"The books that help you most are those which make you think that most. The hardest way of learning is that of easy reading; but a great book that comes from a great thinker is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and beauty.----Pablo Neruda

June 22, 2008: The heat here has been unbearable! Hot, hot and more hot!! We are not used to it. I have an Aunt and Cousins who live in a state that is so very hot for several months of the year. I don't know how they stand it, but maybe they are used to it, having lived there for many years. We are hoping for fog in a few days, but haven't seen it yet on the forecast. We shall see. I posted, today, on the opening page a new photo taken today of an Anise Swallowtail Butterfly on our small Za-Za Alstromeria. The butterfly has its "nose" buried completely in the Alstromeria blossom, thus you see only the wings. What a treasure for a photographer! I always think that when I have an opportunity to photograph a Swallowtail, it is a wonderful opportunity. They are so beautifully marked and colored! I hope you enjoy viewing it and reading the Irish blessing beneath the photo. Time is moving rapidly and soon July will be here and July 4th and all that goes with that colorful and historic American holiday. It is always a fun day! Ireland has gale force winds today and cold weather. How different the weather is here today. I also am posting some new quotations above at the title area of this Minutia page today for you to reflect on. I hope you like them. I am big on quotations and the ideas they present for us to ponder. We need all the help we can get in living "this thing called life." Enjoy your weekend and your day. --BT, June 22, 2008.

June 19, 2008: Hot isn't the word for the weather yesterday, last night it was 91°F. outside under our patio cover at 11:30 p.m. last night!! Wow, I mean hot, hot and more hot!! Now this afternoon it is 85°F. under the same patio cover; you might think that is not hot, but wow, it is for us on the Gold Coast. We are hoping for the sea breeze to come in, but the weatherman says maybe tomorrow will be hotter! Well with this weather we water more plants and check on them throughout the afternoon. Last night in the heat, I went out with the Digital Rebel XT cam and photographed the Solstice Moon. What a sight!! A beautiful silver dollar in the sky!! A silver discus hurled by some constellation form in the sky!! It was beautiful, round and very bright. I am glad I went outside and photographed. I like to do that when the moon is particularly full. I have a photo for you to view of our Solstice Moon. To view it click here. Everyone seems to think the weather is changing with global warming a hot topic in the area. Gosh, how does one know?! I remember days of hot weather especially in the past summers in the area. Maybe it is just nature "doing its thing." And who said Nature has to follow any particular pattern or form. 8-))))))))))) Not me for sure. The tomato garden was a bit stressed from the 91° temps yesterday and last night, and I irrigated it a bit this afternoon. Will give it some more water later in the evening. The vines will need it. The East Wind is predicted for this evening, and that will bring more heat in. I expect we will reach 90° or so this evening again. I hope you are having a good Summer day today. Are you reading a good book? Maybe you think you don't have time, but you do. We are always reading, and find it is very interesting and relaxing. I like to read mysteries and currently reading an Elizabeth George mystery set in Britain. I also like Deborah Crombie and her mystery/detective series set in Britain also. If you like mysteries, try them! The books are great. Enjoy the day.--BT, June 19, 2008.

June 18, 2008: The mockingbirds are singing very loudly today on this fine summer-like day. Tonight there is a Solstice moon, full and beautful. Might be a good night for photography!! Fathers Day was wonderful. We had a nice meal out at a favorite restaurant, then a time at home with family, and a phone call from Ireland wishing me a Happy Fathers Day. How nice it was! The tomato vines are getting so big I have been tying them up to the wooden stakes I put in the garden every year for that purpose. Lots of fruit is setting on the vine. Maybe in a month and a half we will be eating fresh garden tomatoes. Neat!! Am watching the geraniums carefully, as now the bud worms are out and they love a fresh flower bud to bore into. It certainly ruins the beautiful blossom, so will be on the lookout for them. They come every year. The hot weather is here! It will be rather warm the next few days, so water I shall where necessary. It is warm already this morning. Schools have dismissed and summer vacation is here. The kids are out in the malls and on the streets, and the sound of skateboards is heard now in the area. I talked to a high school girl at our local market who was bagging our groceries yesterday. She told me it was her first job, and she was a bit nervous. She was doing a fine job and I told her so. I remember those summer jobs that I forever had(it seems) but it was good for me and I think taught a bit of the work ethic to this young lad (many years ago). I wonder of my Grandsons and what they might do as they grow to adulthood. They are very smart and reading quite well now. That is important. One must be able to read well in our modern world. Enough of my meanderings! Read the quotation below. It is not that I am getting old, but how true it is!! We do keep in our mind the "other ages" we have been and lived through! Have a great day and enjoy!!--BT, June 18, 2008.

June 14, 2008: The overcast has moved out and the sun is full on this summer-like day. How nice it is. This morning I worked on the hanging baskets with ivy geraniums in them and trimmed the plants back to the edge of the pot. I do that ever so often as it stimulates more full growth within the plant. Today is a Grandson's birthday in Ireland, and we had much fun singing Happy Birthday to him over a video connection on our computer. It was really nice seeing him come to the screen and listen to our song! Time moves on --another birthday for him. Of course there will be a big birthday party in Ireland as birthdays generate parties always there, no matter what your age is!! Tomorrow is Father's Day as you well know and I am thinking today of the time we camped in Dad's homemade house trailer in Yellowstone long ago, and a bear almost came in the open door of the trailer, and of when we went fishing out in the ocean and some Orca Whales came very close to our small boat, and the great times we had water skiing in the Lake up in the mountains, taking turns driving the boat while the other was on the skis and the fun time we had. What memories! That is the wonderful part about the human mind--the marvelous times from the past remain with us! We can almost relive them, can't we! I have taken a few of the buttons off the opening page and placed the link down near the bottom in the "Links" list. I hope you can find any you might be looking for there. Enjoy Father's Day weekend and our move into summer. Did you take a photo of your parents out and look at it? As Albert Einstein, in the below quotation, did. I hope so. I certainly did. Summer is here! Graduations are over. The highways are jammed here, and many people are on the move. It will be hot weather soon, but now it is balmy, breezy and wonderful!! How great it is!! Enjoy the day!--BT, June 14, 2008.

