Spring has Sprung!

(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.
;- )

Oh, How I Love Snowmen!

Today, my snowmen collection are coming out of storage and they will keep me company through till mid-February. I love them so much and they aren't Christmas related, so I am comfortable enjoying them through the winter (Dec/Jan/Feb), but I make myself put them away before St. Valentines day every year, or we might just be eating our Easter ham off of them.  Yes I have snowmen decorations, glasses, dishes, salt & pepper, etc. I told you, "I love snowmen."

Do you remember Calvin and Hobbes?  Well, in the 10 years that Bill Watterson published his hilarious strip about the exploits of C&H, he shared with us some of the best snowman humor known to man.  Looking back at a few of my favorite wintertime C&H cartoons, it makes me wish I had a yard full of snow, so I could recreate some of Calvin's snow masterpieces.  Here are three of my favorites:

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   *    *  For more of Calvin's snow art, go here.  
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I've got the travel bug ~ Ready, Set, Go!

1. Paris, France


2. Nice, France


3. Ferndale, CA, USA


4. South Lake Tahoe, CA, USA


5. Pacific Grove, CA, USA


6. Newport Beach, CA, USA


7. Santa Barbara, CA, USA


8. Santa Cruz, CA, USA


9. Saint Augustine, FL, USA


10. Chicago, IL, USA


11. Denver, CO, USA


12. Palm Springs, CA, USA

• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Great vacation rentals at TripAdvisor

How are those New Year's resolutions going?

Here are my 2010 resolutions:

1) Eating healthier and exercising more. This is a continual quest for me and my Honey Sideways Sam. I am definitely guilty of not getting enough sleep which adds to snacking in the middle of the night, poor digestion during the day, and not enough body "down time" to maintain a healthy fired-up metabolism. If this is one of your resolutions then you may want to view this slide show of 24 tips on how to loose weight without really dieting.

2) Selling my Mom's Barbie collection on eBay. Haven't started this one yet. No, I don't have the Barbie dream house in the photo. I never had a dream house when I was little because they didn't exist yet back when I was playing with Barbie. (Yes I had one Barbie and one Skipper and they dated/married my blond haired scar faced GI Joe with the orange jump suit, not Ken!)

3) Having exchange students live with us. We had our first student, May from Tokyo and she couldn't have been sweeter, more fun, or smarter. We really lucked out with May as our first resident student. Our second student, Ipek is from Turkey and we will meet her later this week. We are really looking forward to it!

4) De-cluttering our home. We make strides on this front all the time, but I'd still like Nate Berkus from the Oprah show to to tackle our garage for us. Pleeeease!

5) Complete those pesky "What if one of us dies?" plans; like our Medical Advance Directive, updating the deed on our properties, buying life insurance for me (Sam is already insured) and making sure both of our names are on all of our bank accounts and not just as beneficiaries. Well, I did order the Five Wishes forms back in January, but they have yet to be filled out.

I'll check back with you at the end of the year and we'll see how I've done by then.

What are some of your resolutions?

A Day in Los Angeles

Irene & Patti in front of the famous Clifton's Restaurant which has been a favorite in downtown LA since the 30's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Start of Alvera Street.

