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Shadow Shots, Camera Critters, Pet Pride,
Macro and Mosaic Monday
others participating in Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers,
Macro Monday, and Mosaic Monday
poster edges below
others participating in Camera Critters and Pet Pride
others participating in Friday’s FAVE Five,
Looking at the Sky and Midweek Blues
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with this nifty logo … very kewl isn’t it.
Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)
and Earth Hour information
are in the next post …
Scroll down for Looking at the Sky, (belated) Midweek Blues
Pink Saturday and Today’s Flowers herein with my FAVES
1. Although he arrived very late (and by himself without his usual two helpers) on Wednesday, my gardener took time to plant my birthday ‘Veteran’s Honor’ rose bush as promised. I’m hoping it will do as well as the other roses I have growing in my yard.
2. My parkway is awash with color, brightening the neighborhood and my spirits. I feel so blessed to live here in Southern California near the Pacific Ocean where Spring arrives early, and it’s a joy to share such views on my blog for those in colder climates still waiting for the weather to warm up.
3. Our skies have been variable as clouds drift through the area but there have plenty of beautiful BLUES above like these:
4. I happened upon these lovely pink blossoms at Bella Terra in Huntington Beach while hanging out with my sister this past week. I’m not sure what they are but wonder if they might be Rhododendron. What do you think?
5. Finally … my 18-55mm lens for my Nikon D60 is back in my possession and working the way it’s supposed to! More than a month ago the Vibration Reduction went ‘wonky’ (shortly after I had it cleaned at my local ‘repair’ shop under the Ritz Camera warranty). They sent it to Nikon and when it was returned with the VR fixed, the lens wouldn’t take photos at the ‘infinity’ setting … so the repair shop sent it back to Nikon (with a ‘rush’ order). When it was returned in a couple of week with a note that nothing was done to it … my local guy sent it back once again with the instructions highlighted. All this took considerable time. Of course I’ve had my camera with the Tamron 28-300mm lens, but I’ve missed the smaller lens and am glad to have it back.
and for others participating in Friday’s FAVE Five,
Midweek Blues, Looking at the Sky, Pink Saturday, and Today’s Flowers
Abraham Lincoln
Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)
1. Although it finally cooled off yesterday, we’ve had amazingly warm weather the past few days here in Southern California at the beach and I’ve been able to take advantage of it … walking with my camera in hand several days.
and if you missed them, I shared some
‘kewl’ pelican shots at Small Reflections
(see #5 of 13 things on my list)
2. While celebrating my sister’s birthday recently (sharing a delicious frozen dessert with nuts), I bit down on something hard. Thinking it was a piece of shell, I retrieved it from my mouth only to discover it was metal and looked suspiciously like a filling. Fortunately it wasn’t (a visit to my dentist confirmed that it did indeed LOOK like a filling but I didn’t have one missing) so I don’t have to have any work done on my teeth. At the urging of a friend whose husband used to manage a restaurant, I returned to share the incident with the manager. Upon checking with the head chef, we learned their ice cream containers have metal fasteners … and the piece in question was part of that. As a thank you for bringing the problem to their attention, they’re mailing me a gift certificate … adding an unexpected bonus to the experience.
3. Last Friday I drove by Costco for gasoline and went inside with my sister who wanted to buy some bananas. I stopped to look at laptops and ended up buying this …
4. The local Adult School is offering classes in Windows 7 and I’ve signed up … changing from the class I’d intended to take to this one figuring I could use a bit of help making this transition. In addition, I enjoyed a delightful afternoon with friends yesterday visiting over lunch in Laguna before seeing The Second City in Can You be more Pacific at the Laguna Playhouse. Before heading home, we purchased advance tickets for a May performance of Hershey Felder in ‘Beethoven As I Knew Him’ … we hear it’s quite entertaining.
5. Once I finish with Sanjay from Dell Tech Support this morning, I’m spending this afternoon with my sister once again. We’re trying to maximize the time we have left before she and her husband hit the road again on April 15th. I want to share one more view from this week containing reflections of the sky and the beach in the windows of this Lifeguard Tower on the pier … pretty nifty, eh? Here’s wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!
Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)
quite fascinating ;–)
Click collages to embiggen for better viewing …
South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of JUNE. 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 Morning drizzles … first in a very long time.
2. Roger Federer is still ‘alive’ in the French Open … though it was sad to see Rafa Nadal & Andy Roddick lose their last matches.
3. for the beautiful & varied skies we’ve had this week, even though we didn’t get much rain.
4. my sister & I have been able to connect by phone while she and her husband are traveling in Alaska.
5. for Public Television broadcasts like the Tavis Smiley show.
6. Svetlana Kuznetsova finally held it together and won her second Grand Slam Championship … this time at the French Open.
7. Roger Federer finally won the French Open completing a personal lifetime SLAM and tying the record of Pete Sampras at 14 Grand Slam wins!
