AND THE ATMOSPHERIC RIVER BEGINS!

 Today begins a full week of rain for our thirsty Northern California area.

Its been cold but now we will have rains coming from the Tropical direction.

Unfortunately it means not much snow pack.  That's what we need so badly.

I guess we are all over the news because of the rains.  Where Dave and I live it won't be too bad, just soggy and gray.  Further north will get lots of flooding and mess.

Just as I stepped out the front door, the sky opened up and I scooted back inside.

Yes Rain's a comin'

Hate having the lights on all day but its just too dark to do anything without it.

Dave and I are feeling a bit better, thank you Lord.

We had to put out our 2 utility pumps in the backyard yesterday.  Trying to get ahead of the slossy swamp that happens every year.

Praying for no leaks in our roof this year.

Such are the joys of home ownership...

And life goes on...

MONDAY ... MONDAY ...

 Well here we are at Monday, the 18th day of November.

Guess what?

I have been sick too!

The ugly flu hit me Saturday night as I was getting ready for bed.  

Oh brother it was horrible.  I don't think I have ever been that sick for many years.

I was up all night long and won't go into the sordid details, but I lost 3 full pounds!

UGH !!

Slept a lot and do feel a bit better this morning.  Dave feels about the same.

Weak and blah !!

As I said in my last post...  Getting old isn't for sissies.

Old and sick is not a nice combination.

Yummy breakfast this morning.

Always be Grateful

Always be Kind

SATURDAY BITS AND PIECES

 Today is bright and shiny outside.  The temperature at 9:30 AM is only 45F.

It did get down to 36F and there was a little bit of frost in the nooks and crannies of the roofs.

I guess the seasons have officially changed around here.

I love the textures and the shadows I see in our side yard.

I wasn't really on the computer yesterday.

It was a better day at Lynne's.  I am so grateful for all the prayers and support.

I came home to my Hubby suffering from the flu or maybe another bout of diviculitus.  It wasn't a fun afternoon and night.  I got everything ready to take a trip to the ER.  Thankfully that didn't happen.

Really tired  and we will see what this day holds for us.

This Getting Old really isn't for Sissies.

And so my day rolls on...

Here's a "funny" to give you a smile.

Always be Grateful

Always be Kind

THROWBACK THURSDAY

 This is Throwback Thursday and also Thankful Thursday.

My Throwback is all the way from yesterday...

It was 4:30pm and night was already falling.

Just too Early for me...

Lights on already...

It was a misty, spritz-y kind of evening.

I really love the pale rainbow.

God's Promise...

I am so thankful for the rain, as little as it was.

Thankful Thursday.

Always be Grateful

Always be Kind

RAIN AT LAST

 Just a quickie today.

Finally we got a nice soaking rain.  It didn't last long but it did make everything squeaky fresh and clean..

Well except for all of the leaves that are now off some of the trees and on the ground.

Just another little job to do today, before the next Spritz happens tomorrow.

I'm not complaining though.  Every little bit helps the snow pack in our mountains and keeps us out of drought conditions.

Enjoy your day

Always be Grateful

Always be Kind

VETERAN'S DAY

 First of all I want to thank you for all the kind things you wrote on my last post.

They brought tears to my eyes.

Lynne and her daughter had a peaceful night and now its on to a new day.

Today is Veteran's Day here in the USA.

I am so thankful for all who served and those who gave their lives for our Freedom.

My Father in Law was a very proud Major in the Army.  Loved his country and gave his best to the endeavor.  

He retired from the Army and lived a good, active long life.  He has been gone for many years but his legacy lives on.

Dave's Dad is on the far left.  He joined the Army at a very young age.

ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL

ALWAYS BE KIND

HONOR

DAY # 9 of THANKFULNESS

 Its a beautiful warm-ish Sunday.

I am grateful for the sunshine and all your prayers for being with my friend Lynne.

Some days are better than others and Friday was one of her more difficult days.

We muddled through but Saturday turned out to be very hard and emotional for her daughter Karen.  Agitation and lack of comprehension of what Karen was saying turned Lynne's world upside down.  I was a stranger and she was in a "strange place"...her home of 16 years...  the same with Karen...Its so heart breaking.  Finally she went to sleep and I haven't heard of any more difficulties today.

Thanks for letting me "dump" a bit... we just don't know what the future holds but we know who holds the future.

So all that to say that despite all the trauma and disruption I'm thankful that I can be a help for my friends and thankful that the Lord helped me stay calm and just keep plugging along.

I'm also thankful for the beautiful colors of Fall.

When things go wonky all I can do is give it to the Lord and ask for Peace.

