Gifts of love from a dear friend...

A number of years ago, Margaret asked a dear college friend, now living in Florida, Dr. Terri St. John, if she would like to be her Matron of Honor whenever we got married. Well... when our date was finally set, it turned out that Terri, a high school teacher/debate coach could not get away from her debate responsibilities to make the trip to California. Margaret knew it was a terribly difficult admission; she knew how badly Terri wanted to be part of our wedding. Very special friend that she is, Terri was insistent that she wanted to send something very special to be used for our wedding ceremony. Today, we received a box with our Unity Candle and tapers, beautifully decorated, and a card that said she would be thinking of us and smiling on April 18.

There's no stopping Ava now...

Three weeks from today...

... Margaret's sister Carol (her matron of honor) and brother George (who has graciously offered to give her away) will be arriving from Michigan. It's a reminder that it's time to go through our pre-wedding checklist and figure out what's left to be done.

Confirm the minister - check!
Hire the "hall" - Check! (Menu is getting finalized with our buddy, Terence, next week.)
Marriage license and wedding rings - check!
Complete attire for the wedding party - check!
Cake ordered - check!
Flowers ordered - check!
Photographer hired - check! (We're meeting with her on the 4th to discuss shots.)
Complete favors and place cards - check!
Appointment for Margaret's hair - April 3rd - check! (Watch out world, she's going to be an "auburn" head again!)
More pampering for the bride - mani/pedi appointment on the 17th - check! (A special gift from our dear friend and neighbor, Christine.)

So... It looks like we're in pretty good shape for the big day! (Just as soon as Margaret figures out those pesky "borrowed" and "blue" things!)

Joshua snoozes with Winnie the Pooh...

Sounds from the Wetlands...

Margaret shot a little video at the Wetlands on Thursday while Larry took care of the stills. This piece is a scan of a protected nesting area of the preserve. The quality isn't great because it was so gray and cloudy, but the song of hundreds of birds in symphony is pretty cool!

No Explanation Needed...

Back to basics, two...

Another "day-trip" we've been talking about for some time is a visit to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, a wildlife conservancy, renowned for the huge number of birds it attracts, just a few miles up the coast from us on Pacific Coast Highway. We juggled schedules until we found a day that we were both free around the low tide. Today...
Bad news was that at low tide the sun was hiding behind the clouds, the fog was still kinda thick and the air kinda damp. Still, after a hearty omelette brunch at another landmark beach joint, the Harbor House in Sunset Beach, we hiked along a short portion of the trails and Larry shot lots of pictures. We'll definitely go back again on a sunny day.

Joshua expresses himself on AIG...

Or, he is preparing for his next visit to the pediatrician.

Who cares what the calendar says? Spring is here...

Our condo community has dozens of India Hawthorne shrubs growing everywhere, and they've suddenly burst into full bloom; its a vibrant display of pink throughout the property. In our patio, a white blooming standard variety is also filled with flowers. And, in our entry, a pink blooming azalea that has been thriving for years on neglect is also putting on a show. Yup... Spring nearly is here!

"May the road rise up to meet you..."

...May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand."

The Leprechauns came a little early...

We invited our neighbors, the Sweeneys, for a simple Sunday supper last night - burgers off the grill, beans and slaw. Much to our surprise, they came bearing more than ice cream for dessert. They shared the "luck of the Irish" by bringing us a Shamrock!

Ava is walking...

We got word from Robin and Andrick yesterday that big girl Ava is now walking! Andrick sent us some pictures taken recently of our little angel - we wanted to share these two of her taken during her first visit to the beach. Looks like she is a true California girl - loving the sun and sea. We're hoping that video of these early steps is coming soon!

The first Cymbidium of the year...

I was torn this morning...did I want to bring in the first blooming stem of cymbidium orchid, even though there were still many unopened buds, or leave it a few days longer possibly to be chewed upon by snails? Hmmmm... Protecting it from varmints won out. (And maybe just a tad bit of impatience played into the decision, too.)

The cymbidium plants were a "gift" from the previous owner, though what was left seemed not so hospitable! Stuck in a corner of my, then, tiny patio was a six sided wooden pot, filled with none too healthy looking green long-leaved plants. I paid them little mind until our condo community was tented and the plants had to be removed from the patio lest they be "gassed". As I tried to lift to pot from the ground so that I could move it a safe distance from the house, the wood disintegrated. Disgusted, and wondering why I was bothering, I dragged it into a ground cover bed far away enough from the house to be safe.

