Winter Wonderland Part 3

I left Temecula about 9:30 a.m. Saturday.   I knew a lot of the snow would have melted and today we seem to be having a Santa Ana wind condition, so I imagine by the end of today, most of the snow at the lower elevations will be GONE!!!!!

These are photos of my trip home to the desert:

 Near Aguanda...Highway 371

 At Paradise Corner (Highway 74 and Highway 371)

 Across from the Paradise Corner Cafe

 I LOVE this cabin!

 More snow

 Back toward Pinyon Pines...quite a bit of the snow had already melted

A view toward the San Bernardino mountains and Big Bear from Highway 74, above Vista Point

Winter Wonderland Part 2

I knew there would be a lot more snow at the Highway 74/371 turnoff toward Anza and I was right.  The Paradise Corner Cafe is at that corner and it was packed with customers.   I continued my drive toward Anza.

 On the Indian reservation

 another view

 snow on the oak trees was falling!

 Looking down Hamilton Creek toward Anza

 From Anza, looking up toward Thomas Mountain

 The community park building

 Looking out toward the fields in Anza

Another view in Anza

A drive up into our winter wonderland! Part 1

Our son's 40th birthday was Saturday, so Friday I drove up and through our local Santa Rosa mountains to visit him and his family in Temecula.   It was a gorgeous drive the day after a huge storm dumped snow above 4,000 feet in our local mountains.   There was snow from Pinyon Pines through the west side of Anza.   The Anza valley was completely covered with it.   I stopped at a turnout on the Indian reservation area, where there is an oak forest, and when I exited the car, I could hear snow falling from the oak trees!   I even got hit a couple of times by falling snow!   It was amazing!   And, yes, hubby's car even skidded a few times in the shady areas, even though I was driving very slowly and carefully.   We had a good visit and I'll do another post about Temecula Creek later.   Here are the snow photos:

 Looking down from Vista Point, Highway 74 across to Joshua Tree National Park and its fresh snow.

 Another view.

 Mt. San Jacinto in all her glory.

 Looking up at Santa Rosa peak from Pinyon Pines

 A view from the entrance to the pinyon Flat campground toward the San Jacinto mountains

 San Jacinto mountains

 another view

Another view from Pinyon

The 3 year old told Nana to GO HOME!

Last night I "got" to babysit the 2 grandkids of our daughter.   The girl is 6 and her BROBBER (as she calls him) is 3.   The six year old (first grader) was a delight.   Her brother...NOT SO MUCH.

He got out a puzzle and emptied it all over their floor.   When I asked him to pick up the pieces, he turned to me and said, "YOU DO IT!"    Excuse me?   I put him in the TIME OUT CHAIR.   He got up.   I added another 3 minutes.   He got up AGAIN.   Ellie, the 6 year old, rolled her eyes and said, "He does that to daddy ALL THE TIME."   So, I set the Alexa timer for ANOTHER 3 minutes (twice) and finally yelled at him, "IF you get up again, I'm going to spank you!"   (I was that close to spanking him, yes, I was!)  (I didn't...I don't spank either one of them).  Defiance at age 3!   CAN you BELIEVE IT?   Then he turned to me and said, "When are YOU going to go home?"   (He is already QUITE the little thinker!!!!!  AND STINKER!)

I had to go sit down at the table.   Now, mind you, these are my 2 closest grandkids.   They live 11 miles away.   I pick each one of them up after school or day care 1 day a week (each).   They constantly see me. I take them for treats.   I take them to the library.   I take them to the nursery to see the plants.

It was a difficult evening.

I fed them dinner and he was much better after that.   The six year old went in her room and we all gathered on her bed and watched 3 of the Elf movies (Elf on the Shelf or whatever...).   He calmed down and curled up on the bed and was the delightful little critter that I knew he COULD be....FINALLY!   However, it WAS a long evening.   Thank goodness hubby had dinner waiting and a bottle of wine!   The little stinker did hug me when I left, apparently over his temporary hatred of Nana.