8. to learn there still ONE Ritz Camera Store open in Orange County (after learning 400 of 800 stores closed recently in a reorganization effort) so the insurance I purchased for my Nikon D60, Tamron 28-300mm lens, and Sony HDTV are still in effect … especially since I’m having trouble with my Tamron lens.
9. to discover a weekly Mosaic Meme at The Little Red House ;–)
10. for all I’ve learned in my Digital Media class and my natural inclinations to experiment & explore on my own.
11. the day to play with possibilities …
12. for the generosity of my neighbor who keeps a lovely garden herself and occasionally passes along a variety of plants to add to my own garden.
13. to share Maidenhair fern (initially a gift from a student decades ago) with two neighbors who admired it today. The plant grows prolifically (almost weed-like) where I live and now it will grace their gardens too.
14. for beautiful sunrises & sunsets … with lovely weather in between.
15. for a long delightful catch-up phone call from my sister who is currently on Kodiak Island in Alaska until Wednesday night when they take the ferry back to Homer … after which they’ll drive on to Anchorage.
16. for my laptop … even though it crashes regularly, somehow it rights itself and reboots … at least for the time being.
17. for patience and persistence … that keep me trying to figure things out and resolve problems that arise.
18. the noisy young ‘party’ renters in the house next door have moved on and a nicer family is there for the next week.
19. for morning drizzles … but I was HOPING for real rain!
20. to connect with my sister (who is currently in Fairbanks, Alaska) by phone to catch up on their recent travel experiences.
21. Wimbledon is starting overnight so I’ll have TENNIS to watch tomorrow ;–)
22. for excellent tennis matches to watch today!
23. the new cactus plants seem to be doing fine in my yard.
24. for a new perm and fresh hair cut ;–)
25. my Apricot roses are in bloom for the second time this season. Recently, I learned it’s called ‘Just Joey’
26. for entertaining Wimbledon tennis matches on television. Watching in HD is kewl ;–)
27. veteran tennis player Tommy Haas managed to pull out a 10-8 win in the 5th set this morning (after the match was stopped for darkness at 2 sets each and 6 games all Friday evening). He moves to the 2nd week ‘Round of 16’ after lots of bad luck at Wimbledon during the past decade.
28. a day to catch up on Wimbledon tennis matches (since no one plays on the middle Sunday) and time to do so ;–)
29. Andy Roddick and both Williams sisters are still ‘alive’ in the Old England Tournament and looking strong. Melanie Oudin (the gutsy American youngster) did amazingly well to get to the Round of 16! She’s one to watch for sure.
30. the Williams sisters both continue to play magnificently and are through to the semi-finals.
FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new 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 – May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’” William A. Ward
This is my 69thMisty Dawn started the meme and explains the rules here.
Small Reflections and Sacred Ruminations
This is my 66thMisty Dawn started the meme and explains the rules here.


Small Reflections and Sacred Ruminations
Delicate Pastels
grace this morning’s skies, but hot
weather’s on it’s way.



Small Reflections and Sacred Ruminations
Looking at the Sky through the Camera Lens
Even though skies looked
threatening a few mornings …

Small Reflections and Sacred Ruminations

South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of APRIL. 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.
2. a new perm to make my hair ‘care-free’ again ;–)
3. for all I’ve learned about Photoshop Elements … especially making collages with pictures I’ve taken with my Nikon D60.
4. sunshine and blue skies!
5. I managed to sleep in until almost 7 am this morning!
6. my sister & I caught up on the phone today in a wonderful conversation.
7. my brother-in-law posted photos at Picasa so I can follow their travels this time.
8. I have time to water the yard this morning since it didn’t rain after all.
9. to have the week off from the evening Word classes for Spring Break10. the weather’s been beautiful all week long.11. for colorful flowers of all kinds blooming in my yard & around the neighborhood.
12. Molly’s been able to play with a variety of visiting dogs this week.
13. for a pleasant afternoon of visiting a variety of stores with a friend after Retired Ladies Lunch. I’m relieved to have practiced fiscal restraint ;–)
14. for tasty blackened tacos at Duke’s with friends before discovering the Word class was canceled at the last minute.
15. I’ll be at home most of today and may finally be able to spend some time visiting blogs.
16. I managed to get myself to the evening Word 7 class even though I would have rather stayed home.
17. I managed to pull out the Maidenhair Fern crowding out the red roses without mangling my hands and arms on the bushes even though I had no gardening gloves to wear.
18. for time to do more weeding and pruning along with some watering early this morning since there’s 80+ degree weather and no rain in the forecast.
19. my Writers Retreat Buddy & I remain in regular telephone contact almost two years after that amazing week in Taos with Suzanne and Jennifer leading 31 participants to explore our writing process.20. I’m able to use the PSE6 skills from Adult School Classes to create photo collages to share on my blogs.21. I managed to complete several errands and still have time to play with Molly today.
22. for the BEAUTIFUL sunrise this morning and that Molly got to play with a variety of doggy friends while I snapped photos.
23. I’ve been able to talk with my sister on the cell phone a few times this week as they wait to board a ferry to Ketchikan, Alaska on Friday.
