The Coffee Ladies, Royally T'd.

Today the coffee Ladies are holding a tea in honor of the royal couple, William and Kate. I have my hat all ready to go!

If you recall, yesterday i was trying to decide which of these two hats I would wear. I tried and I tried but I could not get the cowboy hat to look good. I mean I wanted to make a statement as in " I am a d_ _m Yank from the west, but I didn't want  to look like a ridiculous d - -m Yank. If it could have been classy I would have been there! So the hat on the right won. Despite Hank, the Millinery Kitties help...

I had to retrieve the blue flowers and the rose twice. 

I think it came out alright.

As is our usual practice, when the coffee ladies meet at a home, we all bring a dish to share. Recipe time! You can click on the picture and it will enlarge.

The spread!!!

Our Hostess, she made her hat from a paper plate and a candy cup...

You know how your friend assures you you can wear it again....in my friend Gail's case, yes...25 some years later!

The coffee Ladies!!!! ( T. V. Cometary for my outfit would go something like this.. looking decidedly suburban she is wearing a hat by Hank's Haberdashery, "You won't look the same if we get our paws on you," shirt by Khol's, Jeans by JCPenney sandals by Land's End...)

a toast to the Newlyweds...May they be happy together!

The Mad Hatter and gratuitous baby animal pictures.

So the coffee ladies have decided to wear hats and have tea instead of coffee tomorrow in honor of the royal wedding. I have my crafty supplies and the glue gun is warming up, now I just have to decide which hat to gussy up...


 

  

I grew up in a town that has a rodeo on the fourth of July. I now live in a town where western T.V. shows such as Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Wagon Train and Bonanza were filmed. There is just enough rebel in me ...I am leaning toward the cowboy hat..I'll let you know tomorrow which one I chose.

I saw these cut little wild babies this morning...I couldn't resist...

Baby wild bunny having breakfasts.

Momma mallard and her 10 babies resting and sunning....

Smart Momma ducks and spring blossoms

Remember Mom and dad mallard with the 10 little ones? I haven't seen them on the pond for about a week and a half. I was a little concerned as the crows, ravens and seagulls have been decimating the baby ducks this spring.

She was back today, with 6 of her remaining babies.( I can tell it is her, she has a scar just above her bill on her left side) I think she took the little ones down the hill to the creek, and then brought them back up when they were bigger.

I decided to go down to the creek and see if there were more smart mom's down there.

I found another family, they wouldn't let me get anywhere close. she took those babies in the opposite direction, silently, not a peep out of anyone.

Look close, see momma ducks feet on the left and the babies following. I took these pictures from the bridge that crosses the creek. When the ducks were gone I turned around and , wow! Look at this tree!( if had been a snake it would have bitten me...at least I was looking out for poison oak when I was down at the creek!)

That Winning isn't everything... thing.

I think we forget the full quote, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." Coaches and teaches have left the last part off . I think we all understand what they are trying to teach with the first half of the phrase.

Yesterday I saw  the full phrase, like a diagrammed sentence, in living color .

My daughter Kathy was riding in a horse show. Her horse is a school horse named Delaney. Delaney is a girl with a reputation.

A reputation of refusing fences, rearing, bucking, getting close to the rail, trying to get that person off her back! The kind of horse that makes my hair grayer, if that is possible, and Kathy LOVES her.

Kathy and her friend Zoe were entered in 2 classes, class 40 and 41. So I was a little surprised when class 39 was called and Kathy and Zoe entered the ring. It seems there were not enough riders in class 39 so Zoe and Kathy had agreed to enter the class to keep it from being canceled.

Class 40 had the same problem, not enough riders. The owner of the riding school asked the girl from class 39 if she would fill out class 40 for Kathy and Zoe, this girl and her father, who just minutes earlier had been demanding the owner fill class 39 so his daughter could ride, this man took his daughter and her trophy and walked away.

He believes in the last half of the phrase...winning is the only thing.

 Another girl agreed to fill out class 40. 

After winning the class, she turned to Kathy and said  I wasn't supposed to be in this class, and handed Kathy the ribbon, certificate and trophy.

This girl believes in the first half of the phrase...winning isn't everything.

Remember bad girl Delaney? Well, in class 41 she refused a fence. 

One of the spectators said, "That is so Delaney!" (told you...reputation!)

Kathy circled Delaney and made her take the fence.

"Good for her", another spectator said.

as the ride continued another spectator said "She looks good on Delaney." her friend answered "She makes Delaney look good."

 When Kathy and Delaney finished their ride, they received a loud round of applause. I heard the trainer at the far end of the arena yell "Kathy I am so proud of you!" other parents were clapping, really clapping not he polite clap folks sometimes do. The owner of the stable was grinning from ear to ear and my daughters face was glowing.

I think all three of these girls, the girl who took her trophy and left, the girl who declined her trophy and the girl who made Delaney look good, illustrate MY new phrase. 

Winning doesn't always mean first place.

The following are pictures of Kathy and Delaney...Looking good!

An everday thing that caught my eye.

I was feeding and watering the rabbits this morning, something I do every morning. I  look up at our clothesline and thought wow, that looks kind of neat.

We have had this clothesline up since 2001, when Enron did it's number on California, causing rolling blackouts and brown outs. I love line dried clothes so I still use it.

a low tech answer to a high tech problem...

Happy Easter

Chocolate carrots! Well, what else did you expect the Easter bunny to bring us?

Saturday Morning Hike to Paradise...Falls that is!

 When we humans are not trying to turn my part of California into England or at least some place that has a higher rain fall, this is what the land scape around me really looks like. Come the end of June, it will be dry and brown, right now everything is in bloom.

California Quail!!!!

Today our Photography group hiked down to Paradise Falls in Wildwood park. 400 feet elevation change from where we started to the falls and then...400 feet Up back to the cars. 

Grass along the trail back lite by the sun.

A lesser Gold finch in a mustard plant.

Dropping down to the river.

See the bird nest in the hole in the rock?

close up of the nest.

Paradise falls.

cool looking flower thing along the trail ( like my scientific names?)

Climbing back up from the river.

Mariposa Lily

Prickly Pear Cactus

It was really a beautiful morning.