Ruby Blossoms in My Outdoor World

I happened upon
RUBY blossoms in these trees
on a recent walk

“Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.” Confucius

“The mind is everything; what you think, you become.”
Gautama Buddha

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others participating in Ruby Tuesday, My World,
Outdoor Wednesday, Midweek Blues, and Wordful Wednesday

Thought for Today

“So, like a forgotten fire, a childhood can always flare up again within us.”
Gaston Bachelard

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

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Outdoor RUBIES in My Watery World

Scroll down for Wordful Wednesday & Midweek Blues too

Warmer weather brings
people to the beach and pier
also the Street Fair

Do you see the seagull in the picture below?

How about in the next photo?
If you missed the one above, look up again 😉

If walking to the end of the pier and back is more exercise that one wants, there are folks who will give you a ride in one of these.

Kids can play in these colorful contraptions and people enjoy a variety of foods while enjoying the Street Fair on Tuesday evenings from 5-9pm.
Click to see more views and entertainment shared previously

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Ruby Tuesday, My World,
Outdoor Wednesday, Watery Wednesday,
Midweek Blues and Wordful Wednesday

Thought for Today

“Live out of your imagination, not your history.” Stephen R. Covey

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

A bit of RUBY in my Watery Outdoor World

stormy skies above
as we walked out on the pier …
surveying the scene

very different
from the ones I shared last week
at this local beach

just a few people
brave enough to swim, walk, and
lay upon the sand

For Ruby Tuesday
here’s the bright Barefoot Bar sign
and menu outside

My sister likes her fish tacos ‘battered’ …

I prefer mine Cajun style

and THIS is Hula Pie … delicious!

Click for others participating in
My World, Ruby Tuesday,
Outdoor Wednesday, Watery Wednesday, and Midweek Blues

Thought for Today

“Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again.”
Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

My Outdoor World is Changing …

Cut back just last week
my rose bushes have begun
to regenerate

Delicate white blooms
opening already on
this ‘unknown bulb’ plant …

I’d appreciate
knowing what it is if you
recognize the bloom

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others participating
in (my belated) Macro Monday, Ruby Tuesday, My World,
and Outdoor Wednesday

Thought for Today

“A faith like Lincoln’s would transform the world.” James Oppenheim

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More Views from Balboa Island along with my January Gratitude List from Small Reflections

Mellow Yellow Monday
(along with Pink Saturday & Today’s Flowers)
is in the next post

More views from my walk
on Balboa Island this
weekend with my sis …

Kewl ‘ruby’ brick work,
blossoms, and ‘accents’ on the
yard’s ‘inhabitants’

More ‘rubies’ below …
Cyclamen blossoms I think,
if not mistaken

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in My World,
Ruby Tuesday and Outdoor Wednesday

“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 all the new & old friends in the Blogosphere who visit and leave comments on each of my blogs. Thank you all 😉

2. I managed to successfully transfer my December Gratitude List to Happily Retired Gal this morning on the 4th try. I’m not sure why, but I kept losing my sidebar there this morning … but all’s well that ends well, right? Right!

3. Molly got to play with the 3 pugs (Jake, Alle, & Noah) this morning … see Pug Invasion if you’ve forgotten or missed this post from mid-March.

4. I opted for the extended warranty when I purchased my Nikon D60 & Tamron lens last January at Ritz Camera. I should have them back in less than a week since I chose to drop them off at the camera repair shop this afternoon (rather than the one remaining local Ritz store in Fashion Island) to be cleaned & adjusted (something I was advised to do at least yearly).

5. I found my old Casio Exilim camera and it held a charge, so while I’m experiencing a bit of ‘withdrawal’ without my Nikon,
I have something to use in the meantime.

6. for time to create a mosaic with Monday’s surprise sunrise photos and to publish it at Small Reflections before leaving for class tonight.

7. to be home after spending the day at my sister’s house making 247 tamales (about a hundred more than usual) … I’ll be catching up on blog visits tomorrow and sharing photos from the day soon since she let me use HER camera since mine’s in the shop getting cleaned & adjusted after it’s first year of almost continual use.

8. for a day at home to catch up on blog visits, create multiple ‘tamale and critter mosaics’ then write Haiku reflections to share at Sacred Ruminations as a follow-up to the ‘big day’ of tamale-making.

9. I added to yesterday’s tamale post … (Blogging my Blessings there and providing a bit more info in response to questions). Spending time with my ‘reader’ last week … cleaning house (eliminating blogs no one has posted on in a long time), marking older entries as ‘read’ & reorganizing entries into functional categories is helping me manage time for blog visits more easily already.

10. my sister & her husband met me at the Harbor House Cafe in Sunset Beach for ‘brunch’ this morning. Since my ‘all-in-one’ HP printer still doesn’t work, my BIL is going to scan my sister’s tamale recipe then email it to me so I can share it with those who asked for it.

11. the camera shop called to say my camera & lenses are ready for pickup … HOORAY!

12. for Tuesday with my sister. We had a wonderful time together. I’ve shared ‘fountain photos’ from the Shops at Mission Viejo at Happily Retired Gal.

13. her husband emailed the tamale recipe to me so I could share it with those who asked for it.

14. that I’d saved often while creating my Thursday Thoughts … so that when Mozilla crashed this morning (as it does all too often due to a problem with my wireless card and/or driver that no one seems to be able to find or fix) … I was able to pick up where I left off rather than starting over.

15. for the ‘free ticket’ (worth $10) for a Friday Class at Adult School … (apparently M-W classes got these because of the Monday holidays making the courses shorter than T-Th classes so this was how they ‘evened things up’.
I used it this morning to learn about Facebook. I don’t know that I’ll find time to actually USE the information, but at least I understand how Facebook works now … sort of. LOL

16. we’ll be getting some much needed rain in the coming week. I’m hopeful the folks in the recently burned areas won’t suffer mudslides however.

17. I remembered to answer the Simple Woman’s Daybook questions to share with my Blues & Mosaics at Sacred Ruminations and to publish Macro & Monochrome photos at Happily Retired Gal … so I’m ‘set’ for Monday.

18. my DVR recorded the Day One tennis matches overnight at the Australian Open … so I can watch today as I visit blogs.

19. there were breaks in the rain so Molly & I could get outside for some much needed exercise.

20. for this afternoon’s (much needed) appointment to get my hair cut … and I’m hoping for a break in the weather to drive into Long Beach … then on to my sister’s in Cerritos and back home to feed Molly before my Adult School class tonight at 6pm. I’d kind of like to just stay home in this kind of weather, but I’ll drive carefully and hope for the best.<

21. last night’s class was canceled … (because the HB police asked yesterday afternoon that residents not drive for the next 48 hours unless absolutely necessary ) … so I didn’t have to go out in the storm again … at night.

22. that I took the initiative and drove to the local Social Security office (in the rain) to get my paperwork scanned into my file rather than continue to wait for the ‘secure envelope’ to arrive. Wish I’d done this a week ago!

23. the rain seems to have stopped this afternoon and it’s supposed to be clear on Sunday.

24. the laptop still ‘boots’ after multiple ‘Blue Screen of Death’ crashes this past week … so I’ve had time to back up my recent files & photos before I call Dell again, but the crashes have been frustrating when I try to visit blogs and leave comments!

25. I was able to help my sister get started on a computer related photo project over the phone and still get myself to class last night to learn some kewl new ‘digital media’ techniques.

26. my faulty wireless LAN card & Mozilla let me visit some blogs this morning before crashing …

27. for the ‘kewl’ new skills & techniques presented in tonight’s Digital Media class. Now what I need is time to practice 😉

28. my persistence paid off with Social Security. After spending MANY hours on the phone with multiple calls (asking many questions until I connected with the right person), I finally have my ‘claim number’ for Medicare, allowing me to finish signing up for a ‘supplemental care’ & ‘drug plan’ … so coverage should begin on February 1st (barring any unforseen issues).

