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Monday, January 31, 2011

B-ing in the City

"B" - ing in the city with my squeeze was such a delight...no crowds, oodles of parking and sunshine peaking through the clouds..we had
Brunch at the Outerlands...then headed to a
Beach called "Baker"....
We walked on a Bridge...named the Golden Gate
At the Municipal Pier we saw a
Boat loaded with boxes

And checked out tile walls at the newly restored (work in progress)
Boathouse ...I do believe that is a Bufano statue..

At Ghirardelli we split a Domingo hot fudge sundae made with Bananas
Such a lovely day indeed.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Experiment

I am trying an experiment.

I want to see how long I can stay out of stores...

Like ....




















Or .....

























Or ....























The grocery store, bank and gas station are my three exceptions.

So far, it has been 11 days since I entered a store...

I just keep telling myself,

"You don't need it!"....

"You have too much stuff"....

"Lighten your load"....

Just think of the $$$ I am saving...

By not spending!

I know one person who will be happy when he finds out
about this game I am playing...

Hint: his initials are DZ

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Eighty Nine Point One


I love listening to classical music, especially while driving in my car.
102.1 has been the classical music station for the bay area for a zillion years.
Until this past weekend.
All of a sudden it changed
Gone. 102.1 now plays soft rock.
In my search for a new classical station
I came upon 89.1
Never heard of it before.
It plays original swing music from the 30's and 40's.
I love it.
It is happy and upbeat.
It makes me smile.
I find myself tapping my feet.
I am inclined to paint the smackers red, don a vintage dress
And hop into the Plymouth slant six.
I'll roll down the windows, blast up the volume
And let the breeze tossle my hair.
Check it out. That is, if you live on the Peninsula
(it originates out of Redwood City/San Mateo).

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Have You Pruned Your Roses?

Do you want roses like this in the spring?

Read on.....


My mother has about a dozen rose bushes along her driveway.
(I think I planted most of them)
She has a magical touch to growing the most aromatic and beautiful blooms
a.l.l. s.e.a.s.o.n. l.o.n.g.
Last night around 10:30 pm, as I was backing out of their driveway
My headlights cast a beam on the neatly and perfectly pruned, spiky rose branches
It is time for me to get out my gloves
(would love a pair of these) or these:

And start pruning AND oiling my roses.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

What a Lovely Weekend


My daphne bush is in full bloom along my front brick path.
Usually, it is biting cold around here in January..you know that chill with the sunless white air.
Not this weekend. And not now.
It has been sunny. It feels like spring. And I'm loving every degree.
All 75 of them.
Did you read that...SEVENTY FIVE DEGREES!
I spent Saturday in my yard, tidying up the flower beds, pulling the weeds, filling the bin, and planting (still have some bulbs and always have annuals).
Every so often, as I was on my hands and knees, planting and pulling, I'd get a waft of the dee-vine daphne scent.
Oh, daphne, you are so heavenly.
Eat your hearts out...those of you sitting on an ice cubes.
Cheer-i-o!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Garbage Pickup on Friday

A couple of months ago our city changed garbage carriers and delivered three brand new containers for our use in placing our refuse.


Every Thursday, DZ takes care of sorting and placing our garbage and places it into one of three containers (he can sometimes take hours doing this):

1.the garbage bin...stuff placed in this 20 gallon can ends up in the nearest landfill. Did you notice how small our can is? Some weeks we barely fill it up!

2. the recycle bin...which is sorted and sold to companies who repurpose the stuff to produce new things out of the old.

3. the organics bin...which is turned into compost.

Nos. 2 and 3 above used to be picked up every other week...now it is EVERY week. I love that. Believe it or not, we fill each bin every week too, even in the winter. And don't they look neat and tidy? Check out the lids on the bins. If it rains, the garbage doesn't get wet and soggy. It is more cost effective too. There used to be 3 men coming to pick up the refuse and now there is only one, the driver. No more manual lifting of heavy garbage cans either. The driver controls a mechanical arm from inside his warm cab. The arm grabs the bin, lifts it high in the sky, turns it over and dumps the contents into the top of his truck, and then gently places the bin back down on the side of the street. How sweet is that?

I love Friday afternoon, my garbage day. I have empty containers... all ready to fill up again.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

My Trip To....



Washington. My sister and I attended a memorial service for our Uncle Frank who had been married to our Aunt Donna (my mother's sister) for sixty years.




My mother's two sisters, Colleen and Donna

We flew to Seattle and rented a car to drive the 100 plus mile trip east to Ellensburg. Oh, what a gorgeous drive..even the rain could not obscure the beauty of the rugged mountains and the swollen river.

In Ellensburg, we visited with cousins, aunts, uncles and extended family...many of which I haven't seen for quite a while. Why is it that we wait for weddings and funerals connect with our loved ones? I vow to do a better job.

On our way to my aunt's house through town by the college I looked in my rear view mirror and it looked like a Christmas tree had suddenly lit up...it was a police car pulling me over! My cousin, sister and I looked at each other...we had no idea what did I did wrong. As the young (must have been at most 23 years) officer walked up, I calmly pushed the button to roll down the window. He tells me he clocked me going 35 mph! Can you believe it? Evidently, the speed limit changes from 35 to 20 to 35 to 25 in a span of a few blocks. and I was speeding in the 20 mph zone. TWENTY MPH! That is slower than a school zone...or a residential area. The rental car I was driving had Oregon tags, so I was in luck...he wasn't going to give me a ticket, though he took my license to check to see if there were any outstanding warrants out on me. Glad I am clean as a whistle.

