Thursdays Thoughts, A Good Soaking Rain

Yesterday, we had a good soaking rain all day, the first in 

almost two months.  About 3/4 of an inch here.  The earth 

has sucked it all up and we need a lot more, but it's better

 then a poke in the eye with a sharp stick and it brings hope.

Sunday Stills, The Letter F

Wordless Wednesday

Shooting In The Dark

That title has many meanings, shooting in the dark.

We drove by these fields on our way to Dixon yesterday,

They were filled with, Swans, Snow Geese and Mallard Ducks.

I stated, "I wish we had time to stop"

but we had time restraints.

 JS, promised if it wasn't to late we could stop on the way home.

He made good on his promise and we stopped.  As you can see it was 

pretty dark, and countries road in the valley are flanked by ditches.

Trying not to fall in one and watch for on coming cars, JS was very 

encouraging,  and even put the flasher light on for me.

The birds were in flight, that made the shots more interesting. 

The sun was down, that made the shot harder.  They're grainy,

but I'm happy with the look and like the subject. 

  Now I need to work on settings and patience.

As Ansel Adams said,

 "Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer,

and often the supreme disappointment."

Pretty Picture Monday

Click on Photo to  Enlarge

Thursdays Thoughts, Drought

The velvet green hills are still summer brown,

we pray and pray, but no rain to be found.

We ask you God for your help,

our farms and ranches wont survive this drought.

Thursday's Thoughts, Cookbooks

Cookbooks..... Make me weak in the knees...  Love Them!

My mom is a great cook and like most of the women in our family,

didn't get many opportunities to cook outside the realm of 

meat and potatoes.  Fried stake, Fried potatoes.

What's not to like?

Of course no newly wed of my generation would think of starting 

her marital bliss without the traditional Better Homes and 

Betty Crocker's newest additions.

Santa even brings Daughter Dawn and I a new cookbook

every Christmas.  This is my new one.

Mmmmmm................  Bacon

Martha improved my pie baking and pie crust.

"It's A Good Thing"

 Cookbooks have taken some real twist and turns over the years.

I've donated my share of bad ones to the Salvation Army.

About ten years age, Cookbooks turned back to the basics.

Finally!  real cooking, with real food !!!

Here are my old and new favotites.

It's still meat and potatoes and

"Man are they good!"

;D

Wordless Wednesday

Holidays, Oranges, The Biscuit and A New Year.

By now we all have the holidays pack away and

 survived the new year.  Or, maybe still working on it.

It was The Biscuits first Christmas and with four generations

 of family and friends, the kids feet never touched the floor.

It was pretty low key and peaceful even with a house full.

New Years was just JS, me and the two big hair balls.

December had us worried with the freezing temps, 

that not only would we lose our crop but our trees.

But the Harvest Gods smiled on us and we are having

one of the best years ever.

The Biscuit is walking and has two teeth, that she's trying out

 on everything and one.  She has also discovered her voice,

making faces and has mastered the art of stair climbing.

Nanna, went today and bought a doggy fence.

Baby fence......    ;)

Well,       a whole new year in front of us.

It's always like a big empty box setting there.

What to do with it?     What not to do with it?

Me.........   I have no resolutions, no plans and no promises

I think, I'll just see where it leads me.

Sunday Stills, White

Snow would have been a great subject for this challenge,

but do to a lack of it, I went with my old Camellia.

New Years Eve

"HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL"

A quite night at home for JS and I.

A couple of fresh crabs and prawns and 

 of course a loaf of Sour Dough bread,

it's California after all.

;D

Pretty Picture Monday

Christmas & Oranges

Now I bet your asking yourself,

~

Why don't she write?

~

Like the rest of you , tacks are many and time is short.

Made it through the freeze, How? is beyond me.

We should have lost every orange.

We've picked half of the orchards and have the other half sold.

"Thank You God"

we know who did that!

Getting ready for Christmas seems to take up more time each year.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with getting older...LOL

Christmas shopping!!  I hate shopping.

Well, let me back up......   I like shopping.

I hate standing in line and then lugging it to the parking lot.

Crowds of people and traffic, don't do much for disposition.

That might be a getting older thing too.

~

"MERRY CHRISTMAS"

Pretty Picture Monday

"Our Christmas Tree"

Freezing, Snow and Navel Oranges

I don't even know what to write, this is how my week began

and this is how it's ending. 

 Yes that's snow, and we have had snow here on the farm in years past, 

so... it could happen.   Chico is about 25 miles up the road, but their weather

 is not far off of ours.  Usually, freezing in the valley pushes warm air up to us, 

here in the "Banana Belt".   But when we get this kind of freezing day after day, 

for hours on end, there is no warm air left to push. I realize that compared to 

weather in other parts of the county and for my friends in the far north,

 this is short sleeve weather.   But!!!  if your raising Citrus,  It's Hell.

We've been turning on the water during the night hours, it keeps the air

 moving and ups the temperature....... a little bit.   It your lucky it will safe 

the fruit, now we just trying to save the trees.  I had a pipe blow the other

 night, but it's to cold to fix it properly, with out breaking more.  

Any port in a storm.

This is how the tree above the brake looked, 

makes for pretty pictures and a lot of heart ache.

I Am Thankful This Day

Dear God

I want to take this time, to Thank You for all the things that have made 

me the person I am.  Being born to a ranching family where things didn't

 come easy, not knowing we didn't have a lot, because  horses, 

dogs, trees to climb, creek to wade in, lot of room to be a kid and to not

 have fear of anything, was more valuable then gold.

Thank You for all the family vacations, like gathering cows and branding,

 hunting and fishing trips, camping under the open sky and all the family

 members who came along.   Grandparents, aunts and uncles, great aunts
 and uncles and a herd of kids of all ages.     It was great.

Thank You for the time I was on my own with no direction and free to wonder. 

 It had it's ups and downs, but showed me who I was and quickly

 what I believed in.

And Thank You for what I have today.  A family of my own.  A husband that

 works from first light till way beyond the setting sun, who has done good by 

this family, giving us a beautiful home and a place were our kids

 could grow up the way I did. 

And I can not Thank You enough for the three best kids ever.  Thank You 
that they are healthy, intelligent, loving and caring to others and each other.  
That they will never be a burden and who can stank on their own. 

  I am so very proud of them.

Thank You for our wonderful Son in Law,  he is a hard worker and treats our 
daughter like a queen.  He's a good man.  Thank You Thank You so much 
for our beautiful granddaughter.  She is perfect.

Thank You that I have so many friends that I can never repay all the
 dinners I owe.Thank You for new friends I have never met, 
but hope to someday.

Thank You God, that I have lived this life, my life and
 I have lived it as an American.

Pretty Picture Monday

If I don't talk to you between now and then,

"HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING"

;D

Sunday Stills, One Pic of Your Favorite Subject

This was a hard challenge, I guess because there are so many things

 I like taking photos of.  To sum it up I would say nature, landscapes, 

wildlife, wildflowers.  Anything, that is or has to do with it.  Also snap 

shots of ranching and framing life, even stills of everyday things. 

Not interested in wedding, portraits, staging or a lot of computer changes.

I love it and marvel at what real photographers create.

  I look at photography on different web site and tell myself 

 "This is the kind of photography I want to do"

 Of course my new favorite subject is my granddaughter

and have to admit I don't have many photos of her.

Hope you take time to check out Sunday Stills and 

other beautiful photography web sites.

Come Take A Walk With Me.

I want to show you around the farm, it's so beautiful.

Some of my favorite trees are the Liquid Amber, that we planned 

when we first moved here and this one greets

 you at the front gate.

It's amazing how one tree can have so many different color leaves.

The Oranges are showing color as well and

 will be ready to pick in mid December.

The giant Tulip tree, was here before us, I love it's fall color and

 it's beautiful spring flower.  It towers over the  yard

 The pomegranates bright red fruit among it's gold leaves, 

glows in the sunlight.  More Liquid Amber around the house.

Red, Gold, Orange, Black, Yellow, Purple. 

I never get tiered of looking at them, or taking pictures.

 Dogwood next to where I park, is at beautiful now, as it is 

it's covered with white flowers.   The big Maple at the front

 door, fills the window of my office on the second floor.

Last but not least is the Japanese Maple 

viewed from the kitchen window.

I enjoyed our walk.

;D

Pretty Picture Monday