Here it is fresh off the press, my very first blog.
Let me tell you a little bit about us. Our name is not really Clampetts but we sort of resemble the Clampetts prior to them striking oil!
My name is Karla and my husband of 13 years’ name is Brian. We live on at the end of a narrow, dirt road, in a small village, in a small county in the small state of New Hampshire. I am just recently retired; hence the picture above with the huge corsage!
This blog will be about living off the grid completely and our trials and tribulations of every day living once retired and living in a small, rural area. It ain’t always easy! For example, the time I made a custard and the oven kept blinking at me and B was away on a business trip. Why was the oven blinking? Would the custard cook? Well, of course the oven was blinking, it wasn’t getting enough power! I did not have the appropriate inverter on! We have 2 inverters that converts DC (battery) current to AC (house) current. I obviously had a lot to learn. . .
One of the newest additions to our off the grid living and something that makes me very happy, and we hope will make life a little easier, is a propane generator and a new 500 gallon propane tank. Now the generator comes on automatically when our power begins to lessen. Since this is a new installation (and not a cheap one either I might add), it still needs tweaking; that would be B’s job. So far it is working well. Previously, we used a gasoline fed generator, and required some manual tweaking that was always difficult for me. I am not mechanically inclined and the generator required a lot of pulling and usually accompanied by some cussing to even start it. I am not good at jumping up and down while pulling the cord as well as B is!
We live a pretty ordinary life and if you were to visit, you would not necessarily even realize we are off the grid. However, we do have a few quirky things by today’s standards. We have a special small refrigerator that requires manual defrosting (yuck) and is deep but short, causing the food that gets pushed way back to freeze. Have you ever tried reviving frozen celery? It doesn’t work well. And our gas powered oven also requires manual cleaning (double yuck, as I cook a lot). However, my husband has every power tool known to man and uses them frequently. We have a regular washing machine, but I prefer to hang my clothes out to dry during the summer months, and I use wooden clothes racks in the winter set up near the wood stove to dry most of our clothes. Why not use the sun and the wood stove to dry one’s clothes??? We do own a dryer but it is at my in-law’s who live a mile from us and live on the grid.
I am also very interested in homesteading, for lack of a better word. I believe in eating local, either growing my own food or buying local food and meat. We have raised pigs in the past as well as ducks, chickens, and, if lucky, B brings home venison – in season, of course! I am fortunate to live in an area where I can easily buy any of these items, should I run low on my own food. By the way, we do have 2 freezers living off the grid. See? You would never know we do so.
I hope you like my new blog! Please feel free to make any comments you care to make. Well, only positive comments of course! Ha, ha.
From the heat of the desert, back to the cool ocean breezes of Orange County, and then some.
Hello Folks,
We hear that New Hampshire’s temperature at 6:23 a.m.this morning was down to 15 degrees. We know this because B’s game cam recorded it. That is a bit chilly. But my understanding is the temperature got up to about 70 degrees today. Good for them.
When we left Borrego Springs yesterday around 11:00 a.m., it was a lovely day and much cooler with a temperature of 76 degrees and very windy. B thought the coolness came from high winds blowing the cold air and clouds from the ocean up and over the mountains. The ride back to Orange County was much more enjoyable with that temperature, especially with no AC. We planned to stop in Julian on our way home.
Julian is a lovely, small town of about 1800 people, known as the apple capital of California. There are beef ranches, not like you see out in Texas, but very lovely, with many acres of green grass, rolling hills, and scattered trees. Also, the Pacific Crest Trail cuts through Julian, so lots of hikers. Julian sits up on a hill with funky shops and quaint restaurants. Almost all serve apple pie, courtesy of being the apple capital. Frankly, I don’t think their apple pie is nearly as good as apple pies made with New England apples. Haha. But anyway, the apple thing generates a lot of sales for them. Also, with the PCT hikers coming through, the town does pretty well for itself.
I always ask that we stop in Julian for lunch, so we did. Funny thing is, we were now almost 4500 feet above sea level and I had to wear B’s down vest just to get out of the van! It was windy and very cool; mid 40s. The Salton Sea, by contrast, is a couple hundred feet below sea level.
The place we have eaten in previously appeared to be closed, so we ate at the Soups and Such Cafe with flowers by Lani. That seemed like a strange combo, lunch and a flower/plant store. Anyway, by then I needed hot tea and I didn’t get the customary tea in a bag of tepid water that one usually gets in an eating establishment. Instead, I got a little small pot of black tea (I had a choice and chose Earl Grey, as I at least knew what that tasted like), I needed some hot tea!
I thought you would like to see a picture I took while B was washing his hands.
And B snapped this picture of me with my very own pot of tea!
By the way, lunch was very good. The day’s special was half a Reuben sandwich with both a small cup of soup and a house salad. I tried the Thai chili soup and B went for the French onion. As it was, the Thai chili soup was delicious, but a tad too spicy for me, so B finished it while I ate the dregs of his French onion soup!
Anyway, there were plenty of funky looking people having lunch. Luckily, they sat us at a table near the plants! Perhaps we didn’t look the type to be hiking!
Then it was on to Orange County and Westminster. The traffic wasn’t too bad. We were, after all, hauling a trailer and motorcycle behind us. B limits his towing speed to 70, to avoid spinning the trailer tires too fast. The weather remained cool and very breezy on the drive back here.
We made a pit stop on our way home. B pulled into a rest area/truck stop on Camp Pendleton, the likes of which I had never seen. We’ve been by it many times, but it sits off the highway behind trees, so you can’t see it from the 5 freeway. The place was huge, with dozens of big trucks and many, many cars! It even had areas of flowers. B took this picture of me.
Back on the road again. Then it was drive to the garage and unload all the stuff we’d hauled to Borrego Springs, before getting back to the room. We were both tired and we were in for the night. No supper; we had a large lunch.
Today (Friday) we woke to the usual marine layer, but it soon dissipated and, although a breezy day, it was sunny. A beautiful day. As B LOVES to say “hot sun and a coooool breeze”. We went back to the Magnolia Cafe for breakfast. The place is really incredible. The usual weekday crowd is the “white hairs” like us and everyone seems to know the staff or, rather, the staff seems to know everyone. No exception with us! The person seating us, as well as our waitress, remembered us! Incredible.
After breakfast, we went next door to the restaurant to a pet fish shop B saw. It didn’t sound very interesting to me, but it sure was! The inside was huge, with row after row of tanks filled with the most amazing sea life; fish of all sizes, shapes, and colors, a lot of living corals; this was definitely not your little guppies and goldfish shop. It was like going to an aquarium, except it was free (to look – the fish and other creatures were quite expensive).
Then back to the room to do a little research. Coincidentally, I had woken up thinking that we had mentioned going to the Long Beach aquarium. The technical name for it is Aquarium of the Pacific. We think we went there many years ago, but neither of us could remember the details.
So, B looked it up online and ordered our tickets. He chose 1:00 p.m. as the arrival time. They have arrival time reservations, to keep the flow of people even. By the way, nothing out here is cheap. The tickets, even with our senior discount, were $42 EACH, plus another $6 (after validation discount) to use the parking garage. So we had to have our parking ticket validated by the aquarium folks before leaving the building. However, the aquarium seemed like a fun thing to do and it was.
Getting there was not such a fun thing. First it was one freeway then, because the aquarium was down near the port with ships coming in loaded with containers, we got on a trucking route for a short distance. Jeez, that was fun. Some stop and go, not too bad. Finally, we landed at the parking garage safe and sound.
The weather was perfect. Blue, blue skies, a nice cool ocean breeze, and plenty of sunshine. Here is a picture B took before we entered the building. I thought the building looked like a giant peanut, but I think it is supposed to represent water!
What we didn’t expect was a million small children! Hordes of small children all screaming and laughing as only young kids can do. There were dozens of school bus loads of kids, and even more seemed to come in waves. Can you imagine chaperoning a bus load of 5-6 year old kids and keeping track of them??? Makes me shudder.
Plus, there were tons of families with kids in strollers and kids tagging along. The acoustics were awful, and the kids were doing a lot of yelling and shrieking. Of all times to leave the ear plugs in the room!
However, we still enjoyed the aquarium immensely. Here are some pictures of our favorite things.
There was a giant window that wrapped around both sides of the aisle with all kinds of interesting creatures. B waited a long time to get this picture!
Another picture of a ray. This was resting on the bottom of the exhibit which made getting a picture even easier.
These are pictures of the jellies, as I called them. One is the Lion’s Mane Jelly and the other interesting creature is the Warty Comb Jelly. Very interesting.
PICTURE – Lion’s mane jelly
Warty comb jelly
B tried to get a picture of the octopus but it was just too difficult to get a picture of. We also watched sea lions and seals swimming by, inches from our faces.
And finally, one of my very favorites, seahorses.
By then, it was time to head home. So we got the precious parking ticket validated and found our van quite easily. Then it was time to head back. Back on the trucking route out of the Long Beach loading docks and back on the freeway to home.
After resting for a bit in our room, we looked for dining options. We decided to go to an Italian place named Renato’s; again, in a strip mall. It has a great reputation. I called for reservations for 6:00 p.m. We got there and got seated, but in comes a table for 10; mostly old people who, like us, can’t hear anything. But the topping on the cake was a young couple who came in with two small children to join the old folks. One child was probably 3 and one was in a baby carriage all wrapped up so you couldn’t tell if it was a dog or a baby, but our hunch was it was a baby. They had very little room to sit once the baby carriage arrived, and the guy with the baby carriage was sitting closer to me than B was! I just knew we wouldn’t be able to hear anything we said to each other, and we didn’t care much for the guy sitting practically in my lap. We both feared the kids would soon start yelling, shrieking, and crying, too, so I tried very hard to discreetly ask for another table. Although almost all the tables were full, they did have a lovely porch with many plants and with heaters. Heaters are a big thing for outdoor eating here in California. The staff was very accommodating. We don’t very often eat out, so for us to go to a nice Italian restaurant for a relaxing meal is a big deal. It was also our delayed anniversary dinner.
We had the most enjoyable meal. Here are a few pictures from tonight’s dinner.
Karla with appetizers
B with main course – linguini with shrimp and scallops
me with desserts
We again split the main entree after ordering the stuffed mushrooms appetizer. But for a change, we each ordered dessert. B brought home about half of his tiramisu, and I gobbled down my canoli with a little help from B. The desserts were truly magnificent!
So, that ends Thursday and Friday. Tomorrow we plan to take an Uber ride to Seal Beach (a small coastal town) to the 36th annual car show. Should be interesting. We are taking an Uber because B says parking in a small beach town is already hell without adding in hundreds of cars of car show attendees. I liked the Uber idea better than B’s other plan for going into places with horrible parking; park a couple miles out and ride a bicycle in. That’s how we always do it when we go to Venice Beach. We plan to eat there in Seal Beach, so no breakfast for us.
Still in Borrego Springs and still hot, but not quite as hot as yesterday. In fact, the morning, until about 11:00 a.m., wasn’t too bad. It got hotter as the day wore on.
Hello Folks,
I decided to do a “special edition” for fear I wouldn’t recall today’s adventure if I waited another whole day. Plus tomorrow we head back to Orange County.
To back up a bit to last evening, here is a picture B took of his bike in front of our room as the sun was setting.
Here is a picture of me in the parking area of our motel, with the sun setting on the mountains behind me. To my right is a large Ocotillo plant.
We ate at a bar-like place, but we weren’t disappointed. We split a rib meal that included a plate of salad each, a half ear of corn each, tomato and bean soup, a small baked potato each and a quarter rack of barbecued ribs each. At first, we were a bit miffed that they charge $4 to share a meal, but when it came, it was more than well worth the charge. They didn’t just give us a spare fork; each person got a full salad, soup, and all the extras. Of course, we had the obligatory Margaritas since we were walking! So, here goes last night’s dinner.
I also forgot to add a picture B took yesterday while dirt biking of a bush with beautiful purple flowers. He said the ground under the bush was completely purple from all the petals that have fallen off.
This morning we went to a different place for breakfast, Kendall’s Cafe which has been here for a long, long time. We didn’t haul my ever increasingly heavy purse and B forgot to bring his cell phone which was still charging, so no breakfast pictures. Too bad, as B had a nice looking breakfast with cheesy sauce over his eggs and a nice bowl of fruit. I chose blueberry pancakes. We did bring our Baker’s maple syrup, so that wasn’t forgotten. We ate outside under an umbrella and it was not too hot until about 11:00.
One thing I like about where we stay in Borrego Springs is that the town is so small, we can walk to most of the local eating places. Anyway, once done with today’s breakfast, we walked back to the room so I could grab my heavy purse and my hat. B wanted to show me a glass dress and high heels an artist was exhibiting. Plus we went to a local gift shop for B to get a map to replace one he thinks he lost, and I bought a tile hot mat as a remembrance of Borrego Springs. I usually do not buy anything for myself, but I knew I would regret it if I didn’t buy it.
While in the area we found an interesting garden showcasing all the local cacti and bushes in this area. Lantana grows as a bush out here. Anyway, we finally found the exhibit of the glass dress and high heels. We both thought it was pretty spectacular. Here’s a picture.
By then it was time to hit the road. We have both read about the Slab City out here in the desert and about Salvation Mountain which is in Slab City. Slab City is defined as thus by Wikipedia:
Slab City, also called The Slabs, is an unincorporated, off-the-grid alternative lifestyle community consisting largely of snowbirds in the Salton Trough area of the Sonoran Desert, in Imperial County, California. It took its name from concrete slabs that remained after the World War II Marine Corps Camp Dunlap training camp was torn down.
On the way there, we stopped in Westmoreland at a huge date place, and we got a couple date shakes. Frankly, to me Slab City was more like a huge junk yard with very shanty buildings and rusted out cars. B said it’s like a large homeless encampment with very ramshackle buildings and a lot of burned out and/or decrepit cars, as well as some campers and motor homes, mostly looking in poor condition. Vast amounts of trash everywhere, both in yards and scattered all over the desert. They do have a library however. Anyway, we drove around some of the roads and then came upon Salvation Mountain.
Salvation Mountain was the dream product of a man named Leonard Knight who was born in 1931 and died in 2014. He devoted many years to making with clay and sand a testament to his faith in God. It really is something to see. His old paint cans still decorate the area. Also included is a tractor that he used and painted, a couple of old cars, and a pickup with Bible quotes and flowers, etc. As I said, it is something to see and very funky, as is Slab City. Here are some pictures we took.
Of course the drive to these places took longer than we expected and the blasted sun was shining, plus the winds had picked up substantially. Remember, the old van has NO AC. I had to slather my arms with sunscreen.
We drove by miles and miles of crops as far as the eye can see. The land is incredible, huge flat fields with huge equipment that is used to plow and harrow and seed these amazing fields, which are as flat and smooth as a billiard table. So the next time you buy some veggies out of season, please look at the label. If they come from California, this is one of the areas that grew it. Anyway, I was enthralled with all these fields.
After all that fun, we decided that, since we weren’t too far from the Salton Sea, we’d swing by and stop at Bombay Beach. Salton Sea is a huge lake (B says the largest California lake) that, in a few words, is an environmental nightmare. It smells awful! It has no outlet, and most of the water coming into it is agricultural runoff. B says, when Sonny Bono was in Congress, he worked hard to lobby to clean it up, but in the end, got nowhere. It is really an ecological disaster. You can read all about it in detail here:
So, Bombay Beach is a sandy beach open to the public, but to my knowledge no one goes into the water. Anyway, again there is a group of people who live in the town and, other than the fact they appear to have electricity and are a bit neater than Slab City, live very much the same way. The sign said population 295.
We stopped and took some pictures. There were a few campers on the beach, but the smell was really disgusting. Some people have left funky tributes behind to remind anyone who stops that we need to clean up this area and the sooner the better. Here are a few more pictures. The steel display of a skeleton of a dead fish is one of the more poignant reminders of what we are doing to the environment.
The water is brown, and it and the beach stink. No, we didn’t touch the water!
This was once a thriving lake up to the 50s and 60s, with bustling towns and hotels, restaurants, etc. and a wonderful bird sanctuary. The birds and fish mostly died from the dead, toxic lake. California isn’t all glamour and money. It has its share of homelessness and natural disasters.
Anyway, from there we beat feet back to Borrego Springs. So we ended up driving around the entire lake. We expected gas to be cheaper out on the main trucking highway, but it was $6.40/gal, so we decided the $6.10/gal at one place in Borrego Springs was not so bad after all!
We walked to our last dinner here. As it turned out, neither of us was very hungry and it wasn’t as tasty as some of the other meals. Here is a picture.
We didn’t get any pictures of Slab City or Bombay Beach, because we didn’t see any particular thing that really summed it up. As B said, they probably don’t have a HOA (HomeOwner Association) in either place! See Wikipedia for more details on either place.
Here is a picture B took of me as we were walking back from dinner. The entire gutter is filled with flower petals from the trees in the parking lot.
I think that’s about it for today. B is beginning to pull things together for our trip back to Orange County tomorrow. He’s already mounted the bike back on the trailer.
Did someone turn up the heat??? Today the temperature reached 90 degrees, down from 93 yesterday. From one extreme to another! We are definitely in the desert!
Hello Folks,
Before we left Westminster (under the cloak of a cool, low, dense marine layer), we had breakfast at one of our new favorite places, Magnolia Cafe. Every morning when we go in, there is a large vase of some magnificent flowers. I have yet to find out what the flowers are, but they are beautiful. I do know that a customer brings them into the cafe from his garden. Anyway, here’s a picture for you.
After that, we went to the garage to load up for our trip to Borrego Springs. We looked it up in our old pictures and found that we had not been to Borrego Springs and the state park, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, since 2016. We were excited to go and see what changes might have occurred since our last visit and since COVID.
We also realized it was going to be hot. And that didn’t disappoint. The town is small and you drive down about 10 miles of curvy mountain road to get to it. We were pleased to see that most of the same eating places were still here. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures B took as we wound our way down into town.
On our way to Borrego Springs we saw a sign for honey. I like to bring home honey from California, as it tastes different than our local honey at home. We bought several jars with different flavors like orange, sage, and avocado. Should be good eating!
Anyway, we rolled into the same place we always stay when out here. It had gotten a bit spiffed up, which is usually a good thing. But the gal at the desk wanted to see B’s ID. It seemed like an unusual request, but B handed it over. Then the gal said she was going to take it out back and do something with it. B queried her at length about what she planned to do with his ID that she could not do in front of him. She claimed she was not going to make a copy of it, which B did not want to happen. She was texting “the manager” and she went out back awhile without the license and came back saying it was for “security” reasons; they needed to make sure he was who he said he was. B continued to question why that couldn’t be done right there; face same as on license, name same as on reservation, what more could you want? I mean, really??? How many murders do they have here??? B continued to insist that it made no sense, and that taking the ID out back wasn’t going to accomplish anything. B was polite, but firm. Finally, the gal gave it up and said we were good to go.
Obviously, they are under different management since our last visit in 2016. We always had a really laid-back guy at the desk. Anyway, we apparently looked okay, as we got our key without B giving up his ID.
Then B had to unload the trailer with the motorcycle, lug in all the paraphernalia he brought, and finally our suitcases. Although very neat inside, I noticed no television. Well, that is okay, as we don’t usually use it anyway, just odd to me. Also no chair or desk or table to place the laptop. I was a bit crabby at this point.
We decided to go to dinner, always a good idea when one gets cranky! So, we walked over to Pablitos, one of our favorites, and ate outside next to a fountain. Romantic, eh? The first picture is of B with his “grande” Margarita. He didn’t think I would catch the “grande” when he placed the order, but I did. Haha. We were walking, so no issues with driving tonight after he drank his “grande.”
Then a nice man at another table noticed us taking pictures when our food arrived, so he offered to take our picture together. Nice guy and he did a great job!
Anyway, we had a good meal. And walked around a bit to get better orientated to our new surroundings.
Today we started our day with breakfast at the Red Ocotillo. We used to eat here some, but the place kept bouncing around to different locations, and we now suspect it, too, is under different management. I could barely understand the waitress so B had to speak on my behalf. The food here is EVEN more expensive than in Orange County. We looked at the dinner menu for kicks (the place was nice and clean), and the first dinner item was steak for $50. Most entrees were about $50. Plus, I ordered scrambled eggs and got two over easy, but that was okay. Here is a picture of the area after we ate breakfast. Borrego Springs is a very quirky place. Each business has its own oddball hours and days they are open or closed. Borrego Springs has high mountains on 3 sides. This is me after breakfast.
Of course, by now the temperature is about 85 degrees. B suggested we go out a canyon road, which we have done in the past. We also drove down one of my favorite roads in a lemon grove. Boy, if you don’t think that didn’t smell good! We also always stop and pick up some drops, and we did it again this year to bring back home with us. This is one of the lemon orchard “canyons” we drove down. Mighty narrow! And yes, we did meet a truck, but he pulled into a turnout for us.
But back to the canyon road which is a road in the desert but designed for 4WD vehicles and not just motorcycles. However, it is a bit of a washboard road and yours truly was beginning to get a bit nauseous. I ain’t much fun any more!
Anyway, it ended when we came to a water crossing from the winter rains. As it turns out, even if we had driven through it, B expected there was a bigger water crossing ahead, as he has been out that canyon road many times. This one was deeper and wider than he’d ever seen it. Plus, there were probably 6 Jeeps parked there with a whole group of older people (some with dogs), standing around and some with their feet in the water. It would not have been kind for us to belly through it and splash them all! B said he could go through it on a motorcycle, but he didn’t want to try it with the van, especially as he knows the trail doesn’t go all that much further, anyway. As it turns out, they were on a group tour. We decided to leave ASAP before they all piled into their Jeeps and drove back out ahead of us much too slowly for B’s taste. We did meet several vehicles coming and going. Here’s a picture of the water crossing.
Back to the pavement, and we saw lots of steel sculptures that Borrego Springs is noted for, done by a local metal artist. I believe the story went that there were plans to develop a big chunk of land at one point that never materialized.
So, here is one of the more notable figures; a dragon that crosses the road. You can see some of the wildflowers in the foreground.
We also had to stop so Karla could get up close and personal with some tortoises.
Funny story about the tortoises; The first time I had ever seen or heard of a desert tortoise was when I saw these steel statues of prehistoric animals at Borrego Springs. So I had it in my head that that’s what they looked like. So in a subsequent year, we went to the high desert, where there is a huge preserve for the endangered Desert Tortoise. Well, based on the steel sculptures I’d seen at Borrego Springs, I was expecting to find something that big when we visited the tortoise preserve!
As you can probably see, there are some desert flowers still blooming, but nothing like what we would have seen a month earlier. The locals say the blooms were wonderful this year due to all the rain.
Then it was time to come back to the room so B could get into his dirt biking gear and go for a ride. I chose the cerebral act of going to the pool and reading!
B was gone several hours and came back pretty tired. He said that the Anza-Borrego Park’s legal trails are almost all “washes”, which is a dry river bed. So they are full of deep, soft sand, and B got tired of the sand constantly trying to pitch him off the bike. He’s ridden all these trails dozens of times, so there’s just less “spark” in it for him. He’s older, not in as good condition, and has had much less practice dirt bike riding, while his motorcycle is just as large and heavy as ever. We used to ride double-up, but we gave that up years ago, as being just too much for either of us.
I’m not that enthused about B taking me out on these trails with the van, either. So, we plan to cut our time here a bit short and leave a day earlier than originally planned. I must say that not hearing the freeway has been delightful and no 8 lanes of traffic but it is very hot here, and despite the funkiness of it, not as much fun as we used to think it was.
So, it is soon off to dinner tonight. One bright thing about it is we can actually walk to our dinners once the sun begins to set.
The ocean breeze, the sunshine, and the temperature of 70 degrees can’t be beat. But the noise of the 405 freeway coming in our open window (yes, there is a screen!), is a bit distracting to this country bumpkin.
Hello Folks,
Here we are in la-la land. I believe I left off Friday evening and we were planning to go to the Sizzler for dinner. It didn’t disappoint. B ordered an absolutely HUGE bottle of Corona and I had my customary iced tea. And we each ordered just the salad bar. You might think from the pictures that we are big drinkers, but we are not. It just seems like we have more opportunities here than at home. I mean, you can’t go to any public event in California without a beer hall. Then, everyone gets in their cars and drives about 90 miles an hour. Go figure. Here’s a picture. In this picture I am babysitting B’s beer.
That moves us into Saturday. The morning was typical: cool with a marine layer that had burned off by about noon. So we were up and dressed and headed for the Magnolia Cafe for breakfast. The usual gray/white haired crowd had changed to a more motley crowd of all ages. Also, we found out that the specials list that we normally choose from no longer applies on weekends.
So, after breakfast we zoomed back to the room to plan the next excursion. Since it was Saturday, the Orange County Japan Fair was opening up for the weekend at the local fairgrounds. The same fairgrounds, by the way, where the infamous circus was also set up. The fairgrounds are huge. I was curious as to just how large the area is and found that it is 150 acres. Just think how many houses you could cram into that parcel of land.
Anyway, there wasn’t much for directions and when we approached gate #1, it was being hit hard. B drove on toward another gate, but we eventually turned around and came back. We got in after a bit of traffic jam and paid our $12 to park. Then the real fun began.
We slowly walked up to the entrance and noticed “the line.” It wasn’t like any line either of us had ever seen! B said that, had we not just paid $12 to park, he would have left at that point.
B estimated about 2000 people in a snake-like line just to get to the ticket counter. It was about 20 rows of about 100 people each row. We kept moving at a manageable pace around the serpentine line. Eventually, we made it to the real entrance. When we finally got to the end of it, most people had wisely bought on-line tickets. We got in free because of our age, as well as kids under 6. Along the way there were teenage kids monitoring the line snake along. Here is a picture. Mind you, the place opened at noon and this was about 12:45. Plus the sun was now beating down on us.
Once in, the first thing was a pavilion, it was much cooler with the cool ocean breeze blowing through, and samples of the arts and music that we would see outside. Once outside on the other end of the pavilion, the sun was blazing down and there was a combination of mostly Asian food vendors, as well as junky swap meet sort of stuff for sale. We went up and down the rows of booths the best we could. The food lines were very long: 30-50 people in each line at each booth. We didn’t realize there would be so much food and we had already eaten breakfast, so we did not partake in any food. Lots of food on sticks, which is a big deal outside of New England fairs.
We moseyed down to the big screen area and sat down to watch Japanese music and folk dances. We were all invited to participate, but that wasn’t going to happen for us. Did I mention I did not bring sunscreen??? Here are some pictures B took.
Here’s a video B made of one of the folk dances:
After the dancing/music entertainment, a Japanese female comedian took the stage. It wasn’t good, folks. Although described as having been a contestant on America’s Got Talent, we figured she was one of those that immediately got booed off the stage. It was that bad, in our opinion. It was truly awful, and downright embarrassing.
In the first place, she was overweight and wearing tights, short, tight shorts and a sports bra. Anyway, she went through her routine. She wasn’t a bit funny. But what was funny was a little girl about 2 sitting on her mother’s lap next to me was laughing her head off! I said something to the mother and she said the little girl “loves this comedian”. She sure did. I just hope the foul language wasn’t understood.
After that, we decided we’d had quite enough of all that, and we left to go home. Somehow, the Exit signs got screwed up and we were in a parking lot traffic jam of what B would call, “biblical proportions.” B said he’d never seen anything like it, even at AirVenture Oshkosh, which has horrendous crowds and lines. We were stuck. People were pushing in from either side and we were at a standstill. The only movement in the line was when a car would give up and leave the line. Plus people from other rows kept trying to squeeze into the unmoving line. We were quite leery to leave the line and try to find something better, as we were afraid we’d just end up back at the end of the horrid, unmoving line, instead of half to ¾ of the way through it.
After about 20-30 minutes of not moving at all, B decided to get out of line and go down one of the side rows of vehicles and head out in the opposite direction. We came to another exit sign, and there wasn’t a single car in line for that, so we got out of there and headed back to our hotel room, just to recuperate from the crowds and lines.
Oh, and the best part? We left about 4:00ish and the people streaming IN towards the gates was unbelievable. The parking lot was much more full when we left than when we arrived, plus the line to get in in was much longer. While we were walking to our vehicle, hordes of people were arriving. There was a line (at walking speed) several people wide and a quarter mile long, just to get to the first serpentine line. I can’t even quite explain it, other than to say of all the places I have been anywhere with B, I have never seen anything remotely like it. Neither has B.
Finally, we were on our way back to our room. We decided to go back to the comfortable chairs at the theater after eating supper. We chose a Thai place just up the street from the theater and topped that off with an ice cream from Baskin Robbins which, just so happens, was in the same strip mall as the theater. Here’s a picture. Please note I am drinking a Thai iced tea!
We watched a great movie, MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE about a true story of how Winston Churchill got the German U Boats out of the Atlantic Ocean so the US could send over troops and supplies. It was a sneaky, underhanded trick against the rules of war, which worked. In fact, the files on it just became available in 2016. If you get a chance to see the movie, please do. You won’t be disappointed. It is riveting.
Contrary to our ordeal at the Japan Fair, we were about the only people in the theater. One other couple was in our row and that was about it. Relief at last!
Then back to the room. Sure enough, I have a very “red neck” and one very red arm from sitting in the sun at the Japan Fair screen. Shame on me for not using sunscreen.
Today was what I call a “down day”, or at least for me. I needed a day of rest and quiet, although with a window open, it is anything but quiet! Anyway, it used to be a big deal out here to go to champagne Sunday brunches, and we have been to a number of them over the years I have been coming here and B way before that. I think COVID sort of squashed the desire to go to these breakfasts. There are still a few left. It is also the one time we call Uber for a ride to and from a brunch. This time we chose one locally at the Mexican El Torito restaurant. So, of course my final picture shows us imbibing again!
Please note. Last year when we were out here, I wore a blue, zip up sweater in almost every picture. I vowed not to bring that sweater this year! This year my sweater of choice is a bright pink one, as you can see!
Tomorrow we saddle up and leave Orange County for Borrego Springs down in the low desert for B to get his fix of dirt biking, provided it isn’t too hot. More later.
You can’t beat springtime in Southern California. Once the marine layer clears out, it is nice and sunny with a cool and comfortable ocean breeze.
Hello Folks,
Today is Friday and I am writing this blog at 5:15 p..m. PST which means my comrades in New Hampshire are well into early evening.
I left off the last blog with our plans to go to the movies and for Mexican food. And that is what we did. We were very surprised that the local theater had been fully revamped and all the old chairs were tossed out in favor of new, large and comfortable recliners. Here is a picture of me luxuriating in my lounge chair. There were barely any other patron in the theater.
We saw the movie CIVIL WAR which we had both read about. Not the old civil war, but the new civil war. We were both pleased that the movie didn’t seem to be a propaganda piece, as we’d suspected it might be. It was basically about 4 journalists and photo-journalists and how they handled all that they saw. In my opinion, it was pretty much science fiction, but still entertaining. The theater also had revamped their sound system, so every time a gunshot went off or a grenade exploded, I jumped. I will say the movie stayed with me once I left the theater. I am thinking we should go back and watch another movie!
Then it was on to El Torito for dinner. We split a meal and added table-side-made guacamole. And, of course, split a flan for dessert. We also tried their Margaritas, not bad. Here is a picture or two of our waiter making the guacamole.
Now, as you may know, usually I am practically bedridden for the first few days after I land in Fruit and Nuts country, but I was very proud of myself. I got through Tuesday and Wednesday with no issues. I must be over the hump!
However, Thursday, as the day progressed, I got sick. We had decided to have breakfast and then head to Riverside to March Field, which is a part of the former March Air Force Base and where there is still a very active AF reserve unit. In fact, the docent told us that once during Obama’s presidency and once during Trump’s presidency, two private pilots inadvertently ended up in some air space that was closed to them because of the president’s flight patterns. So, within 5 minutes, the reservists were in the air ready to shoot down enemy aircraft, only to find these two frightened private pilots not knowing what the heck was going on. They both readily agreed to land their planes and not take off again until the airspace was free!
We changed up our breakfast location to a place we went to last year, Uncle Pete’s, again in a shopping plaza, since it was on the way to Riverside. I chose avocado toast, same as last year, while B had Eggs Benedict. The orange juice here is SO much better than anything at home. It’s often locally fresh-squeezed. Here’s a picture.
Normally the avocado toast would have been heaven. There was nothing wrong with it. It was toast with a layer of avocado, chunks of tomatoes, two poached eggs, feta cheese and onion. I knew the onion wasn’t going to work, so I peeled that off and, in the end, B had to help me eat up the toast. The prices of everything are shocking; $5-6/gal for gas, $50 for breakfast; very expensive place! But it’s only for a couple weeks, so we’re just enjoying everything.
Then we got started to Riverside. As we rode along I began to get a queasy stomach. Too much food, too much bumping along at a high rate of speed. Anyway, once at the field, we entered the museum and paid our way in. B got a discount for being a veteran. It wasn’t crowded at all. We also signed up for the trolley ride around all the planes parked outside the building and narrated by a knowledgeable museum docent. It would have been better if one of the 3 people seated behind us hadn’t had to interpret what was being said by the docent to the other two people. Anyway, it was what it was.
After that was finished, I told B I needed to go to the van and rest, but told him to look around as much as he wanted to. I was okay, just nauseous. He did and here are some pictures. Note the lovely clouds and the snow-capped peaks in the background.
F-15 Eagle
F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-4 Phantom
C-10 (tail), T-37 Tweet, KC-135 Stratotanker, T-38 Talon
B-47 Stratojet, made famous in the Jimmy Stewart movie “Strategic Air Command”
and finally, a C-141 Starlifter, like B used to work on in the Air Force.
I did get to see the inside of the museum, so it wasn’t a huge loss to me. B warned me that Riverside is more in the interior part of the state, so it would be hotter. He wasn’t wrong; no ocean breeze or marine layer like I am more used to. He was also right about the traffic. The one main freeway between Orange County and Riverside is one of the worst for commuter traffic, but we were going in the opposite direction of the commuters both ways, so it was mostly about 80 all the way. We were passing people, people were passing us (probably more of the former than the latter, though), and 5-8 lanes of this madness! I can barely stand to watch it, but B thrives in it.
Anyway, once back to our home base, B had a couple of errands to do and I needed a tall icy drink, so while he was getting gas for the motorcycle, I walked to Taco Bell and got a large icy drink of Coca -Cola. That hit the spot!
Before going back to the room we decided to go to a chicken place B especially likes, aptly called El Pollo Loco. B got a two-piece dinner (not fried but baked) and I got a chicken street taco. I eliminated the onions, so there wasn’t much left except a few pieces of chicken in a small, soft taco. Suited me just fine.
However, I did feel the need for a kiddie sized banana split blizzard from Dairy Queen, so that is where we headed. Tasted good too! Then back to the room,
Today we got a bit of a later start but, heck, we are on vacation. Off to the Magnolia Cafe for breakfast. I smartened up. I ordered from the sides and got a bagel and cream cheese and a dish of fresh fruit. A banana at last! We both eat half a banana a day at home.
B opted for French toast (we bring Baker maple syrup from home with us) made with sour dough bread. It looked and tasted good. It’s interesting to note that, at these breakfast cafe places, the clientele is almost entirely gray-hairs and white-hairs. Everyone else is busy working!
Then back to the room, as my plan for today was for us to go to a circus at the local fairgrounds. So I went online to the website to order tickets. That did not go well. We tried two of my credit cards, but both were declined. I called one credit card company and they said the issue was with the vendor. B tried one of his cards; same thing. We wasted an hour or more trying to get tickets. So much for the circus. We saved ourselves $170!!!
But I decided I would like to get a manicure anyway. B drove me to the place where I get one when we are out here. They had no customers. I was shocked. They have always been very busy, but willing to squeeze me in. There were 5 Vietnamese gals hanging around and no customers. Anyway, I got just a plain mani and my nails look really nice for a change. I figure they will stay that way for the 2 weeks we are here. Once home, I will cut my nails and go back to having farmer’s hands.
While I was at the nails place, B went back to the garage, gassed up the motorcycle, and took it out for a test ride. He said it all went fine. He also chatted with one of our tenants. They are such nice people; we have the best tenants!
Weird story on B’s motorcycle. Last year, when he went to ride it, after we’d gotten out to the desert, he had no rear brake. He worked on it quite a bit. He also found a shop who just happened to have some replacement brake parts he needed. That didn’t fix it. He took the whole motorcycle to the guy and they worked on it for a couple hours, but couldn’t fix it. B ended up just riding it anyway, with no rear brake. B says most of the braking on any vehicle is done with the front brakes, but rear brakes are handy to have.
So, when we got home, B ordered a new part from Honda, which we hauled out to California in our baggage this year. When B went to put the new part in, he said the rear brake was just fine as-is! The problem was with brake bleeding, which I have helped B with on numerous vehicles. Apparently whatever air was trapped in there and 2 mechanics couldn’t get it out, even with replacement parts, must have worked its way out over the past year sitting there.
Since it was such a nice day, I agreed to a bicycle ride around the tract where Brian owns his house. It is a pretty big tract and we rode all around the maze of streets and then back to the garage. I am NOT a bicyclist, so we have a tandem bike we keep out here. We tried separate bikes years ago, but that didn’t work well. With a tandem, I’m always right there behind B, no mater what B does!
B usually goes for a bike ride by himself while I read or do something cerebral like that! It is a beautiful day and it was fun to see all the houses and many with beautiful flowers in their yard. The lemon and orange trees are loaded with fruit, but the avocado season seems to be over.
Tonight dinner is at the Sizzler. Yeah, I know, high end. But we both really enjoy the salad bar, so that is what we get. I have never had a steak at the Sizzler! They also have a self-serve soft ice cream machine that I love.
Before I close this blog, here is a picture that Kimberly sent me of Freddy. It looks like she has entirely charmed him. What a stinker he is!
And here’s a picture I forgot to include in the last blog – our combination Arby’s/In-N-Out Burger supper.
One more – B took a picture of the inside of the garage, where we keep all our goodies (including the van) when we’re not in California. Motorcycle, several single bicycles, a couple tandems (B bought one, then found another he liked better), a recumbent bicycle (B LOVES bicycling here), the foldup motorcycle trailer, and all B’s tools. Also a king size waterbed frame with massive headboard and a large (dirty) old refrigerator that we should probably get rid of.
First, since I left this out of the previous blog, I have been “goosed” by a goose several times lately. I swear Freddy thinks I am a giant female goose. Anyway, the last few times I have either gathered eggs from the goose cage (they lay them in the corner straight ahead from the tiny, teeny door that B made) or if I am cleaning out the cage, Freddy has decided to goose me. He screams and hollers trying to get my attention while I am bent over and inside the cage. He just can’t figure it out. Actually, I found that I can get inside the cage if I go in sideways. Otherwise, I use the rake to rake out the eggs which works well sometimes and sometimes not so much. Anyway, while I am down on my hands and knees pawing around in the cage, he stops screaming long enough to try and goose me. I kick him with my foot which makes him scream some more. Great fun. I don’t hurt him, I just push him out of the way. He likes to know all the details as to why I am in his cage! He acts just like an adolescent boy. Sigh.
As to the “land of fruit and nuts”, we have arrived on vacation in Southern California for a couple of weeks. This is truly the land of fruit as in lemons, oranges and avocados, and nuts as in almonds. I don’t think us New Englanders appreciate just how much of our “fresh” fruits and the nuts we buy actually ship across the country from California. And you thought I was referencing Californian people. Shame on you! Ha ha. However, more on that later.
So Monday night I went to bed about 9:30. I planned on bedtime at 8:30, but I was “helping” B do his usual last-minute packing. It is quite an experience to watch him pack. Anyway, by 9:30 he was done and watching something on Netflix, so it was safe for me to go to bed. Then I set the alarm for 2:00 a.m. Yep. I wrote 2:00 a.m. It seems our flight was for 7:10 a.m. Anyway, by 3:30 a.m., the car was loaded, the necessary things were shut off in the house, and the doors were locked. We were on our way to the Manchester Boston Airport. We made good time getting to the airport. We had a little delay in getting into the airport, but we had plenty of time. B left me off curbside with all our baggage and went to the parking garage to leave the car.
A nice security guy called a Sky Cap for me and an equally nice young guy came out and assisted me into the building with all our luggage. So far, SW Airlines still lets us each have a checked bag for free. By the way, you should see what goes in the overhead bins on the plane. People are so determined not to check any baggage. Makes one wonder what they are carrying. Anyway, the nice young guy got us all squared away and, by the time B caught up to us, our bags were going down the conveyor belt and we were free to go through security and wait for our plane to board. Easy peasy, as they say. This left me plenty of time to go to Dunkin to get a couple of egg sandwiches to eat before the plane even arrived.
The 7:10 flight to Midway in Chicago was packed 100%, but not uncomfortable. B has strategies for what seat to pick when the board the plane. For the first leg, he picks someone not too big with an aisle seat up front, so that we control who we’re sitting with and we can get off quickly to make our connecting flight. We had a little over an hour to get to the appropriate gate for the final flight into Long Beach Airport in California. Good thing we had plenty of time, as we landed at the far gate at Terminal A, but our connector left from the far gate of Terminal B. That was quite a hike. This was not a full flight, so we had the back row seats to ourselves. This flight was uneventful too, thankfully.
Once we landed in Long Beach, we had to walk down the portable steps, as the airport is not completely remodeled and as yet, does not have enclosed portable buildings in which to enter or leave the plane. It is sort of like walking the gangplank like we always used to do when entering/exiting a plane. Like in the good old days. We think maybe they’re just going to keep it that way. We like it, especially after we found out they also deplane from the rear, too.
