Forgot this ornament on the last post

Forgot this one on the last post - it isn't that old, but we like to buy ornaments when we travel, to remind us of where we've been.  We picked up this one in Roswell, NM several years ago.  That town has a real sense of humor about what draws tourism.  We figured an alien posing with a gingerbread man wasn't too blasphemous.  Aren't they a darling pair?

 

Merry Christmas! more nostalgia

 Brother Bill reminded me the other day that I haven't done a blog post since he sent me the awesome retro bike.  I was gob-smacked by it!  Here we have a little Christmas blog post.  We've all been seeing Christmas stuff in stores for months.  Most "public" trees are done by interior design folks - they're all matchy-matchy and boring.  At home, we have a mix of old & new ornaments.  The old ones are my faves.  Here is a little white reindeer I remember from childhood.  There were probably 8 of them in the original set - only this one survived.  Unless Bill-Ding has one. 

This ugly little elf always goes toward the bottom of the tree, tucked into the branches.  Isn't he cute?

 

This is a nice blown glass nativity, given to me years ago by the couple who helped us through pre-marriage prep.  That marriage didn't last, but the ornament is gorgeous.  Wherever they are, I hope that couple has a jillion grandkids & they're happy and healthly.

Here's one that niece Beth made me when she was a kid.  She's in her 40's now with kids of her own. 

 

I had my final vacation day of the year today, which was super hectic with shopping, errands, lawn-mowing (it's Texas!) and more shopping.  Time to take a little breather.  Spend time with your loved ones this holiday season, cook something together, and get some rest.  PEACE to all!

Then & now? Sooner or Later? Before & After!

Who's up for a little nostalgia?  (WE ARE!)  Well, girls & boys, this week, your blogmistress stepped out the front door for the mail, and what was out there?  A couple of huge boxes, that's what.  (WHAT WAS IN THEM?)  I'm glad you asked.  A cool, retro bike was in them!!  Ok, it was in several pieces, but now it's one awesome bike.

How did this come to be?  Let's rewind about 40 years.  We called this Mom's bike, and so it was.  It's a big, heavy, one-speed.  Your blogmistress, being smart and industrious, not to mention semi-brawny, took over brother Bill's paper route when he went to work at A&P in the early 70's.  She needed a summer ride to deliver those papers!  Enter Mom's bike.  Here we are, Mom & daughter, probably at the precise moment of hand-off.  Look, there are the papers, behind the bike!

Big brother Dave stored this bike in his garage or barn for many years.  Last year, after Bill finished restoring the Ding-Ray, he needed a new project.  So he restored Mom's bike!  What a fine job he did, too.  Thanks Bill-Ding!  I don't have any purple bellbottoms these days, but I tried to capture the same stance - check it!

Bill tricked it out with a headlight on the front fender and a horn - the original, paper route workhorse didn't have that - don't we all need a little enhancement as we get older?  (Botox?  SURE!  Boob job?  NO!)

When is the last time you rode your bike, just for fun?  Get out there & start pedaling. 

The drought is definitely OVER, at least in Texas

I think it has rained for at least 10 days straight in Houston.  What a contrast to last year!  There is still a drought throughout the midwest, and the farmers are feeling that pain.  I don't think we'll be complaining about rain for a long time to come.  Along with the rain, though, comes more creepy mushrooms.  They're everywhere in the garden!

Everywhere!  I think they're nasty.

You know what we don't have, though?  That crappy jasmine I pulled out while the house was being built.  I did such a good job of that, I haven't seen one leaf of the stuff since we moved back in.  Hurray!  Cuz it was worse than the mushrooms, and harder to get rid of.  

Who says you can't win in Vegas?

Has it been a whole month since my last blog post?  Never mind that.  Last week, I went to Las Vegas to attend the user conference for the law firm's accounting software.  We all stayed at the lovely Aria resort & casino.  Hey, I won $15.75 on video poker, and it only took me 10 minutes!  I had the wisdom to walk away while I was ahead. 

Meanwhile, my friends and I had to do a little shopping when we got to Vegas.  The mall next door to our hotel had a lot of expensive stores.  Usually, out in the middle of the mall, there are kiosks with less expensive items.  Not in Vegas!  Check out this cool Ferrari, right there in the mall.  Notice what side of the velvet rope I'm on.   A girl can dream, can't she?

Happy Independence Day, everyone!  Fly the flag and enjoy the fireworks.

