Sue's World

Frantic Pace

Okay, so that's an exaggeration, but there has been something going on every week for the past several.  It's all good/fun stuff but time is flying by like crazy.

As tends to happen, I don't post consistently so all of a sudden things jam up and then I'm posting like crazy.  So now I need to take a bit of a breather before continuing.

This past weekend I was in Cambria; more on that later with photos (until my phone died) and stories.  It was GREAT! 

I will leave with one thing.  When we came home from Cambria, we were in and out of rain the whole way.  And I was surprised at how cold it was.  When we turned onto a street about 1/2 a mile away from our house, I saw a car with snow on it.  I figured it snowed in a nearby summit but was shocked when we pulled onto our street and saw white stuff around.  When I got out of the car it was obvious that it had rained hard and then the rain turned to wet snow.  So that's three times in one year that's happened.  There are places in the newly-planted area that have little holes about an inch wide and a little deeper where the rain pelted down off the roof.  But once we were hope there was no more of the wet stuff.  We enjoyed the first fire in the fireplace of the season.

I'm signing off with a couple of pictures; time to do something besides typing!

Autumn Sunset

Today I downloaded pictures from my camera to my computer so it's time to catch up on what's been happening in pictures. 

I snapped from the street.  Yes, I ran into the street to get this shot, being careful to observe all four directions to make sure I wasn't going to get plowed over.

I have many shots of this sunset but the two that I'm including here are my favorites.  The second looks very scary.  It's hard to tell if this is a sunset or a fire or worse! 

Relishing The Moment

Today is the first day of November.  Duh; we all know that. 

Last night we handed out candy to hoards of little pirates, princesses and Spiderman.  For the most part, they were small kids.  Some hadn't quite gotten the hang of trick-or-treating.  We had shy kids, kids who said nothing, kids who shouted "TRICK OR TREAT" before we got to the door, kids who said "thank you" after we closed the door, and kids who were so busy with each other that they almost forgot to get their candy.  In a rare moment of going with the flow, we had pumpkins but didn't carve them.  That was nice.  In between, we watched Sleepy Hollow.  Amazingly, I did not have nightmares last night and the only scary thing I saw was Zorro facing off with a raccoon at 2am.  And yea, that was real.  I came downstairs to find Zorro staring out the back window, hissing.  And on the other side was a raccoon with front paws on the screen looking intently at Zorro.  I opened the door slightly and made a noise to encourage him to take off.

But today something changed.  Hubby said "it's Christmas next month!" and my eyes got really wide.  Time to round up the troops for Thanksgiving!  It's THIS month.  Gotta start looking at recipes and planning and...and...and....  Today I actually thought I might put up some clear lights out in the garden in anticipation for putting up Winter decorations.  Yes, Winter comes before Christmas.  There will be twinkling white lights and snowflakes and icicles before the true Christmas decorations go up.  Okay, it's probably a tad early for the lights.  Heck, I still need to finish planting!

My toes are cold right now.  About an hour ago it was still 50 degrees though it's crystal clear and sunny.  I'm nearly finished with laundry and I decided today is the day to put away the bulk of my Summer clothes.  The closet has been jam-packed because I already took out my Fall/Winter clothes.  Today I realize that even with some sunny and warm days ahead, it will be cooler and cooler and I don't need to look at shorts and tank tops and Summer dresses.  Ah...much better!

With the warm weather clothes mostly removed, I can actually look at the cool weather clothes.  I can't wait to wear sweaters and long pants and boots.  I dress nicer in the cool season.  In warm weather, I'm lucky if I pick a pair of shorts and a tank top to match.  But in cool weather I wear nice outfits with heels and jewelry and sometimes even a smidgen of makeup (wish I wasn't allergic to so much).

On Thursday I will get dolled up to be Mrs. Somebody Important as I accompany my hubby to a professional gathering of peers.  What to wear?  I admittedly have a nice little collection of timeless evening wear.  I put on the gorgeous blue dress I wore to my parents' 50th anniversary party 2 years ago.  Stunning!  I put on a black velvet cocktail dress.  Gorgeous.  I put on a sheer black dress with a nude sheath.  Lovely!  And then I found an odd dress bag and wondered what was inside.  BONANZA!  Last year about this time, I went to Palm Springs with my dearest friends for a lovely weekend.  We shopped at an outlet mall and I fell for a darling copper-colored cocktail dress.  I can't remember exactly what I paid for it but it was ridiculously priced at under $40.  I've not had occasion to wear it but I put it on a bit ago and it was pure magic.  I need to have it pressed but that's my outfit.  Purely coincidentally, I had a pedicure yesterday and chose copper-colored nail polish.  Hmmmm...

So now my Summer clothes sit in neat piles, waiting to jump into boxes to hibernate for the Winter.  And my sweaters are wiggling around in the closet now that they have room.  So here I sit in robe and slippers, toes slowly thawing.  I need to finish laundry and get more planting done and go grocery shopping and...and...and....  But I'm taking a few moments to relish today.  There's no need to shop.  There's no need to pine for what I don't have.  I am content.

Don't Trust Me With State Secrets

I went to the dentist for a routine cleaning today.  It's been 7 months since I was there and I use a good electric toothbrush and haven't had a cavity since I was a teen.  I am the biggest baby in a dentist chair and for fifteen minutes I suffered torture.

At some point I thought I could not be trusted with government secrets because I would cave to real torture in a nanosecond!  The dentist uses high power water for most of the cleaning and it has a pitch that my ears cannot bare.  I clench my body so tightly that I am a bundle of nerves.

Six hours later, my jaw and neck are sore.  <sigh.

 

The Calendar Says Summer

September 17th is still officially Summer, right?  I know we're headed for another head wave, but it's been nice to have a taste of Autumn.  Our pyracantha berries are starting to turn red, and when I drive up to church the maples already have some red leaves.

