by

Everyone P**ps

You can take the girl out of England, but you can’t take the English out of the girl.

I came really close to naming today’s blog Everyone Poops, from the children’s book of the same name.  Written in Japanese, and translated into English, I first spotted this book nearly twenty years ago in a Mendocino bookstore.  I giggled.

My dad was British, my mom Canadian.  We used more polite words when discussing bodily functions, and even in my fifties I give pause before using this particular word.

Yet today on my hike, when this lovely deer provided a front row seat to her daily elimination, I kept thinking about that book.

deer in the woods

Taking care of business

deer on the path

On her way

I thought of other things as well.  She was trusting enough to hold my gaze while at the same time holding that position.  It was fun for me, hiking alone, to have her walk along the same path for a few hundred feet before heading up the hill.

Hiking companion

Hiking companion

Generally they close the park trail to traffic, but the gate was open this morning.  As I snapped away, I heard a large truck pull up behind me.  I moved off the path to let the truck pass. I giggled some more.

clean out tank

Clean-out Tank

You’ll never hear this discussed on Downton Abbey, but the reality is it’s true.  Everyone p**ps.

by

Greenhouse Envy

mini greenhouse

Mini greenhouse

Last year I watched with admiration as Sarah the Gardener built her second greenhouse. Sarah writes a fabulous blog about her garden in Australia, and is about to publish her second book on the subject. Check out her amazing garden.

I’ve always liked the idea of a greenhouse. My dad planted that seed years ago as he too wished he had one at home. Living in Silicon Valley means houses are small on small plots or large on small plots, but rarely will you find a house with a big piece of property attached. It’s simply cost prohibitive. Those of us who garden make do with the limited space.  We have great weather year round and a long growing season to boot. I have zero room to complain.

So imagine my delight when I saw an ad in the paper for this scaled down and highly affordable mini-greenhouse at our local garden center. It was on sale for $39 bucks which is a steal if you ask me.

I put it together over the weekend and it’s ready for plants.  I’m going to take stalk of my seed collection this weekend and then the fun begins.  Planting seeds!

Spring, also known as the Vernal Equinox, is just a month away in this hemisphere.  As Sarah puts her garden to bed for the winter in Australia,  our California garden will be waking up.

I’ve Been Framed

Thanks to all who voted and commented with your suggestions earlier in the week on I’ve Been Framed.  The straw-colored hallway won.  Here is a video of the art as I approach.  I hung her so our eyes meet when I walk by.  It’s nice to live with someone who sees eye-to-eye with you every single day.  I promise not to let it go to my head. ;-)

There was a great artist named Pauline

Who lived with a kitty so darling

She made fabulous art

Art filled with great heart

Now it hangs on my wall thanks to Pauline.

by

I’ve Been Framed

framed

Framed!

I hope you weren’t here looking for an espionage post.  What I meant was, my art’s been framed…and I love it.

Last month I won a blog giveaway from The Contented Crafter. The prize was an art print of my choosing from her Etsy shop. Be still my crafty heart.

Pauline is a mixed-media artist,  blogging from New Zealand. Her art is full of optimism and joy. It makes me happy.

When Pauline first opened her Etsy shop, I snapped up the original of this print as a gift for my friend, Elizabeth. Elizabeth loves butterflies, original art and I felt certain she would love this too (and of course she did). The original piece arrived with plenty of time before gifting so I got to enjoy it for a few weeks. Then I wrapped it and sent it to its new home.

Then, serendipity: another blogger offered to sponsor a giveaway on Pauline’s blog, I won, and the rest, as they say, is history!

I’m the proud caretaker of the Butterfly Sprite print which arrived in the mail post-haste. She’s now framed and ready for viewing.

framed print

Framed and ready for the perfect spot

Here is where I could use your help.

