Christmas 2007

Yesterday was the only Christmas Eve I ever spent alone. Maybe I would not have enjoyed it had I not had options to be with friends.
So I walked Azi to see some Christmas lights. Then I chased Alani around the neighborhood, when she slipped out. Some football playing teens jumped onto a wall because they were afraid of her. I could have used their help in capturing her, but when she was ready to return she walked into the lead. Goofy dog!
Cheese and crackers for dinner with a glass of wine.
We are so fortunate to go to bed and know it will be a peaceful night.
Merry Christmas

Cabin Fever

I've spent so much time being self indulgent, staying home, reading, knitting, and, well, watching crows, that I developed a case of Cabin Fever.
So either I would go to Yuba City and check out the main street that's undergoing major redevelopment, or drive to West Sacramento and visit IKEA. IKEA won. Suzanne had a small list of things she wanted, I wanted so research rugs for my hall.
Traffic was really bad, going the other way, and it had cleared coming home. Shopping was so easy, hardly any shoppers in the store. Kind of surprising as there are many things that would make wonderful gifts.
After that little outing, I'm contend again to stay home. I will try a couple of new recipes that I'm working out in my head. We shall see how it turns out.

Exciting Stuff

Our street is really quiet most days. The dogs like to stand by the front corner and see what's happening in the street. Mostly nothing. So, when a crow makes it a habit to strut up and down in front of my property, that's noteworthy. Barkworthy? This bird has been doing this for a couple of weeks now. After a bit of walking it flies up to the power lines. A few hours later we repeat the parade.

Things Change in the Blink of an Eye

Most people here have dogs, or two, or three. I used to feel bad for the neighbors when ours were puppies and would bark, a lot. Actually, they still do; at the mail truck, UPS, meter reader, strangers. Now I look around and there is no one there to hear them.
Some of the lots in our neighborhood are quite large. More than two hundred feet wide and just as deep. In a matter of weeks our street has become near empty of occupants. One couple drives a long distance truck, but others are not coming back at all. One went up to Oregon, one went Higher still.
Most likely we will see a change. Maybe surviving families will move into the now empty houses and spread out on the spacious properties. Maybe we will see a split of the land, or the now modest homes remodeled.
Well, in any case I think this is a reprieve, a quiet before the storm, the last of the calm.
I think a year from now, things will be livelier around the 'hood.

Monday, Monday

I grew up where it's cold in the winter and not all that hot in the summer. Higher humidity than here though. I was not well outfitted to handle the cold then and I therefore am not, repeat not, comfortable in the cold weather now. I don't travel into the Sierra Mountains during the winter at all. The snow bunnies can have them.
So when I say it's cold here, I mean it's cold for us. We did have frost on the cars windows until about nine this morning. No ice storms here, thank goodness. I feel so bad for the folks in the mid west.

We still have hummingbirds in the yard and blossoms to feed them. I went across the street and picked a bucket of lemon, grapefruit and oranges from my neighbors trees. I'm candying some rind. Just sugared, no chocolate coating this time.

This morning Azi had a visit with the vet which I timed with Suzanne's dogs appointment so that my dog could meet her dogs. She'd said that her dogs would eat my dog. Yeah, right! Azi saw Suzanne and wagged his tail in greeting and (Bam-) Bena did too. Suzanne was right though, Bella charged at Azi. He was not traumatized. "Whatever!" is his attitude. By the time we walked around a neighborhood park all was forgotten, he lives "in the moment" after all.

Moonflowers

I like Moon flowers and plant them every couple of years. They grow on long vines and bloom in late summer. They are bat pollinated, so they bloom at night. Large blossoms of white, and very sweet. I love hearing the bats zoom, and click, around the house. (Ray made me a bat house, but no one lives there yet.) By midmorning the blooms have shriveled, and drop in a couple of days.
This year I planted them near our front door. It's getting a bit cold at night for a great daily display of blossoms, but the vines have become huge. So much so that they block much of my daily dose of living room light.
I was ready to yank them out when I noticed, while sitting at this computer, that the finches have made it a routine stopping and chatting spot.
Until the vines look very sad they have been granted clemency and shall live on.

Britney, Brad, and Beatle

This is an entry that Suzanne should be making, but she's busy with important things.
Britney is pregnant!
Brad and Angelina stopped fighting, trying for number two(4-6), whatever!
And the Beatle is dating around!
So, There! Read all about it!

#100

So now that I've reached one hundred entries I should write something significant and thoughtful. Sure!

When I was teaching pre-school we taught our students to understand and count to five. Now that number is twenty. Then in Kindergarten students often have the project of finding one hundred of something. Cheerios, seeds, matches, often pennies,(but they won't stick well with Elmer's Glue!) But I digress.
In grade school one might brag of having one hundred dollars, or maybe grandpa does.

Money in hundreds is big during our working years. Then it becomes hundred thousands, or the need for it , or even a mortgage, or college education for a child.

At my stage in life, I think in time, not money. Maybe I'll live to be one hundred years old!
We have a sick neighbor who might wish for one hundred hours.
I hope to live in health for that many more months or two hundred, or three even.

We shall see.
Anyone need one hundred beans?

Once Upon A Time....

Once upon a time there was a young dog that truly enjoyed life.
She loved children, always happy to invite them into the yard with great fanfare and noise. She especially loved to bark. Barked for the sheer joy of it, for no apparent reason, but long and loud.
She was strong, could pull eight foot landscape timbers out of their position, move them clear across the large lot, to chew on them at will.
She liked a variety of drinking water. Fresh or feathery from the bird bath, delivered out of a sprinkler, from the little in-ground pond where the plants had to be lifted out along with the water. She could also perform elegant, acrobatic stunts to get to her most favorite water source. She would jump up three feet to the edge of the fish pond, lean over just so and have the water delivered into her mouth. Fell in only once!
She looooved the cat, she loved Azi, even played with the pigeons when she could. She's not a killer, so she seemed so happy when she came across a baby mouse one day. To keep her little playmate safe, she did the best thing she knew, put it in her mouth where it was nice and warm. Nobody knows how long she had the mouse-icle. Eventually, a human noticed the tail hanging out and she gave it up.
The last time she was seen, she was exploring the possibilities of digging to China.

