Thankful Thursday - Pacific Ocean

I cannot imagine an earthly life without this vast ocean called the Pacific.  I am so thankful for all of the Oceans, all of which combine to create the Jeweled Setting for our home Planet, this "Big Blue Marble", though Earth is, in the vastness of Space, a mere dot.

Earth is also a "Ball of Rotting Rock", in the immortal words of poet Robert Frost.

I see the ocean Everywhere.

two inch agate chip

Pictures of the Pacific:

Jimmy looks out to sea - at the Tidelands at Torrey Pines Beach

Annie's Picture of the Ocean sunset, Pacific Beach

Along Mendocino Coastline

The beginning of the turn away from Lost Coast 

Beach Combers looking for Agates at Agate Beach Park

Big Sur - this is the Artist's Beach
You walk down a little tunnel of a dry stream bed,
with shrubby trees over growing it like an Arbor.  You come out to the most gorgeous place with a hole in the rocks.

Humbolt Coastline, looking South.  

Mouth of the Humbolt River in Northern California

Looking down at the rocks at Pt. Reyes Lighthouse

Looking North up the coast from Point Reyes towards Tamales Bay

I find Peace in this Ocean's timelessness; it is a Peace that is as complete as Religious meditation.

May you be at Peace, and Walk with Beauty all around you.

Wordless Wednesday: Found

Tuesday Tails...Wolfie's little quirks, a couple drawings... and a Dirty linens rant

Wolfie went to the groomer, whom he loves, and will come back smelling all fresh and feeling soft and cuddly.  Only he doesn't want to cuddle.  He only wants to skoot under the bed and stay in the cool shady Underside of Life.

He comes out after awhile with a very cold belly and a happier disposition, as in, "No whining". If we try to coax him out from under the bed before he is ready he will whine and whine, presumable saying, "No, leave me alone, please.  Just leave me alone."  He is a very polite little dog.

I just exported a clip of him getting a treat but have NO IDEA where it went!  Maybe it's on Google-1 but who knows?  Gadget Illiteracy strikes again!

I've been trying to draw everyday, but haven't done it very often.  One of these is my usual stuff, and one is fantasy which Is a little harder.  These are just quick, very small drawings that arise on the side bar of a crossword puzzle.  They are done to just to make drawing habitual, as it once was:

Drawing used to be a pleasure.  Now I think, "But, I have so much else to do!" so I don't draw.
------------------------------------------------------------
I drew the line because the rest of this isn't pleasant but I need to get it into my blog before I forget it again.  As I've gotten older, my memories of early childhood have come back to me, crystal clear and in living color, but they had just been stuck way back inside the brain for a long time.  I will recount them if they aren't too horrid.  This is a very old one.  I think the Saturday 9 we did a couple of weeks ago has startled them into returning.

Dirty Linen Dept:  I wanted to tell you about a dream I had when I was three years old.  I remember it because the dream was about a pack of wolves that were trying to lick me, and when I cried out in the night, my paternal unit started to try to hit me.  Mother intervened and protected me with her body.  Nice memory, huh?

Anyway, it seems that wolf's like to lick each other and maybe, they were trying to comfort me because of being blind sided by Psycho Dad's return. And for those who might be wondering about it all, no, it wasn't ptsd.  He mistreated me when I was only a few months old baby.

What it was was that he was mad at Mother for not being willing to agree to go back with him to France where his girl friend was. Her sisters brought my mother some letters from said female, after Mother and he had left for California in  a rush.

They left as quickly as possible because Psycho Dad didn't like that I wouldn't take a piece of bread from him one night at dinner.  This is something else I remember!  There were a lot of other things, too.  That man was a real piece of work.  I'm telling these things as they pop back in because I want at least a part of our story to be told after I am gone.

I lived in fear of this horrid man well after I was married because he threatened to kill us, me, DH and our little baby, all one night before he disappeared to God knows where.  If you are in this situation, do what my mother said years later to a group she counseled.  "Get Out, right now!"  She regretted to the day she died that she hadn't done this herself.

Many people have similar stories and it's not always the dad, sometimes it's the mother.  Whatever you do, know that there are people everywhere now that are willing to help.  But, you have to get over your fear and tell them so that they can help get you out of Hell and save you.

Music Monday- The Who, "Baba ORiley" : Eddie Vedder with Pearl Jam at the Garden... "Better Man"

Rock on Bebé!

Tiny bit Muzzy sounding but then, it's old!
------------------------

And, Eddie Vedder, "Better Man"...



Just feel the Love in this crowd!

Turn up the headgear and "Rock along!

Enjoy!

Dream on Wise Guys! Sunday Stealing on a Saturday Night.

Me A to Z

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard of the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from and we will “fess up” to the blog owner where we stole the meme. We also provide a link to the victim's meme. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") Sometimes we edit the original meme, to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, to select the best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from this new meme or recently asked questions from a previously featured meme.
Let's go!!!

From: Me A to Z

A If you were an ANIMAL, what would you be?
I AM an animal.  I would want to be a human again because I could help the other Earthlings.  

B BOOKS: What's on your reading list?
I now have the goal of having Less horrid apocalyptic non fiction and more fluff!  I'm done so stick a fork in me!

