In the Garden

Our three-day weekend was filled with good things. We did a bit of shopping for the garden – dinning out – resting – working in the garden – oatmeal chocolate chip baking – cooking together, the hubs makes killer shrimp tacos + I make killer garnish = we make the best team – planting in the garden = I transplanted 11 “pup” sago palms – we stopped at an estate sale and I picked up a little something (decor that I want to paint white) for the kitchen and the hubs paid for it = $5.00 – I used a sledge hammer “I used a SLEDGE hammer!” The hubs helped to coach me on how to better swing it, makes me happy he lets me do these fun things along side him + it got my heart rate up = great workout – Had a bit more work done on the pavers + the boys dug a trench out to the road to complete the drainage for the project – the hubs had a dental (cleaning) appointment and I took a nap in the waiting room (you should have seen his grin when I woke up) – And Monday morning the hubs said “I could use another 1,000 weekends like this.

And just like that, it was Monday.

I shot a picture of the leader on my way home. Yes, one hand was on the wheel. Both eyes on the road. The other hand in my purse digging for my cell. And I managed to get a shot. Then I just had to throw it in Photoshop for a bit of an edit. How fun!

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We had a visitor again last evening. It looks like our fake decor egret is not holding up his end of the deal. Guess it’s time for me to move it again…

So it’s been a year this week that we added fish to the pond. In this amount of time, we’ve lost a total of 4 to the egret and heron. Not too bad, if you were to ask me. As we will always live with this sort of threat…And I’m thankful yelling works when all else fails…

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The hubs knows just the place to look when I’m nowhere to be found, this morning.

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She’ll be in the garden.

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Inspecting the daylily at all angles.

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And spying a daylily just before the bloom…

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Checking to see how the red bell pepper begins to form.

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And the roses…

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Oh, the roses.

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They truly have a greeting all of their own.

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And just like that, the early morning hours are past and we are well on our way into Tuesday.

Which means, I think it’s about time to get on with a few of the nitty-gritty things, as I just heard the washing machine stop.

Thank you for stopping by on this beautiful summer day.

Blessings – Debbie

To Do

As in to-do list.

I started the day with a number of things on my list of things to do.

First up – Clean the pond. I don’t believe I’ve talked too much about how I like to keep the pond free of debris. But it’s one of those things I strive to do daily. Not because it’s a necessity, I just enjoy it better when it’s clean.

The daily cleaning = netting out any leaves or debris that may have blown in overnight.

Today was the day to actually get in with the fish. During the summer months, I like to dip in about once a week to clean out the lilly pads and flowers that are no longer bloom. Something like deadheading the lilies and pads.

It also tickles me that the fish actually come swimming right up to me the moment I get in. They let me pet them and we’re like best buddies. And if I stand in one place for a while, they begin to nibble on my skin. The whole experience truly makes my heart happy.

Here’s an image I shot of one of the babies. I can hardly believe they are a year old this month. Yup, he was born in the pond last year.

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I also wanted to give the roses some attention. I gave some a little extra TLC with a dose of coffee grounds. And while I was at it, I thought I’d shoot an image of the roses, but in a different perspective. I love the array color throughout the garden.

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And I took an image of this plant. It bloomed this week for the first time this season. Soon it will be loaded with pretty flowers.

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And then I had other things on my list.

Things like returning an item back to the store. It wasn’t a painful task, but it sure felt like it. It’s one of those things I’ve been procrastinating. So it’s a relief to have that little pesky thing crossed off.

And picking up some items at Bed Bath and Beyond. I was particularly excited with this stop as I had three 20% off coupons + one $5.00 off coupon + one $25.00 gift card. I’ll say I made out really well today.

One last stop at the grocery store for some much needed grub and then home sweet home.

My list also included some household chores, laundry and ironing. Done, done and DONE!

And then I got to do something that wasn’t on my list. I took a nap. Because my peepers were heavy, so I gave them a rest. And that sure did a body good.