It's June and it's HOT

We're back to the usual stinkin' summer heat in Houston & glad the AC works.  This lovely butterfly was hanging out in the yard this morning.

Some of you might have seen the youtube video of the guy who proposed to his bride to the Bruno Mars' tune, "I think I want to marry you."  Awwww!  It was a nice video, but look at the NBC News caption - the propsal?  That's BS.  Who edits these shows?

May showers bring May flowers, too - who knew?

Last summer we were begging for rain.  This spring, we've had plenty of it.  Ahhhhh!  Check out the rain lilies in bloom - thanks to the rain!  They seem to know the difference between sprinkler water and rain water.  Smart flowers.

Cinco de Mayo Super Luna

The camera has a lot of cool settings for dusk/dawn, night landscapes, etc. but none of those settings help you hold the camera still.  I took about 20 pics of tonight's super moon, but most came out blurry.  It was pretty cool, though.

Here's a super wiggly shot of the super moon.  Heck, I see 4 or 5 of them!



Easter 2012

We've had our full moon . . .

so, Happy Easter, everyone!  Peace to all

What's blooming in the jardin?

Happy Palm Sunday, everyone.  Let's take a look at what's blooming, or getting ready to bloom, here at the Jardin de Rosas.  Here's a hummingbird I snapped last summer, he was sucking the Turk's Cap dry:

I'm jazzed now, because the oakleaf hydrangeas under the big oak tree are going to bloom soon.

 They didn't bloom last year, and who could blame them, with the drought & all?

The amaryllis I got from Michael (rag!) years ago survived the move and the drought.  They're putting on a show.

 Meanwhile, the front garden is full of these nasty mushrooms.  I suppose that means the soil is full of good, organic stuff, but they creep me out.  Ewww!

Here are some little tomatoes, can't wait to devour them!

A visit to Bayou Bend

It's Spring in Houston, that time of year when we sincerely enjoy being outside.  Last week, thanks to the big law firm's sponsorship of the "Sip &Stroll" series, hubby & I visited Bayou Bend.  This is the former home of Miss Ima Hogg (make all the jokes you want, this lady was rich, philanthropic, and had good taste.  And NO, she didn't have a sister named Ura).  This home is less than a mile from ours but it was our first visit.  Doesn't it look like Scarlett O'Hara could burst through the door?  Wrong state.

 I stopped sipping & strolling for a minute for this pic:

Loved this fountain & wish we had one in our yard:

 Here is a huge sycamore tree.  They have run cables up the length of it to take lightning strikes.

 Here is the Diana garden, named after the Greek goddess.  I'm not a huntress, but Diana was apparently a good shot with her bow & arrow.  Looks like venison for dinner!

Enjoy the weather, soon it will be too hot!

Nora gets a new cool ride

Well, gang, it was time for Pookie the Smart to be traded, cute as he was.  Time for new car!  Here it is, this bada$$ Ford Focus hatchback.  Check it out!

Nice, big 18-inch wheels.  It's a smooth ride.

The gas cap is . . . non-existent!  Just like a race car, you jam the nozzle in there, start pumping and stop when your wallet can't stand the strain anymore.

Happy motoring, everyone!

Career highlight

Your blogmistress went to London in January.  This was a business trip and the culmination of a 4-year fraud investigation.  I was supposed to testify in criminal court.  Scary!  Before the witnesses began testifying, both parties pled guilty.  WOW.  That was the best week of my 30 year career.   Here is a link to the press coverage:

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24027024-solicitor-and-wife-faked-pound-100000-expenses-to-pay-for-lavish-holidays.do

Meanwhile, I haven't been so far North in January in a long time.  It was dark at 4:30pm, so all of my pix are night shots.  Here is a view of St. Paul's Cathedral - that's where Charles & Diana got married in 1981.  Beauty!

Our office is in the old City of London.  Here is the dragon that guards the edge of the city, complete with a double decker bus going by.

It's good to be home.  Where it's light out until about 6:30 and flowers are blooming in the garden!

It's 2012 - time for more goofy signs

Happy New Year, everyone!  Kids don't like to go back to school after the holidays, but when they do, MAKE SURE THEY PAY ATTENTION.  Otherwise, their grammatical errors will end up as examples on this blog.

Here is our first entry for 2012 - They might be the healthiest donuts ever, because they are bake, not fried. 

Next, I noticed this sign at a pub near our house.  If I can see this error while driving by at 35 mph, why can't Bubba?  He got karaoke right, but the elusive "too cheap" was a lesson he must have missed in school, again and again.