Just a few photos of my hollyhocks

I'm really enjoying my hollyhocks this Spring.   I planted the seeds a year ago last fall and I had 3 of them come up and they survived last year's BRUTAL summer.   This year I planted more and they have just thrived.  I go out every morning and water them.   I love their colors, I love how the buds open up, and I love seeing the hummingbirds visit them.  We've had some terrible winds here this season, so yesterday I went out and tied up 3 of them.

Here are some photos of my lovelies:

Sometimes after I've sprayed them with water, I run out with my camera.   I have about 30 new photos, but I haven't uploaded them yet...maybe tomorrow.

By the way, it will be 100 degrees here today, then down to the low 90's, then the mid-80's here next week.  Mid-80's are PERFECT here, as long as there isn't any humidity.

I sold a journal yesterday, so I need to go to the post office and mail it out to its new home today.

Take care.
~Cheryl Ann~

The Franklin expedition 1847 and recent discoveries

So, hubby and I are watching "The Terror" on AMC, which is a fictional account of the Franklin expedition of 1847 to try to find the Northwest Passage.   It ended up with the deaths of 129 men and the loss of the two expedition ships, the Erebus and the Terror.

Naturally, I HAD to read the book by Dan Simmons.   Here's the link to it on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Terror-Dan-Simmons/dp/0316486094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524234299&sr=8-1&keywords=the+terror+dan+simmons

But, OF COURSE, being a history major, I was intrigued and wanted to know the true details, so I also read Ice Ghosts by Paul Watson.  It seemed to be the most current book on the subject and he is a Pulitzer Prize winning author.   Link:     https://www.amazon.com/Ice-Ghosts-Epic-Franklin-Expedition/dp/0393249387/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524234370&sr=1-2&keywords=Ice+Ships

I read that book in 2 days.  I literally couldn't put it down.

Anyway, both the Erebus and Terror remained hidden for... 168 years!!!!!   Erebus was found in 2014 and The Terror in 2016.   There actually IS a Terror Bay, up by one of the islands, but it wasn't named after the ship.  It was actually named BEFORE the ship was discovered!   Sometimes history is more interesting that fiction!

And, the Inuit, through their oral history, had known about the 2 ships.  They found human remains of some of the crew and they actually saw others (and Commander Franklin's Newfoundland dog) ON the ship several times. 

It is not known how the two ships ended up 80 miles apart.  That is another mystery to be solved, along with the final resting place of Commander Franklin, Captain Crozier, and other officers.

If you want a good read, I would recommend the Watson book.  If was an Inuit/Irish researcher, Louis  Kamookak, who painstakingly interviewed surviving Inuit elders, plotted their stories, and eventually shared his information with the scientists and whose knowledge led to the discovery of the Terror.   He just died last month, March 22, 2018.   His own grandmother had told him the stories about her father going out to find driftwood and instead finding relics from 19th century British sailors...musketballs and silverware...That got him hooked and he devoted his life to helping solve at least part of the mystery of the Erebus and the Terror.   The elders told him that their ancestors spoke of masts rising out of the sea, of white men dragging boats across the ice, and of one ship sinking quickly, while the other lasted for 2 more years after being abandoned.   Amazing, eh?   ORAL HISTORY!   However, most researchers and searchers IGNORED the Inuit stories.   Louis Kamookak did not.  He tried to match place names with locations that he knew himself, since he lived on King William Island, which was near where the 2 ships were eventually found.   He also knew that the Inuit had different concepts of direction:   north was actually northwest, and south was actually southeast, since those are the directions the winds blow.  Additionally, the winters around 1850 were BRUTAL, almost like a mini-Ice Age, reportedly.  No wonder the crews didn't survive.   Their British naval clothing, consisting of wool and leather boots, were no match for the Inuit clothing of seal and animal furs, which DO protect them from the brutal winds and cold.   Apparently people didn't ask the Inuit about what they knew about this expedition until...SIT DOWN...2006!!!!   Amazing, the arrogance of some people!

If you are interested, I would DEFINITELY recommend you read Watson's book.

