Oh Summer You Went So Fast

Dear summer of 2015, thank you for your bountiful blessings.

We were so excited about our grape-vine this year, that we picked up two more vines and planted them. Unfortunately, around picking time, there were no grapes left for us. Lesson learned, we will cover them with a net to keep the birds away next time.

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And our little pumpkin patch flourished with more pumpkins than we could use this autumn. Unfortunately, we just ended up tossing them as we planted a little too early this year. Lessons learned…

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Fresh summer California berries deserve a standing ovation. Amen…

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July 10th – An exciting day! Our solar panels were delivered. A big shout out for solar energy, oh happy day! We are so thrilled to have that done.

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Enjoyed our Sweet 16 Anniversary. Feeling blessed and so very happy to spend life with My Love. It truly has been a great adventure.

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Mid August – Taking pictures lately? That’s the question my photographer friend asked while we were out having some girl time. No was the reply. No was her reply too. We think it has to do with the overload from school that put us both over the edge. However, we both still love our camera and in no way are we putting it on the shelf. Just taking a little breather. Here’s an image of roses I brought in from the garden. Made me so very happy…

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August 31 – Spent hours by the waterfall = My favorite place to chill. The activity in and around the pond = priceless.

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I love a garden with flowers and fish. I’m thankful each day to have both. Love our Shubunkin pumpkins as I fondly call them. This guy was wondering when I would stop shooting and feed him.

Threw a paint filter on this in Photoshop, because I thought it needed a little something somethin.

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A little early September morning blessing from the garden.

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Loving my babies! It has to be one of my favorite spots to visit.

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Yes, we have watermelon! And I must say, it is some of the best melon ever. It continues to produce and we’ve enjoyed it daily for weeks.

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One of the great blessings of the week is – I have the hubs home taking a little vacation with me. Loving this time together around Home Sweet Home.

Back to celebrating his time off. Happy Day! And Happy Catching up on the Blog… Well as much catching up as I plan to do. I know there are things I missed like special dates and such, but I’m calling it quits and caught up. And feeling blessed.

Happy Day and Blessings – Debbie

Hubs 35th HS Reunion In Vegas

Early June 2015 – Pulling out of the hood – Going to Vegas with my Baby!

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Our first visit to Vegas.

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The Luxor Hotel – Our home away from home.

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The daylight images were shot from my car window as we made our little trip around the strip via car.

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Reflection, it’s what I loved when I saw this building.

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The night shots were taken on foot one evening as we strolled the strip. Accompanied with the trusty tripod.

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The fountain programmed to music. What a lovely place to linger for a few songs.

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The strip taken from the above cross walk.

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Group shot of everyone after dinner one evening. It was a great turnout.

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Goofballs – When in Vegas, get tatted…

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Can’t believe they trusted me to do the honors.

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Last dinner with the group.

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Fun times were had by all.

Blessings – Debbie

August

August 2014 was filled with so much. And I could not seem to get my act together on the blog. So I didn’t. And things snowballed. So here I am, ready to post at  bit about the month of August before it’s too late.

Painting – Guest Bedroom and Hallway

Actually, the painting project started the end of July and into early August. I was so excited to get another two rooms painted. Many thanks to the hubs for helping with the clearing and then the setting things back up in the rooms.

Paint color is BEHR – Summer Bliss – P280-1″

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Baby Brother and Sis-in-law visit –

Mid August, we had company!

This image has already been used on the blog. But for the sake of this post, I’m using it again.

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Another visit –

Our friend from Phoenix came to San Diego to cool off a bit. We enjoyed breakfast by the beach last weekend.

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Banana Banana Bread – 

This bread gets a slot for the month of August, because I made it three different times for family and friends.

2 1/3 cups or 5 bananas is the equivalent that went into my loaf. That’s a lot of bananas. Thus the title of the recipe – Banana Banana Bread. I love how moist and yummy it is right out of the oven. Or toasted the next morning. Either way, it holds that yummy moist soft texture, no matter how you slice it.

