Taking a Breath

This is for my grandsons.... and all the folks out there who still have a little child inside of them.

 

Listen and believe in what your heart is saying.

Did you notice the snow?

LOOK! I have beautiful, glorious SNOW on my blog page. Wait... you'll see it.
It's coming. Look at the pictures. There. Do you see it?
It's very easy to do. ( Google "snow effects for blogs")
A few years back I was crying about not having snow in this part of California and whining about it on my blog post. A friend named Jo who lives were it snows all winter, decided to give me a gift of snow and showed me how to make it appear on my blog . I was so thankful I could have kissed her. I got a Christmas card from her yesterday and it reminded me of the simple gifts that we can give one another. Thanks for the card Jo. Hope you and JD have a wonderful holiday.Thanks too for the gift of snow that you so kindly gave this California girl. I will never forget the delight of it.
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So, night before last the Prospector and I heard someone coming up our road. Now, we don't have people driving up our steep, dirt road after dark. They take their life in their hands. It's just not a smart thing to do. But, we have learned that the UPS folks keep very odd hours and that's who arrived.
He said that he was having a long,exhausting day and had been from one end of the county to the other. We talked for a few minutes and I was going to offer something warm to drink but he left as abruptly as he came... on Dasher, on Prancer, on Comet and Vixen... to another place, to another house in the middle of nowhere.
What he brought was a birthday present... for me. I told you I was going to extend this one out as long as I could and everything seems to be working in my favor.
Yes, it was a gift from my friend in Michigan. She told me something was coming. She loves suspense.
But... this was not just "something". This was TORRONE.

The flood of memories that this box brings are overwhelming and I will tell you why.
When I was a little girl we lived in Pleasant Hill, California. We lived in one of the first suburbs built in the 50's. It was a wonderful place to grow up.
My mother and father grew up in Napa, CA. and still had lots of relatives living there. The trip to Napa was long but we went often. I spent many summers up there and was very attached to my Mom's side of the family. It was a big family and Italian.
My great grandmother and grandfather had come from Italy and they bought a prune ranch in the late 1800's on Silverado Trail. It was a beautiful ranch and my favorite place to be in all the world besides my own home.
After my Mom and Dad moved to Pleasant Hill, Mom's family didn't come down to see us very much. It was hard to leave the ranch.  So once, sometimes twice a year they would call and say they were coming. They would arrive and spend the afternoon. Usually, my  great Uncle Jim (who was like a grandfather to me because my grandfather died before I was born) and my Grandmother (his sister) and my great Aunt Bina would come down together. I would run home from school knowing that they would be there. I can still feel the excitement.
If it was a summer visit, they would bring fresh vegetables and eggs. But if it was just before Christmas, they would arrive with dried fruit, nuts and a big box of La Florentine Torrone. Oh, how I loved the Torrone.

Inside the big flat box are lots of little boxes.

And inside the little boxes you find the wrapped candy.

When you open the little foil wrapper (I think it was a paper wrapper then) you find the Almond Nougat candy inside.

 

I remember Vanilla and Chocolate. Now there are three flavors: Lemone (lemon), Vaniglia (vanilla) and Arancio (orange). Six pieces of each flavor. Eighteen times to bite into a wonderful nougat candy with almonds in it and a paper thin edible wafer on each side. No preservatives or artificial coloring.

The edible wafer is the unusual thing that I remember when I was little. I thought that it was paper. It looked like paper but it tasted sweet and made biting into the nougat easier because your teeth didn't stick to the candy. The wafer also melted in your mouth. It was, to borrow a cereal ad phrase, "a mouth full of joy".

So, when I unwrapped this present from my friend, I squealed with delight. And as I ate that first piece of candy all those memories came flooding back. The anticipation of my grandmother's visit and her family being there at our house when I got home from school. The idea that they were coming down to see us. The hugs, kisses and the love that ensued....   It was always a day of joy and a time when I felt the circle of family was complete.

We would spend the afternoon talking, laughing, drinking coffee (Milk for me.) and  they would tell me about the latest adventure on the farm  or how Frosty ("my" horse) found the little lawn next to the house and started eating the grass.... how the fox got into the chicken house...  about the rattlesnake that ate rats in the basement. Stories that, too this day, make me understand the shape of my life now.

Mom would have baked something delicious to go with the coffee or sometimes Grandma would bring one of her pies. Oh, it was a wonderful day.  We would all sit there and share the company of each other. It always made me feel very grown up.

Dawn sent this candy because I had talked to her about it and all the memories it invoked.

I think she remembered the candy too. She has an amazing memory. 