Yummy Mandarins

Last year, it was so cold that the fruit froze on my citrus trees.
This year, that's not the case. The lemons and naval oranges are not quite ripe yet. The mandarins are another story. I picked a dozen of them and tested them - three times. They taste just wonderful, sweet and seedless.
The citrus season has begun.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I saw this flock of turkeys on a seldom traveled road in the Sierra foothills. They were there just so I could capture their picture.

(No, we will not be eating a bird this year.)

Waterfall in the Black Forest

We were driving through the Black Forest in search of a small town known for its Cuckoo Clocks. Near our destination was a sign pointing to the tallest waterfall in Germany? Sure, why not check it out.
It all looked very makeshift. Scraped parking area, hand painted sign pointing into the forest. It's all about walking into the woods in the Black Forest. So about a half mile along this trail sits a little shack, kiosk, with a woman inside collecting an Euro from us if we intend to go on. (Would she have chased us down had we continued without the toll payment?)
So we stood on the little bridge, looked up then down this section of the falls and went back up the trail to our car.
The falls were a bit of a disappointment, to be truthful, and I had not been in the mood to stumble, again, through a section of some wood. But never fear, we had to do the hiking again another day!
Now on hindsight, I appreciate more fully the calming effect of that little walk. It was cool in the forest on this warm day.
When we came to the little clock town, we drove over the bridge at the foot of the falls. It was perhaps prettier there than it had been on the hill.
So we ate our lunch sitting on a low wall, bought the required clocks and drove to the northern edge of the Black Forest on this day.

Cats

My cat Pepper has always been a sweet thing!
But what is it with the stretching on corners?
She has and uses her cardboard scratching thing. Then she stops in door ways, or the kitchen corner, or the window mullion, stretching up. She doesn't sink her claws in, just stretching.
Why not stretch against the flat wall? Would she loose her balance and fall? Does she need the 90' to angle her paws?
Deep questions to which we must find the answers.

Ray and 'Shel

Happy anniversary to Ray and Michelle!

Flu Shots

It's that time again. I've never had a bad reaction to a vaccination, but picked up many illnesses from elementary kids. So flu shots are for me.
This year was the most convenient ever. Drive to the (new and beautiful) county health department, Get in line behind the other cars, stop at a couple of stations in the parking lot, pull up to the nurses station and one of them will step up to the car and inoculate as needed. Donate $2 and leave.
I understand these drive through clinics are not new in some parts of the Nation, but they are new in this area.
I like it!

The Most Beautiful Doors

As a young girl, at the end and after WWll, my family lived in a small village in Southern Germany. We girls had a lot of freedom and ran around the village as we pleased.
My sister, two years older, loved going into the forests and looking for mushroom and berries. That is something she still does now.
On the highest rise sat a little church and next to it was a grassy mount, flat on one side with steps leading halfway up. On the flat side, maybe ten feet tall, and as wide, was a set of wonderful steel doors. The steps were a great place to sit and watch the world go by, slow as it was then.
I never saw those doors open, but behind them was the water reservoir for the community.
These doors were a treasure. Very ornate, swirls around the edges, and in the center of each door was a huge lion head, in its mouth a heavy ring. We would put our ears to the door and listen to the water moving somewhere beyond those doors.
The best part was to swing the lion's ring against the door and have the sound travel far into the hollow behind those mysterious doors and back.
The last time I spoke with someone who lives there was in 1994. The mount has been leveled, the road redirected, the gates are gone. Just gone!
The then major supposedly had them in his barn. It's too bad they are not used on a structure in the village. By now they probably have made their way to an antiques dealer.
But, no matter, I have a set in my head!

Halloween of Years Past

As an adult years go by, become a group of years, often all of them about the same. But to a child every year stands alone, not one is the same as the next. Each is important as a mile stone.
So here it was Halloween and my daughter had a broken wrist with a cast on it, for ten days. After school I took her to have the cast removed. The clinic was an hour away. The cast was taken off and then she was told she would be getting a fresh cast since the swelling was gone. I knew nothing about broken bones then, I too had thought the cast would stay off. So the cast making crew came in, did their thing, and we drove home.
She'd had plans to go trick-or-treating with her group. By the time we returned, it was late, her sister was home with her loot, Halloween was over and done with.
She was so very disappointed to have missed out on the fun of that day. And there is really no way to make up a day like this, ever.

Tomatoes Next Year, or Forever the Optimist

I like to eat fresh, home grown tomatoes. We used to grow them here.
The last time was in 2004, with limited success. I had put a couple of plants in the ground, surrounded them with wire cages and they began to grow nicely. Then I left on a three week vacation leaving watering instructions with Michelle. Upon my return I had a tour of the yard, my plants had received good care in my absence. But the tomatoes just weren't growing. They were green scraggly twigs.
Wouldn't you know it, Azi was sticking his head through the wire and pulling the green tomatoes off, and if a branch of plant came with it, so what.
The following year I put the plants in pots too tall for him to reach. By then we'd gotten a mid sized puppy. She could reach and did. I hid the pots behind fencing, with marginal success.
I tried again this year, blocking the pots, but now that we also have a dog the size of a small adult I just got a couple of pieces.
But, but some plants came up by themselves and have grown to the outside by the driveway, and the dogs can't reach. They are ripening and I will harvest them.
Next year my tomatoes will be planted outside the fence, in the side yard.