And now we’re heading into a nice 3-day weekend. I’m really looking forward to it, as we have a few fun gardening things on our weekend list of things to-do.

Cheers to To-Do lists and getting things crossed off.

Happy Weekend Friends!

Blessings – Debbie

In The Last 24 Hours

We had a visitor last evening.

The guy down below is our fake decoy egret for the fish pond. The guy up above, just flew in. I actually ran out there and yelled at him right after I took this blurry shot.

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This morning – things moved along as usual. I made breakfast and lunch for the hubs while he was getting ready for work.

Made a cup of coffee as soon as I bid farewell to the hubs.

Sat down for about 30 min for a little reading with my coffee.

Then went out to the garden.

And spied this little crimson sweet watermelon for the very first time. And as I looked, I noticed a few more babies. Did you know these guys can reach up to 25 pounds? No matter the size, we’re just hoping for some sweet homegrown melon this year.

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And then I went over to check out the tomatoes. It seems they are changing by the day too. Here’s a few of our little cherry tomatoes.

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Our red bell peppers are growing too.

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And just about the time I was getting ready to pay a little attention to the roses, I hear from down below “Honey, I’m home and I don’t feel so good.”

So I dropped what I was doing and ran down to see what was wrong.

Turns out he was violently sick and asked if I would take him to Urgent Care right away.

I would have done anything to make his illness go away, so off we went to get him some help.

Soon, the nurse gave him dose of Zofran. After a while, he was still terribly sick so the Dr. ordered another dose + a nice IV to keep him from dehydrating.

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After about 20 or so minutes he was feeling a lot better.

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While he was enjoying his IV, they were working on his blood samples in the lab.

As it turns out, his blood work checked out just peachy. And he was sent home to rest, drink lots of clear fluids, rest and hopefully shoo this flu bug away.

The hubs seems to be a bit exhausted but feeling so much better this evening. And that makes me one very happy wifey.

Later this afternoon, we had an exciting find in the pond. We both spied the two (very small) catfish our nephew added to the pond just four weeks ago (yesterday). It was a happy moment let me tell you. I still can’t believe they were in hiding all month.

While I don’t have an image of our catfish, here’s a fun picture I took at dinnertime this evening. They have me wrapped right around their little fins and I think they know it too.

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I close the day with a grateful heart and much to be thankful for.

Blessings – Debbie

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

Note: this post was written yesterday (Tuesday), I just forgot to post it.

The last two weeks have been off.

Two weeks ago today our nephew had just finished up his visit with us. I still can’t wait to blog about his trip! And I dropped him off at the airport to go back home, two weeks ago today.

It was one of those down days after saying good-bye to my buddy. And when the hubs came home that evening, I got an extra long hug. and a few tears trickled down my cheeks.

One week ago today, the hubs was on a business trip and I was home learning of the news that there were fires in our area. Believe it or not, the hubs “in Indy” is how I learned of the fires. If it were up to me, my head would be in the sand, without a clue. It turned out to be a pretty crazy week.

But It’s a new week. This time around I’m trying to get back into the swing of things.

It’s a good week. And the hubs kicked off our Monday, inviting me for a lunch date. I truly love lunch dates.

And I find relaxation by the edge of the pond.

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The babies are almost a year old and they are changing color by the min it seems. I can’t believe we have a “blue” goldfish. How did that happen?

They are fighting over a piece of food, but somebody gave up, turned around and begged for more. Are they spoiled or what?

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#1 Reason I scratched tomatoes off my grocery list this week. We hope to have good luck in the garden this year.

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Check out the tassels on the sweet corn! How exciting is that?

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I’m thankful for the these little things. The things we enjoy around house and home. It’s the things that bring delight.

Cheers to getting back into the swing of things.

Blessings – Debbie

A Flurry Of Events

I chalk this week up to a flurry of events.

The beginning of May, is another story (a good story that I can’t wait to tell). But a story that will have to wait for now.

The Flurry starts Monday, May 12, 2014.

Monday – the hubs left on a business trip bright and early in the morning.

