Crock Pot

What a beauty, have no idea what it is called but the color combination is interesting, a bit of wine, a touch of pink and a yellow center, eight perfect petals in the outer and inner circle and a sunshine center, who wouldn't feel good with a vase filled with these..  It makes me feel good just by looking at it.

Pat found this recipe for a crock pot and it looks good enough to try.   I'll have to check the recipe but it sounded simple enough while reading it. . . a bit of pineapple with juice, some maple syrup, chicken tenders and cook it low in the crock pot for about six hours.   Be a pinch and snip cook today and see what happens. 

Friend Sheila sent this picture along.  She rides the ferry to Seattle to work every day and the whales are out playing between Bainbridge and Bremerton.   What a sight to see.    We often go down to the Port, or up along the beach areas during whale watching seasons and we do see the spouts.  Once in awhile the shape of the whale but they never breech. I am still waiting to see the tail of a whale.

There was a write-up in the newspaper about  the super Walmart stores, telling about how huge they are and how successful they are in both keeping folks working and making billions;  the success story of the century.  All can tell you it is a great place to get your walking in.    The store over in Crescent City has three entrances now.  The new market area is a gigantic food store and you can even buy a treat in the bakery as you walk miles of aisles and need the energy.    It is a great place to wonder through and see what kind of 'stuff' they have.   Everything is made in China, you name it, and it is for sale at a price you can afford if you do not want quality but want quantity.     I was looking for an old fashioned dust mop and you can't find one as the new swifter has taken over our lives.  You buy the one item of swifter and have to use their products forevermore...a captive audience.   Oh for a Fuller Brush man to knock on my door!  I did buy a couple of garden flowers that were on sale.   I put them into pots until I clear out a patch in the garden area.    I made a lot of work for myself as I used the kitchen counter to play in the dirt and it created a bit of elbow cleaning when I got through.    Purple thumbs are a nuisance.    Speaking of nuisances, you have never lived until you open the refrigerator and take out a covered bowl of blueberries when the cover is not on tight and they take flight.    I'll be picking up blueberries for at least another year or so.  I didn't know they had wings.  
Here is another old adage for you this morning.  In George Washington's days, there were no cameras.  One's image was either sculpted or painted.  Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms.  Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted.  Arms and legs are 'limbs,' therefore painting them would cost the buyer more.  Hence the expression, 'okay, but it'll cost you and arm and a leg.' (Artists know hands and arms are more difficult to paint.)
So I am off to check and see if there are any more visible blue berries hiding in corners.    My coffee is at the ready and so am I.    Make today a good one by being 'special' as you go about seeing and doing some of the necessary evils of the day.     Think about someone you know who is hurting, alone, lonely, needing a hug, walk in their shoes for a moment or two and you will know exactly what to do.    Take your smile along.     Hugs to all.

Flower Gardens

Here is a new picture from Mike A. showing his house lost in the overgrowth of his garden.  He made mention that his house was lost, but it looks pretty content to me with all of its floral beauty.   All that summer heat that has not let up for weeks now contributes to fresh summer air, lots of watering and beautiful flowers and plants, not a weed in sight . . . just a butterfly delight.

This picture is from "A thousand welcomes" so the folks in Ireland know how to come up with a lovely planter for their flowers.  It looks like rocks or wood chips done up in wire.   I like it.   I wouldn't mind one on my patio.   A good idea for a vegetable or two.

The week is going quickly as we continue with our seventy degrees and a town filled with folks running away from the three digit heat of the inland cities and knowing it is Kite Festival time here this weekend.   Our usual annual art festival has fallen by the wayside and that is sad as we always looked forward to walking around the board walk visiting the white tents filled with some of the most beautiful art works. It is sad the leaders were so short sighted and we never did hear what was the problem or why they couldn't resolve it.     It reminds me of those who are so short sighted they hang on to their stubbornness rather than find a solution to a problem.    We cannot always agree and that is not the end of our world unless we are so opinionated we cannot allow another to have an opinion or and idea of their own.     We are seeing prime examples in our world today and it is leading to a long road of misery as hatred and suspicion rears its ugly heads.    There was several political attachments that came in yesterday that I would not share as they were enough to inflame even the shiest soul.    There were a few that had humor and I like that as it shows we can still laugh at ourselves.    There was one that shows our leaders are working at trying to hold back Obama Care  for the thirty-eighth time as they come across something they had no idea existed in the bill that they signed without reading.  It will haunt each and everyone of them for a long time to come.  As a for instance, there is a word on page 107 called 'Dhimmitude" . . . never , ever heard the word and couldn't pronounce it if I tried.    It means, according to the writer who took time to look it up, "is the Muslim system of controlling non Muslim populations conquered through Jihad Holy war, taxing non Muslims in exchange for tolerating their presence and coercive means of converting conquered remnants to Islam."   Maybe you can tell me why such a word is in a health care bill.  I always thought that each and every citizen of our country was responsible for paying their taxes no matter where they came from;  once here and becoming an American they agree to adhere to our laws and rules and regulations; seems the czars are working on a different set of rules these days. It would seem to me that each one of us should be paying attention to the unruly world of politics and know that soon we will be at the voting polls once again and we should know which of our elected leaders has been doing his or her job.   Who is working for us or who is working against us . . . if you are paying attention you will know who needs to be retired. 

