Wild Muffins

We had adorable visitors recently who stopped by to say good bye before they head back to India. We love having them here as they add such fun to our daily lives. On this visit we pointed out that the huckleberries were ripe. They did not quite know what huckleberries were so we explained that they were a type of wild blueberry. "Blueberries!!!" They did know that word and they were very excited to go pick some to make blueberry muffins with. Since Mark is officially known as the muffin man around here, he was up for the task.

Here is a little photo journal of the event..... displayed absolutely backwards. I should take the time to fix it, but I won't. It is cute viewed from either direction. I wonder if my life will be?

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

Oil or melted butter for greasing muffin tin, or paper liners

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (or huckleberries!)

2 large eggs (or 3 or 4 small ones as our hens are just starting to lay)

1 cup milk

6 tbsp melted and cooled butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

finely grated rind of 1 lemon (you can leave this out as the muffin man did)

Directions:

preheat oven to 4oo degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and blueberries. Lightly beat the eggs in a large pitcher, then beat in the milk, oil, vanilla, and lemon rind. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the beaten liquid ingredients. Stir gently until just combined, do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a abot 5 minutes, then serve.

Mule Harvesting Fruit

And we thought it was bears eating our fruit.

A Chicken Watching A Bear and Her Cubs

Finding Treasures

Follow Me.....

Hold on tight.

I promise... they don't bite.

Solo, safe and sound...

and a little froggy found.

In the barn more treasures lie...

Good bye.

Sea of Fog

Often in the morning, the fog covers the low lying land in its moist blanket. The ones enfolded feel as if the world is all gray while those above gaze in wonder. One's perspective makes a world of difference, doesn't it?

When life feels like it is closing in around me and disaster seems at every turn. I remember my perspective is not the only one. I think of God outside of time and try to realize a higher more eternal view. Sometimes this helps.

A Sunday Stroll

Today, after church, we had a little picnic along the Eel River surrounded by the dignified and amazing coastal redwood. It rained an inch last night so that everything sparkled liked diamonds in the sunshine. The clouds still hovered, occasionally casting a shadow on the landscape and transforming what was a moment ago a summer scape into an autumn one. Amazing thing is light.

"In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. ~Aaron Rose

Happy Birthday Mark

These lovely margarita cupcakes were made by our wonderful DIL Jo.

We discovered them on our table after bringing the cows home. Again. This is the third time. First time they didn't quite make it home because Mark tried to be superman and fly off of his horse. Second time was last weekend and we walked them the miles home and got some amazing (well not really so amazing) footage of a mama and her 2 cubs that will not upload to this site, and today we went on quads and led them home with sweet words and HAY. All I can say is that I hope we found the hole in the fence they were going through because I don't really want to have to do it again in the near future. And we are sure our neighbors don't want to see them grazing on their yards anytime soon either.
We had a lovely day all in all. We got to walk past the falls while checking some fencing.
And we got to sit and watch a group of bachelors.

Later, we had a lovely dinner of rib-eye steaks, potatoes, green beans and salad prepared with love, (we think) by Jo and Eric and some other friends came over as well to sing a sweet song to Mark. Well, maybe not so sweet, more like weird. But that my friends is another story.

Love you honey and I am so glad you are alive and sharing your life with me.

Computer Crash!!!!

We have been bringing home the wayward cows we started to get last month(before the fall) and we have filmed a mama bear and her cubs and have taken a few really nice photos, all of which will have to wait until the computer guys fix our computer. Yep, it crashed. And this was too upsetting to me. Way too upsetting! I lost some sleep over it and then I got a grip and realized I am addicted to the net and blogging and facebooking. It has to stop. So bye.... at least until the computer is fixed.

Donkey Song

To Missy with Love:

Freedom From Fear

Yesterday tragedy struck our small creek-side community. A visiting friend of some neighbors crashed on a quad on his way to the falls. He was later found dead. We are stunned and reminded once again on the very thin line between life and death.


I see accidents that could happen all around me. I feel a burden to be on the lookout. Constantly. I know this is ridiculous and debilitating and I am pushing through it. But still, the line is thin. The image of Mark's still body on the rocks haunts me.

I think on what to do with these feelings and I know that Love is the answer. My husband will die, whether or not it is before me I don't know but if I live a life of love I won't have regrets. Stop trying to control everything and just open my heart and my mind to all the wonders that surround me. Embrace the ugly, at least in my heart. Forgive and forget. Freedom lies in this path I think.

Swallowtail

Another visitor to our butterfly bush.

The Maples are Turning....

What does this mean? What does this mean?

I don't think it is officially fall yet, but the weather is sure acting like it is. A sprinkle of rain on Monday with accompanying chilly weather and today was well in the nineties with bright sunshine. I just need to get my mind wrapped around the idea that summer is over. Or almost over. Although this summer never really seemed to settle in as it was very mild with only a few days of any real heat. You can sure tell in our garden. We are just starting to get tomatoes. Really! I just have to laugh. I was out planting our fall/winter garden the same day I picked our first full sized tomato. Our plants are loaded, but I just wonder how many of them are going to ripen. Sometimes I feel like a green tomato myself, if you know what I mean.

First rain/sprinkle