This and That with a side of Tid Bits

Source: Friends of the Redding Eagles

They're calling them E1 and E2 for now.  There was a city-wide Eagle naming contest, and their new names have not been revealed yet. 

They are so cute - 

I love this color - I decided to go out and take some pictures of the flowers because tomorrow we're expecting a winter-like storm with snow at an altitude of 3500 feet and above. After the heavy rain and wind, the flowers may not look the same as it does now. But that's spring for you, with its ups and downs.

My dad loved red geraniums - This is for him. His birthday is May 11. 

 

I am grateful that I have a video that I made in mid-May last year. We had scheduled a helicopter ride over the Trinity Mountains, but it was canceled due to rain and snow. Some people may think that this kind of weather is unusual for this time of year, but it is not uncommon.  It has happened before and this is the second year without a drought. People who grew up during the drought may not know what is normal anymore when it comes to rainfall activity in this area. 

The red roses are coming in...

It has been forecasted that the temperatures will decrease by 25-30 degrees in a single day. Therefore, we are expecting some cold weather on Saturday, and a few days later, the temperatures will rise again to the high 80's-90's. It is possible that this might be the last storm till the hot weather sets in. 

There is the beginning of an infestation of aphids. Grrr, I can't stand bugs that ruin my pretty roses.  We typically use Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle to eliminate them.

The Lavender is starting to bud - 

The yellow Iris with a Dusty Miller in the background. 

We're giving in to temptation and heading to our favorite Taqueria tonight for dinner, so I don't have to clean up after dinner before we go out. Jessup University is a Christian college that our church supports financially, and once a year they visit from Sacramento to perform. It's a great opportunity to enjoy an evening out while appreciating the exceptional young talent they showcase.

Tid Bits

• Did my grocery shopping with my son this morning. I am really enjoying this time with him plus there is an upside - he bags my groceries, and puts them in the trunk for me. I'm getting spoiled. 

• My Thursday Job bible study is wrapping up - we have about 2-3 more studies. 

• Wednesday at BSF is optional - its a share day. I plan to go to hear the testimonies of how the book of John touched them. 

• I ordered another research book that goes into detail about my dad's family and area of Scott County, Tennessee. It's called Scott County and it's Mountain Folk. It was written in the 1950's and since there is not a lot of demand for a genealogical resource book, I had to order it from the publisher, through AbeBooks. It has a leather cover and will be here by the end of June. (Publisher in India) . 

• I made my eggplant parmesan on Wednesday evening. Oh my - it is the best ever. The recipe was given to my mom years ago by my friends Italian Nonna. Real simple ingredients - extra virgin olive oil (single sourced) nice firm eggplant, marinara sauce (you're favorite) and a lot of freshly grated parmesan cheese. No egg - No break crumbs! 

• The Saturday before Mothers Day Navy invited us over to his house for a BBQ - He's having Tri-Tip. That will be nice. They have been so busy - we haven't spent any time with them since Christmas and they live 6 miles away! We talk on the phone and text but we're overdue. Sara works at the hospital 3 days a week and then the other 2 days, she works from her house and I don't know exactly what she does but her and another nurse, go to Care Facilities and teach at workshops to the Nurses, CNA's and NP's. She enjoys it but they were down a person - out on maternity and Sara just picked up all the hours. Nurses work tirelessly, dedicating their time and effort to care for others. Sadly, they are not always appreciated as much as they should be.

• Lastly, Foodie will be once again, serve as Union shop-steward at his Care Facility. I have to hand it to him. It's a position that is always contentious. It can be stressful and this will be his 3rd time in this position, negotiating a union contact - his duties are part of a balancing act between the wishes of the management and fellow employees. People get mad - from both sides at him and he always takes it in stride. 

I guess that about concludes this Friday's post. I hope you all have a refreshing weekend doing whatever you want! Stay safe - Until next time...

Debby

 

Eggplant and Plums on Hodgepodge

 

1. Mayday! Mayday!...when was the last time (or a recent time) you literally or figuratively needed to call for help? Elaborate. 

