Rudha-an – Page 27 – jellybeansofdoom.com

January 1, 2013October 28, 2013

2012: JBoD’s year in review

Happy New Year!

Now is the time to take a minute and look back on this past year, and the ways it affected the JBoD microcosm.

We spent much of 2012 watching sunsets and wildlife (fins!) from local beaches, but in April, we chose to visit the neighboring hill known as Bernalwood where stunning California poppies in full bloom awaited. On another more recent trip, amazing clouds treated us to an ‘air show’…

In May, we finally managed a trip to see the California Academy of Sciences. The albino alligator named Claude is a real beauty.

I took a lot of photos, so it’s in four parts. One, two, three and four.

In May, our glorious Golden Gate Bridge turned 75 years old. I’ve lived here for ten years and I never get tired of seeing her.

In June, a contractor working a few doors down from our home base cut into a gas line, resulting in a gas explosion and fire. Purely by chance, prevailing winds minimized the spread of the damage, a very good thing considering how long it took to shut off the gas. The kind of scene best left in movies, not real life. The Pointy Eared people weren’t amused…

Gas fire and explosion on San Bruno Ave — Firefighters in action. The tan and brown building on the far left is where the construction was. The dentist office was in the white building.

Then in July, we lost our sweet, comical tyrannical food thief Kitsy to FIP. It was sudden and awful and I still haven’t been able to write a proper post for him. As for Lastech, he is still coming to terms with the possibility that the virus which took him might have been introduced by Miss Jenny. So little is known about FIP and no test being available, it remains a painful mystery.

Kitsy narrating LOL woman in black — “… Don’t go chasing shadows, Gigadoon…”

In August, we went to the park on a foggy morning and came across some wildlife with a pissy attitude.

In September, Miss Nightshade Jenny brought me a most bizarre gift.

Later in September, we got to see the Space Shuttle Endeavor fly over the Golden Gate Bridge. Incredible!

In November, we went to the Japanese Tea Garden and Arboretum for a bit of zen. We wound up having a wonderful surprising encounter with a hawk.

The hawk was sitting in the tree just above eye level and only ten feet from the path.

A week or so later, we went exploring the Coastal Trail near the Golden Gate Bridge. We encountered another hawk, a couple of hummingbirds, a slug and a wonderful sunset.

Anna's hummingbird — Did I mention that hummingbirds like the pretty purple flowers?

We finished off the year by exploring the cliffs around Battery Mendell, a coastal battery that was built before WWI.

That was our 2012 for the most part. Some was good and some was bad. Hopefully, 2013 will be an even better year.

Happy New Year from JBoD

Rudha-an, Lastech, Tito, and Miss Nightshade Jenny

December 29, 2012

Caturday: After the storms

It’s not raining right now. It’s an amazing thing. While we were safe enough, there were floods and rock slides and trees falling all over. It was a mess, to say the least. We had horizontal rain and hail thanks to high winds. Tito was NOT amused and spent a lot of time hiding as a result. He’s happier now.

Tito lurked nervously after the last storm

Meanwhile, Miss Jenny got over her fear and settled in to watch the seagulls that were taunting her.

Our thanks to Cheezburger.com for this one.

December 22, 2012October 30, 2013

Caturday: Two kitties and a recipe

We’re not doing anything exciting for Christmas. We picked up a leg of lamb and some fancy taters. With luck, Miss Jenny won’t be able to steal one and bring it to bed like the last time. We might go off to the park or the beach for a good walk though. 🙂

I would like to apologize for not posting lately. I’ve been doing some major maintenance on the blog (behind the scenes). I should have it all tidied up soon.

It has been raining and raining here. I don’t mind. As you can see here, it makes our hills a very pretty shade of green.

Here are the beasties.

Here are our two “angel” kitties.

Our sweet and comical food thief. Kitsy is missed

The Boober. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. We miss him too.