Last weekend I decorated for Fall.  I always love re-discovering my decorations and adding something new.  Last night I bought "Harvest" candles; my favorite scent.  And this past week I had pumpkin spice coffee for the first time this season.

My sister-in-law and I had lunch together Thursday at a local tea shop.  We bought loose tea and one of the flavors I picked up was pumpkin spice.  Today I bought a bag of pumpkin spice coffee...mmmm!  So while Summer is slow to leave, I am ready for Fall.  Hey, I even bought a sweater this morning! 

The Harbinger of Fall

I didn't sleep well last night.  Many times when that happens I just sleep in.  This morning I couldn't.  I finally gave up and got out of bed just before 5:30.  Yesterday my hubby told me he saw the constellation Orion.  That's a sure sign the seasons are changing.  So I went outside and smiled seeing Jupiter, the seven sisters, a thin sliver of moon and Orion. 

I don't care if it's going to be 105 degrees today.  It was around 60 when I woke up.  And there's a slight cool breeze.  So now I'm getting my grubby clothes on and am heading out into the garden.  The trash barrels are full; no room more more plant material but I can spread more compost and turn the compost bin and on and on.  At some point I'm pretty sure I'll have to take a nap.  But by then it will be over 100.

Truth be told, one of the reasons I had a hard time sleeping is that I was thinking about planting Fall bulbs.  I think the last thing I watched last night was a gardening show on PBS and that got me all excited.  This is probably the first year that I'm ahead of schedule and waiting for the season to catch up with me.

Gratitude

I am incredibly thankful to have the luxury of working out of the house just one day a week.  I came home today around 3 and that was after a 34 mile commute with a pit stop at the local Garden Center to pick up 10 bags of organic compost.

This Summer I have enjoyed long periods of hand-watering the yard and today was no exception.  The last little session lasted only about 1/2 an hour but I was able to watch the few clouds in the sky go from red to black as the sun set.

I am determined to have things properly watered and growing to get ready for Fall planting season.  Yes, that's a good 6 or 7 weeks away, but there's nothing like getting the ground good and ready as the date approaches.

My beloved California gardening book tells me that August is a great time to plant seeds and I think I'm going to do it.  In the early years of the garden, I recall planting masses of wildflower seeds and having masses of gorgeous flowers in the Winter/Spring.  I have no recollection when I planted them but I'm guessing it was well before the end of the year.  So I think I'm going to try again AND even have the guts to plant some sunflowers.

Another benefit of my schedule is having leisurely time to cook dinner and have it ready when hubby gets home, or pretty darned close to that.  There's plenty of time to eat and clean up and the evening is still young.  No more stressful rushing through the front door late and then banging around tyring to get something on the table in under 1/2 an hour and still being stressed because I never got a chance to breathe after leaving work.

The cats still give me the hopeful eye much too early and move closer to position as the evening progresses.  Once I'm done with dinner, Zorro doesn't let a second pass before he's sitting on my chair with a great view of the cleanup process.

After the sun set, I realized I still had the compost in the car (windows cracked) and decided to empty it so the car wasn't stinky in the morning.  I was wearing a sundress and got dirt on it so once that was done I decided a shower was in order and now I'm clean and cozy and slightly sleepy.

If I'm lucky, I'll dream about masses of flowers cropping up.  I am thankful for these little pleasures and treasures.

 

Saying Goodbye...Again

A couple of weeks ago it seemed that Winter made a hasty exit.  I love the prospect of heavy-duty gardening, of leaving windows open, and whipping out the Spring wardrobe but was sad to say goodbye to the lovely fires and snuggly clothes.

Two weeks ago I washed our windows outside.  Last week I saw the newly washed windows nearly be swept away by the massive rainfall.  But I was thrilled to use the fireplace again.  And so it was last night and tonight.  It was a gray day today.  I kept expecting rain but it never happened.  But once again we got to enjoy a roaring fire.  Jet enjoyed it too; he was nice and toasty in his box in front of the fireplace.  Now it's time to go to sleep.  A few last hot embers are glowing orange in the fireplace.  (Yes, the screen and glass doors are closed.)  Will there be another fire before the fireplace is dormant for the next several months?  At this point we don't know...

Itching for a Change

A week ago Friday I had another cut (literally) at a biopsy on my back.  Last time it was a shave biopsy that was very thin.  The recent one required 7 stitches and I took it easy for several days.  Today I gardened and did some things that I hadn't done since the little procedure and I feel it tonight.  I think I stretched in ways that bothered it a bit and I'm also really itchy at this point.  Stitches come out Friday.  Glad it was smack-dab in the middle of my back; couldn't have been in an easier place.  The only thing I can't do is change the bandage; hubby has been a trooper for that! 

C-c-c-c-h-h-h-h-h-h--i-i-i-i-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-y!

Brrr...it was cold last night.  We enjoyed a rip-roaring fire for hours and had a snuggly night but I was not surprised to see white frost on the roofs nor ice on a pot filled with water.  I was surprised, though, to see ice on the fountain.  Before going to sleep last night I joked with hubby that I should unplug the fountain to see if it would freeze, but didn't. 

Once I saw the ice on the fountain, I realized what happened.  Where the water spills over into the basin, it splashes.  So on the side of the splashing, ice built up, at least an inch out from the side of the fountain.  And then the edges of the basin froze even though the water was moving around all night.

The cars and lawn had frost on them too and there are spectacular views of snowy mountains around us again (though not as low as it was last weekend).  I was grocery shopping about an hour ago and it has warmed up to the mid-50s but it's much colder than that in the shade! 

Just thinking about it is making me head to the kitchen for a nice cup of hot tea!