FFF- March 19th

This could be titled the Spring 2010 Edition of Friday's Fave Five since Spring is arriving here in North America in three more days. Alternately, I could call this week's FFF the Willow's Leprechaun Birthday Edition.

1. My birthday! Since my actual birthday was on a weekday, my San Diego kids drove up to celebrate on the weekend. I chose visiting The Getty Villa in Malibu as THE PLACE to spend Saturday. If you are ever in Los Angeles and are interested in visiting an exact replica of a Roman villa, viewing amazing ancient artifacts, enjoying a superb meal, and strolling through a classical garden, then I would recommend The Getty Villa. Like the Getty Center in Los Angeles, the Villa has free entry; you only pay for parking. What could be better than spending part of your birthday weekend meandering through the formal Roman gardens where fountains bubble in four corners among the acanthus, violets, pomegranate trees, daffodils, and boxwood,

where the peach trees are just beginning to bud,

and where you can look up and gaze on the most intricate architectural details

such as ionic columns?

2. Speaking of my birthday, I received several cards, emails, e-cards, skype waves and kisses, and facebook greetings wishing me Happy Birthday. People all over the world, from one of the -istans to Canada, from my friend in Arkansas to the neighbor next door, from Ellen in Washington to sisters, brothers, children, the New Boy, and my long silent cousin in the mid-West checked in to wish me Happy Birthday. I have to say that the email and facebook message from my cuz in Nebraska completely surprised and delighted me since we haven't seen each other in nearly twenty years. Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday felicitations!

3. A few weeks ago, The Professor and I ordered some seeds from Victory Seed Company in Oregon which features heirloom, rare, or old varieties of vegetables and herbs. We received the packet this week and opened it on my birthday. For us, it was an exciting occasion as we looked at the seeds we had chosen and planned our weekend around weeding, fertilizing, and planting. We're hoping to find out if kale and brussel sprouts will flourish in our little veggie patch.

4. I have long been interested in living a life of simplicity, frugal living and minimalism. This post by one of my favorite rational minimalism bloggers really struck a chord of agreement and excitement with me. If you are interested in simplicity/minimalism, you will enjoy and benefit from reading his blog and his new e-book Simplify. I've read many many books on simplicity and Joshua Becker's is one the most readable, accessible and enjoyable ones I've come across. (No, I am not getting any remuneration for recommending this book to you, although I did have the opportunity to read it before publication.)

5. I seem to be a fairly easy and predictable person to shop for. If my family and friends want to be sure to please me with a birthday gift, they know what I like! Books and music! Being a fan of Irish inspired music, I loved the Keith and Kristyn Getty CD the Blueberry Lady gave me. And the books, oh, the books! How can I pick just one favorite? It's not possible! I love each one!

As you can see, this week my faves have mostly been birthday themed. I suppose that is what happens when you reach a milestone birthday of Jubilee plus Ten.

I'd love to hear how your week was! Please share, and let's enjoy the gratitude and blessings together. Even if your week wasn't great or wasn't what you'd wished, you can always find something to focus on and be thankful for. Susanne at Living To Tell The Story has a Mr. Linky where you can publish your post, so others will be able to share the joy.

Paper

We've come a long way since this plant was our main source of writing paper.

Papyrus in a Pond at Getty Villa

et tu

Brute?

Beware the Ides of March!

Photo taken in the TimeScape Room

The Getty Villa

Malibu, California

FFF- March 12th

Time Magazine has nothing on Friday's Fave Five. What happens in the lives of our families and friends is so much more important than what's happening in the world. What makes us thankful and grateful in our daily lives matters more than national nightly news.

Friday's Fave Five hosted by Susanne helps us focus on the favorite parts our week. It's our own Week in Review. Thank you, Susanne, for hosting FFF every week!

1. There has been a perfect combination of rain and sunshine to make the garden wake up.

2. My friend who owns Ojai Lavender and Roses Farm gifted me with four David Austin roses!

Right now, there's not much to see except a few new leaves on the bushes, but in a few months I'm hoping to have beautiful Fair Bianca and Eglantyne blooms cut and placed in vases gracing my dining table. I'm so very thankful for my generous friend!

3. On Saturday, I joined some friends to celebrate 'our birthdays'. Even though I wasn't feeling the best because of my cold, I had a great time catching up with all the news in the lives of those five dear friends.

