Thursday, March 15, 2012

More March Memories

The second week of March 2012 has wandered along.  How did you spend your days? What did you do?  Did you find blessings?  I hope your days were filled with choices where you could look and find reasons to be thankful.  Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts Friday Fave Five so we can share our weekly events of gratitude.  Here are more of my March Memories.

We spent the weekend doing this
(90 lbs. of pit bull puppy love, dog sitting for out of town friends)


while walking along here


and gazing at this.


2.  The trees are blossoming everywhere even in the Trader Joe's parking lot.


I love how the brown branches criss-cross and make a background jumble of lines against the bright blue sky while the frilly pink blossoms drape themselves everywhere.


3.  The California poppies are showing up in my garden and in every imaginable spot where there is a tiny bit of soil to sustain their carrot like roots.  I see them blooming on the hillsides, at freeway onramps, in neighbors' gardens.


4.  Knitting and knitting. And. Knitting.  Green/blue yarn.  The body of Liesl is finished.  I'm ready to begin the sleeves.  Will I finish by St. Patrick's Day?  Since the seventeenth is my birthday, I'm still hoping.  And knitting.  When I told my students that my birthday is St. Patrick's Day, they asked me if I am Irish.  I told them that I have enough Irish blood to fill my big toe.  I do have Irish ancestors.  Two of my great-great-great grandparents were born in Ireland.  Their names were William Kent and Ellen Brock.  According to the records I have, William was educated at the University of Dublin.  So, yes, I'm (a wee bit) Irish.  Fortunately, my parents resisted naming me Patricia, much to the disgust of my Great Uncle Patrick (also born on March 17th).  I wear a sterling silver clover leaf necklace and clover leaf earrings to honor my Irish roots and celebrate my birthday.  If I don't finish the sweater, I will have to be content with wearing my Irish jewelry.  Stay tuned...the sleeves shouldn't take too long to knit--I'm using large size 11 needles.

5.  Time change.  The reasons I chose last weekend's time change as a fave are because now I am back in the same time zone as my son and daughter-in-law who live in Arizona.  It's easier to call them when we all think it's the same time.  Also, while the sun may rise later now, it also stays lighter longer in the evenings.  Light at night makes it easier to walk after dinner which I have done three times since Sunday.  It's good for my heart and health.

This weekend we shall be away.  We're driving to Arizona to visit Older Son (The Chaplain) and his lovely wife.  There will be no beach scenes.  Just lots of this:


and this.


17 comments:

ellen b. said...

Oh a road trip on your birthday weekend. Fun! Enjoy...

Marg said...

I can almost see you from those beaches...You are truly enjoying spring and we are lost in the midst of snow storms...but eagerly awaiting the calls of spring.

nikkipolani said...

Lots of colorful views for your week and upcoming weekend (happy birthday, too!). Enjoy your visit with family.

Tracy said...

Oh, so good... puppy, beach and flowers... couldn't be sweeter! LOVELY photos, Willow :o) Happy Spring ((HUGS))

Anonymous said...

So glad you get to spend your birthday with your loved ones. Our poppies out here will be a different color, but just as vibrant when they spring up. Hope you post pics of your sweater -- of COURSE you'll finish it. (Maybe on the drive out. . .) Mary P

roxie said...

The close-up of the poppy is splendid!

What is it like to walk a dog that almost outweighs you?

IfI know you. you'll have the sweater finished and buttons sewn on by the 17th. Have a swell birthday!!

aspiritofsimplicity said...

I have been walking my mother's dog along the beach she lives on on the east coast. It's a beautiful way to spend an afternoon!

Bethany said...

Happy Birthday Willow!!! You may just have leprechaun blood in you because you seem to be very lucky! ;) California poppies have to be some of the most beautiful flowers in the world. And all of these blooming just for your day! Maybe our relatives were friends because we have Quinn blood in us!

Dorothy said...

Happy Birthday, Willow! I love those California poppies! And the puppy!

Have a great time with your son and daughter-in-law!

Faith said...

have fun visiting your son and have a fun birthday! LOVE the pics of that beach pic!!

Laura@OutnumberedMom said...

Beautiful pictures. Those poppies are breathtaking!

Enjoy your trip. And we do want to see that sweater...!

Brenda said...

That is a beautiful pit bull that you got to take care of! And I can see you never get tired of the beach, neither do I, it seems to always change and give us something new to look at.

Susanne said...

Those blooms are amazing. I always used to call those orange poppies "Nagymama's flowers" because my mom brought seeds home from my grandmother's garden in Hungary. I had no idea they were a California native.

Love your pics. Wishing I had a beach to walk by.

Barbara H. said...

What beautiful scenes! Have fun on you trip!

Melanie - Author/Editor/Publisher said...

Those pictures are breathtaking!!!!! Oh soooooo nice!!!

Catherine said...

Your photos are so beautiful, I want to jump into the screen, and your descriptions are the perfect compliment.

We are getting our first few peeks of green here in NY, and I am so glad for them!

The puppy is cute! I'll bet you had fun with her.

I hope you had a wonderful trip, and a fabulous birthday! Next week, you should show us the sweater! I love your knitting.

-Catherine

Sharon Lynne said...

I like those desert shots! It feels good to be away from people and all the rif-raf sometimes.

But I love the beach too.

And your pit-bull doggy is cute. Yes, they can be quite loving.