Celebrating a Birthday

This weekend was all about my birthday. J's parents had a lovely brunch party for me on Sunday, complete with a scrumptious cake from the French Gourmet. It had a layer of chocolate mousse and pears, and a layer of super moist vanilla cake. Yum! And Friday night J. took me to a great restaurant called Thee Bungalow, in Ocean Beach. It was divine. Excellent food, service, atmosphere, and of course wonderful company.

I have to say, when birthdays get this high on the chart, they don't quite hold that same feeling as the earlier, more significant, ones. But as they say: consider the alternative! Every phase of life has its advantages and we must find our silver lining!

The last two pictures are more snaps from the corners of J's parents' home. A collection of real and ceramic pumpkins, and an arrangement of candles on a tanzu chest. So many beautiful things, all arranged to perfection. My mother-in-law is an artist . . . and an inspiration. When I get home I start moving things around, to make our house look more like her house!

Tortoise Evacuation Center

As everyone has probably seen on the news, San Diego is burning. It's been a horrific few days as homes and lands burn, and the press reports new mandatory evacuations along with news that some can go back home, assuming it is there. You can feel the sadness in the smoky air, and everything is covered in ash.

On a lighter note, my in-laws have some friends who had to evacuate staying with them - Jack and Judy. And . . . they brought their turtles. The turtles, who have yet to be named, are two 98-year-old males. Jack and Judy inherited them from their parents, and they will have to be willed to their children because they live to be around 200! They are land turtles, Gopherus agassizii to be precise, and they are enjoying their backyard retreat while the fires near their home are being contained and the air quality improves. As I was snapping pictures (no pun intended), Rumer, the curious terrier, was getting in sufficient sniffs and kept jumping in and out of their little pen as we all yelled in unison, "Rumer! Get out of there!" Also, following are some pictures of my mother-in-law's beautiful backyard.

Octoberfest in Big Bear

So, last weekend, we made the trek to Big Bear to J's parents' cabin. The four of us also went to the Octoberfest - this year was the 15th Annual celebration. It was a fun time: lots of beer and German food and a band, Bergermeister, who also played Freebird and Sweet Home Alabama, of course. Can't you see the lighters held high now? The foliage was fiery red and gold and the air was super crisp and cool. It wasn't cold, but just right. J's Mom and I wandered through some antique stores on Saturday and I picked up a dark green Bauer planter pot. That was fun. I also got a pine scented candle called Northwoods. J and I took a hike through the woods on Friday right after we arrived with Saylor, our lab, and Rumer, his parents' Lakeland Terrier. The first picture is J setting out on the trail with dogs in tow. And here are some other visuals:

Healthy Lunch Spot: Roots in O.B.

I was in Ocean Beach last weekend, and happened upon a very cool, healthy spot to eat. It's called Roots and their tagline is kind food for kind folks. Nice. I had a veggie burrito - very tasty. I'm going to have to head over there again, if only to try their Spiced Apple Horchata. Perfect fall weather for that! How good does that sound? It's all vegetarian, but the ingredients and presentation are fantastic. Yum! Next time I go I'll take a picture and update this post.

Bears Galore!

What began as a bear hoard for my mother-in-law's collection has slowly transformed into a bit of a bear grab for moi. I went to a garage sale last Saturday at the home of an elderly woman who had passed away - her grandchildren had her collections all lined up for sale. It was sad to think that they didn't "get" what she was after with her collections, but I'm happy to think I took a few of the items to a place where they will be appreciated - my house. Most of the other shoppers were as enthralled as I was with her 1940s and 1950s ceramic items. There were lots of other things too - tons of fun stuff. So, here we have them. Bears, bears, and more bears.

Living

"The doors we open and close each day
decide the lives we live."
— Flora Whittemore
I saw this quote on the Real Simple site - a friend sent me the link. How true. We have choices every day don't we? What occupies our time? Who will we see or talk to? Will we begin a long-considered new practice? Take that walk? Send a heartfelt note or gift to a friend? So many choices, but that is what life is about. I like to make as many of my choices in the direction of doing good things, of strengthening friendships and family. That doesn't always happen, but it's something I strive for. What we choose truly determines who we are.

T is for . . .