4. It's obviously March! The wind is blowing, and the kites are flying! And that means Spring is coming!

5. The Professor and I have been reminiscing in the evenings by sorting photos. He volunteered to choose, classify, and scan some family photos and documents for his siblings, and I have been culling and collating photos from my side of our family. While the process isn't always the most fun activity, the final product will be something our families can treasure in the years to come, in a manageable form. Time and Newsweek may not run an article about The Professor's grandmother winning $1.00 in a crossword puzzle contest or do a feature on my grandparents' trip to San Francisco, but those memories make our lives richer.

How did you make memories this week? What events are featured on your faves list?

Share them over at Living To Tell the Story or leave a comment here if you wish. Thank you for all your good wishes for my health this week. The Professor and I lost the fight with the cold germs, but we are determined to win the battle. Echinacea tea and Airborne are on our side!

In the Wind

I stopped near Marina Park and relaxed while drinking some hot cocoa.

Leaning in to the wind, a sailing ship slipped over the green waves.

Weekly Review - Friday Fave Five

Friday Fave Five is a weekly review of gratitude. Here are my faves for this week:

1. I belong to a spinners and weavers guild in my community. Last weekend, Sara Lamb was the featured speaker at our monthly guild meeting. Speaking for about an hour on Saturday morning, Sara showed us how she had taken white handwoven cloth and dyed designs on using paintbrushes. She was an interesting, enjoyable, and inspirational speaker, and I came away thinking, "Where am I going to put up my loom? I really need to get that thing set up!"

2. After a very rainy and windy Saturday, Sunday was glorious! The Professor and I spent a couple of hours in the blueberry fields with our dear friends where we picked two trays of fresh ripe berries. When we brought them to the house to dry the dew from them and package them, we sampled our bounty!

3. Some days, it seems that when you make one thing well, the next creation turns out, too. Spinning fiber is an art. We spinners talk about not always knowing what the yarn we are working with is going to do, how it wants to be spun and plyed (fyi: plying is the process of taking two of more single strands of yarn and twisting them together). The second skein of yarn I spun for my daughter in law plyed perfectly! It may be the very best yarn I've ever spun. And then, to add to the perfection, the cup of misto I brewed tasted just right because I finally used the correct proportions of coffee and hot milk.

4. How can I have a wonderful week of gratitude without mentioning the beach? The shore birds and local children shared the joy of playing in the sand on a sunny afternoon. I enjoyed watching from my car.

5. One of my tutoring students told me I'm the 'best tutor ever'. Whether I am or not, whether he was trying to distract me from his math assignment or not, his declaration reminded me why I persevere in teaching and tutoring.

How was your week? I'd love to read your list of gratitude. You can post it at Susanne's blog as part of Friday Fave Five or just tell me in the comments. Please know that if I don't respond right away to you or get around to visit your blog, it's because I have picked up some cold germs and am fighting a valiant battle which it seems that I am losing.

Happy Weekend!

Sweet Eleanor

Eleanor is a little girl who has cancer. Her parents are friends of my daughter Kiti's college friend, Wendy. Because Wendy is a knitter, a supportive friend, and a blogger, she has designed this adorable hat and is selling it to help raise money to help Eleanor. Every penny that Wendy makes selling this pattern is given to Eleanor's parents to help them pay for her medical care. You can read about Eleanor's situation on her Caring Bridge website (posted with her parents' permission).

I bought Sweet Eleanor HERE on Ravelry last week and knitted it in a creamy white acrylic/wool blend. I loved it!

Wendy has designed a great, clearly written pattern in two sizes, child and adult. If you are looking for a cabled cap to knit, try this one. You'll get a well written pattern, a really really cute hat, and the satisfaction that you are helping a little girl in her fight against cancer. If you're in to KALs and are a Ravelry member, you can join this Malabrigo Junkiesgroup and knit Sweet Eleanor with them.

Grateful for Fave Five

I enjoy participating in Susanne's Friday Fave Five each week. It's a great way to focus on positive events in my everyday life and to remind myself to search for blessings to be thankful for. Thanks, Susanne, for hosting Friday Fave Five! If you want to see what FFF is all about or participate too, you can click HERE.

1. I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to create beautiful fiber objects. No week at Willow's Cottage would be complete without some fiber in some form being knitted, spun or felted. I spun this silk and merino blend fiber while I watched the first part of the Olympics. I raced to finish the first skein before we packed the car and drove to San Diego for the weekend because I intended to give it to my daughter in law for her birthday. The brown and gold hand dyed fiber was a beautiful gift for my precious daughter in law!

2. I'm thankful for time spent with my family! Because the main purpose of our trip was to participate in the birthday celebration for The Princess, we headed to Hodad's in Ocean Beach on Saturday at noon. The Birthday Girl chose this iconic hamburger joint because, honestly, this place has the World's. Best. Onion. Rings. And. Chocolate. Milkshakes. When we arrived, we took our places in line and waited until there was room for our 'party of six' to sit at one of the picnic style tables.

