Still No Pepper!!

I still have not found my cat Pepper.  I ordered a Havahart, an animal trap. My step-mom told me about that. All animal shelters and vets check for a chip and she has one. She will hide from people. I don't know if she would shy from other animals. I spoke with several neighbors and checked the backyards of the ones next to me.  I'm going to continue looking. My cat Daisy seems to miss her as I do.  This is what I put up.

A Wanted Poster for Pepper

Shannon and Kerri, my nieces came by with three teenagers after being up north. Shannon helped me in finding Pepper, but with no luck. It was good seeing them. I always enjoy our visits. I meant to take pictures, but I forgot.  I think that worrying about Pepper has put me and my other cat Daisy off our feed.

My class with Carol Bradshaw went well. She recommended putting my elephants in a puddle of water. So I have redone my elephants which she thought I had done well. She also had suggestions for my water and rock pictures which I've redone.  She also suggested I do some coloring in adult, nature type pictures for relaxing in the evening even if I have the television on. I had been having bouts of depression which were diffused., nothing specific, which occurred at night but the increase in Paxil helped that. I have been doing coloring, 5 so far, also at night and I believe that helps. That was Carol's idea.  I also worked more on my rock pictures.   This week I'll be selecting which three or four pictures to go on exhibit July1 at the Bakersfield Art Center.  Carol is having her students select three or four pictures which will go up that evening.  Then they will stay on display for a month.   If anyone is interested in coming, I would love to have you.  The historic Padre Hotel is one block away and has a nice restaurant and bar.  The regular price for a room here is $199, but for today (obviously you don't want today but to show you the price can change), it is $109,  There are many hotels here that are much less and okay hotels.  If you are interested, look under booking.com,  and if you are interested in The Padre Hotel, you need to do it early because it fills up. The showing is on First Friday, July 1 from 6 pm to 9 pm.  We will have food and I believe  we will also have wine.

Mom and Baby in a Puddle

Rocks in Kern River with Water Flowing Over Them

Pile of Rocks
I'll probably make a picture of the right side.

Waterfall 1
Darker version

Waterfall 2
Lighter version

Adult Coloring Book on Insects
Done while watching television.  Relaxing.

A friend of mine Kimberly sent me an invitation to come to the open house of the Stuart Peace Garden located behind the Center for Spiritual Living at 222 Eureka Street in Bakersfield. It was very peaceful and nicely designed.  Beautiful!  This garden is now open to the public. A wedding would be very special here. This is a Zen garden in memory of Pat Stuart wife of Jack Stuart, two important people of this church.   Jack has since died also. The reverend of the church is Barbara White, who was very kind.

I met my friend Marc at the Riverview Restaurant close to the entry of Sequoia National Park. Enjoyed lunch and seeing Marc again. He really looks good. He has been going to the gym 5 days a week.  The restaurant had a covering over the outside patio which looked like parachute material. The water was rushing down the stream. We only saw a couple of ducks there because they would have to back peddle to keep from going down stream. The temperature was 88 but with the covering and a nice wind going across the stream, it was idyllic.  Afterward we went to get a senior pass for the national forests. Only $10 for life. Then we went to the visitor center where I bought some interesting books/guides on trees, butterflies, first aid and problem solving in the wilds. Also I picked up things my grandchildren might like. I figure adding a little learning is a good thing.  I'm hoping my friends who I worked with would be open to another dinner at The Vintage Press in Visalia. I enjoy staying at the Marriott, using their pool besides trying other restaurants while we are there.  Here are four pictures I took from the patio.  Marc says the flow of the river will slow down later.  I remember a lot of ducks there the last time we were there

This is the river coming out of the Sequoia National Park
by the Riverview Restaurant
There are five forks to the Kaweah River and there
is a lake in Three Rivers created by making a dam.
Too bad I didn't get these pictures earlier for my
water and rocks art pictures!

I mentioned previously about getting organic produce delivered to my door from Hopeful Harvest for $30.  The foods I got this time were different than last time. This time I got tomatoes, white nectarines, broccolini, red seedless grapes, fingerling potatoes and romaine hearts. There was information on storing, when some would be ripe and the nutritional value of all this. They even had a couple of recipes.  I'm glad I did this. Last time I shared some with my daughter Shelley. 

