JUST IN...this afternoon during the storm.......

HERE COME THE PICTURES(.. OR MAYBE NOT....)

I had requests for pictures of the garden...I am taking day to day pictures of THE WISTERIA ...It is going to be stellar this year.. THE FIRST CALIFORNIA POPPIES.... THE BRUGMANSIA.... A QUIET LITTLE SPOT NEAR ENGLISH HUSBANDS SCULPTURE.. Now to get the words to get somewhere near the pics!!! WHEW!!! These pics are of the back garden(I know what your saying "I see grass!!" well its actually weeds that are green because of all the rain... They are history come this summer.... We plan on digging all that out as well and putting in decomposed granite......THE POPPY is from the famed front garden... It started to rain and I didn't get any more photos ..... OK...I'm going to push the dreaded PUBLISH POST BUTTON...IF I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN... Thank you so much for your encouragement.........Beatnheart will not be beaten down..

THE DAY I DUG OUT MY FRONT LAWN...

When we first bought our little Spanish style house in September of 1999, one of the first things that I did (after pulling out the carpet at midnight to see if I had hardwood floors) was dig out all the grass in my front lawn..Now here in Southern California, we are living in a desert... Most people do not realise this...They think we are in England or the Midwest or other areas where there is alot of rain...we do not get a lot of rain...therefore we do not have the water to keep up a green lawn or any lawn for that matter.. .Go to the desert.. .look around... do you see any grass growing??.... The natural landscape is a decomposed granite type of floor with various sages and other shrubs that are indigenous to this area... grass is not one of those things.. So I tore out my lawn.... passersby would ask "when are you putting in the grass?" "I'm not putting in a lawn.." I replied... They snorted and sniffed and walked away... I proceeded to plant various rosemarys ,sages, succulents... any type of plant that didn't require alot of water...I put in rocks and gravel and bird baths and bird feeders.. Someone reported me to the city...I received a citation in the mail to remove the "weeds" I had growing.. I ignored that and carried on my evil plan... As the years went by, I began to notice, that one by one other people started to dig out their front lawns as well... In their place went Mexican sages, Pride of Madeira,Gazanias, Verbenas....Our little neighborhood became a kaleidoscope of color...Hummingbirds, butterflys, birds...the place is exploding with them...People come in their cars to look at our pretty little street...they take pictures..they wished they lived here...

OH WHERE,OH WHERE DID YESTERDAY GO.....

Title of a new song? Lament from a jilted Lover? No, a question I've been asking myself since last night when somehow, in some crazy wild moment, I lost yesterday's posting!!! I rather liked it too!! I have been trying to find it since about 6pm last night when in a split second it was gone...."I know you are in there somewhere," I cried!!! but received no answer back.. I even woke up in the middle of the night thinking "ah ha, I think I remember where I put it"...but of course I don't have a clue....All the work, all seven of those beautiful comments,gone, gone, gone... Now in my younger days, this kind of thing would have discouraged me to no end...I would chuck this whole plan in..." I can't do this!!! Who do you think you're kidding!!! You're a total loser!!!!" You know what? I'm going to soldier on!! You won't win....You're in there somewhere and dammit I'm going to find you...

GOING THROUGH LIFE ONE DOWNWARD FACING DOG AT A TIME...

Today I celebrate one year since I began to practice yoga...I have dabbled with it throughout the years (who couldn't make it through the 60's without doing yoga!) But now I practice at a studio 4-5 times a week... A year ago, my health was failing..I had chronic sinus problems, uncontrollable allergies,body aches and a general feeling of unhappiness,unfullfillment and a host of other problems both physical and mental..

I KNEW SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE...So I signed up for 3 months of unlimited yoga and dragged my weary body and blocked up nose to start my practice... the effects came slow but they did come.. and now a year later..I breathe much more clearly, allergies almost non existent... the benefits have been remarkable in so many ways..

One thing leads to another.......One unlocked door opens another............. om shanti....namaste

YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT....

but if you try sometime, you get what you need...

I am finally, truly believing that when you want something,when

you dream about something happening to you, this dream can become

a reality...This has been happening to me more frequently ...I have been

hooked up with people, events and circumstances that have helped move

me along my path.. I find the right teacher, article in a magazine or newspaper

that leads me in a new direction or opens me up to a different way of

looking at something...

As one gets older, your time and how it is spent becomes more important..

more urgent..

SAVING THE WORLD ONE CHIHUAHUA AT A TIME

Today "The Ukettes" will be playing a benefit Chihuahua Fashion Show to help

adopt out unwanted Chihuahuas...These poor dogs have been the latest

trendy must haves by so called celebrities who use them as fashion accessories...

Young girls see photos of their idols carrying these dogs in their $5000 purses

and then insist on getting one for themselves knowing little about the care and responsibility of owning one of these dogs....California is so overpopulated with them that I understand

they are shipping them to other states...The animal shelters are inundated with them..

Unscrupulous breeders are making big bucks and the poor helpless dogs are

suffering the consequences...

Don't even get me started on the way some people treat animals...

Spay your pets...adopt a sweetie from the animal shelter...Don't think it's cute for

your pet to have "just one litter" and come on down to The GasLamp on Pacific Coast Highway

and adopt a Chihuahua...

SPRING IS HERE....

The first California poppies are in bloom in my front garden...also my daffodils, the very fragrant jasmine vine and the brugmansia bush..

Southern California is happening right now!!! The rains we have been getting is making everything bust out early...it is at its most beautiful here right now...mountains to the east

covered and I mean covered in snow...air quality not too bad...my neighbors avocados are ripe

and ready to eat...oranges are everywhere as are lemons...its prime time baby..

Once I figure out how to properly put in pictures(see Thursday post!)I will....this newbie is

having a hard time with working all of this out, but I'm posting away anyhow warts and all...

Many thanks to all those who have responded to me...it has been wonderful..