"Out with the Old, in with the New"

This cute pink bicycle represents more fun than a corral full of baby goats. It's the reason I usually plan my trips to the bay area on certain days every month. This is the antique/ vintage/ creative art store owned by Susan Goodman called ROOM WITH A PAST. They are only open 4 days a month and each month is a new adventure, with amazing bargains..., and it's just down right fun to visit.
See that green chair in the top left photo? See the color? Does it look familiar? Yes, it's exactly the same color of the little, half size, green chair I have here in my home. That's because Jan Ely(the blond in the jammies and slippers) likes to paint cute little chairs in my favorite color. I bought one here last year. THIS cute chair did not(sigh) come home with me. I practiced some restraint on this trip, but if it's still there next month I may not have the control that I did last week. Of course I could just NOT GO to this sale and make my life easier, but that's "not an option", as they say. I might miss something wonderful!..., something with my name on it..., something I can't live without. See, how easy it is to rationize this obsession.

Last Thursday, before the unexpected dinner for 8, Sis and I took a run by R.W.A.P. It was their Christmas sale and , of course, we had to take a quick look. It's only about a mile from Mom's rest home, so there was just no reason not to go before I picked up Mom for dinner. (More rationalizing). Sis got home, afterwards, and found out she was having 4 extra people coming for dinner and the panic set in..., but it was still worth the stop at our favorite store.
These are the wonderful ladies who run R.W.A.P. This is the only time you will ever see them IN PUBLIC wearing their pajamas and slippers, and I did get their permission to put this photo on my blog. They are a very nice bunch of woman, who work hard to make this store a charming place. They enjoy what they do and they all seem to get along well. This was New Years Day and we were invited to wear our jammies and slippers too, but we opted for street clothing because we didn't want someone with a camera/phone to immortalize us in Trader Joe's. All customers were invited to partake of a huge table of goodies(and I mean HUGE) to celebrate the New Year and, of course, the amazing sale. Sis found a big drop-leaf table to do crafts and sewing on. I added a beautiful vintage pressed metal tray to my kitchen collection and one of Jan's handmade ornaments.

Thank you ladies. It was fun, as always. It was nice to see you, Marcia. Glad you are doing so well. See you next month.

Room With a Past ~ 1557A Third Ave., Walnut Creek CA 94597
(925) 933-1903

Jan Ely's "Little Pink Houses" blog can be found at pinkhousepages.blogspot.com. Check it out. She loves "vintage", painting and decorating. She also makes wonderful, artful things. We grew up in the same town and her Dad and my Mom went to school together in Napa, Ca. We found each other through our blogs. Small world isn't it?

Vintage Thursday

This is a 1932 Better Homes & Garden magazine that I gave my sister for Christmas tucked into an antique planter. I think this magazine is so beautiful with it's muted colors and frayed edges.

The ads are so much fun to read....,
and this Westinghouse stove is just the kind of stove I would love to buy for my kitchen, only it would be a zillion times more expensive, now, if I could even find one in good shape.

Then there is the article about HOW AND WHERE TO KEEP YOUR CLOTHES. I guess they had to be organized back then because look at the size of the closets.
I still have this fantasy about owning an old house, but I don't know about those closets. I thought I had small closets in this house, but mine are twice as big as these in the magazine. Our closets are jammed full. I don't know why? I think we need a lot more space in this house for clothes and storage. Either that or we need to read this article and get organized.

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.

Going and Coming Back in the New Year.

I'm back home and so glad to be here. My visit to the bay area was a day longer than I had planned but that was ok because I packed a lot of coming and going into five days.
My sister ended up having eight people for dinner on New Years Day. It was kind of unexpected but we got enough food together, set a pretty table, and had a great time. She said it was almost more relaxing this way because she didn't have time to WORRY about what she was going to do.
I brought Mom over to Sis's house for dinner. She had a good time and enjoyed being there but she had a cough.
Sis and I had planned to go over to the ocean for two days. Mom said she was ok and just wanted to rest for the weekend, so the next day, we took off. We stopped in Berkeley for lunch and looked at some of the stores on 4th street. Then we drove over to Pacifica and snuggled into the condo for the night. The wind blew and it rained all night. It was the first time I'd been there in a storm. It was wonderful, cold and wild.
The next day we went to a couple of antique stores down in the old part of Pacifica, walked on the shoreline, took pictures( did you think I wouldn't have my camera?), ate lunch, cruised through Ross( our favorite store for bargains), and picked up food for dinner. On Sunday we came home. It was a quick, fun trip that we enjoyed throughly.
Mom went to see her doctor on Sunday because the cough was getting worse. He said she had a virus, but not anything worse, and gave her some medicine. We went to see her yesterday and she was feeling better. Today I stopped by and she was feeling much better. Thank goodness for modern medicine. I left Mom's and got home in about 2 and 1/2 hrs. The traffic was kind of heavy but the weather was good so the trip home was , all in all, not bad.

