Daily Delights and Discoveries

Scroll down for Friday's Fave Five,
Finding Beauty, and Just for the JOY of it!

Yesterday the skies
looked dramatic to the east
where thunderstorms struck

Turning to the west
skies were colorful as the
sun slowly vanished


Early this morning
drizzles fell and I looked up
to be greeted thus

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others participating in Sky Watch & Haiku Friday

1. I'm delighted that extended May Gray days and June Gloom have finally passed as of yesterday ... though it's hotter than usual currently with odd thundershowers occurring and fires started by lightning strikes are burning around the Southland. Fortunately it's not windy so hopefully they'll be out very soon. I've shared recent colorful skies above and this morning's RAINBOW too ... Just for the JOY of it! The 'drizzles' below are also from this morning but didn't last long and it's quite sunny out already today.

2. I've watered the yard and done some much-needed weeding already (after taking Molly for a walk earlier today) ... and I'll continue gardening activities later this afternoon once it cools off again. I do enjoy this unusual blossom ... methinks it's an onion or garlic plant but I'm not actually sure just what it is. I have several growing in my yard as they tend to multiply on their own.

3. I've been getting my ten year old Ford Explorer ready for the drive to Taos & back so that I feel safe on the highway ... getting new rear brake pads & brake fluid was my biggest expense but the tires are still good to go and my local mechanic has performed a safety check while doing regular maintenance so I should be able to relax and enjoy my 'road trip' when the time comes.

4. Since all my clothes are 4-5 years old, I decided to use this trip as an opportunity to update my 'casual wardrobe' with new 'Fresh Produce' pants and a few new 'Life is Good' t-shirts from REI ... just for the JOY of it!

5. Monday was 'Retired Gal's Lunch' at 'the Corner Bakery' and I enjoyed reconnecting & catching up with friends ending with a latte at Starbucks afterward. I'm headed out soon to have lunch with a friend today ... Just for the JOY of it ... then I'll run a few errands before I come home and work on my 'to-do' list.

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Friday's Fave Five, Finding Beauty and Just for the Joy of It

Thought for Today
"Enthusiasm is the great hill -climber." Elbert Hubbard

Life goes on ...

Scroll down for
Outdoor Wednesday,
Thursday Thirteen, Yard Art,
Haiku Friday, Sky Watch,
Window Views & Just for the JOY of it!
But first, my belated ...

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Wordful Wednesday

Once again I find myself wondering where the time has gone since it's been almost two weeks since I've shared anything on this blog ... and considerably longer since I've opened my reader to visit anyone out there in the Blogosphere. I have published at Small Reflections and Happily Retired Gal ... sharing thoughts about tennis at Wimbledon & 4th of July photos snapped around the neighborhood recently, but even there my offerings have been few and far between.

Now that Grand Slam tennis is over until the US Open at the end of August and my friend 'S' is in the Midwest for a family wedding, perhaps I'll find more time for blogging. Of course I'm still doing my best to keep to a schedule of daily journal writing in anticipation of the upcoming Writers Retreat in Taos, New Mexico and continuing to clear out clutter accumulated during the 31 years I've lived in this house ... a task that seems endless no matter how much progress I make.

Molly's adjusting to life without Aloha and has made friends with the new tenant in the little blue house who moved to So Cal from Virginia and plans to 'rescue' a hound in the next few weeks once he's unpacked and settled in ... so perhaps she'll have another canine playmate eventually. Until then she's 'making do' with me and whoever happens by in the neighborhood when she's out front with me as I work in the garden & catch up with neighbors.

I thoroughly enjoyed a local performance of Boomers: The Musical Revue of a Generation at Vanguard University's Lyceum Theater recently. I was surprised to discover myself sitting next to a gal I met a while back at an Adult School class ... small world, eh? In addition, I've purchased season tickets for the Laguna Playhouse (Just for the JOY of it) and am looking forward to this year's series including performances of Life Could Be a Dream, I Loved Lucy, Daddy Long Legs, The Art of Leonard Bernstein, and Private Lives.

For the most part, June gloom has continued into July. In fact, yesterday morning's 'drizzles' were more like actual RAIN, but skies have cleared in the late afternoon and I've shared 13 beautiful BLUE sky views below showing off So Cal at it's best ... along with some views of a local 'historic house' and a mosaic of local holiday 'yard art' ... just for the JOY of it!

This year's fireworks
were spectacular but I
didn't photograph


anything at night ...
just some afternoon views as
drizzily skies cleared


Just for Joy as I
walked the neighborhood and looked
'up' as planes flew by

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and for others participating
in Thursday Thirteen, Sky Watch, Haiku Friday
Midweek Blues and Outdoor Wednesday

Newland House snapshots
from different perspectives ...
blue skies and windows

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participating in Window Views & Just for the JOY of it!


Finally a few
holiday 'yard art' views in
this week's mosaic

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participating in Yard Art

Thought for Today
"The United States is the only country with a known birthday."
James G. Blaine