This loaf was made for my friend visiting from Canada. We still have another lunch get-together this week.

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Class – 

My photography class is in full swing. I’m happy to report it’s my absolute favorite class, ever.

I was a little nervous the dean would cancel our class due to a lack of students. As it turns out, we are good to go! I’m (selfishly) excited about having a small group, as we are able to get a lot more one-on-one time during the lab with the instructor.

Love the new Tervis set my bro gave us (from his company), I take this guy to class all the time.

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I got a bit overwhelmed when the instructor wanted us to get used to using the Wacom in class. I’ve heard about this cool tool, but it was my first hands on experience. For those of you who don’t know, it’s a graphics tablet you hook to the computer. You draw on the tablet and it creates the drawing in your computer program.

Basically, I had some major arguments going on with the tool. It was hard to get used to performing different functions when there seemed to be a lot to remember. So I put it right back on the shelf and went back to using my mouse in class. At least I was able to keep up in class.

When I told the hubs all about it and not being able to keep up in class, he dropped what he was doing and ordered one for me right there on the spot that evening. And I had it in my hands in less than 48 hours!

Believe me, by the time class rolls around this week, I won’t need anyone to twist my arm for a Wacom in class.

The features of my Wacom Intuos Pro Medium are mind blowing. I’ve listed some of the cool features below.

  • Quickly and professionally edit photos and create digital artwork using natural pen control
  • Wireless accessory kit included
  • 2048 levels of pen pressure sensitivity in both pen tip and eraser
  • 8 customizable application specific Express Keys
  • Multi-function touch ring with 4 customizable functions

And I’ve already taken some of the most amazing webinars this weekend and set up my tablet with the express key functions that gel with what I like to use the most. I’m sure in time, I’ll take the liberty to change those functions as I grow-up in Photoshop.

While I’m not a Wacom genius, I’m learning that I can take the art of photography to a level beyond my wildest dreams. I’m so pumped!

And I look forward to sharing my assignments with you this semester. Stay tuned!

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Labor Day Weekend – 

We’re taking this 4-day time off together and getting a few things accomplished around the house.

The key ingredient at the top of our list is rest. Lots of rest.

We’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen with our dueling knives. Homemade guacamole is in the house! Served fresh daily…I don’t kid about stuff like this.

Friday evening, we checked out some old cars. I think these sort of things could be an interesting subject for an assignment due mid September. Who knows, we may go back next week for more fun and pictures.

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And for now –

  • I’m happy getting a few things from August on the blog.
  • Looking forward to un-labor-day tomorrow. Wait, I think we may spend a bit of time working. But if we’re doing what we love, it may cancel work altogether.
  • Loving on the plumeria our neighbors brought over for us today. What a special gift.
  • And I still can’t believe tomorrow is September 1st already! Somebody pinch me.

September 1st is my sign to start ringing in the season! It’s truly my favorite time of the year.

Then again, we had a glorious summer. Perhaps it’s that pumpkin spice latte time of the year that I begin to crave.

At any rate, I’m ready to embrace September, autumn and the season that I love so much. In fact, I had a little Christmas tree visit with the hubs today.

But first things first…Enjoy Autumn and that pumpkin spice latte. And the Holidays will unfold in due time.

Blessings – Debbie

When Company Comes

My baby brother and sis-in-law arrived at noon (in San Diego) from the east coast, one week ago today. What a treat!

An outdoor lunch (by the beach) at the Hotel Del was in order.

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Day 2 – We gave them the scenic tour of our surrounding areas. My sis-in-law shot this stunning image from Point Loma.

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Brother and sis enjoy Point Loma.

There are days I wish I had taken more images, but the memories we made are priceless.

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On over to Balboa Park – image of the Japanese Gardens. The only image I took in the beautiful park.

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Day 3 – The couple took off for a day-trip in San Diego. They enjoyed breakfast on the harbor, strolled thru Seaport Village, took a 2 hour boat cruise, had lunch on the water and enjoyed their day.