Monday – I took the day off to relax and to read my book (The Last Aloha) for book club this month. I’m so glad I did, as I’m not so sure I would have finished the book for the meeting (next week) otherwise.

Tuesday – I took our cars for the annual emissions test, they both passed.

Tuesday – Fires broke out in San Diego County. Pretty nerve-racking. Especially with the hubs out-of-town.

Tuesday evening I went to my girlfriends for dinner. Since our boys were out-of-town, she had me over to their new home (they just moved in last Saturday, May 10th) for a nice dinner. Grilled chicken, and shrimp on the BBQ and all the ingredients to make fajitas, rice and beans. It was such and enjoyable evening of patio dining + conversation + Hawaiian music = perfection into the night.

I made her card compliments of nail polish.

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Wednesday – It was hard to focus on much. At that time, we had six wildfires burning in San Diego County.

I could see smoke from the house – I’d watched fire tornadoes broadcast in the area – Heard of 15,000 evacuations in Carlsbad alone – Watched thousands of acres burn – registered for reverse 911 – By then we (San Diego County) were calling in state and federal reserves…

And I was so ready for the hubs to get home.

Image taken from the neighborhood, Wednesday evening.

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I stood watching flames climb the side of the mountain. If you look close, you too can see the flames highlighting the mountain in the image.

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Oh what a night…

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It seemed our little world was going up in smoke while daylight vanished.

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Wednesday evening – From a fire captain on the ground – about the fire near us. – “…The reinforcement of crew is still coming in. More planes and they are allowing them to fly which is unheard of at night. They will be busting their butt all night.”

All I could do that evening was pack my little emergency bag in the event of evacuation and pray for the best.

Thursday morning – These “Bad Boys” were flying over our home – Made me tear up as I watched plane after plane and helicopter fly into the wildfires.

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Below is a view from our neighborhood Thursday morning.

I wasn’t so sure what was going on in the news. I was busy preparing for the hubs to come home.

I picked up the hubs around 10:45 and from there, we went for an early lunch date. Have you any idea how overjoyed I was to have him home?

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By the time we got home, these guys were in the hood. The officers told me that if the fire reached the ridge, we would all have to go.

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I stood and watched a bit longer, watching what seemed to be an ever-growing fire. While plane after plane flew in and out, trying to gain control.

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What I recall in the next few hours…

Packing the car – watering the garden – ash beginning to fall in the yard – the hubs paying some bills – getting stung by a bee – feeding the fish – telling the fish that I loved them, I did – and making one more round in the house to ensure we had everything that mattered most.

Soon, the mandatory evacuation was in force. And the reverse 911 call came,  it was time to evacuate. We didn’t argue.

Image taken from our driveway Thursday evening. These guys were trolling the hood with their sirens and speakers – telling all of us we need to get out! I recall the hubs and I giving a nod of respect and a friendly wave to these men on duty.

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We had suitcases packed, boxes of pictures, important documents…

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A fragile keepsake from China – computers – and other precious things we didn’t want to leave behind.

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And I recall that special hug and kiss in the hub of the home, before making our way out.

Finally we were able to relax in our new home – the Residence Inn.

Although we hit a rough patch finding a room. The first hotel was booked (due to  evacuations) and there were only two rooms available at the next Residence Inn.

Once we kicked off our shoes, we were truly at peace with whatever happened after that.

Thank you friends for your thoughts, concern, prayers and many in the area offering your homes for us to stay.

Friday morning – We woke feeling rested. The mandatory evacuation was lifted for us = we were free to go home! But not before breakfast. Que the “Happy” song somebody!

Friday Fire Report In Our Area – While it was good to be home, the fire doubled in size overnight consuming 3,018 acres. Fortunately for us, the wind had shifted. But there are still so many facing the loss of homes and businesses.

Today – Saturday Morning Update: Nothing But Blue Skies and 68° – Feeling so blessed this morning.

We came home early yesterday morning to a few signs of ash in the backyard and the smell of smoke.

