Cooler Today 1-29

This was Larry last night, I guess he bundled up and went outside waiting for the air to clear!
Then he had to come back inside to listen to his scanner.

Not much happening today.  It was cooler, breezy and cloudy...back to winter I guess.  Today was cleaning bathrooms day and Larry did whatever he does outside and in his shop.  I finally got around to watching my instructional DVD for my camera and then played around with it a bit and did some reading.  Don't you wish you had such an exciting day?  Ha ha!

Another Lovely Day 1-28

This morning I cracked myself up. I was having a bad dream apparently, but all I remember is yelling, while I was yelling and wondering why no one was hearing me, I decided to yell louder…and I was aware Larry was there and wondering if he would try to console me. NOPE. Laugh! He said he heard me making noises and I got a little louder where he could hear me saying no, no, but it was still very quiet…he could tell I was having a nightmare, but rather than rescue me he just got up to go to the bathroom. I thought it was funny that in the throes of a bad dream I decided to conduct an experiment to see if he heard me yelling.


Larry discovered that today was a burn day so he torched our burn pile. It was another lovely day, I didn’t even need an over shirt this morning, the sun was warm. I raked up leaves to add to the fire and we pruned the pear tree so we could get the branches in the fire. It was a mess of crossing branches, Larry climbed the ladder with the pruners and I directed which branches to cut. So now the outside is pretty much tidied up and ready for Spring.

I made Cornish game hens for dinner…yummy, split, marinated in half of a fresh lemons juice, 2 cloves garlic, olive oil and some poultry rub in a ziplock for about 40 minutes or so. Baked at 450 for about 30 minutes then broiled for about 10. I made lovely frozen organic green beans with bacon, onion and garlic with about a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.

The cooking dinner smells were still strong a few hours later, I sprayed Febreeze around and practically killed Larry…he had to bundle up and go outside to breathe while I got the air moving by opening the sliding door and cranking the heater on. The scent got to him…that stuff even bothered me this time…I know better too….it’s in the garbage now.

Ho Hum 1-26

We are just doing our same old same old.  Beautiful weather and every day I watch the the daffodil leaves get taller and with new ones appearing that the previous owners had planted by the front walk,...have seen a few mosquitos, I saw bats while on the hill taking these sunset pictures at sundown and there are HUGE bumblebees flying around the manzanita on the hill because it has started blooming already.  I have to do research on how bumblebees nest because I get divebombed every time I'm up there.

Invisible raking 1-23

I started the morning getting my homemade apple/bran/chocolate chip muffins mixed and in the oven...grating the apple takes the longest.  While they were baking I did my 25 minute workout...I started exercising a week or so ago...yucky, but necessary.

It was overcast most of the day today but still nice.  I decided to rake oak leaves, mostly to add to Larry's burn pile to help it burn.  I wanted to rake them all but Larry pointed out that they were probably keeping the weeds from growing...which appears to be the case, but they are very slippery layered like they are.  I raked up a few piles and worked on getting the buried sticks picked up with the leaves and tossed big rocks out of the way for future mowing.  I took this picture this evening and you can not tell that any leaves had been picked up at all...those green areas were already like that, I was raking where there are still lots of leaves.  I would have a pile the size of a car if I raked all the leaves.

The leaves mixed into the pile of limbs and sticks

Larry worked on the mower, it was having some kind of problem.  When we quit for the day we sat on the front deck in the weak sunshine reading our books and discussing what we want to do with the deck railing and front yard.  This warmer dry weather makes us antsy to get stuff done, but we know Mother Nature is just messing with us.

Another sunset picture...I love the shapes these trees make against the colorful sky.  As the sun moves with the seasons you'll eventually get a different view...ha ha.  Or once it gets warmer I'll get some shots from above the house.

Spring Already? 1-22

A beautiful sunny Spring-like day today, the breeze that cropped up was even warm…very very nice. Larry is organizing his shop/shed and I worked on my poppy painting some more. Had the windows open with the fresh air wafting through the house…LOVE it.

It has been like three days I think since my last post and we still have cookies left…shocking! I have been trying not to Hoover them all up in a day and there are still some left for tomorrow.

Yesterday we went into Auburn and did our errands. We try to store them up and go together, with the price of fuel and everything…we just try to be economical. I discovered a lovely girlie store when picking up some new face moisturizer, found my hairspray and in the same strip mall I spied an artist supply store….Nirvana! Every kind of art supply for artists…paper, paints, brushes and all the accoutrements. I will be going back there…Larry and the groceries were in the truck…half of the store was a gift store…so a fun place to explore.

Oh, and I came home with another orchid from Home Depot…come on…eight bucks…how could I resist…that is one bouquet of cut flowers. Thirty years ago I could only yearn for an orchid plant, they were pricey. Now with hybridization and growers they have become abundant and are easier to care for.

We took the scenic route home, over the Foresthill Bridge and around to 49. It is a really pretty area we decided to live in and we are immensely grateful that it worked out for us to be here.

After a lovely dinner of fresh coleslaw over avocado slices, oven fried chicken strips and potato wedges…all made from scratch I might add…nary a package to be found we hiked up over our little hill and followed a deer trail until we decided we didn’t want to go any further…enough of a stroll for me.

Looks like a sci-fi beast!

Now to watch the sun set and sink into my squishy recliner with my book for awhile, ahhh the good life!

I'm done messing with this...looks better in person.

Foundations 1-19

Everyone knows how important foundations are; to buildings, relationships and our bodies. They don’t call bras foundation garments for no reason and I am telling you there is NOTHING like a great foundation supporting the girls to make a woman feel better about herself and might I even go so far as to say “perky”!

Now it is a dreaded expedition…shopping for a new bra. We hold out as long as we can…things start swinging and sagging before we finally find a day when we are in the mood for bra shopping.

I am here to tell you ladies that if you have been despairing over your foundation situation then find your nearest Nordstrom’s…it is worth even an hour or more drive. They have bra fitting specialists and they make bra shopping a breeze. They measure and evaluate to see if you are wearing the proper size…most women are not. Then THEY go out into the overwhelming sea of choices and pull out several and bring them into the fitting room for you to try on.

If you can get over any shyness you might have of a stranger in the room with you while you change out the models they can quickly help you decide if the model you are trying is working and if not, why not. Then you are quickly onto the next one. If you find one that seems right but you need to go up or down a size she runs out there to bring back the proper one for you to try, she saves so very much time and aggravation.

How many times have you gone shopping by yourself and have had to get another size to try on but you have to get entirely dressed to go out to find the new sizes to try, not to mention wandering around in the sea of racks trying to remember where you got the style in the first place.

Men have no idea what an ordeal bra shopping is…it isn’t like sitting behind the wheel, looking under the hood and going for a spin. Bra shopping is car shopping times 10, plus getting half naked to boot.

Like everything today, once you find a model that works, in a year they have changed or retired your favorite fitting bra. Why! The bane of our existence…marketing and money…God forbid they should just change up the colors a bit, but no, no, no. They are onto different fabrics, constructions or colors and you have to start the process all over again!

Anyway, that is what I did yesterday and it took me all of half an hour to try on about 8-10 bras, find the ONE that got the girls back up where they belonged and after paying an astronomical amount of money I was out the door with my very little bag. So I am telling you again, Nordstroms!

Larry went with me, mostly out of habit…we were half way to Roseville before we both realized I could have gone without him…he he he. After I finished he and I walked around the Galleria Mall, neither of us have ever been in there. We have popped in and out of Macy’s or JCPenney, but with the fire and the holidays we decided to wait. It is large and very nice, some of my favorite stores are in the area being repaired though so dang…I’ll have to go back.

We went and did some shopping at Costco…that place was crazy busy and then after having one of their wonderful hotdogs for lunch we headed back home. Our big excursion and we were only gone a few hours…nice. I am still adjusting to not having to drive over an hour to get to big shopping…such a joy. BUT we are still far enough away that I don’t want to be-bop to the stores every day…which Larry is eternally thankful for.

Today is sunny with a teeny breeze, but the fog has stayed over the hill so far.

Oh, last night’s sunset was stunning, I wish I had been on a hilltop somewhere to see it because at the same time the sun was sinking far away the full moon was rising in the other direction. The western horizon was still painted glorious reds and oranges when I walked through a room on the other side of the house and noticed light out on the deck…from the moon, so very pretty!

So, today I did the usual chores, laundry etc. and then I baked yummy chocolate peanut butter chip cookies…from scratch. I love this kitchen! Easy to work in, everything is easy to get to and I am enjoying cooking more.

A Trail Walk Finally 1-17

It was another sunny day today.  Larry painted his workbench in his shop and sprayed RJ Tiki-man with a few coats of varathane...he was getting a bit weathered...now he is all shiny new again.  We relaxed on the deck for awhile.

After dinner we took a walk finally on one of the trails that start practically in our backyard.  It was muddy but not too bad.  At one point we could see the Foresthill Bridge but the fog moved in pretty quickly.  Our walk started in the sun and ended in the fog.  We look forward to exploring more when the weather is better and the trails dryer.

Foresthill Bridge

the bridge swallowed by the fog

part of our trail

trail disappearing into the fog

we began our trail walk through this gate and it was in the sun

lichens

Visiting & Chores 1-16

Look how pretty it is looking.

Yesterday dawned bright and sunny.  It was time for a road day trip so I called my cousin Linda to see if she and Don were going to be home.  They were and told us to come on down, so we headed to Pine Grove which is about an hour and a half away from Cool.  We took Salmon Falls Road from Pilot Hill to El Dorado Hills Road...what a beautiful drive and there are a lot of humongous beautiful homes there in the hills...wow.  In El Dorado Hills we picked up Latrobe Road to highway 16 to highway 49...and on that stretch it was beautiful rolling hills with grazing cattle and enormous old oaks.

We had a great visit, this was my first time seeing their home...they moved there in '05...Larry had stopped by there when he was in the area on a fire a couple of years ago.  Linda and Don invited us to stay for dinner...a yummy bar-be-cued tri-tip, with salad, the best green beans on the planet (sorry Aunt Millie) and tasty rice with mushrooms.  I carried the camera in with me and then forgot about it...I'm awful about getting pictures of people when we are visiting...it feels weird to pull out the camera and start snapping pictures.  I didn't take any pictures on the way down because I would have been shooting into the sun.

We left and headed home around 7:30 and hit fog almost immediately...yuck.  Larry heard on the scanner that in the valley there was zero visibility in some places so we returned home a different route.  We hopped on 49 and stayed there most of the way home...it got us up a little higher sooner.  We stopped at Jack in the Box for a little dessert and a bathroom break....the bathroom was the most important and the dessert was just...dessert, ha ha.

Here is a before shot.

After we crossed 50 we hit very little fog the rest of the way home.  When we got out of the truck here at home we were almost deafened by the roar of the frogs croaking all around...every frog breathing within hearing distance must have been croaking.  It was amazing.

Today Larry ran into Auburn to get material for his workbench.  It was sunny here but foggy over there.  While he was gone I cleaned the house and did the laundry.  After he got back he was busy building and I took a break with a cup of coffee and my book on the deck in the sun.

Here is today's after shot.

Later I got out my pruners and evened out our little citrus tree and took a crossing branch out of our plum tree.  Then I got the pruning saw and lumber jacked three small pine trees that we wanted gone.  We don't want any pine trees close to the house.  The biggest one in the middle of the coffeeberry took longer than the other two but mostly because I had to fight the bushes branches, plus I was getting tired.  I drug the trees to the burn pile and that was it for me for the day...enough working.

That's the fog hanging about and being creepy

Late afternoon the fog was very thick in the canyon and it began creeping over the hills toward our place.  It was kind of creepy weird...we had sunshine still but the fog was creeping in on two sides and held off until just before dark when it covered us over. 

These bucks wandered through just as the sun was going down and walked in the beam of light shining through the trees...nice of them.  We hit the low 60's today but when that fog closed in we plummeted 10 degrees really quickly.

the four pointer

the two pointer

heading over the hill

Warmer 1-14

Not much to report.  Larry works every day on his shop...he's built walls, a drop ceiling, insulated and drywalled, taped, mudded and painted.  He has the light fixtures in and a couple of shelves in, now he just needs to figure out a workable work table surface.  He is happy that it has warmed up the last couple days.

