The New Dharma Bums

Doing The Work of Fire: A Follow Up

2012-01-22T18:19:00.000-05:00

The sound of chainsaws and wood chippers always makes me uneasy.

Even when the task is right and good, it just seems wrong when a tree falls to machinery and tools.

Still, the century-old practice of fire suppression makes raging wildfires inevitable. So, we strike a balance. We do what a lightning strike or prescribed burn would do, we take out the slash, brush, brambles. We take out the weak and crowded.

We change our world, and go from this ↑ to this ↓.

We clear the understory.

Our Totem Animal Arrives

2012-01-18T21:45:00.004-05:00

This may be the third time we've seen this bobcat walking by our house, but the first time we've gotten its photo. Wednesday morning it walked up the road with such nonchalance, it did not expect the quick human to come out, shouting a warm hello, and clicking a pic with shaking hands.

The Forest Up Close

2012-01-15T21:05:00.006-05:00

I was going to do a post on the weather and lack of rain this winter, but right now there is some hint that that's about to change this week (I'll let you know!). Still, the dry weather had us out looking at our significantly overgrown forest and wondering what good stewardship and fire prevention would have us do.

The forests of California tend to be tinder boxes just waiting for a match. We don't get any rain in the summer, and a dry winter like this just increases the potential for a wildfire. The local newspaper reported that even if in the next three months we were to get significant rainfall, it is unlikely we can make up for the deficits of November and December (and half of January).
When we look at the trees on our southern boundary we see a major fuel build up. In fact, when I take a closer look, it looks like the fallen timbers have been stacked like kindling (definitely embiggen this photo). This is a terrible scenario for fire season. In a perfect world, there would be prescribed or natural lightening strike burns so that catastrophic wildfires could be prevented. But in rural/residential neighborhoods like ours, there's no perfect world, and no prescribed burn. So, we've called upon the tree-cutting service to come out on Monday to thin out the smaller trees and remove all that dry underbrush.
Fire suppression may not be the most thoughtful way to preserve our forests. In fact, fire suppression is why our forests look the way they do, but good stewardship does require us to do our share to find a balance. Our poor earth, I wish there were a better way. We humans do make a mess of things.

Sugar Pines

2012-01-08T19:19:00.003-05:00

Maybe it's crazy to love a tree, but that doesn't stop us. We have fallen in love with the Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana). On one of our walks a couple of weeks ago, we found a fantastically large pine cone, a true magnificent giant. I picked it up, took it home, googled "large pine cone" and immediately identified the species. According to Wikipedia the Sugar pine is notable for having the longest cones of any conifer, mostly 10-20 inches long (25-50cm). Soon after we found that one cone, we started to find more and then found the one tree along the path that was dropping them. I limited myself to taking home three cones.

In addition to having the longest pine cones, the Sugar Pine also is the largest species of pine. It grows 130-200 feet tall (40-60 meters). It's simply a beautiful giant in every way, with a fairly limited range, native to the pacific coast from Oregon through California to Baja.

The other day I noticed two people walking down the little dirt road on the south side of our property. I didn't recognize them at first, but shouted a hearty "hello" to them, so they headed over to the fence where I was standing. As they approached I saw that it was our neighbors who have had a family vacation home for over 40 years right up the hill from us. We had a nice little chat after wishing each other a happy new year and all of that. As luck would have it, they told me that they were out on a hunt for some sugar pines that they remembered from long ago growing down by our lower pond. We hardly ever go down to the lower pond. Two-thirds of it is on our other neighbor's property, and there's really not much of a trail to get there. But of course we were excited to learn that there might be some sugar pines right here in our backyard. But by then it was getting dark and cold, so the neighbors decided to forgo the search and chose instead to come inside and sit by our fire for a while and talk.
The next day, however, we couldn't wait to go looking for "our" sugar pines. We headed out toward the lower pond, walking through thick underbrush of young pines, berry vines, and young madrones. Roger spotted a pine cone on the ground and sure enough we found the tree just on the property boundary. We were so jazzed about it, like goofy giddy kids. We walked a bit further and found another pine cone from a second tree. I think we must have made up a Sugar Pine dance right there on the spot.

We do live in a pine forest that stretches for miles and miles. Right now we know where there are three Sugar Pines in all that vastness. We'll let you know when we find more! According to the article I linked to here, sugar pines rarely form pure stands and generally represents 5-25% of cover in mixed conifer associations.
PS: I took this ridiculous photo of myself holding these two cones. It's a crazy self-portrait with reflections of my laptop on my glasses, but I wanted to convey the size. I named these two Ego and Id because they're bigger than my head!

PPS: Check out the intense blue skies in the photos. We have not had a drop of rain. Well, to be absolutely honest, we had .17 inch of rain for all of December 2011. We had 17 inches in December 2010. We're facing a bit of drought and I'm working on a post about it. Stay tuned!

Sometimes, We Are The Zoo

2012-01-01T22:28:00.002-05:00

A Bufflehead Wednesday

2011-12-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

From a distance, we saw this lone bufflehead in the reservoir.

Solstice Sun

2011-12-22T13:19:00.006-05:00

I just wanted to post this photo from yesterday morning. It's about an hour after solstice sunrise. The sun is barely clearing our tall cedars and pines these days. Still, we've been having an amazingly sunny and bright December. The local newspaper said if we don't get any more rain by the first of the year, it will be the 4th driest December on record. Interesting since last year was one of the wettest. Of course I don't want to leap to any conclusions about climate change. But it sure is hard to plan for things when the weather doesn't cooperate based on averages.
I'm still enjoying learning about clouds and photographing them. Found there's even a Cloud Appreciation Society in England. Clouds are listed by species there. These may be altocumulus undulatus. Interesting stuff.
I was going through my iPhoto folder, looking through 6000 photos to see which ones I could delete. As I was paging down, I noticed this page of Swallowtails pics, I shot on May 11th. I loved it, so I did a screen grab of the image.

Life is good as the sun begins its return, hope the same is true for you.

Another Year Goes By

2011-12-19T00:01:00.001-05:00

This is my father. He would have been 93 years old today. My father wasn't a very social man (I am so much my father's daughter!), so it is particularly good to see him at a party. This photo was taken at his sister's house in New Jersey. I don't know exactly when, but I'm pretty sure it was during one of my parent's visits back east after we had moved to California. That would put it in the early 1970s. The thing about a life is that there can only ever be a finite number of photographs of any one of us. There comes a time when not a single additional one can be clicked through the lens of any camera. That's when the conjuring becomes the work of loved ones' hearts. But here I hold in my hands the photo that captures my father's very sweet smile. A moment in the lifetime of a much-loved man. Happy birthday, Dad.

Sights and Sounds of December

2011-12-15T18:58:00.003-05:00

I Write Letters

2011-12-12T17:19:00.003-05:00

I write letters. Always have. If I read about someone or something that moves me, and there's a way to drop a note, I do. I don't do it often, and that's probably because it takes a lot to motivate me, but when I am really moved, I am really motivated.

When I was a teenager I read in the local newspaper that a young boy had set himself on fire in protest of the Vietnam war. I had already started marching in protest of that war. I could easily identify with that boy's passion and the serious clouding of judgment that filters through a young person's heart. So, I wrote his grieving parents a letter. I wish I could remember what I said. They wrote me back a short note with soft gratitude and sadness. That note is long gone.

I write letters to people whose life's work has enlightened me in some way. There's a long list of people I wish I had finally jotted down the note I had been composing in my head for days or years. Old regrets. But once when I was in my 20s, I did write Bill Moyers after one of his brilliant TV shows. I don't know what I wanted to tell him, but I think I must have rambled on about the joys of finding someone who understood the political world the way he does. He wrote me a short note back. He was the first person who ever used the expression "six degrees of separation" to me, when he suggested that there are some who believe we are all related in some way. I loved that letter. It is long gone.

When I was an adviser to students who published the campus newspapers and poetry journals at UC Santa Cruz, Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and beheaded in Pakistan. He was a journalist for the Wall Street Journal, a newspaper I don't read. But I felt something about that horrific murder that stirred me. Some of the students I advised were planning on careers in journalism, as did Daniel Pearl when he was a student their age. Any one of my students could end up in the midst of conflicts and wind up in the very wrong place at the very worst time. So, I wrote Daniel Pearl's parents a letter. They sent me a card with some very uplifting words about life's journeys. That card may be in a box somewhere, or not.

The other day I read that George McGovern had fallen and hit his head dangerously hard. My heart panged a bit over that news. Oh, George McGovern was a hero to me. Back in 1971 the voting age was lowered to 18, and in 1972 when I was 20, I cast my very first vote in a general election for him. I had registered to vote in southern California, when the right became mine, but by the time the elections rolled around, I had just moved to Portland, Oregon. If I remember correctly, my twin brother and I set out to hitchhike home so we could vote, but several hours on Interstate 5 with our thumbs out proved fruitless, so we headed back to the rental and made arrangements to fly home the day of the election, which we did. A thousand miles for a vote. It was worth it. So, I saw in the news article which hospital Senator McGovern was in, and I went to their website, hoping there was a way to send an electronic note, and there was. I wrote Senator McGovern this story and told him I'd go any distance to vote for him again in a heartbeat. There's been no response, but in my heart I believe he got the message.

I write letters.

But here's the reason for this recounting: Roger and I watched the documentary "If a Tree Falls" the other evening. Such an incredibly moving story about radical environmentalists making very big and dangerous mistakes in pursuit of what they ardently believe is the defense of our earth. The documentary follows one young man named Daniel McGowan. His story is very compelling, as are all stories of passions, ideas, dreams, and bad judgment. Daniel McGowan has a kind face and a loving family. He loved the forests of the Pacific Northwest. His crimes were committed in 2001, when he participated in two arson attacks in Oregon. No human beings or animals were ever physically hurt by the actions the Earth Liberation Front took. They were meticulous about that detail, but they did destroy a considerable amount of property in a six year campaign against the monied interests that destroy our forests. Well, sadly for Daniel his crimes coincided with the terrorist attacks in our country and George Bush's zealous pursuit of terrorists. Daniel was ultimately turned in by a fellow ELF member in 2005. He plead guilty and received a seven-year sentence with terrorist enhancement, which means he is in a high-security prison in Terra Haute, Indiana with excruciatingly limited outside communication. This story haunts me. I did some research and found a support page for Daniel. I joined his Facebook Supporters page. I bought a very cool teeshirt from his supporters website (maybe you'd like to buy one, as well). The website says Daniel likes to receive letters. His address is there.

You know me: I write letters.

I want to write Daniel McGowan a letter, but I am afraid. What list might I end up on, or who may come knocking on our door?

This is our world.

fungus with dinner

2011-12-04T16:54:00.000-05:00

in situ

mushrooms in the wild. under the trees along our driveway. i spotted these as we were leaving to go walking. amazingly enough i remembered them when we returned and picked them.

in bowl

these are boletes, a family of mushrooms easily identified by the sponge-like under side. probably slippery jack (Suillus brevipes). the slimy skin on the cap is removed before cooking. how do i dare eat mushrooms right out of the ground? you will notice that the underside does not look like a mushroom from the store, which has thin radiating membranes called gills. all boletes have a sponge underside and only the ones with red sponge are poisonous. some of the non-poisonous boletes are better than others for eating, but the worst is only bad tasting, not dangerous. so i dare.

in another bowl

i peeled the slimy skin off the caps, leaving a nice white fleshed cap with pale yellow sponge which i sliced into quarter inch thick pieces. i sauteed them in butter, olive oil, and garlic. they gave off quite a bit of liquid, visible in the bowl above. it was full when served but i forgot to take a picture till after i had eaten some directly and put some in my bowl of chicken soup. they had a very nice mild mushroom taste but were a bit too squishy. next time i'll cook all the liquid out, as recommended by my main mushroom reference.

All That the Rain Promises and More David Arora

What She Knew And When She Knew It

2011-11-27T18:42:00.003-05:00

When I was growing up in the 1950s in New Jersey, I learned the names of cars. I could identify a Ford, a Chevy, a Pontiac, a Chrysler just by looking at the tail lights. I remember in the fall there was a car commercial that everyone waited for, the one that showed what the rear end of the new season's cars were going to look like. I think it aired during The Ed Sullivan Show or maybe it was Bonanza on a Sunday night. The anticipation was an event itself.
When I was growing up in the early 1960s, I went to the mall. That's where we hung out and rarely but sometimes shopped. I knew the names of stores. We had Montgomery Wards, Bambergers, Walgreens, Lerners, and Spencer's Gifts, etc. I bought record albums and knew the names of all the new groups. We had The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Herman Hermits, Freddy and the Pacemakers, Moody Blues. I knew all the band members' names and the words to all their songs. I completely immersed myself in the cultural moment.
So, why am I thinking about this stuff? Because over the past few years, I have begun learning the names of new things that were knowable back when I was young. Back when the need to know culture was more important than the need to know the natural world. And today I think it's really such a pity that I wasted so much young and active brain space on "Mrs. Brown, you've got a lovely daughter" instead of learning the names of birds, clouds, mushrooms, insects, flowers, trees, frogs, and lizards. I have so much catching up to do. You get the picture.

