Maxie Girl's Books

A few photos from a winter day

2011-12-29T20:42:00.000-08:00

Let me share some photos of my day.

What is he digging for? Does it matter?

Oceanside Harbor

Walking on the beach

A pelican waits for the fishermen to return

Fog chased us home

Happy New Year.

Marilynne

Frost ends the outside garden

2011-12-10T16:32:00.001-08:00

The summer garden has caved to several nights of near-freezing temperatures. Here are the last veggies.

A few young zucchini and some radishes

After I took the picture, I cut the ends from the zucchini and radishes and ate them. Raw. Roy sliced a few zucchini from the refrigerator and put them in a jar of pickle juice to see if they will be tasty. He was getting creative because he had already tried it with hard boiled eggs. His only comment on the eggs? "They're rubbery."

This is our first season with the greenhouse so we're watching to see what works and what doesn't. Roy does have to close the greenhouse door every night and open it again every day. The lowest temperature was 4xx degrees (I forget what he told me it was). It gets plenty warm during the day.

The lettuces are coming up. The tomato plants are not liking the cool evenings. We'll just have to try it and see.

Marilynne

Winter Garden and Greenhouse

2011-12-03T14:27:00.001-08:00

We have a winter garden outside the greenhouse, and a garden inside the greenhouse now. First, let's look at the outside garden. Our weather has been sunny and warm with a little rain. Let's see how the garden is faring.

The winter garden from the porch.

The zucchini is still producing, but the okra is just
running out of the heat it likes.

The Okra is trying, but the pods are tiny and tough.
It was just an experiment to see if it could put on fruit.

Rabbits like the peas too so we have a plastic
rabbit fence. Just off center is a blossom.
We're going to have winter peas!

Tomatoes are a wonderful crop to grow. These were
planted late summer or early fall and they're producing.

Inside the greenhouse, tomatoes started outside
are loving the heat of the greenhouse now.

These tomatoes were just babies when Roy planted
them here. In the row in front of them, he's
planted mixed lettuces. Maybe the bugs won't find them.

The sun has moved to the left now. It's between 80 deg
and 100 deg inside so Roy has to open the vents and
the door every day and close them at night.

We had strong winds the last few days and they blew out a bottom panel of the greenhouse. Fortunately since Roy built the greenhouse, he also knows how to fix it.

Roy's hoping for a greenhouse tomato before New Years. Keep your fingers crossed.

Marilynne

Roy's Greenhouse takes shape inside

2011-11-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

Roy's greenhouse was neglected while Roy took care of his summer garden. Believe it or not, but Roy froze 20 ears of corn from his garden YESTERDAY, Nov, 5. Amazing isn't it? That's what comes from a warm fall in southern California.

Now the weather has turned to fall. We've had a few days of rain and it's getting colder and colder at night.

Roy started some tomatoes on the rail of the porch and now he's put them in the greenhouse to shield them from the cold nights.

These tomatoes were started in the sunshine
on the porch.

Roy has begun to make planting beds inside the greenhouse. He found some 10 ft x 4 ft x 18 inch redwood planter boxes on sale. They were already put together and given a coat of stain. Roy bought one and had them put it in the bed of the pickup. It took up more room in the pickup than the unassembled greenhouse did.

I tried to talk Roy into hiring them to deliver it and put it in the greenhouse, but up until now he's only had help one day - the day they put the roof on.

The first box is in place. There is no bottom so the plants can
grow as deeply as they want. However, it's going
to take a lot of planting soil and amendments
to fill up that huge box.

Roy needs so much soil for the box that he's running around town looking to see who's selling it cheaply. Meanwhile, the tomatoes need to be inside, so they sit on the edge of the planting box. It's been in the low 60s at night and tomatoes like it warmer than that. It was 80 degrees in the greenhouse this afternoon. I think the tomatoes are liking their new home.

Very little stands between the young tomatoes
and the sunshine.

Of course, it wasn't sunny today, it was raining. I like the look of the rain on the walls of the greenhouse and the way it distorts the sun's reflection.

This is the outside when the sun came out
for a moment. The rain is sparkly.

Time for one more photo.

This is inside looking out. The white arc is the sunshine.

More later. Marilynne

It's the little things that make my house a home

2011-09-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

I like little things, even tiny things. I save them from my travels and often add to my collection, but how do you display them? Here's my solution:

I display little vignettes on my bookshelf. These are
some favorite garden things. Displayed by themselves
they would just disappear. You can see how small
they are.

Two dancers and a mythical horse from
the Caribbean. The dancers are a gift
from my daughter.

Tiny meerkats about the size of my finger are
displayed in front of a tile from Arizona.

Behind my - ahem convenience - a row of small
birds sit under two funny watercolors.

In the midst of all my clutter, my
Starbucks bear stands guard
over the charging cable for my Kindle.

Like I said, I like my clutter small.

Marilynne

Roy Thwarts the Evil Cutworm

2011-08-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

Roy's mother cooked the best okra. She breaded it in a seasoned cornmeal/flour mix, then fried it in bacon grease until the stickiness was gone. When the family came over she would cook great bowls of it and we would eat until our stomachs hurt. It was that good.

It's no surprise then that Roy loves okra. As we became more enlightened we learned to like it steamed, but fried in bacon grease is still our favorite.

Roy has been planting a second crop of corn and some okra. As the plants came up, something was nipping them off right above the dirt. He declared war on the cutworms.

He cut strips of cardboard from cereal boxes and taped them into small circles. Then he tucked these collars around each seed as it sprouted.

These collars are only an inch or an inch and a half above soil level, but it's enough.

The baby okra is snuggled under the tomato cages and things are looking good. I don't know how he comes up with his ideas, but they work when it comes to gardening. I'm looking forward to having some fried okra in a month or so.

Marilynne

Roy's Greenhouse - Is it done yet?

2011-06-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

The greenhouse is taking shape. Follow me in pictures.

The doors gave Roy a lot of trouble. Nothing seemed to work the way it should.


Roy stored the panels at the bottom of the porch stairs.

He cleaned the tracks before putting in the walls.

Then he put in the walls going left to right.

Each wall panel required three clips per panel.

This is the last clip on the last panel.

The sun was setting as he finished. Good job Roy!

The outside of the greenhouse is finished and the garden itself needs Roy's attention. For Father's Day I bought him a book on greenhouses and another on Hobby Hydroponic Gardening. That should keep him interested while he sets water and pulls weeds this summer.

Thanks for visiting. Marilynne

Roy's Greenhouse - Putting in the panels

2011-06-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

Roy has come to a difficult part of building the green house. Here's why:

He is using a spring-type fastener to hold the panels.


If he's not careful, the spring flies loose .

If he doesn't get the fastener just right, it flies out at great speed. He's getting better at loading them. Each panel (square) needs a fastener both right and left.


Here he's putting in a roof panel.

The panels need to be placed in a specific order. In the photos, he's going left to right. Apparently he can put a window in place without destroying the order. It's scary seeing him hanging out over the top.

Putting in a panel from Roy's viewpoint.


Trouble! The roof beam was damaged in shipment.

Roy's position is often precarious.

The four windows are hard to install, but really look neat.

That's as much as I'll show you today. Roy is proud that at 73 he is strong enough and able enough to learn what must be done and do it. Except for the framing, he's done it himself. This is totally different from anything else he's done. I'm pretty proud of him. More later.

Marilynne

Roy's greenhouse - the frameup

2011-06-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

I walked out on the porch yesterday and lo and behold the greenhouse has a roof - or at least the framing for the roof. I can see how it's going to look. Initially I was concerned about how close the greenhouse was and my "view," but I realize now I'm not missing anything important. Since they built the school on the 24-acre field, there hasn't been much to see but the sky and walls. I understand why schools have walls, but they aren't pretty to look at.

Here's what I saw


I can see now how the greenhouse will look.

I went inside and turned around to see the roof and Oh My! What a photo op. These are presented for my pleasure.

Roy will be working on the doors tomorrow. There are a few support pieces left to go in. After that, it's the intricate puzzle process of where the pre-cut panels of polycarbonate will go. I hope they go in smoothly. Each one belongs only to one spot. I guess we'll have to wait and see how it goes.

Marilynne

Roy's Greenhouse - a bunny gift

2011-06-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

Our backyard is overrun with cottontail bunnies. They are so cute and almost tame. So far they've just been eating the weeds, but when they're gone it's time to get rid of the bunnies.

Not these bunnies. The outside bunnies with the fluffy white tails.

Last week when Roy and Ray were putting up the frame for the walls, they found the bunnies had left a gift - fleas. Both of the guys had a lot of flea bites on their legs. Not fun. We have the lawn areas sprayed regularly. This shouldn't have happened, so we called the pest guys out for a re-spray.

We haven't had the nerve to call Ray back to help yet, but Roy's been working on it. Here's how it's going.


Roy is defending himself using Off! and also tying his pant legs closed with twine.


Our granddaughter's boyfriend helped Roy put the windows together.


Roy is out there today putting up the gable ends by himself. In the heat.

Roy's Greenhouse - The walls go up

2011-06-14T15:32:00.000-07:00


One and a half cubic feet of gravel. Roy made two trips in the pickup, then spread it by hand.


A friend, Ray, came to help. Soon they were both laughing through the re-dos.


Did we do it right or wrong?


Two friends and a day's work.

You have to be sure the support pieces are bolted together in the right way or you'll find yourselves re-doing the work. Roy and Ray found that the text of the instructions didn't always match the pictures, so they just chose the method that seemed to work the best.

On this side is where the door goes. Our granddaughter and her boyfriend came over and he helped Roy get the windows ready. They already have their "glass." Actually it's a polycarbonate material, and it's fun to imagine the entire greenhouse with it's glass walls. That's a step stool sitting inside, not a chair.

Marilynne

Roy's greenhouse - the gopher wire goes in.

2011-06-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

Well, the gopher wire is in and is resisting Roy's attempts to make it lay flat. As I mentioned before, we have a big problem with gophers in our yard. The wire is Roy's sign that he means business - no gophers in the new greenhouse - or rabbits either for that matter.

