1. Frost! I thought we were done with it. 2. Mama called the icy stuff snow. "There was lots of snow on Marie's roof," she'd say as I stumbled into the kitchen to fix breakfast. She'd be almost done with her big bowl of different cereals mixed together. 3. Now it's me or the Husband that opens the kitchen curtains on chilly mornings to see the icy roof next door. "Lots of snow." 4. Flutter, flutter, flutter. A whole lot of tiny birds flew out of the tree on our front yard. I watched them all fly as one up into the sky, circle about, then take off to the northeast. 5. Then I noticed the light of the rising sun. Wowza! 6. And, then I wondered why everything was drippy wet. I looked up at the roof next door. Frost! 7. For once I was wise and went back into the house to fetch a shawl. And, my camera. Of course. You never know when the fish may be out.   8. This afternoon I asked the Husband, "What kind of guy are you?"

1. Aren't those avocados gorgeous? Handsome? Ooh-la-la? 2. The middle one in the front was picked about two weeks ago. It didn't seem right to take a photo without it. They are from the same tree, after all. 3. This morning, the Husband and I went out to the avocado tree expecting to pick the last one of the season. The tree graced us with four HUGE fruits. Thank you, tree. 4. "They're as big as the ones that grow in Hawaii," said the Husband. Not really, but we can dream. 5. We saw another avocado hanging way up in the tree. Perhaps that's the last one of the season. 6. A couple days ago, our county public health officer called for a shelter-in-place until April 7. We're required to stay home unless we work for stores, companies, services, and government agencies that are necessary to stay open for the community. We can leave our houses to shop for food, see doctors, pick up prescriptions, and do other essential things. We can also go out

I forgot what I thought I wanted to write about. That's what happens when too much time passes between Ah-ha-I've-something-to write and turning on the computer, which may only be a matter of climbing the stairs to the office. Obviously it wasn't anything worth saying out loud. Ever wonder if you've said or written something that was quoted by others? Wouldn't that be cool? Yesterday our governor (in California) urged all of us, senior citizens, to stay put in our homes so that we won't risk contracting the coronavirus. The Husband and I pretty much hunker down most of the time, so this suggested decree is not a burden. Although I did panic for a moment when I thought we might not pay our property tax bill on time because the bank and the tax office may suddenly close. Then it came to me that we can use a credit car to pay online or over the phone. I'd rather not, so I may suggest to the Husband that we go out in the world sooner rather than l

Sometimes I just got to shake my head and roar with silliness. I like retirement. My smiling thanks to these meme hosts: Jesh at All Seasons , Angie at Mosaic Monday , and Jeanna at Say Cheese!   P.S. The photo of me was taken by the Husband.

1. See the jack rabbit. That's what I saw this afternoon. 2. Yak, yak, yak.  Chat about this, wonder about that. Discuss current events. Reminisce. Giggle, chuckle, laugh. We spent a wonderful afternoon today hanging out with good friends. One of the many fine things about being retired. 3. What else about today? I got to climb the ladder to saw away at tree branches, to be continued on the weekend. 4. By four o'clock, the almost full moon was already saying, "Hey there!" 5. Some call the second full moon of winter the Snow Moon. 6. The California Coastal Redwoods, sequoia sempervirens, range from Monterey county to the Oregon border and may grow within 50 miles from the coast. So, it's possible for redwoods to grow in Hollister where we call our home. 7. Experts say redwoods can be raised in a pot until it's about 5 or 6 feet tall. Hmmmm. 8. The Giant Sequoias are the largest species of redwood, which live only on the western slopes of

We left the fruit on the high branches, and some of the lower branches, of the persimmon tree for the birds and squirrels. I don't know if the neighborhood feral cats like persimmons. Molly the (wild) Cat sniffs her nose at the orange fruit. The other morning good fortune struck. I not only watched a crow in the persimmon tree, followed by a bunch of tiny birds, but also a squirrel. That squirrel was chittering so loud, the Husband and I went out to the back yard to find out what all the fuss was about. I wouldn't be surprised if the squirrel was yelling at the tiny birds to get out of its persimmon tree, because that was where the furry guy headed after it ran down the birch tree in the next yard.  January was a flurry of decluttering, reorganizing, and sewing curtains, along with getting as much heavy stuff done before my cataract surgery next week.  (My gosh, already, next week. Shudder) I was such a worker bee that I became physically, emotionally, and spiritually

Irregardless. Literally. Irregardless, literally. Literally irregardless. Irregardlessly. Literally. Literally irregardlessment? Dis-irregardlessously. Literally! Literally pre-irregardlessness. Post-irregardless! Literally. Literally re-irregardlessment! Regardless. Literally? Figuratively. Ahhhh, I needed to work through a bit of snarkiness. Thank you for listening. I'm back to feeling like a Barefoot Susie. Happy Holiday Season to you!  :-) P.S. I'm heading over to Thursday 13 . Come along.

This afternoon I found two important documents that I have been seeking for a few years. Ask me where I found them? Go ahead. Please Where did I find them? Thank you for asking.  The documents were under a bunch of junk in my nightstand. Yup.  My search still continues for several other documents, including Mama's U.S. naturalization certificate and my baptismal record with my real name, unlike my birth certificate. The last time I recall seeing these other important family records was five, six, or seven years ago. At the time I placed them somewhere safer. Ha! Where or where they can be?  I'm heading over to ABC Wednesday . Come join me.

