Our Garden Oasis

Art made this koi fish and dragonfly gate for our 30th wedding anniversary. I was surprised and delighted that Art carved portraits of two of our koi fish into the gate. We have been sheltering at home since March and having a backyard oasis has been our escape. As winter settles in, the yard is not so lush but we continue to enjoy it under the warmth of outdoor patio heaters.

Several years ago, two ducks would visit our pond. They haven’t come in a few years but this year the crows and the hummingbirds visit. Our yard has been great for socially distant family gatherings and our immediate family of 7 will celebrate Thanksgiving outside this year. The weather is predicted to be 61 degrees and sunny. Yeah for long underwear and patio heaters!

I have two bearded dragons as pets and in the spring and into late summer they love grazing in the clover. We lost our sweet Hoochie Poochie this March and I adopted two other dragons soon after.

May your lives be filled with both thanks and giving this holiday season.

A Magic Family Halloween

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I don’t have to cook and I get a free pass to wear a costume. I wondered how a socially distant Halloween would be? Our first tricksters were the incredible Baseball Zombie family. Alisha’s family went all out and my granddaughter Molly applied their Zombie makeup. Makes a grandmother proud!

Baseball Zombie Family

We set up a PVC pipe as a safe candy delivery system, cordoned our front courtyard off with caution tape and pushed candy down the pipe to quite a few neighborhood kids out Trick or Treating.

My two bearded dragons joined in the fun. Uluru and Princess are rescue lizards and I dressed them in costumes. Their treats were mealy worms. 

Art and I enjoyed a front courtyard fire, long distance conversations with neighbors and watching the small parade of costumed kids.

Caution tape and a front courtyard fire made our socially distance Halloween a lot of fun!