Something Wicked This Way Comes.... but there was Joy in the Morning.

I took a long walk yesterday afternoon up into the hills. This is what it looked like at about 4:00 p.m.

The wind was blowing through the trees, moving the clouds across the sky. Everything was so lovely.... as if Nature was at peace with the world. I even stopped up there, closed my eyes and just stood there for a few minutes, feeling the warmth of the sun, listening to the sound of the wind, the birds, the distant traffic noises from across the canyon and the strange little squeaking sound that kept coming from one of the oak trees... a bird possibly.
Then I heard a clicking kind of buzzing ... looked down I saw a grasshopper land on the grass in front of me. It was black and medium sized. I tried to lean quietly over and take a picture. This is what I photographed.

Because it flew so close I didn't have to move and I was able to catch it with the camera. It could be a House Lubber Grasshopper. The description says that it is shiny black, about 11/2 to 2", with yellow veins on its wings. I didn't see it fly in, so I'm not sure about the yellow color.
I had my eyes closed.
I was communing .
But it did fly in and I heard its characteristic sound. It says, as I read my field guide, that this "music making" serves as a form of warning, a way to establish territory, or a move in courtship. I like to think he spotted me and decided to be friendly on this beautiful day. After all I was standing still and this little guy flew to me. Their Habitat are grasslands and woods with Live Oaks. That's us.... lots of grass and oaks. It's hard to say exactly what kind of grasshopper it was because in North America alone there are over 1000 species.
I took four photos before it flew away to something more interesting and I continued on down the trail toward the house.
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The wind was picking up and the sun disappeared. When I passed the goats they seemed restless and were heading for the goat house.
I went in and fixed dinner. The Prospector said something about the weather on TV. There was a "cell" moving over Amador county. They were spot on. We had finished dinner and watched Jeopardy. I let the dogs outside and they ran around peeing on everything and chasing each other.  The sky got darker and more ominous and then we heard rumbles from across the river canyon. The sun was trying hard to leave a last impression on us.

The clouds to the east didn't look that bad but the sun was losing the battle.

To the south the sky got a strange look that seems more frequent in the last few years. Clouds that carry the sunset  with them but lay like high fog over the foothills. They have a different look to them.

Standing out there, looking to the west behind the house, there was a darkness moving over the hills that said..." Time to take the dogs into the house and stop standing out here like a fool taking pictures.".
I called the boys in and taking one last photo from the porch...

... we retreated.
We watch this storm hit. First the wind, then the thunder and lightening, and then the hail. Huge pieces of hail that fell, plummeling my flower garden, battering the roof and scaring the dog boys under our bed. Cutter would bark at the thunder every time it hit. I just stood there watching my Iris, hoping for a miracle.
The storm knocked out the TV and the computer. We ended up reading for about an hour until the storm blew itself out and move east where it became snow for all the worn out folks up country and into the Sierras. It was a slow moving storm that planted itself at about the 3000 ft. level for quite a while. We watched it leave and saw the ragged bottoms of the clouds that has just gone over us. We had been told that "ragged bottoms" are the strange rough underside of a very large cloud that produces Tornadoes. It definitely looked like what a blogging friend in the Midwest calls a "bad cloud". We don't get Tornadoes up here but we have had a few in the Valley recently.
I watched that cloud for a long time. I think I kind of understand what it must feel like to know that something  horrible would come down out of the clouds and do great damage to a town or community. Tornadoes are monsters, dark and sinister wind, exposing life to fearful disaster and pain. I can't imagine what it must be like to see one come out of a dark cloud. I'm sure that it's one of nature's most frightening events.
This cloud moved on... and by evening it was dark and quiet.
I heard rain late in the night. As I lay there, save and protected. I felt thankful for this sanctuary that I call home and the protection it effort us here in the California foothills. I said a thank you prayer before I fell back to sleep.
I won't always be so safe. Something wicked eventually comes, but we live each day with hope that there will be Joy in the Morning.

This post was for Karen Deborah and all of those that suffer from chronic pain and depression. We all suffer "storms" in our life. For some it's more difficult than others. This is a kind of a prayer for those who weather each day with fortitude and grace.

(My Iris survived the hailstorm. They are a bit ragged but they are fine. )

What a Day!.... and it's not even over with... yet.

This California girl has just about had enough of this "Springtime" weather. 
I'm tired of the wind, the rain, the thunder and lightening..... and three of my "billy goats gruff".
Gruff as in ... being really awful to Brownie.
Gruff as in... they are making Brownie miserable and they don't seem to care. 
It's bad enough that he's lost his horn....

