Sunday, March 31, 2013

Blessed Be


Sunflowers in Utah
Blessed Be


Friday, March 29, 2013

Enough With The Yard Z


Making progress
Working around the house from
north face to south face.
All the empty pots, tubs and wagons will soon have flowers.


Opposite side of walkway



The bud became a bloom


The sun rises in the east and slowly lights up 
this side each morning,
peeking through the trees.
Those are bottle brush soon to be filled with red 'brushes".
They are 20 years old and on their last legs..
Certain times of the year you get bee bombed
when you walk along the path.



Had coffee here on the porch this a.m.
Doorway into the sun porch that you all like.
I see I need to retighten all the twinkle lights out here,
they're a mite droopy.





Of course Howie snuck into this pic,
I almost made it without him photo bombing..

I'll finish up the yard this weekend.
I'll spare you the dog run and such.
Enough of my yard already!
I hope everyone has a blessed weekend with 
their loved ones.
I'm playing yard hooky with a pal today.

(oh and Ellie I wanted to write you
but you are "no reply comment",
with no email address...
BC is a lovely place, indeed it is)

Z


Thursday, March 28, 2013

Spring Cleaning In The Green


Worked in the yard all day.
Leaf blower running off and on off and on.
Roses bushes coming on strong in rose garden.
I bought the weather vane for my Dad, 
over 20 years ago.
He sent it back to me before he died.
Banks roses still with me and
the trumpet vine is flourishing.



Yes that is neighbors roof
we're all crammed in around these parts.


Most of pea gravel in this area cleaned of leaves.


That curve is the rose garden and extra seating for parties.



Side yard cleaned up waiting for plants to give bursts of color.
I'll be heading to nursery this weekend.
Justice peeking through front gate.
Repaired three fountains, the sound is once again 
following you from front door, up the side and into the rear yard.


Walkway is so monotone until plants arrive,
then all the old pieces pop.
Yes, it all stays out year round, weathering away.



Howie in foreground checking it all out

I have completed about 1/3 of the yard.
Once I'm done, it'll be good until late fall
when I have to do it all over again.
I suppose it is still easier than dealing with snow.
Today was high 70's 
Don't hate me
We'll soon be in the 100's

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Mixed Bag

I don't have a honey do list,
I have a damn I have to do this all myself list,
and guess what?
S**t gets done.

In the process of a "check off all this crap on the list" mania,
 I have been known to get a mite
uh... crabby, moody, frustrated, irritable...
OK generally pissed off
that King Putz planted trees that were way too large for my postage stamp yard,
that they are all deciduous requiring major leaf cleanup and that they were all given to me as Mother's Day gifts so the guilt of 
chopping them down and making stump seating and/or ash plate chargers out of them that I could boast about on pinterest
is out of the question.. 
and my affordable yard cleanup guy who always helps me
this time of year, is in jail.

BREATHE


Allergies, my newest friend the past 4 years
are loving the exposure to all the pollen, leaf mold
and pine buds I am exposing them to.
They are flourishing and rewarding me 
with cotton throat and itchy eyes. 
If you add that to the torn yoga pants,
coffee stained, once long sleeved t-shirt that I unceremoniously cut the sleeves off, (while I was wearing mind you), braless with the pendulous wonders hanging free, and throw in 
my needing to be dyed, 1 inch root showing hair pulled back
in a pony tail so tight, I have an "eye lift" ensemble
well, is it any wonder I do not have a honey
 to "DO" the to do list?

Is it a sign of my age that I no longer care who drives by and sees me in the front yard in this condition? They all speed by way too fast, so I am just a blur anyway. I do however try not to bend over with the uh "posterior" of me facing the street.
One does need to follow some neighborhood decorum.

BREATHE

The backyard is the target today,
as much as I can stand before my eyes swell shut.
Yeah, yeah hilarious...
I'm organized and hilarious but not a size 2.
The universe has some sense of fairness.

Mixed bag of indignities 
from an old bag who loves ya

Z











Sunday, March 24, 2013

The Neighborhood





Headed outside via the back porch early this morning.


I just had to see the roses some more while I sipped some Joe.


Ran into this sweetheart, a pair of them have been  hanging out back here. I need to spot the nest. 


First bud on the rose bush from my dearest son.
 First bush to bloom each year right 
after the banks roses.


A riot of color


Aggressive little bugger. See it reaching up to 
embrace the mesquite tree in the middle of the yard?
That will be clipped, 
but I cannot bear to until the blooms are past.


The trumpet vine woke up yesterday.


Another faithful performer.
This lady lasts all summer and drapes over the wall to a walkway.
The association gardeners slice off everything on their 
side of the wall.
Idiots


These have been on the outside porch table since September?
Wish I looked that good that long...



I cannot help it.
 I love the light on this porch.





 I have recently met some wonderful new folks
 in the blogging neighborhood, 
new to me, not to blogging,
 and I was talking about it with my friend Chania.
( A brand new Grandma as of this morning)
We discuss just about everything, like old friends do, and in the course of the back and forth emails I wrote this to Chania..