It took Roy quite a while to get the gopher wire under control. Here he's working to move the base of the greenhouse so it's over the wire and helping to hold it in place. It was stiff and hard to work with.

Now we know what those water filled bottles were for. They do a good job of holding things in place. The next step is to fill it in with gravel. The gravel is to discourage weeds, and to let water from the greenhouse go back into the soil.

Then we'll have to wait a bit until Roy's friend Ray can come over and help him put the rest of it up.

Marilynne

Roy's Greenhouse - coming along

2011-06-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

Roy's greenhouse is coming along slowly, partly because he has to quit some days and work in the garden. The peas are just about done, the chard's growing lustily, and the tomatoes are beginning. If he doesn't get his corn planted, I'm going to be very disappointed.


This looks backwards to me, but it makes sense to Roy and he's the surveyor.

Once he had the hole square, he leveled it - along the edges. He says the gravel will level the rest. Then, along the edges he put fine clean sand.


He added playground sand.

The sand is to level any rough spots. We don't have to worry about cats getting into it, because this is what he did next.


This is the base of the greenhouse waiting for Roy to sort it out.


The box that holds the base.

The base is in, set squarely and level in its place.

He is proud of his work. He put the level down at random and it was all level. I don't know why the bottles are there. He fills them with water and puts them around the garden where he wants to keep the rabbits out. I don't think he's worried about rabbits in this spot. I will just assume he knows.

My dirt.

I've been given this dirt to do what I want with it. I have a few holes to fill and places I want to level. Roy will get rid of the rest. That's a bit of gopher wire on the dirt. The entire greenhouse floor will be lined with gopher wire. We have a lot of those annoying little beasts. (Advice on how to get rid of gophers is welcome in the comments.)

From here on out, I think the greenhouse will come along pretty quickly - if he gets the corn and okra in, that is.

Marilynne

Roy's Greenhouse - Survey 1

2011-05-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, we did see a neatly laid out square in the last post. That was a digging guideline. Now Roy has his antique (we think it's from 1898) Berger Transit out to get some real measurements. He's had the transit for years and years. Now he's got it out of storage to use it.


This is his antique instrument all leveled (I think) and ready to go.

While he's leveling it, Jake comes over to see what's up. Roy finally convinced him he didn't need his help and I gave him some pets and loves to keep him by me. (Where he could help me take pictures.)


Jake comes to see if Roy needs help.


Roy does some more leveling while I watch from the porch.

It took a long time to get things leveled and set up. I have a new appreciation of his patience and his craft.


Now we've got to stop and measure. If you look below his hand, you'll see a post with a nail head on it.

He is incredibly picky about these measurements. You'd think he was working on a bridge and not a greenhouse. (Bridges require extremely picky surveys.) Still, if the bottom measurement isn't right, the top of the greenhouse will be whacky (my surveying term, not his).

Now he's actually taking a look at how square his markers are.

The wooden box is fitted to hold the transit when it's not in use. It has a sturdy leather handle on it because sometimes a surveyor has to carry his stuff a long ways. Today he'll be leveling the dirt, wetting down and compacting it. I think he's amazing.

NOTE: The link to Berger Transits has some nice pictures of transits of the era. Roy thinks his is older than these shown. It also has only a few places where it's gold.

Roy's Greenhouse - the real work begins

2011-05-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

The inventory has been completed, the instructions read, though not deeply understood. Now the work of preparing a spot for the greenhouse begins. Roy has measured out a 12 x 10 ft. square, using the precision he learned as a surveyor. Now he has removed the weeds and begun to dig a hole for a base.


Roy measured the space, removed the weeds and now is digging a hole for the foundation.

He will line the hole with gopher wire, hoping to thwart those nasty little diggers. Then he will fill the hole with a mixture of sand and gravel so the greenhouse will have a firm foundation.


The dirt he removes will be replaced with other materials. I have some ideas about where I'd like the dirt.

At the moment, the dirt lies on top of a massive tarp. (Not to protect the grass. It's all weeds at this spot.) I have some ideas where I want to put that dirt. I also suspect I'll have to put it there myself. I wonder if he'll allow me to use his new red wheelbarrow for my project.

If you missed the other post, you can find it in the archives for May 2011.

Roy's greenhouse

2011-05-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is a dream come true for my hubbie. It was his birthday wish and he took a long time selecting just the right one. He's always wanted a greenhouse and now he has one. Unfortunately, it's in pieces.


The greenhouse came in pieces. Fortunately it fit in the pickup - barely.


The instruction book is huge, but well written.


There are so many rails and things to be fastened together.


The panels or windows are individually numbered and have a specific place to be.

This is how far he's gotten. I'll take more photos when he begins to put it together. Right now, he's got a lot of reading to do.

We have plenty of room for the greenhouse, but there are other factors to consider: wind, sun, and the location of the door. The door is supposed to open into the wind. I have no idea why, but that's what the book says. He still needs to decide where it will be.

My hubbie hopes to grow vegetables all year round. He says his crowning achievement will be a ripe tomato in the winter time. Well, we live in southern California, so it's a reasonable goal. The hard part is going to be building the greenhouse.

Right now we have peas and chard ready for eating and other things planted in the outside garden. I know he can grow things, but I wonder if he can build the greenhouse.

Marilynne

Adventure in the Southwest - Reviewing "Rattled"

2011-04-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

I met Kris Bock at Left Coast Crime in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was a very gabby conference, and Kris and I were no exception. Soon she was asking me if I wanted to read a copy of her latest book. The book is set in the hills around Tucson, AZ, that's a little south of Hillerman Country, but the setting's just as interesting.

I love to read so Kris didn't have to twist my arm. In all, I brought 13 books home from that conference. Did I say I love to read?

Now to the book. Erin and her friend Camie are excited because they think they have found a clue to where ancient treasure is buried. Who wouldn't want to find buried treasure? Erin is a history teacher and she's attracted to the history of these hidden objects. How great it would be to personally add to the store of antiquities to the college where she worked. She day dreams about writing papers on the subject.

But wait! Erin has mentioned her desire to find the treasure to her boyfriend. Now he's getting extra chummy and possessive. Erin isn't comfortable with this at all and tries to distance herself from him, but he sticks like glue. Erin is run off the road while riding her bike and finds herself in the hospital with cuts, bruises and a broken finger. The man who found her and got help is a helicopter pilot with lots of appeal. He is attracted to Erin, but she's normally pretty shy. Camie is the bold one and Camie does everything she can to help the attraction turn into romance.

Meanwhile Erin's house is broken into. Later a man forces his way into her house, only to be foiled by Camie's cat who attacks him. In spite of everything, Erin and Camie go ahead with their plan to search for the buried treasure. Both women are hikers and climbers. Camie is into mechanics and has invented a device to find empty spaces below rock. The friends hope this will give them an edge if the entrance to the cave hiding the treasure has become buried through the years.

To the two friends, add an attack cat and a very attractive helicopter pilot. The romance between the pilot and Erin simmers along while the friends are chased, kidnapped, threatened, and deal with rattlesnakes. This book never slows down. Will they find the buried treasure? You'll have to read it to find out. I am so glad Kris gave it to me to read.

Rattled is available in paperback or for the Kindle at amazon.com .

Writing as Chris Ebock, Kris also writes adventures for children. You can find out more about these books on Chris's blog http://www.krisbock.com/disc.htm

Marilynne

Breaking the Bank - A Review

2011-03-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

Breaking the Bank is a fun romp through what if . . .

What if someone was so broke she was about to go under?
What if her ex was trying to get custody of their daughter?
What if everyone seemed to be trying to push her down?
What if some mysterious event seems to take pity on her and give her a little help?
What if that help was money coming to her through an ATM machine?
What if it changed her life because she changed the lives of others with the money?

Are you curious yet? The story gets curiouser and curiouser. Mia makes a great character. She's in trouble in more ways than one. She's sympathetic. She needs help. Why not give some free money and see what she does with it. Of course, when she lands in jail things don't look good.

This is a great story with a satisfying ending. I'd recommend you spend a few evenings reading it.

You can buy it at amazon

Marilynne

Formula for Murder by Diana Orgain - A review

2011-03-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

How could a mother with a small baby work as a PI and be effective? I mean really now. Have you ever taken care of a 3-month-old baby? It's time consuming, but PI Kate Connolly seems to be able to juggle the two jobs. Of course, she has a very loving and accommodating husband and a Mom who is willing to babysit.

When Kate's car is totaled by a hit and run driver her little Laurie is in the car with her riding in her car seat. Kate is first angered that anyone would crunch her car while there was a baby inside. But wait! She's caught a look at the driver and an eye witness has written down the license number.

Kate and baby Laurie are at the hospital when husband Jim rides to the rescue. Kate now has the address of the driver - and it's at the French Embassy. When Kate tries to find out who the driver of the vehicle is, she meets with resistance of the French sort.

The more Kate discovers about the case, the deeper she is involved. Soon she is fighting for more than insurance money. All the while she is a loving, gushing, loving Mom. How does she do it? She is also preparing for Christmas, she needs a photo of Laurie for their Christmas cards, she has a long to-do list of things to get done. How can she do it all?

I enjoyed all the twists and turns. This the third Maternal Instincts Mystery. You can order it through amazon.com. You can follow Diana Orgain's books at http://dianaorgain.com/ .

Marilynne

Death by Diamonds - a Review

2011-03-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

Beth Bowman is a private investigator. She's been hired by Maria Garcia who wants her to follow Maria's husband Hector and tell Maria who Hector is seeing on the side. It seems like a straightforward, though boring job. Beth is given all the details - a photo, what he's wearing, what he's carrying (a briefcase), where she can find him. Beth can do this.

Beth follows Hector to a hotel. She gets the room number and goes up to the room. Beth listens at the door and hears angry words, a fight, two shots. Thinking one of them might need help, Beth finds the door ajar and enters the room. She has barely gone inside when something hits her on the head and knocks her unconscious. She's been ambushed.