Their baggage claim area is in much better shape than it was a year ago. Soon we had all our bags, etc. and went to hail a cab. Anyway, we landed the most surly, curt cabbie I have ever met. B didn’t want to tip him at all, but I insisted. I didn’t want to be on his kill list. We got to the hotel in no time at all for about $50. Whew. Things are very expensive here; even more so than when we were out here last year. Gasoline here ranges from $5 to $6 a gallon. We are paying about $3.30 at home. Here are two pictures once we landed in Long Beach.
So, once checked in (we have a nice, large room that we request every year), and got our bearings (okay, B got his bearings, I had not). Remember, B hadn’t slept since Sunday night and I was working on 5 hours sleep. Neither of us was able to sleep on the plane. However, B insisted on walking over to our garage to check on the van. Other than one completely flat tire and 3 others that were only a bit low, it seemed to be in good shape. B soon got it running and topped off the old gas with fresh premium, at just under $6/gallon.
Then we decided, even though it was only about 4:30, we should go eat, as I knew B would not last much longer. B wanted something light, so he dropped me off at an In-N-Out Burger, which is next door to Arby’s. B walked to Arby’s for his sandwich while I waited at the burger joint for mine. I am always impressed by how clean the In-N-Out Burger joint is. In-N-Out is very popular here; always big lines.
Once I had my supper in hand, I walked over to join B, who was sitting under an umbrella at Arby’s. Of course, before we were done eating, along comes a homeless man who asked for money for a coffee. It broke my heart, but I ignored him and we went back to the van.
We were tucked into bed by 6:30 p.m. B slept until 8:30 a.m. this morning. I got up and showered and dressed before he got up. I finally woke him up, as we had to take our meds and I was hungry! B was all crippled up from sleeping so long and could barely walk, but we hobbled downstairs and drove over to the Magnolia Café so we could eat and B could take some Tylenol/Advil to loosen up his back. It is slowly working. Breakfast, like everything else here, was incredibly expensive.
So, it is now 1:30 p.m. B is over to the garage and working on the motorcycle. I plan to start a book to read once done here. But before I go, I will tell you about going to Walmart after breakfast. It seems that you have to PAY ten cents here for a plastic bag. I had forgotten a couple of toiletries and B needed thinner socks than I bought him last winter. So, I needed a bag for our purchases. Good grief. This state is like being in a foreign country. More on that later! Here is a picture of my bag. I want you all to see what ten cents gets you nowadays.
On tonight’s agenda is movie night. We never go to the movies at home, but for some reason, when we come out here, we go to the movies. For one thing, they are very lax here about theater-hopping. Once you’ve paid for a movie, you can go around and watch every movie they have; you don’t have to be sneaky, and no one seems to care. In the past, we’ve gone in and spent the whole afternoon and evening watching movies. We haven’t done that for awhile, though; just one movie and go out.
The snow is gone! Hallelujah! The mud is SLOWLY drying up except in the critter pen but the rain persists. And did you see the eclipse???
Hello Folks,
What a week. But let’s go back to the end of last week. It seems that Miss Houdini had had enough. As noted previously, she was off her food last week. By Saturday, she couldn’t stand up, so she was all fluffed out in her bin. She was alert, and Friday she actually ate some lettuce. However, by Saturday afternoon, I could tell it wouldn’t be much longer. Did I cry? No. But I am still a bit sad. I hope I did the right thing by bringing her inside and pampering her a bit. As house guests go, she was tops. She was quiet and undemanding. But every time I come upstairs, and now that I am working at my desk, I can’t help but notice that the bin is gone and so is Miss Houdini.
I have questioned my judgment in bringing her in the house back on January 23. From a human point of view, I did the “right” thing and she was very little bother to me. But in chicken culture, perhaps she would have preferred to have lived out her days, much fewer days, with the others and been with her own kind. She was always a loner so perhaps her ending suited her just fine. Anyway, although the timing worked, I do miss her company. B says I did the right thing and it was much better for her than to be picked on by the other chickens; not her friends. He called her tub and visit here “The Hen Nursing Home”.
Then Monday rolled around and here in New Hampshire, the “total eclipse of the sun” happened in Northern NH. B and I went out on the deck around 3:15 with our spiffy appropriate glasses. We were both amazed that, although the sky changed color, it never really got dark here, as we could still see distinct shadows at the peak of it, but the eclipse was about 95% complete here. Anyway, it is over for the next 50 years here in NH! Then all the people who trudged up to Northern NH/VT had to trudge home and spent many hours in traffic to get out of here. All we did was open the slider and walk through and we were home! And no, we did not take any pictures. Well, B did take a couple with his cellphone through the special glasses, but he said they were sheer junk.
By the way, after that roughly 15 inch snowfall last Thursday, it is finally gone! And I say, good riddance to you and don’t come back again this spring! However, it left the critter pen a mess of mud. I hate having the critters have to walk through it to get to the coop, but short of flying, they have to. I hope they don’t all get some illness from it, but not much we can do about it.
Oh, and Friday and Saturday last week, we each got stuck trying to get up our driveway! Neither of us have gotten stuck for many years, but that sticky, wet snow did us in.
Saturday, I decided to go after the mail and that’s when I got stuck coming home from the post office. I didn’t think I got in that deep, but I did get stuck. B had to back down the driveway with the big tractor and winch. B said, “All you have to do is steer the car. You can put it in neutral (which I did) or drive. Just steer it.”
Well, what he neglected to tell me was, when he engaged the winch at the back of the tractor, that is when I got the pull. It took me by surprise, and launched me out of the snowbank. The first time, I was headed for a tree and a rock, but somehow got a hold of myself and managed to get the car centered towards the plowed part. Three times, B had to stop the pulling and reset to get a better angle,. To pull me into the driveway and not just drag the car up through the snowbank. Finally, I was where I should be and he just pulled me up the driveway.
Then he asked, “Don’t you pay attention to the hand signs I was giving you?” Heck, no. He was waving his hand around and I had no idea what for! Haha. It is funny now but not so funny then. Anyway, we were back in business.
Sunday we went to breakfast at the Mason’s lodge here in town. We did make it back up the driveway, but I refused to try again until Wednesday.
Wednesday I had a hair appointment and a pedi appointment and we needed groceries. I am so glad that I got extra milk, lemonade, and bread before the big storm. I needed them and didn’t run out of anything. So this week’s groceries were slim, which was great. Then the rains started on Wednesday. Whew. I had cold toes by the time I got home!
Yesterday, Thursday, I sort of took the day off. I met my friends, Missy and Joan, in New London for lunch. As always, we had a good time despite the torrential rains and fog at times.
I also had to make a Walmart run, which I do every couple of months. It was mostly toiletries and vitamins. Somehow, I came out of the store with a $86 charge on my credit card. This made me cringe. But I have the receipt and it looks accurate.
B has been extra busy with helping with all that goes with it after the final parent dies. B loves organizing and getting all the ducks in a row, so in a way, he is energized by it. I foresee a very busy summer for him.
And so that about closes up this week. I sure hope the sun comes back out soon and the rain finally goes away but it doesn’t look like it will quite yet.
Who turned on the water faucet??? Since Wednesday we have been under siege of yet another “spring” storm. Read on if you dare!
Hello Folks,
As I write this blog on Friday, April 5, it is dark and dreary. I am looking out at a bleak, white landscape. Yes, I know, this is a “spring” storm and it won’t last, but it is miserable just the same. The critters are really grouchy today and LOUD. They know it is spring, but they are stuck with wintry weather.
And so are we. The week wasn’t entirely wasted, though. Frankly, I am having a difficult time trying to remember what we did before the great storm. Here is my best shot!
Monday dawned rather sunny, so I got some laundry done. This was also the day, and the only day of the week, when the roads were salt-free enough to take the F250 to the Ford dealership so they could work on the passenger side window issue and to find out about the weird steering issue. So, we got the truck there way back on Saturday. We hoped it could get fixed on Monday, as we had plans to finally take the batteries back to Concord on Tuesday. Tuesday was our only window until more snow came to us, and thus the roads would be soaked in salt again. The 20 old batteries were still in the back of the pickup with a tarp around them. Luckily, the company owner wasn’t in a real rush to get the batteries back, but still, we’d had them in the back of the pickup for too long.
Anyway, by 3:30, no word on the pickup, so B called. It seems they do need a part, that they don’t have, to fix the steering issue. However, B was assured that it was safe to drive as is while they ordered the part. The mechanic was able to fix the passenger window. So about 4:00, we left to go pick up the pickup. On the way, we gassed up my car. Finally, we both got back home.
Tuesday, although a bit showery, we went to Concord to deliver the 20 batteries. The price of the batteries was contingent upon returning the old batteries. However, since we ordered 24 new batteries and only were returning 20 batteries, we owed some additional money. Can you hear that ca-ching sound??? I can.
