Master Waffler, That's Me!

The past few months without Azi have been really hard. I miss having him. I miss having my own dog.
I checked the county shelter for a pup, but none seemed right for me. Then. Besides, I have a hard time being there and not crying. I went to the adoption day at PetCo, but didn't find my dog there either, yet.
I still want a small dog, but one sturdy enough to run with kids and not as fragile as the mini-dachsies are.
I thought that a Corgi would be a good match for me. Smallish, sturdy, outdoorsy, pleasers and an even temperament. Don't forget short haired fur. Would I drive to Southern California or New Mexico to get a rescue dog? I don't think so!
I broadened my options and included Beagles for similar reasons. They tend to bark more and are not quite so willing to obey. They are hunters after all.
I found a Beagle mixed with a forty pound dad on Petfinders website. This pup is with a foster home in the Davis area, a good hour away by car. Very doable distance. But, there's a huge but! I was asked to fill out a five page adoption request which will be reviewed and the SPCA will dicide if I am suitable. I will be interviewed by an adoption councellor to see if I can provide a suitable home.
Frankly, I found many of the question very invasive. All adults in an adoptive home are to be there for the adoption interview and be evaluated. I am asked to provided my driver's license, every adult's name (that lives here), their age. My vet's name. Do I own this place, why do I want a dog. Have I had dogs before. Have I ever had to have a pet euthanized. Why. Who will care for the dog, train it, feed it. Where will it sleep. On and on and on. No, they did not want to see a bank statement!
Though I was excited about one of the Beagle puppies, I will rethink this plan. This was not meant to be.
I will continue to look locally. I will let the rescue groups in the area know what I'm waiting for and then I will wait. My new buddy is out there and we will meet. When it's meant to be.

December Rush

Somehow the time slipped away from me. What with appointments to keep, books to read and socks to knit. Yesterday I had one of the screws removed out of my foot's bone. After which I had to lay down because I felt weird. The second break is a bit slow to bond, so that hardware will stay in a bit longer.
So when the mail carrier arrived with a Christmas card I knew it was time to get organized. Today I spent writing cards and baking bread.
Tomorrow the cat sees the vet because she has a sore under her arm pit and is not feeling well. She hasn't moved far in twenty-four hours. You know something is wrong when she won't eat a bit of ham from the deli. I carried her to and from the commode and now it's nap time on the couch. That's a change from the fur covered bench.
Friday I will go to the Sacramento Auditorium with Suzanne's youngster's class to see TheNutcracker. I never managed to work my schedule to go while I worked for the school district. I don't mind the bus trip. I enjoy sitting up higher for a different perspective and not be concerned with the practicalities of driving, and parking in the Capitol.
Monday the pest control guy will........
.....to be continued

The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker

I don't eat meat very often. I bake my own bread. With the advent of electricity I don't have much need for candles, or candle sticks, for that matter.
That being said, in the last seven months I have needed a handy friend, a handyman, an electrician, no, two. The bug guy shows up every couple of months. I've hired a contractor, had the heating/cooling system serviced. The plumber came to snake out the sewer line. Again I'm waiting for a plumber to fix the leak that has developed on top of the water heater. The hourly rate for a Saturday job is $125. It has not flooded the garage, yet. So far only the rug in front of it is being soaked. Shel placed a basin under the leak that we empty periodically. Good thing it hasn't dripped over night, not everything in the garage is waterproof.
This will make the ninth service guy here in a short time.
I'm doing my part to keep things rolling economically.

The Blue House

I've had little news to write about this past week.
The little blue house across the street has changed hands. The next door neighbor bought it for a song. So I've been watching the transformation this past week.
The house began during the Depression as a one room dwelling with dirt floor garage attached. The siding had been opened tin cans, flattened and nailed to the boards. "Old" Joe lived there for many years, like a hermit. (he was hard of hearing)
Then, twenty-five years ago, a retired woman saw some potential. She turned the one room into kitchen and bath, as well as dining area. The garage became her living room, having added a fireplace and cement floor. She added another room in which she slept.
Though the house is small, it became too much for her to take care of alone. Little did we know how messy and unhealthy it had become. She'd stayed with family this past year but was reluctant to sign any papers to sell the place. Finally, the county's code enforcement agency got involved. Clean it up, sell it, or pay fines, was their judgement.
So the 'kids' came, got what they wanted.
The new owner is a guy who's always on the move. He has many friends willing to help. The new roof has been laid. Another section has been taken off and rebuilt to current specs.
I'm happy to see that the property is being improved. I wonder how they will use the house.

Autumn

Once our summer was over we'd gone straight to cold.
I'm happy to report we're in the middle of autumn now. Light breeze, sunshine, open kitchen door, no heat on in the house. Nice.
I might have to find be a sheltered spot and sit out there with a book for a while.

