Random Thoughts, Photos, and Memes ...

Make Time for Small Reflections

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Watery & Outdoor Wednesday
Just for the JOY of it, Thursday Thirteen,
Looking at the Sky, Camera Critters & Pet Pride
Herein are my Morning Musings and belated ...

1. I intended to share 'random thoughts' yesterday, but somehow time got away from me ... so I'm creating this list belatedly and combining it with some favorite Wednesday & Thursday memes Just for the JOY of it ;-)

2. Rain is predicted for later today (around 3pm through tomorrow morning) and that would be most welcome because it's been quite dry during March. I watered a bit on Monday morning as a 'tied me over' ...

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others participating in Watery Wednesday

3. ... but if it doesn't rain I'll need to water the yard for real to sustain all these beautiful blossoms. See how these pink Amaryllis are going to produce more blossoms soon? I split the bulbs this past year and spread them all over the parkway, but these are still producing multiples. Seems strange to me, but I'm delighted all the same.

4. I'm especially delighted to discover a few more purple & yellow irises showing up along with the yellow ones ... see the two new buds on either side of the two new blossoms? I noticed one more farther to the left but haven't uploaded those photos yet so I can't share here ... but here's another ripe strawberry ready for picking ;-)

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others participating in Outdoor Wednesday

5. The last few days I've been doing my best to fight off a cold ... taking extra Vitamin C, drinking lots of water, getting more rest, and using Zicam ... hoping for the best. I plan to pick up a 'Coldbuster' at Jamba Juice on my way to class at 11:30 today because I love the taste and hopefully it will help me fight off whatever ails me.

6. I hope to spend tomorrow (April Fool's Day ) with my sister and don't know how much energy (or time) I'll have to visit blogs today so I guess I'll be playing catch up over the weekend once again. She will be heading for Yosemite (and places beyond) on April 15th so we're making the most of what time we have left together ... just for the JOY of it!

7. My right forearm still hurts, but perhaps not quite so much as before. Sitting on my patio in a blue chair (just for the JOY of it) writing notes in my belated belated Christmas/NewYear's & Easter cards didn't help, but fortunately I managed to create a new address database and print the envelopes on my new Canon printer so they're in the mail and should arrive BEFORE Easter.

8. Thinking of Easter, this is what I've photographed to share for Yard Art this week ... just for the JOY of it!

Click to embiggen for better viewing
and for others sharing Yard Art

9. Alas .... I've run out of time and may need to publish this partially completed and finish later on today when I return from my Windows 7 class ... methinks that's exactly what I'm going to do because my mind has just shut down and Molly's bugging me for a walk ... just for the JOY of it!

10. It's 5am Thursday morning and raining gently outside at the moment with heavier rains predicted to arrive shortly (if ABC7's weather reporting can be believed). I'm not quite sure when it started but the 'wet stuph' wasn't falling when I went to sleep (earlier than usual last night) ... and it's supposed to clear up by noon.

11. I've moved Ms Kitty's 'under the blue chair bed' to the covered alcove by the 'real' front door at the side of my house so she'll have a second dry place to lounge around (in addition to her igloo), but haven't moved the blue chairs themselves yet. I'm watching the wind and hoping I can leave them in place to save my arm the added strain.

Celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of Camera Critters

12. Although I slept well for about 10 hours, I'm not quite sure how I feel this morning. I had zero energy when I returned from my class yesterday afternoon (considered leaving early but stuck it out until the end) ... and didn't even THINK about finishing this as intended so I'm doing it now as I charge my phone & camera battery in anticipation of the day ahead with my sister.

13. Finally, (because it's still dark outside) I'm sharing yesterday morning's sunrise ...

just for the JOY of it!

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Click for others participating in
(belated) Random Tuesday Thoughts,Wordful Wednesday,

Thursday Thirteen, Just for the JOY of it, Looking at the Sky
Camera Critters & Pet Pride

April 1st Bonus ... just because ;-)
Did you notice that Google has become

this morning? Click for their explanation ...
just for the JOY of it!

Hope you're each having a delightful day!

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for the Day
"“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts. ” Bertrand Russell

Weekend Miscellany and Musings ...

Make Time for Small Reflections

Scroll down for Camera Critters, Pet Pride, Photo Hunt,
Weekend Reflections & Shadow Shots



Beauty down the street
Grandma's Garden ... colorful
already this Spring!