Pigeons

Nope, I did not take any pictures of the pigeons on the power lines tonight, because everyone has seen them and can follow along.
For years I didn't pay any attention to them, or care one way or the other.
They are everywhere. They are called Rats on Wings, Pests, #@&#*.
We've seen them at Saint Peter's Square, in Rome, at Placa de Cataluna in Barcelona, London, San Francisco, even Sacramento.
I began to work at a school in Marysville in 1995 and a large palm tree was next to our class room. It was home to many pigeons and I began to notice their patterns. They were happy on Tuesdays: Popcorn Day. (Sure kid, spill your bag's contents, it will be cleaned up by tomorrow.) I even brought some feed from home and scattered it to see the reaction.
Then Ray worked at a Pest control company that received a call to remove birds from some one's home.
1. Parent birds fly off
2. Destroy the nest
3. Block off the roof
4. Do away with the hatch-lings
Oops! Big problem. Don't want to do that.
Yes, we took on the birds. We learned where to get food, how to feed them in one day.
We raised them, handled them, and they liked us. (OK, they really didn't!) Eventually I even kept the cage open, so they could come and go at will.
It was really kind of neat. They sat on my shoulder and let me walk around with them, never any poop on me. I took them to school and showed them to the students who touched and stroked them. (They took off in one class, but a bit of food enticed them back to me.)
They did fly off eventually. One of them came back once for a brief visit, but that's it.
Some communities have strict codes against feeding them. My cousin, who lived to be one hundred years old, fed them on the sly from her apartment balcony. It was her joy, as her cat had been dead for decades. And who was going to send her to prison?
My brother, living in a care facility, can count on some visitors daily, in spite of those metal spikes outside his third floor windows.
In the last few years we've had them camping out in our palm trees. Children of "My" birds maybe?
Sometimes the dogs will bring one down.
Funny though, I know quite a few of them now. If not by name, but coloring and behavior. The strutting cock, the brown one that took it's time to become assimilated, and flies with the flock now.
But does it really matter if a few people feed them? I think we have very little influence on the well being, or destruction of pigeons.
So, enjoy them if you can.

Gray Lodge with the Guys

We had another beautiful fall day today. My friends and I took our dogs for a long walk at Gray Lodge. It started out cool, but warmed to the 70's.
Clearly they are not used to posing for the photographer, so this is the best I could do.
We went for lunch and two of the dogs had to acclimate in a strange house. They did well, no snarls.
Azi is tired though, has been sleeping most of the afternoon. Being on the alert is hard work.

A Faller Day

The calendar says fall, the weather says summer=faller.
I did some garden cleanup, some baking, some reading, some knitting. A mix of summer and autumn activities.
We are scheduled for a few more. Time to fix the fence, cut the grass and take a long walk at Gray Lodge with Azi and a couple of his friends, and their humans.

So happy I'm not in SoCal where things are truly hot!

Well, Dang it, Azi

As I wrote, I love the new desk, and so apparently does Azi.
It sits under the window, an ideal spot for outside watching. Not being shy and not lacking in courage, he took the path from the couch arm to the desk chair to the desk top. He marched along toward the window.
I didn't see him do it, but unfortunately there is clear evidence. He left scratches from his cement sharpened nails. And, yes, they were deep. I wasn't able to make them disappear totally, but did a pretty good repair job. Needless to say I would have to make sure the chair stays tucked in. That's not realistic.
Michelle reminded me that I have a very heavy piece of glass about the right size. We laid it across the top. Most of the wood is covered, all the important paths.
As an added bonus I stuck the coasters I collected on my recent trip, and had the proprietors sign, under the glass. Actually this will make it easier to set a glass or hot cup on the desk.
Yeah, a blessing in disguise. Thanks Beast!

My wish

After many years of nasty people living on our short street, we now have a lovely mix of ages and no criminals living here. We appreciate our good fortune. As our neighbors' kids are getting older they spend time playing ball on the street. Ours used to.
I wish we could block of a section of the street and have the dogs run with the kids. The kids would love it.
The dogs would be ecstatic. The energetic sheep dog from across the street would finally have a purpose. Our girls could lick everyone. Azi could get underfoot, tripping kids and beasts alike.
In the end everyone would be smiling, and sleeping well that night.
That's my wish.

My Cousin

Sad news from home. My cousin died unexpectedly yesterday.

Many of the family met up this spring in Germany, and he and I had the opportunity to get reacquainted. He was the oldest of all the siblings and had known our grandfather. He filled me in with some stories about him. He also knew our dad when he was young and carefree, before the advent of wife and kids, and hard times of WWII.
As a university student of theology he would tell me that I read too much, didn't think enough! In the intervening years we rarely met, but kept up with each other through "the family".

I found him delightful, loving to his wife and offspring. I just assumed he'd be there for a long, long time. We will miss him.

Annual Migration of the Birds

It really is autumn!
This morning started out a bit overcast with some drizzle. Midmorning I walked across the street to our mailbox. Once the youngsters head off to school, and the workers leave for their jobs, it is very quiet around here.
So I was a bit surprised to hear a gaggle of geese overhead, followed by a couple more. Flying high, heading south. We live under a major western flyway and this is a twice yearly event, going on over several months. The birds come in to rest and feed on the barren rice fields for a few days and fly on. Depending on the species they come early, or later.
Gray Lodge Wildlife Area is the most quiet place I know. Larger than many towns or counties, it is eerily still. I have walked Azi there. Along the long walking path there are mostly song birds, sometimes ducks.
The big birds can be seen by car only, no getting out. It is an amazing sight, thousands of birds on the water, resting and feeding. After rice harvest is complete many of the neighboring fields are open for the birds to feed off of them. Hunting clubs are opened by then as well. Hunters, of course, pay for many of the conservation efforts.
Last year we saw a raccoon by the side of the path. He gave us the:"What do you want? Move on, already!" look.
So, the year's migration has begun!

