Out with the Old

After more than 3 decades of use, our oven started to die. Don't get me wrong, it was still working, but the thermometer had a life of it's own. That's when we discovered the modern appliance cannot be repaired if it over 10 years old. Given that, we bought a new oven, and, since there was a matching microwave, we bought the pair. So what started out as a small deal, turned into something bigger.

The old pair of ovens still looked good, but their functioning was less than desired.

A few screws were loosened, and after applying some elbow grease, both were removed to the outdoors. A rather unceremonious way to discard old and trusted appliances...but last time I checked, appliances do not have feelings.

The new ovens were rolled into the house and installed but there was one hitch. The wrong microwave surround was ordered. That will be installed next week. The other DrC said Murphy was working overtime. We were both hoping that Murphy would be asleep.

Between now and then, we can use the microwave, but the job is not complete.  If you look at the first picture and the last picture, you will see some differences in the wall of ovens, but not that many. BTW, I do not like stainless steel appliances. Trying to find black appliances is quite difficult. Many oven models (including the one I really wanted) are available in stainless. Someday that color choice will go out of fashion, in the meantime, I'm an "appliance outlier."

Generator

Even as CoVid-19 plays havoc with our lives, the folks in northern California have another challenge...the Pacific Gas and Electric Company aka PG&E aka Piggie. Last night, when no one was expecting it, the power went off. The house went black. The little "vampire" lights that never turn off, were off. We could not see a thing. We waited about 45 seconds and the lights came back on and it looked like were back to normal. We heard a soft humming coming for the general direction of the generator. We padded our way to a window and saw a blanket of black covering our little valley. It was spooky dark yet we had light. Definite proof that the whole house generator works. We had power. Next I checked the Piggie power outage website (we also had internet) and sure enough, we were going to have a power outage for 6 hours. I don't know if this was a planned outage or not. I do know that the generator works.

Stepping Out

We are doing a deep deep cleaning and we are finding a lot of stuff. Some of the stuff is a not worth keeping. Some of the stuff is worth keeping. And, some of the stuff is "iffy."

This pair of shoes is in the iffy category. They are my wedding shoes. According to the other DrC the wedding shoes worked as we have been married for decades. So, what do you think. Do I keep them or do I toss them out? Let me know!

The Green Flash

I became aware of "the green flash" the first time I visited Hawaii. In order to get ready for the vacation, I read all sorts of information about the islands and one brochure or article (I don't remember now) mentioned that a few lucky people get to see the "green flash" at sunrise or sunset.

I was hooked...what was the green flash? Nowadays, I'd look up a new term or phrase on the internet to find out more, but back then, there was no internet to tell me about the green flash. I went to a library and found that Jules Verne wrote about the green flash at the turn of the last century. I discovered that a green flash occurs when the conditions are perfect and a quick flash of green occurs as the sun is setting or even more rarely when the sun is rising. Naturally I went looking for the elusive green flash on that vacation, and I never saw it.

Many years later we were living on the island of Guam. With a whole year of sunsets to look at, I diligently searched for the green flash and I was rewarded one time. It was magical. It lasted less than a minute and all the people I was with saw it too.

Fast forward to 2 nights ago. I'm taking photos of a beautiful sunset from my back deck. When I looked at the pictures, I saw the green flash. I did not see it when it happened, but I captured a picture of it.

The picture is not edited...the color is off, but there is a green "flash"  around the sun. I don't know if this "counts" as I did not see it first hand...but I have a picture of it. The green flash does exist. 

Another set of Masks

I made cloth masks for both of us, but we did not like the elastic ear loops. I saw another pattern and made them up this afternoon.

The mask is crocheted

And there's a removable filter inside.

 And instead of elastic ear loops, they have ties. Much more comfortable. 

I wonder how much longer we'll be needing to wear masks?

Corona-Bear

Even the teddy bears want to be safe!

Tribbles...oh I mean Teddy Bears

The newest little teddy bear has been created. He matches the blue blanket I made

And as you can see, they do multiply almost as fast as Tribbles. I fear more are on the way!

Easter and the Great Hunkering Down

Yesterday was Easter, normally a day of family and church and celebration. Alas, this Easter was none of the above. Instead of seeing family, people "Zoomed" with their family. Instead of going to church, people "streamed" the services. The celebration of Easter, was different during this time of the Great Hunkering Down. As for me, I cooked. I made a delicious Prime Rib with Yorkshire Pudding, thanks to the folks at America's Test Kitchen.

When the Yorkshire Pudding came out of the oven it was about 4 inches tall and the strangest shape. Both of us were worried it was going to be horrible...

But it was the best.

We had a gustatory Easter celebration. I was saddened we could not share it with family and friends.

Next Easter, folks will not be practicing social distancing and we can all join together in a proper celebration of Easter and the Resurrection of Christ.

Not Grizzly Bears

The pandemic has caused a lot of changes in every day living. We are getting used to being indoors but that does not mean we are enjoying it. Given that, I am keeping busy with my hobbies. To that end, another blanket has been finished and it does not have grizzly bears on it, it has teddy bears.

With the leftover yarn I'm making a matching teddy bear. Some lucky baby is getting 2 for the price of one. The only caveat is the baby cannot play with the teddy bear until he or she gets older. Watch this space for the teddy bear (not grizzly bear).

Of Grizzly Bears and Jack Rabbits

Many years ago grizzly bear researchers in Alaska noted that the bears always follow the same path or trail and they seldom deviate from that path. The same researchers analyzed the trails and discovered they were ancient. The bears had walked the same trails for millennia. 

I've had this tidbit of information in my head for a long time. I've used this knowledge when in Yellowstone or Grand Teton National Parks too. If you want to see grizzly bears in either of the parks, go to known bear trails, and in time you will see a bear. It's also good to know where the trails are, so you can avoid the bears. It works both ways.

Now fast forward to the 12 acres of land that I own far far away from grizzly bears and their trails. On that land there are jack rabbits. Lots and lots of jack rabbits. At first you might think that the rabbits run all over the land but they don't. They follow very definite trails. They stay on those trails and they don't deviate from the trails.

The trail is the darker line in the grasses. It's well traveled, every season of the year. 

There are 2 trails here. The rabbits always stay on their established trails.

Here's a very clear trail. Hundreds of rabbit feet have pounded a path in the dirt for 30+ years that I know of. They always use the same trails. They never vary from the trail. 

I don't know if there is a reason why the rabbits use the same trail system, but it might be something interesting to study. The grizzly bear researchers have not figured out why the bears use the same trail either. They think it might have something to do with familiar smells, but it's a guess. It's difficult to interview a grizzly bear--about as difficult as interviewing a jack rabbit. It is an interesting observation nonetheless.

A Set of Twins

Yep...these little guys just keep popping up. I'm keeping busy and staying out of trouble. 

This is a good thing. 

Hawaii 5-0 Good bye

On Friday night, Hawaii 5-0, one of our regular television programs, signed off the air. I was a fan of the original series that started in 1968 and ended 281 episodes later in 1980. The "new" H5-0 premiered in 2010 and 240 episodes later, it too ended. Though there was violence, there was always the beautiful Hawaiian setting, interesting characters,  no profanity and a steady story line of good vs. bad. Do they make programs like that any more? Lastly, there was the theme music--maybe the best TV theme ever. Good bye 5-0, I will miss you.
(Photo, courtesy of Wikipedia)

Celebrate vs Observe

A few days ago we celebrated our anniversary. Well "celebrate" is not the right word, we "observed" our anniversary. A lot of "observing" is happening right now. As we were observing our anniversary, I was going through my sewing stash and discovered the pattern for my wedding dress. A sweet coincidence.

The pattern brought back a lot of memories and one big blank space. I have no recollection of much of that day. I remember getting my hair done in the morning and nothing else. The wedding worked as several decades later we are still a happy couple.

The old sewing stash revealed a lot of supplies for masks, so I spent my anniversary making a dozen masks for friends and family. When I ran out of elastic, I hung up my sewing machine.

As we are observing our world get sicker, I'm hoping that all of my family and friends stay well. Please continue to "observe" social distancing so we can "celebrate" when this is over.

Baking Bread

Sometime during the "great hunkering down" I decided it would be fun to bake bread. A bunch of other folks decided the same thing as the ingredients were not available at the grocery store. By the time I arrived, there was one bag of flour and no yeast. I bought the last bag of flour, with the idea that I would find yeast somewhere else. I checked two other stores in town, as well as online. Yeast is not available. Then, a phone call intervened. In talking with my out-of-state friends, I mentioned  my bread dilemma and on Monday I received a surprise package containing one pound of yeast. WOW!

Now that I had the ingredients, I made the bread but not without another dilemma. I called up YouTube and other online recipes and discovered modern bread is made using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. I don't have a dough hook attachment. That's when I got out my old Betty Crocker Cookbook that I received as a shower present way too many years ago. NONE of the recipes call for a dough hook. I don't think dough hooks for home use had been invented when this cookbook was written. (Keeping those old books can come in handy).

I followed the recipe for crusty white bread and made two yummy loaves. The house smells so good....and only one loaf is left. There's nothing like warm bread straight from the oven.

Thank you Bob and Lisa for sending me the yeast. Thank you Betty Crocker for the old fashioned recipe. Thank you dear husband, for enjoying the bread. I think I'll make focaccia next. (PS--In case you don't have a dough hook, 8 minutes of electric mixing with a dough hook is equivalent to 10-12 minutes of hand kneading.)

Hunkering Down, post 2

The Great Hunkering continues until the end of April. We will be able to do it. The "it" of course refers to social distancing, staying at home, and not interacting with many people. I think one of the reasons why this has not been hard for me is I get to look at this view. We have been social distancing for a third of a century. Said like that, that's a long time. 

The question still exists...how to stay busy with social distancing in place? There's only so much TV to watch; so many books to read; so many chores to do. This week, I'm thinking I'll do some much needed outdoor chores. We need to clean the sidewalks and decks. We need to build a surround to hide the propane tank (after all, the old one burned during the Camp Fire of 2018). There's stuff to do. The question is "will it get done?" Watch this space to find the answer.

Hunkering Down, post 1

I don't know how long we've been on the mountain--but I'm not bored yet. The other DrC might be a little bored, but he's not saying too much. We've both have our "slug" routine perfected. The "slug routine" is getting up late, not doing much except what is needed, cooking, eating, playing games, watching entertainment, and going back to bed. Not exciting, but then, most of the world is doing the same thing.

I've cooked a fair amount. Not the normal cooking I generally do, but more elaborate meals that take planning and time. It's kind of fun. I was going to make bread, only to find out there's no yeast to be found anywhere. I mentioned this to a friend and he's sending me some from out of state. That's a treat! No sarcasm intended.

I made some face masks, and today we deployed them while making a foray into the ghost town we call home. We did our tasks and headed back home. It's rare that we make quick trips to town as a trip to town is one of our major forms of entertainment in earlier times. It makes me wonder what the new normal will be like when this is over. It also makes we wonder when this will be over. Do we have a few more days, a few more weeks or a few more months? Sadly, no one has a crystal ball that can answer that question.

The university where we both taught is asking folks to journal their experiences during this trying time. They are asking folks to write facts and feelings that describe everyday life during this crisis. I clicked on the provided link several times yesterday to find out more information and was told that the "link was busy." Last night I was let into the website and read more information. Turns out, the U will collect journals (if folks want to share them) to have a record of what it's like to live with a national "quarantine" as there has never been anything like this in our country's history. To that end, I'm putting my journal online. For folks looking into a research project for a thesis or dissertation, this is a good one.

On a positive note, staying at home is relatively inexpensive. I received a visa bill today for under ten bucks. I think that is a first! This too shall pass. Hang in there friends and stay safe and well.

The Best Laid Plans....

I thought this would be a good time to figure out a new crochet pattern considering that we are all "hunkered down" for 2 weeks. To that end, I wanted to learn how to make a crochet Kitty, similar to the Teddy Bear, Heart and Bunny that I make regularly. It's good to have variety.

Let me back up a bit. I read several crochet blogs (yes, there are crochet blogs) that share new patterns with pictures, detailed instructions and even videos. I've learned a lot studying these blogs. The trouble is the bloggers NEVER mention how many times it takes to perfect a pattern. All you see is the finished product that is always beautiful.

Today, I'm breaking new "crochet blog ground" and I'm going to tell you about it. (I think this is a crochet no-no.) It takes a lot of trial and error to perfect a new pattern. It took me several days to perfect the teddy bear pattern. For the heart pattern, I stopped counting at 20 as it was getting too embarrassing that I could not figure it out.  On the other hand, the bunny pattern went together as it was planned. Now comes the kitty.

This is a picture of some of my starts...and at least two more are not included as I tore them out and restarted. I finally have the pattern figured out, and--here's the kicker--I don't like it! So it's back to the drawing board. I might not be adding a Kitty Blanket to my repertoire unless I get re-inspired. For now, I'm calling it quits. The best laid plans are always subject to change.

Two Days

Enduring the great "hunkering down" of 2020 we try to look for something different. I know the weather is not different, but we've had a couple of days of interesting weather. The day before yesterday was the definition of a perfect spring day. Warm and sunny, small fluffy clouds dancing in the sky,  a light zephyr to rustle the leaves. To top off the picture-perfect spring day was a golden sunset. 

Then came yesterday. The perfect clouds from the day before gave way to leaden bellies filled with "sturm and drang." The sky grew dark and ominous. Thunder clapped so loud, the house shook. Then, the hail and rain came.

What a difference a day makes!

PS...if the 6 second video will not open, here's a still

In Bloom

The spring rains have brought a lot of flowers. We have lavender

Hawthorne

African Daisies

Another type of lavender

Asters

Photenia

Ceanothus

And the beautiful Rock Rose. I love the spring time flowers.

State Flower

The poppy is the state flower of California

And they are in bloom right now.

We've always wanted poppies on our property, but sadly they just don't grow here.

Grow Your Own

A friend sent this to me yesterday--what can I say? 

It's just funny.

The Shelves are Bare

Yesterday we had to do some errands, so we went to the store. This is what I found. I've only seen a store look like this one time in my life. It was during the summer of 1979 in northern BC. We had just left Alaska and we were ready to drive the famous unpaved road, "The Al-Can" (as it was called then) to Dawson. As we left White Horse in the Yukon Territory it started to rain. After our second day on the Al-Can, the rain was causing floods on this muddy, slippery, road. That's when we stopped at a campground in Muncho Lake. We holed up in our tiny motorhome for a few days eating our supplies down. The rain continued and the lake was getting higher. There were helicopters delivering food and supplies to folks; and the rain continued. One day, after we had our last can of Spam, we decided to take a walk to see the road first hand. We discovered it was not too muddy or eroded, so the next morning we filled the tank and left our watery campground and headed for the next "big town" which was Fort Nelson, BC. Nowadays, Fort Nelson boasts a population of 3000, but it did not have that many folks in 1979. It was a wide stop in the road with a couple of gas stations, a general market and not much more.

We drove all day to Fort Nelson never seeing anyone on the road. It was an interesting drive as we were both looking for washouts and mud holes only to find a relatively easy drive. We found one slick portion of the road, and we drove thru it without incident. About 5 PM we arrived at Fort Nelson. There was a guard at the gate and the guard was facing the town, not our direction. When she heard us she looked at us with incredulity. She said "where did you come from?" We told her Muncho Lake. She said "that's impossible as the road is closed." We told her otherwise. Reluctantly, she lifted the gate and told us in no uncertain words "DON'T TELL ANYONE WHERE YOU CAME FROM!"

We rolled into town and what a surprise. Four or five days worth of traffic and people were stuck in Fort Nelson. Cars, trailers, motorhomes, semi-trucks were parked everywhere. Every facility in town was being used...it was an amazing sight. 

We needed food, so we went to the only market in town and discovered what looked like a war zone. Everything was gone. We finally found a loaf of stale bread, a few eggs and some sugar and that night we dined on some fine French Toast. 

This one is Blue

Teddy Bears must be related to Tribbles, as they just keep popping up. 

Another Teddy Bear

Apparently the heart blanket needed a teddy bear...and this little guy showed up. 

I've not named him yet...any suggestions?

Pink Hearts

In retirement I make blankets. You know that. My sister asked me to make a baby blanket for one of her friends and I asked if she wanted my usual Teddy Bear Blanket or Hearts. She opted for hearts. Turns out, this blanket is a smidge bigger than the Teddy Bear design and fits in a crib very well. It's a cute design so I will probably be making a few more of this design.

PS. Sorry I have not written recently. My blog is not a political blog...or a current events blog...its a light hearted blog to make the reader feel better. I talk about my life and times, flowers and travel. Recently, a lot of "stuff" has been happening, but none of it is fit for my blog. Read the other DrC's blog to stay up to date with those events. That's not my bailiwick.

Pi Day

It's March 14 or 3-14 or 3.14 --and it's also known as Pi Day. Many years ago when I taught elementary school, I had a group of special Halloween lessons where the children would work with pumpkins.

One Halloween lesson, Larry, one of my bright lights in the class, said "Mrs. C...this pumpkin's circumference is about 3 times the size of the diameter"...and I had 2 wonderful thoughts. He understood circumference and diameter AND he had just discovered the constant PI. So I gave him a lesson to see if all circles revealed the same answer. He measured the record player (this was in the 70s) and the records, the round trash cans in the room. He even measured the round pencils and crayons and the answer was the same!

I had him present the results to the class and they were in awe that the answer was always the same. The class then started to measure everything round from tree circumferences to drinking glasses and the tops and bottoms of coffee cups...and the answer was always the same. These were smart fifth graders. I told them that PI always equals 3.14. The class decided that PI was the best number. That was a special teaching day and one I will never forget!

Spring Flowers

Ceanothus

African Daisy

Redbud

Lantana

More are in the offing...I'll keep watching the garden to see how the flowers grow.

This and That

It's been awhile since I've checked in at my blog and I have a good reason. The keyboard on my iPad broke and I quickly discovered that dictation does not work well, nor does the on-screen keyboard. The new keyboard has arrived, so I can write again.

A blanket I made awhile ago, has a new home. My friend really liked it.

And I finished another blanket. I've been calling it Rhapsody in Blue, but from the picture it looks like there's green in it.  Actually it made of 4 shades of blue from very dark navy to light blue. Sometimes color is tricky to photograph.

The best news to report is the appearance of spring flowers.  The daffodils are always first. The redbud came out a couple of days later. Sadly, none of the other spring flowers are blooming. I'll post pictures when they show up.