Wordless Wednesday. Whispers: Many Years of Trescony

Whispers....  The Garden's Facebook Page Link Shhhhhhh

Tuesday Tails: Just one very cute rabbit picture

Sunday Stealing Sept.24, 2016 Drinking Rum and Pepsi Cola......

September 24, 2016

The "Doing Questions Like It's 2003" Meme

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes (or surveys) 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 the expression, “honor among thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from. When possible, we contact the owner of the blog where we stole the post. We also provide a link to the victim's meme in our "Previous Victims" widget. (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. 

We found this gem from a blog named “Catlin Etc”. Catlin describes herself as “a 30-something lady living the best life ever with my hot husband, spunky toddler and needy dog.” She explains that she stole it from Karen at “Tiny Bird Heart”. But that’s as far as we go. Tracing questions back to the original author is just too much work.  
Time to toast!


Cheers to all of us thieves!
Sunday Stealing: The "Doing Questions Like It's 2003" Meme

Tell us about your pets. If you don’t have one, share why you don’t.
A. By now, everyone knows we have our wee Wolfie rescue Shih-Poo, as well as five desert tortoises ranging in age (and all ages other than the the tots are guesses)  from 3 years to 65 years.  The youngest are the babies of our 65 year old male, and 37 year old female.

Name three things that are close to you.
A. I'm assuming that you mean objects that are near.  I hope.  
The computer monitor, the clock, and my floor lamp that we rescued and rewired from a moving out neighbor's trash.  It's pretty.  I hung some of the gaudy necklaces I used to make out of pony beads on it.  It's that walk with Beauty all around you sort of thinking.  The clock is BIG and I can read it because it has hands and a beating heart.  

How was the weather for your summer?
A.  The weather was hot and I am so glad we had AC installed last summer.  I don't want to be spending my time in a cooling center.  I'd rather be spending time reading blogs and writing in my own.  I don't have a laptop and don't exactly trust free WIFI.

What was the last film you saw? Did you like it?
Wow, last film.  I think it was Revenant.  I usually pay no attention to films until I'm watching them, and so I never DREAMT that the starring actor was Leonardo DiCaprio.  

I love this actor and didn't even recognize him at ALL.  That's how well he melted into that role.  I think the film was true to the period, which means authentic, and of course it was a deeply affecting film for me to see. But, The Revenant is an  excellent  film.  It deserved the Oscar,and Leonardo absolutely deserved that Oscar!

Tell us about the last trip that you took.
A. I'm still not able to talk about that.

Where do you buy groceries? Why?
We buy mostly at Trader Joe's, Costco, Sprouts, and a tiny bit at a supermarket.  We used to be able to buy at Farmer's Markets, but other than the ones along the coast, and downtown, they don't stay active for long.  We did this to support local farmers, and because we buy only organic veggies, meat and eggs.  Like my Indian ancestors, we eat buffalo.  Try it, you'll like it.

Tell us something that you did today. Or will do if you haven’t had your morning coffee yet.
A. I  mostly worked at my computer today.  And we watched two new episodes of "Longmire".   I still have the shivvers.

Have you pulled an all-nighter?
A.  I have done this a lot throughout my life.  Also, two nights ago I just came down off of a 72 hour sleeping depro.  Sometimes I just can't sleep.  It takes meds.  I respect my doctors for helping me find the right stuff.

Can you taste the difference between Pepsi & Coke?
Yes, and the reason is the sugar source.  Pepsi has always tasted better to me because they use real sugar in it.  It even smells better.  Any baker can tell the difference between the taste of the two sugars in question.  
If some expert wants to dispute it, I just tell them, "PISHPOSH!"  Having said that, I must say that I haven't had either of them,or any soda,  for about 10 years.

Tell us about your siblings. How many and what do they do?
A.  I have a brother and a sister, both of them younger than I.  Bro is retired and Sis is, too.

