(Today, I came accross this old post I wrote (March 2012) and had never published and decided to post it today on the second day of Summer 2013.)
So Although I wouldn't really call the weather we've experience in So Cal since last December Winter, we have truly begun to experience Spring here in the 10b hardiness zone. Our organic peach tree is in bloom, we started our annual major cleansing of the house, and the baseball season is in full swing ~ pun intended.
Just before St Valentine's day each year I pack away my collection of snowmen and bring out my Spring decor items. This year I couldn't face putting them all away, as it seemed too soon to say goodbye to Winter for another ten months. The daytime high temperatures have barely dropped below 70 all season, there hasn't been any early morning frost, and we hadn't made a trek up to Big Bear to the snowline yet. So I de-wintered the rest of the house, but I gave my snowmen & snow flakes safe harbor in my kitchen.
The first week of March I noticed our peach tree began to bloom, so I've been watering it daily. It produced many blossoms and it will soon be covered in organic white peaches.
Our vacuum cleaner went on the fritz sometime in February and we'd been meaning to take it to the repair shop, but hadn't. Then a Kirby representative showed up at our door one evening last week offering a free carpet cleaning demonstration. We let the young woman in apologizing for the fact that the carpet hadn't been cleaned in over a year and it hadn't even been vacuumed in almost a month! "No problem", she said and she demonstrated her wares. Three hours later we had learned enough about the Kirby vacuum to become sales people our self and we had a living room fit for company once again. Last Saturday we took our trusty 18 yr-old Kenmore canister vacuum to PALS our local vacuum dealer and repairman for service. The upright motor was no longer making the beater bar spin. After having seen the Kirby demo in our home and then learning about the Miele vacuums that Phil & Pete sell at PALS, along with the news that it would cost over $100 to fix our vacuum (the cord retractor was also on the fritz), it was obvious
it was time for us to invest in a new vacuum.
The day we brought home our new Miele Salsa upright canister vacuum, we gave it a stupendous work-out. Steve tackled the office, Ray vacuumed his suite and I removed the dust accumulated in our master bedroom with the fervor of a robin preening and repairing her nest for the chicks who are do to arrive any day. Next weekend we are looking forward to pulling our bed away from the corner to get at the year's accumulation of dust bunnies living behind it. It will be a good day to flip our mattress and give it a good cleaning as well.
I'm very excited that my little buddy Brovin has Joined the Dirt Bags baseball team! He tried out without having ever played the game at all before about three weeks ago. I agreed yesterday to be his designated driver this week on game day. I'll be picking him up after school and taking him to the ballpark and then joining the other parents & fans in the bleachers to watch his third game this Wednesday.
Yesterday, I got my hands in the dirt and planted a pot of succulents. I've come up with a plan for my front garden patch and have decided upon a bed of river rocks to play host to a bevy of potted plants. This spot takes full sun from about 11:00 am thru to sunset, so they'll have to be hardy and sun tolerant so I've chosen a variety of succulents, rosemary, lavender, and an assortment of Marguerites.
Before March 17th I'll take down the snowflakes off my kitchen window and I'll put away my snowmen salt & pepper set and Grandma Sally's snowman glasses. I'll retrieve my St Patrick's day decor and bring the Easter items to the front of their high storage shelf putting them "on-deck" for their annual pageant of celebration next month. But in the mean time, I'm going to continue to enjoy my winter wonderland in my kitchen.
;- )
Showing posts with label Mom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mom. Show all posts
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Monday, February 23, 2009
Happy Birthday Mom!
We miss you...
Happy Birthday Mom!
Caymen, Montana, Angie, Sharon & Aunt Ann
Aunt Jean, Candy & Gary
Jeff, Elan & Uncle Jim
Flowers & cards from those who couldn't be there...