Day 4 – We all took a little drive up into the mountains to visit the town of Julian.

The lama on the street corner was pretty cool.

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And hot fresh apple pie, it’s what we came for.

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Served up with cinnamon ice-cream. Good eating under a nice shade tree.

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We all got a little chuckle over the signs out front of one of the shops.

True story – The gal running the place asked us (after we took our shots) to refrain from taking pictures. We may or may not have wanted to meet her family – read signs below. All in good humor, of course.

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Sis with a bear cap…Truly a fun family day of shopping.

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Day 5 – Enjoyed spending a bit of time in La Jolla – What a beautiful hilly seaside community. Cute couple too!

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And then we went to our favorite spot (Jake’s restaurant in Del Mar) on the ocean for dinner. My salmon dish was so good. And everyone’s plate was equally as good. And we declare they serve the best calamari on the face of the earth. Amen.

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After dinner picture at the homestead.

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Day 6 – The day we said goodbye. But the memories will stay with us forever.

Day 7 & 8 – I’m still trying to find myself. On day 7, I had two naps. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. And we were in bed by 9:30PM. A sign we had a lot of fun this week.

On a good note – I’m caught up on the laundry, the garden was given much TLC this morning and the weekend will be here soon.

Blessings – Debbie

Gardening + Beach + Root-Rot

Just so you know (up front), the root-rot has nothing to do with gardening. And everything to do with “my” roots, literally.

This past weekend was one of those really nice three day weekends with the hubs. It’s the kind of weekend I love where we spend time gardening, living outdoors, cooking on the grill and eating outdoors.

The hubs picked his first round of jalapeño peppers.

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And our first round of corn. Actually, we had fresh corn a couple of times over the weekend.

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He seeded his peppers + added a concoction of cream cheese + spices + sharp cheddar cheese + bacon. He said they were yummy. I do know this, they had to be good. And I wish my tummy were able to handle these things like it used to. Oh well…

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The corn was yummy too! In fact, the hubs did a fine job serving up yummy meals over the weekend. Trust.

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Then Monday rolled around. First up, I had plans to visit the fair with my girlfriend. However, we learned (over the weekend) the fair was closed on Monday.

Then I made a plan to have my blood-work done. The reminder (see image below) was attached (Sunday evening) to the right source as a reminder to stay away until after my blood-work was finished. Somehow I forgot about my reminder early Monday morning as I was making breakfast and lunch for the hubs. And then is when I accidentally tossed some fresh watermelon my way while making his lunch.

Oops!

May as well bring on the coffee too after a stunt like that. So I did.

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And just like that, I made a new plan, while enjoying my coffee. It’s my philosophy, when one plan fails, make a new one.

Worked for me, as I went to the beach.

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Enjoyed a little sand between my toes.

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Truly enjoyed shopping along the boardwalk.

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Does shopping get any better? Well for me, I’m not much of a shopper to begin with. Should you see me at the mall, you know it’s one of those once every six month sort of visits, when I really need something. And once I nail what I need, I’m out of there.

However, should you see me in and out of old shops filled with antiques, or shops with pottery and art, or any sort of funky cool stuff. Look out, I could stay in places like that for days…

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Then Tuesday rolled around. I was so excited for Tuesday! Never-mind the image, I did some crazy stuff to it in Photoshop just for fun cause that’s the way I roll.

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But the reason I was so excited is…it was time to take care of root-rot! I love the fact that my hair is growing, but those pesky grays have a way of making themselves known. If you know what I mean. Now that that’s taken care of, I’m sure I’ll be sharing some more stuff soon. Stay tuned!

Blessings – Debbie

Summertime

Is For…

  • Enjoying nice long days
  • Dinner on the patio
  • Firing up the grill for things like shrimp, chicken and burgers…

I cleaned up a mess of these guys for dinner last evening.

