Early October Faves

Friday Fave Five.  October 8, 2010.

Linking to Susanne's Friday Fave Five is a tradition here at Willow's Cottage.  I love this exercise in gratitude.  If you would like to join, you can link up at Living To Tell The Story.

1. Don't you love weeks that slip by without drama or extended driving?  Of course, sometimes it's fun to travel, but after many trips this year, I'm happy to be home for a few weeks.

2. We (meaning The Professor did it while I sat and watched) finally figured out how to get the camera and the laptop to talk with each other and play nice.  In any relationship communication is a key component.

Here's the proof. On Saturday morning of our weekend in Humboldt County, we joined a group of his classmates on a dunes and beach walk.  Fog hung densely and deeply in the trees and dunes vegetation.  Hoping for a better ocean view I walked ahead.  As I turned around, I saw The Professor and three friends silhouetted against the foggy background.

3. Rain.  For three days this week, it poured in Southern California.  Marking the first measurable rain in five months, the storm soaked quickly into our very dry ground and caused all the plants to slurp up the moisture as fast as they could.

4. Sunshine. After the rain. Most fall/winter rainstorms in Southern California last three days. I don't know why. They just do.  Then the sun shines again.

5. Lavender. It's one of my favorite plants.  I love the blooms.  I love the colors.  I love the smell.  Because one of the bushes outdid itself in growth this summer, I had to cut it back severely since it was overwhelming plants on all sides.  Carrying armloads of fragrant lavender clippings from the garden to the yard debris can wasn't a chore. It was heavenly.



Thanks for reading Willow's Week in review.  How was yours?

Golden Gate Bridge

First opened in May 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge spans the Golden Gate Strait which the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean.

Its 4,200 foot suspension span is not the longest in the world.  There are currently eight bridges around the world that have longer suspension spans.  In my opionion, however, The Golden Gate Bridge still the most beautiful.

October!

How about mixing it up a bit today for Friday Fave Five?

The Good News, Bad News Edition.

1.  The Good News is that our long trip of almost 1,400 miles last weekend was accomplished with no mishaps.  I think that should be Great News!  Safety in travel is something I don't take for granted.  The Bad News is that we drove almost 1,400 miles.  It was exhausting!

2.  The Good News is that I took close to 100 photos along Highway 101 from Los Angeles north to Humboldt County.**  Beautiful!  Majestic!  Incredible!  Mountains, Sea, Vineyards.  I love the Northern California Coast!  The Bad News?  Evidently, the new camera and my computer haven't been introduced yet and they're not talking.  So, no photos. Yet.

3.  The Good News:  The Professor graduated from high school with many wonderful kids.  They've all grown up and turned in to great adults.  Attending a high school reunion as a 'spouse' isn't always so much fun.  But this group makes it very pleasant for us outsiders, and at every reunion I get reacquainted with his friends, and I also meet new people.  I think that most reunions aren't like this.  Arcata High School turned out some great graduates.  The Bad News:  I'm not sure there was bad news...maybe just that a couple of people we walked with in the Portland to Coast Relay and the Willamette Valley Relay for several years weren't able to make it to the reunion.

4.  Good News.  Amazingly, Arcata, California is just a couple of towns away from Ferndale, California where my father's parents were born, raised, went to school, met, and married.  So in a way, visiting Humboldt County, California is like coming home for me too.  Bad News.  We didn't have enough time during the short weekend to drive over to Ferndale to see the old farmhouse or visit the cemetery where many of my ancestors are buried.

5.  Best News.  We spent the night at Stanford University with our son and had a great breakfast with him on campus.  Baddest News.  The time was too short.

That's how Willow's Weekend went.  Crazy. Busy. So. Much. Fun.  The rest of the week was spent recovering from the 26 hours in the car and showing up for work.  It was Good.

I'd love to know how far you traveled this week!  Was it good?  You can share here or link to Susanne's blog Living to Tell the Story for Friday Fave Five.

Technology Gadgets Are My Friends

Welcome to Friday Fave Five!  Because I am on a weekend trip with The Professor, I can't post photos until we arrive at our destination.  However, I can still post a FFF.  If you would like to join in and post your faves, link them to Susanne's blog Living to Tell the Story.

I love technology that helps me!

1.  Our phones have internet access!  I can check my email in the car!

2.  Latitude.  It's an app on my phone.  We used it to monitor our progress toward our overnight destination.  How cool it was to watch our little icon move along Hwy 101 North and eventually meet up with our son's icon on his campus.

3.  Our car.  Even though it registers 170,000 miles on the odometer, it's still reliable for a 1400 mile round trip. Yeah, it's a weekend trip, but it's worth it.

4.  I can post this FFF from my son's uber fast uber cool computer.

5.  A student needed some papers and I am able to email them in an attachment to her.  That is SO much easier for both of us!

That's Willow's Week, short and sweet.  How was yours?

Fog

It's a foggy afternoon along the Pacific Coast Highway beach route.

Sometimes the low clouds creep across the road and up the steep coastal mountain.

It's difficult to discern where the sea ends and the sky begins.

But it's still fun, and it's still PCH.

School--Week One: Check

Five Favorite Events.  Every Week.  On Friday.  It's a tradition at Willow's Cottage.  Even during a busy ramp-up-to-school time, I want to focus my thoughts and my blog posts on Being Thankful at least once a week.  Susanne's Friday Fave Five is my way to concentrate on gratitude.  If you would like to participate in FFF, click HERE and  post your Faves.

1. While most schools have been in session for two or three weeks already, including the university where the Professor teaches, I just started my classes this week.  That's an advantage of teaching homeschool kids.  The co-ops can plan their own schedules.  What a great first week it was!  One of the students walked out of class and exclaimed to his mother, "That was fun!"  It was fun for me, too.

2. I will have to 'fess up that I did not write about a particular fave last week.  It was a purchase with which I'm quite pleased.  After deliberating for months about whether we really needed new phones and about which phone to buy if we did, we finally decided that it was time.  Fortunately, there was a deal at the phone store for a buy one, get one free deal, and so we each bought a new MyTouch phone.  I am so twenty-first century now!  Or I will be when I learn how to use some of the apps and functions.

3. This week I've finally been able to return to my workout group.  I joined the week I sprained my ankle, and it was truly frustrating to not be able to participate.  My goal is to do the workouts twice a week with the group, and then the other days I can hopefully motivate myself to walk or ride my bike by myself.  The leaders are encouraging and helpful, and the other people in the group are lots of fun!

4.  Cooler weather.  Foggy mornings. Sunny afternoons.

5.  Meals at home.  I just love eating our own home cooked dinners.  They taste so much better than restaurant food!  The Professor makes a mean grilled salmon.  Sometimes the simple pleasures are the best.

What made your fave list this week?

Labor Day Week

Labor Day week always marks the end of summer.  It has been like this as long as I can remember.  Labor Day comes. Then School starts. Every year. This week, the week at the end of summer, I spent mostly away from home.

1. A safe road trip is always a fave. The road from Willow's Cottage to Phoenix, Arizona is long and involves many transitions from one freeway to another, notably as the road wends its way through Los Angeles, so a safe and timely trip is not a guarantee. Fortunately, The Professor is a safe and careful driver.  I just sat in my spot, read a couple of books, did a little knitting, and occasionally attempted to catch a quick photo through the window.

2. I treasure my visits with my family.  On the weekend, The New Boy and his Mama were there in Phoenix, so they could see Uncle Dan before he left on his own long trip.  We were invited to stay with other relatives, and that time was very special, too. My beloved cousin/sister who lives in the northern Arizona mountains drove down to spend one day with me, and that was a delightful addition of family time.

