The Twelve Days of Christmas

The first day of the Christmas Season was a pleasant and quiet day.  Had a phone call from a BFF in Texas.  Opened the Christmas gifts she'd sent while we talked.  My son called, his family's gathering at his daughter's for her first Christmas in her new home this year.  Another BFF from across the country called and we used up a good chunk of time wandering down memory lane.

A friend of mine from church was also going to be alone yesterday so I picked him up and brought him to the house for Christmas lunch and a visit.  It made for a very nice day.  Company for both of us and a purpose for me.  And, I got to prepare a real meal.  I don't do that much anymore.

Weather permitting, my sister is due to come visit this week.  She can go with me to drive me home after my cataract surgery.  Yippee!  We're looking forward to a couple of days to visit and catch up.  She's a southern California beach girl so winter mountains are a real challenge.

It rained like crazy last night but is dry this morning and should stay dry through the day.  The sun is even trying to break through, so the trip down to the valley to pick up my sister shouldn't be bad.  We have to go back down Tuesday morning (for the procedure) and then back down when she goes home Thursday.  The forecast is for rain off and on all week.  Prayers, please, to keep the rain and fog in check through the week, at least as we travel up and down the mountain.  A little sunshine would be a gift.

Enjoy these 12 days of  Christmas as we celebrate the birth of baby Jesus to the visit from the Magi.  They'll take us out of 2010 and into 2011.  A new church year is already under way and when the 12 days are finished, we'll be into a new calendar year.  'Out with the old and in with the new'.  Have a prosperous new year, either/or, or both.

Merry Christmas to All!!

This is it!  Last day to "get ready for Christmas".  Hopefully packages are mailed, cards are sent (looks like I'll be sending Happy New Year Cards since I only got half my cards out,) baking is done, decorations are up and outdoor lights are strung.  My tree is up and thankfully it's pre-lit because that's as far as the tree decorating has gotten.  Everything else actually got accomplished.

The creche has been out since Dec 6th with Mary & Joseph plugged in to light every night.  Today I'll plug in the baby and tonight baby Jesus will shine as well.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!   And a very Merry Christmas to All!!!

A Backward Sneeze?

Today was nothing if not interesting.  Katie's cough has diminished considerably but she still has the ragged breathing and she does this choking thing.  Of course, we save the choking thing for in the wee small hours of the night as a rule.  So back to the vet we go.  Yep, she still has bronchitis.  We knew that, it's going to take a bit to get rid of ... but we also have a relatively rare condition known as backward or reverse sneezing.  Never heard of bronchitis in dogs and never heard of this before, either.  Does this come under the heading of  old dog, new tricks?  The good news is that it's nothing serious, most likely an allergy.  The bad news is, I suppose now I have to clean house.

The vet took me to her computer and brought up YouTube to show me other dogs with this whatever it is.  To see this in action, go to YouTube.com and search 'dog - backward sneeze'.  The clip that is most identical to Katie is titled "dog reverse sneeze,' and right down to the facial moves that makes it look like she's breathing out of the corner of her mouth, this is basically what I see and hear when she wakes me.  Now Kate can get more intense doing this, but then it is 2:am, maybe it just seems more intense at that hour.  You tell me, would this scare the you know what out of you in the middle of the night?

Katie the wonder dog; sometimes I really have to wonder!

A Day WITH Sunshine

Finally, a break in the storms.  We're expecting a dry day today before the next onslaught.  It's about 40 degrees so we can get outside for non-canned air.  Whoopee!

Now I can get to the post office and get the rest of the pkgs to the post office.  I think I'll take miss Katie with me to give her some fresh air.  Her breathing is still ragged though the cough is diminishing and all she wants to do, still, is sleep.  As a matter of fact, that doesn't sound like a bad idea to me either.

Katie & P.I.T.A.s stockings are hung with care and we're just about ready for Santa Claws to make his appearance.  My baking is done and while I'm out today, I'll make some deliveries.  I'm having a guest for Christmas dinner and my sister is coming up the day after for a few days.  I'm looking forward to our visit.  However, I'll need to hit the grocery store and somewhere in there, I have got to do a little cleaning and picking up.  And ... I still have Christmas publications to finish for church services Christmas Eve.

But for today, I'll just concentrate on a dry and sunshiny day!  Hurray!!!

Nothing's Simple

This has been quite a month.  FatCat, my beautiful calico gave up the fight a little over a week ago.  We buried her out front with two of her 'roomies'.

Saturday night Katie started coughing and hacking.  By yesterday she'd added gagging.  She's had all her shots, including her Bordatella.  Last night she'd wake me with her coughing and I'd wake me when she wasn't coughing (I had to get up to make sure she was breathing).  We'd passed on Christmas Caroling at the nursing home last night, thankfully!

Did you know dogs can get bronchitis?  Me either!  She's now resting peacefully and I'm looking forward to doing the same tonight.  After a check up, a pair of x-rays to rule out kennel cough, breathing passage blockage, and/or who knows what else, it was determined that she has bronchitis.  She's now on an antibiotic regimen and cough suppressants.  Looks like her stocking will be slim pickin's this year.  But she'll be fine and that will make my Christmas merry & bright!!!!

Amazing Day!!!

Yesterday was the anniversary of my 28th birthday, I could tell you which one but then I'd have to kill you.  It was an amazing day!!!  2010 has not been one of my best years, to say the least.  But yesterday made up for it in spades.

Thursday evening, after our church vestry meeting, some gals took me to Crab Cakes for dinner and the birthday celebration began.  Last night friends had a dinner party for me and we had a wonderful evening!!!  As is tradition, it rained like crazy all evening.  Ever since I moved up here, we're guaranteed snow or heavy rain for my birthday.

My facebook page was filled with posts from family and friends which made my heart burst.  I'd been feeling kind of worthless the last couple of months but my grandkids and nieces and grandnieces/nephews  reminded me that they love me even from varied distances.  My brother and my kids called.  There were f/b posts, cards, you remember - the kind that come in the mail through the postal service, emails, and phone calls.  I realize I have more friends - real, caring friends, than I'd imagined.  The warm and fuzzies are still with me this morning.

It almost makes turning another year older something to look forward to ... but not too soon.  I'm happy to bask in this warmth, at this age, for now.

How'd It Get to Be Christmas Already?

The lights are strung on the front of the house and porch and on the upper fence railing.  The Nativity Set is out and lit.  The inside decorations are here and there throughout the house and the Christmas tree is up.  The lights are on the tree (only because it's a pre-lit tree) and the angel is on the top, but the ornaments are still in their box and have been for almost two weeks now.  If I drag it out much longer (like a week,) I won't have to do it at all.  This year, the lights will be all the decoration it needs and/or gets.

The shopping is done and the packages are on the living room floor.  That would be a good thing except that they need to be wrapped and then packaged for shipping.  Some only go down the road 50 miles or less and some go to SoCal and some need to go to Texas (from central Calif.).  I really need to get this task together.  Should have been done a week ago, at least the out of state pkgs.

My daughter had a great thought today.  Let's celebrate the true Christmas on Christmas and the gift-giving, and partying, and fun at New Year's.  Her logic is we could concentrate on what Christmas is really about and then the following week we'd be less busy plus we could take advantage of the post Christmas sales.  Yeah, I know, the retailers would catch on and the post Christmas sales would be a week later too, not helping us at all.  But it was a good thought.

I love Christmas, I have always loved Christmas.  I have such good memories of Christmas' past.  We didn't have much when we were kids, but Santa never let us down.  We did have some tough Christmas' when my kids were young.  I remember one year, in particular, we had the actual, for real, Charley Brown Christmas Tree.  The first ornament we put on it, it just bent all the way over and the tip hit the table top; yet it was probably one of our best Christmas'.  We'd make Candy Cane and other Christmas cookies and a pot of Wassail.  My daughter carries on some of the old traditions, no Charley Brown trees, thank goodness!

When Larry and I were married, we would spend Christmas Eve at his folks'.  All the family came together and Santa showed up for the little ones.  It was homemade tamales, arroz, frijoles, y tortillas at midnight.  We'd spend earlier Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with my family at my brother's home.  He did a mean prime rib.  Win / win!!

Maybe one reason I keep putting off decorating the tree this year is that I'm feeling just a little nostalgic.  Before he got sick, after grandpa had strung the lights, it was my granddaughters' job to hang the ornaments and then we all had hot cocoa and sat around admiring their work.

Our last Christmas was about 3 1/2 weeks early.  Grandpa was terminally ill, all the kids came for his birthday and while they were here, we got out the decorations and the dads strung the lights on the outside and the moms and grandkids put the garland on the stairwell and helped decorate the inside and we put up the tree and all the boys strung its lights and everyone got in on the act decorating it.  It was the first week in December but it was our very best Christmas.

Well, so much for nostalgia, I guess I'd better put this away and go finish the Christmas presents so I can get them to the post office tomorrow.

