At Least This Week Wasn't as Hot as Bakersfield in May 2006

We got a late start on Sunday and missed some of our favorite vendors at the farmers market.  Some were out of what we were looking for.  At one stand I asked if they had anymore garlic/cheddar bread, and they had sold out.  But!  They had a free sample loaf for me.  Another stand gave me a discount on my purchases.  It's a mixed bag at the end of market day.  You might not find what you wanted, but you can get great deals, and sometimes freebies, by being there as the tables are being cleared and unsold merchandise packed.  I was happy with what we brought home.  I'd forgotten Tierra Farm was closed on Sunday, so we missed out on the strawberries, but after dropping Bex off to visit at her sister's solo for a while, I picked up a ton of fresh produce to fill in the gaps at the grocery market.  I love shopping around the edges of the store, diving in just a bit to grab TP and coffee.  You can't get those at the farmers market.  Yet?

It was the perfect time to clean out the fridge, adding all that produce, and the great thing was that I didn't have a lot of "lost" food in there.  We are doing much better at eating fresh and using what we have, so no waste.

After a bit of time listening to music, I headed back to Jessi's to visit for a while.  They had just installed a new mister while I was there earlier, so on my way home I picked one up for our house, too.  I know it will help Breezy stay cool when she's outside, and it's going to be a great addition for our summer barbecues.  Becca and I made a great and filling spinach salad for dinner.  Now I'm wishing I'd planted spinach this year!

Monday was just too hot to write about.  We did make a trip to town and were able to take advantage of air conditioning.  Bex and I had a blast putting together a pasta dish without a recipe, tossing in fresh herbs and veggies and cutting fruit as a cool dessert.

Tuesday was cooler, but that's not saying a lot.  It was still hot.  On top of that, we had lots of wind.  The strong breezes cool us down a little bit, but they blow dust and leaves all over and make us nervous about fire danger.  We haven't had a day yet where we were going to be able to stay home to be available if the chicks peck each other too much, so the Rhodies and Chilly are still going in and out of the house.  When I put the chicks in their outside pen, I tip the box on its side to air out and be available.  It also provides some added shade in the late afternoon.  We put the chicks back into the box Tuesday evening, and I carried it inside.  Becca had Chilly on her head as she refilled their water.  When she came back in the room she said, "Watch out!"  I didn't know what she was talking about.  Just as I put my foot down on something on the ground, she said, "There's a lizard in the house!"  Oh my goodness.  I yanked my foot back and a small grey lizard moved away.  It had lost its tail somewhere.  Thankfully it froze as we tried to figure out how to get it outside.  I don't mind lizards much.  I definitely do mind them being indoors!  It must have hitched a ride somehow in the box we brought from outside.

Becca grabbed a shoe box, and I dropped it over the lizard.  Now to figure out how to get it back outside.  I didn't think it would work, but Becca wanted me to angle the lid underneath to pick it up.  My instincts said I needed something flat, but I humored her.  I thought I had nudged the lizard onto the lid, so lifted the end of the box to cover the top of the box completely ... and screamed when I saw the lizard still on the carpet.  I never scream.  I can't remember the last time I screamed.  That had us laughing hysterically as we found something flat to slide underneath and successfully take the lizard outside to release it.  As we passed by the now unused terrarium we borrowed from Jessica, Becca suggested we keep it.  Nope.  Not going to do that.  So that was my adrenaline rush for the week.  That's enough.

While clearing some boxes I discovered a journal that I'd started during our trip cross country with my parents to visit family in Indiana.  I had such a fun time re-reading and reliving this that I thought I'd share a little with you now and then.  Unfortunately, I neglected to write in the journal on the way home, but it recalls some fun moments and reminds me of how much I love being on the road.  (I took Becca out of school for this trip, but she did have homework scheduled and was required to keep a trip log as we traveled.  She was 8 years old at the time.)

May 16, 2006
Day 1
Novato to Bakersfield, CA

Even though Rebecca and I were running 1/2 hour late, we left only 15 minutes behind schedule, at 9:15 am.  After stopping at McDonald's and Starbucks, however, Dad remembered he hadn't packed the food.  After we went back to the house for the food, Rebecca's trip log accurately states we departed at 10:00 am.

She started off strong and willing, but soon Rebecca grew tired of school work.  What could have ended at 11:00 am went on past lunch. We stopped at Albertson's for lunch supplies and enjoyed turkey sandwiches, chips and yogurt.

By the time we stopped in Fresno, the air conditioner fan for the rear AC was loud.  Luckily, we were near the Sportsmobile dealer, who checked it out.  Unfortunately, he didn't have the part we need, so no rear AC.  It's okay for travel, but too hot for Mom at night.  (2012 side note - the part was ordered and shipped to our destination in Indiana.)

We arrived in Bakersfield hot and tired and hungry at 7:00 pm.  The KOA "Kabin" has no power, so it's dark and we need flashlights to find things.  We ate salad with chicken on it, turkey sandwiches and more yogurt at the picnic table with gnats and small flies.  Not too bad, but the air was humid and sticky, and they seemed to stick to our skin.

The Kabin was hot and dusty and situated next to the road, with a lot of traffic.  Top that off with a small airport nearby, and it was noisy and hot hot hot.  We slept without covers after our showers, and sweated all over again.


It seems like tour in a way.  So typical to have mechanical problems the first day out.  This time we didn't break down on the highway and it wasn't a major problem.

I am writing this the next morning, sitting by the pool while Becca splashes at 7:30 am.  The air is warm and comfortable, smells good, and birds are singing all around.  We are getting ready for Day 2 of our adventure.

May 17, 2006
Day 2
Bakersfield to Kingman, AZ

Somewhere between Barstow and God Knows Where, you begin to wonder why you decided to take this drive.  The air is hot, the ground rocky, and water is the best thing around.  The last rest stop before Needles has signs warning of rattlesnakes.  The best thing to do is watch the shadows of the clouds and wait for them to pass over you.  Any shade is good.

Just when you think there is nothing good at all in this dry, hot place, a vanilla ice cream cone from Dairy Queen makes everything sweeter and lightens the mood.  All feels well, despite the fact that they charge $3.99 a gallon for regular gasoline!

Motel 6 in Kingman tonight.  Mom needs the AC.  After checking in, Dad and I made a run to the grocery store.  We ate salad and turkey sandwiches again tonight.  Still tastes good.

The AC in the motel room was louder than the trains running through blowing whistles all night, but we got a good night's sleep anyway.  Max (2012 note: Mom's poodle) wasn't feeling well, but did better after rest in the room.  Lots of dogs at the motel, and friendly people.

Watched American Idol, then went to sleep.

Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY

I typically post about the entire weekend together, but it became clear on Saturday that this Sunday deserved its very own spotlight.  Soooo much was planned, which meant that much more would occur that was unexpected.  It always seems to be that way.

