If it's not blooming, it's budding!

What an enjoyable weekend I had!

First off, my long-standing Saturday lunch date with mom that was uneventful. Then as I was driving her to her errands we passed by this little hillside that is covered in golden poppies. It simply took my breath away. Took mental note to take hubby here after church for little photo session.

The rest of Saturday afternoon I did NOTHING but watch the Giants beat the LA Dodgers on tv. I refused to do anything but concentrate on my Giants, selfish of me I know, but it worked out fine because the hubby has a "work date" with a couple of guys at church.

By the time he got back there was just enough time to still catch Costco open. Got a few items in Costco and was very focused on getting only what is on the list. I have a problem shopping at Costco because I seem to like everything they have - which is the exact opposite of going to the mall for me.

Sunday I remembered to pack both cameras when we drove out to church service. I told the hubby I was taking him for a photo shoot to a surprise location. However, he took me first to this empty land in a residential area where the lot is filled with golden poppies. How delightful to live next to this empty lot. My heart leapt for joy. Spring flowers and sunny skies give so much joy.

Next we drove out to the hillside and he's surprised that there's so much poppies this year. We lived in this neighborhood for years and this is the only year that poppies grow here, or any other spring wildflowers. Oh more joy!

Got home and made burgers for lunch then off to the garden I went. I planted two tomatoes, two peppers, an eggplant, a pot/container of mesculun greens, some catnip, cat grass, and made a few repotting of plants. The weather on Sunday was glorious, perfect for gardening. You should see the line at Home Depot Garden Center on Sunday. You know it's time to plant.

Ended the weekend with a dinner of home-made sushi and sashimi. Thankfully we have sushi-grade tuna at home. The hubs really know how to make good food.

Thank heavens for all these blessings. Spring, you're so much fun!

Heatwave, bbq, etc.

Last I was here posting is about a week ago. Here is a list of what's been happening around these parts:

***Had a heatwave that ran for a few days, nearly a week. It was really tough for us and the kitties too. Days like these are not too many where I live, but when they're here it just magnified the fact that the houses built in this neighborhood do not have airconditioning, and we need airconditioning. Yesterday, which the authorities on climate and weather say the hottest was actually the beginning of the cool down where I live. Of course the other areas of the Bay Area are slower in cooling down, at the same time more neighborhoods near the coast and the bay have cooled down earlier than us.

***Last Saturday mom gave me a pass. I was free to do as I please. She did not need my services to drive her to her errands for she already ran them with my brother the day before. And so free on Saturday morning? What to do? The hubby and I decided to go to brunch. We hardly have time to do brunch on the weekends because we're always busy, I'm busy with mom on Sat and it's church and other functions on Sunday. I wanted to go to Royal Cafe for some lipsmacking goodness of their scones and the lemon curd it comes with. However, the hubby did not want to drive that far, which I admit was a big turn off. Then I suggested we go to Suki's so I could have their pulled pork hash, which was really good the both times I had it. He, however, was always curious about Ember's, where the Men's Group of our church dines monthly. I went there a loooong time ago, over 10 years ago once and did not enjoy the experience. The hubster talked me into giving it another try since the last time I ate there was so long ago. They definitely had changed somehow right? So to Ember's we went. The place looked different, more airy and bright. I vaguely remember the old place I went to as very dark and crowded. The food was okay, nothing to get excited about. I had the corned beef hash and even though it's the canned variety, I enjoyed my dish. I was really craving for some hash. Also, I had some hash browns, which I can eat all by itself. The hubby had the Big Deal - an omelette with various meats and veggies and toast. He didn't finish his meal.

***Went to see WHITE HOUSE DOWN to flee the hots in the house. 2.5 hours of airconditioning and a movie sounds really perfect. What's more, the movie was really nice. I enjoyed the story, the acting and the actors. That Channing Tatum is surely a hunk. I'm starting to love him. The actor who played his daughter in the movie is equally a darling. Two thumbs up for White House Down.

***Our plum trees are full of fruits. We have our friends over for dinner and we asked if they could pick fruits for their weekly fruit allowance. I'm glad they did. I already picked two bagfuls of plums for my co-workers and the same for hubby's co-workers and still there's plenty left. The other plum tree is still waiting for its fruits to ripen. So blessed.

***Was supposed to go wine tasting over the weekend but has to postpone that. One of our friends was sick so we will just reschedule this.

***Got an invite to a bbq tomorrow, the 4th of July, over at the same friends who we were supposed to go wine tasting with. He's such a good cook so I cannot wait what he's going to grill. My hubs is bringing turkey kofta or something. We'll see.

Hah! That's all for now. In 2 week's time I have a camping trip with friends near Sequioa NP, so I'm getting really excited.

Springtime Delights

Daily February: Days 23 & 24

Hah! It's becoming harder and harder to keep up this daily blogging goal.

Let me tell you this, I'm quite proud of it in fact, I have finished THE ALCHEMIST by Paul Coelho.

Now I'm reading Amy Tan's SAVING FISH FROM DROWNING. So far, it's a fun read. I was reading it while eating my cereal at lunch today. Then I heard myself laughing out loud. The sound surprised me. It's been ages since a book made me laugh. It's not even meaning to be funny. It's just wonderfully written. The book is a little thick, so it might take days, just like the thin Alchemist.

Right now I'm taking a break from reading by blogging and by watching the Oscar's. I'm having a fun time watching. I like awards shows. I always have a pick, even though I saw none of the movies nominated. We've cut back on our movie budget. We'll wait for DVD.

Since I'm in the mood to write, let me say I have been enjoying the American Idol the past week, where 5 of the girls and 5 of the boys were cut. The judges.....hmmm.....Mariah Carey is boring me. Amused I was by Nikki Minaj, who by the way I had no idea who she was before Idol. Yes, that's how clueless I am. Still I cannot tell you one song of her.

I doubted the inclusion of Keith Urban in the panel. I thought he was good as a singer, but I don't know much about him to fully make a vote, like I have one. Anyway, he's my fave judge so far, because his yes and no reflects mine.

Good news, we have a new addition in our extended family. My nephew became a first time father last week with the arrival of little precious one, Ashley Michelle. I haven't seen her yet, I'm aching to see her, except that I'm not sure I'm germ-free after the nasty cold bug I had two weeks ago. I still feel yucky sometimes and the cough is persisting so I'm not sure being near a newborn is a good idea.

Spring is nearly here. I cannot wait. The fruit trees in my garden are blooming, although the plum did not get pruned so there might not be too many fruits this year.

This weekend we spent a lot of time weeding. My backyard is overrun with weeds. (Buster just interrupted me. I think he wants to go downstairs. He needs human supervision to go down or up, hehehehe)

I planted a few Shasta daisy seeds today. I was planning on planting my "salad greens" seeds, but I didn't have a pot available. The planting plot just got weeded today and so it's nearly ready for tomatoes, but I'm not sure the plants are in the nursery yet. Will check next week.

Okay my tilapia sarsiado dinner is waiting.

I'm Thankful

My Love Affair With Roses

Ever since I can remember I have always been fascinated by roses. I love them. Rose trees, rose bushes, rose vines, ground cover roses, fragrant ones, singles, doubles, any kind.

While we have a few rose plants in the house, my husband was not agreeable to planting only roses in the garden. I do love other flowers too, but my love for roses remain at the top of my list.

What's not to love with these?