Manny, Malia & Amy 
Friends & Family joined in all day!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
HNT - Flash Back Family Trio Photo's
Inspired by Susie & Lime, I'm also having a flashback HNT today. Not having any children of my own, I've instead flashed back to my baby years instead. Here is a snap of my Dad, Me and my Mom circa 1962 or 63. That is their VW Bug in the background. Wouldn't you love to have that car today? Just think how much cash one could raise selling it to a collector. My piggy bank would be stuffed!
I've always loved the candid portraits of my family & friends which show them in sets of three. They end up being some of my favorite photos. The energy of the subjects really shines through. There is something magical about the number 3 that I think adds to the composition of the shots as well. Below are a few examples:
My Nephews and my Brother-in-law at the Disney's Storybook Cafe ~ October, 2007. It truly is "the greatest place on earth!" when it comes to family-friendly entertainment.
My Godson/Nephew, Sideways Sam, and Myself ~ October, 2007. At the beginning of a great day spent together while his Mom was celebrating her 30th HS reunion. Go Cypress Centurions!
October 31, 2007 ~ Irene the Fairy Princess, Lilian the Good Witch, and LisaPizza the Purple Puma out to lunch together at the Olive Garden on Halloween Day.
I have also had a fascination over the years with photographing my cars. Which I attribute to the many family photo's of the past where a family is often seen posing in front of, or riding in, the new family car. Just to show you what I'm driving these days ~ here's my Honda CRV.
Vintage photo ~ Can you name the make, model & year of the car? Hint: these ladies could be driving to the first US National election for which they were eligible to vote.
Above is my Dad with the Hummer of the moment ~ Spring, 2008. This photo was taken by my Bonus Mom, his wife Jeanne. She is always so good to share photo's with us and I love her for it. Unfortunately, because she is usually the photorapher, she is rarely in the photo's herself. Therefore, I don't really have many photo's of her :- (
Please leave me your guess on the vintage photo in your comment. All other comments are also welcomed. Hope you are having a great day in Blogland. Your blogging buddy, LisaPizza97
I've always loved the candid portraits of my family & friends which show them in sets of three. They end up being some of my favorite photos. The energy of the subjects really shines through. There is something magical about the number 3 that I think adds to the composition of the shots as well. Below are a few examples:
My Nephews and my Brother-in-law at the Disney's Storybook Cafe ~ October, 2007. It truly is "the greatest place on earth!" when it comes to family-friendly entertainment.
My Godson/Nephew, Sideways Sam, and Myself ~ October, 2007. At the beginning of a great day spent together while his Mom was celebrating her 30th HS reunion. Go Cypress Centurions!
October 31, 2007 ~ Irene the Fairy Princess, Lilian the Good Witch, and LisaPizza the Purple Puma out to lunch together at the Olive Garden on Halloween Day.
I have also had a fascination over the years with photographing my cars. Which I attribute to the many family photo's of the past where a family is often seen posing in front of, or riding in, the new family car. Just to show you what I'm driving these days ~ here's my Honda CRV.
Vintage photo ~ Can you name the make, model & year of the car? Hint: these ladies could be driving to the first US National election for which they were eligible to vote.
Above is my Dad with the Hummer of the moment ~ Spring, 2008. This photo was taken by my Bonus Mom, his wife Jeanne. She is always so good to share photo's with us and I love her for it. Unfortunately, because she is usually the photorapher, she is rarely in the photo's herself. Therefore, I don't really have many photo's of her :- (
Please leave me your guess on the vintage photo in your comment. All other comments are also welcomed. Hope you are having a great day in Blogland. Your blogging buddy, LisaPizza97
Monday, November 19, 2007
HNT ~ The View from the Recliner
AKA ~ The view from my command center and Happy Thanksgiving!
As many of you already know, I spent three nights last week at the USC University Hospital caring for my Mother while she was there having a stint put in her throat. The procedure was a grand success and she can swallow whole food once again. We are so grateful for all the wonderful, talented and caring people this experience has brought into our lives. There are too many of them to mention here so I decided to blog about a slightly different topic. The recliner that was my command center and sleeping accommodations while I was at the hospital.