Our friend, Kyla, is a REACH helicopter crew member.  (Their website does not explain the acronym, but other sources indicate Redwood Empire Air Care Helicopter.) As a nurse and emergency medical provider, she rides in that copter on life-saving missions.  I found out on Saturday that Kyla's REACH team was going to provide a demonstration at the Graton Fire Department's annual pancake breakfast.  As a child whose father was a volunteer firefighter in rural Colorado, I have fond memories of these breakfasts.  As a child of a military family with an uncle who was career Air Force, AND my dad also working for the space program, I have fond memories of air shows.  When I have an opportunity to support a small fire department, especially this 100% volunteer department, AND see the REACH land, you betcha I'll be there.  I made plans Saturday night to meet up with daughter Amanda and her friend Ashleigh bright and early the next morning.

Bright and early is a normal weekday routine, but since Becca had risen early on Saturday, too, I wasn't sure how this would play.  She was eager to go, and although we hit a couple of snags and were behind schedule, we still arrived at the fire station at just after 7:30 am.  I was surprised to see how busy it was, and that we'd need to go to the old station and catch a shuttle.  That wasn't a problem, parking was easy, and the volunteer who drove the full-sized yellow school bus shuttle was friendly.  I got to tell stories to Becca about riding the school bus when we lived in Franktown.  Everyone was in a good mood, and the quiet of Graton on a Sunday morning really struck me.  I liked the peaceful feeling.

I'll be honest about the breakfast.  I've had lots of pancake breakfasts and know what to expect.  I'm not sure what they did to the eggs, but they tasted a bit odd.  I ate a little, but hated that I tossed most of it.  The rest was what I expected, good hearty fare, eaten at long tables with folding chairs, set up in the bay where they keep the fire engines.  There were lots of people talking and laughing, a large group of Boy Scouts and other volunteers to help keep things going smoothly, and the line grew longer throughout the morning.  Amanda and Ashleigh arrived not much later, and we ate and filled out our raffle tickets.  Yes, we each put an entry in for the chain saw, in addition to the "adult box" for the wine and over-21 prizes.  Wouldn't it be funny if one of us won the saw?

Checking the time, we knew Kyla was in the air, and went outside to get a good spot to watch the landing.  A figure was spray-painted on the ground in orange, and firefighters were hosing down the area around it.  I wasn't sure why until the copter landed, and then it became VERY clear.

We got excited, seeing the red helicopter coming in, and then watched it circle around.  The pilot was observing the area to make sure that it was safe to land, and he radioed down to ask the firefighters to ask some people across the road to move.

Then he began his descent to land ...

As the copter descended, wood chips and bits of grass started flying out from the spray-painted target.  THAT was why they'd hosed down the area - to help keep a serious debris storm from happening.  As the copter was circling, we had noticed that the doors were open, and they stayed open as they landed...

We remembered Kyla telling us that one of her jobs was to look back and let the pilot know when the wheel was on the ground.  We didn't realize until this moment that that meant she had the DOOR open to do so!  No wonder it was such a challenge!

Finally, it was on the ground, and we had a chance to go say hi and take a closer look at the copter.

Mandi has the up close and personal shots.  I was too busy looking and talking to take pictures.

We visited for a while and looked at some of the equipment, then, after determining that the Boot Barn was closed until 11:00 am, Becca and I headed over to Windsor to meet daughter Jessica and her friend Erica at the farmers market.  We always have such a good time there.  Though I only bought a few onions, it was just as fun, if not more so, to see what Jessica was finding.  She came prepared for her weekly grocery shopping, and also found some great plants and bulbs.  Erica's bouquet of sweet peas smelled as sweet as their name, and we had a great time visiting and walking through the market.

After we'd made the circuit, Becca and I headed down to Santa Rosa's Boot Barn to find me some new cowgirl boots.  Remember that Breezy ate half of one of my boots about a month ago?  My girls are the best, and they gave me a gift certificate to Boot Barn to find a replacement pair for Mother's Day.  This was the day to go take a look.  I think I tried on 10 pairs trying to find the right one, and finally saw one that fit the budget AND my tastes AND my feet.  Even though this means breaking in another pair of boots (my old ones had been as comfy as house slippers), I am tickled to have these.  It is so worth it!

I was going to re-post the picture of the half-eaten boot, but it's just too heartbreaking to see again.  I'll focus on these pretty and durable things.  Notice that I photographed them over Breezy's outdoor crate.  NO TOUCHY!

I was really tired at the end of this running and walking around.  I took a little bit of time to rest and then got busy again.  We put the chicks outside again next to the Americaunas to continue their get-to-know-you routine.  It was nice to have Becca's help.  I had hoped they would be able to integrate after just one more day, but it was pretty clear that Persephone and Chilly, of all birds, (named because she's so "chill" when you hold her) were not getting along through the wire.  We'll have to see how this plays out.

We had used the Sonoma Chicken Salad all up by now, and I really wanted MORE, so I decided to make another batch that afternoon.  That meant turning on the oven to cook the chicken and toast the pecans.  The house got a LOT hotter than it would have, but it was really worth it.  I increased the pecans to one cup from the 3/4 in the recipe and ... yeah, yum, just right.  I thought about adding some freshly chopped onions, but I really like the flavors in this as is, so I'm gonna leave it alone.

I stepped outside later and I noticed that the light looked ... funny.  I can't even describe it, but you can just tell when something is off.  I looked at the time and realized it was 5:40, and the eclipse was beginning!  We gathered cameras and tripod and headed out back to take a look at the show.  I was really disappointed that my camera didn't have enough freedom to really set it to get some good pictures of the eclipse itself.  I guess that's what happens when you leave your eclipse photography research to the time of the eclipse.

I did get some pretty cool pictures of the crescent light filtering through the leaves ...

 And a few fun shots.  These weren't what I was looking for, but turned out pretty.

After the eclipse excitement was over, it was time to feed, move and milk the goats.  Becca went in to the pen with the dwarf goats while I was tending to the adult chickens, and asked me if I knew Luna had lost her horn.  I said, "NO!  Is she okay?"  She was.  Even though all the goats were disbudded so they wouldn't grow horns, Luna had a partial horn that had grown out and curved over her right eye.  It was close to the skin but not pressing into her face, so I had let it be until I had a chance to consult with a vet about whether it would be okay to leave or if we should remove it.  Apparently she had done something - rubbed, fought with her brother - to knock it off.  The scary thing about goats losing horns is that there is an artery that runs through them and they can bleed out if they break.  Thankfully, the blood supply to Luna's horn was as deformed as the horn itself, and although there appeared to have been some minor bleeding, it was nothing serious.  Becca located the horn in the pen...

And Luna looks much prettier without it!

Luna is going to have to learn to live without her little weapon.  It used to be that if we would lead her by holding onto her collar, she would tip her head back to dig the horn into your fingers in an effort to get you to let go.  It was funny how she kept trying to do that to Becca last night, and it just didn't work ...

Here's to a great week ahead.  Finals week for Bex,and then summer vacation.  Hurrah!

Cinco de Mayo Weekend

Saturday morning, bright and sunny.  The forecast is for sunny days and temperatures in the 80s this weekend.  The first thing I needed to do, as soon as the critters were cared for, was to take a look at the carnage at the greenhouse.  There was a breeze the night before, but not strong enough or from the direction it would have taken to push the greenhouse over the way it went.  With the gate being slightly nudged open, it appeared to me that a creature had been after prey, and that prey had run into the small space between the greenhouse and solid portion of the fence.  If the predator dove in back there, it would have knocked the small, top heavy structure over.

I lifted it up and secured the bottom with stakes again, this time adding a piece of wood at the front to stabilize and level it.  Then I looked at the trays and plants dumped onto the ground.  The good news was that the three varieties of corn had stayed inside their separate containers, with their markers intact.  I can still tell the difference between blue corn, painted corn, and popcorn.  The peaches and cream variety was the only type still in the trays, and corn is easy to differentiate from the other plants for me.

The tray that had dropped previously was the worst, and the sorting I'd done previously was undone completely.  Luckily, I remembered what some of the plants looked like and was able to get some grouped into their proper categories.

Then I looked at the next tray, which had not been previously tipped over.  Amazingly, most of the plants were still securely in the tray, and I was able to carefully turn it over and insert orderly rows back inside.  It still took an incredible amount of time to get everything in place.  I had the sprinklers going while I was working in the greenhouse, and then after watering everything inside I was able to get some of the weeds down that are always growing around the raised beds.  I may see if we can just truck in the old straw from the barn as a mulch to keep down that area.  I know some farmers use barn mulch on pathways and around gardens to prevent weed growth.

On a happy note, here's a picture of the Aussie Tea Tree I planted yesterday.

And beautiful Zeus, happy to be outside:

This was opening day for the Healdsburg Farmers Market.  We got a late start, and then were later still because there was a bicycling event scheduled.  We made it 15 minutes before the market closed, and they were out of what we wanted.  There's always Windsor's market tomorrow.

And now a moment to discuss bicycling on Westside and other narrow county roads.  I understand the attraction, believe me.  If I were a bicyclist, I'd want to ride these roads.  I love living out here for a reason.  I also have a father who is an avid bicyclist and many friends who are, as well.  All of the people that I know personally are rational, safe, reasonable, and follow the rules of the road.  They truly know how to share the road.

Today I reached a boiling point.  I am on the verge of calling for a moratorium on these huge events on Westside and the other well-traveled back roads.  This road is home to hundreds of people, and about a dozen busy wineries.  It is not a back country road that has little traffic.  Today was an especially harrowing experience.

Not only was the pack mentality in full force (the photos are small packs - we didn't pull out the camera until we'd passed three groups of 10-15 riders covering the roadway) as huge groups of cyclists took over the lanes - often in both directions - but I was also behind an ambulance, who was behind a big rig with a long trailer meant to haul huge tractors.  Not long after I got onto the road and into this line, there were seven cars lined up behind me with more added all the time, all of us traveling at about 5 mph at times, and never more than 15, on a road that posts a 45 mph speed limit except for turns.  Some cyclists wisely got off the road and took a 15 second breather when they saw the big rig behind them.  Others didn't give a damn.  The guy in the huge SUV directly behind me dealt with this for about 15 minutes and then started crazily honking his horn, then sped past me and the two other vehicles (remember that one was a very long tractor/trailer), crossing the double yellow to do so, approaching a blind turn.  The big rig took massive risks going around the bikes with little visibility, as did the ambulance.  It was an insane trip into town that had me gripping the steering wheel, white-knuckled, and gritting my teeth.  There were two CHP cars at an intersection to stop traffic and allow the bikes to make a turn across the road, but no patrols of the insanity in between.

Changes need to be made before someone gets killed or seriously injured.  At the least, residents along the routes should be notified prior to events, so we can plan ahead.  Otherwise, we need a moratorium on events on this road and others like it, or start developing real bike paths alongside (have a portion of the fees for the races go to paying for them), or have CHP patrolling the route to ensure that both cyclists and motorists are being safe and obeying the laws.  We passed one guy (number 1070 - his rear-end was in front of me for a long time, off and on), who later proceeded to pass the entire line on the right again, including the big rig and other cyclists, with inches to spare on an extremely narrow stretch of road.  We ended up passing him again.  I kept hoping that the ambulance wouldn't be needed!

That's my rant on bicycling for the day.  I don't know what it will take to get people - motorists, motorcyclists, and bicyclists - to get sane and truly SHARE THE ROAD, but this annual insanity has to stop.

On a lighter note...  One of the things that we found at the market was a stand selling horchata.  For those of you who don't know what this is, it's an icy cold Mexican beverage made from rice and sweetened milk with cinnamon.  It sounds strange, but until you've tasted good horchata, you don't know what you're missing.  I'm not a big fan of the stuff.  At least I wasn't until I tried some made by Maricella, who is Becca's friend Saul's mom.  Whenever I am at their house, I consume massive amounts of horchata.  Becca got some today at the farmers market (it was close, but not nearly as good as Maricella's), and I decided to finally look up an authentic recipe and give it a try.  Horchata takes time, I discovered, so I put the rice in the blender then into a bowl, covered it with warm water, added a stick of cinnamon, and put it in the fridge.  We will be able to finish it Sunday morning and see if I've been able to duplicate Maricella's magic.

Since it was Cinco de Mayo, Bex and I broke out a simple dinner of bean burritos with homemade pico de gallo (I am so looking forward to when our garden is producing tomatoes again!)  A glass of sangria for me, and we were set.  Cheers!

Sunday morning, I waited until Becca was awake to finish making the horchata, as it required using our loud blender.  I whirled the rice and water mixture until it was as smooth as possible, then strained it through cheesecloth, then added sugar and milk.  It was done!  We tasted it, and though it is very close to Maricella's, something is slightly different.  We were really happy with it, though, and I think I'll have to figure out how to make a larger recipe to keep it on hand for the summer.  Though it won't be traditional, I may add a little vanilla to see if that brings it closer to Maricella's.  It might just be the warm and relaxing environment at her house that gives it that special flavor.  Who knows?  If you want to try making horchata yourself, the recipe can be found here, and at the bottom of this post.

The day got hot quickly, so I did what had to be done early, and then we enjoyed the afternoon with my other two daughters and their husbands at a great barbecue just south of us.  It was the perfect end to a good weekend.

Horchata
Makes about 6 cups
 Adapted from Paletas (Ten Speed) by Fany Gerson

Start off with the smaller amount of sugar and add more if you wish.  This is very sweet, even with the smaller amount.

2/3 cup white rice (long grain if you have it)
3 cups warm water
One 2-inch cinnamon stick
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
2 cups milk

Ground cinnamon, for serving (optional)

Ina blender, grind the rice so it is in fine pieces, roughly the consistency of very coarse polenta.  (If your blender won't go that fine, that's okay, and just break up the rice as much as possible.)

Transfer the rice to a bowl and pour warm water over it, and add the cinnamon stick.  Cover and refrigerate at least eight hours, but preferably overnight.

Pluck out the cinnamon stick, then puree the rice and water until it is as smooth as possible.  Strain the mixture through a sieve lined with a few layers of cheesecloth, squeezing it relatively firmly to extract as much of the rice flavor as possible.

Stir in the sugar and milk, mixing until the sugar is dissolved.  Taste, and adjust sweetness, if necessary.  Refrigerate until completely chilled.

Serve over ice with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon on top.

Store the horchata in the refrigerator for up to four days (if it lasts that long!).