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  • Finding my way to bed somewhere around 9PM and waking sometime around 5:30AM. I love my waking hours in the light and sleeping when it’s dark.
  • Changing nail polish every 4 or so days. This was the color applied yesterday.

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  • Enjoying sunset hikes with the hubs. Images taken this week with my cell.

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  • Bumping into Neighbors – It’s fun to bump into neighbors (on our way home) on these summer sunset hikes. They were interested in seeing the progress in our backyard, so we had them over + she brought us a nice sack of fresh fruit from their garden. We shared tomato plants + red pepper plants with them.

We’ve had several neighbors check out the place this week.

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  • No AC needed for the month of June – Loving our cool So Cal breeze
  • Fresh produce from the garden
  • The hubs planted pumpkin over the weekend – Here’s what it looked like yesterday.

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Here’s what it looks like this morning. We are big fans of these little greenhouse type trays to start plants. We pick them up from Home Depot.

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  • Beverages and visits on the patio
  • Reading good books – This month, the book club is reading “The Art Forger by Barbara A. Shapiro – two thumbs up = I’m loving it! It’s where my nose will be a good chunk of today.

Happy Summertime, Everyone!

Blessings – Debbie

A Weekend to Remember

I remember so many wonderful things over the weekend. So I guess it’s time to document these precious memories.

Memories like this rose blossoming – it was fun to watch over the last couple of days.

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And catching this vivid pop of purple. I’m not really fond of this plant, but I think the flowers that shoot up are simply spectacular.

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The dragonfly found a new place to rest. Last weekend the hubs and I used a sledgehammer on a faux rock. And the old supports are the last thing standing. Turns out, the dragonfly loves his new perch.

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Another form from a different spot.

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This guy has been soaring in the yard for years. I’m a bit sentimental but had the notion to shoo him away get rid of it. Turns out, the hubs has a bit sentiment too. I think he stays.

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Projects – Outdoor projects continue and work is still being done on the side of the house. The guys dug a new trench and pipe was tied into the backyard for proper drainage to the street. We look forward to next week new progress on the project.

While they were here, we had them chop down the smaller faux rock. It’s exciting to see things evolve around here, making this home sweet home our own.

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There was a bit of weed pulling and rose deadheading.

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Tomato picking and eating. Talk about the yum factor, let me tell you, that guy was so good!

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Happy Father’s Day Wishing – I called my pops to wish him a very Happy Father’s Day. And found this old faded out pic that holds priceless memories of pop, me and my brothers. He was taking us to bedebye. Love that he always had room for us and he still does with all of his heart.

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Friends – Friends invited us to their home for dinner last evening.

And when the “Hostess With the Mostess” can strike a pose in the midst of lobster preparation with all the fixins’, she’s pretty amazing. What a tasty meal last night!

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Fun with friends…

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You guys, now it’s time to pay close attention. See this bouRsin box? Well it’s not just any old box. It holds something very special. The Garlic & Fine Herbs GOURMET CHEESE is nothing short of a party in your mouth. So I just HAD to take this image such that I can find it in Trader Joe’s during my next visit.

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I love the festive handle on her cheese spreader gadget.

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And while I’m visiting Trader Joe’s, I plan to pick up a package of this too! And hey you guys, if you have a Trader Joe’s, and you have not tried these packages of cheese, I urge you to give cheese a chance. I’m telling you, SO good!

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I can’t think of anything more exciting to nibble on while preparing dinner. The olives were SO good too!

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+ A few veggies and a fiesta dip I made up to share.

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The hubs took the reins over the grill while Jerry looked on.

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I think this is the part when they decided it was time to flip the lobster.

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And peace was signed. And all was well.

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And the lobster was looking good! Image shot before the flip…

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Time to take those bad boys off the grill…

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The hubs adding holders for the sweet corn.

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Let us eat! All I can say is this – Everything was positively delish!

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Sweet Kitty – I’m just sad my camera scared Kitty and this is the only shot I was able to get.

