Oh My Daaarling Clementine

Photo from the world wide web

We are so lucky to have such a beautiful canyon in our backyard. People come from all around to ride and hike on the trails that we can just walk out our front doors to and head out on (like when I want to take a break from work. No stale coffee and boring co-worker chatter in a stuffy break room for me!).

Yesterday I rode my bike on the Clementine Loop. It's a 9 mile trail with about a 1,500 ft. elevation climb at the beginning. A moderately hard climb up is followed by a raucous (very fun!) ride back down, over rocks, over bumps, through a tunnel and around twisting trail. Towards the end of the ride, the trail follows along side the river, which is precariously about 30 ft. immediately below. Not a lot of room for error, but exhilarating. Yeehaaaaa!

Everything's Coming Up Lemons

This is the first year the lemon tree has produced lemons -- and they are beautiful and fragrant. I believe the lemon tree has been in the backyard quite a while, but I only discovered it a few years ago. You see, when I first rented this house ten and a half years ago, thinking I was only going to live here temporarily, maybe six months or so, the backyard was so overgrown that one plant meshed into another -- it looked like a jungle. But still, the backyard was one of the main reasons I decided to take this fixer-upper. It had magic in it (and some cool rock work that a former owner, a brick mason, had created).

Seven and a half years after renting, circumstances lead me to buying the house and I threw myself into fixing it up, inside then out. Slowly I worked away at the yard -- and with one afternoon of an able bodied yard maintenance crew -- there was rhyme and reason to that space. And a lemon tree. I watered and fertilized the tree for the next two years and behold:

After the night's pouring rain, the lemons are heavy with moisture, (don't think me sick, but) somewhat resembling udders that would let down lemonade (click on photo). I guess with this house, I have made lemonade out lemons . . .

Let It Snow?

With no snow on the horizon, Cole has taken to snowboarding in the house the past few days. The weather could not be more perfect lately (sunny and 72), however, for mountain biking and hiking, and that is what I have been doing -- daily if possible. Besides working (lightly) and the necessary household chores, I have been trying to spend every possible moment in the canyon. Sorry no photos, I always forget my camera, always too eager when running out the door to the arms of my loved one -- The American River Canyon. It also helps to have a fantastic mt. bike partner -- skn.

I am, however, anticipating this perfect weather will not hold out much longer. Hopefully not, we need snow if I am going to reclaim the living room.

As Promised . . .

More party photos.

These are my friends Jen and Derek, the hostess and host of the party. Jen and I met in 8th grade and have been friends ever since -- she is one of the many cool people I know. She is also quite beautiful. You may notice that in this photo she is dressed as a character from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (although I have never seen the show) and she was cracking me up. They both were! Derek is dressed as a character from Reno 911, (this photo does not show his extremely tight short shorts). They also just had their first child. . .

If you look closely to the right of the above photo you can see a picture of their newborn son, Kjell (pronounced Kell), hanging on the wall of their motor home. So sweet. Kjell stayed snuggled out in the motor home with his Aunt Kristen in the Village resort parking lot while mom and dad made brief appearances at their party.

This is a picture of a man dressed like spam. He has a computer head, a spam can body, and an envelope on his side filled with messages offering solutions for enlarging your member and sprucing up your love life that he was passing out to party goers all evening. He is raising his hands in the air like he just don't care.

This is Bender. At one point Bender ran up to me on the dance floor and accosted me for a few seconds and then ran off. Bad behavior Bender. . . Halloween is no excuse, even if the actions fit the persona. The best part of the night, besides seeing Jen, Derek, and Kjell, was just people watching and costume observing.

Sunday, Lazy Sunday

Today instead of:

1. Cutting the grass
2. Doing the laundry
3. Going grocery shopping
4. Cleaning the bathrooms
5. Painting a second coat of sealant on my freshly painted walkway/carport
6. Hemming jeans that are too long (handed down to me from my 14 year-old daughter)
7. Washing my bedding
7. Submitting new account forms for work that should have been done on Friday
8. Turning in a call log report for work that should have been done on Friday

I could go on. . . instead

I laid in the (uncut) grass and beset my cat with the camera.

I watched Cole make line drawings on the computer (future engineer right there).

And recalled the events of the evening before. One of the reasons I was such an underachiever today was because of staying up past my usual 10:30 pm to attend my friends Jen's and Derek's Halloween party in Squaw Valley, Ca last night. This is a photo of my sister Steph with random dudes. Steph is quite a pretty lady, even dressed as a gladiator, so it is not unusual to see her surrounded by random dudes. She was also sporting quite the artistic, glittery eye shadow (click on photo to see eye shadow up close). It draws in boys like moths to a flame. More party photos to follow. . .

