I have sinned

Do I feel guilty? NO! Of course not.

Eating something I have not had for quite sometime, and something that would make my diet out of wack was a guilty pleasure. It was not one of those very special kind of food, and in actually, it was but a simple easy to prepare pancake.

What's left of the 2 thick 7-inch dia. pancakes.

My husband and I took an early morning walk last Saturday, and instead of driving back home after, we drove to Denny's Restaurant, a 24-hour eatery, and had breakfast there. I ordered 2 pancakes and coffee. I slathered the butter and poured the syrup over my pancakes and ate it, savoring every morsel. Hmmm...it was heavenly. I know that the butter would clog my arteries, and the sugary syrup would feed those little creepy crawly cells inside of me, and attack me later on. But life is getting shorter to not enjoy it.

I will end up in a pine box anyway, but I will have enjoyed life and I'll have a fun ride. WOO HOO!

The hills are alive...

...with poppy flowers. Well, rolling plains, is more like it.

To beat the crowd, hubby and I drove up to Lancaster one Friday morning to see for the first time the California poppies I've been hearing about. Lancaster is 45 miles from my place, and the California Poppy Reserve is another 15 miles from the hub of the city. After exiting freeway 14 we drove through a single lane paved road, and passed an expanse of land without any vegetation, except for a few Joshua trees, some tumbleweeds, and other desert weeds. This place is high desert; windy and extremely cold or hot. Getting closer to the Reserve one can see the wild flowers scattered along the road and beyond. The color of yellow-orange is so vivid I was tempted to stop the car and take a closer look. Some cars have parked on the shoulder to take pictures of the flowers.

This shot was taken a couple of miles before the reserve,
and while the car was running.
(Click image to enlarge.)

Since our destination was the Reserve my husband just kept driving till we reached the place. There is ample parking with fee, of course; restrooms with portable lavatories; picnic tables, and benches along the trails. As usual, it was windy and a bit cold, so I donned my spare light jacket to keep warm; and braced myself from being knocked down or blown away. :-D.

A panoramic view.

Poppies as far as the eye can see.

The California State flower, up close...

...and windblown.

The Old Glory and the California flag flying high.

I took shots of the hilly place, and close-up of the flowers. Then my camera's cover got stuck. And that was the end of my shooting spree. Oh, darn. I think, dust got in it. At any rate, above were some of the shots I took.

Destination Redondo Beach...again.

It has been only the past month that I have gone back to Redondo Beach. Three months previous to that, I was on a journey that did not allow me to venture outdoors that much. I did some short trips to grocery stores, with my husband, for our basic needs. On the last Saturday of the month of April was my second trip back there. Hubby and I always go there and we head out to make it just in time for lunch.

Spicy seafood soup.
(click image to enlarge)

Our favorite lunch place is a Korean Restaurant right on the pier. We have tried other restaurants, on the pier and on the boardwalk, but theirs have the best seafood soup. It consists of chunks of halibut, slices of tofu, slices of daikon, some pre-cooked shrimps, napa or Chinese cabbage, onions, green onions, and Korean chili powder. It is chili hot; and the first time I had it, heat seemed to come out from my nose, ears and eyes. But now I'm used to it. The order is served in the wok it was cooked in, and it comes with a bowl of rice for each person and a bowl of kim chee.

We strolled the pier and the boardwalk, after we had our fill of the soup. Fish were not biting much that day. I've seen only a few fishermen catch mackerel, which usually swim by the pier.

Something interesting would always catch our eyes, each time we are there, like this bird who was about to gulp his/her 3rd fish head left by fishermen on the cutting table.

Farther down the pier was a man feeding pigeons...

...while this pelican would rather take a rest...and then, finally, dosed off.

A fishing boat being trailed by a flock of birds waiting for hand outs from the fishermen.


A lone man paddling by himself. Paddle and board can be rented by the boat slips.


Clams on a race to the top of the rock. I wonder how long it took them to reach the top. :-D



Dried spider crabs.

Inside the fish store we found that prices of fish have gone up. Up high.

Tilapia...

...and red snapper.



By the boat slips a family was pedaling a rental boat. They had a hard time maneuvering it as it didn't have a steering wheel. The pedals are used to steer it.


Two girls walking their bikes on the lower board walk. Bike paths are on the upper boardwalk where they can ride their bikes.


These two having fun with their converted bikes.



And on our way home, a plane with a Swiss flag at its tail was ready to land at the Los Angeles International Airport, a few miles from the freeway.

We were home in 45 minutes. What a day!