What’s the oldest thing that you own?
A. I have one of my great grandmother's ivory crochet hooks.  I feel very privileged to have it.  It was in my mother's things.  It's from the Hills of Virginia, where Great Grandma lived. It's very plain and no nonsense, just like my tiny Appalachian grandmama was.  My mother remembers her jumping rope with her and her sisters when she was 95 years old.  

We are now on Facebook, too. WE ARE NOT MOVING THERE. It's an experiment to see if there is a market to find new players. Our main focus will be here. You are the most loyal players ever! Look how many memes are gone. But our weekend memes are still chugging along. If you're curious, our Facebook address is: Facebook.com/sundaystealing. Feel free to post on both sites! But it doesn't matter. 


Thank you for playing this week on Sunday Stealing! Please leave a comment or link when you have posted. Stop back and visit other player’s posts. That is really what this is all about, making new friends! Have a great week. See you next Sunday! 

Saturday9: One night in Bangkok

Saturday 9: One Night in Bangkok (1984)

Want to play along?  Go HERE

Saturday 9: One Night in Bangkok (1984)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This song is from the play Chess. It's been said that the most successful players are fluid in their thinking. Do you consider yourself flexible or set in your ways?
Fluid.  In fact, maybe even Scatty?

2) Nigel Short, a real-life chess grandmaster, used to wear a t-shirt that said, "He who cares, wins." Do you always play to win? Or do you play board/card games or sports for the fun of it?
Fun.  It was always for fun.  Well, maybe not Monopoly.  That was for keeps, and the real estate. ;o)  

3) The singer is in Bangkok for an important tournament. He maintains that he doesn't mind missing the sights and dismisses Bangkok is just another "crowded, polluted stinking town." Do you find big cities exciting? Or do you think of them as noisy and dirty?
I think I cannot judge cities by the big Monster called Los Angeles.  There have to be big cities, like maybe Montreal, or Paris, that have a whole lot more charm than L.A.  San Diego is OK looking back from the Bayside, except, that is, for the stupid airport.

4) Air pollution has reached serious levels Bangkok. Do you suffer from allergies, asthma or another condition that could be aggravated by pollution?
Yes, I do, not to mention theDDs sufferings, and that is the major reason we wanted away from the outfall of a big city;  we moved to San Diego.  Not all that much better, but enough better.  I'd have gone to Central Coast instead, where the air is practically pure.

5) To reduce traffic, commuters travel through Bangkok on ferries that make regularly scheduled trips up and down the Chao Phraya River. When was your last boat ride?
To Catalina from Santa Monica, years ago.  I love getting out on that ocean.  I stood right up on the bow and watched the flying fish.

6) Round trip airfare between ATL and BKK is $1750. If we gave you a travel voucher for that dollar amount, how would you spend it?
Well, I wouldn't fly.  I would take a trip up the coast all the way to Canada then turn East and go as far as possible before looping home again.  I would like to see Canada, but I've seen what happens at the Border sometimes and just know I'm too old to be "detained" in Vancouver.  No thanks.

7) The Holiday Inn Express in Bangkok has a McDonald's onsite. When you go somewhere new, do you find it comforting to be surrounded by what's familiar? Or would you prefer to try new things?
Usually we just ask the locals.  They know where the best food is.  I have to be so careful what I eat that we usually look for vegetarian Chinese.  And/or Chipotle anytime.  So, it's a toss isn't it? And no, I don't eat at McDonald's.  

8) One of Bangkok's most popular restaurants is DID, which stands for Dine in Dark. The dining room at DID is 100% light free -- cell phones must be stored in the lobby to avoid distracting from the experience -- so customers eat their four course meal without seeing it. This heightens the diner's sense of taste and smell. When you prepare a meal, do you put a great deal of care into its presentation?
Once upon a time, I was a really good cook.  It was one thing that theDDs have remarked about  several times.  I used to bake all our bread, before the tiny twin storm troopers arrived, that is.  I didn't stop baking bread or tortillas, just slowed way down. *smiles*

9) Random question: Think about your last professionally prepared meal. Did you dine in, carry out, or have it delivered?
We dined out.  It was excellently prepared, locally sourced, organic and cruelty free.  It's a tiny restaurant in Liberty Station.  The Fig Tree Eatery.  They actually have three locations.  San Diego is a good place to find great food!