C COMPULSIVE about anything?
No, and I really feel lucky because I've seen what it does to my one SIL and my BIL and my Sister. Actually, come to think of it, I do have a compulsion about fairness or lack thereof.

D DREAMS - Do you ... dream in color? remember your dreams? keep a dream journal?
No dream journal, yes I remember the ones that are significantly strange, and yes, in living color.

E EATING - what's your usual snack?
Chocolate.

F A Few of your FAVORITE Things:
Well, I like fabric, yarn and beads, chocolate.... and Christmas- "sort of" re: the last one.

G GIGGLES! What (or who) makes you laugh? Do you have a good sense of humor?
I have a wicked sense of humor.  The people who make me laugh the most often are Smellyann, the kids, my SIL, DH, Frasier, my sister and Bro and a cast of thousands, truly.  I love to laugh.

H major HOT Button:
Lies.  Don't tell them.

I 

I am ignorant of too many things...

K Also KNOWN As... Aliases? Screen names? A non de plume perhaps?
Wiggins, Lella,  Zippianna.

L I LOVE ...
the other earthlings and really compassionate, gentle people, and soldiers who have shown this, as there are a lot of them who have.  How they can go through such hell and come out good is one amazingly valid reason for believing in God, frankly.

M How do you feel about MEETING people? Do it all the time? Rarely? Parties or 1-on-1?
All the time.

N What's the story of your NAME? were you named after anyone? Do you go by a nickname? Any aliases?
No aliases, my name is my mother's family nickname.  

O OBSERVANT - What's around you right now? What do you see?
Books and paper stacks-new paper-, file cabinet.  I know, boring!

P Who are the special PEOPLE in your life?
Obviously my family and friends and net friends included in that.  People in my memory.  We are talking about some very special folks, here.  My lifelines!  Thank you!

Q Any Little QUIRKs About Yourself:
My only quirk is that I think I don't have any.

R What do you like to do for RECREATION?
Nothing.  Literally, I watch it get dark for fun.

S Do You SING in the Shower? In the car? For your friends?
Not anymore.  I used to sing all the time.

T What's at the Top of your TO DO list?:
I have to get my "Swartz piles" out the door.

U Any UNUSUAL Experiences:
Not any that I'm going to put here!

V VEGAS, Vienna, Venice, Vladivostok... How far have you traveled? What's your favorite City?
My favorite city is probably San Francisco, but I wouldn't want to live there because any place I could afford would be a dump.

W WINTER, Spring, Summer, Fall... What's your favorite season? What makes it special?
Fall and Winter, or what we, meaning Californians and Australians, call "The Wet".  It's special because it is cooler and there is the promise of RAIN!

X EXes - Things You Don't Do Anymore (but did, once (would you, again?))
I love Speed.  If I could drive fast cars again somewhere that is legal, I would do it again.

Y Any secret/deep YEARNINGS?
Slaps forehead.  World Peace of course!  Good luck on that one now that the Mafia owns all the major capitols.  Ja?

Z ZERO to ZENITH - Where are you in your life? Still growing? On an upward (or downward) curve? Just skating along?

I am on the way home.  I just hope that the Milky Way actually leads somewhere, still.  

 

Saturday 9 Summrfling, and a cannon rant. Saturday Komeekz

Summerfling

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!


Saturday 9: Summerfling
(recommended by Kwizgiver)

If you're not familiar with today's song, you can hear it here.

1) This song refers to the summer breezes and winds of mid-July. Now that July is almost over, how would you describe this month's weather where you are?
It has gone from  mild (off and on) to just way too hot where we are.  I'm glad we can escape to the water and just stay there until it's cool where we are.  This Thursday we spent hours down by the bay and didn't come home until Dark! 

I must comment on this, since my ear just started ringing loudly again, and nearly everyone who reads blogs likes a little ranting:

Thursday, we had a little misadventure on the way to eat some fish and chips by the bay.  It happened on a side trip to visit the boat being built by the airport.  I've put pictures of several stages of the construction of this Spanish Galleon.  Without any warning, while we walked to the side of the construction area, Suddenly..........

From Wikipedia

Is he whistling Dixie?

We had no idea what we were walking our poor little dog into, let alone ourselves.  I was just getting ready to set up for some snaps of the superstructure of the Galleon, and some Jackass set off a very large cannon.  I'm still a little deaf from it, and I think that Wolfie, who was recovering from all the gun/and or other domestic disturbance hullaballoo he went through as a pup, is a little deaf, too.  A couple of 85 year olds, who were standing by the fence with us, and who weren't put out by it (and so must be deaf already anyway) remarked that people who were in charge in the area just did that Fire The Cannon routine at random times.  We beat a hasty retreat, ears ringing, to wobble off and have some fish and chips.  I was so angry about it that I would like to have been able to heave the brigand, the one who set off that cannon, into the briney depths while tied to his cannon by the breech rope.  Harrr!  To be honest, since this post is about summerflings, it would have been appropriate to do it. 

2) The lyrics mention the "perfect plans." Do you have plans for today? Or will you just let this summer Saturday unfold?
I've let this Saturday develop it's lazy little self.

3) This week's artist, k. d. lang, attended Red Deer Community College in Alberta. Red Deer's school colors are green, black and silver. What were your school colors?
This depends on which school.  Maroon and White is the only one I remember.

