Stresses and Life's Little Irritations

Sometimes you're just walking around having a pretty good day when all of a sudden some little thing comes along and the irritation starts: A phone call that you don't want to answer; an unexpected guest arrives, or the check book doesn't balance. You know what I mean. It's just there and no matter how small it is, it's just one more thing ..., and your arthritis is flaring up..., and you don't want to deal with it.

Then, the "little thing" gets a little bigger and it bites your tail. Someone says something that hurts you or the bank calls because you are overdrawn. Now, you are really annoyed and you start growling.....

That's when you go for a long walk ...,and you realize that no one has a leash on you because your older and trusted ( and, maybe, the arthritis keeps you from running away), so you really have much more freedom than you thought you had and the "little irritation" is still there but someone has it on a leash, for a while, because it is too immature to just run free. Now, for a while, you can walk and think and be in the moment..., smelling all the joys and curiosities of life. In this wonderful moment you are a being of freedom and choice. The past is over. The future is..., well.., out there and it's a mystery. Life is life. It's happening now. Feel the ground under your paws and when you get back to the protected garden you can rest. Take a walk. Smell the earth. If it stinks, smell it anyway. If it bites you, bite back..., (without your teeth if possible), push it away..., and if there is pain, embrace it and understand it. Then dig a hole and bury it or..., accept it with all your heart. Start again and keep trying....

Life is life. Do what you can.

Wordless Wednesday: Lighting a Candle for Mom.

Freckles and the Figs

We are going to have a bumper crop of figs this year thanks to Freckles. Our charming goat with the spotted ears has been determined , as all goats are, to get his head through the fence as far as he can and prune one side of our fig tree for us. He not only has beautiful ears but he has a very long , skinny neck and when he is down in the pasture next to the vegetable garden, he takes stretching to a whole new level.
This is Freckles at the fence near the goat house. This fence is what I should have along the garden area because it doesn't move. Freckles sees the green leaves of the fig tree and he gets a glint in his eyes, puts his whole body against the fence, then his head goes through and he leans as far as he can, pushing with his hind feet. When an almost 125 lb. goat, who is determined to have some tasty fig leaves, wants what he sees, there are few fences that will keep him from his self appointed task.

So, on the east side of my wonderful fig tree I have figs growing right out on the end of the branches and why you ask? Because that's exactly the distance that Freckles pruned the branches to. Then the little figs started growing and the fence was reinforced so Freckles couldn't lean through . Well, look at this tree. It's filled with figs. I've never had so many figs on this tree before.
So I'm thinking that Goat Pruning, with VERY controlled and monitored framework, might just be a new business we could patent.Of course Frecks will think that this was his idea in the first place and that he should get all the credit. That's how goats ruminate (I mean think) ya know. Guess I'll have to have a talk with him and see what he thinks...., What? You don't talk to your animals? Are you crazy?

I'm going down to the Bay Area until Tuesday or Wednesday. Sis and I have some business to attend to and I'm going to see my oldest son's new bedroom addition to his house in Oakland and have dinner with him. Now the fun begins with his little house. See you soon.

Vintage Thursday: Mom's baby pictures

These are three photos of my Mother when she was a small child. The one above was taken on the Ranch in Napa, CA. at 1913 Silverado Trail, just outside of town on the Trancas Creek. She was probably about a year old. That's my great grandma in the background.
Mom and her brother, sister and parents lived in Berkeley but spent a lot of time at the Ranch. Mom's father died when she was 5 years old and her mother brought them back to the Ranch to live. Her mother(my grandmother) went to work as a cook at the State Hospital in Imola, south of Napa and the extended family all helped raise the children.

Mom was always ready to care for someone or something as evident in the photo above ,taken around 1920, as she watches over her stuffed dog, bear and dolly. Looks like there was a party going on...., she always loved a party.

I love this photo. It's so Mom. The stance, the Maryjane's with socks rolled over just so and the hat..., set back on her head so the sun lights her face...,and that smile, oh that wonderful smile. She was beautiful then and she was beautiful throughout her whole life. The beauty was from within..., it was a goodness and a love of life that came through in everything that she did.
I wish I had known that little girl, but I'm so thankful that I knew the woman and that she was our Mom. My sister and I were so very lucky to be her daughters.

Please check in at Colorado Lady's blog for more "vintage" lovely things.

What to do with all that Zucchini

This is a great, basic Zucchini recipe. The prospector found it in the magazine section of our newspaper. There is a bit of preparation with cutting , grating and shredding but once you get it together and clean up the mess, it can be refrigerated and cooked later and that's the kind of dinner I like. If you live in a hot climate, cook it in the morning and serve it, cold, later in the day.