Huge Waste of Time

I drove for more than an hour today to get a friend to an appointment out of town. We were delayed, having taken a wrong turn. We had to ask for directions and arrived at the location with three minutes to spare.
And were told that our appointment had been canceled! "We tried to call...blah blah blah.. the number we have is .....( clearly not our number.)
We stretched a bit, got back in the car and I drove back.
I entertained the friend at my house since her ride home was delayed.
I am tired tonight, but my friend must be totally wiped. Her day had begun much earlier. My guess is that she probably already asleep.
The next time I will call ahead before I get in the car and end up driving that distance without reason.

33 Years Ago Today...

...the Edmond Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior. This ship sank fast, very near to safety, no one survived.
Legend has it that should a ship sink during November, the lakes won't give up the dead.

Multi Talented

I was watching this William Shatner clip when Elton John's Rocket Man was playing on the radio. So I took this as an omen to send this out to you.
Enjoy!

Progress

Four days and eighty yards of trash.
That's how long it took the two children, and their spouses, to clean out the little house of our neighbor, and fill two of the largest dump bins. All that remains are a few pieces of dated, cheap furniture and a dusty mess on the floors. There has been some water damage to the ceilings, but all in all it's not in bad shape. There hasn't been any maintenance to the house in twenty-five years.
Now here's the good part: It looks like the neighbors in the adjoining property are buying the place. They like the land, clearly the house is not a selling point.
Hopefully the squatter has moved on. It's creepy to know he, or they, are there. (Let's hope they are not moving into the empty house alongside of us.)

Naivety

It's been fifty years since the radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds". I drove Suzanne's auto, the CD was in the player, so I listened to it.
It is an interesting sci-fi story, not generally my genre of choice.
Hindsight being perfect, it strikes me how naive the listeners have been to truly believe there was a Martian invasion.
The story's airtime was less than one hour. Scientists were trying to explain seismic activity on Mars and subsequently on Earth.
Bulletins fly from New York City to a farm in New Jersey. Remote broadcasts are set up within minutes. Fires flare and are put out in minutes. How did the fire department arrive in practically negative time? Martians emerge from their ship, military groups are called to service with their equipment and, poof, there they are. The same with squadrons of Red Cross workers. Poof. All before wireless communication, and the government didn't work any faster then than it does now. Supposedly many people were fooled into thinking this was a real invasion.
Or were we fooled into believing that people bought into the story? Where were the people that said:"This makes no sense at all?, but it's a great story."
One would like to think that our children are smarter than we, the parents, are. Were we so very gullible only half a century ago?

Actually....

....it was more than seven months since we have had a countable rain.
I measured 2 1/2 inches of precipitation during these four days.
That would be 22,500 Gal of water on my property alone. Meaning six weeks worth of minimum use for this household. Not everyone has this much space per ca-pita.
We need more rain!!

Birthday Cake

This is how the cake looked when it was finished! You remember! The cake I made for a friend the middle of October.
Youngsters especially like to get a leaf - or two, or several - with their slice.
White cake, butter cream, a thin layer soaked with current jell, topped with a sheet of marzipan/almond paste. All coated with semi-sweet ganache.

Santa Claus! Santa Claus?

Santa Claus! Is this really You?
I actually met one of these gents in 1995. He's an inkeeper in Pforzheim, Germany.

Gas Prices

Last year in August I posted an image of the gas price sign. Regular gas was selling for the large sum of $2.67 per gallon. It seemed like a huge amount to pay. We became accustomed to it, learned to pay close to twice that much.
I'm happy to report that the same station, once again charges the same amount. I haven't needed gas for a bit now, but the last time I filled up I paid $3.17. Prices are falling fast and I'm nearly ready for a fill-up.

Our Short Rain

Recently we had our first, and only, rain in seven months. It was refreshing and held a promise of more to come. But so far that was it. Waiting, waiting!

Sit! Stay! Smile!

I had no idea how difficult it is to photograph this cat.

Bishop's Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday was a lovely autumn day and I took the opportunity to drive the ten miles to Wheatland and visit the pumpkin patch. When the kids were young we would go most years but I'd not been there for a while now.
Wow, has the place changed. It's now a mini Disneyland. I took the little train for an overlook. What used to be a circle is now a figure eight track.
There are so many visitors, especially on weekends, that the activities needed to be spread out for better traffic flow.
To eat get in line for BBQ, or at the bakery. Buy candied apples, or cider from the cider mill. Bring your own picnic or schedule a party.
Take a ride on the hay wagon. Visit one of several playgrounds. Gather your own pumpkin from the field or pick one from the box. Buy souvenirs from one of several shops.
An important part are the animals: birds, large and small. Cattle, sheep, pigs, burro and goats.
In the image it's clear that the little goat was stuck in with the burro and wanted to join his kind again. He kept jumping on the donkey's back waiting for the right location to get back. Eventually the donkey angled toward the fence and the goat made a running jump off the donkey's back and cleared the fence.
It was fun to soak up the ambiance of the pumpkin patch again.