Sierra Adventure

For months my friend's son had planned his mother's surprise birthday party. Rented the hall. Arranged for food, drinks, decor. People came from far and wide, as the saying goes.
My trip was only to be about forty miles long and taking about that long. So I got into some finery and began the drive. The weather was lovely and I was really enjoying the trip.
Close to my destination I noticed the road was extraordinarily rough, although it looked smooth. Ahh, a flat tire! Let me pull over and check it out. As luck would have it the shoulder is about two feet wide there, the road curvy. After a couple hundred feet I could pull over and checked on the damage. Forget damage. The tire was totally shredded.
Not a problem. I'll get on my cell and call AAA. Oh, wait, I rarely get service in those hills. That day was no exception. My next thought was to look at the shoes on my feet, to see how far they would take me.
I was able to hail a truck with an antenna hoping he'd make a call for me. The driver, who works for the water company, gave me a ride to the roadhouse/saloon up the hill. From there I was able to call road service, my family, and the birthday girl to let her know I'd be late. (Someone had already spoiled the surprise)
When the tow driver came to pick me up, he told me he took a guess at coming to the restaurant as he'd been told I would be waiting at a hair salon, he knew there are no salons in those hills. I guess old ladies don't wait at saloons!
So, back to the car, trade out the wheels, sign on the line, an hour later I'm at the party.
A fun party it was, too. I met all the cousins and friends I'd missed up to now, got reacquainted with those I already knew. We partied into the night at her house, after the hall time was over. I was the first one to the house and I noticed a deer. As I was walking toward it to get a closer look, others drove up and the deer bounded off. She really does live in the woods. Lovely.
So on Monday I made my way to the Les Schwab Tire Center, the replacement tire cost 50% of new, although I only had seven thousand miles on it. I'm happy with that though, I thought I'd have to pay full price anyway.

Oh, Nuts!

Nuts are good for you!
Suppose you take 8oz. of walnut pieces, sprinkle some crushed pepper (yes, the kind put on pizza) a dash of salt, a beaten egg white, half cup of brown sugar. Stir all that well, put on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake at 350' for ten minutes.
So, so good, but let them cool before eating. Really!

Bread

I make most of the bread I eat. All sorts: whole grain, cheese flavored, white, rolls, pretzels, sweet, filled, twists, on and on.
I rarely get mixes, but yesterday at IKEA I purchased a bread mix, and put it together once I got home. Rye with lingonberry. At $4.00 a bit pricey, but I'll give it a try. It did make a very large loaf, but I'm not impressed. It's very dense, too much rye, and where are the lingonberries?
So I'll stick with my own recipe going forward.
I'm already looking forward to the pretzel rolls that I'll make next, they are best with ham and swiss emmentaler cheese.

My New Desk

I love my new desk. I started to make it about six weeks ago. I had to stain and varnish the old table top I had.
Then IKEA didn't have the table legs that I had to have, so that added another three weeks. Once they were in stock again, we made a quick dash to Sacramento. I had to prime and paint the legs black and attach them. The attach system is really well thought out. Moving the computer over was kind of fun.
Now my legs fit under the desk and my arms are comfortable on my new, wonderful desk that looks out over my front garden.

Thelma

I have friends that have a walnut orchard, and Thelma. She's tame, allows herself to be stroked and will pester until she has a treat. She prefers sunflower seeds, but today I tossed her oats and she seemed happy to scratch for those. She also rewards her humans with a steady supply of large eggs. She's not fenced and stays close to the house.
That's Selma!

Rice and Rain

We've had a couple of soaking rains in the past week.
Some of you would think,"Big deal"! But in the agriculture based economy of the Sacramento Valley it is a big deal when rain comes and only a third of the rice has been harvested. We grow some of the best rice here, much of it exported to the Far East.
The fields are a thing of beauty, especially in spring and summer when they are flooded and are of those lovely shades of green.
Now we want the fields dry, so the harvesters can collect, thrash, and haul the produce to the dryers.
Hopefully we have a reprieve for a few days and things will dry out again.
It's just right when the farmers who have worked so hard are able to their crops under the barn roof in time without damage. Besides, it keeps grocery prices stable.

Dog Room

Our garage is a cold and breezy place. The dogs had a large "Dogloo" dog house, but it's not large enough to sleep both of the girls. So Michelle and I collaborated on a design, went to Home Depot, bought supplies, had them cut the plywood and hauled it home. Eighteen hours later, with much supervision from the dogs, a bit of caulking and paint, we have a wonderful, large enough place for the dogs to be comfortable. The lids is removable but serves as a work surface if needed.
I'm glad we planned ahead in getting this ready, it already gets pretty chilly at night here.

A Job for Super Couple

And a big hand for the Super Couple, Michelle and Ray!
Now you see "it", now you don't. The rail road tie that was standing in our yard for many years is out. Its original purpose long forgotten.
Michelle dug a deep hole around it over the course of a few days. And while I took care of some town business they took it out. What a surprise. It looks lovely, not being there.
A big, Big, HUGE thank you to you two! Well done.

Fall (Poof) House Maintainance

So today Michelle and I got around to cleaning out the rain gutters on our house. I think we'd skipped last year. We got lots of fodder for the wheeled compost bin. The downspouts had been covered over with debris.
Here's the exiting part. So much of the fill were leaves and seed pods and twigs from the two trees we've had cut down this year. So we will never have to take out loads of that stuff again. Unless we put it off for ten years. Which we won't.
We're ready for the rain, our winter.

(Poof)?

I like how Suzanne just poofed her way to autumn.
Not so fast however, because (poof) we're back in summer!
Those that know me, know that summer is the best season for me. So. I'm hoping for a warmish autumn.

Back to Normal

Oh, what fun it is to be back home pursuing routine activities.
Oh, what fun it is to be part of a family celebration.
My cousins daughter was married to a very special man this weekend. She is a wonderful woman in her own right. I am glad I was part of it. With a front row seat, no less. The bride's uncle came from Germany, to represent the German "Clan". Her father's clan was in full attendance. I think the gathering continued to Sunday. I took the Uncle, my cousin, home with me for a few days. We walked from the estate's pool house (oh yeah, some pool house, pictured above) to the car for some minutes on an unlighted road, no moon, by the light of the cell phone. Down hill. (Yes, I took off my high heeled shoes.) By midnight we were home from the wine country.
I had planned to show him some things in Sacramento, but he wasn't feeling well and we spend the time at Urgent Care. He was cheered when Dr. Mueller showed up and they chatted, in German, about a recent vacation in Normandy. Dr.Mueller's mother is French. Small world, after all.
I took my cousin to see my friend, (and travel companion to Germany,) in the foothills. She fixed yummy dinner, got reacquainted with him and showed her lovely property.
So now my gentle cousin's gone again, on the bus to San Francisco.
So, things are kind of back to normal, but I rather miss my cousin, after all. Everyone should have relatives like him.