Hodad's is world famous for its beach shack decor as well as its burgers, fries, shakes, and onion rings. The walls are almost completely covered with license plates from all over the US, Canada, and the rest of the world. Surfboards hang on every wall.

This fascinating bike is made from all kinds of beach debris. I wonder if anyone has actually ever ridden it.

3. I'm thankful for good friends! This week has been filled up with 'last times' for Ellen and me. We took our last walk in my neighborhood. We enjoyed our last cup of tea together at All Things Tea. This is how I'll always remember Ellen--with camera in hand! Today we'll have our last lunch, and then tomorrow she and her husband will be heading north to Washington. Ellen and I met through our blogs, discovered that we lived in the same town and that we both loved to walk. We've been photographing, blogging and walking buddies for two years. I'll miss her joyful spirit and sense of humor. Fortunately, we'll still have our blogs, phones and facebook for keeping in touch.

4. Gentle rain is a blessing we have enjoyed this week. Usually our rain in Southern California drops in torrents, roaring in from the coast with strong winds. Yesterday's rainstorm was more of a Pacific Northwest drizzle, a sweet goodbye gift for Ellen.

5. Lastly, I love Skype! What could be more precious than seeing My New Boy blow kisses to his Mema in real time through the computer screen?

What were your favorite little blessings this week?

Right on Time

My Lenten Rose is blooming!

Friday Fave Five

I'm late to the party for FFF today! That's because I am in San Diego with my kids!

1. So, my first fave is obviously--being with my sons and daughters for the weekend!

2. A walk with Ellen. These walks are precious times because when Ellen moves, they will end.

3. Earl Grey tea with Ellen (yes, it's a theme) at our favorite tea shop All Things Tea.

4. The Professor bought me a latte at The Panini Place after we shopped for our fruits and vegetables at the Farmers Market.

5. Coffeetime on Sunday morning with the Blueberry Lady and her husband.

6. A bonus fave: the weather was warm last weekend, so while the Professor trimmed the plum tree, I weeded and tidied the area where the nine camellia bushes in my garden grow.

And now we're off on a walk, making more FFF memories! Join us at Susanne's blog!

Blooming

On Valentine's Day

Camellias are blossoming on every bush.

Best Laid Plans

Favorite moments of this past week were scattered around unexpected changes in our plans. Airport delays. Snow storms. Cancelled flights.

Although our flights on Friday were late and connections were missed, we made it to our destination in time to participate in the rehearsal dinner and the wedding on Saturday morning.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Others were not so fortunate in their travels. The New Boy and his entourage were snowed in.

Once we were assured that the roads were clear and there was a window of time between storms, we decided it was worth the drive through the frozen landscape to be able to celebrate the other weekend event.

Happy Birthday to Our New Boy, who isn't really so new anymore since he is now Two!

Shoveling snow, The Professor and his brother enjoyed 'quality time'.

In spite of the snow storms and cold (for us) temperatures, we warmed our hearts with renewed friendships and lively conversations that included comments like, "Was it really that long ago?" and "So what are your kids doing now?" and "Let's keep in touch!"

A wonderful time was had by all, even though, as Robert Burns pointed out,

The best laid plans of mice and men
'gang aft agley.'

And the most important words were spoken.

"I do!"

What small, large, or unexpected moments did you find in your week to celebrate? Susanne at Living To Tell The Story hosts Friday Fave Five so we can share those moments with each other!

Happy February Fave Five

As you are reading this FFF, I will be inside an airplane flying very high in the blue sky many thousands of feet above the earth.

1. A wedding was announced! We booked reservations! We're going! That's why I won't be online commenting much this weekend.

2. We will be spending lots of quality time with extended family!

3. There will be hours of enforced inactivity sitting buckled up. I packed yarn. Lots of yarn. And books.

4. Last weekend, The Professor and I drove to LA and after attending a dedication ceremony for a teen center and hanging out with lots of old friends, we had dinner with other friends. Reconnecting and catching up with special people was great. I took a few photos but blogger is not allowing me to post them.

5. Because I do not normally enjoy shopping, I was pleased to find just the right tops to warm up my wardrobe for our trip to Northern latitudes.

Thank you, Susanne, for faithfully hosting Friday Fave Five!

What events, large or small, contributed to make your week happy or productive? You can share by clicking HERE and signing up with Mr. Linky on Susanne's blog.

