Just when I thought I had seen all the pretty flowers blooming . . .

I saw these on my walk today. . . While I don't always know the names of the flowers I see during my walks, I do admire their beauty and uniqueness. Aren't these lovely?

Close up Pretties

I saw these in a flower bed near my apartment and really liked them. I have no idea of their names so I call them Pretties!

Not sure the name of these beauties. . .

I saw these recently and really enjoyed their spikey leaves and cone centers. I have no idea what it is but if someone can tell me, I would appreciate it. CLICK TO SEE BEAUTIFUL DETAIL.
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Mary, a new blogger friend from France, has identified it! It is a Chardon Bleu and here is a little info I found in Google about it:

This is a protected wildflower in the mountains, not to be picked.
A tall, striking mountain perennial growing to 2 meters tall. It looks quite a bit like a Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum), but there's no relation. We've seen this labeled (in English) "Blue Lace", "Sea Holly" and "Alpine Sea Holly" (rather strange name considering that it grows in the Alpes).
Size. 2 m (v-tall)
Flower Blossom. Bluish-white in dense, prickly-looking umbrels, 2 cm diamete, 4 cm long,
Leaves. The basal leaves are 8-15 cm long, deep green and veined. They become more pointed and divided higher on the step, ending in the bracts.
Bracts. The ring of feathery bracts surrounding the domed flower-head can be bright blue, violet or white.
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Meme from Chloe.

Chloe tagged me for this so I guess I will do it. . .

Here goes. At the end of the post, the player tags at least 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

I lived in Granada Hills, CA and I taught Kindergarten in Sylmar at Hubbard St. School. I team taught with a new teacher, Jenny Contreras, who taught the Spanish kids in the PM that year.



2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today -- in no particular order?

I will just have to list 5 things I did as it is after 8:00 PM and I am vegging out now. . .

Went to ladies Bible study.
Had Needleworkers Meeting after Bible study.
Went shopping for BRUNCH/Coffee tomorrow that will be in our apartment building rec room; bought pastries and fruit for it AND some Coonstant Comment tea.
Picked up my mail.
Played BUNCO.


3. Snacks I enjoy.

fried zucchini squash
chocolate licorice
kettle corn
strawberries
raspberries


4. Places I've lived. (My records are in storage so trying hard to remember all the towns. . . )

Pocatello, Idaho
Cottonwood, ID (high school boarding school)
San Diego, CA (married)
Groton, CT (first married home)
Air Force base in Chicopee, MA (first son born)
San Diego, CA
Honolulu, Hawaii (second son born)
Richmond , CA (daughter born at Treasure Island)
Ballston Spa, New York
Charleston, S Carolina
San Diego, CA again
Honolulu, Hawaii again
Pocatello, Idaho again (graduated from college)
Vancouver, WA -- subbing
Los Angeles, CA (first classroom -- Kindergarten)
Long Beach, CA (2nd classroom -- 1st grade)
Granada Hills, CA 3rd classroom -- 2nd grade; 2 years Kindergarten and one year of 4th grade
Vancouver, WA again --Kindergarten; preschool and subbing



5. Things I would do if I was a billionaire.


Thank God!
Hire someone to find my daughter.
Move to upstate New York and build a house where I could play in the snow and live in the woods with a river nearby.
Give each of my kids a million dollars and the grandkids a bit too.
Buy a new computer, printer, scanner, copy machine, large TV screen, lots of hobby stuff for sewing counted cross stitch, stampin' and adding to my collection of snowmen.
Build a library and stock it with books -- next door to my home. Hire staff to run it.
Build hiking trails around me for everyone to enjoy.
Donate a million dollars to a local Girl Scout Council to build and operate a neat camping site near me.
Send 5 million dollars to researchers for finding a cure for split lip birth defects.
Travel to Germany.
Donate a generous amount to those searching for a cure for cancer.
Adopt a city in a poor country and sponsor the entire population for 5 years.
Go visit Chloe and see her hotel home.
Go to the beach as often as I choose.