Blue Bellied Lizard

When my son was little we were visiting the Kelly Ridge Center by the Oroville Dam where he saw one of these and called it a baby alligator.
These guys are quite common in the valley and chaparral, but not usually in gardens and around homes. We have had only one brief rain in seven months, the ground is very dry. The property next to us is unoccupied and I assume they are breeding in that ideal habitat.
We see them scurrying up our breezeway wall or running into the front yard to get away from the enemy dogs.
( I have no idea how I managed to get the image into the middle of the text!)

Near the End

It's all about the dogs!
Or is it?
All these years we shut the door and didn't give much thought to what the dogs might miss until Alani came along, grew tall, and stood up to look into the kitchen. She wants to know what her human pack is doing. (She has these long nail and pretty much wore away several coats of paint)
So this new door is steel coated, double pained glass glass lets in twice as much light and is so much more energy efficient.
Before, Sholeh didn't have a clue what we were doing inside since she's too short to peek in.
This door is great! The girls can hang out, see in, and they love it. No more standing up against the door and ruining it.
I reversed the hinge, so no more licking of the dishes when the washer is being loaded either.
I am looking forward to a winter in a kitchen that's not drafty anymore with lots of light coming in.
I am nearing the end of my current list of home projects.

Season Change

That's all that remains of the wall we ripped out of the garage. Every week I shove all I can into out toter and have the debris hauled away.
I have turned my attention back to the yard. I'm in the process of turning over a large bed, amending the soil and replanting it with very different plants than before. I'm not sure what will work. The space has full sun in the winter and mostly shade in the summer. I found that flowers in the space can be nice, but often look messy. Not very inviting so close to the door. So far I have decided to put in some Pansies, but that's only for this winter until the new planting becomes established.
More later!

Sleep! What Sleep?

As you've read the electric puzzle is solved. Having gotten up early to wait for the contractor I was ready for a good night's sleep when evening came around.
I was sound asleep when 'Shel came into my bedroom shouting: "Get up...house on fire!" I took my glasses, shoes, a cover and got up thinking that the electricity was after all still fouled up. Damn!
'Shel was on the phone giving directions to the dispatcher for the fire department. As I exited the house I didn't see any fire evidence.
The fire was across the street and flames were shooting twenty-five feet or higher. On closer inspection it became evident that the storage shed behind the blue house was engulfed. The fire department arrived and in due time the flames were put out. I went back to bed leaving the pros to do the cleanup.
I got back to sleep around two only to get up at six to feed the dogs. Back to sleep to be awakened, again, by a knock on the door around seven. A fire damage cleaner upper man stood there. He'd heard we'd had a fire, he was offering his services. Grrrr!
I started on the day. Got in line for the flu shot at the health department parking lot. Picked up some groceries. I left before noon to spend the day with a friend in the foothills, stayed for dinner.
Another looong day was done. (Not what I planned for my retirement at all.)
So off to bed I go around ten. You guessed it, to be awakened by the doorbell and knocks after eleven. Sheriff's deputies looking for information regarding the fire. (Let me guess, arson is suspected?) They went to every home on this block, waking a goodly number of residents. Even advising us to keep a look-out for empty homes. Isn't that exactly what we have been doing for the last few years?
Shall I hope for sound sleep tonight?

Puzzling

We have the great electric puzzle on our hands! I short circuited an outlet in the garage. It wasn't really a problem since I wanted to get rid of the whole outlet, Romex, all the way to the breakers as far as I was concerned. This little incident caused the overhead light in garage, as well as the light outside the garage to stop fuctioning. Power to the washer and dryer is out also. The electrician spent five hours trying to solve the wire puzzle without luck. ( He's only done this kind of work for forty years, after all, what does he know? ) He did not charge me for his time.
Tomorrow at the crack of dawn, another guy, from a well known company in town, is coming out to look at this problem.
Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope this will be solved soon.

Cake and More Cake

No matter how many images I download, there is always one more I wish I had ready.

While sorting through the garage last week I came across a long forgotten set of cake pans. I explained to 'Shel how to make a checkerboard patterned cake, but it's always best to show how it's done. I missed a bit on the ratios but not too bad.
Suzanne's youngster loved her piece, says it tasted like brownies.

Next week I promised to make a cake for a friend's birthday. I need to make sure that the results are more polished looking. I plan to fashion that cake after the European Dominoes that are so good to eat at Christmas time. I will need to put in a jellied raspberry filling, a layer of rolled almond paste, topped with a chocolate glace.