4) She had a bit part in the 2006 murder mystery The Black Dahlia. Do you enjoy murder mysteries?
I like the gentile ones by Agatha Christie, Donna Leon, and some P.D. James.  I like mysteries as a general rule and it doesn't have to be about murder.

5) Ms. lang is a vegetarian. What's the last beef, chicken, pork or fish you ate?
I just had Cod fish on Thursday.

6) In 2000, when this song was released, California suffered a series of blackouts. Has your power gone out this summer?
Not this summer.  Sempra is more honest than the ones (Enron) that went to Jail for what they did.  Somehow it seems that the most lasting effect of the whole scandal was that thousands of their employees lost all their pension funds.  They have faced real hardship that is on going.

7) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire also came out in 2000. Did you read it?
I've never read a Harry Potter.  Our Bro in Law supplied us with his complimentary extra copies because we don't have blue ray, so I watched and enjoyed the films.  I do tend to drift away to do other things when they ride the brooms in that STOOPID game.  What's that all about anyway?

8) Which would you rather have on your hot dog: sauerkraut, ketchup/mustard/relish or chili?
When I eat them in buns, which is twice a year, I prefer only lots of mustard and onions.  

9) If you had your choice, which would you prefer: new shoes or a new wallet?
Shoes, sandals to be more specific.  I just ordered three pair in close-out.  These Pinks are my pets!

Meet Caileen

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend.

Saturday Komeekz:

Thank you Maestro Piraro!

Five Minute Friday- "Finish"

The prompt word for this week is "Finish".

If you'd like to do this meme, the link up is in the side bar.  Lisa Jo Baker, who was the host for this Meme from it's inception, is now passing the baton (in two more weeks) to another blogger friend, Kate Mataung whom you can meet, HERE, at her own blog.  I liked what I read there, so maybe I'll keep trying to do this five minutes of spontaneous writing every week.  We will see!


Finish:

When I ran my business, things were always on a deadline.  I had to finish enough product to have, at the ready, for shows.  Once that was over, I had the devil's own time trying to actually finish anything at all!  So, it's left a mess of half finished things all over the two proscribed "studios" I've carved out of the abode, and which Mr. Z has patiently ignored the sight of for several years now.   I still haven't finished a quilt for a two year old who is now nearly a teen!

I want to re-finish the two chairs, which I bought for a pittance, with the thought of re-finishing them because they were made out out amazing hardwood.  Howver, who ever attempted to stain them didn't know what they were doing and so they are terribly done. My wish was that they could be stained to match the maple dinging room set and hatch that we'd gotten from friend's who left town, downsizing  and selling nearly all their furniture.   That must have been 9 years ago.

The truth is that I've always had a lot of energy for getting things done but then along came the plague, in the form of Fibromyalgia and CFS in my 50's after a human transmitted parasite struck me down.  After that, just getting out of bed in the morning was a very BIG deal.

Things have improved over the years as I learned to deal with those double wammies, and fought long and hard for a diagnosis until DH lost his job and we got a REAL set of doctors when he got another one.  I'm such a lucky duck, but you can see that misfortune then became the creation of better times ahead.  Someday I will have the energy to finish things.  Too many ideas and too little energy really are two things that don't lead you across the finish line that often.  The sublimated energy can make your eyes sparkle with interest, but the tired little body just wants to get some sleep!

Sorry I got interrupted so this is short.  I didn't just nod off. hehe

stop

friday5

Friday Five Minutes is moving on in a couple of weeks.  I might follow to the new blog, but I'm sort of out of the loop for FFM, and create some fairly odd posts for it.  I'll probably pick up something else in it's place.  OR, maybe just use Fridays as a catch-up time before the weekends.  There is a something I've been eyeing for awhile that comes up in the list right above Five Minute Friday in the search engine.  Maybe it's time to try todo  that one.

From Z:  For those who want to go get the questions and do the Meme with us, the link is in the side bar with the other Memes.  

Friday 5 for July 25: Zero

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!

What is something you have run out of?
Curiosity. 

What is something you don’t know anything about?
Sufi Mysticism.  This is something that has been intriguing me for 30 years so it's time to learn more.  

What is something that needs emptying?
All the little trash cans in the house.  I took it on as my job and I'm not doing it properly!

There are a lot of stylistic or slangy ways to say “zero.” Which are your favorite?
Nil and Zip.

When did you last receive something free when you were expecting to pay for it?
Wolfie, we got him free at the pound because he and we were seniors.

Thanks for participating, and may your weekend be utterly devoid of unpleasantness!

Oh thank you!  I hope that yours is, too!

Wow, am I ever thankful...

My daughter had a horrible accident and walked away from it with minor injuries.  Thank you, God!  Thank you for a people who banded together and asked for side air bags as well as the other ones, and thanks to Guardian Angels!

And thank you to the people who stopped to ask if she were alright.  The other driver, the one who actually was speeding and caused the accident, was not charged.

Miscarried justice being what it is in the country for whatever reasons, aside, I'm still grateful and glad that she is ok. Having just spent seven years to graduate Summa Cum Laude from one of the best Universities in the land could have been down the drain for her.  Yes, I'm angry that some reckless little ass made this happen, but no, I'm still very thankful that it's not as bad as it very well could have been.

