And Then There Was Light.

Two garden viewings down, one to go. Today I took the tour of the other gardens as I won’t be able to go on Saturday. It is really fun to see the different characteristics of each one. Here are a few more pics of ours that I took today.


A cage around the fruit trees to keep the deer from eating them.


A new bath for the birds.

John and I are actually ready to take a break from all the gardening. After this weekend I think we are going to hit the road and take in some sites other than those found around here. The last few days we’ve had pea soup (thick fog) and we are ready to see the sun a little more. I am thinking a day at the river with a picnic, and a book, and Da Boys, and some sunshine… YES! On the other hand, I am oh so grateful that it’s not 109 degrees here as it is in the valley.

This week we took care of yet another home improvement that has been on our minds. As much as we LOVE our home, it does tend to get a little dark in the living room because of the covered porch. So, we had two solar tubes installed one in the living room and one in the kitchen. BIG difference, see?

Money Maker

Wow, the doctors and interns are coming by in groves. Different groups are waiting outside the door for the other groups to leave. I think I'm going to start selling admission tickets.

A "Ha Ha" a la Anna

So, I went it to the surgery prep area with Chelsey this morning. They got her settled and then they started in on all the usual questions. Next came inserting the IV. The nurse proceeded with how he usually does it which is not the way Chelsey preferred it. Needless to say she let it be known. After years of experience Chelsey KNOWS what works for her. It was then done her way. Unfortunately he was apparently not very gentle because the area was very sore.

After a while, I left Chelsey’s bedside to see if I could find a different nurse to see what could be done to correct the situation. She quickly followed me to Chelsey’s corner. As soon as Chelsey saw her, her eyes light up because it was a nurse that had assisted Chelsey in the past and had done a wonderful job. Like a little girl Chelsey said, “Do you remember me? You took care of me last time.” The nurse had trouble pulling Chelsey’s face up in her memory. In fairness to this nurse, Chelsey’s looks have changed just a bit. Anyway, she ended up giving Chelsey some localized pain meds to ease the discomfort.

After this second nurse left I leaned over to Chelsey and said, “The reason why she doesn’t remember you is because Papa is not with you.” LOL It seems that John charms all the ladies on each floor and they ALWAYS remember him.

Chelsey’s surgery went very well. Her larynx looked the least inflamed it has in a long time so Dr. Schindler was able to surgically remove some of the scare tissue in addition to giving her a laryngoscope. He said these procedures quadrupled her air way! Chelsey is now comfortably resting in the hospital where she was admitted for overnight stay until she gets her last dose of citoxan in the morning. Now we are back to finding a drug that will keep her in this state, other than prednisone of course!

Not Just Another Day

It looks like we are in the market for a new vacuum. We’ve had our present one since Nolan was three (21 years), wow, but I can’t help wonder if it might have lasted longer if we hadn’t needed it to vacuum up all the seeds embedded in our carpet this last week.

Today John persuaded me into going to Crescent City with him just so we could spend the day together. He needed to pick up some supplies for a gardening class he is teaching tomorrow to a bunch of primary children. The enticement? Lunch at the Thai House. That can talk me into many things even the dreaded stop on a school campus during my vacation. We made a few other stops before coming home to our housekeeper and the fab job she does for us. Apparently Teddy had been up to his old tricks again while we were gone and she was working. He had opened the zipper compartment of her lunch tote, taken out a baggie and eaten her granola bar that was inside. What am I going to do with this dog?

This morning John and I had one of those deep talks were we discuss the things that really matter in life and how easy it is to be wowed away from that with all the sparkle and glitz of worldlier thing. I think the ageing process as well as having a terminally ill friend, makes us reevaluate our priorities. Somehow we wish we could magically instill what we have learned to the younger generation so that they would make the most of the time they have and embrace those things that truly matter. Unfortunatley I think we learn best from our own experience. It's just that time is absolutely FLYING BY!!!

I love our home almost as much as I love my hubby. I love it that he makes bets with me and that I ALWAYS win. Well, almost always. You think he’d learn, but hey, I’m making out like a bandit. Yesterday I won a coffee, the day before a foot rub, today an hour backrub. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. It doesn’t really matter as long as it is spent with my love. I love you John! More!

The Things They Do!

The last few weeks I’ve been working at luring wild birds into our yard by adding a variety of feeders. There are feeders with a patio mix that does NOT sprout if spilled on the lawn or soil, there is thistle for the song birds, suet for the woodpeckers, peanuts for the jays (and squirrels), and a mix of seed with the husk for other birds that is strategically placed so as not to grow unwanted plants on our property. One of the more popular feeders is a compressed rectangular seed brick mix (8"x5"x2") that fits into a basket. Most birds love to cling to the basket and pick away at the seeds. Sometimes suet is placed in the middle of the brick for extra interest. I purchased an extra brick and had it laying on my night stand ready to refill the basket in a day or two, or so I thought.