A birthday bash at 85!

I figured we would be half an hour late, but it went beyond that. We, my husband and I, got to the party an hour late. It started at 11 AM and was to end 3:30 PM, so an hour was not bad. The food was buffet style, and there were still plenty left. On our way there, we made a wrong turn and got past our exit on the freeway. We exited after noticing that we reached the next town already, and we looked for familiar street names. We found one, and drove till we got there. The party was well underway, but some tables still have empty chairs left, so we grabbed a couple for us.

The invitation.

(click image to enlarge)

The birthday girl...err...celebrant was my landlady some decades ago. Till now she never forgets to invite me and my husband at her parties. When she turned 80 five years ago, we were there to celebrate with her. It was a casual party with a few friends in attendance. I gave her a 16" x 20" oil painting.

This time, I gave her an 8" x 10" painting I did summer of 2009.

The celebrant dancing with a guest.

Now turning 85 is a bigger milestone. More people were invited and she was dressed to the hilt in a white, lacy embroidered gown. It is amazing that at her age she can still dance a little, though I noticed that she has a bit of a hunch and has a hard time getting on her feet. She has some gray hair; some wrinkles; but all in all she looks fantastic, and very alert. Except for the stiffness of joints she could pass for a 60-year-old.

The celebrant with some guests.

There was a short program that included a toast with a brief biography of the celebrant; introduction of the offspring and their children; her siblings and their spouses and children. This party was given to her by her 3 children. The oldest now in his late forties; the middle, a woman in her forties, married with children; and the youngest in his early forties, married with children, as well. The celebrant's husband and father of the children passed away sometime in the 1970s.

Guests hitting the dance floor.

And, as usual, in any Filipino party there is always dancing. As soon as the music was on everyone was at the floor doing their line dancing, cha-chas, and mambos...except for me. I have forgotten the steps of those dances, and besides my husband has 2 left feet. With a slow dance, he always stepped on my foot. Ouch! So, I'd rather not dance. Why suffer?

When we said good-bye to her youngest, he said, "See you in 5 years." I gave him a thumbs up. It's possible she would still be around by that time.

Would I wish to get to that age? Yes, if I could still boogie and eat without dentures.

Winter, or Spring?

While some parts of the nation are buried in snow, we here in Southern California are enjoying a warm and sunny weather. This is the crazy weather California is known for.


I dressed light today. I wore my big grey T-shirt and my maroon sweat pants and a pair of old sandals. I drove down the hill to the park to see what folks were up to.

(click images to enlarge)

There were a handful of people enjoying the nice spring-like temperature.

Ah! What a view! Dem thar hills have no snow. No need to bundle up tonight.

Hello down there! Down there is our postage stamp downtown. A little community. It is really a small part of a city, but we call it our downtown.


I got "down there" and there was the time.


And look at that temperature! Perfect day to wear a bikini. LOL Like I'm going to dare wear one. I don't even own a one-piece bathing suit. I did have a couple a long time ago, but...never mind.

Some people sat at an outdoor coffee shop to have a snack and chat.


A lady had done some shopping early in the day.


At a nearby junior high the girls' soccer team were on practice. At this time school was already out for the day.

A young man was taking his dog for a walk.

It was a little bit windy, and Old Glory was flying high. The blue sky as background was perfect. Truly a nice day.

Farewell 2008!

This was the last morning of the year 2008. It was a nice warm day, and the jet pilots were scribbling in the sky with their contrails. It must be their own way of sending off the last day of the year.

The sunset...Farewell 2008!

There were scribbles then...

Contrails in the sky.
(click images to enlarge)

I didn't see any jets flying overhead during the firestorm. However, a few days after it was contained, they were up in the sky criss-crossing leaving their contrails behind. They were like little kids scrawling on a wall, having fun. It was then a warm sunny day.

Grey sky over my little downtown.

Last night, however, I could hear the rain pouring. It had come, our much needed rain of the year. We hardly have any this year and we welcome this precipitation. On the other hand, there is danger of mudslide on places ravaged by the fire, especially on the hillsides. Without any vegetation to hold the water the ground will likely slide downhill and drag with them homes.

Mist has covered the hills beyond.

When I woke up this morning, the ground was soaked by the downpour, and it was still raining. Mist has covered my little town and the hills beyond were not visible. The trees, grass, flowering plants and other vegetations were gloriously soaking in the precious water. Everything was washed down clean ...even my dusty old car parked in the driveway.

Later in the day the sun came out for a little while. These two black birds were perched atop these evergreen trees taking in the sun; waiting for the day to end as tomorrow will be a big event in every home.

To everyone...

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Someone up there...

I woke up the other morning and found this work of art by Someone up there.

Little Birdies Flew Away

The mother hen with her chicks.
(click photo to enlarge)

I was quite busy since that time I took a peek at the nest and found those 2 eggs, and I never got the chance to get a shot at them. About sometime last week I noticed that the mother seem to be feeding her little babies. They have hatched then! I thought I would take a peek and if the mother would fly, that would be it. She, however, sat there staring at me. So, I aimed my camera high above my head and took several shots. I got her with her chicks huddling by her side, keeping warm on that cold early morning. They have tucked their heads underneath her.

About an hour or so later, I noticed that the mother was not there. I stepped on a chair again, and peered above the basket, and there they are the chicks. They have grown so much already. They are no longer the teeny weeny little chicks, that are almost bare of feathers.

The chicks
(click photo to enlarge)

When I first found those two little eggs, I thought I would record their progress when they are hatched. But I've been busy lately I never got the chance to do it.

Yesterday morning my cousin told me that she didn't see the eggs. She wondered what happened to them. I told her, "Well, they have flown away then. I mean, the chicks are gone."

And she stared at me and said, "You mean they have hatched and grown and flown?"

"Yes, manang, they are big enough to fly already. They have flown."

And they left the nest with their poop - those dark grey little round stuff with a speck of white in them. That I have to clean for the next tenant.

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Let there be life

click photo to enlarge

This wicker basket is hanging on my patio pergola. It is now a nest, a pigeon's nest. As I tried to take a picture of it this morning, while the mother-to-be bird was sitting, I startled it and it took off. I took a picture of what is inside the basket, and I found two eggs.

click to enlarge photo

In a few days these eggs will hatch, and the chicks will be chirping with their mommy. Aaaand they will be eating and pooping in my basket. Ugh! One thing good, though, they will be out of reach of predators.

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Clutter and more clutter

I’ve been cleaning the room I’m using as my atelier. This is where I do my drafting, design work, and my paintings. It’s a small room, 12’ x 12’, and it has my drafting table, a console table, a rack and my easels; and it is now cluttered with a lot of things. I have hardly any room to move around. I have to sort out all the clutter – throw some away, shred some, keep some and organize them. I have an old record player I have to discard. I thought I could still play my old vinyl records, the turntable, however, doesn’t work anymore, and so does the cassette player. The radio is the only one that works and the speakers which are in very good condition. I, however, have decided that it has to go bye-bye.

Old documents I have sorted out careful. Those with vital information I have to shred them. That would prevent identity thieves from stealing them; old magazines, books, others I tossed in a recycle box.

As I sorted through the pile I found a poem written by “Boney.” I’ve been looking for this poem for a long time; and I found an old Christmas card dated Dec. 1993, which was sent to me by a young woman. I met her three years before that. She was a nice young Filipina born and bred back home. She was charming; has so much respect for her elders, always addressing me and my husband with that word “po.” I rarely hear those words nowadays, except of course here in the internet from young men and women born and raised back home. After she sent me that card, she stopped coming to my house. From what I heard she’s doing well. I miss her and I wish the best for her.

I found a shoe box full of old letters from back home, dating back in the 80s. I reread some of them, and then shredded each one of them. Letters from my mother are still tucked away in my closet, untouched.

The books and magazines I kept are now organized on their respective shelves. My drafting table, however, is still cluttered. I am slowly sorting them, and I found some old poems which I have written sometime ago. My sketches will be filed in an album.

To this day I am still sorting some odds and ends. It’s been more than a week already. I thought I could do it in a day or so, but it’s taking me longer than that.

The poem by "Boney."

Stan and Sam

There was a man
Named Stan
Who drove a van
And owned a toucan
Named Fran.
Bored on the road the man,
Drove over a soda can
And stopped his van;
And fell asleep with Fran,
His beloved toucan.
Unbeknownst to him his van
Was unlocked, and Stan,
The next morning drove his van
And heard a voice not of Fran.
The voice said, “Sam, I am.”
He looked around and saw Sam
Sitting behind a can of Spam.
The voice said again, “Sam, I am,
And I do not like Spam,
Please being me green eggs and ham.”
So Fran told Stan
To drive to Pam’s
Where he traded the Spam
For unknown Sam’s
Green eggs and ham.
When Stan returned to his van
With green eggs and ham
To his surprise there was a man
On top of Sam.
For Sam wasn’t a man
But a woman named…Samantha.

“Boney”

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