Yesterday we took our morning walk quickly...it was dripping a bit, but it held off until we got back home and then it rained most of the day.  I worked on a painting most of the day.

Today we got up and did our walk earlier...the sun hadn't flooded our little nook yet but it felt right to get it done.  Larry again worked on his shop...I had an appointment with the magic hair fairy.  Poof the gray is gone again....I had been thinking about going natural, but my stylist told me I didn't have enough gray yet to be interesting....it would be drab and dull.  Well...I can't do drab and dull so I said bring on the color...ha ha!  That was the highlight of my day. 

It was wonderfully sunny and warmer today...into the low 60's...so much better than the low 40's!!!  Just don't want it to fool the plants...I spied a couple of teeny leaves on our lilac and the daffodils are about an inch above the ground already.

my work in progress...more to be done...

Cold 1-11

Yesterday was very cold...our pipes were frozen and the white icy frost didn't melt away until afternoon.  With the leaves off most of the oak trees we can see across the canyon more clearly and yesterday for the first time Larry noticed that we could see traffic on I-80.  So we spent time with the binoculars and Google Earth trying to figure out what point we were seeing...we figured it out finally and today we confirmed it.

The bucks were all together again yesterday and we met this pretty four pointer for the first time.  Today it was the invasion of robins...they were everywhere and so noisy.  They were eating the berries and on the ground scouting bugs and worms.  They are funny to watch in the oak leaves on the ground.  They flip the leaves to the side or fling them over their backs and then scrounge for whatever they exposed before it scurries away.

We took the scenic way into town up the Foresthill road along the river and over the very high bridge.  We stopped at the nursery in Auburn to order Larry's Loquat tree for spring planting.  It was warmer today with more rain tonight.

Larry's chocolate biscuit creation....YUM.

Through the Windows 1-8

Through the kitchen window

Yesterday it was sunny here and about 51.  Our truck was finished so we headed down to Sacramento to pick it up.  We hit fog just outside of Auburn and it was 43 in the valley...odd when the valley is colder than the hills...at least to me.  The truck runs like new now and no more smoking and running rough. 

Today was cold and foggy all day.  We could have been on the coast this morning with the heavy mist and the moisture dripping off the trees, it sounded like rain.  The fog drifted in and out all day and if we ever hit 40 it was for only a minute.  The fog would get up above tree top level and then it would drift back down around the ground. 

Through the family room windows

All the deer were hanging out together today...bucks, does and young'uns.  Larry continued working on his shop today, but in his heavy coat and knit cap to stay warm.  I puttered around in the studio and did a lot of nothing...I call it percolating or processing for the next burst of creativity.  I did make really yummy chicken fajitas for dinner.

I love gazing out windows and our natural view is always changing

A good beginning

Sweet 1-6

Last night I pried myself out of my recliner to do a blog entry and the site wasn't working....all that prying for naught!

Yesterday I had an hour and a half massage, trying out another new therapist.  I have found someone who is pretty close to my style of massage and she uses hot stones.  She started me off with a quick foot soak, which was nice...got my feet toasty warm to begin with.  Then it was an hour and a half of lovely massage, HOT rocks and deep pressure enough to cause a teeny bit of pain and then after she finished she helped me sit up on the table then draped my back with a hot damp towel.....lovely finish!!!  Loved it and I have already booked next months appointment.  Today I am a bit sore in spots but not as bad as I was expecting and I have no burns on my back from the rocks...ha ha (they were really hot).  I came home, took a shower and then was a carrot the rest of the evening....lovely.

The day before we took the truck to Sacramento and left it for a few days to get its injectors replaced.  Of course it is out of warranty now...when they were fixed by the dealership while under warranty they replaced with used parts....rat bastards.

This morning this sweet scene was outside our sliding door...the deer were laying down resting and the quail were doing their scratching foraging and then a squirrel joined in...it looked like a Disney movie out there.

Larry has been making progress on his closet shop...he has it insulated and rocked.  I planted some flower bulbs today that were Christmas gifts and worked on getting photo files moved around.  It was sunny today, but now just before dark the place has been swallowed up by fog...weird.  It has gotten really cold too.