The only thing that jumps out at me is last August, my family and I went on a dinner cruise on Lake Shasta. It was a scorching hot day, with temperatures reaching 111 degrees. When I got off the boat and started hiking up the hill, my legs felt weak, and then I finally passed out.  I didn't have a chance to call for help; fortunately, my daughter-in-law, who is a nurse, quickly realized the severity of the situation. I was cold and clammy, had a fever, and was disoriented - had rapid shallow breathing. My BP, which always is low, dropped dangerously low.   Paramedics arrived promptly and rushed me to the hospital.

It was determined I was dehydrated and had heat exhaustion - 

As our Hot, Dry summer approaches, I will be mindful of the heat - I'm 70 now, and I just can't the extreme heat like I used to.  

 

 2. May Day...when was the last time you danced? 

When I hear music I like,  I dance

 or groove to the music while grocery shopping. 

Do you have a lot of baskets? What's something you keep in a basket? 

About five years ago, I got rid of all my baskets - well most of them. I just got tired of them. Now I miss them. I have a few...and plan to get some more. I'll look at thrift stores.

I don't keep anything specific in them. Small baskets by the door hold keys.  

What's your favorite purple flower? 

Lavender. 

I have some purple Irises.

 Wild Hyacinths

 Fuchsias...

Oh, heck, I like them all. 

 

3. What's something you may do this month? 

Go to my son and his wife's house for dinner. Maybe this weekend. 

We're attending a musical concert at our church put on by Jessup University. They come every year and they put on an excellent performance. 

 

4. Do you like eggplant? Quick topic changes lol? If you said yes in answer to the eggplant question how do you like yours prepared? Of the following purple foods, which one is your favorite...plums, purple carrots, purple asparagus, eggplant, acai berries, blackberries, purple cauliflower, elderberries, purple potatoes, or passion fruit? 

I love eggplant! I have 2 of them in my crisper and will be making my favorite, Eggplant Parmesan. 

 Santa Rosa Plums are my favorite. The others on the list above are fine—I'll eat them. 

Luther Burbank was a plant breeder who was responsible for over 800 varieties of fruits and vegetables. One of his crowning achievements was the Santa Rosa Plum developed in 1906. They used to account for more than a third of production in California's plum harvest. You can only find them at Farmers Markets now. They are soft and fragrant - rich and tangy. 

5. The calendar turns on Hodgepodge Day...

"Then you have to remember to be thankful; but in May one simply can't help being thankful that they are alive, if for nothing else."-L.M. Montgomery

Tell us one thing you're thankful for today. 

Since I am just finishing up the Book of John bible study, I am thankful that I found Jesus almost 40 years ago - after a rocky 30 years before. I was the last person who would have ever believed - yet I did when it was presented to me by a gal who was similar to me - She was a new Christian - at only 6 mos. She presented it to me just one time.  She came from a rough background - we had similar experiences. In those 30 years, others tried to reach me - but I never related to them.  We didn't share the same experiences or struggles. 

She told me to read the book of John. It brought me to my knees and opened my eyes! 

So yeah, I'm thankful today and every day that God put that very special person in my life at just the right time for me. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

One of my favorite childhood memories growing up in San Francisco was the Maypole Dance on May 1.  Grattan, the school I attended, organized a Maypole dance every year where I would wear my prettiest spring dress and flowers from the garden in my hair. Then my folks sold out, and we moved 20 miles down the coast to Pacifica - and they didn't do Maypole dances. I remember the girls would fret over having to hold hands with a boy - and, of course, the boys acted like they were being tortured because they had to hold hands with a girl. Some of them would spit on their hands - Goofy boys! 

Thanks for stopping by - and if this looks like fun to you - why not join in? 

Answer on your own blog, then hop over to Janice's blog to get the link to the party. 

Until next time,

Debby

 

 

Monday Blooms

Another glorious Monday morning. 

So far this morning, I have washed some clothes, swept the floors, opened all the windows, and sat with my dog Laydee in the backyard sun for half an hour, listening to the chorus of sweet "bird" melodies.

In the front yard, the miniature roses that my dad gifted my mom about 20 years ago are still thriving. I haven't done anything yet to the gardens or the yards. Last year, we covered the areas that were previously filled with weeds with weed cloth and put in rocks. Apart from the Hill of Vinca, which is a mess, there aren't too many areas that have been overtaken by weeds. We have a couple of smaller areas that need to be covered with rocks. We are planning to do something with our front yard, as we neglected it last year while we were working on the back.

