Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Farmers Market

Woke up Saturday, June 15 to a very fine, just about perfect Summer Day. Bluest skies, warm sun, just a touch of a breeze….

    After watering my geraniums, I had the urge to do something summerish… local like and down to earth. Hmmmm.. this would be the perfect day to finally investigate our little town of Eagle's Farmers Market I said to myself! Only six blocks away… I think I shall walk! As I put on my most 70's like attire, my most natural unsparkly down to earth sandals, I was feeling quite peaceful, and healthy and my head swimming with visions of the beautiful fresh produce that I would bring home to wash up for supper, perhaps beets, pulled right from our local ground, with soil still clinging to them;
and hopefully some fresh spinach (one of my favorite things EVER). And surely there would be strawberries still warm from the sun, which would be a lovely finish to our "a la natural" evening meal!


I slung my most favorite bag over my shoulder that spoke loudly of the generation I come from ( and somehow survived) . And as I began my journey through the neighborhood inhaling the heady fragrance of honeysuckle, I was singing..."When you goooo to San Fransisco (Insert Downtown Eagle here )… be sure to wear some flowers in your hair"... if you're goin' to "Downtown Eagle" you're gonna meet some gentle people there..."( I'm seriously wishing right now there was a music note "key" on the computer, because I'm gonna LOVE getting songs stuck in your head on a regular basis, those of you who are old enough anyway)


Now is probably a good time to bring up a very true saying I've known and on more occasion than I care to admit, lived ..."The Road to Hell (insert Farmers Market) is paved with good intentions." and no, this is not found in the Bible, not in these exact words anyway......

I finally arrive at my destination. The first site to behold are little kids running through water fountains shooting up from the ground, diapers sagging, (not from the dreaded "could you NOT have pooped beFORE we left the house?")  but just from being drenched in water, the squeals of delight and fun they were having was enjoyed by all of us around them. I think of how my Grandkids would love this. I then began wandering through the people and the booths of handmade jewelry, tie dyed onesies for the apparently 70's wanna-be infants, watercolor paintings and handmade soaps from beeswax. That soap smelled so lovely, I decided to make my Farmers Market visit even MORE authentic, I would include a fragrant bar for my final purchase. Speaking of fragrance… I now smell Kettle Corn which as most of you know, is irresistible… but NO… I shall resist because this little trip is all about being healthy today!! Yes it is! Now just WHERE is all this produce I have come for??? I search and wander about, til I realize… there IS none, that's right, NONE! Apparently it's just a bit too early? *sigh* well then… I head back to buy a bar of soap… Suddenly, a woman is standing right in front of me and with her phone, begins to take pictures of my hair! Turning me sideways, backwards, all the while saying how she knows this is weird, she hopes I don't mind, but its JUST the way she has been wanting it cut, and asks me for my stylist's number… as she finally walks away I pull myself together after the paparazzi attack and would like to be flattered by all this, but realize the woman is at least five years older than me… maybe I need a haircut...

By now I am too warm, thirsty, my Peace Bag is empty, and as a wonderful smell captures my attention. A fragrance far more tantalizing than beeswax soap has me following it like a bloodhound after a raccoon! Before I know it I am in front of a table covered with red and white check cloth, slathering on mustard and relish and a ton of sauerkraut... on top of what my grown kids call "floor scraps in a bun!"

                                                IT.       WAS.      DELICIOUS.
                                                          you know you want one.

I headed over to a bench in the shade next to the bandstand where a one man band was singing
"I shot the sheriff" (not going to write the words because NObody wants to get that song stuck in their head!) I devoured the thing in minutes, marveling all the while at how my attempt to be an earthlovin- veggie eatin -small town Mama, groovin on a Saturday afternoon, had ended in such disgrace.


To redeem myself, I stepped into Albertsons and bought some good ol California Corn.

"Buuuurp" excuse me. The dog just landed. I best be gettin on home.


Monday, June 10, 2013

Sunrise in Summer

As the temperature has reached the 90's here in Eagle Idaho. I have found that our daily walk on the path had to be done much earlier so that my large black friend can not only enjoy his usual romp, but survive it! He has a very thick black coat on and cannot take it off to  chase squirrels, run through the meadows or swim the lake. Meet my good ol pal Chandler.

 
I have always been a morning person. I find my day is so much better if I start the day, before the day starts...does that make any sense to any of you?

Now all you young Mama's with little ones who are now on summer break, I remember how nice it is NOT to get up early in the summer after doing it throughout the school year; shaking all those warm, sleepy " Idontwannagetup"fuzzy headed little  munchkins, flippin the pancakes, turnin out the PBJ's, digging the important paper that needs to be signed and turned in TODAY out of the garbage can    
(oops) zipping the backpacks, and herding your little ducklings down to catch the bus before they miss it and you end up driving them to school in your Flannels! (I also remember, how from first day of summer vacation on, how they wake up at 6 am on their own, to watch cartoons, eat four bowls of Cap'n Crunch and start the dreaded summer mantra of " I'm Bored.." before 9 am! ) Can any of you explain this to me???
Okay, I'm completely off track....anyways,

     I love mornings. However, since we have moved here, I must admit..I have began to sleep in til 7:00..7:30..and even 8:00..which really freaks me out when I pull the pillow off my head and see that number!! That is how much of a morning person I am! My morning gets away from me, and its downhill from there!
    So! I have gotten back on track this week, and I would love to share my rewards with you!
As Chandler and I step onto the Path this June morning, I am delighted to realize, that even though it is to be 94degrees today, I need to slip on my favorite flannel shirt I bought from Shopko (for $10 I might add) about 19 years ago! Chandler? He is cloaked in his ever present Shiny Black coat, remember? :) He takes off with great vigor enjoying the coolness as well. The earth sends up a fragrance that is heavenly, as if kissed by the moon in the night, leaving only dew drops and smelling of "New"! A brand new morning.

  But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases: His mercies never come to and end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:21-23

Oh Goody! I'm loved, I'm forgiven, I get to start another day!


The squirrels on this path, are seemingly fearless. As you can see by this guy, undisturbed while having his breakfast, He peers down at Chandler who would give anything to be a cat right now and tear up into that tree…Mr. Squirrel somehow knows ..he is in this moment, superior, so looks down upon us without concern  and continues to enjoy his version of Cap"n Crunch.
I thought I had come to know every wind of this stream, but in the quiet of this particular morning, I hear a waterfall I did not realize was there ,so we head down to the stream and found this! Chandler happily spins in the pool at the bottom like a crocodile snapping at the water as he spins..he does the same thing in his kiddie pool at home..he's a weird dog.... The waterfall is like a happy morning song...                                              

All along the path, the wild roses have bloomed, and though I have passed them many times in the past few weeks, I have not noticed the fragrance that perfumes the air!
  
We have by now reached the turn around point, I can hear Chandler tearing along the creek further on so I turn and wait for him to surface back on the path with his ears up wondering why I'm not keeping up with him, the sun is steadily rising now, and to my amazement...so does a hot air balloon!
   I'm thinking "this is just too great!!!  ( I was also thinking of The Wizard of Oz, and wondering if they were heading to Kansas...I know weird..this is how my brain works…)


             
As I turn to head back to the car, I realize this has been a pretty special start to the day! I look up... and I kid you NOT....a deer!! is standing in the path about 100 feet in front of me..ears up..we stare at each other for a few seconds, then it trotted off along the path, turning to look at me every now and then...Seriously..I cannot believe all this...fortunately Chandler is busy elsewhere, coming up behind me, doing his thing..I do not want him to see the deer...suddenly I can tell he has picked up the scent..he is whining and running all over with his nose to the ground....ha! Sorry buddy...Bambi is long gone!

I still smile thinking about this morning last week...wish every day could start like that right?  But of course they don't...but early...? Early mornings in summer are the BEST!
Now...go pour yourself a bowl of Cap'n Crunch and have a great day! (What's IN that stuff ANYway????)

                     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Nest

NEST



It's pretty safe to say, everyone who knows me knows I have a thing for nests!! I collect them (only the evacuated of course.) They are in my house, my planters and often times riding around in my car next to my starbucks cup. I. LOVE. NESTS.! I bend young trees back to see them, pile things on top of each other at the trunk to see them, and more than once in a while climb the tree much to my own peril. A few scratches, less than lady like tumbles, and awkward explanations to passers-by what in the world I'm doing, and I have lived to tell about it.  My friend, Suzanne says I am a predator. But I am a gentle predator armed with only my trusty iphone, which is how I got these amazing pictures of a robins nest on my beloved path!

