The One Acre Wood

Special Pictures

2009-05-05T17:22:00.000-07:00

This is too special! I told Grannie Annie the other day that I wanted to link to some of her posts that are very special to me. You should go to her site and read her blog because its a really great blog, but here in order are some absolute can't miss posts.

1. http://granan10.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-wrong-with-this-picture.html

2. http://granan10.blogspot.com/2009/04/dilemma.html http://granan10.blogspot.com/2009/04/now-weve-got-problem.html

3. http://granan10.blogspot.com/2009/04/back-on-track.html

This is the first spring in 15 years that I haven't had my lovely, wrinkly, prickly gray, old pig friend T. S. Belliot to provide me with love and laughter. How I miss him and his partner in crime, Miss Suki who predeceased him. No wonder I'm a bit glum this spring.... and thank goodness for Granny Annie and her brood of interesting creatures that captivate my heart.

It's Fever..Spring Fever

2009-04-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, pene-trating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing.

...he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said, "Bother!" and "O blow!" and also "Hang spring-cleaning!"

.....he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged, and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, "Up we go! Up we go!" till at last, pop! his

snout came out into the sunlight and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.

"This is fine! he said to himself. "This is better than whitewashing!" The sunshine struck hot on his fur, soft breezes caressed his heated brow...

Jumping off all his four legs at once, in the joy of living and the delight of spring without its cleaning, he pursued his way across the meadow...

Kenneth Graham, The Wind in the Willows

I've been feeling a lot like Mole lately...guess it's Spring Fever! I'm drawn out into the sunshine to putter and potter about.... mostly with a shameful lack of accomplishment....just taking pleasure in the warmth of the sun, the sound of a breeze stirring the pines and the greening of the flower beds...

I hope you're enjoying spring as well...

Tomato Dreams....

2009-04-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

The Dream is that we'll get to the ripe red globe above or even the firm green cluster below from.....

these pathetically spindly sprouts ......

this is the point where where Faith enters the picture...Early Girl, Novidad,Black Russian,Yellow Pear,....Tom Stripey.......

I have faith that the pathetic sprouts in the picture above will transform into healthy plants that will provide a bumper crop of tomatoes for my family our friends and our neighbors.....

The Renewal of Life is in itself is an act of faith...join me and my tomato sprouts. in a celebration of life's renewal! I can't help but...Rejoice!

Prescott Tea Party

2009-04-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

I posted pictures of the Prescott tea party on Speaking Out. Just access from my side bar.

Easter Day

2009-04-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

I hope you have a lovely Easter Day!

Going For a Sunday Drive

2009-04-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

My Granddaughter, Jamie has her learners permit and is preparing to hit the road!

Yesterday, we went out to the DVM to practice driving, complete with parking and backing up. This is the second time we've been there, but this time there was traffic! Three other cars were creeping around and even, for a heart stopping second or two, meeting to slide carefully past one another in opposite directions.

_Then we went to a mostly deserted subdivision with smooth, broad streets where Jay drove carefully and well, practicing using her mirrors and turning around while her Mom and I had a relaxed visit. By the time Jay decided to call it a day, we calculated that we could have driven nearly to Tucson in that time (even if not at that speed:) and felt she'd put in some good work toward becoming a responsible driver.

Congratulations Jamie!

Black Bear Quints

2009-04-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

I got another wonderful email. This one features a Black Bear sow with five cubs. This time, unlike the eagles over lake Tapps, I found the site of the wildlife photographer who took the photos.
I think these pictures have been circulating for a long time. If you haven't seen these excellent pictures of a rare multiple birth, they and some other very nice wildlife photography are at Tom Sears' site.

Have a lovely day!

Yellow Lily

2009-03-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

The photo of Ee's hyacinth disappeared from below, so I'll post this one of last summer's Lily, also from his meadow. I love Lilies, but for some sad reason they always bring to my mind that Walt Whitman line that goes something like (loose translation here) who knows from what lovely lip hath this Lily sprung. I did make a feeble attempt to find it online, but couldn't. Maybe someone else knows?

Anyway, it seems a morbid way to look at a Lily, but I believe it's meant to celebrate the circle and replenishment of life. And as my perennial plants began to show green shoots above the brown earth, I began to really believe in Spring's proof of life!

Spring Hyacinth

2009-03-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

A pretty little hyacinth peeks through the pine needles in Ee's meadow.

After much soul searching, I've started yet another blog!
Last month, I started Prescott Past in order to share Ee's collection of old Prescott post cards.

Now I'm starting a blog called Speaking out in Freedom where I'll contain my Political rants. I posted for the first time to tell of my Grandson's experience in meeting two young Marines who had had an encounter with some college kids on spring break.

This blog will stay the same old....

Sisters

2009-03-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is my Mon at age two. She looks appropriately serious here, and I imagine that affording a studio portrait was a pretty serious matter to her parents. My Grandfather was just embarking, or about to embark on his Veterinary practice and there were two little boys to care for as well as the two girls. I know that they barely scraped by at this point in their lives and that my Grandmother sewed every stitch the children wore including the boys suits. Usually the material she used was from the cast off clothing of other family members, and it's not hard to imagine that these cute look-a-like dresses were stitched from someone's cast off petticoats!

Here, the sisters at two and four, look as though they're tired of posing for the camera. Doris has a pretty constrained smile! Don't you love that bow!

Once, when these little girls were both in their eighties, I heard them is an rather heated debate that harked back to one biting the head off the other's celluloid doll when they were children. "Well, you dared me!" proclained the offender.

I hope you have a lovely Spring Day!

The First Day of Spring!

2009-03-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

The day when the sun is in perfect line with the equator. According to the news this morning, it is today although March 21 is usually the date of the Vernal Equnox, but this year it's the 20th. It can't be too soon for me!
It's been spring break for the girls so we stopped by Watters Garden Center the other day. Roo looks it over deciding where to zoom in.

This lady, with her charming way of dressing always enhances the Watters experience.

Inside, colored glass caught Mu's eye.

I liked this umbrella that makes a sunflower when unfurled....

Pretty and pink gets Roo's attetion every time.........

This round kitty was pretty cute.

All these strange creatures are watering cans made from metal

Piglet! Quit playing in the fountain!

After prowling through all the plants, shrubs and trees as well as everything the gift shop had to offer, the girls zeroed in on the best of all.....lotions and potions for softer, more fragrant skin..

Ee and I got some seed trays and some sterile seed starting mix. Dull stuff after all that was on offer. We noticed though, that the high end garden sculpture usually displayed in abundance, was nowhere to be seen.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2009-03-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

I thought this clip art girl all dressed in green would make a good St. Paddy's Day statement, but she looks rather sad doesn't she?

Ah well, I'm of good cheer and I hope you are too, and soon to be filled to the brim with corned beef and cabbage or green beer or whatever suits your fancy!

It's a sunny day here at the One Acre Wood, and the trees are thinking seriously about the wearin' of the green! Spring is in the air!

9000 Earmarks

2009-03-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to learn a bit more about the convoluted workings of Congress, and here is a basic: each project or "earmark" goes through the process of authorization and appropriation. I found an informative site here, on Congressional Line.

authorization - A statutory provision that obligates funding for a program or agency. An authorization may be effective for one year, a fixed number of years, or an indefinite period. An authorization may be for a definite amount of money or for "such sums as may be necessary." The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization and then appropriation.

appropriation - The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization and then appropriation. Legislation status tables and information about the appropriations process are available on the Appropriations page.

On March 10, 2009, John McCain had this to say to the President and to his fellow Congressmen:

"In 1991 there was a total of 537 earmarks for the entire appropriations process. This evil has grown, and it has grown, and it has grown-to the point where we now have 9000 earmarks. All we are asking is to authorize. We have talked a lot about the individual earmarks. But the fact is, they are not authorized. I heard one of my colleagues today on this side of the aisle say, "Well the authorizing committees are too busy."
Really? Really?
So all we are asking is to go back to what this body had done and the Congress had done for a couple of hundred years: that is authorize the projects."

Let's make it clear that we don't approve of earmarks from either party and that we especially dislike Congressional committee members being "too busy" to follow proper procedures.

I've already written John McCain to thank him for his stance.
Today, I'm writing to Nancy Pelosi to tell her we Americans aren't deaf, dumb, and blind. She needs to get her house in order. We need to let her know that it is not really her house! It is ours, and we are watching her!

Senator John McCain
241 Russell
Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi
235 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515

All Bound up in Government

2009-03-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

This is the way I picture our poor beleaguered Country. Regrettably, the working American taxpayer is being wrapped in an ever tightening web of
an increasingly demanding Government. Seemingly gone are the days when most of our elected representatives felt they worked for us or even represented us.

I have been wondering what I can do. Well, for the price of some paper, envelopes and stamps, I can write letters to let my Congressmen and my President know that I'm paying attention. I know I can easily send them emails, but I'm going to write real letters. Mainly, I'm going to let them know I'm paying attention, that I'm not the stupid sheep they think I am!

You can look up your Governmental Representatives, including your Governor and members of your State Legislature here. Project Vote Smart makes it easy to review the voting records and read the speeches of your Representatives. They provide contact information so we can write or email our Representatives telling them how we feel about their performances.

This was not my vision for my retirement years, but now I can't help feeling , if we can't exert some checks and balances in Congress now, we will deserve what we get. The trouble is our Grandchildren and their children and their children will suffer from our negligence and disinterest.

How about wounded Vets paying for their own medical care? Unbelievable? Maybe, but you might want to read this.

Repeat after me, a letter a day to keep the socialists away, Yes I Can!

Gotta go..today I'm writing a thank-you letter to John McCain (Rep.AZ) for his speech standing up against earmarks in this spending bill.

Exercise in Frustration!

2009-03-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

I just read This:

After a special meeting of the democratic Steering and Policy Committee ...Mark Zandi, a key economic advisor to congressional Democrats has said, "I think another stimulus package is a reasonable assumption because of the way things are going."

What does he mean "because of the way things are going" anyway! From bad to worse it seems to me, so what is his reasoning here?

And: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), standing with members of her leadership team by Zandi's side, said she agreed another stimulus bill is being considered.

Read the article here.

It's time to do whatever we can to stop this government run amok!

I'm going to email this article to everyone in my address book, and I hope you will too. We have to start somewhere, and united in indgnation is as good a place as any.

Aerial Combat Over Lake Tapps

2009-03-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I received this email titled: Aerial Combat Over Lake Tapps.
The photos were taken by a professional photographer who sent them out as email with a wonderful commentary. I've googled the title to see if he published them and could only find a site that had copied his email.
I wish I could give him credit here for both photos and words. It's just too great not to share!

Update: Thanks to a commenter, I have the name of this photographer/author: Thank you Gary Wheeler!!

Update # 2: Thanks to another commenter, a prologue from the original email
"I was walking along the shore of Lake Tapps on Monday, and noticed a a little more than 1/4-mile away (as measured later by GoogleEarth). I saw a Bald Eagle circling and repeatedly diving on what I thought must be a school of fish. Soon he was joined by another Eagle and they began to fight each other for the prey. Territorial Eagle fights do happen,but I've never seen one, nor have I seen any good photos...

All these pics were taken hand-held with my Panasonic FZ-28 at 18X zoomwhich is 486mm. All pics were taken on Intelligent Automatic which is justpoint-and-shoot. I had previously selected okay up to ISO@0 and it was abright day, which is as good way to force the shutter speed to 1/500 sec. to1/1000 sec. for all the shots even though the camera performed everything automatically.

