A Beautiful Autumn Home!

Leaf Of The Day

September 26th, 2016 

"THERE is something in the autumn that is native to my blood...

Touch of manner, hint of mood;

And my heart is like a rhyme,

With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time."

~Bliss Carman

  My mind is on so many things. My upcoming medical test. The debate, the holidays coming up really fast, but even when I am completely distracted, autumn reminds me to slow down and concentrate on the beauty of the leaves. It's the last big party Mother Nature gives us for the year! It's our gift for long, dark winter days, spring days when all I seem to do is sneeze, and summer days that are so hot, that keeping a straight thought isn't even a possibility! Autumn is a gift! And when I saw this collection of leaves I just had to smile. I can understand why a spider would spin a web among those leaves... they make for a wonderful, warm, beautiful autumn home! That spider has good taste in real estate!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Prep And Repeat

Leaf Of The Day

September 25th, 2016 

"Your enemies are not to be destroyed, grant them longevity to witness your success."

~Michael Bassey Johnson

Tomorrow evening we will witness the first of three scheduled presidential debates. As a Hillary Clinton supporter, since she was our First Lady, I have been waiting for this time for what feels like forever. I have been anticipating her performance and that of her political adversary, Donald Trump, with a mixture of pride, and anxiety. Pride in Hillary, and anxiety at what stupid stunt might be pulled by Trump. You see, he has no political prowess. No special insightful skills for dealing with world leaders, no diplomatic insights... at all... he got to this place by being a bully and a skillful street fighter. Great if you are a common thug, but not what a reasoned and responsible person want's to see in the person who holds the highest office in the world. 

But here we are. Standing at the edge of a dangerous cliff. Some tough punches have already been thrown. Hillary has invited Mark Cuban, who is one of Trump's most vocal critics, which led to an all out Twitter meltdown of Donald Trump, resulting in the counter-puncher, inviting Bill Clinton's former lover Gennifer Flowers to share the coveted front row with Cuban. Tacky. Mean-spirited. And stupid. Stupid because he tipped his hand, two days before the debate. He proved Hillary right that he can't be trusted to keep his temper in check over something that should have caused him to barely shrug. Instead he responded with what he thought would do the most damage... throwing a painful memory in Hillary's face. And he failed miserably!

Hillary has long since dealt with that pain. She has long since dealt with the embarrassment of a cheating husband. She has long since dealt with all of it. And she did it on the national stage with a great deal of grace. And so have all of us who believed in Bill Clinton! When the whole sleazy mess came out, 20 some years ago, I didn't really care then, any more than I do now. I was sad for them as a couple, and sad for Chelsea that her parents sadness had to be splattered on every newspaper in the world. It was painful to watch, but it was the Clinton's to deal with! Bill Clinton kept his promises to me and my friends felt pretty much the same as I did. I will always consider it an honor that the first vote I ever cast was for the leader of my country, went to President Bill Clinton. He was our man from Hope. And he lived up to his political promises.

So, here we are, with Hillary Clinton poised to become the first female president, and I couldn't be happier to cast my vote for her. She is capable. Knowledgeable. Diplomatic. Intelligent. Strong. Resilient. Brave. And I trust her to be president. She showed me a lot about how she handled that scandal caused by her husband. I began to admire her courage and her strength. She could have divorsed him. Given up on her marriage, and moved on, but she didn't. She stuck it out. She is a brave woman, who deserves respect! And look at what she has already accomplished. She has Trump rattled before they ever took the stage for their debate! She is smart, and she learned how to handle her adversary!

Well done, Madam President! I am proud of you! 

 Mood: Hopeful

~Me :)

Ah September!

Leaf Of The Day

September 24th, 2016 

"Ah September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul... but I must confess that I love you only because you are a prelude to my beloved October!"

