Easter In Chico

We drove up to visit Chico this past weekend to be with Mike and Chelsie for Easter. The trip was much prettier than usual along the I-5 because of the amazing wild flowers that were in bloom. I have never seen so much lupine in my life. The poppies were starting to come out and there were blankets of some yellow flower covering almost every hill. And the hills...were actually green.

We couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit Pea Soup Anderson's for the traditional Hap-pea and Pea-wee photo. Evan is perfecting his "trepidation" look.

Saturday morning brought our "Visit to the Market" where we love to see what the farmers and tradespeople have been working on. The Veggies were amazing. Even I was in awe of the beet display. My mom will be ecstatic to hear that I actually liked the yellow beets that we bought and cooked. (I must be growing up:-))

Beets, flowers cheese, pistachios, dried apricots, asparagus, scones and buns-all were delicious. But the best part was to see Mike and Chelsie.

Happy Easter to you all.

"He Lives"

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&vgnextoid=bd163ca6e9aa3210VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD&channelId=bd163ca6e9aa3210VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD&sourceId=79bacbcc921b7210VgnVCM100000176f620a____

Here are a few photos of our most recent hike in the Cleveland National Forest. It was wonderful to be out on the trails again, after such a rainy weekend winter, but the rain and wait were worth it-the waterfall was unbelievable and unexpected.

It is hard to tell, but this waterfall is about 200 feet below the trail from where I am taking this photo. It was huge!

We went on two hikes this day, one was the very short El Cariso Nature Trail, a 1.2 mile loop around a hill. The fun part of this hike was the mine shaft. As you can see Ms. "Throw Warnings to the Wind" liked it too.

The second hike was called the San Juan Loop Trail. It was 2.4 miles, with an elevation gain of 320 feet. There were tons of trees shading the trail, and at one part the path followed a very full stream. Ferns and mosses were growing out of rocks and cliff sides. Small and kind of large rocks were everywhere on the trail and made walking a bit tricky-that must be what makes a mountain hike a mountain hike! About half way through the hike we could hear the roar of the waterfall. According to the map, we were close to a spur that led to the vista point for the falls. We were a bit nervous that the hole we saw in the chaparral we had just hiked by might have been the spur we had been looking for. A few dozen feet ahead, 2 chatty young women asked if we had passed the trail to the falls. If they hadn't seen it, we figured we must have passed it already! So we went back,( it was only about 50 feet,) and headed down what we thought must be the trail. It was a trail alright, but not the marked one. After some tricky maneuvering down the rocks, we arrived at a very secluded part of the stream. There were stone ledges that the water very prettily fell off of, but they were only about 8 inches in height. Even so, the place was very tranquil and made for the perfect rest spot. After a nice drink and bit of a relax, we hurried out in order to avoid any rangers and their finding us where we shouldn't be. The lesson learned: never trust the hiking skills of young talkative women who are not Ticklers. The trail to the falls was impossible to miss, they had walked right past it. Fortunately, we did not miss the trail or the falls. I never knew such a thing existed in Orange County. (Well, actually Riverside County, but it is close, and I'm sure water rights or something are involve.) It was a glorious outing!

I can't wait to do some more hikes in the mountains. The Holy Jim Trail is calling my name...

Wait a minute!

This Saturday Martine, David, Abby the dog, and I were able to end the Trail Tickler's winter break and head to the mountains for a hike. It was incredible! The problem is that I have been having trouble downloading the photos and have a few things to get ready for which are using up most of my spare time. So...I will post the photos and report on the 2 (yes 2!) trails we traversed as quickly as possible. In the mean while-enjoy the sunshine and all the blessings, big and especially small, in your life.

Spring

As we near the the end of a rainy season where it actually rained- we are seeing the first signs of spring popping out in the yard. All the fruit trees are dressed in their beautiful blossoms, luring bees and hummingbirds for a quick visit. We are pleased to announce the arrival of 2 new trees to the back yard; a Japanese plum and a Pluot. The neighbor's removal of 2 very huge and rather dead looking pine trees has brought sunlight back to the back yard, and the planting of new things in ours.

My two little strawberry plants are sporting fruit, (yippeee!) and tomatoes have been planted. Potatoes are sprouting near the chicken coop, with some purple seed potatoes to soon join the others. A new artichoke (Dave's new favorite perennial) red onions, peas, and rainbow kale round out this month's plantings. The seeds are finally starting to sprout, so more tomatoes-one is a purple variety- are on their way along with Cinderella pumpkins and a few squash for good measure.