Steve & Charles II.

~~~~~~~~~ A baby boy on a burro.

The traditional Aztec ceremonial wardrobe.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The gate to China Town.

A Malibu Get-a-way with Great Friends

Arrived at Pike's Palace ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcomed by Eric while Karen's on the beach




The Triangle House ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Pod House





The China House ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pike's Living Room ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Happy B-day Carey!

Steve, did that little birdie tell you these paintings are Karen Pike Originals?

The adorable mademoiselle Elle & her mama.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Such a lovely green space right on the beach!


Sunset on Saturday night heralds a gathering at the bonfire with
smores to be shared by all, musical musings via guitar followed by an all important safety meeting, karaoke & movie watching.

We had such fun meeting new friends, as well as Karen's family. Sunday morning sadly sent us back once again to our usual lives in the OC. Can't wait until we are invited back again!
;- )

A Day at the Bonnie Hunt Show

HNT ~ Flowers, Flowers Everyehre!

I am such a lucky girl to have received three bunches of roses in honor of St. Valentine's Day!
Yes that's me in the mirror amongst the paper hearts.

This is my favorite bunch.
The creamy peach turns bright fushia along the edges of the petals.

Here are some bright red beauties!

And these are deep velvety red with baby's breath.
The house smells just heavenly with all these flowers blooming.
I can't wait until they all start to open.

Happy HNT! For more please visit Views From the Back Row.

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

Musical Monday - Zydeco

This is probably the most familiar Zydeco song recognized both by devoted fans of the genre and those who've never even knew they were listening to Zydeco. This song busting at the seems with uplifting, vibrant and fanciful music. Its a symbiotic combination of accordion, fiddle, drums and bass. Often Zydeco lyrics are witty and sung in French These are no exception. Or if they are sung in English, they are pickled with Cajun slang and, like much of the music of the south, they are usually strife with woe and resolute inspiration. The lyrics of Beau Soleil's Zedeco Gris Gris


The Big Easy is the film that introduced me to Zydeco and I've been hooked ever since. This crime thriller has a steamy violent story about the corruption and culture of New Orleans set in the late 80's. The plot moves at breakneck speed, while the lead actors (Dennis Quaid & Ellen Barkin) heat up the Big Easy while they work to catch those responsible for a spree of assassinations plaguing the Parrish. Will they be the next hit, or worse yet, end up food for the Bayou gators?

My favorite Zydeco tune is by

Want more Music fro your Monday? Then please visit Susie's Blog.

Please turn me on to your favorite Zydeco tune.

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!

Happy Halloween HNT!

We had a spooktacular day and I hope you did too! Miss WitchyPoo, the Fairy Princess Pricilla and myself, the Purple Panther had a delightful day. We dined at the local Olive Garden together and then off to visit my Nephew Josh and his buddies from school, and bring them Happy Halloween Treats!

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WitchyPoo casts a spell on her nemisis the Fairy Princess Pricilla!* * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * *
* * * * * * * * * * * Not so fast, WitchyPoo, Pricilla blocks the evil spell with her own white magic!

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Josh was just home from football practice and begrudgingly took a photo-op with us while he was still all sweaty! My, what a handsome young man he has become. And his buddies are a charming group of well mannered and fun-loving friends.

Please share your Halloween adventures with me.

Musical Monday - Zydeco

This is probably the best known Zydeco song by far. It certainly lives up to the full spirit of Zydeco which is usually very lively, uplifting, and vibrant with the symbiotic combination of acordian, fiddle, drum & bass guitar paired with witty lyrics filled with Cajun slang and Louisianna French.



The Big Easy is the film that introduced me to the Cajun music prevalent in New Orleans. Its a steamy little trek through the corruption and culture of the region set in 1987. The action is kept moving at breakneck speed while the lead male (Dennis Quaid) and female (Ellen Barkin) dance between the sheets, bickering their way through the mystery. Will they solve the crime before they become the target of the assassin they seek, or worse, will they be fed to the Bayou gators and never be seen again? Here's the movie trailer, unfortunately it doesn't feature any of the great zydeco music which fills the soundtrack.

If you'd like more music to fill your Monday, please visit Susie's blog.

For information about Zydeco, please visit here.

55 Flash Fiction Friday ~ Happy HNT! Year of the Tiger

adopt your own virtual pet!

I named my pet tiger cub after the Lishui River, also known as Li River,which is a river in Hunan province of China, one of the Yangtze River's four largest tributaries in the province. Click on her to hear her purrrrr! Click on "More" to feed her.

I've always been fascinated the with Chinese Zodiac. I am a water tiger born in 1962.

Click here to find out more about YOUR Chinese zodiac sign.

TIGER DATES
Persons born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "year of the Tiger," while also bearing the following elemental sign:

* 8 February 1902 - 28 January 1903: Water Tiger
* 26 January 1914 - 13 February 1915: Wood Tiger
* 13 February 1926 - 1 February 1927: Fire Tiger
* 31 January 1938 - 18 February 1939: Earth Tiger
* 17 February 1950 - 5 February 1951: Metal Tiger
* 5 February 1962 - 24 January 1963: Water Tiger
* 23 January 1974 - 10 February 1975: Wood Tiger
* 9 February 1986 - 28 January 1987: Fire Tiger
* 28 January 1998 - 15 February 1999: Earth Tiger
* 15 February 2010 - 3 February 2011: Metal Tiger
* 2022 - 2023: Water Tiger

TIGER ATTRIBUTES
The Tiger, associated with good fortune, power, and royalty, is viewed with both fear and respect. Their protection and wisdom is sought after. The Chinese (and generally all of the East) see the tiger, and not the lion, as the king of beasts.

Tiger people are difficult to resist, for they are magnetic characters and their natural air of authority confers a certain prestige on them. They are tempestuous yet calm, warm-hearted yet fearsome, courageous in the face of danger yet yielding, soft and mysterious in unexpected places. They enjoy a life full of challenges and unexpected events, like visiting unusual places and meeting interesting or outstanding people. Other people in their area are easily attracted by the tiger's enthusiasm and way of life. Tigers find pleasure in the unpredictable, and while other people would rather make a backward step, they are not afraid to explore the new and unusual. But it is not that simple to interest the Tiger. What they really need is first-hand experience. Usually open and frank, these people are likely to withdraw and can be aggressive when trapped. As soon as the Tiger has regained their sense of security their confidence also returns, enabling them to set out once more. These people usually tend to trust their instincts, though there is another side of their personality, which assesses situations thoughtfully before they launch any actions. Their friends usually secretly admire their determination and optimism, though sometimes may find it complicated to share the Tiger's enthusiasm and can be pushed away and left behind. Although Tigers can be courageous and generous friends, if they are not able to achieve what they want, they can be inflexible. So if your friend was born in the year of the Tiger, there will be highs and lows in your friendship, but the friendship itself will remain firm.

CHINESE ZODIAC ELEMENTS


To find out more about HNT you can follow the link on the left.

Happy HNT Late Again, Ooops!

Tag! Your It!

I was tagged by Bunny and here are my 8 revealing facts for you all to read:

1) I often buy cookie dough squares and then never bake them because I've eaten them all right out of the frige. I especially love the Trader Joe's brand, but Nestle's will do in a pinch. It may take me all week to eat them, as I try to limit myself to 4 blocks at a time. This usually happens when I'm in PMS mode. I will tuck the remaining dough in a bag or container and hide them from mysself in the frige so they don't taunt me into eating them all in one shot! This is a guilty pleasure I endulge myself in about 6 times a year. Have you ever eaten raw cookie dough that wasn't enveloped in icecream?


2) I have a PEZ collection. My Mom started buying the candy dispensers for me when I was a kid and I've managed to collect approximately 100 over the years. One day I hope to display them at the Orange County Fair, just for kicks.

3) I love to read Biographies. I'm currently reading one about Queen Noor of Iran.

4) My husband & I often enjoy jigsaw puzzles. We currently don't have one in progress because we need to buy a new one. When we have one going, we work on it together on the dining room table.

5) If life gives you lemons, make Picatta sauce! I make a mean Picatta and use only the best ingredients: white wine, capers, asparagus tips, fresh lemon juice only please, and a touch of flour to thicken. It's great over shrimp, any seafood really, veal, pork, chicken, rice ~ the list goes on, and on.

6) I love to draw with crayons, colored pencils, paint, ketchup, markers, icing etc. You name it and I've probably drawn with it.

