Dad was right

The days are getting shorter....I was out till dark watering my plants...it took me 2 hours! I remember one day earlier this summer when my dad stopped by while I was in the backyard planting some pots...he looked around and commented "don't get in over your head". My response of course was, "I won't, it just looks like a lot because they're (the pots) all in one place". I have to admit that every time I find myself out 'till dark watering my 70+ (yes 70!) pots of plants, I hear my father's words in my head and I think, yep, he was right.

Summer Recap

Being that it's Labor Day weekend, the "official" end of summer (boo hoo), I thought I'd post some pics of my summer activities. While I haven't been blogging myself, I have been around, lurking on fun artsy sites, keeping up with all of little Anthony's latest accomplishments, and checking in with Steph to see how she's adapting to her newest location.

The beginning of every summer starts the same for me...imagining all the wonderfully fun things that this magical and endless time will have in store. Unfortunately, summer isn't endless, and I usually don't do as much as I thought I would, the days grow shorter, my sleeves get longer, and I wonder where the time went. So now here I am, finally giving in to the reality that in northern humboldt county, we didn't really get much in the way of summer weather. It's okay 'cuz now I'm imagining all the wonderfully fun things that fall is going to have in store! Good weather, I hope!

So here it is, my little summer recap...

for Jake's birthday we went to the Cuthbert Amphitheater in Eugene, OR to see Bob Weir and Rat Dog...just the four of us...

yes it's true, Jake, Garrett, Bill and I drove 5 hours in my little Ford Escort to see a former member of the Grateful Dead and his band...good times...no really, it was a lot of fun...

a few weeks later Jake and I went back up to Oregon to the historic town of Jacksonville...

Jacksonville is home to the Britt Amphitheater, where we saw Rat Dog once again. Great concert and this place seriously rocks!...

we took a little drive over to Ashland and spent the day checking out the sites. Could we look any more like tourists?!...

with all of the fires inland from here...

it was just too smoky...

normal summer river trips to Willow Creek were out of the question...

so we found a great new-to-us swim hole (the picture doesn't even do it justice!)...

celebrated little Sam's 3rd birthday...

spent a day with these beautiful ladies. Mom had heard about the Bodies Revealed exhibit and when she found out that it was at the Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding (you can follow a link on their site to find out more about Bodies Revealed), she came up with the idea for all of us to go. I agreed to driving us but the decision to go in didn't come easy for me. I have to say that it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Not gross or morbid at all, but truly educational and just an obvious example of how each and every one of us are true living miracles...

hung out with these guys a little bit here and there...

got a new hairdo...

went on another garden walk around my neighborhood. I just love this one!

Well, I guess that wraps up my little trip down summer fun memory lane...I'll be back again soon, promise.

tagged

What was I doing 10 yrs ago...
1998, it was six months after Brandon died and I had moved back home from my very short stay in Morro Bay. I'd developed severe social anxiety and had a real hard time just leaving the house. I didn't drive. I had a job interview where I experienced my first panic attack. It wouldn't be until October that I'd start working again...I got a job in accounting at the casino in Trinidad...I cried everyday

5 yrs ago....
I graduated from HSU. My sisters and I took a week long road trip with the main destination of Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah. We hit every point of interest along the way including--but not limited too--Bryce Canyon, the North and South Rims of the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Lee's Ferry, Sedona, Las Vegas, Mono Lake, Yosemite National Park

1 yr ago....
I was looking for a place to live--no easy task--it took a full month, but I finally found a place that fulfilled ALL my requirements

Yesterday...
I woke up after only a few hours of sleep and lounged around watching Big, then got ready and went to work.

5 snacks I enjoy....
CHOCOLATE, chips and salsa, gourmet cream cheeses with crackers or Brio bread, raspberries off my own little bush, and did I say chocolate?...

