Look What I Got! In the Mail! Yippee!

We get a LOT of packages, envelopes, and parcels delivered to Chez Foziewisp because one of us--and it's not me, by the way--is a collector of many things; I've become very close with the FedEx guy and the UPS gal. Packages come most every day, but they're hardly ever for me. (Picture me: sad-eyed and empty-handed. Sigh.)

So imagine my utter delight when an outwardly innocuous-looking envelope arrived in the mail from my friend Susan. I was thrilled before I even opened it, but I may actually have squealed when I saw this little bundle o' goodness. Check it out: Orange polka dots AND yellow gingham AND ribbon that looks like a measuring tape?! No way! For me?! Thanks EVER so much Miss Susan (and, I think, Miss Erin). You're WAY too sweet . . .

Juxtaposition

I took this photo because I really like the contrast between the gnarly industrial cables and the delicacy of the little birds.

Christmas Cards in April

OK, so when we went to the Antiquarian Book Fair in L.A. back in February, I made a purchase. Surrounded as I was by things priced at $1,000, $5,025, or $10,675.92, imagine how thrilled I was to find these darling cards--complete with little hand-painted wooden angels on them--sitting on a counter. A hand-written sign said: "Tyrolian cards. $7.50 all." Wow--sign me right up.

I bought them, thinking I'd scored a prize, and I told everyone I encountered about getting the bargain of the show. My friend Dawn, who loves the same stuff I do and is in fact a favorite estate sale/flea market companion, of course loved them too. And lo and behold, when she went by the little Dutch man's booth, there they were. Again. Same six little cards, same little sign. Clever fellow--he was pulling them out one set at a time so that each purchaser thought they were really getting a little treasure. Which in fact, we were--but we were all getting the SAME little treasure! I do love them ...

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

[Said in best Oliver Twist voice]: "Please, sir, I want some more."

While Miss Mae does not get table scraps--on the extremely rare occasion that she does, they always are put in her own bowl--we do (ahem) let her lick dirty dishes before they go into the dishwasher; I figure that they're being well sanitized in there. While our eco-friendly approach to dish rinsing may gross out some of you--hey, love me, love my dog. And her dog spit. (If you'd rather have paper plates when you come visit, just let me know . . . )

Brekky

How yummy was this? It's bread pudding--truly one of my most favorite dishes ever--made from challah (by B., my charming and handsome chef). With a homemade latte, of course. Wish this were brekky every morning. Alas, no...

Everyone Is Busy in the Garden

This bee was taking a break from nectar gathering . . .

A snail convention (thank god it's not in MY yard!).

And a ladybug doing what we all want her to do: eating aphids. Yum!

I spent the afternoon out in the garden, too, digging in compost, using a sieve to remove weed seeds (oh yes, I really did), and planting a few things. More planting tomorrow . . . my aching back!

Fezzes on Parade

Believe it or not, these are actually real fezzes mounted on a wall--I love how flat it looks, as if it were a painting.

This view is of the same restaurant--JSix--where we had a lovely and fun dinner last week with two dear, sweet friends from L.A. (hi, Don; hi, Andy!). Let's do it again soon . . .