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.

Dog Daze

It all starts with a "look". There is usually a short stand off with eye to eye contact and then the ruckus begins. Sometimes Carl is the top dog and he usually just sits on Cutter to subdue him. But recently Cutter has been getting bolder and his favorite trick is to grab Carl's collar and hold on as long as he can. They tumble and roll around the lawn with much growling and posturing. Then one of them will dash off across the garden and the other follows in pursuit. This game goes on, and on..., and on..., until they are both exhausted and then they go sit in the shade and rest. It's a game that is played out everyday all day long. This is what we call a "Corgi fest".

Cutter is unique. He looks like a miniature German Shepherd. I think when he's full grown he will be tougher that Carl and bigger. He was neglected and left outside all the time before he came to us. He was afraid of men and very shy of being in the house. He had lost the sparkle in his eyes and was weary of humanity.
He's learning to trust people here and is also learning that life can be safe and happy..., and fun. I wish I could give all neglected and abused animals this wonderful opportunity. I sometimes think that how we treat animals in this world is somehow connected to where we go afterwards and how good our marks are in the book of life. I guess that goes for how we treat people too, but animals are a choice and therefore we have a bigger responsibility to them.

Carl has only one question about all this....

"Is this guy going to stay with us FOREVER?"


Check out Angela's Blog for other critter stories.

Tatersmama is in Town

Saturday was a banner day in the little town of Murphy's, California. The weather was perfect. The tourists were flocking. Angel's Creek was high and flowing. The sun made everything sparkle and I finally got to meet TATERSMAMA.
Her real name is Kate and she is the nicest, funniest person you'll ever met. She has come to this little town to visit her son and family for three weeks. She flew 14 hours across the Pacific Ocean from Australia. She brought " the old guy" with her and a best friend.
I drove over from Amador County to meet Kate and  deliver a special gift. I found out that this hysterically funny blogger was as big a crack up as she seems on her blog. She is..., and what I also found out is that she's a very nice woman with a good heart and she has an honesty that is refreshing. The humor and infectious laugh is always right there ready to flow out all over everyone around her but she has, as all people who laugh easily, a quite sadness that is just underneath the surface that makes you want to give her a great big hug.

Kate is genuine. She is honest and is truly a "cup, half full" person. I actually think that she thinks her life is a FULL cuppa tea and I admire anyone who can look at life as a "journey"..., not always what you choose but  wonderful in many ways.
I met her son and his family, her grandchildren, and various relatives. We had lunch. The kids swam in the creek and played in the park. She talked about Australia and what it is like to live there. I watched a little 4 year old girl make a cheese and sausage sandwich with the finesse of a professional chef. Even though I wasn't family, everyone made me feel very comfortable.
I delivered a quilt to Kate that Roslyn of Ros The Quilter had sent to me..., asking me to deliver it to Kate. She lives in Arizona but was raised in Australia. She wanted to be there to met Kate but just couldn't make it. We missed you Roz. Kate was so touched by the quilt. I wish you could have been there to see her reaction. I regret that I didn't take a picture of the quilt with Kate. I have no excuse except that I was stuffing my face with food and talking too much. I'm sure that Kate will post some photos when she returns to Australia.
So now I've met Tatersmama and the honor was mine. People ask me why I blog. There are many reasons and they are varied . This weekend was one of them. Three years ago I didn't know any of the wonderful folks that I have connected with through my blogging "obsession". I guess there are worse "vices".
Kate's blog is called Tatersmama, Takes On Things. and if you need an Aussie, down home, funny way to start the day. Give a look. I kid you not. She's worth the trip.

Friday Shoot Out- The Old Druid

The most widespread view is that "druid" derives from the Celtic word for an oak tree (doire in Irish Gaelic), a word whose root also meant "wisdom."

"...and I am here too, in front of it, hardly able to see for the flash and the brightness.

and sometimes I am that madcap person
clapping my hands and singing;
and sometimes....
I am that quiet person down on my knees."~mary oliver~

Earth Day, Image and a Visitor

This photo is to honor Earth Day. I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth and so, I thought I would share a piece of it with all of you. Before I took the picture I had to cleaned up the soda cans, fast food debris, and plastic water bottles that folks/jerks drop on their way to the river. I hope the arrogant, "I ride my bike to save the environment." guy who threw his water bottle off the edge of the road reads this. THERE IS A GARBAGE CAN DOWN AT THE RIVER.
There are also two mountain lions in the area. We have them on video, from my neighbor's deck. Enjoy your ride!

This is a picture that would make most of my friends say "What?" but this needs to be shown on Earth Day. It's my redneck, gun toting neighbor's way of being ecological. This is so cool! He goes to the local grocery store and picks up all of the old produce which, by the way, is still fit for human consumption but is tossed in the garbage because it doesn't look perfect anymore for the American food shopper. He brings a truckload back to his cows every week. I'm impressed with this effort and I give him the Earth Day award for the year.

And now I want to express my joy at getting to meet Kate Giffin of Tatersmama's (example of her wonderful posts, here). She one of my favorite bloggers.  Her blog is pretty, green and it goes with my Earth Day theme.  Well...,SHE'S HERE! She has arrived from Australia for a month to visit her son and family. On Saturday, she will have a little get-together in Murphy's, where she use to live, before she became an Aussie.
I'm looking forward to meeting her, face to face. I hope we don't scare each other to death with the stark reality of who we really are compared to our "professional images". Image is so important you know:
Farmlady(that's me)...,the wild, adventure seeking, multi-talented photographer who chose life on a farm in Northern California instead of being a movie star.
Kate..., the serious, free-lance writer from Hollywood who decided to try her luck in the Australian outback.
Image is everything in the blogging world. Don't you think?
Anyway..., we get to meet each other Saturday and I can't wait. After all, she likes, and "likes" is putting it mildly, Sam Elliott... that's all I have to say.