On Thursday we had been invited to Carole’s for a river swim and BBQ, reminiscing good old days. We decided to not take Da Boys as we did not want to worry about them not being able to climb out of the river on their own, and leaving them in the car would have been a punishment in the hot weather. As we were getting ready to leave our home Da Boys started in on their pouting routine. Darn them. They make leaving them so hard. Well we had a WONDERFUL visit with Carole anyway as well as a great albeit torched dinner, a la Hawaiian. I love you Carole!

We got home tired and ready for bed. I stripped my clothes and was ready to fall into bed without turning on any lights or even brushing my teeth. Wait, what is that I feel under my feet along my side of the bed? Turn on the light. What is this? Where did this come from? Oh wait, I recognize this, I think. Yes I do! It is! Darn them!!!! They did. They ate 95% of the last seed brick I had on my nightstand! OH NO! Not only would I now have to replace the brick but worse: what goes IN must come OUT! But, how soon? Talk about a fibesome diet. Their stomachs were bulging. Is it safe to let them sleep in the house tonight? But they’ve never slept anywhere else. What do I do? So much for sleeping tonight. The only choice I had was to get up during the night several times to make sure they’d relieve themselves OUTSIDE.

The question is, did Da Boys suffer yet another attack of separation anxiety and as a result became destructive or were they trying to help me lure more birds into the backyard by helping me spread the seed around the only way they know how?

See the woodpecker eathing from the seed brick on the right? Click on picture to enlarge.
 

Another shot

Same plant. Different flower!

Another Project Completed

More yard work but oh what fun. We are enjoying the fruit of our labor.


This is a picture of a flower that blooms for only one day. It is about the size of an orange. The same plant produces a variety of colored flowers, some red, some orange, and some yellow. It is stunning!



I just finished my wall art for above the hot tub. I think it looks great! Click on the pictures to enlarge. John said that I should open a driftwood art business. Any takers? LOL

Farmers Market Upset!

(Here is my unedited letter to the local paper.)

Now that the lazy summer days are here we look forward to what we might find at the Farmers Market each Saturday. We absolutely love planning our weekly meals around whatever goodies we find. In addition it is fun to see the few artisans display their art forms.

Last week we found out that the new local Bakery By The Sea would now also have a little booth on the boardwalk. Although we are regular customers of the new little business on Hwy 101 we were excited for them to make the commitment to expand their business to include the Farmers Market. However, we did not see them there this past Saturday even though we made a point to look for them.

Earlier Sunday morning we made our customary stop for a delectable ham and cheese croissant, and while there we inquired why we did not see them on the boardwalk the previous day. We were appalled at the answer we received: Bakery By The Sea was not given permission to join the Farmer’s Market because, “there is already a bakery represented” (from Ashland). WHAT? So how come there is more than one produce stand? Are we missing the boat here? A little variety and competition never hurt anyone. And is the purpose of a Farmer’s Market not to bring us, the customers, items from the area first and foremost from where we live?

Our first response to this news is to boycott the company who makes such unjust rulings. Unfortunately the Farmers Market is not a company, we would only be hurting all the hardworking vendors that provide us with the freshest products that we for one so appreciate. So who is the person responsible for this unfair decision? Of all the vendors who deserve to be represented in OUR Farmers Market it should be our local businesses. Let us, the citizens of Brookings have a choice whose bread we want to purchase each week. Bakery By The Sea needs to be given an opportunity to showcase their delicious goodies not only to all the visitors in the area but also to the locals whom the bakery will be depending on for business during the long winter months. Keep the Farmers Market local, and if necessary, open it up to long distance vendors.

Well I’ll be jiggered!

I had to run some errands in town on Tuesday. I went into the bathroom to get dressed. When I came out I found this on my bedroom floor.

Yep. That is my separation anxiety dog making sure I won’t go on another trip without him. I love Teddy. He is just too cute. Oh, Otis. I love you too!!!

How about that, my brother Joop has finally posted another blog. I had all but given up on him! And…it is in English. Wow. (I wonder how long that will last.)

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend in Ashland with family and great friends. The food was superb, I ate way too much, and the fireworks were great. Teddy had the best time of all of us. He got just about everyone to toss the ball in the pool for him so that he could jump in after it. The jury is till out on whether Otis liked the pool. He was just starting to get use to it when it was time to leave.

A bowl full of berries from our yard

 

It is berry season and on Saturday I picked myself a bowl full of berries. There was very little room for cereal. Too bad John was not here to share it with me. NOT!

Finally

I know. We have been on land for almost two weeks and we are just now sending out a new Picasa update. Better late than never, as the saying goes. Okay. For some reason the embedded link is not showing up when I publish the post. So... just click on the Picasa link on the side of the postings.