Merry Time!

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

I would like to say that this a picture of our tree, but...no.

This is our tree.

(no room for anything larger)

Regardless, the "spirit" of the season is present in our little home.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a prosperous New Year!

xo

Kat

Happy Halloween!

Pic of me "enhanced" by Pic Monkey.  Too Fun!
More to come!
kat

Gopher, Gopher... Who's got the Gopher?

NOT ME, NOT ME!!!

I had a gopher, maybe more.  It destroyed my front yard and drove the dogs crazy in the backyard.  Seriously, my backyard looks like a war zone with all the tunnels/fox holes they have dug chasing after the critter.  In the front yard I tried traps (only attracted a million ants, ew).   I tried flooding the holes with water.  I tried those stakes that vibrate and make buzzing noises.  It dug right up to the stake and covered it with dirt!  Luckily, I got my money back on those things (guaranteed).
Then one night we had a visit from a skunk in the backyard.  Allie (aka Puppers) didn't get sprayed but she walked into a cloud of spray.  And, of course came back inside immediately.  Goodie.
That got me to thinking about the time back in the 80's that I lived in the middle of a ranch, in an old house that had been vacant for many years.  That winter we were "visited" by 37 skunks!!!!!!!  Yes, 37!  Then we figured out a way to get rid of the critters.
Good part, listen up!
MOTH BALLS.  They can't stand the smell.  Sprinkled them all around the house and never saw another skunk.  IMPORTANT INFORMATION:  moth balls are poisonous.  So here's what you do.  1. NEVER put them where pets can dig them up and eat them!  2. "Plant" them in the ground where the gopher holes/tunnels are.  It's a good idea to wear gloves also.  3. Do not leave them on top of the ground for birds or other animals to get to.  PLANT them.  Around your flower beds, in your potted plants (gets rid of munching bugs) along your fence line, around your rose bushes... anywhere gophers, skunks and bugs get.  GOOD NEWS:  it doesn't harm plants or grass!!!
The only thing to remember is to bury them in the ground.
Mothballs are not available in the really smelly version anymore but the ones you can get still do the job.  $3.99 to $4.99 a box.  Not bad.

Hope this helps!
xo
kat

Blackberries

In an area of our neighborhood where I walk the dogs, there are blackberry vines poking through a fence.
I usually pick off one and eat it as we pass by.  Yesterday I got smart and brought a little bag with me.

But, there are a lot more berries on the other side of the fence... out of reach.
So I went to the house where the berries were growing to ask the owners if they were going to pick them.  A young boy (13-14 y/o) came out.  He was babysitting his siblings.  He said "Who are you?!"  I explained that I lived up the street and asked if they were going to pick the blackberries.  "Oh, yeah.  We pick them" he said.  Sure they do.  As I left I heard him knocking on his door.  His siblings locked him out of the house.
I had a good chuckle over that.

SOP progress update

In the last couple of weeks I have managed to accomplish a few more tasks from my SOP list.
SOP stands for Summer Of Projects started by the Sweet Sherri over at Foziewisp

Paint the front door (it was white and chipped), scrub the floor mat that goes in the kitchen and unpack two boxes (that have been sitting in the living room for 3 months!)

Door black, check.  Floor mat cleaned and drying, check.  Two boxes emptied and ready to be recycled, check.

I also hung up a bunch of my framed artsy-fartsy photos that I have taken over the years.

I have more to frame and add to this wall.  I also hung up a lot of other art and bulletin boards and such.  Part of cleaning out one of the boxes.

So onward, back to my list.  My sister and brother-in-law are coming to visit for two weeks in August!

I'll leave you with this happy picture

Got this idea from a pic I saw over at Oddman a fun and quirky site (that we're addicted to)

So, have a great day, y'all, really!!
xo
kat

SOP (summer of projects)

I'm joining/supporting Sherri over at  Foziewisp http://foziewisp.blogspot.com/
with her Summer of Projects challenge.  I have my list (oh gawd) and this was the first to be accomplished.
The back door.  In all fairness, the door was already messed up by the previous tenets.  Our dogs didn't help.
So, I figured the best way to make it look better was to paint it with black enamel paint.  Covers a multitude of sins, right?
Before

Seems Callie likes to be in the (all) pictures

After

MUCH better (if I say so myself)
BUT...  When I went inside to put the paint brush in a plastic bag (1.5 minutes tops) Boo "seized" the paint stir stick out of the can and drug it off into the yard.  Thus leaving paint on the deck and his paws.  Yeah.

I had not spilled one drop on the deck but now it seems I will have to paint that too.
BTW (really good info!) Instant antibacterial hand sanitizer gel works GREAT to remove enamel paint from skin and PAWS!
Next project is painting the front door (while keeping the cats from escaping).
Hugs!
kat

It was a lovely day

Wow!  Can't believe it's been over three weeks since my last post.  (Sounds like something heard at confession)
Anywho...

An Update:
I did see Dark Shadows, the movie, and I thought it was cute and fun.  Little predictable because most of us know the story.  And, my testing point: 'will I buy it when it comes out on DVD?', Yes!

A Correction:
A few months ago I posted about a poppy growing out of a tall hedge.
  a)  not a poppy
  b)  not a flower growing out of a hedge
It is the hedge.  Rock Rose  or Cistaceae, to be exact.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cistaceae

And, as for the heading of this post, here is a pic of just one portion of it.

Top to bottom: Hubby, Boo and Henry resting by the Pacific during our walk.  Love Boo's huge grin!
The rest of the day was spent doing yard work (which we like to do).  The weather was perfect!  Because this is the view from the house the day before:

Yes, yes!  I know!  This is northern California.  They don't talk about SF being foggy for nothing!  There are even bumper stickers "Where in the fog is Pacifica?"  There's a wine bar here called "A Grape in the Fog"
Yep, just rub it in.  I can take it.
I live for the sunny days.  I'm "solar powered".
Thanks for stopping by!
HUGS!
kat