When Beth wakes up she has a pounding headache where she was hit. She also finds Garcia dead. She calls emergency and soon the EMTs and the police arrive. The police pounce on Beth as a suspect. They find her gun by the dead man. Beth is rescued by the EMTs and taken to the hospital where an attractive doctor examines the lump on her head. The doctor tells her joke after joke. She likes him and he returns her admiration.

Beth soon discovers that the police think she is the murderer. Her gun was found next to the dead man. The information Maria Garcia gave her is missing from her purse. She can't prove anything.

In order to prove her innocence Beth must determine what really went down and in the process solve the murder. She also falls in love with the doctor. She meets a homeless man and through him gains the help of a group of homeless people. They are able to go places she can't because they say they're invisible. No one looks at them. She and the homeless people become an effective team.

This book is fast paced and entertaining. There are many twists and turns in the plot. As soon as you think she has things solved, something else gets in the way.

Randy Rawls has done a fine job with his new series. You can find the book for the Kindle at amazon.com.

Lemon Meringue Pie for the masses

2011-02-25T15:56:00.000-08:00

Maybe not exactly the masses, but hungry square dancers. A week ago a square dancer gave me a bag of lemons for the promise that I'd bring back a lemon meringue pie yesterday. It was an easy promise to make. Then yesterday the promise came due. I realized that I hadn't made lemon meringue pie for many, many years. I mean a lot of years.

I poured over my favorite three cookbooks: Betty Crocker (1950), Better Homes & Gardens (1953), and a newer Pink edition of Better Homes & Gardens (2006). I value each of them. I received the Betty Crocker cookbook for my 11th birthday. I'd just become a 4Her and my parents hoped it would encourage me to become a good cook. I thought I had received the first Better Homes & Gardens cookbook as a wedding gift. I'm pretty sure I did, though I was 20 when I married. The last and newest cookbook I bought for myself when a friend was fighting breast cancer. These are my favorite books to cook from.

The recipe I chose from the 1953 edition of Better Homes & Gardens was on a page so tattered and faded I had to be sure I could read it before beginning the recipe. The paper is thin and supple. The ink is faded. The recipe, timeless, to quote an ad that's going around.

Probably the only reason I tackled the pie, besides my promise, was my memory of a young me whipping up a pie as if it was nothing at all. I was using a pre-made pie crust, but the rest I did by hand. I washed the lemons, cut them, and squeezed the juice with an old-fashioned juicer. I grated the zest off with a grater, worrying about nicking my hands on the teeth. I stirred the basic recipe while it bubbled for five minutes and I was switching arms because I was wearing out.

I worried most about the timing: crust done, warm pudding ready, meringue ready to go on top of warm pudding. I had to have everything prepped before I began putting the pieces together.

It turned out great. I wasn't sure how much meringue I should put on top so I held some back. It looks like plenty to me. It took about 2.5 hours from start to finish. I don't think I could have done it a lot faster and still use mostly scratch ingredients. I made two pies.

Our square dance friends were delighted with the pies. They were dished out in tiny bits. One dancer kept saying "mmmmmm" and "mmmmmm" and he didn't have to tell me he was enjoying it. Best of all my square dancer friends really appreciated it. It made the work seem like nothing.

I work hard for praise. (grin)

Marilynne

PS. There was too much filling and too much meringue so I mixed them together in the pan and ate it like a kid. Maybe that's when it tastes best.

Hand-made Lace

2011-02-05T13:56:00.000-08:00

There is something about hand-made lace that inspires awe in me. The thought of someone spending hours upon hours making tiny stitches in intricate patterns is beyond my comprehension. Yet, in my grandmother's time, many people made hand-made lace as a way to be creative and dress up the family linens. These ultra-fine laces were also given as gifts. Lucky person.

Lucky me too. My hand-made lace has a little story that goes with it. A very old woman made this hand-knitted lace on something tiny. You couldn't have knitted it on a toothpick, but maybe a needle. She used the lace to decorate a set of pillow cases that she had embroidered in light pastel colors. She gave it as a gift to my mother.

My mother didn't care for it. She didn't like knitted lace. She thought the embroidery too pale. She tucked it away in her linen closet with countless other gifts she was saving "for something special."

One day I confronted her about saving everything nice for some unknown special occasion. Mom, I told her, my brothers and I give you nice things for every occasion and you put them here in this closet for later. How do you think we're going to feel when you die and we come to clean up your house and there are all the gifts we gave you in this closet still unused? She started to say something, but didn't.

Then came the day that I went to clean up her house after the funeral. I looked at the linen cupboard and sighed. Time to give back all the gifts to the giver. Not to be. Every gift from her children had been used or given away. She'd taken care of that. However, I found the pillowcases with the knitted lace still brand new in the closet.

I treasure that pillow case even as I remember my frustration of her not using this gift. Someone had spent so much time making it for her and she let it lie in the cupboard unused. Well, I couldn't make her do what she didn't want to do. She truly had wanted to save it for a special occasion. Now it was a special occasion for me.

I took the pillowcases home with me, washed them and put them on my bed. When I notice the beautiful lace I think of the woman who made it and of my mother who had saved it.

I've worn out the first set of pillowcases. Before I threw the worn fabric away I cut off the knitted lace and sewed it to a new pair of cases. I'm afraid I didn't do it skilfully, but that's modern life for you. No time to do things right. I still think of both women every time I straighten the bed and see the lace there.

Marilynne

PS. Hello to Eric. I hope you find this page.

An afternoon on Venice Beach -

2011-01-17T22:12:00.000-08:00

I could name this post "Oh me! What do I see? What do I see - looking at me" but of course it would be too long.

My husband and I met our middle kiddle at Venice Beach for a sunny afternoon of fun and visiting - yesterday. Sorry folks, but this is my world. At the moment, it's warm.

This is the group, minus the photographer, Emily S. From left, Scott, Lisa (our daughter), Roy, and me. I bought this great big brimmed hat to protect my face from the sun. It kept showing up in the photographs. Check this out.

Do you think the brim adds to the picture? I think it adds me to the picture. The water was cold, but the day was about 80 degrees. Sunshine, as you can see.

This man was doing a sand sculpture. What will he do with it when it's done? He's got it on a tarp, but the minute he tries to move it, it will be gone. So, think of this as a transitory thing, like rainbows. The sign encourages us all to contribute to him. I guess that's to allow him to crawl about on his hands and knees in the sunshine and make artwork that he will destroy when he goes home.

This photo is of my own special character. My daughter had borrowed this hat because being from the Pacific Northwest, she hadn't brought a hat to wear. My hubbie tried it on, but in the end, Scott wore it because his face was turning red. I assure you Scott wore it with great dignity, as if it were his very own hat that he wore often.

Here's the walk on Venice Beach. It's full of color, noise, people, and interesting things to look at or buy. On the west side, facing these buildings, is the beach I showed you first.

Here's a little alleyway with really interesting shops. That's my hat getting in the way, but it does add to the picture, don't you think?

Between the walk and the beach there's an area for beach activities: Bicycling, skating, skate boarding, and this area where they were using these huge hoops to do stunts on. The people who knew how to use them were really great to watch. They wore leather gloves, both for grip and to keep their knuckles from grazing the concrete when the hoop hit the concrete where they were holding on.

On the way home the sunset was so glorious that we had to stop so I could take a picture of it. When we stopped at the view point, there was hardly a space left and everyone was taking pictures.

I had just told my hubbie that some things just had to be appreciated, enjoyed, and stored in our memories because the picture wouldn't do it justice. That's true. You can't smell the night sea from where you are.

Enjoy your day.

Marilynne

My favorite bloggers and the posts they write

2010-12-29T14:23:00.000-08:00

It's time to name some of my favorite bloggers and their posts over the Christmas holidays. These are posts that other people wrote and I'm including a link to their blog.

Scenes from under the tree

posted by Lin at Duck and Wheel with String - 10 hours ago

I figured out this week that I am sorely in need of a micro lens for the camera to really capture the little stuff I want to shoot.

#65 Wormhole

posted by Nap Warden at The Chronicles of a SAHM

Daily Chuck... * * *Smokey *is wishing you a *Happy Holiday Season* from 19 76. Fwiw, he doesn't know anything about *Bieber's *hair:/

and how was your day?

posted by Val at monkeys on the roof

Lillie House overgrown with green Well I dont know about you guys, but I had a fabulous day. I hope you did too? Here are some pictures from Christmas day in my world. a long walk in the jungle green..

What's your GMC for 2011?

posted by Morgan Mandel at ACME AUTHORS LINK
GMC is defined as Goals, Motivation, and Conflict.

We're All Winners

posted by Kim at The Mommy Machine | Alaskan Life with Twins

My girls' dreams of spending their Christmas vacation sledding and skiing have been thwarted by the colder than typical temperatures of this December. Since the kids are spending so much time indoors, I c...

winter views - a study from two angles

posted by julochka at moments of perfect clarity

Recharge....and Write!

posted by Libby McKinmer at MAKE MINE MYSTERY

Recharging can be really hard, but it’s essential for a writer, or any creative type for that matter. This time of year can be a particular challenge with all the social and family obligations and fun.

A hopeful letter to santa

2010-12-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

Today's guest blogger is going by the pseudonym of Squirt. Thanks for blogging today Squirt.

Squirt is trying so hard to hold on to his belief in Santa. (Auntie C is no help... she tells him there will be no presents if he doesn't believe!) He left this for Santa tonight...wow Santa must be hungry! The note says,

"Dear Santa, do you have any special way that you are doing the wrapping like by colors and if you are please tell me which one it is. Have a great Christmas, Santa, love Squirt.

PS Could you sign your name so I can know you are really real? I believe you are real but it would be cool to have a little proof. Love Squirt."

Our mystery tree - or rather our neighbor's mystery tree - Mystery solved 12/15/2010

2010-12-12T17:05:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor's tree hangs over our back fence in a corner of the yard. When we moved in, she said to take any fruit we can reach. I not only eat her loquats, but I have a fruitless tree grown from spitting out the seeds. Since it's in a good place, we just let it grow.

However, she has another tree that hangs over the fence and is lush with fruit this December. I love the fruit, but I have no idea what it is. Something tropical since it puts on fruit in winter.