24. to catch up (over lunch) with a friend who just relocated to the neighborhood from the nearby mountains.
25. for a full 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep last night.
26. a long time friend called yesterday afternoon and dropped by to visit for a couple of hours.
27. for the lovely roses blooming in my garden currently.
28. the weather continues to be clear & sunny in Ketchikan, Alaska where my sister and her husband are currently.
29. a friend loaned me a copy of Tom Bergeron’s book, I’M HOSTING AS FAST AS I CAN. Seems like a quick, entertaining read so far.
30. for the many ‘bargains’ at the grocery store this morning!
2009 Lists – March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November
Lovely sunrise viewed
in the East from my front yard …
“Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.”
Soren Kierkegaard
South Breeze Farm hosted the Giving Thanks Challenge and I participated at Small Reflections in November and decided to continue indefinitely … generating the following list one day at a time throughout the month of March. 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.
2. for today’s gentle rain here in Southern California, watering my yard for me.
3. my sister & I spent the afternoon together … walking, taking photographs, eating ‘fish tacos’ in the Barefoot Bar at Duke’s, and checking out the ‘Tuesday evening street fair’ in downtown Huntington Beach where we each purchased some tasty Jalapeño-Cheese bread.
4. for more gentle rain today with occasional breaks so I could take Molly for a couple of walks.
5. I reworked my ‘Memories of Mom‘ post & submitted it to my Writers Workshop tonight and received useful feedback about how I might expand the brief piece about my Dad (shared last Thursday) into a full character sketch.
6. I could reschedule today’s activities to stay home and rest when my cold symptoms flared up again overnight.
7. for learning more about my Nikon camera after attending another class at Ritz with my sister … then celebrating her birthday at BJs ;–)
8. the variable weather causing the skies to change dramatically throughout the day.
9. for drizzles watering my yard this morning and the way my rose bushes have bounced back so quickly after cutting them back a couple of weeks ago.
10. to visit with friends at Retired Ladies Lunch yesterday w/o being coerced into stretching the afternoon into a shopping trip because that permitted me to pick up groceries on the way home and walk Molly too. My sister’s on her way out to spend the afternoon today like we did last Tuesday.
11. my sister and friend responded with supportive understanding when I called to cancel our Wednesday afternoon plans to attend a camera class because I’d been up sick Tuesday night and still felt ill mid-morning.
12. I slept through last night and feel a bit better today.
13. I felt well enough to walk along the beach to meet friends for lunch, and slept even better last night that the night before.
14. I’ve managed to create a few posts even though I’ve not had energy to visit blogs the past week or so.
15. to feel healthier today & to visit a few blogs in addition to sending emails to a number of recent visitors.
16. for friends who call to check on me and visitors who drop by my blogs even when I can’t get to theirs right now.
17. for another day to rest … birds that sing … and a bit of sunshine in my world. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!
18. for excellent tennis matches in Indian Wells to watch on my new High Def television while I recuperate & rest.
19. I managed to attend a camera class on Wednesday afternoon and last night’s Writers Workshop even though I’m not able to do much else right now.
20. for the energy to create and publish collages on each of my blogs the last two days and to visit some other blogs as well.
21. rain is on the way here in Southern California because my yard is very dry right now and needs water.
22. for morning showers washing everything clean while nurturing my garden.
23. Molly got to play with a couple of different dogs without me having to walk to Dog Beach with gusty winds blowing today.
24. for sunshine, colorful flowers and blue skies now that the WIND has finally stopped blowing.
25. I accepted my sister’s last minute invitation to meet her & her husband for breakfast this morning at the Harbor House Cafe in Sunset Beach … that we were joined by two other friends serendipitously (enjoying a longer than usual visit over breakfast) … after which my sister & I decided to spend the rest of the day together … just because.
26. that (with encouragement & support of a few friends) I enrolled in and attended the evening Word 7 class at Adult Ed, even though it meets on T-Th from 6-9pm … a bit late for me since I usually arise by 4:30am most days.
27. I managed to create several March sky collages to share (along with a bit of Haiku) on each of my blogs today before I left home to spend another day with my sister who will be leaving for Alaska on April 1st if all goes as planned.
28. it’s a BEAUTIFUL clear sunny warm day at the beach, but not overly noisy … yet ;–)
29. for a productive phone conversation with my Taos Writing Buddy after her return from a two week visit with her kids.
30. my sister & I enjoyed one last afternoon together before she leaves for Alaska with her husband in their RV. We shared Mushu Pork at PF Chang’s in Newport Beach then visited as we walked around Balboa Island with our cameras, taking in the sights under clear & sunny skies … a lovely day indeed!31. I managed to stay alert for the Word 7 class last night from 6-9 pm and that I’ll be getting a new perm tomorrow afternoon!
FYI – My previous Gratitude Lists can be found here at Happily Retired Gal. It is my intention to keep this ‘Daily Gratitude List’ in my sidebar at Small Reflections indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what’s right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2009 Lists – February, January
2008 Lists – December, November
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