Blueberry Adventure

I was just in the garden picking the first fruits from our new blueberry bushes. For years we couldn't grow them here as they require more cold days than we have. Finally some hybrids have been developed for our area and, if our first taste was any judge, they will be much better than those we can buy in the stores. It reminded me of a time when I was young and we went on a fishing expedition deep in the forests. The weather that weekend was glorious and the spot they chose to leave the van was heavenly. A small meadow surrounded by trees. While my dad was fishing, our mom decided we should explore the woods. The trees were mostly firs and left the forest floor nice and shady,and was cushioned by fallen needles. There were occasional small bushes scattered here and there. We came to an open area and to our surprise discovered wild blueberries. Now wild blueberries are not like the ones you buy in the store. They are much smaller and extremely sweet and the parent plant is more like a vine on the ground than a bush. We ran back to the cars and grabbed anything we could to put them in. Back to the berry patch we went and, on our hands and knees, began picking the luscious fruit. All was quiet as busy hands plucked berries. Then we heard a rustling coming from the forest. Mom looked up and indicated that we should be very quiet and there, standing up, was the biggest brown bear I'd ever seen!! We grabbed our pails and quickly and quietly left the berry patch for the bear.

When we got back to the van we all got inside and locked the doors in case the bear decided to follow us. After a time we got out of the van since there was no bear in sight. I can only assume that he loved blueberries as much as we did and was too busy feasting to give any thought to us. We were quite satisfied with our spoils and all had a tasty afternoon snack.

It sure has been a while since I posted!  Daily chores seem to take a lot more time these days.  Gluten free eating is finally routine!  Gluten is found in so many processed foods that I read every label when shopping.  It truly is amazing what is in a lot of processed foods!  A lot of ingredients are to preservatives and some maintain the texture and color we expect. 

Speaking of preserving, it is spring and the chicks have grown a bit.  When I was young, this was the time that the farmers were culling the flocks and selling the roosters.  Mom used to buy them in bulk for canning.  I think that she didn't have to remove the feathers - thank goodness - as that is a tedious task.  She would get out the canning jars to be washed and buy new seals.  If memory serves she didn't use the pressure cooker for canning but a large canning pot.  She sterilized the jars in boiling water and lined them up on the counter.  Salted water covered the chicken in the jar then the seal and bands were tightened.  The complete cans were put in a rack in the water bath canning pot.  The water would be brought to a boil and then the timer would go on.  As to exact times, I don't remember but the chicken was always good and an easy way to save the spring excess for winter.  We also took the chicken on camping trips and we had a protein for dinner if Dad didn't catch a fish.

Before freezers were readily available, Mom used to can a lot!  Dad always had a huge garden so there was an excess of produce to put up for the winter.  Beans, peas, raspberries, carrots.  Potatoes and cabbages were kept in the root cellar and they stayed pretty tasty for most of the winter.  Imagine all our vegetables and fruits for the winter coming from Mom's shelves of canned goods.  Don't forget jams and jellies.  Whenever I am feeling sorry for myself as I must do my own baking, I remember the hot summer days with the caning pot boiling away and pull myself up by the boot straps and get on with the task.

Lance is Back!

WOW! Lance Armstrong is back in pro cycling. I'm so excited!!! When Don had surgery a few years back we watched the Tour de France together and I became a confirmed pro cycling fan. I love to watch the peleton bob and weave along the country roads. It is a moving tapestry of color and motion.

I have continued to watch the races even thought Lance retired after winning his 7th (!) Tour but it hasn't been the same. Such a surprise that I can turn into a groupie in my 60s! I love to watch him cycle and really admire his strength of character. To return to cycling after the fight he had with cancer amazed me.

In the past he has only raced the Tour de France but this year he is participating in pretty much all the American and European tours so I'm wondering what his performance will be like. I just watched an interview with him and he vows that if one of his teammates is stronger then he will gladly be their domestique. For those of you who aren't familiar with cycling, the domestiques are the team members that are responsible for getting the drinks and food from the team cars in the back of the peleton for their more illustrious team mates. By the way, the peleton is the group containing the most of the cyclists. The break-away is usually a few brave souls who literally break away to the front of the peleton in the hopes of getting their names in public and some exposure for their sponsors. OK so cycling is a bit more complex than watching one or two guys on fabulous bikes race through wonderful countryside.

Next weekend the Tour de California is set to begin and Lance will be riding in it! The first year that they had the Tour, we managed to squeeze and bump our way to a spot on the finish line in Thousand Oaks. We waited patiently and then they came and went! Those guys move!! I surprised both Don and myself by screaming myself hoarse. Like I said, quite a surprise to find myself a groupie in my 60s.

The Inauguration

Wow! What an extrordinary day yesterday was. I'm a registered democrat so it comes as no surprise that I was hoping that Mr Obama would win the election. He brings intelligence and the ability to articulate clearly back to Washington. A breath of fresh air.