On a positive note, my sweet peas and sugar snap peas have sprouted!   YAY!   I'm doing the happy dance!   And, I have California poppies coming up out front!   And sunflowers and hollyhocks in the front and back yard!

Times are changing and I guess I'm stuck in the past

Our daughter thinks I'm crazy.   I still have a check book and I still mail out my bills.   She, of course, does everything online.   I know it saves time and a trip to the post office, but, you know, I kinda enjoy going to the post office in the next town.   It is right on the way to their library.   Hobby Lobby is also on the way, so I do occasionally make a slight detour (or rather, my car does!).   What's the line from Skyfall?   "Sometimes the old ways are best".

There are a LOT of "old ways" I want to teach the grandchildren.   For example, yesterday I had to pick up the now BIG first grade granddaughter, since every Wednesday her school gets out 2 hours early so that the teachers can meet together and plan.   So, Wednesday afternoons are our time together.   We went to that library and checked out 14 books (and a book bag).   She's never read, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"!!!!!    SAY WHAT?    EVERY first grader has to read that book!   She hasn't read the Frog and Toad series, so I checked out one of those books for her.   SHE picked out "The Gingerbread Pirates" and something about a Christmas goose (not cooked, thank goodness!)

We then went and sat at the Aspen Mills little cafe (very tiny) in the building and split a chocolate chip muffin.   That's part of our Wednesday routine.   They usually have chocolate chip cookies, but were all sold out by the time we got there yesterday.

She told me she is growing radish seeds for her science class (they switch teachers for this), so I asked her if she had ever been to Lowe's (it is on the way to her house) and she said "NO", so we stopped there.   they had their Christmas tree lot already going and...SIT DOWN!    This kid has NEVER seen a live Christmas tree or smelled one!   So, we went inside the lot, touched them, and smelled them.  .... (shaking head...)   They have a fake one that they put up every year...

I'm going to teach her how to sew and how to grow things in the garden.  And, maybe how to put a stamp on a letter.  I want Papa to teach the grandkids how to use a bow and arrow because he did that in college and he's very good at it.

What about you?   What are you teaching your grandkids?

Rain and RAIN and now weeds everywhere

We had 2 days of rain last week, which I am thankful for, but now the WEEDS are thriving!   They are... EVERYWHERE! 

My front garden does have some California poppies coming up and some herbs.   I threw out seeds of chamomile, sage, lavender, and I forget what else.   Guess I'll have to wait until Spring to figure out what they are!   I knew the rain was coming, so I ran out and sowed them in the ground.   I still have cosmos and marigolds, which are thriving!   I also have some sunflowers coming up.    Our son and his family stopped by Sunday to visit her parents in the next town, so the kiddos got to see "Nana's Garden".

I planted sweet peas out back along the chain link fence that bisects the yard and I planted sugar snap peas along the neighbor's fence, but they haven't sprouted yet.   It seems to take them about 10 days AND RAIN to sprout.   I went out yesterday and watered everything, since it has been a few days since our last rainfall and we have none in the forecast for the next 10 days.   I don't want my seeds to dry out, for sure!

Here are some photos from the front garden:

Yes, I have bees!    So happy to see them!!!

I'm getting ready for the coming storm!

We have a 3 day storm event coming our way this week, starting Wednesday, so I've been busy scampering out front and back madly planting flower seeds.   I also planted my herbal seeds:   rosemary, sage, chamomile, and a couple others.    Next to the mail box, where I had my hollyhocks last year, I planted California poppies, lupine, and larkspur.   I've been selectively planting hollyhocks all around the front yard (since I have a whole bucket full of seeds!), so by next spring, the front yard and back will be FULL of flowers for the birds and bees.   I noticed last spring that the bees especially enjoyed the hollyhocks!

So, yes, I've been busy!   I also completed 2 more journals, sold one, and the other one I just listed in my ETSY shop:     https://www.etsy.com/shop/DesertsandBeyond?ref=pr_shop_more

So, everyone have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!   Do take care if you are driving.

