Two deer.......

were wandering the streets last night... the dogs were on high alert and since i hadn't seen them yet, i wondered what was running down the street... was it kids or a dog? i could just hear clattering on the pavement.... as our walk became a 'drag' and the puppies were anxious to sniff everything, it became apparent that whatever it was, must be exciting for the nostrils... on the way back they both stopped at the edge of bonnie jean's garden and pointed in the direction of a particularly dark corner...... and there were the deer... peeking out behind her raised bed... no doubt munching on something tasty....
the weather this morning has taken a turn for the worse... barometric pressure is dropping... rain soon to arrive... and perhaps the last wind storm of the winter season.... woohoo :D

just saw on t.v. a feline kidney transplant.... hmmmm $10,000.00 for the operation... what disturbs me is that they used a cat that was in a shelter... in return for the good kidney, the cat gets to have a home.... something about that, just doesn't strike me as being right.... money talks i guess....

A Taylor's Barograph.....

is in my possession... its a pretty cool machine... unfortunately requires electricity... so maybe only good for winter use... i'm giving it a trial run... and it works!!! went to the Flea Market in Waldport, with Bonnie Jean.... it's always a source of amusement if nothing else... i didn't see anything that perked my interest, and was waiting for ms bonnie jean to finish her puttering around... looked in the 'goodie' case, and there it was... just screaming to come home with me....i'm always a sucker for quirky stuff... next i'd like a wind/gust recorder of some sort.... i remember as a kid, my parents friend had one, was very cool on a windy night... watching to see how high the gusts got... i read somewhere that canadians are notorious weather watchers... i'm right there with them... nothing like a good thunderstorm or snow storm to get the heart rate going :D ..... so i poked in Taylor's Barograph in Google... and up popped one for sale... $145.00... i paid $45.00... i don't feel so bad now....

been on several excursions of late... thought i'd post a couple of the pics....wandered over to Beaver Creek Rd... on the north side of the Alsea river....

i think i'm in spring mode... my 'grass' roots are showing

i'd have like to gotten closer, but there were 'things' in the barn.. generally ppl don't mind you photographing old barns.. but the contents are a different matter... politeness is the best route... in my estimation anyways....

i took other photos but nothing really spoke to me... i kinda like this one...... some sort of watery plant that was doing a gentle dance with the current....

added a new Blog... thanks to my friend Pat.... Idleworm... LOTS of cool info, fun to read ...

I heard....

a flock of canada geese.... in the fog... flying north.... spring is coming...

I saw........

a van... parked across the street... surfboard and owner... sleeping .... well at least until ms dora gave a 'good morning and why are u parked here' woof.... the occupant stirred sat up long enough to observe some old lady with her 2 scruffy dogs.. and down he went ... back to dreaming... perhaps of surf and women.... perhaps thats where that saying in the restaurant world came from... Surf and Turf.... testosterone heaven... LOL....
anyways... seeing the van led me down memory lane... right to wondering how much a van would set me back... i miss my old camper van... shadow and i had a LOT of fun in it... when i met mark, we travelled north america in it.... went 20,000 miles in 3 months.... was a very awesome fun and great learning experience.... perhaps a time machine would be kinda fun... but only for a visit... :D
sooo i was looking in the classifieds... (one NEVER knows ) and lo and behold i found this advertisement hmmmm $59.90 for a van like that?? i wonder if they realize that the ad is wrong!!! but perhaps i should call them and say... i'll pay cash... and get it quick.... seems like a nice van... i'll bet it loves gas ... a LOT......

I saw a bush........

on t.v. this morning....... sometimes a bush needs to be trimmed... shaved as u will....
personally i prefer the bush in the woods... filled with berries, sweet and ripe for the picking...mmmmm huckleberry pie season is coming..... well in a few months :D

Two fat birds........

are sitting on a wire, just above my kitchen window.... all week i've been travelling around and enjoying the early spring feel.... listening to all the different birds in the marshes.... the oregon coast is littered with marshes... it's a wonderful place if your a marsh bird... for now that is..... i'm thinking our 'recession' is a good thing and hopefully the march of building will be curtailed for awhile... a bit of repreave for the animal kingdom.... unfortunately in my marshy travels i've seen more garbage than i have animal/bird life... rather sad don't you think :(

the past week has been pretty nice, not much in the way of rain or clouds, so i've been making up for lost 'good weather' time..... i've been to florence a few times and over to eugene... mmmmm Trader Joe's triple ginger cookies were a high priority... i bought 2 containers of them, for my return trip... and NO i'm not going to eat all of them as i'm driving!!! they are for the family... or so i'm telling myself ;) i bought a container of Trader Joe's low fat yogurt (plain)... i was amazingly suprised at the texture and taste... very good product... the past few mornings breakfast has been Nature's Path pumpkin flax granola, fruit and a generous dollop of yogurt... mmm yummy.... almost reminds me of 30 yrs ago, when it was a daily breakfast ritual of homemade yogurt, fruit and homemade granola.... i'm not much for the bacon/egg platters ... before i came south i'd never eaten the 'hearty oh so not so healthy' bisquits and gravy.... probably just as well... could be dead by now!! to me, it seems like a royal heart attack on a plate

i found some prepackaged 'eggo' type waffles that are pretty good.. gluten free... those are reserved for a sunday morning breaky ...

watched the documovie... Sicko ... a Michael Moore production.... i thought it was pretty good actually... after knowing of a woman who will most likely die because she's exhausted her funds and the 'company' won't let her past the door without cash in hand... grrrrrrrrrrrr... how can that be so, in a country that is so wealthy... how sick is that.... i could rant and rave, but i'm sure it would push up my blood pressure!!!

another week or so and i'll be returning north... just like the snowbird i am... i tell ppl that when i go north, it's a sign that spring is here... at least on the west coast .... poor easterners are buried in the white stuff and no respite yet.... UGHHHHHHHH give me rainnnnnnnnnn and more rainnnnnn... :D

Do i need a.........

title? probably not today, since the weather is semi miserable, the dogs sleepy.. and i'm ... well i don't know... not bored, but especially lazy? i was so lazy i didn't make my own soup...
Wolfgang Puck was the chef today... tomato... no msg and very tasty.... unfortunately not terribly cheap... sighhhh maybe it will be cheaper up north... or not!!

was cruising through Flickr and came across an especially good group that i like.. Extreme Street Photography - 2 Images/Week .... i'm now a member, but haven't submitted a photo yet... sometimes taking street shots is a dangerous occupation... wrong photo of the wrong person... i have a friend who was taking street shots in China Town in Vancouver (canada) and promptly got a cup of hot coffee thrown on him.... if its a close up shot.. ask first!!

Places i've been....

in the last couple of days..... the weather is spectacular so who wants to be inside!!! not me, nor two puppies.... so we had a couple of adventures.....

went to florence the first day... took my friend with me, and away we went.... went to the dunes and watching the riders on the dunes.... great fun... wish i could do it... unfortunately this pic doesn't do it justice... it's actually very steep, very long and looks like great fun!!!

then we drove along the jetty...stopped at a few places...

watched a couple of clammers... using some sort of tool... it works slick... unfortunately i think if everyone had one, there'd be no clams left... tooo efficient...

gave the dogs a good walk in the sand... dora was her usual hyper self... can't contain her enthusiasm and continually in trouble... ahhhh for some maturity... i know it will come :D

eventually!!!!

after our trip to the dunes, we got hungry.... went into florence and spotted this car... hmmm is this a DUH or what???

finished up the day at a great little cafe, had grilled salmon with chipolte lime sauce... and sliced fried sweet potatoes.. some excellent bake beans... mmmmmm good!!!

