The kitties woke me up early after staying up late last night, but I let my friend sleep in, even though she asked me to wake her when I got up. It's too early for most people. She got up at eight thinking she had slept until noon, as it is so bright here in the mornings and I had to laugh. For one thing, there is no smog or too close houses to keep the light out and I have an abundance of windows to let it in.
It was time for coffee, breakfast rolls, and a relaxing morning before we again hit the road so she can see more of the beauty where I am blessed to live. She said she doesn't want to leave and is checking out the houses with for-sale signs. I doubt that she makes the move though as she is very dependent on friends where she lives and not as adventuresome as she once was. Fear and believing that you are handicapped can do that to a person.
I saw the possibility of many boulders I can return to later to gather and new ideas for terracing the hill. She wanted to return to the forest cul-de-sac of yesterday to again see the towering giant sequoias and the snow, to just walk around and pretend she is in her beloved Yosemite. Now, she realizes she doesn't have to drive that far to find the serenity of nature.
There are two houses, in particular, she took a liking to. One may be going up for sale but has not, as yet, been listed, although I have heard the person who owns it is moving in the near future and it is a sweet house with three bedrooms and a large deck out back. It sits on a corner lot with its own backyard forest.
I took my friend back to our little village center where she could visit the antique store and hardware stores, which are now open. I found a lovely Angel to add to my collection and my friend found several things she liked but in the habit of being dependent on credit cards for purchases, she found they are not accepted here. She did not bring cash or her checkbook so went home empty-handed of purchases but in the possession of the gifts I had for. She especially liked the sitting Angel I bought to sit on her fireplace mantel. I told her to come back soon and that she is always welcome as she departed for home. I am blessed to have such a dear friend.
04131990
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
A friend's visit
My friend will be arriving today so it is time for extra cleaning, as I want her first impression of my wee cabin to be one of awe. The views themselves from the decks and the windows leave you breathless.
She didn't have a problem finding me and the first words out of her mouth were "it's gorgeous!" I gave her the tour and she couldn't believe my backyard is an Oak Grove mixed with Pines and was duly impressed.
After we got her settled, we enjoyed the wonderful chicken salad she brought for lunch. Her eyes kept going to the windows, first one then another as she drank in the vision of mountains and then trees filled with birds lighting gently on branches and singing and entertaining us as we ate. There was one squirrel that was curious about my company and had the scamper to the window to check us out. She was in disbelief at how close he came to the window. She also got several shots of Pesky, the squirrel, showing off on the back deck.
When we finished satisfying our hunger it was time to give her a partial tour of God's country, especially higher up in the hills where they still have an abundance of snow. We stopped at a cul-de-sac, which is heavily forested, and she was amazed to find we have giant sequoias up here and at the variety of pines all nestled together, some shooting high into the heavens, others spreading their branches wide below. We stayed there for quite a while, as she was reluctant to leave such beauty. She borrowed my camera so she could get a panoramic shot of the trees and try to capture a feeling of their height against the blue of the sky and the impressive clouds passing by and turning the horizon scarlet.
We took a few more roads climbing up and she couldn't believe how massive many of the homes are up here, more like hotels than houses. We ended in town but everything was closed including the restaurants, so we came home to play on the computer, create her a few cards and enjoy each other's company, have a relaxing evening, rest, and catch up on each other's news.
05011992
She didn't have a problem finding me and the first words out of her mouth were "it's gorgeous!" I gave her the tour and she couldn't believe my backyard is an Oak Grove mixed with Pines and was duly impressed.
After we got her settled, we enjoyed the wonderful chicken salad she brought for lunch. Her eyes kept going to the windows, first one then another as she drank in the vision of mountains and then trees filled with birds lighting gently on branches and singing and entertaining us as we ate. There was one squirrel that was curious about my company and had the scamper to the window to check us out. She was in disbelief at how close he came to the window. She also got several shots of Pesky, the squirrel, showing off on the back deck.
When we finished satisfying our hunger it was time to give her a partial tour of God's country, especially higher up in the hills where they still have an abundance of snow. We stopped at a cul-de-sac, which is heavily forested, and she was amazed to find we have giant sequoias up here and at the variety of pines all nestled together, some shooting high into the heavens, others spreading their branches wide below. We stayed there for quite a while, as she was reluctant to leave such beauty. She borrowed my camera so she could get a panoramic shot of the trees and try to capture a feeling of their height against the blue of the sky and the impressive clouds passing by and turning the horizon scarlet.