Quinoa: It's What's For Breakfast

After a weekend of wine tasting, chocolate, and prime rib cooked just right, (I was working! If one has to go to a Clinical Laboratory Management conference on a Saturday, it may as well be at a beautiful winery in the Sonora Foothills, right?), I needed to cleanse my indulging-lovin' soul (and body) with a simple, nutrient-rich breakfast. So, I cooked up my new favorite grain, Quinoa (keen-wah), and sauteed some asparagus in loads of garlic -- sounds like breakfast? It was yummmmy. Quinoa is noted for having the most complete amino acids profile (protein) of any grain. It is native to the Andes and is a staple in Peru and Chile. And it's tasty.

Fungus Among Us

Look what I found growing out of some composted soil in my back yard. Fungus, because of its cellular structure, is more closely related to humans than plants. Yet, I still do not call this alien-looking "creature" my brother.

Mmmmm

Recipe: Drive to Mikuni's and order.

Nulceus Reaction

Cole (and I) finished his 3-D model of a cell project this weekend. After forming the cell out of clay -- it kind of looks like a messy Mr. Bill -- and labeling all the parts (organelles) of the cell, Cole's next assignment was to write a short paragraph comparing an individual organelle to some modern object that performs the same job the structure does in the cell. Cole chose to write about the Nucleus, "the Main Controller," and compared the object to -- his mother! He wrote that the organelle was like his mom because she is the main controller of the family.

I felt all at once honored that he recognized my role (he is a twelve year old boy with a strong will), and startled -- I'm not controlling, I check myself daily, I could not possibly be a controlling mother. . .???

I suggested, "isn't the nucleus more of a director, it directs the activities of the cell?" Semantics.

"No", he responded, "it says in the book that the nucleus is the master controller."

"Ok, well this is a short paragraph, let's see if we can add more details."

I searched his science text book for more descriptions of the nucleus (pretty, funny, a joy to be around -- nope, it was the controller). Ok, I'll accept it.

Brent, overhearing our conversation, piped in and said, "well then I am the Endoplasmic Reticulum of the family, because the reticulum performs the job of transporter!" (Brent, who has had his license for two years, does an awesome job of moving his brother and sister from one place to another -- thank you Brent).

I was impressed with Brent's memory, now in his first year of college, he had done this same project in the 7th grade. Or, I should say, we had done the same project, and I also completed the same project with Hannah too. This was my third and last go around with the 3-D cell project, but this was the first time I had been compared to the nucleus. In the end, I feel proud to be the nucleus of my son's life. However, it must be recognized, it takes an entire cell structure to raise a child.

The Hills Are Alive

If you know me well, you know that "The Sound of Music" is a few of my favorite things (have I mentioned that before? No? Well, now you know). This may be why I became a little overly excited that Elisabeth von Trapp, granddaughter of Maria and Baron (Georg) von Trapp of the famous von Trapp Family Singers, is singing in Sacramento this weekend. It's not that I am overly excited about her style of music, what really got me was when I heard her interviewed on Capitol Public Radio -- a live interview with an actual von Trapp.

She had some insights into the movie, things that are true, things that poetic license had its way with. The general story is true. She mentioned specifically that these two facts are true: Maria did make the kids play clothes out of curtains, and they did climb in trees and were hanging out of them when the Baroness came to visit. In fact, Elisabeth added that her father recalled that Maria raced the kids to the top of the tree and won. Oh bliss. . .

Things that are not true: Georg, far from being the detached, cold-blooded patriarch of the family who disapproved of music, as portrayed in the first half of The Sound of Music, was actually a gentle, warmhearted parent who enjoyed musical activities with his family (thank goodness!). While this change in his character might have made for a better story in emphasizing Maria's healing effect on the von Trapps, it distressed his family greatly, especially the real life Maria (who, disappointingly, was at times prone to fits of anger). And, the von Trapp family did not escape over the Swiss Alps on foot, but rather took a train and then a boat to America. Their personal ethics and sacrifice saved them all!

Still, it is my favorite love story ever.

The Sky is Fall

Photo by Hannah W.

Family Gallery

Hannah, self-portrait 10.10.07

Cole, a very long day 09.07

The Sound of Fresh Cut Grass

To cut the tiers of grass in my yard, I chose the 20" Task Master to help with the job. I really enjoy having a push mower instead of a power mower; easier to start (just push), good for the environment (no fuel or fuel exhaust), easy to store (smaller size). It is, however, believe it or not, nosier, or at least more grating, than the hum of an electric mower. As the blades turn they emit a high pitched squeal and scrape -- metal against metal. I am a veritable spectacle in my neighborhood of modern yard care equipment. People turn their heads, children run for cover, dogs howl.

