Roses That Sing

"Maybe there's a whole other universe where a square moon rises in the sky, and the stars laugh in cold voices, and some of the triangles have four sides, and some have five, and some have five raised to the fifth power of sides. In this universe there might grow roses which sing. Everything leads to everything."

~Stephen King

"IT"

Alan bought us some roses for Christmas! They weren't just for me, they were for Hendrix too! Hendrix has always loved the taste of roses, and in fact, cries for them if he sees them anywhere in his line of sight! It all started one day, when we were living in the cottage in Berkeley. I had a rose garden, surrounding a Japanese Maple tree. There were roses of every color! Of all of the different kinds, I think my favorites were the white ones, followed closely by the Hot Cocoa roses. As it turns out, the white ones were his favorite too, because one day he decided to take a big bite... CHOMP... of the prettiest white rose in the garden! He ate those petals with such glee, that it was hard not to laugh, even though I had spent the better part of a year, caring and shaping them!

 I checked with several online sources to see if he was in any danger from that big bite he took, and as it turned out, roses are not one of the flowers that are fatal to cats. That was a huge relief! So, from time to time, we buy him some roses, and let them dry slightly, so he gets to eat them like potato chips. Taking that big bite was all it took, for him to form a lifetime taste for rose petals, which he now eats like potato chips! He only gets 3 petals every few days, as I can't go out and buy them as often as I would like to, but watching my little cat enjoy them over Christmas, has inspired me to put more thought into getting him a rose bush this spring!

He loves them so much, that's not a lot to ask for, considering how well he takes care of us! I only use organic soil and plant food, so he never gets exposed to anything that might harm him. I don't know for sure what type of rose I might get, perhaps I will try a new one, but my goodness, I sure do miss the Hot Cocoa roses, and truth be told, I miss all the varieties that I had in my garden. But there was a pumpkin colored rose that I had always wanted, but could never find, maybe this is the year to search for it! Regardless, I know my little boy will be happy with any rose I choose!

From The Archives

My Rose Garden

Apricot Nectar

Hot Cocoa

 Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Cold Hard Truth

"You start with a darkness to move through, 

but sometimes the darkness moves through you."

~Dean Young

True Story...

One time, way back in the late 80's, I dated a man who wasn't right for me, but I was head over heals in love, or so I thought, so nothing was going to sway me. He was a minister, and a republican, and I thought we could face it all, and still be true to ourselves. OH. MY. GOD. How naive was that? My father, the great progressive that he was, told me, "you'll change your mind about him" and sure enough, Dad was right! It only took the guy's mother, deliberately giving me, and everyone else at the dinner, including my future husband, Alan, food poisoning, to make me wise up!

 I felt so much better when I finished purging, not just the under-cooked turkey dinner she made us, but the man as well. See, his mother would poison every girl who dated her little boy, just to find out who had the "strength" to conquer adversity. The lady he finally married told me, that she had been poisoned as well, with some bad clam chowder his mother served her, but she married him anyway, because, as it turns out, she was strong enough to deal with not just the motherly stress test, but she was a republican, and she understood what kind of strength it took to be the wife of a minister!

 How could dad have been so right? How did dad know that guy wasn't right for me? In any case his family wasn't right for me, and his being a republican, really wasn't going to be right for me! And all it took for me to see the light, was 24 hours of vomiting, and finally realizing my dad had been right all along! It was a hell of a thing to have to admit to, but I wouldn't change the circumstances for anything! It was the cold, hard truth, that I probably knew all along, deep down, that I needed to deal with! Dad was very good about buying me all the ginger ale I needed and not laughing out loud at me, when I admitted to him, that he was right.

 Alan and I began dating 3 months later, and we were married about 2 years after that! Here we are, after 27 years of marriage, and we are not only still in love, but we exchange love texts several times a day! I married the right man! And in our 27 years of marriage, not only has his mother never given me food poisoning, but she understood when Alan saw the light, and became a progressive! I wonder if dad saw that coming too? He was very happy when he found out we were getting married, so I still wonder if he knew Alan and I were in love before we did! Unfortunately, I never asked him, but somehow I think he did.