And Susan, Happy Birthday!!!  Your birthday gift is with your & Tim's Christmas gift ... I'm trying to get them to you before the New Year.

From Katie, P.I.T.A., and me,
Merry Christmas, Everyone!!!

You Can Stay, But It's Only Temporary

Back in the Spring of 1993 or '94, our neighborhood was inundated with stray kittens.  Every cat in the free world had given birth and dropped off all their litters in a 6 house radius, I'm sure.

One kitten was a little female calico.  She was a sweetheart but we already had 3 other cats and weren't looking to increase the family.  We (including the neighbors) had relocated most of the kittens and she was on the short list when we discovered that this baby was expecting babies.  We discussed it and decided to let her stay with us until the babies were born and weaned.  This way she could get good nutrition and care while she carried and nursed.  No way was she going to a 'shelter'.  That was about 17 years ago.

She was very confused about what was going on inside her and terrified the night she gave birth. We brought 5 new little kittens into the world and I showed her how to clean them and nurse them and gave her comfort while she pushed out another after another.  It was quite the night.  She was a good mama and I tried desperately not to get attached, but I'd just midwifed her and now was teaching her to be a mommy ... she was still just a kitten herself.

As soon as the kittens were weaned, we set her up to be spayed.  Just prior to her appointment, she went into heat again and tried every womanly wile she could conjure up to entice our older male.  He was willing until he remembered he didn't have the proper equipment anymore.  He gave her a slap and skulked away, embarrassed, I'm sure.  My husband and I laughed 'til the tears flowed.

She grew to be a large cat.  We'd (since we planned to not keep her) taken to calling her simply Miss Calico. Her new and official name became FatCat.  I had to buy a dog carrier with a luggage dolly to take her to the vet and the groomer's.  She was so round, she couldn't properly clean herself and that meant a monthly trip to the groomer for bathing and shaving.  Talk about indignities.

When she was maybe 3 years old, she was mauled by 3 very large dogs.  They'd gotten  between our garage door and our front porch.  She ran into the neighbor's yard, but because of her size, she couldn't get under or over their fence.  On the plus side, because of her size, they couldn't gain purchase either.  About that time my husband came home and ran them off.  He called me and I came and took her to the vet.  She needed drains,  sutures, and various meds.  She'd lost a couple of claws and even a tooth.  By the time we had her healthy again, she was worth her weight in precious gems.  But she was forever terrified of anything and everything.  People who came to the house regularly never saw her.  They thought she was a figment of our imagination.

She was a good kitty; loving, easy, she squeaked, she didn't meow.  She got on well with the other cats.  She wasn't a lap cat; her preference was to lie next to you with her forepaws and head in your lap and the rest of her on the couch.  She was obviously appreciative because she brought me gifts --- half a lizard, half a mouse, either half at different times.  Eeewe!  She wasn't a lap cat.  She lay with just her front paws & head on your lap.  She used your legs for kneading tortillas.

When Katie moved in and adopted us, she accepted her easily which was surprising because of her fear of other dogs.  She seemed to sense that Kate was family, and no bigger than any of the other cats, so it was okay.

We relocated to the mountains in 2005 (4 cats, a dog, a bird, and me) and she went outside once and decided she wasn't missing a thing and being a housecat would be perfectly fine.  Just this past Spring she started going outside when Katie was out.  Then she found herself a place on the front porch and a chair on the back deck.  Life was good.

A few months ago, I took my little siamese mix to the vet and we discovered she has kidney failure and he expected she'd be gone by Christmas or year end.  She's not only holding her own, she appears to have put on some weight.  She does, however, have kitty alzheimers and that's a challenge.  Meanwhile, FatCat took on the symptoms of kidney failure and was dropping to a mere shadow of herself.

Her temporary stay came to an end this past weekend.  She was just a handful of fur and bones and Friday started to quit eating and even lost interest in drinking water.  Saturday morning she gave it up and took her last breath.  Her little body is out in the yard by the pond with George & Cocoa and St. Francis is watching over them all.  I catch myself heading for the front door to let her out first thing in the mornings and being careful where I put my feet at night so I don't knock her off the bed.  And it seems strange not to have to watch my every step so I don't trip over her.  She was a good old kitty but she'd used up all nine of her lives and it was time.

My little family is diminished yet again.  And each one is terribly missed in his/her own way.  But they're together and they'll all keep dad company now.  17 years, not bad for a 'temporary' stay!

A Very Special Day

Back in the day, and I'm talking w-a-y back, when I attended the Roman Catholic Church, I made my First Communion at age 7 and my Confirmation at age 13.  It was a major occasion!  We had studied for months memorizing responses that would be forgotten by the next day.  There was a large class of confirmees with all their immediate and extended families in attendance.  It was filled with pomp & circumstance as any grand occasion/sacrament.  We all lined up and went forward toward the altar to be confirmed by the Monsignor as "Soldiers of Christ," we vowed never to smoke or drink or indulge in inappropriate behavior before marriage (the word 'sex' hadn't been invented yet.)  You can imagine how long that lasted - the smoking & drinking part that is; in the 50's 'petting' was a mortal sin.  We were all presented with a certificate and a scapula to show we had accomplished this great step in our growth in our faith.

Since then, I have left the Romans and have joined the Anglican church.  My husband, who was also a former Roman Catholic was confirmed in the Episcopal/Anglican church a few years before his death.  Yesterday, I attended another Anglican Confirmation Service.

The son of friends of mine was confirmed with a handful of others as part of a special Sunday service.  The procedure was a little different, a little less pomp & circumstance with the attention being placed on the confirmees rather than the ritual.  They are no longer referred to as "soldiers" of God, rather they are children and representatives.  They've committed themselves to serving God in their daily life.  It's not unlike the Jewish tradition of Bar Mitzvah ... yesterday, he achieved manhood.

It was a beautiful service.  I'm so glad the weather held and I was able to drive down to the city to attend.  We had a nice reception for all the confirmees and those attending the service and then a small group of us went to lunch together.  This is always special because I get to visit with people I haven't seen in, usually, a long while.  I did leave early as I wanted to beat the incoming storm coming home; made it by minutes.

Thank you Wes, and your family, for inviting me to share in this special event.  I'm proud of you and I was very pleased to have been a part of your special day!

Hwy 41, aka: Memory Lane

Yesterday I drove one of our church members down to the city for a doctor appt.  He always has interesting stories to tell and we talked about Thanksgiving and Christmas, but somehow we got onto vacations when we were kids.

His family was big on camping and when his dad had to haul whatever he hauled from southern to central California, he took the kids and made a vacation of the trip.  My parents didn't do vacations.  My dad was a merchant seaman and my mom didn't drive until later.  A vacation for me was a weekend trip with the girl scouts or a visit to my aunt & uncle's.

My husband's family vacationed all their lives and when I joined the family, we (my kids & I) were introduced to this concept.  Vacationing meant camping and I fell in love with it.  Maybe that's why I love living where I do.  My daughter says my home reminds her of camping except you can go in the house, take a shower, and sleep in a bed.  Many times we camped with my in-laws.  We camped locally and we camped out of state.  Our favorite spot were the lakes above Beaver, UT. We camped at Anderson Meadows at about 8,000 ft.  Fishing was excellent, we ate a lot of trout.  The kids hiked and we took horseshoes and a tetherball set and board games for them; the girls would lie in the sun at the campsite and then go around the lake and play in the snow.  Swimming was out of the question.  The people in the town were so friendly and always helpful.  And, it was one of the most beautiful spots I've ever seen.  When we took the kids, we'd break camp a day early and go into town to spend the last day and night at a KOA campground so they could all swim and the girls, especially, could enjoy the "modern conveniences".  Each trip was a story in itself and I'll break them out on occasion.

Yesterday, Hwy 41 became Memory Lane.  Thanks, Earl!

The Long Holiday Weekend

Yesterday was catch up day.  Katie and I made a visit to the residential extended care home that we couldn't get to last Tuesday.  I went out to my shed and brought in all my Christmas "stuff".  I may not get anything done with it until later in the week or next weekend but the weather guessers say there's another cold front coming our way and we can expect more snow later today or tonight and in the early part of the coming week so I want to have everything where I can get to it when I'm ready.  I still need to gather my harvest & thanksgiving decorations to put away until next year.

Today and tomorrow are for cleaning.  I'm going up to True Value to buy a steam mop to get these floors really cleaned.  I also want to pick up a pole & clips for hanging my outdoor Christmas lights when the weather permits.  (I no longer do ladders.)  Wish me luck, we'll see how well this device works!  If we get snowed in again, I have ample cleaning, laundry, and dvr'd TV shows to keep me occupied.   Hot homemade soup tonight.  Last year my daughter-in-law gave me a small 2 servings crockpot.  I love it!  It's perfect for making small meals just for me.