The skin of the fruit is pale yellow with a bit of pale green. The skin is tender. The flesh inside is custard-like with seeds the size and shape of a shelled almond.

I usually eat it with a spoon. The flavor is mildly citrus with flavors of vanilla or cherry. Yummy, but what is it? How can I ask for a tree of my own if I don't even know it's name? I'm open for all ideas.

Marilynne
Revised 12/15/2010

The mystery is solved! Thanks to Bill Goodwin and his friend Cheryl who were able to observe the actual fruit, the mystery fruit is a Sapote, a transplant from Mexico. If you would like to know more about the Sapote, follow these links:

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/whitesapote.html
The Village Garden Web
YumSugar (this site has great photos)
A video for making Sapote smoothies follows

An anise bouquet

2010-10-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

At my house, in the fall, we have the sweet scent of anise scenting the breeze. I have a plant outside of my guestroom that grows taller than my head. On it are this year's seeds and next year's flowers. I picked a bouquet to bring the anise scent into the house.

I put the anise in an old vase an artist had made for my grandfather. I hadn't used it in a long time. I see now that was a mistake. It really lends itself to a bouquet such as this one.

The feathery green is part of the living plant. Here's a closer view.

Now here's a closeup of the seeds. When I brushed these dried flowers with my hand, I got a handful of sweet-licorice-smelling seeds. I love the smell. That's why I brought some of it inside.

I have fennel in my front yard. Until today, I didn't know how to tell the difference without smelling the seeds. Today I see the anise seed pods look like dried flowers. They easily give up their seeds.

The fennel seed pods close up around the seeds and don't let them go until Spring. Here's some fennel seed pods. The parent plants look almost the same.

See how the fennel flowers cradle and protect their seeds?

Both mature plants look about the same. The anise flowers are yellow, the fennel flowers are white. I've lived here for 10 years and only now have I figured it out.

Marilynne

2010-10-07T22:37:00.001-07:00

I am in love with ribbon dance. Here is an especially nice one by Alexandra Orlando in 2007.

Marilynne

Ribbon Dance

2010-10-07T22:29:00.001-07:00

I love to watch the ribbon dance. This one is performed at a high school. I don't know the photographer or the dancer.

Marilynne

Friday Moview

2010-09-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

I have no words for today, just a cute video called A dog's prayer

Marilynne

Lovely Old Town San Diego

2010-09-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

There is a place in Old Town San Diego, where the town first began and where tourists now come in large numbers. I was there yesterday, wandering around with my camera and I took lots of "flower" photos. You may notice, that most of them are succulents and dry land plants. No matter. They look lovely.

Lovely in an old beaten up (but probably not antique) wagon.

Lovely crammed packed into a huge clay pot.

Lovely overflowing the gardens of a restaurant. Because of our lovely summer days and nights, many, if not most of the restaurants have outdoor dining. Some have nothing but outdoor dining.

Lovely in a painted pot on an upturned barrel.

Lovely surrounding a wooden wheel, decorated with serapes and tissue paper blooms.

Marilynne

When do I get to sit on the porch and rock and knit?

2010-07-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

I own three rocking chairs and two gliders. That should be enough for an older woman with two porches, don't you think? What's more, I can knit, crochet, and watercolor. Well, you can't do watercolor easily from a rocking chair, but it's one of the things I wanted to do in my old age.

When I was younger, I thought that's what I'd be doing when I was old. (Well, to be truthful, a survey I took when I was younger said I'd be dead by now. Don't always believe the surveys.)

So, here I am in my 70's and my rockers are sandals, and my primary activities are square dancing and going to Curves. We also travel, visit with friends, et cetera, et cetera, as they said in the movie the King and I. I haven't got time to sit and rock.

Let's take today for an example, I got up at a reasonable hour, ate breakfast, fed the dog, went to church, spent a while talking to friends, went out to "breakfast" with my hubbie, and then to square dancing for the afternoon. My breakfast and my stomach had a disagreement and I came home and went to bed.

Was there time for the rocking chair? Theoretically yes, but I spent the time in the glider watching House on TV, cleaning up the kitchen (I hadn't had time to do that for days), and reading my email.

We need to revise our ideas of how the elderly are spending their time. Yesterday I went to Curves, had lunch, spent some time in the glider icing my sore knee (I didn't say I was in perfect health, but pretty good), and then went into town to check out some Contra dancing with a quick supper thrown in for good luck.

My sick stomach probably was just an excuse to rest without admitting I am pooped.

So, when do I get time to sit on my porch in my rocking chair and knit? Maybe when I begin to feel old, but it isn't time to do that yet.

Marilynne

Favorite Photos

2010-07-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

Rainy weather and wet feet call for creative solutions.

After a ride down the zip line, this looks like just the right place to rest.

Having a little rest with a strange metal man.

The view's behind you darling.

Happiness

Have to check the email.

Daughters minus one.

Marilynne

With love to the father of my children

2010-06-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

It seemed to everyone that you were a strange person to be the father of our first child. When we married, you were a Navy guy with little responsibility and a penchant for trouble. I wasn't sure how you would be as a father. Let me tell you, you came through with flying colors.

I remember

My new baby and I finally able to sleep at my parent's house while you guarded the door against all comers - my parents included.
You changing dirty diapers
You playing with the children, their shreiks of joy, laughter
You telling me that the children and I came first
Even when we had nothing, we had plenty to eat and a home to live in. That's more than a lot of people have these days.
Putting a Dear Abby article by the stove that said women need hugs and such more than they needed sex. You provided both.
You working away from home so there would be money coming in. It seemed such a lonely life to me, but you didn't complain.
Our three lovely daughters, who love you with all their hearts.
When it was appropriate, telling the girls how boys were different in the way they approached young love.
You going back to a job you didn't like because the retirement options were good and you thought we needed them. We did.
Watching the girls grow up and marry and giving them a helping hand now and then.
Seeing how the girls still need their dad even now when they're grown.

Happy Father's Day.

Marilynne

Dying roses

2010-06-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's a strange title for a blog, but have you ever noticed how gracefully some roses die? My apricot rose puts on quite a show. Let me show you the tiny branch I clipped to put in my window over the sink.

When I first cut the sprig of roses they were a deep yellow-orange color with red edges.

Then their petals began to curl backwards, the yellow was pale, yet the rose is still interesting. The petals have a soft pink tinge to them.

Out in the yard, I found a lovely apricot rose in its glorious form, right on the same branch as a tiny bud and a faded white one. Now the older petals have pink edges.

I think the major bloom of spring is nearly over, but don't all these white and pink roses (the dying roses) look a nice contrast to the fresh apricot colored bloom?

This is one of my many favorite roses. It almost quits blooming entirely in the heat of summer, but will come back with a second show in the fall.

Marilynne

The Owl House - Part 2

2010-05-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Part 2 seems to be the story of finding a suitable place for the owl house. It needs to be good for the owl and do-able for my husband. We thought the idea place was in a pepper tree that's outside the fence from our garden. Surely an owl would like to live there. Don't you think?

Still, there's the problem of getting the owl house up in the tree. I'm not a strong person. I could lift the owl house when I was painting it: turn it over, stand it up. I couldn't carry it around.

Roy, on the other hand is quite strong and agile for his age. How high could we get the owl house? Roy tied the ladder to the tree so it wouldn't slip, then leveraged the owl house upwards.

When he was at the top of the ladder and looking for the place to put the owl house, the only good spot was about 2.5 ft. higher than his position. He couldn't see a way to safely secure the owl house to the tree so down it came.

He looked around in frustration and saw the perfect place. Earlier he was standing in the garden and looking around for a spot. However, with his new perspective standing under the pepper tree, he saw the perfect spot. (The garden is to the left of the house.)

The sheltering eaves of the house make this easy to install (for my husband, that is) and near the garden. Should we put up a sign now that says "Owl wanted, steady food supply assured"?

Now we wait. Will the owl come? I'll post again if and when it happens.

I should tell you that the owl house is just above the room where my computer is. Maybe I'll hear him/her at night when he goes out to feed.

Marilynne

The Owl House - Part 1

2010-05-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm hoping there will be fodder for a Part 2. For my hubbie's birthday I bought an Owl House Kit. Made mostly of plywood, the kit is hopefully a home for a barn owl. It's a case of "If I build it, will an owl come to live here?".

I think it's pretty cool. I ordered it from Mountain Home Biological, who not only sell the Owl House kits, but would love to buy back the owl pellets from us. (The owl is supposed to kick them out the trap door for us.) Now isn't that neat? If you are interested in something like this, they are on the web at http://pelletlab.com/barn_owl_nesting_box

Our 3/4 acre of north county is overrun with rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice, you've got it - all tasty food for a barn owl.

Soon hubbie will place the box high in a tree and then we wait. I keep thinking, choose us, choose us, choo....

Marilynne

The road leads to a campground and square dancing.

2010-05-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

I've been square dancing and taking movies on my camera. I can't square dance and limp at the same time, so here's what everyone else was having fun doing. Enjoy.

Thoughts of a year past

2010-04-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

Today's my birthday and I never, ever, thought I would be this old. Only old people get to be this old. Not me.

Here I am looking back on this year. Here are some of the things that made life worth living:

A big slam-bam party for our 50th wedding anniversary. Our daughters planned it long distance: one each in California, Washington, and Florida. I never knew they could come together and plan something like this. They are amazing! We had a blast. I will always remember partying and square dancing with our friends and relatives. We also did the silly dances like the macarena and folk dances like the Virginia Reel.

A long lazy trip in the fall to the huge open spaces of Arizona and New Mexico. I'm used to a big sky country, but this surpasses what I've known.

The quiet of the wind whispering through a canyon, and appreciating it for what it was. We stood on the rim of Canyon de Chelle and said once more "We really should take the trip through the canyon and look up at all these things."
The deep quiet spaces of Carlsbad Caverns, where so many fantastic things grew under the ground. Amazingly wonderful things - and I almost didn't go because I was afraid of going deep underground in a cave.
The peace of Indian Country and the What If's of UFOs in Roswell.

The amazing White Sands of New Mexico.

