September's Desktop Calendar

September is creeping up on us like a cheap pair of panties so before it overtakes us, here's this month's calendar.

• Click on appropriate link. large calendar, 1680 x 1050 or small calendar, 800 x 500, this opens just the calendar in another window.
  
• PC users-right click or Mac users Control click, the image and select "Set as Desktop Background"

The calendar is now your background and all your files or shortcuts will be floating on top. You can rearrange them but not the background calendar.

Don't want it once you've selected it?
PC users:

• Select Start, Control Panel, Appearance & Themes, Change desktop background.
• If the image is distorted, select "center" under Position.
• To remove, select none and apply.

MAC users:

• Select System Preferences
• Desktop & Screen Saver
• Select a new image
• If the image is distorted, select "center" from the pull-down

I like to use the smaller size that keeps a boarder around the calendar. I hope you enjoy this little feature and let me know if you use it.

Camping; a side trip to the brewery

Since we camped a few days before our club members joined us in Solvang we took advantage of some of the other local spots, one being the Firestone Brewery. After breakfast and a shopping trip into town that included a stop for a yummy danish, we headed back to the campground. It was close to lunch and we'd walked off that danish, well, maybe, so I suggested stopping by the brewery for a tour, if they had one, or at least a taste of their beer.

We were disappointed somewhat, the only tours were in their Paso Robles facility but they did have a bar and you could get a tasting of four four ounce beers for six bucks and it included a souvenir glass. We ordered the tasting for two and a plate of sliced meats, cheese and bread for us to share.

The first glass was their Honey Blond Ale which would be good for a new-to-beer taster. It is very smooth and didn't have the "hoppy" taste of most brews. It did have a honey flavor. Nice and light.

Next was their Pale Ale. Ok, tasted like just regular beer, might have been a bit too hoppy for me.

My favorite was next, Double Barrel Ale. Quite smooth but hearty. We even bought a six-pack for the rest of our camping trip.

Last was a heavier dark beer. I did like this as well but not as much as the Double Barrel Ale. Funny because I always prefer a darker beer. I can't remember the name but it was between a stout and a porter. Nothing can beat MacTarnahan's Black Watch Creme Porter. We found that gem on a vacation to the Oregon Coast a few years back. Trader Joe's did carry it for a while but I guess we were the only customer and they stopped stocking it.

Full to the brim we found our way back to the campground for a nap. We had to rest up for the BBQ that evening.

Butter and sugar

It's odd when retirees say they are on vacation but we took a few days away in Solvang, a semi-local touristy type town with a Danish theme. As a matter of fact, Solvang is Danish for butter and sugar. Yikes I don't know what they had more of, bakeries or wine tasting bars. The area got way into wine tasting after the popularity of the movie, Sideways, which was located/filmed in the Santa Inez Valley.

The area is quite beautiful and my beloved and I have been going there since before we were married and make it back there often if nothing else but to eat breakfast at Ellen's. This little restaurant, only a dozen or so tables, was the first place we'd ever eaten in Solvang and in the 80s they moved from the town up the road to Buellton, home of Pea Soup Andersons, another famous eatery. Ellen's has wonderful Danish pancakes with a mild veal sausage with a name I can't pronounce. If you say Danish sausage they know what your are talking about.

There are a number of bakeries in town and they are all good. My favorite is Mortensens. You can't imagine how fresh these pastries are. If you are there and on a diet, this would be a good time to go off.

Our real reason for the trip was to camp a bit and go to the Saturday Car Show in town. They closed off the streets to park nearly 300 cars of all varieties. We took our 51 Chevy pick-up. Nothing special, just a driver but it always gets a comment or two. A number of other car club members met us there and we had a great time, eating, (again) shopping and enjoying the lovely day.

We were only gone a few days but it was nice to get away from the routine. We hope to do more camping in the upcoming months when the kids are back in school and us seniors can have the sites all to ourselves. Next teardrop trip is in September, can't wait.

