Thalea's Birthday

Can't believe a year has come and gone so fast. I got to have my birthday present again this year to be to hang out with my favorite sister for her birthday. I told her not to tell the boys that I was coming. I wanted to surprise them. I had talked to Sam the night before on the phone and asked him if he wanted me to come and visit him soon. He told Mason (I found out later after surprising them) that I was coming and Mason told him that he was wrong that I wasn't coming so I got lots of hugs from two happy boys that their favorite Aunt came to visit them.

Thalea took a video of the surprise, but I don't know how to put it here on the blog and most of the pictures Thalea took. We went bowling and we played secret Santa's to the neighbors. I had a chocolate monster for a helper dipping the marsh mellows. We had to hurry and clean him up before the parents saw him. Mason took my ipod and learned how to outrun the police on one of my games. He handed it to me and asked me what did this word mean that was flashing, I about died laughing when I realized that he had escaped the police. I can't even do that on the game!!!

Here are some pictures I took the last day, when Thalea and I went to Gardner's Village. I had to take some pictures of the demanding ducks and geese and then of the little Elfs they had out there. Can't resist a little Elf flirting!!!

Guess What Happened Right Around the Corner??

Right around the block, I could almost see it through my backyard fence if it wasn't for a couple of houses and a few trees!!!



"H" and the gang were in town filming an episode. It's not the first time they have been in the neighborhood, just the first time that they had to actually come knocking on the door here to notify us of filming and possibly using or should I say blocking our driveway with film crew equipment. The guy that came to the door even said we could go on set and check stuff out but I'm not that star struck. I already met Adam Rodriguez once. (nice guy by the way) I'm probably more star struck by the Hummer they get to drive and the Miami-Dade police cars that were parked down the block, which I was planning on going and taking a picture of but I just saw them going down the street on a car carrier so I missed out on that one.



I'm sure most of the shots which were going to take place in the neighbors garage would show "H" like the above picture and another shot like the one below.



I like watching CSI Miami because so much of it is filmed in Long Beach. It's so funny to be watching it and then realize oh I know that apartment building or I know that park they are running in. Now I can say oh "hey thats the house around the corner!!"

Happy Anniversary to US!!!

9 years ago today I married my best friend. I can't believe we have been married for 9 years already and together for 15 years.



We went out for a quick dinner last night, since he had to work tonight. Captain Kidd's..had to go there since they catered the wedding. Man I still remember all that food and the chippino the 5 gallon buckets. I think Carl and Fran took home one that hadn't even been opened!!!

OK 9 quick things in random order that I love about Michael:
1. He totally gets me
2. His sense of humor
3. He knows when to leave me alone
4. He knows when to not leave me alone
5. He loves all animals (except birds see previous post)
6. He loves my family
7. He spoils me (breakfast in bed)
8. He loves Star Valley
9. He puts up with my crap

Happy 9 years babe...love ya!!!

What the Heck was I thinking???

Sometimes my grand ideas of doing something really turn in to a pain.



We were running low on our stock pile of homemade tamales and well since it's almost the season, I though what the heck I'll just make them myself. I forgot the worst part about making tamales is having to wrap them!!!



I still have another full pot the same size waiting to get wrapped up and then, I have the beef cook just need the red sauce for beef tamales. I'm thinking if I can convince Michael to fore go the beef tamales that I will make beef taquito's instead.

I know I have been MIA from blog land. Nothing to exciting happening last month. I had my 42 birthday in October, Michael had the day off so we ran errands and had a yummy birthday lunch at Chilie's. Well break time is over time to get back to making tamales!!

Remembering 9/11 - 10 years later

I've been lazy not updating the blog with stuff, knowing that the next blog was going to be the 200th post. I wanted the post to be something different but nothing exciting had happened and I've been too lazy to take the time to download pictures off my camera. So after spending most of this afternoon taking a very long nap. I started watching all the remember when stuff on TV and decided I needed to document at least for me 10 years ago and the best way is some pictures I found and one I'm stealing off a blog I stalk.











So much has happened in 10 years, but has anything really changed???

Navy Week in Pedro

So this week has been Navy week in San Pedro. They haven't had a Navy week here since the Navy was kicked out of the LBC. I remember when I was little we use to go and check out the boats and go on the tours of the ships. They use to bring in the tall ships, the old fashion sailing ships too, but they don't do that anymore either. So when I heard about Navy week, I wanted to go and check it out. Well needless to say half of the California population wanted to go too!! They had to shut down the tours early because of the lines and the traffic. I'm so glad I don't live in San Pedro this week. Traffic from the 110 freeway was backed up all the way to the 405, people were waiting in lines over three hours to get on one ship not even counting that there were 4 ships to tour. So reading a little more about the activity I found out that 1. you had to wear close toed shoes to get on board...not happening when its a billion degrees outside. My toes have to breathe. 2. The lines were expected to be longer the later in the week. 3. You have to be able to climb up and down steep stairs and be in confined spaces during the tour...not happening. I'm very claustrophobic and heights are not something I rush through, especially if people are pushing. So to be able to say I saw the USS Abraham Lincoln and the other ships in port, we opted out to seeing it from another vantage point. Since we use to live in San Pedro it made it nice to be able to go through the back way and at least see the ship, not up close but at least close enough and personal for me.



















The other three ships weren't so easy to get a good look at them. I thought about going and taking a harbor cruise, but again the traffic and the parking was horrible and the first harbor cruise didn't go out till 1:30pm and it was 11am when we were taking these pictures. So the best thing to do was try and see them from the bridge except the only problem was when we finally got through all the traffic to get on the bridge every truck in the harbor seemed to be on the bridge at the same time so these pictures are little rough. The ship farthest away in the pictures is the USS Champion, in the middle is the USS Chafee and the closest and not a very good picture of it is the USS Princeton.







