Have You Had Your Chickpeas Today

You know they are a good source of protein and so easy to prepare in a multitude of ways. You can make hummus as spicy or as bland as you like. Or venture out with some Chickpea Curry which can be seasoned according to your preferences.

This recipe is from the blog of The Pioneer Woman and I really like it. I hope you will try it.

Today it is raining. I think it is quite nice how we get a few days between the rainy days. I am so very sleepy and it is only noon time! I am quite sure that my energy level will be higher as we get closer to Spring Time.

 And, have a Fabulous Day.

Mary

This Is Where The Water Goes And Other Things

The water that travels through my property in my "little creek" eventually ends up here in Murphys Creek and yonder. This was taken about a week ago before the last heavy rainfall in Murphys Community Park about two blocks from my home. The water at the bridge in the center of the photo looks like it is almost touching the bottom of the bridge. It happens on occasion but not for a very long time! It is wonderful to see this much water after so many years of terrible drought. Hopefully, we will get enough snow-pack up the hill so our reservoirs will benefit with a lot of water come springtime.

I am still struggling with my low back pain issues which makes me quite unhappy. The last time I saw the Consultant doctor before the holidays he recommended the undesirable (in my opinion) surgery with fusion and insertion of  "rods and screws"!!! That is a route that I never plan to take even though I have heard that recommendation many times. Throughout my nursing career and thereafter I have seen so many disasters following that procedure. Because of the length of the pathology in my lumbar-sacral spine there is a high probability that above or below the fusion the vertebral column will be stressed to the point of further herniation. I am reminded often of the surgical risk when I see a man at church that is in terrible pain and can not stand up straight and is bent forward at the waist because of a failed surgery. I have lived with this for so long and will just have to continue with stronger mind control and prayer.

The fact that I live alone and do not have a lot of outside activity (especially during winter) because of the disability ( I do not like that word) and lack of funds, it makes it more difficult to deal with the pain. I really miss My Special Man! I did go out Thursday with my little group of gals that attempt to do something different each month. We had a wonderful lunch at one of our homes and then went to the local Museum that features everything you would ever want to know about the California Gold Rush and of course about Mark Twain. The docent who guided our tour was fabulous. He was a "goldmine" (yah, that's a pun) of information. After the first 30 minutes I had to take a break and sit while the others continued. Nonetheless, it was great to see my friends and I enjoyed the outing. That was it for the remainder of the day. The couch sure looked good!

 The museum and exhibites are extensive!

This is a back pack that would have been carried by a gold miner. The barrel would be filled with dynamite and the basket on the top left could and would be filled with straw and champagne, among all things! I guess they tried to get their priorities straight.

This is a very classy funeral hearse. The feather puff balls on top indicate the age of the person being transported. The more black feathers indicate the older age. If it was a child there would be mostly white feathers. INTERESTING. There were so many interesting things that I saw and heard in the limited time I was able to participate.

I was able to go and get some groceries yesterday but I will not be able to go to church today.

The sun is shinning and it is going to be a great day.

Smiling Helps.

Mary

Hello Hello Hello

Just passing through.

Heavy rains throughout the night. But, no troubles here. Not like the eastern part of the states. Prayers for all the many people and their families who may be affected by challenges due to the weather.

Hope your day goes well.

Mary

Does Your Dog Watch Television

I think this was a few years ago and it looks like a Dog Show in the first photo. I frequently observe Lily watching TV. It's so much fun watching her attention span.

How about a little run in the IDITAROD? Lily thought that would be something fun to do. But, she wasn't sure if she wanted to be that cold for that many days. 

The IDITAROD trail sled dog race is an annual long-distance (over 1150 miles) sled dog race run in early March from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Mushers and a team of 16 dogs, of which at least 6 must be on the towline at the finish line. They cover the distance in 9 to 15 days or more.

Joe Redington Sr. (1917-1999) was an American dog musher and kennel owner who is best known as the "Father of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race."

About the time I took these photos, the son of my neighbors had a team of dogs in Montana that ran several years in the Iditarod. They would go on occasion to Montana to take care of the dogs when their son had to be away. According to them, the dogs take a tremendous amount of work, which is not surprising. Additionally, it is a huge monetary investment. I am not sure of his success rate with the racing but I'm quite sure there was some return on his monetary investment. Interesting hobby? I love hearing about other peoples adventurous pursuits. That may be because of my inherent curiosity.

