Summertime -- Tues, 7/24/18

July is usually a hot month in NorCal, and this July is no exception.  The only way to escape the heat is to head for the coast, but we know that fog shrouds our beaches in summer.  Plus, campgrounds are always full and crowded with noisy campers.  We've decided to wait till after school starts to head off in any direction in Tergel.  That way we can also finish our home projects or at least try to.

Sad to say, wildfires that blossom into raging infernos occur during our hot, dry summers, which invariably lead to smoke-filled skies ... like the Ferguson Fire that's closed the heart of Yosemite Nat'l Park for first time in decades.  Last week, Jimmy and I packed the Prius with enough duds for a two-night sojourn at the Woodfords Inn, so we could hike a trail with friends near Carson Pass.  We drove all the way there, watching the A/Q go from ok to awful.  We couldn't just not show up at the Inn, so we stopped by to explain.  "I have good news and bad news," I told the man at the desk.  "What's the good news?" he asked.  "We're here," I said.  "What's the bad news?"  I replied, "We don't want to be here!"  The smoke from the Ferguson Fire was so thick we were afraid to breathe outside.  He understood and said, "Come back in the fall."  We drove home via a different route, putting 270 miles on the Prius and not going anywhere!  We hadn't known heavy smoke from the fire would drift that far north.  Well, we tried.  We'll confine our walks/hikes to local trails, like the one below.

Off the flat Cascade Canal trail is the serpentine-like Orene Weatherall trail, located on a 28-acre Woodpecker Preserve, and a "spirited" addition to our hike.  Rated moderate because of the 300' elevation loss/gain, it's a nice 1.2-mile round trip “out and back” trail that switchbacks down through lovely forest.  Got our hearts a-pumpin' as we returned up-up-up to the main trail!  We see more woodpeckers at our house than we've seen in this woodpecker preserve - go figure - tho occasionally we'll hear rat-a-tatting echoing throughout the preserve.

Early-morning -- conifers and Black Oaks provided abundant shade,

for which we were grateful.  

Pacific Madrone trees are fascinating, with their rich red-orange bark, which naturally peels away in thin sheets, leaving a greenish, silvery appearance and a satin sheen and smoothness.  I liken it to a peeling sunburn ... it's tempting to stand still and commence its peeling!  Also, this time of year, Madrones litter the paths with dropped leaves.

As hot and dry as it's been, it's enjoyable to hike where luxurious ferns

and Big-leaf Maples remain green. 

Jimmy is standing near a large Madrone glowing in the sunshine.

* * * * *

Ohmygoodness, look at this beautiful child, looking in the basket for her "friends."  Everly Rose and her Dad paid us a Sunday afternoon visit (while Mom slept, after working the night shift).  16-month Everly has grown out of the baby stage and is definitely a toddler.  I didn't think she could get more entertaining, but she has.

Friends, Marlene and Cliff gave us this rocking chair for Everly.  She seemed to like having her own chair.  "Everly's chair."  She's wearing a mustache from drinking some of my fruit/veggie smoothie.  Her parents taught her the sign for "more," which is tapping your rounded hands together.  I gave her one sip and then all I saw was her signing for more.  Smart parents to teach signing.  She's sporting new shoes, too.

Now that she's entirely mobile, I took her by the hand for a house tour.  She'd never paid attention to the bathroom with the tub before, but today? -- the second she peered over the tub's edge, she wanted in.  Well, heck, why not?  Off came the clothes and diaper and in she went.  She wanted water to stream so she could wash off her "friends" under the water.  Over and over and over.  That's what they do!

And then she got a change of clothes!  Jimmy and I have two Amish rockers on the deck and we brought out her little rocker.  We rocked together.  She sat on, got off, on/off, on/off, you get it.  That's what they do.

When she's on the deck, she goes from flower to flower, "smelling" them.  She liked the red geranium blossom.  Kids this age are so danged cute.

* * * * *

Oh, good, it's that time of year again -- canning peaches.  We bought a flat at Nevada City's farmer's market on Saturday and waited till their aroma was tantalizing ... then into the pot they went ...

all 28 of them,

netting us a fine mess o' peaches for chilly winter days.

Life is Good!

Stuff and Things. Tues, 7/17/18

Sometimes life throws dominoes at you and you're not even aware of it till the tiles fall into place.  Recently our Tergel gave us a good run.  Sometime after Jimmy and I returned from our super-duper Machu Picchu/Galapagos/Ecuador trip in May, Jimmy tried to open the bedroom slide, and it wouldn't.  Well, it might go halfway out, but that was it.  He made an appointment with DeMartini, the local RV store, to have it repaired.  Who knows why these things decide to NOT work.  

A few weeks later, Tergel went into their fix-it shop.  Jimmy deflated our Sleep Number queen bed to make it easy for them to work on the slide.  They couldn't find anything wrong ... the slide worked perfectly for them (and doncha hate that?).  The guys lubricated the mechanisms and a few dollars later, we brought it home ... and it works perfectly for us now, too. 

In putting the bed back together, the air pump that shoots air into the dual bed bladders quit working.  A call to the $leep Number people resulted in us ordering a new air pump, which came in the mail last week.  It took a bit of finagling, but we managed to set it up and inflate the bladders.  While the bed was deflated, I'd washed everything (except the sheets, which had been washed previously).  Next came the foam mattress pad, and the mattress cover, the comforter and duvet cover.  All nice and clean.  I decided to rinse and refresh the sheets in the W/D, and when I took 'em out of the washer, lo and behold, I discovered a big rip down the center of the fitted sheet!  New sheets are the last domino tile (we hope) to drop into place!

Funny how one thing led to another, to another, and so on.  Jimmy says it's nice that something wears out before we do!

Jimmy decided to replace our Jensen TV, which wasn't working well.  We don't watch much TV, but if we want to see something, it would be nice to hear it, too.  The sound on that old TV was kaput.  He installed a new one this week.  Now we'll be ready to hit the road ....

We went to an estate sale held nearby, and I found this not-so-little gem, above.  I've never owned a food processor like this, and am actually kinda thrilled to have one now.  $15.00 complete, and it works!  Pretty cool.  Jimmy said, "What are you going to make me?"  He bought a great Sony radio/CD player at the estate sale for three bucks.  It replaces his worn out hunkajunk in his shop. We'd just come from the farmer's market, which is why all those veggies are scattered on the counter.

I saw the spinal specialist yesterday.  If you've wondered about my painful back, I learned that I had a compression fracture of t8 (thoracic) as the result of the bus injury in India last November.  That injury also cost me almost an inch in height!  The doc recommended a new round of P/T for me, which begins soon.  Another option is a cortisone shot directly into the painful area.  I'm going for the P/T first ....

el cuatro de julio -- 7/4/18

In years past, Jimmy and I have gone to Nevada City's Fourth of July parade, which is always a hoot, but this year we elected not to go.  Though today would be the coolest day of the week -- 80ish -- downtown, with its sidewalks and asphalt street, makes the temp feel even warmer.  Nor did we drive to the fairgrounds at dusk to see fireworks.  It's so dry in NorCal, I'm amazed that cities still fire 'em off.  Wildfires are the summer norm in the western states and everybody holds their collective breath that safe and sane applies to fireworks ... and no new fires.

Instead, lucky us, we had an invite to Tumbling Creek Farm for food, friends and fun, beginning at 1pm.  Between a tent set up on the patio beneath their massive Madrone tree and a cooling breeze, none of us wilted in the day's heat; in fact, it felt very pleasant.