Somewhere in our high school years she moved and we lost touch. We never connected with each other again, until the day I got an email from a friend that said someone had read a comment  from my sister on her blog. This person was asking if this commenter (my sister) had a sister named ........ and had they lived in Gregory Gardens in Pleasant Hill? Amazing! It was my childhood friend Dawn. She had found me.

. She had been living in Oakland, CA. while I was raising children not forty miles away. Amazing!,

Now, my son lives in Oakland. In those early years my husband worked in Oakland. I could have passed her on the street. We looked for a house there. The Prospector played softball there.

She found a comment on someone's blog and followed up on it.  Seems simple enough. She says our mothers had a hand in all of this. It could very well be true.

We were just on a different branch of the same tree... "Six Degrees of Separation." ?   I'm not sure, but I know that it's weird how life can be so amazingly coincidental sometimes.

I do believe that the connections one makes in life are always there, waiting for awareness and understanding. That each person you have a relationship with (of any kind)  makes a new little part of you. Each relationship changes you in many ways.

Dawn and I were children. We played with dolls and took ballet together. We walked to school each day together. Well...the truth is we rode the bus except for the last few years of school... but you understand what I'm saying . Even as children we had a history... the beginnings of a Story... together. 

She remembered those little Torrone boxes in a bowl at my childhood house and the memory was inside of her. The real gift is that she remembered, and that I, now, have become the recipient of that shared memory.

What a beautiful thing it is. 

To eat a piece of that memory and taste the love of that distant time.

The thought is as sweet as the candy itself.

The Best Season of My Life

 

 Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn,

A cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.

If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, 

This is the best season of your life.

~Wu-Men~

Thank you for the beautiful cards and lovely gifts.

For a hand made card from a friend with photos of her visit to my house this summer.

For my friend, "C', who came up Friday and gave me beautiful yarn for my obsession. 

For phone calls from my sons and grandsons, 

Sister-in laws and friends.

For my sister, who arrived to help me celebrate. 

 Who wore the coolest boots...

And hiked with me to "the place where the ferns grow".

We shared the beauty of this place for a long weekend and I, again, understood how important it is to have this relationship with her. She and I are seven years apart and were not really close when we were young because of the distance in age. Now, we are best friends and I'm so thankful for this.

She gave the goats some lovin'.

The Prospector showed her how to retrieve gold from a sluice box.

She got to sleep in... and then be attacked by two small dogs when she opened her bedroom door.

She couldn't go anywhere without Carl and Cutter following her.

Yesterday we cut Manzanita for Christmas decorations.

(Can you find her in the photo to the left? She really got in to her quest for the perfect branch.) 

 We lined up and compared each branch for size and perfection of twig. She piled the best ones into her car.

Then she packed up and drove back across the valley to her family in the Bay Area.

Thanks Sis, You made my birthday very special.

Thank you family and friends. 

This really is "the best season of [my] life."

Cutter is a bit unhappy. He wants to know where his "auntie" went.

Friends for Lunch and a New Scarf.

Yes! Flowers and a tablecloth. Company was coming.

On Monday and Tuesday I pulled out some stored Boxes of Christmas and did some decorating. A little here and a little there...

...to make our little house feel warm and holiday-ish.
Two friends arrived bearing good will and homemade apple butter.

One friend is in my gourd group and the other is in the goat club... and they have known each other for years... way before I knew either of them.
Both live in the valley and have farms. Sylvia has a garden (both vegetable and flower) that makes me want to move to the flat land of the central valley and dive into the wonderful soil down there. She grows gourds that are absolutely wonderful... all kinds and thick skinned. Her Dahlias are to die for and she saved us from an over population of GOPHERS a few years ago when she gave me some gopher purge. It worked.
Jane has goats,.. Alpines...lovely and sweet. I have posted about Dick and Jane's farm before, here. I wish you could stand in the middle of these goats in the field and watch them. They are really beautiful animals and some will be having BABIES next year. I hope I can go down and take pictures of the kids. Jane thinks I need some does. Wouldn't that be lovely. Goat milk to make cheese and ice cream with, and some babies... sweet little newborns. Oh yes, that sounds delightful.
So they braved the fog in the valley and our scary road, to come up for lunch.
Having them here was so nice. I made vegetable soup and salad with Pumpkin pie for dessert.
The Prospector disappeared to find paydirt in the hills and leave the afternoon to the women.
After lunch I showed them my newest felted scarf. I had tried to take some photos of it on a gourd Tuesday. No one has a neck like this but I just wanted to see how it wrapped.
Fluffy butt Carl didn't want to model it for me. He wanted to chew on it, so I tried the gourd.

