How could it possibly compete with a slim, pretty telephone complete with a digital notepad, an unlimited contact directory, an appointment calendar with alerts? I placed it on the “out” side of my in/out basket and never looked back.

Until recently. Last week my friend, Ro, sent me a link to galadarling’s blog post about falling in love her Filofax all over again. Well…what can I say? She brought back all the memories of why I loved my Filofax in the first place. And then I really started feeling guilty about how I had dumped her for something new and shiny.

So last night I reunited with her. As I opened her well worn red leather cover, I remembered the hours I spent filling in my address book in small fine print. I remembered getting excited when I found the small plastic zippered pockets to hold receipts, fortunes from cookies, and magazine clippings. And hat little 5″ ruler that snapped into the six ring binder was always so helpful! The color choice for note paper that could be purchased ruled or solid…the search for the extra thin pen that fit perfectly in the leather loop at the clasp. And then losing that pen. So many memories.

No phone, regardless of the number of features and apps, can really replace the tactile experience of a well-worn Filofax. It doesn’t require “service”, it doesn’t require you to press enter to save, its photos can be handed to a friend to touch and look on the reverse for the name and date. It holds your drivers license and credit cards, replacing the need for a wallet.

I’m excited to see what new accessories I can find to rev up my little red Filofax and put it back in use. Off to filofaxusa for more inspiration! Thanks, Ro, for reminding me that some things just can’t be replaced.

My latest project is developing a small shaded space in the backyard that is closer to the back door. I’m trying to create the feeling of walking out the back door and into a comfortable sitting area. Right now…when you walk out our back door there are sidewalks to the alley and garage. On the right is a wrought iron gated pool and on the left there’s a huge expanse of grass. I made a little garden against the back wall and have some garden seating established there under a big pepper tree. But I don’t like that you have to walk across the grass to get to a place to sit down. And who needs a big backyard full of grass to water and mow?

We’ve had a dead olive tree for quite a while and last year I started a climbing vine .. thinking of the tree as a natural arbor. Yesterday I had the dead-est areas of the top limbs removed and am left with four tallish, sawed off clumps. Not exactly what I had in mind. So….I’m considering the idea of using one or two of the limb stumps to stabilize a canopy of some sort. That would solve the shade part and incorporate the tree as a focal point. How about a bench encircling part of the tree base?

The first photo shows the view out the back door. The second is from the garden area looking toward the house.

Honestly, I’m not sure where to go next with this. Any thoughts?

Before digital photos we had photo albums. We went to One Hour Photo, had our pictures processed and put them in some sort of cute vacation-themed scrapbook. At least that’s what I used to do. It was pretty much a no-brainer and pretty easy to pull out for family and friends to see.

On our recent trip I took 684 photos. And that was even after editing and deleting every night in the hotel room. 684 photos. Ridiculous huh? Yeah. After we got home and settled back into our lives, I started thinking about creating some sort of digital scrap book. Being an avid flickr user, I knew that an on-line gallery was one option. So I uploaded a good percentage of my photos to my flickr account and yes, we now have the option to view them in a slideshow format. Sitting at a computer screen.

One day while cruising around flickr, I found a partner website called Snapfish that links directly to your already uploaded sets of photos. The site offers all kinds of products you can create from your photos. I designed 5×7 photo books using their easy-to-use template. Prices are based on the size of your book and the number of photos you use. I decided to make a book for each city we visited and put my favorite photos on the booklet covers.

There’s something about holding a book in my hands and leafing through the pages that is very satisfying to me. Their compact size makes them easy to carry in my purse and pull out at a moment’s notice to share with friends and family. Whether they want to see them or not!

I visited a sweet friend in Pasadena and we traveled a few miles down the road to Descanso Gardens in La Canada. Hidden deep in San Rafael HIlls, it’s one of Southern California’s secret spots. It covers over 150 acres and one of its many special spots is the camellia forest…where you walk beneath camellias and towering native oak trees. Secluded. Quiet. Inspiring. Here are a few photos I took with my iPhone. Somehow I left my “real” camera at home.