Daniel And Amy Got Married

   I know, it has been a long time since I have written anything, but sometimes I think, who, other than my family reads this blog anyway. But then again, that is the reason I started writing a blog in the first place.
   Daniel and Amy were getting married June 29, so we left here June 26, since we were driving. Of course, there was a terrible heat wave at that time and our air conditioner that worked when we left, decided to stop working. The temperatures weren't too bad until we hit CA. and then it was just hot and getting hotter the closer we got to Southern CA.
   We eventually made it to CA and Daniel and Amy's apartment in Bellflower. We met a rude woman who said we didn't belong in the gated parking area of the apartment building even though it did have marked guest parking spaces. We backed into one and went in to relax. That night, I heard what sounded like a car hitting another, but figured it was on the busy street they lived on.
   We didn't see much of Amy, which we expected since we got there on the 28th and she had lots of last minute things to do. We took Amy to meet up with a friend and then Daniel took Tim and I to lunch. We had Mexican food. Up here in WA, we just can't find good Mexican food. I am used to Tex-Mex food since I grew up in El Paso, TX, but Tim grew up in CA and knows what Mexican food tastes like.
   Tim and I really felt out of place and like tourists in CA now, since we had been gone for 7 years. You know you are in another world when all the buildings have bars on the windows and doors. Anyway, like all good tourists and Daniel being a good tour guide, we hit up a big liquor store. I know, who stops there? The price of liquor in WA is really high and I wanted to get a big bottle of Vodka for making more vanilla extract and I had read it works great for killing bugs and for cleaning, so, why not. When we got back to the apartment, I noticed someone had hit the front of the van. We wondered if it was the rude woman who told us we didn't belong there. The damage was small, just the bumper was pushed in and the hood wasn't quite right.
   Daniel took us to Downtown Disneyland that night and we ate at the Rainforest Café. Tim and I each had a Margarilla, which is a margarita made with orange sherbet. It was good and we will have to make some at home. Every half hour, there was a "thunderstorm" and all the Disney animals made noise. We watched the nightly fireworks display and then went back to Daniel's. It was a really good firework show. It had been a long time since we had seen a firework show and fireworks have gotten bigger and better.
 

    The wedding was in Redlands, CA and once again, it was really hot. It was a really nice wedding ceremony. Amy promised to make Daniel eat vegetables once in a while and Daniel promised to make Amy eat a donut once in a while. It was a very relaxed ceremony. Daniel also had a pocket full of Kleenex for Amy. They were going to have pictures taken outside, but it was just way too hot, so they were taken inside. Amy and Daniel have a really good bunch of friends that are more like family.
   Before the wedding Alyssa, David and kids got ready in our hotel room. It was really nice seeing them, but it wasn't nearly long enough.
   My brother, Gary and his wife Myrna were there and it was nice seeing them as well.
   Tim's dad and his wife were also there and we hadn't seen them for a long time, either.
   We left bright and early, but not early enough for Tim, to go see my parents in Pahrump, NV. It was a hot drive, but not nearly as hot as the drive to CA.
 We had a nice visit with them and saw my sister, Donna and her husband Ron, a couple of times.
   When we left, we were going to go see Tim's sister, Julie, because it was too early to stop by and see her when we were going. We still didn't see her for long because we really wanted to drive at night when it was cooler.
   Leaving Reno, NV headed for Marysville, CA traffic came to a stop. There was a mudslide that had just happened. We have no idea what was going on, but Julie did when we called her. All the traffic was diverted off the freeway onto a side street and when we got to the end of the street, we had to turn around and go the way we came and get on the freeway going the opposite direction then we wanted to go. The "short" detour we had to go on took 5 hours. At least it was really pretty going through the Sierras.

    We saw this really pretty waterfall up there.
   At one point, we were being tailgated by what we thought was a pick up truck. Tim pulled over so it could pass and it pulled in behind us, but not on top of us. It just sat there, so we drove on. A couple of minutes later, the same bright lights were shining in the windows. It got really close and then passed us and we noticed it was a white cargo van. Needless to say, we were really relieved when it passed us.
   A few miles down the road, the same lights were behind us again and we were beginning to think we were in one of those horror movies with the crazed people that prey on innocent travelers.

   It stayed behind us for quite a while again, tailgating of course, and then when we got to a town that had freeway on ramps, it veered off onto an exit. We were really wondering if it was going to come back, but it didn't. We breathed a sigh of relief, but kept an eye out for it anyway.
   We finally made it home. It's always nice to get home, but it we are glad we got to see Daniel and Amy get married and saw family, even though it was for a short while.

All's Quiet or Eggs Eggs Eggs

   I know, it's been a really long time since I've written anything, but honestly, nothing ever happens. About the only thing that has happened is Amy, Daniel and Michaela moving to Colorado. It's very quiet. I'm trying to put the put things back where they were before they moved in. I'm also making the spare room into a sewing/craft room. I am making progress.
   May didn't get the memo that said it is spring. Wednesday, we had a high of 45 and that night a low of 32. So far, it looks like most of our tiny fruit survived. We still haven't planted anything in the garden since we will be gone for a little bit the end of June. Barbara did plant every seed in her seed packages and is going to give use the plants after we get back. I have no idea what we are going to do with a gazillion tomato plants.
   I have an over abundance of eggs. I don't like eggs and only use them for cooking. Tim doesn't really eat that many. I don't have enough to sell, so we have given some to a neighbor. I really don't need 36 eggs. I know, that's not many compared to what some people get, but for us, it's too many. I have 5 hens and one or two might end up in the freezer. Of course during the winter, I end up buying eggs because the laying has really slowed down to a slow trickle.
   Our assorted berry bushes are doing great this year and hopefully, we'll get a good crop if the birds don't get them first.
   I finally have a lilac bush. I bought it for myself for Mother's Day. We would like to get a lot more and plant them along the fence line behind us and along the property line on the side where there is no fence. Deer aren't suppose to like lilacs.
   Now you can see for yourselves that we are really boring people and nothing exciting happens.

Wile E. Coyote Just Ran By

   I'm sitting in my chair, looking out of the window, trying to think of something to write about, when all of a sudden a very healthy looking coyote ran through the yard. It was 9:15 AM. It was in such a hurry that it was panicking when it couldn't get through the fence. Luckily, no one and no dogs were out. Once it saw the llamas behind us us, it quickly went a different direction. I guess llamas really do work as guard animals. I didn't see a road runner go by before the coyote.
   There are many baby goats behind us. One little black kid seems to be the leader of the other kids. It gets on top of the big wooden spool and jumps in the air and dances around on it's hind legs showing off, having a good old time. The goats do play king of the spool, but the little black kid always wins and seems to rub it in when all the other kids are knocked off. I miss having goats, but it's much cheaper and easier on my poor old body watching the neighbors goats.
   The pregnant doe hasn't been back lately, but others have. I noticed some deer ate the little wild plum tree that is in a flower pot right by the front door. I've been growing it since we cut it off of a wild plum tree we came across on one of our drives. It was about a foot high, and now it's looking like a tree and ready to plant somewhere.
   I bought an iPad Mini not too long ago and have been playing with it a lot trying to figure out the things I can do on it. I really wish you still got paper owner's manuals these days. Yesterday, I discovered I can check library books out on it, so this morning, I did. It would be nice if I could change the font on the library book, but you either can't or I just haven't figured out how. Either way, I can live with large letters.
   Rumor has it that next Wednesday, it's suppose to get to 69, WooHoo!! Spring might eventually get her after all. I don't think we are planting a garden this year until after we get home from Danny and Amy's wedding the end of June. I'll miss all the potatoes we plant.
   Well, I guess I'll go fold that basket of towels for fun. I'm still waiting for the clothes to come folded right out of the dryer.

Spring Is Here, Spring Is Hear

                                                                                                                                                                                           

   At long last, spring is here. It's also hear. You can hear the birds and the hail and the baby animals behind us. You can't really tell by our below freezing temps at night, but we have been in the mid 40's to the lower 50's, so that means spring. The fields and yards are turning green. It's funny, but the grass is green under the snow. I still haven't seen our first buttercup of the year yet. On the down side, spring is also mud season and boy is it muddy.
   I took a picture of one of Phyllis' pointy eggs next to the other eggs we are getting. She still lays eggs like this, so I guess they are normal for her. I really need to get busy and bake because I have a lot of eggs. I don't have enough to sell.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since it is spring, we have been getting our usual rain and hail to help the mud situation along. We had this hail the other day.

   The storm lasted about 20 minutes and the hail was still there the next morning. It was about thumb nail size and I guess technically, it was gropel.

   Soon, hopefully, the ground will be firm enough to till up the garden a few times. It's still way too early to plant anything. The strawberries that have leaves piled on top of them are doing well. 

   I'm going to plant the kind of peas I usually plant this year, because the peas I planted last year stay hard as a rock even after pressure cooking them. Teach me to plant something other then the old tried and true.

 

   The other day, I went into the laundry room and found this.There are feet under that big dog in the clothes basket. It didn't bother Jake, who just kept on eating. Those are Michaela's feet. Her trusty bunny is in the basket with her. Clothes baskets are such fun when you're a kid.