 Gee, now I'm hungry again.  See what you did!  *winks*

No Thursday 13 post. Life without the Internet + fixed and corrected from addle-brained cross eyed version.

Our House lost internet service for about 30 hours, and, sadly, I wasn't smart enough to do anything at all about it.  I had to sit on my hands and let computer men, MrZ and the help desk at Windows, took over.

I thought about doing a post of 13 flower headers I've used since Day 1 in 2004.  Pretty boring though.

What are thirteen things I did today, with no Internet.  We are tied to this thing, the Internet, in a more prosaic way than we think we are.

1. Today I read more of,  The Red Door, by A.A. Milne.  It's getting a lot more interesting and broad. This might actually be a good book!

2. Finished two crossword puzzles, grumbling  at the amount of slang that is finding it's way into them.

3. Thought about why my doctor hasn't called, Oh snap!  The phones were out.  But she was supposed to call my cell?  Maybe, like the many times before, she didn't get the memo.

4.Heard and saw the California Towhee calling and saw her in the tree.  So, I put a very tiny amount of food out for her.  She didn't come back.  It seems she may be saying goodbye. and thanks for all the seeds.

5. Ate  pretty much what I darn will pleased.  Next to nothing but all good.

6. Played free cell, almost all the only thing available on my iPad.  We have cellular data but anything that has a limit on it I just won't do.  I know I'll fret and have a cat about how much I've used for a couple of games.

8. Investigated a pile of fabric I don't remember purchasing, AND later remembering that it was gift from my  SIL.  It was plaid.  I almost NEVER buy plaid and couldn't remember any  adle-pated project I might have thought it was treasure for.
I will figure out what to make out of these things,  I always do, I will not waste such largess!

9.  I dug out the iPod Nano, which has become a brick, and strategized how to get it to work again, and also it must be able to take a charge despite being a 1st gen product.  There is a way if you have the will- a LOT OF WILL.  That's a job for tomorrow!  The internet was DOWN for awhile, remember?

10. Internet finally came up in the late afternoon.
So, we watched THREE Episodes of  NCIS, only to find that the last one was a PART 1?!!!

11. I took my night meds tonight- FINALLY, after a two day delay- and when I did that, found that I  hadn't taken any medicine since Monday.  Where is my brain?  I must be sadder than I realize.

So, anyway, by the time I took them Wednesday night, I  had been up for 72 Hours-straight.  This made me into a full-on hyper-zombie.

With no internet a person's routine gets blasted;  you feel LOST until you figure out that being quiet and enjoying sitting in a big comfy chair staring out at the birds in the trees is actually DOING something.  This is not a heinous crime, unless you try to strangle anyone who gets near you.  Then you have the excitement of sirens, and men in white coats.

Tuesday we got our Big Bertha flu shot.  Who needs sleep with all that armament?  I felt that I could have stay up all night making things.

12.  Brushed my teeth like an old lady who want's to keep them should. and now I'm off to bed!  The big, high, comfy bed that tempts me to stay there all day!

This is the one I want. I want it now...or...

I want to build the doggie ramp onto the end of the bed we have that looks like this one.  The night stands are nearly like ours. They could build us one of these.  Now for getting Mr. Z to ok this project!


13. Well, Youngins....I'm off to bed.  Gad!  Is that the time?
If the kids had still been home, we would have made kites and flown them at the beach, and had tea and cake in the RV and knit and talked and talked and talked.  As we watched the sun set into the Pacific at Sunset Beach, if not Carmel.  I miss traveling.  

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Come Sail away

Tuesday tails: Rain!!!!!

Yippie!  Nature's blessing.  We may get a half a day, but it rained part of the night,too.  The torts usually pile into puddles in the desert.