Imagine for a moment if I had learned a song about the difference between cirrus radiatus and cirrocumulus undulatus clouds when I was seven. What names of things would I be learning today?

every lump in the forest

2011-11-25T14:45:00.003-05:00

we walked one of our usual walks. we haven't done this one for several days. my my. look what has popped up everywhere, hidden by pine needles and oak leaves. little lumps hiding beautiful fungus flowers. in spring and summer we usually stop to check on bugs or flowers or birds. in fall it's the colorful foliage that we admire. but today we had to investigate every lump we saw. many lumps had already been found by deer and nosed open, the boletes or amanitas already eaten. i guess the ones we picture here aren't to the deers' liking.

unidentified mushroom

another mystery

mystery cubed

aha! rosy russula or russula rosacea

here i am exposing some hidden shrooms.

Wordless Wednesday: Random Images

2011-11-23T00:01:00.002-05:00

1. Oakland Harbor photographed 11/10.
2. Five-point buck in front of the house.
3. The walk we take most often.
4. A young buck after rutting season, taken 11/20.
5. Acorn Woodpecker, taken 11/16.

The Season of Diminishing Light

2011-11-20T16:14:00.002-05:00

We know we've neglected the blog these past few weeks, but if it makes you feel any better, we haven't been posting much on Facebook either. It's just the quiet season. The light fades earlier and earlier at the end of the day, and the arc of the sun barely clears the tall pines on our southern boundary. This has been a long and beautiful autumn, the kind of season that takes its time unfolding between the hot summer and cold winter. Our deciduous trees are still sporting leaves in reds, oranges, and yellows. The hillsides are dotted with burst of flaming trees, without any discomfort of actual fire. The word beautiful cannot be overused these days.
We've seen some great sights lately, some we were even able to photograph, like this 5-point buck eating right out of our birdseed feeder, as a Facebook commenter said, "like a pez-dispenser." But we didn't get the photo of the large bobcat that walked down our driveway on November 12th. It looked quite a bit like this one. The sight of it was so thrilling, I went back to our bobcat archives and put together a little photo display of "bobcats we have known." Once we've seen one bobcat, we know we'll see them again. Animals are funny and predictable that way about territory. They're here. That's all we needed to know. Not sure when it will come around again, but we suspect as soon as we put up our chicken house next spring, he'll make an appearance. We can't wait, and we plan to make that chicken house absolutely bobcat- skunk- coyote- fox- and hawk-proof as possible.
We've noticed that on a fairly regular basis, Roger and I both think about calling his mom to check in with her or tell her something. We didn't realize how much she was a part of our daily lives until she was no longer in it. We were supposed to have a birthday dinner for her at our house on the 25th last month, and we had planned to spend Thanksgiving with her this year as we did last in her assisted living facility dining room. The calendar is marked with things that will never be.
And then there is Delilah. Fifteen days on the planet and melting hearts while she sleeps.

A Few Words Wednesday

2011-11-09T00:01:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday, we're driving over to the coast to see the beautiful little Delilah. On Tuesday, I baked bread to take her parents. When the bread came out of the oven, we went for a walk and saw the fall colors through the trees.

young and old

2011-11-06T19:43:00.001-05:00

the news

spreading the news

now i'm officially old, at least to myself. passing my 60th birthday didn't do it, nor did my 69th. becoming a grandfather did. how interesting i thought to myself. men become grandparents way younger than i am. so now i am old by abstraction. yet i don't feel old. and i dress the same as i did in high school, though my hair is shorter than it was back then. okay, i do have a few semi-permanent aches. maybe elder is the better term.

robin took that picture of me as i was giving the news to my sister. i see both elation and relief in my face. our daughter had a short labor and an easy birth. baby delilah is beautiful, with curly black hair.

Turn Turn Turn

2011-10-30T19:57:00.002-04:00

We did the work that needed to be done: cleaned out her apartment; moved furniture into storage; tied up those last loose material ends that tether a life to the living. Then what? We didn't even realize that we were in a daze until we started to rise out of it. We finally took a breath and talked about how it all happened so suddenly. While it was happening, it felt crazy and long, like forever. But then, it was over and the calendar said only a week had passed. Seven days. How is that possible? It felt like years.
So, we resume our regular lives, simultaneously changed and unchanged. I think that's how it should be, or not, what do I know? We went out to the Yuba River on Saturday and took a nice hike. The weather is spectacular, a quintessential autumn, the perfect October day. The river rushes over those granite rocks with a force that continues to shape the canyon. The sound is overwhelming and good.
We've been cleaning up the garden, harvesting dried beans and the last of the tomatoes. We still have butternut squash on the vine, but the delicata have been put away with the potatoes and onions. The nights have gotten very cool, and the days are definitely socks and sneakers weather, long pants and a sweater too.

And for some reason we want to sing, "turn turn turn,"albeit without any heavenly references.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose …
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted...

We read that Steve Jobs' last words were: Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.

And, so it goes.

The View From Hospice w/Update

2011-10-23T16:46:00.006-04:00

Roger's 91 year-old mother* is dying. She's been actively dying since last Sunday, October 16th, when she ended up in the emergency room after a fall. We went to the ER, but she no longer recognized us, or Roger's sister and brother. Her mental capacity had been diminishing for several months, but this was a rather precipitous decline into full-blown dementia in a short amount of time. She had a compression fracture, but it was deemed not life threatening. She had bronchitis, also not life threatening. She spent the night in the hospital, and then Roger and I moved her to hospice care on Monday, October 17th. During the ride in the car she was like a child. She said, "Nice car. Pretty day. Nice car. Pretty day." The above photo is the view outside her hospice room. The double doors open and her bed could be taken out there, if she wanted to be in the sunshine. Last Monday, we thought that might be a possibility.

But on that Monday, she ate only four spoonfuls of jello and was deeply agitated. She could see the beautiful outdoors from her bed, but was not lucid enough to know she could go. On Tuesday, she had chocolate pudding and repeated "choo-choo, choo-choo" and "teacher teacher" for several hours. She no longer looked toward the doors or windows. On Wednesday, she had more chocolate pudding and drops of water delivered by a small straw, she said "I like to dress up" for several hours. Since Thursday- NOTHING. No food. No words.

She is on morphine and ativan.

We are waiting for her to die. She is on her own exit plan and timetable. It is an interesting thing to consider-- someone's permanent exit from life. Watching her do this is a lesson for us about utter stress and exhaustion; sadness and anticipation; love and forgiveness. We talk to her quietly everyday. We've read that the ability to hear is the last sense to go. She does stir a bit when people go to her bedside. But so much of her has already been relinquished that her eyes see nothing familiar when they flutter open for a second. She is a heartbeat in a body only, nothing else seems to be left.
And we are waiting for our first grandchild to be born some time in the next two weeks. Reminds us of Bob Dylan's: (s)he not busy being born is busy dying. Ain't that the truth.

*Roger's mother's 92nd birthday is Tuesday, October 25th. We're wondering....

Update:
Roger's mom passed away Monday, October 24th at noon.

Nineteen Years Later

2011-10-17T00:44:00.003-04:00

Today is our 19th wedding anniversary. According to the internet there is no traditional gift associated with this anniversary. So, I guess that means we get to make it up ourselves, which we do anyway (renegades that we are!). We always celebrate our anniversary with a special bottle of wine, not a particular wine, but one that catches our attention by vintage and vineyard. This year it is a local 2008 Zinfandel from Nevada City Winery. I'm making an Indian dish for dinner, a variation of Chicken Makhanwala, a delicious cream curry. We bought a fantastic garlic naan to go with it. This is going to be a very spicy feast. Nineteen years requires this kind of celebration and attention.
We just got back from a very quick trip to Santa Cruz, the place Roger and I lived for 15 years before our life-changing moves to Port Townsend and then to Grass Valley. It's been two years since we've been there. We didn't remember it being so crowded and crazy with cars and people everywhere. Even the short respites on the beach were spent among throngs of surfers, other walkers, and dogs chasing things into the waves. There was never a moment of silence. Not one. Still, we loved sniffing the flowery fragrant air and seeing jasmine and datura, sweet peas and scabiosa in bloom. A complete delight for our senses.
One of the very coolest things about being back in Santa Cruz for those 48 hours was the fantastic coincidental arrival of the monarchs. It's amazing how much we took these sights for granted, and now it has become a rare feast for our eyes to see them again. Lucky for us, they were everywhere.
Then, we were back home. Beautiful skies. Katydids on the old squash leaf, and a lizard in the sink. Nineteen years and the greatest gifts come for free.

Autumn's Other Colors

2011-10-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

We had our first rains of the season, and then the quintessential days of autumn arrived. Temperatures are in the 70s, and the air so clear it stuns our senses. The leaves are just starting to turn, and the corn stalks have been laid to rest. The sun is rising farther south perceptibly everyday; an amazing transition is underway with an obvious sweep.
I think the thing that surprises me the most right now is the insect activity. Everywhere I look butterflies are taking in the last of the flower nectar. They go from gaillardia to chrysanthemum, basil to tomato, dandelion to sage. I'm finding caterpillars climbing the outside walls, or making their way across the endless desert of decking, or wandering through the dry grasses down by the pond. The dragonflies are darting in and out of everything and everywhere. They're almost as big as the hummingbirds and hungry all the time.
Of course the frogs and lizards disappeared during the three days of rain, but when that sun came out again the activity was breathtaking. Baby lizards are scurrying everywhere, including in our laundry room (rescued Sunday morning!) and the frogs came out of hiding to bask in the sun on the water iris foliage.
Soon, too soon of course, all of this will end. Bare tree limbs will bend under snow and we won't even see the ground for days at a time. The silence and stillness of winter will bring its own beauty, but I know I'm going to miss these sights, those colors, these wings.

Wednesday's Words: A Change in the Weather

2011-10-05T00:01:00.000-04:00

Sometimes a whole lot a nothin' happens. The sun rises in a cloudless blue sky day after day. Temps soar into the 90s, and the tomatoes put out more fruit than anyone knows what do with. We quarter and freeze them. We cook them down into a thick rich sauce. We contemplate oven drying them. We are lulled into the torpor of endless summer dreaming. Tomorrow we'll gather the last of the summer squash. Tomorrow we'll pick the ripest tomatoes. Tomorrow we'll make the final batch of pesto.
Then it happens. The weather gods in the far north blow a fierce wind that gathers storm clouds from the sea. The high temps drop 40 degrees from one day to the next. Rain is on the horizon. The shining green garden looks sallow against the gray skies. And just like that, summer is over. It's not going to be hot hot hot again until next year. Bye bye summer heat.

Hello wood stove fire. It's become second nature now for us to keep an eye on the weather. Even in the long dry months, we check to see if thunderstorms are headed our way, and with it the threat of lightning strikes and summer fires. One day last month, there were 1300 strikes in the Sierra. It happens, just like that.
So, we knew the cold out of the gulf of alaska was headed our way. We took a long look at the nearly five cords of wood that were piled up here and there, and strategized about where to stack it all in the new woodshed (which Roger did not ever write about, bad Roger, bad Roger). I helped a bit with that task, but my stupid crooked old neck doesn't like all that bending and looking around, so Roger did most of it. Took him about 2 1/2 days, but what a great reward followed that great effort. Now when we look out the window we see our woodshed full full full, three rows deep and 16 feet wide of winter warmth.
Come what may… we are ready. Well, except that we still have a ton of tomatoes that we don't really know what to do with… ah well, such problems are the dilemma of bounty.

Wordless Wednesday: Frogs, Katydids, Skinks!