~Peggy Toney Horton

I love September! When I was a child, and September rolled around, I had such mixed feelings! I hated school, but I loved the smell of new clothes. I hated getting up early, but I loved learning new things! I hated September for making me get up early, but the trade off was the beautiful new color of the morning, and the crisp air that gave way to perfect afternoons! At least that was what it was like, most of the time, in the Bay Area. Cool September mornings, and warm September afternoons. I guess now that I think about it, that's the way it happens everywhere, lol, but somehow when you are a child, the magic seems to happen only in your universe. I guess sometimes, even as a grown woman, I still think it only happens in my world. LOL. 

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Way New Leaves Grow

"In every change, in every falling leaf there is

 some pain,

 some beauty.

 And that's the way new leaves grow."

~Amit Ray

Just today's Leaf Of The Day for today's post. But look at it... isn't it gorgeous?

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Welcome Delicious Autumn, The Season Of Mad Lust

"Or maybe spring is the season of love

 and fall the season of mad lust. 

Spring for flirting but fall for the

 untamed delicious wild thing."

~Elizabeth Cohen

The Hypothetical Girl

Welcome to autumn! Everything good happens in fall. And if it's less than good, it's okay, because the days become shorter and you can leave a bad day with the cool pumpkin colored sunset. I can't even tell you how many bad days were made better with a favorite sweater, and cup of hot apple cidar. That is all it took to make me feel better! I love this season like a favorite old friend. Thanks for coming back around, just when I needed you, old friend!

Leaf Of The Day

September 22nd, 2016

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

 

Butt... Butt...

"A further sign of health is that we don't become undone by fear and trembling, but we take it as a message that it's time to stop struggling and look directly at what's threatening us."

~ Pema Chodron

The Places That Scare You

Okay, so, a couple of posts back, I explained that I had some news that I would be sharing with you but I first needed to come to terms with it before I made it an official part of this diary of me. I am ready now. Here is the thing. I haven't been feeling very good. I was sick a couple times, earlier this year, with a bout of food poisoning, and a urinary tract infection. Both carry similar symptoms. Nausea, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, both are nasty things to deal with, and because I also carry Fibromyalgia everywhere I go, every single day of my life, I am already prepared to keep colds, flu and the occasional bout of food poisoning and UTS's a little longer than most folks do. But when I did recover from those things, I found I was still really tired and I just didn't feel right. I put it all down to the stress of this past year, and believe me it was stressful, but the doctor wanted to know more, so in that I am in my 50's now, it was more important than ever that I got a full workup of tests including my annual FIT test. 

The tests showed a higher than usual white blood count, and that the FIT test came back positive for hidden blood in my feces. Terrific. The doctor has ordered a colonoscopy to see if it's colon cancer. Now, before you panic, the odds are that there is only a 5% chance it will turn out to be anything. When the colonoscopy is done, they will be able to see if there are any cancerous or precancerous polyps in my colon and remove them for biopsy. If there are some that are over a certain size, then that will require surgery. Sigh. The odds are in my favor, but with the way I have been feeling I am needless to say, unnerved. Actually, I am no unnerved so much as SCARED. I am scaredy-scared! I am scared of cancer. I am scared of the colonoscopy. I am scared of the IV needle they will be putting in my arm to do the test. I am scared.

SCARED. SCARED. SCARED.

I found all this out over a month ago. Since then I have grieved it. I have bargained. Denied. Gotten REALLY PISSED OFF. CRIED REALLY LOUD when the house was empty. And finally, made the appointment for the colonoscopy. So, with the grieving of my circumstance behind me (pun intended) I am now turning to humor, which has already seen me though so much in life, to help me though yet another stupid ASS situation I find myself in. I know this might be nothing, but I fainted one day, so that tells me it might BE something this time, but what can I do? I will just have to put my big girl panties on and bend over!

Right?

Okay, right. In an effort to get on with it... the being a big girl part...I was searching through self help books on Amazon.com a couple weeks ago, and came across this book, about one man's journey. It's a short story about the prep night before the dreaded colonoscopy. It's honest. It's funny. And most important it's very human. I enjoyed reading about his adventure, and I will be thinking about it when my turn comes next month. I have also been lucky enough to have gotten advice from Twitter pals who have had this test done, and live to tell the tale. They have all been very kind about sharing their experiences with me! I am lucky. And I am not alone. That's important to know at times like this, human stuff happens to humans other than yourself.

