WalMart Drive-Up ... Priceless!

 At last .... sunny California was sunny once again.  It won't last long however, since our winters are always full of fog.  It cleared just enough yesterday for the solar panel to work.  I think the rest of the week I'll be out of luck.

Time to hit the road with Mr. Cooper.  We've been quite lax in our exercise regime, choosing instead to hang out on the couch.  I was just in time to see what's been going on down the street.  THIS is Christmas Wars.  It's been going on between my two neighbors since they moved in.  

Every day when I go out, there are more and more decorations.  This guy can afford it since he works for PG&E.  I may just steal his axe for tonight's Bingo.  These are just a few of the critters waving at you.  There are SO many more!!  Maybe I can get some nighttime pictures.

The other thing they have are two of these gorgeous trees.  I know they lose their leaves all over and are a pain to rake up, but boy are they pretty.

Anyone know what kind of tree it is?  I would love to have one in my back yard.  

I didn't get far with the walk.  The neighbor has a pit bull that they let run around on occasion.  It's not exactly mean, but it runs up to you like it's going to eat you for lunch.  Way too much smelling and growling goes on. 

That doesn't set well with Cooper, who will growl at any dog within 100 feet.  Weirdly, this is neighbor Halo and Cooper loves him!!  I'm not sure why they get along so well ... maybe because they look just alike?  

I made a beeline back to my door until they put the pup away.  Cooper would not stand a chance.

This is where Halo lives ... the NICE neighbors who decorated part of my yard.  They just got the fountain set up, with much more to come.  It's Christmas Wars indeed.

Though I did have an event in mind for Monday night, I wasn't really feeling it.  Nor was I the least bit interested in hitting up the grocery store.  There's something about walking all that way inside when every parking spot is taken up by ONLINE ORDERS (but there's no cars parked there), not to mention the ill fitting (WAY too small) stretchy pants and pjs, with the ever popular duck slippers and three kids screaming for candy.

Walmart Drive-Up ... PRICELESS!  I can order anything I want and actually know what the price will be since no one has a chance to steal the little price ticket off the shelf.  Nothing is locked up, so no waiting for an employee, and I get the FRESHEST vegetables of any store around.  That's weird, I know.

Even better, the kids that bring the stuff out to the truck are actually happy to have a job.  AND the cherry on top, they carry my ice cream!  

Back home with all my goodies, I discovered I was out of my favorite peanut butter cookies.  Time to whip up a batch for the freezer.  The best part about these is portion control.  I only eat one after dinner.  Well almost one, since Jonathan can smell them a mile away and always screams for his share.

The evening was spent with my shadow snuggled up close as I hand sewed the binding on this little quilt.  I've picked out a pattern for the next one, but still have FIVE sitting in a pile waiting for this same attention to detail.  

And so the day ended as the list began.  It's time to start writing down everything that I'll need on my next trip.  You know me ... BE PREPARED!

That's also my mantra when it comes to Bingo.  Be prepared for the yelling, the screaming, the complaints and my best "I CAN'T HELP YOU" look.  I'm secretly stashing pitchforks in my back pocket just in case.

Bird Beaks

It's another cold damp froggy morning around here, getting colder by the day.  Froggy because it keeps the frogs from being seen when we went out looking for delicacies on the ranch.  Like I posted a couple days ago, this is what we saw when we used our flashlights, and it's what I see every morning when I let Cooper outside.  There's no way I'm taking ANY chances of running into a black and white EVER again.

 It's pretty neat to see the drops floating around and going UP instead of down.  The occasional frog legs and crawdads we caught didn't taste all that great.  Let's face it ... they tasted like mud, but it was fun to go looking for them on the canal banks in the dark.

It's early morning and Jonathan is awake.  Most parrots stay up all night long ... not to make noise, but to be quiet as a mouse and on careful watch to be sure they aren't eaten by any night critter.  He sleeps most of the day.

He also spends about three hours a day chewing ... on anything he can get his little beak on.  Towels are always used as the first level of defense to keep him warm.  That's because he's going to do this to the ceiling of his "house" in about a week.  Towels are cheaper.  It's then covered with a big blanket to help keep him warm, followed by a large quilt.  He also has his own personal heater attached to the cage.  

I buy chunks of wood for him to chew on, but if I don't get one in there fast enough, this is what he does to his perch.  They can do an amazing amount of damage.  The reason for all this chewing is to keep their beaks chipped off so they can eat.  Otherwise, it's a trip to the Vet for grinding.  They won't chew on harder ironwood perches very much, so their beaks grow too long.  I stick to the slightly softer woods.  

Their beaks are so tough they can bite your finger off, or at least do a LOT of damage and cause a LOT of blood.  Ask me how I know! One thing they don't chew on is their claws, which grow like crazy.  That means I have to hold him on one hand while trying to trim the toenies with the other.  I can't tell you how many times I've been bit.