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We truly had a wonderful weekend worth remembering.

Blessings – Debbie

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

Bits and Pieces

Getting Overhauled

Well I’m up for new lenses.

I could already tell my eyes were failing. Turns out, I am in dire need of a bit more oomph. You have no idea how excited I am that I’ll be seeing crystal clear soon! Totally “LOOKING” forward to it.

As of last Thursday, my frames were shipped to the lab.

And I feel blind wearing my old frames/lenses from 3 years ago.

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The nose piece hurts my nose – Band-Aids are applied to either side (see image above) for relief. Now all I need is a little sympathy. Perhaps the string orchestra, or even a little violin would work.

On the bright and cheerful sunny side of life, at least I have my old computer glasses. While the prescription is weak, I can still see for reading and computer work.

News to me – I found out I have asteroid hyalosis in my left eye. It’s a benign condition, but something my Dr. will monitor.

The hubs and I both had such a positive experience with our new Optometrist. So much so, that we can finally say the search is over (for our Eye Dr.) after 4.5 years out west.

Monday Happenings

A stroll thru the garden first thing this morning was such a blessing – I especially find our roses add cheerful greetings. I started applying rose fertilizer (every two months) this year and the difference is huge. Trust. And apply to your roses if you haven’t already.

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So far we have 14 roses and I’m looking to add more. In fact, I was talking to the hubs over the weekend of how I would like to start some roses from seed in the near future. It sounds much more exciting than purchasing from the local nursery.

Water drops (from the sprinkler) on the rosebud this morning.

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Lunch

I can’t think of a better place to have lunch in the summer. Or in the fall. Or in the winter. Or in the spring.

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The sound of birds chirping and the waterfall are all the music I need to enjoy this yummy salad. The only thing missing, is fresh tomatoes from the garden and the hubs. I really wish we lived close enough for him to come home for lunch.

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While having lunch, I played with the camera. And took this shot of the bubbles on my glass. It’s crazy the little things that cause a girl to put her fork down to play.

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Other Monday chores include laundry and a few other household things. Things that may or may not make a pretty picture. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Back to work! And wishing the very best to you on this first Monday in June. Can you believe it’s June already?

Blessings – Debbie

A Month of Stuff

Where did the month go? Tomorrow will be a month since I last posted. And things continue to move at record speed.

So like the last post, I’ll begin where I left off. I’m using the images and comments I posted on Facebook and going by the date. Off we go!

July 15 – Image from the pond this morning – There are times I get the tendency to get really excited. Especially when this gal landed. It’s hard to tell in the picture, but she’s the biggest of the dragonflies I’ve seen yet. I believe she was laying her eggs and was not pleased with me.

Having a nice Monday ~ a little lunch date with the hubs ~ a little reading on the patio ~ and taking care of the babies. We went from 10 fish to well over 50 fish in our pond. Happy Monday Peeps!

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July 16 – On Yer Mark, Get Set… – I’m having a lovely Tuesday. Fish watching and dragonfly watching and bird watching = Oh My!

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July 17 – Nature Weeps – The image today is honoring the little baby fish I put to rest today. I found the little 1 and 1/2 inch guy on the bottom of the pond during my morning cleaning of the pond. Cause of death – It appears a larger fish was hungry for protein.

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July 18 – Joy Comes In The Morning – We woke to the fish spawning this morning.

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July 19 – Having a beautiful day – It’s the hubs friday off ~ we have a friend coming over for a visit ~ It’s another breakfast, lunch and dinner on the patio kind of day + another female is spawning this morning. Happy Weekend!

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July 20 – Fish Lips – Good Morning to those on the west coast and Afternoon for you on the east coast.

I would like to spend more time taking images of these guys at meal time. They are so much fun to watch.

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July 22 – Capturing things around the pond is such a delight. This is one of the images I snapped this morning.

