Christmas Lights

One of the joys of Christmas is looking at the decorated houses. As a youngster I remember whole neighborhoods would get bedecked with lights and displays and cars would queue up for blocks and blocks just to see the show. That's rare nowadays. The cost of power prohibits it I guess. Given that, a few houses are decorated and they are delightful to behold. 

Here's a glimpse of a one such house. Thank you for making our Christmas a little brighter (no pun intended).

The Fence between US/Mexico

You have all heard about the fence that divides the US/Mexico border. Have you seen that fence?

At the Nogales, AZ international crossing, the fence is about 15 feet high. It consists of vertical steel "planks" set a few inches from each other. From some angles you can see thru the fence, from other angles it looks solid. Every so often there are posts where guards can watch the happenings on both sides. There are also cameras...lots of cameras...watching, watching watching. 

We were here 8 years ago and we remembered a chain link fence with razor wire on top. We did not see that fence today. 

The fence snakes up and down mountains and valleys and straight ahead. In that aspect, it looks like the Great Wall of China, but it is not nearly as permanent, as long, or as wide. 

What we are not seeing are the tunnels that go under the border. New tunnels are found all the time.

It's Only a Paper Moon

Moonrise on Christmas Eve was spectacular!

And a few seconds later...

Then, the moon was launched into space...

Merry Christmas 

Quarter of a Century

I finished my 25th blanket for 2015. I might have time to make one more. 

The blanket is a huge "Granny Square” one of the first patterns people learn when they start making afghans. The typical Granny Square is 3" by 3", this one is 45" on a side. I think it turned out quite well. 

Back to the Future

In 1985, the movie "Back to the Future" was released. One of the stars of that movie was a Delorean automobile. Today we saw a replica of that car at a rest stop in central California.

It had been shown at Comi-Con. We talked to the owners about the car who said it was modeled after the first car in the movie. 

It looked pretty authentic to me. 

The basic Delorean still looked good too. A stainless steel car...what a concept! 

You never know what you will see when you're on the road.

The Bridge on the Other Side of the Bay

A new Bay Bridge was built a few years ago, replacing a structure that partially collapsed (then was repaired) from the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. The old bridge on the Oakland side of the Bay is slowly being dismantled and sent to China. Here's what it looks like today. 

As the infrastructure is being broken up into smaller pieces, its memories are slipping away. 

I wonder why we, meaning the US, could not recycle the steel? But I also wonder why we had to rebuild the bridge. 

It's sad to see the old bridge go as it had so much more character than the modern one. I guess this is progress. (But that reminds me of an old play on words....if pro means for and con means against.... we all know what progress means....therefore what does congress mean? But I digress!)

Sunrise

Oh what a beautiful morning!

Two Dozen and counting

That's blanket number 24 for 2015. I averaged 2 blankets a month...but that's not truly accurate as I did not make any when we were in the Caribbean or Norway or Switzerland or when I had pneumonia. I'm working on the pink/yellow/orange pallet right now as Project Linus gave me a huge bag of those colors. I think there is enough for one more blanket, which I started tonight. I just might have time to make 25 blankets this year! 

Given that, the Project Linus chapter to which I belong, donated almost 11,000 blankets to kids in the greater Sacramento area. My contribution was a mere .002, but every stitch counts. If you would like to contribute to this fine group, go to ProjectLinus.com to find a local chapter. They are always looking for knitters, crocheters and quilters as well as yarn and fleece or monetary gifts. Needless to say, I find "working" for Project Linus very rewarding. 

Pearl Harbor

A day that will live in infamy, according to Prisident Roosevelt. The day that started the US entry into World  War II. December 7,1941, 74 years ago! Hats off to the veterans who fought in that war hoping to end all war. Somehow not everyone received the message. 

Sleeping Beauty

Yesterday we saw a local production of Sleeping Beauty. The ballet was wonderful. The story was conveyed quite easily thru mime, and a few captions before each act. The costumes were grand. The principal dancer, the daughter of a friend, was an excellent Princess Aurora. 

There were a few professional ballerinas in the performance as well as some little girls from a local ballet academy. The little ones were the most fun to watch. They were fulfilling their dream of being ballerinas all dressed up in pretty fairy costumes with their pink ballet slippers trying to plié and not fall. In the audience there were little girls wanting to be on stage with the real ballerinas. It was absolutely delightful to watch. 

Autumn Leaves

The wind is blowing

The leaves are falling 

Winter is on the way

Anyone Can Drive?