My advice to myself right now is...

COWBOY UP GIRLFRIEND

YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH WORSE THAN THIS!

And I have... I really have. And I am still standing, at least I am  when I am not fainting.

So, the test happens on October 19th. I will be sharing the journey because the month of October is our vacation month. It's our favorite month! We have our anniversary, and it's autumn, and Halloween happens, so is there any better time you can think of have a colonoscopy done? So, stay tuned. There is a lot coming in the future, including my Leaf Of The Day project for 2016! I am not going to dwell on the colonoscopy, it's only one part of what I hope will be a very busy, very life filled month. October is too beautiful to ignore!

LOL. 

I am bending over to stare cancer in the eye!

Mood: Concerned But Okay

~Me :)

9/11... 15 Years Later

Flight 93 Memorial

Union City, California

2014 

 

"What separates us from the animals, what separates us from the chaos, is the ability to mourn people we've never met."

~ David Levithan

It's been 15 years. I think every year I repeat my astonishment that so much time has gone by. The world is a much different place than on that day, all those years ago. This year, more than any other since then, I have an overwhelming desire to make a political statement, but I won't. I can't. I have too much emotion right now to make any real sense. There will be time in the coming weeks to say all the political stuff I need to say. Today is about remembering those souls lost to families, friends, fans, children, grandchildren and friends that never got to be made. So, for today, I will be silent, for them. For all of them. But as I said, in the coming weeks, my words will also be about them and who we were that day, who we are now, and who we have the potential, and perhaps the danger, of becoming.

 Today, as on every anniversary of 9/11,

I remember the lives of 

David & Lynn Angell

Murdered

September 11th, 2001

American Airlines Flight 11

I will never forget your generous and loving spirits!

 

 

~Carly

 

Working With Light

"There are darknesses in life and there are lights, 

and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights."

~Bram Stoker

Dracula

I was in a restaurant the other day and saw this pretty light. It was in the middle of the day, but the light photographed as if I had taken it in a completely dark room. I loved it. I need to experiment more with lighting I think. Anyway, the lighting situation reminds me of our current political climate. There is a light. But then everything around it seems to swallow it up and thrust it into darkness.

 A 24 hour news cycle doesn't always jive with the position of the sun... does it? It can be a hot, clear, August day, and yet when I hear about North Korea successfully launching a missile or Donald Trump's latest hateful musing, I suddenly feel a winter chill down my spine! What season will we be in, when we find ourselves on the last day of the world?

 I think about the surreal beauty of the morning of September 11th, 2001, with it's clear blue sky, and mild temperatures. It was a day that you muse to yourself that nothing bad could possibly happen. Then it did. Except it seems like we have forgotten about that day. We have gotten used to pain or maybe we have gotten good at ignoring how it felt to be an American that day. I don't know which. Truth is, it's probably different for everyone.

But...

Did the darkness swallow the light?

Did the light lie to us, when it swallowed the darkness?

Where it begins and where it ends is a mystery.

Maybe we are better off not knowing much about tomorrow. Maybe some days are like the light in the picture. There is a little light, in the middle of some darkness, but the light is shining anyway. It isn't giving up because there is darkness surrounding it. If I chose to not see the light, that's on me. I can't fault the light.

The light will shine, with, or without me.

Mood: Introspective

~Me :)

Alone On A Beach

"Outside of a dog, a book is man"s best friend.

Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

~Groucho Marx

The Essential Groucho:

 Writings For By And About Groucho Marx

As I get ready to begin some autumn blogging, I have been tip-toeing through my archives to see what inspired me in years past. All the usual suspects abound... leaves, sunsets, butterflies. The colors of autumn in the natural world and in decorations. What I don't have a lot of are the creatures you happen upon. The ones you can't really plan for. I have so many memories of the odd dog or cat doing something super interesting, but that I had failed to photograph, because it was more fun to just stop and watch them, then it was to get the dream shot. It's always a difficult choice for the avid shutterbug. Do I grab my camera and document this extremely interesting moment to share with my followers and friends, or do I put the camera down and just have the quiet moment all to myself?

