Through The Window

The beautiful fall colors are so wonderful especially when I open the dining room drapes in the morning.  The beautiful burst of color the first thing in the day is so energizing .   And, I need all the energizing I can get !  It rained most of yesterday so it is great to see the bright sunshine .

My physical pain, especially left low back with radiation down to my ankle has been horrendous for a few weeks now .  My other joints, especially my knees and shoulders have also been problematic .  In years past both shoulders have been diagnosed with partial rotator cuff  tear .  I have been able to avoid shoulder surgeries by conservative rehabilitation .  I really - really - really do not want to ever have surgery again .  Remember, I do not have anyone to help me postoperatively.  A great deal of the time I am having a lot of difficulty  just walking !  I have a  medical appointment on Monday.

My reality is that friends that would and could help me have passed on .  And, you know my lack of family involment .  Recently,  I read an interesting quote that I think sums up my situation quite well .  "Old age is an island surrounded by death" .

Time to change the subject.  Yesterday , I made some very good soup .  And, that made me very happy  because for quite a long time I have had more failures (which has made me feel terrible)  in the kitchen than what I would like to admit .  And, that is far from my norm .

This is Pasta e Fagioli Soup from Allrecipes.  It was very easy, quick and flavorful.  I used what I had available and subbed small elbow macaroni for the seashell pasta.  Freshly grated parmesan cheese adds a nice additional flavor .  Cheese makes everything better - don't ya think?

And, here is a little something that also makes me VERY HAPPY  .

The Holiday Cactus plants are loaded with buds and are starting to bloom !  I have three plants and they all look great .  Last year they hardly had any flowers for some unknown reason .  So this is great .

Hard to believe that we are at the end of another week .  Wishing a Good Weekend to all.

Mary

Making You Strong

BUT,  I DON'T WANT TO BE STRONGER!

I have had a life-time of "Making you Stronger" experiences.  One of the most recent is when my multi-millionaire Twin Brother called (which is almost never) and for the very first time in my life I asked for some financial assistance and he replied with a LAUGH and said I guess we both are going to outlive our money.   He also said he thought he read somewhere (Internet) a few years ago that my house was foreclosed.  I can hardly believe the AUDACITY of a such a statement like that.  And, to think he never even looked for me to see if I was "Living Under A Bridge" somewhere.  I have lived at the same address and phone number for almost 25 years.

Not long ago, I came upon a few photos (Internet) of his estate (interior and exterior) and I could hardly believe what I was seeing!  

Years ago, my husband and I were able to help him with some money?  I don't think I will ever be able to understand or accept his attitude.  Perhaps, it is reflective of his nearly life-time involvement with a religion (cult?)  that he has devoured "hook, line and sinker".  I think his basic personality is very consistent with the tenets of the religion.

I had no intentions of writing this but for some reason I felt a strong urge to do so.  I guess I just had to tell my truth at this time.  I am not looking for comments, perhaps positive energy for my comfort.

Happy Week to All Of You.

Mary

Taking Care Of Myself

My blogging is going to be less for a while.  I need to get to feeling better.  I'll be posting when I feel like I have something noteworthy to share with you.  You may think I have stopped blogging but I don't think that will happen.  And, if that is ever the case, I will certainly let you know by blogging.

I would like to share a recent photo of my Granddaughter and Fiance'.  Aren't they stunning?

I can't help myself.  I have to post this cute photo of these little ones again.

I sure hope to feel better by the holidays and maybe I can be with some family for holiday joy!

I hope you all enjoy the coming days and holiday activities of your choice.  And, be Safe and Happy.

Mary

It Was A Very Special Day

Since June of this year I have been working with a Psychologist in an effort to reunite my family following many years of conflict and disengagement with one another .  My door has always been open but life's unexpected circumstances and misunderstandings can quickly unravel a family .  Two of my previous posts found  here and  here will  give you some background .

Without going into specifics let me say that very slowly changes in attitude are happening.  During a recent conversation with my Daughter-in-law arrangements were made for her and my Granddaughter with my two Great Grandchildren to come for a visit.  My Daughter-in-law (who is a step-mom) lives in Southern California and she will drive to Central California where my Granddaughter lives and they will drive up to Northern California where I live.

AND,  IT WAS A WONDERFUL DAY!  Totally, pleasurable.  However, I was not up to taking any photos.  My physical pain level is higher than it has been in a long time.  That's a different discussion for another time.

My Granddaughter took a lot of photos and I was delighted to see  what she posted on Facebook.  She and I have always been close. And, she has always known that I am always there for her.  But this really brought tears to my eyes.

"When I was young I used to love exploring the garden surrounding my grandma’s house. She’d take me down to the creek where I’d splash and play during the hot summer days. It was truly something special to see my own kids doing these same things today"

We also went down to the Community Park which is a wonderful park with a huge children's area. They also played in the Creek with their shoes off and had fun "skipping rocks". I wanted to share this today but I'm not feeling up to par so I hope this makes sense.

Have a Great Day.

Mary

My Vision Has Become A Reality

And, I am so pleased !   It looks like my hard work was worth it !

It is hard to believe that the next photo is what the flower bed looked like last May .  And it is more remarkable how the Maroon Chrysanthemums have grown so robust considering they were just little salvaged neglected plants from a few years ago .  And , everyone of them is a winner.

I have so much I could post about ,  mostly good ,  but I am quite tired from doing lots of  "end of summer" outside work.  As a matter of fact ,  I have an ice pack on my low back and one on each shoulder at the moment  with the hope that they will ease some of the pain .  Oh, but I got so much done today.

There is so much going on in the world , especially lately , and I know it has an effect of my body and of course , my brain .  I really have no complaints !  There are many , many thousands (maybe millions) of people who certainly have  a reason to think their lives are unfathomable!  I pray for them to find strength , faith , kindness, love and support for improved conditions with comfort and peace.

I hope you are enjoying the change of season as I find it quite lovely with all the colorful changes wherever I look !

Blessings ,  Mary

Bringing Light Into The House And Adherence of State Fire Prevention Regulations

For weeks and months I have been thinking about how I was going to get three Cedar Trees "upskirted" which I have learned means cutting lower branches from a tree .  Here in California we have specific Fire Hazard Zone Regulations regarding maintenance of Defensible Space around our homes to assist in protection from Fires, specifically Wild Fires .

In addition to the County/State Fire regulations, two of the trees needed to be trimmed because the Internet Service Provider and Electrical cables were covered with tree branches. Also, the tree near the garage had branches over hanging to close to the house roof .  The third tree is the one outside of my dining room window that had grown so very much that it was also widening and preventing light from coming into the house.

Since I have issues with the mood disorder  (Seasonal Affective Disorder)  the darkness inside my home is a very challenging situation .  Unfortunately, the floor plan of my house lacks maximum use of window placement which means the interior is very dark . There are no windows on the front of the house which faces west .  There is no time of the day that I can work in the kitchen without turning a light on because it is so dark .

Two other facts that impact the lack of light in the house is that the eaves/roof overhangs are larger than usual .  Second, the large trees around my house have grown a lot during the 24 years that I have lived here which creates more shade .

This was the garage roof that also shows the roof covered with pine needles and cedar twigs as well as some deadwood that came down during a recent heavy wind.  And, now it is wide open and you can even see my Rooster weather vane.

In this photo you can see the cables at the top of the photo .  And, the branches were so low that they were laying on the Oleander plants that I recently trimmed and cleaned up.  The Oleander plants were also causing obstruction of view for cars coming up to the curve in the roadway in the front of my house.

And, now the front corner of my property is cleaned up and open.  My raised vegetable bed is on the far lower right .  It looks like it may receive more afternoon sunlight in the future and perhaps I can grow tomatoes again next year and get better results.

By the way,  the haze that you can see in the photo is smoke filled air from the Wild Fires that are burning north of here in the Wine Country in Sonoma and Napa Valley and Santa Rosa, California .  It is such a disastrous situation .  It leaves me in such disbelief just as so many of recent events in the daily news !

And, this is the third tree that will now allow light to come into my dinning room . The beautiful Burning Bush  is turning into its lovely fall color of blazing red .  Hopefully, next spring the Quince Plant on the left will get enough sun and it will give a full bloom for the first time with it's pretty orange-red flowers.

I hope your week is going well and you are enjoying the beautiful fall weather and associated activities.

Mary 

Autumn Tribute To My Fisherman - Tablescape

I thought it would be nice to share a Tablescape from the past that I enjoyed creating for My Special Man a few years ago prior to his passing.  I have missed creating Tablescapes for us.  Perhaps, in the coming months I will become motivated especially since my many hours in the garden will not be necessary.

This is a Tablescape in recognition of my Special Friend and his devotion to me and his love of fishing. Again, I have had fun creating this table design by looking for interesting dishes that work with the fun items that I already have around the house or in my garage. There are so many items that work well with the theme of Autumn and the hobby of  Fishing.

My inspiration and starting point was this Mary Lake Thompson designed Fishing Creel dinner napkin that I found at a little gift shop. I enjoy the detail of her work.

