Walk in the Park

My dog loves to hate gophers. He also loves to take a car ride to the park to dig for his greatest foe. Today, during his outing I was messing around with my camera. Here is a California Sycamore in winter. The burnt orange leaves have almost all fallen and those fuzzy balls are dangling like leftover Christmas ornaments.

Got a niiiiiiiiiice camera for Christmas and I'm still figuring it out. I hope to post pictures here to chart my improvement. There's no place to get but better.

Christmas Present

Christmas this year wasn't nearly as fancy as Christamases in the past; but it was pretty enjoyable nonetheless. Rather than spend hours doing back breaking amounts of dishes, everything went into the dishwasher. I do believe this is an invention that is worthy to be considered as one of the best things to civilize mankind. Don't you?

Christmas Past

In Christmas Past, the china would come out with the crystal and silver. Everything sparkled and was very special. This Christmas, only dishes and linens that could be washed by a machine were allowed. Most of the menu was made in advance: Lasagne, zucchini casserole, salad, minestrone soup. The steaks were the only things that needed to be cooked that day. The cold, rainy weather made it difficult to have everything ready on time. There was a bit of a delay due to the fire troubles and a nice long distance phone call from my son.

Even though it was a long day, everything seemed to turn out okay. Here's wishing the very best in 2009!

Merry Christmas

Do you go overboard at Christmas OR do you just enjoy the season? We don't exchange many gifts at all. Everyone comes over to enjoy great food, lively conversation, games, music, and a great time rather than exchange "stuff".

Hope your season is everything you need it to be.

Cerberus doesn't mind the upheaval in the backyard. He kinda digs the digging. Some irrigation work has been completed. Tomorrow, finish carpentry on the pergola. After a long walk with the dog and some housework, I think I'm going to visit a local nursery. Nurseries and drug stores are about the only places I love to shop. Other than that, I don't care one bit about shopping.

PERGOLA #7

This project has spun out of control. A tree has been removed. Stakes and string mark the extended patio and walkway. Gravel beds and vegetable garden are also marked. Don't forget the citrus trees! Espalier apples and apricots will form a fence between what remains of the lawn and the vegetable garden. E-I-E-I-O!