Almost Wordless Wednesday- Jellyfish at The Monterey Bay Aquarium

"The sea is as near as we come to another world." ~anne sievenson~

Avlia Beach, California

... and yes, I did walk all the way out to the end of the pier and back. I'm getting much braver about these things, even though I was praying to the God of natural disasters the whole time: Praying that we would not have a major earthquake or any another kind of geological upheavel while Sis and I were out there. The Gods were listening....

While I was gone....

The Wisteria exploded over the back porch...

The new babies learned the Hokey Pokey...

And sweet little pupster, Cutter, found a new resting place in the garden.

Pismo Beach and the Workshop

The photos above are literally,"postcards from the edge". When I made these reservations it didn't look like the hotel was THIS close to the ocean. IT WAS! . The evening that we walked into this second story room and I walked out on to the balcony, I about had a heart attack. But, after 3 days of sun and storm, I actually got use to it. I was hanging off the balcony taking pictures and sitting out there watching the sunset. I have reached another level in my acceptance of this monstrous, body of water.
This is the Best Western Shelter Cove Lodge in Pismo Beach. I would give it 5 stars for the view alone.

THE WORKSHOP
I don't even know where to begin. We had so much fun and we learned so many new skills and techniques. Our fearless leaders are both wonderful jewelry designers who really knew how to teach us the basic skills of PMC(precious metal clay), etching 101 and cold connections( wiring, riveting and attaching one piece to another. Now I know the difference between round-nose and a needle-nose pliers; what Ferric Cloride is; and what you do with a ball pien hammer. I feel like a well informed beginner and I'm inspired to learn more.
The workshop was all day Saturday and Sunday. We worked on making charms Saturday and etching metal on Sunday. Riki and Diana served us a wonderful lunch that fortified us for the intense work that ensued. We really worked hard and each day brought us a huge sense of accomplishment. As you can see, I didn't take many photos of the class because I was too busy working on
THESE...

The small silver charms are made with PMC clay and fired in a small kiln. The brass plating went through an etching process that is amazing to watch and can be cut up to use in all kinds of jewelry pieces. I will be making a couple of necklaces and a charm bracelet with these pieces, adding some of my own found objects and old jewelry to create a one of a kind work of art that will be worn with all the memories of this weekend and a wonderful workshop that made friendships between 2 women and a whole new group of creative jewelry makers.
Our thanks to Riki Schumacher(www.RikiJewelry.blogspot.com) and Diana Frey(www.dianafrey.blogspot.com). You two are AWESOME..., and if you want to see what true artists Riki and Diana are take a look..., they both have featured articles in the new issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine. Check it out!

More photos of our trip tomorrow....

Friday-Cambria and Morro Beach

This town is so charming that we decided to go back and visit ,again, soon. It's just one beautiful store after the other and each one has its own "something special". Birds of a Feather is an eclectic antiques store where Julie Whitmore (the friend who was entertaining relatives) shows some of her beautiful Faience pottery. We talked to the proprietor,Bonnie, and I left Julie my card and a note. I bought some cotton ribbon with sea shells on it..., yes, one yard of ribbon. Could have gotten all carried away in there but this was the first store and the first day . Didn't want to overdue my spending. LOL.
Then we walked into The Garden Shed...

I think this was my very favorite store, and they had a resident cat that greeted you and followed you around the store. Again, I was prudent with my spending. I bought a package of Moulin Rouge Sunflower seeds...,beautiful deep red sunflowers to plant in my garden..., a reminder of this trip. I wanted the TRUCK( in the picture) but they wouldn't sell it to me. How rude! It would have looked wonderful in my driveway garden area. Don't you think? Can't you just see me TOWING this charming old truck behind us all the way back to my sister's house and then towing it behind my Toyota Rav 4 up to the mountains to my house? I would have tried..., if the price was right. Yes, I would have.
We went into a lot of shops and a huge Antique "co-op" mall . This is where I finally found my piece de resistance ( that means; thing that you can't live without or walk away from..., a rather loose translation.) I finally found a bluebird plate, actually a soup bowl , that is antique ironstone with blue birds flying on it and has blue transferware framed pictures on it. I will show you the plate next week. I want to do some research on it first. (Yes, Julie, just like over your stove and there's ANOTHER ONE in the back left corner of the store~Antiques On Main~ too. I couldn't afford both.)
We ate lunch at Linn's Restaurant down the alley, in the back. We sat outside, enjoyed the warm weather, then headed on down the coast.

This is Morro Strand State Beach. This beach is a coastal frontage park. Fishing, windsurfing, jogging, and kite flying are popular.
The beach is a three mile stretch south of Cayucos where the highway runs right along the beach. We stopped at Torro Creek Rd. where there was off highway parking.
This is Sis, in her own little heaven. I swear she must have been a mermaid in a former life. She was IN HER ELEMENT. You will notice that I took all the photos UP BEACH, with a clear view of the waves. I will never let them sneak up on me. They do that you know.
This was a beautiful beach with lots of shells, driftwood and rocks to sift through. Folks were walking or jogging up and down the beach.., some of them with their dogs. Oh, we did missed our dogs! Carl, Cutter, Lucky, Lily and Fozzy Bear would have loved this beach. It was lovely! You can see Morro Rock in the distance behind Sis sitting on the beach and in the photo on the bottom right.

Tomorrow post: We arrive in Pismo Beach....