Also, it's roasting today but I'm going to wet myself down and flake out in the shade, which I am thankful to God for as well.  Being next to a hot computer is not my idea of joy, so I'm off to the Shade!

We watched "Most Dangerous Catch" last night to help cool off.  I'd love to be in Alaska right now.

Awesome Source Page here

Go have some fun cooling off!
Enjoy the weekend!  Hogs and Quiches!

Wordless Wednesday. On the Way home on the Fourth. Ortished.

Tuesday Tails: Wolfie's little sneaky treats...

Mr. Z came up to me in the big room where I was reading in The Comfy Chair.  He held aloft a bone - a REAL one- from when he and the little Wolf came in from their walk.

In his hand Mr. Z held the thigh bone of a chicken.  He showed me this trophy he'd wrestled away from a very reluctant former feral doggie.  I can only imagine that Wolfie saw himself as slipping down even further on the Alpha Male list if ever the BIG DOGS had a shift in their polarities.

I would have taken a picture of said bone, to show you, but, since it was a trashday trophy, and it had been held concealed in Wolfie's little triangular mouth for the better part of their walk, it looked the worse for wear.

This dog will eat anything, as we have found over the years to our horror.  There have been a few unmentionable "treats" that we've had to dig out of that little mouth.  He is a master at sniff and snarf on the sly.

Wolfie considers his "sins". hehe

Such an innocent little face, too.  I never let him lick MY face.  Ahem!

Music Monday: Tibetan Peace Bowls and chimes.

Small warning:  Ignore the comments.  Some stupid person or other is always hacking away on some other agenda.  Click through the ad.

This is long.  Enjoy the time away from our world...... both it's worries and it's cares.... let the sound carry you to another World.
Save the link for a day when you are nearly shattered with the noise of life.  There is a way to make an MP3 for your iPod if you like it.  I"m going to make one.

Summertime Sunday Stealing, on Saturday Night..

July 19, 2014
summer meme
Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard of the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from and we will “fess up” to the blog owner where we stole the meme. We also provide a link to the victim's meme. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") Sometimes we edit the original meme, to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, to select the best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from this new meme or recently asked questions from a previously featured meme.
Let's go!!!

From: Quizopolis

Note to readers:  As a kid, I looked forward to summer and the freedom to read all day if I got done with chores which were many.  Now, I just dread it because of the heat and the crowded beaches.

Favorite summer flower:  My favorites are the wildflowers, and top of the list is the Queen Anne's Lace that grows wild in Lost Coast.  

I like the ones like Indian Paintbrush and some of the Yellow Water Worts that grow near the fresh water stream at Agate Beach.  HERE is a web page for finding any California wildflower that exists.

Flavor of ice cream:  Chocolate Mousse!

Mode of transportation:  I like to ride bikes.  Of course, I no longer can, but that's not important.  

Music:  Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for summer concert memories.  Wow, Concerts and picnics on the grass at the Wild Animal Park in the summer past.

Food:  I like potato salad, hot dogs, four bean salad, and I'd reaaally like to make a coconut cake like the one that we had at the Fourth.  Lordie,  that was SO good!

Favorite game to play: Cards?  I like Cribbage.  I nearly always win.  I have NO idea why this is so but Mr. Z says it's because it's a game of pure luck, no skill necessary. hehehe.  I love to throw the frisbee, if you mean that sort of game.   

Earliest childhood summer memory:  At my grandparent's house, in Ohio.  I was about 20 months old, and I remember leaving streaks of my own blood on the stair well walls as I walked down, wailing, and bled from cuts received from a razor blade I found in my newly arrived parental unit's luggage.  It was on the bed, and there was this shiny, amazing looking "thing" in a corner of it.  Little kids like, "shiny".  

Favorite Drink:  I like Orange Julius', and so when all else failed I figured out how to make them.

Favorite Snack:  Fiery crunchy Cheetos!

Place to read:  Curled up on what I used to call The new tall bed, with my little reading buddy by my side.

Most annoying:  From my Youth, I hated the heat and the fact that all the canning HAD to be done in the summer.  Now, of course, you can freeze a lot of stuff but not when I was growing up nor when my own kids were small.  I remember having to the stand in the utility porch, stripping skins off of a THOUSAND pounds of tomatoes, apricots, or peaches.  You have to dip them in boiling water and then the skins will slip off.  Then the packing and the water baths.  I helped my mother do all this but I did learn how to preserve the summer's bounty.

How I handle the heat:  I'm not good at all with heat.  I handle it by standing in the shower with a long dress on and getting dripping wet.  Thank you Suzi for the tip!

Pet Peeve:  I'm not too peeved at much anymore.  Well, the use of Drones.  They make me peevish.

All-time favorite bathing suit:  The swimsuit that I had in my forties.  It was gorgeous.  Aqua blue floral with a crossing top; it was a one piece and fit like a dream.

Best Time of Day:  Evening, when the sun is going down and the birds fly in for a last drink of water from the bird bath.

Most romantic:  Watching the Sunsets, with DH, on Sunset Cliffs.

Summer movie:  My favorite one is a movie that was filmed in Iceland, in the winter.  It's called "Noi, The Albino".  Though it is a bit strange, and this is important, everything is very cold!  I want to watch it again and very soon!

Saturday Komeekz

heehee.. for the old folks, at home......You know, the ones who even remember who this is!

