Wordless Wednesday: Bluebirds

No, I didn't trip and fall into the Pacific Ocean...

This is quick post to let you all know that I had a WONDERFUL time at The ART IS YOU workshop.
I want to tell you all about the wonderful long weekend of art workshops and fun but it will be a week or so before I have the time to put it all together.
My sister and I had such a great time..

This was the first night Dinner.

Some of the teachers talked about being artists and then there was a question and answer session  after dinner. They talked about the personal process of becoming an artist.... tips on overcoming your inhibitions, thinking outside the artistic box and what their own life experiences as artists were like. 

The next few days were filled with workshops, traveling to town, eating good food, walking, eating good food and DESSERTS.

Eating DESSERTS...

And looking for POTENTIAL places to eat more desserts.

There were wonderful little stores in the downtown part of Petaluma along the river.

There was a grand Flea Market that walked us almost to death.

 But for now, in this moment, I have begun another adventure.
My friend "D" from Montana is here. She drove all the way from Montana to see me and I'm so happy that she is here. There will be lots of talking, walking, photography (she is an addict like me), laughing, playing with dogs, and catching up with life.
I will post when I can. I will catch everyone up on the great workshops and show off some of my artwork.... but for now, I'm enjoying "D"s visit, her dog Wanda.... and the company of this dear friend.

Taking my Leave

I leave you with a beautiful photo of the Mokelumne River... filled to overflow and reflecting clouds in its waters. This was taken from the Middle Bar Bridge at the border of Amador and Calaveras Counties.

I'm leaving this afternoon. I will be gone until Tues or Wednesday of next week. I'm going to the ART-IS-YOU Art Retreat in Petaluma, CA. My sister and I will be there for a long weekend.... and Riki... and Diana... and lot's of other folks.

I CAN NOT WAIT.

There will be food, artists, fun and a wonderful Antique Fair too.
I'm taking a class on Altered Books and one on Nuno Felting. The classes are taught by well known artists and mine are both all day classes. Should be very exciting.

See you next week.

Tuesday, With Random Thoughts

Just a quick post about a few seemingly unrelated items of questionable interest to anyone but me.

FIRST... I think that this old ad, that showed up in my photo storage without being put there by me, is possibly the first scientific study about what donuts mean in our lives and  a "sign" ( from Aliens?)  that Donuts are really good for you.

What's a "unit"? It says that each donut is fortified with a minimum of 25 units of Vitamin B1. Because I had some time on my hands this morning... I looked up "unit". 

1. The smallest whole number greater than zero; ONE. 2. A definite amount or quantity used as a standard of measurement.

Well, that sure clears things up.

I really don't care (My old Weight Watchers lecturer would slap me) what they have in them. Do you?

Do we even WANT to know?  I like them and that Vitamin B1 really tastes good.

SECOND... Momma Turkey and her babies.

They're coming in for water and the scratch (seed mix) that we leave for them. 

I know! 

Don't feed the wildlife!

But it's tough out there right now. 

I'd like to see you forage for food in these foothills...In the summer... In this heat. 

Look at those cute adolescent babies. How could you not feed them something? They stand there and look at us when we feed the chickens. 

It's the right thing to do.

THIRD... Annibel is doing her thing.

Yes, she brought us a gopher. She was so proud. 

But it didn't want to play anymore. 

The passion for the game was just not there for the gopher. 

So... Annibel laid on the it for awhile.

Sometimes the thrill of the hunt just doesn't maintain the level of excitement that a cat needs. She got up, threw the poor creature into the air, as if to say.."Wake up. We were having fun. What's wrong with you?" and then she just stared at the gopher for a while, as if she could stare it back to life.

 Poor Gopher. They're not an endangered species and they have made our lives here impossible with their incessant burrowing. But this gopher was not going to be digging anymore tunnels here on earth. I felt sorry for the poor little thing.
I said something to her. I think it was, "Oh, Annie."
Somehow she understood the permanence of the situation and she finally walked away, leaving the remains for us to take care of. The fun was over. She was on to more exciting adventures.
Do we humans fight against our own nature? Do we tend to love something when it's enjoyable and walk away when it's boring?
Just a moment of profundity in a rather random post.

FORTH... and finally... And to end on a lighter  note, possibly the key of B1 (as in a unit... a single thing, person, or group that is a constituent of a whole. That's us... a unit of people and animals
I sing a song of summer...
of gardens, heat, fire, animals,
the coming of a new season
... life... death
and some accomplishments.

The building of a potting shed.

This is just a peek. We are in the painting phase. It will be done soon.
We may have to call it the CAT house. Annie thinks it is hers.
She thinks that she has supervised the whole project. She has been there every step of the way.
We may have to put a small door in the wall for her to come and go as she pleases... or a least a sign with her name on it.
She has approved of everything so far.