Visits from our daughters and granddaughter throughout the year. I'd just get an email that said they were coming. When they came they cooked! For me, that's a really big deal. I hate to cook.
Relative good health for me and robust health for my husband. My knee has been giving me problems, but it's a relatively small thing compared to what others our age have to deal with.

Rain. Only a dry lander in the midst of a drought knows the pleasure of rain and how beautiful it is when everything turns green again.

There is probably a lot more, but we went out for Italian food tonight. I think the word to describe it is soporific. Definitely not energetic. It's time to quit for the day.

Marilynne

A twist of the knee and it's boring to be at home all the time.

2010-04-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

I've been home a lot since I twisted my knee. In truth, I also tend to stay in either the upper house or the lower house for long periods of time. Those three stairs can be killers when your knee is sore.

There are a few hazards around my house. One is my dog Jake, who thinks any time I'm outside it's play time. He likes to come over and bump me when he's playing. Since he was a puppy, I've met those bumps with both knees bent, both to protect myself and to make it uncomfortable for him. However, sometimes he forgets.

The other hazard is my nasturtiums. They are growing like weeds, long stringy weeds, that grab at my feet when I go up the stairs. It broke my heart to cut them back, but my knees are more important to me than they are. (I'm, not showing a photo of the cut-back nasturtiums. It isn't pretty.)

On the up side, physical therapy is working. My muscles were beginning to freeze in their defensive position. It hurt to do just common ordinary things.

Today at physical therapy while waiting for electro-stimulation to do its work, I talked to the man next to me. We were both having knee things done, but he was recovering from getting a new artificial knee. "Believe me." he said. "From the next day the pain that you're feeling goes away."

It always comforts me to talk to people who have had this type of pain. It is very painful, but a lot of people don't believe that. I think they liken the injury to overstressing a leg and having muscle pain. They have never, ever woken in the middle of the night to your muscles freaking out causing you pain. They have never had to deal with the pain for more than a few days.

It's been about a month and a half now. Since we finally began physical therapy I can see an improvement. I can walk without the walking stick. I can walk out to the mail box. I can get out of chairs if they're tall enough. (If the chair height is lower than my knee joint, getting out of it is worse than getting in.) I can go up and down our three stairs without the support of the wall and my walking stick - provided I don't do it too often.

So, I am much encouraged. I'd rather have my own knee than an artificial one. I'd rather do the positive steps to make it well than to sit and complain, though I've done my share of that.

If you are facing knee pain and still aren't ready for knee replacement, I'd encourage you to do physical therapy. It isn't always comfortable, but it's working toward something good. You can look forward to doing the things you always did.

In my case, that's going to Curves, a gym for women only. I've been going there since the last time I got out of physical therapy and I've learned to love it. It gives me something just for me. That's the only reason I do it - so I can feel better. Well, maybe that's not true, I'm beginning to enjoy exercising to music and the company of the other women. It's not one of those gyms where everyone is competitive and you don't have to wait to use the equipment. You just go there and do the things that are right for you.

So, physical therapy followed by Curves. Physical therapy until it's done, followed by Curves, forever. That's my recipe for success.

Marilynne

Untwisting the knee

2010-04-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

Well, we know I tripped over a chair and twisted my sore knee. It's been thoroughly examined. I have no horrible problems, just a painful one.

Now I've reached the part that I believe will help - physical therapy. I've had good luck with it before. I've heard some people say it doesn't do them any good. Is that because they don't want to do what's required or did it really not do any good? For me, working out the soreness and the kinks is a pleasure; work, but a pleasure all the same.

I am pleased to be working with Chris again. He was with me when my left knee was giving me fits. That time he not only got rid of the pain, but also got me in good enough shape that I could begin working out at Curves. Curves was such a good addition to my life.

I've just had one visit, but already my knee is better. I was able to sleep last night in two parts (divided by an awake part). That's much better than tossing and turning all night long because no comfortable position exists.

Along with trying to avoid knee pain came plantar fasciitis. It's a very painful condition that occurs, for me at least, when I sit around nursing a sore knee. My shin muscles get tight and my back of your leg muscles get so loose that I'm walking on muscle instead of the ligament and gone. I know the drill. I sometimes do the exercises while half asleep, standing by my bed in the dark. They help.

Why do I still get the pain from plantar fasciitis? Because when it doesn't hurt I forget to do the stretches and exercises that make it better. Because when my knee hurts, my first instinct is to sit and apply ice or the heating pad.

Both things have been causing me a lot of pain. With the exercises, the plantar fasciitis is much better, but there has always been the underlying pain, something like resting my knee on broken glass or gravel, that I personally can't get rid of.

There's a square dance coming up in a few weeks that I'd like to attend. Square dancing is a little hard on my knees because we do fast turns and I like to spin the turns on my toes. I love dancing. I hope I can dance by then. If not, I'll go watch.

Marilynne

What a difference a little twist makes

2010-03-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

I was doing great for a while. I went to Curves three times a week. I was bowling. I was shopping for as long as I wished. Then, the other day after I finished bowling I backed into a misplaced chair and twisted my right knee. I was OK. I didn't fall, but I'd dinged my left knee pretty well. The next day I went to Curves and had to quit because my right knee hurt.

It's been down hill from there. One day I'm bowling and building up my strength. The next day I begin working on my sore leg and it seems to be getting better. Add a few days and I realize it's not getting better, it's getting worse.

It's really distressing to find you can't do what you did the day before. I now use an oak hiking stick to get around. Sometimes, if the day's been tough, I even use a walker we had in the garage.

I want to go back in time and not trip over the chair. Aside from that, I just want it to get better, a little better each day. My doctor's working on it, but not nearly quickly enough to suit me.

My little bears are made from mica-bearing clay. I bought them at Taos Pueblo in New Mexico last fall. They make me smile. I could walk then.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

They did an MRI today of my sore knee. I'd had one before and it was pretty easy, though it took a lot of time. Today's MRI was scheduled for 45 minutes and took 1 1/2 hours. During that time my knee was in a sort of mini-MRI sized just for knees. The time wouldn't have been so bad if my knee hadn't been held in a miserable spot for all of that time.

The best part of the whole MRI ordeal was that I got to have as many heated blankets on me as I wanted.

The next best thing was my husband took me out to lunch afterwards.

The next, next best thing is that my knee isn't any worse for having it done. Earlier X-rays had hurt to the point of tears.

So, nothing has happened yet to fix the knee. Understandably, I'm anxious to get on with fixing it.

Marilynne

A local author writes a good book

2010-03-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

As a writer, I like to support our local writers, so I attended a book signing at a local library the other day. If I think there's any chance I'll read it, I'll buy a copy of the book. If I enjoy it (there's the catch), I'll blog about it.

Today I'm writing about The Secret at Beckham Manor by Thomas J. Morrow and printed by Morris Publishing. Make no mistake, this is not a cozy mystery. There is no sweet lady sticking her nose into other people's business. There's a murder, but we work up to how and why it was committed. It's not your ordinary book.

We start out with a young reporter, Cindy Krauss, who has turned her inquiring mind into some interesting family history. She knows her grandfather was once a CIA agent. When she asks her grandfather to tell her about his days in the CIA he tells her "you know I can't tell you about those days." This only fuels her curiosity and she researches other parts of her family, finally coming on information about a German-English woman named Greta and a German man named Dieter Zeis. Cindy visits Greta at Beckham Manor in England. Greta tells her Dieter's story.

While Greta tells the story, we are thrown into the Cold War that followed World War II. The victors are cleaning up and taking the spoils in the form of German scientists and other intellects. The Nazis who survive are trying to escape to South America where they hope to gather converts to Nazism.

I hate war stories, but this one drew me in until I was reading long past my bedtime. It ended up being a page turner. For a while, you are drawn into this story and forget to wonder about the secret of Beckham Manor. The secret isn't revealed until the end.

Tom tells me that this book is a sequel to Nebraska Doppelganger. Doppelganger is a book about young John Krauss who has a very confusing time during World War II, first being conscripted into the German Army, then being drafted by the US. I'm intrigued, aren't you?

The story is rough in spots, but original in its story. I enjoyed it very much and recommend that you can read it - if you can put your hands on a copy.

You can obtain a copy of all three of Tom's books by going to his web site at http://www.oldwarriorbooks.com .

Marilynne

Without Words

2010-02-27T22:01:00.000-08:00

From my yard.

Definitely it's Spring

2010-02-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

I've been confined to home with an allergy or cold. It's driving me crazy, but the garden is trying to cheer me up. Here are a few pictures.

The birds or the wind brought the seeds of the Lantana from my front garden, where it's shady to the back garden in the full sun. You'd almost think it was planned. This is called Christina and blooms as pale yellow and fades to pale pink-lavender. It's always been a favorite of mine.

When we lived in Phoenix, our Lantana thrived in the heat and the sun. This one shown is about 3.5 ft. tall and is blooming its happy head off.

We've had a lot of rain. When I emptied the wet bird seed to fill the feeder with fresh seeds, I found that the ones at the bottom had sprouted and were trying to come up through the rest of the grain.

The peach and the nectarine are celebrating Spring. We are looking forward to fresh fruit this summer.

The tree you see behind the peaches is a grapefruit tree. We do almost nothing for it, but it just grows these huge yellow fruits with great abandon. It's more than we can eat.

Marilynne

Window watching

2010-02-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

We've just had a good sky-washing rain. I'm home sick today, but I looked outside and saw these wonderful clouds.

It makes me feel better just to see them.

Marilynne

You'll have to take my word for the taste

2010-02-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

This morning I had a huge bowl of fresh, locally grown strawberries. It's my first taste of them this year. Later they'll be sweeter, but this morning they were great.

I like to eat them just as they are - maybe a tiny bit of sugar for these early berries. Later I won't need it.

Marilynne

SeaStories

2010-01-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

This is a photo day. These photos were taken at the beach in Oceanside, CA, in late December.

Marilynne

Martian Landers

These people were swimming in the boat channel heading out to sea. I tried to warn them it was dangerous, but they didn't speak English.

This boy has a string with a piece of meat on it. He's trying to catch the crabs that hang out in the rocks of the channel.