Our torts have most likely run out of their hideholes and gone to the patio to sip.  They do this whenever we water outside.   I'm just so excited to see this rain.  Didn't even know it was coming!

Wolfie and Mr. Z got a little wet on the morning walk but otherwise this has been a day for the thirsty city plants and all the deserts to rejoice.

Monday little nothing. Well, there's a Skywatcher's Post.

Really this is a nothing.

I'm just busily catching up with comments and other blogs today from the weekend meme's which are top of the list for me.  Love em!

If I were in school, it would be a TARDY and I'd have to go to Saturday Study Hall or something.

I have no excuse for this...other than a late summer cold that will not let go.

Well, I do but that's enough of the windging for one post.  Bless you and Bye!

Here's a particularly favorite Sky Watcher Photo:

Highway 101 in November 2015 below Paso Robles

Walk with Beauty all around you......Peace

Sunday Stealing, The Martial Arts Meme

September 17, 2016

The Martial Arts Meme

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes (or surveys) 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 the expression, “honor among thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from. When possible, we contact the owner of the blog where we stole the post. We also provide a link to the victim's meme in our "Previous Victims" widget. (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. 

We found this gem from a rather weird Martial Arts Site.  There were random cartoons and pictures of women on the page, but this one was as silly as any. It was called "Random Questions" but since we've had at least a dozen memes (or surveys) named some variation of that we just made a new name up. I guess I should shout,

Cheers to all of us thieves!! 

Sunday Stealing: The Martial Arts Meme

Who was the last person that you held hands with?
My DH.  We do that sometimes when we watch Netflix or are driving somewhere in the car.

Are you loud, outgoing or shy?
I am outgoing, though shy, and this is because I greet everyone like a brother or sister, because that is exactly what they are to me.  

Who are you looking forward to see?
Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm looking forward to seeing my daughter again.  

Are you easy to get along with?
I'm pretty easy to get along with if you aren't mean to my kids.  Then I never forget that.  That has been extended to how a person treats ALL the people and the animals.  Mean people do suck, even if they are, ostensibly, viewed as brothers and sisters.

Have you ever given up on someone, only to let them back into your lives? Why?
Yes, because I forgave someone for what he'd done to me.  Then he proceeded to abuse that trust, and out he went again.  

If you were ill, which TV doctor or nurse would you want to take care of you?
I don't know any doctors from Television.  None.

Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?
Yes, I don't think it's really something to be talked about with people other than a spouse/lover.  You know, the one who is concerned.  

Who was the last person that you had serious conversation with?
When we went up north to try to see our daughter before she died, I -we- had a serious discussion with our children and Elle's partner.  We didn't get to talk to her because she passed away while we were two hours away.
As her parents, it fell to us to make decisions for her and talked them over with her sisters and partner.

What was the last text message you received about?
I saw the full moon, and remembered that my sister and I used to howl at it.  So I texted her a "yip yip yeow," with a ghost sticking out it's tongue.  She texted me back with another "yip yip yeow, and some Halloweenie emoji.

Do you believe in luck and/or miracles?
I do believe in luck.  But I don't believe in miracles anymore.

What good thing happened this summer?
Can't deal with this one.

Convince us why we should or should not believe in life on other planets?
I personally believe that we have had visitors from other planets, but I'm not going to try to convince anyone about it.  The evidence is there, though it's ancient, and we have other more modern evidence of something going on.  
DH and I have both seen an UFO from our front yard in 1970.  It behaved much like most other people describe these things when they are lights.  This was not explainable as anything but alien, the way it moved, it's brilliant light,  and then how it accelerated away.  
I have always known a lot about aircraft, their types and their abilities.  Nothing the Navy- or any military - could have made  would have been able to fly like it, or was capable of behaving like it did.
This was a live changing experience.

Who was your first crush on?
It was on a boy in my third grade class.

Favorite part of daily routine?
crosswords with breakfast and a little chocolate.

Do you like your neighbors?
Yes, the neighborhood has changed over the years and the old guard is mostly gone.  Too many who were here were very stuck up and exclusive.  Now we have much more friendly people left who are not mean.  

What’s your worst feature?
I'm old and wrinkled and beyond caring about how I look  Let's talk best:  my best feature is still my eyes.

Have you ever had trust issues?
From childhood yes, and I've never liked the family dynamic I married into.  It was brutal and didn't affect me as much as it affected my daughters.  It's a shame because I came to them with a wide open heart.  My comfort is that someone outside the family confirmed this many years later, without my saying anything.  So I wasn't crazy after all.   

Thank you for playing this week on Sunday Stealing! Please leave a comment or link when you have posted. Stop back and visit other player’s posts. That is really what this is all about, making new friends! Have a great week. See you next Sunday! 

Saturday Nine: September in the Rain. Yet, Sam, send some our way please?

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!

Want to play?
HERE's a Link to Sam's Saturday9 for today.

Sam, this is a beautiful album!

Saturday 9: September in the Rain (1956)

 Sam, this is a beautiful album!

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song refers to "leaves of brown." Can you see any leaves outside your window? What color are they?
No, I can't see them because it's almost 11 pm, and there is only the beautiful moonlight to see.  In California the leaves have been stressed by drought, the longest in living memory, and we are happily seeing most of them as green now, since it's almost the end of The Dry.  We have, like Australia, two seasons.  The Wet and the Dry.

2) It also mentions whispered words of love. What did you say last time you lowered your voice?
"Is that the tortoises fighting?"  
Something was scraping along the stucco wall of the big room.
And yes, it was the tortoises, fighting.  Lucky, the son, is now bigger than his dad, and is regularly tipping Churchy over because Churchy has bullied Lucky for his whole life.  The worm, or the tortoise, has turned!  

They stand and bob their heads at one another and then Crash!  They hit as high and as hard as they can with the two prongs on the front of their carapaces.


It's just sooooo much fun to keep separating them all summer long!  They'd rather fight than eat.

3) Clearly this song is about a treasured romantic memory that took place in autumn. Think about your favorite romantic memory. In what season did it take place?
It was summer when we were 19 and 20.  We stayed out late watching the stars on the boat marina at Lake Mead.  It was so quiet after all the hustle and noise of power boats and water skiing all day, and the air was very soft and clean and warm.  

4) This week's featured artist, Julie London, was famous as a singer and actress. Less prominent in her bio is her appearance as a "pin up girl" in Esquire magazine when she was just 17. What's in your resume that you'd prefer to de-emphasize or gloss over?
I was interviewing for the Child Advocate position within the Children's Court system, a job I really wanted.  One thing I really didn't want to have to tell about was the extent of the abuse I'd suffered as a child.  

5) Julie recorded more than 30 albums and was named "most popular female vocalist" by Billboard magazine in 1956. If you could see any entertainer -- male or female -- in concert, who would you choose?
There are so many, but I'll just choose one.  I'd like to see K.D. Lang.  I love her voice, presence, and delivery.  She rocks.

6) She became well-known to another generation when she appeared in the 1970s TV show Emergency! The younger actors credited her for keeping everything calm on the set. Who has a calming influence on you?
My Hubby.  And the Dalai Lama.

7) Her Emergency! costar was her husband, Bobby Troup, and the show was produced by her ex-husband, Jack Webb. Do you have an ex that you're on very good terms with?
I don't have an ex, so this wouldn't be a problem for me.

8) Julie was a chain-smoker since she was a teenager and in the 1950s recorded a jingle for Marlboro cigarettes. Yet in the 1970s, when she saw Bobby Troup's health negatively effected by smoking, she pressed him to quit. Tell us about a time you found yourself in a "do as I say, not as I do" situation.
I honestly can't say there's ever been a situation like that for me, other than that I regret I wasn't a more layed back, loving and huggy Mom.  Being the oldest child an a dysfunctional family made me grow up way too fast and being the oldest made me somewhat bossy.  It carried on over to my kids but I didn't make the terrible mistakes my own parents made but new ones!  OY vey!