did i mention that we went ......... gambling... we didn't lose too much... about 20$... that i can live with.... more than that and i get annoyed with myself!!!

yesterday was pretty cool... same weather... glorious i must say... warm, so this time i wandered north... to Siletz.... up the Siletz river.... was a great trip...

the seagull was probably smart... below were 2 seals who just had made a snack out of something... not sure what it was.. a fish or bird... who knows... alas i didn't have the right camera with me, my smaller camera takes great fun pics, but doesn't have the speed that my nikon does....

further up river we stopped at a few more places.. wandered and let the dogs do some high tech sniffing.... dora really perked up when we got to farmland... the farm girl comes out in her... sampson just loves having his head out the window, sniffing at all the things he's never seen...

went to Siletz and beyond, up as far as the pavement goes... was pretty... i love the farmland too... i love the ocean, but i'm more a farm girl i think...

checked out Moonshine Park... i didn't see any moonshine, but it did appear that some of the occupants might have found it ...

lots of fishermen all the way up the Siletz... must be good fishing... passed a Fish Hatchery on the way... so i guess it's probably well stocked....

this looks painful... i did see 2 calves but they were laying down and i couldn't get a photo of them... i thought about getting out of the car, but the cows were all free range... thank goodness for real cows... :D not the feedlot variety... that should be banned...

Covered Bridges and Warped Barns...... (part 2)

up the Alsea about 20 miles further and turned south to see the Fisher Covered Bridge...


by the bridge was a notice board, with directions to get to Yachats 'the back' way... and next to it was the quote from the bible... i wonder if it means anything about the travelling the back route.... hmmmm




i'd have rather seen the original one, but such is life on the coast... nothing lasts very long here... salt, wet, mildew, etc... killers on wood...

then we wandered further south and i found a pretty cool barn...

as i was out walking along the road, to get a better shot, the owners came out and came to ask me if i needed help ... i said no, just came to take pics of their beautiful barn... they probably thought i was nuts... u know 'them' silly outtatowners' ...

i think i should gather all my barn pics and post them one day... will be quite a chore... something about the mathematical dynamics of 'why shouldn't the barn fall down' :D

Covered Bridges and Warped Barns........(part 1 )

are very cool... at least in my brain... my day started out early... decided the dogs needed a diversion from boredom and trouble... so with great joyous bouncing and barking... into the car we went... and down the road.... i LOVE adventures.. even if they are small... today's adventure was up the Alsea River... a beautiful day, 2 happy puppies... what more could i ask for ....


last years bullrushes...


some kinda fungi


see the bird?


we did a walk about next to a slough... mmm sniffy sniffy... some critter made a deposit, dora didn't like it.. and promptly made her mark on it... me thinks it could have been a raccoon... only dora and sampson know i guess....

Cupid's day.......

is today... or so they say! personally i think it's just a hype from the chocolate and gift dept. of the corporate world.... but alas there is a history..... several actually.... but starting out with The Feast of Lubercus, a pagan celebration... check out the link if you'd like to learn more about Valentine's day....

"Oft have I heard both youth and virgin say
Birds choose their mates, and couples too, this day;
But by their flight I never can divine,
When I shall couple with my Valentine.
"Herrick"

sad part of all of this... is that it really has come down to corporate greed... buy buy buy and your sweetheart will love you forever.... ahem... pardon me while i get into all of that hype...

whew... now that i have that out of my system... i feel so much better... even to the point that i don't need that 10 lb box of chocolates or the dozen roses... if only my dogs could send me some :D

been cruising through some more blogs... i've discovered blog hunting really is quite fun and sometimes informative... Wanderin' Weeta is a pretty fun site... she's into birds birds and more birds.. and did i mention bugs too... she's taken some pretty cool photos and videos of some insects...

Dog blogs .....

worth reading...... Dogster For The Love of Dogs is one of them... terrific reading, information, a lot of links to other dog blogs and generally well formatted for easy reading... gets my 'slurp' of approval...

so i suppose whats good for the dog is good for the cat??? and here it is... Catster, Here Kitty Kitty ... its a different format but just as informative....

sometime today i need to get into the shed of horrors... several years of neglect and heapings of dead boxes....... ack... i KNOW there are monsters in there... i shall wear protective clothing.. well a good set of gloves anyways... never know who's lurking in the corner!!!

Two days........

in a row!!!! Sunny, warm and springlike... must be an illusion!! i see new buds opening on some of the berry bushes... lots of wee song birds singing their 'love' songs to each other...

mmm 2 p.m. and raining... LOL.. i knew the sun wasn't going to last.. blink and it's something else... ah well... such is paradise...

took a drive with puppies of course.... went to George's old house... a sad state of affairs...it's beginning to look haunted, as old abandoned homes do... the life was sucked out when he had to depart... i suppose its a bit of karma for the family that ousted him... i hope bisbee does him well :D ... i think we need George to come back and trim a hedge or two.. give a hug or two and even a grumble or two .....
no tresspassing.. a reversal from the welcoming garden of old
the dragon peeks out from the ivy, still guarding the gateway to a memory...

movie review time: Hairspray (1988) vs Hairspray (2007)
just finished watching Hairspray (1988) version... was too funny... and different from the 2007 version (which i watched several days ago).... both were good, 2007 was more of a musical than the 1988 version... (1988) was fun to see some of actors who i'd not seen for a long time... check it out... makes for a fun popcorn musical night :D

Trees....... are cool.... 10 famous trees... well i think there are more than that on the link... i dunno, i didn't count them... but they are pretty cool...

Yummy Monday....

and what a day... sun out, warm and thoroughly invigorating.... i dub this as a 'yummy day'...
am off to the big city.... Newport... should be fun... a day in the sun, who knows what trouble i can find....
mmmm we found trouble.. in the form of delicious Chinese Food... mmmm good... unfortunately i don't know the name of the restaurant but i will find out and post it... it's one of the best i've eaten at for awhile, and yay no MSG problems... i loveeee msg, it does all the things to my body that shouldn't happen... like, nausea, swelling and other assorted lovely things... so it's rare that i eat Chinese food, but couldn't resist...
then we wandered down to Canyon Bookstore..... the store of fantasy, dreams and hopes... great music, food, trinkets and a great childrens section.. it looked a bit dog eared today... are the great bookstores falling like worn soldiers?.... the internet has been hard on books and cds....perhaps the wave of the future isn't quite as bright as it should be... fond memories of reading and libraries seem to be just that... 'memories'... the grandchildren's memories won't be of being curled up in front of the fireplace or sitting a comfy chair thats perched in a sunny window.. hot chocolate and favorite cookies.. and a thrilling mystery or romantic love story... sigh... just the thought of those memories makes me warm and fuzzy...
i don't feel the same warm and fuzzy.. curled up in front of my monitor!!
tonight was warm fuzzy of a different kind... out and about in the neighbourhood, chatting with neighbours who were outside... yay a hint of spring and us hermits come out to bask in the sun...

just a note... RARE EARTH GALLERY is the pagan gallery i went to on saturday....the shopkeeper's website has lots to look at, so check it out :D

Saturday adventures...

are sometimes just impromptu wanderings... like yesterday... since it was a sunny day, figured that i and the 'brats' needed to get out and have a bit of adventure... so i made a picnic lunch... gathered my cameras, backpack and 2 very eager puppies and off we went.. into the wild green yonder ;) .... without a thought of 'where' i'd go or end up.... wasn't even sure if it was north or south.... but my car turned south... you know how that goes... just end up going a certain direction.... it was apparent that a lot of other people were on some sort of adventure too.... the road south is wonderfully windy, surf at my right, hills at my left... was very pleasant.. i got to Florence and decided that perhaps i should follow the river inland... made it to Mapleton and went to the little bookstore/snack bar and bought a book on Amphibians... after all, since i love them i should be able to identify their cute selves...
on the way home i stopped in at a small Pagan gallery, checked out some of his wares, and bought an interesting CD "Songs of the Cauldron" it's a celebration of Celtic, Druidism, Witches
i like it a lot... it's fun with thought...

