Squirrel Agility Course

Video - Building the Perfect Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder by Mark Rober

Zipper the squirrel assessing which bird feeder he is going to launch himself at this morning!

"Phantastic Gus is my spiritual animal."

--Mark Rober

(see above video)

It's Three a.m.

Song - Mr. Sandman by Richard Smith & Joscho Stephan

A full moon peeking out behind the clouds overlooking the rooftops in Paris at 3 am.


"Oh, London is a man's town, there is power in the air; 
 And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;
And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;
But when it comes to living, there is no place like home."

--Henry Van Dyke

Turtle Soup

Song - Turtle Blues by Janis Joplin

The first turtle on the left is the only one doing proper distancing.....well for turtles at least!

Photo captured several years ago while walking around Heather Farms pond.

"Try to be like the turtle -

at ease in your own shell."

Bill Copeland

Timmy

Song - Sweet Loretta (Get Back) by The Beatles

 Several years ago Mr. B and I took a trip to England and before we left I booked a tour with the above company Fab Four Taxi Tour.  And the best thing was....

....Timmy!!!  Our funny and informative guide!




"I get by with a little help from my friends."

--The Beatles

Three Mini's

Song - Outlander - The Skye Boat Song by Bear McCreary



In the last few weeks I have taken three mini vacations all while SIP at home.  The first one was ordering Sam Heughan's The Sassenach Whiskey.  Mr. B and I enjoy him on the Outlander series.  It took several months to arrive and I will pop it one evening soon while watching Outlander reruns as we are in Droughtlander right now - meaning the lack of a new show until next year.

I mean just look at this man - who wouldn't want a wee dram with him - in a kilt - of course!



My second mini-vacay was ordering bread from Poilâne a bakery in Paris.....yes really Paris, France. OK here is the deal.....I was tired of our local artisan bread drying out each day and I had heard that in France they use linen bags to let some air in but not too much.  I started looking on Amazon but they all had corny labels on them so I thought of  Poilâne.

It's an amazing bakery that bakes mostly bread and is located at 

8 Rue du Cherche-Midi in the heart of Paris.  

I went to their website - HERE. 

I placed an order for the linen bread bag and noticed that there was a 30 euro charge for shipping. It seemed a little steep but when I realized all of the money that I was saving Mr. B by not traveling to France this year, it seemed like a great deal! I threw in a few more items in my cart and noticed that the shipping cost stayed the same.  I ordered some shortbread cookie spoons for my mom to dip in her morning coffee and a loaf of Walnut Bread.  I received a text the next morning that they were just taking my bread out of the oven and getting it ready for shipping and that I would receive it by 10:30 the next morning!

Ding-dong......right on time!

It even came with a handwritten card thanking me for my order.

I had a little bit of Brie on hand and Mr. B and I had a delicious breakfast! I put on French music and danced around the kitchen with joy in my heart!!!
Delish!!!

Then little Henry arrived and he munched on a piece of bread too as did his daddy.  I sent Andy home with a slice for Ashley too!

PS - The linen bread bag doesn't work....maybe I shouldn't have left my SF Sourdough bread in it for 4 days????



My next adventure was a little more local -- Santa Fe!  Several years ago I went to a Painting Workshop there given by the artist Carol Marine. It was held at a convent and the food was catered locally and was amazing.  One of the things I loved most was their granola that they served with breakfast. We have ordered it through the years but I had forgotten about it until last week.  So I jumped on their website - Santa Fe Granola Company - and ordered us two bags.  Mmmmm.....

So what little surprises have you been enjoying during SIP?  

We all need to break it up a little and have some fun!

"Quarantine has me realizing why my dog 

gets so excited about something moving outside 

and going for walks and car rides.  

I just barked at a squirrel." 

It's Open

Song - Open the Door Richard by Louis Jordan

What looks like a woman's face and a serpent tail door knocker was found in Pisa, Italy

This little guy is holding a window shutter open in Honfleur, France

A door pull with wolves

found in Paris




"The front door continues to appeal to our sense of arrival. 
Call it the ceremony of coming home."

