AVery Grateful Friday

GR&DF I do thank you for your kind comments about yesterdays rather satirical post - its just that the whole experience left me sort of chuckling along for the rest of the day.
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Now for today's post...... Grateful : greyt-fuhl - adjective - warm and deep appreciation of kindness or benefits received.
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There are so many things in my life that I have gratitude for - and yesterday was one thing after another. The mail brought three packages - one of them was from Berit - a dear Blogging friend from the East Coast - she sent me a lovely Birthday Present -

She knows of my crazy love of Belle Soie and my gathering of all the colours - sending me three lovely additions to my growing collection!! Thank you so much dear Berit!!

A second package was from a sweet Lurker I met at the EGA Conference - Valerie sent me a super package...

and inside....

... a wonderful piece of Royal/cross stitch stash. I was in the Uk in 2002 and remember all the wonderful things for the Golden Jubilee. Thank you so much Valerie - fore reminding me of those memories!!

The third package was from a sale the Vicki was having over at HDF on her lovely silk -

I had to take advantage and add some of the lovely silks to my ever growing stash.
Grateful for the mail, for friends and for lovely stash!!
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On the way home yesterday, now that I am busing it again until Rico gets back on the hoof, I have about 45 mins to an hour of time to just decompress from the day and reflect. Yesterdays ride and then walk home was much more interesting than usual - after I got off the bus and started down the hill - I have walked many times - I looked up and saw....

...looking east towards the East Bay down Army Street - how dark it was getting from the rain clouds that were coming in off the Pacific. What a great overcast sky. Still walking home I found these flowers all in bloom ....

... this vine was covering a rocky hillside - aren't they a lovely blue. Then as I started down some steps that connect the upper part of the street with a lower part I pass this ....

.... great hillside - the jade plant in front is about 3 1/2 to 4 feet tall, to give you an idea of how big this area is. The century plant behind it bloomed two years ago and is was really something to see - the long spike with a ton of flowers on top. I also pass this house on the way home....

How cute are their decorations. Getting closer to home I pass this....

... reminding me to "always stop and smell the roses." Grateful for a job, and a bus, and being able to walk home, flowers that bloom with no help and for Hallowe'en.
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And looking out from our balcony we had a really beautiful sky....

...looking east towards downtown..

... looking west towards Twin Peaks...

... looking north towards Hill Street. Grateful for the rain, for the fresh wind and for eyesight to see the expanse of sky and the weather closing out the day.
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And.... very Grateful for Blogging Friends that visit and for your kind comments and thoughts!! Thank you for again stopping by, have a wonderful weekend, and do stop by again!!

Take care,
edgar

Hoof Up-date

GR&DF so sorry for the not posting yesterday - got very busy very fast at work, Today I was late coming because we had follow-up appointment for the Frankenfoot. Cast your mind back to last week and recall that Rico had his Achilles Tendon Rupture surgically repaired. All week he has been slung up in Bed like the last broken down Diva!! Today was the first Doctors visit since then. So, we got there and I unloaded Rico and the hoof - I parked the car - in the non-elevator - parking garage - and hustled my butt down the 7 flights of stairs. Since it was 7:45 am and the whole doggone garage was full up to the roof!! What's up with that!!

I met up with Rico in front of the Medical Building where I had left him. Then it was up to the Doctors office. Being the first appointment of the morning the wait was not the usual 30 to 45 mins wait but just 10 mins. We eventually got into a waiting room and the Doctor came in - cut off the soft cast - not a pretty sight after a week - and then manipulated the hoof a bit - with Rico wincing all the while. The the Doctor slipped a walking boot onto the hurt-hoof. He told us we needed to come back in a couple of weeks and off he went. We made another appointment at the front desk and we were done.

Now Rico can do a bit better at hobbling around the house -
and he has a bit more freedom from the bed!!

There you sports fans - a little nugget of our sparkling lives her by the Bay!!
Take care,
edgar

Cooking Tuesday

GR&DF the post tiles are getting less creative - I wanted to mention that yes, Sharon named the lighthouse correctly - the piece is of the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. I didn't realize I did not put the name of the place when I was writing about it. You can click HERE and read more about the history of the place. I have some really great memories of this place.

I posted two recipes on Blacksheep Bakes. Both were made over the weekend. The first recipe is for a pudding and the other for Apple Danish -

Although the danish is very tasty it is far from beautiful.

Last night I was stitching once again on something I can not show.

Not too much else going on - thanks for stopping by do come again!!

Tale care,
edgar

A Rainy Weekend

GR&DF the last two days where very wet here in SF. The rain was so needed and may be the onset of a very wet Winter. I remember when I first moved here from Florida. The first couple of winters were so rainy and windy I couldn't believe it, but the past few years have been very dry with very little rain. So this wet winter to be will be a welcome change back to our regular weather pattern.

Saturday and Sunday where very much stay at home days. I only ran to the grocery store on Saturday morning - the rest of the time I was either, running up and down the stairs for Rico, cooking something, doing laundry or cleaning something in the house. I can tell Rico is getting better because yesterday Rico took a sort of shower, propped up on the side of the tub with his leg in a plastic bad thing - he got to get the his first shower in 5 days. He was saying that he itched all over. Trying to keep everything fresh - I have been changing the sheets every couple of days - so that adds to the piles of laundry.

I got some stitching done here is a piece I can show you....

The snap is pretty crappy, with the light house being all twisty, but you get the idea. Not my usual thing to stitch but it is for a Christmas present, so I need to get it finished and framed. The linen is a really nice blue colour but here it looks all grey. I borrowed the idea of stitching it on blue from Melodee - thanks for the great idea!! I need to add the clouds and the title. I have recharted the name and date and will put them more in the body of the piece and not along the bottom as the original chart has them.

I made something out of these....

and will post in on the other Blog in the next day or so.

There you go sports fans - short and sweet!! Thanks for stopping by, do come again.

Take care,
edgar

A Lovley RAK/B'day Present and Another Gas leak in SF

GR&DF once again the week has wound down to a wonderful two days off!! We are supposed to be getting some rain tomorrow and some major showers on Sunday - so I am not very sure of the plans. Dale and I might just have to cut short our weekly outing to the "sales."

Yesterday the mail brought me a wonderful package from a stitching Buddie - Roberta - and here is a snap...

Along with three darling little acorn pyn cushions and a great acorn waxer - sweet Roberta included a sweet treat!! Some delicious Georgia Wildflower honey from the Shamrock Apiaries in Macon, GA. Thank you so much for the kind RAK/late B'day prezzie!!
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With the heighten fear of gas leaks here in SF since the explosion in South City last month - yesterday in Eureka Valley - better know to the world as "The Castro" there was a leak at 18th Street and Castro Street. Now, usually when something happens where they is a city trauma it doesn't affect me - but since I go home to Noe Valley through the Castro changing from the underground Muni to surface transport on the 35 Bus - my getting home was totally screwed up with this mess. Here is a snap of the intersection I was confronted with at 3:20 ....

looking NE up Castro street

As you can see they where lots of city reps around - and not a single one of them could tell me or any of the dozens of other people trying to get home about any buses that may or may not be moving through this area. I stood around watching the demolition of the street for a while and eventually a 35 Bus came around from Diamond Street and turned onto Castro heading south - towards Noe Valley - I jumped on that sucker and was home only about 20 or so mins later than usual. This morning coming back through the Castro on the way to work - you wouldn't have known anything had happened.
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Still working on a stitchy present - I will have a snap on Monday.

The flickers this week have been mostly documentaries. Sometimes that is the way the Netflix Queue. Two of them that are worth a look are "Secret Lives: Hidden Children and Their Rescuers During WWII" - 2002 - told by the actual people who where involved. Absolutely one of the most moving things I have seen in a long time. These are a few of the stories of the non-Jewish families who put their lives at risk to save Jewish children. It is beautifully done showing reunions with the adult children and rescuing families. The second film is "Shanghai Ghetto" - 2002 - this film is about the 20,000 or so German Jews that were able to escape just before the start of the war and ended up in Shanghai. An incredible documentary told by those that where there. I had never heard of this part of Jewish History and was fascinated by the stories. Many parts where very moving and the only negative thing I could say is that I think it could have been longer.

Another film from this week was "Telegraph Trail" - 1933 - starring John Wayne, Duke (his horse, and yes the horse gets second billing), Frank McHugh and Marceline Day. I really enjoyed this very short film - at 54 mins it had a very fast paced storyline. The story has many stereotypes, evil rancher, evil Indians, helpless yet smart pretty girl, the hero and side kick and the rescue by the US Calvary. An early film shot out doors, and worth a look.

There you go sports fans, another week another post!! Have a great weekend!!

Take care,
edgar

It's Thursday....

GR&DF Rico and I thank you all for the kind words and healing thoughts!! Ja'Niece - I loved the comment!! I have been on the nagging end of the injury since it happened, and with his being stubborn to the point of idiocy, what could I do. I am just happy that it has finally gotten fixed and is now on the mend. The pain I think comes in waves, but with his popping his double strength percocet...he is sort of out of it big time.

I have posted the Gingerbread recipe on BSBakes. I made this on Sunday and it lasted until last night - with the last little piece I had for dessert.

I love this type of spicy heavy cake in the Fall. One of my most favorite gingerbread memories - and yes, I love the stuff that much to have a crazy memory tucked away in my ever so sieve like brain!! I was in Germany on tour - a lovely country btw!! - and we where in Nuremberg and found out this was a local specialty - and how!! Just soft and Delicious - called lebkuchen to me very gingerbread like. Love the stuff. I can usually find lebkuchen here, but only around the holidays... and they are fast approaching so I must start looking. These "cookies" made that trip along with the plethora of sausages I found everywhere and in every city we visited. How about this idea for a great trip - a sausage tour of Europe!! I would jump on the like a duck on a June bug!!

I will wrap it up for today - thanks for stopping by, do come again!

Take care,
edgar

A Jacked UP Foot

GR&DF thank you for all the kind words about the Pumpkin Patch. Karen asked if it was in Half Moon Bay where they have a gigantic Pumpkin festival with about a bazillion folks all celebrating this wonderful squash. Although a fabulous place - my humble snaps are from the Pumpkin patch in the City located in the inner Sunset.

Yesterday was taken up with a day long visit to the Presidio Surgical Center. You may ask - "why were edgar and Rico visiting??" In a nutshell.....A few months ago Rico managed a major boo-boo to his foot - it was the right foot and what he did to it was an - Achilles Tendon Rupture - which ain't pretty and hurts like the Dickens!! He has been hobbling about and bitching about how much it hurts until finally he saw a Doctor last month - and that appointment led to yesterday - and under the knife he went. Here is a snap of the result...

We got there around 11 am and left around 4:30 pm. I got a lot of stitching done while I waited, but it was a long, dull day. Everyone at the Center was super and I can't recommend it highly enough!! After getting home and him into bed I ran out an filled his prescription for extra strength pain killers which should take the edge off, but it will hurt for a good long time while it heals.

There you go sports fans - thanks for stopping by - do come again!!

Take care,
edgar