Sugared Mountains

 Song - Blackbird  by The Beatles

Yesterday Mr. B and I headed over to Yosemite and it was a lovely day and it was a Christmas gift from Mr. B. We could see a little, light dusting of snow on the higher mountains but it was a great temperature in the valley. Above is the view of Half Dome from our room. 

 

 

We took a walk while the weather was nice and we walked over Swinging Bridge to admire the Upper & Lower Falls. There was a tree full of Blackbirds happily singing. 

Can’t you just hear them now?

 

We had dinner in the bar and read for the rest of the evening - no cell service which turned out to be lovely. 

It rained all night and when we woke up on Thursday morning it was raining as well. After a while I didn’t hear the pitter-patter of rain outside so I glance out the window and it was snowing! 

 

What a lovely, peaceful, quiet time.....

Same view out of our window but Half Dome is shrouded in clouds.

Nesting Instinct

 Song - Two of Us by The Beatles

The other day I saw a flash of brilliant blue outside the window.  I figured it was a Blue Jay or most likely a Steller's Jay because they seem to be a deeper blue. But when I got up to look I found this little fellow on our deck gate.  

He flew over to Mr. B's birdhouse and looked inside.  Four out of the last five years Oak Titmice have made a nest in that house but this year maybe I will get some Bluebirds nesting in our yard!

Within minutes a Titmouse began building a nest inside.  I guess he or she decided that they were not ready to move quite yet! I looked down at the deck and there was a smattering of twigs beneath the birdhouse so I guess they have been working on their nest for a while (I just hadn't noticed).

I'm wondering how she is going to get that long twig in through that tiny hole but she found that by turning the twig sideways it would fit.  I was so proud of her!

Nearby there were a couple of feeders that I moved further away today so the Titmouse won't have to worry about other birds waking the kids! 

"Look closely. The beautiful may be small."   

--Emmanuel Kant

Percy

 Song - Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles

 

 

A few days ago when Mr. B was headed for work he saw something in the bushes along our lane.

The very next morning the same thing happened.....but this time I was able to take a quick photo of him. He stayed in this spot for several hours however I was running out to get my Covid booster so couldn't take any more photos. When I returned, I spread some bird seed out on the lane for him.

This morning there was no Percy Pheasant to be seen....until lunch time.  My son Tyler and grandson Henry were both having lunch with me and Tyler spotted him across the lane.  I was able to get a few photos of him before Tyler had to return to work and scared him down the lane. 

Within minutes Percy had returned to our driveway and enjoyed a day in the sunshine.

As for the pile of bird seed I set out at the end of our driveway.....you will be happy to know that the squirrels are enjoying it thoroughly.

" A group of pheasants is called a bouquet.  

A Pheasant will live for 3 - 18 years.

A Ring Neck Pheasant will regrow its tail in 3 - 6 weeks"

Carmel Face

Song - I've Just Seen A Face by The Beatles

Happy pup with a big stick (possibly a log) on the beach at Carmel.

Thanks for the song idea Gwen ;-)

"The world would be a nicer place

if everyone had the ability

to love as unconditionally as a dog."

--M.K. Clinton

Timmy

Song - Sweet Loretta (Get Back) by The Beatles

 Several years ago Mr. B and I took a trip to England and before we left I booked a tour with the above company Fab Four Taxi Tour.  And the best thing was....

....Timmy!!!  Our funny and informative guide!




"I get by with a little help from my friends."

--The Beatles

Stand By Me

Song -  And I Love Her by The Beatles

Thirty nine years ago Mr. B and I said "I Do!" 

We look so serious during our outdoor vows. 

I love the twinkle in my dad's eyes as he hands me off to Mr B. 

I'm thinking that he is wondering if we "kids" know what we are getting into.

We all look a bit more relaxed now that the service was over and the party was about to begin!

Mr. B's brother Bob (in gray) was a classically trained French chef 

and he graciously agreed to cater our reception.

The usual cast of friends (Mr. B and his friends from Chico) were there ready to cheer us on....

My mom and Mr. B dancing with his white man's overbite!!!

Me with my niece Katie and my two brothers Tim and Dave.

Cake cutting time and as I remember we had a carrot cake, a chocolate cake and a vanilla cake 

(guess we couldn't make up our minds).  

