Franco-critters .... make that a double

the kids are growing and flourishing .... STILL loving their (almost) nightly dose of hot dogs. Sometimes kosher, sometimes chicken or turkey, even beef now & again .... but the "franco furters" .... thanks to COSTO ... are still plentiful & welcomed by the pair of furry fellas that still show up just after dusk most evenings. They frolic & fetch for about 10-15 minutes, then disappear into the field or up the hill with enthusiasm. Usually, about an hour later we see 1 or 2 return ... not knowing f they have worked up an appetite (again) or sent their sibblings down for nourishment. Evidence indicates they are out & about under the cover of night ... since our bird bath is oft used & motion lights are set off at our end of CDS routinely. A yip can be heard now & again as they wrestle in the yard or chase after something. We will enjoy it while it lasts .... knowing that in "fox" terms ... they are soon to leave our little nest of comfort!

INTRODUCING- Ima Gunna

PERHAPS, there are those of you who have not met her yet .... (and I commend you if that's the case).
With VERY LITTLE research, I found that Ima Gunna comes from a family with roots that go way back. Most people have crossed paths with ancestors of hers over the years, becoming very good friends. Perhaps the names sound familiar to you as well- May B. Tomorrow, and I. Needta. There are familial inventions that are better known than the creator themselves, such as the round tuit- and a Crastinator in the group that is so good at what she does, she's considered a PRO! Infact even a breakfast dish is named for one of them .... eggs skusis!! This little history lesson has come to end for now .... that is until I find ANOTHER reason to avoid finishing the laundry today!

much ado about none of their business ....

Ever notice (?) when people make comments or give their opinions when #1 it wasn't solicited and #2, they don't know what their talking about. I see it alot on FB ..... "you shouldn't do this" or "I heard about that" ..... I'm sorry but I gotta say- IGNORANCE is NOT bliss .... it's just plain lazy! If you don't know about something first hand-then don't pass the information on as if you do. If you want to make a comment about something, then get some backround information from a reliable source to back it up ..... don't just pass stuff on that you have no experience or knowledge about! That little button labeled COMMENT- isn't a requirement.
It's sort of like the "one-upping" that goes on with The Real Housewives shows ... people wanting be part of a conversation tend to make things up so they feel like they are contributing- instead of just listening! ARGH.
TO THESE PEOPLE I SAY .... get a life :o)

too much of a good thing?

I believe there are times (and I've had them)- when you can have too much of a good thing.

ALTHOUGH, sitting on the lanai in the evening with my firepot lit, the fountain babbling, & a hot latte at my fingertips .... is not one of them!

The Capt and I have had discussions on this subject, and it is one of those instances where we do not see eye-to-eye. And that's ok too. He can eat the same salad dressing day in & day out, have cereal every morning for weeks at a time (it doesn't count that it's a variety of types... it's still cereal), he can eat a sandwich everyday with the same flavor of chips and the SAME chocolate chip cookie. Of these things .... I cannot abide. He says he loves the flavors and he never gets tired of them. I say- a sandwich, is a sandwich, is a sandwich. (as is cereal, etc) I need (almost crave) variety in these things. Good grief-I don't even use the same cremor every day!! SUCH is my feeling about colors. The man unit, wants green. Green this, green that, green everything. He sees the "variety" as being different shades, NOT different colors altogether!! Me? Not only does my mood react to colors, but they react differently on different days to the same colors. AND I AM AWARE OF THIS to such an extent, that I normally use a color palette instead of ONLY one color in most everything .... so I can accent with any given color within the spectrum when my mood suits me. COULD you imagine if I decorated totally in one color and then woke up UN in the mood for it?? YIKES! SO- as much as I've loved turquoise for the past 2-3 months ... I am feeling less than blue right now, so tomorrow will demand a different purse, IPAD cover, & chilly morning sweatshirt. I can't tell you what color I will be tomorrow .... I can ONLY tell you what I am NOT tonight! and BTW my hubby when you read this - of YOU I shall not tire!!! ILY

destiny ....

we watched the movie Premonition this evening.
HEY! don't be judging a book by it's cover ....... I watch all kinds of movies. Well, let me rephrase that .... we play all sorts of movies .... sometimes I'm watching, sometimes just listening, tuning in & out for some, tolerating others. BUT- in defense of even the worst movies (well maybe not those), I can usually get something from every movie .... like it or not. (sometimes a headache) There are instances when it's not the message of the movie, but rather the message I give to IT. Tonight, 3 of us watched it ... each coming away with a different belief of the meaning of the ending. By the time Pa reads this post ... he might not even remember what the movie was about, but it brought up some dialogue for the Captain & I.
Destiny, by its very definition, cannot be changed ..... but I believe it can be delayed. Just as it was in this movie. And those little voices in our heads (well except for yours Captain), should be listened to. They can prompt, warn, and prepare us for what lies ahead. BUT, even those of us who are NOT hard of hearing, may not catch the whispers. (afterall, it's not made to be an announcement via loud speaker).
Listen to those inner voices, AND ... they may not belong to you!!