Art in strange places. This art is trying to disguise a utility cabinet next to the rest room.

The Sea Gull is Harbor Master over the boat channel - or at least he thinks he is. See the next picture.

You see, the sea gull takes bribes if offered.

The fearless sailors in a tiny sail boat headed out to a calm, but darkening sea.

Night falls and the sky puts on a display.

I'm a NaNoWriMo Winner

2009-11-28T15:01:00.000-08:00

It was an interesting experience. Can I write 50,000 words in a month if I ignore misspellings, bad punctuation, and places I am yearning to edit? The answer is yes. I accepted the challenge toward the end of October and I met it today, November 28, 2009.

What's interesting is the feeling now that I can do that. I can do it. If I can do that, then I can edit it to perfection and hopefully send it out for the next test: does anyone want to publish it. From my writer acquaintances I know that selling your novel can be difficult, but not impossible.

In my case, I know I can edit and polish the book. I've done that for years as a technical writer. I know there will be some surprises, but there were surprises when I wrote the draft. For instance, I didn't know Charlie would nearly drown because he couldn't swim. I didn't know about the secret tunnel, or that I would gain new friends by meeting adversity. Once I got going, I just went whoosh! If I did it once, I can do it again.

If you think you'd like to try it next year, go to the NaNoWriMo web site and check out the rules. Then next November, let the fingers fly. I expect to do it again next year. See you there.

Marilynne

I'm going to be quiet for a while so I can do NaNoWriMo

2009-10-31T17:50:00.000-07:00

I'm going to go for it with NaNoWriMo, for the National Novel Writing Month. The basic is to write 50,000 words of a novel in one month. With Thanksgiving in the mix, it'll be hard, but I've decided to try it.

You are supposed to write a first draft, beginning to end, without taking time for edits and such. Word count is the goal.

If you're interested check the link and give it a try. There are X winners - the number determined by how many people make the 50,000-word goal. The only prize is a certificate that said you did it.

Check here once in a while. I'll be posting word count now and then.

Marilynne

November 7, 16, 300 words. Sometimes the writing is hard and sometimes it's easy. Today the words just flew from my fingers.

The Dry, Dry, Look of Autum

2009-10-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

Wild Garlic

In the drought, even fall has a new look.

The anise flower closes up on itself to make a cup.

Inside the Anise Cup are lots of tiny seeds.

Summer's mint is gone away.

The corn is eaten and stalks remain.

The rose has lost its beauty.

The wood is cut for winter warmth.

Marilynne

An unanticipated reading pleasure

2009-09-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

I never saw it coming. We had three good friends: two men who were smoke jumpers and a woman who counseled troubled teens. Put them together, add a bad fire, and a death, and you've got the start of a good book.

It gets better from there. Put these three friends and the woman's daughter together, intertwine their lives, and you have the beginning of a very good story.

I thought it would be about smoke jumpers with lots of danger and lots of fires. And it was, but the story wasn't just about the fires or smoke jumping, it was about these people and what happened in their lives.

Part way through the book it takes an unexpected twist as the man who lost the girl takes up photography in war zones as a way of forgetting. We have some really intense stories of the war zones, a man trying to hide his feelings for the woman, and the man who got her whose live didn't turn out well.

I'm not going to tell you the plot of "The Smoke Jumper" by Nicholas Evans, I'll just advise you to buy it and keep reading it to the end. I got it as a Barnes & Noble remnant. If you go online you may get it at a good price.

Marilynne

My company has come and gone

2009-09-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

The anniversary party has come and gone. I'm left with a jillion photos and as many memories. We had a great time.

The night of the party at our house, my daughters cleared off the kitchen island, which has a glass top stove, and filled it with food for the party. That really worked well. We ordered food in so we could just talk and rehash the formal party, which was the night before.

You can see by the picture that the company immediately obliterated every clean surface with something essential to company.

The day before our company arrived, I had the cleaners come in and do the house up proud. The day after the company left, you couldn't tell it had been cleaned at all, but I knew in my heart, it had been cleaned for 6 days of company.

Marilynne

A new day

2009-08-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

It's a new day and a new look on life. My problems with Blogger were just a minor bump. It did shake me up when everything was gone. I love my blogging buddies and I hated to see the list disappear.

So, today my list of special bloggers is there and now I'm too busy to do much visiting. Company is coming and I need to get the house in good shape without getting too tired to enjoy them.

My list of things to do is much too long. Housekeeping is not my favorite occupation. So I am prioritizing. What's important to me and what is not? Fortunately my company is coming to see me, not the house.

Marilynne

Clean, then cleaner

2009-08-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

It looks like blogspot has come into my blog and wiped everything clean. All the blogs I follow are gone. I was looking forward to going through the list of blogs and reading the new posts, and they're gone.

It's weird! Did they warn us and I just wasn't paying attention? I want my bloglist back.

Marilynne

Later. I posted, then went back to search and everything is in its place. I have no idea why it was empty just a few minutes ago. I feel lots better.

Now I'm going to get busy and read.

Marilynne

Chet plays The Entertainer

2009-07-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

This comes from YouTube and I found it on The Bodhi Tree

I hope you like it too.

Marilynne

In Work - Tomatoes

2009-07-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

When I saw my friend's upside-down tomato plant I had to have one too. It's so crazy to see, but the tomato is doing fine. It's just curling upwards a bit as if trying to correct the situation.

A good thing for the tomato, I can't over water it. When I water my plant at the top, all the extra water comes running down through the bag, washes the tomato plant, and drips on the porch.

I planted a cherry tomato, though I understand you can plant any kind of tomato as well as vineing vegetables. Maybe next year I'll try that.

I can't take total credit for this. I wanted it and bought the equipment for it, but my hubbie planted it and hung it in the sunshine. (It's in the marriage contract, isn't it, that he has to make my dreams come true?)

The tomatoes on the porch railing are the result of a gopher eating the roots causing the plant to topple. We're hoping the tomatoes will ripen there so we can eat them. It looks like one of them is almost ripe. We have eaten two tomatoes from this year's plants. I'm afraid the gopher is winning, but he can't reach my hanging tomato.

Marilynne

In work - a fairy

2009-06-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

This is yesterday's work. It doesn't look like much, does it, but I slaved over it. I'm not good at drawing and so my initial sketches are full of erasures and do-overs.

When I begin to paint, an amazing calm comes to me. I love just watching the paints flow into the water. I like to mix unlikely colors and see what happens. Watercolor allows you to do that.

The photo shows how far I've gotten. This stage is sometimes called the under painting. When the painting is finished, this painting is underneath, giving the colors a glow, a different cast. If you skip the underpainting part, the painting just doesn't have the impact.

So here you see undersea green and a deep orange brown swimming in the water and becoming something I couldn't just paint. I just get to watch - and tweak it a little. On the other hand, the edges of the wings are deliberately made crisp by a violet made of a red and a blue. More red than blue, but I like the effect.

So, maybe I'll paint today and maybe I'll write. Check back to see how the painting is coming.

Marilynne

Today is art day

2009-06-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

I've set aside the next few hours to do some watercolor. Then, what in the world am I doing here posting to a blog?

It's the same as sitting down to write, I have to get a few things out of my way first. These are the things that distract me from giving my full attention to my chosen pleasure.

Art and writing are both my deep pleasures, but they aren't compatible. One always intrudes on the other.

So, let me say that, then go to my desk, fill my cups with water, lay out some watercolor paper, and pick up a brush and get with it.

Marilynne

Jake and the Vet

2009-06-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

I took our Norwegian Elkhound to the vet today. I have two problems with this - whether or not I can pull the seat up in the pickup and whether or not Jake will jump into our pickup. There is no way I can lift him into the pickup. So, I couldn't get the back seat up, but Jake was my pride and joy as he scrambled up into the pickup by himself. For some reason, he associates the pickup with good things, even though he's usually going to the vet.

It must be a rule that you schedule Jake at the same time as you schedule that teacup poodle puppy. In the picture you see Jake playing with his toy bear. The puppy we met at the vet's today is not as big as Jake's toy bear. He would think of it as his toy bear. He likes to throw his toy bear up into the air and try to catch it. You can see why it wouldn't be a good idea for the two of them to make contact.

Fortunately, the tiny puppy stayed perched in his owner's arms. Jake could jump that high, but the floors at the vet's are slick and he doesn't like to jump while he's there.

And then, there's the matter of the two house cats running around loose. I'm trying to write a check and listen to a summary of his visit and Jake is thinking he'd like to go over and play with that cat. It's an older cat that lives at the vet's. I have a feeling the cat is used to dogs sniffing him and he knows exactly what to do about it.

There's a place where I can hook Jake's leash to the counter so I can use both hands, but Jake manages to get himself all wound up in the leash. I'd just as soon leave him in that position while I write the check, but the people in the room are concerned about him. So I have to unhook the leash and unwind the leash from his not inconsiderable body while not letting it go.

Did I say my arms are tired? He and I were both glad to get out of there. The vet gave him his shots and pulled out a burr, all for under $100, but not much under. It's cheaper to take your kids to the doctor.

Not only is my arm tired, but my jeans are full of dog hair. Jake is a fur dispensing machine and being just a little nervous about being at the vet seems to make it worse. The vet, her assistant, and me all now look a little like Jake. Unfortunately the vet and her assistant are wearing black and they can't go home and change.

So, today a job is done and I'm glad it is. Hopefully we won't go back for another year. Oh! and did I mention that Jake's doing fine with his diet. He's lost almost twenty pounds.

Marilynne

Hands talking

2009-06-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

This photo was caught down the table at a dinner meeting. Do hands talk? In an Italian Restaurant they seem to.

Marilynne

Do I want to advertise on my blog?

2009-06-04T23:08:00.000-07:00

For some of us that's not a question. Some of us like to have ads to defray the cost of having a blog. I used to look at it as a sign of appreciation.

The other day, though, I got an email from a potential advertiser for my blog on Today.com (womenoverfifty.Today.com). I'm a Today.com dropout because I didn't like the way they were always changing the rules to suit them. Their pay schedule kept changing too. You've probably heard it all before.

