Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

This mornings visitor

We like lizards too. They eat the bugs. He is a fairly chunky guy. 

I am not into snakes although we have our share of rattlers and others, but Carole has an awesome photo on her site.

Happy Mid Summer and my 60th B'day trip to Chicago

Today is the longest day of the year... which to me is sort of depressing as it means the days start to get shorter and winter (which I hate) is that much nearer. Yep, I am nuts, I know.

This past weekend I celebrated my 60th birthday. My daughter, Robin, and son-in-law Brett, met us in Chicago.The start of the trip was not a good omen. Thursday : We had a 6:00 a.m. flight which means we were up at the crack of dawn and had to leave the house by 4:00 a.m. We got a late start and 12 minutes into the drive to the airport I realized that we forgot the camera and my meds. I did a fast U turn and headed back home... with a lead foot on the accelerator. I figured there were no cops out at that hour! On the way back there was a bunny sitting in the road in the adjacent lane.... do you think it would have stayed there??? Nope... it decided to play kamikaze rabbit and I watched in horror as it jumped into the path of the car. Thump. I did scream as it hit but at the speed I was traveling there was nothing I could do. This was not a good start. We finally got close to the airport and saw that the exits were closed. Crap... we were really running late... after taking some of the local streets we decided not to use our regular off airport parking (no time) and parked across from the terminal. We got there 45 minutes before flight time... the deadline for checking bags. because of Ned's crazy travel he racks up a zillion miles a year and is a global services member... which sort of means they bow down when he arrives.... nice perk if you are traveling with him. They took our luggage with not much hassle and we got to go through the priority line for security. Phew! We were going to make this plane after all.

We finally arrived late Thursday morning... could not check into hotel, but spent a wonderful day.  We started by walking around Millennium Park watching the kids of all ages playing in the water works and viewing some of the latest sculptures. We had a nice lunch outside and then went over to the Art Institute. I have not been to Chicago for at least 7 years so this was a nice treat. In the lobby of the AI was an improvisational dance group putting on a display that was being taped and we watched the "installation" of 2 art exhibits. We then went to see the Impressionists exhibit.... one of my favorites. There was a special exhibit of Matisse but I was really disappointed in that. Most of his work that I love was not there. Thankfully, I have had opportunities to see it both in France and at the MET in NY. Still, it was a disappointment.  We finished up with the Thorne Rooms. These are re-creations in 1/12th scale of rooms. The workmanship and creativity are exquisite and pretty close to my heart. I have a wonderful collection of my own in the the form of 2 huge dollhouses that I built ages ago. We went back to hotel and crashed for a few hours but made a reservation for late dinner. We had an awesome dinner at North Pond (once we found the place... cabby got lost) and managed to polish off a bottle of wine between us. I am usually a one drink gal (cheap date) but over the course of 2 hours, it somehow disappeared. Sleep was welcome. ... Except Ned had to be up at 6:00 a.m. for a conference call, sigh. I went back to sleep till 8:00.  We mozzied (sp?) on down to a local place for breakfast and caught the last of the World cup game with the US on Friday morning. To say it was exciting would be an understatement. You didn't even have to watch to know what was happening. The crowd was going nuts. The rest of the morning was spent strolling down Michigan Avenue and window shopping. We stopped for a nice lunch and strolled back to our hotel for a nap. Robin and Brett were suppose to fly in from NY to meet us and we planned a late dinner. At 3:00 we get a call that their flight was going to be delayed because of bad storms at O'Hare. The sun was shining out the window from our gorgeous view.