And now for the recipe. I love pumpkin bread, but most times I find it dry and mealy. This recipe is NOT dry. It’s moist and wonderful. My mom and dad have made it for years.

Mom and Dad’s Pumpkin Bread

5 cups pumpkin (1 large and 1 small can)

2 cups white sugar

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cloves

2 tsp cinnamon

4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup nuts

5 cups flour

Mix all the ingredients well. Makes 2 large bread loaves, or up to ten smaller loaves. Bake at 350 for 1 hr. and 5 minutes. May take longer. Bread is done when a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.

We always greased the pans and sprinkled them with sugar (rather than flour). We also sprinkled a bit of sugar on top as it made the top crunchy.

Obviously, this is NOT diet food. 🙂

This is why we do NOT have a Christmas tree in the apartment.

December 15, 2012

Caturday: It’s cold and rainy

It’s cold, rainy and a good day to stay indoors. Tito and Jenny have spent most of the day snoozing.

Here’s the reason we don’t have a Christmas tree. This video is brought to you by rathergood.com

December 14, 2012October 18, 2013

Clouds over Bernalwood

Tuesday, we found ourselves between storms and there were big puffy clouds over San Francisco, so off we went. Bernal Hill aka Bernalwood was our destination.

[Show picture list]

Increase your website traffic with Attracta.com

December 10, 2012October 18, 2013

Coastal Batteries: Mendell, you are there

We decided to go out and play again on Friday afternoon. The Marin Headlands are full of coastal batteries. Most were placed as a result of WWII, but some, like Battery Mendell were built before WWI. Old and dilapidated, they are both an eyesore and a thing of beauty. No longer owned by the military, they are now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA).

Continue reading “Coastal Batteries: Mendell, you are there”

December 8, 2012

Caturday morning mania: It’s NOT Pon farr

No, I am NOT a Trekkie. The proper term is Trekker, thank you. That said, the playtime of Tito and Miss Jenny bears a close resemblance to Klingon foreplay. Pon farr? Not so much. Be aware, Tito is neutered and Miss Jenny is spayed. We are responsible kitty people. I figure that whoever wrote about the Klingons and their sex life had to have had a fascination with cats, big and small.

After the playtime and violence that occurs, this is the result.

Tito and Miss Jenny as Klingons — Tlinghan jIH !!!

Miss Jenny, as an orphan did not have a jinaq. Tito didn’t mind.

Ok, here’s a bit of humorous Christmas music. It may not be safe for work, so beware. This is brought to you by rathergoodstuff at Youtube.

December 3, 2012

Between the storms with some happy dogs

As many know, San Francisco and the Bay Area have been subjected to a series of storms. The North Bay appears to have gotten the worst of it. In spite of all that, mother nature has seen fit to give us some beautiful views in between those storms. The dogs were certainly enjoying it.

Happy beach dogs — Happy dogs at Baker Beach

Continue reading “Between the storms with some happy dogs”

December 1, 2012October 30, 2013

Caturday: World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day. Today is a day for people around the world to come together in the fight against AIDS. In that spirit, Tito and Miss Jenny are wearing their red ribbons and encourage their fellow felines the world over to join them in the fight. If you are able, please consider a donation to help the fight.

You can read about World Aids Day here.

Clicking on the photo below will take you to our post about the National AIDA Memorial Grove here in San Francisco. It’s a very beautiful place, but we hope for a day when no more names will need to be added to the list of those lost to this horrible disease.

The Circle of Friends in the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park

November 30, 2012October 18, 2013

The Coastal Trail: Before the Storm

On Tuesday the 27th, we went for a walk along the Coastal Trail near the Golden Gate Bridge. We knew there was a storm coming, so we wanted to get some time outdoors before it hit. It turned out to be a wonderful little jaunt that was full of surprises.

I wanted to break up the trip into two posts, but it just wasn’t going to work. We had some very nice surprises along the way.

Continue reading “The Coastal Trail: Before the Storm”