Another Sunny Weekend

Saturday dawned a beautiful, sunny day in Sonoma County.  After staying up way too late the night before, I awoke to the sound of both of my alarms going off - one had been playing the radio for an hour and I hadn't noticed.  On weekends I allow myself to "sleep in" until 6:00 am.  The 5:00 am alarm had still been set, but wasn't as loud as a weekday morning.  I laid there for a moment, thinking about curling up to go back to sleep, and then ... Zeus crowed from across the room.  It was definitely time to get up.  One of the projects planned for the weekend was getting a chicken coop built for the chicks to go outside.  It's well beyond time.

I decided that it is also well beyond time to mix and mold some more goat's milk soap.  I'd been putting it off for a while, because I had the brilliant idea to purchase the last order of glycerine in bulk.  I didn't realize until it was delivered that the 25 pounds would come in One Huge Block, and not in the neat one-pound blocks I'd been used to.  It was a daunting task ahead, but since I'd successfully cut off a couple pounds before, I knew it was definitely possible.  This is one huge block o' glycerine.

I ground some anise seeds to put into the soap.  I love the smell of this soap and hope that it will work well on the etsy.com web site.  This will be the first time I've listed soap on the site, so my fingers are crossed!

Bette brought down some more plants, so I got the rest of the tomatoes into two beds now, and we are working toward getting more raised beds completed so we can plant the rest.

The yellowjackets are still trying to build nests in the pickup, and I am knocking them down when I find them.  We bought a couple of traps, but they aren't attracting anything.  This is the first time I've ever had that happen.  I kept moving one trap closer and closer, until I finally decided to do this.

I've added more attractant to the bait and will see what happens this weekend.  I don't know why the trap isn't working!

Zeus waited to crow until 7:00 am Sunday morning, so he wasn't my alarm clock.  It's so nice to add to my morning routine a walk to the garden to tend to the new plants.  There's still so much left to do, but we are making good progress.

Sunday is Farmers Market Day in Windsor!  This seems to be the only day that Becca asks me to be sure to wake her in the morning and not allow her to sleep late.  We both look forward to going to the market.  We tried some breakfast burritos there, which we both found to be too bland.  That's probably a good thing, since I should be making them at home myself before we leave.  There were tons of plants, and my daughter and son-in-law picked some up (they met us there).  We brought home some beautiful Meyer lemons so Becca can make her wonderful lemonade.  These were organic Meyer lemons at half the price of "normal" lemons at the grocery store.  Bargain! 

We split up for the ride to my place, with Becca riding with her sister and brother-in-law, as we were going to work on a chicken coop.  When I got home I immediately noticed that one of my favorite, everyday use, cowboy boots was missing, and I had a sinking feeling.  I looked in the other room and found ... half of it.

I did a lot of yelling, and put Breezy in her crate outside.  I couldn't stop crying.  She used to be an awful shoe-chewer when she was a puppy (and destroyed a loveseat and chewed on the corners of walls), but in the ensuing many years she appeared to have broken that habit.  I don't know what has gotten into her to make her revert these last few weeks.  I use these boots every day and I don't know what I'm going to do without them.  On our way to the farmers market earlier in the day, I was even thinking I should check the soles when I got home to see if they need upkeep, because I wanted them to last a good, long time.  I guess that's not going to happen.

On a brighter note, my daughter and her husband arrived with Becca soon after to help us build a chicken coop.  They offered some comfort and several hours of distraction, which helped a lot.  Using scrap wood that I had around, Cory lead the design effort to put together a sturdy, comfortable home for the Americaunas.  The other chicks will join them when they're a little bigger.  Every time I look at it, I am so pleased with what we accomplished!

Becca went in the house to get Zeus and Persephone, and came out with one perched on each hand.  Just as she exited the house with them, the radio station played the song that she and Jessi had been waiting for to win tickets to a concert.  She rushed over, we opened the coop, and she rather unceremoniously placed them into their new environment.  I quickly opened the door again and saw them just huddled on the floor of the coop, looking frightened.  I reached in to pet and soothe them, and soon after they stood up and walked slowly out of the door.  They were immediately happy, scratching and pecking, eventually chirping.  It was a bit of a challenge to get them back into the coop later in the evening for their safety overnight, but we did.  I worried about them all night, and checked on them several times before going to bed, to make sure they were okay.  They're able to be in the cooler temperatures now, but aren't used to it yet.  I felt bad for them, but was relieved that the two biggest chicks were out of the house.

Being outside most of the day, on my feet and walking and carrying, etc., made for one tired mama.  It was all we could do to put some pasta together for dinner, then after showers hit the sack.  The tiredness and soreness was pleasant, though, after a day of fun, family, and projects completed well.

A short update on the hot chocolate mix I assembled earlier in the week.  On Friday morning, I used the homemade mix in the girls' morning mocha and hot chocolate, and didn't say anything about the change.  Becca asked me Friday night on the way home if I'd used it.  I told her yes, and asked if she liked it.  She said it was better, and that she liked the salt.  I hadn't even told her that I thought it was too salty.  Starbucks has been making a salted caramel hot chocolate, so I guess salt, chocolate and caramel all work together well.  It appears that I can use the homemade mix without objection, thank goodness!

Long, Hot, Busy Weekend

Saturday morning, bright and early.  The air is cool, but foreshadows a scorcher day.  This is the time to get the goats moved and milked quickly and start in with the weed whacker.  There is still a lot of grass to cut down, so the rattlers don't feel comfortable on my turf.  This is war.

There's a war on another front, as well.  Over the last few days I've observed and knocked down several new yellowjacket nests in my pickup truck, on the building next to our house, and in the grain shed.  I set one trap Saturday, but too far away.  I moved it closer on Sunday and added another one.

We had a birthday party planned to attend in the afternoon, and my daughter and her hubby were bringing a new mattress up for Becca's bed, so I worked more outside early and started moving the old broken pool, getting it cleared out and ready for disposal.  The new mattress is very much appreciated by Becca!  She's been sleeping on a futon for a long time, and those just aren't comfortable.  She really enjoyed a restful night on Saturday.  The bed is now twice as tall as it was before, and Duncan, our Scotty, was tired at the end of the day.  He just couldn't get up the gumption to make the double leap to the top, so Becca needed to give him a little boost.

After the bed install and a walk around the garden, then the discovery of a black widow spider near the front door (eek!), Becca and I took off for her friend Saul's house.  I love it when we get invited to parties there.  His parents are so sweet, and his mom makes the Best. Food. Ever.  Last year it was tamales.  This year, I couldn't keep away from the sweet green salsa.  I have to find a recipe that comes close, because I'm still craving it!  I loved that it was smooth and rich, almost glossy, but also had little chunks of onion and radish, and plenty of cilantro.  Saul brought out his cotton candy machine and we made some from hard Jolly Rancher candies.  I'd never heard of doing that before.

Besides the good company and food, I love wandering around their property, enjoying the chickens and pigeons and peacocks.  There are a couple dozen or more fuzzy little chicks peeping, hanging out with their protective mamas.  I am fascinated by the rare albino peacock they have.

As evening approaches, every single day he goes into an open area to spread his tail feathers, preen, fluff, and turn slowly and majestically around so we can admire him.