Johnny Cash Saturday 9 Live. hehe

Ring of Fire

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!


Saturday 9: Ring of Fire
(because country music was recommended by Colletta's Kitchen's Sink)


If you're not familiar with today's song, you can hear it here.

1) Recorded by Johnny Cash, "Ring of Fire" was written by his wife, June Carter. Johnny's daughter Roseanne says it's about "the transformative power of their love." What's your favorite love song?

The First Time, recorded by Roberta Flack.  Sorry about the motorcycle revving at the end.  Gah!



2) Though more than 50 years old, this song is still popular today. Country Music Television named it one of the best and most requested of all time. Are you a country music fan?
I love nearly all music, and Country music is one of my particular favorites.  

3) This recording features mariachi horns, inspired by Mexican folk music. Have you ever been to Mexico?
I love Mexico so much.  It's beautiful there!  Unfortunately things have changed for the worse over time.

4) Cash's birth certificate said, "J. R. Cash," and "J.R." is what his parents always called him. When he enlisted in the Air Force, Uncle Sam refused to let him simply go by initials, so he chose the name "John." If you could choose a different name for yourself, what would it be?
 I'm OK with my name but sometimes I would like to have had my mother's name. 

5) Cash and his first wife, Vivian, had their first date at a roller skating rink. Tell us about one of your first dates.
Our very first date, was a sailing date.  We took a sailboat out on the bay at Newport Beach. We had a terrific time sailing around the bay.

6) Cash died in September, 2003, four months after he lost his second wife, and love of his life, June. The cause of death given was complications from diabetes, but his children believe he died of a broken heart. Do you think that's possible?
Yes.  I think my mother died of a broken heart.  Lately, I think these events actually have been given a name: Broken Heart Syndrome.

7) Cash was known as "The Man in Black." What color do you wear most often?
I seem to get a lot of pinks and browns.  I mostly buy used clothing, and those colors are my favorites.  Updated to say, I certainly have a lot of blue as well.  Blue and brown go well together.

8) There's a Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville. What's the last museum you visited?
I think the very last one was The Museum of Natural History in Balboa Park.  If you come here, don't miss the wonderful museums there.  Also, the very last ones we went to may have been several in San Francisco a few summers ago.  San Francisco has gorgeous museums!

9) A stretch of Tennessee Highway 31E is known as "Johnny Cash Parkway." What street in your town is named for a famous person?
San Diego has Martin Luther King Highway.  I was just on it today for a stretch.

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend.

Carnival time! friday5

Friday 5 for July 18: All’s Fair
This is friday5 a little late.  It wasn't up when I checked last night.  

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!

How do you feel about carnival rides?

I like the Merry-Go-Round, period.

How do you feel about carnival games?

They are mostly a scam.

What’s your favorite carnival food?

These were my favorites when I was still going to the fair.  Who can pick only one?  They are: a big gooey cinnamon bun to start the day;  Hot dogs on a stick with an Orange Julius; Indian Fry bread.  Yum!

Which animals do you look forward to seeing at the fair?

We always went to see what ever animal was up for that day, but the chickens and rabbits were mine.  There were no horses or I would have just hung out at the horse barns all day.  Forget the other stuff, even the food.

How much does it cost to ride the bus in your city?
Somewhere around 3 bucks.  And you know what?  I resent that bus drivers are now paid so little even though the fares went up astronomically.

Thanks for participating, and have a Tilt-a-Whirl of a weekend!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Five Minute Friday: Bloom......

First, Five Minute Friday:

The rules are that we write flat out for five minutes, based on the prompt word, not stopping for spelling, grammar or punctuation perfection.  Just stream of consciousness writing.  And then, we put up our link at the Five Minute Friday Page and try to encourage at least one other poster, the one next to your link, by reading their post.  This is a very refreshing and freeing sort of writing, and I hope you will join in the project. Have fun writing flat out, for five minutes.  The link is in the side bar under MEMEs.

This week's prompt word is "Bloom".

I'd like to talk about the Counter Culture.  We Counter Culturists are not outlaws, nor Anarchists, but a group of people who had our beginnings in the Back to the Earth movement that started during the very  destructive and illegal intervention into a civil war in Vietnam which had initially started out as a war of independence from France..

In the early 60's my generation was told, "Bloom where you are planted."  Oddly there are no original printings of the poster which was EVERYWHERE at the time.  It, like so much of the movement, was co- opted, first by hippies who were wild and had so little to do with the Counter Culture, and then by people wanted to bank on it.

What we in the Counter Culture wanted was something more out of life.  A more human sized and humane sort of governance for ourselves and our children.  There would be, had to be, a more spiritual and community oriented approach to solving problems.  

Many a board room eventually filled up with ex-hippies, but the people of the Counter Culture wanted a more REAL life into the next century. 

A big majority of the ex hippies, who were just fooling around to see how far they could go with rebellion, ended up going after power and money, the most discontenting couple of things ever invented by humans as a social structure or as a means of survival for any but the most aggressive and greedy.

What about the ones who didn't follow the hippy movement mass exodus from sweet natures and calmness?  Did the ones who wanted to live counter to culture survive long?  The answer is yes, we did.

Yes, we did.  We've made a humane world. albeit mostly ignored.  But we have a different view of what's important and believe me, it's not money or social position.  We bloomed and prospered, knowing full well that "enough was as good as a feast", and that IF we took care of the Earth, she would take care of us.

stop

About developers and Gnatcatchers.

