Show & Tell...

Just thought I'd share a few of my most recent little "gems".  Let me know what you think....

This small piece is done in acrylic. 

These two watercolors are ATC's
(Artist's Trading Cards, 2.5" x 3.5")

And this final image "Itty Bitty Bird" is indeed tiny,
but for some reason, I really like it.

Perhaps because it is a wee bit silly, and cheerful...

TTFN

xoxoxo G. :-)

Flora & Fauna

This must be Honey Bee Heaven...

Backyard visitor gets escorted outside...

What's the buzz?

Backyard Beauty

"And the day came 

when the risk to 

remain tight in a bud 

was more painful 

than the risk it took 

to blossom."

Anais Nin

They are lovely, are they not?

...there's more to come. 

Looking back

Here are pictures of  some of my new friends in Oregon.  First of all, my thanks to Patty for all of her wonderful hospitality.  Secondly, I'm sorry I don't have pictures of more of the friends I made, if you are not included in here just know that I AM thinking of you all.

 Wish I had purchased the camera sooner so that I could have included everyone...

...and thank you Mikey for all the wonderful meals...  I've always said "...some of the best chefs in the world are men".

Janina and I, ready to have more fun...  

And believe me, we did have fun. :-)

Mike and Janina, practicing putting up their new tent...

And here is why I left Oregon so abruptly...

My darling Suzanne in ICU, off life support and conscious.  You can see the pick line in her neck... What you can't see are the IV's in both of her arms and all the pouches of medication on both sides of her bed.

Out of ICU and in the "Heart Ward" talking to her brother, Jimmy...

We are so grateful you are home now, and recovering.

This is fun...

Hope you are enjoying the photos.  I know I am much more satisfied with my blogging endeavors.  And of course I have more to share... so here we go.

Here are some earrings I made a few days ago....  

Isn't this a sweet little bead?  

I purchased a "ton" of beads, to share with Suzanne, at a garage sale two weeks ago.  Thought they would make a nice project for us to work on while she is recuperating.  There were 13 pounds of beads in the batch... some are extraordinary, some only one of a kind, most simply beautiful, and some junk-quie...

So far we have been busy sorting through them, but for me, beads are a type of instantaneous gratification - I couldn't wait - and I couldn't resist sharing the results.  Tell me what you think.  :-).  

picture test

Here we go....

Miss Lily Cat...

Beautiful country near La Grande, Oregon

Bird's in Mike & Janina's backyard

I'm going to post this now and see what happens.  :-)

I did it ! ! !

Finally - a pretty change to my blog.  Hooray ! ! !

Delta breeze is blowing and I think it's going to be an endurable day.  It was cool enough for me to do two miles this morning.  Endorphins are up!

It was 104 degrees in Sacramento on Sunday and there was not a breeze stirring.  It was hot enough to fry an egg on the hood of your car.  Too hot for wimpy me... 

A slight breeze picked up yesterday, and this morning it's much cooler thanks to the Delta Wind.  It should be noted that when I say it's "cooler" I don't mean incrementally, five minutes ago I flung my bedroom window and the house doors open to access this wonderful phenomena and already the house is two degrees cooler.

I plan to spend a few hours with Suzanne today and, if she is having a "good" day, we may go out somewhere for a little while.  If not, I have an alternative plan...  Went to a garage sale Saturday and found a treasure trove of beads.  What a find, hundreds of pretty projects we can do that don't require much energy.

Well, that's it for now, I'm going for a walk while it's still cool enough.

We have a new air-conditioner, hooray!  Sacramento heat is nothing to fool around with, and we have been without AC since I returned from Oregon. Thankfully evenings cool things down, and by morning it's actually cold, but as the day progresses the temperature rises until I feel sick, so I've been taking refuge from the heat at the library, grocery store, Suzanne's... anywhere there is blessed cool.  Now, no need to run and hide.