My Aloe Vera plant is starting to bloom! 

I haven't had a bloom for 2 years since we cut the huge monstrosity into smaller plants - We have aloe vera all over the place! 

No these are not plantains! 

This is what a blooming Aloe Vera looks like and this was taken a couple of years ago. 

Here is what it looks like. I don't know what happened to the plant growing toward the side like that - maybe moving toward the morning sun? Now wouldn't be a good time to straighten it out. They grow well in the morning sun and then trickled afternoon sun.  Believe it or not, this plant started out as an itty-bitty plant in a pot. They are very hardy—a few years back, when we had some rare snow, and it was covered, it didn't kill it. 

I think everything has bloomed or is blooming. 

Once my schedule settles down, I hope to finally get to some gardening and fixing up the yards. 

Remember I told you all of the growth on Laydees chin? You can see it in this photo. I guess it's like a skin tag. It doesn't seem to bother her - and she's doing well. 

She's refusing to look at me. 

This week, I am attending the last Leaders meeting for this season, as well as our small group. Next week, they will have some testimonies from the Ladies on all of what they learned, etc. This is purely volunteer, and no one has to come, but I plan to go because I love these types of encouraging testimonies. As much as I have enjoyed it all, I am looking forward to a summer break. 

That does it for Monday. 

Talk to you later - 

Debby

 

A Sea Of Cars

I like the displays the owners have in their cars. 

This morning, we visited the civic grounds to admire the cars. However, we found heavy traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, making it more congested than in previous years. I found the sheer number of cars overwhelming. While they were beautiful, it felt like "you've seen one, you've seen them all," given the multitude of cars on display.

We stayed 2 1/2 hours, and I was ready, whereas the husband wanted more...

I mean, how many hoods can you look under? 

I snapped photos of the cars I liked. 

I loved everything about this one, from the tailgate display to the beautiful wood on the sides, white wall tires, and the colors!

I tend to go for the old classic Chevys. 

I believe this is an International Harvester. 

I also like the black matte paint job on this Mustang. 

Sharp!

My eyes always go toward the greens and blues...

This one had one of those dolls - like a pouting child in the back seat. 

My husband goes for the really old cars - and red is his favorite color. 

Nice trailer in back of this one. 

I don't remember what this was, but I liked the unusual way the doors opened. 

The Silver Fox is on the left - Gorgeous! 

I saw a car display that made me nostalgic for the days of drive-in restaurants where roller-skating waitresses served burgers.

Sharp!

The grounds were busy in the morning and even more crowded in the afternoon with even more classic cars coming in.

Music was playing on the loud speakers - 

That yellow one is nice. 

I'm looking down - 

What more can I say? Cars, Cars, Cars...

A green roadster

I got a little fancy here - lining up the raised hoods in this photo. 

 I'm getting a rum dummy with all these car shots...

Loved this trailer better than the car! 

Inside of the little tear drop trailer

Now I thought this was ironic - a classic Mustang in the Tesla charging station!

Not today Tesla Owners - you'll have to charge somewhere else! 

Here's another one...

And here at Charge Point. I wonder how many EV owners complained? 

Wow what a radiant Red. Notice the "cooler" on the passenger window?

During our summer trips to Tennessee, Indiana, and Ohio, my father used to rent a cooler from U-Haul that was filled with water and ice cubes. At that time, air conditioning was considered an expensive extra, and we didn't have it until 1968, when my dad purchased his new Chevrolet Impala Super Sport—a two-door car with bucket seats. 

In order to get cool air, Mom had to pull on a strap. However, one time, my mother pulled too hard, causing all the ice and water to pour out on her. We all found it amusing and laughed about it.

Now imagine this scene: you're driving through the desert back into California after a 3 week vacation. You're hot, tired and ready to be home. Not much longer! There is a bag hanging on the outside front of the car, which contained radiator water. Always a challenging situation when your car would overheat, despite having the water bag. We always made the best of it and turned it into a good memory. It's fascinating how even the most challenging situations can become a source of fond memories. This was before coolant in the radiators. 

I hope you enjoyed all the pretty cars. Which one is your favorite?