6. Peeps I want to know more about:

I like learning more about anyone who stops by my blog so if you would like to do this meme, please let me know so I can learn more about you also. So, I choose YOU- YOU- YOU- YOU- YOU- YOU ------be sure to let me know if YOU did this too.

ABC Wednesday Year 2 #6

Go here if you would like to join us for ABC Wednesday. . . Mrs Nesbitt
Welcome to FORT Vancouver National Historic Site. This is the sign you see FIRST when you enter the site.
You have to look really hard but FLAT Daniel is on the sign and then he moved over to the theFENCE by the garden at FORT Vancouver. Then he hoofed it on FOOT over to the entrance of the FORT gate. Can you spot him on the right hand side? If you need to, click on photo to enlarge. FLATDaniel visited me FROM California FOUR years ago.























F is also for FLOWERS. Only the mini Daffodils are from this year. The rest are from last year.
















































This is the FLAG of my country.

















And my FINAL photo for "F" is for FOG outside my window.

Another pretty flower . . .a pink Camellia

Maybe SPRING is around the corner for us. I spotted this flower in my neighborhood yesterday.

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Lilli tagged me with this meme :

These are the directions:

Copy this entire list of questions and change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then tag and pass it along to other blogging friends. Let’s see how well we can get to know one another!

1. What is your occupation? Certified bum with hobbies including taking photos, stampin' cards and collecting everything including dust.

2. What color are your socks right now? White with red and green stripes and the right one has a little gingerbread pocket on it. YES! I am wearing my Christmas socks and it isn't Christmas. Ü


3. What are you listening to right now? The news at 11:00 PM

4. What was the last thing that you ate? banana

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Can't drive any kind of shift. . . much less a car, truck or other vehicle. Never learned to drive.

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Green -- because it "shows" growth.

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Friend from church.

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Hmmmmmmmmmm I reckon or I wouldn't be filling this out!

9. Favorite drink? Pepsi but haven't had one for almost two months.

10. What is your favorite sport to watch? If is not on TV, I love all sports. I probably like Ice Skating the best on TV.

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? no

12. Pets? Lots of dust balls.

13. Favorite food? Fried Zucchini squash

14. Last movie you watched? I can't remember the last one at a theater but today I just watch a dvd that I have owned for some time and watched many times over. . . "I AM SAM"

15. Favorite Day of the year? ANY day it snows.

16. What do you do to vent anger? Eat!

17. What was your favorite toy as a child? "Baby Blue Eyes" -- a doll my twin sister and I each ordered from a catalog. It's eyes opened and closed and it had beautiful curly hair.

18. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Neither -- winter is my favorite. I LOVE SNOW!

19. Hugs or kisses? I love hugs and give them too.

20. What kind of pie? Lemon Meringue

21. Do you want your friends to email you back? What kind of friend would not?

22. Who is most likely to respond? To this? Who knows? Anyone with time on their hands. . .

23. Who is least likely to respond? I have no idea.

24. Living arrangements? Live on the 8th floor of apartment.

25. When was the last time you cried? In January when someone tore my bulletin board apart that I made for the elevator.

26. What is on the floor of your closet? Many things presently.

27. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? None -- if someone wants to do this, they have to take it from my blog.

28. The friend you have known the shortest amount of time that you are sending this to? NONE --see above.

29. Favorite smell? Real vanilla

30. What inspires you? Photography

31. What are you afraid of? Losing the ability to walk. . . life would be unbearable if I could not go on my long walks with my camera.

32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Rather have a ham sandwich.

33. Favorite car? none I don't drive.

34. Favorite cat breed? None. I have no cats and like them enough but don't care about breeds.

35. Number of keys on your key ring? 12

36. How many years at your current job? 1 year since I am retired and my job is doing what I want.

37. Favorite day of the week? Anyone I wake up to. . .

38. How many provinces have you lived in? none but I have lived in Idaho, Hawaii, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina, California -- both southern and northern, Oregon and Washington.