--Akiko Busch

Tanguy

Song -  Stary, Stary Night by Don McLean

Vincent Van Gogh painted three portraits of Père Tanguy a valued friend who ran a small paint shop in Paris. Tanguy would occasionally accept artwork for payment of art supplies. This one was painted in 1887 and is hanging at the Musee Rodin in Paris.

"Painting is a faith, 

and it imposes the duty to disregard public opinion."

--Vincent Van Gogh

Percy

Song - You're So Vain by Carly Simon

Percy the Peacock could not get enough of his reflection 

standing in front of a glass door. 

He kept displaying his feathers for the glory of all 

but mostly for himself.  

This photo was taken at Chateau et Jardins du Rivau in the Loire Valley.

Spring 2018

"Like a peacock, dance with an open mind 

and a loving heart to reveal your incredible beauty."

--Debasish Mridha

It's Alright

Song - Don't Think Twice, It's Alright by Bob Dylan & Eric Clapton

The guy in front of me at a Dylan concert in Berkeley

Right now we need to be thinking twice

and

I hope it's going to be alright!

Stay Safe Out There!!!



"Some people feel the rain. 
Others just get wet." 

--Bob Dylan

Going to the Chapel

Song - Angel from Montgomery by Bonnie Raitt & John Prine

St Edward's Church is a medieval-built Church of England parish church 

 and is in Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswalds.  

I wonder what came first the church or the trees?




"There's nothing wrong with having a tree for a friend."

--Bob Ross

What Not to Do....

Song - Come Monday by Jimmy Buffett

Sea Lions in Santa Cruz

Totally oblivious to Social Distancing



"The only nation I’m visiting this spring is imagination!"

-- Anonymous

Gloves and Foxes

Song - A Sunday Kind of Love by Etta James

Beautiful Foxgloves

May 2017

In Hyde Park near the Italian Gardens

"London is not a city, London is a person. 

Tower Bridge talks to you, National Gallery reads a poem for you, 

Hyde Park dances with you, Palace of Westminster plays the piano, Big Ben and St. Paul's sing an opera! 

London is not a city, 

it is a talented artist who is ready 

to contact with you directly!"

--Mehmet Murat ildan

Who's There?

Song - Step Inside This House by Lyle Lovett



 Still knocking......

This is a pair of beautiful gate grill ornaments from Paris, France

And a fire breathing door latch on Josephine Bakers home in the Dordogne.

 An elegant door knocker from Umbria, Italy on a beautiful wooden door.



"Personality can open doors,
 but only character can keep them open."

--Elmer G. Letterman

Sixty and Counting

Video - The Squirrel, the Physicist and the Bird Feeder by Claude Lyneis

Zipper the squirrel just chillin'

So Friday is day number 60 of shelter in place!

And I am wondering how you and your families are doing?

If you are anything like me, there are good days and not so good days.

Some days I get a lot done around the house and in the garden.

Other days I want to sit and read.

Some days I find an interesting recipe, order the ingredients and cook to my hearts delight while listening to fun music.

Other days nothing sounds appealing....

But I do think I am adjusting and each day gets better and better.  I also feel like the warmer weather has helped. And seeing my garden bloom!

Hang in there and chill.....like Zipper!



**I hope you watch the video at the top of my post. A woman I have painted with for many years - Joanne Taeuffer has a neighbor in Berkeley and he is the one who filmed this hilarious video! Just see who has the last laugh Shirley the squirrel or Claude the physicist?

"Take life one SIP at a time"

-- Jeanette

I Hear Bells

Song -  Mission Bell by Donnie Brooks

In 2017 Mr. B and I traveled to England and while there we visited Wells Cathedral and The Bishops Palace.  I was looking forward to seeing the amazing clock in the cathedral and the ringing swans in the garden at the palace.  The swans have been trained since 1850 to ring a bell on the gatehouse when they want to be fed.  Unfortunately for us the the couple who had been working there for the last 25 years had just returned to the United States so the swans were not ringing........