3. Breakfast at the Cracker Barrel.  It's a cute little (chain) restaurant that serves yummy breakfasts.  Sharing the meal with recently transplanted California friends made the French toast taste even better.

4.  Air conditioning.  Phoenix is famous for its three digit temperatures in the summer, and the city did not disappoint in that area. Happily, the air conditioning didn't disappoint either.

5. We attended Chaplain Dan's Deployment Ceremony. Previously, we had met some of his fellow soldiers, and it was a privilege to see them again and wish them all "God speed" for their year away from family and country.  As a mother, I was happy to be able to hug my son one more time.

What did you do during your last week of summer?  Share your five special memories!  If you want to, you can join the Friday Fave Five crowd over at Living To Tell The Story.

PS:  Thanks for all your concerns about my sprained ankle.  Although I am still wrapping it with ace bandages and keeping it elevated as much as possible, I am able to move around with almost no pain.  The ankle is healing well!

Gratitude Through an Owie

Welcome! This is an edition of Friday Fave Five, a weekly event focused on thankfulness for the little things in our lives.  Susanne hosts FFF on her blog Living To Tell The Story.  Click on the link to go over there and see what it's all about.

I sprained my left ankle.  It swelled remarkably.  It turned purple.  But there is a silver lining in this purple cloud of pain.  How could I be thankful for a sprained ankle?  Let me count the ways!

1. I stayed home most of the week and when I did venture out I was 'dropped at the door' by thoughtful drivers so the distance I limped was shorter. 

2. Other people did the driving.

3. Because three adult children were around over the weekend, I didn't do any dishes.

4. I am certainly glad that before any of my children left for college and adulthood, I made sure they knew how to do laundry, clean and cook.  The Grad Student has turned in to a passable cook.  He's actually quite good, but I don't want to brag here.  One evening he cooked up an excellent curried lentil soup.  Another night, the main course was vegetarian curry with coconut milk.  He also cleaned up after dinner.

5. Because I sat around the house with my foot elevated, resting on an ice pack, I put in a lot of hours on school preparation.  The year's lesson plans are finished.  Of course, teachers all know that plans are tweaked as we go, but my basic outlines for the writing classes I'll be teaching are ready to scroll.

*6. I've learned the value of ice packs (see #4)  for swelling and have become acquainted with the benefits of ace bandages.

*7. I do not take my ability to walk for granted anymore.  I appreciate every step!

I'm pleased to report that although I won't be running in any 5K races this weekend, I am up and around and even able to stand and photocopy my completed lessons.

What are you thankful for this week?

*bonus points :)

The Beach

Some days

I wish

I was here

or here.

Do you have days like that?

Late to the Game

It's mid morning on Friday and here I am, sitting around with the fam.  I just realized, "It's Friday morning!  Friday Fave Five!  I've missed it!"  But, you know, there isn't a time limit on gratitude.  Thankfulness and gratitude should be part of every day, every hour, every minute of our lives.

What am I thankful for this week?

1. My drive to LAX* was UNDER AN HOUR.  That's a minor modern miracle.
          *Los Angeles International Airport.  If you don't live or drive in Southern California you have NO.IDEA how slow traffic on the freeway that runs past LAX can be because THERE.IS.CONSTRUCTION happening right now in the Sepulveda Pass.

2. My husband is home.

3. My son is home.

4. My daughter and son in law are here at Willow's Cottage, enjoying the stories, and photos**, and Indonesian coffee.

   ** One of my favorites.  Can you do this?

Indonesians have the world's best attitude toward napping.

5. Someone else made my coffee this  morning.

If I don't get round to visit everyone for  Friday Fave Five***  I hope you'll understand why.  I'll be out on the porch.  Drinking Indonesian coffee.

***click there to get to Susanne's blog and link to FFF.

#102

Susanne says that this week's Friday Fave Five is #102!  For one hundred and two weeks, we have been sharing our best memories and favorite events.  Thanks, Susanne, for hosting us at your blog!