Project, Sort Of

There is a sign on my kitchen door that states: No more projects in '07.
I've not been happy with my desk set up. I want to dispense with the too small table that gets cluttered, looks messy, and leaves my printer on a box on the floor. Having mulled that over for a bit I remembered the really nice table top I have been storing for years.
So I checked the Minwax website for the pros and cons of the different furniture refinishing products. I stripped the top and just stained it. It looks great. Matches the furniture in the photo very well. (Although it's much blacker without a flash, in natural light). Then a couple or three layers of poly and I will be a happy girl. The legs will come from IKEA, I'm leaning toward the bent wood which I will spray black. I will build a small shelf/table on rollers to hold the tower and printer, and it will hold the gathered cords as well. Also black.

But first I'm off to Napa for a wedding, after which I might bring one of the guests home with me for a few days. I'd like to show him the State Capitol in Sacramento, it's quite a showplace.

Old Age is Hell

I have a neighbor who is ninety-three years old. She lives with a dog and cat. She generally minds her own business, and is very quiet. So I wondered what she was doing sitting outside of her tall wooden fence, in a lawn chair, in the heat. About noon she ambled over, having waited for me to get up. (I'd been up for hours.) Her car won't start and her phone isn't working(?), could I call her insurance company, AAA, and have them come and fix her car. She wants to drive to Oregon.
I use my card for road service. They arrive shortly. Nope the battery is fine. I suggest they take her car to the garage that works on my vehicle, as they are open. Yes, they'll try to get it back today.
It's hotter still and she's back in her lawn chair on the dry grass. She returns over here after a bit. Where is my car, she asks. They said they'd be back with it in thirty minutes.
No, they are not bringing it back. We will get it after they call to let us know when they have repaired it.
Still going to Oregon, you know!
About four o'clock and ninety dollars later the car is repaired. It seems she has a rodent problem and the beasties have been enjoying bits of her automobile. In addition there was no fuel! Probably evaporated, or a well placed bite from a rat handled that. She insists that someone syphoned it out. The mechanic says he doesn't recommend driving that car to Oregon, but she says she's driven much worse. So she loads up the dog, locks the house, and hopefully she's save with her family by now.
I worry about all the other travellers on the road when she takes these trips. I have never encountered her in traffic so I really don't know how well she drives. In any case I'm not going north. But aren't there many other old drivers who should give it up for the well being of others.
And when will I reach that point?

Yard Stuff

My previous entry did not cool Suzanne down at all. It's still hot. A couple more days of over 100' still coming. So I went out in the yard on Wednesday and worked for three hours. Couldn't put it off any longer. I used all my garden toys and made the property look pretty.
I am having a hard time beating the dogs to the raspberries. They are much more vigilant and beat me to the harvest.
Then I had a tomato ripening. A lovely pink tomato. Surely they won't see it hidden under some vine. What was I thinking? The tomato's gone as well. I mean, really! I already plant them in pots in an out of the way spot.
Next year I need to rethink my garden space for edibles. We used to have an enclosure for the dogs. I want to make an enclosure for the garden instead.

Because I've been spending so much time outdoors, I've neglected the inside of my home and today is the day I will fix that.
So, I'm through procrastinating and get to it.

Lets Cool Off!

Here we are at the site of the 1936 Winter Olympics. Although there have been some upgrades to the stadium over the years, it's still the same size, small, by todays standards. The jump itself is being redone and enlarged, so photos are not interesting.
Not everyone that came to see the competitions had a seat. Folks stood in the cold snow to see the jumps and and Nordic events. Bear in mind that clothes have come a long way to provide today's wearer with dry comfort. Just imagine standing there, for hours, in soaked shoes and wet, woolen socks.
However, those that had tickets to be in the stadium had the pleasure of sitting on stone bleachers. In the freezing cold.
Today there is a cafe operating in the stadium, which probably was a place for guests to warm up and use the bathrooms then. Anyway, sitting on the terrace of the cafe one can imagine watching the sporting events of cold days gone by.
Hopefully this little narrative has cooled you, the reader, off. It's given me the chills.

Red Hot Prunes on the Go

A bunch of ladies, with red hats, get together regularly for any variety of social reasons. Lunch (as at Applebees,) little outings, cards at someone's house, and such. It's a non-threatening way to get together, just to hang.
Needless to say some ladies are the organizers, some are the enforcers, and some just fall into step.
In my work I had to be the organizer and I'm done with that. I'm happy to fall in line.
I've been wondering how much our birth order still plays a role in behavior today. I think I'd like to do a study of behavior of senior ladies and what has influenced us to be the way we are. (Did I just imply I'd organize something?)
As we were lined up for the photo shoot today I wondered who of us were the first borns.

It's Really Not Springtime

I live in the land of peaches, walnuts, and rice. I don't live in the mountains with an alpine climate. So why are some of my plants so confused? Beats me!
Yet I have many Cyclamen in bloom (December and January bloomers as a rule) and then the Wisteria has decided to give us a second showing. Both are very frequent and blast their aroma across the yard.

The End of Birthdays

Tomorrow is Suzanne's birthday and in our family hers is the last one this year.
So I shall bake her her requested cake. After that, any cakes I'll bake will be "just because".
We hope she has wonderful day even though she'll be slaving away at her job. (Green is her favorite color.)

