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Showing posts from October, 2018

My Expanding Work Space

Ha-haaah! Two days ago marked one full year of posting every day on this blog. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Last October I was feeling quite aimless.  Within two years, the Mama died of old age, the Husband got a pacemaker, and my reproductive system, along with a bit of cancer, was cut away. Yes, I had an excuse, if I needed one, to feel aimless.  Except I didn't want to feel aimless, which for me could lead to digging a deeper crevice in which to fall. So, I committed myself to this blog. Post every day I told myself. Original posts, preferably. On wordless days, I looked in my archives for something to share. One year later, do I still feel aimless? Buzzed is more like it. Buzzing like a bee flitting from one flower to the next. My flowers are artsy and craftsy repurposing rojects of all manner. Fun projects are revealing themselves to me, left and right. What to do? Which to attempt first? I also want to finish reading Anne Perry's Dark Tide Risin

A Missed Call

A ne'er-do-well left a message on our phone (land, if you must know) saying he is from the IRS and if we do not respond to his call within 10 minutes, a warrant for our arrest will be issued. The call was left about an hour ago. The voice left his message in a very brusque, rough tumbling threatening manner, so I can see how the gullible may believe he was from the IRS and sadly give the scammer money. After we erased the message, the Husband and I thought about reporting the call to the police or the IRS. The voice had left a number to call back, so it's possible an investigator might check. Who knows? Next time.

Treasure

The shelled purse in the photo was the Mama's. Never was used. She had wrapped it carefully in plastic and kept it on her closet shelf. This was another item that didn't get sold in a garage sale two years ago. Ha! There was a reason for that, which showed itself today. The purse makes a cool planter for the Christmas cactus, don't you think?

P is for Pertinacity

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California In January 2013, the Pinnacles National Monument was redesignated a national park becoming California's ninth national park. And, lucky us, the Pinnacles National Park is in our county. The park has two entrances. To get to the eastern entry, you drive right by Hollister. So, of course, both city and county jumped to take advantage of the potential increased tourism coming into our area. One thing the local politicians tried was to rename California Highway 25, which is pretty much contained in our county, to reflect as being the true gateway to the park. Cool idea, right? Residents and ranchers in the southern part of the county didn't agree. Someone told me many didn't like having to notify everyone about their new address as well as dig into their pockets to buy new stationery. Story short: Only the Highway 25 Bypass (about six miles), which skirts to the east of Holli

Wee, Wee, Wee, All the Way Home!

This is one of the Barnyard Races at our county fair last month. The cute piggies soared around the track. If you blink, you miss them running by you.

Molly's Monday #13

Superstitious? Not me. Miao. I walk under ladders. I don't care if I walk on cracks. Black cats better stay out of my yard. Not because I'm superstitious. They're just not welcome like other cats. Miao.

A Cheerful Dirt Dispenser

The fog rushed back in after the sun said good morning. It was strange to watch it fill in the sky rather than fade westerly. Thick, too. So pea-soupy thick, the birds flew low overhead. If I hadn't seen them I would've thought they were bats by the sound they made. Plap, plap, plap.  The other day I mentioned that I was painting a rice dispenser, which can hold about 25 to 30 pounds of rice, maybe a bit more. A couple years ago I tried selling it at a garage sale. No takers. Earlier this week I decided it can sit in the garden rather than the garage. The Mama stopped using it a few years after the Husband and I moved in with her. She switched over to storing rice in big tins that once held her favorite crackers. I think she simply liked the idea of keeping rice in happy looking canisters rather than a dull plastic looking thing. The rice dispenser is no longer dull, and it no longer stores rice. Now, its job is to hold potting soil. Ha! Here's what the other

