March 5, 2010: Spring is just over the coastal mountains here on the Gold Coast. I can feel it approaching! The beautiful sunny days we have had this week are pristine. We love that weather. Rain may come in tonight, and we still can use some of nature's water. I was out at the terraces this a.m. checking the pots with the moisture meter. Many plants needed a drink and they got it. Everything is budding out it seems. The geraniums are really getting ready to spread their wonderful water-color hues throughout the garden. Very nice! Have you read any of my "Some Portraits of Ireland---Some of my favorite places:" on the opening page? You have to scroll down past the last Picasso blossom on the page. I hope you have, they are really favorites of mine, and I am sure we will visit some of them when we soon return to Ireland. It is still cold there, and the high temperatures barely get to the mid 40's F. during the day. This has indeed been a cold winter for the Irish! It is a wonderful country and very beautiful, and it is true that it is green: pastures, highway areas, farms, dairies and the like. We love going and being there. We always stay at the same family operated small hotel in that very small village, that dates from the 11th or 12th century, but really there was evidence of life there prior to that. It is a nice and very historic village there in Co. Cork and we enjoy it very much. I was telling someone recently how tough and difficult the economy in Ireland is today, and they hadn't heard that. I read the Irish Examiner online everyday and one can see that it is difficult! But that seems a characteristic of many places today in the world including our country. I hope your weekend is a good one. Easter is coming soon, and it won't be long now. Do you have children or grandchildren for whom you will hide Easter eggs on Easter? I remember when we did that for our daughters. It was a fun time. Time moves doesn't it, and our memories linger with us of many experiences from the past. Do enjoy the day!--BT, March 5, 2010.

February 20, 2010: The rain is coming in again tonight from the sea. It was supposed to rain all day, but hasn't. Imagine will tonight. With the rain in this El Nino year, the mountains that back up this coastal plain are so green and beautiful. It has been many years since we have seen such a beautiful color show from the mountains! A new cat visited the backyard last night late. I heard a noise and went out and he was under the patio roof in the terrace area. He was the most beautiful smoky gray, with front white foot boots. He ran and hopped over the fence. A real beauty! We just returned from a trip down south to visit family. The trip is entirely on freeways and very full of traffic, but we made it ok. I put the hummingbird feeder up again today after a time when it was down. I have noticed a few hummers have been coming in to the Sage plant for food, as it is blooming prolifically. It is time to get the feeder up. And we did! The week comes soon. Hope you have a good one. I have been photographing geraniums this week, and will edit and post some new photos soon. The firewood pile is quickly decreasing in size, as we have had some very cozy warming fires this week. It is nice to do so. Enjoy yourself, the month of February is about gone. Daylight Savings Time approaches and Spring and those long Spring evenings that we all love so much. Take care, enjoy the day.--BT, January 20, 2010.

February 12, 2010: Can you feel Spring just over the horizon? We can today in this land of temperate weather(most of the time!). Today is the first day in awhile when we have had the sun all day, and the warmth is supposed to increase for the weekend, Valentines weekend and Presidents weekend. Many people have a day or two off of work to honor President's Day. We retired: "Everyday is a holiday when you are retired!!"--BT's quotation. It is true too!! I bought some new pots today to start some geranium clippings in. They have been in water on my workbench for a week or two and I decided I have got to get going and get them in some soil. They remind me everytime I go out to the workbench!! They are there, looking at me rather forlornly--anyway it seems like they are. 8-)))) Soon I will do that chore. We don't expect rain now for a week or so. The soil is very damp and muddy and the plants are really responding to the moisture by growing, and so are the weeds. They seem to be everywhere now. What is going on for Valentines Day in your life?? Do you still celebrate it? We do for sure!! It is a very special day here. I hope your week went well. Mine certainly did. What more can one say--My week was wonderful and I look forward to next week. I like that thought. Our genealogy continues and our minds are beginning to race with thoughts of a soon-to-be trip to Ireland. How lucky we are to be able to go, my wife and I. We love being there with our loved ones who live in the land of the leprauchans. Do have a good weekend, and give thanks for all that you have. --BT, Feb. 12, 2009