So, I was startled to get a request to place advertising on my blog. I did take it seriously. Obviously womenoverfifty.today.com no longer belongs to me. (They can do that when you get paid for blogging.) Did I want the ads on my other blogs?

I am really particular about advertisers and for the most part I don't like ads. They detract from the sheer fun of blogging. But my favorites get through because they're favorites of mine.

I answered the ad letter telling them that I no longer blogged for today.com and they'd have to talk to them about putting an ad on that blog.

Then I began to giggle. I liked saying no.

Marilynne

Letters Up

2009-05-31T18:09:00.000-07:00

I once lived in a high-rise apartment building in downtown LA. There's always something going on there, but usually the weekends are quiet.

One morning I woke to helicopters. You've never really heard a noisy helicopter until you've heard one working in a place where the sound can bounce off the buildings and multiply what you here.

It went on long enough that I finally got up and looked out of our 12-story windows. Here's what I saw that Saturday morning.

Like most of us, I never wondered how they put the company name on the top of a high rise - until that morning. First the helicopter took down all the old letters, then it put up new ones, one at a time. A crew was waiting on the wall where the letters were to go.

Do you see the A going up? The letter sways and if it sways too much, the helicopter takes it down to ground level and makes it settle down, then tries again.

It took most of the day to take the old letters down and put the new ones up. Down below, a little park and part of the street were blocked off so the helicopter could land there and stash letters there.

On the right, there's a letter near the top. Note the position of the helicopter. This must be tricky.

The letters spelled the name of a bank.

Well, you've probably noticed I can't control the position of the photos today. I apologize. Blogger is being stubborn about putting photos where it wants them instead of where I want them.

I was just glad they don't change building names every weekend. It certainly made a racket, but it was fun to watch.

Marilynne

I wonder what would happen if . . .

2009-05-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

I wonder what would happen if:

Gardeners quit making round mushrooms out of bushes and let them grow naturally. What would the bushes look like then?
Moms had 1 day a week for themselves alone and 1 day a week for both parents to be home with the kids. Would work go on as usual?
We took cell phones away from kids a few hours a day. What would they do with their time?
I planted more trees in my yard. Would they die in the drought or become strong?
I told my husband I'm hungry - let's go out to eat instead of my cooking. Would he do it? Of course he would. I have a neat husband.

That last one is based on the fact that I'm hungry and don't want to cook. I think I'll try it and see if I'm right.

Marilynne

What's great about having company

2009-05-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

My company left this morning and I'm still full to the brim with warm fuzzies. This weekend's company was my daughter Cinders. She's grown up now and lives in the southeastern US. When her company sends her in our direction she often spends a quick weekend with us.

Cinders is the daughter in the white T-shirt with a star on it. She still likes to hang out in T-shirts.

So, obviously, I love having my daughter come and visit. What else so I love about having company?

My house got a good cleaning. The cleaning service came in and I told them to do an extra special job (giggle)
I made peach pie from last summer's peaches and allowed myself a piece every day.
I leave my comfortable groove and try out some new ones.
We watched Cinder's choice of an absolutely stupid movie (Waterboy) one night, then watched my choice of a stupid movie (Wanda Nevada) the second night. I never would have watched either of these movies if she hadn't been there, but I enjoyed them. Laughing is good.
Our kids are giving us an anniversary party in late summer. I got to hear a few of the details. (Not many because our daughters are doing party, not me. I am not needed to do much, mostly preferences and addresses.)
Cinders went to Curves with me and I loved it because I could do it better than she could. Of course, I've been going to Curves for several months now and this was her first time. What is that quote? Older and wiser will beat out young and strong every time. No, that's not it. What is that quote?
Cinders and I went through our old photos looking for wedding pictures. I haven't looked at those in a long time. I wish I had them on a CD because they're beginning to deteriorate. (Whoops, that probably says something about me being older than dirt.)

I look at my house in an entirely different way when company is coming. This is good because I usually focus on the good things and ignore the bad things. When company is coming I look for the bad things and fix as many of them as I can. Because of the party, I'll try to get more fixed before people arrive.

Marilynne

P.S. Is the term "warm fuzzies" understood? If you don't understand it, leave a comment and tell me what you think it might mean.

Signs of the road

2009-05-13T16:08:00.001-07:00

Today Duck and Wheel with String posted a funny sign along the road.

While we were visiting Australia, we also were highly amused by some of the signs.

This sign was at a popular tourist shop. We didn't test it.

We ran across another in LA. It doesn't need words. It preceeds (or follows) a place where the road goes under another. No words needed.

Marilynne

Seven-year-old chose the violin when three

2009-05-05T17:00:00.001-07:00

This little girl says she loves the violin and likes to practice. See how she reacts to being on TV.

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/video.

2009-04-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it over the big hump and find myself 70 and thriving. It's going to be OK.

We went for a drive out to Warner Hot Springs in San Diego County's back country. There is nothing there, but Warner Springs Ranch where I had a first in my life - the first time I saw a grown man in a bathrobe at the minimart. I guess it's a spa too.

Leaving Warner Hot Springs we went to a place that has another name, but which people call the Eagles Nest. The view from the Eagles Nest is superb. This small Indian Casino is perched on the top of a pretty big mountain. You can't see it from the road, but you just keep winding around and pretty soon there it is. Just sitting out there in the middle of nowhere.

This casino was having it's 2nd anniversary party - on my birthday - so I asked if they had a birthday treat for me. This is what I got. It was sponge cake with a citrusy filling and double-iced. The inner icing layer was lemony. The outer layer, just frosting. Since my husband and I share birthdays I tried to get him to ask for a little cake too, but he doesn't like cake and he knows I really shouldn't have it.

Since the cake came packaged in a little box with a candle to light, I just put it in the car and brought it home.

Then we headed for Julian, an old mining town with touristy attractions. It was supper time and I knew just where I wanted to eat - the Old Julian Cafe. They have the best apple pie there - the kind you'd make at home if you knew how to make the yummy crust. We both had prime rib, it being our birthday dinner. Then I had berry/apple pie with ice cream. Heavenly.

It was a great birthday. My husband mentioned that we do more talking when we're in the car and that's true. There's just the scenery and someone nice to talk to.

Marilynne

Maxie has been adopted by a cat

2009-04-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

The cat came howling at her window in the middle of the night. It became part of her nightmare, and then when she woke the howling was still there.

Looking outside the french doors, she saw a scrawny, filthy, injured cat, not a kitten, but not full grown. His voice was full grown. He apparently wanted in, so, awake anyway, she let him in and watched to see what he would do.

If his coat followed the color of his ears, he was probably a Siamese, though he was too dirty to tell the body color. He'd been hurt on his left hip and he limped - regally, not wanting attention, but annoyed that his leg didn't work right.

The cat strolled in, owning the night world, and went to the bathroom. Hopping up on the counter, he yowled, apparently wanting the water turned on. Maxie turned the tap and the cat sipped thirstily. When he'd had enough he jumped down and went to a corner of the bathroom.

Maxie had found a filthy dish there earlier and wondered why it was there. Now she knew. This cat somehow belonged here and she'd thrown out his food dish.

She went to the kitchenette and fixed a bowl of milk and torn up bread. She could tell he didn't like it, but he was too hungry to turn it down. When he had emptied the bowl, he made a chirping sound like brrripppp and flopped down on the seat of the reading chair. Once settled he began grooming himself.

Maybe by morning she'd know what he really looked like. Or not. Right now Maxie was feeling tired, very tired. She locked the french door and crawled in bed. It was nice having a little company, even if it was only a dirty cat.

Marilynne

Where were the engineers and designers?

2009-02-19T11:59:00.000-08:00

Where were the engineers and designers when the broiler pans for my new stove was being planned? Were they sleeping, playing solitaire on their computers, or perhaps having one last beer at the local pub? Did they say "Oh! and add some broiler pans."?

I certainly can't imagine them doing any practical thinking. I have a relatively new stove and it does the following wonderful things:

It has a wonderful high-tech ceramic cook top that I can clean to sparkling with glass cleaner, or a little dish soup if it's greasy.
It has a warmer on the stove top. When I heat water for tea in the morning, I can put the tea kettle on the warmer and it stays warm until my hubbie is out of the shower
It has burners that adjust for small pans or big ones
It has a good size oven that turns into a convection oven on demand and also cleans itself.
It has a warmer drawer below where I can keep things warm or proof bread.

Why then did I have to soak the broiler pans in hot sudsy water for an hour, then scour them for another hour in order to put them back in place almost clean?

Am I being punished for broiling some prime rib for my husband in honor of Valentine's Day? (a few days late) Is there some lack of knowledge here? Who cleans the broiler pans at your house?

I was tempted to clean off most of the grease and put them in the oven while it self-cleans, but the instruction book specifically says not too.

Besides that, I once put a dirty broiler pan in a self-cleaning oven. It had a heat lock on it. The grease in the broiler pan caught fire. There was a lot of smoke. You could see the flames inside.

I turned on the stove fan full bore, but it cycled back into the house making the whole house smoky. The firemen came.

Meanwhile, my hubbie jumped up from the sofa where he was reclining and heroically tried to save me from the error of my ways by trying to open the oven door and put the fire out.

Meanwhile I was screaming that I'd turned the oven off and that it could burn itself out inside the oven. He was too busy saving me, dear man.

The oven door never locked again, nor did the oven itself work properly after that.

So I don't clean my broiler pans in the self-cleaning oven any longer. Do you suppose those designers and engineers could invent one that would survive that? I'd promise to clean most of the grease off first.

Marilynne

Valentine Promises Broken

2009-02-15T22:14:00.000-08:00

I made a promise on Valentine's Day. I broke it today. I feel sooo bad (sick and guilty both).

For Valentine's Day, my husband planned a surprise dinner out. I was delighted! Any sentence that contains the words "dinner out" is a good sentence in my book.

He took me to a place I'd pointed out many times. I thought he'd never take me there. We went to the Karl Strauss Brewery (San Diego area restaurant). They sell beer there, but the main focus is on nice dining. We had such a wonderful time. I felt so treated.

