The Garden 9-19

The crape myrtle keeps on

Made it to Costco yesterday.  Right at the front of the store were the pallets of all kinds of spring bulbs...appropriate for fall planting.  But then the next several rows...CHRISTMAS!  Crazy, it is still technically summer and they have the Christmas stuff and toys out...wow.  It took a lot of trips getting everything in the house, the elves ditched me and didn't help put things away, but then I didn't have to share my roasted chicken with them.

Gracie soaking up the sun.

I'm amazed at how the garden just keeps on growing and blooming.  The roses had gone into a strong slump during the summer, but the blooms on the bushes right now are so big, lush and fragrant!  The climbers are finally throwing out this seasons new canes for more height.

Larry, I forgot to tell you that crazy gopher was above ground again yesterday morning.  He didn't even care that Gracie and I were near....he even flipped over and back-stroked his way back into his hole with a little tiny sign in his toes saying..."nah, nah, nah Larry".  Bad rodent!

I had to take a picture of this so I could see it big
on the computer and figure out what it was.  The vulture was slumped
on the branch, maybe trying to look like a pigeon.

My winnings arrived today.  Isn't it pretty?!
It is 60% Merino wool and 40% polyester and
a pattern book.  I can't wait to get started.

About eight of these lush, nearly perfect
roses are opening on the Merlot bush.  I just had to bring
some inside to enjoy or I was just going to stand
out there gazing at them for a few days.

Lovely day 9-17

Today was just a quiet, restful day.  Yesterday I was busy sweeping and mopping, laundry etc. and today I was going to make a Costco run, but ack...there is always tomorrow.  It was cooler and I just decided to enjoy the peace.  

Those top red roses are about 5 feet.

Gracie and I took our morning walk and didn't come back all hot and sweaty.  Today was her day for her Frontline flea and tick dose, which means no bath for two days and of course I went out to the garden to bring her in this afternoon and she appeared to have rolled around in the dirt.  In the utility sink for a rinse she went, I will just have to look at the dirt smudge on the top of her shoulders a couple days.

Larry said it was 24 degrees this morning in his home in the Idahoan forest and it topped out around 60.  I forgot to ask him how smoky it is where they are....they are near this fire.   There are about 50 fires burning in Idaho alone, with quite a few in Washington.

Verbena

I did a lot of my favorite things today, read some more of a book on my Kindle Fire, played a little Angry Birds and Bubble-whatever-its-called, crocheted on my summer shawl that has taken the entire summer to complete for some reason, watered, took a few pictures...oh and I won another bit of yarn in another giveaway on one of the Facebook pages of a yarn company I follow....two out of three so far...woo hoo. 

Hmmmm 9-16

The end of the pen is the area that Larry
will be calling home.  (well he might be
calling it other things...haha)

It is a warm breeze blowing today and it feels hot already in spite of the weather watchers saying it is going to be cooler today...we'll see.

Larry is still making his way to where he will be posted in the middle of Idaho for the next several weeks.  The people in the know say this fire will go until the snow flies unless there is a big turn in weather conditions before the end of October.  There are quite a few fires burning up there and its of course pretty smoky.  We experienced that the last time we were through there, hard to get pretty pictures of the lovely country up there when obliterated by smoke.

Loves soaking up the sun in the morning.
If it gets under 60 outside she shivers.  I am planning
on making her a sweater of course.

So it's just me and Gracie.  Makes me really happy for having found her.  The 29 days that Larry was gone is the longest stretch I have ever lived alone, not a bad experience and I am fine with my own company, but I have learned why people that lose a partner, to death or divorce, move.  Even though we've only lived here two years, everything here we've built together and it just isn't as enjoyable without the other person.  It was a surprising lesson.  I'm not even old yet and I know this place would be too big....I hate cleaning and this place requires a lot of time to keep it clean inside and the outside...  Plus I would probably become a hermit if I stayed here...though at times I wonder why that would be a bad thing...hahaha.  I just think its fun to learn and it helps to think you might have a direction for if "what if" ever happens.  Larry and I have always planned on getting very, very old together, so we still have a long, long way to go!