As you can see by the technical errors in the photo above I had a moment of indecision. It's not perfect, but fortunately it is interesting, if not a little whimsical. Here I was, standing on a cliff in Montara, watching this beautiful pup running around in the sand, barking and enjoying his life. I stopped to watch him, then he stopped to watch me! I wonder what his picture of me would have looked like, had he had a camera and been able to use it! Would there be an interesting light behind me? Would he have zoomed in closer? Zoomed out? Would he have struggled with the rule of thirds? We will never know, but he and I made eye contact, and starred at each other for about 2 solid minutes. I wish I knew what he was thinking. The next time I have an opportunity like this one, I think I will also take a photo directly behind me so I can see the full picture, from all perspectives.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

August 23rd, 2003

"Writing is the only way I have to explain my own life to myself."

~Pat Conroy

My Reading Life

I have been blogging since August 23rd, 2003! How in the world is it possible all this time as passed so quickly? So much has happened since that day... all those years ago... that I decided to start Ellipsis. At first I didn't have much to say. I just wanted to post my photos, and let them say that words for me. Folks could make of it what the would. Then one day someone asked me my opinion... I think it was about the upcoming election... and to my surprise, I had something to say! And I have been, which occasional intervals, talking ever since. The last couple years have been busy, and it's taken some turns I never expected, let alone saw coming! But we rode them out, and here we are, living in our own home, and that is probably been the biggest surprise of all! 

In that life is never boring I have some news. I am not really wanting to talk about it in this post, but maybe tomorrow, or later this week. Soon. If you are following me on Twitter you may already know a little about it. It's health related. I don't mean to be cryptic, I just don't know how much I want to share in this particular post. I will expand on it soon. So, you will just have to come back to find out whats up! LOL. How's that for a cliffhanger?

And speaking of upcoming posts, have you seen the autumn light yet? You know how the soft yellow glow tends to show up a couple weeks before it officially becomes autumn, yesterday morning was the first time I saw it. It was gorgeous! The soft autumn glow was coming through the window and shining on Joey, bringing out all his colors. He has orange, gray, brown, and white mixed into his tabby stripes. He is a beautiful cat, and one of the best things in my life. 

So, there are plenty of upcoming posts about Joey, and Hendrix and Dylan, and the autumn sun, and my Leaf Of The Day project will be starting up beginning the first day of autumn, and if all that isn't enough to keep me blogging, American Horror Story begins a full month earlier than usual, and our vacation happens in October, as does Halloween, and the elections are in full crazy mode and...

and...

and...

Sheesh. I am already tired!

LOL.

Just stay tuned. There are a lot more blog posts coming.

 We have a lot to discuss!

The first pre-autumn leaf.

Cull Canyon, August 14th, 2016

Mood: Content

~Me :)

No Title

(No Quote)

My heart breaks daily now.

This is a blog about life, photography, cats, politics, music, my opinion that wedding dresses are art. Impressionist art. Food. Marriage. Love. Noisy Neighbors. Recipes. Old Age. Growing Old.

But right now, I have no real will to share my thoughts.

 If I had any.

 Not because of you, the loyal friends who visit me regularly but rather because I think I have run dry

 on the will to put the effort into processing it.

 I just don't know what to say.

Am I closing Ellipsis?

No.

I might just post pictures though.

After almost 13 years I just don't know what else to say that I haven't said before.

I have no new words.

~Me

Happy Independence Day! :)

"We must be free not because we claim freedom,

 but because we practice it."

~William Faulkner

Have safe and happy holiday!

Take lots of pictures!

And if you post them, comeback and leave me a link!

Otherwise just enjoy the day!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Little Blue Sunflower Vase

"I don't mind getting older; it's a privilage denied to so many."

