Windy Week

 Wow!  This past week has flown by.  Literally.  We have been experiencing extremely strong winds.  Older Daughter's power is out, but at least we have not had any tornados.  It's time for Willow's Willow summed up with FRIDAY FAVE FIVES. The link will take you to where you can read other FFFs and join in, too, if you wish.

1.  SPRING flowers!  Lots of daffodils.  (Yes, I mentioned that last week, but these daffodils make me happy all day long!)

2.  More HIKES and WALKS.  Just like last week.  Notice a pattern here?  I do love being outside seeing God's creation, even if the trails are muddy.

3.  The Professor and I also ventured out on our BIKES this week.  We are slowly working up to longer rides.

4.  I asked my grandson The New Boy what I did this week.  His response:  You taught me alliteration.  Ah, yes.  I enjoy TEACHING writing/composition and find it fun to teach my grandson as part of his homeschool curriculum.

5.  My art group friends and I were 'zooming' this week, discussing the book we chose to read for Lent.  As usual, we got a bit off topic and our conversation ended up at this quote (which I have written over one of my photos.

More Hashtags

I had so much fun writing the post a few weeks ago with hashtags.  So I decided to do it again.  Here are my Friday Fave Fives for this (fortunately much cooler and pleasant) week.  #fridayfavefives  #thankssusanne

1.  An elderly friend was talking with me about aging gracefully and mentioned words of wisdom from someone else who stated that it is important to think about becoming better if you don't want to become bitter.  I like that.  #betternotbitter 

2.  The Professor and I took our bikes out for an excursion this week.  In the past year or two, a dedicated (and protected by steel rails) bike path was built along the edge of Hwy 101 on the ocean side.  We were just feet from the beach and ocean.   I think I could ride this section of the trail every day!  #bikinginventuracounty

Only metal fencing separating us from the beach on the left and Hwy 101 on the right.

Our view at lunch.  One of the Channel Islands in the distance.

3.  I dislike shopping so much that when I find a basic item like pants that fit, I buy an extra pair.  This summer I bought an inexpensive pair of black yoga pants and decided to see if I could find another.  Lucky me!  There were not, one, not two, but three, pairs in the store.  I bought them.  Now I wont't have to shop for pants for a long while.  #blackpants

4.  One afternoon we decided to hike up to the top of the hill at the end of our neighborhood.  There is an electrical company 'station' there, so the road is paved most of the way.  We spooked five deer who were grazing in the area.  (Can you see all five deer?  Evidently, brush and cactus make excellent camouflage. )  #walkingtheneighborhood

5.  I've been busy knitting hats for the local hospital's NICU.  I posted a photo on facebook and two people asked for the pattern, so they can knit, too.  #twentytinyhats

#thatwasfun

End of May Blessings

It was a slow, slipping into summer week.  I love it.  The blessings were just simple ones, but I am still grateful.  Here are the Friday Fave Fives from Willow's Week.

1.  Checking stuff to do off our to do list.  Deep clean one room a day.  Check.   Clean out and organize shed.  Check.  Daily exercise--bike rides, walks.  Check.  I love summer!  Our summer schedule is 'our schedule'.

2.  Did I just write, "I love summer"?  Waking up in the morning and reciting, "Let's see.  Today is the Saturday we call Thursday!"  It's so relaxing -- and we really need that after our crazy spring.

3.  One thing I love to do is putter around in my little garden.  This week I repotted my chocolate mint.  It had become root bound, so I pulled it all out and replanted it.  There were enough leaves on the bits that didn't go back in the pot to make a yummy cup of tea.  Served with a couple of ginger cookies, it was the perfect afternoon snack.

4.  I also started an experiment.  I'm a huge fan of ginger root tea.  Because I can purchase great fresh ginger at the farmers market, I always have a supply on hand.  In fact, this spring, I had a bit extra which began to sprout.   I got to wondering if I could grow ginger.  I did some research and finally decided that if it doesn't work, it's not a big deal.  It's an experiment.  Here is my pot--we'll see....

5.  I love being able to bless someone else with something I am not longer using.  We had some moving blankets stored in our shed and decided to let them go.  I posted an offer for them on my resource exchange group and a family who is moving out of state this weekend jumped on my offer.  The dad came by today and picked them up.  Win-win.  I recouped a small portion of  money from my investment in them and gained some more room in the shed, and they have padding for their furniture for the move.  I threw in a couple of boxes and some packing paper--Yay!