This is a bulletin from from Audubon California:

ESA protections should be upheld for CA Gnatcatcher

Audubon California is opposing the latest attempt by southern California developers to remove the California Gnatcatcher from protection under the Endangered Species Act. The delisting petition relies on a new study claiming the California Gnatcatcher is not a genetically unique subspecies, but a number of avian experts contend that this study is based on inadequate data and that the petition should be rejected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We are keeping a close eye on the developing situation."

My personal notes:

These little birds have gotten increasingly scarce since the whole area around the lake was developed for reasons other than birds.  This occurred sometime in the 80's or 90's, I've lost track of just when it happened.  Meadowlarks, as well as Gnatcatchers, are now getting close to numbers that will be below their ability to keep a steady population, and Meadowlark song was just all over the lands where there is now a huge parking lot.  They needed that Meadow and no one was able to stick up for them.

Let's start standing up to developers who don't have anything else on their minds than to develop for MONEY, and to hell with everything else that stands in their way!

Thankful Thursday: Patio Plants, Salads, Feasts, Books

The shade patio plants are watered already! Yay!

Picture Source

Today I am grateful for being able to eat delicious salads all year long.   We are so spoiled in California, and I hope the drought will stop soon.  We'll see.  Mr. Z washed the car on Friday, and it rained  Monday.  In truth, it was not enough rain to do anything but get the car all dirty again, but it DID rain!

Also I can eat some of the ethnic foods we love, like falafel, even though I can't eat pita bread, or, indeed, any wheat breads.  Lord, I do miss them but am grateful beyond rejoicing and reveling, that ancient wheat still exists!  Though not plentiful, the flour is available, and I can still make tortillas.  Yay!

Tortilla making is on a list of things to accomplish PDQ, though I might cook them outside in the shade patio on a camp stove, doing that  in order to save the cool air in the house.  We cool the house down with the outside air, over night.  California air conditioning. Lol.

This brings us to Feasts:
I always remember that adage, "Enough is as good as a Feast."  It's now going up on the header.

Around the old Homestead:
Our Heater/ Air conditioner project is on hold at the moment due to a little snafu in paper work.  I'm still hoping to work everything out and have the first company do it.  I like them a lot!

Books:
I just finished reading Etched in Sand, by Regina Calcaterra.  She more or less had a childhood like mine.  And she came out of it in triumph!  You Go Girl!  And, she also pretty much had that good/bad experience of being a foster child.  This book made me wish that I had not gotten sick in my 50's so that I could have taken in the 18 year olds who are forced, or were as I have no idea if it's been changed or not, to leave foster care rather cruelly and abruptly, at age 18.

We did, unofficially, foster a couple of teens, who where our older daughter's friends, when they lost their homes at 18, though this was not because they were in the foster system.  Since I loved to cook, and feed people, it worked out quite well for the most part.  I remember them with fondness.  Anyway, this is a gritty book that shows just what a child who has good teachers and some good foster parents can do to survive whenever a bad, rotten parent, who doesn't deserve them, continually snatches them right back under some pretense or another.  I'm writing on the fly here, sorry.  Too many commas and not enough proof reading!

I'm presently reading Come to Grief by Dick Francis.  I think of it as a mystery, with horses in it.  To me, that is a very good read, indeed!  I just started it.  Dick Francis is one of my all time favorite authors.

There's another book waiting at the library, Operation PaperClip, which I didn't quite finish reading.  The footnotes and bibliography are two things worth delving into.  Ghastly but not at all out of line for a budding world power to play this "War" game instead of pursuing Peace by making sure people were punished for what they did during WWII.  What commenced was an odd way to make sure some other little monsters didn't just hitch up their bandoleros and do it all over again, which they have done, on a smaller scale, several times hence.



 I guess we can all be grateful that it hasn't turned out worse.  See, something to be grateful for!

Wordless Wednesday

See MORE HERE ;o)

Tuesday Tails on Monday this week. Two Animal rescue videos..

 because I love dogs, that's why.  I wish I could have five little dogs.
This little guy might still need a home.  Check it out!



Patty's story....  long one



Adopt a shelter animal if you can.  They are wonderful pets.  Wolfie is one, and he rescued US!   Mr. T was a rescue.  In a way so was Jazzie, who came to us by lucky chance, lucky, lucky chance.  He healed my lonely heart with the wonder of his little ways.  Rest in Peace, Jazzboy..

"In the End, Only kindness matters....."

Walking with tiny Jazzie in Lost Coast...

Sunday Stealing Shoes?

One Thing Meme

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard of the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from and we will “fess up” to the blog owner where we stole the meme. We also provide a link to the victim's meme. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") Sometimes we edit the original meme, to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, to select the best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from this new meme or recently asked questions from a previously featured meme. 
Let's go!!!

