Come with me through the garden gate...

Mid-July the garden starts to look a little...tired, overgrown.
Many of my plants are between blooming. The Morning Glory is going nuts. Everything just needs a general clean-up this time of year. I was so proud of the results of all my hard work, I took some pictures. If you click on the picture, you'll get a better view.                   

This chair and teacup planter greets you as you walk up to the front porch.

We have to go through the gate past the old metal chair and one of my watering cans. I love the old red mailbox on the fence. Too bad the Bleeding Heart isn't in bloom.

I love sunfaces and little bits of garden whimsy like the big wire bee.

I got this brick from an old farm they tore down and the bench from a yardsale.
The planter is an old "topless" table I found in a junk pile.

 

We found the old pipe when we were roto-tilling the garden when  we first moved in.

I made these concrete orbs, I'll do a tutorial sometime.

Hostas in the damp, shade. Want to gaze into the future?

I found the old bike back when I used to have time to scavenge.
I love it! Ditto, the old window frame.

I sit out here, just about every Summer night, reading, writing, listening to the fountain.

One of the baskets hanging from the railing. They are ALWAYS thirsty!

The view from the yard, west to the Ochre Mtns. I love it!

 I wish we could all sit down on the adirondacks and have some lunch, laughs and cold drinks together. But for now, the walk will have to suffice. I hope you are all enjoying your own yards and all other summer pleasures, this year!

I been sick

Man! Sorry it took me soo long to get back to the jury duty tale.
I went down to visit my folks for a couple days and the night I got back, "the pains" started.
"The Pains" : noun   See- moderate, turning to sharp stabbing, turning to someone is twisting my innards with the pincers of Hell.
"The Pains", right over my Pubic bone/bladder area.
Woke up the next morning with "The Pains". Went out to work in the yard a little and all of the sudden had no energy whatsoever and could feel the chills creeping up on me. I came in and went to bed, after I drank about a gallon of water.
I slept all day, waking briefly to drink and pee. No pain upon peeing ( SORRY, urinating). Hmm, isn't that usually what happens, with what I was assuming was a bladder infection? Doesn't one usually feel as if they are pee urinating razor blades?
That night "the pain" moved down to include my left side. I realized that no amount of sleep and water were going to fix this.
Thursday, I called early for an appt.
Doc said it sounds like Diverticulitis.
"You win a catscan!" he cheerfully announces.
He has me give a urine sample. OMG, from the looks of what I have filled the cup with, I should already be dead! When he sees the printout, he silently laughs, shaking his head.
"That is the angriest bladder I have ever seen!"

So... definitely bladder infection. Find out Monday about the Diverti....
After 24 hours on 2 different horse-pill antibiotics, I feel much better, although the lower left side is still  tender, reminding me every now and then that "you ain't got rid o' me yet! watch out!"

So, on to Jury Duty Free!

Well, I've kinda lost my zest for the rest of the story.
Suffice it to say:
After trying to call several girlfriends with no answer, I called my brother in law, Brent, who works downtown. He walked down to meet me at one of my favorite places, Gourmandise Bakery and we had a yummy lunch. He's good company!
We both commented on how much we had enjoyed my niece's travelogue emails, since she has been in Paris. I told him that I was afraid the only way I was going to see Europe was by movie.We parted ways with that thought and a rumball purchased for a movie treat.
I walked to the "Art house" theater, where I saw "I am Love" a VERY artsy movie, subtitled in English, with a lot of nude Tilda Swinton. It was set in Milan and some other place, beautifully Mediterranean, around Nice.  I felt that I had experienced quite a lovely, little taste of Italy, Tilda not withstanding.

Jury Duty

Monday began my term of Jury duty. I had to call each night to see if I was needed the next day and, BINGO, Monday night I received my marching orders.

Tuesday morning I boarded Trax to go up to the courthouse. I like to take TRAX, it's an adventure for me! I know that anybody who takes it every day would disagree, but I just get a small rush buying the ticket, getting on the train, people watching, listening for my stop and graffiti watching ( I can appreciate it when it's well done).  I guess it doesn't take much to entertain me, but it's the novelty of it that I love.

When I got to the courthouse, I sat in a small room filled with 20 other people. Down the row from me sat a woman with sea-green glitter toenails that were grown out about half way. Eeuw! The older man on my left had a white goatee and ponytail. His name was Fritz or Gustav or Hans...something Germanic. The young man on my right never stopped reading his scriptures. He looked neither to the right nor the left, well, on his left was the wall so I can understand that, but still, every time I had to hand him a form, I had to put it right under his nose to get him to notice. He was also chewing gum with his mouth open. It sounded like a soggy, wind-up alarm clock rhythmically ticking away.

