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

Thankful...

Taz sits at the french window, watching the first few flakes of snow...

Its been a rough few days on our little island, starting with the snow and ice blasting down from the Arctic on Monday, making for treacherous driving conditions.  The day after the storm, we ventured out to buy groceries and found the roads littered with abandoned vehicles, some had slid and collided into one another, or people had simply stopped where they could rather than risking going any further and must have walked the rest of their way home.

The news reported record breaking, freezing winter temperatures (and its only November!)

The winds picked up the following day and temperatures continued to drop, the power went out in many homes and businesses including ours and was slow to come back on.  The night before Thanksgiving our power returned (such a relief..., I was due to have 4 families come for dinner.)  However later that evening,  we discovered the pipes had frozen in our laundry room and had flooded the floor.  We had to turn the water off, we had a visit from the local fire department who assured us that our burst pipes/damage was nothing compared to what they had seen over the past 24 hours...(thank goodness for small mercies...)

 Thanksgiving was a bit of a challenge, as no running water meant no dishwashers, toilets flushing, etc. etc..., (things that I've so completely taken for granted for most of my life.)  And sadly, several guests were not able to make the dinner due to their own set of difficulties caused by the winter storm...

However, despite the setbacks,  I felt very thankful... I had both my children at home (which always puts me in a joyful, contented mood), the power/heat was back on, we had shelter protecting us from the elements.  

A great fire roared in the hearth (I always feel a sense of well being when we have a good fire blazing.)

And we had an abundance of tasty, healthy, delicious food and... each other...:)))))

How was your thanksgiving???

It Would Seem That Winter Has Arrived...

Standing outside yesterday and looking up into the leadened sky, I noticed occasional, tiny white specks of something strange and unexpected floating lazily down to settle onto leaves and branches... I thought at first I was seeing ash from the chimney - perhaps from the burning inferno we had going in the fireplace...

But on closer examination, I saw the specks disappear... It was trying to snow...  I didn't think it was time yet, or cold enough...) 

Well, today it persevered and has settled in places, and has caused much anguish for drivers on the road...

I came home early with the pups, to make sure we didn't get stuck. After gathering wood for the inferno... I took a few minutes to photo the white wonder that used to be the garden...

Frosting on the Calicarpa berries...

Down the driveway towards the road where cars slip and slide down the hill.

Snow-topped pumpkins on the front steps.

Perhaps this year we'll have a White Thanksgiving???


Here's a beautiful Mary Oliver poem to celebrate the first snow...

First Snow 
by Mary Oliver


The snow
began here
this morning and all day
continued, its white
rhetoric everywhere
calling us back to why, how,
whence such beauty and what
the meaning; such
an oracular fever! flowing
past windows, an energy it seemed
would never ebb, never settle
less than lovely! and only now,
deep into night,
it has finally ended.
The silence
is immense,
and the heavens still hold
a million candles, nowhere
the familiar things:
stars, the moon,
the darkness we expect
and nightly turn from.  Trees
glitter like castles
of ribbons, the broad fields
smolder with light, a passing
creekbed lies
heaped with shining hills;
and though the questions
that have assailed us all day
remain - not a single
answer has been found - 
walking out now
into the silence and the light
under the trees,
and through the fields,
feels like one.


o ~ O ~ o

Chinese Lanterns...

Here's a few photo's of one of my favorite flowers of the season...

Chinese Lanterns ~ Physalis alkekengi

Flowering in late summer then developing these fruits in October, turning from green to brilliant orange... they truly are stunning to look at.

Physalis is actually a herb, related to potatoes, and tomatoes..., its also known as "Winter Cherry," its fruit is harvested for its high vitamin C content, but can be toxic if not fully ripe, its  known for its inflamation-reducing and , cough suppressing qualities and has been used to treat many other varied symptoms... (such as bedwetting!!!)  I love learning about the herbal lore of plants grown right under our noses, don't you? 

However, I'm not in any hurry to chomp these fruit, but they are so very photogenic..., don't you think?