Teenager in the House

Pepper is thirteen years old now.
In the mornings she likes to sit on my bed, look out the window and watch the birds feed.
She likes her nap on the bed that gets the direct sun in the afternoon.
Early evening she sits on the front stoop and catches a little breeze. (but I have to keep the door propped open)
Late night she checks on me in bed and makes sure my hand still knows how to stroke her soft fur.
She is a very sweet animal and I enjoy being her keeper.

RAIN

I know I'm shouting! We had wetness from the sky.
As I was driving to town yesterday morning, I heard this noise like gravel hitting my car. What is this sound? Then I saw the raindrops hit the windshield. It had been so long I'd forgotten the sound of it all.
I drove another mile and by then had moved out from under that one small, lonely cloud. The air smelled great, for just a moment. Then it was done. I never even used the wipers.
Someday it will rain again, for real, I'm sure.

Beating on the walls, #2

Yesterday I wrote about taking out a section of wall someone had put into the house before we bought this property. It divided the main part of the garage from the end that's used as wash area.
We liked what we had done, taking out a couple of feet of wall.
We mulled the project over for a day and came up with another plan yet. I checked up in the rafters to make sure the ceiling would not fall down. ( I found a couple of junk items and a few things to donate there as well.) Our handyman has a job to do here on Monday, we will ask him to secure one electric wire that we left dangling with the outlet attached.
Today we took out the last seven feet of wall and opened it all up.
The results are simply excellent, indeed!
Why, oh why had we never thought to do this before?
Many of the walls in the garage are already painted white, so that will make the completion of this project much simpler. We still have to move some shelves, restock them.
We have a pile of building debris, we were dusty, We are so happy with this job.

Hanging Out

Alani likes to hang out when I sit on the patio. The princess doesn't lay on the ground, she uses the furniture like the rest of her pack does.

Beating on Walls

The washroom is in dire need of a face lift. It's been more than twenty years since we painted it that startling yellow.
Last evening Michelle was picking at the brittle Japanese Garden, wall paper that still clung to the washroom wall. Very soon the wall was stripped and we were discussing what we could do to update the space. We pulled the shelves and hardware off.
We discussed patching the walls and giving them a fresh coat of paint.Than the proverbial light bulb came on. I decided to demolish part of the wall to the garage. We'd had a three foot wide opening with a header. Now we have a five foot wide opening clear up to the ceiling.
As it was, the handyman had been here and we asked for his input.
Michelle pulled the studs, all that remains of the demolition are a few nail ends to be cut off.
I think we will paint the space white.

Not Ready

Michelle and I went out to lunch on Wednesday. It was her treat so she was in charge of the activities.
She said I needed to begin the search for a new dog. We stopped at the local animal shelter to check out the dogs. Not surprisingly there is a large offering of pit bulls, and a number of other larger dogs. Some of those dogs are downright scary. They had a few pups, none really looked to be a good fit for me. There were some golden retrievers, but they really are a larger dog than I want in the house, although I like their personality.
The nice thing about a little dog is that I can carry his monthly food bag in one hand. The output is not a chore to pick up, and he can be bathed in a basin. Also important is that their bark is just as loud.
I'm glad we went, but I'm just not ready for a new dog.

The Fountains

The Fountains is an upscale shopping area in Roseville, California. By upscale I mean the ambiance is very pleasant and the prices in the shops are high as well. This central fountain, one of several water features, has an ever changing pattern,reminding me of the display at the Bellagio in 'Vegas, just not so elaborate. (Nothing beats 'Vegas!)
Since I'm recovering from foot surgery I've been somewhat stifled in my activities and I'm living on memories of the big exciting world.
So, there you have it. Visit the lovely, expensive, exclusive Foutains!

Pond Maintainance

It's pretty easy taking care of this pond. Every couple of months I put in some biological product that keeps the water balanced. I rarely check it anymore. The fish and plants are happy and the water is mostly clear-ish.
One end of the six hundred gallon tank is thick with an assortment of plants and only about three feet deep.
The other end is deeper, colder and has a stone shelf under which the fish can hide.
Today is the day I need to get out there, switch off the pump, pull the heavy filter out of the water and clean out the components. It's not a bad job if you like to play in water, and I do.
It's another story though in the winter when the water is very cold. At least twice every winter I end up cleaning it.
Today, however, I'll enjoy it since it's toasty out there.

Doggie Jail

The folding dog kennel was a good investment. We use it to block the dogs out of areas as needed. We fold them up when the girls are free to roam.
This evening Alani put herself in solitary confinement.
The reason became clear in short order. She was trying to flush out the little tree frogs that find refuge under the log. She pursues them with great enthusiasm.
It's clear she has become comfortable with the kennel.

