The Big Ouch

Cutter took a trip to the Vets yesterday. We did the dirty deed and had him neutered. He's not happy about it.

Carl doesn't know what to think. He has forgotten about the same trip that he took over a year ago. He just doesn't understand why "Cut cut" is being contained in the pen and can't run outside with him.

"Cutter! Are you sticking your tongue out at me? You will be a better man for this. No more wanting something you can't have. In a few days you'll feel fine. Now, get that tongue back in your mouth. It'll be OK."

Goat Cheese and a Warning from Murphy... I think.

We made GOAT cheese Saturday. It was really fun and easy. I drove up from Sutter Creek a few miles, driving toward Volcano, where we lived for 3 years when we first moved to Amador Co. The lady who offered to show us how to make goat cheese is a member of our goat club and she, very generously, showed us the process.
She also fed us lunch with everything made from goat cheese and goat milk. We were served a mixed green salad with circles of breaded and baked goat cheese slices, a goat cheese quiche with mushrooms and onions, a "goat cheese" cheese cake and goat milk ice creme. OMG! It was all delicious. What a treat!! The quiche, with big pieces of goat cheese in it and the ice creme were my favorites. I learned that Nubian dairy goats produce the best milk for making cheese because they have the highest fat content. Not that my goat boys would care..., because they don't do milk, but Brownie needs to know that female goats have great value in the goat world and actually produce something for their owners. He thinks he's a "big cheese" just because he eats grass. I think we need a couple of milk goats around here to show him otherwise.

Last night I took a walk and when I came back I went over to the goat house to say hello and tell the boys about my Saturday cheese making experience. Murphy seems to be the only one who was interested. The others were inside their shelter.
Murphy, as usual, seemed to want to tell me something but the words were strange and I really didn't understand what he was telling me.

"What's the matter Murph'?" I heard him say it again..., one of those Welsh sounds came out of his mouth. The language, in my opinion, that this goat channels is from some other place and time.
I never did understand what it was that he was trying to tell me, but last night we heard an animal somewhere out there screaming as if it was being attacked.., and then silence.
This morning the gate had been broken loose again and 3 of the goat boys were outside in the run. Murphy was still in the goat house doorway looking at us with those strange eyes.
"What's going on Murph'?" I asked.
This time he didn't say a word. He just looked at me and then out at the other goats.
Something is not right. Something is spooking the goats. I sense that it might be the mountain lions that our neighbor filmed a few weeks back. Maybe I'm wrong. It could be a loose dog , a coyote, a lynx or fox too. The grass around the chicken coop had been sat on, but nothing has tried to get into the enclosure. Annibel is locked in the garage at night, so it's not her.
We are on guard around here. The Prospector is fixing the fence, but I think we should close the goats in completely. A Mountain Lion does not respect a fenced area if it's hungry. I don't argue with the instincts of a wild animal if they need food.
Murphy knows and he's trying to tell us. But, with all the stories I tell about these goats, I don't really understand what he's saying so we need to be vigilant. We may have to stand guard for a few nights to see what's going on.
Murphy knows. All the animals do.

Missing pictures for the post below.

