The General's wife, Francisca Benicia Carillo de Vallejo.

Comandante General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, must have loved his wife a lot or maybe it was tradition. He used her name for  many towns around California. In December of 1846 he sold some land to two men, Thomas Larkin and  Dr. Robert Semple and the City of Benicia was founded on May 19, 1847.
He wanted to call it Francisca but the little burg of Yerba Buena, by the bay, choose to change it's name to San Francisco and I guess there were no patents or copyrights on names then so his second choice was his wife's middle name and Francisca became Benicia. His last name, Vallejo, became the town just to the west of Benicia.
Mills College was founded here in 1852. It was the first women's college west of the Rockies. It moved to Oakland in 1871. Benicia became the capitol of California for one year in 1853.  Soon after the legislature was moved to a courthouse in Sacramento which became the permanent state capitol. I think the residents of Benicia would like to have their "capitol" status back. This tile plaque is embedded in the sidewalk. It seems that there was or is a group that is called "Return Our Capitol".

Wikipedia says that Benicia really opened up when World War 2 began. During the war, the arsenal supplied ports with weapons, artillery, part and supplies. It was called the Benicia Arsenal and you can read about this war effort here if you would like to learn more history about this interesting place. My mother worked at the arsenal for a short time before she married my father. I believe it was in the post office.
Benicia became much more accessible when, in 1962, the Benicia-Martinez Bridge was completed . That was the year I graduated from high school. I don't remember the new bridge being built. There must have been a lot of celebrating and excitement but I just don't remember. I was 17 years old. Could have been that I was more into boys than bridges then.

*****************
 Last Tuesday the weather was in a holding pattern. No rain. Big fluffy clouds. A bit of sunshine. We had plans and the weather was going to cooperate for a while. We drove to Walnut Creek and picked up a good friend at her vintage/antique co-op called A Room With A Past. She and a bunch of other ladies have a once a month store that is more fun than ... "a barrel of monkeys". Did I say "monkeys". I did. For those of you who love monkeys.... it's that much fun. Here's the link for those of you who want some great buys and a real treat.
They were getting ready for the opening on the following weekend and Jan told us to meet her there. We dragged her away for the day, drove across the bridge to Benicia and just had a fun day of looking, laughing and eating. Jan was raised in Pleasant Hill too only she is much YOUNGER than us. She happen to read my blog a couple of years ago where I had written  a post on Gregory Gardens, the housing development that we all lived in. We have been friends ever since. She helped us during Mom's illness and passing. She was always ready to offer any help she could give. I will always be grateful for this. She has a blog called Little Pink Houses and really lives in a little pink house. Our families went to the same church. Our dads were both from Napa, CA. and knew each other. We are a friendship of coincidence and love of old things, except for MONKEYS.... but that's another story.
So, we headed for Benicia....

The trees were in bloom and sun was still shinning down on us. This is a charming downtown.

 We wandered through a few stores waiting until noontime and our reservations for lunch at the Camellia Tea Room

 a charming place where the food was great and we talked, and talked, and..... divided a delicious dessert three ways and watched the clouds gather from the west.
The sun disappeared as we headed toward the car. Sis took this picture of Jan and I so we could celebrate finally getting together. We had tried before and something always happen to our plans. This time we did it.

It was a great day. Before we left, we drove down to the old arsenal.

 The old arsenal buildings are filled with artist workshops and they have an open house during the summer where you can come down and see what the artists are doing. We will have to come back. We had such a good time.
Let's do it again soon, Jan. Thank you for the handmade valentines you gave Sis and I. I have mine out where I can see it all the time. It's beautiful. You are a sweet person. We're so lucky to have your friendship.

Jan used her hand to formed the shape of the valentine. Somehow that makes it even more personal. Isn't it beautiful? She always remembers the love of music that Mom passed down to us and the memory of our mothers, hers and ours, singing in the choir at church. It's a good memory.
The rain came in later in the afternoon. It poured. The next morning I went over to my Son's house and watched Little Bean so his mom could go to a meeting. We picked up The Bean from Kindergarden and all of us went to lunch. It was a fun day.
 We need these special times. They give us fortitude for the other times that aren't so good. Please try to make some time for yourself ..... even if it's only a day or two. It's live giving. It's the umbrella in a rainstorm.

Visionary Notions

These are two of the 4 baby chicks that the Easter Bunny brought us. Actually the Easter Bunny bought them at the local Feed and Supply store last week. I just want my grandsons to think of these little guys as "gifts"..., a special delivery from the great bunny in the sky.

