My Forty-Something Year Old Fuschia Lives On

Scroll down for Mosaic & Blue Monday,
Ruby Tuesday, My World, and Outdoor Wednesday

but first, belatedly ...



Skies are grey in June
here in California
but my HOUSE is blue

Tiny though my yard
is ... I take delight in it
each and every day ;-)

Click to embiggen for better viewing ...

"Don't let yesterday use up too much of today."
Cherokee Indian Proverb

1. As usual for June here in Southern California at the beach, our skies have been gloomy in the morning (and occasionally all day long), but my garden is doing well. From personal experience as a Native Californian, I know the cooler weather WILL pass eventually so I'm just trying to enjoy 'what is' right now ... Just for the JOY of it! Today's post focuses on an elderly Fuschia I brought with me in a hanging basket from a previous home and which planted itself in the ground decades ago when the hanging basket fell apart.

2. I always enjoy catching up with my retired friends on the second Monday of each month, my sister (whenever she has a cell signal and calls me from the road), and neighbors when I work in my yard ... Just for the JOY of it! This week provided many opportunities to connect with others social for both Molly and myself ;-)

3. I'm happy to be able to help out a friend (dealing with serious health issues) by providing transportation for her after she was involved in an auto accident last week. Fortunately the Subaru protected her from injury by coming apart as it was intended to do ... but as a result, the car's a total loss so she'll be looking to purchase a used vehicle in the weeks ahead. After listening to her talk enthusiastically about her marvelous twice-weekly craft classes for more than a year, I observed one first-hand on Wednesday and met the friendly folks who all encouraged ME to sign up for the classes next Fall.

4. Jennifer Louden's assistant Deb has set up a Google Group for the upcoming 2010 Taos Writer's Retreat participants so we can renew old friendships and get acquainted with new folks as we prepare for the gathering at the Mable Dodge Luhan house later this summer. Sadly, I suspect I must have done something inadvertently when I updated my profile there because I'm unable to connect at the moment, but hopefully that will be corrected soon.

5. Although I'm not much of a sports fan (with the exception of the four major tennis tournaments), I did watch the last two Lakers vs. Celtics games and found the last one quite exciting. I'm looking forward to upcoming Wimbledon matches over the next two weeks and have my DVR set to record coverage on ESPN so I can watch as time permits.

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in Shadow Shot Sunday, Today's Flowers,
Friday's Fave Five, Finding Beauty, Just for the Joy of It,
Blue Monday, Mosaic Monday, Ruby Tuesday,
My World, and Outdoor Wednesday

It's been a while since I've blogged with any regularity and even longer since I've visited virtual friends in the Blogosphere ... but rest assured that my reader continues to collect your posts and I'm confident that eventually life will slow down enough for me to spend more time at the computer. In the meantime ... thanks for your patience. I hope all is well with you and yours.

See my Daily Gratitude List
in the sidebar at Small Reflections
and the lists I've transferred to Happily Retired Gal

What are some blessings in YOUR life currently?

For others who 'Blog Their Blessings'

go to My Blog Rolls and/or click on the
Blog Your Blessings logo
above Really Good Things.

For those who participate in Sacred Life Sunday
click the logo below:

Blessed Be ... and so it is!

Thought for Today
"We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them." Kahlil Gibran

Daily Delights ...

Scroll down for my belated
Finding Beauty, FaveFive, & Just for Joy
... then Camera Critters, Pet Pride,
Shadow Shot Sunday, and Macro Monday


Straight out of the camera ...


... flipped with Poster Edges


Watercolor Filter

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Today's Flowers, Mellow Yellow, & Mosaic Monday

belatedly ...

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Friday's Fave Five & Just for the JOY of it

1. Although I'm a day late with my 'joy-filled' Friday Faves & Finding Beauty again this week, I've truly enjoyed watching many exceptionally exciting men's & women's tennis matches this past week at the French Open ... (Just for the JOY of it) ... generating some ending with rather unexpected results along the way (see my T13 this week at Small Reflections for details).

2. I just finished watching Saturday morning's competitive Women's Championship Match (although I confess that I was hoping for a 3rd set because the tennis was such fun to watch) ... and I'm looking forward to the promise of another competitive Men's Championship Match on Sunday ... Just for the JOY of it!

3. I've savored the colorful flowers in my own yard and around the neighborhood this past week as the weather improved bringing more sunshine.

4. Time to take care of myself and my health last week when it seemed like I was coming down with a cold and playing with Photoshop Elements filters ... Just for the JOY of it!

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Finding Beauty and Macro Monday

5. Watching Molly play with her neighborhood 'fur-friends' and visiting with their 'people' as I snap photos to share is always a pleasure. It's sad to think that Aloha will be moving soon, but hopefully the next family to move in will have a dog to play with too ... Just for the JOY of it!

Another play date
Aloha is moving soon
with her family

Straight out of the Camera


Watercolor filter in PSE6


Poster Edges

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for
others participating in Camera Critters, Pet Pride,
Shadow Shot Sunday and Mosaic Monday

Thought for Today
"In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less ..." Lee Iacocca

Beautiful Shadowy Blooms ... Joy-filled Faves

and belatedly ...

1. Those who know me might have already guessed that I've been watching TENNIS this past week since the French Open started last Sunday, but I have taken time each day to walk Molly and snap some photographs ... Just for the JOY of it.

2. Between the coverage on The Tennis Channel and ESPN2, I've not had much time for anything else, but I did take time out Wednesday afternoon to get my hair cut & permed ... Just for the JOY of it and it's good to have 'care-free' hair again!

3. This morning (for some inexplicable reason) my Tennis Channel coverage died for about a half hour ... (although all my other channels were working just fine). With help from Tech Support at Time Warner Cable, I managed to get it working again ... though I missed some matches I wanted to see. Apparently (while I was without coverage) Serena Williams won her 3rd round match this morning, but Andy Roddick lost his ;-(

4. Friday morning I took a 3-hour class on Google Docs ... (Just for the JOY of it) ... and learned how to collaborate with others via the Internet. It's a pretty nifty tool ;-)

5. Today I'm sharing BEAUTIFUL shadowy views of African Iris blossoms ... also known as Fortnight Lily. Although MINE haven't yet bloomed this year, several of my neighbors' yards have been filled with lovely blooms this past week.

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Shadow ShotSunday, Today's Flowers,
Finding Beauty, Friday's Fave Five & Just for the JOY of it

Thought for Today
"Far away, there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead." Louisa May Alcott