More on the Year of the Rabbit

It has occurred to me that I’ve had a fair amount of luck this past month. First, I won an abalone necklace with a $1 dollar raffle ticket at this year's Honored Elder's Day. The Necklace is HUMONGOUS, and I can't decide if it is beautiful or only 'amazing'.

The California Indian made necklace is has two different looks - the one above shows off the lightning bolt shaped mother-of-pearl pieces, the other below, showing the reverse side of the Red Abalone shells. Click on both sides to see bead work details.

The cell phone is there for scale as it is about the same size each of the abalone carvings. So - Cool fashion accessory or oversized shields of amazement, your call!

Then, at the weekly Farmer's Market, I found an unused, Running Press, blank Women's Journal for a measly $2 (compliments to the Friends of the Downtown Library Book Sale). I've used Running Press journals to record vacations since a benefactor gifted me with one many moons ago. Am totally stoked over the nearly free hardcover journal.

Then I found the wine barrel planters of my dreams in Napa for only $10 bucks per cabernet saturated *pop*. Not to mention a windfall of truly awesome stuff from Barbara and Suzi (thanks again you two!).

But that's not all folks! Next, again at the Farmer's Market I spun a prize wheel, winning a free ticket to the California State Fair next month.

Finally, at Ms Anna's brother's wedding on Saturday I ended up with one of the centerpieces that I had my eyes because I fell in love with the beautiful 'ashes of roses' tinted flowers. Am loving the clear, rectangular glass vase (see at the top)- *happy sigh*. Thanks again to the Masayon's!

Lucky Rabbit Year Spoils

Ok, I'm thinking maybe it's time to buy a lottery ticket - if my luck holds up I could be birding the shores and forests of Nova Scotia...

Love Those Blue Moons

Anna, second from the right

Every once in a blue moon, my long time friend, the honorable 'Ms. Anna' flies down from Washington state. This week she came down and invited me to the wedding of her brother Wally and his bride Carolee. The pair had something of a whirlwind romance and decided to take that eventful trip down the aisle. The wedding was intimate and full of love from various family & friends. The Reverend was a hoot - a genuine, fire and brimstone, preachifying preacher of the sort normally only come across in Lil' Abner strips. I never did heard sech speechifying a'fore and he really made you feel like something as special as yer hen laying striped eggs, was taking place. However, my favorite bit of the wedding was the ring barer - 4 or 5 years old - lay on the floor, twiddling the ring-pillow, for most of the ceremony.

Mid ceremony (note ring-bearer, bottom right

After the wedding the group made its way to a Roseville Cattleman's restaurant for the reception. That was nice, as Anna put it, that the guests didn't have to do any of the work. That brought us to think of a family wedding of Anna's that I attended decades ago. At the reception, Anna was in a community center kitchen with her aunts and sisters, preparing and serving meals for several hundred people. Anna came over to me that day, while I was wolfing down a previously unidentified speciality.

"Do you know what you're eating?" Anna looked quizically at me.

"Uh no," I said, I gulping down a delish mouthful,

"That's blood pudding."

"This is my second helping," I said sheepishly, "I guess it's too late to pretend I'm appalled."

Anyway, this wedding too was a lovely way to spend an afternoon - visiting with a good friend during one of her family's happiest occasions. Always great seeing 'Ms Anna', yaking about the old adventures and making up a new few ones to boot.

New Bright Shiny

Full House

Spent plenty of time in the Gulag Garden over the weekend; I was determined to get recently purchased plants into the ground, and I did - sort of. On Saturday, Jeannie came over with 'the next generation' of Bebe's kids (tee hee) - her grandson and her little nephews and niecelette. Her brother and his wife came and we stared at each other knowing we'd all met before, then I remembered. I'd attended their wedding many years ago. They've got two boys now so I guess their marriage 'took'.

Late last week I got word my other buddy Barbara was driving up to Napa Sunday to her Father's house. Her Dad, Dr. Hans, recently moved to an assisted living facility in Fairfield, which for me is even closer than Napa.

Shortly after I heard Barb would be in Napa I happened to discover - via Craig's List - in Napa a winery was holding a 'weekend blowout sale of wine barrels - only $10 each! I was floored by that - I've hunted barrels for months and the cheapest locally are priced at $30 and in some cases as pricey as $50 each. Cool that I could visit Barb in Napa and buy barrels in only one oh-so-economical drive. That was the sort of thing that makes it obvious that I was born in the Chinese Year of the Rabbit - the symbol of luck.

The sale was over the weekend, so I was worried they would be out of barrels by Sunday. No worries - a helpful winery guy loaded into my Honda, all it could hold - four 1/2 barrels and one 1/4 barrels. The man said he'd only just sawed the full sized barrels in halves and quarters that morning. The barrels were sweet with the scent of cut wood and Burgundy - ummm....

No Worries - Plenty of Barrels

I must say, my Honda smells teriff. After the car was loaded up I headed off to Barb's a few miles down the freeway.

Barbara and her sister Suzi are now getting their cousins and aunts and assorted friends (uh... that would be me actually) to pick out objects they might find useful or attractive that will also serve as remembrances of Dr. and Mrs Albertson (Hans is still alive & well enough).

Everyone is finding it melancholy and strange to pick among objects you know the Albertson parents gathered over the years. So Saturday it was just me and Barb, rummaged around the house. I opted to spend the night, which I hadn't planned on, so while we sorted through dishes, glasses of cut crystal and a zillion other treasures, we could yak, laugh, drink up port wine (me) and Bailey's Irish Creme (Barb). I am proud to announce only one porcelain vase was broken, and thank heavens it wasn't me who dropped it!

At 'Chez Claire' I cracked plastic tumblers are used exclusively, because frankly - I'm a klutz. The last time I had house guests I felt a tad embarrassed about my tacky tumblers. That will no longer be a problem. Bequeathed to me are a beautiful set of glasses; Black Forest theme - etched foxes, boar, deer, grouse, frolicking amid branches of oaks and pines. I will not use the glasses for every day use - they wouldn't last the weekend. Nice to think the next time I have company I can serve them up punch in classy glasses.

There were other treasures to bring home as well and over time I will show some of them in this blog, as they are unwrapped and placed next to my other treasures I've gathered over the years. Remember the line in the movie Jaws; 'You may need a bigger boat'? Well, considering all I brought home, I'm beginning to suspect I may need a bigger house.

Bugling Stag on a glass