Our broody hen, Squeeky, doesn't like having to share HER hen house with 4 new, noisy baby chicks. Look at the expression on her face. She is so cranky and tired..., and then I heard her squeak, "They had to bring these young whippersnappers in here when I'm trying to do some serious business. I get no respect. Farmlady keeps taking the eggs out from under me and then she scoots me outside. What is this world coming to. I can't help it if some of these eggs belong to the other hens. I found them, so they are mine." Do you think she has made the connection between those eggs she's sitting on and these noisy, baby chicks?

And then there is this.....

When my sister was here a few weeks ago I came into the guestroom and she was sitting on the bed trying to repair something. Do you see what I see? I could not believe it. I did a double take and grabbed my camera.
(The photo is a bit blurred because I was laughing so hard.)
This woman wears contact lenses and has prescription glasses. She never goes out in public without her makeup on. She is college educated and I rely on her good judgement. Sometimes you just have to assume that necessity is the mother of invention and not ask too many questions.., but
TWO PAIRS OF GLASSES AT THE SAME TIME?
She made no excuses. She just said that this works.
And she is going to drive us down the coast to Pismo Beach on Thursday?
Maybe she's gone all "broody" on me too.

See you next week.

Sister Visit

Sis came up for the weekend so I will make this a short post. She didn't come up to see The Prospector and I. She says she came to see us, but we all know what she really came up here to see. So, we will let her pretend she is here to visit us when we know her true intent. She is getting her "Corgi pup" fix and, if I can drag her away from all the puppy love around here, we have plans to do some antique shopping this afternoon.

Why the Bread Pudding? If you have been reading my blog for very long you know it's all about the bread pudding with the two of us.

Do you think the pups are happy? Do you think Carl is adapting? Is this the sweetest photo of them or what?

A Wonderful Sister Visit

Sis was here for a few days. She comes up to the farm for a short, rest-filled getaway. We love having her visit. Carl is always so excited to see her. Sis is his third favorite person in the whole world and that's OK with her. Wherever she goes he is right behind her. She loves dogs, having three of her own, and I think she would have more if her hubby would agree.
As if Carl didn't get enough attention around here..., he becomes "the little heartbeat at (her) feet" (that Edith Wharton writes about) when Sis is here. If she takes a nap, he's right there cuddled beside her. If she sit down on the sofa to read, watch TV or talk, he's in her lap. If she takes a walk with us, he's at the door waiting for HER to put his leash on and keeps looking at her as if to say.., " Come on now. Let's go. You're coming too aren't you?..., Please." It's mutual admiration with these two. He's such a ladies man.
I have no problem finding Carl when Sis is here. He's always with her. It's kind of a symbiotic relationship. Each one loves the other and they seem to speak the same language. Sometimes I think that she would like to take him home with her, but that's just not possible. Our lives would not be the same without the pupster. We just love him. He's a very special little being and he knows where the food is.



On Friday Sis and I went to Sutter Creek. Saturday we drove over to Amador City, my favorite foothill town, pictured above and on Sunday we went down into Jackson. Each day we would leave in the late morning, have lunch, spend a couple of hours shopping in our favorite stores and then come home in time to take a nap before dinner. You see...,when folks gets older they have to conserve energy and find that the "Shop till you drop" motto just doesn't cut it anymore. It's more like "Why the heck am I doing this to myself." and "My body is telling me it's time to go home." So..., because my sister and I are 58 and 65 years old now, we do things in moderation. It's called self preservation.
We love going to our favorite stores like Country Living in Amador City and Yesterday's Heirlooms in Sutter Creek and a few others. It's kind of a ritual now. On Sunday we drove into Jackson and, in spite of the weather which has turned to wind and rain, we spent a few hours looking through the Antique stores.
Now you would think that after last year, with all the sorting and clearing of Mom's things, that we wouldn't be shopping for ANTIQUES or anything else for that matter. I really can't explain this. It must be hereditary or a genetic thing. With no space left, ANYWHERE in my house, I will still find one more wonderful, can't live without it, "It's got my name on it" item that seems to appear on a shelf or in a corner somewhere in one of these shops. I can rationalize this in many ways but the bottom line is that I love to find something beautiful that can be used again, repurposed, refinished or just fixed. I will just have to take more OLD things to the Thrift shops so that I have room for the NEW things.
In my defense, I only bought lunch on Friday. Nothing else. So I CAN control these urges. On Saturday and Sunday I was very careful and tomorrow I will show you what I found. I will even tell you what I paid for my wonderful acquisitions. This is an obsession. I know this, but it's OK and I know that a lot of you out there understand. Don't you?..., or do you think I need a 12 step program?