Have a decent week...

Touching the Autumn Air

"As each day comes to us refreshed

and anew,

so does my gratitude renew itself daily.

The breaking of the sun over the horizon

is my grateful heart

dawning upon a blessed world."  ~Terri Guillemets

This morning we felt the changes that come this time of the year. A window closed, a  door shut against the coolness of the early break of day. A sweater not worn since April grabbed before going outside with the dogs.
I went to water the garden. A pastime of everyday importance in our dry, hot summers here in the California Foothills. I found all the plants and containers still damp from yesterday morning's watering. Nothing needed watering. I grabbed the camera and took some photos here and there. 
When I sat down on the chaise lounge I could feel the  dampness of the night on the quilt that covered the pad. I decided that it wasn't enough to cause any permanent sogginess to my clothing. 
I laid there, feeling the coolness against my body, and thought about the changes that were coming. 
I wait for these changes with each hot breath of summer and with the smell of smokey earth that doesn't let us forget the fire that almost made this journey of ours wither into a summer memory. I love the coming of Fall and the cold heart of Winter. I have always had glacial drift within my California dreamin' soul.
Then Carl jumped up on the chaise with me. Cutter wanted to come up too. He watched Carl waiting for some wordless dog sanction... permission to jump up. He always defers to Carl unless food is involved.

 Then, as if given permission, Cutter hopped up to rest by my feet.

 He was still watching Carl but he finally put his head down and relaxed.

This was the way the morning started. 
The three of us...
sitting there together feeling Fall coming...
Feeling gratitude for this life.
It was a good way  to begin the day.

Marauders and Tricksters

OK! I'm trying to find reasons to love a couple of wild things that are visiting our backyard these warm and wonderful, summer evenings.
Maybe it's that they are so beautiful.
Maybe it's because they're so darn cute when they're babies.

And they kind of remind me of Carl and Cutter... only with tails.

I'm trying to be objective about this.
The other night I saw them through the sliding window again.
This time they just walked across the yard and under the grape arbor like they owned the place...
and disappeared behind the new potting shed.
I grabbed my camera and went out the back door and around the house.
Thought I could catch them unaware.
A few candid shots of a cute fox eating bird seed.  I wanted to get closer to them so I walked around the side of the house trying not to make any noise.
I quietly got my camera ready.
I looked behind the new shed and it appeared that they were gone.
I was looking down toward the burned area below the goat run when I noticed that something was moving down in the vegetable garden.
MY FIG TREE WAS MOVING and you'll never guess who was in the fig tree helping itself to my figs.

Can you see this?
The photo was taken about 25 to 30 feet away and them I cropped the photo for the post.
That Fox was up in the Fig tree, balancing like a tight rope walker on my already endangered fruit tree.
The goats leaned on the fence in the Spring, bending as far as they could  to eat the tasty new leaves.
Then Brownie broke into the garden and pruned the tree for me.
Then the fire we had a month ago left the poor tree with fire retardant all over it.
And to top it all off the tree has been struggling  with some kind of bark problem that we have been trying to resolve.
And now a fox decided to do a balancing act in the tree so it can reach some figs.
Look what it did.

Another branch has been broken. This fox didn't know it's own strength.
It was up there dancing around, doing a balancing act in the branches like this was some kind of amusement park ride.

"I see you... you handsome, little marauder." I said , as I walked around the other side of the shed to get a better view of him/her... it.

"You had better leave my poor Fig tree alone."
The fox jumped down and slid through the fence into the burned area below... and then he turned and looked at me.

He watched me for a few minutes and then.....

I swear.... HE LAUGHED.

****************************
The last photo is courtesy of Google Images by someone named Curlyson.
Both Baby Fox photos are courtesy of Google Images too.

Wordless Wednesday: The Monarch

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."  

~Hans Christian Anderson~

What to do when overwhelmed by life's circumstances.

First you have to plant some Basil in the spring. So that by September you can go out into the garden and pick enough to make some delicious PESTO.
You shake off the beetles, wormy things, spiders and such. Come inside and pinch off the leaves until you have  about 4 cups of them. Then you rinse them well and drain them in a colander with paper towels in it.
Then you take a DEEP breath. Breath in the wonderful fragrance. Oh, that aroma...
Then put them in the refrigerator for a few hours... or overnight. You want them fairly dry...not full of water.

Now you get out the old blender,or a food processor, which I don't have.
A processor would probably be easier.
Collect some olive oil, Parmesan cheese and a lot'a garlic...

Some Pine Nuts, from Costco, with the recipe on the back...

