A Time to Rest

So my hammock always call to me on a warm and sunny afternoon, especially after I have spent a few hours wrestling with my rototiller in my vegetable garden, making the garden plot ready for planting tomorrow or the next day.

An Angel in the House

I was awakened this morning by an insistent, but gentle tugging on my elbow. I opened one sleepy eye and beheld the smiling face of a small, almost six year-old angel, urging her grandpa to wake up and play with her. It was Jenna Kay Murphy, who had come to our house yesterday with two other cousins, Clara and Olivia Hixon, to stay a few days with us this week while Clara and Olivia's mom is in Texas attending a wedding. I tried to explain to Jenna that I wanted to return to my dream (a ploy to linger in bed longer), but my protest availed me nothing. Oh, well ... by now both eyes were open and I could see that it was a beautiful day. Thanks to my Jenna for helping me enjoy it.

What Do You Do With Granddaughters?

You take them to the beach and to the carousel and you let the almost eight year-old make quesadilla's for your lunch and you let them build a train station with blocks and you watch them celebrate Barbie's 50th anniversary! In short, you have a grand time and you love them a lot.

Visiting the Lake District

Yesterday my sweetheart and I drove up the San Marcos Pass Road on our way to the Santa Ynez Valley to see what we had been told was a profusion of spring wild flowers. We were disappointed in the flowers there ... there are more here than there, but we did stop at a vista point overlooking Lake Cachuma and ate a picnic lunch Maureen had packed. After the recent rains, the lake is full to the brim and is a beautiful site to behold. When the weather warms a bit, I am going back for a day of fishing. While there I startled four deer and took aother picture of one dear (with her cane).

Spring is Just Around the Corner

We went for a walk today, like we do everyday, but today it was between rain showers and I remembered to grab my camera. Here are some pictures of our daffodils, a rose, some California Poppies, some Lupine, and a lovely small white flower whose name we do not yet know. Everything not under cultivation around our town is green and lush from last month's storms. Some of the grass is more than waist high. My lime tree is bedecked with white blossoms, heralding another bountiful harvest this year. And I spied a few buds on my plum tree, too!

Aren't Old Friends The Greatest!

Here are Claire and Julia Hopkins and that's Hearst Castle behind us. These folks hail from Salt Lake City and were our best friends in England when we all served missions there. They were C.E.S. Missionaries and we were the Office Couple. They worked nights and we worked days, but we got together on week-ends for food, fun and games. Julia is a great cook, as good as Maureen, as so we always ate well. They came to see us this week, arriving Monday afternoon and departing Thursday morning. We showed them our beautiful city and its attractions. They seemed quite impressed with our fair weather. We thoroughly enjoyed having them here.

I Finally Like Pizza!

Okay ... for all my life until two days ago I have not particularly liked pizza. I never saw the point of stuffing one's face with burnt bread slathered with cheese and marinara sauce. And I detested pepperoni.  Something strange happened earlier this week. I began thinking about a slice of pizza. Not just any slice, but one with sausage and ham and pepperoni, and bell peppers and sliced olives and onions and three kinds of cheese! The more I thought about it, the more my body began to yen for this slice of pizza. What was happening? This was absurd, but very pervasive.  So, later that evening, as Maureen and I completed some errands, I suggested we go out to dinner. She agreed. I found myself saying, "Let's go to Luigi's!" She agreed! And I ordered a whole medium combination, everything on it, pizza. And it was delicious. I like pizza. But I will never, ever like potato chips or peanuts!