Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Good Bye Old Friends !

      Last Friday we made a big change up here.....our new sofa and chair were delivered !   They look beautiful and besides needing a little "breaking in", are very comfy.  Now what to do with the old pieces......loyal and soft for over 15 years .   Hurray.....Tess and Boyce said they would be delighted to give them a new home.  Yesterday they came to pick them up.....I included 3 rolls of brown duct tape as a bonus !    It was wonderful, as always, to see their smiling faces and have a little visiting time.   Bryn was his usual feisty self......I hope he never loses that swagger !
     I talked with Seth this morning and all is well in Santa Barbara.......I think they love it there.   Maybe they'll help me conquer my So Cal distain !
   Beautiful Fall weather ......they say all this week.   My very favorite time of year.





Friday, September 13, 2013

Moving Day for Bubanda !!

      Well, actually it was about ten days ago......but what's ten days amongst friends !!   But, back to the point, ..... it was about as fun of a day as a moving day can be !   To start with, it was fairly cool and cloudy...... lots of eager smiling faces to help.....and,  homemade peach cake that Amanda's dad, Steve, brought to share !!    I only discreetly shed a couple of tears as I said good-bye, and recovered my smile by the time I got to my car. 
    Seth was actually just up here for a night.  He was coming from Yosemite were he had just completed a "clean" climb of Freerider on El Cap.  He was so stoked.......check one off the bucket list !!
I'll really miss Seth and Amanda being so close, but they're off and running now with bright futures ahead.   Love you guys : )
     Tonight is Friday Night Lights at Foresthill High School.....time for game 2 of the season.  We also went last week....they lost...but we're hoping for a win tonight.  It's so fun to go....as a bonus there are beautiful sunsets in the pines from the bleachers.
    I spent the day today listing towels on Ebay and Etsy.....time to raise some money for Xmas !  Wish me luck.....or I may be investing in some coal !!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Fun, Fun.........Looks Who's One !!

  Yesterday was Bryn's first birthday !  Hard to believe it's really been a whole year since Granny and I made the trek up to Paradise to meet the newest member of the clan.   It was love at first sight.  


    In the past year I've been in the emergency room with Bryn, held him moments before his surgery, finally figured out how his car seat works, seen some of his very first smiles and waves bye-bye,  spent countless hours in the lakes and rivers of the Sierras floating around with him [Captain Bryn] and watched my lovely daughter grow into a loving and capable mom.
      Not bad for just one single year.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

OMG...... Has It Really Been THAT Long ???

   Wow. it's been over a month since I last posted, July 7th seems like a lifetime ago !   The house was overflowing with people I love, grandchildren everywhere.  There were seemingly daily trips up to the lake, kayaks and the canoe were a permanent fixture on the truck !  Meals took all three tables on the deck and the line wrapped around the kitchen while everyone patiently waited to dish up their food.   These summer months when the all the kids come and go bring me such joy..... how could I be any more fortunate !
     Everyone is back in their own homes now, still lucky enough to have the "local" kids around quite a bit.  Tess and Bryn come over often, Molly not as often any more since her school has started back up and Seth is around when he can squeeze it in between work and climbing !   But.....the wonderful news among the "locals" is that Dan and Anna are pregnant !!!  Yep.....number 7 is on the way, due the end of March !    Everyone is so excited and what wonderful pare  nts that little baby will have !
       There's a horrible fire up here right now.....up on Deadwood Ridge, our beautiful firewood gathering spot.  It started on Saturday and still burns out of control.....the air quality here is horrible, heavy, heavy smoke.  
   Today was spent doing the late summer canning.  Pickles and chili sauce was made last month .....now we have nectarines and yet more tomatoes to deal with !   Today I made a lot of nectarine salsa......I love it with salmon......and more chili sauce.   I'll start on the beets soon and also put up some more stewed tomatoes for soup this winter. 
    Next Wednesday is Brynnie's 1st birthday.....you can bet there'll be a few pictures !
  

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Fun in the Sun !!

      wow.....what a week it's been !    Over 100 degrees every day while Josh and fam were here and staying there when Jill and family arrived.  Yesterday it cooled a little, but by next weekend the temps should climb back to the 100's.  We've been staying cool with the help of our little lake and what a great time "the cousins" all had !  They discovered the rope swing on the other side of the lake and so they took turns rowing the kayaks over , having a few swings then heading back.  They also found a large log that was floating around and pulled it around the bend......lots and lots of fun on that rolling log ! Needless to say, the dogs were in heaven.....Callie was awesome on the log, I think we should take her to the coast to try some surfing !
    Jack and Donna and Dan and Anna came up the day after the 4th.....it was wonderful to see everyone and we enjoyed a light dinner on the deck.  The next day was tipi raising day and it dawned, once again, hotter than a pistol.  It turned out to be an all day event.....thanks again Jack and Donna, we couldn't have done it without you !   We were all heat and sun exhausted by the time we got it done, but it's awesome to have it proudly standing !
    Today I think Jill and I are headed to Nevada City to meet Tess and Bryn......Grandpa Jim, the boys and Callie once again headed to the lake !

 

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Hot !!!!

     Oh my........it is so hot !!  For the 3rd day in a row it is well over 100 down in the valley, upper 90's up here. Records are being broken everyday and we still have the hottest days to come.  Tomorrow and Tuesday it's expected to be around 110 in Roseville.   Yesterday we beat the heat at the lake.  We stayed until late evening......it was a blast ! We took both kayaks and both dogs......instant entertainment !   Oh.....we also had Bryn !   Taige and Tia became world class kayakers and rope swingers....although Taige tangled with a hornet's nest at the rope swing and had a badly swollen nose to show for it !  We ended the day out on the deck devouring barbecued ribs and salad.....take that you horrible heat !!
    Today everyone but Jim and I headed down to San Francisco .....much cooler there !  We miss them all, but hanging out in front of the ac and watching bad movies on Netfix isn't all bad !   Not cooking tonight even......Jim promised Chinese take-out !
    Jilly and fam come Tuesday night....we can't wait!




 

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Climate Change !

    Holy moly.......it's a winter storm in June !    Yes, hard to believe,but we just received around 2 inches of rain in the past two days.  Highly unusual for Lupine Hill.  We often get summer storms with thunder, lightening and a brief downpour, but the last couple of days have been steady rain and cool temps.  All the flowers and veggies are a little beaten down , but in the long run I'm sure they'll appreciate this damp gift.
     Josh and his family were due to show up on Thursday, however, Josh called this afternoon and said due to a great job opportunity they won't be here until probably Saturday.  That works out ok for us since we haven't been able to "open" the pool yet due to the weather.  We definitely want the water to be welcoming since by the time they get here it's forecast to be well into the nineties up here ! 
    Jilly and her family will be arriving this coming Tuesday and staying until August 9th.   They will be gone for a week in there around the end of July as they're planning a 10 day trip to Hawaii and then coming back here to spend Jilly's birthday on August 7.   If you're reading this you're invited ........details to follow !
   Molly and Matt came for dinner on Saturday......super fun evening.  Matt is a great guy.....open, funny and good heart.  He probably be running the gauntlet in the next few weeks with all the family to meet.   I think he'll be up for it !
   Costco run with my mom tomorrow......Yippee....money is to spend .......right ?   Hope not to rack up too big of bill......coffee, laundry detergent, bread and cereal being my main targets.
    Exciting weeks ahead.....I'll do my best to stay somewhat current !