~Greg Geiger

Cancer Survivor's Club

Yesterday, the 29th, was my birthday. It was a good day. Quiet. Uneventful. It was the day I wanted, except for a sore back. I had picked up something the day before that I shouldn't have, and the result was, well, pain. But that was okay. I spent my birthday in my own home, surrounded by those I love, with a ton of pain pills in me, and all was right with the world! 

I have finally reached the age where I don't need, or particularly want, anything, just because it's my birthday. I did however indulge a bit and bought myself that cute little blue sunflower vase you see in the picture above, and season two of Charlie's Angels. Yes... Charlie's Angels. I have been in a nostalgic mood for well over a year. Everything seems so... harsh... so... restless... so... cruel right now, and oddly enough, watching old TV shows makes me feel better.

I wouldn't want to go back to the 1970's for anything, no, blech. UGLY decade! And I wasn't particularly happy at any point during that decade, except for a few perfect moments here and there, but I can look back at those perfect moments and long for them sometimes. If only I could go back, and tell my 1970's self what was coming. But then I wonder... would I do that? Every day of your life is like a cliffhanger, you never know what will happen next. 

Would I have wanted to ruin those few perfect days, by visiting myself and sharing about what the future held? Sorrows. Joys. Long hot days where there wasn't any real point to being alive. Twists and turns that you never saw coming. And the birthdays yet to come. Would I have told myself about my birthday in 2015? Which turned out to be the worst birthday I ever had? Would I share all that?

If I could go back right this moment. Back to the 1970's and tell myself all those things to come, I wouldn't. Why? Well, because, maybe even stupid, useless, God awful days aren't really all that awful if you end the day alive. Things should remain a big surprise. Good days. Bad days. Birthdays. Especially birthdays. Birthdays remind us that New Years doesn't really begin on January 1st, no, they begin, in my case, on June 30th. That's the day I wake up and remember that I saw another year of my life, and thank God I have another day to wonder what comes next, and if it turns out to be another God awful birthday, I will have the gift of being able to complain about it, not everyone will have that privilege.

Mood: Gratful

~Me :)

 

Starfish In The Sky

"I know that your soul is on life support and that you feel lost and like you're completely spinning out of control, but you're finding yourself here, tonight... even in this darkness."

~Jennifer Elisabeth

I had a particularly nasty encounter with a misogynistic, rabid Donald Trump supporter yesterday. He decided to take a shot at my self-confidence by saying my profile picture was ugly. A dis I haven't had since 3rd grade, when a boy who had a crush on me couldn't handle the conflict within his id for one more moment, and unleashed a tantrum complete with crying and drooling! LOL. Yesterday's troll, while probably not physically a child, (he was so good looking apparently that he chose not to put his photo on the Internet) was feeling slighted because I had pointed out that Trump was a complete liar, who just might kill the whole world one day, should a random world leader stand up to him. 

Ouch.

 I can only imagine the troll was cut to the core at the thought, but he must also believe me right on some level. It's all quite irrelevant now, as 12 hours ago in Internet time is forever ago, but as we move along in this particular national election year we are seeing a greater risk, not just to the country we love, but a risk to our individuality. And as we move further along I get the overwhelming feeling that we (America) won't see next New Years Eve without something even more devastating than what just occurred in Orlando taking place. God... I hope I am wrong! And if we get to 12:00 midnight on New Year's Eve without an assassination please feel free to comeback and laugh at me. 

I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT!

I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT.

But should Hillary Clinton win, 

where will the Trump supporters scary anger go?

I don't know, do you?

Mood: Quiet/Reflective

~Me

 

Frames

"If life were a camera I would be feeling a little out of frame."

~Jaeda DeWalt

My fuji. I have a love/hate relationship with this camera. When it behaves itself it can produce some stunning photos, but when it decides to be a pain in my ass, the photographs I take look like HELL. I am determined to work with this camera until I figure out if the problem is me... or the camera or if its just that the world can be damned unattractive. There is a part of me who thinks it's me, but then again, maybe it's just a shitty camera. That's the bad part about being stuck in a creative muck. You don't know if it's you, the world, or the camera that is defeating you. 

