Pelicans, Phil Robertson, Clever Cats, Mystery Photo

 I love pelicans. "Oh what a funny bird is a pelican. Its beak holds more than its belly can." Here is a fine fellow of a pelican from the ocean front restaurant where Wei and I treated Terry to her birthday celebration.

 

Phil Robertson is in heaven now and I love these words "When I die, don't cry. Sing. Dance. But don't cry when I die. When I die you say "He made it." The same words work for me, say "She made it". I hope not soon!

and for fun, I don't know how they managed to create this: Is it three girls and coffee, if you squint and almost close your eyes it is someone else! Someone I love.

Soon I will tell you about my gardening, I love the process and the results so much. Plus my getting a new electric panel for my house next week since my old one is failing. My house and the electric panel bringing electricity into my house are 70 years old. Expensive! 
 

Fun book, unlikely friends and Heated Cat House

This is the story of Arthur, Mandy and Lucille, as they form a friendship which is surprising to all of them. Mandy is a hurting teen, Arthur is widowed from Nola, the love of his life, and Lucille is his lonely next door neighbor. Arthur, age 85, encounters Mandy in the cemetery where he visits his wife every day and where Mandy goes when she skips school. Arthur looks at cemetery grave stones and thinks he hears clearly glimpses of the buried people’s lives. Mandy playfully changes Arthur’s last name to Truluv, isn’t that charming? Together the three of them find their way forward in life. I am avoiding giving away plot details, but let me tell you, now I know why Berg is read by so many people. There is another book by her, "Night of Miracles" that has some of the same characters in it, and is a sequel, which I want to read.

You won't believe what I just did. I ordered a cat house with a heated floor for my cat who sleeps on my patio. The photo above is what the house looks like. I live in California so it is not all that cold but she is aging, like me, and the heated pad will be comfy for her, I hope. My sons and I think that my dog will take naps in it during the day. The pad only heats when a cat or dog sits on it, a clever feature. An important feature that I learned about when researching before buying is that a cat house needs front and back doors so your cat can not be trapped in it. Both doors are clear plastic and the back door only opens outwards.
I will post photos of my kitty in her new house in future, when she gets in. So far she is not interested or definitely cautious.
What's new at your house, in your life?
P.S. Added Nove. 24. My cat Fluffy discovered her heated cat house on Thanksgiving and slept in it that night and she finds it warm and cozy.

What makes you smile? Some things that make me smile

I thought I would share with you some things that make me smile. Since the death of my husband last November these smile bringers are doubly precious.

Pretty much any flower, and some weeds too, make me smile. Years ago I went to a garden center and asked for Jupiter's Beard. The plant expert said that is a weed. I thought "ouch, poor plant, now that is hurtful". When I lived on a farm the neighbor lady called these "Meet Me By the Gate"; also called Valerian. I always think of them as "Meet Me By the Gate" and think of Ann, my neighbor. The photo above has a bouquet of Canterbury Bells and Sweet Peas from my garden.

Song birds in my garden, the hoot of an owl in a nearby tree, and the pelicans soaring along our bay.

Feeling a refreshing breeze. I do not like to be too hot, so I welcome the cooling touch of a breeze.

Picking a vegetable from our garden, admiring it and eating it. For a moment I feel like a pioneer woman. I would like to have chickens here in my city yard and enjoy the photos of you blog friends who have chickens, horses, donkeys, pigs and all the farm critters.

Our cat Fluffy asleep on a soft new blanket. She does sleep a LOT. Cats by their example teach us to be relaxed; they are not worriers.

My dog Bounce adopted from the shelter in the fall of 2016. He is a fun dog and loves to go on walks three times a day so that keeps me active and outdoors. Note the red amaryllis blooming in May.

Watching comedies on TV. I have a new subscription to Acorn TV which offers great British and Australian shows. New ones for me now that I have Acorn TV are Ladies of Letters (my favorite), French Fields and Boomers. Acorn has a whole slew of mysteries and dramas and documentaries too, often on British history which I enjoy. Andy Griffith and the town of Mayberry are great places to visit via our TV and I watch this series on Netflix.

Flowers with what I imagine to be the scent of heaven. For me this includes lilacs, old fashioned roses like the Peace rose, gardenias, common heliotrope, jasmine, sweet peas and lemon blossoms on my two small lemon trees. I planted a heliotrope a year ago and my husband said that is a favorite scent of his so I just break off a tiny sprig and put it in a little vase to enjoy in the house. I recently read on a blog or Facebook that heliotrope is toxic to dogs so keep the plant where dogs can't snack on it. A nickname for this plant is "sugar plant" so I can see why it might attract dogs; the flowers do smell like sugar.

My list could be a very long one. Maybe I should write another book, ha ha. 

What things bring you joy?