Random thoughts

For awhile now I have been keeping a mental list of amusing (at least to me) things to write in this blog. I usually stick to a subject matter but these bits are just screaming to be released so here goes (and no I do not have voices in my head).

 - You know you live in CA when the refuse company gives you a wheeled recycle bin the same size as the garbage bin! And you know you are being a good Californian when your recycle bin fills up sooner than your garbage bin. And of course the cans and plastic bottles you are squirreling away in your garage because THEY are worth 5-10 cents each!

-  I love the cute little lizards/geckos that always scurry away when I disturb their sunbathing on our patios.

-  Dave has now come to realize that when I head to Joe's Hardware I will come home with at least 1 plant in addition to the paintbrush, D-con, picture hangers, or whatever else I went for.  I can't help that they make me walk through the garden center to enter the store! And who can resist all the flowers that are annuals in colder climates are perennials here.... Fallbrook apparently is the magical place where all plants grow- Calla lilies, Easter lillies, Pointsettias planted outside- really?!

- I am the proud owner of a San Diego county library card. So to checkout your items you scan your card and set your entire stack on the special counter. And all the titles pop up on the screen! How cool is that!

This is a picture from our India trip showing these people trimming the grass with hand shears! I am kind of like them now.... there is a curved area around the fountain wall that the mower can't get so I use the hand shears. If the grassy part of the yard were bigger it would be worth the effort to get the weed whacker out.

- Did you know that paint loses it's sheen over time? Let's just say that I have spent much time and effort trying to match the paint in this house. I really like all the paint colors so I just needed to touch up all the spackled holes, scuffed baseboards, fireplace mantels, etc. Well, let me tell you that there is no paint sheen halfway between flat and eggshell- so please don't comment on the shiny spots on our walls. I did totally repaint the main guest room because it looked diseased!
- I was warned about the creeping fig.... it is the vine on the front part of our house. Apparently if you don't show it who is the boss it will overtake you and strangle you in your bed some night. I have mastered it for now but everything grows year round out here...
- Apparently I am an oddity out here because I clean my own house and do my own yard work.... a young hispanic man pedaled his bike down our driveway when I was out in the yard. He said "I am looking for work." After trying to talk to him I realized that was all the English he knew. So I figured Estaban was not going be able to help me figure out how much fertilizer to use on my palm trees. Thank you but I will do it myself!

Now it is Thursday so I guess I best finish this post...

- Any ideas where I put my 2 biggest salad bowls and the toilet brush? The toilet brush may have gotten tossed at that the last place. The salad bowls were unpacked but where are they?
- I love my bathtub. And that is all I have to say.
- Usually when I go to the grocery store and am horrified about how little I got for my $. When I go to my produce stand under the blue tarp I am pleased at how much I can buy for $15.00 : 8 avocados, 1 bunch of little bananas, 2 bags of lemons, 1 bag of limes, 3 passion fruit, 2 mangos and 10# tangerines!
- We have been drinking fresh squeezed lemonade by the gallon. I decided I needed to make a lemon meringe (sp?) pie. I have made many pies in my day but this was the first lemon.... turned out awesome.  It probably turned out so well because it was Bonita's special recipe. We shared it with Ron&Videll and Duane&Verla. R & V used to live 3 miles away from us in Waukesha and babysat our boys. And we went to meeting in their home. Who would have thought that they would be living in AZ and visiting us in CA?!

- That is all for now- I must food gather since Shane and Nikelle are coming. Very excited!