Here's one of the sunflowers that I grew last year. I actually didn't have much luck with them. I'm thinkin they didn't get enough water, and then the birds got to the seeds before I did. I'm a slacker.

Yesterday I went to Tom's. Tom's is a restaurant chain and they are all numbered. This Tom's might be Tom's #22. They serve everything from hamburgers to Mexican food to steaks, chicken and pastrami sandwiches... GREAT onion rings.

I like the atmosphere. Especially on hot summer days when the inside is cool, airy and the ceiling fans are whizzing away. Yesterday I had a... well... I'm not going to say. Let's just say I ate like an oinker.

This is my horse.

I spotted him in a store where he was the only one left and he had been ravaged and thrown around by who knows who and he looked really, REALLY sad. I grabbed him, brought him home, cleaned him up and gave him a spot of honor to lay were everybody could enjoy him.

Everybody laughs at me when I say that since he has been here, he has had a smile on his face. I ain'ta kiddin. He has had a smile on his face. I love my horse.

Here's another knife I've been carrying around. I REALLY think this knife is cool. This is a Benchmade #211 Activator of the Mike Snody design. It's 5.5 inches overall with a great little 2.12 inch blade. The steel is D2 (I have no idea) and it weighs about 2.4 ounces. The leather sheath is well made and the knife is held in quite nicely by friction.

The knife did not come very sharp out of the box, but I touched it up with my Spyderco Sharpmaker (my Sharpmaker is old school that I purchased about 25 years ago) and MAGIC. Sharpness abounds.

This is a great little knife and I am still seeing what it can do.

Tengo gusto de Acapulco.

We had the Acapulco Mexican restaurant patio all to ourselves,

which shifted my anti-social appetite into high gear.

(I'm not really anti-social, at least, not officially.)

Aye, that be right ya lubbers.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opened yesterday. Have I seen it? Nope, not yet. I took this picture with my phone's camera a while back when I went to see The Black Swan. So my anticipation has been great. But like I wrote before, I am not a crowd person, so it will just have to wait until quite a few seats are empty.

But mark me words, bucko, Lizzy will be seekin treasure

and right salty old pirates soon enough.

It's a little bit chilly today and there's also some rain going on.

So how about we warm up the place with a fire? 

 C'mon, have a seat. Let's hang.

Niiiiice.

I like this view of a shed on our property.

I wish my photo could capture the semi-hugeness of it, but alas, it cannot.

Ahoy ya bloomin cockaroachers!

This is my (from the waist up) NECA 18 inch (HOO-RAH!) Cannibal Captain Jack Sparrow talking figure from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. I have a couple of the larger figures, but this is the only one I have out of the box. He doesn't say anything very entertaining.

Here's another rattlesnake that was on our property today. This one had about 8 or 9 rattles on him. Sorry if you are squeamish about snakes. I don't love em', but these rattlers can be quite beautiful. Unfortunately this picture quality does not quite capture it. My mom took this photo today.

As far as I know, nobody occupies this building in Downtown No-WheresVille. But I love this little building and if I ever start a business, this is where I will have it. All it needs is some paint and a couple a' retro neon signs to light up the star filled night.

And you can bet yer britches that my business will be open at night, because the night is when it all goes down.

GASP!

I just love Halloween stuff. This one being in the form of a Don Post prop arm that I bought at the seasonal Spirit Halloween Store around October.

This is my 8 inch Coraline Jones figure by NECA. Coraline is a 2009 animated (I believe it is called stop-motion animation) movie about a girl who is not totally happy with her life and goes on an adventure. I really love Coraline and she is one of three Coraline figures that I have.

Here is a not great picture I took at the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Griffith Park, California. This is Clint Eastwood's costume from the movie Pale Rider.



I've been waiting a long time to see SCREAM 4 and tonight this is where I will be. I am the person who waits for the crowd to die down and I usually have the theater almost all to myself.

I am a very social person, not.

....later that night. I saw SCREAM 4 and it did not disappoint. I have seen every SCREAM movie in the theater and this one was totally as enjoyable as the others.
I loved it.

You don't often see Speedy Gonzales these days. Yet here he is, and he seems to be making a delicious sandwich of some kind.

For those not in the know, Speedy is a Warner Brothers Looney Tunes cartoon character known as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico". The early Speedy Gonzales was some time back deemed racist/stereotypical. I am a little surprised to see Mr. Gonzales advertising this Mexican food restaurant.