Our cake knife was given to us by Mr. B's sister Kristy.

Then Mr. B did the unthinkable.....

I can still hear my mother yelling "Don't you Dare" from across the room!

Time to gather up your bride Mr. B.....

A quick change of clothes and we are off on our honeymoon!

Driving off into the sunset in our chariot......

 err I mean our Toyota Corolla!

Thanks Mr B for 39 years of magic and love! 

"Before you marry a person you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet to see who they really are." 

—Will Ferrell

Helping Hands

Song - HELP! by the Beatles

Mama Finch feeding her fledgling

While I have been posting about our April trip to France, a lot of love has been going around.....at least around our family.  We have celebrated six birthdays, Mother's Day was spent with family in Booneville, and we just celebrated Father's Day with a family BBQ in our backyard. But more importantly......

 My brother and I have found a great little rescue dog for my mom!  She has named him Buddy and that's just what he is.  He is sweet, cuddly, loves children, is properly house trained, doesn't dig in her garden or chew her shoes and insists on sleeping in bed with her! And when she gets out the brush to comb his soft coat, he lays there like he is having a Spa Day and wonders why she has stopped.  Buddy is learning to ride in a car and walk with a leash. 

Buddy is a mix of Bichon Frise and Halvanese.  He is bonding with his new family (all of us) and learning to trust again.  It's beautiful to watch this frightened little guy go from shaking in the corner to jumping into mom's lap and give her a kiss for taking such great care of him!

 A few weeks ago Mr. B and I drove down to my parents cabin in Santa Cruz.  After the long winter it needed a little loving care. 

 While Mr. B worked behind the scenes on fun stuff like the plumbing and clearing the leaves off of the roof, I got to do a little cleaning up and planting in the garden.

 Now it is ready for summer fun!

"We might think we are nurturing our garden, 

but of course it's our garden that is really nurturing us."

--Jenny Uglow

Listen

Song - Rain by The Beatles

Six days into the new year and I hope you have had time to curl up by a fire 

and read a good book after all of the busyness of the holidays! Sigh....

It's finally raining in California!  It was so wonderful to hear mother nature's "pitter-patter" on the rooftop. There was a certain amount of calmness about it but then we had an earthquake later that night that jolted most people awake, so that was the end of "calm" for awhile!

My Sweet Peas have begun to bloom - they were just a little 

confused by the warm, dry winter weather.

The Daffodils have begun to emerge from the ground.

And the Snowdrops have begun to show their little white bells.

The birds began coming to the feeders a little more often as if in anticipation of the rain.  Above is a female Nuttall's Woodpecker who seems to have made herself quite at home in the bowl of seed!

 And the hawks have been calling to each other in the early morning sky.

 My roses are about done for the year but it's fun to catch one blooming in January! 

I think I will wait a few more weeks before pruning them back for the winter.

What do you hear in your garden?
Have you been listening?

PLUVIOPHILE 

(n) a lover of rain; someone who finds joy 

and peace of mind during rainy days

Sweet Loretta

We got to meet Sweet Loretta today.  

 

The name is taken from The Beatles song "Get Back" and Monday we spent most of the day in Liverpool on the FabFour Beatle tour. 

 

Our driver, Tim was wonderful and so informative.  It was raining when we first arrived in Liverpool but was just cloudy for the rest of the day so it made getting in & out of the taxi so much easier. Here we are at Penny Lane. 

 

And at the barber showing photographs of every customer he's had the pleasure to know...

 

And Strawberry Field were John used to sneak into at night to visit the young ladies that lived there. 

Tim our very capable driver & Mr. B outside the graveyard were Elenor Rigby & Father MacKensie are buried.  

  

Heading into the Cavern where music is still played. 

 

Can you tell that I was pretty thrilled with our day?  For just a moment in history these four young men made such a lasting impact on the world and I treasure that memory. 

 

And after a two hour drive we are in the beautiful countryside of the Lake District. This is the view from our room of Lake Windermere.  Tomorrow we head to Beatrix Potters Hill Top Cottage. 

From Beatles to Beatrix - quite a leap!

Word of the Day - Teddy Boy = Ringo's gang name