"I view it as a neighborhood. There are those that come in for coffee and stay all morning, and feed the dogs while you are away..then there are the ones you see at the mailbox now and again and you both ask about the kids at college and comment on the blight affecting the ash trees in the area and after 15 minutes you wave and go home. Then there are the neighbors you see watering their lawn as you walk the dog and you nod and say good morning and wave at each other's cars as you leave for work. Then there are the neighbors in their car who slowly drive down the street, open the garage door before even turning into their driveway, pull into the garage and begin closing the overhead without even exiting their car. The ones in the neighborhood no one knows...Hey I think there is a blog post in that last paragraph...lol maybe this weekend.."

I often get emails from new bloggers and just as often they bring up trying to grow their blog etc and I always refer them to 
"big" bloggers with the same goals as they have.
I still have this post from October 2010
on my sidebar, explaining my decisions about blogging.
Yes, my numbers have grown since then,
but my attitude remains the same.
Those of you that have known me for awhile
 know where I stand on this, my goal has always been, not in the numbers etc but on the relationships, friendships that have flourished here and truly, I mean this from the bottom of my heart,
ENRICHED my life.

We are a neighborhood with various tastes, wants, desires and needs. There is room for everyone.

Now and again someone crosses your path
and WHAM you connect, and it is magic how 
the friendship unfolds.

That does not negate or lessen the relationships
that are more casual, just as friendly, just as lovely.
They are all precious gifts.

Who wants a neighborhood where 
they're all made out of ticky tacky
 and they all look just the same?



Have a great week.

Z













It's Sunday



Be kind out there today.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Always A Little Sunshine And Roses


Each year since I planted my Banks Roses I am rewarded with a
blanket of blooms dripping over the wall on a sunny morning. A few tentative yellow spots appear as they did yesterday, and then
POW! the next day this is what occurs.
Unfortunately just like last year, we are expecting huge winds today and tomorrow so this display will be fleeting.

Always, a little sunshine and roses can lift my spirits,


as did the wonderful response to
 my latest totes from yesterday's post.
I also received some special orders. Yahoo!
Thank you my friends.
Only one pair remain for now,  C 


A
sold




C
though many sets are on my studio table, 
waiting for me to return and finish them. 

Also on the docket for today, a battle with my cable company
over them moving TCM to a channel
 requiring a 12.00 per TV charge...I won my own battle,
and will not be paying the extra charge,
 though still believe it is a stupid move on their part,
especially in order to provide more reality garbage TV.
Enough complaints and maybe they'll reconsider?
At first I was told to simply pay for 2 boxes to get
what I had received for free.. "most people do"
Of course most folks I know already do pay for all those boxes..
but I choose not to, since I carefully edit my TV viewing anyway.

Just like I don't text or use my cell unless forced to,
it's almost always dead and it has
 next to none minutes on it anyway.
I don't like FB ( keep just for spotify) or tweet etc.
No, I'm not techno phobic, c'mon I have 2 blogs, an etsy shop,
(OK it's been on semi-permanent vacation), 
I'm even an occasional pinterest user,
 but yet I often feel I need to defend the fact 
that I don't want an excess of technology in my life.

I  live a small life by choice.
I don't mind that others are techno addicts.
Add a plug in to your behind if you want, 
it won't bother me, but your trousers may fit funny.


I am carefully following the debate over "lean in" 
and the backlash "lean out".
Didn't we already do this when women returned to work,
and the battle between "stay at home" and "working mom"
ensued? Did we learn nothing?
 And Damn! When will a father be referred to as 
a working father, as every working mother is?
When 100 % of men finally share 50%
 of the load outside of work?
When there are 50% of corporate women as leaders?
But if you value staying at home, or working and still
making home the priority instead of clawing up the ladder,
isn't that your right?
Personal choices - no mold to squeeze ourselves into.

uh oh
I need to go smell the roses
and bask in the sunshine.
I'm getting riled up...
bet it was the three cups of Joe this a.m
 I mis-measured.

Note to self:
Use the bucket
wear glasses in the house
pay attention
go sew...






Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Two Totes

TWO TOTES

I love totes
I use totes 
I keep several in my car at all times,
and use them in all stores, not just for food.
My market a block away
fondly refers to me as the bag lady,
 and I get 4 extra points 
each visit even if I only use two totes.
They like my totes.
I've been sewing, selling, and giving totes
as gifts for many years.

A few days ago, needing therapy,
 I decided to hang in the studio, 
sewing up some of the mountains of
home dec fabric I have saved.
High quality favorites, hoarded for years,
 saving the "good stuff" for me;
but really, how much fabric can 
I save for later?
Apparently a lot, so many totes to come.


The totes are reversible, ultra sturdy,
and hold an enormous amount of product.
 The handles are reinforced to hold weight. 
Each is approximately 17"x15"
with a 12" handle drop for comfort.




*********************************
Several sets are available
$40.00 a pair plus shipping




Vibrant bark cloth florals, 
lined with a lovely cream/red/sage stripe

PAIR A 
sold


****************************************



Vibrant bark cloth florals,
lined with quilted butter cream.

PAIR B
sold

****************************************





Textured greys with muted red stripe,
lined with a yummy sage/plum/grey floral.

PAIR C


****************************************





Nubby linen paired with soft blue/beige floral

PAIR D
sold

****************************************




Buttercup/pink/sage/floral paired with two
sizes of herringbone browns

PAIR E
sold

****************************************




Wonderful cream /tan striped linen
lined with same

PAIR F
sold

**********************

Want two totes?
Attractively packaged
so they also make a great gift.

Email me




use it