Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean was so different. It looked similar to maybe the Atlantic Ocean from afar -  kind of gray but then in patches shades of blue ... I walked down from the beach club and slowly into it and was so pleasantly surprised when I expected it to be cold like the Pacific and it was WARM! Not uncomfortably warm, it was just perfect... Amazing ... I walked around and found a few shells to bring back for the girls. The idyllic waves washed in and out. It was low tide in the afternoon. I loved how it felt being in a whole other hemisphere and seeing an ocean I had never touched before. 

Red Fox

Update on my hair situation... so I had posted a while back that I was going to let my inner Silver Fox out! Well... it just took too LONG! And my hair grows relatively fast ...  I just couldn’t do it yet... back with the Red! LOL ... maybe when I have time to sit and watch it grow slowly in my sixties hahahaha... I feel TERRIFIC continuing as a redhead-43 and Fabulous-Rock On!

Bali and stuff...

it’s been a while... Since January! I just returned two weeks ago from an AMAZING trip to Bali. My youngest brother was married there and I was blessed to be able to travel there on my own to meet up with my siblings and mom to celebrate! What a trip. Not only was it a trip getting ready to go physically and mentally - (with hepatitis A shot, malaria and typhoid pills to take beforehand) I’m one of those cautious travelers LOL. ... the lengthy plane ride was enough to scare me it was 2 hour drive from our foothills home to San Francisco Airport, then of course my husband got me there like 4 hours early! The first leg of my flight was 13 hours non-stop to Taipei ... what a cool airport! So much to see - I had a 4 hour layover and loved that then I connected in Taipei to the 5 hour flight to Bali. So do able after being in the airplane after that long!!! When I arrived in Bali it was two days later - talk about time travel and the humidity is definitely the first thing you notice. ITS INSANELY HUMID. Have never experienced this type of humidity in my life before. The taxi driver at the airport thought I was from Australia since so many Aussies had been on holiday there recently. I will post more soon.

Gold Dust Croton

I brought a new Beauty home with me yesterday and I figured out what type of plant it is this morning - it didn’t have a tag yesterday when I fell in love with it. So I just brought it home I couldn’t leave it at the store! Here she is ENJOY! And what a fitting name - matches the blog... couldn’t believe it ❤️

Metamorphosis II

I posted almost 8 years ago about a poster/picture I had come across titled,
‘Metamorphosis’ little would I know that almost eight years would come and go so quickly I have been busy BEING ... Going through my own metamorphosis... I had big plans to keep up my blogging back then but life takes over and growing two girls and life just happens — I guess there is no real excuse. I let it fall to the wayside. I am glad to have picked it up again. The writing that is. So glad. It has been almost 12 years since we moved up here to the Sierra foothills from the city and fast paced lifestyle of the Los Angeles area... so much has changed. I still feel the same tug of the city whenever I go or long for working nine to five back in downtown Los Angeles when I see pictures of a cityscape or high rise ... but all in all this life style has been a good reset for us. A great place to raise children and animals. Slower life in general. I can’t believe how crowded it is down in Southern California! we were just down there again for Christmas and traffic alone slaps you back into reality real quick. Where do all of the people come from good God! Disneyland was so packed for the holidays I know Walt Disney is probably rolling over in his grave no matter how much money they are making — it wasn’t meant to be such a sardine can while you wait for rides at the ‘Magic Kingdom.’ One great souvenir we did come home with was the FLU. But that’s a whole other post.

