Tuesday Tidbits

It continues to feel cold here.  (Different angle than yesterday's picture).  Note to self -- remember this location.  It is the best location for photographing the local mountains. For you locals, it's the road between the highway and the cowboy bar.  That should pinpoint it exactly. 

I'm wearing a sweater and I'm still chilly, so I decided on soup for lunch.  As my mother called it, Soup Du Jour, where you throw all your leftovers in a pot and hope it tastes OK.  Five leftovers.  I've tied my own record for creative leftover use.  

This turned into a delicious vegetable rice soup.  But you will notice Homer in the background giving me the EVIL EYE.  Where's the PORK?  he's thinking.  Where's the BACON?  

Even serving it in a cat mug did not placate him.  Usually he's very curious about what I eat, but not today.

Enjoy your day!

Signs of Spring?? 2012

Our seasons have been a little strange this year, so my seasonal post may be too!

While we've had the usual flowers....

wisteria plumes

sweep the earth, and soon

the rains will fall

Masaoka Shiki

That was true...the wisteria was bursting into bloom last week, then we had rain this weekend.  We also had SNOW!  This was taken Monday about 3:00.  By 6:00 it was gone.

And Ernest has a varied spring wardrobe.  From the tight...

To the tuxedo...

Enjoy spring!

The Saturday PhotoHunt: Play

It's time for the Saturday PhotoHunt. This week, the theme is PLAY.

Once again, I went literal.  Can you spot Ernest in this PLAY?  Hint --  he's a lot shorter.

The kids had such fun.

The casting was perfect.

Well, of course I have video of Ernest's stellar performance as Linus.  Just not on the computer.  So enjoy this instead.

Next week's theme is SPICY.

Where I've Been

I don't know where I've been.  No, let me rephrase that. I've been right here just not on the blog.  Mostly, I've been annoyed.  Seems like every little thing is ticking me off lately.  I can't read or watch the news, of course, because the politicians are so annoying.  Closer to home, I'm annoyed by drivers who ignore stop signs, limit lines, and rules of right of way.  By the crumbs on the counter left by others' sandwiches.  By unflushed toilets.  By Homer's dirty paws.  By the Game of Thrones discs which refused to play (in one player).  By the lack of sleep which is sometimes my own fault -- put that iPhone AWAY!

That paw's supposed to be WHITE.  Seriously, Homer.  I love that you do your stinkies outside but it's wrecking your pretty paws.

Rant over.  Come back tomorrow for something playful.

The Saturday PhotoHunt: Symbolic

It's time for the Saturday PhotoHunt. This week, the theme is SYMBOLIC.

For me, the first wisteria blooms are symbolic of spring.

And in the backyard, the nectarine tree is blossoming.

Next week's theme is PLAY.

The Saturday PhotoHunt: Drop

It's time for the Saturday PhotoHunt. This week, the theme is "DROP."

Next week's challenge is SYMBOLIC.  That's going to be tough for me as I am a pretty literal person.

Looking up: Guatemala

Ernest, my not so little world traveler, just got back from a trip to Antigua, Guatemala. Lucky me, he had some beautiful looking up pictures.

I'll share more of his trip tomorrow.

Leap

1...2...3...and LEAP!  Check out the Women's Colony Photo Challenge for other great LEAP themed photos.

Happy February 29th!  Doing anything different today?

We're going to see Young Frankenstein The Musical.

The Saturday PhotoHunt: Loud

It's time for the Saturday PhotoHunt. This week, the theme is "LOUD."

I couldn't decide between fireworks and dragsters, so why not have both?

July 2011

November 2011

Next week's theme is DROP.

Pink Saturday: Kitchen

My magical sister-in-law has a beautiful pink kitchen.

I'm proud to say I helped out in a small way, with this lovely pink Kit-Cat Clock. I think every house needs a Kit-Cat Clock.

How Sweet The Sound hosts Pink Saturday!  Check it out!

Tax help

I used to do our taxes myself. Why did I always end up doing it and not my husband? Probably because I worked in an Accounting Department for a while. One year, hugely pregnant with Ernest and with my job moving both to another employer and to another location, I gave the whole mess to an accountant. Best thing I ever did.

That was back in the dark ages time before Turbo Tax, I think.  I could probably manage it with a computer program now, but I just don't want to.  Besides, I like my accountant.  We went to high school with him and he's very funny on Facebook.  And then you feel important.  You have people.  Advisors.  You can say, well my accountant says...

But I still have to sort out the receipts and forms and fill out his tax planner.  Homer likes to help with that.  He was even more help this morning when I had everything spread out in piles on the table.  His favorite pile?  The charitable deductions.  "Where's the deduction for kibble? Can you depreciate the cost of cat toys?  Didn't you have a cat adoption expense?  I'm under 18 - you should list me as a dependent."