In 2018 the male swan died and the female left with her cygnets so that left the pond empty.  But not for long as the trust received two breeding swans from a rescue in 2019 and they are ringing again!

You can now view Grace & Gabriel on their "swan-cam"

Blackbirds

Song - Blackbird by Paul McCartney

Blackbirds social distancing 

in 

 Bodega, California (where else?)

where they filmed "The Birds" by Alfred Hitchcock



"Mrs. Bundy: I hardly think a few birds 
are going to bring about the end of the world. 

Melanie Daniels: These weren't a few birds."

-- The Birds 

How Old???

Song - The Memory Of The Trees by Enya

The Old Olive Tree - Pont du Gard, France

A plaque has been set in the ground near this tree and it reads: 

“I was born in 908 AD in Spain and was planted by the Pont du Gard in 1988 – 1080 years later.”

How would you like to be the gardener responsible for replanting this tree???

Pont du Gard - A Roman Aquaduct

Built 1st Century AD

"Learn character from trees, 

values from roots and change from leaves."

-- Tasneem Hameed

A Bee and Her Basket

Song - Queen Bee by Freakwater

Two bees and their pollen baskets

Enjoying my Camellias earlier this spring



"The hum of the bees is the voice of the garden."

-- Elizabeth Lawrence

Happy Mother's Day!

Song - Mother and Child Reunion by Paul Simon

Above is a photo of my mother Betty Jane Malacarne at about 4 years of age.  

And she is still going strong at 91 !

I love you mom....thank you for setting such a loving

example of how a life is to be lived.

To all of you mother's, grandmother's & great-grandmother's out there

Wishing you a relaxing day to celebrate you!

I hope you can spend time with your family whether it's in person, via phone call 

or FaceTime or just going through some family photos.

You are indeed a blessing!

"God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers"
 - Jewish proverb

Knock, knock, knock

Song - Keep a Knockin' by Little Richard

Love this door knocker from Pisa, Italy. 

Imagine being a little kid and having to touch this knocker?

It certainly would of given me nightmares!

 These were on the same door and look like orators possibly?

From a door in Venice, Italy

A lion head knocker or pull from Sarlat, France on a beautiful blue door.

Beach Days

Song - Surf City by Jan & Dean

Talk about two right feet?

Right???

I can not wait to take a nice long walk on the beach again!

"Every time I have some moment on a seashore, 

or in the mountains,

 or sometimes in a quiet forest, 

I think this is why the environment 

has to be preserved."

 – Bill Bradley

Top Notch

Song - Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots cover by Sierra Eagleson

Hello little fellow.......

A quails top notch is actually not a "top notch" but a crest or plume and is designed to impress a potential mate. 

The plume isn't just one feather but six and the bushier it is, the more attractive he is.....Rogaine anyone?

A group of quail are known as a coveys.

This one I captured on a garden fence in Carmel.

"What if I fall? 

Oh but my darling, what if you fly?"

--Erin Hanson

Hump Day

Song - Camel Ride by Booker T and the MG's

A Two Hump Day!

Several years ago I was taking a weekly painting class in Tomales, California

It's about an hour drive from my home and

I got to pass this guy twice a day.

No idea what he was doing on a farm in Marin but it was a sight to see!


"Life is like a camel: 
you can make it do anything except back up."

--Marcelene Cox

Bread Bridge

Song - Bread and Butter by the Newbeats

This is the little village of Estaing in Southern France

The bridge over the Lot River is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight

And she is quite a sight!

Later in the day I saw the village men coming across the bridge after work
bringing home the bacon bread!



 “The smell of good bread baking, 
like the sound of lightly flowing water, 
is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight.”

 —M.F.K. Fisher

Time for Exercise

Song - Smile by Madeleine Peyroux

Zipper doing his morning stretches!

Anything for a nibble

**Note: if you were looking for the surprise in yesterdays post, for some reason the video did not land in your inbox.  It was at the very bottom of the post.  If you want to see it - Click on the title to open it!