Ms. Gentle

We have a hen who is nearing 10 years old who has survived attacking bears, foxes, raccoons, and most recently a Christmas vacation bobcat in the yard who took her lookalike sister hen Shadow - we originally thought Gentle had died but it was Shadow the much younger Australorp hen her lookalike twin. Only my two daughters can tell them apart.
Today my youngest came rushing in and told me that her tail feathers needed cleaning and she was coughing again. Oh not again. Poor bird. I told her to get some paper towels and start to get her cleaned off on her own. It is imperative to keep a hen’s vent clear and clean. They can get so sick. That is not what she wanted to hear... At first she would not do it I had to give her a pep talk and told her take care of it! I am so proud of my daughters ... this time I took my time getting out to the yard I want them to start getting the hang of hen/bird care on their own since I usually do it all. By the time I arrived the bird had been cleaned and they were coaxing her to eat - she had also been ‘diagnosed’ by my eldest with the smallest cough again and my daughter urged me to mix up her ‘medicine water.’
Poor Gentle. Age may be getting the best of her. She was walking around so slowly and seems thinner than her usual glorious black and greenish feathered full bodied self. She is one of our largest hens. She is one of our original six baby chicks from so long ago, I had ordered a pair of Jersey Giants but she’s an Australorp. Gorgeous. I mixed up the grapefruit seed oil with water and we fed her three heaping beak fulls of it. Tomorrow we will repeat. Only time will tell.

MelaBusiness

I really strive to keep a healthy and happy home. “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” or isn’t that what they always used to teach?  But somewhere along the way we have all been over exposed and drenched up to our eyeballs in chemicals, crazy toxins and factory made-butyl-who-knows-what! Not to mention good old fashioned tried and true BLEACH  - grandma always taught us to bleach the hell out of things right? Not now. It’s time for a radical shift in mindset and a change in education and imagination. We live on property (2.5 acres) and have a septic system. Do you know that we NEED the good bacteria to EAT up and BREAK DOWN the bad bacteria and sludge? Bleach kills that good bacteria and will kill our septic. Not only is bleach toxic to breathe it causes all sorts of health problems if you are over exposed to it. What happens to humans after a lifetime of exposure to bleach and chemical soups of bathing products laundry and cleaning aides all leaching into our skin within 26 seconds of contact with our skin? I had used Melaleuca The Wellness Company’s products back in 2002 before marrying and moving up here - flash forward to life with kids and sensitive skin still being an issue of mine (along with wanting to make healthy choices for our family and property)... it’s a no-brainer... Melaleuca’s cleaning and laundry products are free of parabens, phthalates and formaldehyde as well as being biodegradable! So wonderful. I am grateful that although NO COMPANY OR PRODUCT IS PERFECT they have a 32 year track record of NO MEDICAL CLAIMS AND ARE A PROVEN manufacturer. I am also hoping to share the company and their opportunity for building a business with more families so that they can create safer less toxic homes just by referring the shopping club too.

Silver Fox

So I’ve decided to go gray. Not just a rash decision. I’ve had white hair growing naturally amid my dyed hair for as long as I can remember- But I have been dying my hair to ‘hide’ white hairs for years probably since my 20s when my hair was a combination of brown and these off the beaten path white ‘stragglers’ would pop outta nowhere... now the time and MONEY spent over the years and years in the upkeep alone for dying fast growing locks like mine is nothing to laugh about! Thousands and thousands of dollars!!! I would say-every 4-6 weeks going in to see a professional stylist for cut and color back down in Los Angeles and then after moving up here finding another stylist stretching out the coloring process as long as possible but at least every 6 weeks - $$$$ I finally took it into my own hands almost 2 years ago and did Henna hair dye to get away from all chemicals and toxins after 20 years of dying my hair. I would mix henna with red wine and spices to achieve my favorite hue. But the Smell!!! And the Time and the Process!!! Like COW POOP!!!  I have an enlarged thyroid and doctors can find ‘nothing’ out of the ordinary. I wasn’t convinced that chemicals aren’t to blame.  I don’t feel good about dumping chemicals on my head every few weeks anymore! So flash forward to - THE GREAT SILVER GROW OUT - I last Henna’ed my hair in the end of October of 2017 so I have photos of Nov and then now January 2018 I have had  a lot of progress. I am excited! It has a lot of white and silver - my daughters are excited about it they compliment the hair and say it is pretty and shiny and looks glittery ... that helps boost my confidence...growing it out in such a way where the rest of my head is completely RED is a very bold thing to do —- I think of myself as a Red Fox growing it’s Silver Coat ....at 42 I finally feel as if my true self is emerging...

Santa in July

We were getting ready to hit the mall yesterday for an art activities event for the kids. My youngest was following me through the kitchen as we were finishing breakfast. I told her it was time to leave for the MALL. She asked, "Is Santa going to be there?" "No," I replied, "he isn't..." She then asked where he was. I answered that he was probably at the North Pole. She then asked, "Is he eating breakfast like us?" Gotta love kids.

Lost and Found

Last night we feared the worst. Our precious Buff Cochin hen, Goldie, aka, Big Yellow was gone. She was nowhere to be found. My eldest thought maybe a hawk got her. I started thinking maybe a chicken snatcher chicken-napped her; with all the egg problems nowadays, who wouldn't want to steal a fresh bird to lay them some fresh eggs?! (Hey, it could happen!) But really, we were worried. We called, we yelled, we hiked around the yard, the front, the back, all the play areas. No bok boks in response. She was never to be seen again. I was sad and angry at myself for letting them out of their hen house and chicken run to play in the yard.

This morning, as I lay asleep in bed, I heard the loudest of our hens, Goldie! Could it be? Nah...I was dreaming. I actually got up and went to the window to see if she was out there looking inside the hen yard asking her friends to let her in. No such luck. Sadness embraced me again and I returned to bed. A little later, I continued my morning routine, getting the girls ready for the day. During breakfast I could hear the hens outside, talking about another chicken (don't ask me how I know this). Then I heard it.  Goldie and her clucking! The beautiful sound came from another part of the yard! I ran out and looked from the deck down toward the goat pen. She was actually in the goat run! She was alive and I could not believe my eyes. She must have wandered in there yesterday and been in their goat house all afternoon and evening. My guess is she wanted to take a vacation or get a fresh perspective in life. She realized she has it pretty darn good. We are all so glad that our Big Yellow is back. Bok Bok!

Legacy Maple

This weekend we planted a new tree. It's a Legacy Maple tree. Very excited about it. Hope it grows up to be big and strong. Grow little tree, grow!

Nickels and Dimes

So yesterday I was desperate to get out and spend some money. You know the feeling. Just spend something. Anything. I also wanted some Dutch Bros. (For those of you who don't live up here - it's like a drive through Starbucks with drinks that are 10 times better). But alas, my wallet was empty. What to do...what to do....Well, I dragged every jar, cup and box full of loose change upstairs and some of it was already wrapped and ready to go. I called the bank, - they still don't have a change machine like Coinstar! If you want to turn in your change for cash, you have to wrap it yourself. So I sat at the kitchen table and wrapped more quarters and dimes. It was fun teaching Ainsley again how to distinguish between the nickels and dimes. She sorted out the pennies for me.

Over $120 later we sipped our Dutch Bros and breezed through Target with the wind in our sails! Ainsley now has a new pink jacket for school, an adorable denim dress and two pairs of new shoes. The consignment store also had some distressed GAP jeans, some black pants and another blouse all in her size. She raked it in and all by rolling some loose, forgotten change into cash yesterday!

The Help

I've been thoroughly enjoying a great book. It's called The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Set in the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi,  the story weaves together the lives of local women and their hired help aka black maids. This book explores not only race relations at that time between the women and their help, but friendships, love, child rearing and much more with humor and an impeccable writing style. There are also twists in this book that make it a real page turner - with characters that seem as real as you and I.

Dog Eat Dog World

The sun's rays twinkled through the pine and the coolness of the morning lay out before me as I walked down our road with Murray, our English Mastiff. He has become my workout partner lately. I know if I am late or being lazy, he grumbles outside on our deck in an effort to wake me up and get me out there.

Mornings are so beautiful here in the foothills. This sacred time of day which is solely mine, before the girls are awake; before the day takes over and the 'do this - do that' mayhem ensues. Today, Claire, our Italian Greyhound decided to leave the warmth of her bed to join us. My gentle giant and elegant hound. I typically do a loop down our road and I get at least one good hill to climb if I take a side road and then I turn around and head back. The whole walk is about 20 minutes. I can stretch it to 30 but this morning I was just looking for a brisk escape. I especially love the downhill parts of the main road when I feel like my brain is still half asleep. I can walk on autopilot and not worry about anything. Like today.

