Don't get me wrong, I love my SIL to death, but she's just too perfect. I always feel incompetent around her. She has 9 perfect children all with red hair and freckles, all are so well behaved. My children call them the children from Bizarro World because they are just so plastic, nothing goes wrong when we're around them. I don't envy my SIL in the least, I know having 9 children has to be trying sometimes, well probably most of the time, but we never see those times. She has dubbed her kids the "Divine Nine." Being a big Elder Scrolls fan I have to wonder which of her perfect children is Akatosh, or Mara?
She bakes her own breads and sells them, all with things like spelt and chia sprouts. Chia should only grow on those terracotta heads, not be stuffed in my bread! I thought spelt was a fish! Nothing isn't whole grain and nothing has sugars of any kind. Anyway, I'm celebrating having my dishes done for a couple of days, when I get to thinking that never once have I seen any dirty dish in her house that wasn't neatly stacked waiting to go into the dish washer, even then they are clean!
Whenever I do something that annoys my husband, I'm either told how much he wishes I'd be like his sister or mother, or less like my mother or grandmother. Why can't I be ME!!!???? UGH! Is it wrong to wish your perfect family member would just once trip so you could not necessarily laugh, but at least see their folly?
My SIL is my Arch-Nemesis!
My Mother's Day Trip
For Mother's Day my son, two kittens, and I went down to San Diego to spend a couple of days. We picked up our rental at 5:00 that Friday. We packed up and left at midnight. We hit Vista about 7 in the morning Saturday. I forgot our map in the printer so we bought a map of San Diego County, only to find out it was the wrong map. We got lost looking for Grigsby's and finally got there about 8:30 which really worked out well, but didn't help our disposition any. Then we tried to find Rainbow Gardens. I don't think we ever made it there since the guy wasn't there wherever we ended up, I couldn't ask. We then hit San Diego to meet my friend, Cena, and give her the two kittens. The map worked better in San Diego. We then headed to Balboa Park for the SDES sale and the SDCSS meeting. We topped it off with a visit to an epi grower's house in El Cajon which was amazing. She had a really small yard with hundreds of epies hanging everywhere. then dinner at Hometown Buffet and then to the in laws for the night.
Sunday we got up and went to Ramona to a museum, while what we were looking for was not there, it was still interesting. Then back to El Cajon to meet Dr. Juergen Menzel a very knowledgeable man and he has helped many people on different forums. I was honored to meet him. Then we went back to the in laws for BBQ.
Monday, we packed up and headed to LA to spend the night with Norma Lewis (crassulady). When we hit Solona we thought we'd stop at a nursery that was recommended to me, Solona Succulents, I asked at two different places before someone could tell me how to get to Highway 1, only to get there and they were closed. We drove around looking for a wireless signal, then called home. DH wrote a little email to Norma asking for her phone # and address, all the time telling Cody we could sleep in the car if all else fails. An hour later, I called home and we got a real phone #, we were on our way once again. After a few mix ups and another useless map purchase, we finally got to her house about 2 pm. We looked at plants, and played with Penny her cat. Dinner was Chinese food, I've never had octopus before, and never could try it, but Cody did. He said it was a little like calamari. I'm glad I didn't. We then went next door and looked at the Asian produce and I got some lemon grass. Cody got rice milk in a cool bottle. We went back to Norma's and looked at more plants. Norma is known worldwide for her crassula, but what really interested me were the Sansevieria.
We woke up Tuesday and ate breakfast and looked at more plants while Cosy enjoyed playing with Penny. I came home with so many cuttings it's not even funny. We headed to Shriner's Hospital and then headed home. It was sheer luck that I found the hospital with very few turn arounds. In Santa Barbara we stopped and met up with another friend, went to a book store, then on home. We almost ran out of gas on the Gaviota Pass, but was able to make it to the gas station. Whew! Next time I'm going have maps of everything and a plan for every minute.
Here are the pictures. Enjoy :)
Tax Day Tea Party in Atascadero, CA
As a fed up American I really do not think in the current government really cares about my opinion because it is not their opinion. They are going hog wild with passing laws which are unconstitutional. Our president hasn't even proven his citizenship yet, and in three months we are already we're three trillion dollars in debt more than we were.
Our family is barely getting by as it is, but with new taxes coming up everywhere my husband is barely keeping his job. He'd make more on unemployment that trying to go to work the days he does have work. That is just wrong. That is how it is in many sectors of the working force.
So anyway my husband was excited to hear about these tax day tea parties popping up, from the media? No of course not! He read about it online. It's all being blamed on Fox News. While Fox News is more patriotic than other news stations, it is not our source of information, we don't even have cable, nor would we.
Yesterday was the tea party, I didn't know what to expect so we got to Atascadero's Sunken Gardens early. Little by little people started showing up. The only real problem we had was parking, I think one car got towed because it parked where the Farmer's Market and wasn't moved on time. Luckily I parked across the street. All in all it was a nice day at the park, reminding me of a fourth of July picnic. Not one bottle was thrown, not one foul word was said, and everyone there truly loved their country. The police just stood there and watched cars go by and moved and towed. They cheered in a few places also.
I can really see how we're terrorists of the worse ilk, we peaceably spoke with one accord against the tyranny of the current government. They should be shaking there in Washington, because we've had it.
My husband and his co-workers took off of work just to attend. Our neighbor and his five children also showed up. There were a few people I recognized. There were four scheduled speakers, a protest walk then an open mic. Many of them speaking of the new taxes on the ballot, or soon to be.
I was really disappointed with the local media. There was a five minute blurb on KSBY interviewing the protester of the protest. They need to fire that reporter and put a more unbiased person in her place. On another broadcast of the Pismo tea party, the interviewer started yelling at the person she interviewed. The Atascadero News was worse, the lady sounded like she couldn't be bothered by a couple thousand protesters, she didn't even interview anyone and said it was only a couple hundred. There were at least 2000 people, probably more. The article has gone to the wayside and is no longer available on their website, one day later. The Telegram Tribune had a little blurb also.
I took a few pictures, if anyone is interested. We are all encouraged to use a scanner and copy a box of tea. Use the copy as stationary (do not send tea as it could upset & shut down the whole white house for hours & get you arrested for sending suspicious substances via mail) date it tax day, April 15th, & send a small message to all our elected officials, like:
Dear Senator (Congressman, President) whatever,
I hope you understand the significance of my message.
Your constituent,
your name
"The one condition necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke
Sansevieria
The local C&SS show is Memorial day in May. Unfortunately, my Sans have decided now is the time to bloom. This is going to be my first year showing plants. Anyway, I am excited about buds. I just wish they had waited a few weeks to begin.
Sans suffruticosa
March 2
March 10
March 18
Another stalk coming up
And another sans strutting it's stuff with 10 bloom stalks coming up!
Sans cylindrica
Today
Sans suffruticosa
Sans cylindrica
Some other Sans around the house & I've ordered even more :S
Sans guineensis - Yard stick for comparison
Sans "Twisted Sister"
Sans "Lillian True" yard stick again
Sans parva
Sans singularis (fischerii)
& Sans trifasciata, only half is variegated
Springtime is My Favorite Time
I love spring, it is that couple of months during the year that everything is green. Usually things are dry and brown around here in the semi-desert. The only green things usually are the alfalfa fields & vineyards. Having grown up with a winemaker as an uncle, I grew to appreciate the grapes, but now since the govenment paid ranchers not to raise cattle, there are way too many vineyards for our water supplies to accomodate.
Anyway, even the weeds are beautiful this time of year.
New surprises pop up everywhere.
& dead things revive.
Bugs are even interesting.
Kittens!
Well spring is here finally, Pretty had a litter of kittens last week. Four amazingly cute bundles of fuzz. They already have homes waiting for them, which is good.
One day old:
one week old :)
Three boys
and a girl
a few of the family
I love kitten time :) Two are going all the way to a friend in Santa Barbara, and two are going even further to a http://www.gardenforums.org/ friend in San Diego. My eldest son and I are going down Mother's Day to San Diego for the SDES show & sale & then to LA for his annual Shriner's appointment and will take kittens with us then. Wish us luck :)