Most of the images were cropped to a small fraction of their original sizewhich effectively multiplies that Optical Focal Length of 486mm by the ratioof: original image width ÷ cropped image width. The action was over1/4-mile away, and I ended up with effective Focal Lengths of well over 1,000mm for half the pics shown here, so they are not up to my normalstandards of image quality. Nevertheless, they are exciting and tell quite a story...Enjoy, Gary

The fellow sitting on the tailgate of his pickup truck never realized what he was missing.
The little duck watches as the eagle speeds straight at him at about 40 mph.

With perfect timing the duck always dove and escaped with a mighty splash! Then he'd pop to the surface as soon as the Eagle flew past. This was repeated over and over for several minutes. I worried the poor duck would tire and that would be the last of him.

A second eagle joined the attack! The duck kept diving "just in time," so the eagles began to dive into the water after him!

After several minutes the Eagles got frustrated and began to attack each other. They soon began to dive vertically, level out, and attack head-on in an old fashioned game of high speed "Chicken," Sometimes they'd back away from each other at the last possible second. Other times they'd climb vertically and tear into each other while falling back toward the water. (The duck catches his breath at the right side of the picture.)

A terrible miscalculation! The luckiest shot of my life catches the 100 mph collision between two Bald Eagles.

One Eagle stayed aloft and flew away, but the other lies motionless in a crumpled heap. The lucky duck survived to live another day.

It's sad to watch an Eagle drown. He wriggled, flopped and struggled mostly under water. He finally got his head above water and with great difficulty managed to get airborne. To my astonishment, he flew straight toward me, and it was the most wretched and unstable bird flight I've ever seen!

He had a good six foot wingspread and looked mighty angry. I was concerned that I might become his next victim. The bedraggled Eagle circled me once then it lit atop a nearby fir tree.

My half hour wait was rewarded by this marvelous sight. He flew away, almost as good as new. May America recover as well."

Again, thank you to the unknown photographer/journalist who produced this work. If you see this and object to this publication or better, want to add your name for credit just leave a comment or email for me!

Oh, the March Wind Doth Blow!

2009-03-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

March "came in like a lamb" here in Northern Arizona, so I imagine it will "go out like a lion". If the old adage is true, we can expect some wild winds toward the end of the month. I just hope they won't have the strength of the wind that pushed over these two trucks and swept them toward Nevada's Walker Lake, close to the town of Hawthorne.

My oldest son John, happened to be driving the white truck in the foreground when the wind imps struck He said one minute he was cruising down the road and the next he was lying on his side in a truck that was lying on it's side. John got out of his truck and running back to the red truck, found a Hispanic couple along with a young child all in a state of confusion, but not seriously injured. He got their truck engine turned off and hustled them out and away from the trucks, and made the call to report the freak accident. And it was in March....a couple of years ago.

What a Wonderful Day!

2009-02-26T06:10:00.000-08:00

I got this in email, and thought I'd share it....

Hope your day is truly wonderful!

Back at the Lift

2009-02-21T11:03:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, patient readers. I'm not done with the lift! I would have posted all these pictures yesterday, but picasa will only post four at a time. There are people who know their way around this, but I don't.

After the work was done, the lift became a carnival ride. Mom went up and away.......that's her in the first picture.....

Then, I got my turn in the tree tops with a view of Thumb Butte.

And last, but never least.........The outsides of my upstairs windows got washed! Life is good.......

I think I have it out of my system, now........

Tree Cutting

2009-02-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

A few years back, a pine bark beetle attacked trees in our area, killing thousands of trees in the Prescott National Forest and on privately owned property.
My daughter and SIL
who live next door, lost five big Ponderosa Pines.
The dead trees were dangerous, but estimates to remove them ranged from $15.000 to $20,000.
They were shopping around for a better deal when...

Enter our son who insisted he could take down the trees if they would rent a lift. It seemed dangerous to the rest of us and they tried to say no, but in the end, he prevailed and they rented a sixty foot lift.

This tree that towered 15 or 20 feet above the 60 foot reach of the lift was first.
A judicious cut, and then it was pulled over landing with an earth shaking crash, exactly where he had planned for it to fall.
( I was wringing my hands and praying at the time, I think that helped)

The rest of the tree came down in sections, logs plopping to earth one by one, not so scary.
He took all five trees down and then popped over to do one at our house and up to some neighbors to do some tree trimming.

My Grandson, another capable guy, was there with a backhoe to clean and arrange logs. Much of this wood has already been burned in winter fireplaces.

A Pretty Picture!

2009-02-18T07:23:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad to see that my Great Grandson, Riley is helping his Mom take care of his new baby sister Alyssa Wendie. Wish I could be there to help them!

Well, not today because I'm still sniffy and snuffly, but I do long to wrap my arms around those two!

**** ***

Thanks, for your good wishes and thanks, Shammickite, at the Rook's Nest, for your hot-toddy recipe. Although I had to substitute Irish Whiskey for the Scotch, those hot drinks at bedtime do take the sting out of hosting a virus.

As I cuddled up with a Thomas Perry thriller and a box of Kleenex, I couldn't help pondering the existence of viruses. They are not living yet they are ever ready to invade a host's living cells, boring their way through the cell membrane to take control, like microscopic versions of the creatures in 'The Body Snatchers.' In my mind they are more linked to the mechanical, alien armies of science fiction than something that belongs here on earth.

Pay no attention, it's just the ramblings of a fevered mind.......I'll be better tomorrow!

Catching a Cold...

2009-02-16T10:28:00.000-08:00

Well, Bodder!
I've been fighting off a cold for days, but it's winning. I'm reeking of garlic, drowning in fluids, and full of chicken soup. There are a couple of humongous vitamin C tablets wedged crosswise in my esophagus.
I did post on Prescott Past today, but now I think I'll go lie down.

I'll try to do some catching up in the blogosphere a little later....after a snooze.........

Have a Sweet Day!

2009-02-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

Who knew?

2009-02-10T10:07:00.000-08:00

You're never too old to learn!
I am in my seventy-first year and I just learned some new definitions!

Silly me, I thought that Government monies devoted to infrastructure meant money and jobs reinforcing highways, bridges, dams, levies, water ways, and public transit.

I thought the stimulus bill was to pay Americans to work while improving basic conditions in America.

Now I have learned that infrastructure also can mean..water parks and Frisbee parks, miniature golf courses and polar bear enclosures.

I have learned that it means $240,000,000 to shore up the sagging film industry.
(Just maybe Hollywood should start producing movies with real plots, lively dialogue, and fewer moral lessons for those of us too dumb to see it their way. After all, they are the entertainment. Let them actually entertain and viewers will come back.)

I have learned that infrastructure can mean free abortions for women around the world.

How about a snow making and maintenance facility?

Or $375,000,000 for a Las Vegas Convention Center?

For a look at requests from United States cities and towns you can go to
Stimulus Watch where you can see how much for what projects Mayors across the country are requesting, and if you have knowledge of a project in your area, vote yes or no on it.

There were no requests from my town, but quite a few from other towns and cities in Arizona.

Wild Goose Chase....

2009-02-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, our Chino Valley kids called to tell us there were over a hundred wild geese grazing on a field near their house. The next morning, we rose before dawn hoping see them before they left. I clutched my camera, dreaming of an award winning photo of the valiant birds, wings beating, lifting against a rose tinted sunrise, perhaps circling above us in farewell before winging their way Northward in a classic V formation...

Before dawn on Saturday morning we drove to Chino, and although my son had to work, our DIL and Granddaughters were up and ready to go watch the wild geese with us. We sat in the car with the windows rolled down, huddled together for warmth, sipping coffee and hot chocolate from our travel mugs. We had arrived plenty early, so we had a little wait. Roo, who had seen the geese just at twilight the night before gave whispered instructions as to the best places to watch and then we waited, squinting at the field as the dark made it's infinitesimal progress into light... and, wouldn't you know......we could finally see.. that the geese had flown!

We decided to make the most of it so, after a lovely fat, sodium, carb, and sugar filled breakfast with our fellow goose chasers, we drove North to Sullivan Lake. No good news there, for sure. There's a just little puddle. But we did get some lovely photos of some low flying clouds that made this Chino Valley hill look like a mysterious mountain.......

click any of these for full effect..especially the last one....

no effort is ever truly wasted.....is it?

Light Fingers

2009-02-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

I posted another lovely old Post Card on Prescott Past. I hope you'll take a look!

When I was a little girl, my Grandmother used to quote:

Taffy was a Welshman,
Taffy was a thief;
Taffy came to my house
And stole a piece of beef

I went to Taffy's house,
Taffy was not home;
Taffy came to my house
And stole a marrow bone.

I went to Taffy's house,
Taffy was not in;
Taffy came to my house
And stole a silver pin.

I went to Taffy's house,
Taffy was in bed;
I took up a poker
And threw it at his head.

There are several versions of this old Welsh/English nursery rhyme, but this is the one I remember. Except, I believe the last line was and hit him on the head!

Well, I went to Tombo's house and this is what I stole!

http://www.savethewords.org/

This is something for all readers, writers, and Scrabble players to think about. Speaking of Scrabble, I'd better write some of those vanishing words down while I have the chance! I have decided to adopt the word Flosculation, meaning an embellishment or ornament in speech, and also Prandicle, meaning a small meal.

Two adoptive words are a big responsibility since you pledge to use them on a regular basis, but they both have an intrinsic appeal for me. Don't be surprised to read them here on ocasion.

If you choose to adopt a word, I hope you'll leave me a comment telling me what you chose!!

How Green is my Thumb?

2009-02-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

Before I lose myself in winter wist for summer sun and green growing things, I do hope you'll pop over to the ice encased world of The Fields Beyond where Cate has described in her exquisite prose, a meeting of the minds between canine denizens of her 200 acre wood and her new best friend, Spencer. For me, a visit to Cate is always a balm for the soul....

It's time to order those seeds! After mulling over the seemingly infinite possibilities, Ee and I have decided on garden-lite. For me, tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes and a bit of Swiss chard. Of course easy to grow zucchini, yellow crook neck, butternut, and spaghetti squash. Maybe I'll put a little Black Seeded Simpson lettuce in my flower garden.

I love beets, but Ee has never cared for them and he does the hard work, so they didn't make the cut. Let me hasten to add that I know he'd gladly grow them just for me, but I want to keep it simple..they do look good though........

We aren't supposed to grow morning glories here, but I ordered some from a catalog a few years ago and not only did they arrive on my doorstep, but I still have some seeds left!

And tomatoes..........I'm still trying to decide on the ones I want and it's about time to get them planted in flats where they'll get lots of light from the kitchen window.

Early girl of course, as they do best in our short growing season. And I want to try some of those little gape tomatoes that can be tossed in a salad wholeand tase great . An heirloom tomato is a must too. I'm looking for the right one, probably Black Prince. And one of the greatest joys in all this is that all this planning and looking ahead is sooooo easy!

Happy Birthday Granny J.!

2009-02-01T07:49:00.000-08:00

If you get a chance, drop over to Walking Prescott and offer your congratulations to Prescott's premier blogger!

Amazing things...

2009-01-30T11:07:00.000-08:00

First things first! Please meet Alyssa Wendie Sisemore born January 20, 2009. Alyssa is our second Great Grand child. She's a big girl at 8 pounds fourteen ounces. And isn't she beautiful?

I stole the above picture from her Mommie's blog, the Sisemore Family, and couldn't resist the picture below as well. Her lovin' parents are wonderfully happy. Bless their sweet and loving hearts ! And Alyssa has already found the purpose of her thumb!

As you see..., finally I'm back online. My Grandson kindly took my computer in for repair and I have it back. Unfortunately, I'm having some of the same problems although it is much faster and has a pretty new picture of Diamond Head installed as wallpaper.

