Pansies

First, a bit of eye-candy....

this fabulous Weiss pin is from

my husband in one of my

 favorite flowers....a pansy and

my favorite colors....pink and purple! 

  It is actually brighter

and so sparkling in person....

The past few days have been

 pleasant around here......

 have your days been the
 same, my friend?

I continue to visit my new friend,

Colleen, who turned 85 on the same

day as my Mom's birthday (Jan. 22nd). 

 I usually see her every Friday for

 an hour.  She was up in her wheelchair,

 not in bed, so that was a great sign!

A couple of weeks ago she was in

 bed two weeks in a row and I was

concerned about her.

We got some rain last night as forecast

and this morning was cloudy and gray.

I expected the whole day to be like that,

but late in the morning the blue sky

 began to peek through and
 behold sunny skies around 1 pm! 
I finally went out

around 2:30 to get some fresh air

 and walked up and down our driveway

 3 times.  (Remember, we have a

 longer than average driveway with

 a bit of an incline)  

Next, as I was pinching back some

 pansies, I discovered my camellia

bush had several pale pink buds

 getting ready to bloom!   I'll take

pics when it does.   I bought the plant

 about 3 years ago, but never planted it

as we really do not have much

shade and I didn't know where to put

 it so I could still see it.  It was in a

 little one gallon pot and bloomed

the first year, but the 2nd

 and 3rd years...no blooms.   :o(  

 So I finally re-potted it into a larger

 pot and fertilized it last year....pretty regularly.   Well, lo' and behold,

 the buds started developing and

I have been excitedly awaiting to see

 if it would bloom this winter....and yes,

 it looks like it will happen!

Found the quoter....Henry Ward Beecher

And lastly, another thrift store find

 that I found on Friday.   No chips,

not from China and I paid only 1.50 for it.

  I was thrilled and will keep this one!  

I sometimes go for weeks or a month

 or two without going to the

 thrift store and then at other times,

like now, I have tried to go almost

 everyday.  Still no Starbucks - 23 days

 and no sugar, but I did have a bit

of wheat last Tuesday.  Oh and next

 time I will tell you how good I

 have been regarding no sugar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAVE A WEEK FULL OF

POSSIBILITIES!

Happiness is a butterfly...

Found the author of this quote

 ... Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Here is the cover of the
little Hallmark book

we are following each day.

It is pretty dirty, but still such a sweet

image...don't you agree?

No Starbucks for 20 days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAVE A WARM DAY

 IN YOUR HEART!

Beautiful KALE

2nd page from my Hallmark book

"Little Meditations"

This one sounds like part

of a nursery rhyme?



I had to share this gorgeous kale!

I picked it up at the health food

store in town, Nature's Food Center.  It was grown by Laura, one of the gals that works there. No sprays, etc. so nothing, but

pure sunshine, rain and God's love!

Do you like kale?   I have been

eating it since 2004 and love it!

I use it raw in my green drinks

or steamed either by itself

 or like last night, after I

steamed it, I chopped it up and

put in my chili salad tacos....yum!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAVE A HEALTHY

EATING DAY!

Jack LaLanne

This sweet little image is from

a Hallmark book that my Mom

gave me back in 1978 called

Little Meditations.

I thought I would include

one in each of my posts.

Unfortunately it does not

include the quoter.

I know some you & I have heard before,

but I can't remember who said them.

I'll try to find out as I post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It gave me a bit of a start

last night when I saw that dear ol'

Jack LaLanne had died.

He was from my neck of the woods

and I remember my Mom used

to watch him on TV in the 60's.

I always liked him and got

such a kick out of hearing

about his adventures into

his later years.....a life that

was well lived.

I got this photo of him off

of MSNBC and I love it!

It was on his 95th birthday

in 2009.   I have included

today's article if you are

interested.   :o)

By ANDREW DALTON

The Associated Press

updated 1/24/2011 8:21:37 AM ET 2011-01-24T13:21:37

LOS ANGELES — Jack LaLanne, the fitness guru who inspired television viewers to trim down, eat well and pump iron for decades before diet and exercise became a national obsession, died Sunday. He was 96.

LaLanne died of respiratory failure due to pneumonia Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay on California's central coast, his longtime agent Rick Hersh said.
LaLanne ate healthy and exercised every day of his life up until the end, Hersh said.
"I have not only lost my husband and a great American icon, but the best friend and most loving partner anyone could ever hope for," Elaine LaLanne, LaLanne's wife of 51 years and a frequent partner in his television appearances, said in a written statement.
He maintained a youthful physique and joked in 2006 that "I can't afford to die. It would wreck my image."
Former "Price is Right" host Bob Barker credited LaLanne's encouragement with helping him to start exercising often.
"He never lost enthusiasm for life and physical fitness," the 87-year-old Barker told The Associated Press on Sunday. "I saw him in about 2007 and he still looked remarkably good. He still looked like the same enthusiastic guy that he always was."