Well that was my week. I liked part of it.   I will also continue looking for Pepper.  This week I will have some good things but I have the colonoscopy and the part I dislike the most is the preparation. Well, I'll just bite the bullet and do what has to be done. I hope your week went well and this next week is good for you.  See you Sunday.            Rachel

A Needed Slower Week, But I'm Okay

Our Red Hat Dinner was in the Belvedere Room at the Padre Hotel. I enjoy the food here. My daughter Shelley found a pink coat that matches her hat. She looked so nice. They have a couple of chairs in the lobby that remind me of Alice in Wonderland because of the exaggerated lengths of the backs of these chairs. So fun!  We had to get a picture using one.  I had found this most unusual Red Hat at an antique store.  It doesn't show in this picture of Evelyn, but there is a doll on top of the hat.  It has some weight to it and you would have to be careful how you move for the hat not to fall off.  It was perfect for Evelyn as the queen of our group.  She want to pick the right venue to wear it.  She thinks it  would look great, and I agree on a Red Hat cruise. At our dinner, discussed going to another painting class, probably in March- a celebration of spring.  We had so much fun with the last painting class which included wine that we want to keep this up.  I think that I'll also do this with Shelley and her daughter Heather at another art session where she could go since she is not 21 years old yet.

Our Red Hat Group

Evelyn, our Queen, trying on the hat I got her

Pamela, Me and Shelley on the Alice In Wonderland chair,

Janet and I met at Sandrini's, a Basque/Italian fusion restaurant. The have excellent pickled tongue, a specialty at Basque Restaurants.  It just was pleasant talking with Janet.

I went to stay with Kate, my stepmom on Friday and I got back home Sunday around 1:30.   On Friday night, we went to an Italian restaurant we had not been before.  A friend of hers said they had a happy hour with good appetizers to buy.  They did have a good appetizer, but you had to sit in the bar to get the happy hour.  So we sat in the bar.  I liked what I had which was a pasta dish with mushrooms and garlic.  Kate got a pizza, but she thought see ordered a vegetarian pizza, but this had pepperoni sausage on it which isn't her desire.  So she ate very little.  I ate them the next day for lunch.  While there we went to the art store Swain's in Glendale.  We went during a very good sale on paper and other art supplies.  A little later we went to see a movie called 45 Years.  It was a somewhat sad movie about a couple planning a celebration of their 45th wedding anniversary when the husband gets a letter about his first love's body being found in the Swiss Alps.    He had been with her, but because of the snow melting, her body was seen in the ice.  He gets emotional about this and his wife starts to feel that their marriage might have been a sham.  Actually, I thought that might have been the  case.  I wanted to read up on the movie to see if that was what it was. So the audience was filled with older people who age wise could have fit the profile.   Then we went to a Pakistani restaurant for dinner.  Very tasty.  It was too much food.  Next time I won't get a side dish of vegetables, because the main dish had lots of spinach.

On Sunday I picked Kate's brain for her ideas on sketching animals.  She is an artist who has primarily done botanical art.  She pulled out a sketch book showing me how with time her sketches improved.  They did.  She was urging me to keep a sketch book on me to do the same thing.    She recommended I use my cats as subjects.  Kate is a docent at the Los Angeles County Zoo and used the animals there for her sketching.  I also showed her the head of a horse I had done.  She had a few suggestions, but felt it was fairly good.  I will incorporate the suggestions she made in my next drawing.  So this week I did nothing in art, so nothing to show.   I will next week.

Crystal posted a couple of pictures of Nylah, my great granddaughter.

Nylah is really darling!

She is already changing some.

This week I came upon two car accidents before emergency personnel arrived.  One was earlier in the week.  A car was flipped over on it's hood very soon after I got on the freeway.  I think they got out okay because both doors were open.  I could hear the ambulance trying to get in driving on the shoulder of the freeway.  Heading home today, I ran into another one just after getting on the freeway again.  The air bags were deployed.  I have never seen that before.  A younger man was helping an alderman get to the shoulder of the freeway.  I didn't hear any sirens, and parts of the pickup truck were strewn across the road.  I never did hear a siren for that accident.

I feel okay.  I just did a lot less this week.   Down time is needed and I'm taking it.   I hope your week went well and I will see you next Sunday.                 Rachel