9) Random question: You have won an all-expenses paid trip to an exclusive resort in the Hawaii. When you get there, you discover that the private beach is bathing suit optional. Do you swim nude?  
Not me.  But, if there were any,  I would take out a boogie board and have some fun catching waves.  (The little ones, those under five feet that is....)

While looking for the fighting Tankies video, I saw this lovely video of a tiny dog who was promptly returned to her owner because he had had a microchip installed in her neck.  Stay for the cuddly re-union.  Smiling is good for the soul. So, I'm passing a little smile on to all of you. 



 Happy Saturday Nine!

Friday knitting, and a little human rights blah blah. The sleeve as of two days ago...

I'm hoping with blocking,
this sweater will turn out looking like a Champ

The cable got a little wonkie, but I just don't care.  And from this point there should be no more mistakes on the sleeves anyway.

I have a cold that is settling in my chest so I'm knitting more and taking it easy.  Knitting and thinking go hand in hand, so to speak.

I've gone from fretting very much about what's going on in the world (and thinking that an alert and active citizenry can right centuries of wrong doing by governments) to knowing, without any doubt, that things will change only when those with the power and the wealth want it to.  The rest of us are playthings, not even worthy enough for any explanation of why they are doing what they do.

As Disraeli said, "Don't apologize, Don't explain."  Well, nearly a century later, basically that's what we have, still.  They don't apologize, nor do they explain.  And that old fellow, Machiavelli, said centuries ago said something akin to, "The reason there will be no change is because the people who stand to lose from change have all the power."

What I don't like is that human rights, and the Ecology we all need to have healthy just to survive, have been rolled into that "political" ping pong ball.

 I will always be an Uppity Woman.

Thursday Thirteen: New things to know. Corrected. Duh!

Wow, I just can't post after a certain time at night.  This is Thursday Thirteen, not Thankful Thursday!
I am, frankly, struggling with Thankful Thursday!

Thirteen Things I know now that I didn't really know before:

1. I know that "keeping busy" doesn't do it, so I'll have to say that's a lie up there under the header.

2. An Urbane or rather a City dweller really can't feed the adorable little birds without attracting diminutive, adorable mammals - so I must stop feeding birds.

3. I now know that painkillers are a must in the life of geriatric old ladies like me.

4. I can't knit worth a sou anymore.  That won't stop me but I'm not going to share the mistakes and I'm just too old to be ripping back half a sleeve to correct a cable.  Mei.. Sue me!  Oooh Now, there's a homonym for the french coin mentioned above!

5. It's harder to get rid of things when you are older and have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.  I should have gotten rid of all my accoutrements of craft when they hadn't got their spiny sharp tentacles so far into my brain.

6. Though I thought it was just a funny saying when I was younger, and not really true, it really is "too soon Old, too late Smart."

7. I should have gotten that MFA when I could have, even if it was from some no name local College.

8. Tarot cards are not evil.  They can be sort of fun, and so can the Kabbalah. No offense intended.  Anyway, ever since I cut the Ace of Spades from a deck when I asked a question of the Universe, I've wanted to know more about reading cards.

9. Just being American doesn't automatically mean you will always get what you want.

10. Trains still travel to the East Coast but they do take a week or so.  I want to go somewhere on a train.  I haven't thought about it since I was a five year old.

11. "Crystal" can mean any glass clear and bubble-less on Ebay.

12. 'If only' will echo endlessly through a person's head with all the rest of the White Noise, unless the possessor of said Head keeps the eyes of it fixed on some video which is accompanied by loud music.

13. Teddy bears are cute but they are no substitute for a warm, fuzzy puppy.

Wordless Wednesday: Shhhhhhh

Early Tuesday Tails: Update on tiny lizard

I'm going to be AFK quite awhile.  We are going to paint the 

Habitat, inside and out, and must get it ready.

But I promise to update from time to time, and post, on the fly, for simple things.

But here is that update.....