Television staple
LaLanne (pronounced lah-LAYN') credited a sudden interest in fitness with transforming his life as a teen, and he worked tirelessly over the next eight decades to transform others' lives, too.
"The only way you can hurt the body is not use it," LaLanne said. "Inactivity is the killer and, remember, it's never too late."

His workout show was a television staple from the 1950s to the '70s. LaLanne and his dog Happy encouraged kids to wake their mothers and drag them in front of the television set. He developed exercises that used no special equipment, just a chair and a towel.
He also founded a chain of fitness studios that bore his name and in recent years touted the value of raw fruit and vegetables as he helped market a machine called Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer.
When he turned 43 in 1957, he performed more than 1,000 push-ups in 23 minutes on the "You Asked For It" television show. At 60, he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco — handcuffed, shackled and towing a boat. Ten years later, he performed a similar feat in Long Beach harbor.
"I never think of my age, never," LaLanne said in 1990. "I could be 20 or 100. I never think about it, I'm just me. Look at Bob Hope, George Burns. They're more productive than they've ever been in their whole lives right now."

Praised by Schwarzenegger
Fellow bodybuilder and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger credited LaLanne with taking exercise out of the gymnasium and into living rooms.
"He laid the groundwork for others to have exercise programs, and now it has bloomed from that black and white program into a very colorful enterprise," Schwarzenegger said in 1990.
In 1936 in his native Oakland, LaLanne opened a health studio that included weight-training for women and athletes. Those were revolutionary notions at the time, because of the theory that weight training made an athlete slow and "muscle bound" and made a woman look masculine.
"You have to understand that it was absolutely forbidden in those days for athletes to use weights," he once said. "It just wasn't done. We had athletes who used to sneak into the studio to work out.

"It was the same with women. Back then, women weren't supposed to use weights. I guess I was a pioneer," LaLanne said.

The son of poor French immigrants, he was born in 1914 and grew up to become a sugar addict, he said.
The turning point occurred one night when he heard a lecture by pioneering nutritionist Paul Bragg, who advocated the benefits of brown rice, whole wheat and a vegetarian diet.
"He got me so enthused," LaLanne said. "After the lecture I went to his dressing room and spent an hour and a half with him. He said, 'Jack, you're a walking garbage can.'"

Soon after, LaLanne constructed a makeshift gym in his back yard. "I had all these firemen and police working out there and I kind of used them as guinea pigs," he said.
He said his own daily routine usually consisted of two hours of weightlifting and an hour in the swimming pool.
"It's a lifestyle, it's something you do the rest of your life," LaLanne said. "How long are you going to keep breathing? How long do you keep eating? You just do it."
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Dan and Jon, and a daughter, Yvonne.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No Starbucks for 16 days and

no sugar or wheat for 11.

And I finally planted my

 sweet pea seeds from last

 year!   I also gave some to

 a friend and plan to send the

 rest to my Mother-in-law and

Sister-in-law....now if I can

get them in the mail!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAVE A DAY FULL

 OF SUNSHINE NO

 MATTER WHERE YOU ARE!

(I know, easy for me to say

 when it has been close to 70 here
 and 10 below 0 back East...yikes!)

My Mom's Birthday

We need one another when we mourn and would be comforted.

We need one another when we are in trouble and afraid.

We need one another when we are in despair, in temptation,

and need to be recalled to

 our best selves again.

We need one another when we would accomplish some great
purpose, and cannot do it alone.

We need one another in the hour of success when we look

 for someone to share
 our triumphs.

We need one another in the

 hour of defeat, when with

encouragement we might

 endure and stand again.

We need one another
 when we come to die,
 and would have

gentle hands prepare us for the journey.

All our lives we are in need, and others are in need of us.

--- I found this in my Mom's papers, cut out from something.  I don't know who wrote it, but I think it is lovely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today would have been my Mom's 74th birthday.   She died on September 15th 2004

at the age of 67.    Sometimes I still really can't believe she is gone.

I guess most people feel that way

 about loved ones who have

made the journey before us.

This picture was taken Christmas 1996.   She was 59, turning 60 the

following month.    It amazes me because her mother, my grandmother

Rachel is 60 years old in the picture on my blog banner...she is on the left.

My grandmother looks so much older

 than my mom at that age.

Also, my other grandmother, Pia,

 in the same pic, is 48 1/2 years old. 

  I am 50 and seem so much younger than she!   :o)    Again, maybe most

 people feel that way.  

I was trying to find a more

 recent picture of my Mom,

but couldn't find it.

I think the last one taken of the

 two of us together was  in 2001.

I don't know how that happened.

I know we talked on the phone

almost everyday.

