Into the Quiet

I've been out rambling the past few days, driving and hiking all over these mountains, seeing what Spring has to offer and taking photographs. Rambling with my dogs, with no set destination in mind, is my favorite thing to do. In the Spring and Autumn, everything else comes second.

But rambling is made all the sweeter because I know I have the quiet haven of my cottage to come back to. I'm so grateful for the space and quiet I have, because space and quiet are very much in short supply in Southern California, even in the mountains.

I can hear, quite clearly, the voice of the creek because I have all of the windows open. (Well, this time of year I can hear it even with the windows closed, swollen as it is with snow melt). Even though it's after 8 p.m. it is 51 degrees F outside! That's pretty warm for an early May evening, but the cats begged me to make a fire in at least one of the fireplaces, so I made one in the living room, which necessitated opening the windows. The warmth from the fire is tempered by a breeze dancing her way through my cottage every now and then, bringing with her a gift of cool air scented with damp earth, water, the sharp resin of pine and the sweetness of apple blossom.

Going into the quiet, being so still that sometimes I feel I've almost disappeared into it...that's another favorite thing of mine.

Sunday Sunsets

I have a gazillion photos of sunsets, so I thought I'd start posting one every Sunday. 

Spring is still being very moody, warm one day, freezing temperatures and snow the next.  Spring has always been capricious, but this one has been more than that, it has been absolutely crazy.   So I've been kept busy covering cold tender plants, then uncovering them, then covering them again, and so on...

Weather is crazy, the animals are behaving badly and people are acting like they're insane.  (More about insane people in a later post).

I think the line from Bob Dylan's 'Things Have Changed' sums it up perfectly: "People are crazy and times are strange."

The Vagaries of Spring

It felt more like Summer than Spring here today; our temperature high was 70 degrees F!  Definitely not normal for late April.  

I was so tempted to pick up some annuals and plant them, but I managed to resist.  I remembered when, three years ago, I spent nearly $100.00 on annuals that I bought in a moment of madness in early April while visiting a nursery down the hill (6,000 feet lower in elevation and 30 degrees F warmer) with my sister.  Two weeks later they all died when the temperature dropped to 25 degrees F.  Sadder but wiser, now I wait.  

Before Global Warming really kicked in, I always waited until May 30th to plant anything.  The seasonal changes were more reliable than they are now and anyone who had lived here for a while knew that to plant before May 30th was just asking for disaster.  Now, I plant during mid-May and hope for the best.  And if I've guessed wrong and Nature plays her tricks, I watch enviously while the gardens of the gardeners who planted in April (and got lucky) bloom way ahead of mine.  Oh, well.

 I did pot up some pansies today that I bought down the hill last week and 'hardened off' by putting them outside for the warmest hours of the day, then bringing them inside for the night. 

Now the temperature has dropped to a chilly 39 degrees F and a cold little wind has picked up, so I've made a fire in the living room fireplace, and I'm going to have a mug of hot tea along with the peanut butter cookies I just baked.  The cats are asleep in front of the fire but the dogs are waiting not-so-patiently for the cookies they know I'll share with them. I just wish my Great Dane wouldn't drool...

In Praise of Eccentricity

While out driving around with a friend, I passed this sign. I thought it was charmingly eccentric, my friend didn't care for it. (Not the sign itself. She just doesn't like any sort of yard decoration).

I've always been drawn to eccentric people. I find them, usually, more interesting than people who are strictly conventional. But that is not to say that I don't know or like any interesting, conventional people, I do.

Most of the women in my family, and extended family, could be called 'eccentric' and they would take it as a compliment. I think it takes a certain amount of courage to be eccentric, especially if you're a woman, even in current times. Of course, in times not too far past, it was risky, even life-threatening, for either gender to be anything other than exactly like their neighbors. I'm so glad I don't live in times like those; I'm not sure I would have survived!

Beautiful Birds

A female Black Headed Grosbeak and a couple House Finches.

Another female BH Grosbeak.  This picture is blurry, but you can see a bit of the beautiful gold that's on the underside of their wings. 

A handsome male BH Grosbeak displaying his gorgeous coloring. 

A male BH Grosbeak, a Purple Finch, and the back of a House Finch.  They're all a bit out of focus, but the bird feeder kept swinging back and forth. 

January in April

It snowed all of yesterday and all through the night.  The snow started out as typical spring snow; heavy, wet, exactly like the kind we had on April 5th.  Then, around 10 p.m., the temperature dropped dramatically and we were getting the kind of snow we usually get in January.   Our low last night was 21 degrees F!  It didn't knock any of the blossoms off of my Rainer Cherry tree, and the apple trees haven't put out their blossoms yet, thank goodness.  It's not unusual to get snow in April.  Up until the mid-eighties it was a regular occurance.  But it is unusual for it to be so very cold!

This male Black Headed Grosbeak is standing on top of the snow that's left on one of the bird feeders and, to my eyes anyway, he looks a bit indignant.  The Grosbeaks usually don't show up until cold weather is over.  He was probably confused by the hot-cold-warm-hot-cool-hot-cold completely crazy weather we've been having lately.  I know I am! 

We have four Grosbeaks visiting our feeders, two males and two females, so I hope we'll be seeing lots of Grosbeak babies in several weeks, along with lots of the babies of all the other species of birds that visit our feeders.

Wordless Wednesday - Renewal

Spring Fluctuations

"Oh, NO!  Not this cold stuff again!"  I wonder if that is what this little squirrel is thinking. 

Personally, I'm very glad to see the 'white stuff' even though it turned to heavy rain later on in the day.  Rain, snow...it's all good! 

Our high today was 30 degrees F.  Tomorrow it's supposed to get up to 55 degrees.  That's normal Spring weather up here.  We have a saying (similar to many other places, I'm sure) "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes!"

A Little Kind of Day

A little sun, a little sleet, a little rain, a little fog, a little wind, a little earthquake...

Well, actually, the earthquake wasn't so little. It was a 7.2, but it was centered in Mexicali, a town just below the California/Mexico border. I was standing at the dining room table, clearing the dishes, when I thought I was having a dizzy spell...then the light that hangs over the center of the table tapped me gently on my head and I looked around to see other things swaying and shaking. As earthquakes go, it wasn't much of a big deal up here. I hope and pray the people and animals who are closer to the epicenter are all right. And, oddly, it was felt as far north as Santa Barbara, about 200 miles from here.

The strongest one I can remember was the Landers/Big Bear quake in 1992. It's magnitude was 8.0 and the epicenter of the Big Bear portion was just a few miles from me. It damaged the foundation of my little cottage, separated the third floor staircase from the wall, knocked things off walls, and knocked everything out of my kitchen cabinets. Well, the cabinets that faced north and south. The doors on the cabinets that face east and west didn't even open! I guess it all depends which fault line the earthquake is on. After I had that damage repaired, I had the cottage retro-fitted for earthquakes, which basically means they bolt the house to the foundation. It's supposed to make it earthquake "proof." I sure hope so...I live just a few miles from the San Andreas fault, one of the biggest in California. It's funny...I have a healthy respect for earthquakes, but they don't really scare me. Good thing, since we have so many here!

Who Are You?

I thought my feeders were being visited by a new species of bird, but then I looked up "House Finches" in my Audubon book.  According to it, the yellow and orange ones are immature males and will become more red as they get older.  I've been feeding birds for years, but this is the first time I've ever seen the yellow and orange ones.  I guess I'm not as observant as I thought... 


I wish they'd stay yellow and orange, I think they're gorgeous!

March Moon

I've been taking advantage of the energy surge that the waxing moon usually provides for me by cleaning out winter's debris from the garden.  It's a good thing I got this picture earlier, as She is completely obscured by clouds now. 

It has been quite nice for the past several days with temperatures in the low 60's F, but snow is predicted for tonight and tomorrow.   It will be welcome; even though we've had what seems like a lot of rain and snow this past winter, what we've gotten so far hasn't been enough to end our drought. 

10:32 A.M.

That's when Spring officially arrived in California.  Not that it looks anything like Spring up here.  The header photo and the photo above were taken around the end of last April.  But, since it is officially Spring/Ostara, I felt like making my blog look like it, even though I'm glad it doesn't look like Spring outside. 

The ground is still mostly covered with a thin layer of snow.  A lot of it has melted due to the unseasonably warm weather we've had for the past few days.  I suppose it will all be gone in another week. 

But, I'm not really ready to let go of Winter.  It used to last a good 6 or 7 months up here.  Now we're lucky to get 4 months.  Spring doesn't last as long as it used to, either.  In this time of hateful climate change, Summer is the longest season.  I suppose most people like that, especially here in California, but I am not a fan of hot, dry weather.  Hopefully, we'll get at least one more snow storm and some good rain storms in April and May.  Then it's goodbye rain until November, unless some of Arizona's monsoon rains in July and August get pushed West.

Anyway, happy Spring/Ostara!

Little Gems

This is one of my favorite lakes up here, Lake Gregory in Crestline.  It isn't the largest, but I think it's one of the prettiest.  Most of the lakes up here have very little accessible shoreline, due to the stacks of docks and mega docks that cram their shores.  Lake Gregory only has one small dock, I think they use it to rent canoes or rowboats during the summer tourist season.  Motorboats are prohibited.  It doesn't have any houses close to the shoreline and it has a lovely walking path.  One can walk around the whole lake in under an hour if walking briskly.  If you stop to take photos or look at interesting trees, rocks, birds, leaves...well, you get the idea.  It can take all day!  And it's a lovely way to spend a day in the Spring, Fall or Winter.  I avoid walking around it in the summer, usually, as it's just too hot and crowded. 

Lucky

I've been seeing this guy for a several weeks now, but I never had my camera bag with me.  When I did have my camera bag with me, I would never see him.  But, last Thursday afternoon when I went out for a walk, I took it with me and I got lucky!  I was about 80 yards away when I spotted him.  I didn't want to waste time trying to get closer because I was afraid he'd fly away.  I grabbed my Canon Digital Power Shot SX10IS, not my DSLR, because I didn't want to waste time changing lenses.   I just kept zooming in (the camera has a 20x zoom lens) and snapping pictures.  I only wish I would have had my tripod with me because this camera just won't take a clear picture at full extension without it.  But, hey, I'm happy with what I got, especially the last one.  He had obligingly moved to another branch so I could get a different view of him.  The cloud bank, which was just cresting the ridge when I started shooting, was starting to drop down into my valley and I was lucky to get the last shot before he was obscured completely.

Mute

'Woman Reading in a Garden'  by Mary Cassatt

I haven't been reading in my garden because I'd likely freeze, since it's covered by several feet of snow.  But, reading is almost the only thing I've been doing lately.  Re-reading old favorites and whittling down my to-be-read stack.  I'm in that period of winter where my mind is, mostly, unable to formulate anything worth saying.  The silence that mutes the sounds of nature outside my windows is somehow contagious and I find it far easier to read the words of others than to utter any of my own.    

Songs

This afternoon beautiful rain-laden clouds started gathering above the mountains where I live.  We are to have rain first, then snow.  By dusk the clouds had closed ranks and the sky was a solid tapestry of various beautiful grays.  Accompanied by the music of a cold wind from the north singing in the tall pines, I put out food for all the various wildings I feed and made sure the bedding in the feral cats' houses was clean and dry. 

Now, after feeding those of us who live inside, I listen to the north wind serenade me with its chilly voice while sitting beside a warming fire of oak and pine.  Drinking a cup of hot chocolate topped by an indecent amount of whipped cream, I listen more intently; underneath the music of the wind, I can hear the murmuring of the creek.  It hasn't (oddly) frozen solid yet, but its voice is the slow, muted speech of one nearly asleep. Cats, dogs and husband are asleep.  Wind, creek, and fire song weave together to form a deep peace that wraps around me like a thick, soft blanket.

And, ahhh, here comes the rain...

Wordless Wednesday - Color

Great Backyard Bird Count, 2010

Somehow, I don't think this was quite what they had in mind.  This is Jackie, one of our little ferals, desperately trying to convince the birds to "come closer, come visit me, I won't hurt you!  Honest...trust me."  I know she's not hungry, because she just ate two cans of Fancy Feast that I put out for her. 

I think the Chickadee is saying, "You think we're dumb?  We didn't just pop out of the egg yesterday, you know!"

Wordless Wednesday - Star

Miss Birdie?

I hope this little birdie enjoys the sunshine while she can.  It was beautiful here today, but tomorrow we're supposed to get another 10 to 15 inches of snow.  The snow has melted off the trees, but we still have several feet on the ground.  All of our lakes up here are  full to overflowing, which is so wonderful!  Last Autumn they were down by 5 to 6 feet, and looking rather sad.  

Hopefully, I'll be inspired soon to write about something besides the weather.  If my mind were a sailboat, I'd say it's becalmed, wrapped in thick layers of fog, not a ripple to indicate any activity.  This usually happens to me around this time of year, I don't know why.  My grandmothers and mother would say I need a tonic, but right now I can't even remember what that tonic would be.  I'll have to go have a look in the books they left me...as soon as I can persuade my body, which feels as sluggish as my mind, to move.  

I wonder what Miss Birdie (one of the characters in Vicki Lane's excellent books; visit her blog, the link is on my sidebar) would recommend?  

Wordless Wednesday - Solitude

Balance

A friend said in response to my previous post that she was seeing Brighid's Day celebrated all over the Internet. It makes me happy to think of all of us lighting our Imbolc fires, whether by using candles or fireplaces, celebrating and honoring the feminine side of deity. For far too long She has been ignored in favor of He. I believe there must be a balance.

I wonder, though, how many women feel free to honor the feminine side of deity openly? In the particular area of California that I live in, I would doubt that there are any. Here, the scales are heavily weighted in favor of Christian fundamentalists. For some reason, these mountains seem to attract them as much as it attracts people like myself, people who are more spiritual than religious.

What particularly confuses me is that some of these Christian fundamentalists are so willing to commit violence in the name of Jesus. I, and friends of mine, have had statues of faeries that were in our yards smashed to bits. Left on top of the smashed bits is always a card that reads 'Jesus loves you.' What??

So, I will continue to honor the Sacred Feminine in secret and look forward to a day, hopefully occurring in my lifetime, when I can do so openly. A day when some people won't be threatened or outraged by balance.

Mixtures

My little fire of apple branches (pruned from my trees) burns merrily in honor of the Goddess Brighid's Day, or Saint Brigid's Day if you're Catholic. Brighid had an apple orchard, so I burn apple branches to honor her.

I also make Oat bread to honor Saint Brigid. I put a piece of it, along with a bit of butter, on an outside windowsill for her. Tomorrow my family and I will eat the rest.

Strange? Well, not really, if you consider my grandmothers. My maternal grandmother was born in Northern Italy, then moved to Sicily when she was a teen, and then to America. But her great-grandmother told her how the family originally lived in Ireland, then moved to the Brittany region of France, then Italy, over the course of hundreds of years. So my maternal grandmother was a Celtic/Strega/Catholic. My paternal grandmother was Cherokee.  The traditions of their ancestresses and ancestors were extremely important to both of them.

So I was raised Catholic, with all the various religious and spiritual beliefs of my grandmothers (and Oglala Sioux grandfather) mixed in with that. Perhaps a strange mixture to some, but not to me.

Anyway, happy Brighid's Day or Saint Brigid's Day!