The sun is trying to break through.  We're at 40 degrees.  Guess I'll get out and back before the weather turns again.  Have a great weekend, everyone.  Stay warm and dry!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow I will go up to the Evergreen Conference Center of Oakhurst for Thanksgiving.  I have much to be thankful for this year!  We'll have a liturgical  worship service in the chapel and then we'll move to the dining hall for munchies and visiting.  About 1 o'clock, the birds, potatoes, veggies, cranberry sauce, the rest of the trimmings and the pies will all come out and we'll eat our fill and then some.  The Anglican Bishop of our Diocese will give the Eucharistic Service and he will be the surrogate patriarch at the meal.

Friends of mine from the valley are coming up.  Some will come for the weekend and some for the day.  We'll visit and catch up on what's been going on since the last time we were together.  Other friends from the local area will also join us.   And there will be television for football addicts.

The weather this week is r-e-a-l-l-y cold!!  ECCO is at about the same elevation as where I live so I'll dress appropriately and be ready for the chill.  I'll help serve the wine before the meal (one for you, two for me - that'll warm me up) and wander around with my camera.  I'm looking forward to a very pleasant day.

Our church office printer/copier went on the fritz this afternoon so I'll slip into their office and run the Sunday bulletins and inserts between the service and the meal (yes, I have their permission) and after the meal, I'll find someone who wants to help fold & stuff while we visit.  I can drop them off at the church on my way home and the rest of the weekend is mine.

My husband is buried in the Columbarium on the premises so I'll go up and visit.  The Center is one of the most beautiful spots in the area.  Coming here for special events and holidays is becoming tradition for me, especially more so since I moved up here.  It's easy to get to, the food is fabulous, I get to spend the day visiting with good friends, and no clean up after.    

However, being a traditionalist, I did buy a small turkey since they were on sale, and threw it in the freezer for roasting later.  It'll be good for another turkey & trimmings meal with leftovers for picking, and the rest will make frozen one-serving hot dishes & soups for when I when I want homemade but don't feel like cooking.  

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!    

I Remember ...

Sitting here watching the snow, I remember w-a-a-a-y back in the day when I had moved to the midwest and experienced my first real snow.  I had gone to Minnesota to stay with my in-laws.  My husband followed later.  About this same time, pre-Thanksgiving, I woke one morning to deep, midwest snow.

Being barely 20, if that, and a southern Calif girl, I was entranced.  It was beautiful to look at and fun to play in.  I was still too young to realize that it was freakin' cold out there.  I did learn to avoid driving from November into May.  I had one experience on black ice my first year and the following year, when I was pregnant, I had the experience of not being able to find the sides of the road ... that was enough for me.  We had moved to a house of our own by then and the neighbor, a girl my age, taught me to can and we stored foods for the winter, made our own baby foods, and I baked bread or made tortillas.  No need for us to drive, her husband managed a grocery store and he'd bring home milk and whatever else any of us needed.

I wasn't into winter sports, didn't have the ankles for ice skating, but I could throw a mean snowball and roll a mighty fine snowgirl .  We'd go to St. Paul for the Winter Carnival.  I'd watch while everyone went skating and then we'd check out all the ice sculptures and eat our way around the carnival and stop at White Castle on the way home.  Being from California, I'd never heard of White Castle (they're these one-fourth size hamburgers).  It was a really special and fun time,  I also found I enjoyed ice-fishing with my father-in-law.  You put up a little hut (or not), dig a hole in the ice, drop a line and hope something down there is not only awake but is hungry.  I did a lot of fishing, I don't remember doing any catching.

When my two oldest children were babies, they loved to play in the snow in our front yard.  They enjoyed "snow"cones that I'd drizzle with homemade fruit syrups (no yellow snow).  We had a Springer Spaniel that thought the babies were 'her' pups.  She drew the boundaries in the yard and watched over them with me.  If they looked like they were going to toddle beyond her set boundary, she'd grab their diaper or snow pants and drag them back.  She was great with them.  I enjoyed those winters.

Some years ago, Grandpa & I took my son, his wife, and our two granddaughters up the road toward Yosemite.  We were living in the Valley then and made it a winter weekend outing.  Fortunately it was a snowy weekend.  We spent the night at a little inn and Grandpa and the girls made a snow midget.  Grandpa got too cold to stay out long enough to make a full size snowman.  The girls went down to the main building and warmed up in the jacuzzi.  The next day we went next door to 'the hill' and the girls and their parents used a round toboggan thing to slide down the hill. The granddaughters had never seen snow and their dad didn't remember being in the snow.  Everyone had a great time.  The youngest still enjoys snow sport.

I don't have any great desire to be out in it anymore except maybe to take some pictures and then not for very long; I get too cold too soon.  Katie's no longer fond of walk-abouts in the snow either.  Guess we're both getting old.  We're perfectly happy sitting in front of the fire watching the snow through the window.  And we have months ahead of us to do just that.  Usually it doesn't snow too often and not for too long.  The again, when I bought the house, they told me I'd only get a "dusting" of snow.  I'm so gullible.

Time to Dump Dish Network

Yesterday I woke to a light layer of snow on the ground and no TV reception. This morning it was snowing but the TV worked fine --- until about 9am. The dish apparently can't find the satellite - again - because it's out - again. Granted, it was snowing when it went out; it stopped snowing almost 2 hours ago and the sun is breaking through. Wait - the dish was out yesterday AFTER the snow (no build up of snow in front of the dish on my roof, I checked.  I've suggested relocating the dish so it hangs over the roof but it's been explained to me that that would take extra wire, what was I thinking?)

Let me see, during the winter rain & snow is the only time I would have the idiot box on during the day and it's also the only time I can count on it not working during the day.  Hmmm.  And, since Dish feels no sense of responsibility - after all, these are Acts of God - you'll see no rebate for loss of service (sometimes days not just hours). Meanwhile, since I DVR the shows that are on too late for me, I can put a recorded show or shows on until the dish warms up and I have reception again and I'll make good use of the DVR feature until I can replace Dish.  You'd think I'd get used to this and just accept it.  It happens every rainy and snowy season.

I checked with DirecTV. They advertise that they have better reception since they have many more satellites available from this area. When they got here, they told me I have too many trees. Tomorrow I'll call the local cable company. I won't save a dime because they don't use DVR's, I'll have to subscribe to TIVO but I'm told by those who have cable up here that they don't lose reception like we do with satellite and I'll be getting what I pay for, so maybe I am saving money. I'm not paying any longer for this thing sitting on my roof that's there just for looks and not necessarily attractive at that.

Maybe I'll just make a cup of hot cocoa, grab my Nicholas Sparks book and a blanket.That would make for a good day - unless the power goes out.

Nov 20th, There's White Stuff on the Ground

The weather guessers predicted rain for last night and/or today - I woke up to snow. Wasn't much of a snow, just enough to knock out the television reception for a few hours and to leave patches here and there and my deck and the roads icy. It was maybe 33 degrees and the snow still falling when I got up this morning. It quit about 9am and the sun came out about noon. More of that white stuff is expected tonight thru Sunday night at my elevation. Looks like good baking and soup-making weather. Not much chance you'll find me playing slip-n-slide out there once it starts. I'll just hunker down until it's deep enough to walk in.

Apparently I had a critter try to cross the bridge over my pond last night. I found the large geranium plant that sits on the center of the bridge in the pond this morning. The pond has a pergola over it and we didn't have winds (it's a heavy planter, would have had to be extreme winds to move it). I had planned to bring it up onto the front porch today to protect it from the cold & snow but instead I found myself out in robe & slippers in falling snow pulling it from what I'm sure it thought was a watery grave and dragging it up onto the porch before I even had my coffee.

From what I've seen this past week, I'm thinking I may have a small bear hanging around. Monday morning I found one trash barrel pulled out from the carport and part way down the drive. The lid had a hole in the center and had been worked off the container. There was some trash strewn but there was nothing it wanted so it was easy to clean up. The other container was dragged to the other end of my property and behind the storage shed. And it was the heavy one!! I've had dogs & raccoons get into the trash but this wasn't their M.O. so I'm thinking not dogs or rac's; that leaves pooh bear. I put the containers in the shed for the night since the next day was trash day, closed the doors, crossed my fingers and hoped the shed would still have doors in the morning. Tuesday morning everything was as I left it, so I put the containers at the end of the drive for the trash dude and haven't put anything else out this week. I'm hoping that whatever my visitor was, it got discouraged and has moved on to somewhere that serves a better buffet. I bought a new container that's marked "critter proof", Knowing that my critters can't read, I'm not inclined to hold my breath.

Guess I'll make a quick run to the grocery store for some flour, butter, and milk before the skies let loose again. Everyone have a wonderful weekend; that's my plan!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow

We've been enjoying beautiful weather both in the valley and up here as well. Temps have been in mid to high 60's at my house and I'm a couple hundred feet higher than Oakhurst proper.

