Cleaning up the Desktop

Right after New Years, an new friend stopped by and left an amarylis bulb for me.  I love these, but didn't get any this year so I was thrilled.  It's now in full flower-  8 blooms on 2 stalks and another stalk growing up, simply gorgeous.  Next year I must remember to pick up a bunch- I saw they were on sale at Smith and Hawken the other day, but don't think they would survive the hot summers here so I guess I will buy 'em full price in the fall.  I can experiment with this one to see if I can help it make it through it's off-season.

A couple of YouTubes that made me laugh:

Crazy Crochet, 'Why not a Pencil?'

What Dogs Do in the Backyard

If you've been living in a tree house and not reading your feeds, you have probably missed the
Bacon Loaf which is rampant on the internet in preparations for the Super Bowl this weekend. Frankly I don't give a flying fig about the dumb game but would certainly cross the street for a slab of this! I am particularly enamoured with the base 'bacon mat' which is woven strips of bacon-  why not do this next time you have bacon anyway?  And of course a brushing of maple syrup and a dusting of ancho chili (I got some at Whole Foods) would make me very happy. I found another use for the bacon mat too- form them over a wad of tinfoil to make bacon tacos, which are naturally called bacos (rhymes with 'tacos'). Add a little cheese, a little egg, a little cardiologist... and enjoy.

Then, because I was in a Bacon World while reading about this, I found a link to Bacon Camp on the Bacon Today blog. All proceeds from the upcoming Bacon Camp are destined for the American Heart Assn. so the baconists are ensuring that they will live to invent more uses for their porky pleasure.

The other day I got a call from my favorite shoe store the Shoe Spa, and they told me I WON a drawing for a FREE pair of shoes! I had special ordered a pair from a wonderful maker, Salpey, at a trunk show  and I was entered into the drawing. The only qualification was it had to be another pair of Salpey's which is exactly where I would have gone to begin with. Salpeys are made in Los Angeles by an Armenian couple who are interested in comfort and individual service and have remained a very small company to maintain control over their products.
These are expensive shoes so I was very excited. I got red slides with great distressed suede flowers on cork platform bases, Since I already have similar shoes, I know these are going to feel perfect. And I have the sales slip showing I 'saved' $288! I was so lucky! And I am still waiting for my special order, and this takes the price of those down by half, or so I am telling TY.

Today is the Walk for a Cure and most of my friends are braving the windy 60 degree weather to do their bit. I am staying warm and sending a fat donation because I slipped in under the radar again. Yes, another lucky day. When I was most worried about my outcome, I did a couple of collages and finished one of them the other day: