42. Sights, sounds and cabinets.

 Looking out our new big kitchen window we are watching a pair of quail eating on the freshly mowed  upper meadow.  The quail love it when Bob cuts the weeds.  It must stir up seeds or at least make them more accessible. We have California Quail in our canyon.  They are so sweet to watch when they pair off.  Their little topknots bounce as they dash to the next shelter.  Soon we will be seeing them followed by ten to twelve little puff balls.  With luck one or two will survive.  The members of the coveys try hard to protect each other.  Usually one male will place himself on a bush or something higher than the group as the lookout.  They do not mate for life like the dove.  Their coveys are communal and females can have more than one clutch of eggs and not necessarily the same father.  Little hussies!  But everyone pitches in to help raise all the babies.  When they are startled their quick short flight sounds like an animal noise, a muffled roar.  It can startle you if you're walking and don't see them, especially if it is getting toward evening.  Bud and Preston high-tailed it home one evening when they heard it thinking it was a bobcat or some other unwelcome animal.

Mike installed the kitchen cabinets yesterday and Pat filled all the nail holes in the door jams. We probably won't have the doors for a while, but that's OK, we can still put the kitchen back in order.  I won't have to play archaeologist/mountain climber to find things.  It is just amazing how much larger the kitchen and living room look now.  The rooms will certainly be easier to keep clean, especially with double paned windows.  With so many more cabinets I should be able to keep the clutter to a minimum.  No unrealistic promises, just hopeful thinking.  The breakfast bar will certainly be nice, especially when we have company.  I love to talk to people while I cook and this will be perfect.  I spotted great bar stools for $70. on overstock.com .  The shipping is only $2.99 no matter what you order.  That's not a special deal, that's all the time.  It's usually the shipping that keeps me from ordering things on line or by catalog.  Those infomercials really charge hideous amounts for shipping (sometimes as much as $15 and they make you pay S/H for your "free" item.  That keeps me from ever ordering from them.  Besides, they have those "As seen on T.V." stores now.  So, Pssstttthhh to them.

I'm hoping that Mike tiles the cabinet that has the sink in it today.  That way he can install the sink tomorrow.  Bob's been doing the dishes in the bathroom.  It's OK, I'm just anxious and excited. He's anxious to be done, I'm sure.  The floor in the kitchen and new dining room will be Pergo wood flooring.  We had wood floors in the last house we lived in and they were wonderful.  We still have to pinch ourselves at our good fortune.  I won't say that I've never won anything again.  I feel like have been crowned Queen For A Day!

We are headed for town again today.  I have my dermatologist appointment this morning and Bob goes to physical therapy again. He said that they really gave him a workout yesterday.  I have a lovely new perm.  We both just love the little gal who is my stylist.  She makes you feel good all over just to spend time with her.  There are always big kisses and hugs for both of us.  True disappointment clouds her face when Bob doesn't at least show up to take me home.  Kila is reed thin and the perfect recipient for extra candy from Switzerland.  I always tip but not as much as I would like, so the candy make me feel better.

I hear voices in the living room, so unless Bob is talking to himself and answering, too, our work force has arrived.  I must go greet them and then I need put on a little makeup so I don't frighten little children when we go to town.

41. The Hub-bub About Wasp Spray!

Well, I woke up at 5:00 again thinking about the wasp spray.  I have been reading several things about the use of the product for anything but insects.  This is all very interesting.  I'll post my findings and you can read all the details for yourself, if you are interested.  Keeping in mind that animals aren't usually going to obtain an attorney, I  have decided to opt for pepper spray that has a range of 8 to 20 feet.  (I had no idea there was such a product.)  It came under the heading of Bear Spray.  It is interesting to me that pepper spray is legal in most states.

It turns out that the wasp spray probably would only surprise the animal (which was kind of my idea.) I've sprayed an errant burst of hair spay in my eyes and that certainly surprised me.  I've never been in a situation with a human that required self-defense and I'm very thankful for that.  Although, I must admit after taking a short police self-defense class years ago in Pomona, I carry my keys between my fingers of my right hand and I wouldn't hesitate to try to put somebody's eye out with them.  I'm sure I'll get a response from that, so I'm not recommending that it's something you should do.  That's just me.  I'm willing to take my chances on that one.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/waspspray.asp
 

I should have checked my recommendations a little closer, which I will do in the future.  I'm kind of a "by the seat of the pants person" but that is no excuse.  So, Anonymous, I have removed the line from the blog. In some states it is illegal to use wasp spray for anything but wasps. I guess it says that in the fine print on the can.  (I keep a magnifying glass in each room because the fine print on LOTS of things is way too fine for me)  Now we know.  Other links are listed below and there are certainly more links than I have listed.  It's so cool to me that you can type in "wasp spray as a deterrent" and get a list of links. 

