365 Days Handmade

Making life a better place, one day at a time

Monthly Archives: December 2015


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Day 354/365: Sunday in Ventura

This morning when I woke up, I had a moment of not knowing whether I was in Morro Bay or Ventura.  Then I remembered that we drove down from the Morro Bay house last night and that I was waking up in our Ventura apartment.

Sean and I were both pretty hungry, and we had two options:  Either go to the grocery store or go out to breakfast.  We chose the easier path.

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Outdoor dining in the patio area

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When the server brings you the check, you also get a post-breakfast treat of mini cupcakes.

Later, we walked downtown and I noticed these in the window of one of the shops.

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I had to get close-up to this guy to try to understand the reason for his torn undershirt.

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Officer, did you arrest the culprit?

On the way home, this sign caught my attention.

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Live animals??!!!  What kind of live animals?

Someone please tell me.

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In the meantime, I am back to my regular work schedule of four 10s.  So glad to have Monday off again.

Happy Sunday!

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Day 353/365: Santa Claus is Coming to Town…

A few months ago, the city of Morro Bay started implementing plans to build a bike park right next to my neighborhood.

12.19.2015

The photo above is an old one.  They’ve made a lot of progress since it was taken, and the packed dirt hills have been calling my name every time I drive by.  The new park is supposed to open in 2016.  So when Sean asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year, the tomboy little kid in me who never owned a bike in childhood said, “I want a BMX bike.”

Hence, this happened this afternoon:

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The box was delivered to the house a few days ago, and Sean decided to put it together today.

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After it was assembled, he let me ride it for a test drive down the street.  And then promptly took it back and said I have to wait for Christmas Day.

The little kid in me can’t wait.


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Day 350/365: Frozen Yogurt in December

Sean and I are both full-time state employees at two different locations that are three counties away from each other and about 160 miles apart (one of us works on the Central Coast and the other in Southern California).  This means living in two separate homes during the week and seeing each other over the weekends and holidays.  Since Sean is a university professor, he gets summer and winter breaks.  That’s when we’re able to see each other for longer stretches of time.

Because of a mandatory staff training this week, I’m working five 8-hour days instead of the usual four 10s.  Sean’s teaching schedule ended last week, so he’s been up here at the Morro Bay house for the last few days.  It’s been nice to leave work at 3 PM, get home, see my husband, and hang out together like the average married couple.

This afternoon we went out for a walk downtown and stopped to get some frozen yogurt.  Even though it was kind of too chilly to be eating a cold dessert, the whole experience was still a nice treat.

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Sunset Beach Sonny Angel tagged along on this outing.

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No pants! He didn’t mind the cold.


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Day 348/365: First Monday of Work All Year

Did you ever sit in an all-day workshop or some sort of hours-long class where you got hit with so much new information that you thought your head would explode?

That was me today.  This week I have to attend a mandatory five-day training from 7 AM to 3 PM.  Mondays are normally my day off, so it was especially hard to be at work today.  I did make sure to get to the classroom by 6:45 AM in order to secure the best seat (which I successfully accomplished), but that meant getting up at an hour when most sane people are still in bed– i.e. even earlier than the ass-crack of dawn.

On the plus side, I did get home while there was still daylight, and I was able to add a few more stitches to the Coastal Ripple afghan.  It was exactly the kind of thing I needed to calm my overheated brain.

12.14.2015

 


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Day 347/365: Rainy Sunday

This week I have to work from Monday to Friday because of a mandatory training course for all mental health staff.  It had been a long time since I only had a two-day weekend.  These last two days just felt too short of a time to recover from the past four ten-hour days.  I told Sean, “This two-day weekend gig, I don’t like it.”

“Wait until tomorrow,” he suggested.  “And then tell me how you feel when you get home at 3 PM, and you’ve got the whole rest of the afternoon ahead of you.”

Anyway, it rained most of today.  I did a lot of sitting around and crocheting.  I added several more rows to the Coastal Ripples afghan, and I got to enjoy a nice view out of our sunroom windows.  At least tomorrow when I get home, it’ll still be light and I’ll have a chance to watch the sunset over the water.

12.13.2015


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Day 346/365: Saturday Hike

This morning I sat around and crocheted while Sean read a book; this afternoon we left the house and went for a hike up Black Hill in Morro Bay.  It was a nice balance of activities, because one of us likes to sit around and do nothing on her day off, while the other one wants to be outdoors and doing something active all the time.

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At the top of the hike, to your left you have this view…

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…and to the right is the ocean, Morro Rock, and Morro Bay.


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Day 345/365: A Rainbow in Prison

It rained all morning, and then the sky cleared up around noon.  I usually take a break from my office in the middle of the day and walk out to the parking lot, where I sit in my car for a few minutes.  This afternoon when I left our yard and cut across the plaza, I heard an inmate saying to one of the correctional officers, “Wow.  I’m glad I stopped to take a look.”  I glanced over my shoulder to see what they were looking at.  It was an amazingly bright and full rainbow that stretched across the sky over the prison.

I wished I could take a photo right then and there, but of course cell phones aren’t allowed inside the facility.  I hurried through the corridor, stopped and waited for two sallyports, showed my ID at the gatehouse, and made my way out to the parking lot.  By the time I reached my car, the rainbow already appeared to be fading.  I popped the trunk, got my phone out of my purse, and surreptitiously tried to take a photo before anyone saw me.

I managed to get this shot, which doesn’t do the rainbow any justice, but I think it gives you enough of an idea of just how impressive a sight that must have been for someone standing underneath it.

12.11.2015