Living with the Critters

Living with the critters around here is very interesting. I put a garbage bag on my upper deck last night (nine steps up) and this morning saw a mess of garbage all over the steps with raccoon tracks (I think) all over the deck and steps. What I discovered was they don't like lettuce but anything else is evidently very yummy and they don't mind climbing stairs. There went the bulbs I had just planted. Squirrels I would guess had a tasty meal last night after digging at least six of them up. They don't like daffodils but everything else is evidently delicious! At least I deterred one little deer who was eating this Flowering Plum tree--he didn't get a snack last night after I caged the tree! All month I have been working on the yard. Maria and I had gotten many trees and bushes for $3 a piece from Honey Lake Conservation so with Michaels help I have been planting and caging and hoping I will have time to get them established and a watering plan figured out before I need to leave again.

The Daffodils Came Up!

The day before I left for Hurricane Katrina I hurriedly planted daffodils, though it was not nearly cool enough. Lo and behold they came up and announced that winter was over! This is the hammoock Bandido and I like to flop on after our daily walk. Unfortunately, there is a squirrel or two who are trying to destroy it by chewing on it and swinging on it--anyone know something I can spray on it to deter them and not us???? This is the view I see as I gaze up into the trees. It is very quiet and peaceful with just a few birds flitting about. I asked the furnace man why there were not more sail boats here. He said they had tried to have a Regatta here a few years back and there was just not enough wind. Of course, that is what I love, no wind. The lake is like glass right now. I am curious to know which of my perennials will come up this year, since I left on Sept 1 and there was still two months of watering left to do. But here is something strange that has turned up in both the front and back yards. Orange mushrooms, what are they???

Bandido Comes Home!

On the way home from Rancho Santa Fe I stopped in Aliso Viejo to pick up my dog Bandido. My sister Jeanne had come to attend the wedding of her granddaughter Molly and had brought Bandido to me. He had been in Orem, Utah with her for eight months!! He sniffed my blouse and me several times and gave me His Look and then he turns his face away as if to say--"You left me!" and I actually wasn't sure he would go with me--he looked quite content sitting by Jeanne. But when I was ready to go, so was he. As Jeanne said goodbye to him in the car, he watched her for a long time and then the house to see if she was coming back and then finally settled down and was ready to go home. As we rounded the corner to go up the hill to Lake Almanor Country Club some hundreds of miles later and passed the turn to Marjorie and her dog Britzi's house he got really excited and began yowling--and then when we got inside our house and he saw his backyard he was scratching at the door and anxious to go outside and begin exploring. He was home! And I was happy about that! Bandido looks very trim with his new shorter ears and chin hair look. Jeanne did a great job caring for him while I was off to Hurricane Katrina and Rita, for which I am very thankful.

Grandma and Jacob at the San Diego Zoo!

Before leaving for Lake Almanor, Jacob and I were privileged to have a day at the San Diego Zoo which was just a delight. We started off with the trip on the bus and were able to sit on top because it was a gorgeous sunny day. After this we did something unusual, we had a breakfast of scrambled eggs, pancakes and bacon! We spent all day and about the only thing we missed were the eagles and hippos. Jacob is a great companion and I always see the animals in a new light through his eyes. The gorillas were especially playful that day. I couldn't help but reflect how the Zoo had changed over the years. When I arrived in 1956 to teach school, the Zoo was the place to go with a new date or a group of singles on a weekend. It was much smaller and we never took the bus. The monkeys and sea lions were the big attraction. You could easily walk the whole Zoo in a couple of hours... When I took my first son in 1961 he was able to sit with the rabbits and the guinea pigs in the Children's Zoo and they had a baby elephant you could pet. Nothing quite so liberal now. The newest attraction this year is a Habitat setting with several different species together in one area.

Kelsi Gets A Bath!

Mommy Camber shows cousins Sarah Pulsipher and Kristi P Stewart, and big sister Lea how to bathe new baby Kelsi. Kelsi looks like she almost enjoys it and then its up in the towel and mother-to-be Kristi (Oct 2006) gets to snuggle her in her warm towel. Kelsi is soon dressed and Mommy, Mother-to-be Kristi, and Big Sister Lea look on in satisfaction of a job well-done!