On that note, our friends, Polly and Phil, have a  1957 Buick Caballero Estate Wagon ( it is sooo sweet and memory filled) and after registering it for all of these years, (they bought it just before they got married and took it on their honeymoon) the D.M.V. decided that their vin number was incorrect.  Now, keep in mind the vin number could be in lots of places on the chassis and a 1957 Buick is really big.  So Polly went to the "search" box and requested "location of vin number/1957 Buick."  Back came the exact location! As obscure as the question might be, someone has posted an answer!

 http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/crime/a/wasp_spray.htm
http://www.survivaltopics.com/forums/self-defense/5992-wasp-spray-5.html

So, students, class is dismissed.  I hope we have all learned a valuable lesson or two or three.  I have learned that you can learn something new everyday, all you have to do is remember to pay attention.  As Bob would, say "Oh, Dear God."

Someone left a comment not to use wasp spray that it doesn't work in the way I described.  Well, there you go, you can't believe everything you hear.  Duly noted.  It sounded better than a whistle or  stick.  Maybe I'll never have to find out.  Thank you, Anonymous.

40. To Brownie or Not to Brownie!

I'm making a huge vat of Weight Watcher's vegetable soup today.  I'm still battling the last 1/2 pound to 25 pounds.  I'm having substance abuse issues, but my substance is food.  I have given up my glass of wine before dinner, I have given up milk except when I fix tacos (there are laws on the books about that) and I'm even choosy what samples I eat at Costco. I still take them but they go to Bob (who doesn't need them either, heavy sigh) or take them out to Maggie.  But dang it I love telling myself, "It just isn't fair!"  I've never been good at "Paying the Piper."  At any rate, I put the twist board in the middle of the bedroom so as not to miss it.  We'll see how that works.  I do realize that just staring at it brings no results.

Bob's knee is still swollen too much to walk and I don't like to walk alone even with Maggie.  We do have mountain lions on occasion and I'm out of wasp spray.  Thanks to the internet, I have learned that wasp spray, which I actually use for wasps, is also good for other predators.  If you have never used wasp spray, you only give it one or two shakes and then point and press.  The stream goes out probably 15 feet.  That's so you can spray the wasp nest from a distance...a really good thing!  Nothing is happy with a face full of wasp spray. 

I shouldn't be so sure, though.  There was a small business owner whose business was in a really bad area of a large metropolitan city.  He was constantly being robbed by thieves who crawled in through the ceiling via the roof and attic crawl space.  After several months of the same thing, he lined the opening with electric fence wire and plugged in that baby.  The next robber touched the hot wire, lost his footing and fell breaking his back and a leg.  He sued the store owner and won his case.  The law may represent  justice but it is not MORAL.  If you think it is, don't bother hiring a lawyer.

It's still blustery and surprisingly cold.  Weather like this brings a lethargy with desires of afghans and brownies.  Saturday really brought about desires of all things warm and snuggley.  I did manage to fore go the brownies ( I should have just made some and eaten one, because I kept eating "healthy" things to salve the feeling and would have been better off calorie wise just to eat the darned thing) and watched "The Hunch Back of Notre Dame."  I hadn't watched it in a hundred years.  Golly, it was sad!  I watched the 1939 version with Charles Laughton, (he garnered an Oscar for his brilliant performance.)  The 1830 book by Victor Hugo was pivotal in the restoration of the cathedral.  It was in horrible disrepair and used to house cattle and other farm animals.  People had lost all care or concern for the amazing structure.  The story brought about Gothic changes in the architecture of Paris.

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/hunchback/study.html#explanation1

If you have never been to Paris, I recommend saving your pennies and making it happen.  Put it to the top of your "Bucket List!"  Unfortunately,  you can no longer reach out and touch the gargoyles because of the hideous wire fencing they have erected to stop people from committing suicide by jumping from the top.  (we were just approaching the cathedral one fateful visit when a young man jumped and impaled him self on the fence below, but that's another story.)  My theory is when someone wants to end it all, they will.  One way

or another.  We needn't spend the money and spoil the view.  Sad but true.  We are a complicated lot.  I can guarantee that if people ate more brownies and curled up with something snuggley  more often the world would be a better place!

Now let me see...it says to set the oven at 350 degrees, oil and dust an 8 x 8 inch pan with flour, then...

39. Even if You Don't Ask, You Receive.

 This morning when Bob and I were in the hot tub soaking out the kinks at 5:30 this morning, (thank you very little college kid who slammed on his brakes in front of us in October) we were surprised to hear the wood pecker pounding on the telephone pole across the driveway.  We haven't heard him in quite a while.    Woodpeckers find tall poles to use as sounding boards to mark their territory.  I don't know what they used before telephone and electric poles.  Maybe dead trees.  We could watch his silhouette against the sky as he pounded out his message and then raised his head above the pole looking in both directions.  You can hear it loud and clear against the quiet of the early morning.

It makes me wonder about their poor little brains.  Bob tells me that their brains are protected by a special cushioning.  By the magic of the internet, let's us curious people check Wikipedia and see what the great minds have to say on the subject.  Other than Bob's, I mean.  He's usually right and I don't need convincing, but not everyone is familiar with his track record.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picinae
Several adaptations combine to protect the woodpecker's brain from the substantial pounding that the pecking behavior causes: it has a relatively thick skull with relatively spongy bone to cushion the brain; there is very little cerebrospinal fluid in its small subarachnoid space; the bird contracts mandibular muscles just before impact, thus transmitting the impact past the brain and allowing its whole body to help absorb the shock; its relatively small brain is less prone to concussion than other animals'. ^[1]


The muscle control to contract the mandibular muscle with each peck must be amazing as their rat-a-tat-tat is like a jack-hammer in speed.  All that and a relatively small brain, must be autonomic.

After looking at the Wikipedia site and finding it general information, I went to the living room and got our Golden field guide.  We keep it and our binoculars on the window ledge.  On page 199 are illustrations of the most common woodpeckers.  We know our variety has a red head with black and white markings much like the Red Headed Woodpecker, but that particular bird is not common in the Western states.  On closer examination I find the Acorn Woodpecker.  A likely candidate because of the abundance of oak trees in our canyon.  It says in our book that it's call is a series of raucous laughs. Yup!  That's it!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_Woodpecker

Last summer one hapless fellow chose one of our bird feeders in which to save his stash of acorns.  Upon further reading, it turns out they like to create graineries.  He worked hard making a quarter sized hole in the side wall of the little wooden building.  Then he spent days poking acorns inside the beautiful hole.  I'm sure with each additional nut he chuckled with delight at having found such a wonderful storage place.   Soon he decided he had saved enough and went on to other tasks.  In the fall, however, he found retrieving his treasure a much more puzzling task.  We finally had to take pity on him and remove the roof for a much easier access.

We are hopeful that the Universe will return the favor.  We have every confidence it will, maybe not the Acorn Woodpecker, but sometime, somewhere we will need a hand and someone will be forthcoming.  I know because one time I was juggling my wallet and two hot dogs trying to fill two soda cups at Costco,  (God forbid I put something down.)  A gentleman came forward and said, "I'm going to help you, but I must admit it has been entertaining watching you try to go it alone."  See?  I told you.

38. There is More to Life Than Money! Thank Goodness!!

Our weather can't decide whether it wants to be summer or the tail end of what we call winter.  This morning as I look out the window it is overcast and a little blustery.  When Maggie came in her coat was cold.  Well, a little chilly.  People on the east coast love it when we talk about our bad weather.  "Helicopter cams are recording pile ups on the roadways because of a heavy drizzle in the L.A. area.  Drive cautious out there, folks, the roadways are really dangerous this morning!  Stay tuned with your Doppler report keeping you informed up to the minute."  Like we need Doppler reports.  Unless they report earthquakes, we're good with an unobstructed window.  And I say, "Three cheers to that!"  Living here wasn't an accident, folks.  We planned this.  It was about the only thing we planned.  We certainly didn't plan well enough for our retirement. (deep throated chuckle.)

