February is for Cold and Ice

 Good Morning!  The sun is shining.  No accumulation of snow or ice is in the forecast.  Right there in those three sentences are three things for which I am thankful. And I haven't even begun my Friday Fave Fives list.  The world is so full of blessings that everywhere I turn my mind or eye, there is something to appreciate if I choose to notice them.  If you are a repeat reader at Willow's Cottage, you will know about Friday Fave Fives.  You can read and rejoice with me and others when we post and link to Susanne's blog.

1.  Last Friday after I wrote my FFF, Younger Daughter had a disguised blessing.  The ice and snow were making driving difficult and dangerous, but she had some important things to do at work.  But as she pulled out of her driveway, her car got stuck.  Really truly stuck.  So she had to consort to Plan B and work from home (managing a major online conference!).  The blessings here are that she didn't have to navigate the horrible highway situation; she didn't have issues with internet during the meetings; her neighbors saw her car in the street and managed to get it back in to her driveway for her.  I am thankful she was safe!

2.  The Professor knows I enjoy photographing birds, but birds do not cooperate for me to photograph.  BUT.  One morning, he tiptoed into the kitchen and told me to grab my camera.  This time the hawk did not immediately fly away so I was able to catch a couple of pictures.

3.  The New Boy had a birthday!  Can you believe he is now FOURTEEN?  We celebrated with birthday dinner at Olive Garden.  And of course, since he is fourteen, there are no photos of him.

4.  Being stuck at home with snow and ice everywhere was a blessing in that I was able to organize my notebooks on my garden plans and herbs information.  It took me the better part of two days, but now it is done. For Now.

5.  The ice and snow are mostly melted.  That is a huge blessing because our street is dead end and usually doesn't get plowed.

That wraps up Willow's Week of blessings!  

Hello, February!

I am just not ready for February.  It has come too soon.  Do you feel like that, too?  This week flew by!  And here it is Friday and I didn't write any posts.  But I always make sure I write my Friday Fave Fives.  It's important to remember to be thankful every day and every week. (Follow the FFF link to read others' faves and join in.)

1.  February 1st.  On January 1st, the Professor and I drove to Ventura Harbor and walked around it.  On February 1st, we met our friends for a walk and coffee, and at their suggestion, we walked at the harbor.  There might be a pattern emerging.  March 1st?

2.  It was cold(ish) this week where I live.  Yeah, I know.  Southern Californians are wimps.  But 'for us', it was cold.  I'm thankful for extra blankets, warm jackets, hats and gloves!

3.  I have a Kindle.  For a long time, I resisted reading books digitally.  But there has been a series of cozy murder mysteries that we have wanted to read but couldn't find paper copies; so The Professor convinced me that the Los Angeles City Library (yes, we are card carrying members) would loan them to us and I could read them on my Kindle.  So I've been reading through the whole thirty-two books in the series on my Kindle.  I guess I'm thankful for having one (although I still prefer 'real' books.

4.  The decorative pear trees are in bloom!

5.  The New Boy turned TWELVE this week!  It's hard to believe he is growing up so fast.  I am thankful for this grandson!  And he actually answers my texts.  How could this little guy be twelve!?!

How Was Your Week? Here's Mine

I love and need to reflect every week on the blessings in my life  Here are my Five Fave things from the past week. (Follow THIS LINK to join if you want to.)

1.  Eight mile suburban hike.  The Professor and I joined a small group for an evening hike.  Most of it was on a bike path we regularly walk.  It was fun to walk with other people who love to hike.  One woman grew up in Cornwall and we had the BEST conversation about that part of England I love.

2.  Talking with my new Cornish friend made me want to look through the photos I took of Cornwall last spring.  Happy Sigh.

All those NARROW  Cornish hedgerow roads

The New Boy at his favorite place.

That building in the background isn't Tintagel Castle.  It's an ancient church which is still used for services.

3.  Instagram.  I'm more of a Facebook person, mostly because I am used to it.  Sometimes I forget that I even have an Instagram account.  I realized this week that I have been missing out on some pictures of The New Boy!  His mom posted photos on Instagram of him cooking dinner and breakfast.  Evidently, he really enjoys cooking.

4.  Two doctor appointments this week checked off the list.  Yay!  And everything is ok.  I am cleared for bending and stooping.

5.  I am working again (and again, and again) on those old photos.  This past week I have focused on my oldest son's baby pictures.  He was SO cute!

So that was Willow's Week. How was yours?

Revealed

Oh, hey! Hi! Yes, I'm back! So, where was Willow for the past almost month?  Here are some hints.

Obviously, it was a long trip.  The New Boy was tired.

He revived.  There were special places he wanted to see that first day.

YES!  We were in LONDON!

Can I say that it is really fun traveling with an eleven year old boy?  His view of what's interesting was different from his mom's and ours, but he (mostly) happily went along with our sightseeing plans.  As long as it involved food.

I am still recovering from jet lag and still organizing photos.  Come back soon to 'see' the whole trip!

Busy Life

Life is busy right now.  I am still visiting my daughter and will be here several more days.  Even when I'm out of my usual routine, I try to focus on what has blessed me during the past week and share it with Friday Fave Fives.

1.  So many hours with my daughter and and The New Boy.  We take the dog for a walk in the neighborhood every evening.  A couple of days my daughter has taken vacation hours from work.  I treasure these times of making memories.