We took a few more roads climbing up and she couldn't believe how massive many of the homes are up here, more like hotels than houses. We ended in town but everything was closed including the restaurants, so we came home to play on the computer, create her a few cards and enjoy each other's company, have a relaxing evening, rest, and catch up on each other's news.
05011992
Monday, February 19, 2018
About the garden
The little cottontail rabbit is here this morning. I am sure he is the one who has been nibbling the tops off my tulips in the flower bed as well as some of the blossoms that have come up in the wooden barrel. First, he hides under the car, then comes out at the edge of the drive nibbling and watching me as I stand on the upper deck. First, the animals are afraid and skittish, then they become curious, bolder, then some of them become quite demanding. The neighbors say they have never seen so many animals and birds in one yard. I think it is because I respect them and realize it was their territory long before people came along. I provide them with food and give them their space. Even the little Chipmunks run across open space instead of hiding. The squirrels run freely across the deck and the big Blue Jay asks for peanuts. I speak to them and they are used to the sound of my voice now and chatter back.
The sky is a brilliant blue with small bands of fluffy white clouds starting here and there like exclamation points. The wind is cold and brisk causing the Angel windmill to spin round and round against the hill.
The boulder line is growing and there are four more I brought home waiting to be added. The marigolds like mini suns shining from below in shades of orange, yellows, and rusts, and the bright pink carnations give me a great sense of accomplishment although there is a lot of hill still to conquer. It all takes time and instead of being impatient I'm grateful as bit by bit becomes transformed with color.
Today, I finish packing the Easter box for my daughter and granddaughter: the Pooh bear, Pooh ball, and the musical duck block holder. I also put in the charcoal, incense, and decide to send my daughter the new hearings I bought as an Easter gift. I tucked in a crafter's apron with pockets and will get the box in the mail tomorrow.
I am enjoying the sunny skies and the ever-changing clouds that throw shadows on the hills. I give all the flowers a good soaking as well as fruit trees as best I can from the bottom of the hill and fill up the very large saucer I am using as a birdbath. I see the squirrel go there to watch himself and get a drink, everything is put to good use.
04061991
The sky is a brilliant blue with small bands of fluffy white clouds starting here and there like exclamation points. The wind is cold and brisk causing the Angel windmill to spin round and round against the hill.
The boulder line is growing and there are four more I brought home waiting to be added. The marigolds like mini suns shining from below in shades of orange, yellows, and rusts, and the bright pink carnations give me a great sense of accomplishment although there is a lot of hill still to conquer. It all takes time and instead of being impatient I'm grateful as bit by bit becomes transformed with color.
Today, I finish packing the Easter box for my daughter and granddaughter: the Pooh bear, Pooh ball, and the musical duck block holder. I also put in the charcoal, incense, and decide to send my daughter the new hearings I bought as an Easter gift. I tucked in a crafter's apron with pockets and will get the box in the mail tomorrow.
I am enjoying the sunny skies and the ever-changing clouds that throw shadows on the hills. I give all the flowers a good soaking as well as fruit trees as best I can from the bottom of the hill and fill up the very large saucer I am using as a birdbath. I see the squirrel go there to watch himself and get a drink, everything is put to good use.
04061991
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Great changes in my life
I have been rethinking my blessings of this past year, the ending of one chapter in my life and a whole new world that has been given to me. I have achieved closure in some areas and a new door has opened. I have been transported from being enclosed away from wide-open spaces to the beauty of God's country.
I know that God answers our prayers and needs, not in the limited way it is our nature to believe, but in a greater, fuller, richer, way than we could imagine possible. I wanted space and God gave me a home on the hill with an endless expansive sky, great forested areas and a view that goes on for miles that takes the breath away. Where I formerly felt suppressed, I now feel serene and expansive.
God wants more for us than we possibly could ask for ourselves. I was in a job that had suppressed my joy and an estrangement with family that left me feeling empty at times. I've found when you ask God you'd better stand back for answers come quickly and in and abundance that can stagger our imaginations. The same day I prayed the job that was sucking the life out of me ended and a healing began, not just physically and mentally, but in a great spiritual growth that is taking me on a new path. God gave me back my dreams and the time and training to put them to use and, I'm sure, the expectation that I do so.
The gulf with my immediate family has not improved much and have learned you cannot force what others have no desire to give, but God has given me a wealth of family I never knew. Shortly after my prayer two cousins came back into my life I had not seen in many years and thanks to our mutual interest in genealogy I now have a wealth of cousins in a multitude of countries I'm getting to know and opportunities to travel and meet them. It is a healing not only for myself but others as well.
