My Angelic Cub Scouts!

   I can't really post their photos, unless I find one from a distance to protect their privacy (no such luck f/my monkey; mwah hah hah). BUT, my Bear den (& our honorary mascot, rockin' sister of a cubbie) worked SO hard picking up trash on Gorman Post Rd. south of Carl's Jr. in Gorman this evening. And let me tell you, some of that trash was GROSS...Animals are so much more couth than people. I just don't get litterbugs...

   The boys wore gloves, & we were careful about raking trash to them, to avoid any creepy crawlies. They also had instructions not to pick up any bottles containing liquid (don't ask). We had to pick a quadrant, as you could just keep going, & going...Picking up trash could potentially be endless otherwise (think Sisyphus). They cleaned up the south end of the dirt lot, and the hillside/frontage across the street.

   These last two photos show how much better the hillside and lot look. We didn't delve too deep into the trees/gully, but you can see how nice & neat that section now looks...Carl's gave them free drinks, and the cubbies certainly earned them! We filled up SEVEN large bags in one hour. I feel disgusting, and will definitely take a second shower before bedtime. So very grateful one of our dads took the bags in his truck, as: A) I had planned to put them in the Esca-glade & take to the dump tomorrow B)Turns out they emitted a disgusting aroma, so I dodged a huge bullet! Yay for nice dads! And bravo, cubbies!!!

Fun Weekend!

Sorry about the bitter tone of my last post! I just get upset when we go to the trouble to plan an activity, and no one shows up. Thank you so much to my friend, K., f/bringing the monkey's buddy!
   So, we actually had a great time, and a great weekend. On Friday, the monkey & I drove to Laetitia Winery (speeding ticket on the 166-rats!) for a free barbecue. It was soooo much fun! Free hot dogs or hamburgers, free wine tastings, and music, all in a lovely outdoor setting. They even served raspberry/Barnwood cabernet ice cream w/little chunks of chocolate in it. Yum! Unfortunately, no photos...Monkey & I saw an old guy ram the back of his minivan into a post; dented the van & broke out his back window. Moderation is the KEY...I only had 3 tastings, although I could have had way more...

   On Saturday, we had the aforementioned storytime/craft. Then, in the early evening, our little family attended the Ridge Route Museum's barbecue. The Ridge Route is our local treasure, a wealth of local area artifacts and history. They had a 3-piece ensemble playing bluegrass tunes (Michelle Nosco on the fiddle).

   The museum supplied burgers and hot dogs, guests supplied the sides. We brought a pasta salad and brownies. It was fun sampling other patrons' dishes, and the owners of The Patch brought yellow watermelon, which you cannot find in stores.

   The monkey was able to practice roping a cow (he did really well, I think he inherited the cowboy gene from me!). Then, he learned how to pan for gold. Of course, now I want to get the cubbies out to Lockwood Creek and go pan for gold!!

   Now, here is an amazing story of fate: out of the blue, the monkey starts telling the prospecting club member about the movies his dad has worked on. The prospector has another hobby: connecting people with their unclaimed money. Turns out, he was looking for a man who worked in set lighting (the hub is a 728 member), & because of  moving around, didn't receive some of his paychecks. Hub looks up the name in his 728 directory, gives the prospector the man's telephone number, and it was the correct guy! The guy is now $10,000 richer! Talk about kismet...

   Now, if you remember, last fall I discovered the joy of harvesting pine nuts. This year, I am determined to gather elderberries for elderberry jam. Well, some nice young ladies had a basket of ripe elderberries to share, that they gathered on the southern end of the old Ridge Route road. In the mountains, our elderberry bushes are in bloom, and the berries won't be ready until August/September.
   If you look at the photo above, you can see what an elderberry bush in bloom looks like (the flowers are reminiscent of Queen Anne's lace, but yellow). AND, look at the clump of berries the monkey is holding: elderberries! They are tiny and very sour, but like cranberries, would be yummy when sweetened with something to balance (an elderberry/peach pie, perhaps?).
   So, I will be on an elderberry quest this fall, but also be on the lookout for bears, who are huge consumers of this wild berry. The Ridge Route museum has a little cookbook that tells how to make elderberry jam!!

Should I Stop Offering My Free Storytime/Craft??

   We  had an awesome time at Chatterpillar for my free storytime/craft. Sr. Lead Deputy Jauch brought his beautiful, sweet, retired police dog, Riggs. The kids enjoyed seeing Riggs obey commands, were able to pet him, and received really cool trading cards of the police buddies.

   After the demonstration, I read Officer Buckle and Gloria to the kids, and we made 'Gloria' paperbag puppets. Chatterpillar gave each child a balloon and goodie bag with cool toys. I also gave the children my special, homemade chocolate chip cookies; yum yum.
   So why am I asking if I should stop? Only three children (inc. my son) came. I volunteer a ton in this community. I am:

• On the Pinon Pines HOA board (f/which the only thing the board receives is grief, lol) & design/write the HOA monthly newsletter
• A cub scout Bear den leader (which means planning & running the meetings/activities)
• Somehow on the board of the local Chamber of Commerce
• Going to be on the SAC for Pine Mtn. Learning Center, & of course already volunteer there
• Write my monthly "Michi's Magic Bookshelf" column (not paid)
• Host a monthly free storytime/craft to go with my column. I plan and pay for the activity (although my sweet friend just gave me a bunch of cool foam craft supplies!).
• In charge of the silent/live auction tables at the upcoming Shelter on the Hill fundraiser

   On top of all this, I try to do a good job as a wife/mom, do all the yardwork on our acreage property, work as a realtor, doing my unpaid desk time (as a realtor, you only get paid if you have a successful sale) every Sunday, except for the rare occasion I take it off. That means, because of my monthly craft, I only get 3 out of 4 Saturdays to spend with my husband & son, as the hub works all week, and next weekend, he will be working 12 days straight. So, when only two kids come to the storytime/craft, it makes me feel like I should just stop offering that, & just do my column, recommending great children's books to the community.
   I hear the local parents complain that there is nothing for kids to do, but here I am spending money I don't have, to offer a fun activity, and basically, no one shows up. I'm thinking I'll just do some special activities occasionally with the Ridge Route, and the new library when it opens, and get my Saturdays back...I have a storytime/craft scheduled in August at Mountain Mercantile, and I'll see what kind of attendance I get. I was planning to do a special event at M&M Peach Farm in September, but I'm now thinking of nixing that idea. What do you all think??

Fun Times With the Monkey

Monkey is having a great summer; here he is with Kosmo, his climbing and play buddy...

Thanks to his buddy's awesome gift, the monkey went to "Dig It" on Saturday, & had a blast having fun dinosaur/fossil experiences! Here he is making a fossil & bead necklace...

He was able to crack open a real geode to take home, dig for real fossils and keep one of those as well. He chose a cool fish fossil...

Here he is putting his name on the back of his fossil...He had such a fantastic time! Today he enjoyed another day at the PMC pool playing with some of his friends, all against a lovely mountain backdrop. What a lucky boy, and how different from my childhood summers in the city...

Motorcycle Jaunt

   The hub & I took advantage of our child-free Saturday to ride the Harley to Lake Hughes for lunch at the Rock Inn (this photo was taken right in front of it). You could feel the temperature rise dramatically as we descended into Lebec, then it really got hot when we took Gorman Post Road to the 138. M&M ranch was closed, so cherry season there is over. In September, the organic peaches will be ready, though!
   From the 138, it's only about 14 miles to Lake Hughes. The Rock Inn was built in 1929, and is a cool building constructed mainly out of river rock (of course I didn't take a photo of it, but that monument across the street gives you a feel for it). Major biker destination, with great burgers. The owner's late mom passed on her secret pickle recipe to him, & you can buy a jar for $8. They are an unusual blend between dill/sweet. They'd be great in a tuna salad.

   I spotted this unusual oak tree on the road to Lake Hughes. The tree looked like it had been hit by lightning, and was dead. However, there is a living piece that looks like a whole tree growing out of that huge horizontal branch on the left. A little difficult to discern in the photos, but very wild...
   It was a relief to get out of the heat and back to the mountains. You felt a really dramatic drop in the temperature when you passed the sign in Cuddy Valley for the Darling Ranch black angus.

Santa Maria Valley Wine Tasting

   Well, our wine tasting via motorcycle plans were thwarted, when the Harley's battery was DEAD...So after a trip to Santa Maria Harley (about 1 hr 45min drive from Cuddy Valley, via the lovely 166), and a run f/the border in Buellton, we went wine tasting from the southern end of Foxen Canyon. First stop, Curtis Winery. Really great syrah & a great deal on their rosé...First photo is Curtis, second is parking area of Fess Parker.

Just could not resist the coonskin caps at Fess Parker...they had a very nice riesling wine that I actually liked, (I usually don't care for whites) & at $14/bottle is very well priced.

A lovely photo I shot in Foxen Canyon. Besides deteriorating country buildings, I like to shoot weather vanes/windmills...

Ahhhh, Foxen! A bit too pricey f/my pocketbook, but just love their wine...rosé is all I can afford, but it is one of my favorites, ever! This is the fancy tasting room...

This is the old tasting room down the road, and more my style...You can split tastings between the two locations.

This is the old church at the split in the road that will take you to Rancho Sisquoc; we skipped that winery this time, but love their selection of wine and price range.

Drat! Riverbench had JUST closed; hello! 4 p.m. closing? What is this, Utah?? Pretty view looking east, though...

Last stop: Cambria Winery. Here is the view looking west over ACRES of vineyard...oh, and the hub at the entrance. Nice winery, got a bottle of syrah...

My favorite subject to photograph...

Holy Scheise! This resevoir east of Santa Maria is FULL of water. We are used to seeing it empty! Ta ta for now!!

Hard Labor & Relaxing Dinners

   So, while the monkey visits my sister for the week, I've been enjoying my hobby as a day laborer. Weed whacking, digging out a second garden tier, etc. Found out that railroad ties can leach creosote, but only two look like they may still have some, plus a university web site said after a few years, it reduces dramatically. If they leach, they'll kill my plants, so I won't be poisoning my family...

   The dogs are doing so well (knock on wood). Hannibal Lector (aka Moose), has been going muzzle-free for the last two weeks. Really making great progress...They also enjoy my labor, by turning the burgeoning garden area into a doggy bed...I've made more progress, and my little flower garden in front looks pretty; will add photos soon.

   The other night, the hub & I enjoyed dining al fresco, with these massive steaks he got on sale, sauteed spinach/mushrooms, & mojitos made w/mint I grew...