Town Story

 Whenever I go into town, I always come home with a story or two.  One of the first things I asked my brother when he bought the house is "how far from town is it?"  He was careful in his search to find a place that was not too far out.  I'm only 3 minutes from the town, so I drive there often.  Here's a story from last week that I'll share with you.

~I was at the grocery story in the produce section getting the best looking veggies to bring home, and when I was finished, I headed over to the meats.  I looked back, and from the corner of my eye, I saw something run fast in the distance.  It came from the back storage, and ran past the produce section, and I was glad to be done there.  I thought it might just be a shadow, because another shopper came through.  But I hurried up and gathered all the groceries I needed, and checked out.  Someone was at the check-out with a big bag of dog food.  He said, "did you see the Chipmunk in the store?"  I replied, "that was a Chipmunk?"  He said, "yea, it was so cute."  I said, "not everyone thinks that Chipmunks are cute," and thought to myself, "especially at a grocery store!"  So, I mentioned it to the manager, who's such a good guy, and he searched for it.  He said, "I opened the back door so he can run out."  Apparently, he has been a visitor before.  I noticed the front door was open when I first got there, so that's probably how he snuck in. V. at check-out said, "well, we live in the woods."  I said, "I know, I love the deer, but not the rodents!"  I got out of there faster than a greased pig! 🐷 

I picked up some Chinese take-out, and the restaurant always accommodates me with my orders, as I sometimes change the order to this or that.  The restaurant owners are so good to me.  I asked for chicken chow mein, with more sauce, and it was delicious with fried prawns. 🍤🍤🍤

I thought these flowers were so pretty in the parking lot of the Chinese restaurant.

I also drove through the eatery on another day last week and got a hot pastrami sandwich.  I pulled a neck muscle, and it was painful, and didn't feel like cooking.  They open at 11, but I got there at ten to 11, and they took my order.  I asked them to beef up the sandwiches, and they sure did.  They make a mean hot pastrami sub.  I have this little rock in the console of my car - it's a reminder of all the little daily graces I receive.

The 100-year old pioneer wagon on main street is already decked out with red, white, and blue, and flags waving in every direction.

The California Poppy is blooming like crazy along the edges of the highway, and even in the parking lots.  They first start out with a golden color,

and then they transform into a beautiful orange.

Mia did a craft project with her mama.  I thought it turned out so cute.

A California Quail and his mate were digging vigorously in my garden.  They are ground birds that search for food, but there is no food in my garden, so maybe they were making a nest?  Then, the female kept digging while the male looked on.

He looked funny when shaking all the dirt off him.

I love hearing the song of the birds in this area during this season.  It's fun to guess what calls are from what birds.  I will see these little song birds soon.

Mia finished her last dance class (of three years), and will graduate from her little pink tutu to a purple leotard next fall.

Remember Maxwell House Coffee?  And their jingle?...."Good To The Last Drop."  Maxwell House coffee was introduced in 1892.  Is it just me, or does it blow you away that a coffee has been around for 134 years?  It's still good to the last drop.

I know I share pics of the deer often, but they came around a lot in May this year.  And I was in awe of this Buck right across the street!

Happy June!

The Big And Little Things Of May

Well, it seems that there are always big and small things that come up each month, and among the big ones is the blazing fire that's going on in So California right now.  It's called the Sandy Fire, and it's not that far from Jess.  It's 75% contained, thank the Lord, and we have some robust firefighters working on it.  Thousands were ordered to evacuate.  There's some smoke in Jess' area, but she has not had to evacuate.  

When I see the deer, I feel it's considered a big thing, as how many of us open our doors, walk outside, and see deer right in their front or back yards?  This one looked satisfied chomping on something.  I do think there was a buck in the midst of them all, which is rare.

Some baby birds were born recently, and I'm not sure what type of bird they are, but the neighborhood can hear them peep loudly day and night!  *Baby birds stretch and open their beaks as wide as possible.  This is called gaping.  They do this to reveal their brightly colored mouths, which triggers their parents' natural instinct to feed them.

🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣

Among the little things (and those are often the best ones).....I watched the movie Green Book.  It was a really good movie.....reflective, eye opening, had a lot of perspective, inspiring, and entertaining.  I recommend watching this film.  It's based on a true story as well, which I always appreciate.

The kids are officially on summer break, and ready to enjoy this time off from school.  Mia had a 'spring sing,' an end of the year performance where all the classes in that grade level come together to give a short concert.

It's always such a joy to see my white flowering bush awaken every spring.

Cinnamon raisin toast and peach orange tea - a good combination.

Through the kitchen window, I see my neighbor's flag waving every Memorial Day weekend.

~if you know someone like this, give them a gentle hug today~

Sometimes I feel like I'm part Italian (but I'm not), cause I love their food so much. 🍝🍞🍕  Shell pasta with marinara sauce.

I hope you have some big and little surprises this week.

**update...the Sandy Fire is now 100% contained, thank the Lord.  Thank you, brave CAL FIRE firefighters.

In The City For My Birthday

 People have wondered through the years why I like to spend so much time with my kids and do things with them, but they have always been my best friends.  I spent a lot of time with them growing up, and honestly as much time as a mother can spend with her kids.  They make me laugh, and know and tolerate my funky ways.

  I had the pleasure of being with my best friend on my birthday last week, my son.  I really didn't want to drive to the city, but I was glad I did, cause I had the best day.  I went to all the shops, went to the theatre and watched a movie (which wasn't that good, but the popcorn made up for it), went out to lunch, did some more shopping, and came home with lots of birthday goodies.  Jess' package came, and it was filled with many thoughtful gifts; a pair of slip-on tennis shoes in a mint color (very cute), a tin of See's candy, English Breakfast tea, a drawing that Francesca made, and this sweet mon cheri pillow, which means "my dear."

A pretty card from my best friend.  I love Papyrus cards.

And Nel made this card.  She is teaching her students a program, and she created this for me.

In the city, I went to Starbuck's, Target, Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, Michael's, World Market, and JCPenney.  Hobby Lobby is my happy place, and I found this cute vintage 4th of July girl ornament.  I had the best 4th of Julys growing up, so I had to get her.

Some of you know that I love the ladybug.  There is a story about Mother Mary and the ladybug that I've shared before.  When I walked inside World Market, I first noticed the coffee kias, and this ladybug cup was hanging there along with coffee samples to try out.  I immediately put it in my cart and kept shopping.  ; )

We went to a favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch.  I wanted to go somewhere festive and fun, and you can't get much more festive than this one.

These are my birthday goodies.  My son bought me a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.  I was so tired when I got home, and it was the perfect end to the day with a cup of coffee.

And the cloth doll Nel gave me.

I had a nice visit with my neighbor, and we caught up on each other's lives.  While I don't like to drive long distances, she doesn't mind, and just returned from a long road trip to see her family.  We both, however, appreciate being home after such a trip.  It was starting to get so warm in the city at the end of the day, and there was a nice breeze driving back up the mountain.  It was actually chilly last weekend, and I had to put on a sweater.  I had a visit from the California Quail on my birthday week too.

Have you ever noticed that the coffee and tea you drink taste better in your favorite cup?

And for my birthday month, I put a few things out on my hutch and call it my "her hutch".......everything I love.

If you didn't hear the story of the ladybug, I'll share it with you now. 🐞

The story goes that in Europe during the Middle Ages, swarms of pesky insects (probably aphids) destroyed crops and threatened faithful farming communities with starvation.

In desperation, the farmers, who had a devotion to the Blessed Mother, turned to the Virgin Mary for help!

Soon after, a cloud of black-spotted, red-orange insects came and devoured the plant-destroying pests, saving the crops!

The farmers considered this an answer to their prayers and a sign of Our Lady’s intercession. They began referring to these life-saving, beautiful insects as “Our Lady’s Bugs.”