We had a good pace going as we made it down the road and were just coming to where it flattens out and becomes a couple neighbor's adjoining pastures and properties when I heard a loud scream, "Pick up your dog! Pick up your dog! Pick up your dog!" I jumped back and grabbed at Claire, trying to get her up into my arms. In no quicker than a blink my neighbor's German Shepherd was upon us barking, growling and snarling. She started attacking Murray and biting him! Barking and baying ensued. All the while I shuffled around the mayhem trying to yell at her to leave him alone. Claire huddled in the safety of my arms. The shepherd's entourage was there as well, two chihuahuas who egged her on. She was their hero; attacking a dog Murray's size was the stuff their dreams are made of.

My neighbor finally made it down her pasture and onto the road. Her dog did not listen to her calls and would not ease up. In attack mode; she kept reaching in and taking bites at Murray's rear. Finally after one final swoop my neighbor was able to get her dog by its collar and I led my dogs away from the scene for an injury check. She asked if they were all right. I answered I guess so. It was all so sudden and parts of the incident seemed like they played out in slow motion. Murray, God bless him, was so sweet through it all. He barked, winced and scowled but only wanted her to leave him alone, he never once got a bite in. He gnashed his terrible teeth a few times. But I'm convinced now he's a lover not a fighter. I won't tell him he had his butt handed to him by a girl.

Summer First Fruits

Slowly we are reaping a summer harvest. Albeit small, our garden's first fruits have yielded a HUGE green zucchini and about 18 tomatoes (2 red plum and 16 tiny yellow grape tomatoes). It is always such a thrill to go out and see what may be ripe for the picking. Today's tomatoes were a pleasant surprise.  An even bigger thrill is the pride we feel when eating something that is grown here on our property.

This Means War

A huge black vortex is getting closer. Looking up at it, one sees nothing. Nothing but darkness. If only this freeway led somewhere. Just giant expanses as far as the eye can see. The scent is still fresh, but barely. Every few hours, food is dropped from above, seemingly out of nowhere. Vagabonds and scavengers, scouts and generals, each play their role. Working toward one unending goal; make Amber's summer a living hell.

I've declared war on the ants in my kitchen. They have been trying to get the best of me. They think they are smart with their pathways and tunnels on my hardwood floors. They scoff at the shop-vac as I drag it upstairs to help them meet their maker. They greedily drag bits of toast, a tidbit of egg, some leftover cereal, a piece of fruit. All of them, marching single file, dismembering yesterday's lunch time morsels. Their best friend is my two year old. But I laugh, as a sadistic sneer travels across my face. Sweat beads my brow. They are being zapped up one by one with my vacuum hose. I have no mercy, no sympathy to their plight. Their need to take over my kitchen. I feel smug. Clearly superior. Smarter. Definitely faster. A problem solved. Until dinner and I see one run across the table, another one darts across my floor and I know deep down the ugly truth. There are millions more of them and only one of me.

Girl Power

Today we graduated from swim lessons. My four year old jumped off the big diving board into the deep end and swam to her instructor. Two year old sister got to play in the splash pool after her big day. It was a memorable hour. My eyes were teary but alas, it was my sunscreen and makeup melting into my blurry eyeballs. But I started the day off right this morning with wild berry shortcakes & cool whip for breakfast since it was their last big day of swim. We had In-N-Out to celebrate their triumphant finales.

Finally at the end of the day, I got the chance to play, visit and laugh with a great friend of mine; and tool around with her new screen printing machine. Talk about entertainment! The hours flew by, the kids ate popcorn, watched a movie and started another when I looked at my watch and thought, WOW! I can see why guys can hang out in a garage for hours on end. The type of focused fun we girls had today should make all my mom friends proud -- Rock on!