No, the dog was not driving, but it sure looked like it! In reality, the car was parked, the windows were open, and no one was coming near that car. Big dog as guard is all that is needed. 

Words with Friends

I'm an avid player of Words with Friends. I usually have several games in play with people all over the US. The other day I made "brawnier," a 173 point word. This is not the most points that can be made, but it's pretty good. The game keeps track of statistics, such as number of 7 letter words played in the last month, or average score or (my favorite) the distance of tiles played (in feet). I still need to figure out what that means as it is an online game and there are no physical tiles. BTW, I've played 180,000 feet of tiles since joining the game in 2012. 

My all time best word is "quivered" played in exactly the same spot. It was worth 239 points (see my blog entry for January 21, 2014 for a picture of that stellar word). If you'd like to join my game, I'm Cruztalker. I'm always ready for a new game. 

Fall Has Arrived

In the Rockies it is snowing, but in Northern California was are getting autumn. The trees are all decked out for the season in reds and yellows. This is one of the prettier falls I have seen. 

Just look at all the shades of red and brown and orange. 

I think the trees are showing off!

A Day to be Thankful

As Thanksgiving day becomes night, I've been reflecting on all the things for which I am thankful...and the list is long and varied. It includes all the usual "suspects" as well as some "unique to me" items. What have you included on your list? 

To all, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Twenty Three Skidoo

I just finished the 23rd blanket of the year. It's my favorite ripple pattern in shades of pink and orange. If someone told me that those two colors go together, I would not believe it, but the right shades of the two work quite well. 

Tell me what you think? 

Sock Monkey

My sister brought up a "naked" sock monkey and she asked me to make a hat for him. Well the hat led to a scarf and the scarf led to the bows...and all of a sudden we had a well dressed sock monkey. He's a happy little critter now that he's dressed in the latest fashion.

Going Green

We are going green. After doing some research, we decided it was time to use the bright California sun for power. We contacted Solar City and immediately we met with a person who told us all we needed to know (and more) about solar power on our property. 

A site plan was made, plans were drawn up, permits were received from the county and in less than 3 weeks, we received a call to set up an installation date. That was yesterday. 

The truck rolled in and a few things were off-loaded. Fellows then went to the roof of the barn and stated to lay out the design. 

As you can see they cordoned off the barn...safety was paramount. 

More fellows climbed on the roof boring and sealing holes, setting up frameworks, and finally setting up 13 photovoltaic units (PVU). 

We have enough solar power on the roof to take care of our electric needs! It still needs to be connected into the "grid" so we can sell power back to PG&E (our power company). 

When that happens we will turn the switch to ON and start powering our residence with green renewable electricity! 

Rain, Glorious Rain

We had some rain today! In fact we had a bit of a wind storm too! For a few minutes it felt like the house was going to be blown off the mountain. Then the rain came, the wind stopped and it was "back to normal" in about 4 minutes. 

Our usual 40 mile view was limited to less than a mile. As you can see we need more rain. The hills are beyond parched.

Lavender Blue

Way back in April and May I harvested our lavender plants. I created small bundles of lavender sprigs and hung them up to dry, over the summer. About 2 weeks ago I processed the lavender...all the bundles created two cups of lavender buds. 

I made packets for the lavender and crocheted sachets for the packets.  

The sachets in the front are for boys, and the sachets in the back are for girls. I made about 30 sachets, and every one is different. I still had another cup of processed lavender and I was trying to think of a creative use for it, when I stumbled across the idea of making artisan lavender soap.

I had never made soap before, but after doing my online research and told myself "I can do that!" So I did. The aroma is wonderful. Now comes the happy task of giving them to my friends and family for Christmas.

One Score, Two

I just finished my 22nd blanket for the year. It's a hexagon/star in various shades of blues.

I'm think a little girl will like this blanket a lot!

Three More Steps

Progress on the shed is happening, but as usual, it's slow! After caulking and sealing, 

 The trim was primed. 

The first coat of paint was the next step. More is needed but the rain started. We will take any excuse to not work on the shed. 3 steps down...at least 7 more 'easy" steps to go.

It's Raining!

It's 11 PM and it's raining pretty hard! Sure sounds good. If you listen hard, you can almost hear the plants drinking it in!

I know this is not the greatest picture, but you can see the rain. Given the fact that it's been dry dry dry...this is a happy picture!

Name the Car?

Sixty years ago, the "big three" US automakers were making some "cool" cars. Today I saw one. All I have to do is show you one clue, and you will know the car.