Happy Birthday Suzanne!
from your mom

The Three Sleeves Sweater

Last year I began to knit a sweater but didn't have the patience to master the directions. I put it aside. Last month I picked it up again, and lo and behold, the instructions seemed so easy now. Front and back are complete, together at the neck and trimmed.
Now just the sleeves to finish. I made pretty quick work of #1. Then last evening, enjoying the last bit of daylight, I sat outside and worked on #2. Ray asked me to come and look at a clip on television. Putting my work into the little tub by the bench, I saw the short segment on the tube and returned back out.
Let me just say that I was not happy with the cutest dog on Earth just then. My second sleeve was wrapped around a tree. My wonderful 10 1/2 bamboo needle has chew marks in it. My completed sleeve was on the lawn and has threads pulled here and there, so I'll need to redo it. Never mind that it's soiled in spots. Ray walked around to retrieve the #5 needle, I couldn't find it. Thank goodness no bites to this. Surely my eyes were glazed over, and I must have been seeing red.
So that is why this sweater needs three sleeves.

Michelle's Birthday

Today is Michelle's birthday. Happy Day!
When I offered to make her a cake she opted for Chocolate Mousse. Although I have several cake cook books, that's a recipe I don't have, so I had to invent it. Deep chocolate cake base, on a chocolate graham cracker bottom. First layer: a coating of raspberry glaze, topped with white chocolate mousse. Then another thin layer of chocolate cake topped with European style mousse. Edged with short ladyfinger cookies glued on with frosting from a can. Piped on decor, with a piece of fancy truffle.
It took several hours to create, I thought it was delicious.

Elvis Lives...

...in my memory. Listening to the radio station of my choice this morning the D.J. mentioned that one of the listeners had an Elvis story (which I had told him many months ago at WalMart). He mentioned my name and here is the story:
When Heide was a little girl traveling on the Autobahn in Germany with her mom, the car (a 1939 DKW) had broken down. Along comes a big Army truck, a couple of men get out asking what our trouble was. The radiator had overheated and water was needed, which they did not have. So the four of us stood around discussing the options and shortly thereafter they left. I remember telling mom that that had been that singer guy, I recognized him. Besides his name was on the uniform. As you might have noticed that nice D.J., John, shaved a few years of my age, I actually was a teen then and quite into the rock n' roll scene.
I fondly remember that little meeting with Elvis Presley almost fifty years ago.

Gas Prices

It's a good thing to get out once in a while. I'm staying at home so much I might have missed this.
The last time I bought fuel for my car, I paid twenty cents more. This is great.
Is it a last reprieve before we pay much higher prices forever? The cost here used to be significantly less than, let's say, Europe's prices. But no more. We pay about the same now. (Keep in mind that I remember paying $.19 for a gallon of gas.)
We'll have to wait and see how long this holds.

Summer Living

I have moved. To the outside.
With the patio project complete, the weather very nice, there is no point to being indoors. I pretty much live out there now. I have Harry Potter, some knitting, Pepsi.
I come inside to get food, load the dishwasher, and sleep. It will be over all too soon.
So today I'll cut our grass, visit a grocery store, maybe wash my car, and soak up more vitamin D.

More gardening Projects

Suzanne had asked me to redo the area in front of her house. Bermuda grass had swallowed the flowers.
We hate Bermuda grass!
So I'd come up with a plan, purchased the materials on her ticket, put in three hours of effort and, voila, spruced up front yard. The youngster got to help: dead heading with real scissors, digging and filling the green toter. (Garden recycling container) She got to spread the mulch from the Camphor tree, which smells wonderful. We replanted a large pot and delivered those I'd taken to my house to redo.
So it's done and looks nice.

It's Done, It's Done, It's Done!

So this is what it feels like to move a couple of tons of gravel, sand and bricks. My hands ache from lifting twenty pound pavers into place. And I had help! Lots of help. Thanks Ray and Shel. As can be seen, some work around the grass edge remains to be done. Small stuff compared to this.
We are very happy with the result. Such an improvement.

Photo Updates

Suzanne made me promise to post some photos next time I write. So go back some blogs as I've added some all the way to the Quincienera.

I've added three more rows of pavers, all the way to the 2x4. And it's framed now on the far side. I need more sand and a few more pavers. Tomorrow, tomorrow! I'll be glad to get the extra soil put away, now it's just piled by the post in the middle of the photo.

I made a Black Forest Cherry Torte for the child's birthday. That's the kind she wanted and it turned out quite well. Clearly her dessert stomach had been empty as she was able to consume a sizable piece.

Azi's Routine

Schedule for Azi: Meal #1 at 6am.
Hang out with humans, police the kitchen floor periodically during the day.
Meal #2 at 6pm.
After that, dive under a cover on the couch and sleep. Come out only if someone is puttering in the kitchen, they might drop something.
When the favorite human goes to the bedroom, follow, crawl into bed, under the cover.
Always under the covers.

Running

Well, I haven't actually been running, but I feel like it.
The nasty Liquid Amber tree took two days to be gone. On the first day it was so hot, and it got late. (It had been a taller tree than the Sequoia next to it!) So they cleaned up the neighbors yard, and finished the trunk and grinding on our side yesterday. The guys start at five on these hot days, so by four in the afternoon they are tired.
We are making progress on our patio. Nearly half the stones have been put down. We need more sand, which I will get by the bag. It wouldn't be worth it to buy another yard and pay for delivery. Besides, bagged sand is finer, preferred to finish this job.
Our house smells nice as I just finished baking the birthday cake. I will fill and decorate it tomorrow morning.
Then Michelle takes over the kitchen to make the chicken pot pie.

