The City and other Things

 Now this is what I call a home.  Just look at the work around the outside and how big it is.  I would love it.  I bet the back yard is just as beautiful.  Oh, to dream my dear, it would be lovely.

Below are two of my dogs.  Bella is on the left who is a couple years old and Olivia is on the right who is 10.  Olivia is giving her some sage advice.  They are quite a pair. 

How is everything going for all of you ?  I hope just grand.  Me ?  Well, it's good, really it is.  I can't complain.  Life has been pretty good to me and my family.  Oh, I do have wants.  Like maybe friends.

I don't seem to have any.  I suppose and it is hard for me to admit, I didn't take care of my friendships.  Things got in the way.  Sometimes it was time, other times it was commitments.  You know, the things you thought were so important at the time and now that you look back you realize they were not important at all.  Then there is the, "I'm just too tired or I just want some peace and quiet.  Well, I have got that now.  I'm tired and I sure have lots of peace and quiet.  Ha! or lol. (not really up with a lot of the new text shortcuts).  I would love to belong to a Book Club, Quilt Club, Crochet Club.  Hey, show me a Club and I will join.  Well, not really.  There has to be a liking for what ever they are doing and maybe some of the Clubs I would be unable to participate but I think you get what I mean.  I know some people would say join it on line.  Well, it's still not what I want.  I miss the getting together.  The talking until you realize how fast the time has flown by and your hungry or you've talked so much your voice is sounding hoarse.  It's funny, I remember going to see my daughter when my three Grandchildren were little.  I would spend the day with them and we would have such a good time.  I would go home and tell her Dad my ears are on my shoulder, I have spent the day with our daughter.  He would laugh. Tootles

Golden Gate and Other Things

How we love San Francisco. There are so many things to see and do.  The Golden Gate is just one of the many places.

How is everyone this wonderful cool morning.  The delta breeze arrived this morning and not a minute too soon.  Hopefully we will not have to put up with anymore 100's. 

I'm working on getting all my books on the app. ibookshelf.  It's great.  Now I can organize my books better and be able to look up books to see if I have them.  I was going to wait until fall but I'm indoors now anyway because of the heat so why not.  Tootles

Pier 39

What a fun day but then who wouldn't have fun in
San
Francisco ?

We always have a great time.

This time we ate at a little cafe away from Pier 39.  It's in the city and called Cafe Divine on Stockton and across from Washington Square.  The food was good but the service was not.  We enjoyed walking around although I must say not a fan of the up and down hill walking.  It's a little difficult when you are not use to it. Tootles

San Francisco

Crossing the Bay Bridge.  Just think about it .
                         Tootles

Elviria !

 Need I say more ?  Yes, I guess I will as she is the sweetest and most loving kitty ever.  Right now I think she is tell us to barbecue and I am on the swing not in the mood for cooking.  I'm in the mood for swinging as in dropping my self back in the swing stretching out my arms, hanging on and looking up in the walnut tree.  Remember doing that as a kid, well I still do it today.  I love to swing, always have and always will. I could be out there for a long time, sometimes going fast but most of the time just swinging back and forth and enjoying the birds singing to me as well as the gentle breeze.

 This is what I am looking at if I turn to my left while swinging.  The walnut tree is wonderful not only for shade but the yummy walnuts we get off of it in the fall.  We are so lucky to have it.  My ferns are doing great.  So far this year we have only had a couple days of 100' and the rest have been in the 70's and low 80's.  Go figure, we don't understand.  This is the end of June and it has been great.  We are loving it.  You can just see inside.  That's the funny room as we don't really know what to call it.  We don't really use it other than to get outside or inside.  It's a passing through room.

 Now standing in the passing through room and looking out the doors you can just make out the swing.  That's where I was swinging.  Everything is so cozy, how I do love my home.  It's a little odd and a whole lot strange but I do love it.  My husband has build every room and has had a lot of fun doing it.  We call it the fun house. Ha!  Not really, actually I have named it.... It's called......
" Arcanes Portus Aveo " .  It means Secret Haven of Happiness and Good Health.  You could also say Hidden Home of Happiness and Good Health.  How I do love it.

This is a corner of the Passing Through Room.  My treasures from the Thrift Stores.  I do love to shop at them and just look at what I found.  Of course, not Sadie Blake.  She's my doll my Mom made me.  Isn't she sweet but the flowers, the rooster and the plant divider is all from the thrift store.
I have rearranged it since I took this picture.  I'll get around to taking more pictures and show you but until then .....Tootles.

Our Garden growing And Books or Kindle ?

 These are our lovely Peaches.  Now, they are not freestone which I really love the best but I must say they do have a sweet flavor.  I want the freestone to put on the barbecue.  I''m sure you have seen the recipes which show them  and they talk about the caramel glaze.  I guess you cut them in half and, of course remove the seed then place them on the grill.  That's the only problem with these peaches there is no way to cut them in half.  You have to cut around the seed.  They look so pretty hanging there in the tree.

 Next is our artichoke.  They are so yummy.  I tried a new recipe, I think I already told you about it, where you cut the stem off the bottom place them in foil put garlic inside the leaves, pour olive oil over and sprinkle with salt.  Wrap it up put it in the oven for at least an hour and you have a treasure of taste.  It is so good.  Of course, the first thing you always have to do is soak them in water.  That, is to get the earwigs out believe me they are in there hiding. I also just boil them and dip them in mayo but the other method really gives them a great flavor.

Then we have the tomato.  You can just see one starting to turn.  I swear there is nothing like a tomato from your garden the flavor is so good, nothing like the tasteless ones in the grocery that seem to turn to mush.  It's obvious they have been frozen.  Hey, if you can't have a plant yourself then go to a farmers market you won't be sorry.

We also have grapes and wild berries but will show you them another day.  It is great having them in my yard.

So have you read any good books lately ?  Speaking about books and I do mean the one with pages that you actually turn yourself.  Well, I do miss them.  Yes, I do have a Kindle and yes, I love it But.......  I have to admit it's great but I am going back to the book.  I regret buying some of the books and getting them on the Kindle.  Yes it is convenient but I want the feel of the book back in my hands.  When I'm reading a good part I always rub the pages.  I take my whole hand and caress the page and you just can't do that with a Kindle or any other ereader.  Don't get me wrong I think there is a place for them and I will continue to use mine.  Let's say going on vacation, although I never take a book on vacation, I'm too busy seeing the sites and maybe picking up a new book to read later after the vacation is over, but I know some people want several books to take.  Well, here you go, load them on the Kindle and your set.  Another place is Schools.  Let's get rid of those back packs.  Have you lifted one of those.  Hey, go up and ask a student sometime if you can hold his backpack (well, in this day and age, maybe not such a good idea) but if you could you would not believe how heavy they are.  Talk about back problems later in life.  Anyway that would be a great place.  Yes I know there would have to be some regulations about them but, Books for Schools are not cheap and let's face it a lot of them have ended up in mud puddles.  Well, anyway that is my take on it and I must get going so I can order my new book from Amazon.  I will hold it and love it and smell it and pat it and squeeze it and place it on a shelf when I am done reading it so that whenever I look at the spine I will remember what a great feeling I had while reading it.  You just can't do that with a Kindle.  Sorry Kindle.  Tootles

Come in and sit awhile

Hello and welcome.  What brings you by on this lovely day as summer begins ?  We are very lucky as the weather has been springlike.  Although we did have a couple of days that reached 100 last week, and believe me we did not like it, that is forgotten.  Now we are enjoying just being outside.  So as I said before come and sit a spell and let's chat.