Look what happens to the outer papery skin as it ripens...

All that is left is skeleton like outer shell, cage like holding the little orange like fruit in the center.

Do you have a favorite Fall flower?

Maple Syrup and Toasted Walnut Scones...

Here's my prescription for spending a perfect day indoors when the chill Autumn winds are blowing and the rain is beating down on the windows...

A roaring log fire...

A cup of tea along with a favorite book or magazine...

And a plate of Gluten/Dairy Free Maple Syrup & Toasted Walnut Scones 

fresh from the oven... mmmmmmmmmm

Here's my recipe for the scones...

(by the way if you don't have to eat GF and DF simply substitute the GF flour

for Wheat flour, marg. for butter, and cream for the Almond milk.)

Maple Syrup & Toasted Walnut Scones

Ingredients:  

1/4 cup of good quality Maple Syrup

6 Tablespoons of Almond Milk (or other milk.)

2 1/4 cups of All purpose GF Flour (I like Pamela's or King Arthur brand.)

1/2 cup of GF Rolled Oats

1 1/2 Tablespoons of Baking Powder

Pinch of Sea Salt

1 1/2 cubes of chilled DF Margarine (I like Earthbalance.) 

1 egg beaten

1/2 cup of chopped Walnuts

4 tablespoons of Turbinado or brown sugar

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

3.  Mix flour, oats, baking powder and sea salt in a large bowl.

4.  Slice the marg. into small cubes and blend with the flour, using your fingertips to 

     make a crumb like consistency (or blend these ingredients in a food processor till they resemble

     breadcrumbs.)

5.  Mix the Maple Syrup and Almond Milk and add to the flour mix.

6.  Blend well with a fork, then use hands to pull the dough together.

7.  Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and roll out till its about and inch thick.

8.  Cut out the scones using a cookie cutter or a small drinking glass.

9.  Arrange on the lined cookie sheet, leaving 1/2 inch between each scone.

10.  Brush the tops with the beaten egg.

11.  Mix the chopped nuts and sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle the surface of each

       scone with a generous teaspoon of the mixture - press it down into the scone a little bit.

12.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, till golden brown and walnuts are toasty looking...

MMMMMMMMMMMMM........ Enjoy!

Stirring The Soul...

This hand sized, heart shaped leaf caught my eye in the park the other day...

Dear Friends, it has been a while since I last blogged, since putting back the clocks, my usual time for photographing (around 4-5pm) has had to change, as its almost dark by the time I get home from work... and as I prefer to shoot my photo's in natural light,,, I'm feeling a little frustrated... 

Seeing as my photo's help me focus on a subject to blog about, I am trying to figure out how (and more importantly) when I'm going to be able to get my photo's taken...

I'm having to relearn the meaning of patience, and show myself a little kindness as I try to navigate my "wish list" of things that I truly LOVE to do, as opposed to my daily task list of jobs I NEED to get done...

So this evening, I am curled up by a roaring, fire, crackling and hissing in the fireplace, T.V is turned off, and after browsing my bookshelf I have re-found a favorite poem that I would like to share with you,  written by the Pulitzer prize winning author ~ Mary Oliver... this poem truly stirs my soul...  

West Wind # 2 ~ 

by Mary Oliver

You are young.  So you know everything.  You leap

into the boat and begin rowing.  But listen to me.

Without fanfare, without embarrassment, without

any doubt, I talk directly to your soul.  Listen to me.

Lift the oars from the water, let your arms rest, and 

your heart, and heart's little intelligence, and listen to 

me.  There is a life without love.  It is not worth a bent

penny, or a scuffed shoe.  It is not worth the body of a

dead dog nine days unburied.  When you hear, a mile 

away and still out of sight, the churn of the water

as it begins to swirl and roil, fretting around the

sharp rocks---when your hear that unmistakable

pounding--- when you feel the mist on your mouth 

and sense ahead the embattlement, the long falls

plunging and steaming---then row, row for your life

toward it.