Monkey Bones

Prepare to be impressed.  Kim made this hat.  She really did.  Did you know you could learn to knit by surfing the internet for videos and instructions.  You may have to rip it out three times before you get it right, but you too can make this hat without any help from anyone except your computer.  Aren't you so proud of Kim.  I am. 

November and December and family

In November when Marty & Mindy and kids were here, we went to Uvas to go hiking.  Uvas is a place where life suddenly slows down and everything is green and the water is crystal clear and the earthen smells are deliceous.  Charlie and I hung out while everone else was hiking.  We collected acorns and leaves and threw rocks into the creek.  So peaceful and wonderful.

Traditions are like habits, they are hard to break, so don't start a tradition unless you plan on making it a life long event.  Here we are keeping one of our traditions that make Christmas so great.  We could just go to home depot and get a tree, but where is the fun in that.  This year we had to go to a tree farm that wasn't so far up in the mountains because there was a very big wind storm that weekend and some of the roads were closed due to power lines being down.  

We met a nice family who owned this tree farm and they instructed us on where to find the trees and what kind of trees there were and they gave us a little history on the area we were in.  The tree farm use to be a little town called Patchen which had a lot of local history to it.  There were pine trees and cedar trees and redwood trees.  I got a cedar tree this year which looked very feathery, but actually it was kind of stickery. 

Here is the tree I picked

and here is Jeremy cutting it down

and here is Russ keeping an eye out for everyone.

And some hot chocolate was nice. 

here is my tree all decorated and all lit up.  I think it's magical.

here it is in the daytime.  It's still beautiful.    I wish we could keep trees in our house all year long.  They smell nice and look beautiful.

more fun with Lucy!!

Another exciting night at Grandma's house

My family is all about running.  I want to, but there is so much other stuff to do and then when I'm through, I'm very tired and don't want to anymore.  For all you runners out there, read this:

1.  If walking/cycling is good for your health, the postman would be immortal.

2.  A whale swims all day, only eats fish, drinks water, and is fat.

3.  A rabbit runs and hops and only lives 15 years.

4.  A tortoise doesn't run and does nothing, yet it lives for 450 years.

And you tell me to exercise??  I don't think so.

So, what's everyone planning to wear this year for Halloween.  I want pictures.  If you’re considering entering a haunted house, INSIST on positioning yourself in the middle of your crowd of friends.  If you’re first or last in the group you’re probably going to die.    Seriously.  I don’t belong in a haunted house.  I’d get my murder scream on.  No one likes that.
Listen… if you’re buying  your Halloween outfit at a  store that also sells skimpy spandex outfits and furry handcuffs, I’m really really going to need you to stop that right now.  This brings me to a very important point:  the slutty bee/nurse/policewoman/fairy/cat/warrior/French maid/girl scout/bomb inspector/hipster/moose/panda bear/zombie/Strawberry Shortcake… is SO OVERPLAYED (major lame).   
I distinctly remember when the whole slutty Halloween costume entered my life.  I was 16.  I was an old lady (with shawl, wig, crazy lipstick, and glasses).  My best friend  was a French maid.  Yep.  Lines were drawn.  I knew who I was….
 Don’t be slutty.  Slutty on Halloween is DUMB and predictable and DUMB! Consider being sponge bob, but not a sexy sponge bob or Elvis, or maybe Obama.  Anyway, I want pictures posted. 

FALL

For some of you that live in the South or even in Uah, you will think me naieve when I say that Fall is speedily coming to California.   As you crunch through gold, red, and purple leaves and glory in all the colors hanging from the trees, we here are still pretty green and brown.  But here are a few indications that we too enjoy this season. 

Picking pumpkins.  We went to the Bonino Pumpkin Patch and found a few that we liked.

Look Ma, no hands!!

Russ found a few that he liked too.  Really Russ, Seriously?

I don't know who he is texting or why, but it looks serious.

Another clue that Fall is here is Football games.  We have our own family super star.  Number 77, Anthony Bonino, star center for the Christopher Cougars.  You should be able to find him in all these pictures.

Well, not this one.

or this one

After the game, Pericose.  They have cantelope juice and Chili Rellenos.  Yum

One more clue that Fall is here,  Sunflowers.  We always get tons of sunflowers.  It's nice having a farmer in the family.  So many perks.  Before you know it I'll be posting Thanksgiving, but right now, I'm thankful for Fall. 

The following story is rated X.  Children under the age of 3 and squemish adults should leave the room.  This is the half of rabbit that was under my coffee table.  See how long its legs are.  It's a jack rabbit and it's bigger than the cat, at least it was when it was all in one piece.  I don't know how Iris snuck it into the house without getting caught, but then I never see her bring the lizards in, but there they are.  I found one this morning on the kitchen rug, just sitting there. 
Not only did she carry in the back end of the rabbi, but there were two extra paws too.  How did she carry all three pieces into the living room.  She cleverly hid them under the coffee table and David pulled it out so we could take a picture of it.  I'm just grateful there was no blood or other body fluids.  This was seriously gross on every level. 

I told Iris that she sould be ashamed of herself, and this is the look she gave me.  Look at that innocent face.  "Yeah", she says, "and there's more where that came from too."  I'm worried.  What will I find lying around tomorrow. 

Last Week

 Natural Bridges State Park
 You probably think my life must be boring.  After all, I'm old and I have no man to answer to, and all I do is work or knit.  But, you would be wrong.  I have a life, just read on.  On Monday, which was labor day, I went with Raquel and kids to Natural Bridges State Beach.  Next time my family visits, we should go there again.  This was Jeremy's suggestion and Jeremy did good.  It's simply beautiful there. It was a little windy which the surfers love, but not hot or not cold.  Just right. 





 I did find walking up hill in the sand hard on my old knees,  There were no stairs.  Next time Raquel said she would tie a rope to me and drag me up the hill. 
 
At the turn of the century there were three archways or bridges.  The first one collapsed early in the 1900s.  The middle one collspsed in 1980.  Just picture those two big rocks connected by an archway.   The one in my picture is the only one left. Erosion will probably take it too at some point in time.  I remember coming to this beach with Kim, Matt, and Raquel.  Somewhere I have a picture of them under the middle archway before it collapsed.   The only picture I could find of the bridge before the collapse is a post card I found on line. Raquel and the boys hiked all over the rocks that are near by and I sat down on the rocks and watched the waves as they hit the rocks and vaulted up and over the rocks at my feet. 

 This guy came to join me.
The rocks have such interesting patterns etched in them, I guess from erosion and salt and wind. 
 we even found a fossilized leaf embedded in the rocks.


I also took pictures of the boys playing in the surf and of this guy who was wind surfing. 
 
Watching him try to manuever his surfing thingy into the water made me  realize how strong you would have to be to manipulate that thing (what are they called?) into the surf to get onto the water.  He was good at it and once he had it on the water it took off. 


 

As the boys came in out of the surf, they were red as lobsters, I guess from the cold water.  Lucy and Raquel were two little crabs roaming along the surf picking up shells. 
 
We went to lunch at "The Farm" in Santa Cruz before we hit the beach.  It was a very nice day. 

Because I'm such a good sport, I'm going to share a story about me that you will all think is really funny.  I think it's funny too, but don't remind me of how lame I am every time you see me.  In my kitchen window I have a few plants.  I can only grow cacti there because the sun spends a lot of time at that window and everything else burns up. 

 This particular plant has been my favorite because it has been so healthy and never shows signs of stress.  I water it faithfully once or twice a month because cactuses don't need a lot of water. 
Raquel was over the other night and she was admiring my collection of cactuses and I commented to her how that particular plant had stayed looking so fresh and beautiful.  As she examined it, she looked at me with a twinkle in her eye and asked me if I had been watering it and I told her yes, but not too much.  She then informed me that it was an immitation cactus, not real.  We had a good laugh about my silliness.  So blond of me, don't you think.   BTW, the other ones are real, really. 

I do have some real plants.  The ones below are mostly herbs I'm growing in pots for cooking with.  I love to cook with fresh herbs. 

 Tyme and Oregano here,  I also have Rosemary, Parsley, Sage, and Mint.

Russ gave me a bunch of Zinneas to plant.

Maidenhair fern.


Gerber Daisies


Begonias

 

And last, I made Oatmeal, Peanutbutter, Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Yum  Don't you wish you were here.