I've also been blessed with the new granddaughter who is dear to my heart and fills my life with joy even from miles away, as do all my grandchildren. God does give us what we need when we need it and all we need to do is ask and leave the answer to Him. Then be prepared to 'receive' and 'believe' that it will be so, for God loves us unconditionally and completely.
12021990
I know that God answers our prayers and needs, not in the limited way it is our nature to believe, but in a greater, fuller, richer, way than we could imagine possible. I wanted space and God gave me a home on the hill with an endless expansive sky, great forested areas and a view that goes on for miles that takes the breath away. Where I formerly felt suppressed, I now feel serene and expansive.
God wants more for us than we possibly could ask for ourselves. I was in a job that had suppressed my joy and an estrangement with family that left me feeling empty at times. I've found when you ask God you'd better stand back for answers come quickly and in and abundance that can stagger our imaginations. The same day I prayed the job that was sucking the life out of me ended and a healing began, not just physically and mentally, but in a great spiritual growth that is taking me on a new path. God gave me back my dreams and the time and training to put them to use and, I'm sure, the expectation that I do so.
The gulf with my immediate family has not improved much and have learned you cannot force what others have no desire to give, but God has given me a wealth of family I never knew. Shortly after my prayer two cousins came back into my life I had not seen in many years and thanks to our mutual interest in genealogy I now have a wealth of cousins in a multitude of countries I'm getting to know and opportunities to travel and meet them. It is a healing not only for myself but others as well.
I've also been blessed with the new granddaughter who is dear to my heart and fills my life with joy even from miles away, as do all my grandchildren. God does give us what we need when we need it and all we need to do is ask and leave the answer to Him. Then be prepared to 'receive' and 'believe' that it will be so, for God loves us unconditionally and completely.
12021990
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Flowers and family
The air is crisp today, so it is on with the sweatshirt, instead of the short sleeve T-shirt of late. Misty clouds hang low over the mountains and a steady breeze blows the flower windmill I bought myself yesterday, that has a little garden angel in the middle and blue petals, around and around and as it spins I work in my garden planting more marigolds. Their bright golden, yellow, and mixed rust colors give spots of sunshine along the border of rocks I am creating on the hill. It is if they say," here I am." I also plant two different kinds of mint with the hope they will spread out beneath the roses. In another area I plant Golden Sage with its multicolored leaves of green and yellow and along the border two Hardy Sage with their blooms of lavender.
When I water some of the boulders on the hill dislodge and I have to reset them, which is a heavy and muddy task. Luckily they did not completely crush the marigolds beneath them but did decapitate a Golden flower. I still have two new roses to plant but I will save them for another day. One already has a bud that will soon be ready to open. I do need to start the row of boulders along the drive but first I need to get some concrete to set them in place then I can fill it in with flat rocks and an occasional flowerpot or small bust to add height and color.
The squirrels are so active today, running all over the decks and yard as if they missed my company yesterday and are trying to get my attention today. Their antics certainly make me laugh and amuse the neighbors as well.
I take time for my emails and to write my newly discovered cousin in France. She and her husband are coming to the states next month and we may have the opportunity to meet them, although my son is too shy to ask. She has sent the date, hotel, flight and phone number, which I sense is a desire, on her part, and opportunity for all of us. I'm quite excited over the prospect.
When I prayed to God for greater closeness with family He answered with an abundance I had not anticipated. I now have cousins I am in contact with in the states, Canada, France and Chile. He has brought me whole new world of family and I am grateful.
06011990
When I water some of the boulders on the hill dislodge and I have to reset them, which is a heavy and muddy task. Luckily they did not completely crush the marigolds beneath them but did decapitate a Golden flower. I still have two new roses to plant but I will save them for another day. One already has a bud that will soon be ready to open. I do need to start the row of boulders along the drive but first I need to get some concrete to set them in place then I can fill it in with flat rocks and an occasional flowerpot or small bust to add height and color.
The squirrels are so active today, running all over the decks and yard as if they missed my company yesterday and are trying to get my attention today. Their antics certainly make me laugh and amuse the neighbors as well.
I take time for my emails and to write my newly discovered cousin in France. She and her husband are coming to the states next month and we may have the opportunity to meet them, although my son is too shy to ask. She has sent the date, hotel, flight and phone number, which I sense is a desire, on her part, and opportunity for all of us. I'm quite excited over the prospect.
