Joyful, joyful!

Chloe and Natalie

Here are the girlies enjoying post-Christmas fun.  In their jammies and toys all neat and tidy, I'd venture to guess it's probably close to bedtime and their day is nearly done.  Seeing Nat's happy laughter and Chloe's sweet smile; this Calico Quilter grandma is a lucky duck : )

Palm trees swaying in the breeze...

Backyard view at the Casita; photo taken Dec. 29, 2012

Palm trees in the backyard at the Casita.  In my mind's eye, I had dreamed of a backyard with trees of a different kind.  Not King Palms lined up along the fenceline.  King Palms?  Well, there you go; hard to imagine where the road may end.  Temecula boasts freezing cold temperatures in the winter, not so much freezing, but definitely frosty.  When the thermometer does dip to below freezing, the palm leave yellow and sometimes brown and wither, but the trees do not die.  All of that aside, it's a lovely view from the backyard; skies that rival the heavenly skies of Hawai'i or New Mexico; different temperatures, different climates, but beautiful nonetheless.

Happy New Year to One and All!



Little gnome friend viewing the garden in winter; January 2013

Herb garden in the making; back area of the Casita; January 2013

2013...Calico Quilter's Casita is alive and well!  Papa Paz and I celebrate the many blessings bestowed upon the families that make up our family as a whole.  From Hawai'i to Connecticut, New Mexico, Florida, North Carolina, California, Idaho, England, New York, we are a diverse group, spread across these grand United States and overseas as well.  Over the past few years bountiful numbers of grandbabies have arrived.  Economic hardship and political foolishness continue, but We, the People, press forward with good intent.  Happy New Year to one and all!