~~Cheryl Ann~~

Random photos from my visit to the horses 2 weeks ago:

Busy planting hollyhock seeds

Well, I'm busy planting hollyhock seeds ALL OVER the front and back yards.   YES!   I harvested all the seeds I could from my hollyhocks out front and I filled a bucket FULL of them.   Today I planted more in the back yard, along with some black oil sunflower seeds.   I already have 7 spots of hollyhocks and they have sprouted.   I like to stagger my plantings so that they all don't come up at the same time.   Busy, busy, busy.

My front garden is still going...marigolds and zinnias and cosmos.  I want to get some snapdragons and alyssum to add to it.

Otherwise not much else is going on here.   Hubby only leaves the house about once a week to either get a hair cut or run to the store for something HE wants.   We are both happy to just stay home.   I babysit the grandkids at least 2 afternoons a week, sometimes 3.  He stays home with the dog.   I was going to visit our son and his 3 kids in Temecula this weekend, but they ALL have the flu and are all vomiting, so that trip was CANCELLED. 

That's all for now.

Cheryl Ann ~Photos from our Labor Day weekend trip to Idyllwild

 Pretty leaves

 I love this fence

The grandson doing something on the porch...

Hollyhocks are GONE! And, I'm sad...

Well, my hollyhocks out by the mailbox are... GONE.   They had mostly gone to seed and many were brown, so I went out at 6 a.m. this morning (with my still-sore elbow), and cut and pulled out what I could.   There are about 3 left with blooms, so I left those.   I managed to rake the area, but I can't hold the weeder to finish it off, so that will have to wait.   I made a huge pile of the stalks and I want to go out later and shake all the seeds out and collect them for this next fall when I can plant them again.

I drove up to the horse ranch yesterday for a quick visit, brushed 2 of the horses, gave them their wormers, and chatted with the ranch owner for quite a while.   It was nice up there, but by 11 a.m., it was getting warm.   I stopped by their local thrift store and got 7 pieces of really beautiful lace curtains to cut up for my journals, then home for a 90 minute nap!

Happy Fathers' Day to all you dads out there...grandfathers, too!   :-)
~Cheryl Ann~

KERSPLAT!

KERSPLAT I went Sunday morning.   I had decided to clean off our side porch, sweep it, and hose it down.  I hadn't cleaned it since...last summer or last fall and the dog hair was piling up and there were cobwebs everywhere.   It really needed a good cleaning!

So, after hosing it off 3x, I went to turn OFF the hose, and I even reminded myself to be careful in one muddy spot (I had my flip flops on...)....but, OF COURSE, I went KERSPLAT right down onto the ground.   I didn't even have time to throw up my arms to protect myself.   I landed on my right temple, my glasses went flying (I was able to find them...) and I lay there for a couple of minutes not sure if I could hoist myself up.   Hubby was in the living room, watching TV and I knew he wouldn't hear me if I called to him, so I gingerly got myself up and stumbled into the house.   I must have looked like something out of Predator, the movie, because my entire right side was covered with mud and leaves and I even had mud on my face and in my hair.  I checked and didn't feel anything broken, so off to the shower I went.    After that, however, my right elbow stiffened up and I could barely move that arm.   I put ice packs on it and settled down to watch 5 episodes of "Band of Brothers" and changed the ice every 20 minutes.   That did help.   I took a couple of naps in between.

It is still sore 3 days later, but not as much, and I'm gradually getting back my range of motion.   Like I said, the darn thing happened so fast that I didn't have time to react.

Now, this is 3 years after Gigondas spooked and knocked me down in her corral.  I'm 67 now and I just don't have the reflexes to react to things like I used to, which is why I don't ride my horses.  ANY OF THEM.   PERIOD.   Not going to take that chance, no sir!

So, I'm staying indoors and working on a few journals.   Besides, it will be 115 here tomorrow and it is too dang hot to be outside except very early in the morning.  I go outdoors from about 5:15 - 6:00 a.m. every morning, feed the birds, and water my plants.   Oh, and if you want to see my front yard garden tour, here is the YouTube link:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vZJmHM0LMo.   I actually still have the large patch of hollyhocks along the front border, but the ones by the mailbox I'm going to have to yank out and rake that area this weekend, after my arm heals.