"A photograph never grows old. You and I change, people change all through the months and years, but a photograph always remains the same. How nice to look at a photograph of mother or father taken many years ago. You see them as you remember them." ----- Albert Einstein

June 10, 2008: Last night the fog horn nearby blew its loud and mournful tone, and I knew that the fog was prevalent. Actually I don't mind the fog horn on the coast nearby; it is peaceful and nice to hear before one goes into the dreamland of sleep! Today, we haven't seen the sun yet into the late afternoon. But that is ok too, as we know the hot summer days are coming. They always do. I have posted the pair of Mockingbirds that I told you about yesterday. It was really fun and interesting to observe and photograph them. You can view them here, and the first photo on the page is the one of the parent and the little one with beak open for a feeding, that you will see. Another wonderful view of the birds in action. Father's Day is near. If your Father is with you still here on earth, do something kind and thoughtful for him on Sunday. If he is not here with you, think of the times you were with him and how much it meant to you. Summer is here. I notice more traffic on the highways, and some of the vehicles are RV's: motorhomes, house trailers and the like. As Father's Day nears that reminds me of the vacations that we all took many years ago, when Mother and Father were here, with the wonderful house trailer that my Dad built. I remember helping him as a young boy and being the one to go get tools for him. He was indeed a talented Father who could build and do many tasks. How fun to visit all the places where we used to pull the trailer to, setting up camp and exploring a new part of our country. I will never forget the trips. Albert Einstein said something about our parents a long time ago. I like the quotation very much. If you have a photo of your Mother and Father, take it out and look at it and remember! The quotations is below. I hope your day has been a nice one for you.--BT, June 10, 2008.

"A photograph never grows old. You and I change, people change all through the months and years, but a photograph always remains the same. How nice to look at a photograph of mother or father taken many years ago. You see them as you remember them." ----- Albert Einstein

June 9, 2008: I went to the tomato garden and tied up branches today. One must take care of tomato plants as they grow upward and outward. I have a series of wooden poles that I tie the branches to. There are clusters of new small tomatoes now on the vine. How exciting! We hope for a good crop this year. There are tomato worms present and it always is a intense hunt for them, as they readily blend in with the leaves. What a beautiful summer day today. The fog was in this morning from the sea, and it is cool and pleasant. I like it this way, sunny and cool. I am watching the geraniums for the small bud worms that we get here each year. Raising flowers is a constant job, one must maintain and be on alert for problems with them. The bud worms burrow into the developing bud of the blossom. I have been working on the web page today and hope you like the new photograph of the Promise ivy geranium on the opening page. I like to post new flowers for you fairly often. A neighbor of mine to whom I sent the photographs of the hawk's nest commented to me today how much he like the photos. I am glad he did as I really enjoyed photographing them. We were by the nest today and I think the departure of the young ones is imminent. They are exercising their wings and sitting on the edge of the nest and on nearby branches. How beautiful they are!! I hope your day went well. Ours did! Yesterday I saw an interesting happening on the front lawn. There were 2 mockingbirds, one an adult and one a fledgling. The adult would hop about on the grass and catch and take a tasty morsel to the fledgling and the little one would open his beak as though he was still in the nest and be fed. Now there is a bird out of the nest, but still relying on his dad/mom for food!! Not a bad deal! 8-)))))))))) I will post those mockingbird photos soon. I hope your day went well. Take care, BT, June 9, 2008.

June 5, 2008: Another sunny and very summery day here on the Gold Coast! I posted today, 2 more photos of the hawks' nest from yesterday. If you would like to view the photos click here. I hope you enjoy seeing and viewing them. We humans don't often get to see such photos in our urban environments, but we must remember that many wild animals, who were here first before we developed the region with freeways, roads, housing tracts and cities, still are with us and surviving in their modified environments and they must be protected and saved for future generations. I am thrilled to have had this experience of seeing the hawks' nest and photographing them. I call this experience a "photographer's dream"! How lucky I am with this!!

I posted Freestyle Pink on the opening page today and I really like the neon hue of the blossom. It really grabs your attention. How lucky we are to have beautiful flowers with fantastic colors to enjoy each day. I feel very happy when I see them on the terraces. Do enjoy the day and count it as a very important day in your life. Look for the beauty around you each day and appreciate it with all of your heart! Enjoy-BT, June 5, 2008

June 4, 2008: Today was one of those days when I went out to the garden and potted new geraniums: Freestyle White, Freestyle Pink and Tango Light Orchid. I had my hands in the planting mix and really got dirty! But it was fun, and yes relaxing. And yes, I did have my iPod on and enjoyed music while I worked. It was superb, but tiring. But that is good. Also tied up wandering tomato vines and watered everything in the east and west gardens. A wind came up while I was outside and it really blew. Now the work is done, and time for relaxation. The weather is marvelous. I always find gardening is very peaceful and relaxing. There is just something about it that I enjoy, and relax and listen to music! Fun for me!! We went again to the hawk nest down the road and the fledglings are still in the nest, but getting rather large. I wonder when they will fly away? They are beautiful to see and observe. I will always love seeing hawks! One day soon I will post some more of the photos we took today for you to view. All for now. I hope you like the new flowers I posted today on the opening page: Pretty Polly and Freestyle White. They are beautiful blossoms. Enjoy your day and evening.--BT, June 4, 2008

June 2, 2008: Today was a day we ran errands and did a bit of shopping. Of course, geraniums come into play in this story! 8-))))))))))) And you probably knew they would!! At our last stop at a big hardware type of store, lo and behold, at the entrance way was a rather large display of ivy and zonal geraniums. Now you know what that does to me!!!8-)))))))))))) Kind of like going into a chocolate factory and entering the sampling room!!!! My wife was the first to notice them and remarked that if I wanted to get some go ahead. We were in a bit of a hurry and went inside and found the items we needed, then took them to the car. On the way she again mentioned the geraniums and back we went to that wonderful display. I asked her to pick out the types and colors, and one of the flowers was named Tango Light Orchid, a zonal geranium. It is absolutely beautiful. My wife has a wonderful sense of color and hue! Besides the Tango, we bought a Freestyle Pink and a Freestyle White. They are really stunning and beautiful. I photographed the Tango Light Orchid and the Freestyle Pink. I will pot them this week and will soon post the Pink. It is a wonderful neon pink which almost calls out to you. I suppose I will never have enough geraniums, but isn't that how it is when you love your interests and hobbies?! I think it is. What a beautiful day today! It feels warm, but there is a slight breeze in the air, with all the feelings of summer approaching. I love it!! If you would like to view the Tango Light Orchid geranium click here. Do enjoy the flower, and your day. --BT, June 2, 2008.

"You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you're doing. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself."- Alan Alda

May 31, 2008: Well, May 31 is here and tomorrow, June 1. What a fantastic summer day we are having. I love it. Lots of sun, light breeze and about 70 degrees outside. I watered all the geraniums this a.m. and the tomato garden. Also the new lavender and sage received a good drenching. They will do well! I photographed the first butterfly of the season this morning, and I was thrilled to do so! I knew it was in the Lady family, and got out my trusty butterfly book, "Butterflies Through Binoculars-The West" by Jeffrey Glassberg and identified it. What a fine book it is for those interested in butterflies. The butterfly was a West Coast Lady, and fluttered about the yard and finally landed in a patch of grass. I grabbed the Canon Digital Rebel cam and got 3 photos before the butterfly flew away. I had been noticing lots of Lady Butterflies in the back garden, but they didn't seem to land much. Well this one did. If you would like to view the photo, click here. The West Coast Lady is the first photo on the page. We love our garden and enjoy walking through it and paying the plants a visit. Our privet hedges are really growing this spring/summer. I planted them from one gallon containers about 34 years ago, and our youngest daughter accidentally sat on one of the plants, but that plant is very tall and healthy. It was fun, and we have talked about that for years! 8-))))) The hedge is probably now about 10 to 12 feet high and affords us nice privacy and a green landscape in the back garden. I am glad I did the planting all those years ago. It was a task in our adobe like soil, but was well worth it!! I hope your weekend is going well, ours us. We are enjoying it very much. The sun is so nice for the plants. I have moved several potted geraniums out from shade to sun to really give them a push in their growth. It helps a lot in our mild climate. Enjoy your weekend and be thankful for where you are and what you have in your lives. --BT, May 31, 2008 (Goodbye May, 2008!)

May 29, 2008: The wind came in last night and blew very hard. The geraniums caught the strong wind gusts, but did ok. I gardened yesterday afternoon, potted the new Angel Eyes Regal Geranium that my Daughter gave me and generally shaped up the geraniums and watered those that needed it. I hope you noted the new Maiden Red Regal Geranium on the opening page today. We just bought it today and it is very beautiful and lovely! The Regals or Martha Washingtons as they are sometimes called are very appealing and come in many colors and hues. We are becoming more and more attracted to them. Today is a beautiful sunny and summer-like day again. I received an order of plastic plant label sticks and have been labeling pots that needed it. That is a fun job trying to figure out some of the starts that one plants! 8-)) June is almost on us. Time marches on. But I have said that before haven't I. I think the secret is to take one day at at time. I have a great quotation for you following this minutia entry. We have space in the east garden for 2 more plants, and we selected a Mexican Sage and a Goodwin Creek Lavender plant to fill them. Now to plant them!! Will use lots of soil ammendment as we are really in adobe here in the soil. They will look nice and we will enjoy them a great deal. I hope you had a good day. We did. I am just about finished with birthday shopping for my wife. Her birthday is near, now, and we will have a fine celebration. Enjoy the day, BT. May 29, 2008.

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you left behind.....let it be something good."

May 26, 2008: We have just returned from photographing a nearby hawk's nest! Fantastic!! As my regular readers know I love hawks! And to have an opportunity to photograph a nearby nest with actual birds in it was too much of a temptation. It is about a mile from our house in a large eucalyptus tree. Our neighbor, who regularly walks that area, sent me an email indicating the nest she has seen. I grabbed the Digital Rebel XT with its telephoto lense and my wife and out the door we went. My wife first spotted the nest as we looked around the eucalypus grove! And I snapped away! You can see the photo if you click here. What a fine experience observing the hawks in the nest. I think perhaps they are Red Shouldered Hawks or Red Tail Hawks, who are rather common in this area. How lucky we were to get the photos and experience the nest. This is not an opportunity one has too often in this busy, noisy world in which we live. It is a reminder that other animals share this globe we call earth with us!! I hope you enjoy the photo! And on Memorial Day I hope our troops from the past and present are in your mind. I think today of many of my ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War I and World War II. Last night I found the draft registration of one of my Grandfathers from 1917, how historic for me in the study of my genealogy. Remember them!--those in your family who served or are serving! Reflect a bit today on the past and these ancestors and family members. I hope you enjoy the hawk nest. I sure did!! Enjoy the day,--BT, May 26, 2008

May 24, 2008: The rain came in yesterday morning and last night and it was wonderful! It pitter-pattered down, then came down heavily for 20-30 min. It was much needed and the air has a cleansed feeling to it today. What a blessing! We get so little rain that any is most welcome. Our State officials and local water companies are already talking about the impending water shortage coming this summer. I hope not as we all need adequate water in our lives for us and the plants, of course. The tomato garden is as though it had a vitamin shot with the rain. Sometime ago I put together the stakes over the tomatoes to secure them to, when they are tall enough, and some are already tall enough to be tied to the makeshift trellis. I have grown tomatoes for many years and usually have a very good crop, I feel due to my composting the small garden area all through the winter. I never fertilize them or spray them with any chemicals. They are truly organic! And my wife works her magic in the kitchen with her herbed baked tomatoes, bacon and tomato sandwiches, tuna salad with tomatoes, parmesan tomatoes, taco salad with tomatoes and other treasures! They are absolutely delicious!! My daughter who lives near us gave me an early Fathers Day gift the other day when we met her for lunch. We always take her to lunch each week, and the gift was a dwarf Martha Washington geranium, named Angel Eyes. It is a beautiful plant and I will pot it this week and prepare it to join the other plants, first on the terrace, then in full sun with its big cousin Regal Camelot, also a Martha Washington and Happy Thought zonal geranium in the full sun. They are doing very well with the sun. June is coming, isn't it!! Time moves on. I think I mentioned lots of birthdays in June! That will be a fun month and we will do some "birthday" things during that month. I hope your weekend is going well. Ours is, and the sun is out this afternoon and there is a balmy breeze blowing. It is nice outside. I wrote a little rain poem yesterday and want to share it with you. It is below. Have a great time this weekend. Memorial Day is coming and it is the time to remember all those who have gone. And we will. I was just looking at photos from my genealogy, and I noted my Gr. Gr. Grandfather who was a Civil War veteran. He is in his uniform and looks so tired. He had been ill during the war and was nursed back to health by a Dr. in the south. Among the photos is one of a family Reunion many year ago at his home, and there must be at least 50 people on the porch. And then the photo of my Father during World War 2, in his Naval Officers Uniform, looking so handsome. He served in the Pacific, and I have many memories of the War and what we who were behind remember. I was a very small boy then, but do remember many things of the war here on the home front. Knowing of your family genealogy is wonderful and really helps you to understand from whence you came. Enjoy the day, BT-May 24, 2008.

May 21, 2008: The winds have come in today from the Northwest and the west, and they are quite strong. My wife and I have been out in the garden trimming the spent blossoms from the Iceberg Roses this a.m. and generally inspecting our plants. There is already new growth coming on the Roses. The dwarf Alstromeria is very healthy and has several buds on it already. It is named Za Za, and is a beautiful pink. We like it very much. I have posted another photograph on the opening page today of the Martha Washington Maroon. Anyway that is what the nursery-man called it at the nursery when we picked it out. Depending on the time of day and the light, it can be maroon, black or between the two colors. I like it very much. It is in a pot as of now, and is budding out quite well. I have watered a bit extra today due to the drying wind. It is sunny and nice and warmish but the wind always takes it toll. The dryness comes to the plants. I have posted some new quotations above on the Minutia page about Fathers. My wife and I had wonderful Fathers and their influence on us was very positive and wonderful. We shall remember our Fathers on Fathers Day and forever. They are both not with us here now, but in our mind and hearts forever. Do remember your Father! Do something nice for your Father if he is still with you. Thank him for all he has done for you. You will feel good about that and so will he. My wife's birthday comes soon, and we will do some special things for her. We always do a meal out on birthdays for the family. Almost none of our living family lives near to us, so we will be on our own. But that will be ok, as we will have a wonderful time. I was reading on the Net last night about Martha Washington geraniums. There are many varieties and in cold climates often they do not make it thru the winter. In fact they become 1 year or 1 season plants in those climates, but we grow them year round here on the Gold Coast with our mild climates. I think I need to go to the nursery again and get another Martha Washington to grow. They are absolutely beautiful! Enough for today, then. I send you best wishes for a fine and wonderful day. Each one is to be counted in our lives as important. Do enjoy your day!-BT, May 21, 2008.

May 18, 2008: Do you ever get the feeling that time is moving quickly in your life? I do. Here it is May 18, and June is just around the corner and summer will be here. What is one to think?8-))) I believe that we should live every day for what it is, as time moves quickly! Summer here on the Gold Coast is wonderful with many summer days and lots of outdoor time. It is a great time to be in the garden. I have mentioned my terraces and promised to photo them and I have. You can take a look at them if you click here. I like the terraces very much. They are made of sturdy wire covered with vinyl, and really are nice. Each straight section is 39 inches long, and 3 shelves make up one section. I probably have about 40-50 geraniums on each complete terrace, and as you will see they tend to grow together with their foliage overlapping. For me they are an ideal way to grow and show and enjoy my geraniums. I really seem to be out of space, but there is always room for a few more. 8-)))))))))))))))) My wife loves to count them and tell me how many I have!! Our heat spell continues and there is hope on the horizon that by Wednesday of next week, the cool air might just come in from the sea(an onshore breeze). I sure hope so, I am not a fan of really hot weather. When I went to College, I did a summer school session in one of the southwestern states, and wow was it a hot one!!!! The Tomato garden is getting lots of attention with the drip system this week. The plants are growing and have come through the heat just fine. I like the drip system, and my geraniums on Terrace 2 and the hanging baskets in the front are all on drip, and it sure is convenient. I hope you had a good weekend. We did. The Iceberg roses have come through the heat well, and it is time to trim some of the brown blossoms off the bush. They were spectacular in their full blooming this spring. Take a look at the terraces and see how you like them. Enjoy and have a great week. Be sure and read the quotation by Marcel Proust below--food for thought about this thing called life and making new discoveries with your eyes and your mind!!-BT, May 18, 2008.

May 15, 2008: It is warm today and really summer-like! I like the weather. The plants like the weather. You can almost see the tomato plants growing today. They are doing well and got a dose of drip irrigation this a.m. as did the geraniums. I have some new photos for you on the web site today. The Mother's Day flowers sent by our daughter in Ireland are listed in the links towards the bottom of the opening page under the link: Mothers Day. Also the rose buds that my Wife has received on Mother's Day at our favorite restaurant are listed under: Mothers Day Rose. I hope you enjoy viewing them. My wife sure enjoyed receiving them. I fertilized all the geraniums with liquid fertilizer today as they are really blooming and in growing mode. They will like the fertilizer and produce many wonderful blooms of multi-colors. I photographed the terraces on the back patio today for you to see. The flower colors are spectacular in my view. I will post them today or tomorrow with a link for you to see them. I hope you day goes well. Being retired is really a fun time. We read books--it seems when we worked we almost never had the time to do so. It is nice, and keeps the mind healthy. We are mystery fans and enjoy such authors as Deborah Crombie, Colin Dexter, Daniel Silva, Elizabeth George, Brad Thor and Sister Carol Anne O'Marie and others. The young Anna's Hummingbirds have been at the Mexican Sage near the front door all week. I like to photograph them from the kitchen using my telephoto lens on the cam. I have one for you today that I just took a few minutes ago. Aren't we lucky to live with nature? To be able to see the delicate Hummingbird so close is pristine and so enjoyable. The photo from today is below. I hope you enjoy it! I love photographing the hummingbirds. They are so beautiful and interesting. Enjoy the day!!--BT, May 15, 2008.

May 14, 2008: How many Grandfathers did you have? I suppose for most, the answer is 2. I am not sure of that but assume so. Well, I had 3 Grandfathers, knew them all and had an opportunity to interact with them during their lives. They are all gone now, and all I have of them are memories of the times I visited them. One was a business man and a World War I veteran, another was an oil field foreman, and the third was an honest-to-goodness cattleman and cowboy. They were all born in the late 1800's and settled in various places in the USA. I would love to sit down with them today and talk of their memories and history. I know quite a bit about them through genealogy, but you may wonder: "Why does BT have 3 Grandfathers?" Well, of course it was because of re-marriages and the like. I was talking to my wife at lunch today and telling her about my Cowboy-Cattleman Grandfather. As a young teen, he drove cattle west with his Father who also was a Cattleman. I don't think he even had an opportunity to finish high school. Later as an adult he was a successful Cattleman and owned a ranch in the desolate desert of a western state. My family and I would go out to the ranch, mainly during the Christmas holidays, and visit him on the ranch. He was a working Cowboy. Yes, he wore cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. He had Hereford cattle which lived on the desert and ate among other things, cactus. I remember the old wood stove in the living room of the ranch house that we would dress around in the morning on those cold December mornings. I remember the glass butter churn with the wooden paddle contraption inside the big jar that would spin when you turned the handle, with the cream whirling around and around. I remember the huge iron black kitchen stove which was wood burning. Today's conveniences were not there! When in bed at night, if anyone got up and turned on a light switch, the old gasoline powered generator would cough out back and noisily begin running and produce electricity for the light. There was an old wooden barn, how fun for us kids! And my horse(Grandpa said it was mine......) named Chub. Chub was a "senior citizen horse" which I know Grandpa picked for me so I wouldn't fall off or be thrown. Those days on the ranch were tremendous fun! I will never forget them. On the ranch, I saw how jerky was made in the outdoors, and also the branding of the yearlings at roundup time. These memories are with me forever. I can just see him now strolling through the ranch gate, and my sister and I saying, "Grandpa will you saddle the horses....?" And we would all go to the barn, and Grandpa would bridle the horses, throw on the saddle blanket and the saddle, cinch it all up, and away we would go. What fantastic fun it was------those day of the past, which are not forgotten, and will be with us forever. I hope you remember your Grandfathers--no matter how many you had or have! And if they are still here with you, do sit down with them and ask them to tell you of their memories and lives! Enjoy the memories and make today a great time in your life. I have a photo of me on Chub to post beneath this writing. I hope you enjoy it. That was indeed a very long time ago. But oh!! What a time!!--BT, May 14, 2008

