How To Care For Your Baby 1961 Style

I have been going through pictures for my daughter and found this in my baby book.

It is quite interesting how they did things back in the day.

I also found out I was hospitalized shortly after my first birthday for three days with the flu.

But beyond that there was not much more info on my journey though the baby/toddler/ and years I can't remember. That was to bad. I kept pretty good records for my kids.

Oh well read up below and see if you screwed up raising your kids...

Holiday Tradition

It is a generations old secret "egg nog" recipe and I am not allowed to share it, but it is a tradition in our family.

My Dad made it every Christmas and passed it out to all his friends. My Mom and Dad served it at all their holiday parties in fact. It was a huge hit.

He shared the secret recipe when I got married and we have passed the "egg nog" out to our friends as well. My brother does the same. Everyone wants the recipe, but we have been sworn to secrecy for life. 

My kids have the recipe as well and someday they may continue on the tradition.

The recipe comes from a bartender who worked at a bar in San Fransisco back in the 40's.

That bar was called The House Of Shields. It is still there by the way, of course with a different owner. Many owners apparently over the years.  Check out the above link to read some of the history there. 

My brother went to this bar last weekend. They no longer serve the special "egg nog" at Christmas.

My brother was sad to hear that as he had made a special trip there to taste theirs. 

As kids we grew up hearing the stories that unfolded in that bar. It was quite the hangout back in the day.

My brother was told that the new owner was never given the secret recipe. 

Thinking of Spring

I love when the wildflowers bloom. 

We have a few months to get through first though.

Although soon the days will start to get longer. I miss the longer days.

Now by 6:30PM I am ready for bed.

We are expecting a big rain coming this weekend. I hope it happens.

More rain makes more flowers!!!

Oh Holey Rocks

It could be a song.

I have recently found several rocks with holes in them.

I love rocks and find this very cool.

Some people can create neat things with the holey rocks.

I like to stick them in the garden for something to look at.

Some of the rocks even hold water and leaves. What more could I want?

And they could also be Holy, you just never know.

There is also a song called H. O.L.Y.

So whatever you feel it is, it could be.

Broken

What to do when something you buy comes in the mail like this.

You could upset or just mosaic around the broken parts.

Works well and can be used as a planter.

Win Win.

NTSB Preliminary Report

In case you wanted to read the preliminary report.
NTSB Report 11-15-2018 

Christmas Pictures

I know it is not Christmas yet, but of course the annual Christmas pictures are here.

Young Vincent is growing like a weed and the Princess will be 5 in just 9 days. We know because we counted them today.

Santa has been asked for a robot dog. We are getting her a bike and Vincent a cool bank with cash-ola for later.

I haven't got my tree up yet. I plan to get to that this week.

The spirit may follow.

Hope your week is going smoothly.

Crash Site Memorial

I decided to scatter some Renee's California poppy seeds at the airplane crash site last week.

Last Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, my husband and I went down to do that and ended up having to call the coroner to come out and collect human remains. 

It was a difficult day to say the least. 

We found several bones. 

So no seeds were scattered.

For the most part the nightmares have stopped.
Now I just have thoughts and feelings, sometimes they are overwhelming.
I prayed for peace for the families and for the deceased to cross over.
I felt that had happened over the weekend because I was no longer haunted.
I actually slept.

On Sunday we took a trip to the creek with the Princess. I found an unusual rock.
Later I told my husband it looked like Morris Code.
He said well look it up and see what it says.
So I did.
It was the letters R.T.
The pilots name was Dick Tak.
In my generation Richard was the given name and Dick was a nick name.
Maybe?
Well I did take that as a sign.
I felt my job was not over yet for the deceased.
And I would find out what that job was very soon.

Yesterday was a new day.

 It had rained 2.5 inches over the weekend and we figured it would be the perfect time to scatter the seeds, so once again we went to the crash site and again no seeds were scattered, but the coroner was called again.

This time many human remains and items were found. 

We found so many we started marking them with orange paper strips, because the deputy coroner said to leave in place the first time.

It is terrible and a blessing at the same time. 

At first I was upset, but after we found several I decided we should just search the whole area really well and find everything we could.