Ummmmm... did that sound cynical? I'm not complaining, since I can upload pictures to Blogger, save them to disk and also save music to disk.. I'm going to have to call them about a few things though.

Meanwhile, I've had some time to think about blogging and bloggers and the way we travel through space reading different blogs and then one will resonate and we say, "Yes, that person has shared my experiences, or loves the things I love, or makes me think, or laugh, or awakens the poet in me... we gather those people together on our lists of favorites and keep them in our hearts. We are woven together in an invisible tapestry of unseen threads that is truly amazing!

Granny Annie at Fools Rush In features a favorite blog every day and I always try to follow her lead as I always enjoy the blogs I read at her suggestion. I'm going to do more of that!

I just started another blog, Prescott Past, about my hometown of Prescott Arizona. It will be mostly based on Ee's old post card collection and people's memories of the way things were. I plan to keep on keeping on..blithering away here...

Computer Problems!!!

2009-01-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

I'm having some real problems with my computer. I have missing php and also 404. If you're a geek you might know what that means, but I think I'll have to take it in for repair. It started as a javascript problem and has crept through my system destroying (I think) Html. A virus?

Yet, I can still access Blogger and write here!

Just wanted to leave a note in case I lose that ability too...........meanwhile I'll keep working on it as best I can...

A Rose is Still a Rose..Isn't It?

2009-01-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

When I posted yesterday, I meant to have a two part post. The theme being a rose by any other name.... but I accidentally hit enter and was published, so left it for today. Garlic is sometimes called the stinking rose, no explanation needed.
I wanted to talk about garlic because I have started eating a small clove of raw garlic a day to fend off colds and flu. I started this regimen on the advise of my daughter, who is interested in the antibiotic qualities of garlic, and suggested it after I'd been trying to fend off a respiratory tract infection for several weeks and was getting discouraged. Every afternoon I would run a two degree temperature, so I knew my immune system was working..it just didn't seem to have enough oomph to fight off the bug. After eating one large clove of garlic a day for three days, the fevers vanished and I started getting better. To benefit medicinally from garlic, it must be eaten raw right after a clove is minced or crushed. I like mine best on toast with some cream cheese but it can be sprinkled on any dish.
Here are some Cautions:

Raw Garlic is very powerful and should be eaten with other food and not on an empty stomach.
Too much raw garlic can cause injury to the digestive tract. (My thought..we have little friendly bacteria in our intestines...antibiotics tend to wipe them out and that's why we should eat yogurt any time we are on antibiotics.)
Garlic interferes with blood thinning drugs and shouldn't be used by someone taking one, nor should it be taken prior to entering the hospital for a surgical procedure.
I got this information from Garlic Central and I'd suggest that anyone who is seriously thinking of taking raw garlic on a regular basis read all about it there.

Garlic's proven antibiotic property is called acillin and was seen to kill bacteria in Louis Pasture's laboratory as well as being acknowledged as an antibiotic by modern science.

I liked this garlic wreath. It's been said that the blood of garlic eaters has antibiotic properties. No wonder vampires avoid them. As for other social issues involving the stinking rose..I leave it to you. I try to eat mine late in the day. If everyone ate a clove a day, it wouldn't be a problem.

Garlic blossoms are pretty and popular with bees, although this is a garlic chive as are the white flowers in my header.

Juliet Was Right

2009-01-13T09:10:00.001-08:00

a rose by any other name would smell about the same....

When I started this blog, I was all for cutsie. The One Acre Wood being a takeoff of The hundred acre wood from Milne's Winnie the Pooh. I gave family members the names of Milne characters and called myself sheoflittlebrain after Winnie ther Pooh who is the bear of little brain. While I'm not totally ready to put these childish things aside, I have a second blog in mind that would not be associated with Pooh and friends, so I've decided to change my blog name to my own, Linda. Since there are lots of Lindas out there, I'll be LindaG.

My other blog will be for the purpose of sharing Ee's collection of old post cards of Prescott and the surrounding area, something I've been meaning to do. This blog will stay about the same, focusing on my life, interests, and interesting animals and their stories..

Sunday Morning Meanderings

2009-01-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

First of all, I have a retraction..My Best Friend is not afraid of snakes. She emailed me to that effect and I believe her because she is truthful and also pretty much fearless. I do apologize to her and think I must have transferred my own feelings to her. While I have handled quite a few snakes in my time, I still feel a little trepidation when doing so.
I remember when our youngest son was in about the fifth grade or so, he longed for a pet a bull snake. We lived in Chino Valley which was still rural and one day, just as I was driving to pick him up from school, I spotted a huge bull snake just stretched out between a cornfield and the road lying full length, parallel to the road. I stopped the car, walked confidently over to the five foot or so snake that just lay there in absolute cooperation, reached down..and just couldn't make myself pick him up!
We stayed that way for a minute or two, the snake motionless..me just as motionless with my hand hovering a few inches above his body just behind his head..finally he slithered away into the cornfield. I got in the car and continued on my way. I didn't tell my son until years later because I thought he'd be terribly disappointed in me...

Of course, I fell in love with this story of a mother duck who enlisted the aid of a policeman to save her babies that had fallen down a sewer grate She pestered him by tugging on his pant leg until enlisting his cooperation. This is a lovely story and makes you realize there's something going on in those little bird brains after all.

I know everyone's seen this photo before, but it's still cute.
Have a wonderful day............

Friendship

2009-01-08T06:29:00.000-08:00

This is my best friend, Donna. We met in the eighth grade fifty-seven or so years ago, and although she's lived all her adult life in Florida while I remained here in our home town of Prescott, we've remained close.
I like this photo of her because it shows how brave she was to hold my grandchildren's pet snake with no shivers or squeals although she clearly wasn't enthusiastic about it. She's brave that way..and she's fun to be around...and we share a million memories of two silly girls trying to grow up....

Sometimes you meet someone and something just clicks.........

Have a beautiful day....

Arizona Alpacas

2009-01-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago, in the outstanding company of Granny J. of Walking Prescott, we traveled the twenty miles or so to Chino Valley where we visited Singletree Farm. Granny J. had an eagle eye out for details regarding Alpacas and the wool made from their cold resistant fleece. There were yarn making demonstrations and lovely creations made from the wool. It was all lovely and beautifully described in GJ's post right Here.

As for me.....it was the beasties themselves that mainly attracted me. They were as amazingly different one from another, in appearance as people. The owner gave us some carrots and even Ee felt rather uncomfortably mobbed as he tried to dole them out fairly.

I wanted to get some close up pictures of faces. Like that cunning panda-face above.

Well maybe not quite this close up!

This one tickled us. Her eyes were completely lost in the depths of this luxuriant top knot.

With her flamboyant hairdo and her slender nose, one wonders if there's a poodle in her ancestry.....

This little lady was the only one willing to pose and was in most of my pictures. I see that GJ got one of her as well. She has a distinctive under bite, so can't be mistaken!

It was a lovely day, and if you're a knitter, be sure to look at GJ's pictures of all the luxurious items made from their exceptional, cold resistant coats.

In reading this, I hope you didn't detect a certain preoccupation. P. D. James latest novel, The Private Patient, just fell into my clutches, and the brooding figure of the published poet, Commander Adam Dalgliesh is about to enter a stage already set with darkly intriguing, well rounded characters, so I'm pretty well lost for the day.. Retirement's not so bad, even if one has to be old to enjoy it!

Trees

2009-01-03T07:49:00.000-08:00

My Grandparents listened to a radio program called, I believe, The Bell Telephone Hour. It was an hour of music played and sung by the great artists of the day. One of the songs I remember was this Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918) poem put to music and sung by the deep and passionate voice of Paul Robeson.

There is much controversy about this poem. Published in 1913, it's arguably, not the best poem ever written, but for many people of my generation, it was a poem memorized and recited so often that it's woven into our very heart strings....we will cherish and defend it to the death!

Trees

I think that I will never see,

A poem lovely as a tree

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

This old pine that stands a little way from out back door offers shelter to any number of birds. Here a young Acorn Woodpecker works to store some tidbit in bark already riddled with storage holes. As you can see, there are still many uneaten acorns from years past tamped into place, but the urge to store and store and store is upon them. This fellow was hatched out in a hole inside a dead branch on this tree and he hasn't strayed far to fill his larder.

This pair of young Ravens were hatched high in the top of a tree at my Daughters, but they chose this tree for their daytime nursery. They would arrive fairly early in the morning and sit there all day alternately dozing and screaming for the tidbits dutifully provided by their hardworking parents. About four in the afternoon they would make their way back toward my Daughter's house. Maybe they still slept in the nest..

After about a week of this, they began flying from tree to tree, first one would fly and then the other would follow. At this stage, I noticed that a Raven would call out.."Caw-Caw." A second later another would answer, "Caw=Caw." Then one would say, "Caw=caw-caw-caw." The other would echo precisely. The parents teaching the offspring Ravenspeak? Was it a specialized twin language between the two young birds? I listened this summer and found that they did this a lot. Sometimes one would echo another and then send back a new series of caws which the first would then repeat. Maybe the repeat is a sort of verification..Ravenspeak for 'copy that.'

This sweet mother Mourning Dove brought her babe into the tree for a last feeding before dark, and this is the tree the peacock chose to roost in.

Enough rambling on........

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T07:19:00.000-08:00

For all those blogger buddies who stuck with me through a rather long drop out when I didn't post at all, and then continued to stick throughout my period of political rant., I just want to say, Thank you! Please know I'll never take you for granted!

And for all my Blogger Buddies, old and new, I want to say that its my life has been enriched from reading your stories and seeing your pictures..Thank you all for sharing your lives and your ideas! I wonder what you'll show and tell me in 2009....

As for me, I was going to post something funny I got in email a month or so ago, but couldn't find it. Luckily, just this morning a friend sent me this bit of frivolity..

Have a Happy, Healthy, and

Prosperous New Year!

2008-12-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

In winter, I get up at night,

and dress by yellow candle light...

Robert Louis Stevenson

***

Granny J of Walking Prescott, mentioned a raccoon on her porch digging through her woodpile, where her little chipmunk lives. I woke up this morning wondering if raccoons commonly prey on those cunning little creatures as they sleep the winter away. Not a nice thought, but still, one that led me to think of the pet chipmunk I had as a child.
I was ten or eleven and we were living in the tiny house that my Mom and Aunt had remodeled here in Prescott, when one day, I found the cat playing with a little creature that turned out to be a chipmunk so tiny that it's eyes were still closed. I snatched it away to wrap it up in a wash cloth, knowing it needed to be kept warm. My Mom rigged a box with a light as an incubator, we took turns feeding it milk with an eye dropper and miraculously, the little thing lived.
I can't remember what we named the busy little creature, something inane like Chip I think. It had the run of the house and helped itself to pinon nuts and sunflower seeds from high, open cupboard shelves. Pinion nuts were not the expensive commodity they are now. They were available by the pound in little markets around town and there was always a little paper bag open for him next to an open bag of sunflower seeds. He would climb up into the cupboard filling his cheeks with pinons in the shell or sunflower seeds that he preferred to shell before scampering down to run around poking them into every available nook and cranny, every crack and fold throughout the house.
He loved to store his provisions in my tightly braided hair and took full advantage of easy accessibility when I was stretched out reading. (I think I had gone to sleep here motivating the picture taking. I still go to sleep in that position, wake to read a little more, and doze off again)
Up he would climb, running up to my shoulder to store his food in my hair, then away to refill his cheeks for a repeat performance.

When autumn came, little Chip disappeared. We looked everywhere, going through every drawer and cupboard in vain. We deduced that he'd somehow found his way outside and couldn't get back in, or as enchanted by the world as Mole in The Wind and the Willows, ventured off to see more. We missed his bright, busy little presence as winter bore down.

Imagine our delight when my Aunt pulled a heavy winter robe from the back of her closet to find a hibernating chipmunk curled up in a nest of Kleenex in the pocket. Carefully, she hung the robe back and we waited for spring when the little fellow reappeared as busy as ever and very ,very hungry.

The next year, he really did disappear in the fall and although we waited hopefully for spring, we never saw him again.

'Twas the Day After...

2008-12-26T06:47:00.000-08:00

Roo proclaims a two thumbs up Christmas!

and I agree. We celebrated at my daughter's home this year where everything was bright and beautiful and of course we ate too much and wished for room enough for just one... more... piece of.... pie...

Now, the darkest days of winter are over and we're looking ahead to the new year with it's infinite possibilities. Ee and I put down our books to study the seed catalogs that have already started arriving in the mail. This year, I'm hoping to grow some of those tiny grape sized tomatoes. I'm watching some seeds on eBay...guess I'll get serious and bid on them.

Right now, I think I'll visit some blogger buddies...and maybe for breakfast, have..some left over scalloped potatoes...and just a very small slice of pie...

O Holy Night

2008-12-24T06:20:00.000-08:00

The stars were brightly shining.........

I love these old lithographs....you can click the first one to see the amazing detail, but for some reason the second won't respond.... here's the song, sweetly sung..

******

May you all be Blessed by a Bright and Joyous Christmas...................

Zis for....Zippity Doo Dah!

2008-12-19T07:17:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful day! I made it all the way through the alphabet and I expect that tomorrow I'll feel a little lost....untethered.... at loose ends, but today it feels GOOD!
Lisa at Laughing Orca Ranch who instigated this alphabet blog has been posting some great pictures and informative posts of her New Mexico home complete with it's fascinating array of creatures, including endangered breeds of sheep. If you love animals, you should meet Lisa's menagerie.

When I was a little girl in the forties, my Mom and I used to sing songs like Zippity Doo Dah just for fun. Her family always sang to entertain themselves on long trips.
Mom likes to tell about a trip she and her sister took with a friend and her family. As was their habit, Mom and my Aunt sang their hearts out as they drove along miles of dusty country road to their destination, a family reunion and picnic. After the long day of fun and food, and they had been packed along with their friend, into the back seat of the car, the father turned to give them a stern look..
"No singing!" he said emphatically.
The entire return trip was made in suffocating silence as two young girls digested the fact that not everybody sings everywhere they go.

Of course, I think they should, and the words of those old songs pop into my head as I'm driving or doing dishes. Before you know it, I'm singing away.
My children and grandchildren have enjoyed singing in the car,,,to a point. There's the joy of The Wheels on the Bus and B*I*N*G*O that escalates into learning a repertoire of new songs like Buffalo Gals and roundelays like Bright Coral Bells that are coincidentally, my favorites. Then come the elementary years when they teach me songs they've learned in music class inevitably followed by the Jr. High years when they firmly decline to sing at all. I can't blame it on the iPod either..that's just the way it is.

Here's Zippity Doo Dah from Disney's Song of the South.
Feel free to sing along!

Have yourself a Zippy little day!

Y is for Yarrow

2008-12-18T07:32:00.000-08:00

Achillea millefolium

aka....Milfoil, Knights milfoil, soldiers woundwort, herbe militarias, carpenter's weed, staunchweed, nose bleed, sanguinary, bloodwort.... just reading those names is a clue to the use of this herb's use throughout history. It got the name Achillea from the ledgend that it was used to staunch the bleeding of Achilles' soldiers war wounds.

This white yarrow is the variety that grows throughout Northern Arizona. I used to keep some in my garden and when one of my children got a minor cut or scrape I just mincd a little yarrow, mixed it up with a morter and pestle added some aloe vera, applied it to the wound and slapped a bandaid on it. As a dressing, it was a little lumpy, but I can't remember any complaints and everything healed just fine.

This pink yarrow is the variety growing in my garden now, but wild white yarrow still grows wild around the old well house. Many Gardners like this red variety although I've never had any luck growing it.

I'd like to have some of this cheerful yellow variety that was introduced from Europe and now grows wild in many areas of the United states.

I had a friend who made a salve of yarrow, aloe vera, and some other healing herbs, bonding it with beeswax from her own hives, a great improvement over my method. We called it her 'glop' and used it for years for everything from cuts to skin rashes.
A healing ointment is still made from yarrow and used in the Highlands of Scotland today.
The flowers are pretty in fresh cut or dried bouquets or just nodding their heads under the weight of droning bees in the summertime....

X is for xerox

2008-12-17T07:44:00.001-08:00

Every morning when I first turn on my computer, I pop in to Lets Say Thanks and send a postcard to a service man or woman. It takes about 60 seconds if I send one of their prewritten messages and a bit longer if I compose a message myself. My thought is that in one to five minutes a day, I can say thank you to three hundred and sixty-five members of the armed services a year.

My Lake Havasu Blogger friend, Changes in the Wind does this as well. She posted the icon I've placed on my side bar about a week ago. The icon is really too big for my sidebar, but I'll keep working on it....

The postcards are all children's colorful drawings and designs, so it's fun to pick one out. Xerox prints them out in batches and includes them in care packages for the troops.

So.....if you happen to have a spare sixty seconds......

W is for Wintery, Windy Day...

2008-12-16T06:47:00.000-08:00

Snow has been falling off and on since about noon yesterday. Cold creeps in through unseen cracks in the old part of the house and the floors are fridged. I wear warm socks inside my Pooh slippers and both E. and I hunch over our keyboards wearing lightweight jackets as we wait for the house to warm up in the mornings.

Don't get me wrong. I love winters snow storms. I used to love them for all the anticipation and preparation. Kids all home safe and sound..check! Several days worth of kindling in the wood box...check!......several days worth of logs split and piled on the back porch..Check!...a couple of weeks worth of hay and rabbit pellets and dog food stored.....Check.....bird feeders filled..Check!...people food stored..especially the kind that goes into warm winter soups and stews.....Check! Then it was time to set soup kettle bubbling, build up a cozy fire and to curl up with a good book and read, occasionally to look up to see the snow piling up and up and to read.....

Things have changed a lot. We're at a lower altitude now and we're in a drought cycle, so snow no longer piles up as it did in the past. We no longer have to get to work through snow and ice.

Our fire is a gas log, an instant blaze whenever we like. but we still fill the bird feeders and curl up to read and watch the snow hoping it will pile up.. The phone rings and my sweet Daughter Kanga asks, "Do you need anything from the store? " I am so blessed.....

The only negative thing about this particular storm is the fact that OmegaMom has flown Alaska in order to spend some time with Granny J. of Walking Prescott, and to soak up some Arizona sunshine. If I knew a Sun Dance, I would do it for them, but I know they always have fun together no matter what the weather!

V is for Venison

2008-12-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

Late yesterday afternoon, our Granddaughter, Mu
struggled in lugging a huge crock pot brimming with our son's rich, venison stew.
I knew they were coming, so I'd made some little cheesy biscuits and popped a peach and an apple pie in the oven (thank you Sara Lee)
My Mom hasn't been feeling well, so our son drove the hundred or so feet back to her little house and brought her up in style. We set up card tables in front of the fire and as we ate our simple meal, we talked and laughed, and talked.....
I needed that.

U is for Umbel

2008-12-14T08:50:00.000-08:00

When a cluster of small flowers at the end of a stem form a natural little bouquet it's called an umbel....

I'm so sad that Abraham Lincoln, photographer extraordinaire of My Birds Blog and Brookville Daily Photo is back in the hospital with a collapsed lung. Get well soon Abe!

T is for Topiary

2008-12-13T06:26:00.000-08:00

Topiary seems to go with Christmas time. The one below is made of Holly sporting red berries. It comes from a company that sells artificial flowers and topiaries.
They advertise the fun shapes below already lit by fairy lights. I really love the Saguaro cactus. The largest is 65" tall.

I've always had a fascination for topiary and have thought it would be fun to try one. Topiary like these are of tough woody plants like boxwood, juniper, or myrtle and are pruned little by little into the desired shape.

Maybe I could make an elephant.....but I'd rather have this dragon! Wait! I can have this dragon..it's 100 feet long, sold at at Neiman Marcus for $35,000. It's in the 2008 Christmas catalog if you want one too...

You can buy wire frames to fill with sphagnum moss to achieve a fun look in much less time. There are a wide variety of whimsical shapes available. I 'd have a hard time choosing....

Cinderella and the Prince at Disney World.....

This swan is also made of sphagnum moss. I don't know how they colored it white! Or uncolored it green...hummmmm artificial white sphagnum moss?

I think I might just try a small sphagnum moss topiary next summer!

If you're interested in making a topiary, there's a lot of available information and many shapes of wire frames, including your favorite breed of dog as well as instructions are widely available.

S is for Spicy

2008-12-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

Once or twice a year, I order spices and herbs online. By ordering the spices I use frequently, like chili powder and curry, in bulk I save a little money. But mostly I do it because they are fresher, and each time I can order something I've never tried before. This time I got a small jar of chipotle chili powder for it's smoky Southwest flavor, and some toasted onion powder hoping to give dips the taste without the salt. In the past I've ordered vanilla beans and lemon zest (not as good as freshly grated). Next time I think I'll try some whole nutmegs to grate myself!

I order from Spice Barn, but there are many spice companies online. They used to package everything in plastic bags, so that the whole house was filled with exotic scent the moment the box was opened.
Now, the packages, designed to preserve their contents, seal that aroma away. Still, it's fun to open the box and to think of the things I can cook...

R is for Radiation

2008-12-11T08:46:00.000-08:00

We're all aware now days, of the relationship of UV radiation from the sun's rays and skin cancer. Although I wear a high number sun blocker all year round, I still sprout little red bumps or scaly places that my dermatologist sprays with liquid nitrogen to kill any malignant cells. And once in awhile, a bump will appear that is significant enough to require a biopsy for skin cancer. So far, all my bumps have been basal cell carcinoma that is localized and doesn't metastasize to spread to other parts of the body as squamous cell carcinoma sometimes does and malignant melanoma always does.

Yesterday, I had to go to my Dermatologist to have a Mohs procedure on the side of my nose and then over to my Plastic Surgeon for a repair of the site. Mohs is named for Fredrick Mohs the Doctor who developed the procedure to make sure all cancerous cells are removed while avoiding the removal of more healthy tissue than needed. They slice a bit from the site and look at it right away under a microscope to make this determination. If they get all the cancer cells the first time, home you go. If not, back you go to have another thin slice taken away. I was lucky yesterday, and I had only one trip to the back. Then I was off to my Plastic Surgeon who is both very good at his job and an interesting guy.

Yesterday, as he deftly applied his tiny stitches, he told me about his 700 pound steer that had demolished a gate to make his way into the luxurious community surrounding Prescott's premier golf course. That area also opens up access to some steep and rugged forest on upper Aspen Creek and, after having been spotted along the fringes of the golf course a few times, it seems that's where the poor fellow must have ventured.
"You need cowboys," I advised.
He already has two cowboys from a local ranch lined up to look for his steer saying "I've had several offers , but these two are good in brush. I think they'll get the job done."
Before I knew it, he was finished and I came home to watch a movie or two with my head carefully tilted back as instructed.
Most of my skin cancers come from seeds planted by UV radiation while I was a carefree teen riding out across the prairie with no hat and returning home with many a bad sunburn. But we didn't know then. Did we?

Q is for....