February 5, 2010: It has been raining all day today. It started in the early morning hours, as I could hear it pitter-pattering on the roof very early this a.m. I like the sound. It is cozy and when it rains one knows this beautiful Blue Marble we all call Earth and live on, is being nourished with life giving rain. It is wet out!! Did you see the Holiday Cactus: Truncata that I posted today on the opening page? I like it so much! It is dainty, yet very beautiful, and it is February!!---the middle of winter here, but it has shared its glorious beauty with the terrace garden. I hope you like it. I brought wood in a bit ago for a fire tonight. It will be very cool for us and the warmth of the fire will be wonderful. The rain will come again tonight and through tomorrow, and will it ever be wet here for us. But we will have months of dry weather and the countryside will be brown and very dry. It happens that way every year. We have been doing genealogy today a bit and yesterday too. I have been sharing genealogical photos of my early family members with one of my cousins who lives 150 miles away. We have known one another since our childhood and she remains a faithful Cousin. Fun! Have you had a chance to do some genealogy on your family line? It is so interesting and gives one an idea from whence you have come. I like doing that. We all are a link in the genealogy of our family. And how important it is to know from whom we came, not only the immediate family, but way back. I have traced my line back to the 1600's and I am amazed at all the people I have found. I hope your week went well. The weekend is here, and for those who are still working that is a good thing! 8-))) Do enjoy the weekend. --BT, Feb. 5, 2010.

February 1, 2010: Well, I told you it was coming--February 1, and here it is. I always wonder where the time goes, each day disappearing in our history, daily at a very fast pace!! But it is today that is important, and I look at it that way. Valentines Day is coming. Have you thought of someone you can honor on that day? It is such a good idea to do so. I have a person in mind and gifts ready to disperse and perhaps a meal out at a favorite cafe near the sea. How great is that?? Great!! I photographed hawks again today. I was out working on the geranium terraces, looked up and there they were. Three redtails circling near the house up, up in the blue sky. How beautiful! I will post some photos of them with the date of February 1 soon. I was thrilled to "catch them" with the Digital Rebel XT cam. I will marvel at their gracefulness and beauty always. I hope you had a good weekend. A family member called us the other night and announced his retirement! How exciting for him and his family. Now he can begin that "other life" that I like to tell people about: family, reading, sleeping late if he wants to, enjoying his home, pursuing hobbies and interests and all those good things. I have found more people studying my family line back into history with genealogy. How fun to communicate with them. Do have a good week. Enjoy!!--BT, February 1, 2010s

January 27, 2010: The rain has gone and it is nice and sunny and spring-like. It is a beautiful day with the green on the mountain slopes showing readily in the bright sunlight. I love it! What a day. I photographed this morning, and the geraniums are all looking so vibrant and healthy. I especially like seeing one of my favorites on the terrace, French Quarter, blooming and showing its wonderfully radiant color in the sun. It is a beautiful blossom and will always hold a special place in my heart and mind. The week moves well. I hope yours is going well. We expect good weather the next week or so and that should be very nice. Are you ready for February? It is almost here. Check out the first 3 photographs on the opening page today as those are the new ones I did this morning. They are clean, fresh and ready! Love the colors. Do enjoy!--BT, January 27, 2010.

January 26, 2010: The rain edged in from the sea this morning, light, nourishing and wonderful. It has been one of those wet, soggy days, but we like it!! It has been awhile since I have written, and we have been busy with those little errands and things that make up ones life activities. Yes, I did manage to slip in another birthday too. It was nice and reflective and family time. I enjoyed it very much. January is slipping away quickly, I see February just over the horizon, and next week that is it!! The month of Valentines comes! My wife always tells me not to get her a gift----but I always do. It is something husbands should do in my opinion. I don't know if my Dad ever gave my Mom a Valentines gift, but their relationship was loving and close. We have been doing genealogy and what interest it has generated in us about our families. I have veterans from many of the times when this country was in its infancy, trying to wrest itself free of Britain in the days of King George. One of my favorites in my line of ancestors is my Gr. Gr. Grandfather who was a Civil War Veteran. I have a photo of him, looking very tired, in his old worn soldier's uniform. He looks like the men in my line of ancestors. I have been most fortunate in knowing my 3 Grandfathers(I mentioned them in a past minutia entry). They were so interesting and I knew them all. How lucky I am! One was the cattle rancher, one the oil field foreman and one the accountant and World War I veteran. Genealogy is fantastic, and I encourage you to look for your ancestors and maybe you have. But I find it very engrossing! Tonight we will have a fire in the fireplace to warm our sitting room. How cozy that will be. Do have a nice week. I always like the quotation that goes something like this: "There is no yesterday, it is gone; there is no tomorrow, it is not here yet; there is only today and the next minute." So make the most of it. Enjoy your day!--BT, January 26, 2010