There were a lot of items that I easily found that became a part of this tablescape. The Yellow Flatware has been in my picnic basket since the 70's. The dimensional brown leaf bowls jumped off a store shelf at reduced 50%, and that was after I thought I was finished! What can be easier than picking up pine cones from my driveway that have fallen from my pine tree. And, the lemons are from a bowl of lemons I keep on my kitchen counter.  And, then we have little guys with smiley faces that blend nice with the color scheme.   Salt anyone - Pepper anyone?

I had a nice surprise in my picnic basket when I saw my small Parquet Teak round cutting board by Dansk that I picked up from somewhere in the 70's, probably a yard sale. It's a very inventive design with a knife that slides into the side of the board. One side of the board is flat for cutting cheese and the other side is concave for cutting lemons/limes so the juice stays on the board - not on the table.

The woven brown and black wedge place mats are from Bed, Bath and Beyond, years ago. Maybe a dollar each!  The place mats were placed on a Burlap tablecloth followed by heavy Koyo Stone Ware brown/cream dinner plates that have a masculine presence.

My focus plate is the salad plate from Rivers Edge with a beautiful large trout encircled with a fishing rod and real.

The brown stemmed Glassware and candle sticks are from a nearby Thrift Store. Votives are from Dollar Store. Wine caddy is from my garage!

And, there must be a fishing Creel and fishing Reel thanks to Ebay.

Now, the Piece de resistance - a vintage amber cod-liver-oil bottle with the embossed image of a fisherman carrying a large fish.

It's just something a little different and adds a little whimsy!  The bottle is something I had in the garage that I picked up years ago at a yard sale. There are a lot of "bottle collectors" out there. Who would have thought that I would use the Cod-Liver-Oil Bottle some day in a Tablescape?

Can you see the fisherman embossed on the bottle?

And now for a little trivia about these Vintage Amber Bottles. (Source)   "The man stoops forward, glances out from under the brim of his hat, legs braced under the weight of his load. A thick rope, wrapped around his waist, shoulders, and hands, secures the load on his back—a huge fish with gaping mouth and glassy yellow eye, its tail sweeping the ground. A common codfish, the Gadus morhua is recognizable by the brown and amber spots on its body, the light stripe down its side, and the three dorsal fins. The man has few identifying features, but the words “SCOTT’S EMULSION” appear along the hem of his jacket."

"By 1900 'the man with the fish' was famous. His image was engraved and embossed on countless boxes and bottles of a cod-liver-oil preparation; printed in full color on advertising trade cards, booklets, and posters distributed around the globe; and in one instance painted several stories high on the side of a building in lower Manhattan. The man with the fish endures today, a testament to the persistence of an age-old tradition, even as scientific and commercial interest in cod-liver oil has waxed and waned."

I am thinking a nice autumn dinner of Sweet Spicy Country Style Pork Ribs and Beans along with some Crusty Bread. Some kind of a salad and maybe some homemade Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream.

I believe the table looks quite lovely.   And, the dinner was great.

I was amused with a definition of Tablescaping that I recently read. It was something like - Tablescaping is an event where grownups play with dishes and then take photos of what they have created to post on their blogs. Don't you just love it?

I wrote in an earlier post about how my love of dishes started when I was a very little girl. I guess some of us just never grow out of it! 

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my Tablescape from the past with me.  I really miss My Special Man.  But, I am thankful that he does not have to live through the horrible world events of the recent past.  Blessings to all.

Mary 

It's In The Pot

Crock pot , that is.

It is just a pretty basic recipe for Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast .  The roast sits on a bed of celery chunks and baby carrots .  A thickened sauce of mushrooms, onion, garlic, tomato paste, beef broth and rosemary and thyme is poured over the seasoned and well seared beef roast . And, I plan to add some chunks of red potatoes closer to the end of cooking time .   I'm not sure what else I will prepare to go with this for dinner .  I have plenty of time to figure that out.

Finally, I have been able to finish planting the Lavender "Grosso" plants.  There were only four plants, but OH what a lot of work to get them planted.  I'm done digging rock for a while !!

They should do well  -  with all my TLC in helping them to get a good start.

While I was checking the Zucchini I was happy to see this little visitor !

The garden is slowly going to sleep for the winter

Before long the Burning Bush will be a fall of crimson red.  At this time of year , I always enjoy seeing it turning colors through the dining room window.

I would like to ask for some positive thoughts sent my way as I am trying to recover from a very disappointing phone call from my twin brother on our birthday .  It has been years since I have heard from him and he continues to be arrogant, egotistical, self-serving and very unkind !  Oh, if you can,  please send me a couple hugs, too.

Wishing each and every one of you a very enjoyable weekend.

Mary