When I prayed to God for greater closeness with family He answered with an abundance I had not anticipated. I now have cousins I am in contact with in the states, Canada, France and Chile. He has brought me whole new world of family and I am grateful.
06011990
Friday, February 16, 2018
Off to Ventura
It's off to Ventura today: to visit friends, the beach, the Angel store, and browse wherever else the whim carries me and to lunch on the pier. I've been looking forward to it all week and get an early start.
I have brought along my pictures of God's country at my friend's request and she loves the many changes of weather I have captured on film: the snow-covered hills, the cabins, and wildlife. She laughed at the series of Pesky, the squirrel, stealing the cotton out of my chair cushion on my back deck. Of course, she loved the tall pine trees and has tw on her back deck that are so big and tall, still in containers, she doesn't know how they will be moved out of there and she would love to have somewhere to plant them, but wants it to be her own place, which is impossible where she lives as her condo only has decks for yards.
My main purpose of going to Ventura was to file my income taxes but I did not make enough for that to be possible and my CPA refused to charge me for her time so I gave her a gift of greeting cards to use.
It is an overcast and chilly day. Still, there were surfers out in the water, one windsurfer that fascinated the children at the next table, plus a few speedboats and young people in shorts running up and down the wharf. This weekend fishermen were out doing their best to bring in a catch or two while I just sat absorbed my surroundings. As well as enjoyed wonderful meal and the smell of the sea air.
It's big treat to have lunch on the pier at one of my favorite seafood restaurants. The extra sourdough bread comes fresh and warm, they have coleslaw unique and unequaled, and the fresh cod has me salivating. The atmosphere, of course, looking ride out over the water draws me to a window seat when it is too chilly to sit outside. I feel totally relaxed and rejuvenated as I always do watching the waves play against the shore.
I couldn't resist going to visit the Angel store nearby. I found a statue of the Arch-Angel Uriel that is unusual; I've never seen one before so, of course, I broke down and bought it as well as a Boyd's bunny for my granddaughter. At that Gifts from Earth shop I found some charcoal incense and a beautiful pair of earrings for my daughter. She buys everything the baby needs and nothing for herself. She needs an Easter gift from the heart as well as things for the baby. I know she will be surprised.
04051992
I have brought along my pictures of God's country at my friend's request and she loves the many changes of weather I have captured on film: the snow-covered hills, the cabins, and wildlife. She laughed at the series of Pesky, the squirrel, stealing the cotton out of my chair cushion on my back deck. Of course, she loved the tall pine trees and has tw on her back deck that are so big and tall, still in containers, she doesn't know how they will be moved out of there and she would love to have somewhere to plant them, but wants it to be her own place, which is impossible where she lives as her condo only has decks for yards.
My main purpose of going to Ventura was to file my income taxes but I did not make enough for that to be possible and my CPA refused to charge me for her time so I gave her a gift of greeting cards to use.
It is an overcast and chilly day. Still, there were surfers out in the water, one windsurfer that fascinated the children at the next table, plus a few speedboats and young people in shorts running up and down the wharf. This weekend fishermen were out doing their best to bring in a catch or two while I just sat absorbed my surroundings. As well as enjoyed wonderful meal and the smell of the sea air.
It's big treat to have lunch on the pier at one of my favorite seafood restaurants. The extra sourdough bread comes fresh and warm, they have coleslaw unique and unequaled, and the fresh cod has me salivating. The atmosphere, of course, looking ride out over the water draws me to a window seat when it is too chilly to sit outside. I feel totally relaxed and rejuvenated as I always do watching the waves play against the shore.
I couldn't resist going to visit the Angel store nearby. I found a statue of the Arch-Angel Uriel that is unusual; I've never seen one before so, of course, I broke down and bought it as well as a Boyd's bunny for my granddaughter. At that Gifts from Earth shop I found some charcoal incense and a beautiful pair of earrings for my daughter. She buys everything the baby needs and nothing for herself. She needs an Easter gift from the heart as well as things for the baby. I know she will be surprised.
04051992
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Whole Again
My goodbye is near
gone the confusion
gone the endless fear
soon the conclusion
seventy aught years
ended in seclusion
all lost and forgotten
free from delusion
whole and unbroken
no more my dear
0200022018
gone the confusion
gone the endless fear
soon the conclusion
seventy aught years
ended in seclusion
all lost and forgotten
free from delusion
whole and unbroken
no more my dear
0200022018
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