 

 

I'm making progress playing my assorted musical instruments. Michaela wants to dance all the time when I play them. For some reason, she doesn't like the alto recorder and always tells me to put it back. I figure since the dogs don't howl when I play, I'm doing alright.

 

 

 

It's That Time Of Year Again

   As you can see by the tremendous amount of blogs I have posted lately, absolutely nothing is going on here. It's still winter, and today, it's snowing. We were suppose to only get 1-3" but I think I can safely say we will be getting more than that since we already have about 4" of the new wet fluffy kind of snow. We do have 100% chance of snow.
   On my last blog, I have no idea why it posted the way it did. I did everything like I usually do, but I guess it needed a change, too.
   I am making progress playing the recorder and tin whistle. My mind is having trouble remembering the name of the notes, but my fingers remember where they are suppose to be to make the notes, so I guess it's progress.
   I have made a little progress hula hooping. It's a heavier and bigger adult hula hoop so it's harder, for me anyway, to keep up. Everytime Michaela sees me get it out, she has to call Amy over and she sits on the floor on Amy's lap and laugh at me. It reminds me of when we were kids and we laughed at my mom as she was doing Jack LaLane exercises that were on the TV. In my older years, I feel bad about doing that.
   It's that time of year when everyone is tired of snow and are planning what to plant in their gardens.
Some people in town have even tilled their gardens up already, They get less snow than we get. Our garden happens to be frozen and under a bunch of snow. We are trying to figure out ways to keep our spinach crop from getting dirt all over the leaves. It doesn't rinse off that well just running it under water. We really need a green house and/or hoop frames, cold frames.
   Phyllis the White Crested Black Polish chicken has finally started to lay eggs that are usable. She laid 2 others, but the shells were so soft they got walked on and broke. Anyway, Phyllis lays the longest, narrowest eggs I have ever seen. If I were a chicken, that would be the kind I'd want to push out. They are a very elongated egg shape and very white.
   I still haven't started making bear clothes yet. I have them added to the top of my long list of things to make.
   As you can see, nothing exciting is going on. It might be nice to have some kind of good excitement once in a while. We can do without the bad kind of excitement.

I Still Live In A Snow Globe

Doe eating apple peelings

    Winter is still here. Our high temperatures have been below freezing for a few weeks now. Luckily, we are suppose to warm up and have temperatures above freezing now, around 33 degrees. That is warm compared to what it has been.
   This doe stopped by to eat apple peelings we had just put out. She is looking pregnant. Se has been coming around here with her mother since she was a little spotted fawn.

Doe caught in mid-chew

   She really enjoyed the apple peelings, but she kept a watchful eye on her surroundings, even while eating.

Freezing fog on pine needles

   Along with our cold temperatures, we have been foggy. Freezing fog does interesting things. I like the way it looks on the pine trees.

Close up of the pine needles
 

   One thing nice about having to take care of the chickens is being able to go outside and take pictures.

   We did have a few bright, sunny days mixed on with all the fog. Even with the sun, the after effects of the freezing fog was still around. It was very pretty.





A bright sunny freezing day

   Snow is in the forecast with our warmer weather. It's really too bad that snow is so nice and pretty and then it gets so dirty and ugly.
   In another 2-3 months all this pretty white snow will be a melted, muddy mess. About this same time, the doe might have given birth and hopefully, she'll come around with her new fawn.













Another Year And Still Nothing Exciting Going On Here

   We are such boring people, there is really nothing to tell, which is why I haven't written anything lately. Our son, Daniel, and his girlfriend, Amy, got engaged Dec. 28. We welcome her to the family. Amy fits right in.  You saw pictures of them on one of the past blogs not too long ago. They plan on a wedding in Sept. Alyssa and David have also set a wedding date, sometime in the spring of 2014. Alyssa and David have been together for so long, he's already family.
   For some reason I'm having problems getting pictures on here, but you've all seen snow pictures before anyway.
   I bought another Native American style flute, this one is in the key of D and is made from birch. I was going to put a picture of it up, but no luck.
   I'm thinking about starting another quilt top, but I need to get those bear clothes done. I had patterns for a 15 and 19 inch bear. I chose to make the 15 inch bear. I should have chosen the 19 inch bear because they have better clothes. A long time ago, I could find free downloadable patterns for bear clothes on the internet, but can I find them when I want them? Maybe, I'll try to shrink the patterns to fit a smaller bear.
   See, I told you we were boring people. Hopefully nothing too exciting happens, because we like quiet, not necessarily boring.
  

At Long Last I'm Finished

Alix's quilt

    Finally, at long last, I have finished the five Christmas quilts I made for the five grand kids. I thought they turned out really well for my first quilting attempt.
   I made the backing in their favorite colors, except for Nathan who didn't have one yet, so multicolored stripes was his. Nathan has since decided his favorite color is green Luckily, there are green stripes in the backing.
   I should have smoothed them out before I took the pictures, especially Ashlynn's, but I didn't notice it until after I took the pictures.

Michaela's quilt

   I intend to make more quilts eventually, but now I have to make those promised bear clothes for the bears I made for the kids last Christmas.
   I've worked on the quilts for so long, it feels kind of funny not having to work on them anymore. Four of the quilts were mailed to Arizona, but I'm pretty sure they will be after Christmas quilts. One day, I just might get things mailed in time. I really try, it just never works out that way.
  


Nathan's quilt

Micheal's quilt

Ashlynn's quilt.

A Quilting I Will Go

   I have been very, very busy working on the quilts I'm making for our grand kids for Christmas. I think I started in May, took a break and did other things and now I'm back at it again. I am making 5 quilts and I finished the second one last night.
   Since this is the first time I have ever quited, it is also a learning experience for the next quilts I'm going to make. I've learned not to sew the batting to the top and then sew the back to it all. It sounded like a good idea, but as I'm top stitching it with the sewing machine, the top spreads out more. I've also learned it's probably not a good idea to sew it all together until it's top stitched. The quilts have turned out nice for my first attempt. I did try to sew them all together, with right sides facing leaving a hole and then turning everything inside out, but that really didn't work. I have made very nice borders  by folding the backing over it all. I like them better this way, too. I had to take apart the first quilt which was loads of fun and then it took me 3 tries to get the thing all pined together nice and neat. I didn't want to do it on the floor because I'd never get up again and I'd have a lot of help with the dogs and Michaela, so I use the kitchen island and just shift the whole thing as I go.
   Micheal is very worried and anxiously waiting for clothes for the bears I made them last year. He even asked my mom if she knew if I was working on the clothes when they went to their house for Thanksgiving. So, after quilts, it's bear clothes. I'm also crocheting slippers for my parents and still need to make the pants for Amy and Alyssa that they have requested. I'm now positive my list is never ending. It does give me something to do and snow will be here soon so I'll be stuck in the house except for my big outing to collect the eggs.
   We (Tim) finally caught a mouse and so far, it looks like it was the only one.
   It's been raining for days now and walking outside reminds me of walking on a sponge, not that I've ever walked on a sponge.
   I guess I'd better get busy and start working on the quilts again. I'll take pictures of them all when I have finished. I hope it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to mail them. Four of them go to Arizona and the fifth one stays here.
   I wonder whet brilliant ideas I'll get for next years Christmas gifts for the grand kids? Gift cards?

First Snow Of The Year

   Late Thursday afternoon/evening and into Friday, we had our first snow of the year. I know it's just me, but it seems colder this year. I know it actually has been colder, but that's not the reason. Maybe my old bones and healed broken bones just don't like cold this year.
   Yes, I know, we chose to live up here where it snows. I still like looking at it through the windows. It's so pretty and you have that kind of hush you only get from snow. I'm pretty sure as the fall progresses into winter I should, hopefully, warm up.
   Poor Jake says snow is for the birds and Chip thinks it's great as long as it doesn't fall off of the trees or some other object and scare him. The chickens are doing fine so far. Michaela is really impressed with all the white out side and the snow on the floor the dogs bring in. Michaela has reached the take your clothes off stage in life, so she runs around in blanket sleepers with a snap over the zipper pull at the neck because she hasn't figured out how to get out of those, yet.
   I'm almost done dehydrating potatoes and then it's freeze and dehydrate all the carrots in the refrigerator.
   I've decided we have an invisible mouse that just leaves droppings behind. You'd think it would step on and stick to a sticky mouse trap eventually, wouldn't you?
   I have all 5 quilt tops sewn together and names and dates embroidered on them and I'll start the filling and back part tomorrow. I'm just going to tie them together because it sounds the fastest and easiest and since they are my first quilts, I'll take the easy way and work up to harder.
   Micheal says the bears I made for the grand kids last year still need clothes. My list of things to make just gets longer and wouldn't you know it? I have towels to fold. I'm still waiting for the magic clothes folding dryer. My excuse now is I've been sick and just don't feel like it and we all know where to find them if one is needed.
   I made powdered laundry detergent a couple of weeks ago and it seems to work very well. The clothes are cleaner and softer and once again I am using white vinegar for fabric softener. I've used it before, but I think I will all the time now.
   You should all prepare yourselves because eventually there will be snow pictures up here again.
Also pictures of these tiny, tiny red bugs that should up after one of the last rains. Oh well, that's it for now. Goodnight.