May 13, 2008: We have had the sun all day, and it is beautiful with balmy temperatures and a nice light breeze throughout the day. The young Anna's Hummingbirds have been coming everyday to the Mexican Sage in the front. It has been blooming beautifully for weeks, and the hummers love to come for nectar there. I have a photo for you today of a young Anna's hovering there in the afternoon shadows, drinking the sweet nectar from the sage. It is so nice to see them now in mid-May. I have not noted the Black-Chinned Hummingbirds yet, but they will be here soon. I hope you enjoy the hummer photo from today. I was thrilled to get it, quickly with the Digital Rebel XT cam, shooting the photo with the telephoto lense. l heard hawks calling this morning, but did not locate them for a photo. Once you have heard their call, you will always recognize it. Animals inhabiting our environment make for such a wonderful and interesting place for us to live. The warm weather is coming in probably starting tomorrow, I will check the geraniums and the tomatoes to make sure they get through this forthcoming heat spell. Enjoy your day!--BT, May 13, 2008.

May 12, 2008: It has been one of those days when you have 20 minutes of lovely sunshine and then the clouds glide in and it is overcast! The weatherman says by mid-week the heat is returning with some of the hottest places inland approaching the high 90's. Now is that tolerable!!?? 8-)))))))))))))I prefer the coastal weather, but I know those who live in hot weather seem to adjust to it. Used the drip system to water tomatoes and geraniums today. It works so well. I added drip to two additional pots, and found a sliced drip hose in another area so repaired that. If one has a garden you need to spend some time in it maintaining the plants, weeds and systems. I found the first tomato worm today, the green little guy was 1 inch long and feasting on one of the new tomato plant's leaves. I removed him to another place. That is always a chore now--finding the tomato worms and the worms that like the geranium buds and leaves. It is that time of year for sure. I get lots of fun and happiness from the garden. Mothers Day was fun. We ate out at a favorite restaurant, had cupcakes at home and gave gifts to my wife. It was a fun family time. We did a video call to our daughter in Ireland. Now that is really fun! We love doing the video calls on our iMacs. Seeing your loved ones on the screen and talking to them is wonderful. Remember:"The family is the country of the heart"-Guiseppi Mazzini. I hope your family had a good Mothers Day. We sure did. My wife received flowers from Ireland, and I will soon post them on the web page with a link for you to view them. They are beautiful and she is enjoying them very much. Fathers Day is on the way. It is June 15th! I shall honor the memory of my Father's life that day with thoughts of our times together and what I learned from him. I hope you honor your Father too. Enjoy each day and live them well. Do what you can for others and take care-BT, May 12, 2008

May 8, 2008: What a beautiful and very sunny day here on the Gold Coast! We love this kind of Spring-Summer-ish weather, and the plants do too!! There is a new cat in the neighborhood, and he/she has discovered our privet hedge and the nice napping places that exist for cats under the leaves of the privets. We call the new cat Tabby. How beautiful he/she is! The cat is kind of a dark tiger cat and is very shy. I do not have a photo as of yet, but will soon. And of course will post for you as soon as I get one under "Cats I Have Known". How fun it is to observe the cats. They are indeed a beautiful animal and so independent. I installed a new blind in the patio area as the winds of night before last did in the old one that was there. I also noticed this a.m. a small hummer in at the front door sage feeding early this a.m. If it is like last year we will have plenty of hummers as we near summer coming for a bit of sugar water at the feeder and nectar at the plants and flowers. Last night the wind blew one of the older Christmas cactus over and broke it off at the stem. I saved some of the branches for starts. Speaking of Christmas cactus starts, several of the ones I recently planted are really taking off and are growing and putting on new leaves. I like seeing that. I will have more blooming cacti soon for sure. I have a photo taken this week of a Scrub Jay. They are really beautiful with their lovely bright blue color. It is a rather noisy and conspicous bird and likes to hop through our bark beds in front looking for something to eat. A nearby neighbor puts peanuts in the shell out for them, and they often hide them in the bark and return in awhile to retrieve them. They are very entertaining. If you would like to view my Scrub Jay, click here. I have been further developing my drip system to cover more and more potted plants and some in the ground. In this water short year, I think the drip system is the way to go to irrigate your plants. Have you ever tried to install drip? I find it very easy and much fun. I have posted a new Salmon Queen geranium on the opening web page for you. As my regular readers know, I really like the Salmon Queen. The color is incomparable and wonderful!! It will always be one of my favorites in the geranium world. I have been looking into the Martha Washington geraniums, and really like their hues and blossom shape. All you need to do is Google 'Martha Washington geraniums' and you will see what I mean. I hope your day is a good one. Do something nice for someone today, perhaps you already have. I hope so. We are the ones who can help and support one another. If you have read the quotations above under the title graphic you have read Einstein's, "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile." Think about it. It is true. I leave you today with the below quotation. Enjoy the day. --- BT, May 8, 2008.

May 5, 2008: I heard him before I saw him. The Mockingbird was over next door on the neighbor's roof, raising a big ruckus! You know the Mockingbird. He is one of the most common of the neighborhood birds and loves to sing in his many, many voices, even at night. Well, this one was really on the move. I got the Digital Rebel XT with the telephoto lens and rushed out to the patio. And there a photographer's dream! He was displaying and singing to his mate that was out of sight. But I was able to get a photo of the action. If you would like to view Mr. Mockie, click here. I especially love the white wing stripes on the inside of the wings. Beautiful! I have always liked to photograph birds. They are so graceful, beautiful and interesting. My Dad always had several cameras around. He loved photography too. One of his favorites was his Argus C3-35mm camera that I took to Europe in the 60's when a group of us teachers toured foreign schools for the summer. I still have the camera, and it works perfectly today. Of course it has to have film, and you have to hand set all the settings. The Digitals of today are a miracle. I am not sure one can take a poor photo with a Digital camera! 8-))))) That is all we use today--Digital. We load them from the camera right into our iMacs, into iPhoto and edit them and use them in whatever way we choose. Photography has come a long way, for sure. I put up tomato stakes today around the new plants. They are growing and coming along fine. Also fine tuned the drip system in the east garden. Fun! All is well, the marine influence from the sea remains. That is good for the tomatoes as they get accostomed to their new setting in the garden. Take care, and Enjoy the day!! BT-May 5, 2008. A thought for today follows:

May 4, 2008: The onshore flow of air from the sea has moved in, and it is very nice--a bit cooler today and I like it. I worked yesterday on relocating a part of the drip system to one of the terraces on the back patio. It is much more efficient and waters the plants more effectively! I am glad I did it. I had been planning the project for several days in my mind, often in bed before sleep overcame! 8-)))))) The new tomato plants are also on drip and doing well. I like the drip systems, especially when the long arid summer is near. It will come in very handy in the next few months. Yesterday, I potted several geraniums, especially the new ones from the nursery. They make a fine addition to my garden. We have a new 3rd Iceberg Rose bush to replace one that did not make it. The Icebergs are wonderful and very beautiful with their thousands(it seems like thousands) of blossoms. We enjoy the color. We have some space in the garden and are contemplating 2 or 3 dwarf alstromeria or sage or some kind of lavender to plant in the spaces. We love the garden, and it truly brings peace to one when working there. I have a couple of quotes for you today just about that very subject: peace in the garden! Of course you knew I would!! 8-))))) Oh, did you like my new Martha Washington Geranium? I sure do, the dark maroon brings to me a bit of mystery in my mind when I admire it. Why? Who knows why we react to a flower in a certain way, but I love the color. Check out the 2 quotations below and see how you feel about them. I like them a lot. Take care, I am headed for the garden this afternoon to shape up one of the Alstromeria, it is partially collapsing due to the weight of the branches! And we can't have that from an Alstromeria in bloom!!! 8-))) Enjoy the day.--BT, May 4, 2008

May 1, 2008: What a beautiful day today! The wind is down and the sun is out and not too warm. I went to the nursery the other day with my wife, and we came home with 4 new geranium plants. 2 of them, you will find on the web page: El Paso and the Martha Washington. I really like the Martha Washington as I so like the dark maroon colors of Arctic Red, Black Magic and the like. The man at the nursery who helped us told us that the maroon ones are the ones left over--that no one buys. They are beautiful in my mind! Well anyway a potting job awaits me tomorrow a.m. How fun! I am redoing a bit, my drip irrigation system, to one of the terraces on the back patio. It needs an overhauling, and this will be a fun job. We are watching the dwarf alstromeria in the east garden, one of the Princess Lillies: Zsa-Zsa. It is starting to bud, and soon will blossom. That will be fun to see. Yesterday my wife and I planted our annual tomato garden. We planted Better Boys, Sweet 100's and Cherry tomatoes, and in 2-3 months we will be eating fresh tomatoes from the garden. I have planted them for years in the same location after a good winter mulching of manure, grass clippings and various fertilizers. The whole process works very well for us! I can feel summer coming. That probably sounds strange to you, I am no psychic, but one can feel it in the air this balmy day. After all it is May 1! 8-))) Mother's Day is on the horizon in about 10 days. It is Sunday, May 11, and I hope you are thinking of your dear Mother now. My Mother came from a ranching family, and met my Father in the University. They lived through the great depression, and they worked hard and earned everything they ever had. They are both gone now, in heaven, and I think of them often! They were dear and caring and loving parents and I learned so much from them in growing up as a boy. So do think of your Mother this month, and if you are lucky enough to have her with you here on earth, call her. Send her a gift, and give thanks for all she has done to make you what you are! Take care and enjoy! I hope you see summer coming too. --BT, May 1, 2008.

April 27, 2008: Warm here again -- my desktop weather icon says 90° for us here. Now that is hot. I mean hot! For us anyway!! I posted the photos from Ireland that I indicated I would post to the April 2008 page. I always take a camera to Ireland. There are so many opportunities there for wonderful photographs. In this case, it was my Canon PowerShot S50, 5 megapixels. I really like it for travel. It is small and has several very useful features. The most important is that it takes up very little room in my carry-on for the flights to Ireland. 8-)) I always take an extra battery and charger and flashcard. Although this trip I ran out of space on my flash cards so had to buy an extra 1Gb card in a photo shop in a small village in Southern Ireland to get through the trip. I love to photograph in Ireland and of course that includes our grandsons and family. This year they have a trampoline on which they play and are they ever good at it!! I hope you enjoy the flowers from Ireland. I enjoyed editing them and posting them for you. If you are in hot weather, do keep cool. And if in the snow and/or rain, do keep snug and dry. Have a great Sunday. Enjoy--BT-April 27, 2008.

April 26, 2008: The weather has turned warm here the past couple of days. That means more watering and monitoring the plants for dryness. Last night one of the heavy hanging baskets with White Blizzard ivy geranium blew down on the terrace below it, making quite a mess of the several plants below. I trimmed and "fixed the situation", and have decided the hanging plants over that particular terrace must be relocated. Our dominant winds come in usually either from the east or the west depending, and those hanging plants are right in the bullseye of Mr. Wind. Either eastwind or westwind can play havoc among the hangers in that particular location. So I have removed and relocated several of them. I have posted an April and May page. They both are empty as of today, but the April one will soon have flowers I photographed on our recent trip to Ireland. Ireland is literally covered with flowers at this time of year, not only in yards but on the roadsides and hillsides. May is empty as May is not here yet. It is that simple! 8-)))))))))) I spotted, at the nursery the other day, some wonderful Martha Washington pelargoniums and also some ivy geraniums that I must have. My wife and I shall make a trip to the nursery next week and buy some of them. There I go again------adding more geraniums to the collection!!8-)))))))))))))))))))))))) Fun!! We are to have warm weather thru the weekend. It seems the weather changes every few days, wonder what is going on with mother nature and the weather? I read of the shark attack at Solana Beach near San Diego, California this week. How tragic for the man and his family. It doesn't happen very often, but for those near the ocean it is food for thought. Do you remember Barbara Jordan, that outstanding and very dramatic legislator from Texas a number of years ago? I always thought she was inspirational. I have a quote from her today for you. I like it. Have a great weekend, and if you have wind in your part of the world, batten down the hatches. Later from the iMac, Enjoy the day.---BT, April 26, 2008.

