Happity Hippity Hoppity Easter!

Tallulah Mae, being photobombed by the Easter Bunny!

Hope you had a relaxing and fun-filled day (those of you who celebrate it).

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

Bird's-eye view...this pic shows off Miss Mae's lovely brindle-y stripes quite nicely.

It looks almost as if she's riding on a flying carpet (known around here as "ruggy," which, now that I think about it, is a bit of a nod to Pee-Wee Herman [caution: the link contains music and noise]--love Pee-Wee): "I know you are, but what am I?

Bee's Knees

Even the bees are enjoying the wisteria...(I love her legs!).

Funny and Silly and Sweet

That's what these cards are! These birthday cards...all of these cards...came from the same person, on the same day! My funny and silly and sweet friend sent me 27 birthday cards (it all made sense, trust me!).

This should wrap up the birthday posts, 3 weeks on...I tried to drag it out to a whole month and ALMOST did!

A Handful of Rubies

 

Scarlet Runner beans...gorgeous (and tasty, too!).

Wisteria Overload (It's a Good Thing)

 

And here is my annual pic of this wisteria--the one Tallulah Mae was just enjoying--it is just so magnificent that I have to share. (It's not mine, BTW.)

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

 

Tallulah Mae would like to remind you all to stop and smell the wisteria.

Tea for Two and Two for Tea

This is the "French Metro Tea" (for two, la la la) from Bread and Cie, our local yum bakery/cafe. It was really quite delish!

I Was Driving Down a Street...

 I was driving down a street I almost never drive on, and I saw this. I had to do a U-turn and come back to it. Wouldn't you?

 

 

 

 

It's called "The Christmas Carriage Imaginarium," and it's the product of a man who is currently homeless and mostly lives in this van. (Here's an article about him from 2 years ago.)

This all lights up (though something was broken and I couldn't see it lit up). Wow. He says he works on it almost every day, touching up paint, etc. I talked to him for quite a while. I didn't get much on my to-do list done today, but it was worth it to see this wondrous thing and have a conversation with an interesting man.

Up the Coast, on the Tracks

 Today...

 I took a train...

 Up the coast...

 By a nuclear plant (hold your breath!)...

 On the way home, a quintessential California scene...

And the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean.

(I took the train up to Anaheim to visit my sweet mom, sister-in-law, niece, and great-niece--they were there to go to the Happiest Place on Earth, and I was there to visit with them [but not at Disneyland.])

One Tulip, Two Tulip, Three Tulip

 

 

Gorgeous!

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

 "Welcome to 'Canines Got [oh, I just can't...it's HAVE, not "Got"!] Talent.' Our first contestant is Tallulah Mae. What's your talent?"

"Ahhh, touching your nose with your tongue while closing your eyes... You get 10 billion points for adorableness." (Or however it works--I've never seen "America's Got [AMERICA HAS!] Talent" [or "American Idol" or "Dancing with the Stars"]--so I don't know the procedure, but I think she's won it all, don't you?)

I do watch reality TV, BTW--my newest fave is "The Face." Naomi Campbell, Coco Rocha, Karolina Kurkova, and the lovely Nigel Barker: what's not to love?

Take Me to Your Leader

What are these? I don't know, but they look like little hairy aliens, don't they? I'm sure they're friendly little aliens...

Budding Redbud

This just looks like Spring, doesn't it? (It's our Western redbud tree, Cercis occidentalis.)

Playing with Dolls

 One of my Etsy shops, Sew Betty and Dot (check it out over there on the right), is full of vintage sewing patterns and other sewing paraphernalia. Etsy encourages you to join teams, and I'm on the Pattern Patter team--obviously, we are all sellers of vintage patterns.

We have a team blog, and I wrote a blog post this week about Barbie clothes (made by my very own sweet mom!). In order to write said blog post, I played with my Barbies (fitting for a fifty-year-old, yes?). In the above shop, classic red-headed Skipper is giving the side-eye to Cindy Brady Skipper and Scooter, that minx, on the left.

 Stylin' Barbie!

 Creepy Ken (those eyebrows!).

 This Twist-n-Turn Barbie has stolen Malibu Francie's cool shades.

 All of the girls hanging out in the dressing room/closet (more hand-made clothes on the Barbies on the right).

And accessories! Skateboard (that's Scooter's), tennis racket and ball, fuzzy scale set to 110 pounds, powder box and puff...and stockings and shoes galore (there are more shoes and boots than those seen here). I was a rather meticulous child, and so no accessory or shoe ever went awry.

But you know what? Those teeny clothes with their tiny armholes and weensy snaps are best suited for tiny hands! I struggled with them (not helped by the fact that my era of Barbies had bendable--rubber--legs, so things do not slide up and down them very easily--that somehow sounds somewhat naughty, doesn't it?).

It was a definitely a fun few hours...

