Wonder how many other people dont get hungary much and why this is . Found that some dont get thursty and can be related to Lpa amounts. Have made it a habit of making sure when I wake up, I drink water and eat. Really do forget. Sometimes just get tired or shaky or cant think as well.  Did research and found appetite can be increased if take more of certain nutrients, espec. B vitamins. Also found that taking the amount in most bottles leads to me loosing weight, so need to eat even more. Making a list of whats in the fridge, cubboard..., have ideas of meals and write it down on lists and put where get my meals. Helps alot.
Came up with a really quick desert the other evening. Tiny bit of water heat up in small pot with half pat of butter, then some raisins to soften and sweeten it up , then added some yogurt ( guessing ~ 1-2 to 1 cup,
Forget if anything else came to mind except the egg which beat in after took pot off the stove. Creamy and seemed too thin, so put back on heat and forgot it for 2 minutes and was pretty firm then. Get sidetracked easily or stay highly focused other times . Sampled and was quite good!

Little tiny birds hear in the yard. This morning was a soft grey with a small skinny beak so probably for insects eating. There is a black hooded one that swoops about catching bugs and black headed that seem to eat seeds off the ground. Am thinking is a Junco, but yesterday were larger ones, so maybe rufous sided tohee. Wish had pictures of them.

Good News and People

Went to the store to look for a backpack pattern, looked in 3 pattern company books (think they are really owned by 1 company), not enough info on the page to decide if really be comfy.
Categorizing what I put in purse, bus schedules, camera, snacks..... and put pockets for each one.
  Grocery store next, a new fruit smoothie snack in produce department. Was on sale for half off and tried it on way to bus stop. Was good, and organic and chunky. Feel guilty buying stuff that has more packaging to toss, these are in a bag with a cap. SO will try reusing it or turning into an ice pack after fill with water and freeze.
  Then to thrift store-, after listening to their radio, mentioned thats why I dont listen to radio much, almost all bad news. Wish it was balanced with good happenings or people trying a dream, mostly local and then state, federal...  Wish to hear more about average everyday nice happenings.  Mostly listen to old music tape cassettes.
  Then missed the bus , went back to store to get snack (pumpkin seeds), ended getting a lift from someone who is vegan, grain free and egg free, and wondered what they ate. Since I am grain free but eat meat also, just thought, veggies,squash,....(forgot if they eat soy). Actually is a lot to eat.

fabric for backpack, wool and poly from thrift for $1

Lace wing larvae

Any ideas for how to deal with bug bites? Have got 5 in last 3 days. WOnder where and what from.

Maybe when go out where neighbors cats visit our yard or walk in hills or....

Am trying to find natural anti itch or anti-histamines. Tried iodine on first, then then dried powdered nettles    ( fresh would cause urtica and pain, but dried is supposed to be an anti histamine). 

Saw one bite me the other day, dont know if same kind for other bites. Was a lace wing larvae.

Found websites with it listd as biting people even though its considered a helpful insect to rid of aphids...

Noticed now that dont sit under the pine tree anymore and that cats usually dont visit (did find some leavings though) almost no bites!!!!!

Clean Air to BREATH

Clean Air to BREATH

Went into my bedroom yesterday evening and it totally smelled of horrible cigarette smoke. Neighbors smoke and keep doing it outside so it blows into our house. Dont we have a right to breath clean air!!!!!!!!!
Especially in our own house!  The air in our town is normally quite nice. What can I do about it? Keep the doors/windows shut even when its nice out, day and night? Dont know how many times have woken up choking around 4am from cigarette smoke wafting from neighbors.

Grasshoppers or crickets, but where are the turquise glasses

Crickets-
My son was outside the other night when when he was cooking his dinner. He called out and asked for me to look at the grasskoppers. They moved like crickets though didnt have my glasses on thn. Since usually see crickets at night and grasshoppers in the day, told him pretty sure they're crickets. Still dont have my glasses as misplacd them yesterday evening when on the way home from grocery shopping . Not sure if on the bus or the bus stop. They are a bright shiny turquise frame which helped me find them. My son  suggested we backtrack to bus stop to chck if dropped on the way. He grabbed a flashlight and still no glasses. He suggested looking in the fridge as one time I put them in there (left in a bag of food).
Hopefully they'll show up soon.