Love motivates this person, who does not cook, to try my hand at preparing healthy, low sodium, meals.  I made my first acceptable soup this weekend.  Fresh Vegy's plus a good receipe = delicious ministrone soup!!!  As in perfectly yummy!!!   And, my darling Suzanne liked it.  She is down to about 100-102 lbs. right now, so "liking it" is important.

And, this adventure in soup making has left me with a new found respect for the benifits of gardening.  Vegy's are EXPENSIVE...  Keep putting those seeds in the ground Mike.  :-)

Went to Trader Joe's yesterday and bought a beautiful pot of Basil.  This is my new True Love... glorious, delicate, fragrent Basil.  Will "plant" this pot on top of Suzanne's little patio - which is more of a garden than many city dwellers have.  I will put it in soups, and atop tomatoes, and in pestos.  Ahhh... me thinks this is the beginning of a long lasting affair.

Did anyone notice my blog "date" is now in correct order?  Wierd... not complainging, just happily surprised.  At any rate, I send Basil love to all my darling friends, old and new.  XOXOXO for now.    

Got a call late in the afternoon of Sunday, May 30th... Suzanne was in ICU at Kaiser Hospital in Sacramento.

Was actually ble to speak to Suzanne - she said "...don't rush, I'll probably be better tomorrow, but don't wait too long - I have sepsis." 

What the heck was sepsis???  Talked to Jeff, and then called Lori in Florida.  She explained "...it's not good".  Talked to Jeff again, and decided to come home the next day.  She took a turn for the worse in the morning, and ended up on life support. 

Mike and Janina rushed me to an airport in Idaho (three hours away) and he was able to get me on the fastest flight (medical emergency) back to Sac.

Long (horrible) story short, Suzanne was in ICU for five days - on life support for two days, for a total of eight days in the hospital.  She is home now and doing much better than I can believe for someone who was so ill.

Evidentally, among other things, she had a virus that attacked her kidneys and heart.  She needs low sodium diet, rest, and "meds" and should be able to resume (hopefully) a "normal" life, eventually.

This is of course a very edited version of what happened, it is difficult to write about.  My extreme thanks to Janina and Mike who rushed me to the airport, and still more to Mike who made all the arrangements, took care of my flight home and would not leave the airport until he knew I was on the plane, in my seat...  I love you both.  xoxoxo
 

Have fallen behind... again!  No apologies... have been very busy enjoying this beautiful state.  The weather is still cold, but I just bundle up and enjoy it. :-)   Mike is looking for pretty weather with a little wind so we can go camping, and he can wind sail.  Hope the weather breaks soon - it's supposed to. 

Am still adding birds to my list, but will update that later, so far have spotted at least 21 varieties of birds in the back yard, not counting "in the field".  Yesterday we saw a small herd of antelope in the distance, and also deer closer to the highway.  This really is "...where the deer and the antelope play", and I love it.

News:  I finally purchased a camera.  Hopefully, soon, there will be pictures to brighten this blog. 

We went on an "Owl Walk" in the cemetery last week and spotted at least half a dozen barn owls.  They float, silently in the air, from one tree to the next.  We followed one from tree to tree, and were finally able to get a good view of it.  Beautiful... I love my new binoculars, they bring the birds right into your lap.

That's all I have time for now... see you later. xoxoxo G. :-)

Can't seem to get my blog to show the correct date order... it's aggravating.

Went to my new friends, Patty and Mark's 25th wedding anniversary last night.  It was fun, good eats, music (Patty sang, Celine Dion's "Because you Loved Me", her heart out to Mark - very romantic), and got to meet more people.  Before we left, Mark gave Janina and me each a lovely vase of flowers. :-)

Saw my first yellow-headed blackbirds on the way home.  Dusk was settling in, and they were getting ready to bed down, but still...  there they were.  We parked by the edge of the marsh and listened to bird calls -Pretty awsome! 