2011-09-28T00:01:00.000-04:00

Word Wednesday: Our Day On The Yuba

2011-09-21T00:01:00.002-04:00

I wish I could tell you how hard it is to photograph rainbows rippling endlessly across a flowing river. I think these picture convey that difficulty.
We were supposed to get up early Tuesday morning to meet our new geezer hiking group for a major hike in the high country. We didn't.
Oh yes, we woke up early enough, but rushing around to go for a hike just didn't seem the right way to start the day.
We anguished about it because we love that our neighbors invited us on their Tuesday geezer high country hike, and we felt like total jerks for not showing up.
But it occurred to us that one of the things we love the most about retirement is that we don't have to leave the house at 7:40 am to do anything. EVER.
And our consolation prize was this: a hike on the south fork of the Yuba River. It was such a beautiful day there at the very end of summer, even if I couldn't quite photograph the rippling rainbows.

PS: That's me trying to do a Betty Grable pose. Oh well, the fun is all in the trying!

Bats in the Belfry

2011-09-15T00:01:00.003-04:00

Well not really a belfry, but we do have this crazy canopy on the deck (off our bedroom) that we bought to sleep in when the nights got too hot this summer. We haven't slept out there yet, but we have found some froggies and other critters camping out there. Mostly the critters were a mild surprise, not entirely unexpected. The typical find was insects and lizards that criss-cross the deck a zillion times a day. But twice now, quite surprisingly, a bat found its way in there at sunset. Not sure how, because the canopy is closed at the top and only weirdly open at the bottom, which we fold up and tuck inside to try and create a boundary. How and why do the bats come in? We are not sure. We have managed to release them both times. They are truly the weirdest mammals we know, well except for modern humans who really do seem to have bats in their belfry.

Wordless Wednesday: Late Summer

2011-09-07T00:01:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday: Almost Famous

2011-08-31T00:01:00.000-04:00

The photos of the Ctenucha rubroscapus on the Butterflies and Moths of North America website are mine! I'm almost famous!

garden

2011-08-29T10:28:00.000-04:00

aren't these awesome?

is this as tall as an elephant's eye?

our hopscotch relo from port townsend to grass valley, via arcata and santa cruz, meant that we missed 3 years of gardening. we have a grand garden this year and we are relearning several things. like; don't plant too close, how many tomatoes can we eat and freeze or dry, how many basil plants can we use, and again… how much room does a pepper plant need?

not to complain tho. we have chard, kale, string beans, zucchini, tomatoes of several sorts, onions, lotsa basil, carrots, yellow summer squash, delicata squash, butternut squash, watermelons, cantaloupes, tomatillos, beets, potatoes, corn, peas, chives, and something i've forgotten for sure. (it was the red peppers)

we do have the usual difficulty with wanting to eat everything our plants give us. there is no way to grow just enough. that's what the compost pile is for.

and next year....... chickens!

Our Day In The High Country

2011-08-27T15:03:00.005-04:00

It's hard to imagine it's been almost ten years (to the day) that Roger and I hiked in the high country of the Sierra. But it's true. Ten years ago on September 11, 2001 (yes that very day) we started what we thought would be our week-long summer vacation in the Lakes Basin area on the western slope of the Sierra. We woke that Tuesday morning to the sound of the phone ringing in our rented cabin, and my sister telling us to turn on the news. And so we did. The towers were still burning. How were we to enjoy our vacation hiking happily through the lakes and valleys, the mountains and forests, while the rest of the country was in mourning? We tried a few hikes but couldn't find it in our hearts to continue. We came home and had not been back since.

Interestingly, we now live only 45 miles from a remarkably similar set of lakes along the western slope of the northern Sierra. On Thursday, we took a ride. The last four miles of the road to get here, in Tahoe National Forest, is enough to set your teeth rattling and throw your back out of whack. A rock-strewn, rutted dirt road that makes four miles seem like four million. But we persevered, a small price to pay for a place on earth this beautiful to place a Vibram sole. This is just one of the hikes we could take from this trailhead, and there are so many other trailheads just a few miles north or south of this spot. The promise of many future hikes await us, this we know.
We chose the Round Lake trail to respark our enthusiasm for day hikes in the high country. We were in a state of continuous elation from the sight of the very first lake -- and then hiking some 2.5 miles (600 ft rise to 7000 ft) -- to where we finally picnicked at Long Lake. There were stunning vistas from every bend in the trail, and lakes around every turn. We were surprised and delighted by the fields of late-blooming wildflowers and a zillion different species of butterflies.
Everywhere, everywhere we looked, we fell in love with the moment. The happiness of breathing in the quiet mountain air, the tea and toast at this nameless lakelet, the fish jumping, the cat paws of wind on water, the granite rocks jutting out and over everything.
It was the hike we started ten years ago, from a slightly different place, in a completely different moment.

Where Have Those Bums Been?

2011-08-21T18:01:00.004-04:00

No updates. No word. It's as if we simply disappeared off the face of the earth. I wish I could say we've been out doing very cool and exotic stuff, but the truth of the matter is we've been here working in the garden, taking our local hikes, baking bread, installing a new water heater, eating homegrown cherry tomatoes and basil, and goofing off.
I haven't had a recurrence of that seriously horrible headache (YAY!), but my neck is still an ongoing pain, which keeps me from doing any birdwatching or looking up at anything. Check out that crazy x-ray. I swear I curve the wrong way, and my vertebrae are getting mighty close together. That explains a lot, doesn't it? Oh well, it's a really good thing that very cool critters stay close to the ground.
Like this tree frog that was hanging out on a butternut squash leaf. A pretty good camouflage from a distance.
And this skipper that was hanging out on the potato flowers. Macro photography is so good for seeing things my eyes never catch. A lovely shiny golden antenna on this butterfly.
The California Sister butterflies have made a very robust emergence this year. We're seeing them everywhere. Always nice when they land even if it's just for a minute.
Okay, so it's not such a great thing to have this tomato hornworm eating our plants and fruit. Still it is quite an impressively large creature. I actually like the details, like little false eyes dotting its body. Destructive, yes, but interesting too.
We are planning a day hike up in the high country this coming week (the above photo is a satellite image of where we're headed!). Hope to see these beautiful lakes and granite peaks that the Sierra mountains are known for. Packing a lunch and taking the camera. Wish us luck! And thank you for stopping by and staying in touch.

A Week Later

2011-08-14T22:05:00.006-04:00

Okay, so I haven't been to a neurologist yet, despite my doctor's referral. It took three days for contact, and I had to initiate it. They said, "Our first opening is October 12th." Well okay, I sure hope I don't die before then. The person on the other end of the line said, "I hear that often."

The emergency of pain is over. My head stopped pulsating and throbbing like a twitching atom bomb about to ignite. That's the good part. The neck x-rays showed "serious and significant" changes in C5-C6-C7. My doctor said, "I can't rule out cord involvement." Holy shit, said I. My neck has been bothering me for 40 years, since a car accident and whiplash in 1971. We tend to dismiss this stuff, and here it is all these years later kicking some serious ass. My doctor referred me for rehabilitation (I could use that on so many levels. LOL!). She said, "They can do everything short of surgery." I was very happy when they called. Their first opening is September 12th. Well, okay then, sure hope I don't have a repeat headache that feels like the back of my head is going to open and a movie monster pops out before then. Well, really, I didn't say that, but I thought it.
In the meantime, I'm really feeling okay. My neck is funky, but I'm back to living my life the way I always do. You know... we go out for our long walks along the irrigation ditch. Just the other day we saw a bird splashing in the water, quite a distance away. I wondered, "What is that bird? A female mallard? A water bird I haven't seen before?" So I took a few photos, as it clambered up on the bank.
Turned out to be a juvenile Cooper's Hawk that had just been taking a bath. Oh hello!

Wednesday's Whine: Why I Don't Like Hospitals

2011-08-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

Roger took me to the ER at 4:00 AM Saturday morning. I had a horrific sudden onset headache that would not quit. It lasted for several hours, finally compelling me to seek assistance and answers. There was no one in the waiting room, so we were taken in right away. The nurse immediately attempted to put in an IV. You can see her handy work in the above photo. I didn't mind, and I actually didn't feel a thing. I hadn't taken any of the pain meds they offered, so I was completely sidetracked by the relentless and intense pain in the back of my head. What did this fumbling around with my arm matter to me? It didn't. They wheeled me down an empty corridor for a CT scan because I presented with symptoms that could have been an aneurysm. The scan found nothing and is 90% reliable. They wanted to do a spinal tap, which I refused. I still don't know what caused this major painful event in my brain, but I am waiting for an appointment with a neurologist, to whom I was referred by my GP on Monday.

Health matters are a very bizarre detour from the routines of regular life. I don't really like them. And look what they did to my arm!!!

Froggy Froggy Birthday

2011-08-03T00:01:00.001-04:00

Today, August 3rd is Roger's 69th birthday. That's right, after today, we can say he's"pushing 70." And in Roger's case, "pushing" is an active verb. He's still as wild and crazy as he's always been. Maybe a bit slowed down given the year he's had, but even with all of that, he's practically unstoppable. We haven't even shown you the photos of the woodshed he and a wonderful guy named "Guy" built last week. We needed that woodshed so we'd have a place where we could threaten to take each other for the whopping we both need on a very regular basis. Roger is going to do a post on that woodshed and the garden, or he's going to woodshed. Those are his choices! That's a promise.

But in the meantime, here's a photo of the little froggy I found in the greenhouse Tuesday morning. I went out early to water the last few tomatoes and basil we still have in six-packs, when something very froggy moved away from the water. It's been hanging out in the six--pack all day. If it stays one more day, we'll have to name him!

Happy birthday, Roger.

Wordless Wednesday: A World of Blue

2011-07-27T00:01:00.000-04:00

This is a real Blue-Tailed Skink (Skilton's Skink), unlike other skinks I have known!

This might be a Nevada Side-blotched Lizard, or not. Kind of tricky to ID.

More mating damselflies, we call this one "the ballet."

Love the green face and just that hint of electric blue.

A Bonsai update: As of Tuesday afternoon, he's doing well. Much steadier on his feet and more regular (if you catch my drift). He's not completely well, but we don't think he's knock knock knocking on heaven's door either! We are absolutely grateful for your support and kindness.

Prepared To Say Good-Bye: w/Good Update

2011-07-25T00:01:00.002-04:00

I've been out photographing the cat. He's not been well. We haven't posted the photos from ten days ago after we brought him to the vet because he had been stumbling around the house and acting stranger than usual. That's when the vet recommended a lion cut to get rid of the matted fur Bonsai had everywhere. Roger brushes the cat every day, but come summer and all the brushing in the world doesn't stop this cat from matting up and getting cranky. So, lion cut it was. But then the old lost dog showed up last Sunday and invaded Bonsai's space. That was two days after the lion cut, so the question became, how much indignity can one cat endure? As it turns out, not much. Of course we are drawing connections where there may not be any. It's okay, we're not going to publish our insanity or make a religion out of it. We're just trying to figure out why Bonsai stopped shitting again.
Last Thursday we brought him back to the vet, even after all the times we've sworn out loud that we were no longer going to do heroics for him. It was obvious the cat needed an enema. I've given him organic pureed pumpkin and psyllium seed in his wet food everyday since last November. He was pretty regular until the lion cut and the stray dog. Is any of this related? Probably not. So, Bonsai had an enema on Thursday. Don't tell him that you heard this from us. He hates when we discuss his private stuff. In fact, it's exactly the kind of thing that makes him stop shitting. At least that's what we surmise.

Friday was hell. He even growled at us. Let me say that again. He actually growled at us every time we touched him. He hid under the sauna outside. He lay in the hot sun and nodded his head like he was dying. That's when we decided that if this cat ever stops pooping or peeing again, we're calling the vet to come to the house and put him to sleep. We just can't have him suffer anymore just so he can stay alive to stumble around the house and eat pureed pumpkin and psyllium seed in his wet food. What kind of life is that?
As of Sunday night Bonsai is still alive. He's not well. He seems very old suddenly. We are prepared to help him make his exit, if that is where he's headed. We will not impede him with enemas and hydration anymore. We are his friends, and we still think he's beautiful.

UPDATE:
Bonsai seems much steadier on his feet Monday morning. He's still an old man kitty cat in his ninth life, but for today there won't be a call to the vet. Thank you for your WONDERFUL and THOUGHTFUL comments.

This post is dedicated to a beautiful dog named Raf whose very loving person helped him make his exit on Sunday.

Martini Wednesday

2011-07-20T00:01:00.001-04:00

Our good friend Tara came to visit Monday. She brought gin, vermouth, and olives. Here is the happy moment. Later her daughter left a comment on Facebook that said: Hippies drinking martini's... iconic or ironic?

You decide.

Tara and Roger

Lost and Found

2011-07-18T00:01:00.001-04:00

Here is a copy of the thread of comments on a Facebook post that we posted on Sunday. I deleted everyone's names so that anonymity for those who cherish it would be preserved.