2008-12-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

I'm Quaffing my coffee, lost in Quixotry, as I consider the Quagmire of alphabetical blogging.
I'm in a Quandary and feel some Qualms as I'm off to a minor surgical procedure..not that I Quake in fear of Quackery from my Doctors., I'm not even Queasy...I just need to Quell the urge to keep on Q...ing.

P is for Pig

2008-12-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

This year, we lost both our pot bellied pigs. First, Miss Suki died in her sleep early in the summer. Then T.S. Belliot became ill and died in early fall. She was thirteen and he was fourteen. They were both 'rescue pigs' . The life expectancy is twelve to fifteen years, so we should have been expecting it, but you never do...do you?

Here come T.S. Belliot and Miss Suki out of their warm nest on what was probably a winter day. You can tell because they are trailing shredded paper that we used instead of straw. Paper is pretty insulating and along with all the old blankets, jackets and sweaters that made up their nest, I think they slept pretty warmly. The door they are exiting is a feed room, tool shed, and their house was the room behind it. That space was divided to give a chicken house above and the pig den below. There's a door that opens to clean both the chicken house and the pig's den with a baffled piggy door in the bottom.

The photo below must be summer as they look clean and sleek as they do what pigs do best. Miss Suki could often be seen grazing about the yard while a warm summer rain washed her clean, but Mr. Belliot would flinch at the first drop of any moisture , rushing to shelter as quickly as his little legs could carry him. A shameful mat of dirt would build up on his back until one of us would take up a toilet brush we kept for the purpose of cleaning him off. He never objected to that scratchy process! Pigs love to be scratched and fall over on their sides (known as pig tipping) to allow access to their tummies.

The chickens did their best to help him with his grooming problem. The little hen below,for one. During his last couple of months, T. and a young rooster were inseparable. The rooster slept with him in his den and could often be seen riding on his back as T. trudged over to investigate Tigger's compost. I'm sorry I never got a picture of them.

They were popular with people of all ages and had many visitors. Here, Tigger's Granddaughters come to see T to offer petting and treats. When my Granddaughter, Piglet was about that age and T. was almost fully grown, she held out a hand with a treat in it, but had her fist firmly closed around it. T. was young. The teeth in that huge maw were razor sharp, and my heart skipped a beat as, before I could stop her, the tiny fist totally disappeared inside!

I was afraid to do or say anything for fear of startling one or both of them. Eventually the little hand was spat out and T was munching carrot. He remained endearingly gentle all his life. While Sukie was forceful and would sometimes nip our feet or legs to demand attention or food, T would only tug on our pants legs a bit to say, "Remember me? I'm way down here and I could use a scratch.."

We miss Sukie with her saucy strut and her bossy ways, and we miss grubby old T ambling abstractedly about with or without a chicken on his back. We miss the way they talked to us and to each other. We miss all the little things they did that made us laugh. And so, change has come to the one acre wood....much of the heart has gone out of it..

O is for Orb

2008-12-08T06:56:00.000-08:00

Here are two. I'm always awed by pictures of the earth taken from space ..the sheer perfection of our planet with it's small orbiting orb.

This is a hectic time of year........ sometimes it's good to take a deep breath just to get things into perspective!

N is for Nutmeg

2008-12-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

This time of year our (well, mine anyway) thoughts turn to all those goodies special to the season..and what is the Holiday season without that cup or two of eggnog? And what is eggnog without that little sprinkle of nutmeg floating on top?

The nutmeg tree, going by the romantic name of Mrystica fragrans, is a native of the Moluccas (spice islands) and other neighboring islands. It abounds especially in the small cluster of islands called Banda. Mrystica fragrans is now cultivated in other parts of the East Indies.

The fleshy fruit of this hardy tree is used to make candy and for pickling. The seeds are covered by a red membrane called aril, and this is dried and ground to make the spice mace. The hard nut is then dried and finally, shelled for the kernel that is grated for nutmeg.

There's an interesting article about nutmeg here at about.com . You can go find a ton of recipes for both nutmeg mace. there as well.

There are a couple of eggnog recipes, one for those who like some rum or brandy in theirs, and one for those who don't.

This article mentions the popularity of this expensive spice in Europe and the fad of wealthy men and women to carry nutmeg and fancy little graters everywhere they went and making an ostentatious show of grating their own where ever they dined.

Taken in large amounts, nutmeg is a hallucinogenic drug and can be fatal. But that can be true of other commonly used herbs and spices, so enjoy that sprinkle on your eggnog or custard or quiche.

M is for Mom

2008-12-06T08:23:00.000-08:00

Rick the talented cartoonist at Organized Doodles, suggested that I use Mom for M, and I realized that I haven't written about my Mom lately.
When I was a little girl suffering from asthma, my Mom and I traveled around looking for a place I could breathe. I still think she was brave, as a divorcee with a child, hopping a train arriving in Colorado Springs, or Estancia, New Mexico or Prescott, Arizona, finding a job, and enrolling me in a new school. We landed in Prescott in 1947 and have lived here ever since. Well pretty much ever since, but those are other stories..

Mom had her 95th Birthday on April 19, of this year. She opted for a smaller, just-family celebration this year.

You may remember that she started taking clarinet lessons in November of last year. This year, she participated in her church's annual talent show where she got a standing ovation from the audience! Mom explained to them that she hadn't been playing long, but she'd played the clarinet in high school.
"Of course, that was eighty years ago," sez Mom, and brought the house down. Her playing was excellent as well.

A couple of months ago, my daughter rented a lift so that my son could take down some dead trees for her. (that's a post in itself) There were fringe benefits for us and one was a ride into the sky to look down at our world from a sixty foot vantage point.
There goes Mom..........

She hasn't given up her workshop either! Here's a whimsical birdhouse she built for her Church's rummage sale. She's ordered a new table saw and is planning to make more of these!

So what keeps Mom so vital at 95? Aside from some good genes, Mom has a real zest for life. She finds something new to read, to do, to make, to try, to think about every day... The word tomorrow is synonymous to potential for Mom.

Keep on keeping on, Mom....we love you!

L is for Land

2008-12-05T07:43:00.000-08:00

We live in a huge Country, and like most people E and I are grateful to have a little piece to call our own. It's important to us to own a little piece of land and to enjoy the full rights that attend that ownership. But we know that we are, part and parcel, a little jigsaw piece of one Homeland Deep down we know that not only does the Land belong to us, we belong to the Land.

Sir Walter Scott wrote, in 1805 (this is an excerpt)

The Lay of the Last Minstrel,

Breathes there the man with soul so dead

Who never to himself hath said,

This is my own, my native land!

Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned,

As home his footsteps he hath turned

From wandering on a foreign strand!

In the 1940's Woody Guthrie wrote:

Oh dear, now I must think of M...Ummmmmmmm..................

K is for Kites and Kudos

2008-12-04T06:41:00.000-08:00

First for the Kudo! This lovely award came from Lisa at Laughing Orca Ranch. Lisa and her family are living a real country life among a variety of critters high in New Mexico. Today she told us about her rare and beautiful, blue eyed, black Karakul sheep, Svetlana. Thank you for this award, Lisa!

I'm going to pass this on (I know some of you don't paste awards on your sidebars, but I wanted to acknowledge you anyway) to:

Changes in the Wind
The Old Sourdough
Grannie Annie
Mary Beth
Jan
Lydia
Granny J.
and last, but far from least, my beautiful Granddaughter, Alicia

And if anyone else would like this little jewel on their sidebar, please help yourself!

Now for Kites..

Here are some some basic kite types....bat, diamond, triangle, sled, box, and some windsocks

A fantastic dragon kite from the Smithsonian Kite Festival in Washington D. C.

A Chinese Dragon kite........

I really like this squid!

This photo wouldn't enlarge for me, but I wanted to include it because we used to make sled kites from trash bags just like this one. They flew higher and better than any kites we'd ever bought, but had a bad habit of breaking any string or line and sailing blithely away into the wild blue yonder. We tried all kinds of line, but it was stronger than any tether....

There are kite festivals all over the world when winds blow fresh with a greening spring and a hint of summer to come.

J is for Jabberwocky

2008-12-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

The other day, Granny J. and I were talking about the lost pastime of memorization. When we were children, the adults around us routinely memorzsed poetry and even passages from essays. People used to read aloud to one another, or quote poetry aloud while sitting on front porches drinking lemonade as light slid into darkness on long, humid, summer evenings. It seems that everyone in my family, eventually including myself, memorized Lewis Carroll's ..

Jabberwocky.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought --

So rested he by the Tumtum tree.

And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,

Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came wiffling through the tulgey wood,

And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy

frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"

He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

I can't remember if this appears in Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass, but to this day my Mom and I will cry Callooh! Callay! when we're feeling joyful, while the words galumping and beamish have a permanent place in our vocabularies.

I is for Inch

2008-12-02T06:57:00.000-08:00

This house is partly very old and since we have added on to the original structure, partly new. The old house was originally the first Prescott Gun Club and has been on the tax roll since 1914, the year they established a tax roll. I think it was built earlier than that, 1895 to 1905, perhaps. The streets surrounding the old house are named for the original gun club members. We live on Shoup St. and we all pronounce it to rhyme with soup, although I was told by a local historian that it was named for old Dr. Shoup who pronounced his name Showp to rhyme with chow...p.

The basement is a treasure trove of old tools. Some were left here and some have been collected by E. This is an old, two foot ruler that has four segments of six inches each. It can be carried in a pocket and whipped out for those little, everyday measuring jobs.

A hinge in the middle will open it to make one foot.

Hinges on each leg then open to make the two foot length.

The hinges are brass and still function perfectly. Craftsmanship in this type of simple tool marks an era when tools were carefully made to be used every day, cherished, and expected to last a lifetime...or two.or more.. a different time for sure..

H is for Hymn

2008-12-01T06:44:00.000-08:00

I've always loved hymns. This is a nice video of some powerful rivers set to Allison Krause's sweet rendition of Down to the River to Pray. I hope you enjoy it!

G is for Geranium

2008-11-30T06:24:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago, E an I were at our nearby garden center, Watter's, when I spied a display of red geraniums. These were much larger plants than I feel I can afford, but there in the middle of all that true red shone a single plant with blossoms in that yummy color that we, who were teens in the fifties, called Lipstick Pink. I guess the other way to describe this color is to call it rose. I have tried many times to photograph this plant and the color never comes out true. It's always pretty though, so I have resigned myself to show the many colors it appears on film and to celebrate the size it's attained sitting on the floor of the kitchen pushing everyone out of it's way. This picture is close, but a bit too salmon.

The top blossom is close to the color, but a bit too blueish....

The girls obligingly posed to give it some perspective...

Carl Linnaeus the father of botanical classification included these plants in the genus geranium, but in 1789 along came Charles L'Henitier who decided to differentiate these plants, originally from Africa, from the native species of geranium found in Europe and North America known as cranesbill. He called this genus pelargonium. Both cranesbill and pelargonium belong to the family Geraniaceae . Most gardeners still say geranium!

F is for Fish

2008-11-29T07:59:00.000-08:00

This is Mr. P., Hyposotomos Plecostomus. (You can click the picture to see him in detail) He's a variety of catfish who spends his time lazing about the bottom of the tank grazing on algae

Although he belongs to my son, Mr. P. is presently residing in our basement while they do some remodeling. This guy is about ten inches long, but in the right conditions a Plecostomus can achieve two feet in length.

These fish are found in Central and South America and you can read about them here

E. has grown very attached to this fellow and dearly loves to give him treats of cucumber and zuchini squash.

This illustrates the old addage that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, for which I am eternally grateful..

E is for Eagle

2008-11-28T07:44:00.001-08:00

The Bald Eagle, our National symbol..........long may they fly.

