Sunday morning, I walked by the kitchen sink, and noticed a bunch of birds fly off when they saw me in the window.  I stood still for a little bit, and watched them come back.  A flock of sparrows (I think - I'm no bird expert!) were taking a bath in the sprinkler.  They were so cute!  About the time a blue jay decided to join the party, that set of sprinklers turned off, and they moved on,  It was a fun few minutes!

The temperature in my car on Monday afternoon.....'Nuf said.

It's raining!!!!  How wonderful!  It feels so fresh and cool out here - I'm actually out in the patio typing this morning.  If I sit just right, I can see that Alli's movie is still on, and I can hear her if she gets up.  My kind of morning - just right for vacation mode.

I didn't make it up to Lassen the other day - AJ wasn't really feeling the love with me.  Bummer.  I decided to do some retail therapy instead - bad idea.  Not because of me, but because AJ went shopping with me.  (Did you know that I'm not allowed to even try on leopard print capris???  I'll have to do that when he isn't with me.)  I was looking for some 'nice' casual clothes - most of my casual clothes aren't what I would want to wear outside of the house/Walmart/Winco.  I started at Penney's in the mall - and found a couple of cute shirts.  I found a nice pair of capris (not leopard print....) at Macy's on sale for $25.00, and then AJ wanted to go check out the 'guy stuff'.  Granted, most of his clothes are worse than my casual clothes, so he needs new ones, especially since he will be leaving, but....$200 later, he says he should be done with his clothes shopping.  To cheer myself up, we went on to Payless shoes (one pair of work shoes - too cute!), and on to Ross's - where I found another couple of shirts, and another pair of capris.  Now I think I'm done!!!

Yesterday, I had an appointment with my doctor about my residual cough.  I've had it for months (I got sick in December, and the cough never really went away - it got better, but....)  He took an x-ray to rule out the nasties, and put me on OTC meds for acid reflux for a month.  We'll see if that works.  I'm very tired of not being able to have even a telephone conversation without coughing.

After my appointment, I met up with Dawn and did some errands with her - I had invited Sandy and family over for dinner 'some night when they were free' when  picked Alli up on Wednesday, and Sandy said 'sounds great, we're free tomorrow night'.  Dawn and I went shopping for dinner for 10 +/- people.  Dinner ended up with just Sandy, Steve and Marie.  Ralph BBQ'ed some chicken, I made potato salad and pasta salad, and cut up some watermelon, strawberries and blueberries.  for dessert - homemade ice cream.  We had a good time - it's nice to be able to chat with just our kids interrupting us.

Today, my agenda includes a seminar on Conservatorships.  Oh boy!  I'm sure it will be educational - I'm just not sure that it will be fun.

How's this for red, white, and blue?

I think I like it!  I checked with Meredith for ideas about the book to turn into a bookmark (since she chose the book, and I haven't finished it) and showed her this - she liked it too, so....this is probably it.  We may be having book club here so we can swim - if the weather is still HOT!!!!  Since forecast (on my phone) is for 107 next Wednesday, I think I'd better be cleaning up the patio.  Randa is coming today to clean the house, so that means I'll need to clean the house too - bummer!  I really like it when book club falls on the same day that Randa comes.

I managed to get most of the quilt blocks done yesterday.  I cut out the material (that takes almost as long as sewing!) and got the inside blocks done - now to do the edgings.  Every block has the same pattern edging - and I have to admit it is getting old.  I like making each inside block - they are all different, but not the repeated edge.

AJ and I are off to Lassen today.  We also have to run in to town, drop Alli off at Sandy's, and drop AJ's Visa application off at FedEx.  I think that is the last of his 'paperwork' that he needs, but....we'll see.  I also want to put the stacker toy in the mail today - I have it in a box and all sealed up - that project is almost done!!!!

What happens when you have a project that doesn't require a specific length and no counting, and lots of time sitting around the kitchen table talking?  A very large bag.....

I made this up at Mom's this weekend.  The only counting required was the very first row, and the rows for the base.  After that, it was just around and around until it was 'big enough'.  I think it is....big enough that is.  We sat at the kitchen table and chatted most of my visit (or out on the patio) so I went 'round and round' a lot.  Since this type of bag stretches as you put stuff in, I won't be able to lift it if I actually fill it up.