5 favorite books...
Sad to say but I don't really read books anymore..when I do I get obsessed and can't do anything until I finish the book..right now I'm just really into looking at magazines and inspiring idea books and sometimes the local newspaper

5 places to run....
to the bathroom, to check the phone (I never answer before looking to see who's calling, LOL!), to the store, to class, down the beach

5 bad habits...
I procrastinate, I procrastinate, I stress myself out over things that aren't worth stressing over, I procrastinate, and I don't keep in touch with the people that I should even though I think of those people all the time and value them greatly

5 pet peeves...
people talking really loud on their cell phone, yard sale people that way overprice their junk (hello, I'm shopping at a yard sale cuz I don't want to spend a lot of $$!), people not washing their hands after using the bathroom, toilet paper being hung so that it comes out from down behind and against the wall instead of out over the top of the roll, people tail gaiting me

5 things I enjoy...
My Garden, Scrapbooking and just being crafty, scenic drives, fresh salty air, laughing from deep down inside

5 favorite TV shows...
CSI (Las Vegas), Cold Case, CSI Miami, Law & Order SVU, Without a Trace, and if there were six-The Hills, my really guilty pleasure!

Been off enjoying life...

...

...Talk to you soon....

hmmm...spray paint!

Yummy!!
There's nothing like popping the lid off of a fresh can of spray paint! I don't know what it is (the instant gratification?) but I've always loved to spray paint things. I spent a good part of yesterday transforming the look of various pots I got on sale--as well as the look of a few innocent bystander items!


Spray Paint Goes 360: New Krylon Spray Tip Covers All the Angle - Watch a funny movie here

This new style of can from Krylon is pretty cool, it really has a lot of coverage. It's funny cause I actually just found out that the nozzle adjusts from watching this little video a few minutes ago! Would have been nice to know yesterday! "Directions? why would I ever have read any of those?"

This little screen used to be black--I think this ivy green is an improvement!

A few more of my victims! Don't worry, there were several items that I painted a neutral antique white, they just weren't very photogenic.

Lost In Blogland

Oh my gosh, I can't handle this....I've been lost for HOURS! My head is spinning, my eyes are blurry, I'm thirsty, I have work to do, I have to pee...at least I've had a little snack chocolate right next to me to provide proper nourishment and energy for my online travels! This has been happening all week where I go to check on a couple of my favorite blogs just to see what's going on, then I decide to start tweaking my own, then I decide to check out a few new blogs, then I decide to check out some flickr stuff, then I decide to finally make a new post of my own, but I look at the clock and it's like 2 AM! and I realize I'm just too tired to do it! Then I get annoyed at how long I've spent online, think about all the work I've been doing outside, then think of something garden related I should look up while I'm online, finally shut off the computer, remember something ELSE I NEED to know about, log back on, surf a little bit more, check one more thing on my blog, then it's like 4 AM and I will finally go to sleep. SO, to avoid all that, here's a quick post, and I promise to be off here now, at a tender 11:06 pm.

Yard Sales and Yard Work

First, some yard sale loot...not too much out there this weekend, of course, that could be because I'm a late riser and catch the tail end of things when it's all been picked through. I tell myself that this is actually a good strategy because I get a better deal on the stuff I do find and it cuts down on all that I would want if I went earlier. Got this cute little wicker thing that I'm either going to hang in the yard with a couple of small pots in it or spray paint it glossy black and put in my room with the mirror I found a few weekends back. I was super excited to find this old metal bean masher, been looking for one since Elena and I moved. Even mom was on the lookout, checking every Mexican food store around!

Last weekends' finds include a new mini ironing board for $1--think I'm going to see if I can find a pattern and make a cute drawstring cover since this one isn't washable and will only come off if I cut it. Not sure what the little rack is, the shelves are only deep enough to rest a plate on, but I couldn't resist it's scallopy cuteness or its $2 cost. I'll probably put it in the yard and find a way to put trailing flowers on it.

This little chair was rescued from a schoolhouse fire in either Ferndale or Fortuna, notice the little burned corner. I love the faded and crackled paint and even though it's really rickety, it will be a perfect stand for a pot of flowers.

In between my yard sale adventuring and my days at work I've been busy working in the yard. At a glance it looks okay...



but there's a lot of brush and leaves that have been left by either the landlord or previous tenants and the weeds are quickly taking over! All together our yard has 8 trees plus one in our neighbor's yard that hangs over into ours. I got on a ladder and trimmed ALL of them!

Then I hauled the trimmings away. That's a five foot tall pile! My hands were swollen and my wrists and arms were sore all week, not so good when you make a living using your hands. But the reward is worth it, I want my yard to be pretty and cute.

It's so nice to cut my own little flowers and stick them in a jar to enjoy inside!