I'm back ...

Make Time for Small Reflections

Although there's no REAL juicy post here, I have published at Sacred Ruminations this morning (including more sky views there) and shared a bit of my Taos - 2010 experience here as I updated my Gratitude List in the Sidebar and promise to publish something more here (and at Happily Retired Gal) soon.

For now, here are a few variable but beautiful
SKIES from the trip ...

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Looking at the Sky
and Finding Beauty

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"The really nice breezes blow through my body and into my soul." Astrid Alauda

HF SkyWatch, FiveFAVES, Color and Beauty

Make Time for Small Reflections
Scroll down for Color Carnival, Finding Beauty,
Today's Flowers, Mellow Yellow, Macro,
and Mosaic Monday too ...

1. Remember how Mom's Azalea got broken again in February of this year? I'm happy to report that it's coming back for the second time ... slowly but surely. The piece I planted in the parkway is still struggling and may not make it, but the original plant seems healthier this time around ... though very small at this point.

What it looked like in February ...


... and what it looks like now ;-)

Click images to embiggen for better viewing

2. It's been a while now since I've seen blue skies like those in the Haiku Sky Watch logo below ... but the bare branches of the tree next door show signs of Spring.

Grey & drizzily
skies of late keep temp'ratures
in the mid 60s




Click images to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Sky Watch & Haiku Friday

3. Over the past few afternoons (once the drizzles stopped) I've put some of the colorful new bedding plants in the ground ... and intend to get the rest planted today and/or tomorrow. I was tempted to leave the bright orange Nemesia in a pot on the patio, but decided to put it in the ground near the yellow & orange Lantana.

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Color Carnival & Mosaic Monday

4. The first two blooms on my newly planted Veteran's Honor rose bush lasted for almost 5 weeks and I suspected it might need time to recover ... but to my surprise I discovered a new bud on it just yesterday. In addition, the African Iris (otherwise known as Fortnight Lily) have started to bloom in the neighborhood ... though MINE hasn't produced any buds yet.

Veteran's Honor rose bud above and
African Iris/Fortnight Lily blooms below ...

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Finding Beauty, Macro Monday,
Mellow Yellow & Today's Flowers

5. Yesterday I went with a friend to see Hershey Felder in his latest one man musical bio-play at the Laguna Playhouse, Beethoven as I Knew Him ... and it was so WONDERFUL that I'm thinking about returning to see it again! I'm looking forward to him in Maestro: The Art of Leonard Bernstein later in the season and hope to see his pieces about Fryderyk Chopin and George Gershwin one day. We enjoyed an early dinner on the patio of the Beachcomber Cafe on the beach in Crystal Cove on the way home.

Click any image to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Friday's Fave Five

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." C.S. Lewis

Catching up with Weekend Miscellany ...

Make Time for Small Reflections

Scroll down for ...
Finding Beauty
Weekend Reflections,
Haiku Sky Watch Friday
Camera Critters & Pet Pride

Click any image to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Friday's Fave Five and Just for the JOY of it

Wow ... it's been more than a week since I've published here and almost a week since I've updated my sidebar Gratitude List, but this morning I'll do my best to catch up a bit ... Just for the JOY of it ... sharing my FAVES from the week while participating in some of my favorite weekend memes.

1. As may be obvious, I've not spent much time at the computer. Instead I've devoted myself to beginning my day by writing and reading lately. Pleasant weather permits me to spend early mornings in my blue chairs on the patio with the company of Ms. Kitty, Molly, and Aloha ... occasionally visiting with passers by and capturing neighborhood views with my Nikon D60. When I go inside for 'coffee refills' Molly usually stands at the door waiting for me to return.

My most recent 'read' is SWITCH: How to Change Things when Change is Hard by the Heath brothers, Chip and Dan. Their approach is intriguing and makes practical sense to me. I'm hopeful that using some of their ideas might help me continue to rid myself of clutter and clarify some next steps on my own life's path ... especially as I prepare to return to Taos, NM this summer for a second week-long Writers Retreat. I dropped by the Auto Club yesterday for maps and travel books and am gathering together other materials I want to bring with me.

2. Skies have been lovely and crows seem to be building (or repairing) a nest in the tall palm trees out front.

Soaring high above
crows bring twigs from nearby trees
creating their nest

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Haiku Friday
and Sky Watch Friday

3. Just one gladiola shoot survived the raucous play of Molly & Aloha this Spring and I've enjoyed watching it bloom pink all week ... Just for the JOY of it! Isn't it pretty?

... I plan to share more views tomorrow at Happily Retired Gal for Pink Saturday & Today's Flowers, (and perhaps some Macro Views for Monday too) but I noticed interesting reflections in the car parked by the parkway in front of my house and decided to share those shots here today ... just for the JOY of it!

Click to embiggen for better viewing and
for others participating in Weekend Reflections

4. It's taken a while, but I finally helped my brother-in-law add a free 'image resizer' from Microsoft Power Toys to his 'Vista' machine so that when he sends my sister's pictures they'll embiggen when clicked upon. I'll share more of her photos in another post, but here I've decided to share some pictures taken by a friend on Easter Sunday. She lives in Northern California on acreage and has given me permission to share the photos here. I'll add them in a few minutes after I publish this because they're located on my Sony computer and I'm creating this post on the Dell.

Pictures from a friend
emailed this past week to share
'snow' ... Easter morning!

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Finding Beauty

5. Finally ... here are a few pictures of Molly & Aloha playfully keeping me company as I sit on my front patio this week ... and, of course, Ms Kitty's on her pillow under the chair.

Aloha the pup
is almost a year old now ...
but still rambunctious

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Camera Critters & Pet Pride

So ... now that I've added the snowy Easter photos for Finding Beauty above, I'll get myself a coffee refill and update my Gratitude List (Just for the JOY of it) before I take Molly for her morning walk. Later I'll be getting together with a friend so I'm not sure when I'll get around to visiting ... but hopefully I'll find time for some blog catch up during the weekend.

Here's wishing each of you a delightful day
and wonderful weekend!

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries." A. A. Milne