This Is Almost Embarrassing and Most Ridiculous! No, It IS Embarrassing!

Look what I found!!!!

Glasses!

Four pairs besides the ones I'm wearing!

None of them are my computer glasses!

In other news...

Of course I smudged out the numbers!  Don't you think I have enough people here calling my plate into the authorities for obstructing traffic!  I don't need some internet people doing it too!

My license plate gives me away as what we lovingly used to call in Orlando, land of the tourist, a "Touron".

Now that is what I am considered here as I inch along some streets (even with the GPS bossy lady) looking for the exact place to turn.

Or am distracted by unaccustomed sights from the roadway.

I saw many exasperated hands raised in frustration behind me today as I found my way around the various areas of the valley today.  I apologize to all of you.

I remember how I felt when I was behind an out-of-towner sometimes and got impatient.

Experience is a good teacher and I will be more patient in traffic when and if I get a local plate and see a

"touron" trying to negotiate the massive area that is LA County.

Hey, I could have been worse.  I got up on the CA-118 (they love to talk about the highways here) and was given the most spectacular view of the whole valley from it's West end. If I could have, I would have pulled over and taken a picture, but I didn't want to be on the news tonight.  I will return there and get that picture.  Just gorgeous.

Meanwhile, I will show you a little bit of our new 'hood, from one of our walks over the weekend.

I was a bit disappointed when I saw that my pictures didn't reflect the unique characteristics of the houses in this neighborhood properly - but hey the first set I was on my own, with these two, AND a poop bag. Sorry to be graphic.

Lots of these trees.  Cedar?  I haven't looked them up yet.

Houses built in the 1950s for the most part, all very different and most have such cute, well kept lawns as well.

For some reason I love the name of this street.  No other instrument names that I have seen yet.

A couple of the streets give us views of the Northern hills of the San Fernando Valley, which is where I was this afternoon apparently - slowing down traffic.

I have to get a better picture of this house.  I was trying not to appear like some kind of weirdo with a camera.

The Shabby Chic people will like this house starting with the distressed and older fence.

I've GOT to meet whoever lives here because I can just tell they like to look at the same things I do.  Maybe they will stumble across my blog!  Haven't seen them out yet.

You know who they are!

This house is neat as a pin and has great brick accents and a brick walkway.

Very friendly man lives here.  He seems to work out of his garage and has a huge painting of The Virgin Mary propped up and facing the street when the garage doors are open.

Pomegranates! The birds and squirrels are eating them.

A lot end up on the ground. Very strange for me to see these out of a grocery store.

Prettiest house on our block.  I've met the gentleman who lives here, but not his wife yet.  They've lived here over 20 years and it is such a treat to look at.

Well, as my brother would say: "That's all the news that's fit to print".

No, actually, one more thing.

I've sent out a lot of postcards to friends and family with little notes and our new address. Some have come back!  Because the new address was on it as well!  Hmmmmph!

I will send them in envelopes....

And maybe, just maybe, I will have found those darn glasses!

Cats That Eat Together...

...learn to be together. Kind of.

Or is is just safety in numbers when there are three canines lounging (loudly) around the house for the weekend?

There was definitely some feline solidarity going on, and also some feline satisfaction that "they" ruled the comfy bed in the "master" bedroom.

Hmm. Who's master, or mistress of who, I ask?

Here's to a good week ahead for everyone!

Whoever Has My Salt and Pepper Shakers, Please Give Them Back....

I'm not kidding!  I can't find them! 

  

AND I can't find my computer glasses, so my head is tilted back trying to make everything appear clear.

Sure, there are still boxes to unpack, 

but none of them are marked "kitchen" or "office".

Relax, says Bumby, they will show up.

Easy for her to say now that she's all casual and comfortable around the new place.

And Mr. T would like his box cutter please.
He specifically put it in a very convenient spot so the moving boxes could be broken down quickly and put out for recycling.
 By the way, the garbage and recycling bins around here are crazy big! 