It’s a busy day – Paid a visit to The Home Depot – Picked up two different samples of paint color – Picked up a nice paint brush – Sampled both paint colors – Made my selection – Finished applying the paint from one of the samples to the walls in the kitchen – Allowing paint to dry for a final decision – And hopefully we’ll have a fresh painted kitchen tomorrow! Happy Monday!

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July 23 – Somebody’s touching me – I thought it was pretty cool to watch these two fight over the same post yesterday. And then the funniest thing happened. That blue dude landed right smack dab on the orange guy’s wing…

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July 26 – Chillin’ – So the last four days, I managed to paint the kitchen and dining room. Well, almost, I’m almost finished. But for today and the weekend, all paint brushes, rollers, paint and equipment are on strike until further notice.

Just for today – I managed a nap – laundry in the works – fish/pond sitting – Tea infused with honey sipping – and enjoying our new paint color. Happy Friday and the best to all of you this weekend.

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July 31 – We celebrate our 14th commitment to love and to cherish each other for life. As the hubs sat across the dinner table, he said “I still remember the first time I saw you across the room”…And we reminisced from the time we first met 17 years ago. This has been an amazing journey and I’m blessed to spend all my days with my very best friend. There truly is no place I’d rather be.

This image was taken in the backyard after our anniversary dinner.

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August 7 – Question ~ Can anyone tell me what this creature is? He/She lives in water as I just scooped him/her out of the bottom of the pond this morning. And scooped many others out the other day. And it’s no more than 1/2″ in size.

Note: I discovered after posting this image that he/she is dragonfly naiad! Remember all the dragonflies I shot while laying their eggs? Well here’s one of many babies I scooped out (not knowing)…

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August 7 cont… – In other news, It’s been crazy ~ fun ~ busy around here the last couple of weeks. I’ve been to book club ~ To a dinner party with the hubs ~ Neighborhood picnic with the hubs last weekend ~ Getting ready to have a few neighbor girls over tomorrow morning for coffee on the patio ~ Having fun with painting the “inside” of the house ~ spending quality time with the babies ~ fortunately, we’ve been able to keep the “big” birds out of the pond ~ All of the fish are still with us, sans losing a few babies ~ And the little fry are getting so big, some are over 2″ already ~ I can’t believe how fast they grow.

August 7 continued – Kitchen before and after images. Unfortunately, I did not think to shoot before images. The before shot was taken after I unpacked the kitchen boxes. So the lighting does not do justice to that dusty pink color. But the new yellow is so cheerful. Now to decorate the upper ledges on both sides of the kitchen…

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August 9 – I had a guest back to back two days in a row. How fun to do round two for coffee on the patio with my new friend.

And that brings us to the weekend. The hubs and I enjoyed a nice weekend around the house. Trees were trimmed, the lily’s in the pond were divided up as they are getting so big – the garage was tended to and garage organization is well underway.

August 12 = Today already! My goal was to hit the grocery store first thing = check! Catch up on the blog = Check! And tidy up my office space = No check for that box, yet. But I still have the afternoon. And as soon as I hit “publish” for this post, I’m moving right along such that I can put a nice check in this box by the end of the day.

Blessings – Debbie

From the Garden

It’s difficult to describe our backyard, so I thought sharing some images would give a feel of our xeriscape yard.

It’s made up of a patio that extends the full length of the home. Then comes the pond and next a winding stone path with a series of steps that lead up and around the yard. There are a couple of sitting areas in the far back, at the top of the hill.

The pond is gathering algae and turning green. So I’m told this is good, as the chemicals are clearing out, making room for the fish. I’m so excited, but I’m thinking next week is the week for adding fish…

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While gardening the last couple of days, I’ve met some really cool neighbors.

Today, while working in the front-yard, I met the girls hiking club and the van load of girls stopped out front to say hello and invited me to join them hiking over at the Safari Park. It was hard to say no, but gardening called. One of these days, I hope to join them.

The photo below was taken during my backyard gardening, see the mess? It will be there for me in the morning.