Shrug. 

Mood: Curious

~Me :)

The Woman Card

"A girl should be two things: who and what she wants."

~Coco Chanel

The Gospel According To Coco Chanel: Life Lessons

My Hillary gear came today! So it's official...

I'm With Her!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

!

The Other Side Of The Shutter

"Do one thing every day that scares you."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

At the moment, photography scares me. Well, scares might be a strong word, more like I am just not feeling it. I am going through yet another rough patch. Not really depressed but not really happy either. My father in law passed away a couple weeks ago, and while our relationship wasn't perfect, I still feel sad inside.

Sad for a relationship that could never quite happen, sad for Alan, who also had a difficult time relating to his father, and just sad for the loss of someone I appreciated despite our differences. I don't know if he knew I appreciated him, but it's okay I guess, at least he isn't in any pain.That was deeper than I meant to go, but you get what I mean I think.

I chose that pretty box of cards because they are one of the last things I bought for myself, before we moved last year. I am not sure if I bought it for my new life, or my old one. Everything changed so profoundly this past year, that nothing is recognizable. And not just in my personal life. Politics, movies, television... everything. I sometimes feel like I have been picked up and thrown across life, only to land on my butt... hard!

 I have a great house, a fabulous husband, the best cats ever, and it all seems surreal to me. Weird. I don't know if I am causing that feeling or if I feel detached because the world really has gone off the rails. Maybe others feel the same way, or maybe it's just me. Who knows? 

All I know is I will figure it out as I go along, and while I move along I will just snap a picture each day and hope I find my inspiration again, somewhere, on the other side of the shutter. 

Mood: Who Knows

~Me

The Beauty Of Him

"The Beauty Of Me Is That I'm Very Rich."

~Donald Trump

Yes... he is beautiful. A lot in the same way a large heap of garbage is pretty to the scavenger birds that sometimes circles it. Donald Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee for President Of The United States! I knew that there was a possibility of that fact, and I think I might have mentioned it last summer, but I think there was still probably hope that the monster could be and indeed would be stopped in his rampaging tracks. Why did I think that? Its not like the GOP took his presidential run seriously. They shined it on as he won primary and caucuses right and left. And with nothing else to do, the GOP bowed down to them in a shocking display of cowardice. The latest of which, being Paul Ryan, who quietly endorsed Trump by way of a column he wrote for the Janesville Gazette.

 What? Was the Pennysaver already filled for publication that day? And speaking of that day, it should be noted that on the very day Ryan chose to endorse the presumptive savior of the GOP, Trump decided to lash out at the press for doing it's job! Nice timing. And I truly mean that! Highly entertaining for me, and cringe worthy for any clear thinking republicans that might still be left! 

As I write this, Trump is in California. My state. Zigzagging about, threatening the PGA, reporters who aren't employed by the National Enquirer, and flicking verbal rubber bands at Hillary Clinton. Blissfully, he has nothing to say to Bernie Sanders, since Sanders said HELL YES to a debate with Trump, and Trump slithered away like the coward he is. Which brings me to the picture for this post, taken not a year ago, or even 6 months ago, no, I took it about a week ago, in Berkeley, Ca. Okay, yes, it's true, Berkeley is heavily populated by progressives, but there are a few republicans to be found as well, and as I made my way around town, looking for political signs, this is the only one I came up with. From either side. One small sign, in a big window. I will keep watching the windows in Berkeley, perhaps enthusiasm for voting will grow over the summer.

I hope so.

The California Primary is this coming Tuesday. And it is a dead heat between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Trump is the only nominee left on the right. I already voted by mail, so I can go ahead and share who I am voting for, but I have decided to wait until Tuesday, so you will have to comeback then to find out. But I bet you can guess my choice, and feel free to if you like. I will give you a hint... my candidate isn't orange. Does that help? 

Mood: Perplexed

~Me

Yellow Fresia And Lavender

"Love isnt all flowers and candles, and dancing midgets.