All those memories came back to me the other day, when I saw this funny little snow machine, at the Sacramento Holiday Ice Rink. It's funny how it all became a cherished memory. You wouldn't think that it be something one would want to ever think about again, but that is one of my best memories of my dad. That was when I learned my dad was pretty damned smart, and he had a wonderful sense of humor, especially when he was going through a difficult time. So I think he would have loved this little snow machine, as much as I did, because he probably has a memory of a time when his father had been 100% right about a particular life experience too! I just hope dad's memory didn't involve 24 hours of vomiting to come to his senses!

Holiday Leftovers

"What happens when you pray for an angel

 and get a vampire instead?"

~R.E. Mullins

I have always loved that quote! It kinda celebrates

 Halloween and Christmas in one shot!

 Tis the season!

Capitol Christmas Tree

Sacramento, California

December 23rd, 2017

New Year's Day is still a few days off, so I think it's okay to finish up the season by showing a few more holiday sights from here in the Central Valley and Sacramento. This is the Capitol Christmas tree, that usually goes up around Thanksgiving, and disappears sometime just after the start of the year, like in most towns I guess.  Sacramento actually has two holiday trees, this one, and one in Old Sacramento, which is traditionally lit on Black Friday! Of the two trees, I think the one in front of the capitol is my favorite! The lights seem more calming and nostalgic to me. Shrug. I guess holiday decorations are in the eyes of the beholder!

Christmas Tree

Old Sacramento

December 23rd, 2017

 

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Wintumn

"There is October in every November and there is November in every December! All seasons melted in each other's life."

~Mehmet Murat ildan

Alan and I took a ride up to Sacramento last week, and on the way there, I was lucky enough to find some autumn leaves still clinging to the trees! It was very late in the day, on December 23rd, and the sun was obscured by just enough bluish clouds to make a coat necessary, the lighting outside breathtaking! A rare occurrence in the Central Valley! It sometimes feels like the seasons here, turn on a flip of a switch! They don't seem to move in gradual motions from one season to the next, like in the Bay Area, so I guess I imagined that all the trees would look like stick skeletons, and all signs that 2017 even had an autumn would be gone, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't the case.

Winter is being kind this year. It's taking it's time this year, rather than hitting me over the head with frost, and bone chilling cold. While some trees were beautifully bare, other trees seemed to be defiant of winter's intrusion. I suppose they will give up their leaves eventually, but for now I have scenes like these, to keep my daydreams of a perpetual autumn, to keep me alive! And with any luck, maybe we will have another year like 2012, when I could still find autumn leaves, next to trees with beautiful apple and Quince blossoms, side by side! I would really love that! Another 2012 would be nice!

"Live in moments that consume your heart and mind,

 but be distracted by the music from the leaves,

 birds, wind, rain, sun and people."

~Val Uchendu

Live. In. The. Moments. That. Consume. Your. Soul.

Mood: Quiet/Happy
 ~Me

Merry Christmas

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."

~Norman Vincent Peale

From Our House To Yours...

Merry Christmas!

Mood: HAPPY

~Me :) 

Magical Little Gifts

"The Christmas spirit

whispers softly in my ear

to be of good cheer."

~Richelle E Goodrich

 Being Bold

It wouldn't be Christmas eve, without a video of my little furball's, annual Elf Yourself video! They're adorable, aren't they? But I'm their mommy, so of course I think so, but the thing is, I know if they were human little boys, they would be the best players at their school concerts, I mean just look at them, they never miss chance to be adorable, and talented, and just the happiest little people! Dylan is one of those cats, that believes everything has to be just so. Hendrix takes care of his brothers, and Joey tries really hard to be a good child. If he thinks we are mad, or disappointed, in him, he does everything he can to fix his naughty behavior.

 I guess that goes back to the fact that he was discarded, when he was a baby. Someone gave up on him, which is very sad, because they threw away a sweet, intelligent, and considerate kitty! I wish they could know, what a wonder gift Joey has been. We got Hendrix, on October 29th, 2008, Dylan, on November 10th, 2008, and Joey on November 30th, 2013, so they all came along on holidays, in autumn, Halloween, The Presidential Election of Barack Obama, and Thanksgiving weekend, and they are my little autumn treasures! Good things always seem to happen for us in autumn, but with the sweet comes the bitter... we lost our Elvis just a few weeks before we adopted Hendrix. But deep down, I have always felt like he personally chose who would look over us, the way he did. I can see it clearly, Elvis told Hendrix it was time to go and take care of us, because, without him, we would need a little extra help.