Speaking of words, play a game or two of scrabble with a friend and if they are using the computer dictionary for scrabble players they are coming up with words that have meanings all their own and I have not heard of most of them.    Some are not even in Webster but that doesn't seem to matter.    I cannot win but the fun is in the playing and if I play the fill in game it drives my opponents crazy.    There is more than one way to 'skin a cat', which leads to the second old adage . . . Did you know the saying "God willing and the creek don't rise" was in reference to the Creek Indians and not a body of water?  It was written by Benjamin Hawkins in the late 18th century.  He was a politician and Indian diplomat.  While in the south, Hawkins was requested by the President of the U.S. to return to Washington.  In his response, he was said to write, "God willing and the Creek don't rise." Because he capitalized the word "Creek" it is deduced that he was referring to the creek Indian tribe and not a body of water.  And with that I will leave you to your own pursuits for the day.   Don't forget to be kind, gentle, and carry a big stick .  Enjoy the day and 'charge' that attitude.   Hugs to all.

 

Adage

Mike A. has a way with a garden.  Up in high desert country and he makes it look like a walk in a park.  It really is loaded with fresh vegetables.   He does have a few quiet spots where you can just sit and watch the vegetables grow.

I think this is one of the most beautiful reflection scenes I have seen.   Talk about Fall colors.   With the current heat waves across our country, I bet there are a lot of folks who would love to see this sight and cool off.

Noma Bar a clever artist.  This is the first face he published "The search for Shakespeare"  The question linked the theme of the program to one of the philosophical questions of all time . . . 'to be or not to be'".  The attachment came with all kinds of faces and each one a tribute to this clever artist.

Now here is a sign of the times as we hear more and more about doing away with plastic bags and reverting back to paper or canvas or something other than plastic.    I think these bags are like dust mites and follow us anywhere.  I have a closet in the kitchen with plastic bags which I save for yard sales.   I just got rid of a bunch and I believe I now have twice as many.   Maybe the grow in the dark!

Hump day, are you ready for a Wednesday;  a good day to muse and think about what you have to do to day and get it done and over with.    The faster you get the job done the more time you will have to do the things you love to do.     I had a drop in day yesterday as my neighbor came over a couple of times to borrow a book.  I have been her library for years.    We were talking and she heard a noise, got up and went to my front door to find her little dog had gotten out of the yard and followed her over.  He was not about to let her loose without him.    She had to carry him home and come back for her books as he runs away usually and she was not in the mood to chase him.    His name is Skylar and he has big button eyes that sparkle.  You can almost hear him saying 'open the gate and watch me go.'    She came back to get the books then spied the new jig saw puzzle on the dining room table and stayed a minute longer to find a piece.   She did too even though she did not have a nail file to make them fit in place. . . yes, she really did use to do that believe it or not.  Yes, I watch her closely!!!
I had a nice long distance hug from Paula yesterday.  She was smoldering in the high temperature of the 90's and it was only early morning.  She is tired of the summer heat although I am betting she is happy to go out in her back yard and jump into that big pool.    I'd like to be there and join her.  Think of the great exercise she has at her fingertips on a daily basis.    Her two grandsons think it is great.   It brought back memories of the dough boy pool we had in our back yard . . . oh the tales to tell . . .wet towels, muddy floors leading to the bathroom, but happy kids on a hot summer day.  We had a great phone visit and hearing her voice was my first verbal hug of the day.    Think about how lucky we are to be able to pick up a phone and exchange a verbal hug . . . second best to one of those walk in ones.

I often refer to an old adage and I had an e-mail with quite a few I had not heard of before; oh, I heard them but had no idea where or how they came about.   Here's one you may not have heard how it started:
"During World War II, U.S. airplanes were armed with belts of bullets which they would shoot during dogfights and on strafing runs.   The belts were folded into the wing compartments that fed their machine guns.  These belts measure 27 feet and contain hundreds of rounds of bullets.  Often times, the pilots would return from their missions having expended all of their bullets on various targets.  They would say, "I gave them the whole nine yards, meaning they used up all of their ammunition."
See you may have learned something today.  I did.    There's more to come.   Put a smile on your face, adjust your attitude and get on with the day and share your hugs and smiles.  Hugs to all.
  