went to the Landmark last night... what an adventure... as it usually is... it's most interesting to sit in a corner and 'watch'... interesting interactions, hugging, kissing and generally friendly behaviours, but sometimes testy, some real, some fakery... as i was watching people dancing i remembered a particularly interesting avi (video) that i'd seen a number of years ago... was of a dancing skeleton, female, with hair, and clothing... was mesmerizing... i tried to find it to post it, but no luck yet... anyways.. i 'imagined' people as skeletons... it made me think of art again... a fleeting moment i'm sure... the art thoughts just seem to come and go...unfortunately more go than come....

sunday mornings come all too soon... but a new day, a new adventure... visiting day... met with my friend's daughter and her new hubby... a new adventure for them is coming... farming of a sort.. i wish them well and hope they enjoy it as much as i love the land... and i'm sure they will be special additions to our small community...
had dinner and a movie at her house... mmm tasty shrimp salad and "Hairspray"....
life is good...

The Garden....

is waiting for spring... well i am anyways.. another dreary wet couple of days... getting to be a bore... but i suppose when i'm sweltering in my house, cause its a hundred plus... dreary will seem refreshing...

i took some cute pics of Bonnie Jean's garden.. well i liked them anyways... leftover winter garden things...

that maybe so, but i think it's more likely that worms do :D

and maybe one very cute mermaid... i'm guessing that she doesn't mind the rain at all.. but i've never figured out why mermaids are found in gardens, u'd think they'd get all dried out... being fishy and all...

The Green Jackfruit....

mmmm yummy things.... The Green Jackfruit is a blog for Indian Food lovers... mmmmmmm is all i gotta say... not only great recipes from her, but also a LOT of blog links to other exotic food lovers...

The Tattoo....

that was done... was cool....

TADA!!!! a few things to be added later...

i got to see it this afternoon... looks great!!!

Tuesdays.....

same as mondays? well as far as two dogs are concerned... wake up, slurp up, walk up.... then breakfast... wooohoo... kibbles and egg and kefir... sounds positively delightful doesn't it... if your a dog that is....

another storm is being promised for later today... shake rattle and roll? not sure yet because at the moment it's just a chilly light breeze... rain to follow....

last night was Tattoo Night... for my friends... my friend Bonnie Jean gave her nephew his first tattoo, and what a tattoo... she's the best i know of... i'm betting her shop is cleaner than most doctors offices...

Canvas....

is a movie i just finished watching....
CANVAS
check out the site.. its a good site, informative and the theme song rocks :D

Mondays.....

aren't so bad sometimes... if we manage to awake slowly with happy dogs and gentle rain on the window.... a cup of coffee in the future, with cream of course.....
i wonder if dogs wonder why we have such a ritual... their ritual consists of waking me up, finding whatever body part i might have exposed and giving a good sweet slurpy kiss... then off to the door to wait for mommy slowpoke....

talked to a family member yesterday... their 'junkyard sweetheart' was injured, $2200.00 surgery at the vet's and 8 months of immoblization... a long haul... she's a lucky girl to have such loving 'parents'... and they acquired a new baby... a big slobby baby... sounds like some training is in order.. sometimes big dogs are hard to handle, hard to train the 'owners' :D

i added a couple of cool blogs and links... WHAT I KILLED TODAY written by a friend... a wonderful person who's recorded her job at a vet clinic.. some people might view it as morbid but i believe it's more of a memorial to those animals... its a look at the side of life that maybe we don't really want to see... it's worth the read....
another link is TOM STONE GALLERY ...great site... full of some spectacular photos of street people... perhaps another look at life which we don't always want to see....