Please leave comments on the post below these photos. Thanks

Slugs Under the Stepping Stones of Memory

The summer before I went into the 6th grade, in Pleasant Hill, CA., the school district had so many new families moving into the area that they decided to build a new elementary school. They tore out an old walnut orchard and transformed the empty acres into a new school.... and it was right down at the end of the street from where I lived. They called it Strandwood. The year was 1956.
This last weekend I walked my grandchildren back down to this school and the memories came flooding back. The above collage has three photos with the word "here" on each one. Each word represents a different memory.
The top photo is the front of the school. It's much prettier than it was that first year. We had no trees, hedges or gardens then. But it was a brand new school and we were the FIRST GRADUATING CLASS. All of the 6th graders were big important students. We were the oldest and the "big deals" for the year. We only stayed for one year and them moved on to Pleasant Hill Junior High School a few miles away.... but for one shinning school year we were the "alpha" kids.
Where you see the word "here" in the top photo is the spot where a couple of friends and I ( the summer before the school opened ) climbed onto the roof and down through a skylight into the school office. We thought we were really cool until we looked around and saw the new Principal standing in the doorway of his office. He was so mad at us. He gave us a long speech about breaking and entering, told us that we would probably have to go to the police department and took our names and phone numbers. I remember trying not to cry in front of my friends.
Now, mind you, I was a "good" girl and this wasn't something that I had ever done before. I was so scared that I could hardly breath. He told us that he wouldn't call the police but that we were to go home and he would be calling each of our parents that afternoon. He must have known how scared we were because he actually never called any of our parents. I sweat bullets for a week waiting for that phone call. It was all the punishment I needed. Never again, no matter who I was trying to impress, did I do anything like that and years later( I mean many YEARS later.. probably like 3 years ago) I told my Mom what had happen. She laughed and said that, knowing me, waiting for the principal to call was probably punishment enough. As I have said before, I have had this "closet Catholic" guilt thing going on inside of me my whole entire life. The day school started I was hoping that I wouldn't run into the Principal in the hallway. I didn't want him to be reminded to call our parents. I still think he got too busy or lost the list with the phone numbers. I still think about it.
The second "here" on the right is a photo of the main hallway and in the distance, the cafeteria. I got to serve lunch there and polished my domestic skills cleaning the tables afterwords. They gave me a free lunch for this effort and sometimes an extra ice cream or cookie.
I was also the third ghost in Dickens, A Christmas Carol. that year. I wore a huge black cape with a hood and showed Scrooge the future, while pointed with my finger. No words. It was an easy part and my first stage appearance. I was hooked for life. I went on to a short illustrious career in high school as an ACTRESS.
The third "here" is the best one. This is where, without flowers, trees or air conditioning units, I received my first kiss from a boy. Yes, it was exciting and wonderful. I'm sure we were in love. I just don't remember his name or what he looked like...., but I remember where it happen. "HERE" marks the spot.
So now, some 54 years later, I'm here with my grandchildren....



watching them play on the "new" playground. Gone is the wood sided, bark filled area with metal equipment that tested your ability to climb the highest, balance the best and swing the longest. Oh! I guess these new and softer playgrounds do the same thing. They are definitely more colorful. The equipment is different but the children are similar, each with his own skills and abilities. Each challenging themselves to be the best. I love the shadows on the green (and padded, like the local gym) fake grass. That could be me below the Bean. The ghost of years past. The outline of a child is always similar, in a way.The memory dims but the childhood continues. My memories will fade. His will develop, in the same place, only differently.
Little Bean is just starting to build his story. Hopefully my photos will remind him of this sunny day, walking with his Noni, to the school playground where she tells them the stories of long ago..., of walnut orchards and mustard grass in the meadow.., of an old oak tree on the hill behind the school and running up that hill so fast that she thought her lungs would burst. Too many memories to count. So many memories...

And then they discovered the slugs under the stepping stones. They met another little boy and it became a "boys will be boys" quest to find the most slugs.
We found a bottle with an orange cap. We, carefully, brought home 15 or 16 slugs and 2 "rolly pollies". The Bean carried his in his shirt. Yep! It was a record day.


My photos did not show up with this post. I was only able to retrieve the first one so I will do a separate post with the two photos that are missing. I'm beginning to think that that blogging/ computer "fates" have an issue with me lately.

Not Being Connected is a B!~@#

I came home from my extended weekend on Tuesday afternoon. Yes, I know this is FRIDAY!
Wednesday morning I woke up in my own wonderful bed with sunshine streaming into the room and the smell of coffee wafting from the kitchen. Carl and Cutter greeted me like a long lost litter mate. I fixed myself a latte in the new cup that my sweet sister gave to me for Mother's Day, filled with Ghirardelli dark chocolate and caramel squares.

I thought about all the wonderful things I did all weekend and reveled in the happiness of having two sons and a family who loves me and still wants to celebrate my motherliness. We had a combined Mother's Day/Son's birthdays dinner at a very beautiful restaurant in Walnut Creek Friday night and on Saturday afternoon I took care of my Bambinos so my son and DIL could go to a movie and dinner. Sunday Sis and I went to lunch and got spa pedicures. YEA! It was decadent. It was a very spectacular weekend.
I stayed at my Sister's house and enjoyed her hospitality and her dogs ( makes me miss mine a little less.) and ate oranges from their Orange tree until I thought I saw a tinge of orange in my hair one morning and decided to slow up a bit.
Wednesday morning I made some picture collages to use in a new post and before I started the post I decided to clear some emails and catch up on some favorite blogs. Then it happen...
I got a case of SLUGS:(Slow Link to Unadulterated Genuine Stupidity.)