New Toys

I'm like a kid with new toys. Outside waiting for me is a 30-pound rice dispenser to get a coating of modpodge and a wooden bookshelf to either be painted or decoupaged with paper or fabric. And then there are the succulents looking forward to their new flashy, colorful homes . This morning we brought home a bunch of boxes of children books from our storage locker.  Oh gosh, oh gee, more new toys! Yaaaay! Some of the boxes may hold some of my books, hurrah! I know I didn't get rid of my Winnie-the-Pooh books and A.A. Milne's children poetry books.  All the books will be like brand new since I haven't seen them in 15 years. Before we can open the boxes, we need a bookshelf ready to receive the books. Hmmm. Mi scusi, per favore, madame e signori. :-)

A Whirlwind of Color

Have I already mentioned that I am in a painting frenzy at the moment? Rocks, warped boards, planter pots, dishes, and whatever else comes into my vision when I have leftover paint on my brush and and plate. Waste not, want not is me. I mention it, again, if I have, because there is a three-foot metal rice dispenser outside waiting for me to finish painting. So, not much chatting from me today. Would painting something a day keep the doctor away? I'm good for months, if that's so.

When the Husband Went to the Eye Doctor

Good news! The ophthalmologist saw the back of the Husband's eyeball this morning. His eyeball is long and elongated, probably so much so that first the optometrist and then his regular ophthalmologist couldn't see anything because they have older machines. Imagine being seen by physicians who have state-of-the-art technology at their fingers to help them diagnose and treat you, no financial strings attached. Now, that's a utopia for you. Have you ever wondered if utopia could exist in a country or another organization with millions and millions of members? While sitting in the waiting room, we met a man undergoing kidney dialysis three days a week. As part of telling his story, without prompting, he showed us his wounds. Oh my gosh, embedded in his forearm was something that looked like a cow's hoof under his skin. It's called a bovine carotid artery graft (I looked it up when I got home.) that helps with the dialysis process. If I showed horror when he fi

O is for Official

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California Tuesday, November 6, 2018 is General Election Day, but the early voting period is already in progress. In our county, if we don't want to wait to vote at our polling place on Election Day, we can mail in our filled-in ballots. We can also stop by the County Registrar of Voters office to vote, which may be open on the weekends. Or, if we prefer, we can place our completed ballots in the official ballot drop box over in Winn Alley, between the library and the old courthouse in Hollister. So, there we go. With all these options, there's no reason for us not to vote in San Benito County. Well, we do need to be registered. The last day to register in California is Monday October 22, 2018. It can be done online . How convenient is that? O is the featured letter today on ABC Wednesday . Click here to read about this weekly meme, and click here for this week's list of parti

dies Martis

I didn't make it out the front door today. When four o'clock swung around, I tossed my hand in the air. Tomorrow. I'll definitely do my errands; I don't care for the consequences if I don't. So, what did I so today? Paint stuff. Plant stuff. Help the Husband sort through boxes of his parents stuff. It was tough, but it is time to figure out what to do with all of their stuff, the Mama's stuff, the Husband's stuff, my stuff, and the Husband's and my stuff. Have I said this before? The boxes today mostly held stuff that belonged to Betty, the Husband's mom. Oh my gosh! We came across her graduation gown and cap when she earned her master's degree in her early 40s, her art work from her days as a school librarian, and letters from Betty to Jim while he was overseas serving in World War II. Two cigar boxes and shoe box full of letters!  Years ago we discovered Jim's correspondence to Betty. Oh my gosh, imagine, if they were put tog

Molly's Monday #12

Yesterday I was listening to my humans talk about people who believe our world is flat. Astounding, miao! About 2% of Americans are flat-earth believers, according to a 2018 study conducted by YouGov. Miao. Last year the population in the U.S. was about 326 million. I'm saying that everyone counted is considered an American. No arguments, please. Purrrrrrrr. Two percent or about 325 million people in our country believe the world is flat. Miaaaao! I wonder if the flat-earth believers have another name for Earth. After all, the word earth means globe, sphere, orb. Round, for pity's sake. If we lived in a flat world, I don't think we would have balls or anything round. What kind of shape is the flat world? Is it square? Rectangle? A triangle? Diamond shaped? Miao, a shape with 12 uneven shapes? Where are the edges of the flat world? Yawwwwwwwwn. Nap time. See you next Monday. Miao.