But now he's being ostracized. The other goats don't want  to be anywhere near him and when he tries to join them... they push him away.

He a goat adrift... in a field of despair. 
He's a goat alone in the world.

Oh, Brownie. I'm so sorry this is happening.

I don't understand why the goats are rejecting him. He was always one of the pack. I think it has to do with him losing his horn. I don't know if they did it playing around, butting heads and pushing each other like they do. I think maybe they didn't like all the blood, or that the missing horn makes him different. I just don't know. Maybe they are rejecting the weakness. He had always been such a hard nose. Now he's acting very vulnerable.
The other day I got mad at Bart for pushing Brownie away from the fence while I was petting him and all I got from Bart was attitude.

And after he stopped playing around trying to be.... "all that".

Then he gives me his "wonderful goat" look and walks away.
BEAST! 
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This morning we are having a wind storm with lots of sideways rain. It's a really cold ( well, not cold like Michigan, Dawn.) rain. It's snowing in Pine Grove.  the news this morning said it's even snowing in Sonora. (1900 ft.) 
The trees are swaying back and forth. One of those days when people should stay inside so I was downloading some pictures from my camera and I heard a cry from what I thought was Brownie.
I put my raincoat on. Ran out to the goat house and Brownie was on the other side of their house hunkering against the wall. The other goats were in the goat house. 
I put my boots on, sloshed out to him and led him back into the enclosure.  I closed the gate so he couldn't leave again and told the other goats to behave themselves. They were guarding the doorway so Brown couldn't get in. They have been doing this for weeks now. This photo shows them a few days ago, ganging up on Brown because he had the audacity to go into the house. They went in and chased him out.

So, I realized that it wasn't Brown's bawling I heard from inside the house. His is more pathetic.
As I stood there, I heard it again and guess what?.... I walked out to the front driveway, looked up the road and what did I see? COWS above the chicken house. BIG BLACK COWS!!! We don't own any cows. The Prospector had gone into town. I'm here dealing with a rejected goat and, all of a sudden, a small herd of COWS appear. WHAT THE...!!
I ran up the road toward them yelling and shouting. They gave me that wide eyed stare that cows get when they are confronted or startled. Then they turned around (thank God) and walked back up the road. I'm so glad that they were being agreeable. They are very big animals. Wouldn't want to have one argue with me. They were much more cooperative than Brownie, who had to be sweet talked and pushed back though two fences and  into the goat house.
About a half hour later the Prospector came home. He went up and closed the big gate that we installed, half way up to the well, just for those occasions when cows decide to visit. He didn't see any cows. I must have made an impression on them. They were heading back to where ever they belonged. I'm sure that they were saying, as they walked away,  " Crazy woman! over there. We don't need to go down that road again." 
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Well, SH%*TE... now our Flowering Pear tree just lost a big limb and it's laying on the garage roof and back porch. I will return.....
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And a couple of hours later...
I've been gone for a while. I needed to be out there to watch over my husband . He was up on a ladder and that's kind of scary in this wind. He has a bad knee. He was using a chain saw. I just wanted to be close by.

You had to be there. The wind blowing. The rain pelting down. The branch landed on our iron fence and then the wood fence. Thankfully the fences broke the heaviness of the huge branch and there was no damage to the back porch or the garage roof. The Prospector started cutting the heaviest part of the branch to relieve the weight on the fences.

The photo is kind of blurry because of the rain and wind. Then the Prospector went around and cut some of the smaller branches away from the back porch.

The trellis held up really well considering that it caught the top of the tree.

I'm guessing that the weakness from the other branch that fell last year is what weaken this one. It came from the same area on the tree. We may lose the whole tree now. I hope not. It's so much shade in the summer and it's such a beautiful tree. 

The rest of the tree is moving back and forth. We are hoping that it doesn't fall over. The wind is so strong today. It's still blowing hard out there..... and the rain....  We are thankful for a sound home and that the electricity hasn't gone off..... knock on wood....

I didn't say that.... knock on wood...

Mother nature is sure having it her way this year. 

The rain is even hitting the window that's under the front porch.... What a day!

A Little Bit of This and That

The latest on "billy goat gruff".... He is doing very well. The purple bandage is gone. He must have rubbed it off on a tree or the fence. His short horn looks kind of funny but I would never tell him that. He has, somehow, built some self-esteem in the herd from this ordeal so it's best to just tell him he looks handsome and leave it go while were ahead.
He came out to greet me this morning, complained about the wind and the incoming storm..., and then walked back into the goat house. Love ya Brownie.....