Varied

Vietnam, a rice paddy and a river runs through it.   It looks like everyone has the same idea of what to do on a lovely afternoon.   It could be a highway or special fishing grounds;  makes me wonder, wish the photographer had taken time out to give us a bit of information.  

This could be a picture of daughter Christine who is an avid book lover.   She is always looking for ideas for bookcases, seems this one is perfect.   It looks familiar, wonder if I have seen one similar.

A good hot day in Nevada and the ranch dog is out for a walk.  Looks like he found a friend in the water, or is he planning on a dip.  Looks like he can't make up his mind.   A sweet old guy and well loved. 

Every time you get into your car the ear perks up for strange and different noises.    Let us hope that it is only a small ping rather than a big clank-thud-clank.  Like everything else in life, if you do not take good care of your car the mechanic has reasons to smile.

Here we are mid July, wow, seems like it was just the fourth a couple of days ago.    There goes that time again, taking off like it knows what it is doing.    For those of you in the heat wave, take time to do a lot of nothing as the chores can wait until it cools down.    Here on the coast we are fifty nine degrees and the dampness chills the bones.    We have a lot of visitors this time of year as inland it was 107 degrees yesterday.    The gardens are in full bloom and Jock brought in some of his 'greens' which make the salad come alive with real flavor.    I keep thinking of garden boxes but then I know I am a day late and a dollar short in the energy department so I just think about all those fresh vegetables I could have . . . like the proverbial dunderhead I realize how I should have paid much more attention to the men in my life who were gardeners.   Here in Brookings we have a Saturday open market and the fresh fruits and vegetables are at the ready, all we need is a loan from the bank to buy them.   Fred Meyer's store has plenty of fresh vegetables but you have to eat them the day you buy them or they rot overnight.  It must have something to do with the trucking in from far away places.    Brookings is the Easter Lily capitol and they are pretty but not eatable as far as I know.    All I do know is that fresh fruit and vegetables are the substance of life so if you have the time and energy put in a small garden and enjoy summer squash, green peas and pole beans and all those wonderful delicious blueberries and I'll come visit and help you eat them all up.     There is nothing lazy about me.     Tuesday, doesn't that have a nice ring to it . . . I've made myself hungry so off I go to make myself some breakfast . . .blueberry pancakes come to mind.   If you were close by I'd invite you in . . . go, sparkle today, make someone happy.   Hugs to all.  

 

Oh, Oh!

Here is a little guy who is thinking of becoming a deep sea diver as he makes friends with a sting ray through the glass at an aquarium.    The sting ray looks like it has a smile for this youngster. Hugs are in order.

Finally, a swing I can fit into.   Wide seats.    It really is a great idea for a swing.  If I had a huge tree in my back yard I think I'd like one of these.  

I am thinking of Jo this morning.  She should have one of these as it resembles Oscar and I am sure he would approve.

If this is the case, then you must be retired like me.     After years of getting up , getting dressed, making the bed . . . the world would end if the bed was left unmade, and, in my day having to wear girdles, slips, nylons and all that good stuff to go out the door to work.  Adding a bit of lipstick, grabbing a cup of coffee with a donut was a daily routine.    Staying home and having babies who loved to wake up by five a.m. didn't change the routine much as you hung diapers on the line by six a.m.   There was no such thing as not getting dressed.    Then after years of this daily habit, retirement comes along and it takes quite awhile to change habits, good or bad, and you finally get the bright idea you really do not have to get dressed until you are good and ready.    If you have a date for the day and are going out then that is another matter.  But, if you are staying in . . ah, lounging is good, watching the news on television, feet up, coffee in hand and a chance to relax and think about what you want to accomplish for the day inside or outside of your domain.   Having a friend with likewise habits cannot be all bad, in fact it would make for 'good' neighbors.  I have one just like that . . . how lucky is that!

So today, the start of you new week, if you are still following the get up and get dressed and made up for the day routine,  smile as one of these days you will join the retirement group and find out what comfort is all about.    Freedom inside and out.    And, as much as I enjoy Maxine and her whimsical words, I have to disagree in this case as I think each and everyone is so much more beautiful inside and out when makeup is left behind.    Look in the mirror and you will find a beauty you forgot you had.    Smile with your eyes and see what happens to your face.  And, if you are still working, know that weekends are for practicing how to lolly-gag around the house;  try it, you will find you like it.    Hugs to all.

More

There was a yard sale here and it was such a treat to actually go on to this property as it is a house that sits down in hillside, right on the ocean, and I admired it every time I drove by it   I often wished I knew the folks who lived in it so I could take picture of the house and the grounds.   It is the house I described in "Neptune's Children" and I did a good job of it .I am thinking of going back with my book and give the owner a copy.  The older man turned out to be like one of the characters in my book.   Strange but true.