The weather guessers are showing rain all weekend in the valley but they're forecasting snow for the foothills. The forecast reads 5" of snow at the 3000' level for Saturday night and 8" snow at 2500' or lower for Sunday night. My house sits at 3000'. Guess I'll go out and wrap pipes, cover planter boxes and bring other plants in or at least put them on the front porch where they'll be somewhat protected. I need to remember today or tomorrow to charge the batteries in my emergency lanterns and camera and to bring in bags of pellets for the stove. A crockpot of a hearty soup and cornbread ready and waiting sounds like a plan.

I'll miss the warm & pleasant days we've been enjoying but I always love the first snow of the season. I could easily have waited a few more weeks, however, because it makes me want to get out all my Christmas decorations and we haven't done Thanksgiving yet.

Enjoy the change of seasons, everyone!

The Week That Was

It's been an eventful week. Had a doctor appt in the valley Tuesday of last week and met up with my younger granddaughter for a short visit while I was there. Thursday, being a holiday, her dad came up for a few hours. Yesterday, I went back down into the city and had lunch with my daughter-in-law and the older granddaughter.

In between, we've put together a funeral and reception for one of our church members and are now into working on Christmas and year end projects. I have all my Thanksgiving decorations in place, both inside and out, and Katie and I have resumed our daily walks up the road and back down. The weather has been beautiful this past week so the yard called to me and has now been properly manicured and all the debris (leaves, acorns, twigs)from the deck and the front areas, has been blown into the meadow or ravine and it's safe to walk outside again.

Due to the fender-bender in my front yard a couple of months ago, The Hartford decided to not simply raise my rates but to double them so I've been researching other carriers until I found one that has realistic rates and is reputable at the same time. (All these carriers that can save you $300 - $400 dollars by signing with them ... yeah, well.)

We have one or two days of this weather left before the cold front and rain move in so, since I work most of tomorrow, today we'll go out and clean and winterize the pond. The fish keep starting to go into hibernation and the weather warms and they come back out and cold weather hits again. They're as confused as I am, but I think this is Fall's last hurrah so I'll clean the pumps and filters and get the pond ready and tuck the fish in for the long winter's night.

I am, however, leaving time today for one more warm Fall afternoon taking in the view from the porch rocker.

Happy Birthday, Katie

One Wednesday a month is Library Day for Katie. That's the day she joins a reading group at the library in Madera Ranchos and the kids read to her. Since November is her birthday month, the kids threw her a birthday party.
the kids took turns reading to her as they do every visit and then the cake came out and the birthday hats and her presents.


The kids took turns taking a piece of a treat, rubbing it in their hands for the smell and then getting her to follow while they hid the treat and encouraged her while she looked for it. They'd give her the command, "take it" when she found it and she munched it down and was set to play this game again.

It was a fun visit for the kids, their moms, the library staff, and visitors in the library who looked at us like we'd completely lost it. I mean, a birthday party for a dog in a library? But I noticed no one walked away from the cake empty handed. I guess if you're going to hang out with crazy people with cake, you might as well enjoy the cake.

As part of her birthday month, she had her annual check up at the vet's. Because she has a number in her blood count that has always been off kilter, we do a panel every year and every year it's still off but it's consistently off. Therefore, I'm happy to announce I have a happy, healthy, if slightly overweight, 10 year old Katie dog. But then that just means that we're now right around the same age, a couple of senior citizens, both slowing down, and slightly overweight. I have AARP and she has Aarf. Just two pups in a pod, still good for a few more years and birthday cakes together!

The Gathering!

I had the very best time on Tuesday!!! Friends of mine in the valley were throwing a surprise birthday lunch for another friend at Marie Callendar's in Fresno so I planned a full day around it and Katie and I drove down. There must have been twenty of us gathered in that room. It was a celebration and reunion both. You could feel the warmth, the love, and the happiness generated by this group.

I haven't seen some of these gals in almost 5 years, since I moved up here. Others, it had been 2 or 3 years and there are a couple I still see regularly. These are all friends from my previous church when I lived down below and, unfortunately, all but a couple of them and their families have left that church since the new priest took over. Consequently, most of them haven't seen each other in maybe a year. The eating was the least of the "lunch". It was all about celebrating Jeanine's birthday and the gathering . The visiting and memories and stories were wonderful and made us all homesick for each other again. There'll be more of these get-togethers, I guarantee.

I hope you had a really special birthday, Jeanine. And, Sara, we have a date in December at Crab Cakes!

Whether the Weather

Had to drive down into Coarsegold on Monday. We'd had a rainstorm the night before and the scenery was glorious. The air was brisk and cool, the skies were clear blue with some white, fluffy clouds, a few of which had tinges of gray to let us know the rain wasn't done yet. We've had warm weather longer than usual but have already had a couple of inches of rain as well.

We passed meadows that had shrubs still in blossom and meadows that were already yellow and brown. The trees were a real sight! Leaves of orange, yellow, red, various shades of green yet. Ah yes, this is what living in the mountains is about. Having said this, we were treated to a doozy of a hailstorm in the late afternoon. Pea-sized hail that covered the ground and gave us a preview of things to come.

Tuesday we drove into the city and were treated to more clear skies and another bounty of color. Almost makes that hour long drive a treat. And it's a little warmer down there; I think they hit the mid-60's.

I love having the four seasons up here. Fall is probably the prettiest season even though Spring is the one we most look forward to following a long winter. Downside of this glorious weather? Tomorrow I get to go out and walk behind the lawn mower and edger again. But, I'll enjoy it while it lasts. Winter's only 6 weeks away. Already we've been waking up to 32 degree weather. We may warm up to a high in the upper 50's again for a few days yet, which is acceptable as long as we can have the sunshine.

Halloween Memories

It's almost here! The night of little ghosts, goblins, princesses, and other fantasies. It sure is different from when my kids were little and w-a-a-a-y different from back in the olden times when I was trick or treating age.

Today we take our cars to a common area and park almost side by side with the trunks or backs open and the kids, in their costumes, come strolling through to claim their treasures. No more door to door. For one thing, I live in a fairly remote area and two hours of trick or treating would garner some poor child a lunch sack half-filled with candies - maybe. The main reason, however, is safety.

Kate and I will go to a venue that we've been doing for the last few years and it's a "treat" to watch the little ones when they see the 'puppy' dressed up as a jack-o-lantern. She's in more family albums than I can imagine and the kids want to "pet the puppy" before they think about asking for candy. The costumes haven't changed much, some new ones, of course, but we still have the ballet dancers and princesses and pirates.

When I was trick or treat age, there was an apartment building or duplex down the block from us that was always decked out like a haunted house. We were terrified of it, but you couldn't have kept us away. The screaming was part of the fun. Some people served hot cocoa or candied apples or homemade cookies. Wow, have things ever changed, how sad! One year my dad was home for Halloween (he was a merchant seaman) and he let me have a party. We went trick or treating and when we got back, we carved pumpkins for prizes (amazingly, everyone won a prize,) and then he made taffy and we had an old-fashioned taffy pull. This night became one of the highlights of my youth.

When my kids were small, we'd "do" the neighborhood, and then because it was my daughter's birthday, we'd have a post trick or treat birthday party. It gave the parents a chance to go through the goody bags looking for anything they didn't want the kids to have. Even then we had the 'razor blade in the apple' scare.

When my granddaughters were small, we'd go to the pumpkin patch and they'd each pick out the perfect pumpkin and, with Grandpa's help, they'd carve their own 'friendly' jack-o-lantern. As they grew older they would go to a harvest festival and then come to the house with friends and do a little trick or treating in our neighborhood.

When I was volunteering with the Lung Association, I had a Bear Costume, not unlike the ones you see at Disneyland. I would wear it to "Say No to Drugs" events and various other community functions. One Halloween, my husband and I went next door. He stood out of the line of vision and hit the doorbell. When the neighbors came to the door with the candy, there stood this bear with an empty wine glass in her hand saying, "trick or treat". He came up behind me with his glass and a bottle of wine and the four of us had a really good Halloween!

Halloween has always been a fun night and Katie and I will try to continue the tradition. Happy Halloween to all of you! Wishing you many treats and no tricks!!!

My Kinda 'Saturday'

It was a perfect Saturday today even if it is Wednesday. The little square on my calendar was empty. Don't see that too often anymore. We slept late, didn't get up until almost 7am and then only because I was ready for my coffee. Sat and enjoyed my coffee while I thought about planning my day, fed the animals, made english muffins with p-nut butter & honey for my breakfast and decided not to plan the day but to just let it happen.

Took the broom out of the closet where it lives and swept all the floors, put away the dishes from last night and cleared the mail from the kitchen table and decided I'd earned a rest. Watched a couple of the shows I missed Sunday night and then we went outside. The weather was ideal, high of 63 degrees, mild sunshine. Great day for walking behind the lawn mower. Katie's ecstatic, no more fear of getting lost in the tall grass. Still need to edge and to take the blower to the walkways, but not today.