So I promised I would cook him dinner tonight. For my husband, any sentence containing "cook at home" is a good sentence. I planned to broil rib steaks and fry potatoes the way he likes them.

Then when I woke up this morning, I felt lousy. I slept a good part of the day. I was trying to drag myself into the kitchen to cook when he came to me and said, "Let's just raid the refrigerator tonight. You can cook when you feel better."

Isn't he a sweetie? I feel like such a rat for taking him up on it. Truthfully, it was a burden lifted from my shoulders. I put my jammies on and cuddled up under an afghan to watch TV.

I think I've got a keeper.

Marilynne

2009-01-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

I've been square dancing today in a demo at the farmer's market. Then I began looking through the square dance videos on YouTube and look at what I found.

Don't you just love it?

Marilynne

Planting a tree

2009-01-13T18:31:00.001-08:00

The warm weather holds and today I planted a coffee tree (Arabica). It was in a two-inch pot when I bought it, but now it's big enough that it should be outside.

We have gophers and rabbits who would love to have it for dinner, so my husband built a cage to protect it. When the tree grows tall, I can eliminate the visible part of the cage. It will always need the cage to protect it from the gophers, who would like to eat it's roots.

Here's a picture of my coffee tree. It's about 6 inches tall and has glossy green leaves. It does look a bit lost and forlorn down inside its cage.

Marilynne

Geese on my lawn

2009-01-11T17:32:00.000-08:00

Last published on January 7, 2009. Has it really been so long ago? What will we discuss? World happenings? Small things like the geese on my lawn?

Actually, the geese are full size. I think they're decoys because they look real! People just driving by will stop to look at them. I try to put them in realistic positions, like this one.

I bought the geese in Boise, Idaho, and then had to transport all four of them to my home in southern California. Not too much of a trick. We tucked them behind the sofa in the trailer. They didn't make a mess at all.

Marilynne

Clearing out the mess

2009-01-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

I just put some stuff out for a charity to pick up in the morning. I always wonder where that stuff is going to end up. Some is nice, some not, but all of it is usable and that's what counts.

I hear that they take the battered clothing, towels, and sheets, and such and sell/give them to rag pickers (is there a better word?) to recycle the fibers and create new things. So, I never worry about the value of clothing. If it ends up as a rag, so be it. If I threw it into the garbage it would be landfill.

So, I always feel relieved when the stuff is gone. I have more room in my house and someone can make use of what I left behind.

So, that chore done, I'm going to begin taking down the tree. It's been a while since Christmas hasn't it? Well, my parents always let the tree stand until the Sunday of Epiphany. I can remember my friends asking "Why's your tree still up?". They also didn't put the tree up until Christmas Eve.

Me, I just like the tree well enough that I'm not in a hurry to get rid of it. The place always look a bit plain when it's gone.

Marilynne

Let's Create a Holiday for January

2009-01-03T14:07:00.000-08:00

Since New Year’s Day seems to be in the Christmas frame, I declare January the Design Your Own Holiday month. Why not. They did it with Kwanzaa and now it’s a big hit. Still, I’d be happy just to have a nice movable day for celebrating.

I’d like to celebrate Chinese New Year. When I lived in snow country, a friend used to have us over for Chinese New Years. We celebrated it some time in January. For eats, we brought anything remotely considered Chinese food. (Some of it was quite a stretch.) We dressed in anything Chinesey and had a good time.

In that part of the US, January was a month of dreary, heavy hanging, grey skies, cold, snow, and ice. Those Januaries used to feel like they were three months long! The Chinese New Year party was a time to get together and just have fun. I always felt better after that party.

One that I’m considering this year is a spaghetti party. I’ll make the spaghetti and extra fixings and everyone can contribute some of their favorite sauce. How does that sound?

Our Son-in-Law in Florida makes really good spaghetti sauce. We tell him he should go commercial with it, but he says he enjoys just making it for his friends. Lucky for us, we’re on his friend list. The only thing that’s wrong with his spaghetti are the concentrated calories. I guess it’s the calories that make it so good tasting.

So, this January, for a Design Your Own Holiday, we’re going to have a spaghetti party. What’s your idea for a designer holiday?

Marilynne

That nice lull after Christmas

2008-12-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

Isn't the space between Christmas and New Year's lovely? All that time and so many choices. Today I had a long chat with my next door neighbor. Both of us like to talk so it's a pleasure to have time to do it.

My neighbor has quite a menagerie in her back yard. She likes little animals so they're all miniature: three donkeys, a pig, some goats, and two Jack Russel terriers. They are all her pets.

I went into the animal pen with her today and immediately the animals are there looking for her attention. They are so tame! One donkey kept bumping my arm gently until I took the time to give her a scratch.

Her miniature pig, Wags, has a mouth that looks like a pair of shovels with teeth. My that's an impressive mouth! My neighbor didn't have a treat for him so she gave him a drink out of her water bottle. That's sharing to the extreme.

I filled my bird feeders today. If I don't keep them filled, I can hear the birds cheeping loudly in disappointment. They also tend to sit on the window ledge and tap. So, I filled the feeders with black oil sunflower seeds and millet. If they weren't so lazy and spoiled, they could go to the flower field across the street and have their fill of sunflowers. Did you know that they also will sit and peck on the leaves of sunflowers? I'm not sure why, but they'll do it for hours. It's probably a small bug, but maybe they like something from the leaves.

And blogging, always blogging.

Talk to you later.

Marilynne

One last gift for me

2008-12-23T20:34:00.000-08:00

I'm giving myself a gift this evening. I'm going to do just as I please. During the Christmas Season it's so easy to just push yourself until you're dead on your feet.

I have a note on my refrigerator. It says

SLOW DOWN!

It's going to stay there until I get it through my thick skull that the world does not depend on me for anything but being myself.

This evening's pleasure is to begin a painting in watercolor that I find intriguing. The original was done in oils by someone else. Someone who is a better artist than I am. I don't let that stop me. How am I to improve if I don't challenge myself?

Yes, to some this may seem like work. To me it is the most exquisite pleasure. Try it some day.

Marilynne

Is anyone ready for Christmas yet?

2008-12-19T21:02:00.000-08:00

I wish I could say I was ready for Christmas. I think I'm really not ready until the day I'm in church and we're singing carols and hearing the reading of the Christmas story. I think then I'm aware of what Christmas means to me. All the other stuff is just window dressing.

When I was a little girl, we would go to the midnight candlelight service. That service is so special because of the time of night, the darkness and the candles, and the music. To a little girl, it was also special because when we got home, we got to open our gifts.

Just being home wasn't enough because we'd gather around the tree and my Dad would read the Christmas story to us from a children's Bible. So we heard a story, not just a reading. Then we'd sing Silent Night. Only after that was done would we open our packages.

The packages were always wonderful. Not only were there gifts from our parents, but also gifts from family friends.

One Christmas there was a doll house for me and some wooden blocks for my brother, both crafted by my Dad. He had made the blocks from hardwood using a saw and a hand sander. Mom told me later it took a very long time to make each block, so there weren't as many as he had planned. What I remember is that the sides of the blocks weren't flat so they weren't good for building much, and that my brother threw one at me and it hurt.

Another Christmas there was a bunk bed for dolls and two dolls in it. The bunk bed was from my parents. The dolls were from family friends. These particular family friends always made my dress up clothing and always gave us something really special for Christmas. So I was so excited to see the doll I had admired, complete with handmade wardrobe. So, why the second doll? I didn't even want that doll. It was a baby doll and I didn't like baby dolls.

Such a doll snob I was. Mom explained later that the friends thought the baby doll was beautiful and showed it to me at the store, but I had eyes only for the "little girl" doll so they had bought me both and fashioned clothing for both.

No wonder I was so excited about Christmas! On Christmas Day we were usually invited out somewhere, or we had company in. For the children Christmas Day was just a day to play with our new toys.

Marilynne

Corn chowder with bacon

2008-12-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

Here's how we make corn chowder at our house.

3 slices lean bacon, cut in thin strips
1/2 med onion, coarsely chopped
1 can creamed corn
1 medium potato, baked
1 can fat-free chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon flour
salt and pepper to taste.

Use a medium-large sauce pan with a heavy bottom. Saute the bacon until the fat is rendered out. Add chopped onion and cook until bacon is crisp and onion is transparent. Stir in a rounded tablespoon of flour and cook on medium heat about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Peel and chop baked potato (about 1 inch pieces) and add to pot. Add creamed corn, chicken broth, and milk. Season to taste. You won't need to add salt unless you really like it salty. We like the chowder to be a bit peppery.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the soup comes to a boil. Boil 5 minutes. Let sit about 5 minutes more and serve with whole wheat crackers.

Makes about four servings.

Enjoy!

Reading for the love of it.

2008-12-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

I just looked at tonight's TV lineup. It's no wonder I prefer books! Books give you a depth of knowledge about the character, the setting, the premise that you won't find on TV. A book tells you so much. On TV it's mostly a slick video with a plot in 8-minute parts.

I do have my favorite TV programs, just like I have my favorite authors. I like Bones (I like the books even better), Mentalist, NCIS, CSI XXX, and the Amazing Race. I like House Hunters International, for no reason more than I like to house hunt. I watch every Jon and Kate Plus Eight show, sometimes more than once. I think +8 reminds me of a happy time in my life when I was raising the kids.

Still, reading books is my favorite relaxation. I also like to write, which is why this blog is dedicated to my heroine Maxie. You'll hear more about her as time goes by. For now, I'll tell you that Maxie has just inherited a beach house and the money to go with it.

This is a radical change in her life. She used to share an apartment with four other girls so she could save up for a down payment on an SUV. Sure, SUVs aren't the in thing any longer, but what can you do when you've scrimped and saved to make the down payment?

Maxie gives me a hard time when I'm writing. She has a habit of just taking over the story and going wherever she wants with it. I have to catch up with her and put obstacles in her way or she would just charge along in the book with no planning at all

Watch for it.

Marilynne

Signing In

2008-11-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

I have such a time with blogger. If I use the wrong email, it just offers me a new blog. Today I gave up and opened a new blog: Maxie Girl Books.

We'll see how it goes. Maxie needs her own web site anyway.