The Weekend Filled With Thoughts Of Fire

It feels like it is everywhere.  Within the past week there have been FIVE FIRES close enough to me to cause my brain to have difficulty focusing on anything else.  The air is filled with varied levels of smoke influenced by the direction of the wind, even the slightest wind.  And, yesterday there were embers in some parts of my little town !

These photos from the newspaper are of the fire closest to my home yesterday starting around 5 AM.  In fact it is off of the road that I take when I go shopping to larger stores than in my little town.

What a stunning photo of the helicopter !  Can you see it ?   But, TRAGIC nonetheless.  The fire is contained at 136 acres burned. But, still burning.  There were evacuation orders.  

During the later part of the week there were two fires on the road that I take to the Refuse Disposal Station (garbage dump) every week.  Less than 10 minute drive from my home !  No longer burning.  But, frightening .

In addition, there were two other fires relatively close by that were contained within a day.  Thankfully !

Further east from here is the Donnell Fire in the Stanislaus National Forest that has been burning since August 1.  Sunday evening the fire was reported at 6,000 acres with 2-percent  containment.  An update this morning at 8 AM put its size at 12,000 acres and containment at just 1 percent.  

And, now the fire has crossed a main throughway/highway. 

I am very familiar with this area and have spent quite a bit of time there in years past.

It is real wilderness in this area and this is the little Resort comprised of a store, restaurant, bar, seven cabins, four motel rooms and 35 RV spaces that suffered massive structural fire damage.  It is the only place for purchase of supplies for miles.  I have been in there many times years ago when it wasn't quite as expansive in amenities.

And, I have also stayed in a cabin that was built 95+ years ago by the parents of a friend of mine.  No electricity or plumbing. However, water was piped in nearby from a little waterfall by the owner.  During the visits with my friends we would sit around the outdoor fire made from wood we gathered at evening time playing Scrabble by the light of the fire. Cute trivia - baby footprints of my friend are in the cement entrance to the cabin.  I do not know if the fire has impacted the integrity of the cabin.  There was so much camaraderie and fun time spent there.  Fabulous memories.

And, very sadly the fire near Yosemite that started mid July continues to burn and the fire is around 91,500 acres and there is 38-percent containment this morning.

The whole area is closed down to tourists.

I can't go on.  This is more than enough.  My heart aches for ALL THE MANY people and ANIMALS and WILDLIFE that are affected by fires and disasters throughout the world.  There are so many  ! ! !

God Bless All Of  You.

Mary

Mama Bought Some New Cookware

And, Ivy got a new Cat House.

Cats usually enjoy big boxes that they can crawl inside and hide from the world .  Ivy is no different.  Just as I was about to break down the box I thought about Ivy and maybe I should keep it for her.  Sure enough, much to my surprise, before long she was inside and taking a nap.  I did not notice her going inside.  She moves about so very quietly ! This photo is when she was coming out from napping .  What a cutie pie .

And, boxes are good to sit on top of too.

Ivy continues to develop a great little personality and has started spending more time around me.  She lets me pick her up without resisting.  I can hold her in my lap and talk with her, brush her or just pet her.  But, she certainly has her own stopwatch when she has "had enough".  However, we are progressing and she is staying longer before she is "out of here" or I say "you can go now" before she starts wiggling to get down.  She is becoming very affectionate and I love that. I delight when  she sits at my feet and then rolls over, stretches and waits for a little tummy pet. That is Trust !

There is no doubt in my mind that she is deaf or partially deaf but I can not figure out what audible frequency she can hear.  I am beginning to think that she may be responding to vibration more than sound.  Especially, since my house is wood floor and not cement foundation .

Buy the way, I sent back her cat food feeding system.  She seems to be very curious but has a short interest span and I did tire of filling the "mice" every night !

I am so very thankful that I am able to give Ivy A Home .  It certainly is allowing my maternal instinct to bloom once again.  I think it is a win  -  win arrangement.

Let's talk about my new cookware.  It wasn't that I was desiring or badly needed new "pot and pans".  However, my cookware cupboards were --- well, a mess.  How many Great-Grandmas need everything from a vintage crepe pan, multiple sizes of cast iron, various brands of various sizes cookware and even a vintage (60's) fold over omelette pan.  Or, maybe a pan for Steamed Christmas Pudding.

Well anyway, when I saw this collection of T-fal for only $71 with free shipping online from Macy's I thought I should look into it a little more.  I have had various pieces of T-fal through the years and was satisfied.  I certainly do not need high end and heavy cookware.  I have been using the new cookware and it certainly meets my current needs.  I am also hoping the pretty new cookware will prompt me to do more real cooking .  Probably in the coming winter months I will be more enthused about cooking.

Now it is time to do some tossing out of unneeded cookware.  And, not only remove it from the cupboards, but FROM THE PREMISES .  The nightmare GARAGE is a clean out MUST.  I wish I could find some help.