7) We have no children, but our home is filled with toys. Steve and I love board games like scrabble, chess & monopoly. We collect the kids meal toys from MacDonald's in sets from our favorite movies. We have a select few stuffed animals, and we have many pool and beach toys as well. We ride bikes, roller blade and love amusement parks, too! I guess you could say we are kids at heart.

8)If I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd travel the world with my husband taking courses as we go. First on the list would be the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. The Loire Valley for a Smithsonian historical cruise would be next, and then who knows where you'd find us. Some possibilities might include: Australia for a digerido lesson, Switzerland for a yodelling class, Italy for a fresco restoration tutorial, or the nearest philharmonic for violin finger calistenics. We'd also visit Chicago during their jazz festival, Sundance for their film festival, Colorado for white water rafting, and Tahoe for the ski season. New Zealand is on our list of "must see" places in the world as well ~ kiwi pie anyone?. We'd love to be able to say we've seen all of the U.S. national parks. We could spend a month in Bejing doing Tai Chi in the great park each morning then off to Hawaii to learn how to hang ten with our Niece & Nephews in the Pacific. And the great thing is, as we travel about the globe, we could keep in touch with all of our family and pals via blogland.

I hope you've had fun taking this personal tour of my psyche. I look forward to reading your comments and your 8. If I tagged you...

The rules are:

1)Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2)People who are tagged need to write in their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3)At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4)Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

These are the 8 folks I chose to tagged today! Please visit their blogs via the links provided. Let them know I've sent you to them when you say hello, or leave them a comment.

Amadeus45
Aurora
Colleen
Osbasso
RennyaBA
Susie's the Boss
Rocko

Happy HNT! Get your Cowgirl on!

Me & some of my fellow cowgirls at a recent round up ~ Yeehah!



Last night, I watched the Movie NORTH COUNTRY once again. There are many things that I like about this film. Three of them being the leading actresses; Charlize Theron, France McDormand and Sissy Spacek.

Based on an inspiring real-life event that took place in the late 80's, North Country stars Miss Theron in a low-glamour, but high-impact role as Josey Aimes, one of only a handful of women working in the Minnesota iron mines. Forced to labor under sexist conditions, she and her female colleagues decide to stand up against the unrelenting harassment from their male counterparts.

A fictionalized account of one of America's most groundbreaking sexual harassment lawsuits comes to the screen in this hard-hitting drama. Aimes returned to her hometown in Minnesota and followed the lead of her old friend Glory (Frances McDormand), who had bucked tradition and found a job in the iron mines that had long provided employment for much of the community. Aimes found herself the growing target of sexist jokes and abhorrent behavior from the male miners, she found that many of her female co-workers were reluctant to stand beside her, afraid of losing a good-paying job at a time when they were increasingly hard to find. The right for females to work in the mines had been mandated by law almost 15 years prior, but as a personal crisis became a public war of words, Aimes became the center of a nationwide controversy when she attempted to file a class action sexual harassment suit against the mine owners, and won setting groundbreaking precedence.

One of my favorite scenes in the film takes place when Glory is riding along in Josie’s truck on her first day working at the mine. Glory asks Josie, “So are you a cowboy, or a cowgirl?” Giggling, Josie answers, “A cowgirl.” Then Glory reminds her that they are working in a man’s world and she admonishes Josie to “Get your cowboy on!” I just love all that this phrase inspires. The female’s ability to embrace her Yang and get down & dirty with the best of the boys. The idea that becoming rugged, rough and ready for anything can be turned on, like a switch. After all, Attitude is everything!

Charlize & Francis were both nominated in 2005 for Academy Awards for their leading and supporting roles respectively. Does anybody know who won the Oscars for Best Actress, and Best Supporting Female Performances that year? For extra Bonus points name the male winning actors that year as well. You are all on your honor not to Google the results. The first one to name all four actors will win a prize! And I promise it will be a movie worthy treat.

For more information about HNT, North County and the class action lawsuit, please visit these links.