First, I feel a nap coming on and then I should catch up on some of my reading. It's my idea of a perfect 'Saturday' and just the right afternoon for enjoying the view from the porch rocker.

Don't Slip on the Carpet!

A friend of mine was here this weekend to drain my swamp cooler and cover it. He always blows off the roof while he's up there. With the weather we've had recently, and my house being surrounded by oak trees with some pine and manzanitas in the mix, he really laid a thick carpet of leaves around the house. Unfortunately, it started raining within minutes after he left and I didn't have the opportunity to blow the leaves off the walkway, deck, or front drive. It looks like Fall has literally fallen, everything is covered by this carpet of wet, slippery leaves. We had a dry day today and hopefully will again tomorrow so maybe I can get the blower out Wednesday and at least clear a path. With all this rain, I need to break out the lawn mower as well; Katie's becoming lost in the tall grass.

All my Halloween and Harvest decorations are set out and in another week, the Halloween stuff goes back in the box and the Thanksgiving decorations come out. My two oldest were born this time of year. My eldest will celebrate his birthday on Nov 5th and my daughter was a halloween baby. She thought it was really cool that on her birthday everyone got to put on costumes and went door to door and they all got candy and goodies. This coming weekend Katie and I will participate in 'Trunk or Treat'. This'll be our 4th year. She wears a jack-o-lantern costume. (I wear warm clothing and a jacket.) Weekend after next we return to standard time. The church ladies' Holiday Boutique is that weekend and I'm busily painting Christmas tree ornaments. Can the holidays really be that close? Next thing you know, it'll be snowing! Where in the world has this year gone?

I Can't Hear You!

I'm sometimes overwhelmed by today's technology. Actually, I'm overwhelmed by yesterday's technology - I haven't graduated to today's yet. My cell phone does many wondrous things, or so I'm told. I've even learned to text with my granddaughters. I can make & receive calls, use the calendar, the calculator, and the camera ... sort of. I'm told, as simple as my cell is, that it does so much more. I expect I'll never know.

I do what I think is a lot on the computer. I like not messing with carbon paper or White-Out. I've learned to send photos with my emails, I can now post on Facebook and, obviously, I blog. Earlier this week I even used a GPS when we went to the coast. I cheated - I know how to get where I was going; I thought it'd be a good test.

But at this time, my favorite piece of 'hi tech' is the DVR or TIVO or whatever you use to record your favorite shows for viewing later. Until November 3rd I watch none of my shows in real time. I DVR everything. It affords me the opportunity to not only fast forward through commercials; we've been doing that since the invention of the VCR, (ever notice how short an hour show really is?) but I'm no longer insulted or talked down to or lied to by any politician or PAC. I haven't seen one political ad since I decided to watch everything at least an hour after it broadcasts. That's not to say I'm going into the booth ignorant, I am studying the issues, pro & con, and the candidates, such as they are.

There is a time and place for this particular technology ... the time is now. Let's hear it for recording and the ability to fast forward. That's 'hi tech' enough for me and that gets my vote!

Getaway

Tuesday morning my friend Karin and I dumped the two dogs, a cooler, and a couple of overnight bags into the car and left the mountain and headed to the coast. Now the nice thing about going to the coast from here is that we have to go through wine country. However, we only stopped at one winery on the way down this year. Eagle's Castle is very different from the typical winery and I wanted Karin to see it. It looks like an old castle, is surrounded by a moat, and has very interesting period rooms and items. Yeah, I know, I should have remembered to take the camera out of the car. The good news was, since I still have E/C wine in my rack, we got away cheap.

We drove to Cambria, a little town with motels right along the beach. We stay at a motel where they allow their VIP's (very important pets) to bring their people.
There's a large lawn in the center of the complex for sitting out and drinking wine with your crackers & cheese. Too bad it was so foggy and damp when we got there. But it worked out. We went down the road to another winery in a little town called Harmony, population: 18. I heard they've had a population explosion and are up to 22.

We found a dog park on our drive back through Cambria and stopped and let our dogs get out and stretch their legs. The weather here was beautiful and we just sat back and let them enjoy themselves for awhile.

Katie and I have been coming to this particular "dog-friendly" motel since 2004 and it's a wonderful spot. Directly across the road from the motel is a boardwalk that runs along the beach which affords us long walks. There are large families of ground squirrels under and along the boardwalk which affords the dogs great excitement and spurts of increased activity.

We were so tired from the drive that we stayed in for dinner. We'd brought sandwiches thinking we'd stop along the way; fortunately that didn't happen so we were able to enjoy our chicken sandwiches with the cheese & crackers in our jammies.

Wednesday, before checking out, we walked the boardwalk for all we were worth. You'll see in the pic's, Katie's little legs (and the rest of her) are much shorter than Koda's. She walked two to three times Koda's walk. She's still tuckered. Here's a shot of Katie and Koda at a viewing point.
Katie found a tree stump that had petrified and made a great resting spot.
While we were checking out, Koda made friends with the resident (rescue) pup at the motel. (A little Mutt & Jeff here?)

Back into Cambria for lunch. That little town really decorates for the holidays. There were harvest and halloween decorations everywhere. Went to a little mexican restaurant that has a dog-friendly patio in the back and had lunch and then headed back north. Made a couple more stops and then hit the highway. The dogs slept almost all the way home. They weren't nearly as excited as the day before. You could almost hear them saying, "are we there yet?" We were home by 6:pm, dog-tired, pardon the pun, but refreshed and planning our next excellent adventure. Now we know the dogs travel well together and we travel well together. We felt a little cheated about not being able to sit out, watch the ocean, and do the wine & cheese, but the rest of the trip was so much fun. Katie and I slept like the dead last night and are ready to face the real world again this morning.

Scary Story?!

Earlier this week my friend Judy asked in her post, "what's the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?" Without a doubt, the scariest time in my life was just a few years back when I dove head first into panic & anxiety. But I'm not going there, at least not now.

When I was 9 - 10 years old we lived in a haunted house. No joke; for real. You wanna talk scary? Especially for a 9 or 10 year old. And to add insult to injury, it appeared that the bedroom my baby sister and I shared was the only area in the house that the spirits called home.

I would wake in the middle of the night and "they" were taking a train through our room or they were hanging out waiting for the train. I apparently made them very angry when I woke and interrupted whatever they had going on. They'd pull the covers off my bed, throw my toys around the room, dive into (or through) my face, wreak their havoc, and simply terrorize me in general.

I hated bedtime. I was terrified of my room. I'd wake the house for any number of nights in a row. My mom wasn't buying any of this until one night when she came in to quiet me down, she saw 'the baby' - my sister - in her crib pointing at, and following with her eyes, something my mom couldn't see.

Unknown to me, my mom took a small bottle down to the catholic church; came back with holy water, and sprinkled the corners of my room. This kept things at bay and quiet for a month or two or three and then they returned. This became a routine; the haunting would start, my mom would sprinkle holy water in the corners of the room, the haunting would let up and the cycle would again repeat itself.

The day we moved from that house was one of my happiest. I never looked back nor went back. Even now I would not spend a night there for any amount of money ... I'm pretty sure you couldn't get me to go in there during the daytime. That, Judy, is my 'scariest memory'.

The Saga Ends

For those of you who remember the Sears Saga; it is ended, over, fini', done. My new freezer is sitting in the laundry room chilling and waiting to be loaded.

Thankfully, all my appliances are covered by Sears' Maintenance Agreement. However, it has only taken since July to bring this adventure to a close. I believe I related that the tech' discovered it needed new parts and he ordered them. After some weeks they were delivered. At least I thought they were delivered. I was looking at cartons, parts, packing lists - one of which read "order complete" but some yahoo's computer didn't have the input yet so I was told that they weren't really here and I should call to reschedule the tech' when the parts arrived. Say what?

Tech arrived. Parts: no good! Tech reordered parts. Here we go again! Last week the new parts arrived. Two days later, the tech' returned and rebuilt the freezer. The drawer still wouldn't seal. Tech was here over three hours. He called it in and said, this isn't happening, it needs replacing. Some genius at Sears asked how close it was to closing & sealing. Tech responded "approx. 80%,I can slide a dollar bill in and out of the gap so it's allowing air in." Genius: "Will she accept the fix?" Tech: "You're much further away, why don't you ask her?" My response: "This isn't horseshoes, close don't count. If the genius would like to come get the freezer and use it for his children's food, he's welcome to it." Tech & genius: "Guess that means 'NO'!"

Tech advised that report had to be sent to manufacturer for review and disposition. I won't put in writing what I replied. He gave me a card that they'd received a week earlier with a "problem resolution phone number" on it. No promises, give it a shot!