The Problem with Shirts

This is a girl with simple needs. A place to dig, food to eat, and some beloved human's shirt to toss around.
The problem this week was that she chose the clothes she shredded. Picked one of my favorite items out of a clothes basket sitting by the washer, unattended for just a few minutes.
Yeah, I'll continue to give her shirts with which to play, but I won't leave my laundry unchecked.

Thanks IKEA

I understand, in theory, how to wire in a light fixture. When there are multiple wires coming out of the box, I'm stumped. The electric guy had no problem though (it's a conspiracy from the electric workers union).
So here are the new, energy efficient, fixtures. Enough bulbs to illuminate the art work and light the way.

What The....#3

A Curb Pooping Thingy!
Caltrans (California Department of Transportation to you foreign readers) is building a Park&Ride lot a block from my house, by the freeway exit. Coming to a stop, waiting for traffic gave me an opportunity to glance at their equipment.
A cement mixer was loading its cargo onto a belt attached to a weird looking thing.
What the..? It can't be!
Yes, I saw it! It's real, an honest to goodness Curb Pooping machine.
I drove home, parked my car, got the camera and took a walk to capture the machine's production on film. There you have it.
I had no idea such a machine existed, but it's not surprising. It's so ingenious.

Don't Scare Me Like That

So here I was, the happy dog sitter.
I took a break inside, came back out and here is Alani with a three inch wide, deep red smear running down the side of her neck. Seeing that gave my heart a big jump. I ran my hand over her neck to find the source. She was not in any distress. The red stuff on my hand had a familiar smell, but I couldn't identify it. Checked both dog's feet, checked the cement for blood drops. All clear.
I walked the yard still smelling my hand when it hit me. My relief was immense. Yup, she'd been rolling in fallen plums. She didn't even seem to mind getting washed up.

Yard Sale vs. Freecycle

I like the Freecycle organization. I have benefited from the generosity of their members and have given away things I no longer need.

The neighbors are having a yard sale and offered me a space to add items for sale. I sorted through the garage this week already and came up with three containers of parts and pieces and added an extra large Dogloo, not large enough for our pets.
Needless to say if all my items sell at the requested price I'll have enough to travel the world. Or not.
On the other hand, the daughter contributed Barbies and accessories which Suzanne had me get for her child. My dog shelter sold and we are even with the Barbie trade.
So much for traveling the world.

Yard sales are great! To clean up regularly Freecycle is the way to go.

The Great Electric Puzzle...

...is solved!
One afternoon last week Michelle and I took down two light fixtures in the hallway. Clumsy looking things from the '80s.
That evening we noticed that some of the outlets in three bedrooms were not functioning. I hated that since I had no reading light in the evening or radio to wake up to.
Michelle's dad came to sort it out. He made sparks fly, but admitted defeat.
I found a semi-retired electrician who spend four hours today chasing down this problem and installing four simple lights fixtures. Installation of those took maybe one hour, the rest was spent tracing electric lines in the walls and listening to his beeper tool. He disassembled outlets, put them back together. We moved a couch to get to the main switch box in the garage. I emptied two book cases and moved them to check the outlets hidden behind them.
Lastly we moved the bathroom cabinet to check the outlet there. Well, well, well, there was the defective safety plug.
So, it was strictly coincidence that we took the fixtures down and lost power on the same day. I'm happy to know that the jumble of wires that spew from the wall boxes is actually not a messed up mess as I'd suspected.
And it didn't cost me any limbs to pay for it.

Freebee

Pun intended!
At one point I purchased a packet of sunflower seeds and spread them out on the ground. Now I have clusters of sunflowers coming up amid the grass. I mow around it and end up with a patch of field.
When the dogs knock the plants down, I cut off their heads - the flower's, not the dog's - and lay them on the patio. The birds love that little treat and come in flocks.

Personal Moon

The patio behind the house is a great place to sit, especially at the end of the day.
A fine place to have dinner, a drink, entertain visitors. A perfect spot to play a few hands of cards.
But the light was never just right. There are Fairy-lights mounted on the eaves about ten feet away, OK, fine, they are Christmas lights. Wonderful ambiance, not bright enough to read by or see cards well. We tried candles, too much glare, not enough light.
On our last trip to Ikea we found lantern parts that we used to hobble together our own moon. It's lightweight, won't drag the frame down. We fitted it with a CFL and it only uses 11W. How great is that?
So tonight 'Shel and I are already scheduled for some cards, by the light of the moon.

Does It Ever End?

A dog's life is work, work work.

Alani might be saying, "The work around this place never ends! What with digging the holes in the boring lawn, chasing birds, harvesting berries, distributing toys all over the yard. Now these people have added cleaning the dishes to the list of chores. What are they thinking!"

She still makes me laugh!

The Sounds of Summer

My windows are open to the mild breeze this evening. I hear crickets chirping. I am not aware that I heard others this year. Seems these are the first. It is one of the classic summer sounds.