29. I rewarded myself for a challenging week dealing with Beaurocracy by spending the day with my sister today and signing up for two ‘review’ Digital Photography classes with her tomorrow … one in the morning & the other in the afternoon.

30. for the Digital Photography 1 & 2 classes at Ritz Camera in Fashion Island letting me get my settings right again … and learning a few new things about the Nikon D60 to practice in the future.

31. to watch Roger Federer play well to win his 16th Major Championship in straight sets against Andy Murray at the Australian Open … regaining that title after losing there the last two years, putting him at #1 again … the first father to win a Major Championship since Andre Agassi did it in 2003.

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 – December, November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’” William A. Ward

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

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

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

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

Click to embiggen for better viewing
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

Click to embiggen for better viewing
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

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

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

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

An Unusual Southern California Fall Find

Scroll down for Blue Monday, Ruby Tuesday,
My World and Wordless Outdoor Wednesday too

After being sick
last week I am catching up
by multi-tasking

Here in Southern Cal
we don’t see many color
changes, but walking

recently I found
colorful deciduous
trees and snapped a few

photographs to share
in mosaics … splendidly
this week, just because

Originals … straight out of the camera

Palette Knife

Click to embiggen for better viewing

Accented Edges, lightened

Invert

Accented Edges Solarized

Click to embiggen for better viewing

Accented Edges

Poster Edges

Click to embiggen for better viewing

ALMOST

Colored Pencil

Solarized

Click to embiggen and for others participating in

Mellow Yellow, Mosaic, and Blue Monday …

Ruby Tuesday, My World, Outdoor Wednesday,
Color Carnival, and Wordless Wednesday too.

Thought for Today

“Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.” Dalai Lama

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather
than at the bottom ;–)

My World – Southern California at the Beach

ALMOST

Usually my

skies are blue and clear … sometimes

a few clouds drift by

Currently my skies

look as if we finally

might get some ‘wet stuph’

February was

the last time I remember

anticipating

precipitation

so my fingers remain crossed …

hopeful for drizzles.

Click to embiggen and for others participating in …

My World and Midweek Blues

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) t00.

Thought for Today

“I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.” George Washington Carver

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

Almost Wordless – My World

ALMOST

Friday afternoons

this is where I spend some time

buying fresh produce.

Click to embiggen and for others participating in …

My World and Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) t00.

Thought for Today

“One hundred percent of the shots you don’t take don’t go in.” Wayne Gretzky

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A Favorite View of Mine …

ALMOST

One watery view

of the ocean … summer’s end!

Of course, then I played ;–)

Until embiggened

dif’rences seem minimal …

Click and you will see!

Straight Out of the Camera

Poster Edges

Ocean Ripple

Palette Knife

Watercolor

Polar Coordinates

Polar Coordinates with Poster Edges

Click to embiggen and for others participating in …

Watery Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Midweek Blues …

My World, and Wordless Wednesday t00.

Thought for Today

“Each spiritual journey begins with a step forward — the moment when you realize that there’s more to life than you’ve been living.” Vicky Thompson

Click for comments at the TOP of the post under the title, rather than at the bottom ;–)

My World, Midweek Blues, and August’s Gratitude List from my sidebar at Small Reflections

My world near the beach
simple … relaxed … colorful
Just Joey Roses

not so hurried now

that I am retired from

teaching … sharing life

with Ms Kitty and

Molly who meets visitors

joyfully each day

Click to embiggen for better viewing …

My wider world
has wildfires burning and
watching coverage

on the TV news

generates sadness for all

those affected by

the destructive flames

more than 200 thousand

acres already

4 years without rain

generates unlimited

fuel for wildfires

Click to embiggen for better viewing …

for others participating in My World

and Midweek Blues … t00.

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

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 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 ‘perfect messages from the Universe’ arriving as needed this morning.

2. for a phone call from my sister this morning … she wanted me to know they’re back in the USA … in North Dakota.

3. for the way I combined Mosaic Monday with Mellow Yellow, Ruby Tuesday, and Midweek Blues … gotta luv multi-tasking and I really like the way that collage turned out.

4. ‘D’ was at home when I called and had time to chat.

5. for attending last night’s free concert in the park with ‘S’ … another enjoyable evening

6. my hair is short again … good to go for another 6 weeks

7. my neighbor told he about the free Ukelele concert down by the pier. Molly & I walked down there with a friend, enjoyed the music, and just got back a little while ago because we decided not to stay for the free movie afterward.

8. for my Florian rachet garden clippers ;–)

9. I got to swim laps last night in a friend’s pool then watched an entertaining funny film.

10. for lunch with the other Retired Gals today ;–)

11. for a morning swim before getting on with the day’s activities and errands.

12. the skies eventually cleared allowing the sun to shine, even though it was almost sunset as that occurred ;–)

13. the LOVELY colorful sunset this evening! I’ll be sharing photos soon.

14. the sun came out earlier today so the weather was warmer for my morning swim and Molly made a new friend of a 3 month old Damation puppy named Aloha!

15. my sister had a cell signal (after being w/o one for several days) and called from Minnesota tonight … allowing us to catch up with one another as we chatted for about an hour.

16. for the free Dixieland Concert in the Park this evening.

17. the sun FINALLY came out even though it was late afternoon when it did so.

18. I swam yesterday & today because I’m thinking of taking tomorrow off to meet a friend for brunch at 10:30.

19. my sister thinks seeing her photos on my blogs will be fun.

20. my neighbor Mike volunteered to help me pick the limes from the TOP of the tree and ended up trimming those high branches for me. What a guy ;–)

21. for a beautiful SUNNY morning to swim (finally) … especially since later in the day the weather got cold & nasty and ‘thunderstorms’ are predicted for tomorrow. I’ll believe THAT when I see it!

22. I managed to get myself over to swim for 45 minutes this morning even though the skies LOOK LIKE we MIGHT get some rain after all … and that would be a good thing given the minimal rainfall we’ve had this year.

23. to experience unexpectedly glorious sunshine for my morning swim, a delightful free late afternoon concert by the Pacific Chorale at the Orange County Performing Arts Center followed by a delightful dinner & visit with friends.

24. Osh carries liquid Terro so I could pick some up for a friend who has ant scouts in her condo.

25. for CLEAR BLUE SKIES and a bright sunrise! It feels like summer finally ;–)

26. for the 2 dozen or so Apricot colored roses on my Just Joey rose bush plus another dozen buds. What an amazing burst of color ;–)

27. I’m building my swimming stamina a little more each day.

28. for cell phone connections with my sister, no matter where she is on the road. Her most recent call was from Boulder, Wyoming. They’re headed for Colorado soon and will spend Labor Day with friends who live there.

29. the winds aren’t blowing as the wildfires burn here in Southern California. I’m praying for quick containment.

30. for fire-fighters and support staff to combat these devastating fires burning all over our state. I’m praying for their safety as they battle the flames and provide aid & comfort to those displaced from their homes.

31. Serena & Venus Williams and Andy Roddick made it through their first round matches at the US Open Tennis Championship in New York and there will be TENNIS to watch on TV for the next two weeks ;–)

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 – August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists – December, November

Thought for Today

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’”  William A. Ward

WW-MyWorld-T13 … Eucalyptus Bark

ALMOST

13 Photographs Collaged with PSE6

Eucalyptus … once

imported from Australia

replaced native trees

Click to embiggen and for others participating in Thursday Thirteen

My World, & Wordless Wednesday too.

Although many palms

grace my neighborhood, so does

the Eucalyptus …

Southern California, USA

Thought for Today

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The next best time is now.”  Chinese Proverb