Not only did I get SLUGS..., but it ended with a VIRUS that disconnected me from the Internet and my sanity for two days.
I believe that I got this VIRUS from blindly going to a craft site that was on a list of sites recommended by someone listed in a Google search. That's the "stupidity" part. The bottom line is that I lost my connection to the Internet for TWO WHOLE DAYS, and learned some things about myself.
1. I'm addicted to my Computer.
2. I'm not a very nice person when I can't use the computer.
3. I love blogging and writing and sharing my world with my blogging community.
4. I can't figure out how to troubleshoot a computer problem, but...
5. I get amazing amounts of work done, around the house, when I don't have a connected computer.
6. In two days I have cleaned this house like it hasn't been cleaned in two years.
7. The garden is complete with bedding flowers, herbs and NO WEEDS.
8. In the last two days The Prospector and I are carrying on conversations..., with complete sentences.
9. I have lost my perspective with this blogging obsession.
10. I spend way too much time on this endeavor but...
11. I love blogging! So...
12. I have a dilemma.

A very knowledgeable, young man finally came out to the house this afternoon and ,for not too much money, reconnected us to the Internet. We had an Anti-virus program installed and he gave me some helpful advice on surfing the Internet and how to avoid sites that lay in wait for unsuspecting dolts like me who believe that everyone out there has a good heart and kind intentions.
I'm back on line and have learned a valuable lesson. Now, I need to re-assess my computer obsession. Let me know if this has been a problem for any of you. I really think that there needs to be a balance in life, but  I also believe that you need to have a "passion" too. Is the computer and all that it encompasses interfering with the rest of your life? If not..., when was the last time you cleaned out the refrigerator?.., the closet?..., the chicken coop? Are "projects" hitting you in the back of your head to get your attention? Is an obsession OK if it's productive or makes money? Is it OK if you derive great satisfaction from it? I really want some feedback. I've had an epiphany. I need help.
By the way, there's a story behind that last photo of my grandson holding the cap filled with slugs. A post will follow, although I might put a day in between this one and the next. I have to attend a goat cheese workshop tomorrow. The slug story may have to wait until Sunday or Monday. I have a lot of other things to do.
 See... I'm learning.

"I See You Annibel."

I will be gone until Tuesday.  I'm going down to the Bay Area to celebrate both of my son's birthdays and Mother's Day. I brought my oldest home from the hospital, 41 years ago today and 5 years later the Bean's Daddy came along. They may be 5 years apart but their birthdays are only 3 days apart. So, we will celebrate these two wonderful human beings that I brought into the world so long ago and I will celebrate Mother's Day because they couldn't have done it without me.
Keep an eye on Annibel for me while I'm gone.

"Hey, Tonya!"

The new chicks are growing amazingly fast. They are looking for new horizons and yesterday they decided to take a big step toward the sunny ramp leading out of the chicken house.

Standing on the brink of a new life as part of a flock, they will venture forth into the sunlight with determination and bravery.

"Hey, Tonya, that doesn't look like a chicken. What do you think it is? Maybe we should go back inside."

(There..., under the hen house, thinking that no one could see her, Annibel the cat waited. She wasn't exactly stalking them but I find it interesting that she was so curious. The chicks definitely noticed her. Eventually they went back into the hen house and Annibel followed me back to the house. I think she is too use to the chickens to really bother them. All the same..., I will keep an eye on her. We have a turkey that comes to eat corn and drink water across the driveway and she pretends to stalk this big turkey. They have had many standoffs. The turkey stands it's ground and Annibel usually ends up walking away. I think it's a game but you never know with cats. I will not be letting the new Roadies and Rocks "free range" until they are big bad mommas.)