Every two months a pest control service comes by, clears the webs away, sprays to kill whatever bugs are too abundant in a given season. The stucco stays clean. The eaves are not loaded with spiders, the ants no longer walk in as they please looking for the tiniest morsel. The products used are sprayed to a ten foot perimeter and won't hurt the pets. It seemed a bit extravagant when I first signed up for a trial time, but I am pleased with this service. I also believe it helps the house stay healthier, not so likely to become a dinner for insects.

Yet, I'm happy that at least ten feet out there are crickets communicating.

New Stuff

This site is for those of us who love that store.

Did I mention that Michelle and I ripped out the broom closet/converted to a cupboard, cabinet, and replaced it with a pull out shelf pantry. It was tricky to put together as the components are versatile, can be used in many other pieces. We took our time and the instructions made sense after all. It takes up less space-width- than the original piece. All items stored are easily seen and accessible. Love it! Love it! The drawers have the easy close/quiet feature. It pulls itself close. A wonderful thing.

I want to go back soon and get a light to put under my patio cover. We like to sit out there in the evening, maybe playing cards, and the light is never just right.
As soon as I purchase another light fixture, to put over the kitchen sink, Michelle's dad will come and install it for us. I'm thankful that he's willing to do that for us.

Fruit Trees

Landscape trees are planted for their beauty, function as shade givers, and are planted to be there for generations.
Here in the land of commercial fruit trees, we look at trees from a different perspective. A walnut tree, for instance, will produce a cost-effective crop from somewhere between three and twenty years. Then it is pulled out, replaced by a new tree that will, again, produce in about three years. Same thing with all other crop trees. You might say, it's like growing beans, when the plant is spent, till it under.
About thirty years ago someone gave each of us in the family, for lack of inspiration, a fruit tree as a Christmas gift. For a while we had spring cherries. until two years ago we had walnuts to pick up every year.
All these years we ate Satsuma Plums. Dark gray on the outside, deep plum color on the inside. It produces a tremendous amount of fruit every year. Several hundred pounds, enough to keep us, our dogs, the neighbors happy.
This year some branches have snapped as the branches were too heavy with fruit to support them.
This tree has certainly outlived its expected productive life.

Oh, the cat has nothing to do with the story. It's just a cute picture of a big guy hanging out in a kids chair.

Playing with Mud

Once in a while even adults enjoy playing with mud.

Some years ago Mosker sent me a box with the supplies to make pavers. Included are letters to add some poetry or remembrance.

When my cousins visited, I asked them to inscribe a paver. They stopped their sunbathing to do that. After much discussion they came to an agreement, stamped a greeting, a thanks, their names, the date.
The paver is leaning against a little fence now, holding it in place. The paver catches my eye when I pass and I think of their visit.

From now on everyone spending at least one night here will be asked to play with mud.

Party On

So, the smoke has pretty much cleared. Air quality isn't great, but so much more reasonable.

My family came here on the weekend to help celebrate yet another year of my life. Food and drink, conversation and games.
On the "real" day my good friend took me to lunch at the Il Fornio restaurant in Roseville. One of our favorite "fancy" places.
Then on Friday I will take a special young lady, along with some very nice neighborhood kids to the new swim complex in Yuba City for a session. Fast food after as a very special treat.
Did I say they are nice kids? They offered to do chores for me after that. Such as filling in dog-dug holes in the yard, shredding papers in my office, crushing cans, mulching flowers. I'll think of more. (Shhh, I've been saving jobs just for this day)

The cakes are gone, the cookies last and we party on!

Once in a Life Time

When my son was a little boy he would listen to story tapes to help him fall asleep.
He listened to one, frequently, about the 1883 eruption of the volcano Krakatoa. One of the effects of that eruption was that the ash entered the atmosphere, reflected sunlight, cooled the Earth's temperature, eventually came down as acid rain.
I am not suggesting that our fires remotely compare to Krakatoa, but some similarities abound. At sunrise and sunset the sun has been bright red. Although it's light out now, there is no sunshine. Indeed it is much cooler -OK, less hot- than it was projected to be today, were it not for the smoke cover.
Outdoor activities have been cancelled, and should be. No concert in the park. The swim complex is closed.
We are actually located in between three fires. One in Napa, One in El Dorado County, (between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe), The third near the town of Paradise, not too far from Chico. (Again, there was a large fire just last month.) We spoke with a fire crew from the LA area yesterday. They said that the smoke's like this for one hundred miles south.
If one were to combine all the land that has burned, we'd have two-thirds of the area of Switzerland! Thank goodness, that's a small country.
Unlike the years it took for the after-effects of Krakatoa to clear, when these fires are out, a good breeze should clear our air. We will be able to go back outside and enjoy our outdoor life.

