March 12 of 12

Welcome to this month's 12 of 12, via our blogger friend Chad. 12 pics of your day on the 12th day of each month. I hope it keeps going, somehow, after this year.


I've been sick this week (again! Jeez ... ) with the cold/flu/crud that has been knocking out everyone in my office. And the weather, quite honestly, sucked. So we have pictures of a wet almost-spring day spent at home.


On with it:

Reading the terrible news about the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I hadn't realized how many friends have ties there. Horrible.

My drugs.

I guess we won't be working in the yard today.

Stained glass piece in the stairway window. Scott gave this to me a few years back. Love it.

Quince buds almost ready to open.

Forsythia blooming in the living room.

The container at the bottom of the front porch steps. I think we should just give up and put fish in it.

Soggy garden in front of the house. There are crocuses blooming, though.

Shower time.

The sun came out for a little while later on. Happy Matt.

Dinner time - making cheese sauce for cauliflower.

Beef tenderloin with shallots, madeira and thyme. Not bad.

Happy 12 of 12!! Next month will be sunny. I demand it.

MatterPics

Spare time is scarce lately ... but I was fortunate to have Scott with me all weekend (we never have an entire weekend off together). It was too short, and we didn't get to the hundreds of things we'd like to do together, but it was quality. And now we've been out in the fresh air, talking to wonderful neighbors (we met a new one today), our hands are dirty and we smell like earth and leaves and early spring.

It's about time for a little rejuvenation. We all need it.

February 12 of 12

Yes, I'm back ... I can't believe I missed last month! That's the first time, I think, in almost four years. In my defense, my computer drew its last breath at the beginning of January and I didn't get my new laptop until the 14th - and to be honest I haven't completely figured out the photo editing software that came with it (and haven't looked into better programs). So without further ado (or excuses), I present to you: Matterdays 12 of 12 for February, 2011!

If any of you still don't know what this is (really, people?), check it out here. Chad will stop hosting after this year, but hopefully it will still keep going.


I ran some errands in the morning - and realized that I'd forgotten my camera. So close your eyes and imagine a nice chilly but sunny Saturday morning, a pretty clear view of the mountains, running around the cool Capitol Hill neighborhood, and cherry trees starting to bloom. Seriously.

Now, for the real pictures:

The backyard and pond - not sure if you can tell, but there are buds on everything:

Valentine's Day flowers I ordered for Scott delivered today - they smell right purty.

Scott has taken some really great photographs, and had a few framed. I want to hang these up somewhere in the house:

And then the winds picked up - a LOT - and the rain came pouring down. The Apocalypse, I'm sure. Mark my words.

I made dinner reservations for Valentine's Day online, at a downtown restaurant we haven't been to before (our regular favorite restaurant closed last month, to reopen in a new undisclosed location at some point). I called to confirm our reservation ... and it doesn't exist. Hmm. Here is their website as I was looking for their phone number. Notice the blank, deathly monitor sitting behind my new laptop. For some reason my laptop suddenly stopped recognizing it. All in all this is a tragic picture.

The usually elusive and hard-to-photograph Kasha. She's about 16 years old.

Still pouring rain. These are some tropical plants - anthurium and hibiscus - that spend the winter in our guest room. They can't wait to get back out near the pond in a couple of months.

Your host, Matterdays. I'm contemplating dinner.

Perhaps some jasmine rice ...

... some broccoli ...

... some avocado ...

... and some chicken. Half-eaten dinner while watching "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion" - good fluff for a Saturday night.

So, there it is. Happy 12!

Happy New Year

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.



A health to you, a wealth to you, And the best that life can give to you.



May your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want.



May the best of this year be the worst of next.

May you never lie, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in each other's arms. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink with all of us because we love you.



Love to one, friendship to many, and good will to all.

Happy New Year, friends. May the New Year always be better than the old.

December 12 of 12

Time again for 12 of 12, five years in the running and created by Chad Darnell. You can find links to other 12 of 12 blogs from around the world at his site.


All good intentions I had of making this an interesting 12 of 12 entry have gone out the window due to the flu or something striking our house. Scott came down with it first, then like always I followed suit a few days later. Ibuprofren, DayQuil, NyQuil ... we now own them all. So even though 12 of 12 fell on a weekend this time, I was housebound. Oh well.


Let's get on with it, shall we?


These pictures were all taken on Sunday, December 12, 2010 in a very specific section of Seattle, Washington. Our house, to be exact.

Changed my desktop image to a lovely winterscene. Images later of the blizzards in the Midwest made me wonder if I made something happen ...

HUGE amounts of rain today in Seattle. Yes, we have a reputation to uphold, but honestly, it rains more in Atlanta and New York on average than in Seattle, we just have more days of drizzly, misty gloom. Monsoons like this are unusual. This shot is of water overflowing our gutters and dumping down outside the guest room window.

Yes - we're well aware.

Kali loves to get up in Scott's chair in the office when I'm in there. She doesn't quite fit, since she's about 105 pounds. This picture is funny because she's not at all fat - very muscley - but this pose looks like she's got a big gut.

Nice winter adult beverages. Bailey's isn't good when you've got a congested head, but I tried some Amaretto, thinking it might clear the sinuses a bit. Eh. Went back to tea for a while.

Stoli asleep on her bed upstairs. She's about 14 years old and doesn't like being outside in the rain, so she stayed inside with me.

Uh oh. Water is coming into the basement. Had to move some things around. Luckily it all kept draining and nothing got ruined.

The Christmas tree. It took us four days to get it decorated, with work and illness and all. Its not tilting as much as it looks, I think the trunk is a little crooked. But I think it does need a little adjustment.

Good night for comfort food. Meatloaf it is. Didn't have any bread, so had to use stale sourdough English muffins for a binder. Worked pretty well, actually.

The way my Mom always made meatloaf - line the pan with bacon first. When it's about done, turn it over and out of the pan, then broil it to crisp the bacon. I can't eat it any other way!

Silver reindeer candlholder in the living room. Cool.

Dinner's ready. Mmmmm - health food!!

That's it. Happy 12 of 12! Please exit through the gift shop to your left.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays of every kind to you all. Until next month ...