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Still praying for our firefighters and officers hard at work today. We’ve had – Eight Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters, seven CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters and four UH-1Y Huey helicopters, 1,000 firefighters and 161 fire engines providing support to the fire in what we call our backyard. Note: This does not include all the firefighters/fire engines/planes/helicopters fighting the many fires in our San Diego County area. There are so many more…

May we not forget those where the fire has reduced homes and businesses to rubble.

The fire is now 70% contained per our latest update.

San Diego Fires May 2014 – For those not in the area, a few more details – “The 2014 San Diego County wildfires are a swarm of wildfires that erupted in mid-May, in San Diego County, California during severe Santa Ana Wind conditions and a heat wave. The severe weather conditions contributed to the spread of at least 14 fires, with 10 of them receiving names. At least nine of the wildfires are believed to have originated from the Bernardo Fire, which ignited on May 13, 2014. Igniting some 25,000 acres…”

Please remember those who are less fortunate. Those who came home to rubble. Those who suffered and who will continue to suffer loss in the days ahead…

Happy Note – I’ve been waiting for the daylily to bloom. Today is the first of many more blooms to come…

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Blessings – Debbie

A Week of Progress

Starting with the powder room.

This room was one of the most stressful rooms ever! I mean, really. Picking out a color to make my heart sing was trying, at best.

I was happy with choices “3” times. 3 x’s people! And after sleeping on the color, I doubted my happy choice.

Luckily I didn’t have to paint the room 3 x’s, as I just purchased samples and painted large swatches around the room.

And 8 different color samples were splashed in there before making the final decision.

But let me tell you, once the hubs helped me choose a color I already liked, that was it. Just. Like. That. We had our decision and paint was purchased last weekend. And the official start date on the painting, was bright and early Monday morning.

And the baseboards got a couple of coats of paint too. It’s like having a brand new space.

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And here’s the after shot on its own. My heart truly sings after all the effort and hard work. Now to add the pretties. That should be FUN!

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Last weekend we had drain pipe delivered for the outdoor project.

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And by the end of the weekend we had it installed.

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I have not progressed much as far as taking images this week. But I did take a couple of shots in the backyard.

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And for relaxation, I truly enjoy spending time around the pond. They love dinner!

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Points of interest this week:

  • Our produce patch is flourishing! And it seems we notice big leaps each week after we fertilize.
  • I painted in 4 different rooms. And I love that I can see where I’ve been.
  • The hubs caught a little cold Thursday and spent the day home sick yesterday.
  • We have another update coming right along in the backyard as we speak. The guys are working so hard.
  • And we lounged pretty much all day today and if feels good to take a nice time-out.

Blessings – Debbie

All in a Week

Thinking back over the last week, there are so many new and exciting things happening.

Perhaps “spring” has a lot to do with these things, and I love it! I love the time change and that our daylight pushes further into the evening hours. And the ever changing scenery around home sweet home gets sweeter as the days go by.

Like the first sign of our water lilies producing the very first bloom of the year, last week. I can’t express just how excited I was. And the pads are getting so big already! And the fish are loving the weather and spawning too! The dragonflies have returned and everything seems to echo – “it’s spring”!

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Picking roses from the garden is such a joy.

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And the excitement that comes while working in the garden. 11 of these bad boys (Boeing CH-47 Chinooks) flew overhead one day this week. I’ve never seen a sight like this before. And the rumble and vibration – was amazing – gave me goosebumps.

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I trimmed my bangs yesterday morning too.

I think the hubs has given up on me going in to have them done. It’s like I can’t help myself. I wake up one morning and realize they drive me nuts, so I cut them.

I may or may not have done a little fretting over the new Artisan Bread we girls whipped up yesterday.

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But I purchased my very first Dutch Oven this morning! All for the love of bread, a girl needs a dutch oven. And she doesn’t let a little fret stand in her way.

It was like Christmas unwrapping this guy today.

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And tonight we shall see how it turns out. I believe excitement wells more and more as the hours go by. Tick Tock – only time will tell.