 It was OK, but I got a real person to model it yesterday and it made such a big difference. Thank you Jane.

I could see how it wrapped and tied on someone.
This was a felting experiment that worked out rather well. I love using separate pieces of knitting and adding crochet for trim. I love to detail a scarf with old buttons and eye cords.
this will be a Christmas gift for someone.
We had such a good time yesterday. I love having friends up here.
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I'm having a quiet day today. There are a few things to do. Got to go to town this afternoon.
Tomorrow my sister is coming up for the weekend to help me celebrate another year of life. Oh lord. I guess I should be thankful... and I am... really, but I didn't think I was going to get THIS old. Guess you just have to go with it. It's better than the alternative.
My friend "C", from Sacramento, is coming up for the day too. I'm looking forward to her visit. She is the same age as I am. She understands. We can commiserate together. We knew each other when we were 16 years old. Where did the years go?
My birthday isn't until Sunday but, since I found myself alive when I woke up this morning, I might as well milk it for all it's worth (Life, not goats.) and stretch it out for as many days as possible.
Don't ya think?

Christmas Delight

I kept the Prospector up past his bedtime this weekend.
We went to town... AFTER DARK. Unheard of.
I made him take a shower so he would stay awake. We met our neighbors at their gate and , together, we drove down to MEL & FAY'S restaurant and found a parking space... one of the last.
It was one of those wonderful California winter nights... not too cold, not too windy... a perfect night to walk up and down the main street of Jackson. A perfect evening to join Amador County for the annual CHRISTMAS DELIGHTS festival on Main Street.

All the stores were open for business. This is a town that usually (except for the bars) rolls up the sidewalks after dark. But this night, once a year, they open their doors and give out goodies and hospitality for everyone. All the stores were lit up with Christmas lights and decorations.

The tree in front of the fire station was lit,
 and SANTA arrived...  in an old fire truck covered with Christmas lights.

 

 Last year we brought our oldest grandson down here. How fast the year has gone.
This year our neighbors had their granddaughter with them. She is eight years old.
It made me really wish that The Bean and Little Bean (our grandchildren) were there too. Maybe we can plan better next year so Mommy and Daddy can come up with them for the weekend.

So.... We met a horse while we were walking around. This was a most beautiful horse.

 I can't remember the horse's name, but the lady who was driving the carriage said that this was a Percheron, from Canada. It's a draft horse breed. This gentle horse was so big and tall that my neighbor's granddaughter was afraid to go up and pet him. With our help, she finally touched his nose. Everyone was gathering around the horse and he was acting like "business as usual" because the driver said he has been doing this all of this life.
He was pulling this carriage.

Last year they were giving rides in this buggy but I didn't see anyone getting rides this year. I did see it later going down the street with some pretty elves in it.

We walked into stores that were so beautifully lit up and even our HOMETOWN RADIO station was open. They recently moved down to Main Street. And there was a wood stove in one store to warm yourself before moving on.

Just a quick note: The photo on the bottom left (above) was a wonderful store window depicting some the towns in Amador Co. There was Plymouth, Amador City, Ione, Sutter Creek, all with a name sign and a lovely old building... and Jackson, on the left with the balcony.
 Now, it's been a long time since Jackson was famous for.... How do I put this carefully, without putting my adopted town in a bad light. Jackson was famous for its LADIES OF THE NIGHT.... and guess who was sitting up there in that little balcony, in all their splendor? Yes... two lovely ladies of ill repute.

 It's blurry and not a very good picture but there they are. Two redheaded hussies waiting for a gentleman's favor.
That's our reputation here.
Not the gold,
or the wonderful weather...
or the quaintness of small town America.
Or the fact that Jackson produced more than half the gold mined in the Mother Lode.
 Oh no!  It's all about the ladies of the night.
I think it's time to take the redheads off of the balcony.

So...

The shops were looking their very best.
The National Hotel is being completely renovated and it's looking very nice.

It's has a new front door that's really beautiful.

The owner has bought quite a few buildings on Main Street. He has a vested interest in making Jackson a destination and attracting tourists again. I hope it works. We need a bright future, like the beautiful leaded windows and doors.
It's fun to say that we have a rip roaring reputation, but we also want folks to be comfortable here. Maybe all of this remodeling and a community effort will revitalize our town.  When we join our neighbors and spend an evening like this, together, we are reminded that this town is a wonderful place... to live in , to shop in and to celebrate in.

We left Main Street and walked back across the highway to our cars. This is a wonderful little town where it's safe to walk around at night. We were on our way to eat Chinese food at one of our local restaurants.
Up on the hill above the parking lot is a house that says it all, year after year.