I called the next morning and nice young man said, "why have they dragged this out for so long?" I simply expressed my concern that after all this time my neighbors must have me figured as a cougar and that the tech and I must be having an affair. He's here almost every two weeks for 2 to 3 hours each time. Fifteen minutes later, when he'd finished laughing, I had an authorization number for the cost of replacing the freezer. That evening I'd been to Sears, the new freezer had been "purchased" and delivery / pickup scheduled.

Out with the old, in with the new!!! And it only cost me four months of pure frustration. With what Sears spent on the tech's time and the funky parts, they could have given me the Taj Majal of freezers. I'll admit, I love the bright, corporate mind and I really love messing with them. I'd prefer doing it over a shorter period of time but it's not how long you play the game, it's that you win!

It's Apple Time

I read a post a few days ago about apple picking and it sent waves and waves of warm memories flowing through me.

My dad made killer apple pies! They were loaded with apples, lots of cinnamon & sugar, and usually a handful or two of raisins. Warm from the oven with ice cream ... didn't get any better than that. Unless, of course, he was making his lemon meringue pies. He was the king! Marie Callender, eat your heart out. No one has ever come close!

I thought about my mother-in-law and her empanadas (the mexican version of a tart or turnover). Everything was made from scratch and the aromas in her house were wonderful. Grandma made empanadas stuffed with everything from apples to beans to chili. Apple empanadas & wine, it was some goooood eating!

Before my husband took sick, we had a neighbor who would go to visit a friend in the mountains about this time of year and come home with bushels of apples. Originally, I'd peel, core, slice, season and bake them but when he retired (my husband, not the neighbor) it became a joint effort. I bought him one of those gadgets that peel/slice/core all at the same time while you crank the handle and that became his job. Then I'd make applesauces and apple butters, pies, breads, muffins, brown bettys, empanadas, and freeze apple slices for later. The house smelled nummy for days and we had a freezer full of Christmas gifts ready to go. The fact that by the time we were done neither of us could stand the sight or smell of an apple for the next month was a small price to pay. Oh yeah, it was also his job to clean all the sticky off the kitchen floor. It was a lot of fun and we shared a lot of laughter; we had a good time working together in the kitchen turning all those apples into marvelous treats that lasted us until almost the same time the following year.

All the places you go, the trips you take, the things you buy and do and isn't it funny where the warmest memories are?!

Sound & Light Show in the Mountains

Last night was a hum-dinger! Katie woke me shortly after midnight totally freaked. It was the thunder & lightening storm to put every other storm I've ever tried to sleep through to shame. Poor Katie's terrified of a normal sound & light show so this was major panic time. It didn't help that I had my window wide open and the noise was increased accordingly. And then, of course, the animals feel all the electrical impulses.

I got up, got her a benadryl to help calm her and went on a hunt for the cats. They weren't anywhere to be found and then they suddenly appeared out of nowhere, velcroed to each other. No telling what they'd been hiding under, but they were very best of friends at the moment. The storm calmed and we all went back to bed and, eventually, back to sleep.

It stormed off and on throughout the night/morning and we were up and down until a little after 4:am when not only did the storm increase with a vengeance, but it set off a neighbor's alarm system as well. That fool thing went off for about half an hour, shut off for maybe 2 minutes and back on again for another 20 minutes.

It was a glorious light show and the percussion symphony was extraordinary. But at my age (just short of 68 years) I prefer sleeping at night. The cats, as cats do, have put the night behind them and are exhibiting that attitude that felines are famous for. Katie, however, will need extensive therapy. The benadryl has worn off but not the effects of last night and ... don't tell her, but ... we may have a repeat performance tonight. I'm fully expecting to see a For Sale sign by 4 Paws Realty out in front of the house by this time tomorrow.

We (Almost) Went to the Animal Faire

The annual Eastern Madera County SPCA Animal Faire was scheduled for today. It's one of the most fun days of the year and a great fundraiser for our local SPCA. We have contests for the dogs and their people, information booths, demonstrations, food, and an abundance of great raffle prizes. The day starts with a "Tails on the Trail (pledge) dog walk. The pooches, with their person, walk a lap around the park then down the trail along the river, back up to the parking lot and into the park again. For those pets who want (or need) there's also a Blessing of the Animals by a local priest in honor of St. Francis' day. It's a great time enjoyed by dogs and their people alike.

Until this year ...


"Rained out? Oh no! What about my blessing? Hope it gets rescheduled!"

We'll Sing in the Sunshine

What'd you do with it? Where'd it go? It was here a couple of days ago.

Day before yesterday, we were on the verge of record breaking heat. It was triple digits in the valley and even hit triple digit in the foothills. The temp' gauge on my front porch was pushing 98 degrees. The west coast was right smack in the middle of a good old-fashioned heat wave and the sun was super bright!

God didn't turn the lights on yesterday morning or today either. Or maybe someone or something stole our sun and took it to a distant galaxy far, far away. Or maybe it just plain forgot to get out of bed. Whatever, the sun is missing and hasn't been seen in two days. Long enough for an A.P.B. to be issued. Not complaining about the weather itself, it's comfortably warm though a little muggy. While just a bit dreary out, the temp's themselves are actually kind of pleasant.

But enough is enough. We don't need or want him to wear himself out being ultra bright or ugly hot again - warm and pleasant is fine, but I rather think it's time Mr. Sun either broke away from his captors or got himself out of bed, whichever, and showed his beaming face again.

And if God turns the lights on tomorrow morning, we can sing in the sunshine.

Volunteering - Just For Fun

Do you volunteer? I do --- not out of any sense of giving back or doing for others. I'm simply having fun and enjoying life doing what I do. First and foremost, Katie and I work in the church office once a week and I/we serve on various committees. We also have the "Therapy Dog" visits to nursing homes, extended care residences, and childrens' reading groups.

This time of year I'm involved in gathering donations and raffle prizes for our annual Animal Faire, our S.P.C.A. event coming up first of October. I'll do it again on a smaller scale next month for our church boutique in November. This "begging" is something I really enjoy. I've met shop & restaurant owners and have made a number of new friends in the process. Most of the time I walk up to people I don't know, have never met, and tell them that we're having a fundraiser for whatever and I need a gift certificate or an item that will attract people to our raffle table and it's amazing how the shopkeepers in this little town turn out ... again and again!

We're in the process of raising money for a "No Kill" shelter here in our area in addition to supporting spay & neuter and feral cat programs and it seems like we have a fundraiser of one kind or another nearly every month. These same people are there for us each and every time we ask. I try to be on hand for each event, camera charged and in hand. In addition, we do bake sales virtually every weekend and average $600 and more on any given Saturday morning; at a bake sale for Heaven's sake. The common folk here ain't too shabby either, huh! Small towns are awesome!!!

This is also the season when I find I'm living attached to my computer and my camera; designing and putting together publicity for other groups' community events. Pulling everyone and everything together to publicize these events is comparable to being a dentist ... in many instances, it's not unlike pulling teeth. However, I wouldn't give this gig up for anything! I thrive on the challenges of the work, I get to let my creative juices flow and, I gotta tell ya', seeing "my work" in the local papers and shop windows is a bit of a high and, again, I get to meet and talk with people and make new friends.

I love volunteering! It keeps Katie and me active, and I'm having a great time!

Neighbors

I have this young couple living across the road from me. They are two of the nicest kids (and they are kids - my cat is almost as old as they are). Now, having said that; when I moved here five years ago, the young man was sharing the house with 2 or 3 other young men. They were nice but they were normal barely twenty-somethings. Loud music, loud toys, loud parties. The yard made Sanford & Son look good and when the trash from their parties blew all over the neighborhood (read: into my yard) they weren't terribly concerned. Actually, they weren't concerned at all. If the trash in their yard didn't bother them, why would it bother them for it to be in my yard.

Over the last few years, I've watched these youngsters turn into men. The young man who owned the house (it had been his dad's and before that his granddad's) met and married a sweet young girl. The other boys found girls and some moved out and then back in but with a different attitude. When the kids found themselves pregnant, the act really got cleaned up. And when the baby came, Mama said, "it stops here" and it did. The yard got spiffied, the noise quit, all but one of the young men found other places to roost. I got to watch these kids grow into young adults. The kids now have two little ones - I can play grandma again.

Their house was built by his paternal grandfather and grandpa built the house I live in as well. It was built for the maternal grandmother. So maybe he feels a little history with this property. He's come over to help when something was broken and I didn't have a clue. He's helped with heavy lifting or, when I was laid up one winter, keeping me supplied with pellets for the stove. They made sure I have their phone numbers "for just in case".

At the beginning of summer, I noticed a tree just south of the house with a hollow center. Not a good thing. These are very old, very large oaks. I had visions of a bad storm and this tree breaking and landing on my roof. The guys cut their own firewood every year so I asked if he'd fell the tree and take the firewood. A couple of nights ago I came home to find him and a friend felling my tree. I asked if there was enough firewood to make it worth their while and they responded that they'd have done it if there had been no firewood at all and when the season opens, they'll come back and take care of the burn pile. "We need to be there for grandmas who live alone and don't have family to do things for them, that's why our homes are where we can watch each other."