One afternoon, however, an elderly lady walking up my street beamed a huge smile at me while I was cutting the grass and said, you don't hear that sound anymore! She stopped for a moment, breathing in deeply, watching me push rows through my scruffy lawn. She had that wistful look of someone catching a happy memory, and I felt happy that my throw-back-lawn-care-ways were able to give that to her.

Gang of Five

At 7:30 am I gave Cole $2 to buy his morning donut and to buy two for his friend, Riley, who had covered Cole for his donuts twice before. That's the way these boys roll. Cole rides his bike to school every morning, meeting up with four other boys that join the pack along the way. The lot of them then stop at Save Mart to self check-out a donut (not a healthy breakfast, but they're eating!) and continue on to bunny-hop, wheelie, swerve and skid into Jr. high for a day of seat work and tests.
I love waving Cole off on his iconic boys' romp to school and imagine (and hope) that these will be times, when as a man, he will reflect upon fondly.

Fall is Coming, Fall is Coming

Apple Pie

Q: How many family members does it take to make an apple pie?

A: Five. Cole to add the cinnamon, Hannah to help roll the dough, me to slice apples and put it all together, Brent to clean up the dinner to make room for pie making, and Molly to make the pie dough (as Molly quoted today: Friends are the family you choose). Thanks for the delicious pie dough Molly!

Males of the Species

Lost In the Supermarket

I love the Gruyere cheese, the nutty, tanginess of it.

I really love it mixed with other favorite ingredients to make scalloped potatos. While the Yukon gold potatos are sliced thinnly, I don't really arrange them in a way that makes the edges scalloped,-who really does? Half and half, garlic, thinly sliced onions, and a few other important ingredients layer to make pure-addicting-Fall-comfort-food-yumminess.

Tonight, while shopping for Gruyere, I met my potential future husband, Al, in the grocery store. He was cute, and blocking traffic with his shopping cart. He laughed that he was lost in the supermarket (nod to the Clash) and that he didn't know how the ladies did it. He chuckled some more and patted my arm, saying it was his turn now. I helped him find a few items in the produce section, every time I turned around Al was eagerly behind me asking another question in his sparkling voice. Al looked to be around 70 - 75 years old and said that he was now having to take care of the shopping, the cooking, and the cleaning all by himself, and it would be ideal if he could find a wife to take care of the rest.

"Oh, a sugar momma," I said to Al.

"Yes," he nodded, "it's about time I got myself a sugar momma."

He asked me to keep a look out for a sugar momma for him, but what he didn't know was that I, for a split second, entertained the ideal of taking the post myself (a little less on the sugar and more on the momma) and having Al help around the house. Although, I reasoned, Al's pace and the pace at which I would need things done would not be the same and then we would have to end things on bad terms. And there you go, a whole possiblity of beginning, middle, and end played itself to closure right in front of me.

I scurried out of the produce section promissing Al that if I ever met someone who could be his match, I would swiftly send her his direction. I was out of there, I just came along to shop happily (more nod to the Clash), I was going home to make comfort food and settle in for the evening. Al, I hope your dreams come true!

D-Mo's B-Day

Photos by M. Dunham and T. Backer (I played hostess and photo editor).

Well Suited

And. . . More Photos

By Cole (The headlights of the car were shining on this insect on the side of the house. Cole snapped this overexposed photo that came out looking pretty cool).

My So-Called Office

I have been incredibly busy with work lately. With my family and my job competing for attention, it is the family that always wins out. This, however, leaves me feeling drawn and quartered sometimes. This is my converted closet made home office. Sometimes it gets cramped, but it forces me to stay on top of things. Since finding office space in my house was a challenge, I got the general ideal for the "closet turned office" from ReadyMade Magazine (only my second project out of a two year subscription). There were also directions for a "closet turned bar," but I have much less use for that.

I have a four outlet power box, a power strip, a phone line (for the fax machine), and internet connection all fed from various other parts of the house, all running up through a small hole in the floor (thanks for your help Dad!). I found that I could easily find space in other parts of the house for what used to be in the closet. Presto!

My daughter marveled one day: When the door is closed, it's hard to imagine there is a whole other world on the other side. . . It seems like an innocuous closet, until occasionally the fax machine grinds into life when the door is shut and surprises us all.

Just in case I get confused while in the closet and wonder where the coats are at.

I Got All My Sisters and Me

This photo was taken last summer of myself, my three sisters and my second cousin (she is wearing the glasses and I am standing behind her). This is the first time I've seen this photo, so I thought it was worth a posting. . . We always have so much fun when we are together.