Bull Pine Root,

Great neighbor with a tractor.. Thank you Monty. We cleared and planted before a gentle rain fell. Our lower field is where we keep 4 llama's. Every winter our dear neighbor comes over and helps my husband Ralph, plow this field, and we throw grass seed. If we could we would keep the llamas out while the seed spouted, but it is not possible, so they think it is time to roll all over. I am waiting for the day that we have grass seed sprouting from their fur. It will not be "Green Eggs and Ham", but "Green Grass Llama's in Hay". This year Monty pulled out a Bull Pine root that was in the middle of the field.. It was covered with ants.... made us itch to look at it.. Enjoy your New Years!!!

Snow Beauty, Oakhurst

My friend Janna woke up to a world of snowy beauty.. however, they forgot to leave the faucet dripping.. and the pipes were frozen. A reminder to us also.. They get more snow then we do and they are only about 10 miles away. Looks like a winter wonderland. Enjoy the holiday season where ever you are.

Hoover vacuum

It is that time of year again, when company comes and the house needs a once or more over.
We have concrete floors through out our house. When we designed and had our house built, we decided since we live on 8 + acres, we did not want carpeted floors.. I did not want to be the "old" lady that kept saying "take off your boots". Truth be told, I am lazy and did not want to take mine off either..

And we also felt we could use that money to build more space. I was suppose to do the grouting, ah well, that is another story! I love my concrete floors, but many ask how I take care of them.. First thought is ignore them, but truthfully, I clean it with a Hoover wet & dry Vacuum my son gave me.. I must say, I mix the Hoover Mate Floor to Floor cleaner with water in my Tupperware bowl and pour it on the floor, then apply the Electronics to scrub and suck up the water.. I started out spritzing from the machine, but it did not hold enough to do 1,000ft, let alone the 2,500 ft. that we have.. So splash it on, scrub and suck it up! Tomorrow is windows, then the turkey. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Service Organziation of the Sierra, S.O.S.

Every year the Service Organization of the Sierra's, has their fantastic winter fund raiser. They have a marvelous boutique. The ladies line up hours before it opens to get the first items, and the room is cleaned out in minutes. Then a wonderful luncheon prepared this year by the Spinelli's and is served by the high school students. About 200 are in attendance, the hall was filled to the brim with excited ladies, all hoping to win one of the donated gifts in return for their purchased tickets.. Magnificent donations from our local businesses and friends. Our Yoyo Quilters Circle attended and enjoyed our selves. The decorations were also sold toward the end of the celebration. The stage was set with these delightful Angels, theme: Everyday Angels.. This group works all year on making items, and giving back to the community. Oakhurst is a small mountain city near Yosemite Nat. Park. Monies raised go for Scholarships, Teacher mini Grants, Heartland, Hospice, the Local Library and many more. We are all grateful for the wonderful work this Service Organization of the Sierras does for the area. Thank you ladies!

Blue Skys over Oakhurst

I was rushing out of the store, on to the next errand. But I did take a moment to look at a fabulous blue sky.. No snow yet.

Ever look at those jet trailings and wonder what all those people are thinking, where are they going, what do they do for a living, are they happy, sad, over worked. Or going to some fantastic party with family.

Flying is not what it used to be in my mothers day. And I have always been thankful for that.. I would not like to get on a plane in, high heels, stockings, dress, hat and gloves. I prefer jeans, tennis shoes, and comfy clothes.. But things have changed since I last flew also.. Now, people wear Flip Flops because they have to take their shoes off.

And I will not tell the last time I wore stockings... One of the reasons we live in the mountains.. jeans are accepted wear.. dressing up to me, is a clean pair of new jeans..

Coarsegold Tepee

You can not miss the Coarsegold Historic Village, if you watch for the Tepee. This is the type of home that the Plains Indians used, not the type that our local Coarsegold Chukchansi's lived in.. The Coarsegold Historical Museum on Hy 41, near the Casino has a sample of the Nobe or the Cedar Bark homes of our local tribes. Cedar bark was used at the higher elevations and Willow trees and grasses were used at the lower elevations where it did not snow.

Pumpkins-Halloween

Pumpkins and Halloween, they go together.. I love to look at the plants with their wonderful colors of orange and green. One of these days we will grow them in our yard.. hummm, I am lucky I still have parsley.