This is the sweet old girl who inspired the comments and the love. Winter Moon is home, and we are sincerely richer for having had the pleasure of her company for the day on Sunday.

Woke up this morning to find this VERY old dog sleeping right on our doorstep. She's arthritic and practically deaf. Yes, we let her in and she's sleeping on the kitchen floor. Not sure what to do next. HELP!
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Put up signs around the neighborhood. . . . she didn't wander far, I'm sure. Poor, old thing -- she sure picked the right house, didn't she?

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Not sure about what's next, but what was first was very, very cool. Lucky dog to have gone to the right house.

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She looks sad. She was very lucky to find you!
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How sad!!! She looks so old!!!

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I would drive around and ask your neighbors if they are missing their dog.

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other than being old, does she look well-nourished and cared for? Could she be part of the visiting nuns?

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Roger: been to the neighbors. put a pic on craig's list lost/found. she is very well behaved. likes affection. we wonder if someone abandoned her.

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What a kind, sad looking face. I hope she just wandered out of someone's yard in the neighbourhood. I would hate to think that someone abandoned her.

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When I look at this dog, I am reminded about how wise these old dogs dogs can be - they really know so much.
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Robin: She seems healthy enough. Doesn't seem malnourished or anything. We checked with the neighbors, so far no one is missing a dog. We're going to put a sign up at the bottom of the hill by the highway.
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the SPCA has a program where they match senior dogs with senior citizens. This is always a route you could take. She would be very adoptable--maybe you could foster her until she had a permanent home?

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off to the store to buy a bag of dog food? Cheese is always a fine treat, cubed.

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Robin: We just got back from the market with a bag of adult formula kibble and a can of wet food for later. She didn't even stir when we came in the house. She's so old. Maybe Bonsai will meet her and love her, and then we could keep her. Oy.

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just feed a little wet food under the kibble, for inducement. or as a treat. i wouldn't go overboard with the wet until you know more about how she does with feeding.

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agree she is a lucky dog to have found you! dawn will have thoughts. does the spca or similar offer free/low-cost vet exams? she will probably appreciate a blankie or rug to sleep on. i don't know how you feel about this, but the enclosed area is the perfect kind of outdoors for an old dog.

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Robin: She's hanging out in the cool, shady entry room to the sauna. Makes me think she probably had a doghouse. Bonsai is hiding under the sauna at the moment. They came within inches of each other before Bonsai bolted out the door. He doesn't understand why this dog does not chase him or bark at him. In fact, she's not interested in him at all.

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Robin: She ate all the kibble we put out for her. It occurred to us that she's much too old and feeble to have gotten here on her own. We think someone may have abandoned her.

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You all should put up signs and stuff because I'm sure it's someones dog...

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When I visited friends in Red Bluff awhile back, I just had my older dog, Sabrina. They have two rather neurotic cats and we wondered what would happen. Sabrina ignored them and acted as though they were invisible, even when they were rig...ht in front of her. The cats acted kind of kooky for the first few hours, racing past her as if she was going to make a grab for one of them. After awhile, they got bored and settled down. Bonsai will probably ignore the dog after awhile.See More

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looks about 12 or 13... any personality or is she distressed or sick? If she ate... maybe feeling lost from her owner? You can also call the local police and let them know you found a stray.... could be related to something they might know about.

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aw I wonder who she is and why she came to you...
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I like the way it never occurred to Tara that maybe she was already paired up with senior citizens.

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If you don't want anything bad to happen to her, if no owner appears, etc... I would do some checking first into what the animal shelter or whoever it is in charge of such things, would plan to do with her. Unfortunately, with a very old ...dog, I suspect most would just put her down. I and others have had some less than satisfactory outcomes when turning in abandoned animals - making me a lot less inclined to do so now.
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Robin: Thank you all so much for your thoughtful and encouraging comments.

Bev, your Red Bluff story is just what we needed to read. We're hopeful that it will unfold the same way here between Bonsai and the unnamed old one! We have already pretty... much decided that if her owners cannot be found and Bonsai reaches even an uneasy truce with her, we'll keep her for the rest of her days.

I've made a few fliers to hang on the mailboxes and a post at the corner of the highway and the road to our house.

Al, you made me laugh out loud.

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A beautiful old soul has found you, that's for sure. Old dogs are one of my favorite things - though it's a bittersweet love, that's for sure.
I've had old dogs with dementia so she may have just wandered too far and forgotten her way home.... It sounds like you've done everything you can do to try to locate her family - shelters, the local police or sheriff's dept., craigslist, and perhaps if there's a local market or gathering place with a bulletin board that the community relies upon... Like others have said, it's doubtful she's wandered far unless she was abandoned - I always hate to think it, but it's always a sad possibility.
Thank you for saying you are willing to become her family - she's beautiful and she's obviously lived a long life - like all dogs (and all of us for that matter) she deserves a peaceful and loving end.

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congrats Robin and Roger!!

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lots of clean cool water, a soft bed for old bones and a visit to the vet in a week if no one has claimed her!

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I have no additional advice, so I'll send some more cyber-hugs. ♥

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So glad that you decided to keep her if her family can't be found or abandoned her. The poor baby needs a caring home for the rest of her days. She has found the right one!

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I was thinking (sorry, can't get that beautiful face out of my mind) - you mentioned that she might have had a dog house because she liked your entry room. She's in an unknown place and often, dogs will naturally seek a sheltered place whe...re they can feel secure - a dog house, under a table, a small room, between a coffee table and a couch... When looking for place for her to bed down for the night, I'd keep that in mind as well as the fact that those old bones will want warmth and a bit of extra padding. And like Dawn said, a vet visit sometime this next week!

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robin, take a pic to the nearest vets to see if they recognize her. she may have been left with someone nearby while parents are on vacation and got out and glot lost. vets offices are often good at helping in these situations and they ca...n post a pic in their offices. such a sweet face. she may even have an ID chip (call vet to find out if they can check). i think Bonsai is going to see pretty quickly that this dog will be a nice pillow to nap with...

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Lots of vets post "lost pet" and "found pet" flyers, too. or at least, ours does.

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Robin: Flyers posted at the mailbox and the highway. Found ad placed in both the print and online local newspaper, a well as the local radio station that reads Lost and Found ads a few times a day.

OH WAIT-- THE PHONE JUST RANG. A WOMAN SAID, "ARE... YOU THE PEOPLE WHO FOUND THE DOG? IS SHE STILL THERE" When I answered, "yes" the woman started to cry. She just came to the house and picked up her dog, named Winter Moon. Old and deaf and very much loved. Missing since last night, when she sneaked out off the back porch while everyone was cleaning up after dinner. So, ends a very good day. We all cried.

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and Bonzai?

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Well, that was quite a saga! You could just copy and paste this thread into a blog post.

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So glad the owner found you and her.

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Something tells me Bonsai just exhaled deeply! : )
Here is a map of how far into the woods old Winter Moon traveled to our doorstep. It's at least a mile as the crow flies. She wandered off after dinner Saturday night while her people were clearing the dinner dishes from the porch. Such an old girl with a little bit of travel still in her blood.

What a Sunday!

Wordless Wednesday: Mating Habits of Blue Damselflies

2011-07-13T00:01:00.000-04:00

plumbing

2011-07-11T22:49:00.001-04:00

i've been plumbing. not the measuring depths, nor marking things vertical….installing pipes. we are putting in a gas (propane) water heater to replace the electric water heater that came with the house, part of which's problem is that it is about as far as possible from the kitchen and our bathroom, plumbed with 3/4 inch copper thus wasting much hot water (should be 1/2 inch), not to mention electricity is expensive. so the new water heater is in a new place closer to the kitchen and our bathroom. so that requires gas plumbing and hot and cold water plumbing. hope you all kept up with that. doesn't matter really if you didn't.

this house is on a concrete slab. the original water plumbing in the slab has been replaced by plumbing in the above ceiling crawlspace. i have done a lot of plumbing under houses. water leaks are never good. a leak under a house is messy and muddy and a pain to fix. a leak above the ceiling is fairly quickly a disaster of some size. i pressure test everything with air.

that's the ladder on top of which i stand. my upper body is then through the hole in the ceiling.

this is the view up in the attic. the black pipe just on the left is the new gas line.

meanwhile the garden is thriving in the heat. it has been in the 90's for days. we have two rainbirds set up to water the entire garden. their rhythmic clicking and the swoosh of water is comforting. we tend to plant things a bit too close. tomatoes interfere with basil and peppers. tomatillos sprawl over marigolds. it starts out looking bare with little bitty plants waaaay apart, but fills in quickly.

Still More Quiet

2011-07-11T00:01:00.001-04:00

Not sure why we are feeling so quiet, but there was that AT&T-imposed silence when our telephone and DSL went completely dead for more than 48 hours (Thursday-Saturday). Such a crazy disconnectedness descended on our household.
It's been hot too, really hot. Like over 90 degrees everyday for a week. We're lucky because it's fairly arid and dry here. No humidity, so 90+ only feels like 90+ but still, it's been HOT HOT HOT. Then, on Sunday the temps were noticeably cooler. Refreshing. Lovely. Almost like an early fall. Next week the high temps are supposed to be in the 70s. No way... we have a garden full of food to grow before fall. Who knows anymore what the weather is capable of? Not us. We just watch and act accordingly.
We've been out hiking everyday too. Lots of dragonflies and butterflies everywhere. Wildflowers are blooming in the weedy brush and quail families hiding in and among it all.
Sunday morning this beautiful buck scared the cat. The cat scared a jack rabbit. I scared a young doe. All before 7:00 am. That's life in our world. Roger is feeling quite well, and the cat is getting old. We have become a family of few words.

We've Been Quiet For A Week...

2011-07-04T00:01:00.001-04:00

....in a good way. Life is full and rich and crazy. Summer burst upon the scene like a hot hypnotist. Everything rises by silent seasonal instruction, "when the temperature reaches 80F, you will send out flowers and shoots, you will produce tendrils that climb the strings, you will turn a strawberry red."
Heatwave, we're having a heatwave. Not only that but we are in the midst of dragonfly season and the season of squirrels lying flat on their bellies in the shade. One day there was a cocoon by the front-yard hose,
and then there was a Ctenucha Rubroscapa come out for its first time in the sun.

I once saw an orange-headed lizard on the road. It ducked so fast Roger missed it. Maybe I imagined it. That could happen, right? But I looked out the door on Sunday, just before I pulled down the blinds on the 95F western side of the house and saw this guy.
What? An orange-headed thing. I remember googling that the first time. It's a skink. Yes, a Gilbert's Skink. Wikipedia says they're mostly not out and about. This one ran under the frame of the door. They like to hide. Ain't that the truth. I can totally relate.

Things Settle Down

2011-06-26T23:59:00.004-04:00

Roger is feeling much better. He stopped taking pain medication Friday night, and all is well. He's definitely on the road to full recovery. Life is starting to feel reliably safe again, and relatively normal for us. Well except for this... these two bucks seemed to enjoy Roger's company quite a bit. They didn't run or get spooked at all while he was busy pulling out thistle. They hung around for a long while just on the other side of the fence, eating the low grasses and checking out the new healthy guy.

Wordless Wednesday: The Genesis of Art

2011-06-22T00:01:00.000-04:00

Stained glass, filigree, and lace.

The Difference Between Wednesday and Friday

2011-06-19T22:00:00.009-04:00

So I was brazen enough to declare that life was sublime on Wednesday. Then Roger woke up Friday morning and really didn't feel well. He's not sure what's up, but says he still wants to take the morning hike anyway. He spots this little fawn in the woods.
But even before the hike is over, his energy is waning. When we arrive back at the house, he crawls into bed and pulls the covers over him. He feels chilled.

I had already called the doctor to make an appointment for the afternoon. Something is really wrong. Still, the butterflies and moths are flying around the yard as splendidly as they did the day before.

The doctor examines Roger and says, "You need to go to emergency, you have an abscess that requires surgery right away." Oh shit, we say. Friday afternoon is spent in the emergency room with ensuing lab tests and CT scans. He is admitted and surgery is performed Saturday morning. Our good friend Tara comes to stay with me, so I won't completely lose what's left of my mind. The surgeon wants Roger to stay until Sunday, just to make sure everything is okay.
Which it is. Everything is really okay. But shit. Enough already.

Wordless Wednesday: Life Is Utterly Sublime

2011-06-15T00:01:00.001-04:00

Spring Happened, Finally!

2011-06-09T22:10:00.002-04:00

After a relentless and endless deluge of rain, the clouds left Monday night leaving us with the bluest sky and temps in the mid 70s for three consecutive days. I cannot tell you how seriously grateful we are for this warmth and sunlight. Our garden appreciates it as well, shaking off the last bit of cold rain and sending out flowers and ripening pale fruit in celebration.
Not only that, but the beautiful orange moth that we first saw last year is back, in almost the same spot on the leaves of the waterlily. This year the wings don't seem as dark as last, but we're pretty sure this is a brown tiger moth. Sure wish it would spread its wings and give us a hint of its other colors and details. Oh well.
And then, of course, the yard is full of the sound of froggies. The sun awakens them and out they come from wherever they have been hiding. Just like the lizards. Our cold-blooded, fair-weather friends are back, and we're happy to see them too. All of them: the giant iridescent black bee that never lands, the crazy cranefly with its spindly legs, the yellow crab spider on the potato plants, the dragonflies down by the pond. They're all here.

It happened. Spring.

medicalworld

2011-06-07T22:40:00.001-04:00

in one day i got a deposit and a withdrawal for my blood account. i had radioactive glucose added for a pet scan and gave up some blood from the other arm for various diagnostic stuff. didn't faint. didn't even blink. i think i received in my right arm and gave from my left. this was prep for meeting with the oncologist to wrap up this chapter of healthcare.

also.... SUNSHINE!!!!

Thoughts on a Thursday

2011-06-02T00:01:00.000-04:00

This is Elena.
We've all posted a million images of our beautiful children, right?
In fact, you first saw this image of Elena here in this post.

This is an ultrasound image.

We've all seen a million ultrasound images, right?

It's just another fuzzy, embryonic view of an indistinct entity in the amniotic midst of becoming someone. That nose and mouth, a profile of a little living thing. Why would we even post such an image? Because this is one of the first images we have of our first grandchild. S/he is growing in Elena's beautiful body. Elena is going to be a mother. Her lovely partner Jason is going be a father. And, we are going to be grandparents. The baby is due on Halloween. Isn't that a delightful trick and treat!

Tuesday's Post

2011-05-31T00:01:00.003-04:00

On Memorial Day Roger started his prep for his first follow-up colonoscopy since surgery last June. Prep is creepy as you all well know. I feel guilty eating delicious things in front of him. He says he doesn't mind, while he sips his chicken broth. I think he probably minds the glass of wine I'm sipping more than the garlic mashed potatoes and teriyaki tofu I am dining on. I'll be taking him for the exam at 10:15 Tuesday morning, and it should be done by noon. Check-in takes fifteen minutes and then the administration of Demerol and that weird Versed takes some time. So, the exam will probably be an hour or less. Roger asked the doctor not to give him the Versed, but the doc said "No." We assume the drug is really administered for the doctor's benefit. They don't really want patients awake and aware. Too much hassle.
UPDATE: Colonoscopy was fine. All is well. The doctor put Roger on a three-year recall. We are absolutely thrilled and relieved.
Our weather has been interesting, to say the least. I've decided that winter is not a season determined by the angle of the sun, it is a weather pattern. The National Weather service has issued "winter storm warnings" over and over for our region. A surprising thing given that we are three weeks away from SUMMER SOLSTICE. Our poor garden is waiting for something very warm and sunny to happen. It's been promised to them. But so far our temperatures are a good twenty degrees below average. The furnace still turns on in the morning when the temp in the house is lower than 60. We had a fire in the woodstove on Sunday. Hello, climate change, is this the new pattern? We don't like it. Thank you very much.

Still, we have seen some wonderful birds in the yard lately. The colors of the Western Tanager are so vivid, like a hint of the tropics. And the young Cooper's Hawk has been hunting with a clumsy enthusiasm that chases the songbirds rather than surprising them. I'm sure he'll get the hang of it. We enjoyed watching him preen and hunt in a quiet moment. I love a bird that doesn't know it's being watched.

This is life on Tuesday.

Wednesday's Lizard

2011-05-25T00:01:00.000-04:00

Tuesday morning I noticed something under the clear plastic of our bathroom scale. I thought it looked like a spider at first, but there was something about it that made me take a closer look. It was our elusive-hide-in-the-kitchen lizard's hand. I called Roger to come and take a confirming look. He said, "Go get a bag and we'll get this lizard outside." Turned out, we didn't need a bag at all. The tile in the bathroom was cold, and it was early in the morning. The lizard was too lethargic to put up much of a fight. Roger said, "I've watched my brother Gary pick up lizards, I can do this." And, he picked it right up. The lizard snarled, but that was it. We walked outside with it and put it on the ground. This is our lizard just before he took off for freedom. We think he has quite an abduction story to tell his friends.

Spring, We Hardly New Ye

2011-05-23T00:01:00.001-04:00

A lizard wrecked my whole weekend. It's true. I left the slider open for the cat Saturday morning, and a lizard came in and found its way into the kitchen. There it stayed, hiding in the space between the dishwasher and the cabinets. A place in the kitchen where we walk, as it turns out, very often. Too often for a lizard to feel comfortable enough to move more than an inch or two before running for its life back into the dark space. It's mostly a waiting game, but I find that it unnerves me to have an animal in the house that does not want to be here and is living in fear of us. I suppose it will find its way out of here, but at this moment, I feel like taking that dishwasher, WHICH WE NEVER USE, and ripping it out of the space. No more hiding, lizard. JUST GO. Please.

In other news, we didn't have any more snow this week. Did I mention that for my 59th birthday, my twin brother and his wife came up from Santa Cruz? We celebrated our birthday together. The highlight was a surprise snow last Sunday morning (May 15th). They loved it, and were even inspired to build a little snowman. We, of course, had had enough of it, but were glad for them and their enthusiasm.
Then the weather warmed up and after another 1 1/2 inches of rain, we were able to plant some fine tomato, pepper, and basil in our freshly rototilled beds. Roger has a few new toys, I mean work tools, at his disposal: a tractor, a rototiller, and a cart that the tractor pulls. It's made our lives much easier. We're pretty sure that the snow and frosts are behind us now, but to be perfectly honest, we are a bit wary. We're planting slowly, knowing that the growing season will take us long past the autumn equinox. No hurry.
Still, all the springtime creatures have sprung up from their winter sleep. Everywhere, everywhere butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, and a zillion different kinds of bees and wasps. The sun and warm temps put a joy in everyone's step. How can it be that we're only one month away from summer solstice? Spring, we hardly knew ye.
Post Script: And on the day of the Rapture, these two were completely enraptured.

Wordless Wednesday: Our Yellow Natives

2011-05-18T00:01:00.001-04:00

The very cool thing about these yellow star tulips and rainbow irises is that they only occur in a handful of counties in California. They are Sierra foothill natives, and they are growing all around our yard. Check out the Calflora page for information on wild California plants for conservation, education, and appreciation.

Pushing 60

2011-05-13T12:42:00.002-04:00

Today I am 59 years old. Now I can say with complete confidence, I am pushing 60. I so want to be here in this moment, on the cusp of my sixth decade. The world has never seemed more precarious or dangerous, nor the planet more on the edge of environmental collapse. Still, the spring is as beautiful as it has ever looked to me. Maybe it's just a matter of looking through eyes that saw an incredibly harsh winter, but the vibrant light green of spring this year makes the foothills look ecstatic. The wildlife seems to agree. Everyone is eating, mating, nesting, hunting, foraging like there is only now, this verdant moment.

My dead computer quieted everything, but I did not miss the cacophony. I actually loved the silence and now find it hard to reintegrate into the whole online life. I think maybe this blogging/networking thing works best in winter. Who knows? Maybe if something amazing crosses our path, I'll be inspired to photograph and share it. I have a cool photo of some huge crane flies mating, but I haven't tried connecting the camera to the new computer yet. I also haven't tried "migrating" my Photoshop program from my backup drive. I'm hesitant about everything techie these days. Even our dsl connection has intermittently dropped out on us. I think I must be the static queen or something. Well, anyway, we've only been posting about once or twice a week. If we're lucky, we'll keep up with that pace. I can't help it… you know I'm pushing 60!

Wordless Wednesday: Wood Duck Babies!

2011-05-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

I have a brand new computer and this momma wood duck brought her babies to the pond. There really are no words!

Disconnected From This; Connected To That (now with an update!)

2011-05-09T00:01:00.002-04:00

My computer is having a life crisis. Since I last happily wrote that it had been returned to me, it had a heart attack two days later. I picked up its lifeless body, which was weirdly hot with its fan blowing madly, and tried to perform life support. It played dead. It had been home less than a week when its condition decidedly took a turn for the worse. I called Dr. Apple and reported the symptoms. I am beginning to dislike and mistrust them as much as I am skeptical of all know-it-all-agenda-driven professionals. Of course they said I should ship it back to them for repair, yet again. I dutifully did so. This time they replaced the hard-drive, which they did not replace the last time they had it which had only been only six days earlier. You see my discontent here?

So, I have my computer back. It's working, but as as I told the lovely voice of Dr. Apple, I am slowly losing my mind over this. If this machine breaks one more time, I WILL NOT SEND IT BACK. Dr. Apple said that if my computer breaks, he won't make me send it back, but that he might ask me to check some software stuff. Okay, whatever. I just said to him, "You will hear from me. You will remember this conversation, right?" He said, "Yes, Robin, I will remember." Sure. I believe him.

My warranty is good until some time in late August. They will have to send me a new computer if and when this when breaks. In some ways, this computer is pretty new: it's on its third logic board, third power cord, second connector, new battery, and a new hard-drive. How many more components can they replace? Oh don't answer that. I don't want to know. The latest repair required that I restore my files from my back-up. For some reason it backed up to March 28, 2011, even though I had an April 28th backup. So a month's worth of photos is somewhere on the backup disk, but I'm not even sure I want to start digging around to find anything. ENOUGH ALREADY.

So, I've been living a weirdly disconnected life. I've been sporadically using my mom's new PC. I have been slogging along on our five-year old PC. Luckily spring is happening here. My mom is still visiting (and we got to spend Mother's Day with her for the first time in years!). And Indigo came and cooked a fantastic delicious dinner for us. The geese are keeping us amused. The strawberries are blooming in their new bed. And the bluebirds, those magnificent birds of happiness, are keeping me company in this time of computer crisis.

Best News Update: My computer actually died one more time Monday morning. I called Dr. Apple. He asked me to try one more thing to see if it might in fact be a software problem. I did as directed, and the computer was still dead. Dr. Apple said, "Where would you like to pick up a new computer?" Tomorrow at the Apple store!

our best garlic ever!

2011-05-06T17:03:00.000-04:00

we planted 2 varieties of softneck garlic and 2 of hardneck. the softneck stuff is what you get at the market. also in braids. (thus softneck!!!) slightly more info.
these hardy plants were frozen, snowed on, kinda smooshed by snow, flooded with rain, pelted with hail, and now bathed in sun.

bonus picture of geese on the driveway.

Suddenly Spring Feels Like Summer

2011-05-02T00:01:00.001-04:00

My computer was delivered back to us on Thursday. It's working again, but who knows for how long. Now I am shutting it down and restarting it whenever I want to. I'm not going to protect it from itself any longer. Jeez, some relationships are just so touchy. Hah! I have to say Apple is pretty amazing about getting computers shipped back to them and then returned in with incredible speed. It ALMOST makes me forgive them for their snoopy little iPhones. NOT.
My mom is still here with us. It'll be three weeks on Tuesday. She keeps saying she wants to go home. (We're not keeping her a prisoner or anything like that!) She's just not sure how to proceed anymore as an 85 year old in the world. I tell her she's lucky because her health is good, but she's not so sure. It's true that her body is 85 years old; and human skin, bones, and organs probably weren't designed to last this long. But she's basically very healthy. She wants to be back near her doctors, especially because her knee, which she had replaced in February, hurts. She also misses her townhouse and all of her life-long collected belongings. And, to be perfectly honest, Roger and I are boring. We're very quiet. I take pictures of everything that moves. Roger digs holes and plants things. We're not very entertaining. Still, we cook delicious, nutritious good food, and we're kind-hearted and loving even though we don't say much. (She was not feeling well in the above photo, but she is feeling much better now.)

The weather has been so warm, it feels like we've leaped from a crazy long winter to a crazy early summer overnight. Temps are supposed to soar into the 80s by mid-week. We're tan already! On the downside, most of the very tender veggie and flower starts in our new little greenhouse have fried to a crisp. It wasn't supposed to get this hot so fast.

In other news, my birthday is coming. I'll be 59 on May 13th. Interestingly, I can't wait to turn 60. Not sure why, but it's a milestone I want to make. There's something about 60 that seems utterly mature, like I'll wake up and suddenly know what it means to be an adult. What do you think? Will I really grow up? I have a year and a few days to find out!

From Bad To Worse

2011-04-24T19:04:00.007-04:00

If you've been thinking that posting has been a light here at Chez Bums, it's about to get even worse. My mac, which as been misbehaving for quite some time, has really fallen to new lows. After Apple's repair back in December, it was running reliably well, until one day a few weeks ago when I shut it down. For some reason, my computer doesn't like restarting. I mostly stopped shutting it down because I was tired of trying to get it back on. But I threw caution to the wind and shut it down. When it finally turned back on (after several false starts) it started up with a screen that was half in black and the login box duplicated directly below itself. Very funky, very weird. Roger zapped the P-Ram, started it in safe mode, and then it finally came back to itself. I did not shut it down again until last Friday. I must have lost my mind. But there were some system updates that needed to be done, and even though they required a restart, I did them anyway. I guess that was a big mistake, the computer has not started up in a normal fashion since. In fact, I'm typing this post on it, and there is an exact duplicate of the screen just below this one. It's a spooky world here. Apple is sending a box for it on Monday and back it goes to an undisclosed location where it will either be repaired (hah, how can they fix such a broken thing?) or Apple will send me a new computer.
In the mean time, I've set up computing stuff on my mother's brand new PC that runs Windows 7. It's a nice little machine, but it takes a while getting used to. I'm missing my Photoshop tools and haven't found anything yet that lets me crop effectively, or edit thoughtfully for color, light, and shadow. We have been seeing some very interesting and cool things lately, like this rose-breasted grosbeak that showed up last Thursday about a thousand miles outside its range.
It returned on Friday with a friend, who turned out to be a female evening grosbeak. We have not seen any male evening grosbeaks, so this may be an inter-species romance.
And speaking of romance, we've been seeing newts in amorous pursuits all along the ditch and in the little reservoir. They are richly inventive little creatures who seem to enjoy group sex quite a bit. They roll along the bottom of the ditch entwined in lovely piles of arms, legs, and tails.

Not sure when I'll be back posting. I'm going to try to keep up with my favorite bloggers, but I'm not going to be checking the robin and roger email. if anyone wants to contact me, send email to robin.andrea13 at gmail dot com.

Oh, We Forgot To Tell You

2011-04-17T22:36:00.006-04:00

My mom is staying with us. She arrived last Tuesday and is staying until May 16th. It's a trial run to see if the three of us (Roger, my mom, and me) can live amicably and well together. So far, so good. Except I haven't been blogging or even reading other blogs. We are also sidetracked by life and good spring weather. We had about 700 pounds of chicken manure delivered and have been slowly spreading it in the freshly dug garden beds in the yard. We have pretty crappity crap crap soil (at least that's how I describe it), red and rocky. We're amending it as best we can. Thanks to all the chickens for their very stinky contributions. We like these chickens very much. We first came to know them through their very delicious eggs, locally laid and sold in the food co-op.
In the meantime, one of the things that has me wondering quite a bit lately is this: how do birds communicate with each other? They do a damned fine job of it. No sooner did we scatter a few kernels of cracked corn down by our little pond, as a sign of our deep appreciation of our wood ducks, when suddenly a pair of mallards arrived to partake in the offerings. First there was a pair of wood ducks, then two pairs, then five. Then, there were mallards. How does that happen?
Then on Monday, another surprise, the geese arrived. How did they find out? Who told them? Four of the Wood Duck pairs have moved on. We didn't mind, we only really wanted one pair to call our very little pond home. But now we wonder if the geese will eat everything and make a giant stinky mess (have you ever seen goose droppings?). Birds must tell each other everything, even when it's not in their own best interest.

Little gossipers... that's what they are.

Wordless Thursday: Life Lists

2011-04-13T22:07:00.001-04:00

chemo sabe

2011-04-10T22:33:00.001-04:00

i wrote the following intending to post it the first day of no more chemo. then, in my mentally impaired state, it sounded awful to me. i'm glad i saved it. looks ok now. that's my left thumb up above. see the ridges? i think each ridge and valley corresponds to a two week cycle of chemo. not sure if the ridge or the valley is chemo.
_______________________________________________

well it's over except for some recovery time. i have depended upon the kindness of my wonderful and wonderfully competent robin, our loving daughters, our families, our neighbors, and our far flung internet pals. thank you all for your good wishes for my recovery and support during surgery and chemo.

coping with the whole process of cancer treatment, indeed all serious illnesses, is sometimes more difficult for the caregiver than the patient. i have the anecdotal evidence of two friends who were caregivers for their spouses, and of course robin and me. the most difficult "side effect" of my chemo for robin was my mental impairment, which for me was the most invisible, though i did have an odd stuffy feeling in my head at times.

i know that i escaped the more severe reactions to chemotherapy. i did not have any real pain. no hair loss. no gross or extreme gastric upset. no blisters on hands or feet. i still have slightly deranged digestive system. i get a burning sensation in my throat at odd times. my fingernails and toenails are very dry and brittle and one thumb has a painful crack that hasn't healed for more than three months. my fingers feel strange. my eyes are dry and sometimes burn.

i look forward to better health. that's my story and i'm sticking to it.

____________________________________________

that's it. not bad for chemo-brain.

i am recovering fairly well. much more energy. still stupid now and then. thumb crack healed but skin still dry. fingernails still odd. i'm happy to be done.

quoting james brown... "i feel good!"

Word Wednesday: Newts In Flagrante Delicto

2011-04-06T00:01:00.001-04:00

Hoping for a menage et trois dans l'eau

But not quite getting there

These two headed off very connected and together

And Mr. Lonely looked so forlorn...

In The Moment

2011-04-03T21:47:00.004-04:00

Roger's 90 year old mother is in the hospital. Not always lucid, not always thoughtful. The world is slipping out of her hands. We can't restore it. The past few days we've spent many hours in emergency rooms and hospital rooms. Roger wears a blue mask so he won't be exposed to her pneumonia coughing, and a green glove so he can hold her hand. I talk quietly to her, trying to remind her of everything that is true in the moment. (UPDATE: Roger's mom is responding to the antibiotics and is feeling considerably better. She is going to be moved to a nursing home some time on Monday or Tuesday. A sigh of relief, but a reminder of what is only a matter of time.)

In two consecutive days two female purple finches crashed into our dining room window. The spring light has changed everything. I held their tiny bodies in my hands, placed them in the darkness of a cardboard box while they came to their senses. After a short while, they both flew out with renewed vigor toward the endless blue sky. I choose to believe that they lived.

The wood ducks have four ponds to find food in our little neighborhood. They come to our pond several times a day. Lately I've been putting out some cracked corn and sunflower seeds for them. It's both encouragement and gratitude.

Wood Duck Nest Box

2011-03-27T22:46:00.002-04:00

We've been noticing that the Wood Ducks are coming around very often now. They found the sunflower seeds we scatter for the finches and the millet we scatter for the doves. They love it. We found duck prints in the fresh snow on Saturday morning (yes, we had yet another snowfall!) coming right up to the front of the house. I think we have accepted that we have wood ducks to care for this year.
So Roger decided Sunday morning to build them a nest box. He checked online and found some great instructions. It took four hours from start to finish. We're hoping that at least one of the many pairs that have been hanging around the house will move in. Of course, I'm already feeling that we should build another box, just in case the second (or third) pair don't have their heart set on a place yet. In the almost dark Sunday evening, we saw a pair walk by the window on their way to some place in the yard. How can we resist their spring desires? We can't.

I have to say, watching Roger work for hours on this box, dig the hole for the post, and then place it, reminded me of my old Rogie. He worked hard and had the energy for it. Yes, he was tired afterward, but he took a break and then split some firewood. I couldn't believe how GREAT it was to have that Rogie back. My heart was singing.

Wordless Wednesday: Wood Duck Comes Calling

2011-03-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

Sometimes The Weather...

2011-03-21T00:01:00.003-04:00

...overwhelms everything. Demands your attention and won't leave you alone. It's an entity that must be dealt with. We think about it, plan for it, have the snow plowed or shovel it ourselves. We must shop for food with the weather in mind; we carry a shovel in the car when we head out; we pack extra boots and heavy jackets, just in case. We keep a pot of water on the stove in case we need to boil it for hot water in the morning. The extension cords stay in place now for quick attachment to the generator. Yes, we've had another storm, and another extended power outage.
The weather. It has whupped our butts this year, and not only ours but our entire county's; the PG&E crews constantly trying to restore power, and the telephone companies keeping connections humming. Tree crews, road crews, and law enforcement are all working non-stop. There's hardly been a day since mid February that we haven't seen some work truck on the side of the road with a cherry-picker bucket high up in the trees or the top of a pole, and some person doing his/her damnedest to solve a problem.
The weather. And there's more on the way. Out of the Gulf of Alaska (thanks, Dave!). One storm ends, another begins, with hardly a breather in between. It's the trees that seem to take the brunt of it. Limbs strewn everywhere, tops blown off like they were nothing but insignificant toothpicks, and whole trees spread across roadways as if they had always planned to fall just this way.

The weather.
So sometimes, we take a break and head out to watch the Wood Ducks in the snowy pond. It almost balances the madness, but not quite.

Wordless Wednesday: Finding Color in the Endless Rain

2011-03-16T00:01:00.000-04:00

Distant Encounters of the First Kind

2011-03-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

We saw our neighbors walking along our road Saturday afternoon. It was a balmy sunny day, and their three old grand-daughter was running around with an exuberance only a three-old knows. We walked out to say hello and meet their son and daughter-in-law and their beautiful Sophie. It was the kind of day meant for chatting in the afternoon sun. Our neighbors are bird watchers. So, I was intrigued when Jackie started out saying, "We saw those birds, oh what are they? They fly in large flocks and make this incredible sound." I had no idea what she was talking about. She said, "Sam, what are those birds we saw? They winter in the wetlands in the valley, and migrate right over us on their way north. What are they?" Sam says, "Oh I remember, they're Sandhill Cranes."

I shouted, "What? Sandhill Cranes fly over our house on their way to somewhere every spring and fall?" I couldn't believe it.

Jackie says she just saw a flock fly over earlier in the week, and if there are no more this time, we should be ready for them in fall. She said she'll even call us if and when she sees them.

I am thrilled by all of this.
Later that same day, I grabbed the telephone to call my mom and headed out on the deck to sit while we talked. The phone rang once at her house, and I looked up into the sky. There was a large of flock of very big birds flying towards us. My first thought was, "Wow, those are huge geese." But then I heard their sound, the sound only a Sandhill Crane makes. I hung up the phone before my mom answered, and ran to get Roger. We stood out on the deck and had our first very distant encounter with Sandhill Cranes. The phone rang. I thought it must be my mom, calling to ask why I had hung up, but it was our very good and kind neighbor calling to say, "Go out and look at the sky. There are cranes flying over your house." I told her that we were looking at them and I was trying to get a photo. The above pic is the best I could do. They were high in the sky and moving. It was quite exciting.

How lucky we are again to have such good neighbors. If we hadn't had that conversation earlier in the day, I would have never guessed such a thing were possible. We're on the flight path of migrating Sandhill Cranes.
But then something else happened. On Sunday I remembered that I had photographed a large flock of what I thought were geese heading south last October. I thought they were pretty lousy photographs, but I saved them anyway. I just took a good look at them and discovered I had already photographed the migrating Sandhill Cranes then.

Life is good.

Wordless Wednesday: Oh, hello...

2011-03-09T00:01:00.001-05:00

Spring!

Where There Should Be A New Post

2011-03-07T00:01:00.000-05:00

But isn't.

Here.

What can I say? Roger is still experiencing the side effects of the chemo. It's only been six days, and that stuff is cumulative and invasive. He's been working on a post about it. Not sure if or when it will be appear here.

February's two back-to-back snowstorms kicked our butts. The snow is gone, but it was driven away by driving rain. We were once stronger (and younger) than we are now.

We drove to the co-op on Sunday morning (our favorite time to shop) and were listening to CarTalk. We always love the banter on that show, so good for a laugh. They did their usual puzzler, and for some reason we both knew the answer, so I decided to actually send it in to their show.

Here is their response.

Thanks for sending us your answer to this week's Car Talk puzzler!

In case you were wondering, here's the process we go through to select each week's winner:

First, we have to be certain you have the correct answer. We start by sending your answer to Paul Murky, at Murky Research. Murky, working with our Statistician Marge Innovera, will place your puzzler answer in one of two heaps: "not even close" and "pretty much right."

Assuming it passes by Paul and Marge, your answer will then be zipped along to Central Processing, where it will be date and time stamped, and searched for attached currency. Next, it will be shipped electronically to our Correct Answer Verification Center, where our legions of lackeys once again search your answer for any lingering currency-- just in case someone at Central Processing missed it. Then, they make certain that your response fits the criterion we have established for correct answers.

Please note that since we're often unsure of what the right answer is ourselves, we have very wide latitude in determining what constitutes a correct answer. Incorrect answers, however, will be sent to Nigerian Email Schemers.

Lastly, correct answers will be sent to Ms. Shirley Wright, who operates under the auspices of the Committee for Reviewing Answers to Puzzlers. There, operating under complete secrecy, Ms. Wright will pick a winner.

If your response is selected as this week's winning entry, we'll announce your name on the air. You'll also get a $26 gift certificate to our Shameless Commerce Division-- but only if you catch us. Which means, what? You'll need to e mail us and mention that you heard your name on the air. If you're smart, you'll then trade your new Shameless Commerce Gift Certificate to an unsuspecting co-worker, for a cup of coffee and twenty-five cents. Why $26? Simple. It used to be $25... but we adjusted for inflation. About ten years ago. (No kidding.)

Cordially,

Tom and Ray Magliozzi
Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers

We love this response...it's so them.

We were lucky enough to see some Wood Ducks down by the pond on Saturday. I'm hoping they'll come around again so can get a better look at the male in his breeding plumage (he's there in the photo, in the bushes next to the female).

And in case you're wondering, life is still good!

Word Wednesday: Two Thrushes Meet

2011-03-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

We haven't seen a Varied Thrush since we left Port Townsend. What a grand treat, and so lovely to see it with a Robin. I believe the Varied Thrush is just passing through on its way north, and the Robin has just returned from somewhere warmer. The cusp of seasons brings such riches, and especially now that we can enjoy it because we have POWER and Roger has finished chemo.

Life is good.

PS: Lousy photo taken from inside the house through a particularly winter-smudged window. Oh well, better than nothing, right?

Countdown LAST DAY!

2011-03-01T00:01:00.002-05:00

It's true, it's true! Today is the last day Roger has to take four pills in the morning and four pills in the evening. Today this insane, fakakta medical/pharmaceutical intervention ends. We are absolutely, crazily giddy with excitement, and that's not bad for a 68 year-old cancer survivor and his 58-year old neurotic care-taking wife. WE DID IT. Let me rephrase that: WE FUCKING DID IT!

So, here's a photo we both agree is the photo to end this countdown. It's a tree we've passed many times on many walks out on the trail. It's a still-alive tree that's been struck by lightning. We know it's not really true that lightning only strikes once. But we also know, that even after it has struck, life goes on in the forests of the world.

Thank you from our deepest hearts for hanging in there with us.

roger's update-------------------

thanks for all the support. here's a song for the occasion.

this is the last time

Countdown Day 2: Flowers and Ice

2011-02-28T00:01:00.003-05:00

I had a plan for this 14-day countdown. I saved a few photos and hoped to find a few more to cover the time I had promised to celebrate Roger's countdown to chemo freedom. I had thought today might be the day to post this photo I took a while back of these amazing shafts of light pouring into the yard between the sunrise and the oak.
But then two snowstorms plowed into us and changed everything. And, if that wasn't enough, we had two nights of very hard freezes.
Suddenly there were foot-long icicles hanging from every eave.
And our early-blooming camellias faced the cold breath of the north and became natural painted ice sculptures.
I'm sure images like these are fairly commonplace in more northern latitudes where severe winter storms are expected, but here it's been other-worldly and magical.

OMG! In addition to all of that, only two more days until Roger is finished with chemo!!! Can you hear us whooping and hollering already? We have a plan that involves a bottle of champagne sent to us by a fellow blogger and Facebook friend. I'm pretty sure on March 2nd we're popping the cork on that bottle. Care to join us in a toast?

PS: As of Sunday afternoon at 4:30, we still don't have power. Roger discovered that the power line from the transformer to our house is down. Uh-oh. Our little neighborhood was scheduled for a 5:00 pm reconnect to the bigger power grid, but it won't matter now until our little connection gets hooked back up. He also found the telephone line on the ground, but still connected (hence we still have our phone and dsl service). No telling when any of this will be repaired. Oy.

Countdown Day 3: A Purple Change of Pace

2011-02-27T00:01:00.003-05:00

Well, we still don't have power. And from the sounds of it, it is going to be at least another day or two before the house is humming with electricity and all our little gadget lights are blazing 24/7. So now, the house is perfectly dark and incredibly serene at night without all the bright things that power brings with it. Interestingly, we don't miss that at all.
The snow has made us rearrange where we scatter seed on the ground for our little ground feeders. There are few spots, like under the big cedar tree and out in front of the house, where the ground is protected from major snow accumulation. The birds found it right away. Having them this close, I was able to see a couple of new birds hanging around. I am pretty sure these are Purple Finches. A lovely little finch that enjoys a smallish year-round range here along the Sierra foothills.

So, we've found some wonderful bright sides to this monster storm: getting to see a new bird among the daily visitors and enjoying the real deep darkness of night.

Roger is feeling better and has recovered from his cold. The work of keeping the house warm and the generator going has distracted him in a very good way from these last few days of chemo side effects. Oh, he's still feeling them, but he doesn't have time to think about it. Snowstorm therapy!

Countdown Day 4: Snowed In Without Power

2011-02-26T00:01:00.001-05:00

Oh yes, when the weather forecaster predicted a monster snowstorm, they had it just right.
This is what the deck looked like Friday morning. Fifteen inches of light powder and still falling. We have no power, but are managing with the generator and woodstove.
All day we've been hearing the sound of snow-laden branches cracking and falling. It's a little bit unnerving. We are surrounded by very big trees. The top of one broke off and crashed on to the fence some time in the night.

I'm creating this post Friday morning with a post time of midnight... just in case we lose our ability to connect to the internet. We'll keep you posted, if and when we can.

Countdown Day 5: Another awe-inspiring moment of magic on Earth of the Milky Way

2011-02-25T00:01:00.002-05:00

We found our blogging friend Jim Otterstrom's obituary in the local Big Bear newspaper. From the sound of it, he wrote it himself. Here is an excerpt.

"I do my best to make a full-time career of Earth/Life/Love worship. Like everyone I find sorrow and suffering amidst the joy of being human, yet, with the awareness that loss and transience measure our days, I live a charmed life treasuring the beauty in rare & fleeting moments – and wishing you good fortune in your moments – I propose a toast!

So here's to a human future! A world of symbiotic pluralism, where regardless of gender, race, species, or elemental content, all matter of evolutionary creation is perceived as sacred and sentient, valued for it's intrinsic worth as part of our living body, planet Earth. A time beyond the cultural homogenization of Global Imperialism, beyond the all-consuming Western model of rampant cancer-like growth. Where woman, by her native strength, generosity, and beauty, wields the power inherent to the role of mother, nurturer, lover – and where man aids community while tempering his bravado with humility, respect, and awareness. To heavenly bodies, spherical harmony, seasons, cycles, life, death, and renewal. And here's to today, another awe-inspiring moment of magic on Earth of the Milky Way. Cheers!"

Jim's memorial was last Sunday. Cheers and a sad farewell to our friend of the heart Jim.

Countdown Day 6: Almost Completely Black and White

2011-02-24T00:01:00.003-05:00

This is what I saw when I looked down to the pond from the driveway on Saturday. If you look closely, you'll see the blue pump house and the little blue "bridge" over the little seasonal "creek." It's amazing how much a white sky over a snow-covered ground looks like a stark black and white photo. This is what it will probably look like on Thursday and Friday when a big storm blows in from Alaska and Canada. We think we're ready for what ever comes our way. We'll let you know.

Countdown Day 7: Bee Here Now

2011-02-22T22:05:00.004-05:00

We went for a walk and found a bee embedded in ice. It was as dead as any dead creature we've ever seen. Even Roger said so, and he's not given to flights of fancy nor the romanticization every little living thing. He said, "That looks like a dead bee to me."

It was frozen in the snow on our very crunch-under-foot snowy road. I should have photographed it. I didn't. I did dig it out and hold in the palm of my hand while we walked home. I have always imagined that with a little warmth of the sun, these little dead things could be rejuvenated. Okay, I know that's utterly ridiculous, but I am the one given to flights of fancy in this marriage. It's a balance.

The bee didn't move on the walk home. But I held it gently and kept peeking at it to see if even my body warmth could stir it. And then suddenly, it moved. SERIOUSLY. One rear leg almost imperceptibly started to move just a bit. I thought at first it might have just been the wintry breeze when I opened my lightly closed fist to look at the bee in my palm. But no, it really moved again, and then again.

So I brought it in the house, put it on the lid of a plastic cream cheese container and then outside in the sun. The bee moved more and more. I added a few blades of something green to give it something to move toward. It responded with vigor. Then I gently put it on the ground. Soon it was gone.

The bee lives.

Roger is half way toward the absolute end of chemotherapy. Only seven more days to go. We continue to celebrate in the utter beauty of the planet.

Countdown Day 8: Angles of the Sun

2011-02-22T00:01:00.000-05:00

Autumn
Winter

Shot eight weeks apart in the early morning light.

Countdown Day 9: Taking The Long Path

2011-02-21T00:01:00.004-05:00

After storm and power outages, plenty of rain and snow, the sun finally came out. It had been a week since we'd gone for any kind of hike, and that long since we'd seen the sun. So, we put on our hiking boots and walked out the door to take a good long look around.
Funny how everything looks different in the snow, softer and gentler, yet so much harder to navigate. I actually wondered if it might have been easier if we'd been wearing cross-country skis. In most places ours were the only human footprints around. Plenty of animal tracks, though, to keep us guessing and amused.
I wanted to photograph Roger close to the same spot I had photographed him two weeks ago wearing his favorite Hawaiian shirt on a balmy 65 degree day. Hard to imagine that photo was shot February 6th and this one was February 20th. No complaints, though, we love the snow.
Shortly after snapping those few photos of Roger, we came upon this major impediment to our travels. Two trees had fallen across the trail, leaving a tangled 15 foot wide mess of impassable branches. So, we blazed a new trail (off to the left) through the snow-covered brambles and berry vines, only getting snagged a few times by relentless blood-thirsty thorns.
This reservoir was our destination. It's actually pretty close to home. We just like taking the long path to get there. It's more fun that way.

Roger is still congested and sneezing, but he sure loves the good healing vibes you send his way. Thanks for that, friends.

Countdown Day 10: Hummingbirds in Snow

2011-02-20T00:01:00.002-05:00

Early in the morning, this guy clicks at us from the top of this branch. I say, "Yeah, yeah, yeah I hear you. No, I can't make it stop snowing. No, I don't want your food. No, I'm not your enemy." I repeat all these things, but he still clicks insistently.
This guy chases off all the other hummers that come anywhere near "his" feeder. They waste so much precious energy bossing each other around. Pity.

This guy surprises me with his swipe in the snow. Fierce, crazy little thing.

The sun came out and the snow lit up. Roger has a cold. We're glad there's only ten more days to go.

Countdown Day 11: Snowy Perspectives

2011-02-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

Countdown Day 12: Not Like Snow

2011-02-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

We watched a meadow-full of ripe cattail seeds rise up and drift lightly on a breezy, sunny afternoon in January. We remarked wistfully how much it reminded us of snow. It was so warm that day, we wondered if winter were already over for us, if we wouldn't see any more snow until next year.

Then we we watched it snowing all day Thursday and realized, wispy cattail seeds don't really look that much like snow after all. We're under a winter storm warning until 10 pm Friday. Already have six inches of soft powder on the ground. Oh yes, it's definitely still winter.

Countdown Day 13: Flyer Mergansers

2011-02-17T00:01:00.000-05:00

...over the muddy Rollins Reservoir one day last month.

I saw an EB White quote on a friend's blog just the other day. It reminded me of everyday when we awaken: "I arise in the morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. That makes it hard to plan the day."

Did I mention that I'm going to try and post a photo every day during Roger's last chemotherapy cycle? It's a celebration of joy and beauty all at once!

Countdown Day 14: Blue Plate Special

2011-02-16T00:01:00.001-05:00

So begins our countdown. Here are Roger's 112 Xeloda pills. Four in the morning, four in the evening for the next 14 days. As they say, "Down the hatch..."

Spring For Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T00:01:00.002-05:00

For all of our friends on Valentine's Day, especially those of you who have had a long and miserable winter, here are some photos of our early spring. Of course, we're expecting snow on Wednesday and three to five inches of rain by the end of the week. We don't mind. Spring is definitely in the air. We hope that is true for you as well.

Roger in a favorite Hawaiian shirt in early February.

The first Camellia bloom on February 11.

A baby robin out on the trail, February 13th.

Daffodils shooting up and already in bud, early February.

A California Tortoiseshell high up in a pine tree with the bluest mountain skies, February 13th.

Happy Valentine's Day from the bums!

A Few Words On A Wednesday

2011-02-09T00:01:00.003-05:00

If you click on the photo, you'll see Roger in the kitchen doing the dishes. I love this perspective, how the eastern sky at sunset fills the rest of the photo, and Roger in the window. The entire sky in every direction was full of deep hued colors that evening. A clear winter sky. The other day a line from a Joni Mitchell song popped into my head. It was, "or me here least of all." So, I googled that and found the song "Refuge of the Road." The particular stanza goes like this:

In a highway service station
Over the month of June
Was a photograph of the earth
Taken coming back from the moon
And you couldn't see a city
On that marbled bowling ball
Or a forest or a highway
Or me here least of all...

Lately I've been looking at pictures of the Milky Way Galaxy and our solar system. I remember that I once read somewhere, long before the internet (can you imagine?) that it would be almost impossible to draw or paint a real perspective of the Milky Way and our little planet Earth, unless the canvas was as big as a football field. I liked that so much. Especially in the context of "me here least of all..."

Roger starts his week off from chemo today. On February 16th he starts the last two weeks. We are counting down the days.

How Much Like Venus...

2011-02-06T21:53:00.005-05:00

...Jupiter looks. Except that it rises at sunset and is much harder to capture in the waning light, especially without a tripod.
Hand held look at the crescent moon.

We said hello to Jupiter today. That makes for a damn good day.

Countdown Day 5: Another Awe-Inspiring Moment of Magic on Earth of the Milky Way

2011-02-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

We found our blogging friend Jim Otterstrom's obituary in the local Big Bear newspaper. and from the sound of it, he wrote it himself. Here is an excerpt.

"I find sorrow and suffering amidst the joy of being human, yet, with the awareness that loss and transience measure our days, I live a charmed life treasuring the beauty in rare & fleeting moments – and wishing you good fortune in your moments – I propose a toast!

So here's to a human future! A world of symbiotic pluralism, where regardless of gender, race, species, or elemental content, all matter of evolutionary creation is perceived as sacred and sentient, valued for it's intrinsic worth as part of our living body, planet Earth. A time beyond the cultural homogenization of Global Imperialism, beyond the all-consuming Western model of rampant cancer-like growth. Where woman, by her native strength, generosity, and beauty, wields the power inherent to the role of mother, nurturer, lover – and where man aids community while tempering his bravado with humility, respect, and awareness. To heavenly bodies, spherical harmony, seasons, cycles, life, death, and renewal. And here's to today, another awe-inspiring moment of magic on Earth of the Milky Way. Cheers!"

Jim's memorial was last Sunday. Cheers and a sad farewell to our good friend Jim.

Wordless Wednesday: Bonsai Loves Fire

2011-02-02T00:01:00.000-05:00

In other news, 28 days from today on March 2nd, Roger starts life without chemo. Countdown begins.

Venus and Our Moon

2011-01-30T21:03:00.004-05:00

I like checking in with EarthSky to see what I might be happening in the night and pre-dawn sky.
I mostly like confirmation of what I think I'm seeing.
Lately the winter mornings have been breathtakingly clear, and Venus has been shining so brightly in the eastern sky. My twin brother asked me, "Hey Robsy*, what bright star have I been seeing when I've been driving to work early this week?"It's VENUS! You're seeing a planet, I practically squealed. A planet! Michael was so jazzed by it. Do you all find that as thrilling as we do? I hope so.

*My father used to call me Robsy Bobsy Biddly Boo, when I was little. The Robsy part stuck.

Drop Of Water

2011-01-25T21:44:00.004-05:00

Not a world in a grain of sand, but a forest in a drop of water.

All That Love Made Tangible

2011-01-23T18:39:00.002-05:00

Ever since I was a little kid, I've had a hard time turning off my brain at night without watching a little television for some much needed alpha wave relief. I still do that, but modern television stories are so mind-numbingly vapid or alarmingly violent, that we rent older TV shows from Netflix, just to be reminded of what good writing is all about. We've gone through all of Six Feet Under, West Wing, and are just about wrapping up the early 90s masterpiece: Northern Exposure. Truly delightful stuff and really quite prescient about global climate change and gay marriage!

A few months ago while we were watching Season 3, there was an episode where Dr. Fleischman is awakened in the night by his windows rattling and a ghostliness swirling around his cabin. He is unnerved by it and learns that a previous tenant many, many years earlier had committed suicide in the house. So, the good and kind people of Cicely, Alaska decide to hold an exorcism, but Fleischman objects. He is reminded though that, without friendship there would be no one to mourn him if he passed away, like the poor soul haunting his house. So, he throws a barbecue for the town in a show of friendship. There were simultaneous storylines, as is the usual fare for Northern Exposure, and the episode ended with many of the town's people in Dr. Fleischman's living room posing for a group portrait. It was a scene of great support and love. This piece of music came on.

It was that scene of support and the music that tugged at me. We have that piece of music on our iPod (I have no idea where we got it). So, the next day, I turned it on to hear it again, and have been listening to it ever since. Bobby McFerrin wrote it as the score for the documentary: Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, which tells the story of the NAMES Project. That generous outpouring of love and remembrance, stitched together into a quilt that covered a fair distance along the Washington Mall. And that sound of Bobby McFerrin's voice singing something to us about those common threads. All those names. It occurred to me that the quilt is about all that love made tangible.
So, I am thinking of quilts, and am suddenly reminded of one of the last cards I sent my father while he was struggling with cancer at the end of his life. I had found it at my favorite hippie card shop (now defunct), Aries Arts, in Capitola. It was late 1991. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was the perfect card to send him. That beautifully painted scene of an old man wrapped in a quilt with all those loving scenes and memories patched together to keep him warm and comforted. It was just what I wanted to do, to wrap him in something that would heal and keep him whole. Something like love made tangible.
And then there is this quilt, the one sent to Roger just after his surgery last summer. A quilt made of patches sent from people we know and people we have never met. A wonderful friend, also someone we have never met, put these patches together. Wrapping it around us is like hearing those voices singing about common threads. Our hearts rise to the familiar sound, safe and comforted. We are warmed by this love made tangible.

But here's the really crazy and interesting thing about that Northern Exposure episode, Season 3, episode 17: Lost and Found. It aired on Monday, March 9, 1992, and would have been the last Northern Exposure my father could have ever watched, he died 5 days later. Life's beautiful common threads.

**********

On a very sad and somber note, Roger and I want to bid a farewell to a fellow blogger and Facebook friend, Jim Otterstrom. Jim's blog Earth Home Garden was one of the places Roger and I checked in on a very regular basis. We never met Jim, but we felt in him the deep sympatico of aging hippies and tribal connection. For five years we've held a long-distance conversation that ended on Saturday, January 22 when Jim died. We had a long cry over it and will raise our glasses in his honor. Perhaps we'll listen to Common Threads and know that life is really about love made tangible.

Wordless Wednesday: Two-Second Video In Stills

2011-01-18T23:00:00.003-05:00

Hello From the Quiet Side

2011-01-16T21:42:00.005-05:00

We're feeling quiet here. It's winter, but the weather feels like spring. Warm and sunny with temps in the 60s. Roger is two days away from completing Round 6. Only two more rounds to go. Side effects are more noticeable at this point in the treatment. We are counting down the days.

Here are two sightings from the past few days.

A Nuttall's Woodpecker, a local California species.

One of our little bucks, looking in the window one morning, while I was making tea. I'm pretty sure I was whispering hello to him, at the moment.

We're looking forward to a sunny warm week, even with the doctor appointments and blood tests.

Sky With Mud On The Lens

2011-01-11T20:46:00.002-05:00

I don't know why it didn't occur to me to look at the camera lens before I started to photograph this most amazing sky of clouds, but I didn't. We have been hiking around on the very muddy trails lately and definitely kicking up a lot of red mud everywhere (the camera lens?). Also, we ran into a VERY friendly pup on the trail that over-exuberantly decided it loved us and wanted to jump all over us with its muddy paws. We didn't mind, but it knocked the lens hood around on the camera and loosened it (unbeknownst to me) which you'll see in the upper left hand corner in some of the photos. I totally love these pics. They're so representative of the beauty and chaos of life.

Then I reviewed the photos in the camera to see if I was in any way capturing the amazing sight of these clouds in this sky. That's when I saw it. Holy shit! There were spots all over the place. So, I cleaned the lens with my cotton teeshirt sleeve (I hope that's not a terrible thing to admit), and took a few more even though the sky was already changing. I didn't even think about the lens hood. D'oh.

Oh well, c'est la vie. It's not like it's really possible to capture the sky-size beauty of the sky without a wide-angle lens. That never stops me from trying.

The Buck Came Back

2011-01-06T21:35:00.011-05:00

We were surprised to see the buck sniffing out the bird feeder. That food must smell pretty good. Roger thought he would smash it down, but we both thought it was worth waiting see what he was going to do.
Turns out he didn't knock the feeder down, but he did show us what "scraping antlers" is all about.

He did not mind our presence at all. He had important instinctive messages to send.

Multiple Online Personalities Disorder

2011-01-04T20:51:00.005-05:00

Our friends on Facebook have seen these profile photos.

Roger and I want you to know us here the way they do over there.

So, here are some of the profile pics we have posted of ourselves in the past year.

Sometimes we scream about politics and life.

Sometimes we just look friendly, happy, serious, and utterly human.

Now you and Facebook know the Bums equally well!

sauna now

2011-01-02T19:36:00.003-05:00

we have a usable sauna. we first used it dec 17 at 3 pm. i was just finishing the benches when the heater arrived by FedEx that morning. the driver came out with the box of sauna rocks, and mentioned something about the small box being pretty heavy. i told him, it's a box of rocks. he was amused. i am a bit tardy in posting here about it. i've been lazy, and slumming over at Facebook.

when i googled "sauna heater" one of the distributors listed for the brand we liked (Tylo) was Almost Heaven and their website had the lowest price i could find. so i phoned Almost Heaven (does AT&T go even further, to heaven itself?) and spoke with the wonderful Art Glick there. in the course of our conversations and emails, we learned that art is, aside from charming and competent, a fan of the beats ...you know, kerouac and those guys... and a deadhead. the bums stumbled into the right place.

the sauna room still wants a bit of trim and a finish floor, but we have light and heat and comfy benches to lie on and a way to have music. the outside of the building is still bare plywood. the seams are sealed with roof cement. we will finish the exterior with cedar shingles. later. the anteroom has insulation installed, but there is nothing but plastic film covering it. we moved martha's bench from the pond to the anteroom.

we had enough redwood from our previous saunas to do some of the interior walls so i used cedar up to 3 feet and our antique, sweat-stained redwood from there up. we lean back on very familiar walls.

the cedar we get is six foot dogeared rough cut fence boards, five eighths of an inch thick. i don't even want to ask what finished cedar or redwood boards would cost. my ancient belsaw planer (almost 50 years old) smooths one side of the fence boards nicely and then i rout the edges to make a simple overlap joint. i'm going to try to make a tongue and groove joint for the floors.

power tools. the thing atop the sawhorses is a router table. on its right, with the gaudily colored motor underneath, is the belsaw planer. barely discernible behind the router table is a tablesaw.

we bought enough cedar to do the sauna interior, along with the framing and plywood for walls and subfloor, back before the rain began so it was all nicely dry and ready for planing and edging. while the newest batch of cedar was seasoned when sawn, it has gotten soaked by being stored outdoors at the lumberyard, hence the carefully stickered stack of wood in our den.

BONUS

a short slide show

health update…………………

i'm doing well enough with chemo. absent-minded in a new way, along with a sort of puffy brain sensation, but no overt physical symptoms. three more two week courses of chemo with a week off between each course. i hope i'm a reverse algernon.

The Sky At The End Of The Year

2010-12-31T17:07:00.004-05:00

These two photos were taken less than ten minutes apart.

Just shows, you never really know what's coming next.

This time it was a snowsquall and white out.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM US...
AND THANK YOU FOR LEAVING US THE MOST PROFOUND AND ERUDITE COMMENTS
OVER THE YEARS!