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.