We have both of the common lizard species, Fence and Alligator, in our garden.

The tiny fence lizard is from Mr.Z's photo two days,or so, ago

A last little Tuesday Tails for awhile.  

Remember this little fella?

He still likes to hang out on the nice warm wall some place.  Mr.Z found him there one morning and took his portrait.  We moved him to the rocks in the garden.
There are plenty of tiny ones out there, and lots of adults, too.  One of their favorite hiding places is now gone, however they have plenty of others.

These little fence lizards are, generally, black or quite dark when they are cold, because that shade helps their small bodies gather more heat.  As the morning goes on they become brownish grey and speckled.

Two days ago, I observed our baby lizard run atop the big rock (right in front of the tall rose, which is right next to the white bird bath stand.  It was watching Poko Ono - aka Mamma Tort- chowing down on dried grasses just below, and saw the little rascal run right up the side and peer over at her.

Poko Ono, and her son Lucky, also eat snails, shells and all.  I don't think there is a single snail left out there, between the observant birds and all the torts.

Before, and the after is below.

Right now, I feed the towhees and the chippies here
in this nice rough patch of Mother Earth.  They have to work for it, but do get a
very nice organic cereal mix with all their favorite things in it.

The sickly, drought stricken, and ancient white geranium will be replaced with paving or something that can have potted plants, and perhaps seating of some sort.  Woe to the little creatures, mammalian, or reptilian, who have been depending on it for shade and/or cover.  Alas, the humans do not regard old, half dead plants, as habitat because, of course, we plant our gardens with an eye for beauty, or food.

 I'll be happy to have something else pretty to look at, like this snap from the Olden Days when Jazzie's run was still there, to the left, and before the Elms had to be cut down....
We loved those Chinese Elms, so shady and cool on that side and it was the perfect place for a big hammock, which I did enjoy using.

See you in a few weeks, or so.
We'll do whatever it takes to get this big job finally behind us.

Now some fun stuff.....I'll post that whenever it floats by in the flotsam and jetsam, too.

Funstuff; by way of Suzi
Thankyou, Suzi for the Laugh :o)

Thursday13: Recovering

 Bits and Pieces while slipping sideways for awhile...

This is not meant to be poetry, just a closely fitted list of self observation, over the weeks, while recovering some sanity.  I remind myself that every single day at least 150,000 humans die.

And, I know, just from reading about them, that there are humans all over the world who remember to pray for you.  We are a huge family.

I understand the rules of Thursday Thirteen to say that no polite topic is prohibited.  Well, I wanted to trace my healing process because some is universal and some is unique to an individual.  Some may be helpful to others.

1. I cannot read a book any more ...

2. Nor can I let my mind be idle.  It hurls the Past, and it's images, at me when I want it to be still, totally silent and let what's left of this Self recover.  Only then will I want to remember.  Then, not now.

3. I'm sometimes wishing to fold the " me " that's left into a tiny origami dart of light and just warp speed away, so I....

4. ...stare out at the garden, wanting to be out there, digging and firmly grounded.

5. I am forgetting my words a lot more, with a mind that's at the door marked with a big Question Mark on it, and completely unfocused.

6. I don't dream anymore.. but...then

7. neither do I draw or sketch.

8. I wish this body could live on air, or moonlight.  This "Whisp" existence that Life - with a capital L - dropped our family into should be lived as ethereally as possible. Things might be easier to deal with as a Buddhist.  It might start making more sense.  One thing this separation did was make me think of the words of Jesus, that the Kingdom of Heaven was all around us but we perceived it not.
And Though I....

9. ...just don't believe in miracles anymore....

10. I do hope, with all my heart, that miracles do happen, and others may still receive them.

11. I can laugh but am only just beginning to smile a little bit again.

12. Today I watched the film called "Happy"  and it helped.  We had watched it a year or so, and I went looking for it last week.

13. After doing so, I'm feeling like I have a lot more company, and well, sort of like I've been "hugged".  You may like it, too.