45 minutes later all hell broke loose. It was pitch black, the lightening and thunder were on top of each other and it was pouring rain. You could actually see the squall lines. The kids were originally due in at 6:45... they got in at 10:30 but had to wait an hour because they would not unload the luggage and the airline made them check their carry-on because the flight was full and there was no more room. So much for our original plans. They finally arrived at the hotel at 11:30 p.m. We found a lovely Italian restaurant that served till 1:00 a.m. and had a nice (if belated dinner). We subsequently found out about all the damage from the storm. Windows were blown out of of buildings and many places lost electricity and phone service. We were lucky.
My daughter had arranged for a massage (part of my b'day present) the next morning. We grabbed something to eat and the guys went to watch the soccer game. The late morning and early afternoon was spent at The Lincoln Park Zoo and then a lovely lunch a few blocks away. Next stop was the Aquarium. After the shock of the admission price, we had an enjoyable time. I love zoos and aquariums and try to visit them wherever I go. Back to the hotel for a nap and a late dinner at a restaurant called MK. Another fabulous dinner with excellent service. Despite the rocky start this was turning into a great weekend. Ah, bed. Sunday morning was sleep in time with a late brunch in honor of Father's day. Ned got to pick where he wanted to go. We were planning on going to the Museum of Science and Industry (another of my favs in Chicago) but I decided that it was such a nice day and didn't want to spend it indoors. Instead we walked to Navy Pier and stopped into Fox and Obel's on the way back. We had a snack there and picked up goodies to take on the plane. We probably walked about 2-1/2 miles... The weekend was close to an end. I had a fantastic time and was thrilled to have spent it with my favorite people. We grabbed a cab and headed to the airport. The kids got home with no problems... we had a bit of a change in plans. Our flight went back through Denver and did not get back to Phoenix till almost 11:00 p.m. which would have gotten us home at about 1:00 a.m. Turns out Ned had an early morning flight to Manila and had to repack.. which means he wouldn't have gotten any sleep... so we opted to stay in a hotel near the airport. This was probably a good decision. I dropped Ned off and went home. I needed a nap this afternoon. It was a fun trip.

True meaning of cat nap!

Here is another picture. It has gotten warmer out and the BC has now crawled behind the Jasmine and cannot be seen.  We really think it is a female, but she also seems to have something wrong with one of her eyes.

Bobcat is back!

I didn't want to disturb her so I only took 1 picture and we have been tiptoeing around.  She is beautiful.

Should I get excited?

We planted this dwarf orange tree about 4 1/2 years ago. Every year it has had flowers but not borne any fruit. We will have fruit this year!! Woohoo! It looks as though we may have a dozen oranges, haha.

A small bird decided she liked my yard and has made a nest in one of our climbing plants. I never remember the name of things. She is a small bird sort of between a hummer and a wren. Probably a finch of some sort but the shape seems wrong. She is gray, white, and black. I think there is a baby in the nest. When I got close she flew off but I decided not to trespass further and stepped back.

The bobcat has not made a return visit to our courtyard. I am sort of disappointed. 

Kitty in the garden

I woke up this morning and found the bobcat sleeping in our courtyard! I couldn't at first figure out what Sammy was staring at... I thought at first he was absorbed in a lizard but as I got closer to the sliding glass doors I saw this lovely bobcat sprawled fast asleep among my flowers. I went and grabbed my camera and just started shooting pictures. He must have heard us talking but he did not exhibit any fear. He picked his head up and swiveled it and started to clean himself. Sammy started to mew and the bobcat's ears perked up. He got up very slowly to see what the noise was. He was not in hunting mode for sure. He walked over to the glass doors and was nosing the door where Sammy was doing the same thing on the other side. The whole thing was amazing. We have 12" square holes about 7 1/2' off the ground in our courtyard wall. That is how the bobcat eventually left and I assume that is how he got in as well. It is completely enclosed so he was protected from the coyotes.  I will be interested to see if he is there tomorrow as well. I will post a video of some pictures at the end of this post. He looks so cuddly, no?

What's in bloom in my courtyard

The fragrance of Gardenia is  very welcome. After languishing as a small plant, this took off this year and has exploded.

This lovely is a Brugmansia but I cannot recall which one. It is a mini variety.

The Calla Lily has just started to throw up spikes.

And the dwarf Snapdragons add more color.

My back patio has a profusion of Day lilies... hard to catch them. These seem to like it here as they are multiplied.

Up close and personal

DH and I were checking some stuff out this morning in the front of the house and as we walked outside we saw our resident bobcat catch a rodent. I ran back in for my camera and Ned stood still. Bobcat walked and sat down about 20 feet away in the shade to eat her meal. This was the only shot I could get. She started to walk back toward Ned but was in the sun and I could not focus. When she got about 10 feet from Ned he shooed her away. She did not seem to be a all frightened of us, but she could be rabid. Nice to know she is keeping the rodent population down somewhat. She is the size of a medium sized dog and sort of mangy looking. This was the first time I saw her, although all my neighbors saw her last year. Bobcats are pretty much loners so there are not usually more than one in an area.

Yep, I have been very quiet. I have been hit with some major dental issues (they continue) and my back problems have returned neither which is conducive to my creative juices. :-(. I have a piece that is ready for quilting but I haven't been able to do it. I missed a deadline as a result. Bummer.

On the bright side, I bought an ipad 3G and have been having a blast setting it up and getting to know it. If you can be in love with a piece of tech, then I am. I am really looking forward to taking this with me when I travel instead of having to schlep my laptop. No, this will not take the place of a computer, but if I don't have to do serious work, then the ipad will work just fine. You can create and edit documents and excel files, you can read news from all the major players, you can organize your life up the wazoo, and best for me... you can read books. I will no longer have to carry a bunch of heavy books on my trips. It has a 10 hour battery life which will get me through most flights and a screen I can actually read. I put a passcode lock on it in case I lose it or it gets stolen and I registered it at itrackmobile.com which is free. Mobileme will allow me to track it (and my iphone) if it goes missing and will allow a complete data wipe if necessary. Of course it also has my favorite games to wile away the time. Most of the apps are free, but I shelled out a few bucks for a couple. I haven't signed up for the 3G part yet as I have managed to find free wifi locally so far. I am not a fan of AT&T and I am hoping someone else gets the next iphone... but if they don't, I might consider giving up my iphone when my contract is up. I get ZERO reception at my house with AT&T. Verizon works here and with my ipad I will not need all the neat stuff on my iphone. I can go back to just having a simple phone.... of course since I am a tech junkie, I am sure Apple will come out with something fantastic with the next generation and I will want it. Sigh.

Now I just need to figure out how I can go back to playing without killing my back. I suspect a trip to the back doctor is going to be in my not too distant future. What he did 2+ years ago worked... maybe time for it again.

Berry Cobbler/Crisp recipe

I got lots of requests for this recipe so I am posting it here. This is NOT my recipe... I got it 3rd hand so I am not sure of it's original provenance. This serves 4-6. I have made this several times and used peaches one time... it was not memorable. You can cut this recipe in half but remember to put it in a deep dish. Baked on, spilled berry juice is not fun to clean up.. and it smokes.... don't ask me how I know that.

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg beaten (if you live at high elevations you may need another 1/2 an egg beaten)

5-6 cups of Berries ( I use Blackberries, Raspberries, and Blueberries. I am allergic to Strawberries)
1/2 -3/4 cup sugar to sweeten fruit to taste
2 tsp flour
1 stick (1/4 lb) butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 370 degrees. Generously butter a baking dish about 8"x8"x2" (deeper is better).
2. Combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir to mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg. Stir mixture with a fork until it gets crumbly... the consistency of cornmeal. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more of another beaten egg.
3. Transfer berries into another large mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining sugar and flour together. Sprinkle the mixture over the fruit and carefully toss until it coats the berries thoroughly.
4. Pour the berries into the buttered baking dish and spread evenly.
5. Sprinkle the crumbly flour mixture over the top of the fruit. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over it. Place it in the oven and bake about 40 minutes or until the topping is golden.
6. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream. At room temperature the crust will have absorbed more of the berry juices. CAVEAT... this can be addictive!

On another note... I got my ipad 3G yesterday. This is an awesome toy. I have discovered a free piece of software called Dropbox that allows you to upload any file and see it on all your toys (computer, iphone, ipad, etc)... or even on any other computer as long as you have internet access. This really gives you the freedom of leaving your computer at home but gives you access to files you might need. I have not tried out the 3G part yet but the regular wifi works great. I bought a spiffy red case for it.

Yummy

For mothers day, my wonderful DD got me a cobbler pan with accessories (like a blackberry candle). DH followed my recipe and made it this evening... My back is not wonderful and I cannot stand that long.  It looks so yummy. I even have lactose free vanilla ice cream to go with it! We just have to wait till it cools down a bit. Yum yum.

Jasmine in my courtyard

The Jasmine is in full bloom in my courtyard and the scent is divine. Some other assorted plants shown here as well.

I know I haven't posted in a while... been down with some health issues... not life threatening but just a pain in the butt. Had to have a tooth extracted last week and this week my back went out. I have not been working on much of anything... just whining.  The weather is perfect for gardening but I cannot do it... rats.

Hoping next week is better. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Paducah, day 2

I was so tired last night that I slept 12 hours!!! The temperatures were heating up today and the humidity was higher than I like.... one of the reasons I moved to Arizona. I find the humidity saps my energy.

I went over to the Yeiser Art Center today and saw a wonderful exhibit called Fibers 2010. There were pieces there from many of the artists on the Quilt Art list. It is nice to know there is something other than traditional quilts here in Paducah. In my meanderings in that part of  town I came across one of the arcades that hold a number of different vendors including an online friend who has now become a real friend. She was selling some gorgeous carved wood stamps that I am going to use when I play with the soy wax I finally found.

I had my ego stroked twice today.... On Tuesday night at the awards ceremony 2 ladies were admiring a jacket I wore and wanted to take pictures of it... They saw that I was wearing an identification tag that stated that I was a contestant in the show and they asked about my piece. I ran into them this morning and they stopped me to say how much they liked my quilt. They could have easily just walked by me and not said a thing. I thought my day was made. Fast forward to the late afternoon. I was spending some time with Justin in Ricky Tims booth and we were discussing quilting... and how I really don't like doing it. In comes one of the quilt judges (no I am not going to tell you which one) and I was introduced. She saw my tag and asked me which quilt was mine. I told her the name and she said... Oh, I remember that one. We were all discussing how elegant those ladies were! I said, thank you, and I know my quilting stinks. She laughed. I was really surprised that with the hundreds of quilts they looked at she could remember mine by name only. I never described the quilt. She definitely made my day.
To end the day, I found my way over to Helen Davis's new digs. Awesome place. Unfortunately, she was not there but her hubby was. I passed on the hello's I was asked to and broke down and bought a piece of her beautiful fabric.

I am ready to come home tomorrow. All in all, I had a good time. I felt I was on a whirlwind tour (I was) but I got to see and do everything I planned. I met lovely people and saw beautiful quilts. I wish there were more vendors of surface design products but I guess this is not the place for it. Strange because there is a very active fiber arts group here.

Report from Paducah

... I'm exhausted and my feet hurt! I got to see a preview of all the quilts last night. They are stunning, although most of them seem to be more traditional in style. No, I did not win anything but I wasn't expecting too. I am really surprised my quilt even got in. The majority of quilts are quilted to within and inch of their lives.... not my style and never will be. I really wish there were shows that showcased the art, design, and style rather than the quilting. Wishful thinking on my part. I will never do that type of quilting. It was suggested to me that I should get someone else to do the quilting for me. Somehow, to me it no longer is my quilt. Oh well. Such is life.  The honor was getting in.
I have managed to hook up with some online buddies but not all yet... not enough hours in the day. Tomorrow is another day. I was hoping to stock up on supplies that I cannot find locally but I will have to say that I am mostly disappointed in the selection of vendors. Most of them are selling quilt kits and very traditional fabrics or just a bunch of commercial fabrics. I will be saving a lot of money.

I did get over to the National Quilt  Museum today and saw Holis Chatelaine's exhibit. She does awesome work. I also found my way over to Carol Bryer Fallert's Studio and got the tour. It is a lovely place to take a class and Carol is very gracious about answering questions.
Tomorrow is another day with a list of things to do and people to see. The shuttle bus drivers are fantastic and very helpful. The venues are all over the place and some pretty far apart. I am glad I am here but I am not sure I will be back.
Early to bed for me tonight. I am still on another time zone.

Spring is sprung

My roses are starting to bloom... ah, spring has officially arrived.

Miscelaneous pictures

These are called "Red Bud" trees. We saw them all over the place on the drive from Nashville to Knoxville. Not sure why they are called Red bud since they are really hot pink!

And these 3 handsome dudes are my stepsons! Mark on the left, John (groom) in the center, and Evan on the right.

Stephanie and John making it official on Facebook.

Home from our latest adventure

We spent the past few days in Knoxville, Tennessee, attending the wedding of my oldest stepson John to my newest DIL Stephanie. I wish them the very best and hope the love they have for each other never fades. This was my first time in Tennessee.



In under the wire.. I got my Quiltart Quinceañero piece finished and sent off!

Now I can recover and plan for my trip next week to Paducah!

Pets

How is it that we get so attached to our pets that we go into meltdown mode when we are loosing them? Sammy, my 16 1/2 year old Tonkinese  kitty is in stage 3 renal failure and I am a mess. He is in no obvious pain or distress but I am. He is having problems keeping food down and doesn't seem to want to eat. You can see him wasting away. No one thinks it is time to put him down but knowing the end is near is causing me severe mental anguish. This fur baby has gotten me through so much trauma in my life that I am having great problems letting go. He was there for me when I went through a divorce. He was my companion when I went through my cancer and treatment and had moved cross country and had no one else. He was cuddling up when I was alone. Sammy is a lover. He has a wonderful disposition and a talker. He loves everyone. It is almost impossible for me think that he will not be around much longer. For the last 2 days he was throwing up everything he ate. I thought last night that it was the end and I had a major meltdown. My wonderful and loving husband has been propping me up even though he is not fond of cats. He has gone out of his way to make sure Sammy has everything and anything that might help him. We got a reprieve today. Sammy ate some turkey and some baby food and has managed to keep it all down. If he eats we buy time... how much I have no idea. I don't think I am ever going to be ready for this one.