We were very fortunate that Lilan's thoracic surgeon, Dr. John Lipham, requested a private room for her, and the hospital had just received new furnishings in several of the rooms on her floor. I had planned to stay at a nearby hotel, as the commute from OC to USC can be a bear (2 1/2 hours during the am & pm commutes), but alas when we arrived we found we had all we needed for a comfortable stay together at the USC "hotel". Throughout the past 3 weeks, and the ensuing 3 hospital visits, I have mistakenly interchanged the word hotel and hospital. Once we arrived at USC, it was actually true. The hospital was serving us as both a medical facility and a hospitality suite.
The chair that I sat and slept in was fabulously comfortable, and I was able to sleep like a baby between all of Mom's runs to the potty and the inevitable interruptions one experiences while staying in a hospital; vitals checks, medicine doses & therapy sessions. 3 consecutive nights of sleep that consists of a series of 1 1/2 to 2 hour naps is enough to make even the the healthy delirious. Can you imagine what it does to a patient?
BTW, I chose the high-contrast version of this photo to camouflage my double chin. Plus it really accentuates the checked pattern of the chair's fabric. Over my right shoulder you can see the built-in closet. Over the left is the oxygen supply and other doohickeys found in every hospital room.
This chair was a real lifesaver! It was luxuriously wide. Firm, but comfy. And oh so perfectly suited to my personal taste. I felt like Goldy Locks in the chair that was just right.
Perhaps you can share with me the view from your favorite chair. Please eMail me a photo or three.
To learn more about HNT click here.
Lilian napping while we wait for her discharge.
A remote control TV, and a mountain view.
A bathroom larger than the one Steve & I had in our balcony stateroom on our cruise to Alaska.
Did I mention that this hospital is immaculately clean? It looks brand spankin' new!
As many of you already know, I spent three nights last week at the USC University Hospital caring for my Mother while she was there having a stint put in her throat. The procedure was a grand success and she can swallow whole food once again. We are so grateful for all the wonderful, talented and caring people this experience has brought into our lives. There are too many of them to mention here so I decided to blog about a slightly different topic. The recliner that was my command center and sleeping accommodations while I was at the hospital.We were very fortunate that Lilan's thoracic surgeon, Dr. John Lipham, requested a private room for her, and the hospital had just received new furnishings in several of the rooms on her floor. I had planned to stay at a nearby hotel, as the commute from OC to USC can be a bear (2 1/2 hours during the am & pm commutes), but alas when we arrived we found we had all we needed for a comfortable stay together at the USC "hotel". Throughout the past 3 weeks, and the ensuing 3 hospital visits, I have mistakenly interchanged the word hotel and hospital. Once we arrived at USC, it was actually true. The hospital was serving us as both a medical facility and a hospitality suite.
The chair that I sat and slept in was fabulously comfortable, and I was able to sleep like a baby between all of Mom's runs to the potty and the inevitable interruptions one experiences while staying in a hospital; vitals checks, medicine doses & therapy sessions. 3 consecutive nights of sleep that consists of a series of 1 1/2 to 2 hour naps is enough to make even the the healthy delirious. Can you imagine what it does to a patient?
BTW, I chose the high-contrast version of this photo to camouflage my double chin. Plus it really accentuates the checked pattern of the chair's fabric. Over my right shoulder you can see the built-in closet. Over the left is the oxygen supply and other doohickeys found in every hospital room.
This chair was a real lifesaver! It was luxuriously wide. Firm, but comfy. And oh so perfectly suited to my personal taste. I felt like Goldy Locks in the chair that was just right.
Perhaps you can share with me the view from your favorite chair. Please eMail me a photo or three.
To learn more about HNT click here.
Lilian napping while we wait for her discharge.
A remote control TV, and a mountain view.
A bathroom larger than the one Steve & I had in our balcony stateroom on our cruise to Alaska.
Did I mention that this hospital is immaculately clean? It looks brand spankin' new!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