This is a dinner in itself. You can add a pork chop or some chicken for dinner but it's not necessary because this is a very filling dish. If you have it for lunch or dinner with a salad, you will have a really good meal. The recipe is very easy. I did make a few changes though. I rubbed the softened butter into the cracker crumbs instead of just "dotting" the butter on top of the crumbs. It was easier to pat into the baking dish and the butter taste was distributed better throughout the dish. I also use a release spray, like Pam, on the baking dish before pressing the crumbs into it. If you use an 8 by 8 in. pan the cooking time will be longer.

It's a pretty casserole. great for guests..., and delicious. What more can I say except, give it a try.... It also uses some of those amazingly, prolific Zucchini that are growing, like Topsy, in the garden at night. I swear they grow two or three inches while we're sleeping. This dish is best when warm, but we had left-overs the next day and it was good cold too.
This dish goes into my box of "good recipes". Next time I want to try some other spices or different crumbs and maybe some Monterey Jack cheese instead of cheddar. This is an adaptable recipe. The options are up to you. Enjoy!

The wild blackberries are ripening up down near the river. I can taste that pie already...

State of Being..., Here

"Wherever you are, be there totally.
If you find your here and now intolerable
and it makes you unhappy,

you have three options:

remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally" -eckhart tolle-

Being There

When I was about 10 years old a little girl came into my life. She lived down at the end of the street with her Mom and grandparents. She was a wild child, a free spirit and the spark of life to my quieter, more passive personality. She became my very best friend in all the world. I will call her "D".
At 13, when "D" 's Mother remarried, she had to leave and travel the world because of her new father's job. I saw her off at the San Francisco Airport every year with solemn promises to write and see each other again the following summer..., and that we did. She wrote about Holland, American schools, new boyfriends, wonderful adventures and her new life. I wrote her and told her about Junior High School, new boyfriends and life in Pleasant Hill, California.
Every summer "D" would come back to her grandparents house. I would wait for a phone call , hear her voice and then run to the end of the street to see her.
We would spend everyday talking about her adventures. She would show me wonderful new things that I had never heard about. When she came back ,one summer, from Kuwait in Saudi Arabia she brought "Cous-cous" in a bag and showed me how to make it edible. She had clothing that was so "European" and then...., there would always be something for me. She never forgot to bring me some beautiful thing from some interesting place in the world.
We wrote letters for 5 more years and every summer we would spend our wonderful, fragile time together sleeping in the backyard, sharing boyfriends, skinny dipping in her grandparents backyard pool and laughing our way through the hot summers of our teenage years.
My Mother became her "Summer Mom" and she became another child in our house. She still lived at her grandparents house most of the time but she loved being at our home.

"D" graduated from an air force base school in Northern Africa and returned to the U.S. We started college, got married and she went back east for a few years, then moved to Montana, became a nurse and stayed in the Big Sky state never traveling to another country again.
The story is long, the distance has always been far and the visits few, but the bond we forged so long ago has never been broken. We have stayed connected all these years and when she knew that Mom was dying ..., she came.

She drove from Montana, hoping to get here before Mom passed but didn't make it . I'm sorry she wasn't able to see Mom and talk to her. Mom knew she was coming and looked forward to seeing her other "daughter". There are things in life that just don't happen the way you want them to. It's sad but true. But, there was so much more.
"D" stayed for a week. She cried with us and laughed with us. She helped bring all of Mom's things home in her truck. She listened, gave comfort and told us things about our family that even we had forgotten. . She became a support system of love and humor..., and wisdom. My sister has always known that "D" was part of this family in so many ways. There are blessings that you just don't see in your life and then they arrive with arms open and you don't question them.
My friend was always there; in the summers of my childhood, in letters from around the world, playing in creeks and old oak trees and under a white parachute that bellowed on a green lawn in her grandparents yard (she knows what I mean)..., and she was there last week because she is my friend and we love each other.

She was there.
















She came home with me. Gave an old friend(the Prospector) a big hug; Met Carl for the first time. Fell in love with him and he returned the affection. and she settled in for a few days . She got to met the goats and Annibel, listen to the Coyote and Fox at night and take photos of bumblebees with me..., and sit on the porch. We talked and I cried; and she was there.....
We had two lovely days and then the familiar leaving. It would be a long drive back to Montana and her hubby that waited, their dog and chickens..., and her job.
She called twice on her way back. Now, she is safely home.