 No, it is much, much taller than that."

~Jarod Kintz

Love Quotes For The Ages

Specifically Ages 18-81.

Look, See, I made it! Two postings in a row! As I ease back into life anew, Mondays seem to be the day for getting caught up! I was so thrilled to hear from my friend Kat! Lovie, I wasn't sure if you might have given up on me and moved on, so to get a comment from you just made my whole day! And yes, I am taking your suggesstion and I will be doing a video walk through of the house when we are done decorating it! The living room is almost there, we just need to finish the fireplace and get something for the red statement wall! I am learning a lot about color as I move along through the decorating. Next up will be the bedroom, which I am doing in Cornflower Blue, soft lavender and mineral. After that it is on to the hallway, bathroom and finally the kitchen next autumn! I want to let the house show me the way, if that makes sense.

 I want to stay true to it's energy, which from our experience in her the last 6 months, is mostly embracing, gentle and very kind. It's a house that brings you in and gently holds you. It's got such a nice vibe. I felt it from the moment we pulled up in front of it! I hadn't even seen it in the MLS listings. Our real estate expert just decided to add it into the house list for that day! We learned the day we signed the contracts that the previous owned listed it on my birthday! It was meant to be. It was just sitting quietly, in that cute little neighborhood waiting for us, and when we pulled up on the curb in front of the house, Alan and I both immediately remarked on how adorable it was and when we walked in the door the house just seemed to say... 

"Well, what took you so long?"

We have started landscaping the yard. 

Yellow Freesia and Lavender. 

More photos to come soon.

Stay Tuned!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Well, That Was A Shocking Turn Of Events!

"If bad decorating was a hang-able offense, 

there would be decorators hanging from trees."

~Sylvester Stallone

As you might remember from my previous post, I was planning to put myself on a blogging schedule. I have been having problems with my hands going numb from carpal tunnel syndrome and it had become really uncomfortable to type. I had a good plan to continue with the activities I enjoy, one being blogging, but it was all going to depend on how much rest, and by rest, I mean how much stress I could manage to reduce for myself. HA HA HA... hee hee. Well, shit happens... right?

During the first part of my journey of rest and rehabilitation, in fact the week following my last blog post, Alan and I decided to finally paint the big white wall in the living room. We chose a gorgeous color, Rusty Gate, by Behr. It's in the photo above. I had been dreaming of decorating with warm earthy tones, and despite how bright it seems in the photo, it is really quite deep, and warm. I will post a photo in different lighting soon so you can see it at it's best. 

All went well. It only took a half a day, and I now have a gorgeous statement wall that we are both head over heels in love with. All was right with the world. I finished up the final touches of putting away the brushes, and jumped in the shower before turning in for the night. But then, about an hour later, I woke up with the chills. BIG BAD chills. Then the Vomiting started. By the next day it hurt to go to the bathroom. My doctor ran some tests and behold... I had a Urinary Tract Infection, and food poisoning from E.Coli! Yep... a genuine double whammy! And on Valentine's Day no less!

At first I thought it was one for the other. I knew UTI's are sometimes caused by E.Coli, but no, I had two things at ones. And they both pretty much knocked me out for close to 14 days. I felt like death was imminent, but I recovered. I felt weak, but I was on the mend, then about a month after the illness began, I got a milder case of food poisoning again! Not E. Coli this time, just something not great. That round only lasted a couple days. Now, as I sit here, I feel okay, but I am wondering if I will ever eat out again? Yeah, I probably will, but it might be a while!

I think I got sick because I had the audacity to put my proposed blogging schedule online for all to see. You know, good old Murphy's Law and all that! Never say out loud what your plans are, there is always some invisible entity listening, ready to put the whammy on you! SO, I will say this, I will be posting again, so check back once in a while. Also, check my Twitter, Instagram and Flickr. I tend to go more microblogging than actual blogging these days. There is still more painting to be done. Up next, the fireplace and after that the bedroom! I have a can of Cornflower Blue paint just waiting to meet a boring white wall! It's going to be gorgeous!