If you like, you can read some interesting facts about The American Bald Eagle while go I warm up a piece of leftover pie for breakfast....or dressing...or pie..or....

For the laugh of the day, go over to Bec's and see what her son got for his birthday. Tiz a bit of a shocker...

D is for Dinner

2008-11-27T05:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is my favorite Holiday. It's the day my family gathers to sit down around the old walnut table that belonged to my Great Grandparents. It's the day we all get to have our favorite foods and we all have our favorites, so there is always much more food than we need or in reality, should have.
It is the day that the good silver is laid beside the best china in a sparkling array not to be seen any other time of year..... my Granddaughters practicing their table setting..
"No, Roo that big soup spoon goes on the very outside," councils Piglet kindly as they make their way around the big old oval table that is fully extended, and truthfully, way too big for one side of the living room.
It is always cramped. We sit as close together as our chairs will allow, holding hands while someone says grace. It is a moment of true thankfulness..for our close knit family, for good friends at home and in cyberspace...for our warm homes..for our comfortable lives.. for the blessing of being born in this bounteous country....we are truly grateful...

C is for Crocodile

2008-11-26T07:57:00.000-08:00

Ummm, best not to tease one as this Israli backpacker, Navon Mashiah was doing seconds before this picture was taken in Australia.

B is for Butterfly

2008-11-25T07:07:00.001-08:00

Last summer, E. took this picture of a beautiful Black Swallowtail Butterfly on his Buddleia. This is a nicely scented variety of "Butterfly Bush" that smells almost like lilacs.
If you click the picture, you can see some very nice detail on this fellow.
A quick shot as he fluttered away shows his back markings..

Today, as I look out of the window, I see the that all the leaves have fallen from the branches of the Cottonwood and Russian Olive trees. The sap of life has slipped from those bare bone branches to leave them anesthetized against the cold to come. I'm already longing for the heat of summer, the scent of blossom..... the sight of butterflies.

I guess I'll go down under to see what Meggie's growing in her lush and colorful garden.

An Apple a Day

2008-11-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

What's with blogger anyway? At this last minute, I decided to participate in Lisa (Laughing Orca Ranch)'s challenge to post an alphabetical letter a day. Now what about A? Well Apple of course, so I hopped aboard the Google Express and found pictures of all my favorite apples. Now, I can't upload the pictures.
Okay, nothing daunted, well maybe a little daunted..I shall persevere (does anyone else remember an actor, a long, tall guy maybe named Clyde Culpepper reciting a poem, Persevere in silly, over modulated tones on the old Dick Van Dyke show? Well, never mind.....

I gathered pictures of real apples the kind of apple that, when you plant a seed, will actually grow into a tree of the same variety. I'm not talking about the hybrid apples they tout as superior these days.
People used to plant several varieties of apples to serve different purposes. There were small, oh-so-tart Jonathan perfect for pies and big red Rome Beauties for baking, their centers bubbling with raisins and nuts and cinnamon.
There were McIntosh that obligingly served either purpose very well.
There were red delicious, crisp and juicy for crunching in front of the cozy autumnal fire before facing a trek to the cold upstairs bedrooms. Smaller, flavorful Yellow Delicious served the same purpose.
Apples were carefully picked and wrapped in paper, to be stored beside baskets of root vegetables in the cellar. Hopefully they would last through the winter, each to be enjoyed for it's own purpose.
I'm thinking apple pie would go very well right now..

In Search of Art

2008-11-22T07:43:00.000-08:00

One day last fall we were at loose ends and looking around for something to do, decided to have lunch at JB's (including PIE) and then take in the art show at Yavapai college.

There were some nice big paintings with a woodsy wildflower theme by the artist Mary Farmer, and some gizmos and gadgets. The girls each picked out a favorite painting and we left quite satisfied.

In the car, the girls started giggling among themselves. "Grandma, did you see that bar of soap with the Lord's Prayer carved in Aramaic," they wondered. "Yes," I had seen it and had squinted at the fine print long enough to see that the tiny print on the bar of ivory soap was in Aramaic and that the price was $250.

"Isn't that terrible!" They were puffed up with indignation.

"Well, the artist must have felt he was saying something that was important to him..."

"After all, Aramaic is probably the language Jesus spoke," I pointed out.

At this point, E. shot me a sideways look. "Did you read the description," he asked, obviously amused.

"Not all of it," I confessed. At this time, they all had a great time informing me that the dark lines that emphasized each carefully carved letter were made up of the artist's embedded pubic hair!

Needless to say, the trip was a success for shock value alone. Now I'm wondering if any of our County tax dollars found their way into that project! It's hard for me to think of that sort of project as not so much art, but the result of an adolescent mind needing to shake up the establishment. What do you think?

Granny J. has a great post of Prescott area bronzes here. There you can see the work of some wonderful artists.

I thought I'd remember the names of the Mary Farmer paintings, but only remember the one below, The Stigmata Tree.

Just Passing Through

2008-11-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

One spring morning, E. found this desert tortoise in his little "meadow" munching fallen rose petals. When she found herself being observed, she abandoned her roses to beat a hasty retreat ...well as hastily as a tortoise can retreat. She was around for a few days as we discussed what to do with her. It pretty much boiled down to searching for her owner or taking her out to the local zoo..when she disappeared as mysteriously as she'd appeared. Being me, I wake up in the cold of the night and worry about her.

This little bull snake stopped by too. He was all shiny and new looking having apparently just lost his old skin. We drove him down the hill to the wild brushy area where we take the skunks.

There, he was more than happy to slither into the underbrush. At least I assume he was happy. It's hard to tell with a snake..

It is just such momentous occurrences that keep the One Acre Wood humming along!

I'm still fussing with my pictures. Hopefully, I'll get them straightened out one day!

On theWild Side

2008-11-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

I had a post in mind for today, but upon opening Picasa found all my files scrambled. They're fine in My Pictures, but there are so many of them and I got busy there organizing and reorganizing and now time has flown.....

I got a kick out of these pictures..ever felt like the weight of the world was on you?

Those were taken in an African wildlife preserve. Below, just keepin' their cool..

Veterans Day

2008-11-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

IN FLANDERS FIELDS
In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place: and in the sky

The larks still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead: Short days ago,

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved: and now we lie

In Flanders fields!
Take up our quarrel with the foe

To you, from failing hands, we throw

The torch: be yours to hold it high

If ye break faith with us who die,

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields
by Lt. Coronel John McCrae

Coronel McCrae was a Canadian MD , a surgeon who wrote this poem in 1915. Today, Canadians and Brits and Aussies and Americans are holding that torch high, keeping the faith. Bravely, they stand together to protect our freedoms. I am so grateful.....

Ascending Moon....

2008-11-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

One summer evening, I saw this ascending full moon flirting with us mortals. Playing hide and seek, it rose inexorably toward its zenith, offering an occasional tantalizing glimpse of glowing perfection through patches of roiling storm clouds as they sailed in, borne by a brisk easterly breeze.
They're nice when clicked....

Posting..posting..

2008-11-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

I planned to post this morning, then life intervened.
Now I had a minute..tried to upload a couple of pictures, and Picasa wouldn't behave!

For anyone wondering how I'm taking the election results, I have this to say...
God Bless America, and God Bless and guide President Obama. He's taking over an enormous job, and he'll need all the support and loyalty we can give him.

I'll try to get my pictures up later..

You're a Grand Old Flag!

2008-11-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

You're a grand old flag,

You're a high flying flag

And forever in peace may you wave.

You're the emblem of

The land I love.

The home of the free and the brave.

Ev'ry heart beats true

'neath the Red, White and Blue,

Where there's never a boast or brag.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

George by M. Cohan

Speak Softly and Carry a.......What?

2008-11-03T11:13:00.000-08:00

*****************

Jan at Vinegar and Honey has a beautiful post today.... I cried, you probably will too...

Sgt Joe Cook, an Iraq war Veteran speaks directly to the man who may become his Commander in Chief.

What does the possible leader of the Free World have to say to those who would lay down their lives to make freedom ring?

Darn, this lantern is getting heavy! Tomorrow I can put it down for awhile...

Is this the Dream?

2008-11-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

Is this what Martin Luther King had in mind?

Is this what many of the people lining up at the polls two days before the election are expecting?

Just what is being racist? Is it this little girl?

Here's Bill Clinton obviously put on the spot regarding Obama's association with Reverend Wright. Is there a difference between Wright and the KKK leader David Duke?

As police gear up for race riots should Obama lose the election, I can't help wondering what Dr. King would say to them.

I wonder what he would say to Barack if he found out the "beloved Auntie Zeitiuni" described in his book was living in public housing and that her nephew, apparently had lost track of her and didn't know of her circumstances as a fugitive illegal alien. He did return the $260 or so she'd donated to his campaign. Well......he had to as her status made it an illegal donation...

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T11:14:00.000-07:00

By the prickling of my thumbs.....

My favorite Jackie Lawson card.. your way comes.................................

http://www.jacquielawson.com/preview.asp?cont=1&hdn=0&mpv=3111911

And here's a way of expressing your artistic ability with no clean up involved!

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/timages/page/pumpkin_sim.html

May many little spooks light up your lives tonight!

Ouestions Posed By a Littlebrain

2008-10-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

Why would a man who is aiming to be the most powerful man in the world need so many props? A President needs to be able stand absolutely alone if necessary, making decisions that affect not only his own Country, but the rest of the world as well, but Barack Obama seems to need lots of shoring up. Does anyone else wonder why he needs to surround himself with Presidential Props. Does anyone else ever think of the little boy in the Fireman's helmet or cowboy hat playing When I'm grown up I'll be...?

Why did he need, early on in his campaign to usurp and defile the Presidential Seal? More importantly, Why didn't he have the wisdom to know how inappropriate that was.....how....well.. pathetic?

Why does he need fancy stage sets costing millions of dollars that imitate, the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King gave his, "I Had a Dream" speech and a fair imitation set of the Oval Office for his 30 minute infomercial last night?

Why did he need to paint a huge personal logo on an airplane, go so far as to embroider it on the seats inside, and then fly off to imitate John Kennedy's European trip?

Why did the Chancellor Germany have to be embarrassed into explaining to him that the Brandenburg gate was set aside for real dignitaries, important occasions and speeches not campaign speeches? Why did Barack have to be told? Where is his sense of appropriateness anyway?

"Merkel has voiced "great skepticism as to whether it is appropriate to bring an election campaign being fought not in Germany but in the United States to the Brandenburg Gate."
Steg (a spokesman for the chancellor) said that "no German (chancellor) candidate would think of using (Washington's) National Mall or Red Square in Moscow for rallies, because it would be considered inappropriate."

Why does French President Nicolas Sarkozy worried about Obama's ability to understand foreign policy?

Sarkozy has made his criticisms only in closed forums in France. But according to a senior Israeli government source, the reports reaching Israel indicate that Sarkozy views the Democratic candidate’s stance on Iran as “utterly immature” and comprised of “formulations empty of all content

According to the reports reaching Israel, Sarkozy told Obama at that meeting that if the new American president elected in November changed his country’s policy toward Iran, that would be “very problematic.”

Why would Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Ambassador to England write in a seven page letter to Gorden Brown, "There is also the suggestion that Obama is a novice: "The main impression is of someone who was finding their feet, and then got diverted by his Presidential ambition." ?

Do you too, see a fragile ego that needs to spend lots of $$$ on keeping up appearances? Does anyone else wonder how that will translate to the taxpayer dollar.

Oops!! I made a mistake yesterday in saying the middle class income had lowered to $140,000. According to Joe Biden, it's $150,000. I haven't heard what it is today..

So Many Dollars..How to Spend Them All..