A cup of parsley that I use with the basil. Cut with scissors. Use only the leaves. This adds good flavor and fills in if you're a little short on the basil.

Then mix it all together according to the recipe. Add a little more olive oil if you need to.
And take another DEEP breath. Oh, doesn't that smell divine.

Don't add any salt or pepper. I do that when I use the Pesto, later on, for pasta or chicken, or ...yum... sliced pieces of toasted sourdough french bread. I also add about a half teaspoon of lemon juice to the batch. This keeps the color light and lovely.

Find some cute jars ... These were kind of pricey. There were four glass bottles with lids for about $7.00 at Raleys, but I give these as gifts so I like them and they are ITALIAN... what else can I say.
Any pretty jar will do if it has a good tight lid.

Wash and dry the containers and lids. This should be done ahead of time.
Take one last DEEP breath...
Load the jars with the Pesto mixture, leaving about an inch for expansion in the freezer and seal them up.
They don't have to be processed if you are freezing them.

Very easy and beautiful...
I doubled the recipe and got three full bottles and a forth one about 3/4 filled.
Now they are in the freezer and ready for winter gifts ....or winter dinners.
If they are gifts, you can cut 4 1/2" by 4 1/2" squares of fabric from your shelf of "What will I do with all this fabric I bought because it was so pretty and never use." stash and use pinking shears to cut them out. Cover the lids and tie them with a pretty ribbon or twine.
Just remember that a gift you make means more than anything you could buy.
A bottle of wine, a loaf of bread and you, PESTO, beside me... in a basket. Oh yes!
I could make a meal of just this... No wonder I never lose weight.
Oh, wait a minute. This is suppose to be a gift isn't it?
So.. let's put it all in a basket and give it to someone.

It does a person good to plant their own food, even if it's only tomatoes and basil...
ONLY TOMATOES AND BASIL?
Why would I say "only"? They are the mainstay of our summer diet. Our passion in the Winter.
My Italian grandmother always said "Pomodori e basilico...Ciò è così buona "(This is so good.). It's true! My grandmother would do all this in very small batches with a mortar and pestle but I think she would have loved a processor.
Remember... anyone can plant a small garden... in pots.  You do need a sunny place.
Uncle Sam thinks so...

I live on 42 acres and the basil, parsley and tomatoes all grow in pots near the house.
It's just easier that way.

Now, take a DEEP breath and continue on....

Buon Apetite

How could we possibly forget?

Please...

No more conspiracy theories.

No "Where were you when ...?"

No  "The ---------- must have been involved."

No photo videos with sad music,

No armchair quarterbacking,

No more "heros",

No body parts in the air,

No  media .

Please...

Just a moment of silence

A moment of silence

A

Moment

Of

silence.

c.c

 

Reflection

It's been a long week of reflection and fighting off the complications of  severe mortality issues.
I thank everyone who commented on my last post, the emails from friend and the phone call from my sister. Bless your hearts.
It's going to take a while to get past the volume of mixed feelings I have about someone who was in my life for a very long time.

Death is a final destination There is no return. It's like a river that finally reaches the ocean.
There is no reversal, no turning back... only the blending of one thing  into another... becoming a part of the enormous unknown.
Maybe we do return to something. Maybe we change... like the landscape, like the sky...

But with death, there are no higher mountains... no further distances to travel.
The echos of childhood disappear. Arguments fall away and as the Zen master Gizan said.
"Coming and going, life and death:
A thousand hamlets, a million houses.
Don't you get the point?
Moon in the water, blossom in the sky."
**********************************

I wish you peace, Karen. I wish you rest without pain.
I wish you joy and happiness beyond measure. 
You always said that I would know when you were "lifted up". I didn't! I'm sorry.
I know that you are safe now....
I truly hope that it is all that you hoped for... that what you imagined is really there.

 It's been a long road. Now you are free...
Goodbye, my friend.
*************************************

When Thoreau was asked about the hereafter he said,
"One world at a time."
I think I will be here a while longer.
*************************************
A few years ago Karen and I watched a Blue Heron land on a pond behind her house. We stood there in awe of this beautiful bird... together without words, without theology, without a difference of opinion, without any discussion or hurt feelings.... and we watched in wonder, like two little girls.
This is what I will remember.

Regrets

A friend has died.
I feel so... sad
regretful.

We had not seen each other for a few years.

I let the friendship go at some point,,,
for many reasons that don't seem very noble right now.

I thought at some point we would talk..
Again.
I thought we would forgive each other..
Again.

But we didn't.
I thought, with childish ignorance
That there was time
That SHE would call.

A friend died.
Her needs greater than I could give.
and I'm left with an empty feeling of remorse,
regret,
and confusion.