I was wondering what I was going to post for the “different” theme when on our walk on Thursday we came upon these toilets sitting in this driveway. I said “that’s different”, then pulled my camera out of my pocket and took the photo! Happy hunting everyone.
Check out more “different” here.
Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage. I’m working on updating my blog posts very slowly.
Mathew 6: 25-27 ~
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more imortant than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
For more Word Filled Wednesday head over to The 160 Acre Woods
Week 8 – March 5 – 12. The First Wildflower of Spring photo challenge.
Be searching for wildflowers in your area. Try to find the first one blooming and post a photo of it on your blog.
On our walks along the coast the most abundant wildflower we see is the Sea Fig. They come from the Carpetweed family. The yellow one is a Hottentot Fig and I think the more purple colored one is just called Sea Fig.
I’m hoping to get the names correct for this collage of flowers. I searched my Coastal Flowering Plants book but some were hard to identify. Here’s what I came up with from left to right. Purple Nightshade, Sea Rocket, more Sea Rocket, California Encelia (Bush Sunflower), Not sure maybe Wild Morning Glory?, more Bush Sunflower, Again not sure but think it’s Wild Morning Glory, Our Lord’s Candle (Yucca whipplei) Agave Family, Turkey Mullein Dove Weed.
An extra note on Our Lord’s Candle, the flower stalk is 4 to 8 feet tall. There is a basal rosette of spine-tipped, sword-like leaves 1 to 3 feet long. The white flowers sometimes purple-tinged, appear in a terminal compound cluster up to 4 feet long. They are very fragrant and even have a pleasant taste when nibbed. The fruit is a capsule.
Now since I am in California I really need to include some photos of our state wildflower the California Poppy!
These are all blooming at the same time here along the coast in Southern California so I included them all.
For more First Spring blooms head over to Elizabeth Joy’s.
Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage. I’m working on updating my blog posts very slowly.
G is for Gulls that we see in abundance on our Saturday walks at the beach in Ventura, California.
G is also for Anne of Green Gables that I just read for the first time. What a delightful book. I had seen productions of the series on Television. Here is a quote from the book.
“Marilla felt more embarrassed than ever. She had intended to teach Anne the childish classic, “Now I lay me down to sleep.” But she had, as I have told you, the glimmerings of a sense of humor – which is simply another name for a sense of the fitness of things; and it suddenly occurred to her that that simple little prayer, sacred to white-robed childhood lisping at motherly knees, was entirely unsuited to this freckled witch of a girl who knew and cared nothing about God’s love, since she had never had it translated to her through the medium of human love.
“You’re old enough to pray for yourself, Anne,” she said finally. “Just thank God for your blessings and ask Him humbly for the things you want.”
“Well, I’ll do my best,” promised Anne, burying her face in Marilla’s lap. “Gracious heavenly Father – that’s the way the ministers say it in church, so I suppose it’s all right in a private prayer, isn’t it?” she interjected, lifting her head for a moment.
Gracious heavenly Father, I thank Thee for the White Way of Delight and the Lake of Shining Waters and Bonny and the Snow Queen. I’m really extremely grateful for them. And that’s all the blessings I can think of just now to thank Thee for. As for the things I want, they’re so numerous that it would take a great deal of time to name them all, so I will only mention the two most important. Please let me stay at Green Gables; and please let me be good-looking when I grow up. I remain,
Yours respectfully,
Anne Shirley.“There, did I do it all right?” she asked eagerly, getting up. “I could have made it much more flowery if I’d had a little more time to think it over.”
Now after all that you deserve one of these that begin with the letter G!
Make mine a Guinness Please…
For more ABC Wednesday click on over to Mrs. Nesbitt’s.
Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage. I’m working on updating my blog posts very slowly.
I had to weigh in a day early because of my schedule tomorrow. I am happy to report that my weight remained the same. So to date I’ve lost 6 pounds total. I am feeling changes in my bulk this week even though I didn’t lose any more according to the scale. I’m very content with this eating style and activity level. You might wonder why I’m so excited about this new plan. I’m going to show you a little of what I ate this week and still managed to maintain my weight. Now the added steps in my day are really key here and not eating after 6:00 PM at night or in between meals is important toward my loss and maintenance. I’ve walked one hour a day besides my regular activity steps around the house.
I’d like to invite you back to my blog tomorrow because it’s my One Year bloggy birthday and I’m giving away a gift.