Michael got some great pictures of some little friends we met on the beach too!!

Blue Whales in the Harbor

So I'm wishing that I was on this boat seeing this for real, but a part of me is glad that I wasn't because I just couldn't imagine a Blue Whale breaching and the boat being so close that it capsizes from all that water. I guess what gets me the most is that these whales are SOOOO HUGE!!! It's hard to look at the ocean and think that something so big is right out there, but then if you think about it the ocean is so huge why wouldn't there be gigantic fishes in it.

Look whose holding Santa's hand

I've been meaning to post this for the past couple of weeks. Mom was going through some genealogy boxes she had looking for something for the up coming Garrett family reunion and came across this little gem.



Dad was 7 almost 8 in this picture taken at Buffum's in 1948. I thought I had seen most of Dad's younger years pictures but I'd never seen this one before. So here it is for the rest of the world to see!!! (Too bad the world doesn't read my blog!!)

Jay Jay the Blue Jay

Not much happening around here so you get more pictures of the blue jay. He isn't a daily visitor anymore but when he does show up he's happy to see me (probably more the food then me). I did get a few great pictures of him snacking on a bee.









Then a couple of days ago he showed up as soon as I walked out the door. He flew right at me like saying I'm here and I'm starving!! So I ran back inside to grab some bread for him and the camera and got Michael to take these shots. He flew to my hand 3 times that day got some water ate a whole piece of bread and then disappeared. Haven't seen him since!!!






The squirrel and the mocking birds were after him for the food, so I put some old corn that was in the fridge out for the squirrel. Never got a picture of that but the squirrels had a grand time eating it and playing on the front lawn. Man do I live in the city or the country. Next creature on the list to tame is the raccoons. They are a little scary, maybe I should try the skunk first!!!

The Police Visit

A couple of Sunday's ago Carl called about 11pm and said he was at the Long Beach airport and he was going to fly over the house. I went outside and sorta took a video from my droid phone but got busy waving to him and forgot to hold the phone up, you can hear the siren he turned on for a second and the sound of the helicopter flying over but not much else, so I'm not sharing that video with you all.

But tonight early evening he called again and said he was at the airport and was going to fly over again so this time it was still light enough outside I just got the camera out with the long lens and took some pics. If you zoom in on the pilot you can tell it's him...well at least I can tell it's him!!!

My New Friend

So growing up, actually more like for as long as I can remember growing up, we had a bird. A beautiful cockatiel. His name was Mister Bird. If I remember the story right he was outside one day starving and singing a song. Dad heard him and went in and got some food and flew down into Dad's hands to eat. He became our bird. He would always try to peck at us when we fed him or changed the paper on the bottom of the cage but he always was much happier after it was all over with. He had a mirror that hung in the cage and he hated it when you took that out to clean it. I think he either had a huge ego and liked to look at himself or had no clue that it was himself he was looking at and thought he had a friend.


(This isn't Mr. Bird just a good picture I found that looks like him. I can't believe that we never had a up close picture taken of him.)

Anyway Mr. Bird died when I was probably 18 or 19. Like I said I think my family had him longer than they had me and we have no idea how old he was when Dad found him. So one day I was at a swap meet with a friend of mine and bought Petey. Again I never took any pictures of Petey. Petey was a love bird. I brought him home and fixed up the cage. One Summer Grandma and Grandpa Garlick said that they would babysit Petey while I went on vacation with Mom and Dad. When I got home, Petey had a new name and it was inscribed on the cage thanks to Grandpa. "Petey Turd Burger". I let Petey out in my room a few times. I would forget to turn off the ceiling fan and we had a couple of oops's but he survived.


Petey died a few years after Grandpa died. I think he missed having him babysit and talk to him. Speaking of Grandpa, he had a few new friends of his own in his backyard. Blue Jays. Grandpa would be out in the garage and the blue jays would fly to the rain gutters and call to him. Grandpa would whistle and grab some peanuts and the blue jays would fly down to his hands and eat the peanuts from him. When I moved into their house, I told Michael about it, and well he didn't seem to excited about it but they never showed up. About the 2nd year, one showed up for a day or two and then was gone. Turns out the dogs next door would catch them and eat them - so no blue Jays for us, or should I say me, to play with. I had an Aunt who was deathly afraid of anything with feathers and we would tease her to death. She refused to sleep in my room when Petey was alive because of the bird in there. I didn't know my husband had a fear of birds until a few days ago...because the blue jay is back!!!


You can see the top of Michael's head. He froze like a giant statue. He says that the bird can see the whites of his eyes and will peck them out. We can thank his brother Chris for telling him that little white lie. But other than running like a little school girl back to the man cave he didn't want to have anything to do with Mr Blue Jay until Saturday when he was outside watering the garden. I guess Mr. Blue Jay wanted some food and didn't want to wait for me to show up and convinced Michael to get some stuffing mix out of the cupboard and feed him. Michael even went and got a bird bath from the other side of the house to make sure he had some water to drink too. I don't think he's too afraid of him now. So enjoy some of these pictures I took of him. He's very demanding now.









He got brave on Saturday and flew down to my hand, but at the last possible second he decided not to land. I'll work with him more on that. That would be an amazing picture, but the next couple are just amazing as well.









I think my new name should be the bird whisper. He sorta sometimes comes when I call him, just like any other pet I've had.