Fantazzle

Solar Eclipse

2012-05-20T18:55:00.001-07:00

Because of the fog, I was able to photograph the solar eclipse directly! How cool is that? It's noticeably darker here. Very eerie, and very beautiful.

First Wisteria Sighting

2011-02-15T09:13:00.000-08:00

The first wisteria flowers just showed up today, on my birthday! That totally makes up for the gray day and the rain.

Fourth of July Fireworks

2010-06-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

It's not quite Fourth of July yet, but Santa Monica College does their fireworks display the Saturday before the Fourth. I have a ringside seat, because the stadium is two blocks from my house. It sounds like WWIII and my cats don't appreciate it, but I got some good pictures and several short videos for your viewing pleasure! These were taken from my dining room windows.

Pet News and Views

2010-06-08T11:27:00.001-07:00

Attention pet lovers! I found a great pet and wildlife blog written by Michele Hollow called Pet News and Views. She provides helpful information about living with pets as well as posts about pet and wildlife issues.

Michele is a freelance writer, and I thought she wrote about art, so I sent her my recent press release. It turns out she only writes about pets and wildlife, but it's my gain! I've bookmarked her site, and you might want to check it out, too.

John Robbins

2010-06-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

I was watching a John Robbins lecture on DVD at lunch today, and at the end, he said a beautiful prayer that was touching:

May all be fed
May all be healed
May all be loved

If you have the opportunity to hear him speak, either live or on DVD, I highly recommend it. He is the author of several books, including the classic Diet for a New America.

Vibram Five Fingers Shoes

2010-03-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

I succumbed to curiosity and bought a pair of Vibram Five Fingers (VFF) shoes. It's like being barefoot, except you have a rubber sole protecting your feet from sharp objects and hot surfaces. It takes time to get used to these shoes, and they say you should start by wearing them an hour or two a day, so your feet and leg muscles can adjust. I'm not having any problem with my muscles, but my little toes are killing me. They're bent inwards at an angle from years of wearing ill-fitting shoes, and the VFF shoes are forcing them back out, to their natural position. I'm hoping that my toes will adjust, but that remains to be seen.

There is something very fun about running around in purple shoes that look like some sort of strange flippers and feeling like you're barefoot. Do I have more energy when I'm wearing these shoes, or is it just my imagination? I really like them!

Two Tone

2009-12-16T10:53:00.001-08:00

It looks like this camellia can't decide if it wants to be pink or white!

Rainy Day Hike

2009-12-07T19:01:00.000-08:00

It was raining today, so I went hiking, because I adore hiking in the rain. Very few people are out in the rain, and I have the trails all to myself. My waterproof clothes make it pleasant.

I even have waterproof pants and shoes. Unfortunately they don't get much use here in Southern California, so I have to take advantage of the few rainy days that we have.

The purple nightshade plants are in bloom now.

And the exposed wood on the dead ceanothus is gorgeous in the rain. When the weather is dry, the wood looks drab and ordinary.

Jerry Waxman 1941 - 2009

2009-11-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

I was going to write to Jerry Waxman, to let him know that Hubert had died, and I found out that Jerry died, too, just over a month ago. He was only 68 years old. You can read more about him here.

Jerry was the phenomenal astronomy teacher at Santa Monica College when Hubert and I were students there. We both worked as his teaching assistants, and that's where we met.

Jerry was one of the best teachers I've ever had. He was so excited about astronomy that he got everyone else excited about it, and I was an astronomy major because of him, until I had to take physics!

The last time I talked to Jerry was several years ago, but it still feels sad, losing these people from my past. It brings up so many memories of those days, good and bad, but surprisingly, mostly good!

Hubert Stamps 1948 - 2009

2009-11-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

I just found out that Hubert Stamps died last May. He was my first boyfriend, back in 1973-74, and he was only 61 years old. I hadn't talked to him nor seen him in many years, but it still felt sad. From what I hear, he was well-loved by many who knew him in Santa Barbara, where he lived. You can see some of the tributes to him here.

We were an interracial couple in the days when that was rare. We were only together for about a year, but I learned a lot during that time. Here's a picture of us in January 1974.

And here's a picture that he took of me, that is still my favorite picture of myself. I always felt that he really captured my essence here. A little bit shy and a little bit sad.

Thanks for being my friend, Hubert. I'm sure the world is a better place because of you.

Fall

2009-10-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

All of the leaves are falling off of the Evergreen Pear trees right now.

I don't remember ever seeing so many beautifully spotted ones like this before. It's an exceptional year for them.

Cushion Cats

2009-10-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

The cats love it whenever I bring out this cushion!

After the Rain

2009-10-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

I love the way rain drops look on these spider webs.

Rainy Day Cats

2009-10-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

Rain makes strange bedfellows. These guys would never sleep together under other circumstances.

Too Hot for Cats

2009-09-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

It was really HOT here today. This is Alex and Enzo trying to stay cool. They look like two peas in a pod! So cute.

Alex Chasing Her Tail

2009-09-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

This video of Alex chasing her tail is really funny! She does this almost every morning, and she never grows tired of it. Nor does she ever catch her tail!

Afghan

2009-09-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

A lot of people commented on the afghan I'm working on in my September newsletter. The yarn is 50% silk, 50% wool, and incredibly soft and warm. I hand-dyed it myself using acid dyes.

Here's a close-up of the pattern, a crosshatch stitch.

Wasp Nest

2009-09-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

I thought this was a small bee hive, but on closer inspection, it's a wasp nest, under the eaves of the house.

Enzo's Birthday

2009-09-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Today is Enzo's 17th birthday! He's doing really well since his stroke last November. He has a homeopathic vet, and he's much improved.

The story is that he was named Enzo by his first owner because when he was a kitten, he chewed up an expensive Enzo shoe. But I also heard that he was a barn cat where he was born, in Virginia. Did they keep their shoes in the barn?

He's definitely a shoe boy. Here he is attacking my shoe:

He's not allowed out of the yard anymore, because he's not too steady on his feet, and he lost his hearing. So his favorite pastime now is peering underneath the gate to get a glimpse of the world beyond the backyard.

He's a very sweet cat, but the other cats don't think so. He's the alpha male around here, and he bullies everyone else. To them, he is known as Enzo the Terrible! Also to the birds, but fortunately his birding days are over.

Norfolk Island Pine Cones

2009-07-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

Watch out cats! Pine cones have started to fall off the Norfolk Island Pine tree in the back yard. These cones are big, heavy and dense. Not a good tree to sleep under right now.

You can clearly see the shadow of the tree on Google Earth:

The Getty

2009-07-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

I was up at The Getty this morning visiting the Conservation Institute. It was a beautifully warm day, as long as you were facing the right direction.

Facing the other direction, you can see the usual LA smog. This is looking down the 405 freeway towards the South Bay area.

The clouds were interesting today, and unusual for us in the summer.

More about The Getty Conservation Institute in my August newsletter. Subscribe now!

Painted Cat

2009-07-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

Oh great . . . it looks like someone has been in the studio. Enzo! How am I going to get this off? I guess we'll have to wait and let it wear off.

Nice color combination at least.

Cat Antics

2009-07-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

The couch seems to have developed some unusual lumps! Luci likes to get underneath the slip cover and attack anyone who comes near.

Baby Possum

2009-06-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

Now there are two of these little guys hanging around eating the cats' kibble. They're so cute!

Agapanthus in the Yard

2009-06-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

Aren't the agapanthus incredible looking when they first start to bloom? They look like little alien creatures to me.