The Project

We have paved a section of our terrace. Pavers are on the sand, which is on the weed block, which is on the gravel, in the deep, deep hole.
Well, we have just thirty-five pavers so far. There will be almost two hundred. So we are making progress. It was hot yesterday, so we waited until things had cooled a bit and paved. It's a group project, between hauling sand from the driveway, bringing the pavers from the stacks, smoothing the sand and keeping it level.
When I was little and the street by our dwelling was re-cobbled I spend a lot of time sitting and watching the men work. Golly, it's finally payed off.
We also found a way to keep Alani out of the way while we are on the job. We turn the Rainbird sprinkler on, and she's happy, and wet, for quite a while.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

I was looking after Suzanne's youngster today. Oh, what to do? On the way to Sam's I thought to stop by at a friend's house. Since she didn't answer her phone we just went unannounced. We chatted, picked fruit, looked for chickens, webbed the windows. I only did the first two, but the youngster went country. She even had a tractor ride .
Back home we decided to have mashed potatoes with the rotisserie chicken. I'd made little fruit tarts for dessert.
No, she'd never peeled potatoes, sure she'll do it. "And don't forget to put salt in them"! "Turn up the music, please! I work better with music!" I added the milk, butter and let her beat them. We ate, she rated the meal very high. Good for me.
Later she says:" I'll tell you how to make mashed potatoes now! First you put milk and water in a pot, add butter, pepper and salt. Then you open the package, pour the little pieces of potatoes in and stir. And, voila, you have mashed potatoes. That's how you really make them!"
Voila!?
I told her what we did was called "cooking"!

Tree Killer, Again

So here I was, a week or so ago, reading in my backyard. The dogs were lounging nearby. There was only a slight breeze. I heard a noise in the liquid amber tree. Thinking it was my neighbor I called his name. He didn't answer, and I kept on reading. Louder noise still.
I looked over in time to see a large branch hit the ground, sharp end first. That was a surprise. So we looked the tree over yesterday, noticed several dead branches. Those will come down with or without our help.
So today the tree man, Big "T" gave an estimate for its removal. We can't take a chance with a self destructing tree like that. The neighbors have dog and kids and cars, so it has to go.
On the bright side, we no longer need to avoid stepping on the sharp seedpods which is impossible anyway. Also, the tree's root system is very invasive and is sure to cause serious problems soon.
It was another poor choice to plant there.
And yes, we still have more trees on the property, never fear.

Harry Potter

I'm coming!
I'm ready to delve into the last book of this series, but, I only have two hundred pages to go on "The Fatal Shores". It is too important to interrupt, even for H. P.
Sorry!

Creating outdoor spaces

Yesterday was a hard day. It was hot.
I worked on the hole that will be the terrace. It's nearly level and ready for the weed block and gravel.
Suzanne asked me to help her refresh the garden bed near the front door, to update the curb appeal. So I went there in the afternoon, waiting for that area to be shady. Dug out what we can use and is worth keeping. Those plants filled two large buckets and some large trash bags. I also hauled two pots home to replant there. Round-Up is my best friend for this project.
I put all the salvaged plants into a large tub here to recuperate in the shade until we know where to plant them again. I replanted the two pots with salvage and new plants, adding fresh soil, then soaking them well. Meanwhile I'd come inside to make dinner. Yes, the cutest dog in the world found the new plants bringing two of then to the back door to show us. Needless to say I didn't see her or would have taken them away before she had shaken the soil several feet up the stucco wall, into the washroom, into the washer. We saved the plants which I later planted.
Then I went to bed, reading. Michelle found yet another plant by the door. So Alani'd uprooted it, gnawed it some. I replaced it , again, and we moved the pots into the driveway, outside of the gate. We decided that perhaps the plant had been marked in Suzanne's yard by a cat, and the dog didn't like the smell. She was so persistent, not her usual way to do things.
So today, I dug some more on my hole, perhaps by the weekend we will be graveling, sanding and paving.
I'm looking forward to just sitting down and having no big projects waiting.

Quinceanera

In all the years I've lived here I had never had the opportunity to attend a quinceanera. A fifteen year birthday party/Coming Out/Confirmation all rolled into one.
The Catholic church was filled for the two hour service. The young lady was seated before the altar, the seventeen sets of younger escorts sat in the front pews. The Father spoke of respect for self, family and Church. A choir sang lovely Latin songs, quite well I might add. She received gifts (symbolizing adult hood) and had symbolically stepped out of childhood. It was solemn, yet very sweet. Those who had been to confession were invited to receive communion. Then the honoree and her court exited.
Here comes the fun part! Invited guests proceeded to a Moose Lodge, and there must have been three hundred, for food and drink and very loud music. It was a lot of fun. Foods was yummy, drinks were cold.
So many of the people there had been former students at my last school and it's so nice to catch up with their doings. Even chatted with one of Mosker's class mates.
The dancing started and it was all over for me. I'm sure that party is still going on now.
What an amazing day for that young lady.

Waterfall

On a hot day it's great to play in the sprinklers. Or, being a grown-up, I move a sprinkler and accidentally get wet and cooled.
These pictures were taken on a hot day. This gulch in the Bavarian Alps is really awesome. All along its length the water bounces off the rock face and sprays the viewer. It is very cool and refreshing all along the path, well worth the hike.

Jumping for ?

About ten years ago I built a six-hundred gallon fish pond. I stacked three layers of railroad ties, lined it with heavy pond liner. The height makes it easy to maintain and the edge is a seat all around.
Over the years I've lost a number of fish and pretty much stock goldfish now. Michelle has bought me three Koi. One is silver with black, one is tri colored and one is a rich gold.
For some reason Gold jumped out. There he was, laying on the ground beside his home. I have no clue how he got that much lift and over the side, the water level is down about eight inches. I suppose he landed on the bench and wiggled, in the wrong direction.
As luck would have it, Michelle was up extra early that day and had wandered out to the pond, saw him and flipped Gold back in.
I hope he learned his lesson and doesn't do that again.

70 and Counting

Well, yes, I pre-ordered the last Harry Potter book and it should be here in about seventy hours.