   I saw the nest, (lots of parental Robin activity, which soon included dive bombing yours truly) I pulled a couple pieces of wood next to tree but still could not see in so just reached my iphone up over the nest and got the first shot of the amazingly blue eggs! I was SO tickled!! Is there anything more beautiful than this?! Not even the sky can equal this hue! When I got home and looked more closely, I realized the eggs had tiny holes in them (look closely) and were about to hatch!!

 The next day...there were two! Definitely not as beautiful as their shells! I checked on them every day and was totally amazed at how quickly they grew! Filled out with feathers, filled the nest to overflowing, and constantly had their mouths open!!

  No wonder I love Nests! It's a close comparison to becoming a couple, making your first home, expecting and raising all those little babies. I loved ALL those years! And they seem to have gone by in a flash!! You young Mamas… I know you are rolling your eyes, I used to be SO annoyed at that comment, usually heard in line at the grocery store, one child screaming and crying to get out of the cart, while the other opened a conveniently child height pack of skittles which scattered around our feet… but we Older Mamas-now Grammas know........


The nursery you spent a whole year planning and preparing, the crib that looks big only after you bring that tiny one home from the hospital. You spend hours just staring at them while they sleep… and if they sleep more than an hour at a time (in the beginning) you wake them up to see if they are alright…. time passes…

Soon you have another and a little family emerges and grows (and are certainly cuter than these bug-eyed, grandpa eye-browed red skinned fellas!)
They fill your heart, your home, your every hour and somebody is ALWAYS hungry!!!!




They watch you and they grow and grow and get personalities and whiskers and meltdowns and attitudes...


"She touched me!" "He's on MY side!" "She LOOKED at me!" ".."Are we THERE yet? It's HOT in here!"


And the next thing you know… they have all flown the nest, out on their own, and all you have left is a heart full of loving memories and a couple feathers.  That white stuff around the edge of nest?...well.."it" happens
 Be nice to your husbands ladies..he is the only one who stays! :)








Just Wok Away

Just Wok away......

Went in to Fred Meyer a short time ago, to pick up a "couple items "in the grocery department and fell into the very effective web of the "One stop shop!" You know.....you have  bananas, chicken and yogurt  in your cart, and the next thing you know you have bought a shovel, slug bait and are trying on a new sports bra!

This particular day I found that the FM spell had been cast and I seriously thought to myself..I need a new WOK! Yes I do! I cruised quietly along with my cart from the produce Department somehow  dropping a few other items in I did not need, and arrived at my destination. There were more than a few to choose from, which of course was going to make this challenging..14 inch? 18 inch? One handle? Two handles?  Hmmm.. so much to consider...I just want to Stir fry some chicken..but  to be a wise shopper I figured I better play the wise shopper game and check out all my options.

 Now I'm realizing that somebody tall must have put together this display which had them hanging from six different hooks, and realized a little too late as I stood on the bottom shelves to reach  one.."Wow..they really crammed too many on here" Before I could say Holy Kikoman it was raining Woks! The 18" tumbled down first, hitting me right on the side of my head being followed by the 14" which repeated the dent! They were falling all around me with the very loud clanging and banging (or was that just my head?) with the whole episode ending with me holding one to my  noggin as if it were a helmet ( a little late, but hey, I tried) and the two handled one spinning  madly  in the center of the isle for a grand finale. I'm sure this all happened in a matter of 6 seconds, but it seemed much longer, AND in slow motion.

For a second or two there was silence, then I hear feet pounding the concrete as people come running to see if there are any survivors. I of course tell them all "No, no, I'm alright, I"m sure I'll be fine.." and "No, I don't want to file a claim" (Frankly, I'd just to get out of here..I'm thinking..) As everyone is assisting in picking up the scattered Woks, I decide to just "choose" the one that so conveniently landed in my cart, but as I leave the scene of attack, I realize said Wok in Cart now has a dent! Well!!  We cant have that! I pick out another and get the heck out of Dodge! ( as my dad used to say)

    When I get out to the car I allow myself to say OWWWWW! Man! That hurt! I look in the mirror and see that I have a large purple Goose egg growing near my temple! Oh good! Lasting proof of my exciting adventure in isle twelve! Did it knock any sense into me??..uhh no. I pick up my phone and call my friend Judy...she is gonna laugh when she hears this one!
What's on YOUR list today?


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