Until next time…

Blessings – Debbie

Happiness is

Happiness is – Changing plans for my outdoor garden party when our beautiful weather turned cool and rainy. My party of 12 ladies enjoyed laughter, visits and friendship.

Unfortunately this is the only image I have to show for the ladies luncheon yesterday. It does make me a little sad that I don’t have pictures to remember our day.

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Happiness is – a tiny begonia in full bloom.

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Happiness is – Taking more than one picture of the plant, just because.

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Happiness is – Receiving this lovely vase of roses from my neighbors garden.

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And finding the right spot to enjoy them this weekend.

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Happiness is – Wisteria in full bloom this time of the year. I sure wish I could bottle the aroma.

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Happiness is – Picking a rose from the garden for my bud vase.

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I spy an Egret! How about you?

Happiness is – Having the new alligator head in the pond to prevent this guy from helping himself to our fish. I decided to watch him today to see what he would do. He definitely seemed bothered as he made quite a commotion. After 3 or so minutes, he flew away.

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Happiness is – Seeing a grasshopper for the second time this week. This guy crossed my path today and I decided to shoot him too. Makes me happy.

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Happiness is – Getting a 3 day weekend with my love. That makes me so very happy.

Happiness is – Feeling blessed…

Blessings – Debbie

About Last Week

Greetings from Home – It was so good to get home to my love.

Azaleas – The azaleas were loaded with all sorts of buds when I left to be with my family and say our final goodbyes to grandma.

And this is the pretty sight I came home to a week ago. On top of that, the hubs gave first class treatment as I was one pretty jet-lagged wifey.

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The wisteria was just like the azalea. As in it was loaded with all sorts of buds before my trip. And now it’s in full, sweet aroma bloom!

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Hurricane Weather – So the hubs told me of the hurricane like weather he had (with an eye and everything) while I was away. Check out what it did to the plant holder. Yes, that plant holder is buried in concrete and still secure at the base.

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Last Thursday, March 6th. I had my girlfriend (Julz) over for coffee. We shared bagels and coffee on the patio and caught up with what was going on in each others lives. I was also privileged to have a look see at her new house. What a pretty place and I can’t wait ’til I get to see the inside – They have not closed on the house yet…

I cherish moments like this.

How sweet of her to bring the beautiful succulent (I love succulents!) and thoughtful card.

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Sprouts – We planted our little vegetable garden (in the bay window) several weeks ago. Everything looks good so far.

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Not Quite Before & Not Quite After (image) – Saturday, we worked on this area. We removed several roses, agave bushes and large succulents. And the hubs even removed several massive roots. This is the spot on the upper terrace where we’ve planned our little vegetable garden – coming soon!

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Who knew we could use so many wheelbarrows around here? We have 3. This old one so happened to be on the upper terrace, so it’s the one I used.

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I found homes for the roses and a few of the succulents. But there were some things that I had no use for. Perhaps one day I’ll regret getting rid of this stuff…

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It’s SPRINGTIME – Been waiting for you to roll around, March 9th! I gladly give that hour back. That’s what I posted on Facebook Sunday and I have enjoyed the change ever since…Cheers to change!

Motives Motivate – I’ve had motives to get rid of all the fish in the pond. Motives like – I want prettier fish. Who’s to say what prettier is, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So in this case, “I” consider the Shubunkins prettier than what we currently have.

But the thing that really motivated me is when our beautiful “Shubunkin” was taken. Now all I want are Shubunkins.

And I don’t want to cross breed, so I have motives to have the same fish. Thus the motivation to get rid of what we have.

I’m talking with an adoption agency (AKA – the place where I purchased the goldfish last year) to see if they would be willing to come scoop out all the fish + the babies. And take them back with the promise that I will purchase our Shubunkins from them. I’m motivated to make this happen soon – Fingers crossed…

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But there is one fish to remain. It’s this pretty fish with beautiful fins. It’s the only shubunkin in the pond.

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I’m currently waiting on a call back to see if they (the pond store) is up to the task of removing all the fish and babies.

