September is Here

We have been treated to 2 evenings of amazing sunsets this week.

Several people posted photos of them on Facebook. My niece, who lives right down the road, posted one 5 minutes before I did. 

Great minds must think alike! 

Here are they are:

Our Watercolor Journal Group met on Tuesday and we enjoyed

painting on Jeanne's deck. It was a beautiful calm morning. The hour we painted no one made a peep. We were all into our process.

Then it was time for "Show and Tell" and a little visiting. I love 

our group. Some of us have been meeting on Tuesdays for about 5 

or 6 years. Jeanne put out tea and cookies for us, a very nice treat.

Usually, we paint out and about and refreshments are not part of the event.

This is a welcome sign and an invitation for tea for a new

resident of The Redwoods. Julie is a member of my church.

It is nice to have her here as a new resident.

My early morning walks have been wonderful. The three baby stilts are now all grown up. Can you see them?

Earlier this week, I was treated to an amazing sunrise. The sun

reflected off of the fog and thus created this beautiful pink glow.

It was breathtaking. Getting up early and walking has been part of my routine for years. Sometimes, it is hard to get out the door so early but then I receive rewards like this beautiful sunrise. 

One Thing Leads To Another

I am a life long furniture mover and re-arranger.

Today, my need to move things clicked in.

My daughter, Kate, is coming for supper tomorrow.
We usually have to eat with our dishes in our lap.
I am tired of not being able to have another person share
a meal with me at a table like real people.
I happily eat my own meals sitting on my couch with
my feet propped up on my sturdy coffee table.
BUT, it is not very nice to share a meal
with some one else that way.

SOOOOooooo ---- The big table went into my bedroom
to be my art table/desk, as did the office chair.
The little table that I originally had and
had put out in the hall is now in my living room area.
I had almost given away this smaller table.
I am glad that no one in my family wanted it.

I like the work table in my bedroom
where there is a lot of good natural light.
It is right by a floor to ceiling window.








And I like my small table in the living area where I can
easily pull it out to sit 2 and even 4 in a pinch.

 Now, I need to get one more small chair to seat a guest.

A Color Full Fall Morning

I wake up each morning to be greeted

by this wonderful Maple Tree.

This morning the fog lay in the background

covering Mt. Tam like a blanket.

However in the foreground,

the sun hit the tree as it came around my 

apartment building.

The tree glistened in all its glory.

Later on, I took another photo from our

solarium next to my unit. 

The skies had become blue and were 

a wonderful contrast to 

the brilliant fall colors of the tree.

This morning I had my last post op visit

with Dr. Cheng, my eye surgeon.

She is very happy with the progress so far.

My brain still needs to learn how 

to use these multi focal lenses.

I am already beyond thrilled with the fact 

that I no longer have a parchment colored

filter through which I view the world.

Having had my cataracts removed and 

having new lenses put in is like

a miracle for me.

Thank you God for my eyesight

and for modern technology and 

medicine that allow me to see

so well!

I came an hour early to my appointment 

to be able to have  

 a long walk through 

the older neighborhoods of San Rafael. 

I love the older homes with 

their mature trees. 

I walked through the Gerstle

Park and Forbes areas of the town.

This bright bag is my latest purchase.

I got it at the Mill Valley Arts Festival

last weekend. With the bright red, 

I won't wonder where I set down my bag.

I love being able to walk hands 

free and this hip bag will work great.

Plant "Explosion"

Last week, I posted a journal page of the Amaryllis Plant 

that I brought home for the holidays.

What a difference a week makes.

I now have 2 huge blooms on my plant.

They are so big that I had to use some plant stakes 

so they don't fall over.

Here is a photo of the plant.

A New "Old" Rug and A Larger Table Top

An old friend returned this lovely rug 

that I had loaned her several years ago.

It is perfect for my apartment.

I had forgotten the colors and pattern and 

am thrilled with how well it goes in my living room!

It is a better shape for my room. 

She had it washed for me, very nice!

I also had a piece of plywood cut to 

make my 30" square table a little larger.

It is now 32"x42". 

I put on a vinyl table cloth and 

a clear desk protector.

Now I can play with paints and 

have my lap top on the table at the same time

Here is a card I made for a friend's 82nd Birthday.

 It is a two sided card that has images on the back and front.

Autumn Leaves and an Autumn Prayer

Once again, here is my beautiful Liquid Amber Tree.

I could not resist posting a couple of more photos.

Now the leaves are falling and

even the pattern they make on the ground is beautiful.

The prayer that follows has the line,

"God of fallen leaves lying in colored patterns in the ground...."

I have a favorite Autumn Prayer

 that I heard at an Episcopal Service in Medford, Oregon.

This tree reminds me of the prayer. 

Here it is for you to enjoy. 

A Prayer at Autumn Time

God of the seasons there is a time for everything;

There is a time for dying and a time for rising.

We need courage to enter into the transformation process.