Lily says this is about as cold as she wants to be. "Let those other dogs run the race!" Did you know Lily talks to me???

Lily Medical Update: She is doing about the same. Maybe, a little less coughing. Hooray!

It has been raining all day. I sure hope the folks in the "Burn Area" aren't flooding to severely. Flooding started a couple days ago. And, snow levels are lower but thankfully not near the "Burn Area". Prayers for comfort for them would be nice.

Now, it's time for me to laugh. Do you too have a haunted house?

Mary

Do You Ever Hate Your Kitchen Range

I do not use the word HATE very often.

Oh, but she is so Pretty and Sleek looking. Right?                        But, does she perform as promoted by literature and the salesperson? Well - - - - - - - Stove-top, Kinda. - - - - - - Oven, No. Absolutely Not.

Just a little history. I bought the range in 2008 at the time that I was doing some upgrading of my little home. I refinanced the mortgage, got a good interest rate and took enough money to make the home improvements which mostly involved the kitchen and bathrooms. In addition, I painted and painted and painted all the rooms. But, I don't think I can honestly say that I have totally finished the painting!   

Now back to the range. It was not inexpensive. I desired a few bells and whistles. I had a smooth ceramic glass cook top in the past and I wanted it again. One minor reason for replacing the range was that I had unintentionally placed a plastic microwave plate cover on the hot surface. Need I say more??? In addition I was interested in having a convection oven. 

I do not remember having a lot of disappointment with the range at the beginning other than my large (14' X 16') cookie sheets would not fit in the oven because the fan (for the convection) took up space in the back of the oven. A few years ago I researched buyer reviews of this model oven and found a huge amount of dissatisfaction. Most were related to the fluctuation of the oven temperature. The oven takes a long time to preheat and I have a lot of difficulty baking and roasting and inaccurate temperature that I never have had with other ovens.  I certainly noticed it when I was doing a lot more cooking when I was in the five year relationship. And, I am continually annoyed with the cook top temperature. For $2310.99 (in 2008) I should be a lot happier! Don't ya think? 

Recently, I have been researching ranges on the Internet and that is as far as I got. I really prefer a gas range or a duel fuel range but that would involve gas line installment! I don't think so. But, I got out my current range manual and studied every page. I will try again to adjust the temperature with the available feature on this range after I thoroughly clean the oven/stove top. Before I use the self clean control I am going to use the overnight ammonia/vinegar method. I have never left the racks in with the self clean method. But, I can leave them in with the ammonia/vinegar way. Check out this link, Oven Cleaning.

And, one more thing I am going to do is to replace the oven door gasket. They run about $50.00. A small amount if it can make me a Happy Range Lover!

It seems as though I have had way to many cooking/baking flops lately, mostly oven. Maybe, it is ME and not the range. I HOPE NOT! When I made the ham on New Years it was over cooked but still very usable. The oven was set at 275 degrees and the store bought thermometer (they say you should not use one because they reportedly are inaccurate) said 350 degrees. Go figure...

By the way, I made some great Potato And Ham Chowder with the ham bone. It is nice to have some chowder in the freezer.

I hope your weekend was very good.  Mary

I Miss My Outdoor Flowers

It is so grey and bleak outside. And, it is colder than most winters past. Not complaining, really! But, I am so accustomed to more color and I miss my two hours a day of outside light while puttering in my garden. I do not do as well when I do not get enough light. Actually, I got out my Sunlight 365 days a year that provides artificial sunlight. The most important thing about the artificial sunlight is that it is most effective if it is used regularly. 

Now, back to my flowers. These are a few photos of the past few years. 

I am not sure if my current garden plants/flowers are going to survive the cold of this year. I think there will be some that say "enough is enough - I'm going to sleep forever". Flower gardens are always changing. It is just part of nature.

But, look, here are a few photos of what is peeking out in the garden today.

Camellias

Narcissus - Paperwhite Ziva

White Daffodil Thalia

Red Anemone
See red anemone link.
These tubers were here when I moved here 20+ years ago!

