Lagger

Wow, the behinder I go the hurrier I get...I still have tons of dahlias to wash and divide, yikes!! Anyhoo, we are still in the talking/doodling phase of kitchen design. Love our builder/designer, such a cool dude. He says we have to be careful not to get "trapped in perfect", hahahaha!

Happy New 2011

After 25 years of intense cooking, cleaning, baking entertaining and raising a family in my kitchen, time has come for a kitchen makeover. Today we meet with Joe Wood of Amity Construction for a sit down...I have mixed emotions about it all, but I am sure the new cooking area will open doors to more gatherings and even more baked goods!

Traveling back from Grants Pass Oregon after visiting Makaila. It is always nice to see Mount Shasta. Really takes my breath away, a sleeping volcano. Wow! Taken from the car, so not sure how great the resolution is.

Thanksgiving 2009

We hosted TG 2009 Lucchesi style. I was so busy serving, prepping and having fun that I neglected to shoot pictures. Stina got some of the family..enjoy.

Makaila at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

We never grow tired of the MB Aquarium. The crowds are pretty daunting though. Saw some amazing sea creatures!

Updates schmupdates

We adopted a female Mediterranean Spur Thighed Tortoise after rescuing a male of the same species. Today I built her an enclosure for inside the house, as we are not incubating this Winter. It is a bookshelf on it's back that sits upon 2 inexpensive tables I found at Target. I still need to add a few plants and such, but she really likes it!
The light is a UVB provider, which reptiles need in order to stay warm and healthy. Since the room doesn't dip below 65, no need for additional heat at night.

More pics

We went to the Monterey Bay Cactus & Succulent Society Show & Sale which was in San Juan Bautista. A beautiful day. We came home with some cool specimens!

Also photos of Punky, she weighs around 300 pounds!

Catching up?

It has been awhile since I have posted much. Been so busy with work and play. The dahlias are gorgeous this year, the giany pumpkin is growing nicely as well. We took Best of Show at the Santa Cruz County Fair in the cut flowers with "Kenora Firefighter" a formal decorative red, as well as Best Novice Flower in Show at the MBDS Show. Here are a few photos, enjoy!

Now look...

This is our new family member. We rescued him for a pet shop. They didn't even know what type of tortoise he is...ugh. This is a Greek Tortoise: Testudo graeca ibera, hales from Turkey. I have been in touch with experts who claim that this tortoise have probably been in captivity since around or before 1994. It was sadly probably wild caught. I hope to be a good steward to him, he even gets to go see a vet next week to make sure he is healthy. So we have named him Sufi Nasruddin, masallah!

Bloglagging

Sorry for the delay in posts, I have been "too busy". Here is a photo of the giant pumpkin as of today. I started the seed a bit late, hope it makes it to at least 500#???

You will also see photos of the California Desert Tortoise that meandered into our yard!

...one of the first dahlia blooms, an "orchid" variety

Back at the blog contunued:

Back at the blog.

Its been a while since I have posted anything, so here are some random photos. You'll see the dahlia patch, the mini-vini, the entry way to the house, a new cymbidium bloom, some new phalaenopsis blooms ( I purchased the plants a year ago, they just keep sending out spikes ) . I have been busy dealing with some family issues, but seems as though I am catching up! Enjoy!

So Long Good Buddy

Odd numbers really aren't my thing, but today I had no choice. The precious dog who shared his life with me for 12+ years had to move onward today. Little Buddy, Dubby, BuddhiSatya, was adopted from K9Haven.org over 10 years ago. I had decided that it was time for a dog, after having some bad luck with dog ownership over the years, along came Buddy. I won't elaborate, but just tell you he really was the "best dog ever"...I will miss him so much. It was so difficult to make the decision to let him go, but it was the least I could do. The transition was peaceful, he was with me, Christina & George. We were able to hold him for a time after the passing. I remember once asking how anyone could have given up such a fantastic dog, and Christina said, "So you could adopt him Mom". Such a wise child...I love you little dog, you have a part of my heart with you for always and ever...