Cookies

I've been playing with Photoshop a bit today - trying to get back into the swing of things regarding my photos. I love my camera. and I love my new software. It's just a bit of a learning curve for now, getting everything to work the way I want it to. I need to figure out if I import all my photos into the gallery - do they stay where I saved them, or does a second copy get saved in another directory?

But in between times, I smell cinnamon and butterscotch and oatmeal baking. Cooling on the racks, maybe, before I have one "to taste". Baking cookies has always made me happy. I like that we each have a favorite - these are Mark's. And I say we each have a favorite - mine just happens to be whatever is fresh out of the oven.

I've given up on the "thrifty" version - where you make twice as much dough as the recipe calls for, and only use the original amount of the "expensive" ingredient - like chocolate chips. Remember that? Kinda like "stretched" juice - one can of frozen condensed makes a whole jug full of juice - just add that much water - no matter what the size of the can or the jug. Yeah, I remember the first time I read the directions on the side of the can. No wonder everyone else had better juice than we did. Ah well.

But in the mean time, we learn. And things get better.

Love you much.

A New Day, A New Dawn, A New Year

It's finished, it's done, it's ready to be wrapped and gone! Just like 2008. Although 2008 "The Year of Bad Money" was in some aspects better than 2007 "The Year of Coulda Been Worse", in other ways, it was just plain ugly. Here's hoping that 2009 is better in all ways.

The picture is from a few months ago when I sent the quilt to my friendly machine quilter. We met up, and picked some threads and a pattern and a few short months later, the fabric became a quilt and not just a quilt top. I finally applied the binding last weekend and finished the last bit of hand sewing last night. Just in time for it to be a FO (Finished Object) for 2008. My MIL has been having issues lately and the hope is that this will warm her heart as well as her toes and maybe perk her up a bit.

I'm going to call 2009 "The Year of the Done". I have some projects that have been languishing for years, quite literally, and at least one that's a decade or more old, let alone the IOU's from T-Day Christmas. I'm not going to list them all, but you know I do have a list. Now, just because I want to finish things, doesn't mean that I am going to not start anything new. I just plan on finishing at least two projects before I start something new.

I have some quite large projects in mind - large projects that will require a good block of time, and large projects that can handle bits of time here and there. And then I have smaller projects to do too. I have projects for me and projects for others. I have things I want to do, that haven't even been started yet. I have creative projects, home projects, and personal projects. I'd like to get at least 3 major WIP (Work in Process) projects completed this year and as many of the smaller WIP's off the list as I can. And I'd like to start and complete 2 major projects. The smaller projects that I want to start, and finish, will depend on the smaller WIP's that get done.

So there. Now my main goal is public. Out there for your inspection, comment, and follow up. Hold me accountable, because you never know, one of the projects might be for you.

LA Sunday - Huntington Gardens 1 of 3

Sunday found us heading in the direction of Pasadena, CA, someplace new to me. We ended up at the Huntington Library, Art Collection & Gardens where we spent a very hot and humid day enjoying the gardens. The gardens are actually a collection of gardens, and we managed to see quite a bit of the Rose Garden, the Japanese Garden and the Chinese Garden. And that's just too much for one post, so today we'll look at the Rose Garden.

Arrival found us hungry, so a brief lunch was had in the Tea Room of the Rose Garden. After refreshing ourselves, we headed out into the garden and took a walk. The three acres of rose gardens were originally planted in 1908, but have been in a constant state of change over the years. Also, since the Rose Parade is held in Pasadena on January 1 each year, they hold off on pruning the rose bushes back until January 2nd. I can tell you, they looked like they needed some mid-year pruning.

The Temple of Love begins your tour of the Rose Beds, a nice classical statue of a goddess and cupid in a small circular temple. The Temple is circled twice, the interior roses are the white roses above, "French Lace" and the exterior circle are the peach roses below, "Tamora". The Huntington website has a map of the rose beds, complete with rose names on it. Quite handy.

The Rose Gardens also feature several specimen trees, like the Montezuma Cypress from Mexico. These cypress trees are over 90 years old, and are still going strong. They have a wonderful drapey feel to them.

It's a beautiful rose garden, and I am at a loss for words. Instead, I'll let pictures say the 1000 words I wish I had.