The Little Guy

Sadly, Azi could not recover.
We miss him very much.

I Can What?

I was driving back from town last night, close to midnight. I had been to see a play. There was little traffic but I saw many lights.
What? I could see for miles to the foothills, south toward Sacramento. Then it hit me! The air had cleared. I took a deep breath and smelled no smoke.
What a joyous feeling.
So we've had a little breeze come up across the Delta to cool and clean us. We needed that. Forecast for this weekend are the same conditions that started the fires to begin with. Let's hope the whole cycle will not be repeated.

Wild Fires

Fire crews in Northern California are still trying to put out over seven hundred (700!) wild fires. The air looks foggy, overcast for sure. I don't even see a red sun today. Although we are coming up on the middle of the day the temperature outside is 67'.
Outside workers have begun to wear masks to keep the smoke particles out of their lungs. There aren't even any fires burning in our County, just the neighbors to the north.
Weather forecasters tell us that it will be a few days longer before the smoke dissipates.

Air Show

I tried for three days to take a picture of these two planes in the same frame, without success.
The fighter goes through its routine, leaves and returns with his WW1 buddy.
Between the sunlight on my camera, the distance guess, it was not a good result.
There's always next year.

Azi's Down, Again

Last evening I let Azi come outside with me while I watered some potted plants. He did the "Water Dance" for a bit, I finished watering. He sat in the sun. All this took little time, probably less than ten minutes. I went in, rinsed my hands, Azi came in, sat at my feet. He backed up to the cabinet, had an odd look on his face, and has not walked since. I carried him to the cushion in the front room. It was very scary.
I took him to the vet today and the regular vet was back from a little vacation. Azi is on an aggressive regimen of medication that we hope will pull him through. We discussed all options, there is a good chance for recovery.
I am hoping for the best.

The New House

This is the little house that Suz bought for her youngster. She thought she'd read that it would take two people about two hours to assemble.
The box stated: two experienced people six to eight hours! Michelle and I worked four hours one hot day. I finished it the next day in another two hours. We must fit in the"experienced" category of assemblers.
It is cute as can be. A bit tight for an adult, but I can stand up inside. I made the left bench a bit higher, to make it easier to get up.
There you have it, the one room miracle!

PG&E

PG&E periodically sends a tree crew down our street, and all other streets, to check on tree growth. If branches have grown to within ten feet of the power lines the trees are tagged and a few weeks later the work crew comes along to chop them back. It's a good idea to watch their work for they are not the most observant guys. They chop away to get the job done. If the tree looks misshapen when they get through, so be it. Here they are working on my neighbors' young oaks. Tagging guy had said they would take my Italian Cypress down about ten feet, but the trimmers only took a negligible amount. About five years ago I talked them into totally removing a Eucalyptus tree by my driveway that required frequent maintenance.
There is no direct cost to the electricity consumer. We do, however, pay high prices per electric kilowatt and natural gas therms. So we do pay for it, a little bit, all the time.

Azi Update

Thanks for the phone calls inquiring about Azi's health. He's really perky today and walking normal. I feel positive about his full recovery. After a couple more weeks of limited activities and his medication for three weeks I'm sure he will be fine. Dachsie's backs are truly much more fragile than those of "normal" dogs.
I opened the kitchen door this morning and invited the big girls in for a bit. (I felt bad for not having spent any time with them the last couple of days). Sholeh made a quick check of the premises and left. Alani is laying next to Azi's pen, back-to-back. Kind of cute, she's the doggy sitter. In a little while I will move the enclosure, and Azi, outside and we can all hang out together.

Gerbera Daisies

Azi's Big Ooops

Azi had an accident and is very sick. One of the big dogs rolled him on Wednesday, and he can not walk very well now.
Dr. Vet checked him out today and gave him meds. It appears one of the disks in his back is not where it needs to be. He is on three weeks of kennel rest and meds.
Then next week his back will be x-rayed to see if it warrants surgery. We hope not.
He seems happy in his portable doggy playpen.
To go to the bathroom, I'm to carry him and keep him on a leash.
Poor little guy. Lets hope for the best.

Neighbors

I knew it would not last. The house across the street had been empty for seven months. Before that a quiet woman had lived there, regularly visited by her son. That son now has found renters and he already rues the day he let them move in. They are a nasty bunch. Loud. Their friends are loud, and there are many, many visitors. Extended horn honking during the night. The woman has a very nasty mouth, and clearly not too bright. Countless children run in the yard, climb the trees, pull down branches, make a huge mud puddle and play in it. Yuck.
No, I don't spend my day watching out the window.
I have a copy of the rental agreement, which the son sent to me after he had to be awakened late one night when there was a huge ruckus.
The dogs are having a hard time settling down at night what with the 2 am car door slamming and good byes.
Jeez, people knock it off!