It's foggy and cold and the Prospector is happy that I have returned; so are the dogs (and the goats). Tonight it's very cold. Jo (in Pennsylvania) and Donna (in Montana)..., I hear you laughing, but we will be freezing by morning. 32 degrees is cold for us and requires comment here in the foothills and maybe an extra blanket or two.

I will post some photos tomarrow. I have some good ones.
I'm still praying for snow, but know that this may be a fruitless effort.
I'm going to change into my jammies and go cuddle with my husband, now.
Goodnight and sweet dreams.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

I will be gone for a few days. I'm going to see my mother. See you next week.

Bluebirds of Happiness and Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all, ....
~ Emily Dickinson~ 1891

This is for my friends and family....,
Listen to your inner voice and hope for new beginnings.
Be well and of good spirit and always look at the beauty around you.
I wish you health, I wish you peace
I wish you quiet, sunfilled days.

Happy New Year!

Disgruntled Goats: the after Christmas bummers

"Hi Bart! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, baby."...., no answer. Farmlady laughs and says, "What's the matter, sweetie, didn't Santa bring you everything you wanted?".... No answer...

"Hey Brownie, what's the matter with Bart? He seems upset about something, but he won't tell me what's wrong."
"I don't know, farmlady. He's not talking to us either."
"Well, I can't imagine what this is all about. The prospector cleaned out your house and put new straw down. He spent all last week spreading gravel on the ground outside the door, here, so you wouldn't have to walk in mud when it rains. What do you suppose has got him all upset?"
"I just don't know. Maybe he's tired of the cold weather."
" I think you guys are kind of spoiled. Some goats have to live where it snows in the winter..., and they don't have a nice house to go into when the weather is awful. Some goats just have a lean-to and have to huddle together against the elements."
"What are elements?"
"Wind. rain..., snow. You haven't even seen snow yet."
"Oh..., well I still don't know why it has to be so cold."
"You are such summer goats. I just love this weather. This isn't even that cold, really."
"Sure, when you live in that big warm place, over there. Why don't you let us come in there once in a while?"
"Because you're farm animals and you're not potty trained, Brownie. No one lets goats and chichens come into their houses."
There is a long silence while Brownie thinks about what has just been said. Bart walks over to the fence and Brownie says...,
"Bart, I think we have just been insulted."
"I'm not insulting you, Brownie. I love you guys. I just think you forget that you're goats. Don't be offended. Just go find a place in the sun and relax. Just chill out." Farmlady pats them both on the head.
"Chill out? Odd choice of words. What do you think Bart? They want us to eat more grass in the pasture. They decided to stop the good grain because the "goatlady" said it would cause something called STONES..., and now Farmlady calls us spoiled. I think we need a meeting. I think we need a... , what did I hear about...., a union. Things are getting out of control. BART? Don't you think we need a union?"

Bart looks at me, then he looks at Brownie. Then, (and I have this documented in the photo above), he stuck out his tongue and said something under his breath. I didn't hear it but I think Brownie did. What do you suppose Bart said? Got any ideas? I don't know what's going on with them. Maybe they really are "Summer" goats. Maybe they have S.A.D. and need more sunlight. Maybe they're just going through their "teens". I don't know. Whatever it is, I wish they would snap out of it. I may have to give them an extra treat and take them for a walk. I'm such an enabler. I just want them to be happy.

A Lovely Christmas Day

The rain stopped, the sun came through and, even without snow, it was a wonderful holiday.

The Bambinos were like two little tornados until after supper. Then the eyelids started going south and with one last smile....,

Little bean finally took a nap. It was a very good day but sometimes you just need to take a breather from a long day of Santa and brother's ..., and being two.

Frosted Leaves

"Nature has undoubtedly mastered the art of winter gardening and even the most experienced gardener can learn from the unrestrained beauty around them."- Vincent A. Simeone

Blessings to All

Silent Night, Holy Night

Do I have a treat for you....

