I Think I'm Suffering From Kitty Vertigo

This is what is going on at my house...only it involves a tunnel.

Toons For Grown Ups

It's that time of year...when I get care packages from home that are full of apples and molasses cookies. It's that time of year when I wish that I could be enjoying the change of seasons. I love fall. And Halloween. And most of all...candy corn. It's also the time of year when the movie industry decides to change things up and release movies that could actually take home awards. It's the time of year when it's nice to stay home and read a book in front of a cozy fire. But not in California...here it's the time of year when the hills are alive with flames. So I'll be watching the television for the new season. Watching the New York Times for movies that I'll have to put on my Netflix list. And I'll be dreaming of going places where you can notice the fall leaves on the trees.

You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

I was having a day today -- and then I found this photo that I snapped last week. I'm not sure what kind of trouble Roxy gets into during the day while I'm gone, but I do know that when her people are home in the evening, she knows how to have a good time. She likes to monitor all activity in the kitchen, followed by running through her tunnel. Finally, she finds a good soft cozy place to settle in and nap while her people stare at the television. This also cheered me up. And these were so much fun to look at. Hmmm...things are looking up already.

Dog Days Of Summer

It's just one of those days. The kind that makes you look for the silver lining. The kind that forces you to count your many blessings. The kind that makes you start to hum the song, "My Favorite Things." And that not necessarily a bad thing.

The Scooby-Doo Mystery Van Heads North

Last night the Handsomest Man Alive looked at me and asked, 'what are you doing for Labor Day?" I didn't know what to say. "What are YOU doing?" I responded. The whole thing dissolved into a flurry of Internet searches and tentative plans to go somewhere for the three-day holiday weekend. Only we usually only go one of the days. Maybe -- if we can decide on a plan and a place to go.

One of the places that I'd like to stop is called "Bellosguardo." It's an ocean-front multi-million dollar mansion in Santa Barbara that's been abandoned since the 1960s. The HMA discovered the mysterious story on MSNBC a couple of weeks ago. The first part is HERE and the second part is HERE. And now there's an update (with lots of wonderful photos and videos -- watch them all) about criminal charges...could this story be more delicious? Not possible. That's what the HMA thought when he first stumbled across it -- it involves a mysterious heiress and empty mansions around the world that are worth millions that haven't been lived in for years.

Once I saw a photo of the Montecito mansion that is called "Bellosguardo" I had to know where it was. And that wasn't too difficult. This lovely Santa Barbara blog even included a Google map to guide me right to the beach in front of the empty mansion. Are we having fun, yet? Oh boy!

Paddling My Own Canoe

When I turned the television on at 6:00am this morning I discovered that TCM was showing a documentary called 'All About Me' about Katharine Hepburn. She has always been a hero of mine. And the older I get the greater my affinity for her. When the film was made she was still playing tennis at 85. She had a gorgeous brownstone in New York City and a full staff attending her needs. There were some wonderful scenes of her filling a giant Buick full of flowers to take her family home in Connecticut for the weekend. She said two things that really resonated with me -- one was that she always lived by her family's motto -- "life should be lived to the song of life." And the other was that she referred to Spencer Tracy as being the perfect man -- strong, yet vulnerable. And he had a really good head. I think that's exactly how I would describe the Handsomest Man Alive.

Let Them Eat Cake

Under the weather? I can't stay beneath the clouds when Julia Child is demonstrating how to make a meal. Maybe it's because I always think she's also demonstrating how to have a long life -- laugh a little!