Part of the fun was a short walk to the creek, where the kids waded and skipped rocks.  Becca is really good!  She got five skips out of one.

By the time we got home, we were pleasantly tired, sweaty and ready to relax.  We had to take care of the animals first, and after chores we settled in with ice water and iced tea.  I was too tired to even pick up my knitting.  We watched a television program and talked about the day, then hit the sack.

I "sleep in" until 6:00 am on the weekends, and the sun was shining brightly when I awoke Sunday morning.  I love these long summer days!  The air was cool and crisp and fresh, and just right to do chores without the need for even a sweater.  Just out in the morning breeze in a tank top and jeans.  Of course, I had to have the cowboy boots on, because rattlesnakes are always on my mind now when I'm outside.  I did some more weed-whacking in the field next to the big goats.

I woke Becca, who was in a much better mood Sunday morning!  The new mattress really helps her.  It was time to get ready to go to the farmers market opening day in Windsor.

I was surprised when we arrived at the market in Windsor.  Cars were lining up on Redwood Highway to turn into our usual parking area, and there were no parking spots to be found at all.  I was a little disappointed at the two-block walk we needed to make, because I was planning to bring plants home from the community garden.  When we got to the edge of the market, I was amazed again at how many people were there!  The aisles between the stalls were so crowded that we had to thread our way through.  I was like a kid at Disneyland, wanting to stop constantly, and Becca had to remind me of our established routine and "farmers market rule" several times:  Walk one end to the other, and taste your samples and make your purchases on the way back.

There were a lot of vendors that we recognized and were happy to see again.  We greeted the farmer whose wife always makes the best gypsy pepper jelly at the end of the summer.  We got to meet her for the first time, and they told us there are six jars left that they forgot to bring, but they'll bring them next weekend.  We saw the biegnet booth, with puffy, decadent, fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar that gets all over your clothes and face.  Our favorite dairy farmers had their cheese out with samples.  The cute pony-tailed Johnny Depp look-alike with our favorite farm stand was there, as well.  He is so enthusiastic and proud of what he is doing, and always has the best basil.  We bought some artichokes from him, picked fresh that morning.

There were a lot of new faces and booths, too, though we were sad to see some of our favorites missing.  I know that means that they are enjoying success that makes it not worthwhile for them to attend the farmers market, but we miss them.  The most recent loss was Mama Tina's ravioli.  She has been doing really well over the last year, and has been able to get her products into local restaurants and grocery stores.  I'm happy to be able to pick up her ravioli at Big John's Market in Healdsburg (until I perfect my own!), but am sad not to be able to visit with her on Sunday mornings.

We filled our market bag with cheese, honeycomb, and fresh veggies, and then grabbed a couple of tomato plants from the community garden.  When we got home, hot and tired, we unloaded our things and then Becca made some lemonade.  We'd forgotten to pick the lemons up at the market and stopped by the grocery store on the way home.  A big mistake.  The organic Meyer lemons at the market were half the price of the regular ol' lemons at the store.  You can bet we won't forget next week!  Becca had to work on finishing a school project while I got to relax for and knit for a while.

I checked on the chicks later in the day, and when I did my head-count of the newest chicks, I was one short.  There was a moment of panic, as I started to look at the floor, then I heard a sound near the top of the box.  There was one of the Rhodies, perched on the metal guard wires on the heat lamp, having found a good roost.  Thank goodness it was a warm day, so the lamp was turned off!  I laughed when I realized that this is the chick we've named "Traz," short for Alcatraz.  She's an escape artist, and I knew that we'd have to remind her constantly that she was not going to be able to escape.  The netting went over the top of the box immediately.  Traz will keep us on our toes!

My evening inspection of vehicles and buildings showed more new wasp nests to knock down.  The traps have nothing in them at all, and I keep moving them closer to the house and activity.  I like to keep traps as far away from us as possible, but these guys are intent on making their nests right next to us, so I have to move them closer to the house.

It is definitely springtime on the ranch.  The carnations are really starting to bloom, and their scent can now be enjoyed on the breeze, just by walking out the door.  These are the best-smelling carnations I've ever encountered.

Happy Earth Day!

Summer 2011

I'm not sure what it is about summer that makes me think more about blogging.  Perhaps that there's more to do, more interesting things happening, or maybe just because I feel best during the warmer months of the year.  Who knows?  In any event, here we go with what will probably be more regular blog posts. :-)

This weekend was a good one!  It's funny that I say that, since wasps and an ankle injury were both involved, but overall Becca and I spent most of it engaged, smiling, and active.  That makes for a great weekend.  Not everything we wanted to do was accomplished, but that just means more projects ahead to focus on!

Saturday I was determined.  Absolutely determined.  We had to make it to the dump.  Since the county centers changed their hours so they're closed on Sundays, making it to the dump has been a challenge.  My pattern has always been to do the major clean-up and truck load on Saturday, then make the trip to the dump on Sunday.  The last couple of months this has been on my radar big time, but there has been something planned each Saturday for most of that time, and when there was nothing planned, it was pouring rain.

Saturday morning bright and early, I was up and taking care of all of the critters, enjoying the beautiful sunrise and the promise of a great day.  The first item on the agenda was a trip to the feed store for hay.  Becca and I hopped into the old pickup and took care of that early on.  Once home, the hay got unloaded, and we started putting things into the truck that a) can't be recycled in the bin or b) were too big to go into a garbage bag.  Bex helped with the big stuff, and then I walked around the outside clearing the rest.  One problem was that there were a couple of bigger items that I just couldn't fit in this weekend, so we'll have to make another trip.

After I stuffed the last empty grain bag into the back, I noticed wasps hanging around the truck.  That was really odd, and a cause of some concern as we were going to be driving said truck.  I thought perhaps I'd disturbed a nest while picking things up outside and figured I'd leave the back of the truck open as we drove, hoping that any lingering wasps would clear out on the drive.  As we headed outside, I warned Becca to hop right into the truck and avoid the wasps.  She got in first, I opened my door, and a wasp promptly dove into the cab.  It went back outside and hovered in the doorway, then Becca gasped.  Loud.  I looked at her face and she was horrified, saying, "Watch out, Mom!!!"  I thought she was talking about a wasp and stepped out of the truck to see if I could wave it away.  She said, "No, look at THAT!" pointing to the door of the truck.  I stopped cold.  Just under the top of the doorway on the inside was a small wasp nest.  Apparently this is what was causing the consternation among these creatures.

Think fast.  Think fast.  I looked at it carefully and there appeared to be nothing in the nest that I could see - no movement in or out.  I grabbed a stick and knocked the nest off and to the ground, then jumped into the seat, cranked the starter, shoved the truck into gear and started driving with the door open (to prevent any wasps from hitching a ride).  At the end of the driveway, when it was clear nothing was inside, I closed the door and we high-tailed it down the driveway as fast as we could.  I've never seen a wasp nest anywhere except under eaves and inside storage sheds!  We breathed a sigh of relief and headed into town on our trip.