Dylan and Hendrix did a very good job of filling our little cottage with love and laughter, but when Joey was thrown out, by his previous family, Elvis told him, about a family that would always have room in their hearts, for little cats who need a little extra help and a little extra love. And we haven't had a loveless day in our lives since! Hendrix and Joey became friends immediately, and Dylan, who wasn't thrilled there was a Joey, came around after a while, because Joey showed him that he knew his place, and he wasn't trying to steal our love away, now Dylan has a cuddle pal, and is less jealous than he was before! He has learned that I have plenty of love for all three of them!

 Dylan is a more self-assured kitty, but when we moved a couple years ago, he was frightened, and unsure of where he was! But Joey stayed right with him, and they bonded as, not just cuddle buddies, but best friends. Alan and I were lucky to find three, magical little gifts! Or did they find us? Or did the best cat in the world, send us three little bundles of joy, that fill our hearts with a lot of love? So much love, that even on days when nothing seems to go right, we always know, and count on, that there are three little people who love us unconditionally, and are each just a little bit of magic! Some of the best gifts come in tiny packages! 

Now matter where the 3 little boys came from, I always remember to thank Elvis, the heavens above, or whatever spirit or guardian angel, who sent them to us. I believe it wasn't just simple luck, that brought us all together, someone had to have planned for us to be a family! That's why, even when I am at my saddest, or during the stressful holiday season, or when Trump scares me breathless Hendrix, who is the family caregiver, seems to, know and he gives me a little extra attention, and love. He is an amazingly compassionate, and empathetic soul. Life is good! I have a loving husband, and the best children I could ask for! I guess Alan and I have become crazy cat people you've heard about, but so be it, we are happy and we wouldn't trade it for nothing!

Mood: Grateful

~Me

 

Priceless Gifts

"Existence is a priceless gift and

 the beauties of nature are the priceless gifts of the existence."

~Mehmet Murat ildan

I didn't get out of the house like I thought I would yesterday. I stayed home. I was tired. Really Tired. Depression tired I suppose. You know... so deeply tired that you sleep for 14 hours, and get up, and after 30 minutes, or an hour, you are tired again, to the point you sleep another 18 hours. 

Tomorrow I will get up, and try it all again. I might get further, you never know, but at least when I do get out of the house, to roam the world, like last Monday, I find some beauty here and there. Even in some weeds, growing along the road.  

If that's all the photography I get done, I will take it! I can appreciate the simplest beauty, just as much as anything else in the natural world. The weeds in the photo above are obviously dry and fragile, so I didn't touch them, I just let them be, and appreciated their natural earthy beauty.

Photographing them made me happy, and that's the real point!

Right?

Mood: Hopeful

~Me

 

Ding Dong Merrily On High

"When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things...not the greatest occasions... 

give off the greatest glow of happiness."

~Bob Hope

I haven't done any shopping for the holidays. Not for Christmas eve, not for Christmas Day. Not for New Year's Eve. Nothing. But later today, as I force myself out of the house, I will be doing just that! Shopping, with a few minutes, here and there, to catch my breath, and pray Trump doesn't declare war, or fire Mueller, or embarrass the United States, with some weird speech. All of which are pretty likely to happen! That's what's on my mind right now, and frankly, I am exhausted. Absolutely exhausted. Depression, fear and the holiday spirit, do not do well together. 

They are like water and oil, but I am pushing through it, and like one of the best therapists I ever had once said, "Doing normal things, makes you feel normal" and right now, that's all I really want, to feel normal again, by having a nice boring day, although I'd prefer to find a little something about the holidays, that makes me smile and feel happy inside, but boring works too. It's sounds easy enough, but at the moment, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack! I guess I am feeling sorry for myself, because I want to enjoy the spirit of the holiday, but finding it is proving difficult.

But I'm trying to. I really am.  

I guess I will just see how the rest of the day goes, before I make up my mind that I won't feel any holiday spirit at all. You never know, perhaps hope is just waiting for me to recognize it. One never really knows about these things! Here is what I have planned for the day... I am getting my hair styled, then hit Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, for some organic roses and a couple pieces of fruit. Then it's off to the mall to do a small amount of gift shopping, and hopefully Alan and I will end the day in Berkeley at some of our favorite food haunts. 

Berkeley always lifts my spirits! So, at least I'm putting some hope on the "To Do" list! Now, I have learned that it's always a good idea to have a Plan B, and when it becomes obvious that Plan A isn't going to work, one should just go with the flow and not fight it. Some of my favorite memories worked around, Plan B, so, wish me luck as I venture out of the house, in search of Plan A... finding the spirit of Christmas!Either way the day goes, I will probably come home and watch Bridget Jones' Diary. It has become one of my favorite holiday movies, because what woman doesn't identify with Bridget, at least part of the time, and let's face it, the holidays are the most difficult time of the year to deal with!

But whether it be the holidays or some other difficult awful time

 Bridget always finds her way!

Mood: Curious

~Me :)

Goodbye/Hello

"It seems everything sleeps in winter,

 but it's really a time of renewal and reflection."

~Elizabeth Camden

Until The Dawn

The Autumn Equinox ends today,

 and the Winter Solstice begins!

While I took both of these photos during autumn of this year, the one I chose to welcome autumn with, was taken during the last third of the season, on November 25th, and as you can see, the beautiful egret already has it's Winter plumage on! It's such a lovely bird, that I thought it would be a lovely, quiet way to welcome in Winter 2017! I will miss autumn, and mourn it for a while, and then I will find some new subjects, hopefully, that will see me through the necessary seasons until it comes around again next year! I am sure it will bring a lot of beauty, and life, and I just can't wait to see what it brings!

#21 Leaf Of The Day

December 21st 2017

Cull Canyon Park

Mood: Happy

~Me

 

On The Last Full Day Of Autumn 2017...

"Autumn that year painted the countrysie

 in vivid shades of scarlet, saffron and russet, 

and the days were clear and crisp under harvest skies."

~Sharon Kay Penman

Time And Chance

It's the last full day of autumn, 2017.

 And as such, it's not about me, it's all about the leaves...

"The gold and scarlet leaves that littered the countryside in great drifts whispered and chuckled among themselves, or took experimental runs from place to place, rolling like color hoops among the trees. It was as if they were practicing something, preparing for something, and they would discuss it excitedly in rusty voices as they crowded round the tree trunks."

~Gerald Durrell

My Family And Other Animals

I could have sat under that autumn tree forever!

#20 Leaf Of The Day

December 20th 2017

Redwood Road, Castro Valley

Mood: Happy But Quiet

~Me :)  

Three Birds In One Late Autumn Day

Lesser Goldfinch

December 18th, 2017

Cull Canyon Park

"It was a beautiful autumn day,

 with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it."

~Diana Gabadldon

Outlander

Yellow Rumped Warbler

December 18th, 2017

Cull Canyon Park

We are nearing the last day of autumn. Just two more days to go, a day-in-a-half really, and most of my favorite trees have but a few leaves remaining! In my travels, however, I did come across one or two trees, that seem to just be just getting started, so I will be visiting them during winter, as much as possible. I like to continue photographing leaves for as long as I can, but they aren't included in each individual year's autumn leaf gallery. But this year, I have decided to consolidate all of my leaf photos, from all the past years, into one album, so the full collection is available in one place. I will post a link to it, when I have it set up, which hopefully will be sometime around New Year's Eve!

 Yesterday, while out and about, searching for the last little whisper's of autumn leaves, I came across some gorgeous little birds, with their winter plumage on, just waiting for that cold winter weather to begin! Maybe I will take on birds for a winter project. It's been chilly the last few weeks, but not winter cold, it has been autumn cold. Cold air, bright sunshine, and the deepest bluest skies Ive seen, since, well, since late last autumn! LOL. In other words, another season has come and gone, just like it should! I love finding new birds, and yesterday, I found three new ones for my bird gallery! That made me quite happy!

 There are plenty of places to go birding in the Central Valley, it's just a matter of doing a little research! The Delta is a great place to start, and I have heard that there is a large population of Egrets there! And there are also some rare birds to be found, so it's kind of an exciting thought! And while I am busy with my quest for pictures of the Summer Tanager, and the Vermilion Flycatcher, Autumn will be back before I know it! Just a mere three seasons from now, and I will be here, eagerly awaiting it's return, pretty much from the beginning of summer, but spring has all those gorgeous blossoms, so don't think I am forgetting that! So, with a little luck, I will be a busy girl with the camera in 2018! 

Lesser Goldfinch

December 18th, 2017

Cull Canyon Park

Society Finch

December 18th, 2017

Cull Canyon Park

#19 Leaf Of The Day

December 19th, 2017

 Castro Valley Community Center