39. How many countries have you been to? Canada, Mexico, USA -- almost all the states including Alaska and Hawaii. If you want to know exactly, look up my first blogging post from 2006.

If you want to do this, consider yourself tagged.

Is Spring early?

The calendar doesn't say SPRING yet but Easter is earlier this year so maybe . . .


Seems like everyone around us was just griping about so much snow (I would have enjoyed a little of that snow they were talking about!) Last Saturday, I saw my first crocus and my first dandelion. It won't be long before the Daffodils are showing their pretty heads!



Earlier in the week I found this flower and I have no idea what it is. If someone knows, I could label it properly! Thanks, Dot! It is a white Camellia.




I fell asleep waiting for the lunar eclipse Wednesday night and this is all I got just after 7:00 PM. Maybe in two years. . .

My newest plant . . .Cyclamen

I bought this plant when I went to the grocery store last week but it doesn't have the name on a little plant stick. I will have to go back to the store and write it down. I found it unusual. They came in white, red and pink. Thanks, "Mama Bear" for giving me the name!

Blog Your Blessings #4

No matter how I try, how I plan ahead and have my blessing post ready to just copy and paste, something keeps happening with blogger. I tried for three hours after midnight to get my photos on my writing for today but it would not upload. . . trying again this morning since we have an extra hour with daylight savings time FALL BACK.

I love to walk and explore parts of my city and also of those I travel to. Sometimes, it is a long all day walk and at other times, just a quick, short one. Case in point. . . recently, I felt like having a bit of ice cream and Dairy Queen is just three blocks from where I live now so I went there to enjoy a carmel sundae. After picking it up from the window, I started walking in the direction of my apartment but soon did a 180 and walked the opposite direction.

I had never walked in this part of my town even though I moved here in 1985. Probably, I never did it because it is just a couple blocks before one reaches the I-5 freeway and it's not much of a walk if that is what one is looking for.

I am glad I did because I not only was treated with a view of the sunset through the trees from atop a hill

but I saw this beautiful "resting" place among the flowers still blooming. I just knew the photo I took would fit the theme of my Blog your Blessing this week.

There's more painting to do at church but I decided to do some more work towards getting MY apartment a bit more settled after my recent move. I also made a decision to do it slowly with plenty of rest breaks becuase there was no deadline for me to accomplish this. . . I will do what I can, when I can because it is for me and doesn't depend on anyone else using my space. Of course Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner and I might have some company then . . . Even God rested on the 7th day of creation. (Genesis 2:2)

Jesus promised to give us peace which comes from "resting in the Lord." He said: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14;27) I can rely on his promise and when I am overwhelmed by life, I don't have to try and fix everything myself. I can allow Him to take the yoke off my shoulders.

By openly admitting that I need to be dependent on God, not independent, I might lower my stature in the eyes of the world, but I put myself in a position to be all that God has called me to be in this life and I can eagerly await eternal rest in heaven one day. I think I will ask God for a bench like the above when I get there, including the flowers nearby. What a blessing rest is!

WOW! -- Look what i got from Patricia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Patricia over at Pollywog Creek was participating in a Name meme and she responded by making a graphic with some internet friend's names. I happened to read her entry that day and when she asked if anyone else wanted one, I emailed her and said I would. She asked me my favorite colors and I told her blue and brown but then i also liked green because it is a sign of growth SO she included all three colors in the graphics she made for me.

Blessings, Patricia! I love them. . . Ü

Comparisons. . .

I was editing some photos the other day and it made me wonder just which view I preferred of some photos. . . Let me show you some examples. Some of them I much prefer "before they were reduced" although they don't show the whole flower. Thus, the close up is more eye catching. A few look better to me with some distance. What do you think?