My new Bloggy Walking Buddy Willow and I walked everyday this week. After our regular walk on Friday afternoon Dear and I had Willow and her husband over for dinner. When I took my pedometer off for bed it registered 14,176 steps. I had a busy Friday before our afternoon walk and the steps just added up. My average steps for the week were 12,089!
Here are some dinner photos and our Saturday Beach walk collage…
We had a nice evening. It’s always fun to find out all the things you have in common with people you’ve just met.
Our beach walk on Saturday morning. A misty moisty morning. We saw some new wonders today. Because of the high rough surf this week there were lots of piles of driftwood and boulders thrown up onto our path. There was a lot of seaweed washed up, too. We even got down onto the sand this Saturday to explore.
The birds above are Marbled godwits. They use their beaks to probe the sand. They migrate to California and Mexico in flocks in Autumn from Canada.
Have a wonderful Saturday everyone and keep on walking and enjoying God’s wonders.
Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage. I’m working on updating my blog posts very slowly.
My sister Vera was born on Leap Year Day in 1948. That means she’s 15 years old today. Well this is just the 15th time that her actual birthdate has occurred in her lifetime.
Vera is the one on the bottom row holding the cake. I’m next to her holding the skirt of my dress. My sister Kathy is in the top row between our cousins June and Nancy. My brother Fred is the the one in the overalls on the bottom row. My cousin Vera is next to me and my cousins Mike and Bill are in the top row as well.
This has to be Easter judging from the dresses and the white patent leather shoes. Vera, Kathy and Me.
This is Vera and me sometime in the 50’s. Fall or Winter judging from the black patent leather shoes! 🙂
This is a photo of the 4 of us sisters a year ago at another birthday celebration. Kathy, Lana, Vera and Ellen. We also have 4 brothers.
VERA! I hope your day is filled with love, joy and happiness. Looking forward to celebrate with you soon. Praying for God’s continued blessings in your life…
Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.
Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.
Since I have 13 photos in my collages on this post I decided to make this my 23rd Thursday Thirteen entry.
The restored 1847 Adobe home of Raymundo Olivas stands as a monument to the rancho period of California’s history.
Born in 1809 in Los Angeles, Raymundo was the seventh child of a poor family. He joined the Mexican Army in California at the age of 16 and was assigned to the Presidio (fort) of Santa Barbara as a Lancer (cavalryman). He met his wife in Santa Barbara was married in 1832 and had 21 children -8 girls and 13 boys!
In return for his service to the State, Raymundo Olivas and his friend, Felipe Lorenzana, were granted 4,670 acres by the Mexican Governor Juan B. Alvarado. Raymundo began ranching his land in 1847. He started building this adobe home in 1847 with Chumash Indians providing the labor. The main house for the Rancho San Miguel was one of the few two story haciendas in Southern California and one of the most impressive homes in the Santa Clara River Valley.
For many years the Rancho prospered but droughts in the 1860’s and the death of Raymundo in 1879 was the beginning of the end for the Olivos fortune. The house was sold in 1899. After passing through many hands the Adobe was purchased by yeast king Major “Max” Fleischmann who restored the building in 1927 and built the distinctive bell archway. Upon Fleischmann’s death, the adobe was given to the city of Ventura and it opened as a museum in July, 1972
I’m going to go back and visit the grounds later in the Spring to visit the 100 year old fuchsias in the front yard and the 140-year old grapevine that can trace its roots to the days of Fray Junipero Serra and the missions.
I got the history information from the Historical Park brochure. They have a web site here.
For more Thursday Thirteen posts click here.
James 1: 5-8 ~
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
For more Word Filled Wednesday visit Amydeanne at The 160 Acre Woods.
The Farmers Market in Old Town Camarillo, California
F is for fruit. We have fields of strawberries in our town and strawberry stands where we can buy them all during the week fresh from the fields when they are in season.
F is for flowers the more unusual and flamboyant
and some more fragrant flowers
We bought purple cauliflower, artichokes, brussel sprouts, and limes. (Nothing starting with F) but all very fresh and flavorful. The artichokes were wonderful. My husband likes to have his with mayonnaise and I love mine with Ranch Dressing. Yum! I made a cauliflower soup that was blended with onion and garlic. (strange to eat purple soup). It was very good.
This is a strawberry field near my home. This made me want to sing “Strawberry Fields Forever”
This is a strawberry stand in my town that sells fresh berries from the adjoining field. So luscious, sweet and juicy!
For more ABC Wednesday photos go visit Mrs. Nesbitt all the way in the UK!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 