2008-10-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

I just spoke with Granny J. on the phone to verify that she'll be here for our weekly Scrabble game, (I need time to prepare for the humiliating experience) and I told her I've been trying to collect my thoughts preparatory to yet another political blog..

My problem? There is so much information surfacing daily regarding Barack Obama's carefully guarded past and policies that I don't quite know where to start!

I don't know how other Americans feel, but I'm insulted as hardworking Americans lose their jobs, see the equity in our homes decrease, watch 401Ks, melt away, and plan a different future for their children than the college they'd hoped for, Barack Obama thinks nothing of spending millions on self-glorification and lengthy TV spots, while he preaches to taxpayers bout spreading the wealth around.

What if he had sacrificed that grandiose Greek Temple stage set at the Democratic Convention and accepted a simple American Flag as a backdrop as his opponent did? Wouldn't that $5,000,000,000 yup, that's five million dollars spent and gone..wouldn't that have done wonders for some of his pet projects?

I don't think that Senator Obama intends to spread any of his own wealth around, after all only those making $250,000 a year will be taxed ..um $200,000..a year...um today I believe that middle class income has slipped to $140,000. And dropping....

By the by, as Mainstream America tightens it's belt and prepares for the worst time in our memory, here's a peek at The Reverend Wright's new home.

You remember Rev. Wright as Barack Obama's twenty year long Pastor, friend, and advisor until the Senator discovered that many potential voters disapproved of Wright. Upon finding that out, Senator Obama seemed to have no problem casting his old friend aside. No loyalty there..............or will that change after the election?

As Rev. Wright continues to curse the inequalities rampant in America, he unveils his 10,000 square foot mansion. Video on Michelle

Still coming....

2008-10-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

I have a busy day ahead, taking my mom to the Doctor and running errands, but I took time out to lurk about on a few blogs.

I urge everyone to take the time to read my friend, The Old Sourdough 's wonderful essay that speaks to all thoughtful Americans. Nobody cares more for her country than this crusty, independent woman who manages to write with thoughtful intelligence and always, straight from from the heart..
I hope to meet Liz someday, and if I'm given that opportunity, I won't be a bit surprised if she turns out to be red white and blue.

The Socialists are Still Coming..

2008-10-25T09:51:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was talking to a friend who's a Realtor. She asked if I knew anyone looking to purchase a home, and I replied that I might. I said I'd ask my acquaintance if he had a Realtor yet.

She replied, "Tell him I can get a 99% loan to value!" She said this as though it was a good thing!

Don't tell me the banks are still making those irresponsible loans!" I exploded.

Taken aback, she said that yes, there were still "some good deals" out there.

How can this be? It was the millions of irresponsible loans that got us into this National debt. The spread-the-fairness-everyone-should-own-a-home-even-if they-can't-make-the-payment policies of government supported groups like ACORN pressuring banks into faulty lending practices, started it. But when banks figured out that they could pass the bad loans off on Freddy and Fanny as well as overseas investors, they became totally irresponsible They made millions of loans to illegals as well as others, with no social security numbers, proof of employment, or down payment. With millions of those homes in forclosure, how can the banks afford to continue a practice that can only end with the American taxpayer repeatedly footing the bill until we all go bankrupt!

Exaggeration? It was Margaret Thatcher who led Great Britain out of socialism and into a prospering economy who said,

"Socialism is fine until you run out of other people's money."

Now we may ask why the banks can continue this harmful practice. Could it be because they were not held accountable? They were bailed out? They didn't have to take the responsibility for the devastation their practices have wrought on the American economy! Why do they think they can come out slick as a whistle again even if they make faulty loans and thousands more go into bankruptcy? Is the fact that Barny Frank is calling for $150,000,000 more targeted to stimulate the economy making them feel bullet proof? Have they come to believe that there will always be government funds available to cover for their irresponsible policies?

So how did we get into this mess in the first place? Well................

Yes Bush (the evil one), did try to warn us and so did John McCain. They were thwarted by..
you guessed it..Barney Frank and friends....

This is long and the music is a bit dramatic, and it's definitely political but here it is in their own words as they attack the regulators and refer to the bill signed in in 1992 .....

So how about those banks..is it:
Lessons learned? Bad practices thrown out? Or business as usual expecting unlimited bailouts? Well, isn't that like.... ummmm...socialism in action..

Let us Ask Not ....

2008-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

who has donated a staggering 150.000,000 to Senator Obama's political campaign. After all, The One should never be held accountable for one red cent!

And by all means, let us allow the mainstream media to lead us by the nose to focus on Sarah Palin and the enormous scandal because the RNC spent 150,000 of private donation money albeit accounted for in a straight foreword manner, to outfit her for the campaign trail. Never mind that these will never be her clothes to keep , but will be donated to charity. Bad Sarah! Bad RNC!

Why would the RNC think Sarah's appearance needed revamping? Well, to make her more likable to the mainstream media, of course.... Face it RNC, that will never happen. The focus of these mannequins will always be both trivial and critical toward Govenor Palin.

Awhile back, I tuned into an online round table discussion supposedly of one of Palin's campaign speeches. The focus of the first five minutes was on her cup of coffee, hadn't she mispronounced the name of the coffee,... was it a designer enough brand of coffee..on and on... I ended up turning it off before they got to the supposed meat of the matter..the speech content if indeed, they ever got there.

And, on another note.......

E and I are getting along and fighting various health problems. The One Acre wood is suffering from inattention and sometimes we wonder how long we'll be able to stay here. A small house or manufactured home on a small lot would be much easier for us to maintain. But we do love it here.

A couple of months ago we heard lawn mowers outside and mentioned the neighbors were getting busy early and we should do the same. Then we looked out the window to see this... and this!

and this..................

Our son was there too, swinging a heavy duty weed whacker. In about an hour, they all bestowed hugs and kisses, cheerfully loaded up their mowers and headed for home saying they had lots to accomplish there.

We are wonderfully blessed, and we are humbled by gratitude for those blessings.

Thars a Cold Wind Ablowin'......

2008-10-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

This Summer E converted an old bird bath to a mister. The birds have loved it, especially the hummers, but I guess it's time to turn it off!

Yesterday, one of my oldest and dearest friends stopped by for a game of scrabble and the inevitable "catching up" on each other's lives.

I lit the first fire of the season in our little living room fireplace, and we settled down to the game. There were no seven letter words. I won, but that's because I'm a fierce player who always goes for the score while my friend loves words for their beauty and meaning and will lay down a word like limpa or hobbit for very little score just because she likes it. We've known one another for thirty-five years and this is the first time we've ever gotten into politics.

I of course, was the one who chattered on obsessively.. bringing up my fears regarding the future of America, my initial dissatisfaction at McCain's nomination and my increasing respect for Senator McCain and now my confidence in the McCain/ Palin ticket.

Mostly, I ranted on about an initial mistrust of Barack Obama that has grown into an absolute conviction that he would be the worst President who could ever happen to our Nation in these uncertain times.

I ran through my talking points, ticking them off on my fingers, emphasizing the times that Obama has just shrugged off documented relationships and even recorded statements, looked into the camera and lied, and that those lies were being swallowed whole by millions of people because the mainstream media doesn't call him on anything. I finished my speech by saying that while all the financial advisers I'd read or listened to said that raising taxes in a failing economy is the worst thing anyone can do, Obama has shown no intent of even postponing any of his "share the wealth" programs. (Oh, I was looking for sources to verify this and found that Senator Obama has now acknowledged that he knows raising taxes would further endanger out fragile economy. But wasn't this a bit late in the game? And why is he, six weeks later, still making all those promises about spreading the wealth around?)

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/08/obama-you-know-tax-hikes-in-a-recession-may-be-a-bad-idea

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20080920/ai_n29494974

Finally, as I paused for breath and my friend narrowing her eyes a bit, queried, "You do know that Colin Powell has endorsed Obama, don't you?"

"Yes, I know that former Secretary of State, Colin Powell who argued the case for the war in Iraq before the United Nations and then had some falling out with the Bush administration has endorsed Senator Obama. Are you aware that at least four former Secretaries of State including George Schultz, Henry Kissinger, and James Baker III have all endorsed Senator McCain?"

No, she admit ed, she didn't She really doesn't have time to think much about what's in store for the country. She just watches the TV news and goes about her busy life. Did anything I said change her mind about anything? Of course not.

Will that stop me from spurring my trusty computer forward, swinging my feeble little lamp against the darkness and shouting. "The Socialists are coming! The Socialists are coming!" I think not! But I feel a cold wind nipping at my bones.........

Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Voter Fraud and Campaign Promises

2008-10-17T07:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'll admit it! I'm obsessed with this election. I think it's the most important election ever to confront the American people, and I'm a little embarrassed that I never saw it coming.
We've all taken it for granted that there was graft and corruption in politics , but coming face to face with the extent of the ACORN intervention in voter registration is mind boggling.

Jan's addressed this issue in her usual thorough, thoughtful, and well documented way.
I'm urging everyone to read her post.

I'll offer these:

Watch this Albany news video

Then there's this:

With that verbal promise of power over any other citizen or group in the United States, it's easy to see why ACORN is willing to go to any lengths to see that Obama wins this election.

By now I guess everyone in the country knows that it's the activities of community organizers working with and for ACORN that led greedy banks into the financial morass and that it is us, our children and Great Grandchildren who will pay, but I have to point it out one more time. Think about this group dictating Presidential policy...............

Thoughts on our Future......

2008-10-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

Everyone should read the letter sent to Jan at Vinegar and Honey by an old friend, a member of the Board of Regents at a university. The last paragraph describes exactly the way I feel much more articulately than I could ever do.

Government by the people.......

2008-10-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

When all the objectives of government include the achievement of equality - other than equality before the law - that government poses a threat to liberty."
Margaret Tatcher

What happened? Well, four children, work, school or all of us, life....over the years we paid less and less attention....then retirement..and who wants to think about politics when they have seven grandchildren and one and a half great grandchildren to play with? We have places to go and things to do. But wait!

Who's responsible for the financial mess we're in? Yes, the Government, that huge entity where we can certainly point the finger of blame for a failing economy. But wasn't it We The People who voted these people into office and then allowed them cart blanche with our welfare? They were supposedly working for us, yet we paid little to no attention to what our elected officials were doing with our tax dollars. We kept re-electing the same people to represent us in Congress over and over again without bothering to review any legislation they'd introduced or the way they voted on other's legislative bills.

We stood by as our elected representatives awarded themselves higher and higher salaries and larger and larger retirement benefits. After serving two terms, a Congress person can retire with a lifetime benefit package that anyone could envy.

We faithfully watched the evening news and allow the excitable talking heads to influence us because we clung to the outmoded belief that there is some integrity left in journalism. Sometimes we do get upset with some Congressional shenanigans, but by election day, we've forgotten about that and vote for same old familiar name , or along partisan lines, or for somebody new without bothering to questions their qualifications.

Now we find ourselves between the proverbial rock and hard place. This election, like no past election, will determine the future of our Nation.
The Half-baked Sourdough points out this election determines whether we choose to try to dig ourselve out of this financial crater or pick the slippery slide into socialism.
If it were just E. and me, I don't think I'd bother taking the time and energy to express my thoughts on where this election is taking us. But I feel I must speak out. I am the one in our family who says, "better wear a sweater...are you taking your vitamins?.....wouldn't you rather eat this nice veggie casserole than some old fast food burger?.. you are planning to vote aren't you?"
E. and I have enjoyed the best economic and safest years in our country's history, and we have a reason to care about the future. Well, eight and a half reasons, really!

Did this financial crisis originate yesterday? Last week? While we were asleep at the switch, government was legislating equality..