Stay Tuned. 

No, I am going to think positively!

See you next Monday!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Yep, Still Alive, But...

"Politicians are people who,

 when they see the light at the end of the tunnel,

 they go out and buy more tunnel."

~John Quinton

Donald Trump For President? Huh? Last summer when I heard he was ready to run for president, I was kind of shocked, then I laughed, rolled my eyes and said... "Yes! Finally something is going right! This should be highly entertaining! At the time, I was in a crappy hotel room in Turlock, California, which isn't terribly surprising, because Turlock, California, is one big crap heap! If you visit there, the three sights you will see most often are, rednecks, and their tank topped significant others, cockroaches, and cows. Occasionally you might also encounter hairy spiders the size of a redneck's fist, but I am told that is somewhat of a rarity. The day I encountered one, I was told that the particular type of spider I encountered mostly live in trees. Great... a tree dwelling spider. Fun. I wondered if it could fly, and then for the next couple weeks always wore a hat when venturing out of the hotel room.LOL. Like Donald Trump's run for the presidency, after the initial shock and fear wore off, it eventually became funny. I can laugh now, but at the time it was high drama!

Fast forward to the present. I have a fun memory I can relive and share here on Ellipsis, and that makes me happy. I like having a blog. I like to share things with you. I like it when you leave your opinions on things I talk about. I really do. I must because as of next August, I will have been blogging 13 years! We are in an election year, a national election year, which is exciting to me because I am a hopeless political nerd! I love reading about politics, studying it's history, and I even enjoy reading about politicians biographies. I like finding out why things happen, not that there is always an answer, but sometimes if I can just get a little insight I feel better about things. You know what I mean?

Well, I have spent a lot of time doing just that! So much so that I have caused myself some nerve damage in my right hand from Carpal Tunnel syndrome. The doctor says I need to spend less time obsessing on Sarah Palin and more time resting my hand or the damage will a permanent condition. My right hand is numb most of the time now, and when it isn't it has pain shooting up to my shoulder, and I did it to myself. But jeeze... how am I supposed to NOT make fun of that snowbeast Sarah Palin? Since she hit the national political stage she has made me cringe, and when I take it too seriously, I have to let it out! And now, after Donald Trump promised her a position in his administration, should he win, I am less amused with her, and more frightened that it might actually happen! Yikes. She is amusing, but more than anything, she is dangerous and it really isn't funny, so I need to talk about it, even if no one agrees with me, or visits my blog.

So, I have to take some real time off from online activities, when I hand tries to heal yet again. I am taking my doctors advice and giving the blogging a rest. I am going to take my pal Jeff's idea and look into Dragon speech software. And I have decided to post to my blog twice a month, when I am online anyway to pay bills. I will check in, let you know I am okay, and update you on my hand's progress. I don't want to have long term damage, so I have to listen to the doctor. My future blogging schedule will be as follows...

February 14th

February 27th

March 15th

March 17th

March 18th

March 27th

April 15th

April 29

May 15th

May 29th

Back full time in June.

The month of June is my goal. It's also when California holds its primary. I can't miss that! And let's face it, this summer is going to be amazing! Election season, and all the amazing things to go and do and see! But really... nothing invigorates me like a good political fight! I am still a bit on the fence about my candidate. Hillary is someone I trust completely to handle women's issues, but Bernie has a proven track record also. I would like to have a woman lead, because let's face it, woman approach things completely different then men do. I think having her elected might just change the way women are treated in the workplace, and maybe, just maybe, women will finally make what men do for doing the same job! It's time for a woman! But Bernie really appeals to the progressive inside me. It's a touch decision. One thing I do know... I won't be ordering any campaign merchandise until after the primary! In the past, every time I did... my candidate imploded into a big ball of gone. Just ask John Edwards, the day after I ordered that cute little refrigerator magnet!

:)

See you February 14th!

Mood: Hopeful

 

Photograph: "Lunch At Panera On A Winter Day"

~Me :)