From: Cool Free Surveys

One Thing .....

that makes you smile:
I love to watch the birds in the garden and everywhere. 


that makes you cry:
The way people ill-treat animals and other people.

that you love to do on the weekends:
There is no place to dash off to and the pace is slower.

that you do for only yourself:
I keep getting all my craft junk organized to make it go away into one room.

that you have in your underwear drawer that's NOT underwear:
I keep my scarves in there, too.

that you do before going to sleep:
I read myself to sleep.  It works best.

that you do within the first 15 minutes after waking:
Thank God for letting me have another day, and then starting moving around to make sure everything is up and running properly.

that's in your purse:
a penlight

that you actually LIKE to clean:
I like to clean everyhing

that you DETEST cleaning:
I like to clean every thing, but then, I've never had to crawl around under a house and clean the drains!  That's an awful job!

that other people would find odd about you:
I talk to plants and really send them loving thoughts because I think it helps them in their little lives.  People would think that's odd.

that you would buy if I handed you a $100 bill:
I'd buy a pink plastic clip board and a couple of pairs of summer sandals at Overstock or somewhere like it.   I still want the Pradas with flashing tail lights, however, $100 bucks is not going to run these puppies down.  

Picture Source

Whoooo baby!


that you feel you HAVE to do before you die:
I need to organize and sell off craft stock.  Or, I HAVE to run away from home and travel all over the country to meet my people.  I want to meet Americans from everywhere.  There is an email that has traveled around since 911 called, "What is an American?".  I'd like to meet my people.  Documentaries can only take you so far...

Saturday9, and a Skywatcher Post. Evening sky last night.

Already Gone

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

 

Saturday 9: Already Gone
(recommended by Diana)


If you're not familiar with today's song, you can hear it here.

1) Eagles lead singer Glenn Frey proclaims that he's "feeling strong." How would you describe yourself this fine Saturday?
I'd have to say that I'm darned tired but it's a good sort of tired.  ;-)

2) The song begins with a rumor: "I heard some people talking just the other other day ..." Have you heard anything juicy/interesting lately? Please share!
Someone besides me has a hankering for tater tots, that delicious little junk food.  I'd like to actually deep fry them if it was possible.  Crrrrrunchy!  

3) When "Already Gone" was popular, the news was dominated by Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal. What do you consider today's top news story?
Nothing of the magnitude of Watergate is going on.  Most of what the Black Ops folks are up to, the beastlies that routinely and covertly terrorized Central and South America, any longer crosses the Media snouts.  That is, unless you listen to the few and the noble ones who know how to dig and still care to reveal such transgressions to the people who actually pay all the bills in the US of A.

4) In the 1970s, Eagles Glenn Frey and Don Henley were at the center of a social circle of very creative people, including singer Linda Ronstadt, singer-songwriter Jackson Browne and actor-comedian Steve Martin. How do you express your creativity?
I sometimes knit, sometimes write and I sometimes I sit and just muse....  But, sometimes I just sits.  =o)

5) Even though they broke up in 1980, the Eagles are currently on a reunion tour, and after knowing each other more than 40 years, Frey and Henley still consider each other friends. What quality to do you value most in a friendship?
The most?  Friendship has many necessary facets in order to stand the test of time.  I don't think I could long be friends with a person who was unkind, though.

6) Are there any mirrors in the room you're in right now?
No.  I don't really like mirrors so we have only a few in the house.

7) What's the last beverage you drank with ice?
Water.  I'm so boring.

8) Whole, skim, 2%, half-and-half, almond or soy ... what kind of milk is in your refrigerator right now?
Chocolate soy milk.  Yummy Stuff!  Maybe I could put it in the blender with a frozen banana?  Hmmmm?  You have given me an idea!

That goes to Russia so I'm not posting a link.. sorry

9) Sam likes to mix sliced almonds into her salad. What do you think makes a good salad?
My favorite chicken salad has walnuts saute'ed with a deglaze from cooking the chicken.  It is the best salad I've ever had at home.  Any sort of tasty nut would do, in fact pine nuts are stellar in that salad, too.  My mother used to make a wilted lettuce salad with crisply cooked bacon, the dressing being made with some of the deglazed drippings from cooking the bacon.  That salad was divine!

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend.

The whole of the sky was aglow with the late evening rays of the sun.

This was one of the most beautiful sunsets since probably the last one I posted taken from down by the Bay.  Skywatcher's Delight!  Friday night sky.. Saturday post.  Enjoy!  Happy Weekend!

Belong.. The Prompt word for this week's Five Minute Friday.

If you want to join in you need to go to a new page this week.  It is HERE, a host for a few weeks.

Belong:

Outside of my own little family of growing children and their daddy, I was one of those people who fit in anywhere but never really felt like I belonged.  It was a natural reserve I had because of not being able to trust anyone, or any situation, to end well.  This lasted until I was well into my 50's.  Then I met the Rockhounds.

The Rockhounds were truly like one very big family, sort of like Firemen and Policemen have.  The Majority of the hounds were a couple decades older than Mr. Z or I, and they took us under their wings because we were, after all, the same age as their own children.   Our club finally folded around the year 2000.  I still miss this now that I'm old enough to not be so spry.  It was a place where I really felt like I  belonged, and then it was over.  It lasted 15 or so years.

Now I feel that I really do belong to a Spiritual community, not a church but a much bigger community.  The all knowing and ever present Spirit of a Loving Creator who never stops caring about us.  I don't characterize this entity in any other way than as a Loving and protective Presence.

Stop

Friday5 and if the Five Minute Friday went up this morning, I'll post it later.

Friday 5 for July 11: Veggie Thing


Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!