yea, I'm a bloomin' idiot

and I find that label a compliment .... because I resemble the remark!! Although the marine layer has been thick & wet a couple of days .... our SLOW-TO-DECIDE if they are going to thrive or die- hibiscus bushes are ALL blooming! We started accumulating them 7-8 months ago, & ordered another couple colors that we weren't finding ....

then we decided to have some fence work done & they got pushed aside ... only to find that the earwigs LOVED munching on the leaves and all the small pots were left looking like a "stick garden"!! I trimmed them all back and by the time the fence was completed, they at least had grown some leaves!! I waited nearly a month before planting them ... hoping to get some clue as to which was what color ... and even as they continued to grow .... no buds. A couple of the plants weren't even getting any taller. I was getting a little sad. Finally .... due to the right sweet talking (or perhaps the fertilizer) ... they began showing their real colors you might say. The pink/orange combo flourishes in my serenity garden AND on the lanai ... we were excited to see the color duplicated. Not only the colors you see here- but we have orange, red (2), white, dark pink, & yellow! I love it!

and yes .... I have about 2,000 pictures of flowers on my computer :o)

as if living here isn't heavenly enough ....

We have a variety of fairy-god-friends in our neighborhood. Unexpectedly .... we find a basket of strawberries, a helper, a gift bag, a cupcake, a shoulder, a tool, advice, and most recently fresh veggies. If someone is heading to Costco, or the hardware store .... they wouldn't think twice about picking something up for us. They jump in to help without asking (or expecting), they hug freely, and they are ...... like family!
I've had good neighbors in the past ... but they were far outweighed by stoic, annoying, manic, odd, or obnoxious ones on the same block. That is NOT the case here & now. We were somehow dropped into this amazing little cul de sac of too-good-to-believe people and we thank our lucky stars on a regular basis!! happy, happy, joy, joy

who let the dogs out .....

this may be the 1st time (ever) that I've gone a full week between posts. What is life coming to .... that keeps me from my mental therapy for so long? Frankly, it was a busy week but in total, not as exhausting as today all by itself!! Pleasantly tiring, but I'm glad it's done and I can guarantee, I will be sleeping long & hard tonight. My dogs, they are a-barkin' after being on them with little or no relief from 8:30am- 4pm. Most of it being with my voluteer work with the police department, followed by some much need shopping for necessities. It's not our usual kind of "date" but it was a day when the Captain and I were never more than a few feet from each other. On the agenda RIGHT NOW??? a foot rub and the caramel latte that I passed up this morning to get out of the house on time. now that .... is worth waiting for :o)

Just as most of us probably did as children .... the grandkids love to slip their feet into whatever mine have just exited from. When 4 y/o Addyson was here last month ... she was constantly finding a pair of flipflops or mules, or slippers to tuck those sweet little toes into.

THIS PARTICULAR shot was taken upon our return from paddle boarding. She wanted to hang out a little longer with the "capin" before she hit the shower ... & her chubby little feet were getting cold. I pulled the pic to my desktop right after downloading, because it spoke to me. The idea of filling someone's shoes can be daunting at times. For some personalities- a challenge they aspire to, for others- a heighth never reached in their own eyes. I think about my grandkids and I pray they always see me as they do now .... with joy, wonderment & love. When I look at this foto- it is not Addy that I see in my footsteps, but rather the hope that I am filling the shoes of my own mother, and the way my kids felt about her. She was their "granny" and they adored her!

cool down, kick back, catch up ..... maybe

There is ONLY one thing that would take me to Bakersfield with temps nearing triple digits ..... FAMILY

my kids, my grandkids, my sisters & their kids, my dad ..... they are the lifeline to what has made me who I am today and why I cherish my life!! Dad is looking pretty good these days .... he's always a little more chipper when he's around a bigger gathering of family. My son was chatting with my youngest sis & I was caught up in a memory that prompted me to ask them to pose together ... their response was that "I must want a picture of the best looking ones there." Hearing THAT, another sister plopped herself down with them to be included. yeh .... I'm related to a bunch of comedians!!

ONE of the twinkles in my eye!!

THIS, sums up our week in one picture. What will I do with all the peace and quiet after tomorrow??

last full day with Anthony ... and I already miss him!

we FINALLY got out on the water in the pretty new kayaks today!

LUCKY ME ... Anthony decided he wanted to ride with gramma, so I got to paddle around an extra 46# (Like I wasn't already- haha)
and OF COURSE .... we planned plenty of time for some beach fun in the sun as well. castles, splashing, snacks .... we had it all! He's exhausted .... hungry & in need of a shower now and I am already wondering that in a couple of days, I will be wishing he was here to do it all again. It was a good week Anthony!! We love you.

HOW MANY CHIMES did I just hear???

OMG .... how many coo-coos was that .... nah, it couldn't be. We just got home. I just sat down. TIME DOES INDEED fly!