January 16, 2010: The clouds are rolling in now this afternoon, and the prediction is for several days of rainy and windy weather with much rain falling. If it happens there will be flooding in the fire areas for sure. I worked on the web page today after photographing a bit this a.m. There are some new photos and I hope you like them. Working with plants and the garden certainly relaxes one if you like to do that sort of work. I do and love it! It is cool today, and feels like there is rain just offshore. So far 2010 has been great. We are enjoying it a lot and just doing things we like to do, gardening, reading, eating out, watching movies and that sort of thing. I have a quotation that I like very much: "A garden is a friend you can visit anytime." I don't know who came up with that in the beginning, but now listed as "by anonymous". But it is very true. I look at it that way. I brought 3 vases of fresh geraniums in for my wife today. The plants are really starting to produce blossoms and they are most colorful. I hope your weekend goes well. Do relax and do something you would like to do over the weekend. --Enjoy!---BT, January 16, 2010.

January 7, 2010: Aren't they magnificent! You know, the Hawks! Wow, I love to see them, and we see them often here on the Gold Coast. They love to soar on those winds that come along. And I love to photograph them. They are so beautiful and majestic! I shall forever look for them. It is summer like here this week. My daughter in Ireland has been writing of the very cold weather, and I read in one of the Irish newspapers online that in one community in Co Cork, the water had frozen and the heating systems had broken down, and the residences were trying to keep warm in their houses, and it is pretty difficult. I hope they get water and warmth soon! Europe is in the middle of a very, very cold winter! The geraniums are coming along well. There are blooms coming on now, and they are looking good. I hope you enjoy the hawk photographs. I enjoyed taking them and posting them. What elegance-the Red Tail! Do enjoy nature around you everyday. Have a good week. --BT, January 7, 2010.

January 1, 2010: Happy New Year! Did you make it ok through Christmas?? We did fine. Just a couple of people in for a turkey dinner, gift unwrapping, and a good film on DVD. It seems like it passed quickly, Christmas. But it will be back in a year. We took down decorations today and the tree. Back to the plain living room, but that is fine. We had a great time. We watched all the New Years Eve programs on television last night. Pretty interesting! We tuned around lots. 8-)))) Looked out the window a bit after midnight, and saw fireworks to the south in the sky. Pretty nice. Now life returns to normal, I think! 8-)))) Then there is a birthday coming up. Oh, I did get a renewal on my drivers license too! That is nice. Several more years of being able to rev up the engine of the car and head out. Nice. We do like our cars, don't we. My Grandfather and his wife didn't have a car. They lived in a major metropolitan city and used the buses mostly. That seemed to work for them. He is the one that in his younger days he owned a stagecoach business in the wilds of Arizona. That was always interesting to me to know that. He served in Europe in WW I. It is overcast today and a bit cool. I really like warmer weather. The cool and cold weather I tolerate, but no way on the snow and cold for this guy! I like it warmish! I hope you like the alstromeria that I posted to the opening page yesterday. That format is called a vignette, and I like to do them. They are interesting and kind of artsy, I think. It gives the flower a new kind of creative look. Did you like it? I hope so. Do have a wonderful New Years Day. 2010-----------Where did the past go? It seems like it was just there around the corner in that little town I was raised in, and I was shining shoes at Charlie's Barber Shop with Charlie, Roy, Van, and Ray manning the chairs. I charged 25¢ a shine and had a pretty good business for a kid of 10 or 11 years of age. Or maybe I was on my paper route for the small town paper there while in school. I was lucky to make $10 per month. Those are memories in the landscape of my mind, and I will never forget them. Interesting isn't it--what we remember. Do enjoy your day?? Are you thinking a bit of the past today?? I am. --BT, January 1, 2010.

December 25, 2009-Christmas Day: Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope your day/night is going well, wherever you many be this December25! I posted a poem today that I wrote for friends who live in Iceland about seeing hawks. I see the hawks almost everyday here on the Gold Coast. They live here in rather large numbers, and they are visible almost everywhere. I love their noble gracefulness and strength. They are the "Kings of the Air" in my book. The turkey is in the oven and my wife is working in the kitchen. The dinner will be magnificent as she is an excellent cook! It smells wonderful! We have sun today here and it is glorious. We are not people who like the snow and cloudy gray days very often. So there it is! Christmas Day, awaiting dinner guests to arrive. Bringing in "surprise" gifts from their storage spot in the garage!! Christmas Day, 2009! Love it! Do enjoy your day!---BT, Dec. 25, 2009.