Time with the potted plants is always a good thing. We just painted this fence (it was the last remaining remnant of the dark barn red which was the old house color). The board that held my potted herbs was down., but it's back up and so are the plants. I spent some time this weekend getting them tuned up. I planted some catnip seeds in the catnip pot. We'll see if they come up. That's some of the best therapy around for me: digging in dirt. I do love the earth!

S is for . . .

Why Saylor, of course. Need I say more? Check out these adorable pics. It is also important to note that she is:

• Eater of all things Edible. We joke that the only thing off the menu are metal shards. But afterall, she is a Labrador.
  
• Liker of all things Lazy.
• Lover of the Good Sleep (which is on our bed!)
• Fan of Saturdays (which are Dogs Go To the Beach Day!)
• Leading lady of the Itchy Scratchy Show!
  

R is for . . .

Riding my new bike. I just got one and have ridden it every day so far, except for today. Okay, that makes twice. Ha! Good story on how I got it: Saw a friend of mine on her new bike (by Giant), thought it might be a good form of exercise up from my "none" amount, found the one I wanted on the Giant site, decided to check Craigslist to see if there might be one cheaper here in the neighborhood, and found the same bike about 10 minutes away in new condition for $115 less. This really cute couple was selling it. They had moved up to road bikes, so the comfy cruiser bike wasn't their thing anymore. Score! I really like it. Something about getting a bike just fills a person with glee.

Q is for . . .

Quite the assortment of ribbon and paper. When we were in San Francisco we spent a good amount of time at FLAX art supply store. They had a ridiculous assortment of ribbon and paper. The paper room was full to the ceiling with all sorts of handmade papers, very organized on tables, many from Japan. Some were sewn on, others were stamped, some crimped. If you could imagine it, it was likely there. And the ribbon racks were nothing to scoff at either. These four measly shots are nothing compared to what was in the store.

Clover and Saylor

Went to this local floral wholesale place today with my buddy/neighbor Steve - he lives two doors down. He was buying a carload (literally) of flowers for a decade party he is throwing with some friends. The party is for four people turning 40, 50, 60 and 80! We are invited and will be going tomorrow night. As we hunted for the roses and other flowers for the arrangements, I spotted a bunch of Clover and Steve added them in with his! How sweet was that?

The next picture is of Saylor girl lounging on the couch with her new Shabby Chic toy from Target. We're calling it "Dolly" and asking her things like: where's dolly? And, why are you biting on dolly? It's very cute, as you can see.

P is for ...

Poof! She's gone, or so it seems. No, just up to my eyeballs in work. (But had to procrastinate just a tad to check into the blogosphere, which I miss.) I will finish this alphabet exercise come hell or high water, regardless of days in the month. And for your viewing pleasure, this little old lady holding a mushroom. Be back as soon as possible! I wonder if she is going to make a quiche? Hm?

O is for . . .

Today makes 2 months since my dear sweet Oreo left his earthly cat life. And what a 2 months it has been. Still hard to fathom he's not returning, and I still make daily additions to the river of tears I have cried. Strange things do it. Shopping near the supplement aisle still draws me in with that feeling of hope that I would find a cure, an elixir that might save him. The baby food aisle is another one. Those meals were all he could/would eat towards the end. Anything black and white - it can be a car, someone's jacket, a painting - I see it and his presence comes shining out of it. Songs. We had a special one toward the end that I would play (by the Be Good Tanya's) - called the Littlest Birds. Here you can hear it and see the video. If you scroll down on this page and click The Littlest Birds, that's the song. I can't quite hear it yet. I used to sing it to him and it made him do 'happy tail.' Another song is the music on the iPhone commerical which they play constantly every night on TV!! It's by Orba Squara and it's called Perfect Timing. It just brings back a flood of memories and feelings.

But, as others who have lost beloved pets, we move on. Alicia at Posey Gets Cozy who just lost her dear black and white dog Audrey says, "one foot in front of the other." She has a wonderful way of expressing her loss and it has helped me. We have to make diligent efforts to get on with life. My heart says crawl in bed and sleep, but my mind knows that won't help matters. I do still think I'll see my Oreo again one day if there's something after this. I hope there is. This letter O is so special and close to my heart.