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and for others participating in Finding Beauty,
Today's Flowers, Color Carnival and Haiku Friday

Ms Kitty ... about
twenty years old spends her days
on the patio




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others participating in Camera Critters & Pet Pride

walking through 'the Camp'
in Costa Mesa with my
sister I spied this


Straight out of the camera above ...
Poster Edges below

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and for others participating in
Weekend Reflections and Shadow Shots

This week's theme is - Fresh

whenever I need
fresh lemons or limes I pick
them from my front yard



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others participating in Photo Hunt

It's a beautiful sunny morning here in Southern California ... the kind of day that encourages one to be outdoors; however I've printed my belated Christmas (and Easter) cards on my new Canon MX870 all-in-one printer and plan to get envelopes addressed and notes written in them this weekend so I can drop them in the mail. Perhaps I'll do this while sitting on my front patio with Molly & Ms Kitty. With my new Sony Vaio, I can take 'breaks' to visit blogs while sitting outside too. My retired life is lovely and I'm most grateful ;-)

If you missed them here, I published my Friday FAVE Fives at Happily Retired Gal this week along with some unusual Sky Shots and pretty blossoms for Pink Saturday along with this week's Yard Art too.

Delightfully, I won Lily Hydrangea's Blogoversary Giveaway at Long Island Daily Photo! If you've never visited her blog you might enjoy checking it out. She takes lovely photos and creates beautiful things to sell in her Zazzle Gift Shoppe. I get to choose 5 greeting cards and a sheet of stamps. When they arrive, I'll share on one of my blogs ... just because.

9am addendum
I just dropped by Brenda's Blog from Paraguay and found an entertaining 'visual' ... Dogs in Slow Motion ... laughed myself silly and decided to share, just because. You may have seen this commercial already, but I don't watch much television so it's new to me. Enjoy;-)

Hope you're all having a
Wonderful Weekend!

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store or under a tree, but in the hearts of true friends." Cindy Lew

Thursday Thirteen - Just for the JOY of it!

Make Time for Small Reflections

Herein are my Morning Musings
Random Tuesday Thoughts
and Wordful Outdoor Wednesday

Tuesday morning, March 23rd
1. It's 6:22am ... the fur-kids are fed and thoughts are swirling in my head. Where to begin? Perhaps with National Puppy Day (lest I forget). I'm listening to Eyewitness News (ABC7 in Los Angeles) and they're encouraging folks to send puppy photos to share. Methinks I'll just share here and get on with my randomness, but if YOU'D like to share YOUR PUPPY pictures or see the puppies other have shared,you'll find more information here: ABC7 Celebrates National Puppy Day. Here are links to a few of my of my favorite 'puppy posts' ... just for the JOY of it!

Molly learns to use the stairs
Molly Montoge - Change
Molly as Teacher
Molly at the Beach & Doggie Spa
Celebrating Molly's 5th Birthday with Nostalgia

Ohmygosh ... I've got to STOP being nostalgic and get on with my randomness! I do love my little Molly girl and share about her often don't I ...

2. My right forearm hurts. I've been wearing a 'tennis elbow brace' for a while now and it helps ... sort of but not really. Fortunately I'm fairly ambidextrous ... born left-handed but pretty much forced to do things right-handed from an early age does have some benefits. Transplanting shrubs over the weekend to make room for my 'birthday rose' probably didn't help much. Today is the first time I've noticed that typing hurts, though I have friends who think it's caused my 'mouse activity' in my computer classes, blogging, and Photoshop play. I guess they could be right.

3. I'll write more specifically about the actual 'fix' in a separate post (for the benefit of other owners of Dell laptops with 'dim monitors' making use without a power cord impossible), but for now ... I'm dancing for joy because mine's fixed at last!!! Let's hear it for persistence paying off folks ;-)

4. I love Microsoft Security Essentials!!! A while back I dumped McAfee (even though I'm paid up until next November) because I got tired of it's increasingly intrusive & inept presence on my computers. Just now, when I logged on to my Photobucket account to retrieve this animated 'Snoopy' gif ... MSE popped up with a 'severe threat' (that it had already quarantined and suspended) warning & gave me the option to 'clean' which I did ... all without having to shut anything down. FYI the threat was from from Exploit:Win32Pdfjsc.EI and when I checked just now (after the fact) on the Internet for additional info I learned ...

