Gopher Gobbled

Remember my remarkable artichoke plant, as seen here? That is its corpse above.
Hmm, I wonder what could have happened? Note the bite mark at the bottom of the stalk--and really, you had to chomp it and then leave it behind? And not one stalk but ten or so? It's like the person who raids the box of See's candy, bites into various pieces, and then puts them back (the marshmallow and nougat ones).
The tell-tale mound...
...of this little bugger. Mr./Ms. gopher: you are so cute, and sooooo destructive. Not a great photo of him/her, but he/she kept popping its head up and then ducking back down--and I was all the way in the house!

Alas, poor artichoke, ye are no more.

You Say Po-tay-to (or Flower), I Say Pot-tah-to (or Weed)

So pretty...
...for a weed. This is oxalis, which is grown on purpose by some folks as "shamrock," but here--at least in my yard--it's a weed. It's especially pesky because it reproduces by making lots of little corms that remain in the soil when you pull the weed. It really is quite sweet and pretty!

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

Latte, a Love Story. First, the sad puppy dog eyes as I finish my delicious milky coffee drink.
First few licks, nose fully inside...
Note how she's taking it away from me now...
...for some full-on get-to-the-bottom-of-the cup-action.
All gone?
How sad...she's waiting for the magical Starbucks fairy to come and refill the cup. Me too!

Whinny, No Poo

Sorry for the pun...I couldn't resist! Found this little guy on the sidewalk...

Modern Times

No muted stained glass for this church: it's neon, baby! (I'm not judging anybody here, by the way...to each his/her own, say I!)

Sweet Tweeter

Isn't she sweet? I'm not sure what she is--still investigating--but I love her patches of yellow. She hopped around the yard for a good half-hour yesterday, snacking away.
I think this is her mate, observing from atop the telephone wire.

Majestic Monarch

How beautiful is this creature? From the stained glass wings to the polka-dotted body...
In this shot you can see just how battered they become as they fly such long distances--the left wing is tattered along the edges.
A tiny creature casting a mighty big shadow...oh, my butterflies, how I love you!

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

"My precioussss..."

Tallulah Mae LOVES to grab canvas grocery bags out of your hand and run away with them...here she is guarding one. My precious (and silly) girl!

Why?

Why NOT have giant inflatable polar bears atop your restaurant?

Stop SOPA

Dark night, dark Internet? Find out about SOPA and PIPA, and if you're so inclined, sign the petition here.

Good Day, Sunshine

It's hard not to smile when you see a sunflower, am I right?

Easter Jack o'Lantern?

So I planted a pumpkin plant way back in July, I think...it grew... and grew...and grew...and made flowers that fell off. And grew really long. And made a tiny pumpkin that rotted.

Finally, when I'm about to rip it out, I see this. A pumpkin. Perhaps I can carve a jack o'lantern for the Easter table? Sigh.

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

Hello!

The First...

...insect of 2012! Congrats, Mr. Grasshopper. I had to shoo him off, though...as I was taking his photo, I saw little bits of rose petal falling out of his mouth. No no, Mr. Grasshopper: we do not gnaw on our roses!

File Under "It Takes All Kinds..."

Today I drove by this house...it's got some really cool stuff mixed in with some, um, junk.
I loves me some quirky house decor, and I'm filing this one under "eccentric."
This person--and I saw her in the flesh--I think has moved beyond quirky/eccentric into the realm of mental problems. I do admire the hard work that went into sticking all of those individual letters, ransom note style, onto her vehicle. None of it really makes much sense, but there seems to be some concern for children, including Michael Jackson's kids and Britney Spears's children.

The driver's sartorial choices were interesting too: a green metallic skirt worn on her head like a turban (shades of Little Edie Beale in Grey Gardens [if you haven't seen the original, you really must find it and watch it]); sheer lacy sleeves over a bra; black tight workout pants pushed up to the knee; bright pink socks worn with sandals; lots of jewelry. She seemed happy...

Bibliocat

I ask you: What could be better than a used bookstore...
...with a friendly cat who curls up in your lap? (I might say "a used bookstore with a friendly puppy who curled up in your lap"--super-duper dog fanatic here--but this sweet girl was mighty fine indeed!)

File Under "Whaaaaa"?

I've seen people out and about with a variety of animals in my day: dogs, cats on leashes, parrots and cockatiels pooping down their owners' backs (ewww), snakes draped over shoulders, even a mini horse once. I have never seen this, however: a guinea pig walking along behind its owners. I thought it was the world's smallest dog from a distance, but then I realized, no, that is a guinea pig. Okaaaaay...

TCB, EAP!

Happy Birthday, Elvis Aron...hard to imagine you as 77 years old! Check out my cool Elvis napkins, hand made for me by my very own mom...

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

Tallulah Mae on her magic flying carpet...

Nature...

...'tis wondrous indeed!
Tallulah Mae thinks so too!

Simple Pleasures

On a lovely sunny day, what could be better than to sit on the back step with my knitting, some tasty clementines, and my sweet dog?

Come on Down to Creepytown

"La la la la la, driving down the road..." Wait. What did I see out of the corner of my eye? See up top there? U-turn...
Um.
Er.
Eek.
Creepytown! The photos are not any better than this because we were across the road. Many "No Trespassing" signs, and given these guard mannequins, we took it seriously!

What Did You Do on New Year's Eve?

First course...me: salad of butter lettuce, fresh herbs, goat cheese, and pecans; he: foie gras.
Second course...me: roasted beets and homemade ricotta (OMG yum); he: the same salad as above.
Third course...me: stuffed pepper and veggies (not terribly sucessful, alas; not bad, just not divine); he: pork belly.
Of course! Dessert course...me: chocolate tort; he: spiced pear bread pudding (his was better!). Dinner was at Urban Solace, one of our very fave places.
Home by 9 p.m. and in jammies to play Boggle (I won, amazingly), eat good chocolate, drink champagne, and wait for the ball to drop. Perfection!

How 'bout YOU?

Happy 2012

Morning Poem

Every morning

the world

is created.

Under the orange

sticks of the sun

the heaped

ashes of the night

turn into leaves again

and fasten themselves to the high branches ---

and the ponds appear

like black cloth

on which are painted islands

of summer lilies.

If it is your nature

to be happy

you will swim away along the soft trails

for hours, your imagination

alighting everywhere.

And if your spirit

carries within it

the thorn

that is heavier than lead ---

if it's all you can do

to keep on trudging ---

there is still

somewhere deep within you

a beast shouting that the earth

is exactly what it wanted ---

each pond with its blazing lilies

is a prayer heard and answered

lavishly,

every morning,

whether or not

you have ever dared to be happy,

whether or not

you have ever dared to pray.

from Dream Work (1986) by Mary Oliver

© Mary Oliver