They finally called us to line up on the stairs to enter the courtroom. I was standing one step above a cute, tan, 40-ish , blond woman. She was texting with someone back and forth. I happened to glance down as she opened a text, "hurry home Im horny". I swear I wasn't eavesdropping! I just happened to glance down and there he was! Her husband? Boyfriend? Newlyweds? A text from my husband would be more like, "you left your curling iron on again! You're gonna burn the house down damnit!" or my friend's husband would probably say, "Are you gonna be able to fix my lunch? I'm real hungry."
Of course, I guess I shouldn't assume her text-er was a man... It was one of a couple of assumptions I made that day.

We entered the court room. On the left sat two young male lawyers, one better looking and more stylishly dressed than the other. Plain lawyer is introduced as an intern. On the right sat two young lawyers, one of them a young, Hispanic woman with an ornate tattoo on her ankle, the other a young white guy. Next to them slouched an angry looking, 20something kid in a pair of worn, baggy jeans, dirty, old tennis shoes and a use 'da been white t-shirt that had seen better days. He had a big bottle of coke next to his feet on the floor.
I'm thinking, hmmm? Drugs? Theft? As my imagination is working, the judge announces, "This is a Domestic Violence case..."  Ahh! Yes. I can see it now. Some poor little white trash girl, getting beat up in the single-wide cause she took the TransAm without asking...

The Judge starts asking us qualifying questions and ask us to raise our hand if we agree.
*Do you think someone might be afraid to report Domestic Violence?
I raise my hand.
*Do you think someone might not want to prosecute someone they have had arrested because of Domestic Violence?
Again I raise my hand.
*Do you think someone might not show up to testify because they have been threatened? I raise my hand to the affirmative.
I get it! That's why the lawyers on the left don't have anyone slouching on their side! Oh you poor little thing. OR maybe she's lying! Maybe she didn't show up to infer he threatened her! Maybe...? My imaginative reverie is interrupted.
*Do you think Domestic Violence should be prosecuted any differently between same sex couples?
Of course not! My hand is not raised.

WAIT! What the...??

That guy is gay! Geez! His lawyers must have told him to dress like the Anti-Gay!

I am not chosen for duty and feel an odd let-down, like I wasn't invited to someone's birthday party. Someone I didn't even like very much anyway.
Cute, blond lady is invited and takes her seat with the three other jurors, including HansGustavFritz AND the toenail lady!

I imagine blond lady sending a text, "Here for the long haul, take a cold shower"


Next: Having Served my Term, I Enjoy my Freedom!

This made me laugh

My friend Marla posted this on Facebook, a spunky old gal talking about style. I answered I didn't think I had any style, but I expect my movie stars to have it!

Doesn't she look awful! Bust too small, hips look huge! Granny sandals with dress too short. Lanky hair, no make-up, no accessories... Maybe she remembered, at the last minute, she was supposed to be at an awards show.
At first, I thought that was Tom Cruise beside her! hehe, Sorry Tom. You're probably taller than Daniel Radcliff and you WERE adorable in Knight and Day.
Well! that bit of snark was just what I needed!
I have jury duty tomorrow, first time ever! I'll let you know if anything exciting happens

The Versatile Blogger

My daughter Shannon has awarded me this very auspicious title and has challenged me to share " 7 Little-Known Things About Me". Thanks, Shan! I'll try to do my versatile best, exercising all of my versatility!

1. I have lived in 5 different states: California, Utah, Washington, Texas and Arizona; all for Don's jobs in Media Sales. We've lived in Utah now for 21 years, almost as long as all of my years in my birthplace of El Monte, California.

2. I was, first, an Art Major in college, but had my hopes smashed when my BYU watercolor professor told me he thought I was best suited to teach Junior High Art. Ouch! That was back in my young, "those who can't, teach" days. I didn't know exactly what I was expecting to do with a BFA, but I knew it didn't involve Jr. High kids! I went home for the Summer, started teaching Children's Sunday School, loved it and changed my major. I graduated with an Elementary Ed. Major and an Art Minor.

3. I like to sleep in messy sheets. I like to really nestle into them so drafts can't find me. To accomplish this, on my side of our king size bed, I have a full sized sheet under the shared sheet. The extra sheet is tucked in with the extra yardage gathered at the foot of the bed. You can't see it when the bed is made, it doesn't look lumpy or anything!

4. I was a sleepwalker and still talk in my sleep occasionally. Once when I was a teenager I actually went outside, sleepwalking! I woke up as I reentered my house and it scared the beegeezuz outta me!

5. I love sour things like dill pickles, capers, olives, sauerkraut... I LOVE Chicken Piccata/Scallopini!

6. I've always wished I looked like Anne Archer.

7. The tiny green light on the smoke alarm, the tiny blue light on the phone charging and the lights on the VCR all bother me at night. I have to cover them up...weird, I know.

Well, there are my 7 Little-Known Facts. I'm weirder than I thought!