Corner View...Looking Out Our Back Door

Looking from left to the middle...

and then to the right. I wanted to knit these photos together so you could get the full view but I didn't have time to learn Photoshop this morning (heh heh). The ornamental grasses are totally taking over...they've covered the path.

And in the winter...
to an early warm spring day...

A close up of the red roses...it's the days of wine and roses, my friends.

The sky has been amazing with all the crazy rain we've been having.

When I need a moment to myself, I poke my head out the back door and breathe. The baby birds chirrup, the parents sing. In mid-summer, hummingbirds whirl about the flowers as do the butterflies. In late summer when the crazy onions with the white flowers overrun the yard, bees buzz and the yard hums with their buzzing. I try to have a nature-friendly yard and I'm greatly rewarded. I don't use any chemicals or fertilizers and I don't water enough for our desert climate, but a master gardener lived here years ago and the bones of good plantings have done fairly well despite my lack of gardening skills. My backyard is definitely one of the best things about living in this tiny house.

Take a look out the back door all across the world...jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana,denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa,britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, gillian, doobleh-vay

Corner View...Beach

While we live about 4.5 hours from an ocean beach, we are lucky to have two amazing lake beaches within 45 minutes from home. One is in the desert, the other the mountains. Here, let me get out of the way so you can see our desert lake better...

It's always exciting once you've entered the Paiute reservation. You've been driving for miles through the sage-covered hills but then you drive over the last little hill and it's magic: you see a turquoise gem shining amid the dry, pale brown hills. Pyramid Lake is a very spiritual place, both for the native people who live there as well as some of us visitors (except for the stupid kids who spray paint on the rocks, leave trash etc....but I digress). The Brown Pelican makes its home here and I never can get a good photo of one, but they are fun to watch flying close over the water. Pyramid Lake is really very other-worldly. And so pretty.

The other lake is definitely more well-known, Lake Tahoe. I couldn't find a basic Tahoe photo; I always have to be artsy-fartsy, taking super-close-up views. Lake Tahoe is up in the mountains, icy cold, deep blue and clear. It's always more crowded than Pyramid, but it has its charms too...

...such as my favorite milkshake and fry stand to go to after being in the sun and cold water! It always comes back to milkshakes. Sigh.

For more of the beach vacation, visit jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, couturecoucou, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage,trinsch, c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana,denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e,janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa,britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, kyndalesamantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, nicki, ruth, mcgillicutty,

desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama

amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille

Corner View...Whoops!

Well, I spent a lot more time looking at this than the city this weekend. We took a little field trip out to the desert to do a little rockhounding and fossil hunting. It was great to get away from the usual weekend routine of trying to fit in yardwork amongst the errands. I'll be back with a proper Corner View next week. Until then, drink up the city life with...

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie,esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,
caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch,c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise,cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari,jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin,otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina,april, rebecca, b, sunnymama, kyndale, samantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, nicki, ruth, mcgillicutty,desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee

Corner View...Coffee

Oh, coffee...I sing thee praises daily. When at home, I drink straight black coffee, typically the Organic Pacific Rim Blend from Whole Foods (it's cheap, despite being from Whole Foods). I drink so much coffee that I can't afford the boutique roasters that charge upwards of $10 a pound. It's good basic coffee. I have an old drip coffee maker although this past weekend, after being reminded how nice a french press can be, I may have to switch back.

I first had coffee when I would go on special shopping trips with my Mama and Grandma. My Mama didn't drive at the time and we lived in Omaha, Nebraska. We'd ride into downtown with my Dad and then take a bus to Lincoln to spend the day with my Grandma. It was a glamorous day for a 7 year old. First off, I'd get to skip school. We'd get to see the big 1930s bus terminal with its amazing murals. An hour ride took us to Lincoln, where we'd get pastries. Halfway through the big day, we'd stop for pie and coffee in a quiet restaurant in one of the old department stores. It was quiet, the sort of place where ladies would lunch and all you could hear was the gentle tinkle of dainty cups upon saucers and soft piano music. I would have a cup of coffee swimming in sugar and milk.

I didn't pick up coffee again until I was a moody teen, spending many late nights at Deux Gros Nez (an infamous coffee shop in Reno, now quite sadly defunct). My drink was the cappuccino, which still has a tender place in my heart. No one takes beautiful cappuccino photos like Sandra of Smoosch. Every time I see one of her coffee photos, I have a strong yearning to drop whatever I am doing to get a cup.



Now, my favorite coffee shop in town is a little place called Bibo. It's interior seating leaves much to be desired (not nearly enough seats), but when the weather is nice, one can sit outside under the trees, oogle other peoples dogs and bikes. That's where the photo above was taken...I like the idea of taking photos of clouds in my coffee. Always loved that song.

So there you have it, another rambling Corner View from yours truly...visit some other picturesque spots on the web and have a cuppa...