Grading the Quiz

Your substitute teacher, Miss Tallulah Mae Tidball, has graded the quiz from last Thursday. Here are the answers:

1. What did I call floating dandelion seeds when I was a little girl?
a. UFOs
b. foziewisps
c. fairies (I wanted to put them in jars)
d. parachutes

2. Which of the following is NOT true:
a. I've been on national TV (Jeopardy!)
b. I've performed in an opera (no, damn it! I've tried to be a supernumerary but haven't succeeded)
c. I've performed on the stage of the Grand Old Opry (with my high school band)
d. I've been in a movie (as an extra in a terrible movie starring Leif Garrett!)

3. What did I want to change my name to when I was six years old?
a. Daisy, the Famous Ballerina
b. Audrey, the Film Star
c. Petunia, Hee Haw Singer
d. Cruella deVille

4. Which sport did I play in high school?
a. lacrosse
b. tennis
c. soccer
d. softball
e. fencing

TRICK QUESTION: None of these! I have no hand/eye coordination!

5. True or False:
I speak fluent German. (despite my last name [which is my married name], I cannot speak German. I had to take it for my art history degree; I got an A but have no idea how.)

6. Which instrument do I NOT know how to play?
a. cello
b. flute
c. accordion (though I'd like to!)
d. bassoon
e. oboe

7. What irrational fear do I have?
a. that I will get stuck on the toilet
b. that an asteroid will hit my house
c. that a crane will fall on me
d. HONEY BADGERS!

8. What royal title does B. give me?
a. Duchess of Dorkitude
b. Principessa Sweetie Pea
c. Queen of the Dogs
d. the Marchioness de Marching Bands

9. What was the first movie I remember ever having seen?
a. Bambi
b. Mary Poppins
c. Gone with the Wind
d. The Sound of Music

10. Which of these did I NOT want to be when I grew up:
a. veterinarian
b. jockey
c. ballerina
d. nurse
e. Miss America

There you have it...Annette and JuJu both get an A+ just for taking the quiz.

BTW, I think I might have to start calling myself the Duchess of Dorkitude!

Tallulah-Palooza Friday

 "Hey, everybody!"

 "Do you know what's oodles and oodles of fun?"

 "More fun than a barrel of monkeys?"

"Playing with an old greasy glove, that's what. Yayyyyyy!!!!!"

This dog has been given every toy known to humankind, but she prefers socks/slippers/gloves. Go figure!

The answers to yesterday's quiz will be given on Monday. So far, JuJu's leading the bell curve.

Foziewisp Quiz Time

Class, get out your pencils! A short quiz about--who else--me!!! (Because--have you heard?--I'm fifty!).

1. What did I call floating dandelion seeds when I was a little girl?
a. UFOs
b. foziewisps
c. fairies
d. parachutes

2. Which of the following is NOT true:
a. I've been on national TV
b. I've performed in an opera
c. I've performed on the stage of the Grand Old Opry
d. I've been in a movie

3. What did I want to change my name to when I was six years old?
a. Daisy, the Famous Ballerina
b. Audrey, the Film Star
c. Petunia, Hee Haw Singer
d. Cruella deVille

4. Which sport did I play in high school?
a. lacrosse
b. tennis
c. soccer
d. softball
e. fencing

5. True or False:
I speak fluent German.

6. Which instrument do I NOT know how to play?
a. cello
b. flute
c. accordion
d. bassoon
e. oboe

7. What irrational fear do I have?
a. that I will get stuck on the toilet
b. that an asteroid will hit my house
c. that a crane will fall on me
d. HONEY BADGERS!

8. What royal title does B. give me?
a. Duchess of Dorkitude
b. Principessa Sweetie Pea
c. Queen of the Dogs
d. the Marchioness de Marching Bands

9. What was the first movie I remember ever having seen?
a. Bambi
b. Mary Poppins
c. Gone with the Wind
d. The Sound of Music

10. Which of these did I NOT want to be when I grew up:
a. veterinarian
b. jockey
c. ballerina
d. nurse
e. Miss America

Answers tomorrow!

Birthday Week, Continued

In honor of my landmark birthday, I share with you my elementary school portraits.

I cannot share with you the junior high or high school photos because in those years the hair and glasses became rather scary. I got contact lenses in the ninth grade, but alas, they could not help my hairstyle.

In my senior portrait, I look like a realtor. And not in a good way.

Stay tuned for a quiz tomorrow...

It feels a bit self-indulgent to blog about me and my birthday all week, but you only turn 50 once!

Birthday Goodness

 Beer! (From O'Brien's: Alpine Brewery's Hoppy Birthday on the right)

 Udon! (from Chopstix)

Tiramisu cake! (from Extraordinary Desserts)

Followed by Brahms performed by the rockin' Camera Lucida.

These are a few of my favorite things, with my most favorite guy, on my special 5-0 birthday. Woot!

Thank you for the sweet birthday messages--hugs to all of you out there in the blogosphere. Perhaps we'll meet one day?

Fifty

I'm FIFTY! (Yay!)

Me and Sally O'Malley! Here she is, trying out for the Rockettes.