Thank you my sweet, sweet friend. I hope you know what this meant to me. Your friendship is a gift of memories and love. Like the Oak tree we played in as children, you gave me support to climb to a new level of my life, a place without parents and you did it silently asking for nothing.

Rose Colored Glasses

At the beginning of the summer I bought a pair of rose colored glasses. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them. It was an inexpensive impulse buy. My thinking was that someone needed a pair of these glasses to remind them to look at the bright side of life. Maybe my sister..., or Mom..., or a friend who seemed so down all the time. I thought it was kind of funny, in a comical way, to give someone a reminder that they should be looking at things a bit more brightly, more "pink" if you will...., and that it would possibly give them a laugh....
Then Mom died..., and my sister found strength she didn't know she had. Without the rose colored glasses, she reached down and found something inside of her that allowed her to do what she had to do. She found a well of resolve and fortitude that carried her through the last week and a half. She has comforted me, and let me cry with her. She is my little sister but she is older, sometimes, than me. She does not need the glasses now.

So, this morning, I put the glasses on and went outside. I realized right away that this "rosy" view is a limited one. It gave a warm, bright tone to my surroundings and made things look softer..., but not real. It was a false coloring of life.., a small illusion that I wanted others to see...., to give them a brighter point of view. I can see the difference, now. My vision without the "rosy" glasses is clear, and real, and without deception. Why didn't I see this before? Why was I always giving everyone Rose Colored glasses?

...., reality looks like this and it's all right. Do you see the difference?

Mourningtime

Just two days before I was called down to be near my dying mother I went to my Son's house and babysat my two grandsons. Maybe we are given some joy before we experience sadness so that a small part of this happiness lingers and gives us strength. My grandchildren will never know how much these images made the sorrow of my Mother's death, somehow, easier.
Life is a gift that makes death a memory and mourning into morning.

Goodby

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow...
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain...
When you awaken in the morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.
-jane ormes-

July 30, 1918 - July 21, 2009

The Ending

I came home yesterday afternoon. This morning I take an early walk, before the heavy heat of the day sets in, and I stand for a while near my favorite tree, the Old Druid. I'm not sure why this tree has such significance for me but it seems to talk to me. It's not a big Oak tree and it's leaning toward the west, over the road. It was damaged at some time in it's life; maybe by a lightening strike or fire. The lower part of the trunk is split and the inside is exposed. I understand how this tree feels. It must stay strong if it is to survive and others rely on it for protection and food. The squirrels always run to another tree when I come down the road but return as soon as I leave. Maybe it's the cat they run from. She is with me, prancing along, sniffing the place where we saw the foxes cross the road earlier this morning.
As I unpack from a week away, the phone rings. It's my brother-in-law. He tells me that Mom is not doing well and seems to be losing her hold on life faster than we expected. I will wait to hear from my sister this afternoon and I will go back down tomorrow.

Old Oak Tree. I heard what you said this morning...., your quiet whisper, a voice that reached inside of me,..., it will be what it will be. I heard you. I was listening.

My sister called...,

Lavender Bees and Annabel

The lavender is in full bloom right now and these beautiful little yellow bees have found there summer home. I think these are Golden, Northern Bumble Bees. The small dancing yellow bodies against the green and blue of the lavender is breathtaking. I must have taken 50 photos to get a few good ones. The last photo on the bottom right is, I think, a Mining Bee. They are all over the place aroung here but usually alone. They don't hang in groups like the little yellow ones do. This little guy was getting ready for bed. I was able to touch him. He was moving very slow and didn't fly away. I use to read the boys a story about a sleepy little bee. Maybe this is him.
Yes, it's Annabel. She's still here and she's made this place her own. She controls the mouse and lizard population, catches dragonflies midair and stares down the dogs when they bark at her. She has earned her right to be a critter on 3 Dog Farm, which we now call 2 Dogs and a Cat Farm. Although she is more like a dog than any cat we ever had before. She follows me on my walks ( or I should say.., LEADS me.) and has had stand offs with the deer that come into the yard looking for water and cracked corn. Yes, the prospector leaves food for the deer. I use to think he had an ulterior motive but I don't think he does. He's too soft hearted and now the does bring their babies. You just can't think "meat on the table" when you see these sweet, spotted babies with their mommies.
Anyway, Annie has settled in to her life here and, before it got warmer, we were closing her into the garage at night. Yesterday was one of our first hot days and so the garage gets way to hot to close her up in there. We leave the back door ajar and hope that she has the common sense to stay out of harms way at night. The foxes and coyote have been very active before and after the full moon. They come in close and make a lot of noise. I hope Annabel stays in the confines of the house area and watches her back.
Isn't she a beautiful cat?

