Boy, is it windy here today!

I awoke last night about 3:30 to a noise in the back yard.  It was the wind blowing a plastic container all over the yard!  It's windy here this morning, (actually gusting!), but it's also one of those absolutely incredibly GORGEOUS February days!  A storm is coming into the valley and our local mountains are hidden by clouds.  I can see them moving into the valley.  It's much cooler than it has been (it has been in the 80's...) and we are ALL ready for some rain!

Hubby is going to the grandson's t-ball game this morning, so I'll have the morning to myself...hee hee!  I wonder what kind of trouble I can get into while he's gone?

Pink flowers

 #1 above

 #2 above

#3 angle above

A fellow blogger is taking a photography class and her assignment was to take photos of one flower from 5 different angles.  I thought I would try that out last Saturday when I stopped by our local nursery.  I didn't take 5 different shots...I only took 3, but it is the same flower.  Interesting eh?  Which one do you like the best?  #1, #2, or #3?

While I just love going there with my camera, I do believe the crew is getting annoyed.  I ALWAYS make a purchase there, so I'm not just walking around, but I can tell by the looks on their faces that they aren't pleased with me any longer!  Oops!  They do have several hummingbirds there and I can only use my big Canon to capture them and I would HATE to go there without it, but I think I've worn out my welcome...what are your thoughts on this?  Gosh, I've spent over $200 there between the seeds, the compost, and the plants I've purchased, so it isn't like I'm just wandering around not spending any money there...


????

Windmills, clouds, and a mountain~SkyWatch Friday~022615

The view a couple of weekends ago.  That is Mt. San Jacinto, above Palm Springs, hidden from view by the clouds.  It was so windy that day that three roads crossing the wash in Palm Springs were closed, due to blowing sand and dust.  The windmills certainly were churning that day!  Another gusty weekend is in the forecast for this weekend, too, as a storm front moves through our area.  SkyWatch Friday for February 27, 2015.  Here's the link:   http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Back to school and THIS is scary!

Well, I'm heading back to work this morning.  I'll only have 2 days to get through, and then the weekend.  I'll have to behave myself and REST this weekend, but I do have to drive up to the horses and buy pellets and salt blocks.  There's just NEVER enough time to get everything done, right?

I saw this:
http://www.kesq.com/news/health/cdc-studies-bugs-link-to-doctors-offices/31488492
Just think about it...when we are sick, we go to the doctor's office.  And, who else is there?  SICK PEOPLE!  Believe me, I held off going to the immediate care, but I couldn't get RID of the sore throat and it just kept getting worse and worse.  So, I got there right as they opened (hoping to avoid a buildup of germs), got in & out as FAST as I could, came home, washed my hands and face, and took a nap.  I no longer use alcohol-based gels, but either plain soap & water or I use my essential oils or a soap made with them.  I'm fortunate to have a Whole Foods just a couple of blocks from home, so I go there about 3x a week.

Here are more flower pics to brighten up your day!  Not my flowers...these were at the nursery.  HA!

Not much going on here...

I've had a relapse of the flu virus which is going around.  I got it over the Martin Luther King holiday in January and I still have the cough.  Then I got a sore throat on Saturday and I knew I was doomed.  Once I get a sore throat, I'm TOAST.  I went to urgent care Monday and got a doctor's note to stay home for 3 days, which I've done.  I'll have to return to work tomorrow (Thursday).  At least I got 3 days of REST (actually 4, because I pretty much stayed home and rested Sunday).  So, I haven't been out much at all this week.  I've stayed home and watched movies:  The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Edge of Tomorrow, and Tombstone!  Oh, and I'm hooked on The History Channel's Legends of the Superstition Mountains.

I've run out over to Whole Foods to buys some soups and salads and yesterday I ran out to get dog food because I was completely out.  Otherwise, I'm just resting.  I need to kick this thing as I have parent conferences later in March and I'll need my strength for those!

I've rearranged the bird feeders in the yard so that now most of them are right outside my window when I have my laptop, but the windows are so old and dirty (I've tried cleaning them with Windex and then also vinegar!), but they are so bad that I can't get a decent photo.  And, if I go outside, the birds all disappear.  So, I mostly just sit and watch them.  The little female hummingbird is still around (maybe she has a nest?) and I did see her yesterday, but there were so many birds they scared her off the feeder.   Hmmmm....maybe I need to move the feeders, too.  I'm now making my own hummingbird food, since our neighborhood Target and WalMart no longer carry it.  4 parts water to 1 part sugar (organic, from Whole Foods!)...nothing but the best for the little hummers!  Oh, and I DID see her at my orange honeysuckle, which has blossoms on it and it is right outside my window.  OOPS!  The hawk flew by twice yesterday and scared all the birds away!

So, life here is pretty quiet.  I DO miss the kids, but I DO NOT miss their germs!  And, I've become a germ-a-holic.  I wash down their desks DAILY, I have them wash their hands, but GOSH DARN IT!  When a kid coughs right in my face, I KNOW I'm doomed!   :-(  WHY can't these sick kids stay home?????  I'm NOT a babysitter!  When I get sick, I have to use my sick days and I was out of them already at the beginning of this week.  I'll be docked $125 a DAY for each of the 3 days I've been out sick, and that's with a doctor's note.  Without a doctor's note, I would be docked my full days' pay, which is about 4x that amount.  And, it isn't fair...I go to work, get SICK because of the kids, then I get DOCKED because I'm SICK!  Please explain that to me....sigh...

Okay, enough of my venting!  here are some pics to cheer you up!

 A bright and cheerful cosmos in my front yard, out by the fence.

 This purple flowering plant is up at my neighborhood nursery.  The hummingbirds and butterflies love it!  I don't know its name...

 Flowering citrus up at my neighborhood nursery...they smell GREAT!

 A pretty purple flower...

More pretty flowers.

I may make a run up there this morning and buy more cosmos and zinnia seeds, since I'm all out...

Got the rest of my seeds planted just in time!

Even though I wasn't feeling well on Sunday (I seem to have that FLU again!), I did manage to get out and plant the rest of my seeds:  sunflowers, Tithonia, black eyed Susans, cosmos, and zinnias.  I also had a couple of packs of chocolate flowers to plant.  We got rain overnight on Sunday, so I'm hoping that they will all enjoy that nice shower!   :-)  I can't wait for them to sprout and bloom, and maybe by late April, I'll have a nice, colorful front garden!  I also planted an orange-smelling honeysuckle right by my window, so hopefully the hummingbirds will like that, although I haven't seen ANY for 2 days now.  I did see one hummer out by the side porch and I've moved a feeder over there.  I DID see the Cooper's hawk sail through the yard yesterday after some doves.  I'm home for 2 more days because of my flu/fever/sore throat, so maybe I'll see a hummingbird today or tomorrow.  Here are just some random photos of my flowers, so far.

 A white cosmos out front.

 African daisies.

An orange African daisy with some alyssum.  I really enjoy the alyssum.

Train a comin'!

I took a side road on the way home from Whitewater Saturday.  I wanted to see if any trains were on the tracks and yes, indeed...I spotted one moving the opposite direction and then one coming toward me.  It was extremely windy, but I wanted to drive out through Windy Point (Highway 111 on the way to Palm Springs), since I hadn't been on that road....let's see...for YEARS!  Here are some photos of the train.  You can see how dusty and cloudy it was behind the train.  The entire valley was covered with dust from the wind!  Later that day, all the roads across the wash were closed, due to blowing sand and dust.

The engineer must have noticed my parked car as he gave a long toot!  See how dusty it is?

It was WINDY here yesterday!

So, I drove out to the Whitewater Rock & Supply Company, which you can see off Interstate 10 yesterday.  My plan was to drive out to the Preserve, but there were 3 sheriff's cars at the corner of the road back there.  I turned in and one of the officers explained that the road was closed for "safety reasons" and a suspect was on the loose.  YIKES!  Okay, then, scratch that plan.  I see that the reserve is also closed today (Sunday), so they must not have caught their suspect.

I went to the rock company and picked out some very nice, white Lone Pine marble.  Then I got 2 pieces of Utah green marble.  Finally, I picked up a piece of feldspar and 2 rose quartz.  My last item was a nice slab of rainbow slate (also from Utah).  Total?  $13.00 with tax.  I got 8 pieces of nice looking stone for my front garden.

But, it was so COLD and WINDY there, I didn't even take photos of the rocks.  I did get some pics of the clouds moving into the valley and the palm trees swaying.  I drove home through Palm Springs (partway) and then out Gene Autry before they closed that road for the day.

 The palms were swaying in the wind.

 VERY windy!

Too cold to take any more photos!  The wind was HORRIBLE!

Gettin' out Saturday

This is the first Saturday in a while that I actually STILL have energy after working all week.  My plan is to drive out to the Whitewater Preserve this morning, and then stop at the Whitewater Rock & Supply company to pick out some rocks for my ever-expanding garden.  We'll see...  I also want to stop at our neighborhood nursery and buy 2 packages of sunflower seeds to plant along our fence on the east side.  They will get full sun all day except the early morning hours and should grow to the top of the fence.  I'll be sure and plant them out about a foot from the fence.

SOMETHING is getting to my sunflowers out front, on the other fence.  I have 4 dead ones.  Each one mysteriously died overnight.  I don't know what is killing them, but I've gone out in the mornings to water and one by one, they are stooped over and brown!  Now, these were all young and healthy plants!  Any ideas?  ALL the sunflowers within the fence, in our front yard itself, are doing just fine...it's the ones outside our front fence that are mysteriously dying.

Trees up in Anza are already blooming.  It's a very early Spring.

Made it through the week!

Yee Haw!  I made it through the week.  A mother showed up at 2:30 with cupcakes, so we were DONE!  Kids had their ipads out for 20 minutes before that...a good end to another week!  Now, it is WEEKEND TIME and I'm ready to get out!