There's hope yet for this country and the world with young people like this coming of age. They love to play; they have their winter toys and summer toys. They ski and ride toys that need mufflers and sometimes their yard returns to Sanford & Son, but not for long. They still party, but with babies sleeping in the house, the noise level is way diminished.

I'm really lucky. The homes here are set apart but the neighbors are close. And today, I know how fortunate I am and what a blessing it is to have these young people just across the road!

Birthday Greetings to My Little Guy!

September 26, 1968... The cutest little tow-head, ever, entered this world. He was my smallest, only 8#. Where that shock of blonde hair came from was anybody's guess. No wrinkles, no redness, no splotches. A beautiful baby boy.

Jeff was an easy baby. His brother and sister had been work as infants. My older son was colicky and didn't allow for a lot of sleeping and their sister, a year younger than my oldest, was allergic and prone to projectile vomiting whenever and wherever. But, I was lucky, they were all "good" babies. This last one was overflowing with love and joy for all around him. He had a smile that lit up the block.

He was barely two months old when he went on his first real outing. We leaders took the cub scout pack to Universal Studios and I had a slew of little guys who were counting on that trip and no sitter so their mascot went along. Fortunately, one of the dad's went with us in place of his wife and he helped cart, carry, and drag all the stuff that goes when and where baby goes. The older two were just starting school so wherever I went, Jeff went along. He happily entertained himself but was equally happy to be part of a group.

He was maybe 2 years old and he had the requisite security blanket. He would sit in front of the washer & dryer in a panic while I washed and dried it. It got left at the park one afternoon and no one was going to get any sleep that night unless it was found. The search party brought it home from its hiding place under some shrubs and that one night it was allowed in his bed with dirt, twigs, pieces of leaves and all.

The older two attended day care until regular school started in the mornings and Jeff stayed through the day. He got on well, made friends, especially with one little girl whose parents were from Jamaica. One Saturday, these people who were of very dark skin, picked up my little white-skinned blond and kept him for the weekend. They were all going to Disneyland. Daddy said they really got the looks with this little tow-head hand in hand with their daughter. Talk about ebony & ivory. And this was early 70's, not common practice yet. But, he said, they had a great time!

Jeff did well in elementary school. He was a smart little guy. But he was extremely sensitive and took offense easily. Junior High school was his downfall. Like his big brother, he lost his interest in school and never regained it. He found he liked the outdoors and after high school joined the California Conservation Corp., then he went to work for a lodge just outside the southern rim of the Grand Canyon. From there, he discovered rock music. A few years back, he found he has a real talent with computers and computer graphics. If you can think it, he can design and print it - on pretty much any and everything.

It hasn't been an easy road for him. He's made some turns in less than ideal directions, is still very sensitive and easily hurt or offended. But he's plowing through and his mom reminds him that she's wishing him a really good day for his Birthday! With love!

It Could Have Been a Contender

(With apologies to Marlon Brando)---I had a wonderful idea for a blog this morning. I told myself to write it down, at least the topic, because I've gotten to the stage where, if I don't write something down, it's gone. I didn't write it down and now I have no idea what or who it might have been about. You'll never know either. My husband used to tell me, "brain dead don't count". Actually, he said, "drunk don't count" but we altered it in later years.

I'm sure this would have been the pinnacle of my blogging career. The best blog you never read. It probably would have taken the greatest blog ever award. And now it's out there; wandering in a void, lost forever, in a dead blog office like so many dead letters lost by the post office. I'll miss you, little blog, and if you come back, I don't know if I'll even recognize you.

As the saying goes, of all the many things I've lost, especially recently, I miss my mind the most!

Class Reunion - Unattended

Last weekend was my, dare I say it?, my 50th high school class reunion. How'd that happen? I can't believe it was 50 years last June since we marched onto to the field in our caps & gowns ready to take on the world. Summer of 1960 was still the early days of real rock & roll (before it disintegrated into simply rock), the Kennedy brothers and MLK, Jr. hadn't been assassinated yet ending the innocence of our era, we hadn't even gone in to space yet.

My friend, Karen, was coming down from Oregon and we were going to drive down to SoCal together and attend the weekend long event - football game and cocktail party on Friday night, Dinner - and for those who can still walk, dancing, on Saturday night and a picnic on Sunday. Then we started tallying up the costs and realized that we hadn't seen any of these people in at least 10 years, some 20 or more. Did we really want to spend $80 for a piece of halibut and $150 each for a place to sleep for 2 nights? Then there are the other meals, gas (even if we were taking just one car), mmmmmhhh, maybe she'd just drive as far as here and we'd have our own reunion, just the two of us... and that's what we did. We had a great visit. A little too short, but a good time, nonetheless. And, of course, we haven't aged a bit (not since yesterday, anyway). We both have those warped mirrors that you can see your mother in and with clothing being made out of the country, the sizes have changed which takes us back to the warped mirrors.

I received an email yesterday with the pictures from the reunion. I'm thinking I'm really glad I didn't spend that money. Only two faces were familiar to me and I'm sure they must have been my classmates' parents because all the people in those pictures were old. Dang, what the heck happened? Where were all the people I went to school and graduated with and what were their parents and maybe a couple of grandparents doing at our reunion?

Those of you still in your 20's to 50's, enjoy your class reunions. They're still fun; you still 'dress to impress,' not for comfort, no canes, walkers, or other aids and everyone is still reasonably recognizable.

Meanwhile, Here's to S.P.H.S. and the S'60 Aladdins!!!

I Love Today!

This is it! My perfect day. Wonder how many I can pull out of this year? Woke up feeling God's joy this morning. Felt Arthur Itis' aches and pains too but that's an everyday thing and I just quit paying attention. Off to church, stayed part way through the 2nd service because I'm involved in a couple of community events and want others to join me so had to be there for the announcements at both.

Had a couple of errands to do in town and then Katie and I came home to a late breakfast and a glorious day. She laid out on her rug on the porch, I curled up in my porch rocker with a great book and we've spent the day just taking in the beautiful late summer, early fall weather. The sun is bright but only warm, there's an ever so slight breeze, the sky is amazingly clear. The weather in town is low 80's, here it's mid 70's. I worked up enough energy to stick some new flowers in the ground. It seems I stopped by the nursery a couple of days ago to get a new bird feeder. I came home with gerbera daisies, a flat of mums, and - oh yes, a bird feeder. Almost like a trip to the grocery store with a list. Sometimes I wonder why I bother.

So, here I sit in my porch rocker enjoying the view, listening to the quiet, reading and dozing and explaining to this annoying bee that he can go find his own coffee, this is mine. My critters are all napping but the outdoor critters are busy preparing ... the squirrels are running around gathering seeds from the pine cones and picking up green acorns and scampering up the trees to pack them away. Then they run down, grab some more and find places by the pond to bury the new batch. They're extremely industrious today. I hope that's not a sign that winter is closer than we think. I've been watching the woodpeckers and they've been busily doing the same thing (well, they don't bury anything but they're rat-a-tat-tatting in the oak and pine trees and packing away their little winter treasures as well). One of the hummers just buzzed me, again, to remind me that his/their feeder needs cleaning and refilling so I guess it's time to drag myself out of my rocker and follow the critters' examples; or - maybe just another half hour?

Note: The book is "Kiss" by Dekker. It's suspense without graphic violence, a real page-turner. On a scale of one to ten, an easy 10 1/2. It's in the christian/mystery/suspense genre. If you like Peretti or King or Koontz before the last two resorted to physical rather than psychological suspense, you'll enjoy Dekker.

The Sears Saga

Do you remember way back in the olden days when there was this thing called customer service? For you young people; you could call the store, vendor, distributor, dealership ... whatever, and tell them you had a problem with their product and - are you sitting down to read this? - they actually cared.

A few years back they discontinued this. Oh, they still had a department that they called customer service but that was in name only. I found on occasion that I could get resolution by calling "customer relations". That didn't last long, most companies discovered that someone within their ranks was helping the customer and they did away with that department.

And remember when, if you wanted a product that would work properly and last forever, you bought from Sears? The names Craftsman and Kenmore were names you could count on. That time in history too is a vague memory.

Now on to the saga of the Sears Freezer ... I have this stupid chest freezer. It's a regular chest freezer on top but has a bottom drawer for items that don't need to be frozen for long periods of time. It's for frozen dinners, ice cream, leftovers, etc. It's also a very poor concept and one of the worst investments I've made. Oh, I'm energy efficient so it's not frost free. Stupid, stupid, stupid - but that's another issue. About a month and a half ago, having just defrosted the freezer maybe a month earlier, I discovered it seriously needed it again and after completing this two day project, found that the drawer wouldn't close completely which was causing the ice buildup. I have a maintenance agreement (one of my smarter decisions, of which there seem to be very few anymore) so I made the phone call. A tech' could be out in two weeks. He came and wouldn't you know, it needed defrosting again, he couldn't do anything, be back in two weeks. OK! My bad, should have checked.

