That'll do!

Cinders the pig has a fear of mud - but wee wellies took care of that!
This story is all over the blog-o-sphere, but the cuteness is too powerful to resist not adding it here. Apparently, when Cinders -short for Cinderella - was just a newborn, her farmers discovered her fear of mud (mysophobia - she stood shaking nervously at the side of the muck while her siblings frolicked in it ) and fitted her with the tiny plastic boots they were using as pencil holders - which originally came off of 2 stuffed Paddington Bear dolls. Does the cuteness ever stop? She now trots where ever she can on an English farm animal preserve in North Yorkshire. She's been spared from the meat grinder because of her quirk. No more bacon for me.

Keeping the Eyes on the Prize

In the midst of scrapping through survival, remember what it is you are seeking. Then realize what you thought you were seeking.

County Fair Season Begins

No time to waste - get your fried food and scary ride on now!

Alameda County Fair - June 20-July6;  Marin County Fair - July 2-6; Sonoma County Fair - July 22-August 4; Sonoma/Marin Fair - June 18-22;  San Mateo County Fair - August 8-17; Napa County Fair - July 3-6;  and the motherlode: California State Fair in Sacramento: August 15- Sept. 1

Hypnotic Waltzing Waters

Imagine THIS in your inflatable pool!
Seriously, you can hire Dancing Waters to come out and temporarily install this in your swimming pool - probably even with the horrifying music if you chose - for a fabulously unforgettable event you could host. But the empty, boarded up pool in our backyard would likely spew dead bugs and leaves into the air during "showtime."  I suspect this watery laserium is priced for the P.Diddy party level - but I found this super low-budget version - the Underwater Light Show  on sale for $14.99, and it only needs 3 AA batteries. Pair it with the floating sprinkler thingie, then turn your radio to the classic rock station - and Bam! your neighborhood stoners will be begging to hang in your backyard.

Es ist ein Volkswagen: Es ist ein Traum

Oh my dreamy, dreamy VW! Oh my Volkswagen obsession!

Giddy Up

Golden mane, turquoise eyes with intense black brows. Go 24th Street coin pony, go!

Multitasking While Just Hanging Out

This weekend I visited the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park with my mother - to see the temporary Butterfly Zone breeding room. Nothing like dozens of giant, beautiful butterflies fluttering and floating around your head, it makes everyone (and it was crowded) quieter and reverent. One room in the beautiful Conservatory is loaded with carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plants.  Who doesn't love carnivorous plants? These are much bigger in real life than you might think from looking at photos. Growing from vines in groups, some have spikey wings, hairy fringe and some elaborate lids or polka-dots and stripes on their bellies. All of them radiate a vibe of focus and vitality that other plants do much much more quietly. Like stealthy beasts they wait with a goal that they will achieve, but by just hanging there smelling delicious to bugs.  Because they have built "it" and food will come. Apparently, in young pitchers who haven't opened yet, the fluid inside is sterile and can be used as a painkiller, for indigestion and dysentery, as an eyewash and an asthma reliever.  I would love to have them in my place to see an end to the lame flies that gather in our basement apartment during the summer.