Miscellaneous pictures, miscellaneous days

I seem to have difficulty writing a post with any rhyme or rhythm.  My routines have changed from what they are in Japan (now there are no routines) and I guess there is not a lot of structure in my life.  I jump around from one activity to the next, ten minutes here, ten minutes there.  Even blogging seems to change during the summer.  One big random activity!

Let's see...  What's left over in my photo files?

What is this?  For years (like 45) there was a tree behind my mother's casita, but it was threatening to fall down so sometime this past year the family had the tree trimmers take the whole tree away.  Well, a branch had grown right around a telephone pole cable (to keep the telephone pole upright I think) and rather than have to call the telephone company people out, the trimmers just cut around the cable. 

Occasionally on my morning walks, these dogs will spot me from afar and yap-yap-yap at me as I walk down the whole street (and their yapping alerts other dogs in the neighborhood who take up the call and meet me as I turn a corner.)  The dogs jump off of the second floor balcony onto the overhead sundeck roof and they have a fantastic view of the hills and street and walkers like me.

"Why are you taking a picture of the paper towel roll?"

My brother shakes his head at me as if he thinks I've lost my mind.  Well, American paper towels have such nice designs on them.  I wonder if I can incorporate that pattern into a quilt someday...

Here is Simba with his toy mouse.  He is a Catador Retriever and he can play a retrieving game as long as any human will throw the mouse.

Not to do for Maxie though...  By the way, all of the pictures I take of Maxie have to be done on the sly.  I sit as still as a statue (and she won't come closer than 10 feet away) and then I slide my camera along a table or in this case, to the end of my knee and then without looking at her or through the camera, I snap the shot.  Some come out, some don't.

Why a picture of feet?  This picture makes me laugh...  So typical of California life.  We all run around barefooted.  From house to house that is no problem but when taking the garbage out to the end of the hill, ouch... ooh... hot!  Still, bare feet are the norm for us.  I notice Takumi even slips off his flip-flops when he drives.  This picture might surprise my Japanese friends because ONE ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT GO OUTSIDE WITH BARE FEET IN JAPAN!!!  Of course we are barefooted after we take our shoes off at the front door but outside?  Outside lurks parasites and germs and dirt and all sorts of deadly things that Japanese don't want brought into their homes.  I am often asked how Westerners can bear to have dirty shoes that have been walking around outside, traipsing all over the carpets and floors in a Western house. ...Well... Doesn't everyone vacuum daily?  Anyway, playing outside in bare feet is a big no-no in Japan.

And here is Grandma with a heavy winter sweater on and a fleece blanket.  The rest of Southern California is hoping that the heat wave will end soon but not Grandma.  We are trying to keep Grandma settled with her feet up because her legs are so swollen... probably from the heat... so she is content to sit and read and stay cozy.  The rest of us sweat just looking at her!

"Grandma, Grandma.  Your thermostat is really discombobulated."