HO,HO,HO!! 

Christmas is coming.

Santa's on his way.

Life is good

We are so fortunate to be living where we live. 

I make no excuses. 

I'm blessed

Thank God

Amen.

A Day Apart

The Prospector decided to stay home with the dogs and take care of the farm. I drove down to spend the day with family.  I stayed overnight at my sister's house and came back home yesterday.

We all had a wonderful time. Lots of visiting, laughing and EATING.

My Sister-in- law's decorations were wonderful and the food was delicious.

Little Bean was so excited about everything and found the staircase a wonderful place to get away from the madding crowd.

I think that if someone had handed him a blanket, he could have gone to sleep there, but his feet still kept moving even though his eyes were glazing over.

Big brother, aka THE BEAN, was acting very grown up.

until someone put a soda in his hands. Then he and Mom got kind of silly for the camera.

And he went a little crazy.

This is The Bean's version of a magic trick, "Look Noni! No hands."
"You'll cut your lip."
"No, I won't Noni. I'm holding the tab."
"You'll swallow the tab!"
"No, I won't."
That's when I used my best "who's the boss" voice,
"Give-Noni-the-can."

Too much sugar? Maybe... but he gave me the can.
I took the can and then made the mistake of asking him to smile for the camera. Yea, right.
This is the portrait of a young man.... A few teeth missing, a fake smile... and a dead eye dick stare. So natural, so sweet... HA!
He's a little boy... with attitude.  What a little toad, but I love him.

Then  his mom let him have her camera. This was a special treat and he knew how to use it.  All of a sudden he was the consummate photographer.
He spent the next few minutes before dinner taking lots of photos of unsuspecting relatives.

It was a really nice day. Wish the Prospector could have been there too. Our neighbors invited him over for a turkey dinner so he didn't exactly starve. I made him a pumpkin pie to take over there so don't feel too sorry for him.
I stayed overnight at my sister's and drove the river road home the next day.

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On my way back I stopped to take some pictures of a very large herd of goats.

They were stretched out for a quarter of a mile along the road. It was late afternoon and the sun was coming through the clouds. It was the perfect photo shoot.

I stopped and got my camera out. I stood between the car and the fence because there wasn't much room for the car and I wanted a buffer from the road.
I reached over the fence to get a shot of the goats when I got this funny feeling. I don't know how to explain it. Kind of like a bee buzz only inside of me. I backed up and then I reach over again and the same thing happen. I honestly didn't know what was going on.
Well, I'm sure all of you who have livestock, making sure that your animals are safe from crazy people who might harm them and wanting to keep your animals from wandering into traffic on the road, are well aware of what was happening to me.
This trespasser, who thought she could just lean over the fence to take a few photos was getting "fare warning" from the fence. IT WAS ELECTRIFIED! My brain finally caught up with what was happening.
It's a good thing that I didn't fall against it. Someone would have had to pick me up off of the ground.
And, as if to make things more complicated, I heard a bark and a big white dog came barreling up to the fence.

It must have been lying down with the goats. It came out of nowhere. I backed up and started talking to it.
Immediately it stopped barking. Just call me the dog whisperer.

She had an identical mate right behind her and he didn't seem as friendly.
She settled right down and , although she never jumped up on the fence, she gave me her best wonderful dog look. She seemed young. I think she wanted to play or needed some human companionship.

She was very friendly in a quiet sort of way. Look at that sweet face. I would never have reached over to pet her or made any fast moves, but as long as I kept talking to her she was very agreeable.
I took my pictures without touching the fence  and kept talking to the dogs. They never got too far away from me. I was, after all, a stranger.  A wolf in human clothing. They were doing what they were trained to do.

Look at those eyes.  So wise, so beautiful... yet warning me.

The encounter was lasting longer that they wanted it to and she was probably thinking, "Is this lady every going to leave so I can lie down and rest."

"I just want to go lie in the sun, Lady." She kept pacing back and forth until I realized that she wasn't going anywhere until I took my leave.
So I said goodbye and  got back into the car.

The drive back across the valley and up into the hills was uneventful.
It was good to be home. The Prospector and the dogs were waiting  for me.

I have a lot to be thankful for. Life is good.
Family is important even if circumstances make "being together" sometimes difficult. Having good neighbors helps. They are a support system and a community of friends that serve as surrogates for family when need be. I'm thankful for these people who we call neighbors.
I'm thankful for my true family and the friends that are like family to me.
And I'm thankful for my life.

Happy Thanksgiving

He who thanks but with the lips
Thanks but in part;
The full, the true Thanksgiving
Comes from the heart.
~J.A. Shedd