California Yellow

California Red

and a little bit of green...who has pneumonia, poor baby

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.