If you are interested in joining the fun, click on the link and post your own Fave Five.

Reunited with my computer, internet connection, and camera this week, I am able to post photos of my San Diego adventures.

1. What lovely delectable days we experienced, eating spring rolls and peanut sauce at the local Vietnamese restaurant

and completely throwing diet and cholestrol count to the winds with cheese burgers, fries, onion rings and the best chocolate milkshakes in the world at Hodad's in Ocean Beach.

2. I stole borrowed these beautifully crafted beads* made in Uganda from MamaMia.  Somehow, they matched almost every outfit I brought with me.  It pleases me to know that my girls have a heart to help and support women and children of the world.  The cost of this necklace went back to the original designer to help establish a cottage business in Africa.

*edited to add in response to questions--yes, these colorful beads were made from colored paper!  The tiny separator beads were glass.  Being so light weight, the necklace simply 'floated' on my neck and was hardly noticeable at all.

 

4. Taking time to do a little useful crafting was delightful.

5. Having several pairs of eyes, hands and running feet made it possible to share the joy of chasing this little one from swimming pool

to ocean pier

to the Egyptian Room at the Museum of Man

in Balboa Park.

Now I can carry these precious memories with me and look at the photos any time I want.

What memories did you make this week?  Please share them!

Awol in San Diego

I have been spending the past week with my daughters in San Diego.  Due to the ever malignant internet-connections-that-hate-Willow, I have had nearly non existent time online with my own computer.  Unfortunately, that also means there can be no photos posted online from my computer until I exorcise the internet demon or return home on the weekend to the internet-that-usually-cooperates-with-Willow's-laptop.

Fortunately, I must have raised my girls properly because they both regularly offer to loan their laptops to me.  So, this evening, while The New Boy is being snuggled to sleep, I am using a borrowed computer with internet access (that modern mystical miracle!) to post a Fave Five.  Thank you, Susanne, for hosting this community of thankful bloggers every Friday.  If you want to join us, link up at Living To Tell The Story.

1. The Professor and our Grad Student are thousands and thousands of miles away from home.  They are spending August in Papua, Indonesia where they are making contacts and researching opportunities for projects related to the Grad Student's areas of interest in his graduate studies.  What makes this trip especially exciting is that they are staying in the town where we lived for several years and renewing friendships with many people we knew then--students, storekeepers, neighbors, coworkers.

2.  Again, the technology that allows me to have daily contact with them makes my Fave list! Facebook, Yahoo, Google, Skype.  They're all my best friends right now!

3.  How I treasure my days with The New Boy!  He is growing so tall and strong.  His vocabulary expands daily, his laugh makes me laugh, his morning greeting of "Meema! Meema's awake!" melts my heart.  He has experienced Ocean Beach Pier, Hodad's for lunch, the dog park with 'Puppy Bailey',  Gaslight District, the neighborhood swimming pool, Balboa Park's museums, lots and lots of coffee shops because after all, Mama, the Aunties and Meema have lots of chatting to do.

4.  Speaking of Aunties, there have been several on hand to entertain and amuse The Boy.  I'm not sure who has more fun, the Aunties or the New Boy.

5.  On Tuesday, I had a solitary day. During vacation. I know. Crazy.  I contemplated my options and chose to quietly hang out in Coronado and - whispers - {work on lesson plans for next year}.  The work needed to be done, and I decided that it was best to find a beautiful spot to do it.

So, that was Willow's Week.  How was yours?  I'd really love to hear!

Hangin' out Here

Just enjoying San Diego at its finest.

Lunch and coffee at Panera in downtown Coronado.

I Love Technology

All week I have been constantly aware of how much technology aids and helps me in my daily life.  Therefore, this week's Friday Fave Five is dedicated to technology.  If you are interested in joining Susanne and dozens of others in voicing your gratitude for events in your life this week, go to Living To Tell The Story.

