Sunday photos of the week

 My kitten is watching me in between boxes of fabric.

Cosmos out back in my back garden.

My little free garden out front.   Two guys came by today and took the "Blind Date with a Book".

NOT doing a garden this summer

 I'm not planting a summer vegetable garden this summer.   

I was worn out last summer from having to go out and water the squash and pumpkins every. single. day. and sometimes twice a day.   I planted the pumpkin seeds behind the squash mound to give them some shade and protection and it worked out very well.

Unfortunately our water bills doubled.  I couldn't give away all of my squash and quite a few of them just rotted on the vines (there's only so much squash one can eat!). I have the seeds.   I just don't have the desire.

So, I will forgo a summer garden this year.

Maybe next summer.

/cd

Monsoon clouds 052826 ~SkyWatch Friday

 The monsoons will soon be upon us and I'm not looking forward to them this year.   About this time last year we had about 1/3 of the roof over our house replaced and about 3/4 of our garage roof.   The garage roof had several leaks.   Our house roof was damaged when our gardener and his crew cut down an overhanging branch of our pine tree and shattered about 7 of our roof tiles.   It had a previous spot where a branch from the eucalyptus tree came down, so I hired a contractor to repair and replace the areas on the roofs where work was needed.   I'm glad we got that done because this year we are under a "severe" monsoon warning for the summer.

Phew!

Monsoons are part of our desert environment.   They used to come during July (when our daughter has her birthday), but now they seem to prefer August and September.  They blow up from the Gulf of California into our valley and from that direction there are no mountains to stop them.   We have 8,000 to 10,000 foot mountains to the west and north of us, which is why the Coachella Valley is a desert.   It's difficult for clouds to get up and over those mountains, but, if they come up from the south, there is nothing to stop them.

It is 52 degrees out front right now, which is unheard of for May.   By Saturday, we'll be in triple digits, probably for the rest of the summer.   I always like to track how many days are triple digits, and I'll do so this year.

Photos are of a couple of different monsoon storms from previous years.   I'll update you on this year's storms.

Linked to SkyWatch Friday:  Skywatch Friday: Skywatch Friday - 14 May 2026 Edition

/cd

Retirement

  I retired ten years ago when the grandson nearest us was born and I haven’t looked back at teaching since. I do miss my students, but I don’t miss my administrator.

The day after the grandson was born, I retired. I’d put in my paperwork with my school district, I filled out my retirement papers with the state, I cleaned out my room’s 30 years of teaching materials (about 1,500 books), and never went back to my school again.

Instead, I had TIME to spend with the grandson and his sister, who is three years older. I retired April 30. By August, hubby asked, “Why aren’t you going to work anymore”? (I didn’t even tell him!) So, he decided to retire, too. (He’s a little slow…)

I did nothing that first year of retirement. I was burned out mentally and physically. I slept a LOT. I stayed in bed. I did NOTHING. But, by the second year, I was bored, so I had a lot of paper leftover from my teaching days and I started making handmade journals. I’ve always loved to write and I hoped others did too. I ended up making almost 200 of them (I think I got to 193). At first I gave them away, but then I opened an Etsy shop. I don’t make them to sell anymore. I do, once in a while, make one for myself.

Then in 2018, two years after I retired, I bought a new Brother sewing machine. I’d sewn often with my maternal grandmother and I was eager to take the time to do it right. I sewed fabric on the edges of my journal pages, I made fabric tabs, I even sewed fabric onto the covers of my journals.

Then, this year, I decided to try to make some simple patchwork tote bags for either books or shopping. I’d made some aprons and sold seven of them at the granddaughter’s craft fair for girl scouts, so I was encouraged by that. Now I have ten extra large tote bags and some smaller ones for this year’s craft fair.

I also got interested in growing my own food, so I began a backyard garden. Unfortunately gophers got most of my first crop, so I switched over to using plastic tubs. I love the tubs and no more gopher problems! Last winter I grew celery, lettuce, peas, Swiss chard, early tomatoes, radishes, and even turnips. I’m not growing any summer vegetables because, well, I need a break. But, nexst fall I’ll plant another round of winter vegetables.

So, we are content. Hubby sits in his recliner and either watches TV all night or reads novels on his Kindle. He doesn’t drive anymore, so I have to run out and do all the errands. That’s fine with me as it gives me a break from him…ha, ha!

And, the two grandkids are close by. I pick up the grandson every Wednesday which is early release day (both of his parents are teachers) and either bring him her to our house or drive him down to his. We are very close now. (This is the one who looked at me when he was three and said, “When are YOU going home?” I guess he has forgiven me for putting him in time out!

The days now melt into one another and as summer approaches here in the desert, I’ll stay inside and sew and sew and sew. Soon it will be too hot to venture outside and I’m finding that as I get older, I can tolerate the heat (and humidity) less and less.

/cd

Just a little bouquet to share

 May 25, 2026...Memorial Day

Not much going on today.   I went out at 5:45 this morning and left birdseed for the ducks.   Good thing I got out there as Papa Mallard came flying in just as I finished.  Ravens showed up for leftovers.  Cats are fed, dog is fed, hubby has his coffee.

Just a little bouquet to share with you today.   These flowers were from my garden.   I haven't had many this year, unfortunately.  It was 100 degrees here in February, which is extremely unusual.   February is usually our coldest month.   Now it is in the low 90's and it will be in the mid-80's later this week.   GO FIGURE!  Last year I had so many blooming flowers that I gave away vases of them!   This year, not so much.

/cd

Sunday photos

 Taking the day off and posting some photos from previous years.   Enjoy your holiday.

Rainbow near the Santa Rosa mountains

Morning light

Mist and rain along Highway 74

Meadow and fence post along Highway 74 on the road to Idyllwild

Desert sand dunes

Do I have to have a desk to be a writer? 052326

 

Do you have to have a desk or laptop to be a writer?

May 23, 2026

So, I’m on Substack now and another gal asked if she needed a desk to be a writer.   Of course not!   It made me think, “Do I need a desk or laptop” to be a writer?

Nope, of course not!

I used to just take my journal, my pen, and my thoughts out back under our huge Chinaberry tree in the mornings and sit and listen and observe and write.   Now I do sit at hubby’s desk, right next to the window because I still like to hear the early morning birds and watch them come to the bird feeders and the orange slices that I put out for them.   I enjoy listening to the two wild Mallard ducks that come now to eat leftover bird seed and who enjoy sticking their heads in the rubber water bowl.   I HAVE to have my morning “fix” of nature!  

I’ve gone through a LOT of pens for writing in my journals over the past six years and honestly, I don’t have a favorite pen yet.   Sometimes I enjoy a good ballpoint (not too expensive!), but most of the time I just grab something from my desk.   I sure wish a pen company would send me some samples!  I can’t afford to buy a $40.00 pen.

Besides, it isn’t the pen that matters.   It’s the thoughts, the content, and some days are better than others.

I write about the weather, the birds out front, the grandkids, our dog, our two indoor cats, and my horses.  I try to stay away from politics unless I’m really upset.   Why bother with THAT nonsense?   There’s so much to observe, to hear, to feel…

I’ve been looking at all the photos I took for my three main blogs and realized I need to get out with my camera more often!   Some days, however, with these knees, it’s difficult to do much walking.   But, I’m going to try anyway.   I miss those days of just me and my camera.

 

347 words

/cd