We were 7th in line at the scales for the dump.  Because the load looked bigger than it weighed, I opted for the weigh-in rather than the flat rate.  We held our breath and unloaded the truck as quickly as we could, and my time spent waiting for the weigh-in was rewarded with lower than the flat rate.  Hah.  We spent the rest of the day doing clean-up, reorganization, and me tweaking the garden sprinkler system a bit more.  We took a trip to the store for some garden items and a bathing suit for me (that I will wear at HOME only) and spent some time in the frigid pool.  We picked up a floating "disco light" for the pool that looks cool at night.  Hopefully we'll have some warm ones to be able to enjoy it.

The only thing that made me slightly cranky on Saturday were the 20% of the bicyclists that cause problems on our road.  Most are super professional, the way they try to share the road, and it's tough on Westside.  There is no shoulder most of the way, blind curves often, and little room to share.  It's those that ride like this that bother me the most:

See those two in the front?  They never went single file as I passed them, and I was driving a huge 1985 Ford F-150 pickup truck. 

Sunday morning, outside enjoying the day again and getting the animals all squared away.  I decided to take a look at where that wasp nest was the day before, and opened up the truck door.  I stepped back in shock when I saw a wasp in the same exact location REBUILDING.  In the picture below you can see the wing peeking over the top of the door, as the critter crawled to the other side.

It was time to think fast again.  I have bee/wasp spray that shoots 27 feet to handle nests, though I really don't want to use it.  It's there "just in case" nothing else is going to work.  Then I remembered the Cedarcide spray that I use for flea control on the dogs.  I love this stuff.  It kills fleas and ticks on contact and prevents them from coming back, is all natural cedar oil and not toxic to humans or pets.  I know that it works on a LOT of bugs, but didn't recall it being advertised for wasps.  Well, it was worth a try.  I hurried into the house to grab the bottle, and then back out to see the wasp still there.  One spray on the nest, and some of the Cedarcide hit the wasp.  It dropped like a brick.  I looked at it carefully to see what it was doing, and it staggered around a little, then flew off a bit lopsided.  I sprayed across the top of the door, being careful to saturate the nest area, closed the door and left.  I checked throughout the day, and there was absolutely no wasp activity anywhere near the truck, though the wasps were trying to figure out how to get into my car.  Success!

Sunday morning is Windsor Farmers Market morning!!  There are three things that we always look forward to:  Beignets, the ravioli lady, and the pepper jelly/pesto lady, Deb Backman.  Two out of three this weekend wasn't bad - Deb of The Sweet Factor wasn't there, and I fear she is no longer going to have a booth at the farmers markets.  Guess we will just have to go online to find her good food!  We did walk away with yummy ravioli, honey sticks, peaches ... and powdered sugar all over us from the beignets.

After the Farmers Market, we stopped by the hardware store to pick up some tomato cages and decorative lights for the back yard.  Back to the house to drop off perishables, and then off to the Healdsburg pool to cool off.  Becca spent a couple hours in the water while I enjoyed the start of a new book, The Help.  So far it's a good read.  Becca is getting better and better at swimming, and she went off the diving board by herself for the first time.

On the way home, we both talked about what a great day it's been, looking forward to the ravioli planned for dinner, with homemade pesto.  It was the BEST pesto I have EVER made, and I can hardly wait for leftovers!  After dinner, while I fed the chickens and cleaned their water bucket, Becca chased the dwarf goats around their pen.  They were being especially spirited, running around like they were playing a game of tag with her.  She was not amused.  She swung one of the leashes around, and the substantial metal clip hit her - HARD - on the top of her ankle.  It swelled up and was extremely painful for the rest of the night.  I brought out the crutches for her, gave her some Tylenol for the pain and an ice pack.  Luckily, this morning she seemed to be feeling a little better. 

All in all, an enjoyable, fun weekend.  The slight sunburn on my back reminds me every time I move... :-)

Farm Fresh Weekend!

This has turned out to be a Farm Fresh Kitchen Weekend.  A really satisfying weekend, overall!

It started Friday night, when I started a batch of chevre (goat cheese) for one of the attorneys at my office.  I had brought some chevre to share at a birthday gathering last month, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  She asked if they could buy some cheese from me for a birthday party.  I told her I can’t sell cheese, and can’t guarantee yet that I can produce a good batch consistently, but if I could do it, I would like to offer them some as a birthday gift.  She was delighted!  Last weekend, I made a batch that turned out horrible.  It was a rare hot day, and the heat in the house just basically curdled it, and not in a good way.  The party was the 12th, so I knew that if I was going to be successful I would need to start it Friday night.

Well, I learned that the best way (for me, at least) to make chevre is to do it this way - overnight.  I heated the milk, added the culture and rennet, and then it was able to sit overnight for the requisite 8-12 hours.  Draining took another couple of hours, and voila!  It turned out wonderful.  I love the smooth, fresh taste of this homemade chevre.  It is so good just on its own and on crackers or french bread.  I was so excited to be able to call and let her know that we had chevre success!  Becca and I were getting ready to go to the feed store, so I asked if we could drop it off for her.  The timing worked out well, so I put the container in a cold sack with an ice pack (it was pretty hot here yesterday) and headed to Santa Rosa.  She and her partner are always so gracious, and I was happy to see the smiles on their faces and the appreciation of what I had done.  She said what made it so special is that she knows that I am out there in the early morning, milking my goats by hand, and that I take care and pride in them and in the products I make with their milk.  It meant a lot to me that she was aware of not only the time it took to make the cheese, but the love and care that goes into the production of the milk itself.

We headed off to the feed store to pick up food for the critters:  alfalfa for the goats, chicken feed, and cat food.  Last time I bought chicken feed, I discovered that Western Farm Center in old town Santa Rosa carries organic feed, and I was really happy to get that for my chickens.  I was even more happy to see that it came from Hunt & Behrens in Petaluma.  Organic AND local!  The perfect combination.  I don’t usually frequent Western Farms, unless there’s something I need to pick up on my lunch hour or they have something special no one else does, so I asked at my usual feed store if they were carrying organic feed yet.  That was confirmed a couple weeks ago, so I headed there for our shopping this weekend.  They always load my truck for me, so I don’t usually see what’s back there until I get home.  I was disappointed to see a different bag for the chicken feed, and even more so when I examined it.  This was shipped to California from Missouri.  Why, when there is a local producer?  I’ll ask them to look into picking up the feed from Petaluma, or I’ll just start getting it at Western Farm.  The price is about the same.

Unloading the truck needed to wait until Sunday, as by the time we got home, it was time to take care of the animals for the evening.  I had also finally unloaded all the beautiful things that we brought home from Gail’s last weekend, and I couldn’t face moving things out of the truck again.  I had such a good time in the morning, though, appreciating each thing and finding a place for it at the house.  The rocking chair has become a favorite retreat for both me and Becca on the front porch.

I am tickled with the shelf, pitcher and pots that Gail sent home, and am looking forward to filling those pots with living and wonderful things.  I used the enamel cookpot for the chevre, and find it to be the best pot, ever.  The wagon wheels look good by the front of the house where I am hoping to add a fountain.  There is still so much to do here, but I am really enjoying it!