A Time for Creating

This morning I had a wonderful time imagining and experimenting while soaking in autumnal sun bubbles. My intention was to make wreaths out of apple branches I pruned last week, but I couldn't find the green wire that I set aside for the wind chimes the Husband and I will make out of keys. I lost track of the wire on Friday. Yes, I know I should've put it away where I could find it, but that was where it was, until it wasn't. Just as well. The apple branches didn't look exciting, so I threw them in the compost bin. When I turned around, I saw a pot perfect for the pineapple sage plant (aka Pinya) we bought yesterday. Look at the photo above to see the painted result. The Husband said the combination of the colors reminded him of the Southwest. My inspiration for the blue was the blue in Sitting Bull's war shirt as portrayed in the movie Woman Walks Ahead . Have you seen it? It's about Catherine Weldon, the woman who painted Sitting Bull's portrait,

Untitled Four

  The caterpillar does all work but the butterfly gets all the publicity. ~ George Carlin

The Latest Obsession

I can't stop now. There are 1,000 jigsaw puzzle pieces sitting on our dining table. When all the pieces interlock, we'll have a 24x30-inch picture of a tapestry of a mosaic cat. Gahhh! I've turned every piece then grouped them according to color and design. Yeah, I impressed myself too with such organization. lol And, I have one edge complete. Do you think I could quit now? Committed, I am. haha A friend gave us this puzzle about three or four years ago. Our excuse for keeping the puzzle box shut is the lack of sufficient space. Surfaces don't stay clutter-free for long in this house. Last week I got a very strong yen to assemble a jigsaw puzzle. Some of you may recall I've forbidden myself to do online jigsaw puzzles. I tell you there are moments I'm on the computer when I'm sooooo tempted, then I think "Live long and prosper". If you're curious about all that, read this past post . The Husband probably wished he hadn't agre

Back in My 20s

That's me standing in the back on the far left side in the photo. I was editing the photo this morning when I noticed the dress and thought it sure looked like the one I used to wear back when I was in my 20s. And, what do you know that was me. haha I cannot remember what the celebration was all about. It could've been the end of the summer youth program for which I was coordinator, which would've been 1980. Then again it could've been the last day of the literacy/job skills program I taught the following summer. Both programs were administered by the West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Corporation (West Bay), a community-based organization in San Francisco that served Filipino immigrants in the City, most of whom lived in the South of Market. I was totally out of my element: I did not speak nor understand Tagalog, and I was American born who grew up in a small agricultural town 100 miles south of San Francisco. Even though others assured me it didn't matter, ins

N is for No, Temporarily

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California For its Chicken Festival in September, San Juan Bautista posted temporary NO PARKING signs on part of its main thoroughfare. Vendor booths and entertainment spots lined the closed-off streets for all to enjoy. Bwak, bwak. N is the featured letter today on ABC Wednesday . Click here to read about this weekly meme, and click here for this week's list of participants.  Thank you, ABCW Team!

Grrrrr.

This is what I find disgusting and maddening right now: The thuggish oaf in the White House seat telling the hothead of a judge who likes beer that I am sorry his drunken, hostile youth of a life had to be looked at so closely by us. I am not sorry. No. Not at all.

Molly's Monday #11

I like wandering in the front yard. Wouldn't you? There are a lot of hidey-hole places from which to choose. Sometimes I smell where other cats have been. The other day I ran one off our property. Take that, grey cat with white paws. Missus Lady told me that cat was walking around the neighbor's roof the other day. I wonder what that's like. Missus Lady and Hero Man no longer let me stay out in the front unsupervised, unless it's first thing in the morning and that's only for a few minutes. Long enough for Missus Lady to open the blinds and curtains. Hero Man found me walking off the premises one day. On another day Missus Lady scolded me for walking into the street. I suppose they know better. Miao.

