New Earth Market

Hey, want to share with you what happened. I'm shopping and ask where would I find pizza crust? He takes me to the frozen section, shows me something that looks like a large tortilla. This is not what I want as I am about to say so he says...I have a recipe for dough that is really easy. Well, not one to turn down not only a new recipe but the kindness of a stranger. I said ok, I would love it. He goes and gets pen and paper,comes back to me and starts writing as he is telling me the directions. I ask him to please put his name, at least his first name. I thought this was quite clever of him as he signed it,Dan the meat man. He works behind the meat counter. Must tell you I tried it, aside from having to add 1 cup more flour
(I think he was mixed up) it was delicious. Now that is what I call customer service. This is a new market, just opened by several families together who's main concern is healthy and organic. I love it and I think you can see why. The strawberries are the sweetest best tasting berries I have ever tasted. We are so lucky. Tootles

Guillain Barre Syndrome

Thought I would talk about GBS. I have experienced this syndrome and it is not fun. The effect it has on your well being is unimaginable. It simply changes your life in ways you never dreamed possible. I recovered completely the first two times I had it and was 8 months pregnant the first time. The baby was healthy and fine. The 3rd and last time was much harder. Much more pain and slower recovery which I'm sure my age had a lot to do with it. It's been 15 years and still have numbness in the feet. Other than some problems with balance I feel back to normal, whatever that feels like. Ha!

I'm going to include this subject on my site each time I write as I feel if someone out there has GBS and just wants to know more maybe I can help.

Our spring is here, in fact it's 5:00am and the birds outside my window are sweetly chirping, what a way to start the day. Tootles

It's Saturday, It's windy, It's May and I'm cold

What in the world is up with this crazy weather we have been dealing with?  Wait, let me stop myself right here...We, that is all of us on the west coast should not complain.  Am I right or am I right?  What I am talking about is usually by now we are in the summer sweats even though it's still officially spring.  But then again I have to say since I have lived here (from the age of 15) everyone has always said, no matter what time of the year or what the weather was , it was always unusual for California. Ha!  So, there you go.  I think I just answered my own question.

I wanted to get a good picture of our new members to our farm family.  New baby chicks.  I realize I did not get a good picture but you have to give me E for effort as I was crouching on my knees, squashed under the edge of a boat trailer getting this picture.  They, the cute little chicks, were not cooperating at all and would not get in the sunshine so you could see them better but hey, there they are and as you can see Mama is right beside them and did not like me angling for their picture.  We do so love watching them scurry around hunting for bugs yet staying close to Mama.   Tootles

Flowers and Cats

This is what my Jim, brings me almost everyday. They are so beautiful and from the first rose of summer to the last rose in the fall I will have a bouquet in my house.  The truly wonderful result of these are my dried petals.  I never throw them away because I have a basket I put them in.  Sometimes I end up with a lot of buds which have dried and they are wonderful especially the sweet smell.
We are having a warm sunny day today, I have made tea from my herbs.  I found out you must brew the herbs to get a robust flavor as last week I did not.  I just put the herbs, chopped, in a cheesecloth and put the pitcher in the freezer as I was short on time and had no ice well it just did not have the flavor I was expecting so today I brewed some raspberry leaves in cheesecloth and after it steeps for awhile will put it in the freezer to get cold.  Plus I also made a combination of rosemary, sage, mint and oregano tea. Yum Yum, it will be good tonight.

This is Eleanor.  She does this every morning.  I'm afraid she feels the water dish on the floor is beneath her (no pun intended, well maybe).  If by chance we have left dirty dishes in the sink we are meet with a stare which any cat owners will tremble at the thought.  One morning I was doing dishes (yes, by hand as I do not have a dishwasher, I am the dishwasher, along with plates, glasses, silverware, pots, pans etc., well you get the picture)  There was about 8" on the counter from the drainer to the edge of the counter, there she stretch out waiting for me to get done, I am not kidding.  What an Eleanor!  Tootles

Birds and Things

Hello, and Happy Spring.  At last our spring has arrived even though we seem to be having a lot of wind but who's complaining.  We had some birds hitting against our window, didn't know why so looked it up on google.  It seems our window was reflecting the outdoors and the birds thought it was another male in his territory.  He was seeing himself.  Since we have put up netting up and windsocks in front of the windows.  Just didn't want them to hurt themselves.  Interesting uh? 
When I snap a pic I always take several right in a row as I love to get the next expression on faces but as in
these shots I got the bird in flight.  Pretty cool uh?

