Garden Tuesday - makeover part two

The makeover consisted of taking out a sprawling azalea and replacing it with a laceleaf Japanese maple. And adding pansies to where the weeds and phlox were. We should have divided the daylily last fall but it will have to wait now until after summer. I'll shoot some more photos of this planter when the daisies and daylily bloom. Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions.

Memorial Day

“War is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King

Thinking about my two uncles who fought in the Vietnam War today as I always do on Memorial Day. They didn't die while soldiers but each came back changed forever. And both died young.

I also think about the people who speak out against war. They are patriots too. War should always be the absolute very last resort.

Thanks to all the men & women who have sacrificed their lives in the name of our country.

Sunday Stills - blue fescue

This week's challenge: weeds and grasses.

Blue fescue is in bloom in the front of the house. [ornamental grass]

Non-ornamental grass behind the house.

A pink flower/weed behind the house. Notice how it is wound around a stem of grass.

~ Sunday Stills ~

Saturday Snapshot: tree love

Click on image to enlarge.

My favorite tree at home is a Golden Full Moon Japanese Maple. I took this photo yesterday in the late afternoon or if you prefer, early evening. Love this tree.

~ Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce (At Home with Books) ~

New music -- Blame Sally

I love this band! Check out their website here. YouTube Channel here.

Quotable - a visual life

"One should really use the camera as though tomorrow you'd be stricken blind.
To live a visual life is an enormous undertaking, practically unattainable.
I have only touched it, just touched it."
~ Dorothea Lange, born on this day in 1895


Greg Brown - Freak Flag

Happy, happy! Greg Brown has a new album, Freak Flag. This video has the title song set to amazing photos by Diane Arbus. Joy, joy!

GoodReads launches Book Club

An excellent choice to kick off a book club.

Garden Tuesday - makeover

Here is a planter with tons of potential that has been sadly neglected. It is in need of a makeover. So for this week's Garden Tuesday, I offer 'before' photos.

Any suggestions?

On Movies - author, author

Films about writers is this week's On Movies theme at The Bumbles blog. Since women are generally over looked in film both as strong leading characters and in filmmaking, I'm going to focus on films about writers who are women. Here's a list of some acclaimed films and personal favorites:

Iris (2001)  Author: Iris Murdoch  Starring: Kate Winslet and Judi Dench

The Hours (2002) Author: Virginia Wolf  Starring: Nicole Kidman

Henry & June (1990) Author: Anais Nin  Starring: Uma Thurman

Miss Potter (2006) Author: Beatrix Potter  Starring: Renée Zellweger

Out of Africa (1985) Author: Karen Blixen/Isak Dinesen Starring: Meryl Streep

An Angel at My Table (1990) Author: Janet Frame  Starring: Kerry Fox

Sunday Stills - prairie sky

Click on image to enlarge.

A big, beautiful prairie sky in Custer State Park in South Dakota. Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota -- truly big sky country.

~ visit Sunday Stills HERE ~

Saturday Snapshot - Badlands

Badlands National Park South Dakota

I took this photo exactly a week ago while we were on our Buffalo & Brew Pubs tour of the wild west. This was a very strange place but beautiful in its way. Couldn't help but try to imagine what an incredible sight it must have been for the first non-native American explorers.

Also kept hearing Springsteen's Badlands in my head.

Badlands you gotta live it every day
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price you've gotta pay
We'll keep pushin till it's understood
And these badlands start treating us good

~ Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce ~

Quotable

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.”

~ Nora Ephron

Sunday Stills - looking low

Looking down at a succulent after a spring shower.

~ sunday stills ~

Saturday Snapshot - Rushmore

We were wrapped up like mummies [it was f-f-freezing] for last night's lighting program at Mount Rushmore, but it was worth it. Spectacular!

~ Saturday Snapshots ~

road tripin'

Off to check another thing off the ol' bucket list. We're headed to Mount Rushmore!

On Movies - Kate and Spence

This week, Molly, hostess of the Monday Movie Meme asks, what's your favorite Katharine Hepburn movie? My answer is all the Hepburn and Tracy movies. When I was a little girl, on those days when I was too sick to go to school, I'd muster the energy to check the TV Guide to see if there were any Katharine Hepburn movies scheduled that day. I'd feel that I hit the jackpot if there was, especially if it was Kate & Spence together -- my favorites!



Of course I also loved Katharine teamed up with Cary Grant (Bringing Up Baby) & James Stewart (The Philadelphia Story). But there was just something magical about Kate & Spence.

How about you...any favorite Katharine Hepburn films?

Sunday Stills - red door

One of my favorite local doorways.

See more Sunday Stills here.

See this film - Marwencol

Fascinating! Very hard to believe this is the filmmaker's debut film.

Saturday Snapshot - Bertha

My grandma Bertha & I. [Los Angeles, February 1960]

I love how many photos from the 50s & 60s have people positioned in front of cars. My grandma had only been a resident of the U.S. for about 4 years when this picture was taken. She moved her family from England in search of new and better opportunities in America. I was her first grandchild.

~ Saturday Snapshots is hosted by Alyce ~

Five for Friday

That's my mom & I at Zuma Beach sometime in 1960.

Five thoughts of gratitude from this week:

• I'm appreciating that there is still time to show my mom that I care about her. Put more thought into selecting little gifts that she'd enjoy for Mother's Day.
• Frankenmouth is healing. Still don't have the all clear to resume my typical bike riding and walking/hiking but I'm getting better each day.
• Believe it or not, I'm happy to be a weed pulling machine. I'm outside, the birds are singing and it's one of those activities that after you've put some time in, you can stand back and see some results.
• I'm so happy for my niece who is unexpectedly expecting a new addition to her family.
• Don't know why, but there has been an amped up kind of energy this past week with regard to "meeting" new people via blogging. It feels great to meet these incredible women and share a piece of what's happening our lives. To the new followers of my blog...thanks!

Wordless Wednesday - dreamer

California State Fair

~ wordless wednesday ~

Garden Tuesday - pretty in pink part two

Pink Azalea

The azalea is the only thing blooming in a planter that is in dire need of a serious makeover. The late afternoon sun hitting just that one section caught my eye. Pretty in Pink Part One is here.

~ Garden Tuesday at Sidewalk Shoes ~

On Movies - take flight

This week, Molly at the Bumbles blog directs us to focus on "flight, things that fly or become airborne." Love this theme. Ready? Cleared for take off...

Amelia (2009) - Iconic story of a famous pilot.

Winged Migration (2001) - Beautiful film.

Always (1989) - Fire bombers in love.



Pushing Tin (1999) - Controllers make it happen.




Bobby Deerfield (1977) - Pacino plays a race car driver but I remember the hot air balloons.



Sunday Secret - comfortably numb

I know psychological evaluation is part of the screening for persons applying to medical school, but I wonder if counseling is offered once medical students are involved in their studies and are about ready to treat people on their own. BTW - my primary care doc earned his MD from Loma Linda. So did a high school friend. Maybe that's a reason this particular secret caught my attention this week.

~ Sunday Post Secret ~