A park bench, not a bad place to watch the world go by. 

A work of art.     Nothing short of a miracle, how come I cannot trim my bushes to look like that.

Sunday morning and  my coffee is brewing.    I have sunshine this morning so it will be a warm day.    I did get my chores done yesterday and added a few more.   Daughter Patricia picked up a free box of linens at a yard sale and it is amazing what is in this box.    She put them through the washing machine and I offered to help starch and iron them.  I love to iron.    I got about twelve napkins done and they are Irish linen and lovely.     I have more to iron today, have no idea if there are table cloths or just runners.   Some one didn't want to wash and iron fancy linens and prefer to use paper napkins, but the cloth ones add a sense of style and add a bit of presence to the table.    I use them frequently as I love to use the napkin rings as together they make a book rest when I read at the dining room table.  There are always new uses for beautiful things.  
Speaking of beautiful things, Bob and Andrea sent pictures of their new home in the making.  It is going to be striking and I can hardly wait to see the finished product.    The pictures went to never, never land of the computer and I have no idea why.    They sent pictures of the tremendous tributes to the 'hot shot's that died in the huge fire in Arizona.   The town folks intend to make a permanent memorial in their honor.   A tremendous loss to the families and the town.

Enjoy your Sunday doing what you do best. . . and only you know what that is.   Each of us has our own idea of how we want to spend our seconds on a warm summer Sunday and best of all we can invite family and friends along.    A picnic in a park sounds good;    a beach picnic is within our grasp here and even picnic tables on the walkway at Harris Beach.   Some like to putter in their gardens, others like to find a shady nook and sit quietly communing with nature.    It is really wonderful to watch the birds, bees and butterflies flitting around, and there is always watering to be done.   Go and make a rainbow.
Rainbows

As I raised the hose towards heaven/and watered the dry, dry lawn,/a mist caught the spray and a rainbow was born.
I stood there amazed/at such a lovely sight/not knowing I could make a rainbow/from the sun's morning light.
The power of the water stream/caught the prisms in the air/showing all the colors/spreading everywhere.
I laughed out loud/to my delight/as my rainbow took flight/leaving the lawn green and still/ small sunbeams glistening on the grassy blades/the hose shut off for another day.

Go!!  Make a rainbow.   Hugs to all.
   

Saturday

I'm humming about a blue moon.   "Blue moon you saw me standing alone; without a dream in my heart,
 without a love of my own"  I used to love to sing that song, um...around the forties, and it is still being played to this day.

A dragon fly.   I just was gifted a beautiful silver dragonfly pin to wear on my suit jacket;  a real beauty and it does 'dress me up'.

You have heard of garden beds . . . well here is one person's clever idea on how to make  a garden bed.   Clever and cute.    Look a bit like a grave sight though.  I think I'd like a spread of beautiful colors to make it come alive.

Here it is Saturday morning and I have been out watching my cowboy movies, reading the morning newspaper and having second cups of coffee when it dawned on me I had not blogged . . . well, what will my friend think of me if I don't take time to say good morning and wish them well?   So here I am . . . the sun is shining, it looks like it is going to be a warm and beautiful summer day.    I have household chores waiting as I spent most of my week out the door enjoying myself.    Putting off today what you can do tomorrow is  catching up with me and today has to be catch-up day.  I have company coming the end of the month and that is exciting.   Sheila, a lovely lady and friend of daughter Christine is visiting in California and will stop by for a couple of days and see what Brookings has to offer.   She loves to play the slots I'm told and who would be a better guide???? Me???  Of course.    She loves to eat good food and we have a new restaurant serving really truly special dishes that make the taste buds come alive, so I am more than willing to take her there.   We will walk a beach or two.  Maybe the berries are ready for picking up at Lone Ranch beach.  We'll have to check that out.   Sheila is one of my scrabble players on the computer and tells me she is willing to play a real board game when she gets here.    I love to play scrabble.  I just love words, can't you tell?  

I hope your Saturday is a God-Sent kind of day.    Beautiful sunshine, warmth, but not too much, a breeze and maybe a small summer storm.    I hope you find time to finish your household chores and make plans to enjoy family and friends for a beach party or a cookout.    Then, again, you may just want to sit quietly and do a bit of catch up reading in the back yard or your favorite chair.  Whatever you decide, relax, make those seconds meaningful and do give a few thoughts to a good deed or two.   I went up to The Star of the Sea church yesterday and lit a few candles for all of us.  So I am hoping the blessing flow and you feel them in your heart today.   Hugs to all.