God of autumn, the trees are saying goodbye to their green,

Letting go of what has been. We, too, have our moments of surrender,

With all their insecurity and risk. Help us to let go when we need to do so.

God of fallen leaves lying in colored patterns on the ground,

Our lives have their own patterns. 

As we see the patterns of our own growth,

May we learn from them.

God of misty days and harvest moon nights, 

There is always the dimension of mystery and wonder in our lives. 

We always need to recognize your power-filled presence.

May we gain strength from this.

God of harvest wagons and fields of ripened grain,

Many gifts of growth lie within the season of our surrender.

We must wait for harvest in faith and hope.

Grant us patience when we do not see the blessings.

God of geese going south for another season,

Your wisdom enables us to know what needs to be left behind,

And what needs to be carried into the future.

We yearn for insight and vision.

God of flowers touched with frost and windows wearing white designs,

May your love keep our hearts from growing cold in the empty seasons.

God of life, you believe in us, you enrich us, 

You entrust us with the freedom to choose life.

For all of this, we are grateful.

Author Unknown - This prayer was read at a service at St. Mark’s Church,   Medford, November 2006

One More "Tweak" to my Nest

I woke up this morning and had to do it.

One more "tweak"!

I moved some furniture around in my bedroom.

This gives me more space for my swivel chair and

I am no longer needing to pull the bed away from the wall

 each morning in order to make it.

Now I think I am finished for good.

Stay tuned to see if this is really IT on the tweaks.

My Nest is "DONE"

It's been about 2 months since I have moved into The Redwoods

 and this week. I am declaring my Nest DONE!  

Of course, there are always things one wants to do

 but this is the stopping place.

What have I done? 

I've had a coffee table built that is just the right size

 with a shelf under it for "stuff".

I found a small shelf unit for the front hall to store things that go in and out. 

 The finishing touch is the built in room divider from IKEA.

This coffee table is sturdy enough to put up your feet which I enjoy a LOT!

 You can see the small hall unit.
It provides a handy landing place for my shoes, keys and purse

I moved the 3 tiered basket unit back in the corner. 

My printer is on top of it hiding under the cloth. 

Finding a place for my printer has been a challenge. 

I'm not thrilled with this solution but it is working for now. 

I do a fair amount of scanning with my art work 

so it needs to be where I can reach it. 

It is so ugly I am trying to hide it! 

My kitchen is pretty small but it works well. 

I learned to only use a couple of plates and utensils 

and to wash them and put them away as I go. 

The sink is small and it's good to keep it cleared off for the next thing landing. 

I have a small range but do most of my cooking in the microwave and toaster oven.

The most important item is my electric tea pot that gets a lot of action every day.

Here is a closer shot of the unit.

The bottom cubes are for "messy" stuff and the top cubes hold my art supplies 

and my 3 wire office/desk basket system. 

I have used this system for years, since I was a professional organizer. 

I had no place to put it until now. I was in my clothes closet before.

The system is so great.

 A and B baskets for "To Do" priorities and the bottom on is "To Pay". 

It holds all my financial stuff, check book, calculator etc etc. 

The small box on top of the unit is just right for my stamps, envelopes and mailing stuff. 

Just thought you might want to know what works for me and has for years.

Downsizing and Packing for The Redwoods

I was home all last week with a nasty cough that I did not want to give to any one else. This was a good thing for 2 reasons. 

One, it was rainy - nasty - cold - all week long and 

Two, I got a lot done for my move. I am downsizing from 1200+ sq. ft to 500 sq. ft. I have to really pare down to what I really love and what I really use.  The 3 questions I ask my self are: 

"Do I love it? Is is beautiful? Have I used it in the past year?"

The things in this small pile and many more that I have already passed on to daughters and friends did not pass the test. My new kitchen is tiny, hence the counter appliances are moving on.

 A small pile of give aways.... I have already had 2 large car loads of "stuff" go out the door.

7 Boxes of Books and a box of things for my darling Elsa are coming with me... oh yes, and my computer stuff... I love my lap top and am so happy to have it for my move.

80 Degrees in February?

OKAY, the East Coast is icy, the Midwest is freezing cold, and here in Marin we are experiencing Summer in February.

 Last evening, a friend and I sat out on my deck well past dark... we watched the beautiful sunset and then continued to enjoy our visit on a warm, balmy night. I am not sure what is going on AND, I am loving every moment of this unusually warm and wonderful weather.

Handing Down Sewing Treasures

I have been going through my stuff at home and downsizing. In the month of January I was able to go through photo albums and pared down  20 years of photos into one 2 1/2" ring binder... whew... it feels great to have my very favorite photos all in one place rather than on a shelf full of bulky photo albums.

Today, I went through all my sewing "stuff" and saved just what I would need to mend some clothes or do some repair on something. I have not done a sewing project for years.

Kate does do wonderful creations that she makes out of found objects or recycled fabrics. So, I am passing on my Mother's sewing box which is filled with wonderful old treasures. As a child, I can remember going through my mother's button bag and playing with the hundreds of buttons of all shapes and colors. Later, my daughters did the very same thing. They would sit on the floor, dump out the contents of the bag and play with the buttons.