  Of course the box cutter is also nowhere to be found.  Apparently having a party with my glasses somewhere.

How long do you think I will keep one of my clocks on East Coast time?

I HAVE to so I don't call or text someone about something at some ridiculous time.

How long will I be a slave to the GPS? 

 I need it for EVERYTHING!
So far it hasn't made me drive into a lake - not sure they have lakes around here.  Maybe that's why. (Can you see the mountains, waaaaaay in the distance?  They actually seem closer in person, I will have to try and get a better picture - they are beautiful)

My vision of having my dining room table in the same room as old living room furniture turned out okay. 

However, there is no place for a light above the table.  Working on that.

And yes, that is another clock you see in the background.  So I know what time it is here.

BlackJack, The Existing Rabbit, ate the carrot!

 A friend suggested carrot tops next time - will do Jane!  Although I found these peach-pit type of things near his burrow.

Speaking of the burrow, just for  Chania over at RAZMATAZ,  because she's super nice and just learned she's going to be a grandma, I got closer to it and got a closer picture of it.

Then I tripped on some bunny-wire-plant-protector thing.  But, that's good because then I noticed these two trees with fruit.

Lemon tree, I'm told.

Not sure, orange maybe?

But, it's all going good.

Except for the salt and pepper and glasses thing.

And tripping on the wire.

But soon I will be able to make Lemonade out of my Lemons!

Now, excuse me, I'm headed out to the grocery store and the GPS lady is getting impatient.

She's SO bossy!

The "Existing Rabbit"

When it came time for us to read over and sign the rental contract for the house we are currently living in, Mr. Tennis, the realtor and I were a little taken aback and greatly amused by one added clause.

Re:  "The Existing Rabbit".  It was the first time it was brought up and I admit our pens paused for a few minutes as we tried to make sense of exactly what this meant.

Meet BlackJack, "The Existing Rabbit".

He apparently has lived in the garden and backyard of this house for a little over 11 years.  The owners didn't want to take him out of his environment at such an advanced age and since he is self-sufficient and "lives off the land", they asked that we keep an eye out for him.

He comes out mainly in the mornings and evenings and doesn't mind the Bostons who are very curious about him and can't understand where he disappears to. 

 BlackJack has a tremendous burrow in the back corner and we imagine him having a terrific tunnel system that stems from that.  Panda is confounded about that hole - where does that "existing rabbit" go?  She can't see him.

The house owners have planted a rabbit friendly garden with plants for him to nibble and what I think is an apple tree whose fruit falls to the ground and gets munched on by someone with teeth - either BlackJack or the squirrels, I think.

The sprinkler system fills his water dishes and I do a check in between just in case they run dry.

Today on my excursion to the foreign (to me) grocery store I picked up a carrot for old BlackJack.  I wonder if he will eat it?

Meanwhile tonight Sammy and The Maven are coming for dinner.  Sammy has just gotten back in town and is anxious to see the house, so they will drive up here after work  and eat a dinner I've cobbled together from ingredients I got today from that "foreign" grocery store.

Their reusable bags are great!

Hope everyone's having a good week so far!

The Meeting of the Canine Minds and Bumby's Return

Yesterday was pretty exciting around the New Boston Manor.  I took the trek down to The Maven's place to help her bring Stanley the Greyhound, Miss Darcy and Bumby up to the house for Labor Day weekend.

We weren't sure how the Bostons and Stanley would get along, but after a few excited minutes during a "get acquainted" walk, all settled down and hung out in the backyard for a bit.

Then it was time to chow down

 and they did so in unison.

It was a suprisingly drama-free meet and greet.

The felines are living it up in my office/guest room where the Maven is staying while here.  

We still aren't sure how Stan will handle being around cats and especially in a new environment. So we decided to keep them separate until another time.

Bumby will soon roam the house free when Stan leaves with The Maven on Monday!  

Life is slowly returning to "the new California normal".

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!