...and before we got home Mike drove us through the local cemetary where we saw several large owls.  Things just keep getting better and better!

The cemetary here is well over a hundred years old.  The oldest date I found was 1879, but I've been told there are older markers.  Found a marker from 1980, a little girl not even a year old... meditate on the resurection.  Think about the poor mother (and father too) and when she is resurected her joy when her little girl is returned to her.  I find old cemetaries thoughtful places where I can be at peace.  Old trees and wildlife undisturbed... (I forgot to mention, there were also five deer at the cemetary last night - reminds me a bit of the Pacific Grove cemetary).

Well, that's it for now... does anyone know how to get a blog into proper date order?

Went through California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, and Oregon, again, to reach La Grande.  Drove through two time zones, and several temperature zones during this twelve hour trip.  My absolute favorite was the snow in the Sierra Mountains.  It got to be feet deep, the trees were just laden with snow, and it was coming down in big furry feathers.    Snow changed to rain in Reno and most of the Nevada desert.  Sun came through before we reached Idaho (beautiful farms) and it was "pretty" for the rest of the trip.  Oregon was mostly spring desert, but the country changed to trees, mostly in the hills, just before we reached La Grande.

La Grande is nestled in foothills and mountains and is very pretty.  I'm looking forward to exploring it during the next two weeks.  That's it for now, more later.  :-)

Am driving to Yuba City with Suzanne this afternoon... we will be staying overnight with Gladis and Mario, Janina's parents, then Suzanne will return to Sacramento in the morning, and I will ride up to Oregon with Mike and Janina.  Spent part of this morning wrapping presents, and packing.  Have to pack light, as there will not be much room in the car on the way up.  It's not so easy to pack light for two'n a half weeks, and bring some art supplies, and books for meetings.

Have been looking forward to this trip for quite a while now.  Mike says that this is a very nice time to visit as it will not be too warm, and spring is a very pretty time.  Wish I had been able to get the camera I've been eyeing, but funds (or rather the lack of...) prevents that right now. 

That's it for now as I have to finish getting ready.  Oregon here I come.  :-)  

On Friday, Suzanne, Roberta and I went to Daffodil Hill.  Yahoo mapped directions to get there, and of course it routed us through the most rural roads.  Not complaining though, we could not have asked for a prettier drive... though the roads were twisted and narrow it was georgous!!!  Saw three wild turkeys in the middle of a rough section of  the road.  One, a male I think, was ruffed up and flaired out and so concentrated on his "dance" that it took him a while to notice us, so we just enjoyed the show for a bit.  When he finally noticed us all three silently scattered and dissapeared into the woods.  For such large, showey creatures they certainly are camifloged well.  Once they stepped into the woods they were "gone" we could not see them at all. 

Daffodil Hill was very pretty, not large, but certainly worth the drive.  Suzanne and I counted at least ten spieces of daffodils, although hundreds of varieties are planted.  I'm glad we went before the showey display was over, because the bloom period is short, and the rains damage the blossoms.  Here is another instance of "if I knew how to insert photos..."

The  weather has been beautiful, although storms are predicted.  There was a fine talk last night by a brother from Bethel, and afterwards he and his wife were interviewd...  They were very entertaining.  Memorial is tonight, and I'm still coughing, so I'm going to try and conserve my energy till then. 

Have seen a lot of Robins, and the Sacramento area's Yellow Billed Magpies.

Flew home to California, Monday, via Southwest Airlines. It was a long, happily, uneventful trip, and I have jet lag- again... When I flew to the east coast, which is three hours ahead, my internal clock set forward another two hours, so instead of waking up at at 6:00 a.m, Eastern time I was waking up around 4:00 a.m., which was actually 1:00 a.m. Pacific time.

Now that I'm home, my internal clock seems to be set to wake me at 4:00 a.m.... go figure.

It's good to be home. It's good to see friends and family, and especially good to be with my darling daughter.