Hold on, the next ten years will be a bumpy ride

Since my sister and her husband left Florida I don't follow hurricanes anymore. That would be hurricanes with a small "h" not the NHL team. Not that I don't care about hurricanes, I do. I feel sorry for anyone to go through the anguish of losing everything so quickly and was reminded of our natural disaster risks here in California just a few weeks ago; earthquakes. It was only a 4.6 and for those outside of the state, that's just a wake up call. The 3.5 a week later was so minor if you weren't standing still you missed it.

I don't get excited until they are up in the "fives" range but that isn't to say it didn't wake me up. My adrenalin was pumping pretty good. After any perceivable quake I check the USGS site. Handy because it's automatic and they can pinpoint it quite quickly as to location and get pretty close to the magnitude. When you have a resource like that it gives the illusion of some sort of control.

Quake 101: Sharp jolts mean it was pretty close. Those slow rolling coaster of a ride quakes are usually farther a way. I don't think the jolt travels but the roll seems to go on for a long distance.

No one wants to relive the horror of a Katrina sized storm again but with global-whatever it seems our weather is in flux. Who do you believe? NOAA say there could be above normal number of storms this season. That would be the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration not the ship builder. In the West we are in a drought but Texas and the entire middle of the country might need an ark. I'd have both NOAAs on speed dial if I lived in Texas this year.

I'm sure the scientists are scratching their collective heads over what actually is going to happen, I feel it has already started. Nothing gloom and doom, just a reality. We've punched our atmosphere around so much, what can we expect.

At least we haven't caused Earthquakes--wait, maybe that's a reaction, as well.

New lawn

Here is my beloved with a borrowed Troybuilt fixin' up our yard for our new sod. He was considerate and didn't fire it up until after 8:00am. Well it was a Saturday morning but he wanted to get some work done before it hit 90. August is here with a vengeance.

Notice Buddy is off to the side supervising the whole project. He got bored after a few minutes and went inside for a nap. So like many other supervisors I've known.

This morning I helped rake the weedy material out of the dirt. After about an hour and a half we'd filled one huge trash can and cleaned up. There is nothing as satisfying as a job well done. Unless it's breakfast at Jerry's which is what this hired hand got. Now he's a good boss!

The ship is sinking; the rat leaving

Be still my heart; Karl Rove is moving on.

Bayer gave me a headache

Usually I show our dog's smiling face but this is a shot of a huge open sore caused by Bayer's K9 Advantix. This happened last week after I applied the dose as directed. It's not the first time I've used this or products like it. I switched from Frontline because the Advantix is more diligent on Ticks and we've been camping more lately.

I called Bayer, the maker, because I saw nothing about this in the safety pamphlet. They seemed very worried because they've never heard of this happening. And, please send us all bills from the Vet. This really scared me and I made an appointment for that same day.

My Vet said, yes, this happens but not that often and he says Bayer knows about this. He wasn't going to charge me because their Bayer rep. would pick up the bill. Maybe the person I talked to was new. I think the person I talked to just didn't want to admit they have this problem.

Do be careful with your doggies and watch carefully after applying. The Vet said I could switch back to Frontline but I'm not so sure now.

And now, a little word from our sponsors.

Marketing my art has always been difficult for me. When I was a kid you never boasted about what you could do and that's followed me to adulthood. I do feel I have some talent but never tried to sell anything.

Now I've found a wonderful website that let's more people view my work and this will give me an idea if it will sell. It's called VC Artfarm. If you're interested please take a look. If you are an artist, this is a site that is free of charge to post your work.

The site is provided by a group called Museum Quality. They are in Camarillo, California and do remarkable scans and Giclee reproductions. I'm planning to sell the Giclee prints.

Wat elze?!

This is from a crazy site called I can has cheezburger? Where do people come up with this stuff? It is for the enjoyment of the masses.

I know, I'm being quite lazy just posting these links but it is a busy time for this woman. I can has many funny post, soon.