Always be Grateful

Always be Kind..

FINALLY SOME COLOR IN THE SIDE YARD

 We are finally seeing some color in our yard and the neighbors too.

I finally feel like Fall is appearing.

Have a wonderful weekend.

I'm off to go to my friend Lynne's home to do my weekly care-giving.

Prayers appreciated.

Always be Grateful

Always be Kind

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 Wordless Wednesday

Last nights sunset...

Always be Grateful

Always be Kind

TONIGHT and TOMORROW

 Tomorrow ... Tomorrow ...

Tonight

The sky joined in the celebration for my birthday.

And one half hour later it was PITCH BLACK out there.

Good ole Standard Time...

Always be Grateful

Always be Kind

NOT QUITE FALL YET

 I'll make this short and sweet...

Its not quite Fall yet in our little corner of the world.

The trees are having such a hard time changing their color.

Enlarge this leaf to see the intricate design.  

I find it amazing.

Happy 1st day of November.

Have a great weekend.

Always be Grateful

Always be Kind

TOMORROW IS HALLOWEEN

Tomorrow is Halloween

 I always think it is fun to see the kids in their costumes for Halloween... especially the little ones.

The weather man says there may be a spritz or two of that wet stuff coming from the sky.  I really hope it doesn't happen.

We get fewer and fewer goblins coming to our door every year.  I do hope we get a few.

Here are my personal Goblins from 1976 or 1977.

Karen (my Alzheimer friend's daughter) ... My oldest son Steve ... My son Mark and Karen's brother Kevin.  Its hard to believe that Kevin passed away 24 years ago.  These 4 kids would go out every year with Dave and Karen's dad Jack.  Up and down the hills of our neighborhood they would go.  The bounty was always stupendous.

Fun memories.  It seems like a lifetime ago..

Always be Grateful

Always be Kind

PUMPKIN SHOWDOWN and THE BIRTHDAY QUEEN

 Saturday turned out to be a great day of celebration with our oldest granddaughter Lauren,

She turned 30 and wanted to be with her family to celebrate.  They (she and her husband Mark and dog Luna) Drove 10 hours from Las Vegas, to spend the day together with us.  You have to grab those special times when you can.

Luna did great for her first time on such a long trip.

Lauren loves her puppy.

After dinner The Pumpkin Showdown began.

Lauren and hubby Mark against Amanda and her husband Billy.

Making the Plan

Singing while you work

Let the competition start...

Love the concentration!

It was a hard fought contest but in the end Amanda and Billy won.

It got too dark out in the yard, so I didn't get a photo of Lauren and Mark's contribution.

And the Winner !

The sunset last night was unbelievable.  

It really didn't look real.  

These photos are straight out of my cell phone.  No touch-up or boost of color.

I really couldn't believe my eyes.

The red was so brilliant and almost neon.

And the day came to an end.

Our son's backyard is the perfect place to see the sunset.

Today they had to do the 10 hour drive back to reality...

Work and Duty calls.

I do hope we can see them for Christmas.

There is nothing like family.

Always be Grateful

Always be Kind.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREN !!

 Today our oldest granddaughter turns 30.

How can that be?

I'm so excited that she and her husband are here today to celebrate.  I'm really looking forward to dinner tonight.

I am posting just a few of my favorite photos of this beautiful woman.

Here she is almost 2 months old.

Here she is telling the best and most detailed story to her Papa.

Love this girl to pieces.

She and her sister are the best models for her Daddy.

Of course I have to post this one again of Lauren's wedding.

I still can't get over her wanting me, her Grams, to be the Flower Girl on that momentous day.

I could go on and on, but I will stop here and say again...

Happy Birthday Lauren.

Hopefully I will have a few more photos to share after the get together tonight.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

 Today is Thankful Thursday.  I am also including some thoughts about seeing art in everyday things.

I have probably posted some of these photos before but I enjoy them and so they will be out there for your enjoyment too.

I am most thankful for this Man of Mine.  I love his humor and creative juices that are always flowing.

I am thankful that Dave and I are growing OLD together and have the privilege  of being the Grandparents to wonderful kids.

I love our family and wish we could all be together at the same time.

Our two sons and several of the grandkids.

Christmas last year with another granddaughter Lauren and her husband.

Fun times seem to center around food most of the time.

Thankful for the creation and its many moods.

I love seeing "art" in different circumstances. This is a favorite of mine.

Thankful for the detail in flowers and the honey bee.

To me this is Art at its finest.  Amazing skies always make me stop and say Thank you Lord.

Be sure to enlarge all of my photos to enjoy the detail.

Always Be Thankful.

Always Be Kind.