How was your week?  Any blessings?

The Quiet Week

It was a quiet week here at Willow's Cottage.  Most of the noise came from the covey of quail which have been scurrying around on our back hill, most likely searching for dropped seeds.  One other fun bit of noise came from my computer one evening when our son skyped us again from Indonesia.  We were able to 'see' the view of the green green hills which surround the neighborhood where he is living and even hear the tropical birds chirping.  With her usual perfect timing, our MamaMia phoned so she was able to say hi to her brother from her cell phone to my cell phone to my laptop to his laptop.  Don't you just LOVE technology??

Anyway, as I was saying, our mostly quiet week was still filled with joyful and satisfying things.  I look for these little examples of joy to share in Friday Fave Five.  This little exercise helps me to be watchful and grateful for the blessings of my week.  Susanne hosts this EVERY FRIDAY.  That takes a lot of dedication on her part and I truly do appreciate her taking the lead on this each week.

1.  Every year, on the Thursday before classes begin at Cal State Univ Channel Islands, the lovely people who work in the library host a faculty and families back to school reception in one of the university library's courtyards.  Every year, The Professor and I happily attend and spend a couple of pleasant hours eating wonderful catered dishes, drinking excellent wine, and dipping strawberries, bananas and chocolate chip cookies into the chocolate fountain while we chat with the other faculty and families.

2.  After that rather filling dinner, we strolled around the library lawn and the rest of the campus.  Because the university is nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains near where they descend to the Pacific Ocean, it is natural that most of the grounds are planted with California natives.

I love the bunch grasses! (Well, yes, this one is bluish, but yes, I did doctor the color just a little bit.  But wouldn't it be wonderful if it really were that blue?)

3.  On Saturday, we loaded up our bikes and drove to Ventura and rode the bike/walkway along the beachfront.  It was a perfect day for a bike ride.  Cloudy but not cold.  Breezy but not too windy.

Past Surfers Point

Beyond the pier all the way to the  harbor.

And back.

4.  I've been crocheting.  I had some skeins of leftover wool from a project I knitted for my master knitter certification.  In my quest to use up my yarn stash this year, I decided to see how large an afghan I could make with the four colors-pink, purple, green and cream.  Forty-two squares.  Each 4 1/4 inches across.  A 6 x 7 square design.  Without the edging, the afghan will be 'about' 26 inches by 30 inches.  Not very large, but it will still be 'lap-size'.

5.  My neighbor, who is also my friend, had never been to our little indie coffee shop in town.  So on Tuesday morning we dropped in there for coffee and the best biscotti I have ever tasted!  We agreed that this little shop is the perfect place to meet up every week for a little study session.  Oh, the coffee's great, too.

That was Willow's Week.  I spent the rest of my hours sitting here in the cottage planning lessons which happily are mostly finished. 

How was yours?

Addendum:  Shortly after posting this, I somehow, I really am not sure how, I fell (tripped, stumbled, was a complete clutz?) and severely sprained my right ankle.  It looks like next week will be another Quiet Week around here.

11.667

He said, "Shall we ride our bikes to the farmers market this morning?"

I said, "How far is it? How can we carry our spinach and beans and broccoli home?"

As I spoke, I knew those were silly questions. He rides his bike daily and carries everything he needs in a black backpack.

He said, "We can ride to the market and then if you want to wait for me Somewhere, I'll pop over to the hardware store and pick up that screwdriver I need to mend your spinning wheel. And then we'll ride home."

The thought of 'Somewhere' intrigued me.

I asked, "Where is Somewhere?"

He replied, "Oh, Somewhere where there is coffee."

He has been encouraging me to ride my bike more. He knows that once I'm out on the bike, on the street, I love it, I feel strong and free. The tricky part is getting me on to the bike. That's where the encouraging part comes in.

He calls it encouragement. I call it bribery. It works.

I said, "OK. How far will we have to ride?"

He didn't say.

We rode to the market, and I felt strong and free, so we rode to the hardware store, where I waited outside and guarded the bikes. Then we decided to ride to the closer coffee place because I wasn't feeling so strong and free. I was hungry and thirsty.

Down the hill on Barry Street. Along Mission Oaks, which parallels the freeway and is actually lined with large, graceful eucalyptus trees, not oaks. Across Santa Rosa and into the parking lot.

He happily paid his bribe.

Round trip: 11.667 Miles