2.  I don't really know the area where my daughter lives, so one day I borrowed her car and just drove around on the town and country roads.  I wandered, got lost a bit, and had so much fun exploring and even 'found' a nature reserve where we can take Mollie the dog for an outing.

3.  A new to me friend (who knows both of my girls) invited me to hike with her. We took the dogs and enjoyed getting to know each other.  She's from Southern California, so we have many similar memories. (Can you say 'the traffic on LA freeways?')  Of course, we had to take a selfie!

And a photo of the dogs

4.  I have to make the place we hiked a separate fave.  I have been to Blackhand Gorge before with my daughter in the summer, so I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the area in the spring.  We walked two of the three trails and the dogs were in puppy heaven.  Isn't it a beautiful area?

the old canal waterway

tunnel blasted out by workers on the canal in the 1930s

In several places, workers carved their names and the date in the walls.

5.  Morning coffee with my girl.  Usually, we get it at River Road Coffee House, an independent coffee place which also has the world's best cinnamon rolls.

Short and to the point this week.  Have a blessed weekend!

Looking Forward into 2016

Welcome to 2016!  My first Friday Fave Fives of the year.  Thanks to Susanne for faithfully hosting Friday Fave Five every week.  How long has it been? [I just checked--I think my first FFF post was in September 2008.  That's amazing!]

How can I choose only FIVE?

1.  Having Daughter #1 and New Boy (he's certainly not new anymore--he's nearly eight!) for 10 days was wonderful.  New Boy is turning out to be a great lover of 'walks'.  Nearly every day, we walked our usual three mile route around the neighborhood.  We also spent one day at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and another day at the Huntington Library and Garden in San Marino.

2.  Son #1 and his wife and PAL joined us for two days!  Oh what fun!  I adored watching the cousins interact.  Our son has revived the family tradition of baking limpa, a Swedish Christmas bread.  He produced enough loaves to provide every family unit in our extended family with one.  We sent them across the country, near and far, to nearly twenty households.  The feedback from family was very positive and appreciative.  Here is PAL enjoying her first taste.

Now that she walks runs, there's no stopping her and nearly every photo is simply a blur of motion.

3.  Son #2 flew in from the East Coast where he is working in a post doctorate research position.  Since he is a Stanford alum, he decided to bless his dad with tickets to the ROSE BOWL!

As you can see, they are wearing Cardinal colors.  I quickly grabbed some red yarn and knitted up two hats for them.

4.  Alas, even wonderful Christmas season must come to an end.  We dropped Daughter #1 and New Boy off at the airport and decided to alleviate our acute feelings of 'missing them already' by 'walking it off' at Will Rogers State Historic Park.  After a short visit to Will Rogers' home (no photos allowed), we hiked up to Inspiration Point where we could look over Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and out to the Pacific Ocean.

5.  Now it is very quiet at Willow's Cottage.  That can be good, too. We are focusing on those little projects that we put off during the semesters.  The Christmas decorations are put away.  The candy is completely consumed.  We are walking every day.  I do love New Years because it brings with it a refreshing anticipation of what this new year will bring.  As I wrote in the previous post, this year I have chosen SIMPLE as my word.  Simple exercise, simple food, simple wardrobe, simple schedule.

Have you considered your hopes and goals for the year?  Have you chosen a word to focus your thoughts and actions in 2016?  Have you considered the amazing blessings you experienced during the Christmas season?

Happy May Day

It's May First.  Happy May Day!  Warmer weather, winding down the school year. prepping the garden.  It's also Friday and time to pause in this stress filled week and ponder reasons to be grateful.  Large and small blessings.  It's all good.  Here are the Friday Fave Fives of Willow's Week.

1.  I admit to being entranced with my resident reptiles.  This little guy is a western fence lizard.  We greet each other on the patio or sidewalk.  Fortunately, he's not poisonous.

2.  I'm not an adventurous cook, but I found a recipe that incorporates both tofu and kale in a yummy baked spaghetti.  This one I like!  Compliments of Hummusapien.

3.  A unexpected whirlwind trip brought The New Boy and his mom back to California just two weeks after their Huntington Beach trip.  This time, the occasion wasn't joyous--a funeral.  I joined them on the trip--just a four hour drive, an overnight, and another four hour drive back.  The New Boy was a trooper.  On a lighter note, he discovered what you can do with a piece of fruit and a permanent marker.  Meet the menagerie.

4.  I love spending time with my daughter, no matter the circumstances.  Can I just say how proud I am of her?  I should have named her Charis (Grace in Greek) or Mercy.  And of course, it was so crazy I didn't get a single photo of her.

5.  I love the little things that catch my eye on a busy day.

Tiny shamrock flowers.

Not large enough to really count as flowers for May Day, but they're so sweet.

When You're Seven

There is so much to do and see in Huntington Beach, California when you're seven.

The sand and surf provide unending adventure.

Bolsa Chica Nature Reserve has birds, more birds and even more birds.

Huntington Beach is a famous place for surfers.

There are always pods of surfers playing in the waves just offshore.

Mr. Seal, Mr. Seagull and Mr. Pelican are hoping for a handout.  Fish, please.

When you're seven, Huntington Beach is the perfect place to spend spring break.