1. I got to the DMV office around 8:10 this morning. I was number 005. Yippieee! 2. In 10 minutes or less, my number was called. I didn't hear it because I was talking with the woman next to me who was a friend of Mama's. 3. I could barely see the first line on the eye chart with my right eye covered. "I'm getting cataract surgery on this eye." Thankfully, the young lady gave me a pass on the vision test. 4. No written test. I skimmed the handbook and took all the online practice tests earlier this week, just in case. It's still a win for me because I now know some new rules. 5. Did you know that in California you can pass on the right if there are multiple lanes, such as on the freeway? Now the Husband can't growl at people who pass on the right. "In my day. . . ." I also learned that you won't be criminally charged if you refuse to undergo a DUI test. Not that I foresee myself ever being in such a situation. 6. I couldn't g

1. I'm hoping we won't need to turn on the furnace until December 1. 2. Right now we're doing fine with wearing heavy long-sleeved tops and long, warm pants, snuggling beneath blankets on the couch, and turning on the space heater. 3. I baked the first apple pie of the season. 4. Baking warms up the house. 5. We have a gas furnace. It would be more efficient if the majority of the heater vents weren't next to windows. What kind of design is that? 6. I need to renew my driver's license very soon. So, today, I checked out what I needed to do. Make an appointment so I don't have to wait forever in line, I thought. Ha! The next appointment is in January. Way too late. 7. I'll apply for the Real ID, too. That one may be a hoot to navigate. 8. Someone screwed up my name royally on my birth certificate. My last name is misspelled. Instead of showing Mama's maiden surname as my middle name, the certificate has Gusman . Mama's middle name before she marrie

It certainly has been awhile since I've peeped my sweet peepers out of my not-so-dark hole in the ground. I love the way you say things, Jeana, of The Ched Curtain . You, too, Widders, of Widdershins Worlds . Thank you very much for wondering outloud if I was still kicking.  :-) So, what was I doing while silent crickets and frogs took over the blog? I've thought about things such as why girls couldn't also be made up of "snips of snails and puppy-dog tails", and wondering if anyone has coined future fossil fuels yet. I've raked at least two years worth of dried leaves from beneath the flowers and plants in the front yard.  Not to say, learning yet again that I, no, we need to rake leaves right after they've fallen.  Also prune brittle and drying branches. Deadhead the flowers, too. And, pick up the fallen fruit sooner rather than later. It certainly has been a long time since I've strung sentences together for fun. I am simply dancing with

1. To avoid doing something on my Really, Definitely, Certainly, Absolutely Must Do list, I sewed two kitchen towels. 2. Nothing difficult. The material simply needed hemming, some only on three sides. The towels were made out of medium heavy cotton sacks that I found among Mama's stash of things to sew into something else. 3. I not only inherited the sacks but also the conclusion they will become kitchen towels one day. That was over three years ago. 4. Not all the sacks will be kitchen towels. Some of the material may find its way into clothing, a wall hanging, a painting, and/or a something that has yet to come to mind. 5. Molly the Cat just reminded me that I didn't transfer two house plants into bigger pots. Also, that I wanted to pick apples off the tree. 6. This morning I woke up thinking that I would work in the garden before breakfast. Then I got distracted thinking about scones for breakfast. 7. A half-a-cup of organic heavy cream, more or less, was

I baked a lemon bundt cake this morning for my county fair entry, which I hope shall reach a mellow, not so loud, lemon tart flavor when the judges taste it this Wednesday afternoon. This cake has several firsts for me. It's the first time I've entered a cake in the fair, I tried a new recipe, and I experimented with the recipe twice (I wrote about the first attempt last month). I added a lot more lemon zest and a heaping measurement of sour cream to the recipe for more lemon flavor and less dryness. And, yes, I used a bundt pan this time. Thank goodness that the Husband hung out in the kitchen while I was working on the cake.  He looked up things on Google: How many tablespoons equal 1/4 cup? How do I make lemon syrup? When do I douse the cake with lemon syrup? Which end of the bundt cake do I display (the Husband had it right—the bundt ridges must show)? and  How do I store the cake if I'm not serving it right away? Sorry, no photo. The cake is nothing truly excit

1.  Sweet Pea Song, my iMac, is 10 years old, more or less. Unfortunately for Sweet Pea Song and me there are few, if any, updates available for her system, as well as for the applications I use. 2.  She fooled her developers with their planned obsolescence. She continues to be a song of a sweet pea. 3.  Lately I've been tippy tapping on typewriters at garage sales and thrift shops. Will I buy one? 4.  Smith-Corona Coronet. That's the kind of portable blue electric typewriter on which I tippy-tapped during my 20s when I was into writing short stories. It gave out a comforting buzz that complimented the tip tip tip tap tap tip tip tap tap of the keys. 5.  I miss inserting paper into a typewriter, rolling up the paper, pushing the carriage back, hitting the space bar three times, and pressing the keys. Voila. Magic words on paper. 6.  Older Brother gave me the used typewriter in exchange for babysitting two-month-old Eldest Niece so her mom could go back to work.

1. We went to see the Husband's doctor for his quarterly visit. Mostly good news, hurrah! According to the doctor's scale, the Husband and I lost 4 to 5 pounds since we last stood on that scale. Me, a month ago. Him, I don't know when. The doctor was impressed that the Husband lost 13 pounds in three months, something like that. I may have lost about 10 pounds. Pretty good for us not trying. 2. We want and need to lose weight. Him, maybe 10 more and me, far more. We aren't making a big deal about eating more of this, less of that, and none of the happy yummy stuff. We eat what we want, including potato chips and ice cream, and, as one doctor said to me long ago, be mindful about how much we consume in a sitting. 3. Years ago, friends in their 60s told us that they find themselves eating less as they aged. Their appetites were great and they enjoyed food, willing to try different cuisines. (They were foodies way before foodies came into fashion.)  So, I guess that