Here's another link with good information:   (from The Economist):     https://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21740384-inuit-oral-historian-and-finder-sir-john-franklins-lost-ships-was-58-louie-kamookak-died

I'm going to keep track of what other discoveries come to light.  The bells from the two ships have been recovered, along with dinnerware, silverware, and other items.  The location of Commander Frankln's body has yet to be found...The Inuit oral history DID report some kind of ceremony with shots fired.   Could this have been the burial of Franklin?   That remains to be discovered...and so the mystery continues...

Had a good visit with the herd yesterday

I decided to get up to the ranch where I board my horses yesterday.  I needed to worm them and I needed to buy pellets and I have to babysit the 2 year old TERROR today!   (I really do love him, but he IS a handful!!!!)   So I donned my jeans (which for some reason I can BARELY fit into...they must have shrunk?), my working boots, my white shirt, and stopped at Whole Foods where I purchased a SPF 30 sunscreen stick.  I LOVE IT!   I've noticed that sunscreen is either (a) TOO GREASY or (b) TOO STICKY.   This one, was sticky, but not too sticky.  I may go back today and buy another one.  AND, it fits in my purse!

I digress...

ALL the horses needed a good brushing.  Of course, SILLY QUAD greeted me with a nicker to ask, "WHERE ARE THE PELLETS MOM?" so I did him first.   OH MY GOODNESS!   His hair literally came off as I was petting him.   Ugh....so he got brushed first.   He is such a good boy. 

Then Gigondas.  She doesn't really like human touch, but she DID let me brush her.  GOOD GIRL!

Then Sunni.  His right side is his "off" side and I never really did that side, but his left side is all shiny now.

Finally, Scout, who could have cared less.  She just wanted her pellets.

OF COURSE it was "breezy" up there and chilly.  I worked with my long sleeved shirt on and I was glad I threw it in the car!

So, I unloaded 6 bags of pellets (50 POUNDS EACH), wormed them, brushed them, fed them, and gave them all some oil.  I trimmed both Sunni's tail and Gigondas' since they were nearly dragging on the ground.  I need to return next week and clean out water bowls...always SOMETHING to do!   :-)

NO PHOTOS.  I'm so FILTHY when I'm up there I don't even want to touch my camera!

Well, I'm not as OLD as my husband!

I retired April 30, 2016, the day our 2nd grandson was born.  His family is only 11 miles away, in north Indio, and I now babysit him and his sister at least once or twice a week.  He is...to put it mildly, 'HELL ON WHEELS"!!!   Little snipey!   He gets into EVERYTHING!   He stands on the kitchen table, he pushes chairs next to the granite island and stands on it. he PICKS UP DOG POOP, he takes off his diaper, and he can outrun me!   But, I dearly LOVE HIM!   He reminds me of my maternal grandfather with his blue eyes and blonde hair and he has that mischievous grin!

Anyway, it wasn't me, but HUBBY popped a disc or something in his back and I'm having to drive him now twice a week to the chiropractor.  In the meantime, he ditched his rigid, old chair and bought a rocker/recliner which he now sleeps in at night.   (AL:  just like you!).  I went out this morning and I'm surprised the neighbors at the end of the street didn't hear HIS SNORING!   At least, in his chair, he can get a decent night's sleep!  He also ordered me one of the chairs and it has now been sitting on the front porch for... 3 days!   We'll get around to bringing it in probably this afternoon.

I'm going up to the horses today to buy pellets and give them a "spa day".  I'm sure they ALL need brushing and need to have their manes brushed.  I need to buy 6 bags of pellets, which I'll have to unload BY MYSELF!   Ugh. 

We've had HORRIBLE winds here the last 2 days.  In fact, they knocked over a couple of trucks out on Interstate 10 and power was out in a couple of cities due to power lines being blown down.

The grosbeaks are back here in the desert!   I saw 4 of them yesterday and poppa is out front right now at the water bowl getting a drink.  They stop here every Spring for a couple of weeks, then move on...

My garden out back is FULL of sunflowers, hollyhocks, sweet peas, beans, and 3 squash plants.  I found a package of corn from 2017 and I'm thinking about planting it back there, too, and then I can watch the corn grow!  HA!

Here are some pics from my yard out back.  I also have 3 lavender plants and 1 mint.

My "Monet" garden! 

Old age is creeping in!

So, I turned 66 last month.  I'm finding that I move SLOWER and I HAVE to take an afternoon nap every day.  My energy level just doesn't last after lunch.  Once I take my nap, I'm good until about 8 p.m.

On the other hand, my journals are selling nicely.  I've sold 3 in the last 2 weeks, so next week I'll need to make more.  At least my hands aren't idle!

Speaking of hands, I was having an extreme bout of arthritic pain a couple weeks ago, so I went to Whole Foods and bought 2 gallons of the KARMA flax milk (vanilla).  It is supposed to be helpful for arthritis, and...you know what?   I'm NOT having any pain now and my hands and fingers are moving MUCH BETTER!   I'm going to continue to buy that and drink it daily!  It has a lot of Omega 3's in it. 

Not much else going on here.  I DID have an appointment with a dermatologist yesterday because, after 16 years, I had something bubble up on my left arm, right next to the incision where I had melanoma.  It was small and HARD.  So, I made the appointment.  Turns out, it was a tiny "pre-cancer" which he burned off with the liquid nitrogen, along with a few other lumps and bumps.   PHEW!   He said to come back in a year.  I'll see how much of his visit Medicare covers.  Being on Medicare now is a REAL CHANGE for me.  I had excellent health insurance for the 30 years that I was a teacher, so this is an adjustment.  The gal at the check-in asked, "Is this ALL you have?"  What does THAT mean?

Well, I need to go out and feed the birds.  I have about a dozen sunflowers out in the back yard and the little finches sure LOVE to visit them in the mornings and afternoons!

Some of them are 6' tall, but others are only about a foot tall.   I planted different kinds out back and I'm really enjoying all the different ones!  Some I just threw out from the birdseed!  I'll try to get a couple more photos today, if it is sunny.  We had RAIN (REAL RAIN!) overnight Wednesday and it was still cloudy yesterday, but it looks like it is clearing up today.  However, we have more rain coming in next week!   It seems we are getting our February weather this month! 

Take care and stay safe.
~Cheryl Ann~Yes!  I even made a sunflower journal which sold overnight!   :-)

"The Dancer" is GONE!!!!!

There WAS a certain dead tree right off the highway that I always stopped and admired when I travel from our home in the desert to our local mountains.

But, ALAS, it is ... NO MORE!

I glanced over at it a few trips ago when hubby and I drove to Temecula to see our son and his family and...to my HORROR, it was GONE!

I FINALLY was able to stop and investigate a couple weeks ago (on another trip to Temecula) and THIS is what I found:

The branches DID NOT hang over the road, so there was no need for anyone to cut them if they were concerned about them scratching their car.

Can anybody help me figure out what happened????   Obviously someone cut it...

So sad.

Here she was in her glory.  See?  The branches curved away from the road...

Our mountains got SNOW yesterday and I made a couple of videos!

I was out driving around yesterday, driving to Indio to pick up our daughter's dog and take him to the groomer, which is halfway between our home and theirs.  So, I decided to stay in that area rather than drive home.  I had 2 hours to use WISELY (wisely is the key word here...), so I went to my favorite thrift store and bought 22 cards @ 50 cents each for my journals.  They have BEAUTIFUL cards there and they have an entire display of them.  Then I went to my favorite quilting store and bought 2 fat quarters (cut to size) and 1 other one from their "leftover" bins.  I'll have to take photos there next time I go!  Then, down to Office Max/Office Depot.  WHAT a disappointment.  I left without buying... ANYTHING!  Oh, well...Then back to pick up the dog, back to Indio, and then home.  I arrived home at 1:30 p.m.  I left the house at 9 a.m.   I ate lunch and took a 2 HOUR NAP!

Anyway, on my way home, I took a seldom-used very narrow road through Bermuda Dunes, which is named for the once-existing sand dunes there.  This road has some of the last remaining ones and they are right next to the Coachella Valley Preserve, so they should last forever.  (hopefully)...

Anyway, here are two videos I made yesterday.  One shows our local mountains and the snow storm.  The second one shows the huge dunes that sometimes nearly cover the road!

Enjoy and please DO leave a comment or two!

~Cheryl Ann~

mountain storm:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xyb80iXni0

sand dunes:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUpTFGcgENs