February olio, 2021

You know and I know that in the past pandemic year most days blur together for us retired folks ... stuck at home, it's hard to separate one day from another.  Seems like another Saturday, I'll say.  So many Saturdays.  Sunday is easily distinguished from the others:  It's Big Paper Day, with the funnies, a fat newspaper and two crossword puzzles that keep me busy for a while.  I look forward to Sundays.

It's still not time to do much gardening ... not warm enough, and there's always the threat of snow and frost for another month or two.  Jimmy and I are out walking several days a week, which we enjoy and it is good for our health (and sanity).  Spring must be nearing, tho, 'cause we had a huge flock of Pine Siskins and Lesser Goldfinch stop by to empty our feeders.  Mostly they've moved on.  Below is one of the goldfinch resting while we still had a bit of snow.

Some weekends Evie comes up to our place for an overnight visit.  One Sunday, and I don't know which one, I drove to Fair Oaks to spend the afternoon with my little pal.  She jumped up and down when she saw me ... she was REALLY READY to walk to the river (American River) with Gramma.  That was fine with me; I like going to the river with her.  Evie will be four soon, and she's fun.  She had her pretty short-sleeved dress on and I wore jeans and a sweat shirt.  She's young and I'm not. 

I doubt that there's any sand in sight, but rocks?  Yep, gottem plenty of those.  Today she wanted to pick "sparkly" rocks, not throw rocks in the river.  Choices, lots of choices.  We pored over rocks, finding the occasional sparkly ones.  We lined them up.  She wanted to take a few home.  "Evie," I said, "Gramma is not carrying rocks UPHILL to your house.  Pick one to take home."  And she did.  But, oooooh, the decision:  which one?

(pesky camera)

This one. 💗

A warm/ish day at the river brought people out to enjoy the day.

Fishermen, too.  Nice, nice day.

On Wed, the 24th, Jimmy and I hiked the Deer Creek Tribute Trail in Nevada City, following the Newtown Ditch (canal) starting from Champion Mine Road.  We hike down to the river, cross to the other side and do the trail loop.  We dressed in layers.  Jacket off (warm in the sun), jacket on (cool in the shade). 

The Chinese Bridge.

Notwithstanding that snow dump we had late January and earlier this month, it's been dry dry dry, so the river is low.  We enjoyed our walk -- it was somewhere between three and four miles, and we get enough aerobic workout hiking up the hills.

When Deer Creek floods, it creates a flood zone; otherwise, it's a dry river bed.  Filled with rocks!  I should bring Evie down here, but it is a trek.  I dally sometimes at this rockpile, looking for a speck of gold.  Hahaha

Jimmy is letting his hair grow.

Mine is getting shorter.

We both look cool.

The Pussy Willow bushes were ripe for picking.  I gather a few branches only because there are many monster bushes.  I love these things -- they remind me of growing up in Niagara Falls, where we had a tiny creek behind our house and a favorite Pussy Willow bush on the creek bank.  Today's walk was most enjoyable.

Thursday the 25th, we got our second jabs in the arm ... our 2nd Pfizer COVID shots, with no problem.  We met our card-playing friends, Terry and Mary, afterwards for lunch at Mikuni in The Fountains at Roseville.  Our pick is bento boxes.  Great friends, good grub.  We're glad to report we had no lousy side effects from the second shot, just super sore arms.  But, within two days, that was gone.  Now it's time to gear up for a ROAD TRIP!

(What's a miscellaneous collection of things?

Olio is the crossword answer.)

BREAKING NEWS:  On February 28th, son, Matt, celebrated his 41st birthday with his family and friends from SoCal -- high in the Sierra Mountains at Mammoth Lakes, CA.  In a sledding accident, Matt broke his left leg (both tibia and fibula)!  A rod and screws were inserted in his leg during surgery.  He's going to be laid up for a while.  Some birthday. 😞