My Friday in LA

Early Friday morning I joined the fuzzballs on the patio in the cool stillness of the LA dawn. It was quiet, something I've grown to need every day. My hostess has quite the collection of green things on her postage stamp patio, but there is a calmness in those things. The hummingbirds were chattering, waiting impatiently to be fed. And the cats were enjoying the fresh air, wondering if the birds would dare come close enough to swipe at. The apartments came alive around me. The garbage trucks were in the alley. A neighbor upstairs was obviously getting her kids ready for school, an Asian language floating down. Another neighbor was practicing singing scales, she still needs practice. A Slavic couple was banging dishes around eating breakfast, but by about 8:00 all was quiet again.

After my hosts had left for the day, I readied myself and headed into Beverly Hills to find the all important coffee and pastry. Success at the Coffee Bean. I had a lovely Carmel Iced Coffee and Chocolate filled Croissant. It is a different vibe in downtown Beverly Hills. The men are in their business suits, women are dressed to the nines, fancy cars, cell phones and connections being made on the street. I'm such a hick sometimes. I walked up and down Beverly Hills Drive, peeking in windows and checking out the people. I still haven't been to Rodeo Drive, even though I've been near there three times. Maybe next time.

After the breakfast, I headed in a westerly direction, hoping for inspiration to strike. I ended up at the Santa Monica Beach with a couple of thousand of my nearest and dearest friends. This is what the beach looks like at 1:00 on a Friday afternoon. Can you believe all those people are not working? OMG! When I found a perfect parking spot - really I did - I tried to put my money in for a two hour stint. But no, I was to be denied, and only allowed to stay for an hour.


Actually that was pretty good. And my view was not as bad as it seems. I had lucked out and parked near the Santa Monica Pier, which is the home of an amusement park on the water. There was a "NO SWIMMING" zone due to the dangers of potentially getting thrashed against the piles. Fortunately, everyone else thought "NO SWIMMING" meant "NO SITTING" and I had about 20 yards of beach front property all to myself.

NOTES of the moment: Waves crashing, harsh sky light, overcast. Long walk from the car to water, sand feels good on my feet. Screaming kids, happy kids in the water chasing the surf. The clickity clack of the roller coaster as it climbs the first hill. The tin music of the Ferris wheel and a helicopter scoping out the show on the beach. Humid and warm, but the breeze off the water is nice. Tourists with their cameras, like me. A couple of Amish (Quaker?) women, in black, covered from head to toe. Families holding hands, parents to kids. 'Tweens walking the beach looking to be seen. The scene is a study in greys, bordered by the bright primaries of the amusement park.

As my hour drew to a close, it was a good thing. The sun, though shrouded by the clouds, was intense and I managed to get just the smallest bit of sun color to my skin. I walked back to the car, feeling the warm sand between my feet, feeling the warmth of the sun on the back of my neck.

I got in the car and headed back in the direction of the apartment. I was hungry and hot though, so when I saw the Westside Pavilion Mall, I paused for a moment and went for a walk in the air conditioning. I had a bite to eat at the Food Court and managed to snag a pretty sweet backpack from Gap Kids. The hubster thinks it is the ugliest thing he's ever seen, but that just means he's not going to steal that one from me later on. My devious plan has worked!

The rest of the day was spent reading, planning, and having some good food with friends.

More sooner than later! Hope you are having a good weekend.

Home Again

Home now... The trip was most excellent - the people, the food, the sights and sounds, the shopping. It was really just exactly what I needed. I took 250 pix, so you know it's going to take some time to download, sort and figure out what I want to post. But just a quick note to let you know I'm home safe and sound.

Thanks for checking in on me!

SOLC 1

Today is a quiet day. I sit at the table watching the sun pass over the tops of the trees, wishing for more heat and more light. The shadows sharpen and fade as the time passes. The kettle whistles brightly, calling me forth from my huddle for a cup of warmth to wrap my hands around. A squirrel visits the bird bath, jumping from the roof to the railing to deep in the denuded apple tree. Daffodils, wrapped in twine and water and glass reach for the sun, spilling their sweet scent into the air. The sun tracks across the sky, barely clearing the tops of the trees, going early into the west and leaving the sky full of blue but the meadow full of darkness. The stars will be out soon and the temperature will drop. The cup is long empty, my fingers growing stiff with the chill. It is time... time to leave the words of others and time to create my own.