Storms coming in fast. The wind is picking up and the sky is this wonderful color of blue and creme. The fall color against the cloudy sky is beautiful.
The house is warm and comforting as I walk back into it and stand here looking through the windows. I love the coming of a storm..., the anticipation of winter..., and the holidays. It's a thankful feeling. It's the promise of needed rain and the slowing down of life, for a while. I love this time of year...

And with the slowing down, the anticipation, comes a magazine that lifts the spirits and makes me want to climb the stairs in the garage and drag out all the boxes of Christmas decorations. A magazine that inspires, with lovely ideas for the home and delicious food and homemade gifts. If you haven't picked up ROMANTIC HOMES yet..., do. If you want to be motivated, spurred on, or need a reason to sit down with a cup of tea or coffee on a rainy afternoon..., just pick up this magazine, find that corner with the comfortable chair and spend an hour or two sitting quietly, looking at the charm and loveliness of the holidays. What else can you do on a stormy day? Relax...., give yourself a moment of silence before the storm.

Storm's a Comin'

There is a storm moving in on us this afternoon. It's suppose to be a big one. The weather people say it's unusual for a storm of this size to hit us in October. I agree. We don't usually get the big storms until after Christmas.
So, yesterday I decided, at the last minute, to sand and paint the wood slats on our bench seat out front. The finish on it had disappeared from being in the hot sun for a couple of summers. It was a clear wood finish with a thin factory coat of varnish on it. The varnish was almost gone and the wood was crying for help. So I spent almost the whole day sanding and painting to make this pretty little bench proud. I love the dark green. It will be nice for the holidays and matches the trim on the house.

Last week, when the Prospector was gone, Annibel decided to play her.., "I'm stuck on the roof and I can't get down." act. She does this every once in a while, for whatever reasons, and no amount of "Here kitty kitty." makes any difference. She meows and acts like she wants to be saved but when I get the extension ladder and try to coax her down , she backs away. CATS!! This time she spent 3 days up there. The Prospector built her a ramp from the back porch to the fence the last time she did this. Do you think she used it? NO. It must not be to her liking. CATS!
Finally, feeling somewhat sorry for her and wondering which gutter she was using for a cat box, I climbed the ladder, with a bowl of kibble and got her to come over to me.
Try being 64 yrs old, twelve feet off the ground, bowl of cat food in one hand and grabbing for a cat that doesn't like to be held, on an extension ladder. Try carrying that cat back down the ladder while she is fighting to get away. Three days on that roof, sleeping under an eave near the back porch, she finally jumped from my arms about half way down the ladder and landed ON HER FEET. Maybe something scared her up there. I don't know. She's got a big garage to hide in at night. I don't know why she does this. She's a tough cat. She plays with Rattlesnakes for crying out loud.
I didn't fall off the ladder..., Annibel is OK..., but this cat is on my @#%&* list. If she does this again, during the storm that's commin', she's on her own.
The prospector goes up the ladder next time.

Just a final shot..., of the front steps and porch.
The sun is getting some cloud cover today. The wind is picking up. Anticipation is in the air. The humidity builds. The storm is coming. The goats are being restless and the chickens are already inside their house. I've cleaned the oil lamps and cleared the porch of chairs and things that could blow away. We are ready. I'm ready..., for a rebirth of season.

The California Cows are not Happy

The night before last we had a wind storm. This is what we woke up to in the morning. The table on the porch was tipped over and pots were upside down. There were broken pieces of containers scattered around and everything was leaning toward the southeast. Then it started hailing..., then we had lightening and thunder( and whining from Maggie, our shepherd, because she hates thunder).

The poor old drop-leaf table was in bad shape to begin with, but this kind of abuse might be it's death blow. I think I'll just leave it on it's side because the wind has continued to blow, off and on, for two days. THE CALIFORNIA COWS ARE NOT HAPPY RIGHT NOW.

Well, look who arrived in the middle of the hail storm. Our resident Hummingbird who never goes south for the winter because we usually don't have weather like this, has been hangin' on the porch all week. He has been trying to get a sip of sugar water from the feeder. This is fun to watch because it's like watching a helicopter land on an ship in a bad storm. He waits, plans his move and then goes for the landing. He's getting very good at it. Then he hangs on for dear life, sips his fill and flies off across the canyon. I worry about him; thinking that the wind and the rain will catch him and take him down. But, he always returns. There are two of them that stayed this year. I'll bet they are saying, "Holy Cow, We could have been living in the Bougainvillea in Acapulco. What were we thinking?"