If God Got The Chosen People To The Promised Land Certainly He Can Get Me To Fresno County

 

This is my Lilac bush. Actually it is the third I have started but the only one I managed to see through a winter. And considering that this winter offered up 100 year floods for our area and unprecedented snowfall I would say we have a bell ringer. Why Lilac? Because in the house I grew up in from 1955 until I finally left for the last time in 1967 had Lilac bushes that were my Mama's pride and joy. Interestingly enough when my youngest sister and I came together and forged a new relationship as adults in 2015 when our Daddy passed , I noted she too had a Lilac bush in her yard.

So here is the thing. I am a now single woman living on 42 acres (that outnumbers me right there) and I have livestock, I have the usual assortment of canine and feline companions and working dogs. I have chickens. I am now at the tender age of 70 years old ( not young for I have forged ahead and earned each one thank you!) the captain of this ship. I now can hand split wood by hand to keep warm, weed whack, string mow , run a two inverters multi solar panel off grid unit that has its own barn, birth kids ok I cheated I have um multiple years of practice on that one. Keep everyone warm, fed, healthy and pump 1,320. gallons of water from under my house on my new gas run pump. I am also exhausted more often than not (and fire season isn't here yet) I am understaffed and over worked . No not under paid as purrs, crazy kids jumping on my lap and dog kisses are high scale pay you know. And I am without a support group closer than the 5 and one half hours it takes for a sister, kiddos or grand girls to get here.

So the heartbreaking ( I won't lie here) choice was made to , a gasp from the crowd, sell my beloved "42 Acres of Paradise". I am figuring if the worst thing in my life is moving back to the central California area then perhaps I am doing alright. I am looking for a smaller, much smaller place in the foothills of Fresno county. I will be no more than an hour from my family. I will take every critter with me as I am responsible for 90% of them being on this earth to begin with and the rest through choice. I will continue to as life permits pursue the life of sustainability I love. I will have goats but they will more likely than not be glorified lawn ornaments only, chickens will come too . What would I do without my Flame? Of course Sherman and Yarrow will be needed to keep everyone safe from those wiley  coyotes . Ari and Calli need to keep me in line and the cats too.

I will miss my land , my fiber friends, the amazing events which have forged who I am today. But on the flip side I will have easy access sister time on a regular basis, enjoying my son and daughter. And the grandgirls? Oh yes that is part of the plan. "Aubrey and Emily you two are the oldest could you come and stay at Gammie's for a week in October to feed while I go to Idaho to visit friends?"

What could possibly go wrong???!  😉

It Must Be Spring Because It Feels Like a Three Ring Circus!

But of course it is spring as there are baby goats. Only two but these two , a doe and buck are more vigorous then most of those in the last 33 years. Must be the magic Shasta county water? More likely Willa's good milk and care!

And then the egg production. It hasn't waned since last autumn. Water or ???

And then there was the magic ( carefully disguised  as heavy equipment skill) by Seth the excavation guy. Who has put flooding on this farm to a redirected stand still!

  

 And if that wasn't enough my lovely Aunt with her 90th birthday just days prior to my 70th.

Take a close look at this guy or gal. It is a Red Tailed Hawk. Who several days after this photo tried to help itself to a chicken. No camera in moment of  intense will sorry. But two Pyrenees to the right, a very possessive and irritated rooster to his / her left and a hell bent crazy woman screaming in his/her face "let that hen go"! And after several seconds, which seemed like hours, the bird released its prey. With a look of " I don't care about the dogs or the Roo but that  lady is bat poop crazy let me out of here!!!

Left to right front to back  catnip, chives , tomato, tomato second row , spinach , broccoli and last row front sweet red onions. 

The almond tree blossomed into perfection!

You all must know by now the only reason I go to my chiropractor is for the inspiration. 

Lastly a wee hard to see but we have morphed from St. Patrick's Day into a Spring theme on the gate.

A Little Diversion Is Always Good

Look what the leprechaun left this afternoon. Miss Willa you rock!

More tomorrow long day today but by golly such fun and diversion!

MARCHING IN LIKE A LION

Get your Irish on! The Christmas gate morphed into Valentine's . I can't find the photo I took anywhere if I do I will post it . So on with March and St. Patrick's day. April is of course Easter/Spring . A lot of possibilities there. I have to admit my go to place for gate decor is Joann's. They seem to have a large  and fairly priced selection.

Sign hung by reception window at the dentist office.

KC on left and Yarrow have been fast friends since Yarrow was a pup and KC was a yearling. Apparently nothing gets past these two.

How there could possibly be more I don't know but apparently there is. Come on it is March time for a change. 

Just When We Think It Couldn't Get Better . . .

You remember Flame?

Yup that would be her last August. Fresh out of the egg.  Of course the above photo is Flame today. A once a day egg layer and of course we now know that yes she was a pullet and opps, her biological Mama was not her surrogate Mama. Apparently her Mama , one of my two Rhode Island Reds dropped her eggs and exited stage right. Next occupant of the nesting box was one of three Buff Orpingtons.  Who happily felt broody and sat down to finish the task at hand.

As you can see Flame has blossomed into a lovely hen and eats scratch out of my hand twice daily. She is a precious joy to me as she and her Mama were great diversions during times of multiple wildfires and the journey to my becoming a widow. 

Three guesses. OK I will enable you all. My new toy that I purchased during the torrential rains prior to the generous snow. This marvelous piece of equipment , a gas fueled pump, empties my "swimming pool" under the house in about half an hour when it is full. And yes I am in the process of getting up close and personal with an excavator operator concerning putting in a French drain after the rainy season has gone wherever rainy seasons go. 

The most destructive issue currently. It is in the buck pen and the bug eyed boys act as if nothing has occurred. This tree has lived in harmony for the 7 years we have been here. Until the more than generous amount of snowfall we recently received. Now not so much, sigh. It did land perfectly and to my amazement didn't do nearly the damage it could have done. I will have to take down the dead oak and will replace the 16 foot cattle panel it dented in several places. But the caveat here is it left the "extra" panel attached in front of it unscathed. So bingo, replacement panel at no cost. Well  o.k. it was a few bucks about two years ago. But right not it is considered free of charge.

This puppy knocked my 48 inch high field fence down to 24 inches. I walk all four dogs in the back 21 daily this is not acceptable. 

This is my daughter Annie who worked with me , three bow saws, one wedge and a sledge mallet to take it down. 

As if nothing ever happened.  Thanks baby girl you are a blessing! 

And serendipitous at the Chiropractors office on Friday

Now to wait out the next few days of winter storm number , well, I think I am loosing count !

Let It SNOW!!

Woke up to 10 to 12 inches of snow on my 42 Acres of Paradise today. We got slammed even on the valley floor they got a good amount. It has slowed Shasta and parts of Tehama county to a crawl. Courts and schools closed. I can't leave my property as the plows that were so diligent in 2013 with the "Arctic Freeze" of three weeks are busier at lower elevations.                                                           

Winter Found True Nor Cal . . .

Shasta reach out and touch her. 

Mt Lassen on the left, Broke Off Mountain to her right. 

                            First Christmas tree harvested with Granddaughter Emily

                                                Grandgirls Aubrey on left and Claire

                                        
                            These two girls Aubrey and Claire can split wood by hand!

                               
                                                Final resting place for their efforts. 

                         A bit late but trust everyone had a wonderfilled Christmas!

Forgive the lack of perfect balance. I am amazed this got done. Read your blogs often a slow start to beginning again this is. Last storm left me with 1392 gallons of water under the house. Life as a widow has been met with some interesting journeys.