Cinco De Mayo ... Everything's Blooming ...

The great thing about springtime is all the beautiful flowers blooming.  Of course along with that comes allergies, sneezing, coughing, runny nose.  Hanging out over my morning coffee for a couple of minutes seems to help!!

This is Beach Party finally completed.  Don't you just LOVE that backing??  So did my quilter and her friends.  They took all of the selvedge pieces that contain the name so they can go online and find their own.  If I can find an open wall, this one will become a display piece.

Just as I was finishing up the quilt, Cooper jumped on my lap, having just come from outside.  YIKES!!  My senses were immediately assaulted.  Apparently he and Jessie found something nice and dead in the back yard.  BATH TIME!!  Not his favorite activity, but if I step in the bathtub with him (shoes and all), he handles it much better, shivering like crazy of course.  Ten minutes of blowdrying and he's exhausted!!  Back in the tub, Jessie thinks the world has come to an end.  

All clean and pretty, we wandered through the back yard, admiring the blooms.  I should have worn one of those hospital masks.  The honeysuckle is starting to smell divine, in between sneezes.  In spite of the terrific storm a week or so ago, most of the flowers have survived.

One thing I'm really good at growing ..... dandelions!!  I can grow a weed quicker than I can devour a cupcake!!  They are a fun challenge to photograph though, so I haven't drug out the Roundup!

Most of the afternoon was spent on the phone.  If any of you have ever dealt with California DMV, you will feel my pain.  I paid my Jeep registration March 24.  It expired April 24 and I have yet to receive the tags.  Rather than spend four hours in line, I chose the second option, call in and spend 90 minutes on hold.  I kid you not ..... 90 minutes!! 

While I waited, I discovered they had cashed the check on April 27.  It took them 33 days to cash the check and of course they haven't even mailed the tags yet.  I printed out the cancelled check just to prove to the nice Police Officer that they received my payment.  My truck payment was mailed April 25.  No telling how long it will take to process that one.  I've been a government employee and I KNOW they can do better.  That "I just don't give a $hit" attitude irritates me no end.  Reason # 3 to get out of California!!  

Here's some interesting trivia for you ... Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day, in case you were wondering.  It's a celebration of Mexican resistance to foreign intervention from France at the Battle of Puebla.  Funny, it's celebrated in the United States more than in Mexico.  

My plan today is to head to Clovis' quilt store, in spite of the black clouds overhead.  My truck needs to be washed badly and I'm hoping nature will do it for me!!