This is my Clivia plant. We’ve had it since its babyhood, an offshoot of our friend, Marsha’s, plant. They usually bloom for the first time in their fourth year. That year, of its first bloom, Marsha was here for a visit. As she entered the house, Chuck exclaimed proudly, "Marsha, I can’t wait to show…

Two weeks until the wedding and we had an unwanted guest. Chuck went out at midnight to turn off the sprinkler, leaving the front door open. In walked the guest, leaving his calling card. A skunk sprayed the inside of our house. This is not like your dog getting sprayed, this was a direct hit…

I’m a shopper. And one who doesn’t pay full price for anything. So, when I saw these, at 20% off when bought as a set, I was hooked. Finally an interchangeable needle set that meets all my requirements: nickel plated, smooth joins, screw on tips, soft cables, lots of sizes… Slightly more expensive than the…

It’s done, it’s done, the wedding sweater is done! And why does it feel like I knit it twice? Probably because I did. The Lily Chin Grammercy was very frog friendly. The mohair was not, but I didn’t have to take out too much of that. Can’t wait for the bride to see it in…

Dear Amazin’ Gracee, the stubborn, not very smart due to a head injury at three weeks old, rescue Scottie, received her own phone call the other day. We have some overpriced minimal doggie health insurance that gets charged to our Mastercard on a monthly basis. This month our expiry date changed and Grace was the…

What is it that makes a wedding turn intelligent young women momentarily into roiling pots of emotion and practical mothers into snaggle tooth vipers? If I were to choose an actress to play my role as mother of the bride, it would be Shirley MacLaine. I know all the dynamics, so why did I think…

1. Now that we have the dogs figured out, how about those birds at 5:00 am? Perhaps it’s the same flock flying westward to keep up with the sunrise in different time zones. 2. Lucky again – I made a pledge to a family member’s walk for charity won a $50 IKEA gift certificate. It…

This is one of those "someone’s got to think about these things" posts. Sandy recently posted about the dogs in her neighborhood, who seemed to work out a schedule so that one of them was barking at any given time. We live up a mountain and sound carries. Often we’ll hear a dog from further…

Genes are strong little buggers. It’s been interesting with my SIL at my house, seeing the similarities between her, my husband and other family members. Chuck and his sister are both "category eaters". They eat all their veggies, move onto the meat, and then their potatoes. Come to think of it, this trait has been…

My refrigerator beeps at me when the door is left open too long, the microwave sounds when you set the time but haven’t pressed the start button soon enough, my new  washer and dryer’s ready signal repeats endlessly until you open the door. Give me a break. I’ve just gotten over that stage of life…