Weekend Reflections – Happy New Year

Christmas Eve with my family in Hemet

Click for others sharing Weekend Reflections

I took New Year’s Eve Day off here …

but shared 13 Wintry Skies at Small Reflections

and 13 Random Reflections at Sacred Ruminations

Thought for Today

“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives … not looking for flaws, but for potential.” Ellen Goodman

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My World – Colorful Seasonal ‘Rubies’

After Christmas Sales
are YOU out there exchanging
gifts … seeking bargains?

South Coast Plaza Mall
views during the holiday
season … delightful

Click mosaic to embiggen for better viewing
and to see more South Coast Plaza Views shared previously
at Small Reflections and Sacred Ruminations

Click for others participating in
My World, Ruby Tuesday and Color Carnival

Thought for Today

“Next to a circus there ain’t nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit.” Kin Hubbard

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Molly will be 5 years old on December 31st

… so we’re celebrating this weekend with our
Camera Critters and Pet Pride fur-friends.

Scroll down for Pink Saturday

Molly as a pup
April of 2005 …
bundled energy

Earlier this year
Molly’s best friend moved away ..
Here’s their last play date

Dalmatian puppy
named Aloha now lives where
Jenke used to live

Molly currently …
older, wiser, more mature
bundled energy

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in
Camera Critters, Pet Pride and Mosaic Monday

Molly sez …
“Mom made this award
for all of my virtual
fur-friends to enjoy”

Please ‘snag’ to enjoy
on your blogs and pass along
to all your fur-friends

Kitty sitting on
a PINK cushion watching me …
PINK Christmas roses

California views
for our friends buried in snow
… Christmas skies and blooms

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and for others participating in
Pink Saturday and Today’s Flowers

Thought for Today

“Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.” Chili Davis

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Happy Birthday Jesus …

ALMOST

This version is beautifully sung by children
with baby photos by Anne Geddes and always reminds me
of what Christmas is really about. Enjoy!

Click for others participating inWordless Wednesday

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Thought for Today
“Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.”
Janice Maeditere

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HELP I’ve got Printer Problems!

Scroll down for Ruby Tuesday, Window Views,
and Outdoor Wednesday

I’m experiencing a frustrating ‘snag’ with my HP Photosmart 6180 ‘all-on-one’ printer and haven’t been able to print the Christmas Cards I created to send to family and friends this year. After successfully reconfiguring it to access my newly ‘encrypted’ router, I encountered messages to replace two ink cartridges (yellow & magenta) which I did, but now when I try to print I’m told I need to replace the yellow cartridge or print in black only. I’ve tried three new yellow cartridges … all to no avail. If you think you might be able to help, I’ve included more specifics about the issue in a post at Small Reflections this morning. Please click to help … and you’ll find some more RUBY Christmas Cheer there too.

Ruby Tuesday Outdoor Holiday Mosaic

If I can get my
HP ‘all-in-one’ to print
this mosaic will

appear on my cards
with New Year’s greetings because
technical problems

have plagued me this year
I am tempted to give up …
but I’ll persevere

Some of these red views
may be familiar if you’ve
visited before

others are quite new
but I like the holiday
mix in my collage

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Ruby Tuesday,
Window Views and Outdoor Wednesday

Thought for Today

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.”
Laura Ingalls Wilder

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Beach Sunsets Reflected in Windows

Returning from a
sunset ‘photo shoot’ my eyes
spotted reflections

in the windows of
these houses facing the beach
… sunset with palm trees.

The older I get
I find traditions changing
each and ev’ry year

but it seems we will
gather as a family
once again this year

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Haiku Friday, Sky Watch,
Pink Saturday, Weekend Reflections and Window Views

Experimenting
in Photoshop Elements
I came up with two

versions that I found
pleasing to my own eyes and
decided to share

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and for others participating in Mosaic Monday and Blue Monday

Multi-tasking at
busy times of year is the
best that I can do

Wishing everyone
joyful celebrations with
family and friends

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and for others participating in Color Carnival and Window Views

Thought for Today

“Weekends don’t count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.”
Bill Watterson

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Let’s hear it for creative entertainment!

Thanks to Hot Mama Mia at The Pittsburg Deli for sharing this creative rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus. I couldn’t resist sharing this one … just because so ENJOY if you have 3 minutes and could use a laugh

If you enjoyed this you might also like
Straight No Chaser’s unique A’Capella versions of:
12 Days of Christmas
Carol of the Bells

Thought for Today

“If children grew up according to early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Ruby Tuesday – Festive Mailboxes

Festive mailboxes
greet the postman … waiting for
holiday greetings

Straight out of the camera above
and Poster Edges below

Click to embiggen and for others participating in Ruby Tuesday

Thought for Today

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!”
Hamilton Wright Mabie

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Holiday Views & Windows Too

Holiday decor
around town and neighborhood
for Pink Saturday

Hand painted window
displays entice shoppers to
enter, browse and buy

Straight out of the camera above …
Poster Edges below

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Pink Saturday,
Window Views, Color Carnival and Mosaic Monday

As usual I’ve also shared Monday Mosaics at
Small Reflections and Sacred Ruminations

Thought for Today

“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.” W.T. Ellis

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Mess after Monday’s rain, but SKIES are clear

Scroll down for Haiku Sky Watch

Palm fronds pictured here
fell overnight on my block
making a HUGE mess

Fortunately some
city workers picked them up
before street sweeping

So the streets are clean
at least for another day
until rain returns

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Thursday Thirteen

Snow covered mountains
viewed from Bolsa Chica Beach
with skies around home

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and for others participating in Haiku Friday and Sky Watch

Thought for Today

“How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!’ John Muir

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It’s FINALLY raining … hooray!