Last, but not least. Look at this sweet little love bug! My Great Granddaughter - nine months old. I still have not been able to meet her. I just want to hug her and give her lots of kisses. Mama says she is a very good baby girl! My plans to visit my Great Grandchildren have been postponed because of my debilitating back problem.  My pain level is about the same. But, I am optimistic that it will get better.

Yesterday, I had to drive "over the river and through the woods'" to a medical appointment. It was great to see the river with a higher waterline since having all the rain here in California!

I hope you are having a week that is pleasing you.

Mary

I Did It - But I Should Not Have

Well, let's get this out of way to start with. Digging out the creek caused me to injure my right lumbar back. Yes, I know better but "who you gonna call" as the saying goes. I do not have anyone who can help me pro bono. And, I do not need The County coming to call because of flooding. This seasonal creek in my yard feeds into a much larger creek that goes through town and provides a wonderful park setting with a great creek for the kids to swim in the summer. The Park is supported by the people of the community and has a very impressive repertoire each year of entertainment.

This is a picture of a Little Duck Race which is an annual fund raiser in the park.

This is the creek that comes through my property from the culvert pipe (top of picture) that channels the water under the roadway at the edge of my property.

The water flows well through my neighbors property (below) just on the other side of my wire fence when I have the fence opening cleared out.

My fence between the two properties  backs up with leaves, rocks and dirt/mud when it rains. During the past five years I have not attended to the removal of the debris on an annual basis as I always did in the past. A side note: My time was spent with My Special Man! 

You can see where the backup is all along the wire fence as well as where I have cleaned out the channel where the water flows. I have to keep the wire fence closed when it is not raining because the opening where Lily is standing is a perfect "escape route" for her to "go on a walk about". The fence at the opening is "jury rigged" so that I can lift the lower portion and secure it open, as it is in this next photo. 

I had to dig out about two feet of dirt which was very hard work. My back is still very painful and it has continued to be painful about two weeks since I did the digging. Back pain is not new to me. It is my left side that has been very troublesome since an injury in 1993. A lot of left sided pain since that time.

Mission accomplished!. Lily is so well behaved but she sure would like to do a little exploring!                  

When the fence is open, I have to go out every time Lily needs to go outside or she will go down to the fence opening "in a flash".

I am so happy to have that job finished. Of course I will have to continue to maintain it and keep a close eye on Lily. We are expecting our third El Nino rain storm tonight. As sick as Lily is, it amazes me how well she gets around. Day by day.

Hope you had a good week.

Mary

It Did Not Disappoint

Look at the beauty of these magnificent amaryllis flowers. And, there is a second blossom to come! So many bloggers have shared their beautiful photos of the special Christmas flowers. I never tire of seeing them. In the past I have received red and white blend amaryllis and hopefully next year a can order a bulb for something just a little different. I haven't seen any in the stores around here. But, whatever color I have I know I will be just as thrilled.

Seasonal Christmas plants/flowers have always been very special to me.

This is a photo of Lily a few years ago during a trip to Yosemite. She always has loved traveling.

Lily UPDATE - She is having a little more difficulty with her symptoms. These episodes come and go. But when they persist more than a day I get very worried. At the moment she is resting/sleeping next to me. She has just come in from running around outside. Her chest is enlarged because of the fluid and her enlarged heart. And her breathing fluctuates from calm slow rhythm to more labored with some coughing/gagging. She has really amazed me with her stamina, loving temperment and tenaciousness to live. I have not seen any distress in her face. She generally seems very happy and she likes all of the attention that I give her - lots of hugs, cuddling and kisses. Believe me, I will not let her suffer.

Pretty fancy car seat. Don't you think? Nothing but the best for my sweetie!

Stay warm.

Mary

Fresh Start

It is such a good feeling! So many have commented on their blogs that they are so happy to close the book of 2015. I think this past year was filled with more trauma in a multitude of areas of our lives than any year I can remember. A lot of the upheaval has been outside of our immediate families. Our society has been changing rapidly into a culture that feels so unfamiliar. And, there has been a huge feeling of helplessness. The uncertainties have stressed the family unit in new and unknown ways.