Marlene had a cousin and a friend visiting, and after introductions were made, they joined the group like old friends.  Our buddies from across the street, Fran and Anson, were on hand, too.  Dinner was grilled chicken and burgers, green salad and tater salad, chips and dips, and coffee or kambucha tea to drink.  We had plenty of time to chitchat before dinner, as well as a walk to the garden area to see what looked ready to harvest.  Blueberries are about finished, and blackberries are coming along.  'Bout time to throw bird netting over all the blackberry bushes.

Ann, Daria, Jimmy and Cliff.  Who sits where?

And then there's Bella!  She is the only dog I know of that grins with all her pearly whites showing.  She is such a goof, walks around with a stick in her jaw most of the time, and she horns in everywhere.  Getting a white muzzle ....

The Dog Days of Summer aren't here yet, but the newcomer of the three dogs, called Zeus, looks like he's practicing on how to relax and beat the heat.  I was mighty afraid when I saw this guy the first time, since he's about as big as me, but he and I have both mellowed.  I still call him Big White Dog on occasion.  He is huge.  He kind of replaces ol' Sam, who went to doggie heaven.  The third dog, named Moses, didn't want his picture taken 'cause he looked so ratty.  He'd had his fur cut and shaved (in spots) to rid him of tangled burrs and he was a mess.  He was hiding under the tree in a cool depression he'd made in the dirt.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner, keeping a lively conversation going at the same time.  The breeze felt wonderful ... plus it eliminated any pesky bugs.  After dinner, we moved to chairs overlooking the valley.  Jimmy and I mentioned the afternoon we sat in the same place, eyes riveted to billowing brown smoke in the valley, and a wildfire oh-so-close.  That was July 2015 ... click here to see the post about it (use your back arrow to return to this post).  Very scary time, but the fire veered northeast into a canyon and away from the farm.  Thank goodness!  Anyway, once the fire topic was finished, we talked about lots of things, including politics and religion and nobody got hurt, either. The afternoon wore on and next we looked, it was 5pm, and time to head home.  I believe everyone could count this as a great 4th of July!

Ohhh, dessert was homemade cherry/chocolate ice cream, which was outstanding!  I think each of us paired the ice cream with the lemon icebox pie I made (Jimmy's favorite). The combo might sound weird, but you know pie and ice cream go together!

Ol' Zeus looks like a wolf behind Jimmy.

The netting kept the dogs from being underfoot. 

Cliff, Marlene, me and Jimmy:  Good friends!

I wore my red/white/blue flag patriotic visor in honor of the day.

The next day, I spied these two young'uns behind our backyard deer-proof fence, racing up and down the length of the fence, like they were on speed or something.  Fun to watch.  Then I noticed them eyeballing our raspberry canes growing next to the fence, but I'm happy to report the canes cannot be touched by sweet little deer lips.

And would you look at this dude -- a Banded Alder Borer Beetle (I looked it up).  Jimmy and I went out to eat on Saturday and spied it just sitting on the side of a cement wall, not bothering anybody.  It can fly, so I read, but we left it where it was.  I thought it was a cool-looking character.

The heat is back on (in most of the country) and this coming week will be a hot one.  We've decided it's time to join the water exercise/lap swim at our nearby local swimming pool.  Four days a week from 10:30 to 11:30 we can exercise or swim or loll around in an Olympic-sized pool.  This time slot is reserved for grown-ups -- after we leave, the kids can come in and play all day!  We are looking forward to a refreshing daily dip!  Ahhh, welcome to summer.

Sizzlin' Summer Scenes -- to July 1, 2018

After a pleasant and coolish spring, summer struck NorCal with a vengeance.  Our backyard thermometer registered 96° in the shade today.  Hot enough to melt chocolate, unless you keep it in the fridge, which I do.  With those kind of temperatures, a walk needs to be made early.  Not at 11am like last week's hike along the canal trail, and this morning's 9am effort was even way too late.  Next week Jimmy and I will be Out and About by 7am, regardless of the weather (or possibly 8 😀).  In between everything else, we try to stay active, keeping to the adage:  Use it or lose it.