The Escape

It was 8:30 a.m. on a beautiful spring morning. Farmlady went out to feed the goats and open the gate to the pasture. "Wait! What's going on here?", she cried. The gate was standing open and the lock was still in place. The goats were no where to be seen. "Oh no," thought Farmlady, "This can't be. I know I closed and locked the gate last night. "
She walked around to the front pasture and there they were....

"How did you do that?" She shouted. They were enjoying their morning grass and looking oddly innocent.
"Brownie, I see you hiding from me. How did you goats get through the gate? The latch is bent. The lock is still attach . How did you get out?"
They walked over to the fence. Brownie was about to say something and then Farmlady heard Murphy say, "Brownie, be careful what you say. Don't ruin everything."

Brownie started to say something, gave Farmlady a small smile and stopped.
"How did you do it Brownie?" asked Farmlady and then she waited for a reply.
Brownie leaned against Murph' and closed his eyes. She thought she heard Murphy say, in a low voice.. "It's OK Brownie. Be strong."
"Your not going to tell me are you?" Farmlady shook her head. It was a conspiracy of goats.
Farmlady backed away and realized that this was another goat secret that she would never figure out. Murphy, she surmised, was becoming the new leader of the pack and because he was the smartest goat and had magical powers , there would always be things happening around the farm that she would not have answers for. The goat boys were learning that strength in numbers was important and Brownie was learning to heed the other goat's advice.. at least Murphy's advice. She thought to herself that this was not an altogether bad thing.
The goats were use to being let out earlier. They waited until they got tired of waiting and then made a decision that the power should be in their hands (hooves). The will to be the masters of their own world won the pasture. Nietzsche would have been proud.
Farmlady thought that she would open the gate earlier tomorrow morning. The Prospector was away for a few days and she was use to doing inside things first. Maybe she had waited too late in the morning to let them out.
She sighed deeply... tomorrow would be different.

Falling Asleep In Highchairs

Remember this feeling? Being so, so sleepy. The eyelids getting heavier..., tummy full ..... and if it wasn't a "binky", it was a favorite blanket or a bear with it's button eye missing. Your family was all around you and the world seemed safe.

I do.....

(My grandson, "baby bean" and myself at about the same age.)

The CAL_AM Dairy Goat Show

Our Goat club sponsored the yearly CAL_AM Dairy Goat Show yesterday at the Fairgrounds in Plymouth, CA. This was my first time being part of the show and I really enjoyed it. I worked at the raffle (excuse me... we are suppose to call it an "opportunity drawing" now.) table, where folks bought tickets and put them in cans for the prize that they wanted. If their ticket was drawn at the end of the day, they won the prize. We got local businesses to donate gift baskets and some of the members brought items like wine, fresh eggs and "goat" products to raffle off. We had everything from goat soap to pitchforks. Everything was gone at the end of the day. We made a lot of money for our club.
This is how these big dairy goats start out...so cute and little. Some stay small and some grow into huge goats.

These (above) are all doelings and some of my favorites. No wait...the two on the top left were already milkers. I sound like I know what I'm talking about but I don't. I just know that I had a great time and watching the judges look for height, configuration, size of udders etc. is fascinating.
They were all females but different breeds. There were lots of Alpines(erect short ears), Nubians( with long ears, like mine), Saanens( that are white or cream colored) and some Nigerian Dwarfs. There were also some does without any ears, just a small opening on each side of their head. I think someone said they were from Africa but I don't remember what they were called.
The NUBIANS were making the loudest noises of all the goats. Like mine, they are such Drama Queens. But, they ALL contributed to the production of NANNY BERRIES( goat manure ). When you have over 100 goats in one place the little pellets start accumulating.

I was on my feet ALL DAY and when I came home I ate dinner and fell asleep on the couch. From 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. is a long day for me. I slept well last night.

This is Christie's gourd. She was one of the members of my gourd club who donated a decorated gourd to the "opportunity drawing". Her "ticket can" was filled with tickets and the drawing winner went home smiling.
Thanks Christie. It was a beautiful gourd and donating it really helped us out.