To be continued…

Blessings – Debbie

The Backyard Was Jacked

with a jackhammer yesterday.

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It’s quite a powerful tool, as it pounded thru the granite rock.

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It’s hard to shoot the magnitude of the job, but here’s an image up close to see a little better.

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A pick…

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was used to dig out major roots and the not so major roots.

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And the flat shovel was used to…

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make the area smooth. We still have a long way to go from start to finish, but progress makes us happy. Oh so happy!

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A view from the upper terrace. We plan to extend the pavers over and carry on with the retaining wall.

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And for a little pond reflecting today:

The fish seemed pretty skidish this morning.

This guy in particular. I took this image of him this morning and I haven’t seen him since. I’m pretty sad, as he was my favorite fish.

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Now the fish are in hiding under a large rock area and I can’t get a count. I just hope they continue to take cover and pray I see my favorite little guy out and about tomorrow.

This is the only evidence I gathered floating around this afternoon.

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All in all, I think the fish population will survive whatever comes our way. And if we must take matters into our own hands, I’m sure we will find another decoy to “help” keep those critters out.

Exciting News! I saw my first dragonfly (this season) around the pond today. I can’t express how exciting that was. Just so you know, I was in the middle of a conversation with the hubs when I interrupted the with “OH LOOK – A DRAGONFLY!” It pretty much went down just like that. Tee Hee, super exciting!

That’s all for today.

Blessings – Debbie

Backyard Work in Progress

We have a lot going on around the home sweet home. While we’re still working on indoor projects, the outdoor projects are coming right along as well.

Like the area in the lower left section of the image.

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So far, four trees and stumps were ground/taken out, a few small trees removed and the gravel/rock removed. Next, the area will be leveled, then pavers will extend and a fire pit will be coming soon to the area. We’re excited!

We spent a great deal of time in the great outdoors over the weekend. The hubs tinkered a bit more with the outdoor speaker system and I spent a good deal of time with the fish.

I was pretty excited when I captured the guy below with palm tree reflections. So much so, that I wanted to get a bit artsy in photoshop. Like so.

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I love the fish below, she’s one of our new shubunkins. I can’t tell you how hard it is to get a good image of a fish that is always on the move.

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And I pretty much spent the day (today/Monday) catching up on things from over the weekend.

On the health front – Just in case you are wondering, I’m pleased with the way I’m making healthy choices. So far so good!

On that note, I think it’s time to start thinking about having a nice healthy dinner.

Until next time,

Blessings – Debbie

January Garden

Latest edition to the pond – I love the new fish pot the hubs picked up for me, a week ago.

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And I love his new home across the way…

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And I love how the doves stand by – allowing me to take their pictures. I think they are getting ready to nest.

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And I love the January roses.

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I’ve watched this rose (for days) as the petals continue to open and open and… I don’t have the nerve to cut and bring inside.

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Things of accomplishment:

  • I finished painting the office over the weekend!
  • We spent a lot of time working in the garden – change is coming!
  • I’m almost to the end of my book. That’s a huge accomplishment plowing thru 1,024 pages this month. But it’s a good read and I’m about to finish it up today…I hope.

And before I forget, yesterday, I wrote with pen (at the Dr’s office) the year 2014 for the first time this year. And as I wrote the date, I said aloud “2014” as if it were a news flash. And a gal gave me a silly look as if to say “duh”.

Wishing a blessed day and week to you…

Blessings – Debbie

What’s Going On

Well, I’ll tell you. But first, I hope you’ve had a glorious weekend.

So the clock of the New Year is ticking away and we’re getting ready to bid the second week of the new year goodbye.

For the last few days, I’ve been busy doing a bit of this and that.

For starters, I’m reading World Without End by Ken Follett – It’s the 1024 page book our book club is reading. Love the Kindle, especially for larger books!

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And I had such a desire to add turtles to the pond. So I called my pond guy mid week and the girls (two red eared slider turtles) were delivered Friday.

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They are as cute as can be.