Summer means grandiose saucer-sized Matilija poppies!

Bees love these neighborhood blossoms.

We met our Placerville friends, Laurie and Odel, near Truckee a couple of weeks ago for an out-and-back five-miler on the ever-delightful Sagehen Trail.  We'd been talking about doing this for several years, although it's a long way for them to drive and a fairly good trek for us, as well.  We picked a faultless day to hike, cool, clear, and teeming with flowers.

Acres of bright yellow Woolly Mule's Ears saturated the hillsides.

We got as far as the ruins of the sheepherders "cabin" (above).  Sagehen trail leads to Stampede Reservoir, and we were pleased to note how high the water level was.  At the water's edge, we checked out Grebes and White Pelicans through our binocs, mystified by one bird in the distance that was too far away to identify.  After hiking, I'd love to tell you we enjoyed lunch at Jax at the Tracks in Truckee, but both service and food were so bad that we complained.  Mine and Jimmy's lunches were tolerable, but theirs was inedible; they didn't have to pay (rightfully so).  We've always had tasty grub there, but something's changed .... Anyhoot, the four of us had a great time playing catch-up.

June was blueberry-pickin' time at Tumbling Creek Farm, and we did, oh yes, we did.  I have plenty of sweet berries bagged in the freezer.  I like them on my morning cereal, and there'll be enough for Lemon-Blueberry Bread, Blueberry-Lemon Dutch Baby, and various other goodies like these all winter long.  Thanks, Marlene!

Sometime in early January, I planted Music Garlic in one of our keyhole gardens.  Whoa Nellie, look what I netted!  We harvested it last week, peeled it and then I VitaMixed it, and smushed it into (three) quart freezer bags.  All I have to do for a while (a long while) is break off a piece when I need garlic.  Cool beans.  This year I didn't plant tomatoes, peppers or annual veggies.  We have wonderful farmer's markets in Grass Valley and Nevada City offering organic produce.  Besides, it's too hot to be out watering every durn day.  Maybe I'm getting lazy.

Our family doctor abruptly retired the tail end of May, which meant scrambling to find new medicos for both of us.  Not easy to do in this community -- too many people and not enough MD's.  I'm still having back issues from my India bus incident last November ... hopefully a new doc can offer some solutions.  Click on the word India if you're not familiar with what happened.

Also in June, Western Tiger Swallowtail butterflies swarmed the Rose Campion that is trying to take over our backyard ... the Swallowtails love those magenta flowers.

Summertime brings worry to many in the western states, with its hot, dry conditions.  Already we're hearing CalFire's light planes and helicopters flying overhead in the evenings, coming in to land at our little airport, where they'll gas up and be on their way again, fighting wildfires in the region.  No fire is near us, for which we are MOST grateful.  Nearby counties aren't as lucky (that's probably not the right word).

As I mentioned, we're on our feet a couple of times a week, often traipsing the Cascade Canal path because it's close (we don't have to drive to it) and it's mostly shaded by NorCal's tall trees.  Invasive blackberry vines are sprouting their own berries alongside the path, lots of 'em.  The trail is getting dusty already ... the berries will be covered in dust ... we'll pass, no thanks.

A patch of cheery-looking Humboldt's Lilies grows waterside.

Along with Queen Anne's Lace ...

... and Foxglove and Scarlet Monkey Flower.  Spring is my favorite time to be on this trail, when beautiful native White Dogwood blossoms and pale pink Bleeding Hearts abound, but summertime brings out other sparkling colors when spring retreats.  Just get outside early!

Last, but never least, is this sweet little girl, our 15-month-old granddaughter, who is now "on the move," (walking and climbing) and beginning to talk, and entertaining us every time we see her.  Mom/Dad and Everly come to our place for a visit, or vice versa, once a week or so.  It is such fun watching her grow!  Above, I asked her, "Everly, where is your belly button?"  She knows where it is.