I wish you could smell these!  One stem of
multiple roses in a vase scents a room.

And of course I couldn't resist taking more pictures of the flowers while have breakfast out in the garden.  Whoever says there is a shortage of honeybee's hasn't been in my garden.  This place literally hums, loudly with their buzzing.  The pictures I've posted that have bees in them have been purely accidental, most times I hadn't even seen the bee, they are just everywhere.  They crowd each other out and don't even wait for the flowers to open in the morning on the species that close at night, they just dig their way through the closed petals into the center.  They never bother us, but Gracie may get a surprise if she ever gets one in her mouth when she snaps at them as they whiz by her head!

Yesterday Larry called and told me about a sight he had seen going through some town in Idaho, I don't remember which town...two older boys walking through town with a deer trailing behind them that was sporting a bright orange collar.  No I don't think I'll attempt that here with any of "ours"...they could just move on and never come back as far as I'm concerned.  We're thinking they must have raised it and I'm thinking the orange collar is so it is easily seen when being spotted from the end of a rifle.

Petunias catching the first morning sun rays.

The new wheels 9-15

Here ya go you nags...a picture of the car.  I took a road trip today down to Martinez to see Larry's sister Kathy who was out from Hawaii and had planned a little family get together.  The car was great, two hours down and two hours back.  Now I'll have to wash it before I get some better pictures. 

Gracie did good....she acts like she is in a crate while shut in the laundry room.  She has her bed and water, I leave her a couple snacks, her toys and she does NOTHING but lay there....and doesn't pee or poop.  The snacks will still be there.  I left her a chewy this time and it was untouched, but as soon as we came back in the house after the potty run she was on that thing quick.  Once she learns to mind she'll be close to perfect...hahaha.

Oops

Typo!  The Fusion is a 2011 and no I haven't taken any pictures of it yet...I should get on that before it gets dirty, because then you'll have to wait even longer....hahaha.

Here today, gone today 9-7

Larry got home before dark last Saturday.  We cut his shaggy mane Sunday morning and he spent a couple days getting his rigs back in service.  Then we ran into Auburn so he could get stuff for his workshop that he is trying to get finished and he worked on that a bit.  

We had a lovely dinner out Wednesday in Coloma at Sierra Nevada House for our anniversary.  We made the mistake of eating outside on the deck...as soon as our steaks were served the yellow jackets joined us, they didn't leave until the sun had set.  I told Larry we were burning calories while eating with the continuous swatting and waving of arms we were doing.  So we split a flourless chocolate cake for dessert, Larry said isn't that just fudge?  Funny man.

Yesterday we were in Roseville shopping when he got the call from the boss that he would be heading for Idaho today.  If the order goes through and there isn't a big change in the weather to facilitate the fire going out the estimated containment date is 10/31, but time will tell.  He left this morning after I had left for my pilates class, but when I returned home there was a lovely bouquet of roses and alstromeria on the counter...sweet man.

Larry and Gracie are getting along famously.  He is working on getting her to mind better, but boy does that dog have a stubborn streak.  She is a character...she does this "talking" to us and gets to racing all around the house or out in the flower garden and she whips around the bird bath and the trees like a barrel racer!  It has been in the 90's here still but I heard it is going to start changing this next week.

The only other things we did was take a hike with Gracie, I had my hair color restored and oh, we came home with a used 2012 Ford Fusion yesterday...red of course!  The caddie is still a beautiful car but just has some traits that we hadn't considered when we got it and we don't want any more.  It will probably be finding a new home one of these days.  We had a wonderful young man as our salesman but boy the car buying process is a royal pain in the butt and takes most of the day....ridiculous.  Even after we got the numbers all agreed upon it still took another couple hours before we were out of there.  Hate it.  

I may take a little road trip in my new wheels tomorrow, but Gracie is going to miss me as I will probably leave her here while visiting family.  I may get there eventually, where I go Gracie goes, but I'm not there yet...haha.  I even have a lovely doggie car seat for her travels with us.

I made a little-girl sized scarf in about an hour for
one of my new grand daughters, Nevaeh who turned 5 on Sunday.

This lantana has gone crazy.

 

Update 9-8

With Larry being gone I completely forgot to mention that Monday was our 35th anniversary of marriage!!!  Today was 29 days he's been gone, but good news!!! He was released this morning and he's home now...woo hoo!!!!  He needed a break and after a couple days he'll be ready to go again, the season should be over in the next month or so.  Got his laundry going and first thing tomorrow we'll have to get his shaggy hair cut, he has the rigs to clean and then hopefully he'll relax for a few hours.

It has still been hot here, but fall is approaching.  A couple local trees are starting to turn color, leaves are falling off of the evergreen oaks and the acorns are dropping.  The sun's track is narrowing and dropping and the day's are shorter and shorter.  My roses are having a wonderful last of the season bloom, a few of the bushes are putting on their best show yet and the new crape myrtles are still blooming.

Larry's pics of heli-tankers 9-8

 These first pictures are of the big air cranes.  They suck up, in just 18 seconds, 2,600 gallons of water.  That is a swift change in their weight!

This Kmax is an interesting little guy.  It can carry loads as heavy as the big guys and because it is smaller and because of its design can haul heavy loads much, much higher.  Larry was talking to either the pilot or the mechanic (I can't remember) and that puppies rotors were just recently replaced to the tune of one million dollars. They are made from the heart of the sitka spruce which grows in Alaska and are hand made. It only has room for one person, the pilot and he does it all...scoops water with his bucket and dumps and all without a spotter, which the bigger birds fly with.  For all these "birds" the maintenance crews do all the repairs and maintenance wherever they happen to be.  They travel with trucks that are shops and what they don't have they get shipped to them.  Just a couple nights ago on the Kmax, after the engine cooled off enough in late afternoon they replaced the entire engine, finished in the wee hours of the morning, did some test flights later in the morning, which Larry said were amazing and frightening to watch and then off to work again.

See the side bubble there for the pilot to lean out.  And look at how those rotors are, there are two.  

This is a Chinook

This is a Vertol and is smaller than the Chinooks

Now the buckets.  This one looks pretty simple.

 This one is pretty complicated looking.  Lots of electronics and wiring inside of these. Some pilots set them in the water open and then close and scoop, some scoop with bottoms closed.

These helicopters were getting $18,000 a day, PLUS when flying they earn an additional  $7,700 an hour!  But learning about the maintenance, and the crews needed to keep them in good shape it is understandable.

Moving Along 9-7

I can't believe it's Friday already and it's been a week since I've seen Larry.  I have more pictures of helicopters and of the weekend with the kids but I had to start with these two.  My sister is not a fan of small dogs...hence the horse SHE has that she passes off as a dog.  She assumes they are rude and yappy and to keep with the theme of what I'm sure she thinks small dog owners do with their dogs I couldn't resist this when I was at ROSS yesterday ;-)

And here are pictures with the kids, Gracie did really well, this dog has had trial by fire but all is good because we know she fits in just fine.

Andrea was giving Connor what for because he kept trying
to blow out her candles before the singing was done.

Gracie chewing her bone while Ian held it for her.

I'm teaching Destiny to crochet, she caught on quickly.

Love that finger up in the air!  Whatever works!

Nevaeh and Connors castle.

Yeah Gracie was having a rough time adjusting...haha.

Gracie didn't let the weird audience curb her appetite.

Destiny's fine work!

Collecting turkey feathers

Connor showing off his haul.

The more the merrier!