That's a bold statement.

Happy Easter, friends.

Here is a docile little baby rattlesnake that resides on my computer table. And of course you know he is a fake snake, Jake. This guy is used to train dogs to avoid little rattlers. His rattles rattle and if the pooch gets too personal...

BOINK!

...Fido gets a sharp little snake nose poke on his little doggie nose. I've never used it. I acquired it from a person who used to live in these here parts. I just like him hangin' out with me.

I will probably post more photographs taken at this location in the future as it is one of my favorite places ever. This is the entrance to the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Griffith Park, California. It is a museum that I try to visit once a year, usually in the summer months. I took this photo during one of those times and the temperature that day was about 103 (although it is usually chilly in the museum).

Outstanding.

All of those cars you see in the distance are for the Los Angeles Zoo which is directly across from The Autry.

 I usually have the museum almost to myself. I see lot's of tourists just whiz right through the Autry Museum. I don't think they appreciate the western treasure greatness that is displayed before them.
Tsk tsk. Off to Disneyland with them.

Now don't misunderstand me, me buckos.... Disneyland is probably my first favorite place ever, but hey, if you're at the Autry, slow down and smell the gunpowder.

This is the HUGE "barn like" structure at the Barona Resort and Casino in San Diego. Barona is a lot of fun (and I am not talkin about gambling, I don't gamble save for a couple of dollars) and the buffet is great. I've stayed in the hotel overnight and the amenities are really nice. There is a landline on the wall next to the toilet and there's also a HUGE (like the barn) lighted magnifying mirror (I fear them, but handy) at the sink.

I suppose I am easily impressed anymore.

I was out on our road today and took this picture. The purple flowers in the foreground are called echium candicans or echium fastuosum, or as us ama-cheers call 'em, Pride of Madeira.

Anyway... It's a beautiful day out, so I think I will celebrate it by going inside and doing housework.

Hoo-RAH!

Last night I had a dream. A bee kept landing on my hand and it was freaking me out. I am really afraid of bees and being stung. That dream woke me up. Later on I dreamt that somebody was running a loud chainsaw and THAT woke me up. The chainsaw turned out to be a very loud bee buzzing over my bed, for real. I jumped up, grabbed a fly swatter and did what I done had to do.

A bee once stung me as I was washing our car. It stung me right between my toes. That hurt. I took a picture of that varmint and here she is.

Come to think of it, that's the third time I was stung while washing our car. That car doesn't get washed much anymore.

Stadium Pizza

Okay, it's not like I'm gonna post pictures of pizza every week, but will ya look at that? That pizza is art. Look at the grease. We had this pizza at a sports place of sorts I guess. I'm totally not into the sports end, just the pizza end.

 

I still have a few pieces in the refrigerator and I like 'em cold. I'm gonna go get one (or two) now. If you were here, I'd share.

 

Just kidding.

I woke up one morning and this lizard was sunning in my window. He looks normal lizard size, but he was actually a baby. These guys are really mellow. They just sit there and watch me sometimes. Like trees do.

This tree was totally watching me.

But when I made a quick move to my right,

it totally started watching somebody else.

"It is always by way of pain one arrives at pleasure."
Marquis de Sade

Ladies and Gentleman...

I present further evidence that the Borden Ranch guacamole bowls

will not be deep with dip this year.

Here are a couple of small stretches of road on our property. I took these pictures with an old Sony Mavica and the quality is not so great. Some of these roads are pretty steep and the first time I was on them some many years ago, they were spooky. Now they are just.... there. But I have to be vigilant.

Loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong drops await them what don't pay attention.

Here's a lovely little number that I like to call,

 "Waiting For The Novocain To Take Effect In Preparation For A Tooth Extraction".

I took this photo about three weeks ago and yes, perhaps the title is a bit wordy, but it is accurate.



I had pizza yesterday. This pizza. This pizza place makes some BIG ASS pizzas lemmie tell ya. There is more cheese on this pizza than in the whole state of Wisconsin (pretty much).

 Seeing as how pizza is either my first or second favorite type of food, I am usually able to eat more than two pieces. Not with this one. No way. The only thing I am not real fond of with this place is that they put the toppings under the cheese. I guess that would make them bottomings, but we won't go there.

That there round thing is a quarter I put down for size reference. Anyway...

