Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Fungi, Fauna and Family

Is this a poodle that has gone unclipped? It is the friendliest, most eager-to-play dog I've seen in a long time. I think he would love the boys. We (the boys and I) are dying to get to him as right now we can only pat him through his prison bars. Honestly I would steal him away if I could.


I've taken Dex to the library's story hour the last two times. He loves it and falls asleep in the stroller on the way home, exhausted with stimulation. (In the background are Zach, Sarah and Carl, our new friend with a buzz cut. He's as cute as a poodle.)

The mushrooms here are yet another fascinating feature of the environment. This one is about three feet square and is really comprised of many small mushrooms that seem to have grown together.

Monday, December 29, 2008

62 degrees in the SHADE in Los Gatos

Zach loves returning his books in the book drop at the library each week. I was a bit sad as this week we checked out no new books knowing that I won't be taking him to Story Hour again for a long time.


The persimmon trees are amazing when their leaves are all gone and their fruit remains. Our neighbor calls them "percinnamon" trees. seriously


I just love the way the sun plays with these leaves.

Is this rose hip wearing a silly hat or a crown?

Friday, December 26, 2008

December 25

My only Christmas photo this year is of Zachy and Sarah snuggled up together watching Wall-E.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Thrift Store Addict

I've been a thrift store addict for decades, for a lifetime. I go through periods when I eschew them/the stores, but all it takes is one huge hit and I am a Pavlovian dog. After the moth-eaten cashmere sweater find (previous post), I have been making frequent drop-ins to The Happy Dragon in Los Gatos. These were my finds yesterday, all for under $5.00.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Weekend with the Boys

The boys were at my place overnight. After they left, I opened my fridge and this is what greeted me:

Sunday morning we kept with a familiar routine of meeting with the Hermans at the Farmers Market. Zach and Sarah are best friends. They share everything, including germs. Forks passed between them many times, as well as rice, beans and tortillas.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Vasona Park Festival of Lights

Santa Clara Parks puts on an extraordinary festival of lights in Vasona Park each year. Last night the boys were wide awake at 8 p.m. so we took them on over to view the ongoing extravaganza. It's a vehicles-only event in which riders are invited to tune into a special radio station to hear holiday music as they drive through the park. It takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. We were all pretty impressed and I am sorry to say I am not including a video of the action as most of the figures move.

Jack-in-the-Boxes must have been more popular 100 years ago. Z still hasn't seen one and doesn't quite get it about the surprise element.

Dexie was WIDE AWAKE, though facing backward (and me in the far seat), and delighted!


Happy Solstice to all as tomorrow is the shortest day of the year!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Two New Recycled Sweaters

In searching for mifflette making materials, I happened upon a moth eaten white turtle neck sweater. I couldn't talk the seller down from $3, and begrudgingly paid full price. That evening at Rose Ave, I really was cold and put on the sweater until I could make it back to my house. It sure was comfy, and it sure was full of holes.

Epiphany hit and I decided to alter the sweater a bit by cutting off the turtle neck, cuffs at the bottom and sleeves and to mend the holes with bright embroidery floss. Voila! I have a very whimsical and cozy new sweater!

On a roll, I added the cuff I had cut off of the first sweater to an earlier purchase of a too-short raspberry colored cashmere sweater. I may add yet another round of ribbing to the bottom of that one, but already it is more comfortable and sits lower on my hips. What I love about this sweater is the reason I purchased it; it has old fashioned short sleeves that are not cap sleeves but rather reach down to my elbows.



Saturday, December 13, 2008

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Walking more, Driving less


Since the car I was using died, I have been doing miles of walking, which is simple and enjoyable and built right into my day. I like it much better than my other mode with a car, which is to PLAN to walk, but not leaving enough time and then driving instead.

My two best finds while walking on Tuesday were a eucalyptus pod and an acorn. It was my first spotting of a pod with fuzz. The acorns here are decidedly different from East Coast acorns. They're long and thin, and their caps are fuzzy and tight.

I borrowed the car today by taking Syl to work and then picking her up. I have to be much more alert driving around here, around San Jose. Traffic customs are different from home. I am in unfamiliar territory and have to watch street signs closely, be prepared to switch lanes, make mistakes, retrace my steps, etc. In short, it's more stressful.

It's a good thing, though. I know that stress plays an important part in our lives and I like it that I am forced to learn new things, to cope in a new environment, to familiarize myself with new maps and neighborhoods and streets.

We seniors can lapse all too easily into a comfort zone and then stay there. We need to court stress and try new things, especially those things that make us anxious. I kind of liked being alone doing this driving as I could make mistakes without any riders panicking or shouting out directions. Though recently I did take another senior to the movies and she was a great morale booster as her contributions were to say, "We'll do fine! We'll figure it out! Go as slow as you like and don't worry about it!"

Though I wasn't using a gps today, I DO find it gives GREAT COURAGE, perhaps a false sense of confidence.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

DONE, at last!


Done! For the baby cousins who are our youngest grandchildren


Dexie in his hat that I couldn't resist getting him, used


He's a full time walker now!


Zach loves controlling the lights on the Christmas tree with his 'mote.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Around Town

I was out and about collecting things for my holiday project this morning, while the family selected and cut down their tree. Mr. Squirrel shared some nuts with me.


Saturday, December 6, 2008

Workshop Days

Paucity of posts have been caused by the holiday workshop caught in an upswing. Five mifflettes have been adopted but these four are still available for any takers. Contact me @ elw207AThotmailDOTcom.

Amazing collections of seedpods and local plant life in preparation for a surprise for eight recipients.

I'm not telling.....

Second stocking should be finished tonight after I get the boys to bed as I am babysitting while S and B are at a San Francisco holiday party.

I haven't even begun the cards, though am happy with the ones I found at T.J.Maxx.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

2:30 a.m. till 4 a.m. PDT

If this looks a little bid odd, wide as it were, look closely and you'll see that it has space for transporting TWO little kiddies where I have previously only seen space for ONE. Leave it to Costco, though the cart seems to have been dragged across a major highway to Trader Joes, which is where I saw it.

At 2:30 a.m. my choice of reading materials beckons. I could re-read Ginger and Pickles, an excellent cautionary mercantile tale by Beatrix Potter, continue the tale of Jeffrey Alford and Nom Duguid, The Hungry Travellers in the Nov. 24 issue of Tbe New Yorker, do a quick sudoku, re-start Oliver Twist or browse the Anthropologie catalogue (recently heard it pronounced an-THROP-a-log-ie. ?).

OKAY, I did all of the above and am STILL awake. Might as well get up and start the day as it is 4 a.m.