Well, Its Not Exactly Tomorrow...

I plan to write everyday, then I get too overwhelmed with all the other stuff life throws at me... and then I just get too tired...  I'm generally not a flakey person, but I have to admit I'm having a tough time keeping up with my "daily practice and commitment.." of writing each day... Ah me..., at times like this, I just have to take a little time out to reflect on what I HAVE achieved (200 +  posts since I started this blog!) as opposed to what I'm NOT getting done...

So..., as a continuation of my story from Willows...

...I'd taken myself up this dirt road, I don't really know why, except it just seemed to call to me..., perhaps I was hoping to spot birds, or get a breathtaking view, either way, I'm so glad I did...
Turning the car around I slowly crawled along watching nearby birds on the barbed wire, listening
to their beautiful songs and taking photo's.., as I gazed out the window in front of me, I noticed a smallish, older looking woman facing me, straddling the road and just staring at me, not in an threatening way, more of a curious..." who are you and what might you be up to kind of a stare"... I continued to take photo's from my drivers seat and finally rolled to a stop in front of her.  I noticed she was wearing a pair of binoculars around her neck so instantly felt we had common ground.  I told her that I was a visitor  and here for the race, but escaped to go birdwatching... she then proceeded to tell me about all the places to visit where I might find huge numbers of birds, and a special place to visit Sandhill Cranes... just as I was about to thank her for her time and drive off..., she mentioned that she lived just across the road on her 15 acre farm growing her own food, and selling her own produce..., including "pomegranates".... when I heard "POMEGRANATES" I felt my self gasp in awe, and heard myself say "really..., you grow your own pomegranate trees?  Can I come and see them?"  And before I knew it, I'd parked the car, grabbed my camera and trotted up the driveway to see them...

For anyone who has read my blog for a while knows that I LOVE pomegranates.  They are my favorite fruit... They are such beautiful icons, I love to photograph them, in fact I'm painting pomegranates in my oil painting class this week...  I guess I was showing so much enthusiasm for the fruits that the woman turned to me and held up a hand and said "wait there, I'll be right back.."  So I waited and photographed her farm garden which felt like a little piece of Eden... not only did she grow my favorite fruit, but it seemed like every other fruit you could imagine,,, Lemons, oranges, mandarins, persimmons....

And when she returned she handed me a glass of ruby red, freshly squeezed pomegranate juice....

...I didn't know what to say..., I was so touched.. she had literally ran into her house and squeezed my some of the best juice I've EVER tasted...  She told me it was because she used both sweet and tart pomegranates, one being pink, the other red.

I was so deeply touched...  we finally exchanged names...  her name was "Annana - rhymes with banana she grinned..."  I told her mine, and we chatted and shared some more... Two strangers but with birds and gardening, nature and life in common... I felt I could tell her pretty much anything..., she told me she was vegetarian, I told her I was gluten intolerant and had a hard time finding restaurants that served healthy food... then she asked me to follow her to the house... where she proceeded to fill up a large mason jar of cooked bean casserole, handing it to me she opened her refrigerator and handed me a container of home made coleslaw salad saying ..."here, take this for your lunch, its just pure and simple ingredients..., I made it all myself.."... I really didn't know what to say..." Thank you" seemed such a very small thing to say for what I felt was a huge offering of kindness and heart.. just five minutes before we had been total strangers, now she was feeding me home made food and well... I could have cried...

I asked if I could give her a hug (which I did,) and then asked if I could take her photo... (which she agreed to...)

My new friend Juananna with a basket of her Pink Pomegranates...

As I drove away that day,  I knew I'd met an angel.  I felt so very blessed and fortunate and knew that I'd been given a wonderful gift...

Have you ever met an angel who seemed to just like you for who you are right from the get go???

A Tale From Willows...

Sun dried weeds, rattle and hiss in the wind

Hi folks, I'm back to my blog, back to my friends, back to my writing... Although I miss all of it when I'm "away,"  I've realized that if I'm not really feeling the inspiration, I can't force myself to write about "Finding Love"... everyday...  Even though  most day's I feel gratitude in many ways, I sometimes don't have the creative umphhh to always share it! - such is life...

So, with that being said, this past week found CG and I attending the 25 hour enduro race at Thunderhill race track in Willows, California.  As we began our 13 hour drive there, I began to muse about what we would find there, and then suddenly realized that "Willows"  is THE "Willows" that Cory Amano  of Tongue in Cheek blog writes about often from her home in the South of France... I recommend you view her blog as it is one of the most beautiful I've seen, and most real I've read... Click on the link below if you'd like and check it out...

http://willows95988.typepad.com/tongue_cheek/

Willows is out in the country, almost 100 miles from Sacramento.  Its a place of great almond orchards, rice fields, cotton, pumpkins, citrus fruit...  It has a huge bird and wildlife population.  I found myself driving for miles along the backroads, every field seemed to have its own Kite or Buzzard, hovering and diving into the grasses for their lunch.  (I have never visited a place that had so many birds of prey.)

In the flooded rice fields I saw flocks of Trumpeter Swans..

Traveling along one quiet lane, I spied many Western Meadowlarks..

Along this same very quiet lane I came upon an angel wearing binoculars...

I'll fill you in tomorrow...

Hugs,

Neinah