Life off to a Rough Start

I've been watering my raised beds and saw I'm getting a tomato!  My veggies look healthy!  So here are pictures of what I planted.

I'm hanging mint and catnip, though it doesn't show up here
very well.

My tomato plant has one tiny tomato.
The Lavender and Dill are to attract bees.

My veggies and herbs are growing.  Those odd things are solar lights,
which will be nice at night.

I put in two drought tolerant plants that also flower and there is
Peppermint, Sage and Oregano here

  We had a Helping One Woman dinner in Visalia for Erica Munoz this month who lost her son.  Very sad.  I stayed at Martha's home.  There are so many peacocks there but it doesn't bother me when they are calling to each other.  The next morning we went to Susan's home.  She made French Toast and lots of other stuff.  As always, her food is fabulous.  I enjoy visiting with these women every month.  They are wonderful people.  I even got a chance to say hi to each of their husbands.  Very nice time!

  

My newest great grandson Kason has had a tough week. He became jaundiced and had a problem with his blood. He is getting phototherapy to bring down the jaundice.  He is fortunate to be able to do this at home. They are watching him closely. I'm hoping all will be okay. Meagan's mother and grandmother are in the same home which has been wonderful to giving support and helping her out.   My grandson Billy feels that Kason is doing better, so I'm going by that.  This has made me anxious.  And, of course, it has been very tough on them.

Meagan, Conner and Kason

Meagan is holding Kason, Conner is enjoying a bottle

Kason is such a little thing!

I went out to lunch with girlfriends Janet, Charmaine and Lisa at Luigi's.  I haven't been there for over thirty years, though I don't know why I wouldn't go sooner.  I'm glad I have friends to go to various restaurants.  They evidently specialized in a Bloody Mary, so I had one.   We decided to go up to Lisa's home in the country next month.  She has agreed to cut our hair (she just retired) if we bring the food.  That's a good deal.  So then I went home and promptly fell asleep sleeping 8 1/2 hours. Then I went back to sleep and  slept all night. That was so strange. I did feel fine waking  up the morning.  I have had these periods more frequently  when all I want to do is sleep.

My stepmom's Kate's birthday was Saturday.  I spent the weekend with her.  We went to the Norton Simon Museum to see a special display of art from the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, France.  There were three masterpieces included in this, The Artist's Mother by James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1871), The Card Players by Paul Cezanne ((c 1890-1895), and, Portrait by Emile Zola by Edouard Manet (c 1868)

Portrait of the Artist's Mother by Whistler

The Card Players by Cezanne

Portrait of Emile Zola by Manet

Kate needed to change the battery out on her alarm system.  Well neither of us has strength to squeeze the plastic holders to remove the battery and replace it.  A man was explaining to us how to do it on the phone, but it was beyond our ability.  They really thought we could do this.  So she has to pay someone to come over and change the battery.  Hopefully soon.  The other issue was to replace the water filter in her refrigerator.  So we did it and it seemed just fine until we looked down and saw water spreading all over the floor.  We had turned off the water when we started this.  On the second try, Kate stood by the shutoff valve ready to turn it off after we reset the filter in the slot.  I didn't have to yell.  It worked this time.  We decided if we have to do this again to have the towels ready and one person be by the shutoff valve just in case we have to turn it off again.

We also went to Blick's,  an art supply store to get some paints I needed for this next class and spray bottles.

I love going to museum stores because they have interesting things.  Carol Bradshaw wants us to work on evergreen trees, so I got a couple of books (I think for children) on doing trees and since we are starting flowers I bought one book for that.  Again, I don't have my art to show you this week.  I will work on it tomorrow to hand in on Tuesday.  So I wonder why I'm stalling on this?!

My daughter Ronda, whom I adopted when she was ten years old, said a man has been reaching out saying he served with her father in Vietnam.   Ronda so wants to tie in with family that this is very important to her.  I suppose he died, but she hears he has family in Fresno and wants to reach them to let them know that he had a daughter.

So that was my week.  I'm kind of tired, but I enjoyed it.  I hope your week went well.  We'll talk next week.           Rachel