Musings

Well, not of the human kind.  Or of the animal kind for that matter.  Chuck and I have decided to try our hand at gardening.  Not knowing what to expect, we have decided to start with a few trial runs of Basil.  If that proves to be a success, we will upgrade to something more complicated, like cherry tomatoes or strawberries.  We planted our test plants, who we affectionately refer to as “our kids”, yesterday and seriously, it feels like we’ve got a few buns in the oven.  I can’t imagine what it would feel like to actually have one on the way (or three for that matter)!  Here are our “kids”:

                                                (From Left to Right)

                        Sandy, Oops and No Name (Chuck wanted to name that one “Dorito Chip”)

Hopefuly if children of the human kind are in either of our futures, we will be better at finding appropriate names. 

I have a new love.  Well, kind of an addiction.  Thanks to a new subscription to Netflix I never have to leave the house to have a library of movies, TV shows, music videos, personal trainers, and educators at my fingertips.  So with this great new service and the many options available to me, have I chosen to spend my time learning about new cultures?  Have I chosen to soak myself in the old musicals I love?  Have I chosen to get myself in shape?  Nope. 

I am addicted to 24.  24 is shown in real time, which means when it is 12:07 on the show, seven minutes has pased in real time.  In the last 24 hours, Chuck, our new roomate, Tim (yes, we found ourselves another victim), and I have watched 8 episodes of this show.  For all you math whizes out there that means 8 of the last 24 hours of my life has been spent on the edge of my seat (with Chuck periodicaly jumping at me and yelling “Boo” to scare me) eagerly anticipating each second.  Fortunately, we ran out of episodes and will have to wait until Wednesday to find out what happens next.  Unfortunately, we are only half way through Season 1 with five more seasons to go.

I looked out my bathroom window this morning and what did I see?…..

                  SPRING!!!      

Now, for those of you still drowning in winter weather, don’t get too riled up… this is the only tree I have seen like this, but it gave me hope that others will follow soon!  Yes Mom, “Spring will come…. Spring will come”. 

When Chuck was 14, he got his first job… cleaning up after sheep.  He saved his hard earned cash and when he was 15 bought a 1943 Jeep.  He tore the Jeep apart and completly rebuilt it even before he was old enough to drive it.  This Jeep was his baby.  After he finished college and was preparing to leave for flight school in New Mexico, he came to the decision that he needed to sell the Jeep and use the money for school.  Knowing what this Jeep meant to him, his dad stepped in and offered to buy the Jeep from him until Chuck was able to buy it back. 

I have heard about this much loved Jeep for as long as I have known Chuck and on a recent trip to San Diego was finally able to experience a ride in it!  Chuck fired it up and off we went!  I sat there with the wind in my hair (I had to wear a hat), bugs in my teeth (also had to wear protective eye wear), the smell of exhaust in my face and the loud roar of the engine (and I’m not kidding… it’s Loud) in my ears as we drove through the countryside with the mountains sourrounding us on a beautiful, clear and very warm February morning.  I have never felt more glamorous!  Strange, you might say, but to me I felt like a movie star.  To finally experience “The Jeep” I have heard so much about, to know that this man I am so proud of built it himself, to ride with the wind in my hair through the mountanous countryside in beautiful Southern California all combined to make the experience unforgetable!  (We forgot the camera, but I took pictures on my phone.  Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get them to upload on the computer, so I can’t share them.  Maybe another time.)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I happen to agree with them, so this post is dedicated to a recent trip to Sequoia National Park.  (Ok, actually the trip was over a month ago, and I started to write this entry about that long ago, but whose counting anyway?)  These are thumbnails so they should enlarge when you click on them.

Driving into the park…

 You can see a black spot at the base of this tree.  That spot was bigger than I am when I stood next to it!!

Big tree, little Hobbits! (In front of the General Sherman)

More Cool Pics…

Chuck and I inside a fallen tree

We made some new friends…

Manzanita: Characterized by bright red wood and lime green leaves

Home Sweet Home (The top apartment)