On Break

I have been away from blogging and even visiting for a while. The stresses of life are getting to me a bit so I am going to take a break. I am ok, just not very enthused. I can't even bring myself to log in and check in. So instead of feeling guilty I am going to make it official, I am going on break, I have some folks that I really like to read and have missed you. Maybe if I don't feel I have to post, I will get back to seeing what is going on in the blog world and keep in touch once in a while. I hope to be around again on a regular basis soon.

Wordless Wednesday

Saturday Photo Hunt-WOODEN

PhotoHunt

This is a lovely WOODEN arbor area at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, CA The garden is the largest botanical garden dedicated exclusively to California's native plants. Mr BC found it last year when he was looking for someplace to walk. The 86 acre natural setting offers beautiful mountain views all year long and the best of California natural plantings. It can be very warm and dry during the summer months, however, this spot is always shady and cool with a stream of water surrounding it. A good place to read and I wish it was in my back yard.

Thoughts for Thursday

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY? (written by kids)

You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming. -- Alan, age 10

No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.-- Kristen, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then-- Camille, age 10

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids .-- Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

Both don't want any more kids.-- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.

-- Lynnette age 8

On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date-- Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.-- Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

When they're rich. -- Pam, age 7

The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that

--Curt, age 7

The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.-- Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.-- Anita, age 9

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?

-- Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is.......

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.

--Ricky, age 10

Saturday Photo Hunt FREE

PhotoHunt
Leash FREE at the Pooch Park


Gwennie loves Pooch Park and can barely contain herself when she realizes where we are going. Ears pop up when we say the words Pooch Park, so we refer to it as Disneyland when we are contemplating what to do. And when we get close we ask her if she wants to go to Pooch Park. It is a wiggly ride after that. It is a change from her daily walk with Mr BC and she has made many friends. Large and small.

Wordless Wednesday-ME

Photo Hunt-NARROW

PhotoHunt

This was a from a walk that Gwennie and Daddy and Mommy love to make. On this visit Mr BC is on the left and SIL is on the right and pretty narrow himself actually. However, this is a photo of a tall and NARROW sculpture in front the museum of art on the Claremont Colleges, here in SoCal. I do not remember the name or the artist and at first unimaginitive me thought it had to do with construction. I will look for attribution the next time we walk by. It is a beautiful campus in an equally lovely town and Mr BC and I walk there at least once a week and Gwennie is there several times a week, as Claremont is where her Pooch Park is located too.

Beautiful Sunday in Santa Barbara

Hello from Santa Barbara. I am looking out the window at these mountain but as this is pulled from Yahoo images we are actually a little closer. The kids have a wonderful apartment on the second floor, the wind is blowing and the umpteenth storm has blown through or is about to blow thru. We are cozy waiting for some muffins to come out of the oven mmmm....

My SIL, who is actually a relatively new citizen, about 3 years, is going to vote in his first election this year. He is not taking his citizenship for granted and has involved himself in the Obama campaign. (Those of you who aren't Democrats, who's campaign offices are you working at evenings and weekends? Quiet then... At least he is not working for Hillary.) They went to a celebratory party at headquarters and DD1 said she met some very nice people working at the grassroots, for the candidate they believe in. Since I have what Sarge Charley, called Electile Disfunction, I am paying and not paying attention to everyone.

Away from politics, now. We have had a nice visit, my eldest DD is turning 35 on the 4th of February so we are in celebratory mode, before we leave for home this morning. Gwennie is at home with DD2 in good hands but we are anxious to get back to clean up the mud she has tracked in this week. I am tired of the rain, but we really need it. No drought for us this year, and it has been cold. I could stand a touch of global warming right now. Have a pleasant Sunday.