Damage Control , a Goat Show and a Little Bit of Heaven

Everything else held up rather well during the storm on Wednesday but the Irises took a beating. Poor things look like someone aimed and fired at them with a shotgun. The leaves were left hanging by a thread and the beautiful one that grew up through the garden art was battered beyond help.
I cut the broken stems and picked off what was beyond help. There were a lot of new buds that didn't get damaged underneath so a few days of sunshine should open them up and make the garden look pretty again.

Tomorrow is the Cal-Am Dairy Goat Show in Plymouth, CA.

With the generosity of some friends in my gourd club, I was able to put two baskets together for the BEST OF SHOW prizes that will be given to two owners of the best dairy goats in the show. Believe it or not the straw hats, the basket shredding and the ribbon all came from the DOLLAR STORE. I love that place.
I want to thank Sylvia( that's her gold leafed, flowered gourd), Janice(the goat with the golden horns) and Christie, who's gourd will be in the silent auction and I know someone who is going to bid on it all ready. I will post pictures of Christie's gourd on the weekend. I messed up the first ones I took. I thank all of you, from the bottom of my heart for contributing gourds for this show. They look so beautiful and will make the awards and auction so much more attractive this year.

A complete change of subject here; but have you seen these ice cream bars?

I may have discovered NIRVANA and the only way to control my ice-cream obsession and late night binges. Weight Watchers has a NEW ice cream bar that's...OMG!... rich, raspberry filled and covered with DARK CHOCOLATE. I think I may have died and gone to ice cream heaven. They are so delicious and only 170 calories for 2 bars...yes, TWO BARS. One bar may suffice for some of you but, for those of us that crave desserts , TWO of these are... DECADENT. One after lunch,...and one after dinner,.... two after dinner. One for breakfast... oops! Sorry. OK, I admit it. The first day that I bought them I had one BEFORE lunch. But I was heading into a busy day and I needed extra strength.
For all of you folks out there that consider dessert to be the 5th major food group this is the answer to your passions, a response for "What small step can I take to really being a good weight-watching person?" and.... just a little bit of heaven.
FIND THEM. Indulge.... Trust me on this.

Ode To Spring

What flower this be..cold and wet?

The Snowball bush has left me yet? But wait...
Tis not a flower, tis a clod of hail.

And my garden looks all frozen and frail.
The sky was dark, The earth was white.
It was a fearful, awesome sight.

(We had a spring storm move over us yesterday afternoon that just about rearranged the landscape around here. Lightening, thunder and hail rained down on us. It was a purple cell on the weather channel. Quite exciting but, oh, my poor irises and roses.
I think Mother Nature is having a hard time letting go this year. She loves to speak in excesses when she knows that Summer is coming. Like a child that knows how to get attention, she decided to have a tantrum yesterday and let us know that she is still, and always will be, someone who commands respect.
I think this was her last hurrah until next year. Today, the sun shines...

Vintage Thursday on Wednesday Night

When my sister and I were in Cambria, CA. on our vacation. I bought this soup plate in an wonderful antique store on Main St. I always wanted one of these plates after seeing one in a magazine and in a blogging friend's kitchen. So, when I spotted this one I decided to splurge and buy it. The mark on the back says it was made in Japan and below "Japan" are the initials *B.F.K.* . It's also stamped with some symbols that were pressed into it before it was fired. I love this plate and hope I can find more information about it. If anyone out there knows anything about this kind of plate, please let me know.

These two necklaces were at the local thrift store. I needed pearls for some jewelry I'm making and these were very pretty ones with all the connections and clasps too. The "choker" with the rhinestones was $2.00 and the other one was $1.50. What a deal

I love old jewelry. It's so fun to use old pieces of jewelry in something that you make. I will be making some gourd jewelry again soon and with my new skills, from the workshop, I hope to be able to make some pretty sparkly pieces. We all need a little BLING in our lives and these old necklaces should add a lot of "pretty" to whatever I make.
Lastly....

When I did a Vintage Thursday post in March on these two plates I said I would show everyone what I did with the plates. Well here they are on my living room wall above the front window. I couldn't find another plate that looked good with these two, so I put the straw hat in the middle. I like it. It's nice for Spring and Summer. What do you think?

For other vintage- obsessed folks that have a love of old things take a look at Colorado Lady's blog. She is our hero and mentor.

Wordless Wednesday: Westover Field, Amador Co.