ALMOST

Sharing holiday
reds for Ruby Tuesday here
… forgot earlier

Finally the rain’s
come to California
and might stay all week

Click to embiggen and for others participating in

Ruby Tuesday, My World, Outdoor Wednesday,
Watery Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday
and more of My Wet World
at Sacred Ruminations

Thought for Today

“It’s Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.” W.T. Ellis

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ShadowShots-NeighborhoodViews-Flowers

Hoping for some rain
I have many shadows and
blossoms from last week.

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in:
Shadow Shot Sunday, Today’s Flowers,
and Mosaic Monday

Thought for Today

“After all is said and done, more is said than done.” Aesop

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My Watery Outdoor World in Southern California November’s Gratitude List from Small Reflections

Thirteen photographs
of my world here at the beach
… click to embiggen

Original – Straight out of the camera

Poster Edges – lightened

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in My World, Outdoor Wednesday,
Watery Wednesday, Midweek Blues,
and Thursday Thirteen

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Thich Nhat Hanh

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November of 2008 and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of August. I’ve decided to transfer the lists at the end of each month from Small Reflections to Happily Retired Gal … just because. Click to see previous lists already published here.

1. for the pair of season’s tickets to the Pacific Chorale concerts that I won in a drawing. The first concert on Sunday evening was magnificent

2. I was home with ‘L’ called this morning to let me know she was going to be in the area and wanted to meet for breakfast. We had a wonderful visit and a tasty meal.

3. I had time & opportunity to REST today when I realized I wasn’t feeling top-notch … and that the Vitamin C, chicken soup, extra water and rest seemed to stave off whatever bug was trying to take hold.

4. I managed to finish creating Peace Globes and posts for each of my blogs in time to post before I went to class tonight.

5. for all those participating in today’s Blog Blast for Peace: Dona Nobis Pacem.

6. for wonderful ‘catch up’ cell phone visits with ‘C’ and my sister … both of whom are traveling in RVs with their husbands.

7. I’ve managed to stay ‘functional’ …(if not totally healthy)… by mindfully limiting my activities the past week or so.

8. the folks (vacationing from New York) renting the house next door for a month seem friendly and have two standard poodles — Katie, the elder white one, is standoffish but Molly likes to play with Ned, the young black male

9. I managed to visit the grocery store today so I’ve got fresh produce in the house again … finally!

10. for what I learned in my first ‘Fix Your Own Computer’ class tonight … and for the lessons to follow. Hopefully I’ll figure out what causes my Dell 1720 laptop to crash so regularly and get it fixed … finally

11. Service Champions checked out my furnace this morning so I can turn it on to take the ‘edge off’ on chilly mornings again.

12. for my DVR so I can fast- forward through commercials when I do watch televised programs … saving about 20 minutes out of every 60 to use for other endeavors.

13. Stephen King has written and published a new book … I’m looking forward to reading it

14. for a fun catch up phone visit with my writing buddy from Taos this morning and a beautiful warm sunny day outside as I watered my overly dry yard.

15. my sister called last night after having no cell signal for the several days.

16. to reconnect with a former student in the Jury Pool yesterday … we had a nice chat before getting sent to a court room for Jury selection that will continue tomorrow morning at 9am. So far I’m still in the audience watching and listening … so I guess we’ll see what happens next.

17. that even though I was selected for a jury, we were released in time for me to drop by home to feed the fur-kids and still make it to my my evening Adult School class by 6pm. It was a LONG day, but I managed to stay focused until 9pm and drive home safely.

18. California courts are ‘dark’ on Wednesdays giving me the day off because tomorrow will be another LONG day starting with Jury Duty and ending with an Adult School class from 6-9pm again. Hopefully I’ll have time to drop by home to feed the fur-kids between the two activities.

19. after coming down with the flu yesterday morning and coping with nasty symptoms throughout the night, I was able to keep a few soda crackers and a bit of chicken soup down … then sleep this afternoon … finally.

20. that (although not totally healthy yet) I’m feeling much improved this morning and even managed to create a Haiku Sky Watch Friday post at Sacred Ruminations using a mosaic I created last week … though I don’t know how much energy I’ll have to visit blogs today because my head hurts. I’m hopeful the trial continued yesterday without me since there was an alternate juror, but no one called me back after I called in sick.

21. to be feeling MUCH better today!

22. my sister called and we had a nice catch up visit on the phone … they’re visiting with friends in Northern California and will spend Thanksgiving in McKinleyville.

23. I had energy enough to take Molly to Dog Beach in the morning and to the groomer in the afternoon … so she’s clean, soft & sweet smelling for the holidays

24. I went to the Water Store today because it will be closed tomorrow through the weekend. I also did my grocery shopping today and saved almost $50 with coupons!

25. to be celebrating my 1st Blogoversary at Happily Retired Gal, my WordPress blog.

26. for phone calls from family & friends today.

27. I walked down to the beach to watch and photograph this afternoon’s glorious sun set over the ocean.

28. the laptop didn’t crash during the 6 hours it took to make a full backup of my PSE6 catalog.

29. my sister and her husband are finally headed for home and should arrive in a couple of weeks so we’ll spend Christmas together this year. Hopefully they’ll stay here for a while before hitting the road again.

30. I’ve kept this daily gratitude list for 13 months. I’m trying to decide whether or not to continue the practice. Guess I’ll see what I do tomorrow

FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found here at Happily Retired Gal, my WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2009 Lists – October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” B.B. King

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