A Gift

I was told that this was written by Omar Khayyam:
A loaf of bread,
A jug of wine,
and thou beneath a tree
I rather doubt it, but it came to mind last night as Shel and I dug into our dinner.
Ray had sent a lovely assortment of cheeses from Seattle. Goat cheddar, cow cheddar from England, A goat cheese from the south of France (Basque), an Italian fontina. We added a baguette, and a great bottle of wine.
All are wonderful. We could not find our most favorite, all were so delicious.
Thank you for this wonderful gift!

Nothing But ...

No pictures.
Normal weather!
No snakes!
No airplanes!
No visitors!

Just leftover food. Just cutting grass. Just conserving fuel. Just reading books. Just knitting hats and socks. Just checking other people's blogs.

Remembering why we observe Memorial Day!

Heat

Is It August Already?
I don't mind the hot summers here. OK, once it gets over 95' it can stop. But four days over 100', in May, enough already!
I would prefer not to use the home's AC unless I really need it, depending on the delta breeze to keep us cool-ish.
The heat put an end to the flowers of spring that tried to bloom a bit more. I will need to do some re-planting very soon. I was out there in the early morning, cleaning up some areas, filling a ninety gallon toter with yard waste, not suitable for my rolling composter.
The good news is that the raspberries have begun to produce and we get a bowl of fruit daily.

Gray Lodge and Snakes

I've had a number of first time visitors to our area in the last couple of years. In order to show them what this area is all about, one of our destinations is Gray Lodge Nature Preserve. I wrote about it before. I've visited in all seasons and I always discover something new and interesting.
Although Mosker had grown up here, this spring had been her first visit. It was also the first time that I had encountered snakes there. I don't know enough about them not to get creep-ed when they pass on the path in front of me. That's not good! So after all this time here I decided to learn a bit more, it's silly, after all, to get spooked by a few ounces of muscle.
When I took my cousins there, from a snake-less land, I fully hoped to show them local fauna. Off in the distance we saw a raccoon. We saw a deer. I had nearly given up when one of them saw the gopher snake across the path. No rattle! No triangle head! Good! We watched it. We photographed it. We filmed it. We watched it travel across the path and disappear into brush.
Mission accomplished!

U-2

Lately I've been posting about different interesting airplanes, so here's another one. There were two playing around the sky the day I shot this image.
They are painted dark to make them difficult to see at night. They are fast and maneuver well. Funny thing is, they can't land without ground assistance. There is no landing gear on the wing, so they will tip over unless the ground crew snaps portable wing tips with wheels on them. Every time they land!

Deja Vue

Fontonelli's Restaurant, in the old mining town of Grass Valley, has a lovely outdoor eating area. They also have their very own patio cat. Fat cat, by the way. It strolls over to check out the newly arrived diners and then meanders off to do cat things. Such as resting in the sun on a wall, after which it's time for a long refreshing drink from her personal water fountain.

Including the spots, this reminded me of our own Alani drinking from my fountain pump while balancing on the rim.

SR-71

This is a decommissioned, original stealth, plane. It was awesome to see, and hear, in flight.

Access to see it is limited, I try to take visitors to see it, as it's very special.

I took a young friend recently to walk around. I was surprised how very curious she was about the details. (She even found an operating flap on the body.)

Western Yellow-Bellied Racer

They're back! Watch your step. Just because its bite is not poisonous doesn't mean the bite won't hurt.

KC-135

These awesome flying machines don't live here any more. Their job is to refill other airplanes during flight. The nozzle, stinger, is visible near its tail. This day I paid a lot of attention to them as they seemed to fly and fly and fly.
Now I know that was the day they moved across the country to South Carolina, and the whole fleet, but two, was in flight. Those two flew away on Friday with a proper military send-off.
They'd been part of our landscape, sky-scape, for more than thirty years.
I'm sorry to see them gone.

Ettal

This is the Monestary's Roccoco style church at Ettal, Bavaria. Simply beautiful.

Yesterday

Finches, Red-winged Blackbirds, Flickers, Sandpipers, Turkey Vultures, Egrets, Ducks, Geese, Hawks, Snakes (and many others we could not identify) observed yesterday and Gray Lodge.

Waiting, Waiting

Yeah, I'm waiting for one on my children to fly in and spend a few days with us. I'm very excited about the visit, as the siblings have not seen each other in five years.
We shall visit Grey Lodge Nature Reserve, and some little Swedish store in Sacramento with four initials for its name.
Hopefully the temperature in the eighties will be a nice change. Never fear, it will cool off by the end of the week.
So shortly I will head out to SMF to make a pick-up.

On the Ranch

"Make yourself at home!" might be the obvious phrase here. Visiting my friends I'd left the sliding door on my van open, came back and met my new best friend.