1. I could never be a Luddite now that I know that I can follow the progress of The Professor's plane flights across the Pacific Ocean. During those long hours and layovers, http://www.worldtimezone.com/ helped me convert local times there to local times here.

2. I love the short emails in my inbox that inform me that he and the Grad Student arrived safely at their destinations.

3. Isn't it great when you can look online and found out whether your local library has the book you want to read so you don't have to use up precious gasoline and even more precious time to drive over there only to discover that, no, the library does NOT have the book?

4.  I can send a flight schedule from an email directly to my printer and have the information right in front of me on a piece of paper so I can remember exactly when The New Boy is going to show up with his Mama. AND I can check their flight status, too!

5.  Thumb drives are the best!  My friend and I can share teaching files without my having to rescan every page.  All I need to do is download those files, move the thumb drive to my computer, and put them in to my folders.  Moving information this way is going to save me uncountable hours.

Whoever thought up all these ideas, whoever knew how to take those futuristic ideas and make them a reality, THANK YOU!

These five faves are only a few of the many, many ways my life is made simpler and easier,
What technology has helped you this week?

FFF The Traveling Edition

I did not expect to be writing my Friday Fave Fives from a hotel in North Carolina. But life is full of surprises, isn't it? It's especially exciting when you're traveling.  If all goes smoothly, I will be back in California only a day late.

Anyway,  there were faves this week, even in the midst of canceled flights and unexpected delays.

1.  Wowowowowow!  The writing teachers' conference I attended this week was awesome!  I sat in seminars and workshops morning, afternoon and evening for four days and simply absorbed so much.  It's going to take weeks to digest it all.  I love spending time with people who are passionate about what they do.

2.  Making new friends!  The conference seemed less like a teaching writing symposium and more like a spiritual retreat and summer camp combined.  We bonded during cafeteria meals, over coffee and around the tables after every challenging and exciting lecture.

3.  Especially one new friend.  We stood on the steps of the lecture hall building and marvelled at how we were reading the same books and thinking about the same things.  What a blessing it was for me to discover that I'm not the only person pondering the same fascinating (to us) ideas.

4.  Service personnel.  I was impressed with the cheerfulness and helpfulness of the staff at the university where the conference was held.  It made my stay on the campus truly pleasant.

5.  Pleasant, helpful agents in the airport.  The young lady who helped me reroute my flight just kept on smiling at everyone.

6.  Anticipation.  How lovely it will be to get back to my little cottage, my little garden, my little routine.

Unfortunately, I will be traveling all day on Friday, East Coast to the West Coast of the US.  I'll have plenty of hours of reading and knitting time. But there will be no internet access, so I doubt I'll be able to get around to comment on others' Friday Fave Fives, although I'll do what I can.  If you're interested in knowing more about FFF, click on this link to Susanne's blog Living To Tell The Story.

Fave Fives in July's Doldrums

The middle of the summer (in the northern hemisphere) occurs in July.  Summer Doldrums.  But even in the midst of these dog days of summer, there are cool things happening, stuff that makes me thankful and grateful. This is why I love Friday Fave Five. It's a chance to focus on the positive things, even in hot July.
A family wedding afforded us the opportunity to spend quality time with

1. our own kids.
2. The Professor's brothers.
3. his sisters.
4. our nieces
5. and nephews.

Can you believe it? I didn't take a single photo!  I was just having too much fun.  Congratulations to our niece and her new husband!

I just had to show you the hot pink blooms in the garden at Willow's Cottage!

bouggainvillea

Mayflower rose

No blue hydrangeas in my garden this year

Did you have a great week, or at least some great events within the days of an ordinary week?  If you want to share the favorite parts, join us at Susanne's blog Living to Tell the Story.

FFF

We're back home!  We enjoyed a great vacation, and now it's time to gratefully reflect with Susanne from Living to Tell the Story about the past three weeks.  If you want to join in, click on the link and sign up to share your week's adventures in gratitude.

