WINTER HOLIDAYS ARE UPON US

It's been a full few months since my last post and even though I think of this as my personal and important life blog, it comes short now because most my work is blogging for the art collective and events I co direct there.
Here in a nutshell:
A new home in June.
My new puppy Malibu in August.
The birth of my Grandson Rafael Manolo in September. OMG is he gorgeous!
and travelling to meet him in person in October...as well as my wonderful friend Kate in Budapest who runs a meditation center there where we convene once a year for a retreat.
Celebrating my 54th birthday in November.
Winter holiday season in northern California, I notice that there is not a thing I miss from anywhere else...except, my family and friends in Europe...yes, I miss them greatly, hanging out, cooking and eating, spazieren gehen in the woods, sharing stories and going deep on the meaning of life and how we are doing in the grand scheme of things...pretty darn good...for sure.
Then, there is a good reason for me to live in California, there is the inner work.
The becoming aware of mental patterns that create hurt and hinder healthy mental growth.
Yes, really, I have the great good fortune of time and leisure to observe and heal from having grown up with deeply hurt-(ing) parents who self medicated with alcohol their entire life to death...just mentioning this because it makes for a pretty crazy environment for a baby to be born into and grow up in...and yet so incredibly culturally normal in the fifties among artists in Europe.
So grateful for my own daughter who cares so much about family, health, mental and emotional well being, sound nutrition, exercise...all the things we know are healthy and part of a good wholesome life, yet so difficult to keep up with theses mentioned destructive patterns...aha, it's getting clearer...you see?
Funny, because all I wanted to do is post my pics of a nicely lit street I went window shopping on with my boyfriend the other day and share how nice it is here...hoping that my daughter with her growing family and my friends from Europe come visit me and share the swell vibe and natural wonders surrounding us.

Meanwhile, I'll send all the love and gratitude out with a shout, to you.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Not everything in a chrysalis becomes a butterfly

HAD to write that down...a few weeks ago, I noticed a curled up leaf on my priced peppermint plant that grew almost overnight into a healthy monster spreading it's uplifting essential oils all over the new yard.
So, I look at this leaf, notice it;s a chrysalis of sorts...here is where it gets tricky...I choose a sentimental route, knowing deep inside it's not a butterfly and Bingo...I have the worst pest on that plant with moth like creatures all day that produce nasty little worms that eat...get this...peppermint only, it seems.
The tomatoes and oregano in the same planter are ok...it's a mint specific plague. That's actually the good news.
I'll look it up and see if there is a natural way to eradicate...might just cut it down to the roots which are super strong and let those critters die out.
Uhm...other than that things are going great at the new ranch.
Truly.
Loving my life as a budding grandma and sober girlfriend to my partner.
Golden.

MOVED.....AGAIN. I KNOW...

"Moving is so uprooting...even if it's to a super cool place I love...kinda like re-potting a plant, always takes time to establish a sense of harmony."