Salam Pax is back! I was shocked when I checked as I've been check on and off since the 24th of March and there has been nothing. I'm about half way through his new posts. I thank God that he's alive and that his family and friends seem to have survived as well.

Well, the BBQ went off without (almost) a hitch today for Mother's Day. Yesterday mom gave me a nice, new lawn swing with a canopy. Its really great. Dave and I put it together yesterday while we grilled some hotdogs on the grill.
Today the whole family came over and I grilled some steaks that I had marinated and I grilled some white sweet corn, too. Wow was that good. Anyway, we couldn't get the grill lit, but it turns out that was because I hadn't dumped the ashes from yesterday. After that, it went rather smoothly. Not too bad for my second time!
And while everything in the house isn't done and its obviously a work in progress, I enjoyed having people over and I think I'm going to entertain more often. The lawn isn't all filled in, but it will be and its greening up well.
Next weekend we're going to try kababs with the kabab sticks I got in Turkey two summers ago!

The other day my former German teacher from college invited me to a Deutsche Treffen where some German speakers get together and this kind man's house for an evening of German speaking and culture. I was somewhat trepidatious, but I've been dying to practice, so I forced myself to go. I thought I would be too embarassed and its true that I didn't speak *too* much (though, those who know me know that you can't really shut me up). It ended up being a fantastic evening and the best evening I've had ohne Dave (without Dave) in a looooooooooooooooong time. First of all, the house is fantastic. Its an old twenties spanish house with the most fantastic spiral tiled and plastered staircase I've seen in the Valley yet. The room we were in was like an old European hunting lodge library and so cozy in front of the fire (uhm....its may and southern california is cold, what's up with that???). At one point we gathered around a piano and with a trumpet accompanying the piano, we san the song Du, Du liegst mir im Herzen which Dave had recently sent me in email. The food was great, too! and I'm *really* looking forward to the next meeting.

On an entirely different note, I had my first photofacial laser treatment on my face today. It hurt while she was doing it, but not after. I am eager to see how this series works out......

Bis spaeter....

So, I haven't been here in awhile. This week I have been trying to get the back garden ready for my mother's day BBQ on Sunday. Since I moved into my house in January of 1998, I've never really used the back yard. First of all there was no grass and no vegetation, except three (to my mind) quite lovely trees. Then, the back yard seemed to become a dumping ground for all things not suitable for the house. Then, a few years ago, a friend asked if she could have a yard sale at my house and brought over tons of stuff adding it to the rest of the stuff out there. She didn't sell most of it and then moved up north leaving me with it.
Well, last fall I had the junk hauled and swore that this year I'd do something with the yard. Well, we got some unusual rain this year and I have no idea how it happened, but I ended up with a lawn!
Now, I don't have any plantings, but a few are my goal this year. But, I have mowed the lawn and edged all by myself and put up an inexpensive resin table and umbrella. I plan to pot a few containers on the asphalted area before the BBQ on Sunday.
I've been surfing the web all day looking at pictures people have posted of their own yards. I am hoping to have lawn and then maybe a few roses along the back of the house and some whisky barrels planted along the side fence and some container garden stuff on the asphalt as this year's goal. Already my dogs and cats seem to be thrilled with the change in the yard. The dogs have been chasing one another ad nasuem around the yard.
Can't wait to see how the BBQ goes as I'd love to start entertaining in the back garden.
As purely an aside, I finally got fish in my two aquariums. I decided to go for fish that like cold water. I don't usually, but this biggish pale yellow fish that looks like a cross between a gold fish and a catfish caught my eye. So, in the big tank I've got that fish (Ed, short for Edward or Edna) and two of those puffy, swollen eyed black goldfish type. I plan to add a few more of those kinds of fish. In the smaller tank, I put 5 of the 12cent feeder goldfish. Two didn't make it, but the others appear quite happy.
Its lovely to watch fish swim and suck food off the bottom of the tank.
I need to get out more =)
Ballet is going well. We have no class this summer, so I'm going to take Middle Eastern Dance instead.
This week I begin a new venture. I'm going to attend a "Treffen" for German speakers. Lately I've been reading the Harry Potter series auf Deutsch and my reading has improved tremendously....now its time to improve my speech. The first one I'm attending is tomorrow night. WIsh me luck!