1.  Visiting Friends and Family in Oregon. I was born in Oregon, as was my father. While I am now a transplanted Southern Californian, I still proudly claim my Oregonian roots.  Our road trip from SoCal to OR reminded me how beautiful my home state is and made me proud again to say, "I'm an Oregon native!"

2. Beautiful Scenery.  Driving either north or south on I-5 through Northern California, you will be awed by the various views of Mt. Shasta.  I never tire of driving this part of the highway from the Oregon border to Redding. (Get out your maps and you'll see that you drive over several mountain passes, past Castle Crags and Lake Shasta.)

3. Home.  I love coming back again and sleeping in my own bed.  Doesn't everyone?

4. Last weekend, the day after we returned from our trip, we joined Chaplain Dan and his wife for a Yellow Ribbon Ceremony, sponsored by the US Army for military personnel and their families. We were presented with solid, helpful information about services available to help soldiers and families during times of deployment and separation.  The whole weekend was beneficial and well organized, and we were able to spend the time with our own soldier.  And the food at the hotel venue was good, too, along with an endless supply of great coffee (and chocolate chip cookies).  Nothing but the best for our heroes!

5. Wildfires have started in Southern California.  On Wednesday afternoon, one broke out in the hills around my town.  Why is this a fave? It's because our fantastic fire departments were rushing to the scene within minutes, and while many many acres burned, NO HOMES or PEOPLE were lost.  Our city and county firefighters are true heroes, too!

This has been Willow's (last three) Week(s).  How have you been?  I missed you all!

My Hometown

I think one of the reasons I love London is that it reminds me of Portland, Oregon. With bridges crossing the wide and placid Willamette River, Portland is separated in to Eastside and Westside.  Just like London. Except that the Thames winds and bends its way through London and the Willamette cuts a mostly straight line through Portland.

Historically, Portland grew up as the End of the Oregon Trail where Eighteen-Forties pioneers bound for Oregon Territory finished their arduous overland journey with an exciting and often treacherous raft ride down the Columbia River, then a left turn at the relatively calm intersection of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers.  Portland was also a shipping destination because the Willamette River is navigable from the Pacific Ocean until nearby Oregon City where Willamette Falls comes tumbling down, bringing water from the south to the north from various smaller creeks and rivers in the Willamette River Valley.

I grew up here, crossing these bridges, watching the river, enjoying its changing moods and water levels.  My father crossed the river daily on his commute to and from work.

One day, The Professor and I walked along the banks of the river, remarking that it reminded us of our visits to London and our strolls along the Thames, passing the bridges, watching traffic stop when the bridges were raised for tall masted ships.

Ross Island Bridge, Marquam Bridge, Broadway, Steel, Burnside, Hawthorn, and Morrison Bridge.

An afternoon stroll along the River Walk is a stroll down My Memory Lane.

Where I Was

We are home from a fun and busy trip. Now to rest and catch up on life.

Gone

On a Road Trip.

Back soon.

A Special Day

This is an important day.

It's the birthday of two of the most important people in my life.

If she were still alive, my mom would be eighty-eight years old today.

Wasn't she beautiful?

The Professor celebrated his birthday today, too.

He's still as handsome now as he was when I shot this photo of him sitting on the steps of our bush house in Papua more than twenty years ago.

Happy Birthday!

Fave Five

Summertime-- and the livin' is ... still busy.

Where did this first week of official summer run off to? I thought summertime livin' was supposed to be easy.  Here's how Willow's Week flew by.

1. On Friday and Saturday, I picked blueberries at my friends' blueberry ranch.  And after the berries were picked, they had to be washed, frozen and packaged.  Those blueberries that didn't get popped straight in to my mouth ala Blueberries for Sal (one of my favorite children's books) made up more than a dozen quarts.