Exploit:Win32/Pdfjsc.EI is a detection for files that use an obfuscation technique in an attempt to evade detection. This technique is generally employed by malicious PDF files that target software vulnerabilities in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader. Once the malformed PDF files are opened by vulnerable versions of Adobe Acrobat and Reader, the embedded JavaScript gets executed and loads the exploit. The exploit may execute code to download and execute arbitrary files on the affected computer. These files may include additional malware. There are no obvious symptoms that indicate the presence of this malware on the affected computer. Files detected as Exploir:Win32/Pdfjsc.EI usually arrive on the system where the user visits a Web page that contains a malicious PDF file or opens an e-mail containing the ODF file as as attachment.

What I know for sure is that I'm happy to know that Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly & simply in the background on my computers .... keeping me safe without charging me an arm and a leg or eating up precious memory doing things I don't understand or care about.

5. Hmmm ... it's now 7:54am. I need to take Molly for a walk so perhaps I'll stop my randomness here to publish and be on my way. I need to pick up a bag of mulch for the planting of my rose bush tomorrow. Interestingly my Wednesday class has been canceled due to a special event on the high school campus so I can be here after all when the gardeners visit tomorrow. Gotta luv serendipity, right? Now I have two more vouchers for one-day Friday or Saturday classes to redeem before the close of the school district's fiscal year in June.

6. Finally, for my Outdoor Wednesday visitors ... here's the space I've cleared for my new Veterans Honor rose bush ...

some of the shrubs I dug up and put in pots for the time being along the new rose bush to be planted ...

and one of my Amaryllis plants beginning to bloom ...

You'll note another bud coming up at the base of this plant. I've got several more Amaryllis plants in various stages so I'll have blooms to enjoy for a while.

7. Watching & listening to President Obama's comments at the Health Reform Bill signing on ABC7 News this morning fills me with pride. If you missed it, I'm sure there will be a link on the Internet soon and I recommend that you check it out when time permits. This is a historic moment for Americans. The bill may not be perfect ... but personally I believe these changes are long overdue. If you have doubts, I offer this link to a recent NY Times opinion piece by Paul Krugman on Health Reform Myths for your consideration. Of immediate interest to me is the financial relief for seniors in ill health on Medicare who are currently trapped in the so called 'donut hole' paying excessive amounts for their prescriptions. I understand that they'll get a $250 rebate this year, next year a 50% reduction in prescription costs, and by the year 2020 the crazy 'donut hole' will be completely closed.

Wednesday afternoon, March 24th (post amended for Thursday Thirteen and Just for the JOY of it ... with apologies to those who have already visited and commented on the above ... you know how I like to 'multi-task' in my posts ... especially when I'm pressed for 'visiting' time in the Blogosphere)
8. On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations. Learn more about how Earth Hour began, what we’ve accomplished, and what is in store for 2010. Click to learn more ...

To participate, just flip off your light switch at 8:30 pm local time to cast your vote for action on climate change.

9. My gardeners didn't come on Wednesday afternoon as scheduled ... I know not why so I'm feeling a bit frustrated because my Veterans Honor rose bush NEEDS to be planted soon and I have no idea when they'll make up the missed day. I'd really like to be here when they plant it for a variety of reasons. If they come tomorrow, I won't be around because I'm spending the day with my sister ... just for the JOY of it! She'll only be here three more weeks because she & her husband plan to head for Yosemite (and beyond) in their Pleasure Way on April 15th. I've not done so for a while, but I occasionally share her photos from the road with is 'logo' and labeled 'SistersPics' ...

10. Dalton at the Bella Terra Staples store in HB helped me choose this 'all-in-one' machine last Friday then suggested I wait for the weekend to see what went on sale. On Tuesday afternoon, he helped me set up my new Canon 'all-in-one' wireless MX870 printer after the guy on telephone Tech Support in Tulsa, Oklahoma said he couldn't help me do anything until the 'extended service plan' info showed up in 10-14 days.

11. I used it to print my belated Christmas Cards Wednesday afternoon ... just for the JOY of it! I hope to get notes written in them and envelopes addressed so they'll arrive before Easter. Regular reader might recall that my HP Photosmart 6180 'All-on-One' printer developed problems when I tried to print my cards last December. Better late than never, right? Right!

12. Ohmygosh ... the gardeners just arrived (at 6:30pm) so I'm going to get my rose planted after all! Hooray ;-)

Here it is in the ground ...

13. The fur-kids have both had dinner but I haven't ... so methinks I'll stop here and fix something because it's already 7:15pm.

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Random Tuesday Thoughts
Wordful Wednesday at Seven Clown Circus
Outdoor Wednesday, Thursday Thirteen and Just for the JOY of it
Hope you're each having a delightful day!

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" Robin Williams