Saga of a Discontented Peacock

2008-10-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

Unless something amazing happens this will be my final peacock post. Raja, the perennially dissatisfied peacock left us for what he hoped would be greener pastures. One fine spring day, I sent Roo out with the camera giving her instructions to try to take his picture with tail fanned out. I could never seem to get one with the sun illuminating his brilliant colors. He soon grew nervous at being closely followed by a girl with a camera and decided to hide under the silver lace vine. Still denuded from winter, the vine covered Raja well enough , except......oh, the trials of having a long, glowing-green tail!

He slept here on the roof of the tiny guest-house rental. Often he would gaze up into the nearby pine tree with longing, and crouch ready to spring upward........ then his courage would fail him. He would settle down for another long night completely open to the elements. As you may remember, we felt terrible for him when we woke on winter mornings to find him encased in ice or snow or both.

Then one spring evening I looked up and saw that he'd made it into the tree! We were all excited for and proud of him! Go Raja!

A few days later, he'd worked himself to a better place, higher on the tree and with much better protection from the elements. Of course, by this time, spring had sprung....

By now, radiating with the full flush of success, and more than a touch of spring fever , he's decided to call for a mate. His plaintive cry echos for miles, but no female appears. Higher in the tree he ventures, and each day or two finds him roosting a bit higher up. He seldom comes down to feed until ten o'clock in the morning. He has started to call all night, every night, even in the dark of the moon. That may explain the late mornings! Here, he spreads his tail as much as possible as he luxuriates in the morning sunlight

If you look closely, that sunlit picture was zoomed at the same time this was taken and you can barely make him out as a light spot against a dark spot on the right side of the tree fairly close to the trunk and beneath the furriest topmost branches.

By now, Tigger and her roommate, who love Raja as much as we do, have admitted that his nocturnal wails fall through their roof and into their sleep. They must rise early for long days of work and school, and can't luxuriate in bed as Raja does. We started thinking of ways to catch him and return him to his owner where he would have a supposedly joyful reunion with his mate.

Then Raja took matters into his own hands..well wings. From the tip-top of his pine tree, he'd located some birds-of -a-feather. He may have known they were there for some time and had been trying to call them in here. When that didn't work, he adopted the Mohamed to the Mountain philosophy and took off to make the acquaintance of two pairs of peacocks who live, as the peacock flies, about a mile and a half from us.

It happened suddenly. There was a knock on the door and a woman stood there telling us our peacock was at her house. I explained that the peacock residing with us was in the back. I'd seen him there about an hour ago. But, of course, it was him.

For a few weeks, his cry penetrated the dusky evenings plaintively floating in from her direction. Eventually, she caught him and returned him to his owner. I knew exactly when that happened because the lonely sounding cry now came floating down the street from his owner's location. Didn't he like his mate? Was there something inherent in her nature that offended him? Something that caused him to flee the coop in the first place? Was he simply rebelling against the concept of prearranged marriage?

I never hear him anymore. I hope that means he's settled in to wedded bliss and found contentment as last.

Meditations on Truthfulness

2008-10-06T11:17:00.001-07:00

When my cousin, Stephen was about three, his father was on his way to the kitchen to make the morning coffee when he encountered his little son coming down the hall. Stephen thrusting both hands behind his back, met his Daddy's eyes head on. his cheeks were bulging and as he spoke, chocolate dribbled down his chin.

"I'm not eating the candy, Daddy," he said. Well, my uncle didn't quite know what to say to that chubby, endearing, jammy clad little fellow who was lying through his chocolate covered teeth. He must have gotten on it, because Stephen turned out just fine. But it raises some questions about how we deal with someone who looks us straight in the eye and lies to us. In this oh, so politically correct and sophisticated society, we have a hard time calling people on those lies.

OK, I'm going to get political here, because I believe that the President of the United States, the Commander in Chief of our Military Services, must, above all else, have a loyalty and commitment to The United States of America. And frankly, I have serious doubts as to Senator Obama's commitment to our Country, and especially as to his knowledge of and concern for the Men and Women in uniform who stand between us and those who would harm us.
Here are a couple of videos. I hope you'll watch them.
#1.

I'm a little worried about that one. Do all those yellow letters mean I shouldn't have copied or posted it? Let me know. I can take it of and just reference it on youTube.

#2.

I listen to Obama and have these questions. If the Senator feels his long term association with Ayers is truly not worth considering, why gloss it over? Why not welcome getting it out into the open? Is he lying? Are those sweets dripping down his chin or is he truly, despite his obviously high IQ, so disingenuous he didn't recognize Ayers unrepentant terrorist mentality? Should the American people consider this relationship unimportant in their President? Most importantly, one has to ask ones's self would he recognize another terrorist if he encountered one?
I will welcome any comments on these points as long as they're serious and have meaning.

Back Again...

2008-10-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

.........if you'll have me!
I want to apologize to those who expressed concern for my well being. I didn't mean to let my loyal blog friends down I just didn't go ablogging for most of this time. When I did, I read your wonderful comments and then vowed to blog and to visit other blogs immediately. Then I felt a little..well .... stage fright..,but I'm taking the plunge here and now.
I quit blogging cold turkey in order to accomplish some things I wanted to do and couldn't seem to find time to do what with all the reading and writing. I knew the minute I logged on, I'd be hooked again and sit around in my Pooh slippers and pj's as time slipped enjoyably through my fingers.

I turned seventy this year and for some reason, became acutely aware of time's swift passage. Until now, I had never experienced that bit of depression and portent that others I've known have felt when confronted by a milestone birthday. There is so much left to do and to enjoy in this life!

Eeyore's sunflowers bade a lovely farewell to summer...

I'm going to take some time to read and comment on other blogs and to update my links. I'll be bringing you up to date on the most notable happenings here at the One Acre wood over the next few posts.

The Chicken Whisperer

2008-03-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

A year ago I posted these pictures of two chicks who were left in the nest when the hen took a large brood of previously hatched babes out and about. Eeyore brought the hatched chick and an almost hatched chick inside where we placed them in a box with a lamp over it to give them some warmth.

Eeyore played mama hen to the lonely babes.

When they were about half grown, he gave them to our Chino Valley Granddaughters. Later, he gave the girls a Bantam rooster. The little trio roam freely about the country acre, but Mu can walk up to them anywhere and scoop all three up in her arms at once.

A little scratching and a fellow just can't keep his eyes open!

I do hope to get in control of my life someday soon so I can both post

and read my favorite blogs again. I miss that morning routine,

and I miss keeping up with what's happening in every one's lives!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

Oh! Pronghorn!

2008-03-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

We were in Chino Valley the other day where Eeyore is helping our son with a remodeling project. On the way home we spotted this herd of Pronghorn grazing in the mile wide strip between the road we were on and the highway where Chino businesses are located.

It didn't bother them a bit when we stopped to take their photos

lit by the glow of the the slanted evening sun's rays.

This little buck posed quite nicely for me.

We counted twenty-two. The local herds of Pronghorn have become greatly reduced as their territory is overtaken by subdivisions or they are relocated. Here's an interesting article at the local blog Read it Here. There are a couple of great pictures there too. General information about Pronghorn can be found here in Wikipedia.

A pale moon rode high in the eastern sky,

coolly presiding over the sun and shadow earth below.

Just for the fun of it, I zoomed on this "Children's Moon"

Please Adopt Pinky

2008-03-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

I'm wondering if they ever saw Pinky again! Poor fellow..

I've just been to Old Man Lincoln's to see a wonderful post about a racoon family and a very fun post featuring blonds.

The Wearin' of the Green

2008-03-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

I hope you enjoy your Corned Beef and Cabbage today. And your Green Beer!

Two Worlds Collide

2008-03-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Our sixteen year old Grandson is here, and it looks as though he may stay awhile. It's fun for me as that makes all but one of my Grandchildren close at hand and I'm thinking of a sepia, old west photo of them with their Grandparents and Great Grandmother.

Here's my nearly ninety-five year old Mom and her Great Grandson with his hair "up"! They make a happy pair. He's helping her a little in her wood shop and they've been out to lunch together.

Mom's take on an X-Rated Tee.

I've been busy learning how to EBay. A sixteen year old is very good at helping with computer complexities! I want to do an EBay "store", but haven't gotten there yet. Remember, It took about a year for me to get up the nerve to Blog! I'm Cancer the Crab and have to sidle around things, viewing them from all angles before scuttling forward to take the plunge.

Meanwhile spring remains reluctant. The sky is mostly blue this morning, but a few drifting clouds managed to release a thin shower of large snowflakes. It's a good day for making chili..

Wait! Corned Beef and Cabbage, of course....

Up...Up...And....

2008-03-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

This looks like a lovely place to have dinner doesn't it. Well, there's a little more to it...

I always thought a dangerous dinner meant one high in calories , cholesterol and carbs!

Not high in altitude....

A relaxed group of diners? I suspect ensuing heartburn....

Read all about Dinner in the Sky.

Oh! Deer!

2008-03-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

We took a little drive the other day to show our Grandson the little house in the mountain community of Groom Creek, where his Dad lived when he was a boy. We showed him the little house, rounded a bend, and saw a number of sleek Mule Deer browsing their way through the neighborhood. They were all does, and remained unperturbed when we stopped to take a couple of pictures.

I was excited so clicked too soon when I zoomed in on this doe, so it's blurry.

She hardly looked up when we stopped to snap her picture..

After a minute of listening to us exclaiming things like, "Oh my Gosh, there's another one," she decided to move on. But she wasn't in a very big hurry about it.

All in all, we saw six or seven sleek looking does. They will probably spend hunting season in among the houses. I remember someone telling me that in their home town, the deer would all come into town to congregate on the golf courses until hunting season was over. That kind of "dumb bestie" behavior tickles me..

Who needs Gravity?

2008-03-07T08:35:00.000-08:00

Oh Dear! Life keeps me away from the computer..well from blogging anyway. I've been getting acquainted with listing on EBay. E. and I just have too much stuff. We've always been pack rats. We collect and keep everything and the seams of this old house are bursting. The basement is full. We've foisted stuff off on the kids and their houses are bursting. So, we're going to try EBay.

My best friend who lives in Florida sent me this wonderful Space Station video. It's short and looks like such fun!

Givethemhell asked me about this song that is so familiar to all of us and those with children and grandchildren know it's from the Disney movie The Lion King. But there is some interesting information here that tells a rather sad history of the Zulu man who seems to have written the song in 1939.

Javelina

2008-03-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

I know I've been neglecting Blog land lately, both writing and reading. I'm looking forward to finding time to catch up on everything that's been happening in your lives while I've been distracted. Life's been happening in the form of a visiting Grandson that's resulted in a house full of family. I seem to be expending a lot of time cooking, and unfortunately, eating. It's been fun, but now things will probably settle down for awhile.

I'm still going through photos, and found these of Eeyore and a young Javelina. I've mentioned these critters that are not pigs but Peccary, so much with no accompanying pictures I thought it would be fun to post them.

There were two half grown youngsters that started hanging out in the side yard, bedding down for the day under the low branches of a big old Arizona Cypress tree and rising at dusk to prowl about doing whatever Javelina do at night. This shows one emerging from the shrubbery It's not a very good picture, but shows the kind of sighting we normally have of these mostly shy creatures.

Eventually, something happened to one of the little fellows on a midnight ramble and one was left. They'd become used to me working about my garden fairly close to their lair, so it was only natural that the lonely little fellow turned to E. for companionship.

He's not quite fully grown, but most of the Javelina we see aren't much larger.

Well yes, I must admit there were some treats involved.

We went on vacation and returned to find him gone. I hope he moved on to find a mate, but we'll never know exactly what happened to him. Maybe he found another benefactor.