Sis left this morning. She thought she was going to beat the worst part of the storm but I think she drove down into it. Just after she left the wind picked up and the rain started again. It has never stopped.
Carl is sad and must be a bit annoyed. He went into our bedroom after Sis left and chewed a hole in Maggie's bed, strewed pieces of foam rubber all over the place. Then he went into the living room and curled up in the blanket that he and Sis had cuddled in all weekend. It must still have her fragrance lingering in it. Now he's asleep.
Come back soon, Sis. Carl is making his feelings very clear. He misses you all ready. So do I.....

A Gift of Memory and Love

Yesterday I got a very special gift in the mail. I had gotten one of those yellow slips in the postbox on Friday that said there was a package waiting to be picked up at the post office. My sister is here visiting for a few days and when we went downtown yesterday we stopped at the post office and I ran in to pick up the package. When I got back in the car with the package I said to her..." You will never guess who this is from." and she said "From Jan?"I was surprised that she knew. She said that she had received one too.When I opened the package I discovered this beautiful collage wall hanging that Jan had made.
Now, I don't usually get special, unexpected gifts in the mail and never have I received anything so meaningful and done with so much love. Jan is our talented and creative friend that writes the ~LITTLE PINK HOUSES~ blog and participates in a once a month vintage store in Walnut Creek, CA. She and I have become friends. We use to live in the same town when we were growing up and she found me when she was reading a post I wrote about Pleasant Hill, Ca. and a housing tract called Gregory Gardens. We started emailing and the rest is history.
When Mom died in July, Jan was so comforting. She offered to help us with anything we needed to do and she sent emails to be sure that Sis and I were OK. It was the kind of support that was needed..., someone letting you know that she was there if needed but not being obtrusive or making things more complicated. She was wonderful and on top of all the care and concern, she has also given us one thing more. A gift of memory. A gift of friendship and a tribute to Mom.This is one of the most beautiful gift I have every received because each part has such meaning for my sister and I.

The sheet music; Songs My Mother Taught Me by Anton Dvorak brings back memories of Mom sitting at the piano playing all the music of our childhood, teaching us to sing with her. The blue fabric (her favorite color) and lace decorations, the jewelry flowers, the birds and buttons all in threes; for Mom, Sis and I..., and under the last small piece of fabric trimmed with lace, on top of a line of music with words "Seldom from her eye..." is a transparent dove like bird, a faint ghost of an image...., Our Mom? I like to think so. Still near us. Keeping an eye on us and telling us that she is in a wonderful place and that she is happy.

She stands, in the photo, on top of the old water tank house over looking the Ranch in the Napa Valley. She is smiling, happy and filled with possibilities. Were we the lucky ones, her daughters, and..., we are the lucky ones to have a friend who would bother to share her talents and make us such a beautiful gift. Thank you Jan. We are so touched. This is a very special gift that you have given us. It means more that we can say.This song was done Andante con moto(andante con moto means moderately slow, walking, with motion.) which is how our mother lived her life; slowly, always walking in a good direction and always moving forward.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Jan. This is more than a gift. It's a treasure that we will cherish forever.

Wonderful, blissful weekend

Sis came up for a couple of days. Sometimes I think she just wants to have some peaceful "away" time...., with CARL. There is definitely a mutual admiration going on here. When she holds the pupster close to her I see the cares of her world fall away. This puppy is all about the warm cuddle and the extra lap.
The Prospector went on a fishing trip for a week so we had a "girl" weekend. Someone I know didn't even get dressed on Saturday..., wore her PJ's all day. In her defense, they were very fashionable, almost street clothes looking, PJ's.., but pj's none the less.
We had our coffee, toast and "stinky" cheese breakfast and then spent the entire day talking, laughing, crying, resting, playing with Carl and making poly clay jewelry. There is something about having uninterrupted time. Time that is only yours..., for whatever you choose. That was our gift this weekend. Other than my "rounds" with the farm animals early in the morning and after dinner , we had all day Saturday to just PLAY.., with our imagination and Sculpey polymer clay.