If you want to see what journals I've been working on, here's the link to my shop:   https://www.etsy.com/shop/DesertsandBeyond?ref=pr_shop_more      I have 2 more I need to finish this week.

Thanks for stopping by!   See you next time!
Cheryl Ann

Driver's license woes here in the US

There is a new system for drivers' licenses here in the US...The "REAL ID"...I had to get my DL renewed in February (my appointment, the ONLY one they had before my birthday, was February 13th).   So off I went, armed with (1) my birth certificate, my Medicare card, my property tax bill, and a couple other items to prove my residency.   Then the clerk asked for my ... marriage certificate!   EXCUSE ME?   I've been married now for 47 years with ONE NAME.  ... sigh... I didn't have it, so I had to get just the regular driver's license and I CANNOT enter a federal building or fly on an airplane until I update my info. Oh, and I was also informed I had to have a duplicate of my Social Security card!   WHAT NEXT?

Well, y goodness!   So, any MARRIED woman will have to bring in a copy of her marriage certificate.   What a bunch of BS.   I mean, REALLY.   I hardly even remember my maiden name...I haven't used it for so long!

Ohhh....GUESS WHO is out already in one of the bird seeders?   I hear his little whimpering song...yup...one of the male grosbeaks!

Okay...back to watching the birds!
Cheryl Ann

The grosbeaks are back! The grosbeaks are back!

I now have to keep a fresh supply of orange on hand because...yes!   The grosbeaks are back!   I thought I heard them last week and at one point I look out my office window and a beautiful oriole was out nibbing on the orange slices!   He was GORGEOUS!

Then, I've been hearing the beautiful song of the grosbeaks all week.  And, sure enough, yesterday I saw 2 of the at one of my seed feeders!  I LOVE hearing their songs in the morning.   I'm not sure how long they will be here, but I'm enjoying every minute of it.

We had HORRIBLE winds Sunday and lost about half of our Chinaberry tree and a huge branch off our mesquite out front.   Hubby is going to have to call someone today to cut it off the tree where it is danging and haul it away.   We will deal with the Chinaberry (in the back yard) later.   THAT is going to be an expensive job because we also need the palo verde trimmed and a bunch of branches hauled away and a major cleanup....ugh...

Speaking of weather, the last time we had a May like this was about...1974 or 1975, maybe even 1976.   I remember because hubby and I were driving home from UC Riverside and we decided to go the mountain route through Idyllwild and it showed on us!    We DID have one summer here at our house where I didn't even turn on the air conditioner until after July 4th, but I doubt that will happen this year, although we have double digit temps for the next 8 days.   Whoo, whoo!   Any day in May that we don't have to turn on the air conditioner is a plus!

My hollyhocks are now pretty thrashed due to all the winds and more are coming tomorrow.   After that I'll have to go out front and probably trim most of them.   I will gather whatever seed pods I can get and save those for next year.    I did get some zinnia, cosmos, a pale yellow sunflower, and some other seeds planted out front and we MAY get some sprinkles tomorrow.   I'm watering them anyway, but the rain water just makes them sprout.

Well, back to my bird watching!
Have a great day!
Cheryl Ann

Retirement has some surprises

I NEVER, in a million years, thought hubby would love watching the birds out front.   He always joked to friends and family how I loved it, but he is NOT a true nature lover like me.

SURPRISE!

GUESS WHO loves to sit in his office, with his window open, and listen and watch the birds?   Yup.   I even moved some of the feeders over by his window so that he can indulge himself.   And, he loves to hear them!

WHO would have thunk?    This is the guy who used to work 60 hours a week and weekends!   However, I've noticed how much he has slowed down since retiring 2 1/2 years ago.   He hardly EVER goes out anywhere anymore, so I was surprised when he went to our neighborhood WalMart yesterday to buy ground turkey to make turkey chili and made it... ALL BY HIMSELF!   Of course, it is enough to feed Alexander's army, but that's okay...at least he got up out of his chair!