Bob and I have been mostly just blissfully happy meeting basic needs.  We have always called it the "contented cow syndrome."  We've just happily munched our way through life.  Financial planning?  Not so much.  It never really mattered until...the economy tanked and people stopped buying as much art as they used to.  We always thought hard work would get us there.  And it has...to the orthopedic doctor, the chiropractor...poor Bob, he has paid with his body for a life of work in construction. I did read the other day that your blood pressure drops 5 points just from holding hands.  Well, we've got that going for us!  Ah, such is life.  As long as we can go to Costco for lunch or $1 Taco Tuesday occasionally, throw in an occasional movie that we deem "big screen worthy" and we're OK.

Then there is the wonder of NETFLIX!  If you haven't been introduced, allow me!
www.netflix.com

You can have anything you want delivered to your mailbox.  I do mean anything!  From old movies to all things British, PBS specials, television shows, music concerts of all kinds, if someone has put it on CD they have it.  You don't even have to think.  They pop up suggestions based on what you have watched before. You can type in a star's name and up pops everything they have ever been in.  They have single-handedly changed the way we rent  entertainment.  We have the full deal for under $20 a month.  They come 3 at any given time by return mail.  It blows me away that they can get them back to us so fast!  We live so far out that renting in the traditional way was just not feasible.  But, Woo Hoo to Netflix!  I've almost quit buying movies because if I get a hankering to watch a movie again I just go on line and add it to the top of my que.  No late fees so I can keep one for a couple of weeks if I want.  Get this, they actually reduced the monthly fee one time.  Dropped it $1.50 a month.  Ever heard of that?  Right now we are watching the whole series of Ally McBeal.  It is just as good now as it was then.  I'm about ready to watch Bette Davis in "Now Voyager" again.  

 At the end of the movie they stare out the window at the night, Paul Henreid, in that very sexy movie way, lights two cigarettes and gives one to her.(cough)  She looks into his eyes and says, "Let's not ask for the moon, Darling, when we already have the stars."

Very heavy sigh!

37. All About the Crust.

I have had a love affair with cookbooks for as long as I can remember.   I've read them like most women read novels. While I was still at home, my mom loved for me to cook.  Watching me made her very nervous so she usually left the house.  All I had to do was tell her what I wanted to fix and she would see to it that the ingredients were there, just not her.  Funny, huh.  She did manage to teach me how to make a great pie crust.  For that I am forever grateful.  If my waist line would co-operate, I would wrap everything in pie crust!  

Several years ago we lived in Houston, Texas, where some of Bob's relatives lived, while Bob was going to welding school there. That Thanksgiving I volunteered to make the pecan pies for the family dinner. I got all the ingredients and set to the task at hand.  I use the recipe on the molasses bottle.  It's always really good and easy.  Down below the filling recipe was a recipe for "The best possible crust for your pecan pie."  I thought, hmmm.  What the heck, let's try it.  Rule number one:  Never try a new recipe when you are serving company.  Rule number two: Never try a new recipe when you are serving company.  And so on!  The only good part of this story is that even after all these years (1975) we still laugh about it.  As I kneaded the dough, I thought...hmmm...this feels a little tough.  But, on ward ever on ward.  The pies were picture perfect when I took them from the oven.  Another stunning pie crust achievement!  I was so proud! 

We arrived at Bob's cousin's house, pies in hand.  The dinner was wonderful.  We even played some Mexican dominoes.  Texan's love dominoes.  After the last game everyone said, "Let's cut the pies!"  Blushing with pride, I went to the kitchen.  Bob came to help.  I made the first cut. That is, I tried to make the first cut.  When I got to the beautifully fluted edge of the crust, I was completely unable to force the knife through that beautiful flute!  What I initially thought was the glass pan turned out to be the crust!  We snickered, we giggled and then we howled!  Bob helped me chisel out one piece and I proudly carried the first piece into the living room without a plate, holding it with my thumb and fore finger by the point of the slice.  In all my pie making days, I have never seen a tougher crust.  Amid howls of laughter and tears running down our faces, we all attacked the pies with spoons.  Who needs crust among friends.   

This last Thanksgiving I made myself a pumpkin pie without the crust.  Sad, but true, it has come to this.  I love the filling so I was OK with it, but I have to admit there is not much on this earth that tastes as good as my mother's pie crust.   Except maybe her chocolate cake or her homemade noodles or her rice pudding or...