit. So, of course, we made a plan and then it never happened.

Well, the Apricot Festival rolled around again and now, a year later, I am finally visiting the Blues Cafe. Yes, it was definitely worth the wait and will get a return visit.

There will be a post following this one about the cafe and a few more pictures to show, but I thought for now you might enjoy seeing my bad boy make a new friend.