When we remodeled nine years ago, we went from white walls to color in every room in the house. I love it, but it’s another element to consider when hanging art. Please take a look and let me know what you think by voting in the poll that follows. I’ll share the results later this week.

mermaid wall

(A) Bedroom “mermaid” wall

entry wall

(B) Bedroom entry wall

hallway

(C) Hallway

hallway long view

Hallway, long view

The Contented Crafter sells her work on Etsy.

by

The Long and the Short of It

Do you ever look at photos on other blogs and think: “I wonder what’s around that corner’?  I catch myself doing it all the time.  What’s behind the house just outside of  view?  Where is the wheelbarrow in relation to the garden?  Is that what I think it is?!?

Of course it’s none of my business, but that doesn’t stop my curious mind from traveling along the path.  The solution is simple.  I’ll  buy a private jet so I can travel around the world, meeting all my fellow bloggers. I’ll  deliver in-person hugs, and then, when I finally let go, hours of tea-drinking and a Q & A will ensue. When I arrive home, I’ll know the long and short of it.

Sadly, no room in the budget for my private jet fantasy. It’s fun to dream though.

Today I took photos with both the long and the short view. Closeups are usually more interesting, but seeing the origins of that closeup can also be fun.

fringe flower

Burgundy Fringe Flower (Loropetalum)

This beauty grows along the back fence under the Pittosporum. It gives a lovely splash of color from a distance, and continues to delight up close. Those fringe-like flowers look like fairy garden pom poms in the making.

burgundy fringe flower

The closeup

I wrote about the intoxicating scent of the Daphne a few weeks ago. It’s still covered with tiny flowers, but the fragrance seems to be fading. I think it’s pretty both near and far.

daphne

Daphne in the garden

Daphne up close

Daphne up close

These low-growing plants hug the patio near the outdoor table. Purple and white look so pretty together and the Alyssum smells like honey. I love sitting out there in the summer.

bellflower and alyssum

Bell-flower and Alyssum

bellflower

Bellflower

Mighty Mouse belongs to a neighbor, but he spends all of his ‘spare’ time at our place.

mouse closeup with grass

Tasty garden morsels

kitty with grass

Kitty nibbles on the grass

And that is the long and short of it.

How about you? Are you curious about life outside of the edges?

by

Goofing Off

selfie

Selfie with Silicon Valley in the background

It’s a holiday in the US today, more specifically President’s Day.  The boys are out of school, Mike’s home from work and the sun is shining.

We desperately, desperately, desperately need the rain and this is the month we get the most of it.  That said, it’s hard not to enjoy such a clear, bright warm day.

We hiked at Almaden Quicksilver, and enjoyed the bits of green along the trails edge thanks to some recent rain.  The California Poppies are up as well.  We hiked mid-day, a terrible time for decent photos, but I hope to go back soon to snap some shots while the poppies are still in bloom.

In case you think I’m a complete deadbeat, I did a lot of digging, pruning, weeding and planning over the weekend and will share more with you later in the week.

See you then!

orange poppies

California Poppies (October 2013)

by

My Red Hot Garden

“Jo had learned that hearts, like flowers, cannot be rudely handled, but must open naturally…”

― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

“The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed.”

-J. Krishnamurti

“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart…pursue those.” – Michael Nolan

“Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts; don’t put up with those that are reckless with yours.” – Mary Schmich

“Have a strong mind and a soft heart.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo

Lindy-Lu

Warm cat, happy heart. – Alys Milner

by

Love Shack

What do you think?

love shack

♫ ♪Love Shack, that’s where it’s at) ♫

It’s my desk-top, love shack.  I’ve been smiling and humming the song all week.

The lovely fairies on Quinto Way left a tiny treasure on my doorstep last October. It sat on my desk for a while before I knocked it to the floor and broke it. [Insert sad face here].

Thankfully it was a clean break. Mike used his magic glue and now the mushroom looks as good as new.  Today it stars in the Love Shack debut. Isn’t it adorable? Those Quinto Way fairies are the best.

fairy card

This sweet card came with the pink mushroom

Build it and They Will Come

I started with an old eyeglass case. I lined the inside with bits of leftover crafting grass and moss then added a tiny silver mirror.  The mushroom rests on a wooden block once intended for a rubber stamp. It needed some extra height.