Still have a miserable hack from that nasty virus I caught, aggravated by allergies it has settled into my chest. However, I am feeling better, but need to recover soon... plans are in the works to visit friends in Oregon in the middle of April, and I want to be well!!! :-)

Extending special love and thanks to Lori, who put me up, and put up with me for all those weeks.

And my love to Pam, whose company I always enjoy immensely. And Belinda, my love and gratitude to you too, for enriching my visit so.

xoxoxo to all. G.

xoxoxo

Had to leave Gainesville, and my darling Pam and Mama Jan, and am back in Jacksonville.

However, I would like to note that before I left Gainesville I saw two Pileated Woodpeckers. Absolutely huge, and rather primeval in appearance. Also saw house wrens, and several other small birds, but everything faded at the sight of the Pileated Woodpeckers. Strange and Beautiful....

Still have that hacking cough I picked up in Gainesville, but otherwise am well and happy. Took Mom shopping on Monday and she bought five new pairs of shoes :-D Seems everything she had hurt her feet, so now she can purge her closet and start anew.

Completed my first "Dell's Best All Easy Crossword Puzzles", thank you Suzanne, and made the mistake of purchasing "New York Times Light and Easy Puzzles"... HA! Should have known better as it was edited by Will Shortz, possibly the worlds smartest and cagiest puzzle master...
Ended up giving it to Mom (the 90 year old quiz whizz) and she got me another Dells "easy" puzzles.

Also, Lori shared a new site with me... Is anyone familiar with bing.com? They have great wallpaper, and it is a very interesting site.

Well, that's it for now, except I should be heading back to California this Tuesday.

xoxoxo for now... G.

Pam and I finally got to the bead store, and have completed some projects - Yeah!!!! I actually brought along some beads I had purchased at an outlet in San Diego, the last time I visited with Martha. Completed a beautiful robin's egg blue necklace and earrings with silver findings, and a turquoise crystal dangle on each earring..., a turquoise, stone chunks necklace, no earrings, and a double strand coral necklace with earrings. Can hardly wait till I'm able to insert photos, for sharing images. (A picture's worth a thousand words.)

At Pam's local bead store they were having a truckload sale, with some of the best prices I've seen in an age. Picked up white, coin pearls that are absolutely fabulous, can hardly wait to get started on them. Will do something very simple.

We were also able to check out next door, the yarn shop and the Artisan's Guild Gallery, where we met Kana Handel, (from Japan) who does whimsical Sumi ink, watercolor paintings. I enjoyed her work very much, last year, and was delighted to meet her. What a nice day we had!

Pam's husband, John, moved the bird feeder closer to the house, so we now have a much better view of our feathered friends, will update later if I see anything new.

Picked up a lousy virus the yesterday and have been a bit mopey ever since. Anyway, hope everyone out there is well, and happy... bye for now.

Hola, anyone who is out there. First my greetings to the Rileys, thank you for keeping in touch, and apologies for not responding back correctly... have not quite gotten a handle on how to operate some of the functions of blogging. At any rate, your messages on this blog brighten my day. :-)

I'm in Gainesville now, have been here since Monday, and Florida weather has been COLD. Sorry did not mean to "shout", but it has been c.o.l.d.... brrr.


Second, a clarification on my my latest movie recommendations. "First, Do No Harm", and "I am David" are excellent movies, but I do not recommend them for children. I personally think these two movies are too intense for younger ones... just a heads up.

Have add ons to my birder list: Carolina Wrens, a Hermit Thrush, a Hawk (Cooper's, I think), of course assorted sparrows, and can't remember if I mentioned Robins.

This afternoon Pam and I are hitting the local bead shop, yarn shop and art gallery. Should be fun... I have a number of beading projects to finish up.

Was in Barnes and Nobles this morning and saw a book I'd like to read, "Play Piano in a Flash" and "Play Piano in a Flash for Kids" by Scott Houston. Read a bit and it was not a bit complicated, understood what he was saying. Maybe I could actually learn to play a tune or two.