A Fair Tooting of Ribbons

Toot-toot. I came home with first, second, third, fourth, and honorable mention ribbons for my entries in our county fair this weekend. Toot-toot. "The Train Thistle" is what I call my dry floral arrangement for the category San Benito Hidden Beauty , in which participants must use dry vegetation native to our county. I picked thistles. I entered three dry arrangements and three fresh ones.  I entered one of the Mama's geraniums. I can imagine the Mama's spirit smiling as well as tsking as to why didn't she get a blue ribbon. My painted gourd for the garden art category got honorable mention. That was nice of the judges to give me a place, because there were only four of us participating. Each year fewer adults take part in the various baking, canning, crafts, floriculture, fine arts, sewing, and quilting divisions. That's too bad. When I brought in my flower arrangements, one of women in charge commented on me having the most entries.

Quack.

"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." ~ Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass

Off to the Fair

On Wednesday afternoon, the Husband and I loaded the back seat with flowers for the dry and fresh floral arrangements I've entered into the county fair. There was also stuff in the trunk. I tend to be over ambitious. LOL We're about to head off to the San Benito County Fair . I hope someone is selling corn dogs. I'll show off my entries on Sunday. See ya.

Smelling the Geraniums

Today I'm playing hooky. Yes, I'm retired, but even retired people need to play hooky from everyday routines. For me that has meant, so far, sleeping in until 10 a.m. (I don't recall the last time I did that when I wasn't sick.) and watching TV while I ate my breakfast of black coffee and Brie slapped between two slices of sourdough bread. The Husband eventually moseyed over to the living room with his second cup of coffee and plopped on the couch. He was content with me clicking the remote. We ended up watching Kitty Lynne Klich paint her interpretation of a photograph of an Italian scene. I thought it fascinating how she mixed colors and applied light and dark hues to get what she wanted. At some point of watching Kitty, Molly the Cat sashayed by. She looked perplexed. Why were we sitting in the living room in the morning? Why is the TV on? Why is Missus Lady sitting in Hero Man's seat and Hero Man is hers?  Is that Brie I smell on your breath Missus Lady

M is for Museum

My theme for #23 Round of ABC Wednesday: Signs & Such of San Benito County, California Luck Museum. Doesn't that sound wondrous? Imagine the paintings, sculptures, displays, and exhibits interpreting luck. That's something. This is a real sign in San Juan Bautista, the town next door. The Luck Museum, run by the San Juan Bautista Historical Society , was once a gas station owned by Mr. Carl Martin Luck, who immigrated from Germany in 1890. More than 80 years later, Mr. Luck's daughter donated the building and grounds to the city, which today, in addition to the museum, includes a city park and the city library.  That was good fortune. M is the featured letter today on ABC Wednesday . Click here to read about this weekly meme, and click here for this week's list of participants.  Thank you, ABCW Team!

A Small, and Sweet, Victory

Today is Our World Tuesday , where I'm participating. Here's the link . Thank you, OWT administrators.

Molly's Monday #10

Miao. Missus Lady told me that today marks 10 weeks for me on something ladder something-something view. What are "10 weeks"? Miao, miao. What's more important to me is for Hero Man and her to feed me the stuff I like.  Miao. What does she means when she says, "You liked this food before. Why won't you eat it now?" It's always the first time when she opens a can and spoons out the contents on my plate. Silly Woman. They are so stingy with cheese. Last night I could smell cheddar on my humans' hands and lips. They used to give me cheese. Purrrrrrrrr. The taste is delightful. They tell me that I can't have cheese anymore because I throw up afterwards. Ice cream, same thing. So? S-s-s-s-t-t-t-r-r-r-e-a-a-a-a-t-c-c-c-c-h-h-h-h-h-h-h. The back door just opened. Miao, miao.  See you next week.