And the last 3 months of her

life she lived with Mike and I.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More treasures

Let us be of good cheer,

 however, remembering

that the misfortunes

 hardest to bear are those

 which never come.

--- James Russell Lowell

In other words...don't worry so much!

More items from the thrift store.

I'll keep this shell dish.

It has the prettiest green

glaze on the bottom.

It appears the date on

the bottom is 1977

and by a J. Garcia.

These 2 round "boxes" will

be for sale at the store.

Did everyone check out the

full moon last night?

We have had lovely weather

the past several days.

"They" say more for

the weekend....yippee!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAVE A DAY FULL

OF KINDNESS!

Almost Full Moon

When I admire the

 wonders of a sunset

 or the beauty of the moon,

my soul expands in the

 worship of the creator. 

  --- Mohandas Gandhi

It's a full moon on the 19th,

but I was outside this evening

and had to take it's picture tonight.

Wish my camera was better...the

moon was so crystal clear

and as always, with a full moon,

enchanting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAVE A BRILLIANT DAY!

Vintage Dishes

The time is always right

 to do what is right.

- Martin Luther King, Jr

I keep forgetting to share 

these lovely dishes I recently

found at our local thrift store.

They'll be for sale soon at

Redwood Valley Antique Mall,

9621 North State Street

Redwood Valley, California

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAVE AN ENJOYABLE DAY!

Vintage Jewelry

Take charge of your mind

and begin to fill it with
healthy, positive, and

courageous thoughts.

--- Norman Vincent Peale



See more vintage jewelry
 on my Etsy site:

www.rachelandpiascottage.etsy.com

Spring-like Day!

Science has never

 drummed up quite

 as effective a

 tranquilizing agent

 as a sunny spring day.

--- W. Earl Hall

Although it is

technically not spring,

 today was our first real

warm day in 3 months

....over 70 degrees.

This little violet had opened

 and I had to share it.

It smelled so sweet!

A friend and I took a long walk

 around town this afternoon. 

 She is in great  shape

and kept up the pace.

But walking up a hill, I

 had to take it easy.   I am

 out of shape, but not for long!

I only wish I could walk

 like that everyday....I

would be in shape in no time!

This is my winter-overed garden

under the carport.  I bought a dozen

 6 packs of pansies in November

and never got them planted!   

  Mike and I planted several

 for my mother-in-law for Christmas,

but the rest are still on a little metal

tea cart under our carport

and will probably stay

that way until summer!

I have some swiss chard and

lettuce that are growing nicely.....

I just cut the leaves as needed.

I also have some kale growing,

but a couple of months ago

something ate them down

to the stems.  I went out

for 3 nights in a row

after 11 pm expecting

to see earwigs, but

found nothing.   Then

 a couple of days later

 I was looking closely

 at the stems and found 

one little green worm !

I never found any others,

 but I can't imagine he

 ate all  six plants!

I did transfer him

 to one of the oleanders

 down the driveway.

The kale are slowly getting

their leaves back and

I can use them in

my green drinks soon.

In the background is my

 little meyer lemon tree

that I roll back and forth

into the sun/clouds/rain each day. 

 It still has 6 lemons I need to

 use, but I like to see them

 on the tree....go figure.

I cover it almost every night

so it doesn't freeze.

I had hoped to plant some

sweet pea seeds I got

 last year, but didn't get

it done.   Hopefully tomorrow

 will be as warm as today.

And lastly, I ate half this container

...technically only 2 oz. of this

 delicious goat cheese!
They are a semi-local company
located in Sebastopol. 
(about 1 1/2 hours southwest)

I haven't been eating cheese

regularly for about a

year, only occasionally.

  Now that I am trying

 to get off sugar, I

 thought I needed a treat.  

 I haven't had Starbucks

 for a week and sugar for

3 days. I don't know

how long I can keep it

up, but one day at a time.   :o)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAVE A SUNNY DAY!

No More Dolphins Swimming in Las Vegas

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First Artichokes

Minds are like parachutes.

They only function when

they are open.

--- Sir James Dewar

Look what I had last night.....

my first artichoke of the season!

YUM! It was so delicious

I had another one tonight

and I bought four more.

Mike and I can eat 2 or

3 each in one sitting! :o)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAVE A DELICIOUS DAY!

Rescued Chile miner tours Graceland as Elvis fan

My favorite guy, rescued Chilean miner,

Edison Pena had a longtime wish fulfilled

today Jan.7th ....a visit to Elvis Presley's Graceland.

Edison Pena walks from the

front door of Graceland,

Elvis Presley's home, after

receiving a tour.

Edison tours the display

of Elvis's gold records.

Edison Pena is given a tour

of the room known as

The Jungle Room by tour guide

Angie Marchese, right.

Edison shooting video at Elvis's grave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To read the rest of the story please

click on this link:

Rescued Chile miner tours Graceland as Elvis fan - CharlotteObserver.com