I used to wrap him in a towel burrito style, but these guys are agile and very strong.  That beak gets me every time.  It's a complete wrestling match!!  Better to give him a cracker, then sneak up on his foot.  If I'm really lucky, I can get one or two a day.  Notice the white feathers?  It's that time of year when the fluffy belly feathers come out and float around the entire house.

Mr. Cooper isn't much different when it comes to clipping claws, but at least he's a little easier to hold down!!  Oh what we do for these kids!!

It's football day, though I don't get to watch the "good" games since they are not on ESPN any more.  At least not on my television setup unless I pay the big bucks.  I sat down with this lovely lunch, no where NEAR as delicious as that turkey dinner, because I wanted a big piece of pie for dessert.  

The turkey didn't get past Mr. Cooper.  If I'm eating ..... he's eating.  That's the rules!  I don't dare get something out of the fridge unless I hide in the back room, because there he is ... looking up, staring at me!

Football was not that exciting, so I did two things.  I stitched the binding on one of the National Park quilts (ready for hand stitching) and then finished up this one and figured the amount of backing I need.  In all my stash, there is nothing that will even come close to matching, so it now sits on the counter waiting for the next quilt store trip.

Here's a closeup of the fabric.  It's actually kind of pretty.  I think the idea of making them for the senior center is a good one.  I'll have to find a simple pattern that I can whip out in a couple of days.  It's going to be a very long winter if I don't find something to keep me busy upon my return from Quartzsite.

I have an event to attend tonight, but since I woke up sick to my stomach last night, I think I better pass.  Unfortunately, I've been around two sick people lately, and I think they may have shared their loveliness with me.  Only time will tell.

By the way, did anyone go crazy on Black Friday ... or Saturday ... or Sunday since now it seems Black Friday lasts a couple of weeks?  I tried to be extra good since I tipped the gardener and donated two Thanksgiving turkeys.  

I did however, purchase some embroidery thread so I could get back to THAT pastime.  Half off is always good in fabric and in thread.  

Now let's everyone hit the SCALES and see how much weight we gained!!!

Just Like A Turkey!!

 Groundhog Day!!  It seems we are stuck in the same mode every morning.  Winter fog has arrived and is here to stay.  It's running 48 degrees every night and 60 during the day.  Every time I look out the window, it's dreary, foggy and wet.  I've even had to actually turn the HEAT on!  

I'm not the least bit sad however ... how could I be?  THIS is breakfast!  You didn't think I was going to eat eggs and toast when THIS is in the fridge, did you?  I have to admit though ... this is WAY too much food for me.  As delicious as it is, I put away the big plates and substituted salad plates.  Two days of overeating is a bad thing.  Just like a turkey, I'm stuffed!!

It was a good time to use up a lot of that turkey in one of my favorites ... turkey pot pie.  I'm sorry Marie, but MY pot pie actually has more turkey and is better than yours.  In to the freezer they went, to await thawing and topping with a big fat biscuit before baking!  Pie dough is not my forte.  Maybe even some Red Lobster biscuits will work.

Here's a little tidbit for you.  Way back in the day, we used to raise turkeys to sell to the neighbors.  We also gathered turkey eggs.  Turkeys are so mean when you try to grab those eggs!  Chasing you and trying to peck your back, pulling my hair out by the handfuls.  I was not a fan.  

Their only redeeming factor was that they roosted in the trees at night, and besides being quite tasty for dinner, they were one of the best watchdogs you could have.  

One day my brother got mad and threw a rock at one chasing him.  It hit that bird square in the head and killed it dead.  The spanking was epic!!  On the other hand, we had turkey for dinner, a nice change from beef.

Still WAY too damp to go outside, not to mention COLD, I put in some more sewing time on this quilt.  I like it a little better now, so will finish it up today with another brown border.  As it turns out, these small ones are the perfect size for a chair or couch ... meaning I can turn the heat down one degree.  Not really, I'm cheap, but not THAT cheap!!  Feeling just like a turkey in the freezer isn't any fun at all.

I skipped lunch ... too full ... as I wandered through the TV channels one after another.  Absolutely nothing interests me.  It seems Hallmark movies now have a higher rating than CNN however, so someone is watching them.  I've seen most of them, though now I see there are FOUR channels carrying the exact same love story over and over.

Dinner was ....... well ...... not exactly turkey.  I was STILL too full to eat another real meal, so I invited Marie to the table once again.  Though I wished for ice cream, I only found cream in the fridge.  Piled high on top, it was the perfect ending to breakfast ... for dinner.  I don't think Marie has ever made a pie I didn't like!

The day drug by WAY too slow.  If I'm going to be stuck inside due to the fog, I'm going to have to find something to keep me occupied.  Oh wait ... I have probably 25 boxes of quilt fabric in the sewing room, ready for the making.

Or maybe I'll park on the couch and pretend I'm sitting in a tree, guarding the property ... just like a turkey.