When we were given the all clear to move our food, plants and selves back into our units, I mentioned to my next door neighbor that I had not a clue what to do with this busted collection of orchid plants. She just happened to have instructions for the proper planting of cymbidium, and before long I had divided the bulbs, active and dormant, into multiple pots, keeping two of them for myself and sharing the rest.

The following year I was rewarded beyond my wildest expectations. Two pots of orchid plants provided me with sixteen stems of blooms that I cut and put into vases in the house! (Sadly, I've never had nearly that many stems, since.) But, no matter what the annual yield, I'm always thrilled to see the first blooms open. This year I can share that first open bloom with you, too!

A tasty decision...

We got to taste-test at the bakery today - the sugar rush lasted for a couple of hours! Of all the wedding plans and decisions we've had to make the past few weeks, this was definitely one of the most fun!

More of Sassy and Nica's puppy pals...

Just a few more of Sassy and Nica's park buddies - Max, the Chow Chow and his "brother" Sam, the Shih Tzu, and another Max, the beagle! We also can't leave out Artie the West Highland and Sparky, the Border Collie...

February Fireworks - a few days late...

Some years ago Margaret submitted a few short stories/essays to a gardening magazine called GreenPrints. One, a tale of our dog Sassy's preoccupation with snails, was actually purchased by the editor/publisher, but has yet never run in the magazine. This is another short that unfortunately was returned with the dreaded rejection letter.

Our freesia have been very slow to bloom this year, but I was able to cut and bring in one beautifully scented stem yesterday. It encouraged me to share this little literary piece here with you all...

February Fireworks

February is the longest month of the year, despite what the calendar says, even in a gardening paradise like Southern California. Cold nights and gray, drizzly days prevail. Spring, never mind summer, would seem far, far away if not for the star-burst on my mantel. A group of tiny-mouthed vases, staggered in heights, is overflowing with heavenly scented freesias. Blooms of red, white, yellow, pink and orange perfectly contract the greens and blues of their containers. "Like fireworks in February," I announced to my significant other. I religiously refresh the vases through mid-March when I pluck the last stem from the large terra cotta pot on my balcony.

By the time all of the freesia blooms have dropped, other reminders of the seasons of rebirth are everywhere. But, I remain grateful for the weeks of magic that the diminutive flowers have worked on my soul. As I begin to withhold water from the foliage, allowing it to die back slowly, I'm reminded of how I've been cheered in the past, and will be again, when the flowers' life cycles renew in the fall.

In October, as the days shorten all too quickly, the Southland's nearly year-round show of color does begin to lose much of its sunlit vibrancy. About the time I feel myself sliding into the pre-winter blahs, that large terra cotta pot lightens my spirits. Though dormant for months, it seems that the tiny grass-like spears begin to pop through the dry soil overnight. I know it is time to drag the pot from under the balcony chair that has sheltered it, bringing it into the light. Anticipating the treasures that the freesia's pot holds, I feed the tiny corms lightly,and provide water until Mother Nature takes over.

Several weeks later the pot is lush with foliage. The sturdy green leaves seem oblivious to the extremes of weather common to this area in December - hot and dry Santa Ana winds one week and cold, driving rain the next. By late January, stems are appearing with buds tiny and tightly clustered, as though protecting themselves from the chill in the air.

Then, the longest month of the year returns, a few days of lengthening light and warmth tease the bottom blooms of the stems to peek open. I bring my collection of brightly colored vases out of storage in preparation. I know that I'll have my own fireworks display again, long before July arrives.

On-line inspiration from Google...

When Margaret decided that tulips would be the perfect flowers for an April wedding, we did a little google search of images for inspiration. Here's our jumping off point - a picture that was really helpful yesterday when we met with the florist providing the flowers for our special day. Now that the florals are nearly finalized, we've got just one more big decision left to make - the cake!

Back to basics...

The past four or five weeks have been a little crazy by our standards... There have been wedding decisions and preparations to be made. And, for the past two weeks, Margaret has gone from retired to "semi-semi-retired", back to teaching at the stable a few days each week while Katie has been away at horse shows. (And boy, it felt great!)

We were due for a break! Some months ago Larry had gone on-line to check out local activities; we had filed away several possibilities in our memory banks. Friday was such a lovely day that we decided to investigate the Irvine Regional Park. As we drove through the gate into this 160 acre county operated facility, we learned that the park had celebrated its centennial ten years ago. Having no idea just how immense an area it is, we were surprised to see multiple playground areas, numerous pic-nic spaces, complete with grills, and a train running throughout the grounds! There is a rental horse stable and pony rides for the little ones, plus tandem bicycle rentals available. What an incredible place to take a family! For the two of us, it was just a great mind-clearing, fresh air-breathing, sun-warming way to spend an afternoon.