Archaeological Dig

I am digging out our bedroom, which was also a storage unit during the remodel. I have moved much of the extra furniture that was stored there. But my bed is covered stuff that needs to find a home in the garage, or upstairs or mainly the trash can! While on my dig, I found pretty patterns of dust. Isn't it lovely?

Fresh Fruit

I love all the fresh fruit this time of year.

Juicy Nectarines

Frogs

A family of frogs live under my hot tub cover.

And even though it says Bullfrog 

  And you seem quite content.

 The spa is not for you to enjoy.

So please remove your little webbed feet,

 That bumpy back and that smug look,

                        And remember that even though it says Bullfrog, it was intended for humans.

Ironic, isn't it?

A heartfelt thank you to the service men and women who keep this country safe. God bless you!

A small remembrance to our loved ones who have gone before us, yet have had a lasting impact on our lives. 

Columbine

Thanks to my neighbor, Pat, who shares her flowers with me, so that my garden will be pretty too!

Here's To You

Here's To You 

You Graduates of 2012

And Your Family and Friends

Who Supported You.

We  Congratulate and Salute You!

To my niece Miss Caroline, my friend Nicholas, and my nephew Henry.
Cheers!
I'll drink to that!

I Am On A Misson

I am on a mission to perfect my fruit pie baking skills. I usually have fruit pies where the crusts are soggy and the fruit mess inside falls out of the crust when trying to serve a slice. It is more like pie soup. I went online this week and learned a few tips. The following pie was made with canned peaches. 

 Tip #1: You can add 1 tsp. of extra cornstarch for each cup of fruit.

 Tip #2: The vent holes must be of a significant size to allow the steam to escape, which means that my cute drawings in the upper pie shell weren't cutting it!

 Tip #3: The pie has to cool completely before cutting. Plan ahead!

Success! Finally a pie that has a flaky crust and the fruit stays in place! Next week: fresh strawberry rhubarb pie.

Strawberry Season

Memory Lane

 I had a stroll down memory lane to about 27 years ago. Yesterday I watched my granddaughters. You see my daughters are the same age difference as their daughters, 13 months apart. Eleanor is eighteen months and Vivian is five months. They look so much like their mommies too.
Every once in awhile something will spark a memory of all those years ago, usually nothing specific. I remember the busy-ness of it all. The physical demands; entertaining one while giving a bottle to the other, entertaining the other while the toddler has lunch, maneuvering a stroller out the door while helping the toddler walk down the steps, trying to get both babies to sleep for a few moments of sanity. It all came rushing back to me yesterday.
So today my hat is off to my daughters, who are very good mommies to my sweetest grandbabies!

My Thoughts on Baking Bread

Once a week I bake bread. I like baking bread.  Nothing says 'loving' quite like the smell and taste of homemade bread, especially when it is hot out of the oven.
My mother liked to bake bread. In the winter she would make bread so the oils would help relieve her dry hands. In the summer I think she liked to knead the bread when her four kids were under foot. Kneading bread can have therapeutic benefits! I also remember the summer that Dad made Mom and I a deal. If we made all of the bread products for the summer he would take us on vacation. We made our hot dog and hamburger buns and sandwich bread. Most of the bread baking fell on Mom's shoulders, since I was working at the local nursing home, but at the end of the summer we went to Yellowstone. Baking bread conjures up good memories for me.

 I have tried different types of bread, but we like the classic white bread. My favorite recipe comes from here:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/gold-medal-classic-white-bread/20967ff8-467c-4445-99b4-b3a97a554dd2
 It comes out perfect every time.

Gather your ingredients, just a few: flour, sugar, salt, shortening, yeast and water.

To get the perfect temperature for the yeast, I use my temperature probe in my trusty microwave.

I knead the dough with olive oil, rather than flour.

Place in an oiled bowl and let raise till it has doubled it's size.

Roll the dough out in a rectangle. 

Roll the dough up and place in a bread pan. Then bake.

Remove from oven and brush butter over the top.

 While it is still hot, cut a slice, spread liberally with butter and enjoy.

Solar Eclipse

Did you see the solar eclipse that happened yesterday? Here are my pictures of it, magnified so you could see.

Beginning the eclipse

The hidden sun

Ending of the eclipse

282 Miles

Here in Northern California, we are privileged to have some of the best motorcycling terrain. There are loops to ride for as much or as little time as you have. This past Saturday we had the whole day. This is an armchair travelogue. Turn your fan on so it's blowing in your face and join us as we travel:

Past Rice Fields. Look for the crop duster.

Past Big Orchards

Past Open Expanses of Pastures

Past Vistas of Canyons

In the Canyons

Over and Under Bridges

Past Mountain Streams

Past Snow Fields

Past Jagged Mountain Peaks

And back toward home.

This was our route.

Take Time

Have you taken the time to stop and smell the roses?

Miss Navy Blue Eyes

Look who I spent the day with!

Little Miss Navy Blue Eyes, Vivian Louise!

She doesn't like heat and prefers no socks or clothes!

She makes funny little faces!


What a sweet baby! I just love her to pieces!

In the Land of the Tall Trees

It's a lovely spring day. The temperature is perfect and I want so badly to open the doors and open the windows, but I dare not. There is pollen in the air today. Every spring for two to three weeks, the yellow pollen comes calling and leaves it's mark on everything. With the breeze come clouds of pollen to make us humans choke and wheeze!