Opossum on a Stick

Early this morning, I looked out my window and saw a dark furry ball near the vegetable garden. I thought that a poor kitty got lost and was taking a nap. I went outside as quietly as I could and approached it. It didn’t move. Upon closer inspection, my sleeping kitty turned out to be an opossum. I immediately texted my husband and daughter... read more

Spooky, Spectacular and Sweet

Spooky During our big storm earlier this week, this poor arachnid fell into one of our rain buckets and couldn’t get out. So it’s Halloween weekend and I thought, well it’s not every day you get to be up close and personal with a big red spooky spider. It would’ve been a hilarious video watching me extract this guy out of the water... read more

Masks – The Good, the Bad & the Unusual

After a year and a half of wearing masks, I thought I’d share some observations. The Good  Wearing masks saves lives. There’s nothing more important than that. The Bad For some people, wearing masks has caused nuisances ranging from acne to bad breath to tonsil stones. The Unusual Now that kids are back in school,... read more

Val’s Road Ten Year Anniversary

I can’t believe it, but it’s been ten years since I wrote my first post in 2011. For a fun and a long trip down memory lane, I decided to revisit my 200+ posts and pick my favorite from each year to share with you again. To save space, I omitted all the photos. However, if you want to see the complete post with photos, go to my front page,... read more

Being a Local Tourist

I played local tourist this past week and checked out two spots worth sharing. One is familiar and the other is brand new. The familiar spot is the San Diego Botanical Gardens in Encinitas. Those of us who’ve lived for decades in North County San Diego still call it Quail Botanical Gardens. Since my last visit, they have moved the entrance.... read more