April 22, 2008: Did you notice the new photos on the opening page of the web site? Especially French Quarter, which is one of my all-time favorites. The color is incomparable and I really enjoy it! Promise is one of those ivy geraniums that hides on the terrace and you notice the pink flowers first and think to yourself, "Now what is the name of that one?" I am in process of labeling all my geraniums by name. And for me it is a big job!! 8-))) My wife gave me a labeler for gardners for Christmas and it really is neat. It uses waterproof tape for the labels which are laminated and they don't fade. Very nice!! We have a beautiful and sunny day today. How nice it is! Spring is definitely here. I heard from Ireland and it is cold and rainy! What do you expect? It seems they are having a late winter there in the Land of the Leprachauns! We talk lots and often of our recent trip and all the fun memories we have. It is indeed a wonderful thing to travel and experience other lands and communities and people. We will continue to do so for some time. The geraniums are all shaped up after my absence, and they are putting on a very nice color show with their blossoms. I love the colors. I am posting a photo from Ireland of one of the beaches in Ireland. Water sports are popular and in the summer the beaches are very busy. What a beautiful coastline! I hope your day has gone well. Mine has. Take care until we meet again here on Minutia. Of course, a quotation for you follows. 8-)) --BT April 22, 2008

April 19, 2008: As we landed at the final airport(We land/takeoff from 4 airports to get home) the other day, ending our flights to get home(after being up for 24 hours!!!) I thought how wonderful that we can go to Ireland!! It is such a marvelous experience to go there and be with our daughter's family! We are indeed fortunate, and I also thought how important and meaningful our family is to us! I will always remember the quotation: "The family is the country of the heart----Giuseppe Mazzini. To me it brings into close perspective family values and love. Our Grandsons are growing rapidly and they are active and wonderful to be around.

Ireland was cold. Even our Irish friends and family said so! And believe me---it was bitterly cold! But with our Daughter and Grandsons we trooped about the country, and even did a train trip to Dublin and saw The Book of Kells. It was miraculous seeing the book of Four Gospels from The Book of Kells. The exhibit at Trinity College Library in Dublin is well worth visiting. There was snow the day before we arrived in Ireland and that made for some late flights, as airplanes had to be de-iced before taking off. Very unusual for us who live in a balmy climate, most of the time. The country-side was very green and beautiful, with the usual dairy cattle and sheep grazing in the beautifully green pastures and on the hill sides. There is much building going on in Ireland, and road repair is happening in many places. The small villages that we know so well seem to be the same mostly, with their wonderful old buildings and churches. It was so nice greeting friends that we knew from previous visits, and we had a fantastic trip. Home always looks good, doesn't it!!! We love our home! Some travel quotations for you to think about. I know some prefer not to travel, but for us it is indeed away of life, an education, an unforgettable experience.

We are very glad to be back with you on Minutia! I hope you are well. The geraniums did well while away, even though battered a bit by high winds on one or two days. They are strong and resilient! They do well and the colors are incomparable!! Take care, my friends and will post some new photographs when the jet-lag goes south! (8-)))))))))))))))))))))))))). Enjoy the day and life!!--BT, April 19, 2008

April 4, 2008: It happened again yesterday! The woman, when she noticed my name, asked, "Did you used to teach at the elementary school?" I told her I did and she said, "You were my son's teacher and he is 27 years old now!" Wow, I thought, has it been that many years? Am I that old? 8-))) This happens to me occasionally, and it really takes my mind back to those teachng days which I enjoyed very much. Working with students is challenging and fun!! My Dad was a teacher for many years also, and I remember as a boy when I would be downtown in the small town where I was raised, with him, and he would see one of his former students who was "all grown up". And of course they would say hello to him. I was so proud of my Dad! He was a teacher too! Well you know the saying: "Like Father, like son!" And it was true. Dad taught and administered for over 40 years, with a hiatus of several years during the World War 2 days, when he was a Naval officer. I taught 40 years and between the two of us we did over 80 years in the classroom/school. What an experience it was!! I look back with fond memories of all those students, and when I see one "all grown up" and they recognize this ancient retired person 8-)))))), I am happy and a bit proud that I chose to follow Dad's footsteps. By the way, he was the only one in his family who went to and completed college, and he had to borrow money on his own to do so and that was in the 1930's. Fantastic! The fog came in last night, much like Carl Sandburg's poem, "The Fog". It was cool and very nice. I expect it to do the same tonight. We like it, but the sunshine that we also like will be back soon. In case you have forgotten, I am posting below, Sandburg's poem. It is quite cold in Ireland now. But that is to be expected as it is about the same longitude/latitude as parts of Canada. We shall take warm clothes!! I will see you again soon here on Minutia! I send my best wishes to you all for a wonderful weekend and a great next week. Keep your chin up! Life is reassuring!! 8-))) Take care--BT, March 4, 2008

April 1, 2008: It has turned cool here on the coast. Feels like fall, and the weatherman is saying maybe rain tomorrow. Sure is clear and sunny today, but we could use another storm as the rainy season is coming to a close here. I posted a new pink flower for you today--Solidor, one of my very first geraniums when I started all this of the geraniums. And I am glad I did, I so enjoy gardening and working and grooming the geraniums. I moved a beautiful Dark Red Blizzard geranium just near the kitchen window so that we can enjoy its wonderful colors! Spectacular! Hummingbirds, mainly the Annas have been coming this week to the sage plants as they are blooming in their beautiful purple hues. It is great to see them in the area still. Their nesting time is near. We have not seen coyotes recently. They really are not afraid of man, and inhabit our environment without fear, sometimes crossing the road in front of our car--but not recently. We did another video chat this morning with the Grandsons. How excited they get when they see themselves on the screen!! Fun!! We will see them soon. Warm weather is coming after the rain, so they say. That will be good for gardening and planting tomatoes. We will have some delicious sandwiches and parmesan tomatoes this summer, my wife is an expert cook!! Smoky the cat came for a visit today, and his obligatory "under the chin" scratch. What a beautiful animal! We enjoy her visits very much! Time moves on, April is here now, and one can look to summer---soon to be on the horizon. I love this time of year with its cool evenings and balmy days. What more can one ask for but flowers, lovely balmy weather and the closeness of the family. Take care and enjoy the week!! --BT, April 1, 2008

March 29, 2008: Again we are blessed with a wonderful sunny Spring day! It can't get any better. I have always thought that there is something wonderful about flowers one raises. You know, all the work you put into planting them, watering them, feeding them and the like. I feel wonderful that I have my geraniums and they seemingly are doing so well. I discovered that the Happy Thought zonal, one that is in the west garden in full sun, has of all things, put on a red blossom!! Yes, you heard it right-a red blossom and I am posting the photo here on minutia for you to see! It is not a separate plant, in fact the same stems have pink blossoms coming out! Amazing isn't it. The Happy Thought plant was given to me as a gift by my younger daugher. It holds a special place in my heart because of that. You never know, if you are a gardener, what you may find next! We had a gopher in the garden and wow, can they ever raise havoc!!! We lost a few agapanthus to him. But he is gone now, and we are planning some "rebuilding" of a couple of areas he devastated. It will be nicer in the garden without him for sure. I hope your weekend goes well. Ours is, and the weather has a lot to do with it. I heard from Ireland that it is raining this week/weekend. I wonder if we will get in that when we go on that long flight over the Atlantic soon?? I hope your garden is doing well if you have one. My Grandfather always like to grow plants and he used to give my Father the most beautiful camellias that I have ever seen, and my Father knew how to raise them. They were magnificent! Enjoy your weekend. Do something for someone. You will feel the better for it. Take care-BT, March 29, 2008.

