AFTERNOON LIGHT WITH FRIENDS

Afternoon light is such a wonderful thing. I like it the best because it is warmer and has a yellow cast to it. In the Winter months, the light through this sliding-glass door is less common here at home because this door faces north and when the sun goes farther south for the winter, there is barely any light available on the deck until Spring.

I always feel better in the afternoon too. I have never been a morning person and it is hard for me to get myself up and out of bed unless I really have to. But, come afternoon, I am ready to do most things. I love the colors of the warm wood and the chamois color of the leather sofa too. Leather just gets better with age, like most of us. It stands the test of time and the wrinkles just show more character. It is comfortable and cozy and that is the way I think a home should be.

I like the way that it warms up the longer I sit on it. The leather becomes softer too the more you sit on it and really, it takes a lot of abuse. And, it is easy to clean with a damp cloth or leather cleaner. Basically, I think this leather sofa is a good metaphor for my life; maybe all life.

Sit and make yourself comfortable, enjoy a long snooze. It warms up the longer you are around, gets better with age. The wrinkles enhance the beauty of the sofa and adds character to its "face" (its appearance). Is there anything better than a familiar face? A warm, inviting place to sit and relax? Life should be filled with comfort, with wrinkles, with respect for "the elderly".

I intend to spend a lot of time on this sofa this Winter. I will cover myself up with my cozy blanket and be warmed by the fire in the wood stove. I will contemplate life from this sofa. I will probably gain a wrinkle or two sitting on this sofa this Winter but so will the sofa. We will bask in the warm glow of the season and come out on the other side of Winter a little better off.  I'm looking forward to a long, cozy Winter with all of you keeping me entertained. If we happen to take a snooze along the way, you and I, well then it will just add some character to our faces. Our familiar faces.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE GIRLS

Shortly after I got out of the hospital, our town had their local Founder's Day and parade. My daughters came over for the afternoon and brought my granddaughter, Natalie, with them. The four of us decided to drive in to town to view the parade. It was SO hot that day and as we were walking around, trying to find a bit of shade to sit under, my friends Sunny and Gabe had located the only slice of shade that existed and had plopped their Eddie Bauer chairs right in it.


Sunny insisted that I SIT. I guess I looked pretty pale from a combination of just returning from the hospital and the horrible heat. So, I plopped myself down and Natalie joined me. 


I didn't know that my daughter Kimberly had taken a photo of the two of us from behind. Knowing me, she knew that I would object to it because I HATE my photo being taken. Too grey, too fat, too whatever! So, the other day she sent me this photo in my email and said "I don't want to hear about how grey you are or how you think you are too fat...just enjoy the photo". Well....I do! I thoroughly do! It makes me get all choked up to see me sitting beside one of my  favorite girls. I have three of them: my twins and Natalie.


I have decided that since I found out how precarious life is via my visit to the hospital and having acute renal failure, it is good to just let photos be taken. If there weren't any photos that existed of me, how would Natalie or my daughters ever remember me if something happens to me? Life is so tenuous. I need to relax and just enjoy it for what it has to offer. Grey hair and all! 

ART (SOON) TO BE ON MY WALL

Last night while checking out my favorite blogs (and having a credit in my PayPal account--always a dangerous thing!) I found a piece of art over at "Gina's Eye". Gina lives in Tasmania and has a great eye for art and what she creates. I just had to have a piece of her art and so it will be shipping to me this week and should arrive in about 2 weeks. I don't know if I can wait that long. Check out her blog HERE. I hesitate to post any of her art without her permission but as soon as it is on my wall...you will all see it first thing!

HOW I SPENT MY WEEKEND

Over the weekend I had a large order of bags to complete that had to be mailed off on Monday. So, I sat at my favorite sewing machine, given to me by my Grandmother years ago and peddled my legs off. What a great way to be able to say that "I am green"! Not many people can make that claim. And...when the power goes off in the winter (as it does quite often) I can continue to sew as long as I have light. And, there are always kerosene lights when the night arrives before the power.

This is the front of The Flower Farm Nursery. It is located at 9280 Horseshoe Bar Road in Loomis, California and is owned and managed by Sheri Fischer. You can go here to find out more about this wonderful place. There is a B & B, and events center, and a coffee shop also located on the property. I just learned on the hay ride on Saturday that there are over 700 mandarin oranges planted on this property and three different varieties. Many weddings have been held here and you can even see "The Gypsy Chicks" wandering around while they are taking a break from laying eggs in their Gypsy Wagon.

This is Sheri, the owner, manager of The Flower Farm Nursery. I have known Sheri for many years and I think this is one of the best ventures she has ever undertaken. She is really in her element here. She knows everything there is to know about flowers and she is a really fun person to be around. She is always positive and helpful and so creative and talented.

The inside of the gift shop is filled to the brim with handmade gifts and items and Sheri really does a great job of supporting local artists. There are handmade cards, jewelry items, magnets, and every sort of thing you can imagine. I found a really great crow door mat that I just had to have.

This is the water wheel on the side of the gift shop. I think it is a favorite of many of the children who come here to visit because the water sprays out on the walkway and gets everyone wet.

This is one of the fields that The Flower Farm Inn has located on its property. They sell locally grown pumpkins, a favorite at this time of the year. You can also see Sheri's sense of humor at play here when she dresses up the local cow for the season.

"Outstanding in Her Field" Cowmen Mooranda, a favorite with anyone who wanted a unique photo opportunity.

During our ride on the hay wagon we saw many different vignettes, including this one from "Where the Wild Things Are".

WORLD PEACE

While we were walking Florence Avenue in Sebastopol last Saturday, I saw this post at the corner of someones yard right close to the road. At first I just thought that it just said the same thing on all four sides until I walked around the post and then found three other languages represented on the post. Isn't this a great idea?

It fits right in to a book that I am currently reading called "The Compassionate Universe" by Eknath Easwaran. It's subtitled "The Power of the Individual to Heal the Environment". It's not too late you know! According to Eknath Easwaran "we can undo the damage humankind has done to the environment--by making small changes in our everyday lives". These people on Florence Avenue certainly have the right idea. We have to start at home. The rest will follow.

JUNK ART PART FOUR

JUNK ART PART THREE

JUNK ART PART TWO

JUNK ART BY PATRICK AMIOT OF SEBASTOPOL, CALIFORNIA