Sunrise…Easy on the Eyes

Posted by missjunebug on September 30, 2010

missjunebug thinks good things come in twos like Twinkies and bookends and sunrise shots. Take a look at these!

What a show! Photo by mjb2010

Sunrise Shimmer! Photo by mjb2010

A Fine Close to the Day

Posted by missjunebug on September 29, 2010

Hey, Cliff! Thanks for the tip to check out the sunset on Tuesday evening. missjunebug was not disappointed!

A Million Degrees of Separation

Posted by missjunebug on September 27, 2010

Today missjunebug escaped the heat with a dear friend by venturing out to Ventura Harbor to do some sublime kayaking. She left the sweltering heat on the mainland and paddled her friend’s companion Hobie kayak (super portable and inflatable!) up and down the inlets and outlets of the harbor through the watery neighborhoods of lovely waterside homes and round about the slipped boats bobbing quietly close by.

The cool thing about this little beauty of a kayak is the magic pedals that propel the craft forward. The paddles? Fugetaboutit. missjunebug found no need for them. Yes, she tried them out for a while for a little upper body workout, but believe her when she says leg power is definitely the way to go and go p.d.q!!

The weather on the water was a cool 75 degrees and the water was smooth and calm. missjunebug had some fun chatting with her friend and waving at the other big boats moving in and out of the harbor.  She even spied a few doggies hanging out on their owners’ boats, just livin’ the dream waterside.

After they were finished with their water fun, it was easy-peasy to deflate the kayaks, roll ‘em up, and go! missjunebug can think of no better way to beat the million degree heat and enjoy the beauty the Ventura Harbor..well…harbors!  Lucky bug to have such a friend! Thanks, M!

Ashton! Say It Ain’t So!

Posted by missjunebug on September 22, 2010

missjunebug has a not-so-secret crush on Ashton Kutcher. She loves his funny and yes, puerile, movies, especially that one that takes place in Vegas with Cameron D. She liked Assassins, too, watching it on her iPad during a recent flight to Chicago Midway on Southwest Airlines. What a fun way to while away flight time!

missjunebug is proud of Ashton (and his better half Demi) for giving back in a variety of enterprises, donating their considerable money and time to make the planet a better place. So when she started hearing those salacious rumors about his extracurriculars on those deplorable celebrity status shows like Excess Hollywood, she just didn’t want to believe it could possibly be true. So Ashton, please say it ain’t so. missjunebug’s heart will break if you and Demi go the way of so many celebrity marriages. You gave hope to women of a certain age everywhere! Keep the hope alive and be good and faithful to Demi!

It’s the Tiny Things That Matter

Posted by missjunebug on September 19, 2010

With apologies to Richard Carlson PhD (may he rest in peace) of Small Stuff fame, missjunebug has just a few observations this beautiful Sunday afternoon about the tiny things in her life that matter. No, she isn’t referring to Tiny Tomatoes or Petit Pirate or Nifty Ninja or even the World’s Tiniest Pencil. She’s talking about those little, mostly overlooked moments that can really resonate if you pay attention.

What follows is missjunebug’s Tiny List of Tiny Things That Matter this Sunday afternoon:

**The look in her Pastor’s eyes when she administered communion to missjunebug this a.m. Light and warmth shining straight from God through her eyes right to missjunebug for the briefest of moments. But oh so amazing. missjunebug was moved to tiny tears, no lie.

**Two light-hearted phone conversations, one with ElderJB and one with TinyJB! missjunebug can’t say enough good stuff about those two! Although she will omit any references to TinyJB’s housekeeping habits. That’s material for another blog post, another time. Both JBs are thriving and happy. What more could a junebugmom ask for? The conversations were of no earth shattering consequence, just catching up, commiserating about some football debacles, and looking forward to some time together again, eventually. Tiny things, really but oh so helpful to the heart!

**Two healthy eyebrows, now almost fully grown back in after missjunebug’s wrestling match with some serious chemotherapy drugs earlier this year. How could such tiny hairs matter so much? They are just tiny hairs, after all. And yet for missjunebug they reminded her of the difference between looking slightly alien and looking fully human. She’s more than happy to leave the alien look to E.T. and Sigourney Weaver.

**A tiny date with her Mr.JB this weekend. An hour and a half at the Ventura County Astronomer’s Club listening to two erudite men, one a scientist, the other a poet talk about the interplay of discovery and meaning in their two disciplines. Ninety tiny minutes lead missjunebug and Mr.JB to have a lot to say to each other about the big stuff of life.

**A delicious tasting corn dog from Trader Joe’s without any bad stuff in it! Delicious corn breading wrapping up a soy protein pretend hot dog at only 160 calories! Pop it into the oven for 20 minutes at 350 and missjunebug can imagine she’s back at the Great State Fair of Texas eating one of Fletcher’s equally famous dogs. What a find!

Looking back over this little post, missjunebug sees what an eclectic collection of tiny things are here. A little silly but still. She’s happy to risk silliness in musing on the tiny things in her life to get to the deeper matter of full gratitude for her life.

mjbTip: What’s on your list of Tiny Things That Matter? Think about it.

missjunebug’s JBGranny’s Sponge Cake

Posted by missjunebug on September 15, 2010

Sweet! Simple! Sensational! Photo by mjb2010

What could be simpler than this delicious JBGranny’s Sponge Cake recipe? Follow the pictures to get one of your own to snack on! All you need is 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of flour, 4 eggs, separated, and the rind of one lemon!

Separate those four eggs! Beat the egg whites to soft peaks! Photo by mjb2010

Gently fold in the flour to the beaten egg yolks and sugar. Photo by mjb2010

Fold in the egg whites with care! Photo by mjb2010

Add the grated lemon rind to the mixture. Photo by mjb2010

Ready for the 350 degree oven for 30 minutes! Photo by mjb2010

A Savory Combination: Celtic Woman and Sabor Cocina Mexicana

Posted by missjunebug on September 5, 2010

missjunebug had a great dinner date with a dear friend the other night. It all began at the festive Sabor Cocina Mexicana at the Lakes in Thousand Oaks. Yum x 10 describes this upscale Mexican restaurant with margaritas so big you can dunk your entire face in them, but better to drink them! They reminded missjunebug a little bit of Buca di Beppo‘s “meatballs as big as your head.” Mega portion and a price to match, but missjunebug assures you that you won’t have to order more than one!

As for food, delicious, too and so artistically presented! As pretty as the Sabor Cocina decorative aesthetic! missjunebug loved her Chicken Enchilada Suizas and her friend enjoyed the organic Chicken Tacos under the glow of the red heart chandelier. Just take a look:

Enchiladas Suizas! Photo by mjb2010

Organic Chicken Tacos! Photo by mjb2010

What a Chandelier! missjunebug Hearts It! Photo by mjb2010

Better Than Paint or Wallpaper: Gorgeous Mexican Tiles! Photo by mjb2010

After their delicious meal, missjunebug and her friend strolled over to the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza for their dessert: the sweet-as-treacle ensemble Celtic Woman. This group gives new meaning to the phrase “Go Irish!” Their music was an endearing mix of old standards (“Danny Boy” comes to mind) and lively fiddle-inspired Irish jigs that kept the audience clapping and smiling well after the conclusion of the performance. Okay, so missjunebug couldn’t live on a steady diet of this type of music, but for one night she enjoyed it thoroughly!