Life On The Central Coast

Just a quick picture and a poem today. We tossed a pebble into Arroyo Grande Creek and watched the rings spiral outward... It reminded me of this poem by James W. Foley. D rop a pebble in the water: just a splash, and it is gone;  But there's half-a-hundred ripples C ircling on and on and on,  Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea.  And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be. Drop a pebble in the water: in a minute you forget,  But there's little waves a-flowing, and there's ripples circling yet,  And those little waves a-flowing to a great big wave have grown;  You've disturbed a mighty river just by dropping in a stone. Drop an unkind word, or careless: in a minute it is gone;   But there's half-a-hundred ripples     circling on and on and on.       They keep spreading, spreading, spreading         from the center as they go,           And there is no way to stop them,              once you've started them to flow.   ...

It's getting a bit cooler and signs of Autumn are all around us. Farmer's markets are featuring apples, winter squash, the last of the tomatoes and corn on the cob. The  Monarch Butterflies    are flitting around in the tops of the eucalyptus trees where they will gather in great grape formations as the weather cools. There are crunchy leaves on the path to the beach and thigh high wild grasses, brown and rattling in the slight breeze. I used to hate Fall, it made me so sad for some reason. Maybe it was because it seemed like things were dying all around me. On top of that, days were shortening leaving too much time to think about how my own life was reflected in that same year round seasonal process. I guess I'm technically in the Autumn of my life now. Oh, I enjoyed the Spring and Summer and I think I'm coming to terms with the Fall. For me, it helped to embrace the colors, sights, smells and sounds of the season. To focus on how thankful I am for my own life's ...

Just a quick weekend update. Saturday.... well Saturday can be my favorite day of the week. I get to sleep in, catch up, relax and have fun. It is also Breakfast Buddy day. Do you and your friends get together to do something on a regular basis? We do too! Once a month my friends Janine and Robin and I get together for breakfast on Saturday mornings to "catch up" on each other's lives. It's food, fun, laughter and therapy! We've been doing this for YEARS! This Saturday it had been even longer than a month so there was a lot of catching up to do. We went to CoCo's in Pismo Beach and must have been there 3 hours before any of us was ready to go. Robin's son and daughter-in-law recently bought their first home and Janine had just returned from a family visit to Albuquerque. It was such a fun visit and I really LOVE these girls. Can't wait until next month's breakfast! Then I went home and was sick for the next 24 hours. I know! A perfectly good weeke...

This morning I got a pleasant surprise. I was supposed to watch my grandson until 1:00 but my daughter called and said I had the WHOLE day off! She wasn't feeling well and was going to stay home from work. Immediately I thought of all the things I'd LOVE to do if I just had the time. So my morning started with a wonderful Strawberry/Banana smoothie that I didn't have to make for anyone else or share. Then I watched a recorded movie, Things We Lost In The Fire , with Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro and David Duchovny. It was really pretty good, sad, but good. When that was done I did a little straightening up and went upstairs to do some card making. That's when I found out I didn't have a 1 7/8" square punch.... so I HAD to go to Michaels. That was a trip to San Luis Obispo. Michaels didn't have it, but Beverly's did. I thought about having lunch in San Luis, but I had some really good leftover Lasagne waiting for me at home. Then it was down to the beach...

September 11, 2001 is a date no American should forget. The events of that day were so shocking. Terrorism on our shores on a scale so grand it was hard to comprehend. In the United States, we feel secure knowing horrendous activities such as these are usually detected BEFORE they happen. Many, many people lost their lives on that day.  I was with my mom when it happened and we just stood shoulder to shoulder watching the TV in disbelief and weeping later in the day as the numbers kept pouring in of how many had lost their lives. My mom said, "Oh, my God, it must be the beginning of the end of the world!" Do you know how many people lost their lives that day? Statistics from WikiAnswers: At least 2,985 people died in the September 11th attacks, including: 19 terrorists 2,966 victims All but 13 people died on that day. The remaining 13 later died of their wounds. One person has died since the attacks, of lung cancer. It is suspected to have been caused by all the debris from t...

"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown t...

What do you eat over the course of a couple of weeks? When do you shop? Do you make menus and shop with that in mind, or do you make up meals as you go? Who does the shopping in  your house? Well, here is a little peak into what I do weekly. I make up a calendar for the week deciding what we will eat. One night of the week is "Date Night" so no meal planning necessary for that night. As I'm making up the menus I think about what I already have in the pantry, freezer and refrigerator. Items I don't have are added to the grocery list. For us, breakfast and lunch are easy... cereal/oatmeal, muffins or maybe even egg sandwiches. Lunch is usually sandwiches of some kind, leftovers from the previ ous dinner or soup. I don't put these items on my list because I just KNOW what to buy to keep those supplies on hand. Then it's off to the store, usually on a Sunday evening, usually with my sweet husband. We take our own bags that we've bought over the last year. They...