Every once in awhile you just need to get away on your own. Now, squirrel is not one for roughing it. He takes his van and his new very large tent to his favorite spot by a river. The bed is just right. There's a nice chest to hold essentials. He cooks a fish he caught in the river. Never hurts to bring extra food, though. Heating water for coffee. Checking the beer. And, at last, mellowing out. A little "gnome" fact...if you bring yours along it makes the campground feel like home. I have not posted in a very long time. But, my sister's birthday presents gave me ideas. T ..read more

As sometimes is the case with hard workin', hard playin' musicians, they overindulge. Max has already emptied two huge Saki bottles. Sulu, his waiter, says,"Sir, I am not sure you need more Saki. You seem to be leaning already."  "Hey, man, I been eatin'....see. And I'm leanin' towards more Saki." "Sir, there is also lots of food available to put some meat on those bones." My dear husband got me this cool Re-ment poseable skeleton for Christmas. One of the sets has the tatami mat, Saki bottle and cup and the food. The other food items are erasers ..read more

Bare Bones Bar Fund the Resistance Dance Featuring Max Illa Started out with a pretty good crowd. All were welcome. Some of these people are refugees....from another planet even! Nobody minds if you dance alone. Also fun if someone joins you. Max was great and the crowd gave him a hand...no, wait...two hands. And saki helps when you want to "SAK" it to the people in power. Remember not to lose your sense of humor. More and more people came to support the cause. 'Til there was quite a crowd. I decided to get political with this scene.  ..read more

Ah, yes, I am an Anglophile. Ever since The Beatles! I saw an article about the best English pubs to visit for Christmas in The Guardian and immediately had an idea for a scene. Here are the pictures from The Guardian. Wouldn't you want to have a pint in either place? Little Nan's in Deptford The Flask in Highgate  Well, my version is pale in comparison, but I like it. And the action figures ARE all British. There's Doctor Who, Rose Tyler and Martha Jones from Doctor Who and Stephen Hart and Nick Cutter from Primeval. And, of course, Oscar Wilde from himself. Getting served by Os ..read more

I Walking is my thing. I love the way it makes me feel alive and I get to enjoy nature. I have done several 10ks and one half marathon.  So, here's my mini-take on it. Wish I were this thin and young and I wish I could do my walking in Provence. Not sure about the boots. Here's the real me at a 10k in Apalachicola, Florida. And one in Ann Arbor, Michigan ..read more

I was scouting around for Re-Ment minis when I happened upon these funny new sets on Amazon. SKELETONS! with ACCESSORIES! Aren't these hilarious? And, since they are Re-Ment, the quality should be good. I am asking for them for Christmas.  ..read more

I love what I call Adventure cooking; the more spices and other weird ingredients, the better. So here's a cute little kitchen all decked out for me. For Thanksgiving I made Yorkshire pudding. Here is the table all ready. There are eggs and milk, a whisk, a cookbook, and laptop so I can get the recipe. I've got a little snack of bread, cheese and wurst. There's a Corona and a crossword puzzle I am trying to add the last 4 letters to. No quite sure why the open can of pudding is there; maybe I thought I needed it for the Yorkshire "pudding," Nice sideboard laden with the necessities. S ..read more

First in a series all about me at 65 Diversions Reading Crossword Puzzles Armchair Travel This would be a dream spot to read. I love anything tropical and these things evoke that feeling...leafy wallpaper, rattan furniture, sunshine. And when I read I like a dictionary close by. Art, another love. Atlas Dictionary Art book Bird book Shelves loaded with cool things. Horse sculpture made by my son. My husband's high school senior photo. Photo of my son, stepdaughter, and husband. A paint palette my Mom had made since my son is an artist. Crossword puzzle and COFF ..read more

Days are busy when you have a little menagerie. Not only do you have the indoor crew, but others are waiting at the door. New ones in baskets. Medium ones on a leash. Getting into things. They do have intelligent creatures...very well read. Better have some resource material. Look who's outside! No room inside, but there is food for them on the porch. The idea for this came from my son, Will. We were starting to collect lots of little animals and they were just too cute not to use in a scene. Will gave me the Playmobil mother bunny and the basket the rat ..read more

Since we went on a vacation for Christmas we did not decorate the house. So, I had to make a Christmasy scene to make up for it. Merry Christmas! And here is the surfer's living room, an homage to the past, nature, wood, and surfing...all decked out for Christmas There are gifts for friends. Always a good host, surfer boy has treats for his guests to enjoy while watching his brand new retro TV. Looks like a retro show, too. These old things take a little tweeking. His girlfriend shows the guests his surfboard. His surfing trophy takes center stage. He was featured ..read more