The tail light told you it was a 1956 Chevrolet, and the "Bel Air" told you it was the top of the line model that Chevy made that year. The Impala was still 2 years away. 

It was pretty thing to see--a lemon yellow and polar white, two tone hardtop. It featured a wrap-around windshield, a bench seat, an automatic transmission, and a snazzy AM radio. Look at that simple chrome line that seems to force the car forward. It definitely has style!

She was a pretty car in her day...and 60 years later she's still a pretty car. 

This beauty was tucked in the back of a parking lot, away from the newer plain vanilla cars that all look like refrigerators with wheels. She screamed "look at me" so I did! 

Twenty One-derful

I just finished the 21st blanket of the year. It's my new favorite pattern, "ripple and shell" in a combination of colors  I've never used before. 

I think this will be a good blanket for a boy. 

10 Easy Steps

We had our current house built about 30 years ago. While we were waiting for the well to be dug, and the septic tank to be installed, we built a 8 X 12 foot shed. We lived onsite during the building process in a 22 foot fifth wheel trailer, and that shed was used as a "walk out" closet until we moved into the house. 

We purchased the shed as a "kit" from a now defunct hardware chain called Grossmans. The directions said EASY TO BUILD--ONLY 10 steps. We could do 10 steps. After starting the project we quickly discovered that each easy step had about 10 more steps embedded in it. The directions were not well written and oftentimes ambiguous. Nevertheless, we persevered and we created a cute 8 X 12 shed that served its purpose very well. 

However, it was never perfect. The door sagged and the flooring was flimsy plywood. About 5 years later we replaced the floor with 2x6 tongue and groove planks. Then a few years later we replaced the sides with metal as the plywood was rotting away. We replaced the sagging door with a pre-hung door. Then we replaced the roof. Then we replaced the back window. Along the way, we added insulation as it gets steaming hot inside during the summer. Over the years the shed has been transformed from plywood to metal, and each transformation has taken at least 10 "easy steps." This shed has never been "easy" to work on!

And right now the shed is getting yet another facelift. The trim pieces finally "bit" the dust during the summer. They were cooked beyond repair. You can see the damage! They needed to be replaced. 

Once again, we joked, only 10 easy steps. Because the sun caused so much damage, we decided to replace the trim with Hardie Plank. That's an engineered "wood" made from cement and wood chips. It won't rot or warp or split;  it can't be eaten by bugs, and it will withstand the sun. So 10 easy steps later we have replaced the trim. 

All we have to do now is caulk and paint...another 10 easy steps!

75 Years

Yesterday would have been my parents 75th anniversary. As kids, we celebrated their anniversary every year. It was a big deal; so when yesterday rolled around, my sister and I celebrated their special day by talking about old times. 

As an aside, my sister and I gave our parents a big 25th anniversary party. We had her wedding dress cleaned and it still fit. She was pretty proud of that! 

They were married 59 years before my mother passed away.  Their marriage was a success and it served as a model for my sister and I as we have been married a long time too. 

Drought Update

A few days ago, I took a picture of Lake Oroville, a local reservoir. It's important to note, that while this is a Northern California lake, the water is earmarked for Southern California. According to a Park Ranger, the Lake is down almost 300 feet. 

Look at the two narrow lines of houseboats at the bottom of the lake. In 'normal' times, the houseboats are placed more randomly..and there are more. 

Please go back to the May 19, 2015 entry on my blog, and look at the picture I took from the opposite side of the bridge railing. You can see how much the lower the Lake is in just a few months. There really is a drought in California. 

Another Sunset

In the previous picture, the same mountain looked like a volcano...as you can see, it's just a butte. The sky was on fire for just a few minutes. Sunsets are ephemeral. 

Volcano Sunset

No, it's not a volcano, it just looks like one. I fear it might be a harbinger for more heat. Since returning to CA in the fall, we have experienced higher temperatures than we did all summer in the Rockies. Now you know why we summer in the Rockies! 

One Score "Super Scrap Blanket"

I just finished the 20th blanket for this year. It's an unusual blanket. I've been trying out different patterns this year ... And this is definitely a different pattern. 

It's a star, that started off as a hexagon. It's made for a little person as its about 30 inches at the smallest dimension and 42 inches at the largest. It's very comfortable and cozy. A fun fact about the blanket is it's made from leftovers from several other blankets. I call it a "super scrap" blanket -- I don't like to waste yarn! (What can I say?!)