I'm leaving in a few hours to see Mom and my sister. I'll be back on Thursday.

Wine, Art, Music and Birthday Cake

Friday night I packed up my gourds and met a friend in Amador City. This is , as I have said before, my favorite little town on Highway 49 in the Mother Lode. They were having a celebration of Wine, Art and Music Friday evening and for the second year in a row, we sold gourd art on the main street. Christy( a fellow gourd club member) and I set up a table at about 4;30 p.m. and introduced ourselves to the people next to us from Drytown Winery. Then, about 5:00 folks started arriving and the music began to play. The weather was beautiful. We have had a mild summer so far (knock on wood) and there was NO SMOKE like last year, when we had such awful fires in the area.

Everyone had a great time and we sold some gourds; the wine flowed and the music was wonderful. This festival personifies the Mother Lode, Foothill , laid back kind of feeling that drew us to this area 13 years ago. Lovely town, nice people and respect for the budding wine industry that can hold it's own against all the big wine areas in California. Lots of artist were represented and the wine tasting, as always, was a great success.

Yesterday the Prospector, the Pupster and I went to Stockton to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. She's 88 yrs old and doing very well. We had a bar-b-que lunch and her brother came up from southern California to help her celebrate. I think that grandma Vi had a good time. This woman has always been wonderful to me and welcomed me into their family, 44 years ago, with open arms and respect. She deserved this nice day.

Today is going to be a lot warmer. I went out early and watered the garden. Now, I need to pick some basilico, cook some beets and clean the house before I curl up into a little ball and take a nap this afternoon. I love being retired but I don't know what happen to my energy level. I get up and feel like I can lick the world and then, by lunch, that energy is gone with the afternoon winds. C,est la vie....

In Search of my Mother's Garden, I Found My Own

"This very act of planting a seed in the earth
has in it to me something beautiful.
I always do it with a joy that is largely mixed with awe."
-Celia Thaxter-

So how are your gardens growing? Artie at "Color Outside the Lines" is hosting @....http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/Stop by this Blog and check out all the other blogs that show their gardens on Sundays. I hope you had a lovely weekend.

Sylvia's Farm

This is one of the most beautiful places I know of in the outskirts of Sacramento and it's where we were invited to have our annual summer Gourd Club Potluck. Well, it's almost getting to be a TRADITION. The weather was delightful! We all arrived at 10:00 a.m., greeted by Sylvia and her husband. We unloaded food and supplies, said our hello's and then got down to business.

We had a "show & tell" for new pieces that had been completed since the last meeting. Only two of us finished our puppets but there was other really interesting and beautiful gourd art on display. I introduced GOURDO to everyone and he immediately fell in love with the little goat puppet.
Our president helped us start a mask, from cutting a chosen gourd in half to deciding what we will want to do with it and placement of the eyes, nose and mouth. You kind of have to plan ahead on these masks so you have an idea what you want before you start drilling holes and adding features. The "puppet lady", who taught us to make puppets last month, brought a mask that she had completed. That would be the wolf in the bottom middle picture. Scary isn't it? She was even surprised that it turned out so downright menacing. I think she did a great job on him. He was a good example of what we could do with our "half of a gourd". It gave us motivation. We worked all morning on these masks.

Around noon we had a delicious lunch on Sylvia's back porch. She used real plates( not paper ) and different colored hankerchiefs for napkins. What a great idea..., and then, with our tummy's full ,we took a tour of her garden.
Sylvia's gourd patch goes on FOREVER and she has many different kinds of gourds growing beautifully for next Springs use. They need to dry all winter, or at least 6 mo's, and sometimes up to a year, before you can use them for artwork. See the sweet baby gourd in the bottom left corner?( click on photo for a close-up) Those will be good for pins and ornaments. They're so cute! The photo on the bottom right shows just some of her dried gourds. She had a whole barn filled with drying gourds too. She is the quintessential "crazy gourd lady", only she's not crazy at all and she will sell gourds to anyone in need..., and sometimes she just give you a few on the sly.

Thanks Sylvia. We had such a good time.

P.S. Gourdo wants to thank Madeline of Madeline's Album (in Alabama) for coming up with his name. He forgot to tell everyone that she was the person who gave Farmlady the name that seemed the most perfect for him. Thank you Madeline. It's just the best name and he wants you to know how much he likes it.

On June 15 Madeline posted this on her blog. I love it.
I don't think she will mind if I share it with you.

"Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God."

It's a good thing for everyone to remember, including myself.