Can it be the last week of January? Flying past in wind and rain, the first month of 2010 is almost gone! Friday has arrived right on schedule and along with anticipation of the weekend comes participation in Friday's Fave Five, which is hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.
1. After our weeks of back to back to back rain storms, I am reveling in some sunny warm days. Yes, I'm focusing on the weather again. I love sunshine.

2. I can't seem to get enough of this, either:

Although it didn't take much convincing, I persuaded The Professor to take a Sunday afternoon walk along the promenade in Ventura. Throngs of people and dogs had the same idea. Even the surfers were out in force, challenging the higher than usual waves.

3. As usual, I've kept my knitting needles near me all week. Because we will be traveling to a colder climate next weekend, I'm working on warm wooly mittens (blue, of course). I have delusions of finishing a sweater, too.

4. I discovered that the public library in the next town over has a large collection of novels by Elizabeth Goudge, who is one of my favorite authors. I checked out four books and am reading the first volume, Island Magic. Did you know you can knit and read at the same time if you choose a book that stays open on its own and a knitting project that doesn't need too much attention?

5. Speaking of knitting, I was able to join my crochet and knit group this evening for an hour of fellowship, fiber and fun. The hostess wanted to (re)learn to knit so I delightedly walked her through the steps of casting on and working a knit stitch.

Have you experienced some favorite moments or events this week? Share them with others, either in my comments or over at Susanne's blog where you can sign up with Mr. Linky.

Low Surf

Pelicans seem to prefer low surf.

Maybe the fishing is better that way.

More High Surf Love

Ventura Harbor

Photos Taken Thursday Afternoon

Storms

Welcome to Friday Fave Five. Susanne is our host. You can participate too! Check in on her blog, Living to Tell the Story.

This week at Willow's Cottage can only be described as wet and wild. I am referring of course to the weather. Does it seem like Southern Californians are obsessed with their weather? I think that, because our normal weather pattern is sunshine and more sunshine, when rainstorms assail the hills, valleys and freeways, people get a little crazy.

It's true that the infrastructures in both cities and agricultural areas are just not built to handle huge volumes of water and so we get a lot of this:

I had to take two detours to drive from the town next to mine back home on Monday evening. I am thankful for safety in driving.

While I don't love being out in the rain, I am thankful that we will have water to drink this year. Rain on the California coast means snowpack in the Sierra Nevadas which means drinking water in the summer.

My cousin's visit came right between two storms, so we were able to go out to the beach and walk in the sand and enjoy a fish and chips dinner at a locally famous marina restaurant named Andria's, sitting outside ON THE PATIO (in January). Because we seldom see each other, we talked and talked. It was wonderful.

High winds mean high surf, and we have had high surf warnings this week. Since I tutor in Ventura on Thursdays, I usually drive down to the beach for a few minutes. Today, the waves were crashing over the break water at the harbor entrance.

The Professor returned to classes this week, but he still cooked dinner a couple of evenings when I came home tired and hungry. His newest culinary challenge is learning to master stir frying in the wok. I have been happily sampling some really yummy vegetable dishes.

Our weather forecast predicts sunshine will return this weekend. That's a fave, for sure!

How was your week and weather?

What I've Been Spinning

Quiet Time

Some weeks are quiet. Savoring the familiar, we slip through the daily routines, hardly noticing that the days have crept past. Thankfully, this is not always a 'bad thing'. I have glided through Willow's Week quietly.

Trying to chronicle the best of this week, I can only report that it was a quiet and gentle time.

1. It rained a little. We woke in the early morning to the sounds of rain pattering on the roof.

2. The sun shone quite a lot. Even though the wind also blew, the cheery sunshine smiled down on us almost daily. Our weather forecast is for a sunny weekend with coastal warnings of very high surf, so we have two more days of this happy weather.

3. Each morning, The Professor makes me my very own cafe latte. Most days, he brews a second one for me to take in my personal mug so I can sip it on the drive to wherever I am going. It's wonderful!

4. There is an Indonesian proverb that says, "Sediket demi sediket, menjadi bukit" which translated literally states, "Little by little, a mountain is made." The English equivalent might be, "Baby steps!" That is the way I've started to tackle my overwhelming assortment of old photos. I took the first baby step toward sorting, decluttering, and organizing almost a century of pictures. Yes, truly, nearly 100 years. I have most, if not all, of the photos from my grandparents, and their ancestors, as well as my parents.

5. Anticipation! I am expecting a short visit from my dearest cousin! If I don't get around this weekend to say hi, you'll know why.

Thank you, Susanne, for hosting Friday's Fave Five! Please click HERE to join in the weekly fun.

Feed the Birds

A family enjoying the beach

The birds seem to be enjoying the family.