My little works of art are above, Sis' are below. I made the "boo" crow necklace for her to wear for Halloween. She will be hosting a party of friends in a few weeks and needed something creepy for the occasion. That's a real claw ,attached to it, from a dead Dove that I found on one of my walks. (Thank you, oh immortal Dove.)
She made me the charming beauty( on the left, below) with framed words ("blessed sanctuary") under a faceted glass bead and a small bluebird hanging from it. How beautiful is this?
The rest was just experimentation and fun.


We did all this with Halloween in mind and had so much fun with it. Poly clay is very versatile. I plan to do a tutorial soon on making one of these pieces with flat sided craft marbles instead of resin. It's an easier and faster way to make pieces of jewelry. We also used pieces of mica for glass. Mica is a nice change instead of something clear. It gives the window an antique look.
They were not completed. They still need a protective coating of Mod Podge or varnish of some kind, and the small skull , bird and hand ornaments need to be attached. This was a very easy project when you have all day to play and all the useful jewelry making equipment. What do you think? Didn't they turn out "charm"ing and unique?

We needed this weekend. It was a well deserved gift of time. It was a small moment of refuge...., and Saturday night? IT RAINED. Our first heavy, dust disappearing, air cleansing , fire quenching promise from Mother Nature that a change has finally come and Summer is over. Hearing the rain, Saturday night, outside my bedroom window was so reassuring. .., like someone holding my hand in the dark.
Today it's cool and windy but sunny...., and everything smells like wet, clean clothing drying in the sun. Maggie is lying on the front porch gathering up the warmth and Carl is looking for my sister(who left yesterday afternoon) and wondering where she might be. I am letting the house go for another day...., everything is going to be just fine.

Sister Visit

Sis called and asked if she could come up for the weekend. Absolutely...., let's make something for dessert!

I had some peaches from Slough House. I picked them up on the way back from Sacramento on Wednesday, so I made a Clafouti. What?..., a Clafouti. (pronounced Kla-foo-tee). This is an easy French dessert that is more traditionally made with cherries, but can be made with any stone fruit or apples, or pears etc. Google "peach clafouti" and you will get so many recipes it will boggle your mind. I followed a very basic recipe , used less sugar, regular milk, no amaretto( just didn't have any) and cooked it longer than they recommended. Maybe it was the heavy ceramic pie plate I baked it in, but it took a lot longer that 45 mins. I recommend this recipe and next time I will have some amaretto and half & half so I can follow the directions exactly. All the same, it was really good and even better the next day cold from the refrigerator.
It was delicious!! I didn't "arrange" the peaches, but you can if you want to. I also wouldn't dust with confectioner's sugar until you're ready to serve it. It's a pretty dessert and would be great for a luncheon or tea.
The two little dishes in the top photo were made and baked because I had too much batter, so I threw some frozen blueberries into these ramkins and poured the rest of the batter into them. I used too many blueberries..., they cooked too fast and made a hole in the middle. Pretty but not as good.
I first heard about this dessert on a blog called Posy Gets Cozy. Alicia Paulson makes (and photographs) food beautifully, among other things, and you need to check out her site. Hers was the first Blog I ever looked at and she got me motivated to start one of my own.

Sis and I had a good visit. Took a long walk with Carl on the road that goes down to the Mokelumne River. It was so beautiful. We got a good workout( a bit too warm though ), picked up some trash (as ever), and saw this beautiful thistle blooming on the side of the road , near the creek below our road. Can't find it in the wildflower book. It's very lush in this spot because water continuously flows out of our gold mine into the creek here and there is a constant source of water for the wild figs and cattails. I've always wanted to build a small cabin here. It's right on a seasonal creek and it's just so pretty.

Glad you came Sis. It's never long enough, but we had such a nice time. Want to build a little cabin on the creek?..., just for a small getaway..., with your own key and you can borrow Carl to sleep with. If you get lonely you just drive up the hill to our house and have some Clafoutis. It would be your own little sanctuary from the world. On second thought, it sounds so nice I might build it myself. Wouldn't it be lovely?..., to have a place where you could go, all by yourself and just BE? No phones, TV, people or problems allowed. We need to work on this.

And she made Bread Pudding for Dessert

This bread pudding turned out really good. I used this recipe I have had for years. It was in a magazine and an ad for Sun Maid Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread. I don't add the extra raisins and I use three eggs. I also add a teaspoon of grated orange rine and 1/4 teasp. of pumpkin pie spice. I use half & half instead of milk. I also press the bread pieces with a fork after I pour the milk and egg mixture on top of it to make sure the bread is completely soaked. You don't want dry bread pieces in your pudding.