This shot on the right I didn't even realize the bird was in the shot until my husband saw it.  He's just hovering above the bird bath and Rose, one of our goats.  I had more fun taking these pictures and our yard is full of birds and above these windows outside under the eves we have a nest above each window.  It's so exciting if by chance we are able to view the new birdie taking his first flight.  We do have cats but we have been able to keep them away from them, especially the new babies.
Now the picture below is so beautiful to me.  I also didn't see it right away. In fact I had went through the

pictures several times and until I enlarged them I had not seen the bird.  I think this is really a vision for the eyes and I must say am impressed with my iphone 3g camera.  Priceless. As they say.

Have a super good day and happy spring. Tootles

Have we done it right ? Or is there a right ?

     Did you ever look back on your life and realize you missed out.  You missed out on so many things.  I'm not talking about riches or places, trips or lands to conquer.  I'm talking about your life from the time you left school but then even in school.  I mean things that happen in school, like dances, meeting new friends and grades.  How about the grades.  Why didn't they mean something to me. Why didn't I understand how important it was to try, at least try.  I say, I was told from my Mom, that she didn't do very good in school so that became my crutch.  I used that, but why did I use that.  It shouldn't have mattered what her grades were but you see then I found out she was on the honor roll.  WHAT!  What does that say for me.  Maybe she didn't think I could do any better so was trying to make me feel ok about it.  That hurts, a lot.  I feel terrible about it now because I really never believed I could do good in school.  I really missed out.  I remember feeling that I was dumb and that is really awful but now I see if I had just tried, I think I would have done very well.  Don't get me wrong I am in no way blaming my Mom.  She was just being sweet and letting me down easy.  I should have been the one to give it a go.  Then after High School, after getting married I always felt that I was always running to something else.  It didn't matter what was in my life at the time I was always running to get somewhere else.  I didn't appreciated what I had right in front of me.  You know as the saying goes, "The grass always looks greener on the other side,"  That was me.  When I had all my kids, I would think how nice it would be if I had a good job and was single.  Don't get me wrong, I love each and everyone of my kids.  There was never a dull moment and we did have a lot of fun but did I really realize just what I had, while I had it.  No, I don't think so.  I do know everyone has regrets and wishes they could go and do over a lot of events in their lives, but that is not what I'm trying to say.  I don't want a do over, I don't want to change my life, I would just like to love every moment so much more.  You know what I mean.  In the moment anything was happening I wish I would have been there fully in that moment.  I hate to say it but I just don't think that I was.  It's funny but I really don't want to know what my kids would say about their growing up years.  I'm afraid it would be different then mine.  I mean a few years ago I never had any of these doubts.  I would say with all the confidence in the world that we had a loving home, happy kids, happy times and generally a great family but then time marches on and you hear a little here and a little there and you realize maybe they didn't think it was so wonderful and that's when the doubts creep in and you realize those terrific kids you raised have an opinion and maybe it isn't the same as your opinion.  Scary uh?  I just wish I could go back and all those little moments, the ones that don't last more than a blink of an eye moments and experience them again and make sure I appreciate them.  Make sure I know and realize those are the moments to remember. Those are the moments we cherish.  Those are the moments that shape our lives.  It's the ones we don't plan, the ones that just happen, no one knows why.  Have I messed up ?  Did I do it wrong.  Well, is there a right and wrong or is it just a different way.  I don't know.  I wish I did because then I would pass it along to you and we could ease so many hearts.  We could say it's ok.  Here are some thoughts for you to ponder and maybe you can come up with some answers. 
     Now that I am much older and have much, much time to sit and ponder and think, I realize I could have done things a lot different.  I know that is what everyone says but hey, why make us so wise now ?  Just what are we suppose to do with it ?  Where are we suppose to go and give all this wisdom away ?  I sure wish I knew that.  It would be a joke to try and tell a young person today some of what I have learned.  They would not understand.  They (I don't know who they are) say people have to make their own mistakes otherwise they do not learn.  You know, this is a quote from someone famous and I'm sorry to say I don't remember who said it....."A smart person learns from his mistakes but a wise person learns from other peoples mistakes."  That is wise.  It would be lovely to have had an angel right by your side guiding you every step of the way.  Tapping you on the shoulder to make you aware,....."Hey, this moment your in right now is something you need to pay attention to and remember."  Wouldn't that have been great.  Tootles

Good Morning !

This is what I have so far.  I bought periwinkles, tulips and mini roses.  To be honest I don't remember what

all I bought.  You know how caught up you get when you are amongst all these beautiful flowers and you  just start grabbing, which I did.  In the one picture you can see I already have Rosemary growing and if you look close you will see Mint right in the center of it.  My Rosemary is blooming and I just love it.  

     Now, I have a confession to make.  Don't judge, ok?  The tiny pink flowers and the white flowers are fake.  Ok, I know that is awful but I did that because I wanted to add a little something.   Besides doesn't it look beautiful.  

     Now, for the good part, all around the rosemary and yes, my fake flowers I have put