Shoe Making

Have been wanting to make a pair of shoes or maybe just want a comfortable pair and look for years before find some. Am down to 3 pairs (1 had tape to keep the shoe to sole). Bought some of those slipper like shoes that seem so popular now days. Maybe a lot of others are looking for shoes fit. Have collected some internet info where people have done it themselves. Some supplies- old leather purse to use for leather, cork sheet to see if will hold together and be a good cushion, felt have made with some wool, fabric. Just need to start!! Did see someones webpage who used bicycle tire for soling and wonder how to flatten and cut it, how would use old bike innertubes (tried cutting and was like chewing rubber!).

Cork, organic corduroy, linen. could also use old jeans...

Lizards and Skinks

Lizards and Skinks

We have many small and very small lizards by the front and kitchen doors. So cute, when really young, their
head looks so large compared to the rest of body and tail. Each week they are getting larger . A lizard must have layed eggs, wonder where and how long it takes to hatch. Almost always have quite a few lizards. Last spring while sitting out ~10am (thats also when the Swallowtail comes flying through), near an abandoned art project of my sons, turned to look at a sound and there was a beautiful little blue tailed skink. Saw him on the patio once and running on a hose another time. When out front, we moved a stone that borders on next door property and found a flattened one. Maybe somebody was afraid of it for no reason. Feels like they are in our care and maybe can educate people that these little guys help us. (like ladybug larvae that people squish thinking they are a "bad" bug and dont know what they become).

THis is our smallest lizard .

Humming birds talking

Was thinking how sounds can be so important to feeling better or comfort ( or un ).
Hear the squeaky little birds that was told when on an Audubon walk are Anna's Hummingbirds.
Also heard the clicking sounds some Hummers make talking to others. Hear them even through the living room window and realized it cheers me, like I am part of their conversation also.

Hummer sitting , found on a walk ( heard first )(upper left quarter area)

Wild edible "weeds" - PURSLANE

Have been finding it along most sidewalks by the curb, purslane, which is edible. Remember if you decide to try sampling any plant growing around, double triple check its id. Recall talking with someone who gave a lift to a hitchhiker who was so excited to share what he found. Wild carrots, but the person who teaches classes in wild edible plants, informed him to wash his hands and toss the stuff as was hemlock, and quite poisonous.
Next, dont eat something on side of road due to toxins from gas,brake dust....  dog feces....
Purslane , if recall what read as a child (checked all the wild edible plant books out of the library ), it could be eaten raw in a salad or cooked, someone had a recipe with bacon for the purslane. It almost is a succulent like plant, on the bland side.
  Purslane heard in last few years also has omega 3 fatty acids, which posibly some people need more of.
Not everyone can access the omega 3's from purslane, (forget if a genetic thing or what ).  Also wonder if in the leaves or seeds. The seeds are like poppy seeds and the plant has quite a few (as can attest to many new little plants in my front yard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prolific  Purslane on the sidewalk 

Magic in the Air - Dancing Butterlies

Believe these Butterflies we saw in a parking lot are Western Swallowtails. Was so surreal and magical watching them fly, able to fly slowly moving their wings.  Found this website on southern California butterflies with information, so many beautiful photos!. -  http://socalbutterflies.com/index.php   

Want to get a better camera, this one is pretty good from the drug store, to bring with. 

There is so much to see, when not in a rush, all around us. 

  

Saw these surreal Swallowtail butterflies while in a parking lot.

Swallowtail butterflies on median in parking lot on Saturday!
Trying to figure how to put an edging to photos on this blog.

