flowers and sunrise

 

Sunrise yesterday morning from my balcony.

My African Violet showing off.


Last week, in my Davis class the student from France left to return home.

She brought me this Freesia plant.  I don't know how long it will last under my care but it was beautiful with the morning sun shining on it while I drank my coffee.

See a little corner of my place.

Now you can see where the pieces are displayed.

This is my dining area.  I'm standing behind the table.  The kitchen is to the left.  See the sunrise?  About one minute after I took this picture  that sunrise was covered by clouds.

In the lower right is an Ikea door for a little cabinet I bought.  Paulette and I couldn't get it on.  Photo when it is finished.  Then I can show you my front door.

See what I made.

I had to do something with a quilt Grandma Anderson made for me when I got married.  I had used it a lot and it was worn.  SO...I cut some of the blocks out and framed them.  The top shoe, Mother once told me it was mine.  I suppose the other one was Aunt Julia's and maybe Mother's.

These two projects are part of my attempt to have everything in my home have a place instead of stuck in a box for sorting.  Paraphrasing Shirley: All this stuff takes up time and energy as well as space.

I'm glad I don't have enough to rent a space at the Brass armadillo.

Here's a piece of Grandma Anderson's wedding china.  I used a piece of a quilt she had made me and put it in a barnboard shadowbox frame.  Paulette and a couple of friends said it looks good.  I'll take a photo of the place where it is hanging later.   Both pieces are in the kitchen and the counter is messy.

Pretend Spring

Pretend Spring is what I call the week in mid February.  Around President's day,  fog decorates the fields in puffy patches. It also hovers above the water of the river.  Sixty degree days bring out the shorts.  Flowering trees are tricked into blooming.  They pop up between the naked ones.   During this week I enjoy as much outdoor activity as possible because I've been here long enough to know winter is hiding in the near future.   

For everyone east of Nevada I apologize.  I just HAD to write about this winter break.

update

 I-80 was closed overnight from Colfax to the state line.  Chain controls are usual but closing is not.  It was a wet and windy storm that passed through here last night.  Today it is bright blue and sunny.  With just a hint of clouds around the edges.  I walked outside for over 40 minutes and I can't remember the last time I walked outdoors from home for that long.

The trip to the beach is not on my birthday but the last weekend of April.  

I resumed the "company's coming" cleaning that I halted when Sue and Cindy had to cancel their visit.  This time I hope to get it finished without a pending visit.  Here's something new; the papers on the kitchen table are all from today and yesterday--no pending, what shall I do with this  papers.  And they papers aren't all on my desk either.  I feel like I'm making  progress in the paper area.  

Wishing you all warmer weather with sunshine.

UPcoming event

Before I left for the ST. George hotel last Friday, I made a reservation for a beach house at Bodega Bay.  This is our/my alternative to a Christmas mess.  It is MY birthday celebration.  It took a couple of years of suggesting, but now it is a tradition.  This is the third annual.  We have outgrown the cute little two bedroom place across the street from my good friends Terry and Cynthia.  This year we will be down the street a bit in a place with two bedrooms and a loft, all with queen sized beds.  There is an iron spiral staircase and from the web photos the view is great.

We arrive for dinner on Friday evening and take a walk on the beach before dark.  In the morning there is breakfast and the opening of presents.  Last year I used up the last of the Christmas wrap.  I get to be creative about wrapping this year.  Now I get to go shopping.  Last year I had lots of ideas; this year I think I may have to ask for ideas.

Last year Skyler and Paulette took an early morning walk on the beach.  After breakfast we all go to the beach.  We wear shorts, swim suits and rolled up pants to walk along the edge of the water.  There hasn't been much interest in digging in the sand.  At low tide we go looking for sea anemones and starfish on the rocks.  One year there were a lot; last year not so many. 

January

Is it Monday again, already?  I see I didn't do what I thought I would last week--add something during the week.  You, in the midwest, are cold.  Here in California we are getting webbed feet.  And the little boxes on the seven day forecast all have rain in them.  And there are chain controls over all the mountain passes.  I'm grateful it is still well above zero during all of this.

Here goes a story about the weekend.  On Friday, before the next storm rolled in I filled my car with gas and drove to Volcano, California.  Volcano has half a main street and on that street is the St. George Hotel.  First built during the Gold Rush, it burned down twice and is now made of brick.  I have, over the years I've lived in California, driven past the St. George and wanted to stay there.  Now I have.  There are rumors that ghosts inhabit the place.  I didn't see one.  There had been a ghost hunter group in the hotel the week-end before and I think they scared them away.

A group of women I gather with several times a year went on a week-end trip.  There were six of us in the hotel and on Saturday we met the other two at the home of one who lives nearby for food and talking.  We do have a wonderful time.

Back to the hotel.  I stayed in the Rough and Ready room.  It is about the size of a walk-in closet, very cozy.  We had (Friday) dinner reservations and had all arrived so we went into the saloon.  I walked in ahead of my friend Maggie and a man (who had probably been there all afternoon) turned on his barstool, looked at me and said, "Are you alone?"  I replied, No, I'm with her." pointing to Maggie.  He muttered as he turned back to his beer, "Don't say that around here."  This misconception did not stop him from trying to pick up all six of us when the rest of our group arrived.  WE forty, fifty and sixty somethings had a good laugh at his expense and I doubt he even knew it.

Dinner was very good and somewhat expensive since we had wine and dessert and worth every dollar.

On Saturday the sun came out in the foothills and it didn't rain until the middle of the night. Sunday morning started with clouds and by the time I finished the brunch the rain had started again.  Sigh.  I had planned to take photos of the wet barns along the road.  I did get some coffee and the best oatmeal raisin cookie I've had in a while in Amador City on the way home.