I was so pleased with the chevre I made, I wanted some for myself, so I started another batch last night.  I was hoping to start it with last night's milking, but Imbri had other ideas.  I should have known better to stay alert when milking her last night.  When I placed her feet on the milkstand before washing her and my hands, she moved her foot.  I firmly picked it up and placed it back, which usually takes care of the matter.  I was almost done milking when a song came on the Blackberry that I wanted to make sure I had “liked” for Pandora, so I paused momentarily to grab it.  That’s all it took.  I looked back just in time to see her foot move directly into the milk pail.  Oooooohhhhh, I was so frustrated!  There is no way to recover from a move like that, and nothing to do but let the milk go to waste.  Taught me a good lesson, tho’.

I am much more confident in making the cheese now, and think that I may be ready to try Camembert next.  Mmmm.  I saw a recipe a couple weeks ago for Cajeta and Goat Cheese Brownies.  OMG - wouldn’t that be a great combination??  So part of this chevre is going to be used in that brownie recipe.

I was reading through some dairy recipes this morning and saw a chevre recipe that mentioned putting the cheese into molds.  Why hadn’t I thought of that before?  A year or so ago, I bought a cheese making starter kit.  It included two cheese molds, but I never thought to use them because all the recipes I’ve seen so far call for the cheese to be drained in cheesecloth.  I decided to use the molds for this cheese today, and hope that it all works out as well as I think it will.  So much easier and prettier than the bagged cheese look.

It’s Sunday, so that means it’s Windsor Farmers Market Morning!  To top it off, we heard on the radio last night that a Tomato and Pepper Festival was being planned at the same location during that time, including tomato sampling and a salsa contest.  Something more to look forward to!

I really love going to this farmers market, and I’m sure you are all tired of reading about it by now.  I was especially pleased with what we brought home today.  We had to get the biegnets, of course, plus the sausage/spinach ravioli that we really look forward to every week.  I have pesto in the freezer, so we passed on the prepared pestos, and picked up some more fragrant basil so I can add to my pesto stockpile.  Hot and spicy jalapeno and serrano peppers were on the list this week, because I loved the way that the addition of that to basil pesto really adds a nice warmth and brings out the flavors in a fabulous way.  The tomatoes I picked this morning, plus what I brought home from Mom’s last week, meant salsa was on the menu, too.  I was surprised and very happy to see big, red, ripe organic strawberries, and picked up a basket of those to add to our homemade yogurt.  I could smell them from the aisle, which is what drew me in to their bright red luciousness!  Corn was all over the place, and very reasonably priced!  Four of those, please and thank you.  I need eggs for the brownie recipe, and was happy to pick up the last dozen from a Healdsburg rancher, and chat with her about how to stop mine from being a cannibal and eating her eggs.  No real resolution to that yet, but I’m still going to work on it.

We were getting a little weighed down, so put all our purchases quickly into the trunk and came back to look at the tomato and pepper festival area.  We sampled different tomatoes that I’d always wondered about and hand’s down, we are getting the Purple Cherokee tomatoes from OAEC to grow next year.  I love the sweet Burbanks that I’ve been growing the last couple of years, but the Cherokee tomatoes were something special.  Super large, purple in color, with firm flesh and an amazing, intense, sweet tomato flavor.

We had to stop and sample the salsas.  Some were good, some so-so, and I was looking forward to going home and making my own salsa fresco.  Then the lady started putting out samples of this clear jelly-looking stuff.  Hmm?  Becca and I tried it and it was fabulous.  Sweet, hot, but not overpowering, with an intense pepper flavor.  We asked who made it and what it was - it’s pepper jelly.  I’ve bought jalapeno jelly at the grocery store before for my brie quesadillas, but this was amazing.  We booked over back to the market area she pointed out to find the farm that provided it (and took first place in the contest).  We found the small stand, with produce on the tables and a tall, kind-faced man behind them.  I looked around - no jars - and asked if he had any of the pepper jelly that we’d just fallen in love with at the festival.  He smiled and said, “Well, let me tell you what happened.”  His wife gave him two jars for the competition, and told him that she wasn’t sending any for him to sell, as she made them for holiday gifts.  He laughed, and said that he will have to tell her what a hit they would have been, and that there were customers hoping that she might send some next week.  He gave me his card in case I wanted to call and see if he was bringing any, but I told him we’ll be there anyway, and will look for him.

As we walked away, I remembered that the lady I bought the pesto from before has pepper jellies, and so Becca and I headed over there to sample what she had.  She had an awesome peach pepper jelly, and a tomato pepper jelly.  Becca like the tomato one best, so that’s what we picked up.  I preferred the peach, but I’ll get that one next week.  Heh.

We stopped at Safeway to pick up some odds and ends needed to fill in the blanks, and headed home, feeling VERY satisfied and excited about getting into the kitchen!

The first thing I started was cajeta, because it takes so long to make.  I decided to try making a vanilla infused caramel this week, instead of the traditional cinnamon.  Instead of simmering it with a cinnamon stick, I am using half of a split vanilla bean.  It is on the stove now, and smells absolutely heavenly!!  While that started cooking, I did some dishes and made some fresh salsa that we’ve been nibbling on this afternoon.  Next is the strawberry puree and hopefully some pesto.  Of course, once the cajeta is done, we’ll look at time and see if we can get the brownies made tonight.  That might have to wait.

It’s now time to start getting the barn ready for the night and tuck the animals in soon.  We are stepping even more carefully now, as my landlady told me this morning of her little adventure last night.  She’d gotten home late, and stepped out of the truck in the dark at the same time her dog started going after something near the driver’s side door.  She knew his sounds and was pretty sure it was a snake - the frogs are so loud at night, that she didn’t hear any rattle.  She went to the garage to grab a flashlight and the pole she uses for snakes, and came back to see it coiled near her door, and her dog going after it.  He killed it before she could do anything.  It was a baby rattler, and luckily the dog is smart enough to know how to avoid getting hurt himself.  She showed me the snake this morning, and it’s a good reminder to look very carefully these last days of summer, make lots of noise, and be aware.

P.S. I just strained the vanilla cajeta and sampled it - it is truly amazing.  Not a speck more sugar in this recipe than my regular recipe - all I did was replace the cinnamon stick with the vanilla bean - but the sweetness is so intense and smooth.  This is going to be fabulous in those brownies.

Moments

This has been such a busy couple of weeks.  I’ve missed being able to sit down and write about what is happening, what I might be pondering, the latest adventure or misadventure.  I really *should* be asleep right now, but that will come soon enough.

Becca started the 8th grade.  It began much as 7th grade did, but for some reason this year the impact hit us like a truck.  Maybe it’s the added milker and two stinky bucklings that make it more of a challenge to get everything done this year.  Perhaps it’s just that August 18th as the start of school just doesn’t feel natural.  The groove of moving from season to season, starting school after Labor Day, feels more natural.  We are in the middle of summer, and bam!  Two hours of homework each night, book reports already scheduled and projects.  Add to that the traditional fundraising that hits immediately, this time three catalogs, magazine orders and Entertainment books, plus they want us to volunteer for Relay for Life - it’s mind-boggling.

As usual, Becca settles into the beginning of the year focused and organized.  She is excited about her classes and teachers.  She loves Art, as always, and couldn’t wait to get started again with violin.  I hope that she (we) can maintain this level throughout the year.  She is talking college and the art program she wants to apply to for high school, so she needs to maintain this concentration.