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For this last image, I used my Digital Darkroom skills, by making a panorama. The back is complicated and hard to fill in one shot, so I took a series of 20 images and blended them, to give an idea of the space from the back porch.

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As night falls, I’ll be dreaming of my gardening tools, gloves, trash cans and waking in the morning to find new things to do.

Blessings – Debbie

Thoughts

Good Afternoon!

A smattering of thoughts on the front burner:

  • The awful pain I experienced last week is g.o.n.e!
  • Although I still have a few more days on the meds
  • My Digital Darkroom Semester is rapidly coming to a close.
  • I’m working on my final.

Here’s an image of a little lady I shot this afternoon.

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I somehow have in my head that bugs would be a pretty cool subject. So after class I purchased a little 3 dollar bag of bugs. Turns out, the real deal is a lot more fun to shoot.

But you never know, I may totally change my mind regarding my subject. But no matter what, I do know I will be shooting with the 105mm Nikon Micro Lens. Love that lens!

  • I’m looking forward to summer
  • Painting my toes and nails in all the fun summer colors
  • Sipping tea, infused with honey and lemon
  • Summer BBQ’s and patio dining
  • Summer salads
  • Gardening
  • Watermelon
  • Special dates with the hubs
  • Planning a summer party in the backyard
  • Taking a summer break from school
  • Having some fun photo shoots (this summer) at various spots in San Diego with my lady friend.
  • And thinking about doing a health update on the blog sometime in June. I turned the corner to good health 2 years ago, this coming June. And all I can say, It’s a great feeling from the inside out.

I’m sure I have a few more fun facts on the front burner, but they will have wait for another day.

Until then…

Blessings – Debbie

Dog Days of Summer

The dog days of summer finally reached us So Cal folks.  But, we’re not complaining.  It’s just that the ac runs a bit longer during the day and…well, it feels like summer minus the humidity that we’re accustomed to on the east coast.  Not bad at all if you were to ask us.

I don’t know about you, but certain seasons evoke memories of seasons past.  The thought of summer brings to mind the good ol beach days back in “the day”.  I think of flip-flops, sundresses, cool drinks, sunglasses, bonnets, vacations and so on.

And for me, when the heat of last week rolled in,  all I could think about was getting my nail tips done in yellow.  Yes, that’s what I felt like doing to celebrate this brief hot spell. It’s the little things, right?

When hubby noticed my yellow nail tips, he asked “what’s the occasion?”  Why, “it’s SUMmer” I replied.  It’s the time of year for sunflowers that boast the brightest yellow and to me, the essential part of summer is all about yellow.  At least that’s how my thinker thinks.

So today, I used a pottery purse that I made last year as a prop.

I snapped a couple of pictures for memory’s sake.

Summer without yellow would be like autumn without orange.  This could be a clue for an upcoming nail color.

In other news:

Nutella would be proud.  I used this pic (the one I took yesterday) to make a puzzle on my computer last evening. Although I prefer working on a real jigsaw puzzle, this was still fun.

Nutella in the house has been my dearest food friend for the last two days.  So much so that I don’t see this product in our home when the jar ends.  It’s going to be a sad day when it’s over.  Sad let me tell ya.  As “they” say “everything in moderation” – but I can’t seem to get a good moderation grip on this guy.  So sad.

There are more fish fry.  And life will go on happily ever after as I plan to make that a brief memory.

Blessings – Debbie

Weeds Take on Artsy Look

The dandelions that once speckled the yard have been replaced with clover and so many other colorful weeds.


I rushed out this beautiful summer morning to snap some pics of the weeds before the lawn guy beat me to it.

I even gave a few of my shots an artsy look. The early morning sun was so bright and the rays were like little jewels from heaven.


And a couple more shots of the wild flowers flourishing out back.


And on this beautiful summer day. How about this bowl of bright colorful pasta with some Parmesan Garlic Pretzel Waves.


Wishing each of you a colorful day.