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,
caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, sunnymama, kyndale, samantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, nicki, ruth, mcgillicutty

Corner View...The Great Outdoors

I've been bringing my little corner of the outdoors in, enjoying the scent of spring.

Flowers are popping up blue, purple, yellow, pink, white, and red all over the yard.

And yes, this is a very sorry excuse for a post about the great outdoors. My fellow townie, Vanessa, did it up right.

I am still decompressing from my school semester. I've been waking up early and jumping upon the list of things that I've wanted to tackle for the past six months but haven't had time. I'm also trying to force myself to take a little break too, but I'm not good at sitting still. Good thing I've started reading this book.

Back soon with photos of the finished sweater, new knitting projects and other musings. In the meantime, visit these lovely folks from all over the world...

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, couturecoucou, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, sunnymama, kyndale, samantha, karen, kristina, angelina 

Corner View...Shopping

(image from Collier’s, April 15, 1955, 42-3.)

Well, I finally finished my research paper for school and it was all about looking at advertisements featuring women in popular magazines during 1935, 1945 and 1955. At this point, I could tell you a fair amount about the shopping habits of the women of that time period. Since, I've spent the past 19 hours of the past 36 writing on the paper, I didn't get any photos of how we shop. But here's my story...

As far as my shopping habits, my mom, Kidlet and I go shopping together for our weekly groceries on Saturdays. I wish it were possible to go to shopping daily on my way home from work (preferably as I glide along on a cute bike with a woven basket), buying wine from the wine shop, cheese from the cheesemonger, bread from the baker etc.. While there is a wonderful baker and wine shop fairly close to my work, it would be an extravagance of time (and gasoline) to try and shop that way in our town. Everything is spaced far apart and the fact that I don't get home until after 5:30 (and that is without making any stops) would make it impossible for me to get home, make dinner, have time with the family and get to bed at a reasonable hour. Instead, I'm the mistress of planning, planning out the week's meals and buying most of what we need at once. I do have to stop at the store occasionally to pick something up I may have forgotten (the horror!) or a fresh vegetable if one has gone wiggly, but I try to avoid it if possible.

For more of the round the world shopping trip, visit our lovely hostess Jane and the rest of the gang...ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie,esti, sophie, cele,modsquad,caitlin, joyce, couturecoucou, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa (hi, home girl!), britta, virgina, april, sunnymama, samantha, karen, kristina, angelina

Corner View...Transportation

Transportation, eh? Well, I drive a very practical, economical car that takes us from place to place reliably. However, I'd rather ride this...


my poor, neglected bicycle. At least I will have the opportunity to ride it to work during the summer when my husband is off (he teaches) and can take Kidlet to her school program. It's a mighty fine bike.

A few Ani transportation facts...

1. I did not get my driver's license until I was 18 (a late bloomer here in the states, as you can obtain it the day you turn 16).

2. I did not get my first car until I was 28. It was my parent's 20-year-old car.

3. I had a wonderful motor scooter (which I adored) when I was 21.

4. I only like to drive cars with manual transmission. I don't like automatics.

5. My favorite mode of transportation is a tie between trains or walking. I was happy to hear my President say that he was going to look into a national high-speed rail system (despite the fact it has no current plans to go anywhere near my town).

6. And I always drive when my husband and I go somewhere together.

Take a trip around the world! It's Corner View day!

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie,esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, couturecoucou, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, samantha, kyndale, capturereflection

Corner View...Breakfast

Welcome to Wednesday and another edition of Corner View. This week features a personal favorite of mine...breakfast.

I've always been a breakfast person; never have I been one to skip or skimp on breakfast. For approximately four years, I ate the same thing every weekday for breakfast: granola, yogurt and honey (fruit added if something good was in season). I never got tired of it but I did finally decide to change it a couple months ago. Now my daily is some sort of cereal in rice milk. And I drink coffee. Buckets and buckets of coffee. I'm on a serious coffee kick. It's this semester of school that's doing it to me, I swear.


Friday is different, however. Kidlet and I share a big plate of toast. We top our toasts with the following: Nutella, Jam, and the last with butter, cinnamon and sugar. Another key ingredient to our Friday toast feast is listening to cheesy old rock and roll, preferably at increased volume. Not sure how this tradition came about, but here is a link to the first instance of "Rock and Roll Friday".


On Saturdays, we go out to breakfast with my mom. Sundays, I make breakfast for us and whomever shows up. Usually I make pancakes (you know I had to be 'pancakemama' for some reason...) but sometimes waffles are on the menu. On nights when my husband works late, Kidlet and I have breakfast for dinner. Here you can see last Wednesday night's pancakes. I have a nice long story about the best pancakes I ever had, but that will have to wait for another day as that, my friends, is probably more than you want to know about my breakfasts.

If you want to take a trip around the world, here's a list of others who are playing along, enjoy! Jane is our lovely hostess who came up with the idea...

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie,esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, couturecoucou, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t.,

jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca,state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna,

isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy,

jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison