Before the Rain

Before the rain storms, I stopped by the Arboretum, late in the day, just before it closed. The last rays of sun tilted sideways through the trees making interesting shadows. Here are a couple of photos I took of the mountains. It looks as though there are no homes or buildings between this 125 acre parcel of "park" and the mountains. But they are hidden in the trees. The landscaping is such that one can pretend civilization is far away from the hustle and bustle of city life.






But a city dweller CAN get away from the busy traffic by hiking in the mountains, and here I am below with my friend Lynn. Sometimes we meet up here at sunset and then veer off the trail, and climb a steep hill. We sit on the top, and talk about life. On a clear day I have seen the ocean sparkling...some 60 miles away. The skyscrapers of Los Angeles are always visable on clear days.


A nice hiker took our picture on the lowlands, before we climbed the hill.

Speaking of mountains, Mozart was able to go riding for a day in early January with his friend Larry. They went for a long ride, and took pictures of each other jumping. That's Mozart flying though the air. I'm glad I wasn't watching this.



Two days before the rain, Letty and I went to the Santa Anita Race Track early in the morning to watch the horses work out. You can buy coffee, hot chocolate and breakfast and sit on the patio and watch the horses gallop by. On the patio, one can watch people studying horse statistics, observe jockey's grabbing a snack, catch conversations of horse-owners as they stand watching their investment work out on the track. It's fun to dip into their world for a short time, and then walk around this historical place. The movie, "Sea Biscuit" was filmed here.


Letty poses by the track. (Does it seem strange to see Palm trees in front of the mountains?) My niece from Colorado thought it looked strange (but nice).
If you'd like to make the pictures larger, just click on them.

I love the old Oak trees.


In former days, this is where the horse vetenarian worked.


A mysterious carriage.


I like the race track best when it's empty. (like a deserted beach)

I'll close with a verse I've been thinking about. I need wisdom in these next days and I'm thankful for James who reminds us...

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."
James 1:6

It's really a relief to embrace "do not doubt". As soon as I do, I have peace. I know that whatever decisions I make in certain situations....all will work out okay.

Stop and Pray

I haven't posted for awhile for two reasons. I got busy, and I got the flu. I have some ideas for future posts, but for now, Haiti is on my mind. So I pray. And I feel as though I should stop right now and do so. Especially for the relief efforts, the relief workers, and the people. May God bring comfort, help and a strong sense of his presence.

Happy New Year

My sister-in-law and her husband visited on Christmas and brought their beautiful dogs. My mom and I took them for a walk.


We had a nice Christmas. I have enjoyed a slower pace between Christmas and the New Year.

Here is one of my favorite Christmas Day pictures. It's nice to have a dog around to make the house look cozy...and it's nice to have guests. That's my brother-in-law Ken reading his book about WWII.


May you all have a Happy New Year!

Update

I'm still in the current of Christmas happenings. We just said good-bye to our guests, my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and their 2 dogs. (Pictures to follow)

After church, this afternoon, Mozart and I are driving to Simi Valley to attend a "Listening Party" for the music that he recently recorded here.

I'm looking forward to my week off, but I have a feeling that next week will zoom by. I'll try to enjoy one hour at a time, and that should slow it down.

I hope you had a nice Christmas.

Today

Today I took a picture of our street. (click to enlarge)

Today I noticed the beauty of a Poinsetta bush on the side of our house.

Today is the third day my oven is out of order and I sighed about the repair bill.

Today the Christmas tree has no decorations except the blinking lights my son talked me into buying.

Today, when I arrived home, three musicians hovered over a large soup pot in my kitchen.

Today I visited Snowball in the backyard.

Today I took Letty to the hair salon and she let me borrow her oven to bake banana bread.
Today I bought a pair of black suede boots for $18.99.
Today Mozart is recording 3 musicians and one is a cook and brought a pot of flavorful meatball soup for lunch.
Tonight, when no one was home, I locked myself out of the house.

Today I'm learning to trust the Lord when certain things are not in my control.
Today I prayed for my sons and husband.

Notes:

My oven is out of order until next Tuesday...and it was my plan to bake a good portion of my presents this year. But as always...things work out. I borrowed my neighbor's oven, one afternoon to bake cookies. We haven't talked in awhile due to our busy lives, so this was a good thing. She has just become a grandmother for the first time! A couple of days later, I drove over to my friend, Sunny's house and used her oven to bake more cookies. I patted the big fuzzy dog, and talked to her husband about the book of Hebrews. Sunny showed me her latest bracelet creation. She needs to come up with a good name for it. The bracelet is based on God's promises in Isaiah. Each bead/charm symbolizes God's compassionate care for us. (The link above will take you to her current bracelets...the "promise" bracelet is still in the works.)

I've had some nice times in my friends' kitchens.

Have a good day!

December Days

My ginko tree looks better than this. I photographed it in 2007 and I need a new picture. Today the bright yellow leaves sparkled in the sunshine. When the wind blows it looks like a shower of gold. I'll be sad when all the leaves are off.

The rope on the top was wound there by my oldest son when he was eleven. He made a swing for me and wanted to make sure it didn't slip off. It still dangles into my garden. I call that little corner of my yard the "prayer garden". And many prayers are offered there for the boy who hung the swing.

* * * *

Not to change the subject, but I've been busy working on my presentation. At 8:30 a.m. on Monday I'll be standing in front of 5th and 6th grade students in the public school telling them about the celebrations of December. I'll start with Winter Solstice and the festivals surrounding it. Then move on to Hanukkah. The centerpiece will be the birth of Jesus Christ. Next I'll discuss Saint Nicholas and end with Kwanzaa.

Many of the children haven't heard the story of Jesus birth. That's amazing to me. One can present the story of Jesus, as long as its done objectively. So I'm doing it. I hope I'll be able to suppress my passion for that segment, but I doubt it.

I have to go and finish preparing...I'll be back soon!

Have a good week and enjoy your December days.

Status

(google images)

Arrived home from work at 12:30 p.m.

I'm outside putting up the Christmas lights.

Inside, a whole chicken simmers in a pot.

Chicken Enchiladas tonight.

Snow on the mountain tops.

Two articles are submitted to Chicken Soup for the Soul.