Our air quality has not been very good because of the many fires.  This past week there were three grass fires very nearby.  The fireman and services promptly put them out.  Some people were getting ready to evacuate.  Bless our Fire Services !

Stay safe.

Mary

Willie Nelson Came To Town

And performed in Concert At The Ironstone Amphitheater which is only one mile from my home in a bucolic area .  The amphitheater sits on a twelve and a half acre destination property .  The major feature is the Ironstone Winery and Vineyards - 17th largest winery in the United States .  In another post I will elaborate on this destination property that includes many interesting  activities like tasting room (of course) jewelry store, museum, gift store, beautiful gardens, wedding/party venues, very large entertainment room with fine art, magnificent pipe organ and high-end professional kitchen to just mention a few .

Ironstone is a magnificent location to spend as much time as you have . During the 25 years that I have lived here, I have had the opportunity to witness the development and evolution of a vision of a hard working family of four generations .

In my last post I mentioned that I would blog about some mischief/vandalism in the neighborhood .  So - - - what does Willie Nelson have to do with it ?  Well, nothing personally,  but his presence and especially his fans contributed to disheartening activity at my home and nearby.

On Sunday morning when I went out my front door, I noticed that my vertical gate was open.  I thought that was strange and with further observation I saw lots of yard waste from my filled barrels that were placed on the opposite side of my driveway inside the fence .  While checking things out a Sheriff drove by and I waved for him to stop.

Allegedly, the Out Of Town visitors for the concert who became mood altered from overzealous partying left their NOTICE of their attendance to our little town by vandalizing MANY HOMES near Main Street which is about one mile from the Amphitheater.

I had six barrels ready to be picked up and two were missing from an obscure location along my front flower bed and the driveway.  One of the barrels was up the street and I did not see the other one.

I proceeded to clean up the yard waste (thankfully it was not smelly household waste) and after looking around I noticed another of my barrels across the street in the flower bed.  I put a red star on the photo.  You can also see more of the yard waste behind a neighbors vehicle.

And, this is what was done to my next door neighbors fence.

I guess there were about 10 homes affected by this irresponsible behavior .  Garden pottery with plants were broken as well as garden furniture and other types of vandalism .

Thankfully, no people or animals were injured or killed .  It could have been a lot worse.  But, what a sad event  and what it says about today's world .  Unfortunately, this is not an isolated event and it seems as though wherever you live your life it is filled with disrespectful and  dishonorable acts.

What happened to the Golden Rule ?   "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

I guess this post is a little bit of labor of love .  I had to rewrite it because somehow it disappeared when I had almost finished it yesterday .  Don't you hate when that happens ?????

Until next time !

Mary

Well - Hello There

And ,  How Are You?   My name is EDGAR and I have found a new home in this beautiful bottle tree house .   Look, there is more -

This is a very good place for me because it is sheltered against the wind and it is somewhat hidden so any young humans that may think of a little mischief don't know I am here !

And , it won't be long before all those figs in the Fig Tree behind me will be ripe and ready for some sweet pleasure eating !

Those figs are everywhere !

 With this super hot weather it won't be long before they will be soft, purple and juicy .

This year the tree is huge even though I trimmed it quite severely last fall .  Perhaps the daily hand watering of the garden has coaxed it to exceed all expectations .

A couple more photos that may be of interest .  On the right of the photo you can see the trunk at the base of the Fig Tree .  Now notice the large roots growing on the surface of the ground.

I have never seen anything like that before .   I think it is like that because the ground is filled with so much rock .   Yes, it is my NEMESIS again !  THE ROCK .
It trails out in all directions .  At least I know the Fig Tree is on my side and isn't a quitter !

I am beginning to marvel at the fact that there is any semblance of a garden here especially since there has never been a professional landscaping company involved which would mean that loads and loads of rich soil would be trucked in .  The piles of nice dirt  (only a gardener would call dirt - nice.  Am I right ?)  were so tall and so many that I could not see over them .  I saw that with two of my neighbors, one across the street and one next door to my house .

How about a little trivia for you  .  There is evidence of a mine (probably gold)  on my property. Actually close to where the blue bottle tree is planted.  For the longest time my plants would disappear .  YES, just disappear !   And, after some PI work on my behalf, I could see that I could not see ( how do you like that combination of words) the bottom of a very large hole and it was surrounded with a lot of very very large rock .  So, you know of my overabundance of unwanted rock.  Well, I just started throwing the rock down the big hole.  Eventually, my plants stopped disappearing! The mine is on the property line and I could see some openings on the other side .  For the longest time it was the home of a family of skunks . YES, SKUNKS. One night I looked out my living room window with a flashlight and I saw a Mama Skunk and eight little babies trailing behind her coming out of their home .  Living with nature is grand !