Well, this is our LAST DAY of pleasant temperature before we go up into the 90's, high 90's and even 100's next week.   Ugh.   NOT looking forward to that.   I'll have to call our air conditioner company and have them come out and do the "spring check" of their system and make sure that there's enough freon (or whatever they use now) to get us through the summer.   I wonder what kind of summer we will have.   So far this year, it has been 3.5 months WITHOUT temps in the 100's, which apparently is a NEW RECORD!   We haven't done that since ... 1970!!!!

I have to babysit today and then tomorrow I'm going up for a horse visit.   Then I babysit again Friday morning and then we stay in for the weekend.   It's the 2nd weekend of the Coachella concert and NOBODY in their right mind wants to be out on the freeway Thursday night or Friday!!!!

Have a happy Easter weekend!   My hollyhocks are starting to open up and bloom out front by the mailbox, so I'm HAPPY!
~Cheryl Ann~

Well, I overdid it yesterday!

I was supposed to go for a visit to the horses yesterday, but, with all the traffic coming from San Diego over Highway 74, I decided to postpone my visit.  Good thing, too, because I understand that drivers were whizzing through Anza and acting horribly.   Ugh.   Who needs that?

So, instead I decided to tackle the weeds (AGAIN) out front.   I used the weeder and did it along the side, next to my sunflowers, and along the street.   Ha, ha...don't want the city code enforcement officer to give me a citation for "weeds" even though many houses around us need some TLC!

Next I decided to mow a little bit more in the back yard with my NEW lawnmower!   I got about 1/3 of it done last week with no problems.   HOWEVER, yesterday I also yanked up some weeds with my bare hands (I probably shouldn't have done that...), finished another 1/3 of the back yard, and took the weeder back there, too.

By then, I was a... COMPLETE MESS.   My eyes were watering.   My nose was running.  I was coughing.  I never had problems breathing, just everything was running!   I sneezed and sneezed and sneezed.   I FINALLY came in, took a shower, and laid down.  At one point I SCREAMED at my husband to go buy me some Zyrtec (it is what our kids recommened), so he did.

I slept for 2 1/2 hours!   Got up, watched a movie, slept another 2 hours, got up, ate a grilled cheese sandwich, watched another movie, and fell asleep for the evening at 9:30.

I feel 80% better this morning (NO SNEEZING), but I'm woozy...or... LOOPIER than usual (as hubby likes to say)!

Next time I'll wear long sleeves and a MASK!
Ugh!
At least the yard looks halfway decent now.
~~Cheers~~
Cheryl Ann     (see below)
P.S.
I just looked up ragweed.   We have it ALL OVER the yard!   We also have lamb's quarters (I believe that is what I pulled out with my bare hands).
OOPS!   The guy across the street is out sneezing right now!!!!!

The mountains are COVERED with wildflowers!

I drove to our son's home in Temecula last weekend to attend the grandson's baseball game.   He is 10 now and is on a team that has only lost 1 game all season.   Those kids are sure baseball savvy!   They steal, they fake each other out, but they also still miss a lot of thrown balls.   Anyway, his team won 24-3.   And, I got to visit the 18 month old and the 4 year old, who acts like she is 18! 

ANYWAY...I digress...

The hillsides on Highway 74 going from Palm Desert to Temecula were all COVERED with wildflowers!   I've never seen so many lupines!   I need to return to the horse ranch tomorrow and brush, brush, brush all 4 horses since I only stayed long enough to greet them and check their pellet cans (all empty!) on Saturday morning.

There are quite a few hillsides covered with California poppies, and I'll need to find a decent parking space to park and take photos.   That's also true for Highway 74.   There just aren't enough turnouts.

Here are a few photos I took Saturday morning:

I've been driving this road since 2006.   I have NEVER seen so many wildflowers as what is there this Spring!

Have a great day!
~Cheryl Ann~

Just around the desert this week

Just a few more photos from my day out with my camera (see previous post)...

 Palm trees blowing in the wind

 More palm trees

The windmills up on Dillon Road