State Fair

We grabbed lunch after swim lessons and took the girls to the California State Fair yesterday. Despite the heat, throngs of people and long lines; we had a great time. We meandered through a couple of the exhibition halls, Walt Disney's family history was on display, each State county had a display (Placer won this year!) and there were some great art & animation exhibits. Then we traveled back in time and were scared by giant dinosaurs, but T-Rex and Triceratops were too much for our littlest; she wanted to leave. The girls and I milked a Jersey cow. She was beautiful.

We saw gorgeous show cattle and amazingly groomed chickens. The largest roosters ever, we could hardly believe our eyes. When they Cock-A-Doodle-Doo'd my hubby reminded me why I'm not allowed to have one for the yard. The petting zoo was by far the biggest hit. The most time and money was spent at this petting zoo. On entry fee and on grain to feed the animals (all right, this was nothing compared to our feeding frenzy toward the end of the day). I know the best words uttered from my mouth yesterday were: "Corn Dogs. Funnel Cakes. Lemonade." As we were driving home we asked the kids what their favorite animals were. Expecting the llama or the cows, we were suprised yet laughed wholeheartedly when they answered, "The goats!"

Pampered Pets

Our hens have a heated hen house for the cold winter nights. Today they move up from pampered to plush housing accommodations. We, ok, my darling husband - installed shade screens all along their chicken run to shade them during the hottest part of the day. He also installed a misting system which is attached to our garden drip system so I was able to turn on the misters for them this morning. Yes, my chickens have a water misting system! This should keep them cool and happy all summer long -Bok Bok!!!

Metamorphosis

Recently came across what I thought was a cool picture…It's this woman sitting on this rock, the world is being destroyed by volcanoes around her and she has this butterfly landing on her hand. It's got this title Iron Butterfly. I didn’t know it was an old hippy band with a heavy ecological slant…kinda neat. Sometimes I feel like that woman up here. The world is going crazy around me. Sometimes I am the crazy world. Sometimes I feel like the butterfly - fragile - yet strong. Anyway - Going to start blogging. Typing. Writing. Thinking about MY OWN METAMORPHOSIS...

My life up here in the Sierra. I'm calling my blog Sierra Gold. From sirens down in Los Angeles to crickets and frogs up here. Some nights the frogs are so stinking loud it’s all you can hear when the windows are open. We used to hear people blasting their bass so loud it was commonplace. The other day with good girlfriend at lunch a person drove by with heavy bass and the noise jarred my memory back into the days of hearing that noise as it went pumping up and down our street. Little does my eldest know that she could have grown up listening to that beat ingrain her head - muffling her life through all her early years. There are no bass thumpers up here. At least not up in our little patch of paradise.

I’ve had some pretty close encounters with the amphibious and reptilian kind since we’ve lived here. (stepped barefoot on a frog in our living room, lizard crawled into my pants when I was in the bathroom one day, bats in the house, mouse in the yard, snakes on the back deck and front walkway). The other night I walked--barefoot, mind you, into our bedroom and bath (it’s so small I consider it all one room) Luckily I had the light on and voila! A large lizard staring right at me in our bedroom! It was, of course right at the spot where I stand to get into bed. Startled I screamed for my darling husband and he ran in and attempted to catch the damn thing. He always tries to catch things, but gives them too many chances. He misses, then misses again, then misses again, in the meantime the thing proceeds to make fools out of us and we are huffing, puffing and sweating all over the bedroom (not in a sexy way) to get this damn critter --- we finally coaxed it with a broom out from under our bed. He was waiting...hovering above it with a plastic container and I laying crazily on my side under the end of the bed trying to help but was secretly relieved that it was finally over. He released it outside. I wondered how it got into the house. If there were more. Did it have babies. Was it going to a nest?

I was glad he released it outside. Afterward, I ruminated over how when I lived in Southern California I had a lizard scare the crap out of me also when it startled me in a laundry basket in quite the same way. I wanted it dead though. Nowadays, I want it alive and out in our yard to eat bugs. Is that because I am older? Or because I am a land owner- And value the help that these small animals can provide our yard? Or is it because I’ve grown lazy? Hahahaha Yes, lazy and tired from slowly being worn and beaten down by my two busy children each and every day…. aj