Tarantual Festival - Coarsegold

No, they really are not that big! This one is made by one of our local artists, Wayne Boring. It sits high up in a tree that was trimmed last year. Coarsegold has an annual Tarantula Festival in October, there are lots of surprises, scream contests, foods to munch on etc. We start seeing those crawly things after the first rain in Oct. but I heard they eat the rattlesnake eggs. . So, I love these little creatures, just have to be careful not to drive over them on the road when they cross over to find their mate..

Happy Burger Diner- Mariposa Ca.

After the Luffa Farm, Ralph and I went to the Happy Burger Diner in "downtown" Mariposa. They have great hamburgers and a ton of choices. A very popular place to go! Afterward we walked and peeked into stores, and the art galleries. A beautiful day to be out and visiting a town that is only about 25 miles from home.

Luffa Talk

Redwood Creek Botanicals, Linda Dahl, www.mariposaloofa.com, shows some of the larger sponges. They also sell gift baskets, lavender products, soaps and wonderful other creations, all natural.. We had a lovely visit with our Foothill Gardeners from Yosemite Lakes Park. Marie Touitou had planned a delightful day, and the weather was perfect..

Luffa Chart

Linda Dahl, linda@mariposaloofa.com, owner of the farm, had prepared this chart showing the steps on how the plant grows. I might try it next year, but then would not be able to grow my gourds.. If they cross bred I don't know what kind of a "fruit" I would get?

Luffa Sponge

A basket of "skinned" luffa and the dried plant.. When the plant is dry, it is put in water to soften the skin, then the skin is rubbed off and out comes the sponge. The ones that come from local farms are wonderful to feel, soft but yet delightful to rub on your skin.

Green Luffa, Fruit or Veggie?

Hey, this looks like a cucumber,,, not so. We had a beautiful drive through the mountains to see the Redwood Creek Botanical's. They are all grown naturally. They were preparing for the Mariposa Ag. Tour the following week-end.

Luffa Plant

Luffa sponges don't come from the ocean.. They grow on a plant that looks like a gourd plant, climbing all over the place with big leaves and lovely flowers. I have grown gourds and love them. The Redwood Creek Botanical's grow theirs in hot houses, because it gets cold in the mountains sooner then is healthy for the plants.

Metal Butterfly

I would just love this beautiful blue butterfly, gracing my yard... However, glad that the real ones are not that big! Thank you to Western Sierra Nursery for letting me roam and have a fun hour taking photos, and of course, I did buy some plants. Now, to plant them and hope they look as great as they look here.

Wind Chimes

Now here is repetition of a different kind.. Wonderful light colors floating in the breeze.

Clay Texture

Don't these pots just make you want to touch them? Such wonderful intricate designs. Repetition again of a different sort.

Bamboo sticks

Repetition of design, color, or texture some times makes for an interesting photo.. What do you think?

Happy Face

Doesn't he just make you laugh. He was tucked in with some wonderful plants, I think some elf was tickling him.

Western Sierra Nursery

Don't you just love this beautiful quiet face.. Maybe some day I might tuck it into a quilt. Wonder if it would keep the deer out of the garden or invite them in. You could hide all sorts of things behind it.. I think it is about 5 feet tall..

Blue Skies in Nursery land

Sunday after church we crossed the street and visited the Western Sierra Nursery in Oakhurst. I love these new fabric shades.. They look like sails of a ship. Then I noticed that they had some wonderful "art" for the garden. I am crazy about displaying art with plants and trees. I went a bit wild with the camera. I used to do photography eons ago, but then for some reason.. I guess it was quilting, that took up my time. Now, I am having great fun showing what is around our mountain area.

Bass Lake

Hardly any one on Bass Lake, beautiful week-end.. We had the pleasure of having a barbecue with the Search and Rescue folks, great food, wonderful friends to chat with, a ride on a boat, and fantastic view. Sort of the end of one season and the beginning of another.. Winter will come one of these days soon.. Thankfully, this day there was a mild breeze that kept everyone cool,, water was cold.

Garage Sale

Once in a while we get the chance to go to Garage Sales.. I found this wonderful rake, and it looks perfect under the old tree at the Coarsegold Historic Museum.

Cows

The cow looks friendly, but I am not getting out of the car! Country living!

Row Boat

There was an opportunity to take photographs every where I looked. Oh ! thank goodness for digital camera's. Could this be a quilt?