He was back in two weeks and I needed new parts. He ordered them, "they'll be delivered next week, I'll be back in two weeks." The first parts came the following week, a couple more parts the week after that. I started making phone calls, to the point that I received a call and was given a case manager and a case number. Are we all of us impressed with me? Last week the final part arrived and, as instructed, I called Distribution only to be told, No - the part that I was looking at hadn't arrived yet. They would call and tell me when it did. And then they would make an appointment for the tech to come. He was here today. I won't go into the conversation that made that happen.

Now I have friends who have a pool going as to when I'll have a working freezer again. They'll have to add new dates. Two of the major parts are malformed. Seems whatever country they're made in, those people don't understand how to operate a jig and these parts are n/g. My new best friend, the freezer tech, has reordered the parts. With any luck they may be here in another two to three weeks. We have him tentatively scheduled for a return visit on the 28th. Want in on the pool? And, yes, I put in a call to the case manager who is monitoring the "service." She was unavailable. Want to start a new pool? Anybody want a freezer? The top half works really well.

More Company

My girlfriend, Karen, was here this week. She's the one I posted about a couple of months back with the breast cancer scare. It's been a couple of years since she's been down; she was here for Thanksgiving in 2008. She drove down from Oregon Monday, got caught up in a jam caused by an accident just a few miles from home, made it the rest of the way without incident until she took a really wrong turn and got very lost and not in an area to get lost in during the daylight let alone dark. Fortunately she was already down this far (actually the wrong turn took her past me by almost 50 miles) but it was an area I'm familiar with and we got her back on track via cell phone. She got here Monday night, only a couple of hours later than expected but that meant she had to navigate the mountain roads after dark and she'd been hoping to make it to the house while it was still light. We had a late dinner & a glass of wine, not necessarily in that order, unwound and hit the sack.

We just hung around and visited yesterday. We'd planned on going to the lake or the park but her butt said it was having nothing to do with sitting in a car for more than 10 minutes at a time, so we went into town, had lunch, came home and continued running through 50 years of memories and tried to see into the future and where we go from here. Whatever and wherever, we'll do it together even if by long distance ... or, maybe one of these days, one of us will relocate (probably me) and we'll finish together.

We had a great visit. She, too, lives in an area surrounded by woods and critters, so she's comfortable with my little house in the woods. We've known each other long enough that we don't necessarily have to talk to communicate. We raised kids together and can share those results without guilt or regrets. We tried so hard not to be our mothers that maybe we went too far the other way. But they all have grown kids of their own now and their days will come when their kids are just "too busy". Was it Harry Chapin that sang "The Cat's in the Cradle?"

I'm hoping that one day soon, Igor the Ogre, will let me throw Katie in the back of the car and I'll make the drive north to her place. It's about an 8 hour drive if you drive straight through. With any luck my step son will go up to see his uncle and my niece and he can come by here and we can make the trip together. I'm not holding my breath, but a gal can dream. Note to self: add to bucket list, towards the top.

And now I think it's time to replace my revolving door with a regular front door again. The visitors are just about done. My stepson may make a stop here late this month or early next month, it would make my whole year, but again, I'm not holding my breath.

It's a bit nippy this morning. We ran the heater long enough to take the chill out of the house. It'll hit low to mid 80's up here and be another beautiful day, but my bones are telling me that a chilly fall and a cold winter are just around the corner.
Time to clear the flower beds and put in some fall planting and start preparing for year end. This is my second favorite time of year; Spring being my favorite. I like the flowers and the greens of spring and the multi-colors of fall. And I love, love the moderate weather and non-hot sunshine.

Think I'll do a little straightening up now that we're alone again and then I have a rocking chair calling my name and a book to finish. Have a great day!! Hugs & puppy kisses everyone.

The Revolving Door

This being my busiest time of year, this is also the time of year that people like to come up and visit ... before the chill of late fall and winter. Personally, I recommend late April, early May when the Falls are at their best but I also love winter with snow on the trees and ground. Every season has its own special draw.

I have a long-time girlfriend (since 1957) coming late this afternoon for a couple of days. After an 8 - 9 hour drive today, we may or may not do the park tomorrow. She really wants to see it but her butt may revolt at getting back in a car that soon. This is the year of our 50th high school reunion. The economy being what it is, we've decided that the two of us can reunite and talk about everyone else. Besides, we'll be able to remember them as they looked 10 - 20 years ago or more and not as they look today.

I love having family and friends come to visit. My stepson tells me I can look for him toward the end of the month. Then in another couple of months the mountain road will be dark early, the weather will be rainy and/or snowy and no flatlander will remember me until the sun comes out and brings longer, warmer days again in May/June.

Dinner's in the crockpot, errands were run yesterday. Today I'll go out and make sure Katie hasn't left any unwanted surprises for either of us to step in and take the blower to the deck & front drive, 'cause the oak leaves have carpeted everything, and then I'll sit in my porch rocker enjoying my view and waiting for Karen's car to turn in to the drive. Hugs & puppy kisses to you all.

It Was A Great Week!!!

It was a great week!!! My niece and her fella came down from Oregon last Sunday and we had a wonderful visit. They stayed 'til Monday (Labor Day) afternoon and then we went to visit my husband's gravesite and they went on to Yosemite and Katie and I came home.

Justine is my husband's niece. She was raised by my father & mother-in-law. She's the same age as my daughter and another niece. She's one of the sweetest, most gentle people I know. This visit was extra special because we've only seen each other twice in the last 8 to 10 years; when my father-in-law passed away and when my husband passed away. Not optimum visiting conditions. Unlike the rest of the family who've never really forgiven me for selling our house, she understands my reasons and ... being the "outdoor" type, loved my little house and its surroundings in the woods, so did Jay, her fella. Sunday night we sat outside on the deck, under the trees, and enjoyed dinner, wine, memories and more memories. Talk about your 'blast from the past'.

The kids were planning to climb Half Dome on Tuesday so, since I live maybe 20 - 30 minutes south of Yosemite, Wednesday morning Katie and I drove to their campsite and spent the day with them. We hung out at the site for awhile and then drove to 'the valley'. We stopped at the viewing area outside the tunnel and at Bridal Veil Falls and they took pictures and we went on in to the valley for a late lunch/early dinner. It was jacket weather and a little overcast. At the tunnel, as we looked up at Half Dome we could see a shaft of sunlight work its way through the rocks and the mist. El Capitan was at its best, sharp and clear, and there was still some water falling at Bridal Veil. We drove back to the site and Kate & I headed out so we could get home before dark.

I move slowly and I travel with my dog. Not everyone's choice for favored aunt; but they were wonderful. If (when) we were a drag, they never let it show. To the contrary, they both seemed to enjoy her and gave this old lady 'warm & fuzzies' that she hasn't experienced in a good while. I miss the visits from family and this was a real heart-warmer for me. A really GOOD week! Thanks Justine & Jay!! We'll do it again, meanwhile - see you on F/B.

Oops!

I was wandering through some of my earlier posts and find that this one never was posted. The draft has been waiting since the 6th of this month for me to hit the publish button (today's the 24th). This was written right after Justine & Jay visited here before going on to Yosemite for camping Labor Day week. Well, better late than never, I guess. *****

It's been a busy, busy week. Getting ready for a visit from my niece and her feller. I have been so excited and really, really looking forward to this visit. She lives in Washington and I haven't seen her since Larry died in 2004. She's one of the nicest and most gentle people I know. I hadn't met her boyfriend except through posts on facebook.

They arrived yesterday afternoon. We took the 50 cent tour of the house and yard and proceeded down memory lane. Things we haven't thought about in years came to the front. Actually, I've been getting hit with memories ever since she said they were coming. Camping trips, visits to Oregon, hanging out in Gramma & Grampa's kitchen, Christmases, Gramma's tortillas, Grampa's tamales.

We remembered summer vacations at the house in Fresno. All the babies in the swimming pool with Grandpa Larry, an assembly line of little ones on the carpet having diapers changed or being fed, the trip Justine was making to L.A. from up north when she was in a traffic accident and Uncle Larry went to get her and the kids and Gramma & Grampa drove up from L.A. to make sure everyone was okay. She had this gargantuan bandage on her forehead. The cut was from a piece of flying glass and wasn't a half inch long with virtually no blood. The whole evening was filled with, "remember?" and then explaining the memory to Jay.

We went to Campo Santo to visit Larry's grave and then they went on to Yosemite. Katie and I are going to spend the day with them mid-week at the park. That'll be a brand new memory maker... and I have a new ticket in the drawer.