This is the beautiful home of my friend "J" and her husband. I asked her if it was all right to take some photos of their house and do a post on my blog of her home at Christmas. She said "Sure". So here it is...., as a Merry Christmas treat.
"J" has lived in this old victorian house for at least 20 years. Well, they were doing the B&B on the weekends up here before they moved here; so I'm not sure exactly how many years they have actually been here full time.
About 15 yr's ago the prospector and I were looking for a place to sleep on one of our gold hunting treks to the foothills. It was late in the afternoon, the motels were full and we were very tired from a day of digging and panning. When we saw this beautiful house with a Bed and Breakfast sign out in front, we decided to stop and ask if they had a room. The two people that greeted us were outside cleaning the lovely grounds and when they saw us they must have thought we were crazy...., dirty clothes and all, but they were very nice and offered us an upstairs room with a bath on the same floor. This was one of the most gorgeous old homes I had ever seen. Lots of antiques and a garden that just made you want to find a place and sit a while.
We talked, relaxed( oh!, and cleaned up) and slept well. "J" made us a delicious breakfast in the morning that rivaled the most famous B&B's we had ever visited (I still have all the recipes). Thirteen years ago we finally moved up here and the friendship has continued since the first day we dragged our dirty bodies up their steps.

After all these years I still love walking into this home, especially at Christmas. It's a holiday "gift" all by itself. "J" has a knack for decorating and at Christmas she pulls out all the stops. She could be on the christmas home tour in our county. The whole house is a treat for the eyes.
Remember the Wordless Wednesday post I did last week? Those kittens, Kansas and Twister, live in "J"s house too. They are her kittens and I just had to show you more photos of them trying to be "good little kittys" when the whole house is a cat's delight of things to play with.
Thanks "J". You've always been a good friend. I love you. Merry Christmas.

Please click on photos to see them "close up".

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.

Clowning for the Camera

"Hi Bart. What's up?"
Hello Farmlady. Is that your new camera?"
Why yes it is. I love it. Can I take some pictures of you?"
"Sure. Hey Brownie. Farmlady's got her camera. She wants to take some pictures.".....

"Hi Brownie"
"Hello Farmlady."
"How are you?"
"Well, it's been kind of cold but..., what are you doing Bart? Bart! Hey...., wow, he must have eaten too many berries on the Toyon bush."
"Oh Bart. You are being really silly."
"You have no idea, Farmlady. He's such a show-off."

......, and that's how it goes on a rainy, cold day on the farm.

A Virtual Invitation of Christmas Spirit

Park your car or truck near the gate. It will be open. Walk into the garden and up to the porch.

Come on up the steps to our door and knock.

Please come in and stay awhile. Have some hot cider and enjoy your visit.
It's almost Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday: My oldest son

Shoes were optional

Today is our youngest grandson's birthday. He's two years old. Yesterday I drove to his home in Elk Grove for his big birthday party. The prospector caught the cold that I had last week and couldn't come down with me. So I ventured out into the wind and rain to celebrate my little baby bean's big day.
All his friends were there and all their parents. It was a CONSTRUCTION ZONE party, with hard hats (to wear) and orange cones (for drinks). Baby Bean got more cake IN his mouth this year.( see photo ) and he held his own with all the older kids.
SHOES WERE OPTIONAL.

His older brother( The Bean) was busy with the big plans for the day. He had everything under control, with lots of help from Mommy and Daddy. There was cake and all kinds of delicious food. Mom had everything under control and the house was beautiful. Baby bean had moments of being overwhelmed and had to take a "breather" on Mom's lap, once in a while.
The Bean entertained the troops and kept up the momentum, especially in the garage, where there was a roller coaster of sorts that kids could ride down and into a waiting beanbag and foam bumper. They rode a small car and zoomed down, across the garage, and into a soft landing. All very safe and with moms and dads waiting to retrieve them, safety helmet and all. It was the highlight of the party for the children.

Baby Bean did very well and enjoyed the celebration. After the party he took a long nap. The Bean and I pretended to nap on the couch. We were in "the party zone", wrapped up in blankets and pillows, giggling about silly thinks like tickleing toes when one was suppose to be asleep. "Noni, stop. You not 'spose to do that. You 'spose to be asleep." After we "faked" a nap, we ate goldfish and jellybeans, talked about the state of politics in preschool and what color jellybean was the best.
Later I hit the road, saying goodby and explaining that I had to go home and take care of Papa so he could get well and they could come up to our place for Christmas Day. The Bean wanted me to stay overnight, but he understood and gave me a christmas bell and a candy for Papa.

It rained all the way home but the wonderful day made sunshine in my heart. Being Noni is such fun.

Happy Birthday my little Baby Bean....