More movies to recommend... I Am David, and First Do No Harm.

Pam is coming to fetch me and take me to Gainesville tomorrow. Am looking forward to spending time with her, we always have fun. So much to look forward to, but I'm tired now...goodnighzzzzzzz.

Need to add chickadee's to my birder list, also boat tailed grackles, mallards and mockingbirds.

I'm learning ASL (American Sign Language) from my dear Lori, who has more than graciously put me up for the past three weeks, and loaned me her car so I could visit Mom. She is Mom's newest daughter, and my newest sister... :-) At any rate ASL is different from the English sign language I learned years ago. Mostly all I ever learned was finger spell, and a few graphic signs. I never learned to read sign very well at all. Whole nother story now. Have learned probably 45 new signs, mostly theocratic language. What else...? Can count up to 14 which is not much, but it is a beginning. Have been signing in front of a mirror so that I can see what it looks like. Of course being left handed makes some of it a bit awkward. Can hardly wait to show Bonnie what I've learned. Went in ASL service doing a deaf search also.

That's it for now, gotta go... :-)

Arrived in Florida the evening of Feb. 4, 2010 to visit my Mom and friends. Mom was 90 years old this month. Have enjoyed lunching with her, and taking her shopping all over Jacksonville this past three weeks.

Florida bird life is abundant, have spotted goldfinches in abundance, red wing blackbirds, male and female cardinals, dove, bluebirds, tufted titmouse, woodpeckers, herons, blue herons, egrets, ibis, and I think a bunch of storks, but I'm not sure - spotted them from a moving car, they were rather ugly birds and not moving much, cormorants... It's not a complete list, but you get the jist.

Saw "The Fox and the Child". What a beautiful film. Part of it was a bit disturbing, but well worth watching, non the less.

Also am almost done reading "Thousand Pieces of Gold" which I would recommend.

What else? There's bunches to say, but not much time... am using Mom's computer to type this update, and we are getting ready to (what else?) go shopping again. :-)

Bought a little book on blogging so hopefully will make this a more attractive place to visit, and will (again) hopefully, soon add another update.

See you later...

(Retrospect) Drove my car cross country - started in Florida, up to AL, then straight across to San Diego... Pam was going to ride with me, but she was recovering from Pneumonia. Was a little concerned about going alone, afraid of getting over-tired... But Even by myself, it was a "most excellent journey" - three nights, four days of georgous country.

Was only going to spend the night, but ended up staying a week with Martha, in San Diego. We had fun exploring Balboa Park. Bought week passes, and we were able to really enjoy the museums without rushing. Only went to three - but really enjoyed them. Hope to do repeat the experience next time.

(Current) Have been in CA for a little over two months now. Am back with Certified, have almost completed my first assignment with them. What started as a seven day assignment, went to nine, then two weeks, then two weeks plus. Think I may be here (Jackson Lab) for another two days. While the pay's not the best they are nice people, and it's been good to have money coming in.

The weather has finally changed and there's a chill in the air. That's good, as far as I'm concerned... would rather be a bit cooler than too hot. It was over 110 the first month I was back. Too hot for my taste.

Poor neglected blogspot...


It's not that I haven't had anything to write. Access to an online computer had been a problem for a while. Can't say why else I've been so neglectful.


Worked for the census bureau for five weeks - drove all over creation, racking up milage and pay, so was able to...


spend two weeks with Pam in Florida, two weeks in San Diego with Martha (got to enjoy the international convention as a "family member"), and have spent the last three weeks in Sacramento with my darling daughter, and took Amtrak,by myself, to Garberville to visit my dear son for four days.


Was looking for an apartment, and actually thought I'd found one, but unless you have $7,000 in the bank or a current job it's almost impossible to find a place. So plan to move here and stay with a friend until I'm working and can get my own place.

That's it for now.