2. As much as I dislike shopping, I have to say that buying clothes makes it on to my fave list.  Being able to purchase a swimsuit, running shoes, sandals, pants and a skirt fairly quickly and almost painlessly is a huge relief to me.  I needed the clothes, and it took much less time than I expected. And now I hope I'm done with shopping for a while!

3. I think that phone calls from Son#2 will continue to be a fave as long as he is out digging in the dirt far far away from home. 

4. I asked the Professor what he thought was a fave for him this week.  He reminded me that the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA finals last Thursday night. Yup. That is definitely a fave for him!  And it's a fave for me, too--no more basketball games for awhile. (Truthfully, I like to watch basketball; I just don't like it as much as the Professor does.)

5. Spending an afternoon with a friend is always a highlight for me.  Thursday I drove down the Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu to Manhattan Beach and enjoyed several hours of walking and talking with a friend--just to cheer her up.

Thanks for joining me to celebrate this first week of summer.  If you want to post your own Fave Fives, link up at Susanne's blog, Living To Tell the Story.

Lulu Lamb in LaLa-Land

The thumping and banging on the top of the package surprised me. I had just picked up the mail from the mailbox and was carrying it in to the house.  Then I heard the groaning.  What was this?  The noise was coming from the package.  Then I heard the bangs, scrapes, and thumps.

Slitting the tape and peeking in to the square See's Candy box carefully, I jumped at least two feet when a throaty, gravelly voice croaked, "Ack! Eww! Awwk!  I thought I'd never survive the flight!"  Two brown eyes squinted at me from a seaweed green face.  "Have you ever been airsick?  It ain't pretty!"  Quickly, I opened the white package, pulled away the tissue paper and stared.

It was a green sheep.  I mean, it was a sort of white lamb dressed in a pink apron. But it was obviously a very nauseated, dizzy, greenish ewe lamb.

"Hello.  Are you alright?"  I was a little worried.

"No, I'm not alright!  You wouldn't be either if you had been traveling in a jet cargo bin for hours and hours.  How long does it take to get to Hollywood from Alaska?"

I thought a minute.  "Several hours, I guess.  Five or six, at least."

She opened one eye a little and surveyed the room.

"You have any lamb tonic?"

I considered and answered. "Well, I have lettuce, parsley and carrots in the garden.  How about if I cook up a little soup?"

Lulu Lamb looked surprised.  "Do movie stars and celebrities have gardens?"

"I don't know about celebrities. I have a garden.  My name is Willow."

Gazing around her, Lulu sat up and immediately flopped over on her side.  The groaning, moaning and hacking resumed.  Obviously, Lulu was still a little jet lagged.

I ran to the kitchen and pulled some lettuce leaves, newly picked carrots and a few pieces of parsley from the colander, washed them, and offered them to Lulu on a tray.

"Ya got any champagne?" she asked.  "I thought every movie star drank the bubbly all day long."

As she nibbled at the lettuce, I sat down and thought.  I recalled an email I had received a few weeks before from a friend up north, mentioning that she had gone to Australia and met up with some interesting characters Down Under.  One of them, a Lamb named Lulu, had sneaked into her luggage and stowed away on the flight back from Aussie-Land.  Thinking about that communication, I remembered that Lulu had a reputation for wanderlust and wild living. My friend had wondered if I was willing to host Lulu for a few days since she was in the US, had somehow obtained an almost authentic looking visitor's visa, most likely in some seedy side street in Canberra, and wanted to see Southern California. As I sat there, staring at this crazy, ear pierced, white (and greenish) wooly sheep, I realized this was Lulu Lamb, and I just might be getting more than I had bargained for.

"Water. I have water. Or tea. Are you feeling better now, dear?"

"Right, mate!  I'm feeling just fine now.  Ready for some fun!  Let's hit The Strip, Baby! I love Hollywood!"

The Strip?  Hollywood?  Yeah, I was not prepared for this...

I was just a quiet teacher married to an even quieter professor, and we didn't live in Hollywood.  What was I going to do with a wild Lulu Lamb in LaLa-Land?