You should have seen the gorgeous, wide open, clear sky which was filled with twinkling stars. And that glowing full moon... surrounded by a halo...shining above white, glistening fields. It was surreal.

At the memorial service, the music was beautiful...my cousins sang their dad's favorite hymn, my cousin read a poem she had written about her dad...(it pierced my heart). The prayers, the talks by the family members and the Bishop were touching. I was so glad I was there.

Afterwards, the Relief Society (the women's organization in our church) prepared and served a most scrumptious spread of "comfort" food ...including ham, funeral potatoes (yumola)..


orange jello fluff (the one on the right)


rolls, and salad (don't tell anybody, but I had two servings of each)..it really hit the spot.

Spent some time visiting with family and then we headed back to Seattle via I-90.


Going back wasn't as easy, for it was now dark. And it was raining...at the pass it started snowing. Cars and big rigs whizzed on by, spraying road grim on my windshield, in spite of the fact that I couldn't see the lines on the road, since there weren't any. I kept both hands tightly gripped around the steering wheel. There was one spot in particular which was quite treacherous...let me say there was a lot of praying going on under my breath...pleading that we wouldn't bite the dust. Luckily, we survived.

So very glad when we arrived in Seattle and checked in to our hotel, The Inn at the Market (do you remember it depicted in a scene in "Sleepless in Seattle"?) Good karma was on our side for somehow we got a free upgrade ..the top floor suite with 180 degree view of the Sound. Didn't even ask for it. f.a.n.t.a.s.t.i.c.

Everywhere we went, the people were friendly...our waiter at dinner gave us wonderful suggestions for places for us to eat and to see. He also told us about the Picasso exhibit at the Seattle Museum. Since it was the last day of the exhibit, the museum was open until midnight. I don't know how we swung it, but the cute guy behind the counter ended up giving us free tickets ....I love free.


The next morning, had breakfast at the 5 Spot Cafe and then headed over to the Queen Anne district, where we stopped at a very fun fabric store called nancys sewing basket ; had some hot cocoa at the hip and hopping Muse Coffee Co. Checked out the Fremont district and I loved Burnt Sugar . Took a swing around the Ballard district (I think it was my favorite) filled with cute shops in old brick buildings...so very cool.

We ended our day in Seattle by taking a tour of Theo Chocolate...

I kind of overdosed on the unlimited chocolate samples. They do produce a very fine chocolate indeed.

It is always fun to explore and visit new places. It was a quick trip. Great to reconnect with my extended family...So very glad I went, especially with my sister, for she is the best navigator in a city with some confusing streets. It was even better when we finally figured out how to use Google Maps on my Iphone.


Epilogue:

Picked up a bug on the plane...for I spent the remainder of the week sick on the couch...too weak to even peck on the computer.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

My New Cleaning Friend

My brother gave me a bottle of:


Mrs. Meyers produces several products scented with basil, lemon verbena, geranium, baby blossom and lavender.
I have the lavender variety and oolala... a most lovely scent indeed!
I LOVE it!
Everything smells so fresh.
I want to wipe EVERYTHING down.
On top of that, it is earth friendly, cleans good and is biodegradeable.
Can you believe people like me who get in a tizzy about a cleaning product?
I suggest you give it a try...
You can find Mrs. Meyer products at Target, Orchard Supply, and Bed Bath and Beyond (you can check out their website here for additional locations).
After you try it out, let me know what you think.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Working Weekend

The weather in the bay area this weekend was typical for January.
We were blanketed with what I call "white sky".
It wasn't sunny and it wasn't cloudy, it was just cold...
You know the type of cold that pierces bones.
It was the perfect weather to stay home and work on my garage.
On Friday, I had bundles of help from sweet Adeline.
She helped me clean, scrub, pack and toss.
We filled two garbage cans, delivered a load to the Goodwill, swept the floor, and organized.
Progress continued on Saturday.
After my weekly morning hike with my sister..I returned home to the GARAGE.
DZ emptied a section of the attic space which was filled with kid toys
We proceeded to sort, scrub (with bleach), throw away and box.
This has been one gigantic task but I am getting there!
Here is a tiny peek.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Birthday Greetings to My Mother


Wishing a very happy birthday

to this sweet little babe who is now 4 score and some years old.

She is....

...one marvelous mother (birthed eight children, six girls and two boys)
Laughing it up with my sisters
My sisters and brother at the beach in Northern California
Saying goodbye to my grandma and two cousins (the two boys in the back)

...
.....a wonderful wife (been married to my father for over 62 years)


....a stupendous sister (is the oldest of three girls).


...and a fabulous friend (has friendships lasting many decades)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Did I Do It?


Do what?, you ask.

You know, the resolution I made one year ago?

The one where I would clean out my garage?

Well....I am not quite there yet.

My skeptical family has been reminding me all year...

Their eyes would just roll every time I'd bring something home.

"Remember, you vowed to get the garage clean...remember?

Well, it has taken me a couple of days just to get Christmas put away.

I am on a roll.

There is an end in sight...not just yet.

I love that "cleansing feeling".

The feeling you get when you purge.

And organize.

And clean.

I can't wait to show you.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Sister Time at the Museum

Six sisters at the De Young Museum...