Photo Hunt-Old Fashioned

PhotoHunt


This is a great picture of a restraunt on the square in Sante Fe, New Mexico where we had lunch last November. Now there are plenty of Old Fashioned things in Santa Fe, and we saw many old things, the restraunt has been there a long time and had a great 50's look about it. While I remember the 50's and don't consider myself old fashioned, to some this would be old fashioned as it is last century's style but was actually built in the previous century.

Thought for Thursday (not a Paid Post)

It almost made the grade! In fact I will give it a B for Bamboo Pet toys. They say it is combat tested, but they didn't send it into battle with Gwennie. We have at least a Thursday Thirteen listing of toys that Gwennie has chewed, disembowled and left as tiny pieces of scrap. I am greatful that she has not chewed, furniture or shoes, though we can add one O magazine and Daddy's new 2008 pocket calendar to the list. She keeps her chewing to appropriate toys. They have longer shelf life in the store than in her toy box. The above lasted almost a month as it was brought by Santa, and while it is still in one piece with a little stuffing missing, she still got to it. Most stuffed toys last an afternoon. So this toy still has some life in it and is one we can add to our list of approved chew toys.

Wordless Wednesday

Click

Picture by: Brian Hatfield

A Happy Ending

San Luis Obispo.com, reports:

A prodigal elephant seal that spent nearly two weeks mingling with cattle on the Hearst Ranch east of Highway 1 wandered back into the ocean Friday, with a little help from some trained human friends. Brian Hatfield, marine biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said that about 9 a.m., a six-person team used tarps, four-wheel drive vehicles, sirens, horns and lights to herd the critter about 300 yards northward on the ranch. The team cut fences, then shooed the
seal across the road and onto a vista-point bluff. Good news for sure.

If you missed my original Post

Important

Whatcha doing Dad? Something IMPORTANT? Can I help? Painting the bathroom that sounds IMPORTANT!

What's this white sticky stuff on the floor, Something IMPORTANT? Oops, its on my foot. I can help!

Isn't this fun and having fun, NOW, that is really IMPORTANT!
Let's play, come on Dad! I'm hungry now that is really IMPORTANT!

I need a treat, HURRY Dad, a treat!

NOW THAT IS IMPORTANT!

Thoughts for Thursday

I had a terrible time getting to work today. I take the Metrolink most every day to work and today was no different. The train was late because of an accident down the line to LA. No Injuries When Train, Tractor-Trailer Crash In Irwindale. It sure messed the schedule and after leaving home at 7:00am for a trip that takes 30 minutes, I get to work at about 10:15. A great lesson Mr BC and I learned: Keep our cellphones charged. Pay phones don't always take change. And 9:30am is the last shuttle that picks up in El Monte for several hours. I was ready to take the next train back east bound when another person who missed the shuttle offered her ride to me. Thank goodness for nice people!

Wordless Wednesday

Lots of interesting things going on in the animal world this week.

The Santa Barbara Zoo, one of my favorite ones, sadly reported the news that Gemina, their oldest and most beloved Giraffe, passed away today. Gemina was known far and wide for her crooked neck, died of old age at 21. She was one of the most popular exhibits at the zoo. The crooked neck was a defect that had nothing to do with her death, and reportedly caused her no ill effects. Every time we went to the zoo we took the long walk to the back of the zoo to see her and the other Giraffe's in their enclosure. She will be missed. Up the coast near San Simeon, north of Santa Barbara, elephant seals are colonizing the beaches. This is a comeback, after nearly being hunted to extinction. It seems a male elephant seal has crossed Highway 1, and has taken up lodging in a large puddle and authorties are worried that he might get too comfy in his new habitat to head back to the beach. More to come on this!

The Golden Compass

Here you go Linda, Sam Elliot was very heroic and funny in the Movie and his Daemon jack rabbit was voiced by Kathy Bates. The movie was very good and all the kids and adults were cheering as good won over evil. No real religious themes other than that, at least in the movie. It was a good story, good special effects and as good acting as is possible in an action flick. Dakota Blue Richards, is excellent in the lead role of heroine and is an actor to watch! I liked it as did Mr BC and DD2.