August 29th brought our first gathering at Jessica and Cory’s place for Fantasy Football.  I still don’t quite understand how it all works (and forgot to watch games today!), but our group all got together to pick our team players.  I feel like I did well- actually all of us did - and it should be a fun and different kind of football season.

Friday morning, the 3rd, was one of those that you just soak up and remember for years to come.  It epitomized all that I love about this farm and what I am doing here.  It was one of those clear summer mornings that have been so rare here this year, when I could see “my” mountain clearly as the sun rose.  I first walked out into the pitch black of the dark before dawn, and looked up into a brilliantly star studded sky as my dogs “did their business.”  I tried to get a picture of Duncan standing in the pool of light shining down from the studio next door to my house, but the camera on my phone couldn’t capture it.  (Batteries are missing from my good camera, though we did find those today - hurrah!)

As I fed chickens I listened to Foghorn crow to greet the slowly rising sun.  Moving goats from the barn to their pen, the sky began to lighten.  As I started milking, I watched as that magic moment happened, when suddenly the world turned golden.  It’s so hard to describe what that looks like - it’s not really “light” out yet, but the air starts to shimmer and everything starts to gleam.  As I brought the last goats out of the barn, the sun burst over the horizon and suddenly it was day.  There was a picture perfect moment as the warmth of the sunshine began to pour into our little valley that I was able to capture with my camera.

Even Luna was enjoying the growing warmth of the sun’s rays.

What a beautiful day.

Saturday, Becca and I headed off to Cal Berkeley with Jessica and Cory for a football game.  Each year, one of the teachers at Becca’s school gets tickets for interested students to attend Come to College day at Berkeley.  It is an opportunity for the kids to tour the school and have a good time watching the Bears football game.  We are familiar with the blue, gold and white, as Becca used to cheer for our local Redwood PAL Golden Bears team.

We decided to take the teacher’s suggestion and take BART in, rather than trying to find parking on game day.  We drove all the way in last year, and that was so stressful and difficult.  This was our first time taking the train, and after fumbling a little bit on how it all works, we avoided disaster by not jumping on the first train we saw (going the wrong direction!), and discovered this is a great way to get to and from the game.

It was a beautiful day to walk the tree-lined campus with the beautiful buildings and grounds.  Becca has gone back and forth over the last year or so about whether she wants to attend SSU or Berkeley - she is determined to go to Berkeley again now.

We had really good seats, and though we couldn’t see the cannon that is fired after every Cal score, we were close enough to it to jump every time it went off.  This game was filled with cannon fire.  The stadium was packed with 58,000, but the turnout from Becca’s school was disappointing.  Forty people signed up for the game, but only seven or eight showed up, including our four, the teacher and her husband.  We all had a blast together, though, and sported new t-shirts and hats for the occasion.

One of my favorite parts of the college games is the half time show.  The marching bands with their strutting drum majors are such a fun part of the ritual.  Many of the Davis fans were really poor sports, however, and I was surprised and disappointed to hear boos from them when Cal’s band went onto the field, and when Cal’s cheerleaders walked by their section in the stands.  There were no boos for their band or cheerleaders from the huge Cal crowd.  At least “our” team showed better sportsmanship.

The game was such a blow-out that we decided that it just wasn’t worth fighting the crowds to wait until the end.  We left with 10 minutes left on the clock and a score of 49 to 3 with the Bears winning on the board.  We heard the cannon fire twice more as we were walking through the campus, though one of those shots might have been signaling the end of the game.

The trip back on BART made us feel like we were old pros at this train thing.  We stopped in San Rafael for coffee on the way home, and Becca and I stopped at Safeway to pick up a few things before heading to our house.  Still in our Cal regalia and high from the game, we split up to pick up things separately.  When Becca met up with me, she said that she saw a guy in a Davis jersey and hat coming down one of the aisles toward her.  He looked at her hat and shirt, and scowled at her.  She said she turned on her heel and went the other direction.  Is this an example of how Davis treats a loss?  I was kind of hoping that Becca would look into Davis for its ag program, but maybe art at Berkeley isn’t such a bad idea.

We made it back to our house in time for evening chores before it got dark.  What a full and tiring day, but in a really good way.

Sunday morning, I turned on my pocket Pandora on the Blackberry for morning milking.  I had it set to my John Denver station, and I just can’t think of any better type of music for morning chores on the farm.  There is something so soothing about his voice and the pictures he paints in my mind with his lyrics.  It’s music I can sing along to, and both evokes happy memories, and helps create new ones.

While milking Imbri, I recalled how badly I wanted to sing with him.  I remember going to a concert in 1980 when his Autograph album (no CDs back then) came out.  I watched transfixed on that night, and said that I wanted to be on that stage with him, even if it was as back-up singer.  What a dream job that would be.  When I got home that night, without realizing it, I gave up those dreams forever in the instant that I accepted a marriage proposal.  I had no idea what that would mean, or how foolish I would be about failing to pursue my own dreams and goals.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I “regret” not pursuing those musical dreams, but ultimately, I don’t regret any of the decisions I’ve made that brought me down different pathways.  I am so happy and proud of all of my daughters.  I am so blessed to be where I am, and what I am doing right now.  I am so grateful for all that I have learned and accomplished since then.  Who knows what those dreams might have brought me?  It might have been happiness, but it also could have been ruin and despair.  What I try to teach my girls is to grab on with both hands what they are passionate about and want to pursue, BUT - don’t ever look back with sadness and regret.  Learn from the experiences, grow from them, remember them, and move forward.  We get to create our present and our future every single day, and it can all be beautiful.

After starting a batch of homemade yogurt, we went to the Windsor Farmer’s Market, a Sunday morning ritual that I really look forward to.  Healdsburg’s market on Saturdays is closer, but Windsor offers things that we can’t get closer to home.  The first thing we do is head to the biegnet stand to get hot, freshly made, light-as-air biegnets dusted with powdered sugar.  With those in hand, we walk to the far end of the market and stroll along, taking in the sights and sounds and making our selections.  We picked up fresh basil and peaches, homemade sausage and spinach ravioli, pondered whether to get fresh and locally made sausage (next weekend), and bought a spicy pecan/basil pesto for inspiration.  Becca always likes to end our farmers market foray with a snow cone when the cart is there, and then we headed home.  There are a few things that we’d like to try next weekend, and we made a mental note together.

In the afternoon, I took the huge, fragrant bunches of basil out onto the front porch and began stripping the leaves from them and putting them into a bowl.  It was 90 degrees in the shade of the porch, but there was a soft, cool breeze blowing that made it a divine place to sit and take care of this “chore,” which was really a wonderful way to pass the time.

Becca sat with me from time to time, and then went into the pool for a dip, returning to give me cold, wet hugs and shake her hair at me, just to get my reaction.  I made up several batches of pesto to freeze for this winter, and then after evening chores we started our ravioli dinner followed by churning some homemade ice cream.  The perfect ending to a perfect day.

We didn’t get everything done today that I had hoped for, but we still have the Labor Day holiday and another opportunity to create more happy memories, and move forward toward creating a blessed present and a bright future.