AJ and I went to Shasta Caverns yesterday - we had a private tour.  The tours leave every half hour, and we showed up at 10 minutes until 11:00.  "If you hurry down to the lake, you can still catch the boat." she says......so hurry we did.  All the way down to the lake, which turns out to be over a quarter mile lower than 'usual' because of the drought.  Which means, by the way, that we have to walk back up, too.  We got down to the lake, and....we were the only ones on the boat besides the staff.  I think that threw our cave guide off.  They had over 4,000 visitors the prior weekend, and he seemed to have a hard time just talking to the two of us, since he was so used to talking to 40 people at a time (the max number on a tour).

At one point of the tour, we could go into the side cave, look up, and see the original metal ladder left by the first explorers - but we could only go three at a time into the cave.  Really?  There are only two of us, can we go two at a time??  He laughed at his faux pas and said no, it must be three at a time, so he would go with us, just to keep to the rules.  He laughed at himself a lot after that, catching himself making comments for a crowd, when it was just us.

Our guide was kind enough to take a picture of us in the cathedral room.

I even got some sewing done yesterday.  I got my quilt blocks caught up to last month - so now I'm just a month behind.  I will probably get started on this month's blocks today - I don't think we are going to try to do anything today.  Also on my to-do list are bookmarks for book club - a week from tomorrow.  I haven't finished the book (and probably won't) so I am going for red, white, and blue bookmarks.  We'll see how it goes.

I haven't been able to arrange the kayak tour on the lake yet, so that is out for today.  You need to make reservations, and the phone line doesn't open until 9:00, with the tour at 9:30 - and we are too far away to make it up to the lake by that time (not to mention AJ is still sleeping).  I'm going to try for an evening group - that way we can go even if I'm not on vacation.  The evening tours start at 5:30.  AJ and I are planning to go to Lassen tomorrow - that gives him a chance to work out today (he missed it yesterday to hang out with me).  My plan is to take up a lunch and have a picnic - we'll see how that turns out.

It was a nice (but quick) trip to Susanville this weekend.  The termatures were much nicer up there!!!  Saturday, while Allison napped (see below) Mom showed me around her flower garden - what used to be the garden are.  She now has a few plants, but mostly flowers.

She had a red, white, and blue garden this year.  The red poppies were beautiful, but somehow I didn't get a good picture of them.  I think I got sidetracked by the butterflies.

When I came home from the store on Friday, I unloaded my groceries as usual.  I dropped a bag on the floor and didn't immediately pick it up - which was all that Picot was waiting for......

My garden is doing well - we ate the first of the tomatoes last night (and Ralph has killed three rats in it already - maybe his tomatoes will be safe now!) and my eggplant is ready to go too.  The zucchini is slowing down because of the heat, and so are the beans.

Happy Fourth of July!!!!  Not just a three day weekend for me - I have next week off for vacation as well - Lucky me!

We are headed over to Larry and Pat's today for a BBQ - that's about all the excitement we will have for the 4th this year.  I do need to run into town and do some food shopping - I'm heading to Susanville tomorrow, so I need some supplies for the guys while I'm gone.  Other plans for the week - I want to go to Shasta Caverns, kayak at Whiskeytown, and picnic up at Lassen with AJ - touristy things to do around here before he leaves for college (in about 7 weeks!)

I was getting my present for Elora packed up, and.....it broke.

I worried that the grass was attached to the bottom of the tree, and I would have to make the entire thing over.  I couldn't find where I had sewn them together, so I ended up cutting the bottom out and unraveling what I could.  Luckily, the grass was added to the tree, not to the 'base' (which is what the instructions called for, but, knowing me, I had put it together wrong!)  I was able to get a new base made and out back together - just in time for the holiday weekend.  It won't get shipped until Monday now.

Good morning!  Sunrise this morning at 5:10 or so - while it was still cool.  It was 110 here yesterday - HOT!!!!!  It's supposed to be the same today, too, and cooling slightly (down to 102) the rest of the week.  Is it winter yet????

Ralph and I went to a beautiful wedding yesterday - but it was HOT!!!!  It was an outdoor wedding at a local ranch that the wedding party had turned into "Cadillac Ranch" for the wedding.  Steve is a car buff, and they used vintage cadillacs as the theme.  Instead of flowers at the end of the aisles, there were cadillac hub caps, the tables were decorated with photos of  vintage cadillacs, and to avoid everyone standing in live for food, they announce what table should go next for food by announcing the 'car' decorating that table. The decorations were three-sided photos, and the side facing me was just a picture of an old car.  I knew I wasn't going to be able to eat because I had no idea what kind of car that was----I'd never know when they called my table.  Luckily for me (and several others at the table) one of the three sides also had the name of the car too - whew!  Fun!  

As part of the wedding vows that the couple exchanged, Randy said that he knew Steve loved him when he wanted them to buy a car together....a true indication of his feelings, I'm sure!  It was a fun wedding - the ring bearer war Randy's dog - complete in western attire himself.  I left my phone and camera at home, so no pictures - bummer!

Since we didn't stay too long at the wedding, I came home and started working on another unfinished project - a birthday present for Rachelle.  I had the purple jacket done, but I made the dress and beret last night.  I think I'm going to have to invest in an American Girl type doll so I came make sure the clothes fit.

It's done!!!  I got it finished yesterday, and even found a box that it fits in to ship it.  I may just admire it for a couple of days before I mail it though.  Too cute!

After I finished it last night, I wasn't sure what to start next.  Lord knows I should have picked up the quilt to sew the binding on, but....I didn't want to start on that after dinner, etc.  I wanted to be 'fresh' to start it.  So......I picked up a new skein of yarn I got this week (I can't help it - it's a compulsion- - new yarn - must try it!!!)  This yarn is a flat ribbon, about 3 inches wide, and doesn't require crocheting or knitting - though it does use a crochet hook.  

In an hour or so, I had this scarf:

You interlock the loops on the edges together.  I think I can "improve" how they put the scarf together by sewing it together, but they did it all with the loops - the edges look a little funky, but wearable their way.


Here are some photos left over from the Whiskeytown Falls hike:

The 'crew' getting started

At one of our rest stops

My favorite buddy

Up at the very top

I'm not the best at selfies - but I got a new haircut last night!

It's a bit shorter than it has been, but similar in style.  I like it!

AJ saved the day for me again yesterday.  The scouts are planning a backpacking trip, and wanted to do a practise hike.  Which all sounds good in theory, until they realize that the adult leaders are all booked up for the weekend.  That left the 'moms' to fill in.  The boys were just hiking up to Whiskeytown Falls, so I said I could go with them, it isn't that hard a hike, but it would give them a chance to try out their backpacks.  The reality?  The boys that needed the practice didn't bring their full on backpacks, and the other Mom that volunteered had problems with the hike.  Luckily, AJ had gone with me, so he could be the second adult that's required.  We still had to hike very slowly, and the boys were eaten up by mosquitoes all they times that they had to stop and wait for 'us' (I was with the slower boys - and we eventually stripped them of their backpacks so they could make it up the trail.  We probably should have made them hike it with the packs, but......I was out of patience - and blood!)  

Other than having to hike with the whiny ("I can't make it, can't we just go back??"  "I need to eat my energy bar now." (less than a quarter mile into the trip) "Can we stop for more water?" 0 "Can we just stop here and wait for them to come back?") boys, it was a good hike.  The other Mom was able to eventually make it up the trail to the falls.  She had stopped partway up and decided she was just going to wait there until she felt better and then would try to come up, or just meet us back at the cars.  Needless to say, her son was one that wanted to go back.....We left at 8:00 a.m. so it was nice and cool (unfortunately, the aforementioned mosquitoes were out at that time of day.  They were pretty much gone by the time we went back down.)  Once we got the boys to the top of the hike - to the actual falls, they had a good time.  We got back around 11:30, and then I went shopping, etc.  My ankle ached the rest of the day, so I eventually took a quick nap before dinner (which didn't help my ankle, but I felt better!)  Luckily, my ankle doesn't hurt (much) today.  I was a little worried!  AJ has a shopping trip scheduled today - oh boy!

Book club was last week, and I forgot to take pictures of the bookmarks after I had them done.  I had two left, so here are the book bookmarks for The Book Thief.  Our next book is In the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes.

Today....I HAVE to finish the quilt.  The wedding is next weekend!  I worked on the toy for Elora last night for a bit.  I'm not as worried about that - I'll mail it up to her, and she won't know that it was late for her birthday.  I can get by with that with her for a couple more years......then she'll start to notice that I'm always late.

AJ's sporting his new 'do - and pretty nicely I think.  (And his new RayBan sunglasses - the man is stylin'!)  He does look more grown up now - my baby is pretty much gone.