The wildflowers were a pretty background for the recipe but I didn't think anyone could see the ingredients so I did a close up too.

It's all gone and it was really good. The Prospector, Sis and I finished it off. Try it, with cream or half & half...., or vanilla ice cream. Hmmm good!

Clouds and Sunlight

These are pictures of my sister and I. We used these sweet stand-ins to show the story of my sister's ordeal. Sis is not going to be photographed for a while, by her request. Both little dogs were given, by me, to her many years apart. The little puppy is her's from many years ago when (as a little girl) she found it in her stocking at Christmas. The yellow hound was brought to the hospital with me when we picked her up after the operation; a week ago last Friday.
Sis was released from the hospital two days after she had a Craniotomy to remove a tumor from the left-front of her brain . They do not let you stay long these days and want you up and walking around if at all possible. She had a half-circle scar from the top of her forehead to her left ear and her left eye was swollen shut and very black and blue. She had a horrible headache and couldn't talk too well. The doctor wanted to know if there were arrangements for her to recouperate with as little noise or disturbance as possible; especially in the first 48 hours. So we decided that the best place for her was her condo in Pacifica and that's where she and I went for a week. Her husband came everyday with food, get-well cards and flowers from friends and family.
The first 48 hours were scary and I was reminded, again, how much our bodies can suffer recovering from modern medicine's ability to keep us from death.

Each day was long and nights even longer for Sis. The pain was extreme until about the 4th or 5th day. I fixed her food and made her drink WATER. I made her as comfortable as possible. She slept a lot the first few days and then..., slowly, she felt a little better. I read her a Mary Oliver poem on a card I made for her and waited for the clouds to lift.

By the 7th day Sis was doing so much better. Her eye was open and she could see out of it but it still didn't work with her right eye,yet. That will take more time. Her headache had subsided and she ,generally, felt better. I drew this picture of her on the kitchen blackboard with the beginnings of a smile. The clouds disappeared and the sun showed it's reflected light across the room from the suncatcher in the window.
On Friday, we packed up and went home. On the way we stopped at the hospital to have the stitches taken out. All went well and the doctor said a biopsy showed that the tumor was, definitely, not malignant. Such good news. Such very, good news.

We returned to Sis's house, in Lafayette, 9 days after the operation. It was filled with people and dogs, movement and noise. (This is what LIFE sounds like.) Everyone was glad that she had returned and, even though she was tired, she was glad to be home.

Life changes. What was normal is, now, a different normal. and , as Mary Oliver says, each of us "....just happens to be where (we) are in the universe...".
I believe that we all have a purpose; maybe more than one, and with good intentions and a kind heart, we will do the thing that needs to be done..., and life will become less a mystery.

So, as I drove home, yesterday, I thought again of the words in the Oliver poem and I finally cried tears of relief for my sister.
"...good morning, good morning, good morning.
Watch, now, how I start the day...
in happiness, in kindness."
and with a great sigh of relief I added..., in thankfulness.

Pacifica, Ca. , from a safe distance.

Just a few miles south of San Francisco, on the Pacific Coast Highway is a little town called Pacifica. It's amazing to me that it's still so small compared to other towns in the Bay Area. It's a very easy commute to San Francisco and has some charming areas to live in, although it is expensive.
A couple of years ago my sister bought a condominium in the hills overlooking the town and it has become her sanctuary from the busy suburbs. From her home in Lafayette she can get to Pacifica in a half hour, so it's very convenient and it's near her "beloved" Ocean. This also means that her "beloved" sister and family get to use it too. What a lovely arrangement. The  ocean and her  sister don't really have a lot in common because I happen to be mightily afraid of the big, gigantic Pacific, but I love the weather, especially when the foothills are roasting in the 100 degree plus oven of a central Sierra summer. I love her wonderful new ocean home because it's beautiful, relaxing and quite a distance from the beach, with a view to die for. We have so much fun when just the two of us go over there, that I almost forget about that big endless, rolling sea lapping at the land to the west.

From the upper left clockwise in the picture above are: The entrance, "My" bedroom (That valance is a swag of greenery and small lights with a wreath in the center. Beautiful isn't it?), The mantel, over the fireplace, and a set of six calendar prints that Sis framed and hung over her couch in the livingroom.