My Daemond

Click here for more about me and Andreas

Well I have finished reading the book, and to call it a children's book is a misnomer, now that I have read the reviews of the fundamentalist religious right. I found it very intriguing and was very upset when the Vatican banned it the same week I started reading it. I like fantasy and sci-fi. When I read I don't always get the symbolism and sub-text, so I generally read like a child. When the sub-text is pointed out to me like it was, I start reading more into it. I would have enjoyed the book more if I could have enjoyed the suspense and action of the parallel world of Lyra. I hear the movie toned down the religious or athiestic rhetoric to give it more widespread appeal, but not enough for some groups. I plan to see the movie this weekend. The book has a definite philosophical POV and at the end even I was able to see the controversy. Parents and older children reading it could have a wonderful opportunity to express their beliefs in discussion. It is a thinking book no matter where you fall in the pro/anti religious themes category and talking with your children, not at them is a good thing.

7 wierd/random things about me

I've been tagged by the Laundress--she has one of my favorite blogs. I always learn something new.

Here are the rules:

Link to the person (i.e. The Laundress) who tagged you.

Post the rules on your blog:

Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.

Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I am going with the 7 Deadly Sins:

Wrath:

I was angry with Gwennie because she has ruined a second floor rug. The first she was digging to China and made holes in it. We got another rug for the holidays with the intention of covering it with her holey rug once company was gone and Sloth got to me and we did not bring the old one back in time. She is unraveling this one. I did not stay angry long, as when she smiles it makes your heart sing!

Gluttony: this is wierd!

I looked at the ingredients of some doggie gourmet biscuits, the pup got for Christmas (they are the same as sugar cookies), so I tasted one and they were good! I had 3 tonite when I got home 'cause I was hungry and they were at hand. Gwennie doesn't like them so I am going to have to toss them before I eat the whole package.

Sloth:

I never got out of my PJ's all day New Year's day, and I did nothing as it was my last day of vacation. Christmas still surrounded me, as well as the laundry from our trip to San Diego and I did nothing. We watched a Biggest Loser Marathon, and I tried to beat my 20 questions game, it is fascinating! What a loser!

Lust:

I don't lust so much anymore, about anything. I stopped to sleep on it and I still can't think of anything I lust about. How sad. Years ago we had water delivered and all the women at work including me, lusted after the Sparklets man. He wore shorts all year round and he was hot! And on casual Friday (it's all casual all the time now) about 10 years ago, one of the managers (now) wore his jeans and cowboy boots and he was kind of hot walking away from you, but sadly he is 10 years older too and just very nice, not hot.

Greed:

Am I greedy, I don't like to think so, but what is my favorite ice cream doing at the bottom/back of my freezer? I keep all my bottled water locked up at work, so I don't have to buy or share. I'm not greedy, just protective and thrifty.

Envy:

Am I envious of anyone? You betcha'. Anyone who is heading out on a Cruise (read the Sarge and Miss Bee.) All of our friends who are retired, because I can't get the week the MG GoF (gathering of the faithful) off in July, we aren't going, 'cause Mr BC does not want to go alone. Mr. BC who can take a nap every afternoon if he wants. Since vacation last week I have been failing about 3:00pm and ready to slip under the desk for a nap.

Pride:

Oh, yes, of my kids I always find a way to mention DD1 is an Attorney, and my second born, DD2 is going for a second major, in Psychology so she can become a counselor and go to Graduate School, all while working hard at her job. Plus I am proud, (by Marriage) that my SIL is a Ph.D in engineering and his business is starting to take off. Yes I am proud!! And of course I have the best most beautiful Corgi in the world, better than the Queen's!

Tag you're it, only if you want to! Because many of you have already done this one:

I guess that is not following the rules but if you notice my side bar I only have a few friends who I read regularly and read me so they can consider themselves tagged!