I cozied up the place with a shiny red heart from my friend Bunny. A piece of coral adds interest.  The coral has been showing up in various places around the house for years, but no one knows where it came from. Perhaps a fairy left it on her journey.

The X.O.X.O banner was a gift last year from the crafty goddess of goodness at Boomdeeada.  It too travels around the house and brings cheer wherever it goes.

Love Shack Collage

Love Shack Collage

Quality control, aka  Mouse the ‘neighbor’s kitty’ did an up-close inspection. All systems go.

I love the B-52’s and enjoyed seeing them in concert many years ago. I hope you enjoy this upbeat, nostalgic video performance as much as I do. ♥

by

Little Free Library: Books and Maps

Exciting news this week.

First up, the Little Free Library has a new addition thanks to the lovely Julia at Defeat Despair.  She belongs to Paper Back Swap, a site for exchanging books. She ordered a copy of the beloved children’s book Charlotte’s Web and asked them to ship it here instead.

Charlotte's Web

Book Dedication

The book arrived over the weekend with a flood of memories.  My grade school teacher read it aloud to us after lunch each day, along with the other E.B. White classic, Stuart Little. Julia says:

I am excited about some family having access to this wonderful tale through your library. What a fun way to spread the joy of reading!

Thank you, Julia!

We’re on the Map

Our Little Free Library is on the official map.  It’s now searchable directly from the LFL site.  Here is a screen shot, complete with coordinates. What would the great explorers of the world think of that?

little free library screen capture

We’re on the map

I can’t tell you how happy I am when I see people stop and browse the library.  I surreptitiously watched twin girls pick out a book this weekend.  Monday I saw a pair of pre-teen girls drop off a few books. What joy.

In case you are new to this blog, or to the Little Free Library movement, you can catch up at the links below.

by

Valentine’s Day Giveaway: The Winner Is…

Special thanks to everyone who entered my Valentine’s Day Giveaway last week.

I wrote the entrants names on pink hearts, then tossed them into my world globe. It seemed like the perfect vessel given the number of countries represented from around the world.

Global Hearts

Global Hearts

pink hearts

Pink Hearts: There’s a winner here

Representing the pink hearts were:

♥Australia

♥Canada

♥France

♥New Zealand

♥United States

Congratulations Mary Elizabeth! You won the random drawing for the“exploding circle book” featuring Pink Paislee’s Secret Crush.

winning heart

Congratulations Mary Elizabeth!

I’ll confirm your address, and then I’ll pop it into the mail to you this week.

exploding circle book

The winner receives this pop up scrapbook

by

Bloglovin’ and that Strange Post

I signed up for bloglovin on Sunday. It’s a simple and uncluttered way to follow all the blogs that I love. WordPress has a reader, but it only works for WordPress blogs. Other platforms, like Blogger, BlogHer, TypePad, etc. show up in different places, via email or in an RSS reader.

In order to “claim my blog”, I had to send a short post with code, hence the strange post.

Here is the scoop from the bloglovin site:

Why did you build bloglovin’?

We started building websites in a garage in Täby, Sweden, and before we started bloglovin´, we were working on our second failed web project: a fashion-community. To get feedback on that idea, we got help from three fashion-bloggers — one of them was Carolina Engman. Somewhere between discussions and coffee breaks, she checked if any of her favorite blogs had updated. So she picked up a laptop and started typing in their web-addresses. A bunch of new windows flew up in her web-browser. Some blogs were updated and others weren’t. It. Was. Chaos.

Here was an opportunity for improvement. Wouldn’t it be sweet if you had one site that notified you every time one of your favorite bloggers had written something new?

We scrapped the fashion-community and started over from scratch. Two weeks later, we had our first, somewhat rusty, version of bloglovin´ up and running. One week later, over 1000 people had signed up.

Sure, there were other blog readers out there, but they were technical, boring, and cluttered with features. We wanted to build something for the rest of us. For everyone who doesn’t care about the technology behind it. For everyone who just wants things to work.

Check it out when you have the time. It was quick and easy to set up.  It’s also free! Happy reading.