December 19, 2009:Do you feel like Christmas is close! I do! Tomorrow is December 20! Wow, I have asked it before and will ask it again: Where does time go?? I potted some geranium clippings today for new plants. I had quite a few, and am glad to have that job finished. The geraniums on the terraces are looking good, and many buds are appearing with some blossoms too. Our Iceberg Roses are doing very well, the plants tall and reaching out in the east garden to see how far they can stretch. And they are loaded with buds and flowers. l brought some in to the dining room table today and put them in the Jack O'Patsy vase from Co. Cork, Ireland. They look good in that vase. It is warmish today. I like it that way. I can get out and garden. We also have a gopher digging in the back lawn. It is not the first and I suppose not the last one we will see. The other morning, some animal had been digging in the lawns looking for insects, I imagine to eat, and probably was raccoons. They live in our environment. I hope you are enjoying the weekend. And get ready for next week. It is a big week, with Chrismas Day on Friday. Will be time to start the turkey in the freezer thawing out. It is hard as a rock today. Are you a last minute shopper? We aren't really. We are about ready!! We are thinking of Ireland and our next trip there. It will be not too long until we go. And have a very Merry Christmas!! Have a great weekend. Enjoy!--BT, December 19, 2009.

December 12, 2009: Boy is it ever raining today! In fact we have had rain almost all week. It is welcome as the country needs it. The hills are greening up nicely after the last rain, but this will continue the process nicely. Rain seems to give life to the plants and trees. They seem to liven up a bit after a good rain. The week has been a good one. We had our photograph taken for our church directory, and that is good to have that done. Yes, we wallked in from the car in the rain for the photograph. 8-))) This must be an El Nino year. The weather people have been telling us that for some time now. So now, we believe them with these days of rain. Really without rain the country dries up, and we don't need that. Christmas....................Is your shopping finished yet? Mine is! And that is good. I have been wrapping gifts like mad to get them out of the way of people's eyes, who might be receiving the gift. Fun!! Do have a nice weekend. I love the rain, and will leave you with a few of my favorite rain quotations below. Get ready for Christmas, it is on the horizon, and what a fun day it will be!! Enjoy!--BT, Dec. 12, 2009.

"The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain.  This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency."  

December 6, 2009: The weatherman says the rain will be here sometime after midnight! Wow, we need it! This is a dry part of our country, and any rain is welcome. It looks very cloudy and stormy this afternoon, late in the day. The rain is coming! The fireplace is full of wood, and the woodpile is well covered to keep the firewood dry. It must have been a constant job to keep firewood supplies adequate and dry for our pioneer forefathers. My ancestors came to the U.S. in the 1600's, landing on the east coast and setting up their houses and villages. They eventually moved west and settled, most becoming farmers in those days. I have many photos of them, and how interesting it is to view them! The Fairstyle Pink ivy geranium is blooming! Did you see the new photo which I took this morning on the opening page of the web site? I imagine you did. I like the color of the Fairstyle Pink-it is fresh and beautiful. It soon will be time to get our Christmas tree and put it in the house and decorate it. We like having a tree at Christmas time. My Mother told the story of when she was a little girl, up until Christmas Eve, there would be no sign of Christmas in their house. When the children went to bed, my Grandmother and Grandfather would put up the tree and decorate it and put the gifts under the tree, so that when the children awoke the next morning, they would come into the living room and view the newly established Christmas Tree and the gifts, on Christmas morning! Wow, that would be exciting wouldn't it! Where are you on your Christmas preparations? More shopping to do? Is your firewood weather protected if you have a fireplace? It won't be long now. Christmas is coming. And so is 2010. Wow! 2010--what will it bring and will it be a good year or.......................? Let's all be optimistic and say it will be a good year!! I believe it! The week is supposed to be filled with rain for us, off and on. It sounds like a good week to read or write poetry, and that sort of activity. I have a good book that I am reading and will do that, I think. Do enjoy the day and next week. Keep Christmas in mind. It is near. Enjoy--BT, December 6, 2009.

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