Oh, another piece of trivia.  Since, my house is the first house on the block that is outside of the original 1800's Township this property was used as the town dump !  Yes, you heard me right !

So, it is quite unique and surprising that I have my gardens and without professional landscaping.

Just one more comment.  The largest item I have dug up was a large bed spring .  And, there still are many odd shapes of metal poking out of the ground.

WOW, I really got on a roll, didn't I ?

Next time I'll tell you about last nights vandalizing in my neighborhood .  Interesting that I would write about "human mischief" at the beginning of this post before I even knew there was any such issue here at my home and the neighbors !

The end,  yes, really !  Be Good .  No mischief, OK ?

Mary

Lots Of To Do List Activity Accomplished And More

It seems like my list gets longer instead of shorter.  And, it probably is.  However, today I am able to take my pen and cross off a few from the list.  First, I have been able to line up a highly recommended professional House Painter to give me an estimate for painting the outside of the house before the end of the year, probably September or October.  I believe preventive maintenance is less expensive in the long run .  And, I hope to be able to take care of this soon and not to wait another year.

Next, on Friday I have an appointment with a new attorney to finish my Will and whatever is appropriate to insure a smooth transfer of any assets .  No, this subject does not trouble me.  I am a realist and when this is finished, I can cross the activity off "the list".  At the beginning of the year I felt compelled to terminate services of the attorney that I was working with at that time.  Even though my assets are very small, it still is important to "take care of business" so that I leave this stage of my life with the best organization  I can.  I was taught to be a perfectionist but in reality, I certainly am not and those trying to teach me certainly were not either .  The fact that I have very few living relatives that I am aware of and almost all are disassociated from me (or I have disassociated from them) it makes it difficult to determine a fiduciary.  Oh, and my closest friends have already passed on.  Hopefully, before long this task will no longer be on the list .

And, I have started my phone calls to try and get a referral to a doctor who can and will help me with the appropriate medical care in a timely fashion .  I guess if I must, I can always try going into the Emergency Room.  But, I certainly hope it does not come to that !  This doctor stuff is crazy like most of the world. 

I like to keep my life as simple as it can be and avoid conflict as much as possible !  It seems like so many people find themselves in a dilemma that they have had very little to do with originally.  Sometimes, life doesn't seem fair.  It sure ain't for the weak !  I am so grateful that I am feeling stronger than I have in a long time and no  longer waste my energy and time spinning my wheels and not finding completion of the necessary tasks .

There are so many weather related events across the USA and world that are impacting the quality of life of so many people .  The summer dry weather here is contributing to the continuation of periodic grass and wildfires .  The Yosemite Fire continues with only partial containment.  These photos are just a few of what we see on TV and newspapers on a regular basis !

There is so much to be thankful for, especially if we are not personally affected by life/world events that are all around us.  Let's not lose sight of how important it is to help when and if we can .  There are a multitude of ways .  Cash is always good but be sure to always insure the safety of the receiving source . 

It is starting to warm up this morning and it is going to be another VERY HOT day, over 100 degrees !

Smile.  It can make someone else happy - - - hopefully.

Mary

Dog Days Of Summer

Is it? And, where did the saying come from?

Turns out it is really, really old - going back to Roman Times according to the Internet. "The ancient Romans noticed that the Hottest days of the year, that is, in late July and early August, coincided with the appearance of Sirius - the Dog Star, in the same part of the sky as the Sun.  Sirius is the largest and brightest star (20 times brighter than the sun) seen from Earth in the nights sky."

So, now you know.

Another Daylily has opened and it has a name.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend during these "Dog Days Of Summer".

Mary

Tending To Business Can Be Difficult

As I mentioned in June, I saw my General Practice Physician because of some abdominal discomfort and a CAT scan was prescribed .  And, I was told I would get a call with appointment date in 4 to 5 days .  I never received a call .  So, it was about 3 weeks later when I called to find out what was going on .  Well, something fell through the cracks and nothing was scheduled .  It's important for me to note that I asked the doctor about the prep procedure because of my very challenging gastrointestinal disability with the loss of control when defecating . See this Blog Post for history. The doctor said that no prep would be necessary.

So, after several phone calls, I was scheduled for the CAT scan at the hospital. Then, I was told I will need some lab work because the scan will be done with a contrast medium which will give clearer visibility of abdominal body organs which means I would need a Barium prep.  I do not have any problem with all of this other than my concern regarding my body's response in light of the rectal incontinence issues . This information has been discussed with the doctor in the past as well as now .  The best way I can explain what happens to me when having the prep  is to say  "it is the worst kind of a Shitty Mess" !  The last time I had a scan with prep I was an inpatient at the hospital. At the current time I do not have anyone to assist me in this burdensome activity.