I just hope the accountant isn't allergic to cats, because Homer sat on just about everything.

Here's hoping that your tax prep goes smoothly (and cat-hairlessly) this year.

Looking up: Blue Skies

Blue Skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see

--Irving Berlin

And looking a little lower, what else do I see?

Ernest chillaxing between races a few weeks ago.

I got so tired of the length of time it took him to lace up his high tops that I got him some slip-ons.  He still thinks they need laces.

Sheer Panic

A short time after my last post yesterday, I went back to Blogger Dashboard and my blogs were gone.  Disappeared. Vanished into thin cyberspace.  Sheer panic!  5 years of my life lost, I thought.  I spent a while searching through confusing help threads, posted a message, and then lo and behold they reappeared.  I don't know what happened, but oh, my sweet little blogs, I am glad you are back home safe and sound.

I haven't felt quite so panicked since losing a child at Sea World.  Frank was not quite six.  I watched him come down the slide in Shamu's playland, he ran around the slide to go down again (I thought) and he never reappeared.  We involved park personnel and frantically searched for him for what seemed like ages but was probably only 10 minutes.  Turns out he had gone in the ball pit and submerged himself, so he couldn't hear people calling for him.  I've hated ball pits ever since.

But there is that moment of sheer panic that grips your heart, that sinking feeling in your core and you wonder if life will ever be normal again.  Not that I'm equating losing the blogs to losing a child.  Maybe to losing a ring or car keys or wallet.  But you know the feeling.

The Saturday PhotoHunt: Point

This week’s theme at The Saturday PhotoHunt is “Point”.  (Thanks Janet at Fond of Snape for introducing me to the hunt!) I found a picture in the first file I opened.  How lucky is that?

What's dat?

Photo from December 2006.  Frank and tiny little great-nephew Mr. T.  

Pink Saturday : Flamingo

I've spent a lot of time at the zoo while my son Ernest volunteered there for 3 summers, and got a paying job last summer! I can always get a good flamingo picture.

And here's a shout out to my favorite flamingo fan, Debbie!

Here are some flamingos at a local nursery.  Who needs a giant metal chicken when you can have giant metal flamingoes?

It's Pink Saturday - Beverly, at the blog "How Sweet the Sound" hosts Pink Saturday. Let the color pink inspire you.

1000

I searched for inspiration for my 1000th blog post.  Google Images came up with a "personal result," which is perfect.  Thank you to Jodi of daybook: a keeping of days for allowing me to share her beautiful photo.

1,000 Cranes © Jodi Anderson

The legend of the 1000 cranes has been told many times by better writers than me.  Folding 1000 paper cranes is said to grant the folder a wish.

Cranes at Hiroshima, photo by Frank, July 2008

Cranes at the Steinbeck Center, photos by me 2009.

I may not have folded 1000 cranes, but I might have folded 1000 origami somethings over the years. But can I think of a wish?  Oh, there are the big ones like world peace, kindness, politicians staying out of my uterus, that sort of thing.  There are the little ones like I wish Ernest would clean his room.  (Fat chance that's going to happen.  I'm going to attack it when he is gone next week.)

What's your wish, big or little?  One lucky wisher will get a batch of Frank's Famous Cookies! 

My Buddy

My buddy, my buddy, nobody quite so true...
--Gus Kahn/Walter Donaldson

Homer has not been letting me out of his sight squint presence the past few days.

On my chair...

On my lap...

On my box...no wait a minute, that's an original Gary Rith cartoon!!!

On my table...  right next to my brand new Gary Rith bowl.    Had it been breakfast cereal with milk, he would have been on my bowl.  Or in it.  But Homer is not interested in the remains of marinated cucumber salad.

I think I need that cat tea set.  It can have the position of honor in the Online Gallery of American Vernacular Cat Art.

On my book...

Who's your buddy and what's he or she doing right now?

The Grey Extremely Loud Descendants

We saw The Descendants last weekend, just me and my husband.

Handy commented on the marquee.

THE GREY EXTREMELY LOUD DESCENDANTS.  Maybe it's an elderly rock band?

Sunday's Race

All I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my
Bicycle races are coming your way
So forget all your duties oh yeah!


Two races on Sunday.

7 a.m.

6th!  (His teammate was first!)  Way to go juniors, whupping all those Cat 5 men.

And 12:45

Didn't place.  Juniors are tougher than Cat 5 Men.  Look at the steely stare of the jr. state champion next to him.

When's the next race???