Happy Friday!!

Happy Thursday!

Just a reminder, if you are new here....this is not some Disney video blog. I would love to be posting beautiful pictures from my adventures on the mountain I love to run on, and telling you crazy stories from the mountain...but my computer is broke, I'm borrowing my husbands, and so for now you're getting stolen video content off Youtube as that is what is easiest to post.

Is there a reason it's all Disney this week? Why yes, there is. See, while I've tried not to mention it this year or cram it down your throat, it is our 18th anniversary week. We are celebrating it this weekend, on the 27th, which is our actual anniversary. We have 3  kids, who have a huge surprise coming their way. We've dedicated year 19 to buying less stuff, while making more memories.  That's all I can say for now, but it will be one of the most memorable years of their lives : )

Spoiled Suburban Problems

I Have beautiful pictures from yesterday's time on the mountain...but I'm holding off on starting a photo file on Brian's computer.....still holding out hope I'll get mine back.  So, instead, you get a peak into a so far, silent battle that happens every Wednesday.  Part of our rent includes a gardener for our very small front yard.  Meanwhile, we have a huge back yard that we take care of.  I can easily fill a yard waste bin every week with trimmings, clippings, and leaves from the back yard.....if I get to the yard waste bin first.

The gardener for the front yard has to have access to our bin for dumping yard waste from the front yard in, per our rental management company.  Somehow.....our tiny yard that has only dying grass that doesn't grow much.....fills the bin.  What's really happening?? Clippings from the yards he's done before our house get dumped into our bin.  Plants we don't even have end up in our bin.  That we pay for.  Unless I fill it up first.  If you have a Mulberry tree...then you know...this time of year is the pits. Leaves a foot deep are covering my back yard....now our garbage gets picked up Wednesday morning, and the gardener comes Wednesday around noon.....so every Wednesday I'm busting my butt to get everything up and in that bin before he comes.  If not, I have to wait a whole week because he has filled the bin.  Silent battles...every Wednesday.  I wish I could set up a camera to see his face when he opens the lid and it's packed full. : )

With that insight into what I'm about to head out and do....Happy Wednesday!!

Happy Tuesday!

Got Rid of My GRR

Since I can't easily post pictures...it occurred to me I could give you all a daily dose of happiness instead. Enjoy!

GRR

My computer black screened me on Friday.

It has power, and I can hear the hard drive working, but black screen and nothing loads, no flashing lights or beeps of any kind.....just silence and a black screen.

It's a 4 year old HP laptop that I treat like my baby. My kids are not allowed to use it. I've taken really good care of it....so it's frustrating. Thank goodness for Dropshots and Picasa. If I loose everything on there, at least I know my pictures are saved other places....but there are a lot of videos, files, scans....other things I don't want to even think about loosing.

It's looking like pulling the hard drive is the best option...but until I'm set up on a new comp I'm borrowing Brian's.  I'm sure some of you know how frustrating it is to borrow someones computer.....its weird. 

Everything is set up different, looks different, his icons even look different...took me forever to figure out where/what the Outlook button was, and don't even get me started on trying to check my email on his comp.....it takes forever. And then there's log in on sites that now don't recognize the computer and have to email me a security code to use.....but the email on this thing takes a few hours, it's not instant....grrrr.  Then there are race registration receipts in my old email that I have to print on race day and now don't have access to. (I only have access to emails from this month, nothing older, and none of my folders, like Draft, where i save all my important things to). 

Grrr.

So, don't expect much computer wise from me until further notice. 

And I may or may not get your emails.

Grr.

Diablo Beauty

Many, many times on the mountain I see something and know that there's no way a picture will do it justice. So many times I see some stunning thing and the picture I take just does not capture how beautiful it was in person.....but I tried hard yesterday...and the mountain seemed extra generous with her beauty!

 

There are a few of these on the mountain, fed by natural springs. The birds were so talkative in this area.

 

He was so, so handsome. This is the guy in the video I posted yesterday, we had a good, long look at each other before he wandered off.

The Rattlesnake Gulch sign....maybe leftover from the stagecoach days on Stage Rd?? I don't know how old it is, but I love it.

CA dry dirt

First tarantula I've seen this year. I was so excited!

Ok, so the mountain did not give me my truck...but darn if it wasn't a beautiful site sitting there all pretty!

Back home these were not something considered beautiful....but in CA these are a wonderful surprise on the trail and tasted so good!

Ok, so editing does help : ) But it really is this gorgeous! We haven't seen many clouds in the sky this year and it was just so beautiful. We did actually get a few, very few, sprinkles yesterday which is always a treat!
If you are local, this beauty of a loop is on Diablo, starting from Burma, then Buckeye Trail to Stage, then back up Burma. Seems to be where all the animal life is, most likely due to the water in the spring/cistern.

                          Have a great weekend!