It feels good to pass on things that are special to the next generation and to simplify my life and home.

A Perfect Sunday

Today was such a great day.... not only was the weather great, but the Giants beat the Braves. 

And to top off all of that, the Blue Angels flew right over my home two times during their air show over the SF Bay for Fleet Week.  Pretty nice!

Autumnal Equinox

My early morning walk was "spectacular" with a harvest moon shining on the waters of Corte Madera Creek and then, as I was heading home, a lovely sunrise.

I was reminded that Fall is officially here... I nabbed an autumn leaf, some heavenly bamboo and a small sprig of pyracantha to bring home and put into my small pottery vase. I love the colors of Fall and the change of light to a richer, warmer glow.

The Great Escape

A very large goat herd has been busy eating the grasses on the hills around my apartment complex. They have been brought in to eat all the extra vegetation that could be a fire hazard. The herd is controlled by an electric fence.

They escaped!

A couple of hours ago, they all broke free and traveled down to my apartment building.

They had a wonderful time enjoying the foliage of our shrubs and plants.

This is what I saw from my deck.

And this was taken from my bedroom window.

Sadly, the goat herder appeared after about an hour and they are busy herding them back to where they belong. It was a very entertaining event and now our shrubs have been "trimmed"!

New Paint in my Apartment

After being in my apartment for two years, I finally had the main rooms painted.

I am delighted with the results.

A neighbor did the work for me and he did an excellent job.

My bedroom is painted "Hush", a pottery barn color from Benjamin Moore.

It is a very peaceful color.

The art above my cedar chest are my daughter, Kate's, oil paintings.

I can now sit in my chair and enjoy them everyday.

The blue is called "Wedgewood Gray", another color from the BM Pottery Collection.

Can you see touches of the same color on the cows' noses?

Yes, I love cows!

The rest of the living room is "Hush" with the "Wedgewood Gray" over the fireplace.

My Millard Sheets original watercolor painting looks terrific against the WG color.

I have my art "studio" tucked into the corner of my living room.

Prior to painting, everything was apartment, boring, boring white.

Squirrel Invasion

There is a large oak tree near my deck. I really enjoy watching the birds and critters that hang out in the tree from time to time.

Recently, squirrels have been leaping from the tree onto my deck and are scampering around here and there. I thought they were kind of cute until they started climbing the screens on my sliding glass door and trashing my potted plants.

I think I am going to have to trim back a couple of the tree's branches so they will not have such a handy jumping off spot for their adventures. They are very sweet and have reddish tails and fur.

This was done from a photo, they just would not "pose" for me no matter how nicely I asked.

A Serenade on our Hill

We have had a constant serenade of Baa's and Bleats from a large truck load of goats of all shapes and sizes that are "mowing" the grassy hill above my apartment. They put a temporary electric fence around a very steep hill that leads up to a condo development. Then the truck arrived with the "mowers".

It's been lots of fun to watch them but I imagine that everyone will welcome the peace and quiet that will return when they are done. I walk at sunrise and they are already at full volume by then.

My granddaughter, Elsa, and I watched them "up close and personal" yesterday afternoon.

Elsa does not understand electric fences so OMA was busy keeping little hands off of the wires.

Memorial Day Weekend Musings

Yesterday there were 6 squirrels that were active in the oak tree by my deck. Two of them jumped from the tree to run around my deck. They even crawled up and down on my bedroom's screen door. I finally had to shoo them away as I was concerned they were going to rip the screen. I don't know what they were "on" perhaps squirrel cat nip?

This Mama squirrel comes every year when she is pregnant. She chews on my upstairs neighbors' whale bone, I guess to get calcium. They took this sweet photo of her and sent it to me. You can see her tummy is getting bigger.

I took a walk along the Corte Madera creek this afternoon and stopped at the Boat House to do a sketch. The Marin Rowing Association has a really big program for young people and adults. My daughter, Porter, rows with them very early in the mornings. I just captured a corner of their building and one of their trailers. The high school team won the Nationals this year.

The weather is finally warm... I sat out on my deck and read a book till 6:30, a first for this year. It has been to cold to do this until today. I am so happy to have the Spring here at last!

Birthday Blessings All Around Me Today

This morning I woke up and came out into my living room to have a wonderful visual that reminds me of all the loving family and friends I have in my life. I received phone calls, Happy Birthday songs sung to me, birthday cards, flowers and birthday surprises left at my door and delivered in person. I also received many greetings over the internet, a new dimension for a senior citizen!

Here are some photos I took this morning to record my blessings.

A row of birthday cards on my mantle.

A Birthday Begonia ... it is such a pretty color and goes well in my room.

Tulips sent from my Auburn family.

Elsa arrived with her Mama to bring me birthday cupcakes.

Elsa wanted to make sure she was the one to choose each cupcake for each of us.