Anyway, since we had a good lunch at the nearby TBones the last time we went to Concord, we decided to eat there again. It was just as good. B had some sort of salmon dish and I had broiled haddock. B brought home the remainder of his salmon. As most of you know, the one food I cannot tolerate is salmon. Cat food. I dislike the texture, smell, etc., but it was enough to bring home.
But we weren’t done for the day! With yet another storm on the way, I needed a few more groceries and B had some errands to do in Claremont, including going to CVS for me and picking up a prescription. So, despite knowing a storm was gathering, I braved it and had B leave me off at Market Basket. I figured if the lines were too long, I would just get a few of the items. I didn’t really need a lot, but I did need some perishables. We must have timed it right, as we got to the store around 3:00 p.m. I expected huge crowds, but I was pleasantly surprised and got through the checkout ASAP.
Once B was done with his errands (including gassing up the truck!), he swung in and picked me up. Then we headed for home. Not a bad day’s outing.
B wasn’t quite done for the day. I asked him if he could somehow reinforce the goose cage, as I didn’t want rain/snow/sleet pelting in through the chicken wire on the east side. B put up a big sheet of plastic and stapled it in place. The critters and their shavings would now stay dry. In the meantime, I once again pulled up the grill cover and tried my best to secure it, knowing we were in for high winds.
Wednesday mostly consisted of doing as much “storm prep” as I could. I also did another load of laundry. Anyway, I worked pretty darn hard and tried to think of ways to make the storm day easier on myself. After all, we could get 18 inches of heavy, wet, snow, as in a Nor’easter, and with gale force winds expected.
Not to be disappointed, Wednesday evening was very windy and it did start snowing as predicted. Thursday morning we had a good 6 inches of snow and it was windy and at times, pelting sleet. Lots of fun. Knowing I was not going to be able to shovel heavy, wet snow in the pen, B came out with me and we both did some shoveling in the pen. I worked on a path, he shoveled in front of the chicken coop door and the goose cage door. What a racket they were all making! This was 6:30 a.m. by the way. Here is a picture of Midge and Marge trying out a path. I know they are white against white snow but that is the way it goes! The problem with Pekin ducks is they are very low to the ground.
Anyway, after that, I did my best to go out and do some shoveling in the pen every 2-3 hours. B hadn’t yet been to bed, so he tried to take a nap, but he had a delivery that needed to go out UPS. After a while, Justin pinged him that he was in the area. We didn’t want UPS trudging through the snow, as it was now really accumulating.
B also went up on the roof to clean off the panels and he cleaned off the lower panels too. He also ran the generator for a few hours to beef up our power. After all, no sun on Thursday! We were busy all day with snow removal. Remember, we are awaiting yet more parts to fix the snowblower.
So, when B went out to go meet the UPS driver, he soon realized he needed to take the big tractor! Yep. That much snow; about a foot by then. B didn’t trust my car or the new truck (with its SUMMER tires) to not get stuck. That led to as much snow removal as he could do with the tractor and bucket. Anything would be a help and it would break a path down our driveway for safety reasons as well. Luckily, our dirt road was plowed when B left to meet the driver. We can’t use the snowblower tractor because we are still waiting for a snowblower part, so we are doing just minimal snow removal with the big tractor and bucket, which B says likes to dig in to the soft dirt under the snow. He didn’t want to take the big tractor onto the salty road to our mailbox, so he took the car down there and just drove back and forth over the snow to flatten it out so our mail can be delivered. Late season strategy! By the time we get our snowblower part, surely winter and snow will be over.
Needless to say, I am pooped today. Plus I had to face the critter pen alone. B needed some sleep! But it wasn’t bad, as it was now raining a bit and still snow showers at times, but not enough to make much difference. I dug out the doors and opened them up. Everyone was disappointed that it was still snow and winter. Where did spring go???
Luckily, today I have not had to go out every 2-3 hours for snow removal. I have been out several times to fill their feeders and fill up their water but I haven’t done much in the way of shoveling.
I am leaving you with a few pictures. The first is a picture of the snow curling around our front door.
And a picture of the pond which was ice free at the beginning of the week.
Here’s a picture of the path today with a few critters on it. I have to say, the chickens have been good sports!
And, finally, Freddy wants to say “hi”. He follows me around like a puppy dog and was very interested in my camera!
Just how much snow did we get? I am estimating around 15 inches. The snow from the previous spring storm was all but completely gone. That helped.
This crazy spring weather just will not go away! We still have snow in the woods, but the pen is finally rid of it. And could there be more on the way????
Hello Folks,
Happy Easter, for those of you who celebrate. We are having our Easter dinner later today. I am starting this blog at 1:00 p.m. The pasta salad is made and chillin’ and has been made since Friday. The deviled eggs are made and also chilling and the parsnips are peeled and cut up and waiting to be steamed. The rolls are in the microwave thawing out (not homemade, sorry to say), and the ham is also waiting to go into the oven. I made a glaze for the last 15 minutes of baking the ham. Unfortunately, I read two different recipes about baking the ham and, although they agreed on the oven temperature, 325, they did not agree on how long to bake and what the internal temperature should be. Grrr. Like all hams today, ours is precooked, so I guess I can’t go wrong if I err on the side of caution. We are not having company for dinner, so I can relax about that.
I do seem to have lots of issues with cooking meat. When growing up, my mother always over-cooked the meat because my father was a fanatic about cooking meat so we didn’t get any illnesses from it. I suppose when he was a youngster there was a real possibility of undercooking meat and getting ill. Frankly, I think that the possibility of improper canning and botulism would have been a larger issue.
Then there is B, who always says (rightfully so), it is much better to undercook the meat and then you can reheat it rather than overcooking meat, which you can’t rectify. Makes sense. Anway, we have a 10 pound boneless ham smoked locally, so I don’t want to botch that up for obvious reasons, as well as considering the price of it. I always splurge on Christmas and Easter meat, since we now raise our own turkeys. That helps to balance things out!
Anyway, that is where we stand right now at 1:00 p.m. regarding Easter dinner. Here is a picture of the deviled eggs. By the way, they were a “devil” to peel as always. Although I have found that steaming the eggs and then rushing them into a big pan of ice water for 5-10 minutes helps a lot with the peeling.
And while I am talking about cooking meat, I will also mention (I may have said this in a previous blog) that our regular UPS driver, Justin, brought us a bag full of venison recently. So this week we had venison tenderloin. Again, I was leery of cooking it, as it was a wonderful looking piece of meat, but the butcher had made it into rather thin slices. I have no idea why. Anyway, I still marinated it although I probably didn’t need to, as it was tenderloin. But I did because I like the flavor that marinades give meat.
I sure was a nervous Nellie cooking that meat on the stove top in a cast-iron pan. However, B said I did just right and we had what I call mini-steaks for dinner for two nights. There were additional, even smaller pieces left so I made tacos with the leftovers. That means, no waste! B frowns when I make tacos with any kind of tenderloin but to me, it just makes sense. Having said that, B had several leftover small pieces warmed up whole, and the rest I cut up into bite sized pieces and warmed up for the tacos. I hope that makes sense! The tacos were delicious!
So, that has been my most recent cooking tales. For a week or two, I couldn’t seem to make anything come out the way I wanted it to, but I seemed to have made some progress. Let’s hope I don’t overcook the ham! We want juicy ham, after all.
Moving on to the leftover snow from a week ago Saturday, when we were scheduled to have B’s mom’s memorial. All week the snow was around here. I had a heck of a time walking in the pen. My feet kept going in different directions and I was constantly slipping. The critters, however, could walk on it well. I just couldn’t get my bearings. It was so bad that we decided to invest in an corded electric (or perhaps battery-operated) shovel for me to use in the pen next year. Both B and I did some shoveling in the pen, but it was still difficult to walk on. Finally yesterday most of the snow and ice in the pen melted. Now I am back to walking in mud!
As I write this blog, the upstairs is nice and warm due to the wood stove running and the sun, by spells, shining in the windows. Beside my chair is Miss Houdini in her plastic bin. She has been off her food this week and I don’t know why. However, once I came up here and sat down, she started eating. I have been putting her outside for a few hours the last couple of days, but I gave her a respite today, mainly because I am too tired to bother. She seems content enough. I am trying to get her “hardened” off by being outside for a few hours a day most days and most of the time she is willing to go outside. Yesterday was pretty breezy and she didn’t care for that at all. Anyway, she seems quite content right now.
Yesterday, Saturday, was the service for B’s mom. The church that the family attended when B was growing up was in the next town over. The inside of the brick church is lovely. Perhaps because the sun was shining, the crisp white trim on the walls and ceilings made the pale blue walls really stand out. It was a lovely memorial with a lot of nice people speaking and attending. Afterwards, the church put on a light lunch downstairs. This gave the family a chance to chat with the folks attending. In any case, it was a nice send-off. However, I think the entire family is exhausted and most of us are resting today.
And, finally, more snow/rain is headed our way for mid-week, if you can believe it! NOAA is calling it a “significant” coastal storm. We are all hoping for a lot more rain and a lot less snow this time. B is awaiting yet more parts for the snow blower, as he ended up with only half an auger, or some such thing, to blow with by the time he was done last week. We may be truly snowbound for a few days up here on the hill.
So, with that, I am closing today’s blog. It is now 2:00 p.m. and time for me to see about getting the oven set for the ham. I’ll let B sleep a bit longer. Like most people who go through a memorial for a parent, especially the last parent, B was very keyed up last night. He was still up at 6:30 this morning and was kind enough to let the screeching critters out of their pens and fill their water tubs for me. All I had to do was top off their food, clean off the shelves in the coop and, of course, hand out treats. I was out in the pen a little while ago and I swear, Freddy was trying to get in my lap when I sat down to catch my breath for a few minutes. I am convinced he thinks I am a giant female goose!
Wow! Do we ever have SNOW!!! Something like nearly 30 inches of snow fell late Friday night and most all day yesterday. The sun is out today and the glare from the sun on the snow is really an issue. What a week!
Hello Folks,
Monday started the week off right with my birthday. I received lots of nice cards, emails, texts and calls. Thank you all. However, B was in the throes of helping plan his mother’s funeral for Saturday with his sister, so things were a bit subdued.
I corned my own brisket and I put it in the slow cooker Monday. I added our own canned potatoes late into the day, as well as our home canned carrots. My recipe said to cut up an onion in quarters and lay the beef on it, so that is what I did. I cooked cabbage too, but I did that on the stove top with some of the juice from the slow cooker. Also, I tried making soda bread again. Not much better than the first time. That recipe is kaput!
This could have been just me, but I wasn’t crazy about my home “corned” beef this time. I thought the meat was very stringy, but B said it was great. We had it Monday and Tuesday nights for supper. I ground up the rest of the meat one morning and tomorrow we are finally having corned beef hash. I will cook some of our home canned potatoes and then mix that with the corned beef. I am hoping we will enjoy it, as we have a good amount of the meat left.
I never did get around to make a cake but it is still in the works! So, there was no birthday cake. However, we did have a homemade pecan pie on Tuesday! It seems that a friend of Dr John’s, Mark, comes up to visit Dr John and family weekly after his retirement. Mark is an avid baker and brings up sweets for them regularly. He also helps Dr John’s youngest son, Christian, with his math lessons, as Christian is home-schooled.
Anyway, a couple of years ago on my birthday, Dr John came over and brought Mark with him along with a pecan pie. I exclaimed that not only was that my favorite pie (it is) but it was also on my birthday! Well, this nice guy apparently kept track of that information and sure enough on Tuesday when he came up to visit/teach at Dr John’s he brought me a pecan pie! Dr John delivered it right before dinner Tuesday evening. What a lovely surprise! So, we have been enjoying pecan pie all week.
Thursday, I had an outing with my friends Missy and Joan. We finally met up after having to cancel our lunch appointment twice due to the fact that I’d had a cold and then Missy came down with a cold. Anyway, we met up and had a lovely lunch/visit. I managed to stop on my way to New London for a few groceries at Market Basket, and I wasn’t late for our lunch either. On the way home I stopped for gasoline and at Hannaford to round out the week’s grocery shopping.
Friday, B was busy with his sister and nieces, as they were going through photo albums at the family home and making collages for the funeral or memorial service Saturday. I went to buy food supplies for my critters. We all met up for dinner Friday evening and had a good time reminiscing and chatting. No cooking Friday night for me!
Well, although we knew a substantial snowstorm was possible, we had no idea just how huge it would be. As predicted, it started late Friday evening. When I got up at 6:30 Saturday morning it was coming down like a house on fire. B was a tad bit late getting to bed and warned me that I “would not like what I saw when I got up”. He wasn’t wrong.
I did my best to clean up the pen for the critters but I was soon overwhelmed by it. I was lugging water from the house and it was a job. At that point, we had about a foot of snow. Here is a picture of my car. I brushed off a corner of it so you could see how much we had. Mind you, this was about 7:00 a.m., with the entire day and evening yet to come with more snowfall.
Anyway, as the morning progressed, the snow continued to fall and in a steady pattern. By 11:30, I got B up, as I was wondering if we could even get out to go to the funeral. After a quick call to his sister, they decided to postpone it a week. How does one postpone a funeral, you ask??? Well, it was, luckily, more of a memorial service at the local church and thus, no casket was involved. Anyway, they each made some calls and by noon, the funeral was postponed. It was pretty much agreed upon that very few, if any, people other than us would be able to get out to attend the funeral.
I will say that it was a LOOONG afternoon. At one point, we had some rain, but it was mostly snow all day long. The snow on the deck had been a foot or so deep when it started raining. By the time it was done raining and had turned back to snow, it was down to a couple inches in depth. We thought that was about it, but we were later surprised by plenty more snow. B decided to put off going down to his mother’s for the JD tractor and snowblower until around midnight when it finally stopped snowing for good. He said it would also be colder by then; better for snowblowing.
We were also getting low on power/energy, so B set the generator to ON. Nothing. Then the ominous red light came on, meaning an error. No way was B trudging out to look at the error code on the generator. So he put about a gallon of gasoline in the back up generator and ran that for an hour or so. In the course of doing this, he realized that a fuse for the auto-generator was likely the culprit of the red light. This summer we are fixing the fuse issue so this doesn’t continue to be a problem. Anyway, it continued to snow heavily throughout all this. When B went to the barn to get the gas, he said the snow depth was back up to 13″, getting close to the tops of his Mucks boots.
Anyway, B beefed up the batteries and we were in business. We watched two old black and white movies. One was with Richard Widmark and Sidney Portier, and was entitled, THE BEDFORD INCIDENT, which we both liked. We also watched a WWII movie, TWELVE O’CLOCK HIGH, as we are suckers for WWII movies. Both of these were “free” on YouTube. I think B went for a 3rd movie, but I went to bed. Then he went to snowblow. He said the snow depth was well over the tops of his Mucks and up to his knees by then, so about 20″.
He tried to take the F250 down to get the snowblower tractor, but it wouldn’t move at all, even in 4WD and with 1500 pounds of weight in the bed. He said the factory tires were not great; more like “summer” tires. In the end, he had to take the big Kubota tractor to drive down to get the JD tractor! That’s how much snow we have. B had some issues with the JD tractor/snowblower too. Remember, the tractor and snowblower that he had completely rebuilt last summer? Well, it looks like he will be ordering more parts come Monday. Sigh.
Here is a short video B made while snowblowing.
So, in the long run, he spent 2-3 hours at his family home and 4 hours blowing up here! A long night! He said it was slow going, due to the depth of the snow and a couple issues with the snowblower. I was up around 6:00 a.m., at first light, and he was still working in our back yard at that time. I got dressed and happened to look out at Mt. Ascutney to our west and saw the moon just peaking the mountain or so it seemed. Here’s a picture I took through our glass storm window and screen door. No way was I going to try opening this door onto our upstairs deck!
Finally, B decided he had to climb the ladder to the roof of our house to shovel off the solar panels. Lucky for me, I was already outside and had my camera with me. Here is B on the roof shoveling. I took this shot just about 7:00 a.m. Note the beautiful clear blue sky! The sun was just starting to come up. Due this being near the Equinox, the sun now rises directly east and sets directly west.
After that, we came in and I fixed B some eggs for his breakfast. He earned it. After that he nodded off. He needed that too.
And finally, I am leaving you with a picture that says it all! I took this last week, again through a window, of Ethel my goose, not having such a great day. So, if you wake up and have a bad day, just think of Ethel. At least you probably aren’t stuck in a pail of water with your mate walking on you and having your buddies pulling your hair. I hope you all laugh and laugh because I did! By the way, Ethel is fine!
Well, it is time to do a massive load of dishes, as I never got them done yesterday. We are having asparagus soup for supper. Plus, Freddy is hollering because it is about lettuce time. Sigh.
The Clampetts 
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