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.