So we spread out and started searching. Because of the rain, the dust and dirt had washed everything off. So that is how we spotted the first piece. It made finding other things much easier. They stood out to me.

Should I mention what we found?

I don't think you want to know.

Let's just say it was amazing to see how far human remains etc. can go when a plane crashes.

Sorry if that sounds insensitive, believe me, I feel anything but.

I have had to look at the whole thing in a different light.

I truly feel a strong need to get these parts all back together for the families.

Some people would probably wonder why the plane crash hasn't been cleaned up already.

They did the best they could under the circumstances. They spent two days out there searching.

Since it was so heavily covered by dust and dirt it was impossible to find all the remains.

The thing is, right now in our area of Northern California the coroners offices around here are over worked beyond their abilities, due to the Camp Fire. They are searching for many deceased, possibly hundreds. 

Over 80 bodies have been recovered and still 200 or more are missing. 

In fact, the deputy coroner who came out yesterday said she just got back from the Camp Fire.

So we understand. We appreciate all they have done. They are working as fast as they can.

This weekend we will go back and try to scatter seeds. Will I find more remains?

Let's hope not. It is currently raining again here. We are suppose to get a good bunch of the wet stuff.

So we'll see. I hope to have a non eventful trip next time.

Stay tuned though, because you never know.

Thanksgiving Preparations

Are you cooking a feast?

We are cooking here. We thought about skipping the feast at home and going out, but of course the kids said they would miss our homemade dinner.

So off to the store we went.

I have sourdough bread started and will start my poticia roll bread dough in a few hours. 

I like to have that ready for breakfast for Thanksgiving since the kitchen will be occupied all day tomorrow.

That way breakfast is grab and go.

Also today, I will bake pumpkin pie and prepare the potatoes for tomorrow so that is all ready and I won't have to worry about that.

A lot goes into a feast and people who drop in to eat probably don't realize how much work it actually is. 

So thank your Mom/Grandma/Grandpa/Dad whoever is preparing your special day for you.

Just be thankful.

I guess that is the word of the day.

I am thankful for my family and all who come by to read my blog.

So enjoy your feast and enjoy your day!

Many blessing to you and yours!

Still Traumatized

I still can't seem to get passed it. The loud crash sound of the airplane.

Not being able to locate it, even though all the time knowing there would be nothing we could do to help the passengers.

I keep having nightmares and daytime thoughts of it all.

Like...why did that happen?
Why here?

I guess most people just move on and chalk it up as an accident.

I am one of those people who can't move on easily.

This robin stopped by for a drink of water the other day.

Probably totally unaware of the things flying around.

Now each plane that takes off from our near by airport I hear.

I have lived here all my life and never have I ever really heard them.

Once in a while a large plane will take off and I hear it, but then I go about my day.

Just like this bird.

I am hoping to move on and get back into the season of events coming up, but it will be hard knowing so many people will not be able to.

A Tragedy At The Ranch

Update: Sacramento CBS local
You can read the story in Sacramento Bee

This week has been one for the history books. 

I guess you could add the whole year in due to all the tragedies, but this week probably would be at the top of the list.

Thursday was my son's birthday. So after he got off work we had dinner with my daughter and grandkids. My son in law had a case going and had to work late, so he was unable to make it.

He is a detective with the local sheriffs office.

Anyhow, after dinner my daughter and grandkids had to head home and it was time to take Jack out for his nightly walk. 

As we were strolling along my son and husband were commenting on air traffic. A plane sounded wrong to them after taking off at the local airport. My son said it was not going to make it and I guess I heard that, but all of a sudden what I did hear was a very, very loud crash near us. It was dark outside and very cold. 

We were all in shock.

My son called 911 and my husband got the car. I ran for my phone to call my daughter. I was in panic mode as I felt my daughter and grandkids were somehow involved in this tragedy. 

They were safe as I found out a very long, few minuets later.

As I said, it was so dark outside and we drove around the ranch looking for the crash.

By now, every sheriff vehicle with their flashing lights on, were looking too. 

Fire trucks were here. There were a couple of ambulances.

We could not find the crash, but we knew it was on the ranch. 

As we were driving back towards our house, I told my husband to stop the car. 

I smelled fuel. It was a very, very strong smell. 

My husband shined his flashlight into the lower field near our home.

I called my son and he alerted the authorities. 

My husband shined his flashlight into the sky for the helicopter that was also searching. 

We had found it. 

Everyone converged on the scene. 

We watched from afar. There would be no survivors. 

The coroner arrived.

It was a very long night and the investigation continued into yesterday.

It was a day I will never forget.

The only blessing in all this is that there was no fire. 

It was probably one of the reasons we were unable to locate the wreckage. 

It was a miracle. 

If you could see what we saw you would agree.

With our state up in flames we felt so blessed that a fire did not start.

Yes we have pictures and lots of them.
I don't feel it is right to share such a tragedy on social media. I would not want to open up my computer and see my loved ones wrecked plane. 

Or have it plastered on the news at 11 pm. 

We banned all news media from the property and the looky lous. 

 If by chance The family wants to see pictures they can contact me directly and I would be glad to share them. Same goes for a visit to the site.

One reporter sneaked onto the property with a video camera, but due to the extreme darkness he did not get much. That picture was on the news. 

My heart breaks for the families of the deceased and for the EMS that had to deal with this tragedy.

I will keep them in my thoughts and prayers as they go through the days ahead.

Let's Talk Junk

In the garden.

When is to much, too much?

When it looks like a circus? As described by someone.

Or is it just that they can't tolerate garden art?

Recently, I have done some rearranging and thought about the whole circus thing.

What constitutes a circus?

Besides the flying trapeze thing of course.

Although, I could have one of those somewhere probably.

I love all my junk stuff. 

Looking back over the last 20 years or so a lot of it is gone.

It finally fell apart or just out grew the garden.

The tipsy pots were a hit 10 years ago. I had several sets of them.

But, like a lot of things they were not functionable.

Whether it was to time consuming to water them or whatever.

I still have an old galvanized tub tipsy thing. It has changed over the years too.

The bathtubs are still here. I enjoy them. I am partial to water features.

I love the bottle trees. Would those be considered circus-y?

I think I am leaning towards eccentric.

I like weird stuff. It makes me laugh.

So if my yard is a circus to some people that is just fine.

Bring some popcorn and enjoy!

What To Do In Winter

Plan a new arrangement of course!

Still a work in progress.

The lamp was my Moms. I dismantled it.

The stepping stone hanging came in the mail so I added it to the wall.

I think it works perfectly(-:

Added a mirror and a plate(-:

I also have a new clock to add to the table. 

It is broken and does not work.

It also already has some rust.

 Not sure on the teapot/cup yet either. Of course the plants are dying because it is end of season, but you can imagine. 

I thought about a real teapot and teacup, but the squirrels would knock it off and break it unless I glued it down. So that is what I am trying to decide. So for now the clay teapot/cup/saucer will have to do.

The lampshades are a collection I moved there. So it can officially be the "shade" garden now. 

I have a clematis that climbs on the bed so hopefully it will spread across it as it grows.

Anyhow, it is something to think about during the long cold winter months.

Last night was our first frost.

Lucky for all the fragile plants they were tucked safely into their new winter home.

I will post a picture of the new shed soon.

I am so happy with how it turned out.

Waiting For The Frost

It was 37 degrees the night before last. Last night it was just windy.

This clematis is still blooming. That would make it 7 months of blooms!

Amazing. I love it!

The shade flowers bloom without any problem.

Lemons are about ready to pick.

Little bunny planter is about done. 

Leaves are everywhere. There is a lot to clean up soon.

My favorite picture of the day.

The Princess enjoying her chickens!

I'm not sure how she got so dirty. Looks like she rolls around in the dirt.

She does like to have fun that's for sure.

Can you believe this chicken was this big just a few months ago?

Children and chickens grow extremely fast.

November?

It has been in the 80's here. Been painting outside of house and shed and I am about worn out.

Things still going strong in the garden are:

My new Disneyland rose. It has buds!

Halloween Photos

The annual Halloween pictures with the Princess were fun.

I can't believe she will be 5 in December. The years have just flown by.

I feel like this is the end of the seasonal pictures. She is not as into the whole dress up thing anymore.

Makes me sad, but I understand how that all comes to an end at some point.

Seems like when they go to school there are plenty of school pictures and events that go along with pictures.

So this will probably be it.

I wasn't as excited with this outfit as the past outfits, but there isn't as much available once they get out of the T's. Then its little girls dresses etc and there wasn't much to choose from.

Of course there is still the costume thing, but she has that to wear on Halloween.

We had a great time and if this is the end to seasonal photo sessions then I guess it was a good last one. She even agreed to the spider barrette.(-:  What more could I ask for.

I love her so much.

What's New?

Same old stuff here. Waiting for the big frost to hit. Almost done with the little shed to store all my plants in. It is getting painted this week. Then insulated and then the plants can go in and stay toasty warm until spring arrives. The little shed also serves as the pump house for the well.

So it has another purpose, but my husband added two big windows so I could put all the plants inside during the winter months. It will be really nice. I always put plants in the house, but the house is not to big and the plants take up a lot of room.

The next thing I am doing is painting the outside of the house. Same color, but just a new coat of paint.

Of course there is always the bread baking adventures. I probably haven't shared them much lately. Here are the last three bakes.

This was this mornings.

Saturdays

Last Saturday

I try to bake every week and you can see that mostly the bread looks about the same. I am thinking that is a good thing. 

I have found, if you let it do the final rise before putting in fridge inside the plastic bag, it is much nicer. 

Todays bread I did not do that. I left it sitting out to rise and then put in the bag to refrigerate. 

So note to self...remember bag.(-: 

Although you probably can't tell much difference, the bag actually adds a ton of moisture to the dough and causes a lot more action.

This sour dough adventure has been a blast. Some ups and downs. 

O.K. a lot of downs to start with, but now I think I have it mastered. 

Maybe time to move on to a different recipe. There are so many to try. So many great artisan breads out there.

You may remember that this bread is just flour/water/salt and of course the starter which is just flour and water. No commercial yeast is ever used. 

That is what makes it so much fun. 

Will it rise or not?

That can be the big question as you start learning this whole process.

I would say though, if making every week, you learn slower then if you made it everyday.

Since it is so time consuming I chose to only do it once a week. 

Then bake the following morning.

There are no short cuts in this bread process.

Unlike yeast dough you have to really be patient. I really don't have a lot of patience so that makes it harder for me. (-:

The best part though is the first bite.

Which sometimes happens before the bread is cooled.

When I was in high school I worked for several years at a local French bakery.

Hot bread out of the oven was always everyone's favorite.

Customers always asked how we worked there and didn't gain a ton of weight.

The answer was we were kids and most of us were in sports.

Fast forward to now. You get the picture!

So yeah, baking everyday would be a huge mistake. 

That is also why I give one loaf away and keep one for the family.

Giving a loaf away is never a problem. Most people like fresh  baked sour dough.

Well that is all for now.

Hope your week starts out well.

Last Pick of the Season

The 2018 garden is coming to a close and it was the best year ever. Everything except tomatoes that is. For some reason they did not live long. Just about when things were going well they started dying. So that was a bummer.

Anyhow this is the last crop of butternut this year. This is the second crop.

The largest was 5lbs 13oz.

We had about 30 jack o lantern pumpkins.

We picked those a couple weeks ago.

I can't wait for next year. I am going to plant more pumpkins and less zucchini and crookneck squash. (-:

Fall Planting

Or should I say getting ready for Spring? 

Ah, yes, that fabulous season when everything is new again. I can hardly wait. But I must, and there is plenty of time to get it all done.

First there were 200+ bulbs to get in the ground. Daffodils and Tulips galore. 

Then I decided to dig up every thing that was in need of transplanting. Another 100+ bulbs.  

Plus I had more bulbs in pots I had never planted in the ground. 

So now all are planted into the ground awaiting their Spring activation.

I worked outside all day moving things around and planting things.

Re-arranging stuff.

It is an endless job. (-:

Here is what is still blooming.

My daughter gave me this little sun so I hung it on the new arbor.

This rat tail cactus is not blooming, but it looks nice.

I guess that is all for now.

Enjoy your week!