Personally, my year was filled with a wide spectrum of emotions ranging from distress to "pure and simple" happiness. Learning (really learning) that happiness is a choice takes a lot of work. And, I am so thankful that I have been given the necessary strength and wisdom.

I am in total favor of turning to a fresh page. How about January? That sounds good to me. And, this photo comes from one of my favorite books. Actually, there are three that I think of as similar in their presentation. I have had them for many years. This particular book has lovely poems, many for each month of the year. The gentleness of the artists rendition of the subjects is pleasing to my eye.

At the present, we are experiencing ElNino with a heavy rain storm and not far "up the hill" it is snowing. With the wet and cold (for California) weather I tend to stay in and not attend to the necessary (like groceries) errands - not good, Mary! If I don't get my act together I may have to look for the squirrels winter stash.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't feel compassion for the many people, especially those of the Butte forest fire that have been left homeless. Reading in the newspaper about the conditions by which they are living on their land without sanitation as well as many other necessities is appalling and heart breaking. It is so close to me and just isn't right. Many local people are able to help out but the magnitude of those in need is astounding. And, when you consider that many of the people are senior citizens it feels even worse. Pray for help.

I have been watching my amaryllis bulb daily checking for the crimson red color to start peaking out of the bud. The stems (two) are very tall. With the darkness of the outdoor weather it is difficult to provide enough daylight but something is starting to happen. Indoor photography is challenging but I gave it my best try.

It  looks like there is going to be a lot of flowering goin' on in the near future. I really look forward to my amaryllis each and every year and mine always seem to open after Christmas. Maybe I should buy them earlier in the season. However, it is great to have the lovely colors of amaryllis to enjoy at this time of the year.

Lily Update - She is "holding her own" which has thrilled me and at the same time she has surprised me. I really did not think she was going to make it through 2015. We have become more connected emotionally than any other pet I have had. Crazy - but I think she knows what I am thinking - and - I know FOR SURE what she is thinking! She can still be tenacious when she thinks it is necessary but for the most part she is really easy to tend to. She always wants to please me. It is such a lovely feeling.

At church on Sunday, I said to a close friend that I think Lily may outlive me. And, he said GOOD. When he realized what he said we had a great laugh. It is important to laugh, right?

Wishing you a Warm and Cozy Day.

Mary

2016

I am feeling very optimistic about entering a New Year. It is such a good feeling to know that I will be beginning with my heart and head in a very good place. I feel open to new adventures, experiences, opportunities and friends.

I enjoyed watching the New Years Day Rose Parade this morning on TV. It always brings memories of my youth. Growing up in California near Pasadena made it  possible for me (with a youth church group) to be able to work on the parade floats. The Lutheran Laymen's League float is the longest running (and currently the only) religious float in the Tournament of Roses parade, appearing since 1951.

This year they continued the tradition by sponsoring a float called "Jesus Is The Light of the World". This years builder was Phoenix Decorating Co. Volunteers are still working on the floats along with the professionals. The volunteers are now part of an organization called "Petal Pushers". They work on other floats, as well and they come from all over the states. My volunteering was between 1953 and 1957. Yes, LOOOOOOOONG time ago!

Last year in 2015, the Lutheran's sponsored the only Christian-themed entry among 37 floats. It featured an open Bible with depictions of the Nativity, Moses, Noah's ark and the Baptism of Jesus. Frequently the Lutheran's float wins an award. And, last year they won the PRINCESSES Award which is the Most Beautiful Float 35 feet and under.

In addition, last year, Temple City High School Band (the high school I graduated from) was chosen to march in the parade. The performing bands are selected from all over the world for just 12 openings. When I attended the school it was a new high school and I was in the first graduating class.

Another memory, when I was in Nurses Training, one of my roommates was in the competition for Rose Queen in 1958 of the Tournament of Roses. She was beautiful and competed in many rounds of the competition. She previously had been Queen of a small desert town in Southern California.

NOW, just a little food prep today because at the holiday many foods are available in the super market that are not available routinely. In the past I have enjoyed baked ham that I get at holidays. So anyway, I bought a ham to prepare a nice meal for myself as well as packaging some in portions for the freezer to use in day to day cooking.

               I hope it will be as satisfactory as the                                 hams in the past.

Wishing everyone a Very Happy New Year.

Mary