Do you think the karma is worse for doing this to a frog,

or for keeping a frog that this has been done to?

And why are we always compelled to put stuff like

this with the liquor cabinet or bar area?



This is a boulder in my "neighborhood". It has been under vegetation for who knows how long. But when fire crews cleared some of the land, it revealed a white "line" of sorts on the boulder. I thought it was like some kind of layered rock formation or something. It peaked my curiosity so I took a closer look. It isn't what I thought. Somebody actually painted a freakin line all around it. I have NO idea when or why. It's not a property line or anything. It is just a boulder with a white line painted around it that was under brush for years and years.

You are now intrigued and aroused.



I've never had my own personal totem pole until now. I'm not sure what it means, but if I had to guess, I would think it means fox hawk turtle bear owl. My son gave it to me for Christmas. It's something that I would've never bought for myself and it's something that I don't often think about, but when I see it, it makes me happy. It can be used indoors or out, but I prefer to keep it inside.

When I was very young, my parents had a friend who took us on a flight all over Southern California in his private plane. This is a photograph I took of Los Angeles City Hall.

The year was 1965.

Thar's GOLD in them thar Counties of Orange and

this here's my little vial of

 "Actual GOLD panned at the gold mine,

KNOTT'S BERRY FARM Ghost Town, Calif."

(This was NOT panned at the infamous "Knox Berry Farm" I have so often heard of.) I did venture into them thar hills of Orange to stake my claim on these "gold nuggets" quite some time ago so I don't know if they package your own personal Mother Lode quite the same way anymore. Thar used to be water in that little container. It evaporated some hunered years ago, by crackee.

My modest fortune in gold remains intact and gents with less than honest intentions are reminded that Lizzy Tex Borden does indeed go heeled.

When I first moved into my own home some blah blah years ago,

the first item to greet me on the front lawn was this rock. This rock was officially dubbed:

The Butt Rock.

 I added the quarter for perspective. As difficult times have befallen me, I no longer live at the house of Butt Rock, but I still have access to The Butt Rock and should I want it, I could have it. I have nothing but love for The Butt Rock (pretty much). Maybe we should have named it Medusa's Boyfriend's Butt Rock.

Naw.

I don't know about this. I mean, buying corn on the cob out of some

ice chest in front of a little store at some campground. I have a

feeling this corn on the cob is either A) Really REALLY good, or B) Really

REALLY going to create gastric issues.

I think I would pass and try to find a Kentucky Fried Chicken somewhere

in the next town. Or MAYBE I would just go into the store

and buy some corn chips.

I like knives.

I have been collecting and carrying a knife of one sort or another for many years.
I collect and carry knives as tools. Many people look at knives and the
first thing that they say is, "OH yeah, THAT could stab somebody GOOD."

Please please please. That is not what my knives are all about. Knives are tools and some knives are very beautiful just like a fine firearm. I don't have any really high end custom knives. I cannot afford them. What I do have are some very nice production quality knives. Ayep.

Here is my latest and a pretty nice knife that I have been carrying for about
four months now. It sits in an easily accessible place in my purse.

This is a Benchmade 555HG Mini-Griptillian Plain Edge (as

opposed to semi or full serrated) knife. Above is the closed position which

measures 3.87 inches long.

The Mini-Griptillian in it's opened position has an

overall length of 6.78's inches. The blade is made of 154CM stainless steel. It is hollowground and sports a modified sheepsfoot shape. The blade length is 2.91 inches. It stays in the open position by way of an AXIS Lock and feels very secure. The pocket clip (not visible) can be reversed for right or left handed carry (tip up only). This is an awesome knife and was designed by Mel Pardue.

 Anyway, just kind of an intro to illustrate that I am a knife person.

Out at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles, in the courtyard

called "Trails West", the simulated rocks climb right up the outer wall of the

building. I think that's the coolest thing. The top photo is from below

the rocks.

I don't spect that many folks actually view just this portion of

the courtyard. So this picture from a balcony above is a view of

something (perhaps) not often appreciated.

Huzzah and hoo-rah!



Ya don't know what this is, do ya? Aztec gold.

I am a HUGE Pirates of the Caribbean fan, of both the ride

at Disneyland and the movies. So I HAD to have this (less

than totally expensive) replica of the Aztec gold coin from
Curse Of The Black Pearl. I actually have major POTC memorabilia,
or at least major memorabilia for a person of my income.

And I continue to collect.