Sky Watch, FaveFives, Just for Joy and more ...

1. Mimi's Cafe keeps offering email coupons for free 4-packs of muffins with purchase a breakfast, and I keep taking them up on the offer so I have quite a nice supply in my freezer for when they stop this marketing plan.

2. The weather this past week has been most unusual and today was no exception. After eating half of my Monterey Omelet, I sat in the blue chairs on the front patio ... with Molly greeting people passing by while I wrote for about an hour & a half. She got to meet and play with Guapo (see photo below), a new little dog that's been adopted by the guy who moved into the little blue house where Aloha & Jenke lived previously. I've shared photos of the two of them playing together for Camera Critters & Pet Pride at Small Reflections. I just noticed what BIG paws this little dog has and suspect he might grow to be much bigger eventually.

3. I stopped to take all five of these photos (and several others) today within minutes of one another (pointing the camera in different directions) while LISTENING to rumbling thunder inland under sunny skies above ... strange weather here in Southern California at the beach!

Click images to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Sky Watch

4. Life's been richly exciting and quite busy with lots of wonderful changes recently! It all started during the 2010 Writer's Retreat in Taos, New Mexico this summer ... and the pieces came together during a 4-day event at the Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Phoenix, AZ. I've shared more details in my first post at my new self-hosted blog, Giraffe Journal.

5. I've discovered and availed myself of some marvelous resources online and feel as if I'm in school without leaving home ... getting an education by listening to 'free webinars' ... learning all about 'publishing' & 'internet marketing' as I move toward publishing my first book, creating a business and setting up a website.

Click for others participating in
Friday's Fave Five

Here's a GIFT below for all who pass this way
with a message we ALL need to hear more often ...
click the play button for a pleasant surprise!

Click for others participating in Just for the Joy of It

Thought for Today
"The universe is wired with the electricity of God, and each of us is a lamp. It doesn't matter the size or shape of the lamp; it only matters that the lamp is plugged in. With every prayer, every thought of forgiveness, every meditation, every act of love, we plug in. The more of us who plug in, to more the darkness of the world will be cast from our midst. Today, let's all increase love's wattage!" Marianne Williamson

Friday FAVES ... Skies, Beauty and JOY!

Scroll down for Friday FAVES,
Finding Beauty and Just for the JOY of it!


more blue skies of late
with some wispy clouds passing
... finally 'summer'

as Fall approaches
September already ... soon
kids return to school






Click images to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Sky Watch & Haiku Friday

1. The roses in my garden seem to LOVE the odd overcast weather this summer ... they're looking healthier than ever and blooming up a storm. These are Mr. Lincoln's straight out of the camera.

2. I've really enjoyed having my sister back in town for a few weeks before they leave mid-September for another Alaskan cruise & more RV traveling. We spent two days together this week ... Tuesday just 'hanging out' and visiting while we ran errands (getting things done) and (after a productive morning at home yesterday) we enjoyed the afternoon together ... ending the day eating fish tacos at Duke's in the Barefoot Bar by the HB Pier ... DELICIOUS day & dinner! We're going to spend 6 days together next week in Phoenix while attending an exciting event there. This was an unusual cloud formation she captured while we were driving.

3. I've signed up for a Festival of Change at Online Clarity. It's ... "a celebration and exploration of how we align ourselves with the flow of change -- simply, naturally, and with a deeper, richer awareness" ... and participated 'virtually' in another event last week: A Call to conscious Evolution: Our Moment of Choice at Royce Hall of the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles.

4. After resisting 'smart phones' for years, I'm a believer at last and love my new Palm Pre Plus. Each day I'm surprised as I learn something new this little gem can do and become more skilled at using its features. At 'free' (except for sales tax) at Verizon Online ... the price felt too perfect to resist. I still don't 'text' ... but it's kewl to have my calendar, useful apps, email & the Internet at my fingertips wherever I go.

I've even learned to change my wallpaper to be a photo of the 2010 group from Taos ... shared yesterday at Small Reflections along with some photos of the grounds around the Mabel Dodge Luhan House and my August Gratitude List.

5. I'm writing daily Just for the JOY of it ... feeling excited about prospects for publishing & beginning to explore marketing possibilities in the service of others ... gaining clarity & focus each day!

Click images to embiggen for better viewing and for others participating
Friday's Fave Five, Finding Beauty and Just for the Joy of It

Thought for Today

"The quality of my decisions is directly proportionate to my patience with not knowing what decision I need to make." Anne Wilson Schaef

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

Click images to embiggen for better viewing and for
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.

Click images to embiggen for better viewing and for others participating
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 ...

Click for others participating in
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

Click to embiggen for better viewing
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

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Window Views & Just for the JOY of it!


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

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Yard Art

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