You will find the link up button in the sidebar. Come on in, this meme is FUNtastic!
What’s your favorite tomato thing?
What’s your favorite celery thing?
What’s your favorite broccoli thing?
What’s your favorite eggplant thing?
What’s your favorite spinach thing?

Thanks for playing, and have a leafy weekend!

Ok, my favorite tomato thing is a fresh tomato sauce you make thusly: sauté fresh tomato slices ( a half dozen Romas) in olive oil, along with some sliced garlic- set aside to cool a bit.  Then when you empty the water from the pasta you have just cooked, save a half cup or so, and put what ever seems like enough into the the fry pan with the garlic, oil, and tomatoes. Cook it for a little bit to thicken it up, and then put the pasta into the pan, stir around a bit and then put it onto your plates. Yum! I saw that on an Italian cooking show in the way back.

My favorite celery thing is something I can't eat anymore. stuffed celery ribs. I've yet to find anything to replace either the cream cheese or the peanut butter I can no longer eat. Maybe cheddar with a little red wine to soften it? Hmmm?

Favorite broccoli thing is that salad made with broccoli, bacon and dried cranberries. Love it!

Favorite egg plant thing is battered and fried. We had that all the time when I was a kid, and sometimes when I was the cook and Mom. It's almost better than fried green tomatoes which we had all the time, too.

Favorite spinach things, hands down is a Spinach and Mozzarella Pasty. Oh yum!

Thankful Thursday Post: Growing your own.

Sometimes I am thankful that I live where I do.  If I want to, I can grow my own tobacco, or even two Weed plants- the forbidden kind.  Since both of us are non-smokers it's not likely I will grow either of these plants.

But, I can make wine and/or beer.  Making beer and wine used to be illegal.  But we changed that law!  See?  Democracy!  The people didn't like the Prohibition Era Laws, like the ones that still ban Pot,  and they got the Laws changed!  Power to the People!

And because we live in San Diego, we can have five chickens ( no roosters but that's ok) and two mini goats as pets. All this on an urban lot.  Also, the city has stopped whining about grey water capture, because of the drought.  So, we can now save as much gray water as possible and use it for the garden.

Freedom.  Isn't it grand?  Happy Gardening from California!

Now, some links where you can see some beautiful gardens.

San Diego Water Saving Gardens Page  This is the California Water Authority page.

This is the garden I want to create in my side yard.  It's a Kensington garden from a link to Cuyamaca College's Water Conservation Garden Page.  Go down towards the bottom and you will see THIS link.

Wordless Wednesday- The youngest violet finally blooms. I lost the mother plant.

I meant to put this up last night. It's a Pickles Cartoon.

Mr.Z and I love LOVE this comic strip!

This is what Wolfie did on the Fourth of July.  He spent a LONG time under my chair.  It's one of the biggest reasons that the Fourth is not my favorite holiday.  I'm surprised there are any birds left of the Pacific Flyway.  Gah!

Official Pickles Facebook page

Make it bigger!

Tuesday Tails- Cute dog and Pig jump hurdle, Tort Report, and a little Sunday by the Bay stuff.

It is, of course, Tuesday.  So here are a couple of sweet little tails who must be good buddies, too.

I'm not sure where this was taken, nor how the Utterly Amazing Mz. Pina got it, but it's just adorable! There is part of an URL on the corner.

Tort Report:
The smallest two, Dusty and Milagro, are spending their days and evenings out in their little wire enclosure.  They like burrowing into the tall grass, and the fact that, when there ARE roses, that the hand of God throws then inside the wire where they do not have to share with the "Monsters Who Look Like Us".  I've seen these infant torts bob their heads at their big brother, mother and daddy, but when push comes to shove it's not good to be mixing with the grown ups.

Yesterday when I was watering the shade patio I spotted Mama tort, Poko Ono, coming down the trail to me.  I gave her some water puddles to drink out of.  She had a big mouthful of grass so I'm sure she thought it was an inconvenient time for me to expect her to take a drink.  We exchanged looks.  She didn't stop to even bother to bob her head at me but just turned slowly around and walked back up the trail.

I say trail because the grass that came under the fence and now infests our one watered area is knee high.  Happily, it's on the "Favored Food" list for the tortoises.  They eat their way through as much as they can all summer and fall.

To deal with grasses and the weeds when the Tortoises aren't awake and doing their utmost to eat them, I think I want those two little mini goats that were written into the city charter for home owners to legally possess.  And, I think I want them NOW!

Sunday:

Sunday the worst, so far, of the summer heat hit.  The fourth wasn't too bad but by Sunday, it was roasting. We went to the bay with Wolfie in tow.  It was a little crowded at Point Loma Seafood, and we didn't get to sit at our usual spot, it was taken up by break-taking smokers.  So, we ended up in front where everyone else was. We won't do that again.  We are going to buy our fish and chips and take them  to the Bay or we'll just take a little picnic from home!

Wolfie was much calmer after we got down to the Peace Park, and walked around a little.  He doesn't like the feeling of being hemmed in, I suppose.  I guess his feral days gave him a taste for wide open spaces, and he needs to have the feeling that the world is HUGE!  Can you imagine being both exhilarated at being totally free, and also terrified of being eaten by coyotes?

We left when the sun was partway down and the moon was well up.

It was a lovely drive home.