What a Day!

Welcome to Friday Fave Five!  Susanne faithfully hosts us every week allowing anyone who wishes to join in the opportunity to share five special events from our week.  If you would like to participate, click on this link and add your name and site to Mr. Linky.

Every day brings blessing to me in different ways. But some days are just 'better' than others.  Perhaps they're not 'better'; they're just more noticeable.  Wednesday was like that this week.  This was a Wednesday Fave Five!

1. First, a friend had arranged to come over in the morning and help me declutter and organize the guest room.  We have an arrangement that gives each of us a day with a buddy to help with something that we really don't want to tackle alone.  It was my turn for help, and we were able to rearrange things to make the room more orderly and pleasant.

2. The Grad Student (Son#2) had left a few things in the room, and my friend said, "Call him and ask him about them."  I sadly answered, "Can't.  He has no phone connection in the wilds of archeology land."  "So email him," she suggested.  "Can't.  No internet there, either."  While we were discussing our options, my cell phone rang, and The Professor answered it for me.  He motioned excitedly to me.  It was Grad Student himself!  Having borrowed a cell phone, he was calling to get some information he needed and let us know he was arranging to purchase a cell phone for himself.  Isn't it amazing that we can talk with our family even when thousands of miles and many time zones separate us?  Hearing my boy's voice just makes this mom's heart happy!

3. In the afternoon, we ran a few errands.  I found a couple of treasures at the library.  A copy of Joanne Seiff's book Knit Green. I was pleased that this book is already on the shelves of my local library even though it has been in publication only a few months.Then I saw Book Four of the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series, on the shelf, not sitting in the reserved section waiting for the next ten people to pick it up before the volume comes up with my card number reservation.  I love the serendipity of scoring special books I've been wanting to read.

4. With books in hand, we stopped for coffee and a bit of reading.  The weather was perfect, and so was the coffee.  And I had special books to read.
5.  Finally, we packed up our books and headed to the grocery store. My cell phone rang again.  This time, it was a call for help.  "Our plane got rerouted.  Can we stay with you tonight?"  Our immediate answer to the delightful young couple was, "Of course!  We'll be right over to pick you up!"  We enjoyed our evening together which was made even more fun by the presence of a sweet two month old baby girl.  Our Grandma and Grandpa skills were put to use cuddling, carrying, and hugging adorable Miss Ellie.

Some weeks are like this. One day just stands out.  How was your week?

Paint Brushes at the Beach

Someone has been having fun painting.

All the lifeguard beach huts along The Strand in Manhattan Beach

were given unique paint jobs.

When you want to meet your friends at the beach, you can say,

"Let's meet at the lifeguard hut with the big green, blue and pepto-bismol flowers."

Friday Fave Five

It does not happen often that I miss posting for Friday Fave Five. (Did you miss me?)  Last week, I was 'a little busy'. So I am combining two weeks' worth of fun into one to celebrate FFF.

1. During the week, MamaMia and The Princess arrived to help hostess a double shower for two of my nieces, a bridal shower and a baby shower! 

2. Immediately after we cleaned up from the shower, we hopped in our car and drove to San Diego to enjoy a week with our kids who live there.

3. We spent a day at the beach which is beautiful even in June Gloom.  We rode our bikes along San Diego Bay to Coronado Island.

Imperial Beach Pier from Silver Strand Beach with Tijuana, Mexico in the background

4. We took many slow and meandering walks with our new grandpuppy, Bailey.

5. One day while The Professor did a 30 mile bike ride, MamaMia and I attended a writing seminar.  We thoroughly enjoyed learning more about how to encourage kids to like writing and to do it well.  A second speaker discussed how to teach kids to think critically.  We came away from the seminar excited to share what we learned.

Five Faves barely touches on the highlights of these two weeks at Willow's Cottage!

How was your week?  Share it with us by posting your Fave Five and linkin to Susanne's blog Living To Tell The Story.