This is just about as close as I get to the big water, but I wanted you to see what your missing if you love THE OCEAN. These photos are for all of you out there who have no idea how very beautiful California is and for the rest of you who think that we are all going to break off, in a large earthquake, and disappear into the jaws of the Pacific. It's not true. It will only happen when.., and if I walk out to the end of that pier in the bottom left photo. As I told a friend, who asked if I walked out there this weekend...., "ARE YOU CRAZY? I did that one time and there is no earthly reason to do it again." I do not believe that it's wise to tempt the earthquake/tsunami gods and I don't believe in that "Face your fears" baloney, either. But it is beautiful from the walkway or bike path and even more beautiful from my sisters place in the sunset photo. Now that's a "safe" distance.

A brief visit; Sister Sanctuary

This is the Mokelumne River in Winter. It's one of California's wild and scenic rivers. It is so beautiful it can be overwhelming, especially in the early evening as the sun sets. The foothills become quiet and the spirit of the river shows itself in the ripples and reflections of the clear water.

My sister came up for a short weekend visit, to gather some energy and take a breather from the Christmas madness that tends to swallow folks this time of the year.
One evening I took Sis down to the River, just before sunset. She was mesmerized by the quiet and beauty of this river.We just walked around gathering the spirit of this beautiful place.

This was the view to the West. We watched, letting the stillness wrap it's peacefulness around us, until it became too dark and cold. Together, in the rush of the holiday season, on a bridge over the river, we stood together.., looking at the quiet beauty of the natural world..., gathering strength for the rest of our lives.

Next May...., Asilomar.

Where did that sister of mine go? This visit was way too short. Two days are not long enough at all. We didn't even have time to make the beds....



















We have this wonderful habit of bringing something for each other when we visit. She arrived with this great, old witch. I love the expression on her face. She doesn't look like she ever "casts spells". Maybe she just goes around looking for children so she can read them stories. Maybe she's just an old witch and has decided to retire.
















...., and it was wrapped up in this charming Halloween bag.
















Thanks Sis. Thanks for coming up for a few days and for bringing me the sweet old witch. I love her. I think she'll like it here.

We actually did go somewhere yesterday. We drove over to Amador City to shop in a few favorite stores. One of our absolute favorites is Sandy's Country Living. It's one of those little places that you can't go into without buying something. Lots of Halloween things and vintage pieces that you just don't see in other stores and her prices are always reasonable. We didn't buy a lot , but we sure had fun looking. You can always get wonderful "ideas" in Sandy's store. She is a great buyer and decorator.

Today Sis had to leave after lunch so we stayed home and just relaxed . We did get on the internet and we registered for the Asilomar Art and Soul Workshop next May. We have been trying to get a class with Nina Bagley, a jewelry artist , for a long time and the classes would fill up so fast that they would be closed before we could register. Well, we finally made it. The 3 day workshop is called "Mystorian Necklace & Book. We will make a necklace using some of our own "found objects" and also make a book that is a story made up of gathered relics and embellishments. We can't wait. I don't know if any of you have ever been to Pacific Grove. It's on the Pacific coast, between Monterey and Carmel. This is where Asilomar Conference Center is and it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. We will be staying at the Center and they will feed us...., and it's within walking distance of the ocean. Doesn't that sound wonderful?

The Prospector is still fishin'. He called tonight and said that they caught 11 fish today. He's having a great time. The weather is beautiful and the lake is low. The weather is great there because he's in the mountains. Here, today, it was 100 degrees . Summer has decided to return for a while. I'm so tired of hot weather. It's time for a change and I'm ready , ready, ready....

.... and she made Rice Pudding!

My sister has come up to visit us for a few days. She arrived yesterday afternoon and I'm so glad she's here. The dogs were delighted to see her. I really think they remember her each time she comes. We introduced her to the goats and she just loves them.She helped me try to catch Squeeky, who got out this morning when the prospector was changing their water . We got Squeeky cornered but she flew up onto the top of the coop and we never got her back inside. We gave up and decided to go have lunch in Sutter Creek.
We had lunch at this tea room on Main Street in Sutter Creek. It was so lovely and the food was delicious. Then we went and look in some of the stores nearby. Didn't buy much. Just browsed and had a good time.






This is my beautiful sister. The one I asked Mom and Dad for when I was 7 yrs. old. I'm so glad they were listening, because we're such good friends now and I can't imagine not having her in my life.





Look at this pretty table. We ate here. The tea was really good and you can buy anything on the table or in the room. We didn't but you can.

Tonight Sis fixed dinner for the Prospector and I. She is a great cook. We had a big Tabouli salad with lots of veggies and cashews....., and she made rice pudding for dessert.

I have to go now..., time for some rice pudding.