Levi's Birthday.....

is today... i'd phone him but at 8:48 am.... i doubt he'd appreciate it!!!
we went for our early morning walk ... drag.... the 'children' are getting much better at not dragging me along behind them... they're actually quiet civil sometimes... for dogs that is ;)

had a great morning breakfast.... VANS ALL NATURAL Wheat free and gluten free waffles... they are pretty darn good http://www.vansintl.com/
with Boca Sausages http://www.bocaburger.com/ ....

not bad for a fake breakfast huh... only fake cause there is NO meat ...
just saw a news clip of a rebel cow that escaped his captors... i hope someone else saw it and decided to adopt him...

the lunch or dinner menu today is lentil soup... already smells wonderful... am using the lefteover roast veggies from the other night... smells like i've been cooking all morning....



my friend and i went for a drive this afternoon, went 'up river'... was a glorious day, with a mixture of sun, rain and hail... we spotted some elk in a field... beautiful creatures, resplendent in their shades of brown, elegant legs, and regal heads...




we drove to Carson's Cemetery and enjoyed the quiet solitude of past lives....






and as we were leaving i had to take a pic of this wee salamander....

Doggy Treats for all.......Banana Sweet Potato

was reading about some more doggie treat recalls.. UGH.... so i've decided i should just make doggie treats, homemade goodness... at least i know what the ingredients are, nothing 'foreign' abet a few sweet potato skins ;)

today i used up the leftover brown rice and made



Banana Sweet Potato

2 cups brown rice, cooked
1 carrot
1 large swiss chard leaf
1 medium sized sweet potato
1 duck egg( any kind of egg will do)
1 tbs nutritional yeast
3 tbs of peanut butter
1 banana(mashed)
1 tsp baking powder
Cook rice, steam and mash carrot, swiss chard and sweet potato
add egg, yeast, peanut butter, banana and baking powder
add enough whole wheat flour to make batter for drop cookies
bake 10 mins 350 for softer cookies (like human drop cookies)
put cookies back in oven after all are cooked.. oven 'bake' at 250 for 1/2 hr... will dry them out a bit..
store in tight container or freeze

and your wondering how the 'children' liked them.. well Sampson thought they were good enough to bother trying to steal, and Dora wasn't so sure... next time i think i'll leave out the swiss chard.. or put in less, or even a less 'flavourful' green..
in case your wondering... i swear Sampson is a vegetarian doggie... he LOVES most veggies and most fruits...

Dog Beds....

soooo i was cruising the net... came across this site.... it makes me almost want to be a dog in a rich person's home.... anyways... i wonder if this couch comes in human size... looks pretty darn comfy...

http://www.dogbedsupplies.com/DesignerHumpbackDogCouch.html

Treed from a distance...

Dora and Sampson


Went for our early morning walk, in the grey quiet, in the woods ... 'our' being dora and sampson and me being dragged along behind! all was quiet and lovely until............. two masked bandits were spotted.... four sets of ears went up, alertness exuded from sampson and dora, straining on their leashs, one foot up (pointer position), was pretty cute... and primal... the two masked bandits just stood, ears cocked, and debated ... a bit of quiet chatter or low growl and up the nearest tree they went.. neither were in a hurry... i'm thinking they've taken How to annoy a dog 101....

so the doggie treats Grandma Pat gave them.... welllllll i guess they were some kinda yummy, since the moment i left the house, they were snitched off the counter, and i came back to find one baggie ripped open and licked clean....
will see if i can get the recipe from her daughter... maybe i can even post the pic of them... they looked pretty good and smelled pretty tasty too... veggies and peanut butter.. how bad can that be!!!

the doggie treats you buy are expensive and who knows what's in them.. i hate to think about it... i do have some jerky sweet potatoes.. i'm going to try and make them at home... can't be too hard can it.. i'll let you know how it goes!