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And a lot of fun to watch them chill with the fish.

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Along with the turtles, a couple of shubunkin goldfish were delivered too.

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The hubs vision for his Christmas vacation project is now complete, as of early this past week.

The house now has gigabit ethernet to all PC’s and TV/Media Centers as well as 5G WIFI throughout. “It’s faster than I can keep up with!” I exclaimed, when I gave it a spin. He has not yet tested it to determine if he can really get 1,000 Mbps between PC’s; however, we can now watch a movie off the Office PC hard drive on the TV in the Family Room without any delays or buffering. XBOX also confirms that the network supports HDTV streaming as the network quality bars are pegged to the max. He says the true test will come when we start moving large files across the network. That took a long time on the old network, but should now be 10x faster. This house ROCKS!

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Over the last couple of days, I’ve been busy working on editing Sr pictures. She is such a doll and so much fun to work with.

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And I just blogged, that counts for something this weekend. Right?

The hubs and I played backgammon several x’s a day over the weekend. Still love daily games with the hubs.

And now I’m getting ready to watch our show (Revenge) and call it a glorious day and weekend with the hubs.

‘Til next time…

Blessings – Debbie

Breaking Rules

Breaking Rules – If I’ve learned anything in art class, it’s this “learn the rules” and then I learned that “rules are meant to be broken”. Said my photography instructor last semester.

So I broke the rules in Photoshop on the images I took this morning. Makes me happy.

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The image below was taken right at feeding time. See all that food?

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And the afternoon seems to be moving right along. I had a nice lunch date with the hubs. Went food shopping. Returned a pillow. It seems to take forever to find a new pillow, that’s my second return thus far. I decided not to come home with another pillow today. I’m plumb pillow shopped out. But I’m getting a bit accomplished around the house.

On that note, Happy New Year, use your imagination, be creative and break a rule! Or two…

Blessings – Debbie

Happy New Year

Wishing a Happy New Year to all of you!

So the hubs and I have spent the last couple of weeks enjoying the holidays, spending time with friends and working around the house.

And working around the house has been right up there on the top of our list.

In fact, I painted the office on New Years Eve. And went to sleep for the night at 8:30 pm. I could not keep my eyes open for the dropping of the ball in Times Square (east coast time).

And on New Years day, paint was applied to the baseboards in the office.

*See Image Below for the hubs project* – The hubs tells me this is going to be our home’s new gigabit network, 5G wifi, telephone, cable, and audio distribution center. I have no idea what this means, but he says I’m going to like it when its finished.

News Flash, he has already shown me the volume control for the outdoors, kitchen and dining areas. He’s right, I’m going to like the goodies.

I don’t know who is having more fun, but I can tell you we are having a grand time.

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I’m working on taking down the Christmas tree today. And I’m so thankful the hubs ordered special ornament containers for me this year. I can’t tell you what a delight it is not having to individually box the ornaments.

Our Lenox ornament this year. Our collection has grown over the last 17 Christmases together.

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“It’s a day of rest – to rest up from my week of vacation and to rest up for another week of vacation” – Said The Hubs, last weekend. And here this weekend is almost here. And that means it’s back to work for him Monday. But let’s not talk about that now. We’re still on vacation!

One of my special places to spend time, is still around the pond. Lately, I started crushing up the “big fish” food for the babies. Just after a week of feeding, the babies swim up to me as if I’m their best friend. True, they spent their first 6 months eating algae. While they still feed on the algae, they obviously like to forage for new fodder.

What a joy it is to watch the little babies change color. Of all the babies (approx 70 from the spawning last spring), this is the only one who has completely turned orange. And we have one I call “Rudolph” he/she has a red nose and the rest completely dark, just like the other baby you see in this image. We even have a few with a blueish tint. We understand it takes six months for the babies to develop color.

Six months are up, so we expect to see some big changes in the pond this winter/spring.

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I hope to be back soon as I hate to get so far behind on the blog.

Wishing Joy, Blessings and Happiness to you this New Year.

Blessings – Debbie