In general , when I think a medical procedure or treatment is appropriate ,  my approach is "just do it".  No need fretting about it.  What good does it do ?  We don't always have a choice in what is necessary for our well being, - - - But we have a choice in how we respond to it !

However , I am feeling very different at this time .  I really-really-really do not want to go through all the unpleasantness of lack of control of my bodily function.  However, my BIGGEST CONCERN is the lack of communication between all the people involved.  I see it as a Big Red Flag !

I have cancelled the appointment for the CAT scan and I will request a referral to a Specialist.  I refuse to be caught in a compromising situation that could be anything but in my best interest .  After making this decision I feel very relieved and very happy with my plans. I am feeling quite well, only occasional mild symptoms . I do not think I am dealing with anything that would be considered life threatening.  And, there is no question in my mind about my decision if I were to be faced with determining future medical treatment.  I refuse to ever agree to undergo chemotherapy.  And, I do not think I will be faced with that circumstance.

In fact, I have placed a picture of a HEALTHY abdomen over my kitchen sink which provides a great visual for me to focus on.  Remember, I am a retired Nurse.  So, this picture has no distress for me.

Mind - Body - Spirit - Gratitude.

Life can be a series of somersaults .

You gotta just keep rolling !

Mary

How Ugly Can It Get

"Oh My !"  And, I also said  "What in the world is that feasting on my Daylily  plant ?"  And, I had more questions.    "Where did you come from ?"    "Why are you here ?"    And, what are You ?    You are so ugly !!!

I know very little about insects even though there was a whole chapter on Entomology when I took a Master Gardeners' Course many years ago.   I have never seen the likes of this photographed insect in my garden on July 13, 2018 when this photo was taken by me.  Fortunately, I had my camera in my hand as I was going out to look at possible growth of my tomato plants.

After a little research - - - I think it is a Cicada   (pronounced Chi-Kay-da) !    After reading some of the copious amount of Internet information I am somewhat confused as to why I would see this "elder of the insect world" in MY GARDEN IN CALIFORNIA.    Only 0.2% of all Cicadas are found in North America and most are in the Eastern half of the USA.  There are over 3390 species world wide and they are found on all continents except Antarctica.  

There are generally two types of cicadas. Annual Cicadas emerge every year in late June or August, while Periodical Cicadas emerge in cycles of 13 or 17 years, depending on the species. When Periodical Cicadas emerge, all the adults in a given location emerge at the same.  Tens of thousands to over a million insects can reside in a relatively small area of land.  A group of Periodicals that emerge at the same time is called a Brood. Broods are classified with Roman numerals that represent each group. There are 30 Broods in all. More information about groups of species and Broods which is quite extensive can be found on the Internet.

Female Cicada lay from 200 to 600 eggs total in tiny holes made in trees and shrubs.  Cicada young --- called Nymphs hatch from the eggs and immediately drop to burrow underground, where they attach to tree roots .   The Nymphs remain attached to the roots and suck tree sap for most of their lives .  When the dormant period ends in about 17 years, the Cicada emerges from underground at sunset, guided only by instinct and attaches to a tree or shrub.  At that time the Cicadas skin sheds allowing the Adult Cicada to emerge.

NOTE - While posting this information,  I just remembered that about 2 days before I noticed this gross looking Cicada, I saw a dried hollow insect skin on a Daylily a few feet away from the live
Cicada .  And,  I thought  "I wonder what that is!"  It reminded me of what I knew as a child as a Potato Bug (they have many names) which sheds its skin .  No photo taken that day.

Above ground, male Cicadas fill the air with shrill buzzing sounds (called their song) the result of small drum-like plates on the abdomen that the Cicadas vibrates rapidly.  And, they can be very noisy.  Reportedly, the Cicada makes the loudest sound of any insect.  Their sound can be heard for up to 1/2 mile away and they only sing during the daytime.  While many people find the sound annoying, the male Cicada uses it to attract female Cicadas for mating.  Both male and female Cicadas die after about five weeks above ground.      Oh my,  No.

And, now my question is "What is their purpose ?"  When they emerge for the culmination of their life cycle they mulch and aerate the ground and during their brief time above ground  they provide food for all kinds of birds and small rodents.

Some people confuse Cicadas with Grasshoppers, Crickets and Katydids because they all are relatively large and singing insects.

And, in case you are wondering ?  Cicadas are eaten in various countries including China where the Nymphs are served deep fried in Shandong cuisine.  Thought you might ask ! ! !

Well, I guess that is your science lesson for the week and maybe for all time .  I found it quite fascinating.  I still don't know why they are in my California Garden ! But then, I have had a strong curiosity about most everything throughout my life .  Oh, and I have been known for being quite observant of my surroundings !   That's just who I am !

NOTE - Saw another Cicada empty skin this morning in same area.  No sign of Adult Cicada but I did get a photo .

Hope you are having a Happy Day.

Mary