I wasn't going to watch many of the activities but turned on the t.v. and was totally hooked! For the first time I had both the time and interest to watch. The crowds were amazing - the paper today gave the number at 2 million. The picture of the crowd totally filling the mall blew my mind - keeping in mind that it was cold and windy and many of those people had to get there very early to have a space.

Watching the crowds and listening to the interviews I teared up. When I first came to the U.S. there were still segregated schools, drinking fountains, cafes, bars, ...... Once, when visiting in Oakland in the 60s we made the mistake of walking into a black bar. What did we know? Innocents from Canada. We weren't served and everyone in the place glared and stared. It took a bit of time before we figured out what was wrong. My takeaway was that blacks and whites had quite different cultures. I first got to know black people after I moved to LA. Seemed to me that they weren't that different than me so didn't get what all the fuss was about. Still, there were and are people who don't feel that way. Having a black man in the White House will not change their minds but clearly they are a minority in this country.

I admit to a bit of apprehension. Was someone going to make it through the security barriers and kill him? The only other president that touched so many people was Jack Kennedy. I remember the feeling of hope that he brought to the country even thought I was still in Canada. I also remember when he was assassinated. Yvonne was toddling around the living room and the tv was on. They announced that he had been shot and I started to tear up. For me a dream for a better world died with him.

Back to today. Such an amazing day it was and it is my sincere hope that Mr Obama will restore the rule of law to our nation.

Knit a Purse

A friend of mine was about to have a birthday so I asked what she wanted. She replied "Could you knit me a backpack purse?" I had a knitting book handy so she chose the pattern and I embarked on an adventure.

The pattern wasn't for a backpack purse but a messenger purse. I figured it was close enough. Then I went to the internet to order some yarn. Since the purse would be used bunches (I hope) I decided to use hemp yarn. I found some that was softened with a bit of cotton and ordered it in a nice warm fall color. I knit a few samples to figure out which needles to use then embarked on the the project. The front of the purse is a lacy pattern and the rest is a simple garter stitch. The lace was fun to learn and kept me interested. The garter stitch is so easy that I got some t.v. time in while knitting.

Once the knitting was done, I had to figure out how to finish my creation. I didn't want it to lose shape so got some interfacing and ironed it in. Next was the lining, then the straps. I must admit that I've never made a purse quite like this before but I'm pleased with the results and gave it to my friend at her birthday lunch.

If, as they say, you must challenge one's brain with new and different challenges, I've just finished mine for the month!

Scary Dairy

Wow, just when I'm about to whine about how cold it is, Mother Nature gives me pause. Yesterday was a fabulous day here. The temp was in the low 60s and it was crystal clear.

We took a couple of hours out of our day and went to the flying field and while Don did practice flights I took a walk. Since access to the park area is restricted I felt OK walking by myself. A quick 10 minutes got me to the "Scary Dairy". There used to be a mental hospital in Camarillo and the group The Eagles hit song "Hotel California" was about our hospital. The picture on the front of their vinyl album was taken there. The main part of the hospital has been renovated and is now the Channel Islands campus of the California State University system. What very few people know is that the hospital had their own dairy farm. The remains of the farm - a regular barn and a structure that might have been a milking barn are still there. A few years ago we had a competition at the field and I was talking to a couple of teens and they said that the dairy was on the net with the title "Scary Dairy". I looked it up and you can see some of the best pictures of what remains at this website:
http://www.valleyhaunts.net/showthread.php?tid=155&pid=932#pid932

The only haunts that I found were a covey of quail and a red-tailed hawk!

2009 At Last

It's been a busy time, this year-end. I haven't posted in quite a while - no reasonable excuse except that I just haven't had much to say.

The Christmas madness of gift shopping, wrapping, and mailing was done in time for gifts to arrive by the Big Day. I love to shop in the internet and whenever possible have the gifts wrapped and delivered to the recipient. While that isn't always possible it does ease the last minute rush to the UPS store....

We got the tree up a few days before Christmas and had fun watching the cats bat at the low hanging ornaments. Izzy, our shy longhair, loved hiding behind it and watching the living room activities from there. One of our Arizona animal cousins sent a package for the kitties that had Jenny ready to rip the box apart. As soon as I unpacked the box she grabbed the package and ran into another room to unwrap it. I did spoil her fun and hid it until Christmas. After Don and I had opened our packages I got the cat's packages out of hiding. I ripped them a bit to give them a start then left them alone. Sure enough, one of the toys had catnip inside them. Jenny grabbed it and ran off to get her "fix". The other toys were more interactive - I pulled a string and they ran across the floor. We all had a good time playing.

As is our tradition we went to the movies on New Year's Eve. We saw Valkyre and even thought I knew the ending, I was hoping the "good guys" would win! I really enjoyed it a lot - the characters were believable and the '40s era was faithfully reproduced. To ring in the New Year we watched Robbie Knievel jump the volcano in Vegas (of course we watched on t.v.). Maybe it was better to watch it in person......

The decorations are down, the new clothes have been washed and put away, and new toys have been put through their paces. Now we have only a few days of the Bush years left. Can hardly wait for the new president to begin tackling the problems our nation faces.