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.