I can hear you asking: "Where are all these things going?" Excellent question. We have removed a few non edible shrubs which freed up quite a bit of space. We have also extended the flower boarder in the front yard to use for some of the fruits and veggies. The idea is to introduce more edible plantings among the inedible, creating a Disney like garden of the future:-) This will be an adventure for sure, and hopefully, a tasty one.

The Master Gardener lady taught us a new technical term: Crack. When the buds on a tree are about to emerge, it is said that the tree is about to crack. There you go!

Thoughts on Food

This has been an interesting food week for me-and it's only Wednesday! It started with a friend's Facebook entry that raised the question: "Is it better to by organic from Peru or pesticide using local foods?". I had to stop and think about what people did before food from around the world was so readily available. My mom bought what was in season and what was grown close enough to be driven to our store before it went rotten. She drove to eastern Washington and bought bushels of fruit to can for the winter months. Otherwise, I remember we bought frozen or canned from the store. We had good friends who lived on a ranch, and on several occasions my parents would purchase their chickens and cows to put into our freezer. They did this in the 60's and 70's, not the 40's. As I think about the things my mom did to feed us great and healthy food I am once again in awe of her forward thinking. Today we demand strawberries all year long, asparagus in the middle of winter and fresh grapes whenever the desire arises. I suppose our "needs" are what have driven imported fruit sales through the roof. And to keep prices down we purchase meat from China. Don't even get me started on this! Now please don't think I am a locavore purist --I love Braeburn apples from New Zealand and I have a package of blackberries from Mexico in my fridge as I write this. I'm just wondering if being more local minded when it comes to shopping, and being content with eating seasonally wouldn't be healthier for me and the world.

On the same note, in school Mrs. S. celebrated the end of the 1930's with a party. We prepared foods that were first made and popularized during that decade of depression (or as one student called it "The Great Depressing"). Chef salad, Kool-aid, M&M's, and Ritz Mock Apple Pie were eagerly consumed by the class. (Except for Elizabeth, who did NOT like the pie, but really liked the homemade French dressing.) While making the pie on Monday night, I couldn't help think of the women who, because of the absence of, or lack of funds for, apples, created a unique way to celebrate with a pie that actually tasted pretty good. That is true homemaking- making due with what is available in a creative way. Those women are still a great example, despite the 80 years between us.

Waste was a sin back then, perhaps it should be today, too. That may be one of the reasons I love having the chickens; what ever we can't eat the chickens recycle for us! There was a very nice article in the February 2010 issue of Body and Soul titled "Remains of the Day". In it are some good tips to help reduce the "nearly 100 billion pounds of wasted food". It is noted in the article that the average household creates about "1.28 pounds of daily wasted food that equals up to 14% of our food budget". Wow! At a time when spending money is a concern for most people, using our food well makes good sense.

So what is the point of all this you ask? Well, perhaps a good resolution to make and keep this year would be to become more aware of where my food comes from and how I use it. This is a goal that would not only help me and my family, but perhaps it can help to make our world a tiny bit nicer.

Happy Anniversary

Today is the 29th anniversary of my first date with David. Actually it didn't start out as a date; as the home evening group leader I had asked David if he could drive some of our group to the ice rink on Provo Lake, so truth be told, I'm the one that asked him out!

The ice rink was a section of the lake that was frozen over and had a fence and lights put up to contain the skaters in a safe area. Perhaps it was that I had my own skates, or maybe because I was the only one that had spoken to him before so I was a bit familiar, but once we got there, Dave asked if I would like to skate with him for a bit. Of course I said yes, he had given us a ride there! When the end of the evening came, we were still skating together, and the rest, as they say, is history.

So happy anniversary to my sweetheart! He has been the perfect man to ride with behind that big Zamboni called life.

Rainy day sing-along

We are actually experiencing rain in Southern California! And it is not just the usual type of heavy mist rain, it has been full fledged, no sun, with occasional down pours-rain. So in honor of the occasion, I found the "Rainy Day" song from Sesame Street. It was one of my favorites growing up, so I hope you will like it too. Perhaps it will help you appreciate the rain as you are cleaning up the after products of the storm. Especially if it is the river that flows through your garage!

Join along...it's a rainy day, it's a rainy day...it's wet outside and I can't go out to play... but I like the rain...anyway...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlljkLsdc2A

p.s. I just couldn't resist my all time favorite- "Ladybug Picnic". It is guaranteed to make you smile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr8vUTm64h0