Little praying mantis

Was sitting on the patio to take a break (from sitting in the house doing computer work), noticed
a butterfly that visits often and stays for hours. A Mourning(morning) Cloak. Noticed some sweet peas flowering (no scent, are perennial ), was going to pick a few flowers to freeze and try to use for fabric dye later (read about that in a book on online). As walking into house noticed a little guy sitting on wrist, praying mantis. Got my son to help me look for anymore as didnt want to freeze them.

Has such character . Kept looking at the camera then at us.

Took a photo and son released it back to pea plant.

So small!

Horned caterpillars and moths

Found Giant caterpillars while in front yard. 2, were on the California Fushia (Zauchneria).
THink they are from the moths seen a month or so ago. If I found the right name for them, seem to be world wide according to the website link I put below.
Hopefully wont be gross to look at. Very bright and colorful, not blend in at all!
 http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/species.php?hodges=7894&state=CA
Hyles lineata – White-lined Sphinx Moth

Why they can be  in the hot sun (90's)?

Western Pygmy Blue Butterfly

Was walking and found some tiny,tiny butterflies. They were on Russian thistle,  Atriplex and Buckwheat.
They flew in such a skitery manner, so dont usually light on a plant. See groups sometimes. More active early, not so much midday.

Western Pygmy Blue Butterfly

DATE PALM TREEs
  While walking to the bus stop after getting food, noticed 
"dates" under a palm tree. They look JUST like dates can 
get at the grocery store!! 
Last year in this same valley found a
Palm tree growing dates. They taste quite good, scraped off skin
and cut a peice of the inside just to taste. Since next to a signal light
and quite busy road, wasnt going to eat the enviromental waste that
collected on/in it. It looked like a phoenix date palm. 
Simi Valley can grow some dates!

Went for a walk last week and noticed a Sycamore that always looked so nice and cheered me up, was not looking so good. Wondr if people could help heal and cure it. Is it just low water or did something else happen. The county has sprayed nearby to clear "weds" from edge of roadway. Which doesnt make sense to me as there is then all this dead dry flammable stuff, and poison for us to walk thru and runoff to streets and gutters to arroyas and eventually ocean. The county then gets fined by the US for having bad stuff put into ocean. I stopped by the Sycamore tree, is actually a small grouping of trees, and tried to imagine energy from me to the ground earth and to the sky and share with the tree. Wonder how old they are.

Sycamore Trees Moorpark

Butterflies
Have you seen the many butterflies, believe they are Painted Ladies, counted 50 in 1 minute.
When for a walk/bike ride in the hills and saw even more, and trying to get in better shape.
 They seemed mostly to be going in south westerly direction. Also varied redder types and some more buf brownish. Met someone else walking there mentioned walking a trail as going around a
curve , a cloud of butterflies came off a shrub Just went out to take a photo and only found 1 and camera battery died. Wonder where they go at night and where their final destination is.

 This one found on walk and it was missing part of wing, so brought home to put on flowers and give it water.

IRIS 

Hi,
Have been meaning to post, think of things while walking to the bus stop.
Write on back of old envelope that has days to do list, just other
things get prioritized, like eating...
When look out window have seen this iris for last month. Call it root beer Iris, for it fragrance, not its color. Is a nice purple and lavender with tiger like area on fuzzy area of the falls.
Will go take a photo of it later. Seems to matter what time of day and temperature as to how it
smells of old iris or root beer . Blooms in April, single bloomer (one time a year), from
older then 1920's. Have donated many of these to others in different places I lived.
Reminds me of the sweet violets had in yard as a kid, my mother got them from someone in their 60's
who got them from her mother in Ohio. I even cooked the leaves for a vegatable for dinner after reading Euell Gibbons from the library. Think Mom and I were only ones willing to try them. 
Went back to the old house and all were removed and side yards cemented in for their boats , cars and assorted. 

Bengala Weaving

Bengala Weaving

The colors are so nice!

Do you have a label for which used for the pink or the purplish yarns and warp?

Do they stay on yarns after washed?

Thank you

Lynn D