March 26, 2008: What a beautiful day! The sun is strong and there is a light breeze tickling the trees. I really like this kind of weather. The birds are here telling us it is Spring! I photographed several for you from our garden. I know they are building nests. If you would like to view the bird photos click here. The night winds are still coming to us each evening, and I usually do clear the top shelf of one of the terraces to avoid any plants being damaged. Tomato planting time is approaching. I will plant my tomatoes in mid-April, and we will enjoy fruit through the summer. It is delicious!! The Happy Thought geranium is doing very well in the direct sun. It is still in a rather large pot and sits next to the Regal Camelot geranium. They both like the sun and do well here. I posted a new Happy Thought blossom for you today on the web page. Most schools are out now for a bit of a Spring break. I remember the teaching days when we would look forward to the holidays and a bit of a break in the routine. Ok, have a great week. I hope your weather is good. A friend in Iceland tells me Europe is snowy at this time. I know Ireland is rainy and a bit cool. But Spring is here and Summer soon upon us. Enjoy-BT-March 26, 2008

March 21, 2008: Good Friday! What a beautiful spring day! The sun is bright and the weather outside is balmy and wonderful! I see much of Spring today: the flowers, the Blue Jay, the sky, and the warm sun. How nice! We are looking for the Hooded Oriole that comes into our area about this time of year. If you would like to view some photos I took in 2007 of the orioles click here. They usually come in about this time of year and like to nest in palm trees. You can't miss them as they are brilliantly colored. The Blue Jays are back and they are noisy and raucous. We love to see them and hear their cry. They are a sure sign of Spring. We had a video chat with our daughter and grandsons in Ireland the other day, and it was so much fun. To see your loved ones on the computer screen talking to you is a thrill!! I have posted some new flower photos on the opening page of the web site today. I try to add some new photos every few days for you to see. I hope you enjoy them. What are you doing this Easter weekend? My wife tells me this is the earliest that Easter comes since 1913. Wow, it is early, isn't it!!! Also take a look at the Blue Jay on the garage that I photographed the other day. I am sure he was posing! 8-)) I want to wish you a Happy Easter, enjoy it. I worked today trimming some of the geraniums from the terrace and made some new hanging geraniums also. I like to rotate them in and out of the terraces and hanging areas. The plants have so many buds, they are producing some very beautiful blossoms. I send my best to you on this Easter weekend, take care. --BT, Good Friday, March 21, 2008.

March 16, 2008: Easter is soon upon us. How time moves quickly!!You who regularly read these pages know my Mother always said that the older one gets the faster it seems that the days, weeks and months move past. I believe she was right. Anyway it seems that way! I photographed this a.m. the Salmon Queen and the Royal Dark Red ivy geraniums, and they both continue to be among my favorites! The colors are incomparable! The variety of colors and hues that geraniums exhibit is superb!! The wind is blowing today and it is a bit cold outside. I have taken down several of the potted geraniums from the back terrace due to the wind last night. One of the planters, a rectangular one with several starts planted in it, is even tied down to the terrace as it has blown off in prior windstorms. No use taking any chances!! Yes, I suppose I am a geranium fanatic. Anyway I have many, and my wife loves to guess how many. Is it 40, 60, or more? I will never tell! 8-)))))))))) The weather in Ireland continues to be cold and stormy off and on. We always pack clothing for any type of weather there, as you do not know for sure if it will rain or what. I remember during Christmas one year, the gales (wild, strong winds) came into the area at 90 miles per hour. Now that is a wind!! Trees, electric lines and so on certainly blew down. With Easter Sunday one week away, it might be a good time to read some Easter poetry/quotations. I will post some below for you to enjoy. My mind reels back to when our daughters were young and of coloring eggs and hiding them in the back yard and having the Easter egg hunts! How fun it was. And sometimes as events follow events in the same light, our Grandsons were here one Easter and we did the exact same activity with them in the same back yard. Fun it was!! It usually takes us 17-20 hours to fly to Ireland on 3 different flights, and we usually are awake around 23+ hours from the time we arise in the a.m. at our house. But, indeed, it is worth the trip as awaiting us at the airport in Ireland at the end of the trip are our Daughter and 2 Grandsons--a Grandparents dream! How fun it is! Take care and enjoy this beautiful Sunday. --BT, March 16, 2008.

March 13, 2008: The NE wind is blowing again this afternoon, and the temperature is like summer. I have been working on the geraniums today, repotting a couple of nice plants that had outgrown their pots in which I had started them as clippings sometime ago. It was nice being out in the garden with Smoky the cat bouncing about looking for lizards etc. We love that cat and she is so entertaining. Cats are indeed very intelligent and responsive. She always likes an "under the chin" scratch when in the mood for such. I have archived page 2 of Minutia along with page 1, and the links to view them are below at the bottom of the page. Did you like the hawk photographs from yesterday? I sure did, and my wife even commented on them. A friend I once had many years ago wanted to be a veterinarian; and he collected and cared for wild birds and loved them. His name was Jack, and he was a few years older than I was. Jack had the most beautiful Red Tail Hawk that he had tamed and trained. I would go over to his house and watch him hand feed his hawks. He was very gentle and kind to them. I shall never forget one day we went out in the country with the Red Tail to exercise and fly him. He rode on the back of Jack's seat in the car with a falcon hood over his head which calmed him. We arrived outside of town at a field in farming country, and Jack took the Hawk out of the car, removed the hood and gave him a little toss up in the air. The Hawk took off and flew so far he was only a speck way over at the far end of the field. To one who did not know, you would be sure the Hawk was gone forever. After awhile, Jack blew a whistle and started to swing a lure on the end of a rope, made of wood, a bit of soft metal, with some pieces of raw meat tied on with rawhide.Well, the beautiful Hawk flew right back to Jack, came in at full speed and landed on the lure and began to eat the meat. How spectacular he was! And what a kind person Jack was in his treatment of the bird. I often wondered if Jack ever became a veterinarian; he would have been an excellent one. That is my story for the day, and every bit is true. Have you noticed the new quotations above on this page 3 of Minutial. They say to me that our fellow man is very important in our lives and that we should support and assist where we can. I feel spring today, and even a bit of summer!8-)))))))))))What a fantastic day!!I love it! Take care and Enjoy the Day!--BT, March13, 2008