But what will I do? I'm in the middle of "The Fatal Shore" which was on Mosker's reading list and is a fascinating recount of Australia's founding. Which will I put off? (Probably Harry)

Rain in July and Peach Festival

This is so strange. It's late July and we had rain. Yes, measurable rain.
I won't need to sprinkle the patches where I'm trying to fill in with grass.
On comparing our temperature with KC, I noticed that we are lower, with much higher humidity. That's a change.
Now, on the down side is that this could be bad for the tree crops. Peaches, plums, nuts (and tomatoes) have not been harvested and no one wants those things if they are not pretty, have spots. Hopefully a good wind will dry them out soon. Our local economy is heavily dependent on agriculture.
So let's go out and enjoy this weekends festival in Marysville.

Horse of a Different Color

Idon't know why this horse stands right in the middle of town, but it sure adds color and interest while one strolls about.

Good Bye, or, Idaho Here She Comes

On Friday some ladies got together for a send off lunch for a friend.
She has sold her house, packed up her belongings, crated the cats, and is moving to Idaho. Needless to say it's come as a surprise to some of us. She will be missed.
On the bright side though, she has bought a newer, larger home that sounds just right for her. She is looking forward to the new phase in her life, in a new part of the country.
Who knows, we might just have to drive to Idaho one of these days and visit her.
We wish her well.

Busy Birthday Weekend

I've been on hiatus for a couple of days.

Wanted to catch up on The Tour. Plenty of falls, serious injuries to cause racers to drop out.

Baked a nice cake for my birthday. White cake with raspberries and chocolaty, fluffy filling. Not too bad. Suzanne came out with the child. She and I spend an hour in the water with her new water toys. She's getting quite the good swimmer, says she's half fish now. Cute. She painted a birdhouse for me. It will join others that are screwed to the fence. I couldn't buy a better one, this is the one I like.

Finished the small paving project. I had to relay seventy pavers that I'd put down twenty years ago. They had become uneven, because I didn't do it well the first time. I didn't want anyone to trip, as it was, there was a good chance for that to happen. (The big paving project awaits, that will be about two hundred pavers.)

Then today, lunch with about thirty of my friends, a monthly event.

And it's gotten cool and breezy this evening, quite a change.

What The? #2

Seen in Europe.
"Smart Car" is its name. Carries two people and a couple of bags of whatever. We saw them used as delivery cars for bakeries. (We know how necessary those fresh rolls are in the morning.)
You can squeeze them in any small space to park. Daimler/Chrysler is losing money on this model.
Perhaps a little too small for our needs here.

Losing My Mind?

I feed the birds that come through my yard. Not that they need me to, but I like having them around.
Thistle seed for the yellow finches, then the jays eat what they want, and I put peanuts out also. Mixed seeds for the red finches and whoever wants it. That's the menu for this time of year.
The mixed seed feeder holds several pounds of feed, and I know I filled it yesterday. So this morning, not a seed left in it.
Yesterday I felt the same, wondering if I had remembered to fill it the day before. So now I wonder are these critters eating so very much or am I losing my mind and only filling the feeders in my mind?

Those Never Ending Projects

All I said to Michelle was, help me go through this cupboard and discard old stuff. Working together it should take us ten minutes.
Flash forward, more than thirty hours later and I'm about to put what's left, back into the cabinet. She pulled things out, we discussed, we pitched. We took out the shelves, fresh sticky paper was put on. Then she said, how about painting the inside, its due. So, primer and two coats of shiny white were put on. It was an awful place to paint. Twenty-four inches deep and only fifteen inches wide, yuck.
The lovely clean shelves are back in and the items are wanting to follow, but gee, I'm not in the mood anymore.
Maybe I'll save this till morning, go outside and mess around on my paver project instead.

Tour de France

A few years ago, while I was visiting in Spain, the Tour de France was in full swing. People were really wrapped up in the event, so that's when I began to follow the race.
In 2005 the race began in my hometown in Germany. It's a pricey deal, towns compete for the privilege, hoping to recoup the output of money by getting their name mentioned internationally, attracting tourists.
I missed the start of the race this year, since I usually bypass network news. We are now on day four. It should be interesting this year since there is no proclaimed favorite racer.

And just as Kansas City had its decorated cattle, Pforzheim has their fiberglass riders.

What The?

So, what is it?
This conveyance was parked on a sidewalk in Germany.
I don't remember if that is a BMW logo on the fender above the front tire. I suppose the cover provides a little protection from wind and rain. We never saw any of these on the road, being driven. I bet it's economical on gas.

Gardening is for the Birds

This is the first time in all my years as a gardener that I've had success with these flowers. I know them as Crocosmia. I'd tried to grow them before, either there wasn't the correct soil, they became bug bothered, I didn't water enough, too much, in other words, they went away.

Last year Suzanne gave me a bag of bulbs which I planted in an untried spot. They grew to about thirty inches and produced a few sparse flowers. I chalked it up to my previous failures and let them be. The soil is good there, watered regularly, fertilized too, and look what happened the second year. They grew to about four feet tall, with a profusion of blossoms, which have lasted more than a month. They are petering out now, but still there is plenty to attract the hummingbirds. It's a feeding station at its best. The birds don't seem to mind when I sit nearby and observe them, they keep on coming.

So, if you want hummingbirds in the summer, plant these.

Bad Wildbad, Spa town Extraordinaire

More pictures of our travels! I rode on this mountain train once before. I was less than ten years old then.
This is how it works. There are two trolleys, one one each end of a cable. They pull each other up, there is only a break system, no engine. Halfway up there is a stretch where the track doubles and then becomes single again. To keep the riders level, the cars are built on an angle. One enters into a compartment, there is no way to go up or down within the trolley car. Pretty cool system, still working after many years.
Above the old spa town of Bad Wildbad, in the Black Forest, are wonderful hiking trails. Some lead to the moors which I remember from my first visit. But we didn't walk that far on this, for Germany, hot day.
We came across a chair lift for bikers. Works somewhat like a ski lift, no seat, however. Suspended on this cable is a hook, somewhat like an upside down "T" that is hooked under the thighs of the cyclist and up the hill he rides.
After all the walking we did on this day, we were rewarded with a stop at a hill top cafe and we ate more Black Forest Cherry Torte. Of course!