Cloud rainbow~SkyWatch Friday~022015

While I was up at Lake Hemet last weekend, I just happened to look up and see this cloud rainbow!  It was so unusual I took several photos of it before it disappeared.   SkyWatch Friday for February 20, 2015.   http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Mountain fence~Good Fences~022015

This fence is right across from the entrance to the Lake Hemet campground.  There used to be a trailer there, but it was hauled away a couple of years ago.  I always enjoy driving up to the lake and stopping at the day use picnic area.  Maybe sometime we'll take our camping gear and tent and spend the night at the Lake Hemet campground.   Good Fences for Friday, February 20, 2015...http://run-a-roundranch.blogspot.com/

Bicycle by the front fence

Whenever I drive to Lake Hemet, I always drive through the little area of houses in the middle of Garner Valley.  I don't know if this area has a separate name or identify, but they aren't part of the 5 acre parcels.  These are just little homes, on small lots.  Once in a while, I get a whif of pine burning in a fireplace and that just makes my morning!  I would love to be able to retire to this area...I particularly love to drive by this house, with the bicycle leaning on the fence (click to enlarge)...so peaceful!

Lake Hemet part 2

I love to stop by Lake Hemet.  It's a bit out of the way to the horse ranch (it's actually over the hill), but it's so quiet there.  I would love to take hubby up there some Saturday morning and take our portable stove and make breakfast and hopefully see or hear the bald eagles up there.  They are usually right across the lake, in the trees on the other side.  But, we'd have to get going pretty early and frankly, neither one of us, in our "old age" have much energy in the mornings now.  So, I just drive up there whenever I can.

 Trees are still bare.  Remember how pretty they were last fall?

 A new friend...

Lake Hemet

Since I had the day off yesterday, it was time to drive up and visit the horses and see if they are shedding.  Yup.  They are!  Anybody want to come help me brush 5 horses?  HA!  I took Sunni, Gigondas, and Quad out to either the round pen or arena, but then I was too tired to deal with either Scout or Lucille.  Lucille is no problem.  Scout, on the other hand, is a HANDFUL!  She's always testing me and she usually wins!  I need to find a teenaged girl who can handle her and have her come once a week, midweek, and take her out to the arena for some exercise!  She's just too difficult to handle if she's cooped up for a week and I only get up there on weekends...sigh...

Anyway, I wanted to drive all the way out to Lake Hemet to see the trees out there.  They are budding out right now.  No leaves yet, but in a couple of weeks, they should have some.  It's always so relaxing there.

Oh, and Timeless~~There were men installing a new roof on the Lake Hemet market!  I took a couple of photos, but it was high noon, and the roof insulating material reflected back.  Looks like they are sprucing up the place!

 New roof going on the Lake Hemet market.

 I couldn't tell what these were...too far away...

Yes, the lake is VERY low!

Having FUN at the fountains

I always park over by the display of fountains at our neighborhood nursery, where I now shop.  I love to just wander around there with my camera and the staff indulges me and allows me to do so.  These little guys were having fun at the various fountains when I was there yesterday.  I bought 2 more different kinds of lavender (very tall) and a combination organic compost/chicken manure mix.  I also planted two large packets of seeds:  California color and hummingbird favorites.  Now I need to rake and seed the area for my Tithonia, black eyed Susans, zinnias, and more cosmos!  I've got WORK to do this afternoon!

The President is in town!

Hubby and I both just stayed home yesterday.  Frankly, we were once again just too tired to go anywhere or do anything.  I puttered around the front yard and planted 2 large packages of seeds.  I fed the birds.  I was out back pulling up grass and weeds around my sweet peas (which are coming along nicely!) when I heard a loud, low, SLOW flying jet. I didn't know what time it was, but I figured it was about 10:00 a.m. This wasn't your typical jet flying into Palm Springs.  NO SIREEEEEE!  I got up and looked, and it was Air Force One!  Man, that plane is HUGE!  I ran screaming to Art to come out and see it, but by the time he did, it was too far away.  He has seen a couple of presidents anyway land at Palm Springs in the 60's.  He actually did see JFK land there one time (he DID, he really DID) and I forget now who the second one was.  I'll have to ask him.  But, for me, it was the first time I ever saw Air Force One and I was super excited!  I was so excited, I didn't even grab my camera!  I wouldn't have had time anyway...sigh...Our daughter, however, who lives down in Indio, was at their neighborhood park with our granddaughter and she heard it and got a photo on her cell phone!  Our son, who also lives in Indio, didn't even hear it.  (He was probably still asleep!)

I have to drive up to the horses today, but I may try to get over to Palm Springs tomorrow and see it on the runway.

Here are a couple of links from our local news stations, if you are interested:

http://www.kesq.com/news/president-obama-arrives-in-the-coachella-valley/31275898
and
http://www.kmir.com/story/28113164/president-obama-spending-weekend-in-the-valley

Today's Flowers~My Daisies~021515

I have one large daisy bush out front and last weekend I bought 2 more to plant next to my lavender.  I love to wander out front with my camera at various times of the day and take photos of the daisies.  They are just so bright and joyful!  Sometimes I'll run out after I water them and try to get photos of the drops of water on them.  Today's Flowers for Sunday, February 15, 2015.   To visit Today's Flowers, please go to this link:    http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/2015/02/todays-flowers-336-february-14th-2015.html