The Captain and I have s-l-o-w-l-y morphed to different physical time clocks. 10-10:30 hits and he turns into a pumpkin. When I was working, it was AOK, because ... I was getting up at 5:15 on 3-4 days a week, so except for the "wake up call", I stayed pretty much at the same bedtime, with few exceptions. Over the past year ... I have inched later (and RARELY can you see me up anytime before 7am) And occassionally, current evening included .... I go to bed in the weeeee hours of the morning.

I like it this way- mostly. THIS is my quiet time. No alarms, timers, or becons. There are still mornings ... when the evening before has been warm ... that I slip out of bed just as the sun rises ... to sit on the lanai with a great cup of coffee or fresh juice, and take in the early hours just as eagerly. THIS is one of the things I cherish most about "retirement"- having the freedom to make these choices. I love it!

peddle power amplified

"armed" with his newly designed helmet ..... and the energy that comes from a waffle, fresh blueberries, & strawberries- the household took off for a few hours on the Bob Jones Trail.

With his strong little legs going at 3X the speed of mine, Anthony kept up just fine & without complaint! We were rewarded wth a lunch overlooking Avila Beach (and some great weather!!)

cut up that CC before he "needs" something else!

ARGH ... bring on the medication (for his injury & the headache he's giving ME!)

P.S. ... just kidding about him being a "pain" to me ... as men go- he's a good patient!

there is TOOOOO much of this year left!

soooooo pretty (wish I'd thought of it earlier!)

MY SISTER and I have been ever so diligent at keeping up with our project 365 that we have BOTH have over indulged and our 12 month album is only holding about 8 .... maybe 9 months if I try hard to condense. BUT THEN AGAIN- why not celebrate the fact that we have alot to say... rather than keep it to snippets?! Somedays, 1 picture and a couple of sentences is all I need, but at other times .... I wanna journal, journal, journal !! EVEN THOUGH, I am careful not to duplicate what I am posting or pics I am adding to that of my blog- I still have times when there is much to document (because I print out my blog at the end of the year too) . ANYWAY, I ordered a pair of matching albums so I could split the year and not have it so hard to turn pages because of over crowding and I love, Love, LOVE the ones I picked out. They came today and they are even prettier than I expected. I think if I decide to tackle this again for 2012 ... I will see if I can just get the innards or .... MAYBE just design the scheme & journal cards myself & get the variety of sleeves like I added to this one. hmmmmm .... I like that idea!

the daredevil hath returned!

of course youda thought the water was 10 ft deep, he's so animated ....

ok, OKAY ... yesssssssss, he stood up & rode the wave in, but afterall, it was a 7" wave & grampa is just outside the picture frame!!! He had a blast, sitting, standing, laying ... it didn't matter to him and we loved hearing him laugh! The board, the suit & the ears were full of sand 2+ hours later ... but it all worked out, cuz he had a great time being ..... himself! A bit of sun for all of us and that makes for some gooooooood sleepin' tonight. you betcha

.

keep them "posing" for as long as you can ....

what I adore, relish & have envy of .... is their willingness to do just about anything, if they get a hug or a smile (or some fruit snacks). You leave these 2 alone and you better make sure they have boxing gloves -but if you get involved and use a little imagination ... they are slaves to a gramma's whims. So we tried, thinking faces & sad faces & scared faces

and with time, it got funnier & funnier. I found I needed only to be flexible and to hold the camera steady when laughing!!

these lovely, empty hours

It's been a while since I sat up alone much longer than "the boys". I find that I do that usually when I am feeling creative & in the middle of a project when they say their nite-nites. But lately, I have been busy with other things and not spent much time with that side of my brain. Neither am I using it tonight. I closed things down in my craft room, wandered into the kitchen where the light was still on- thinking the Capt was at his computer, but finding the common areas of the house empty. Even Dad seems to have gone to bed. I wiped down the dining room table and rinsed a couple of dishes & headed into the bedroom, expecting hubby to be reading ... but his breathing was already heavy with sleep. I wasn't particularly tired, but I saw it as an opportunity to get a few more chapters into A is for Alibi than I normally manage at night. BUT- as I pulled the slider open to bring in some of the night sounds and breeze, I found it still and without it's normal 11pm+ chill. So here I am, with my IPAD at my elbow for WWF, and in the mood to ponder. It's warmer at this moment that it was at 10am this morning when I sat here enjoying a hot chai latte. The marine layer is still far off the land, leaving the black sky & pin point stars to avoid their normal curfew. I'm accompanied only by the babble of our fountain, and my thoughts. Traffic begins to thin by this hour, but it ceases to bother me anyway- as I imagine it to be waves of water rather than sound. The hour, the night .... is everything I want it to be right here, right now .... mine. To listen to or stare out at, or to design or invent what might be going on where a street light flickers, or a hint of sound comes from. It's all mine, to do with what I like.
I think I shall pull it all into my mind and save it for another moment that may be less perfect than this ......

my Hawaii countdown begins