We said good-bye to Romeo today. He was pushing 18 and had been suffering
from asthema type symptoms lately. - at least we thought it was asthema and
we had been treating him with anti-biotics and Prednesone. He seemed to
respond slightly but it was clear he was still laboring to breathe and he
had basically stopped eating. He was the one with the thyroid issue and we
gave him the 'magic bullet' Iodine-139 treatment which worked amazingly
well. But he had lost quite a bit of weight over the last couple of weeks
and knowing we would be gone for several days next week we decided it would
be best to put him down so we could be with him rather than have him leave
when we weren't around.
Romeo was the eldest of the brood and was a very independent cat. Over the
last few years though he became more a part of the family and spent time in
the house during the winter months. He loved to hang out on the top of
Mango's car hood and we would even feed him there! We will miss his reaching
out with his paw as we talked to him while he sat on the car. We won't miss
his stealth spraying!! This photo of him was taken only about a week or so
ago......See you down the road Romeo.....
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Our hike was a hit!
We led the hike with our group that we previewed on Monday and it was a big hit. It is at 8300 ft. in the Jemez Mountains, in a valley with San Antonio Creek flowing through. We had great weather--no rain, just intermittent sun and clouds. Many people said they felt like they were in Colorado or even someplace in Europe. The meadow was full of wildflowers, and the columbines were the most beautiful ones we saw. For more pics, go to my Flickr set.
--nancy
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
More goodness from the garden
Honcho went out to water the veggie garden this afternoon and was shocked to find this Armenian Cucumber, big and ready to eat. Just a few days ago it was half this size. We sliced it up with a vine-ripened tomato from the growers' market and served it with Zucchini Ricotta ravioli topped by a wonderful tomato sauce, both by the local artisanal company, Pasta Divina.
This type of cucumber, introduced to us my Mango, who pointed it out at the growers' market on one of her visits, is actually closer botanically to a melon than a cucumber. It is mild, crisp, and delicious. Here's to many more surprises and treats from the garden!
--nancy
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
First green beans of the season
We picked the first green beans from our garden today. We were so excited to find these on the ground under all the foliage! Foolishly, we kept looking at all the baby beans near the top of the plant. I steamed them and served them with bison burgers hot off the grill and some vine-ripened tomatoes from the downtown growers' market. A little avocado and some leaf lettuce and we were in business!
When I was washing the beans, I tried one raw and the taste immediately swept me back in time. I was out in dad's veggie garden with the little Tupperware salt shaker, squatting down to pick the beans and eat them on the spot. Must be because we are growing dad's beloved Blue Lake bush beans. Thanks, dad, for the recommendation!
--nancy
Friday, July 3, 2009
My white whale
You may remember my post last Fall bemoaning the fact that the neighbors across the street parked their ugly massive white trailerhttp://minnecalexico.blogspot.com/2008/11/trailer-trash.html directly in our "viewshed". Well, at least the view from the office, where we spend time on the computer and can't help but notice IT, rather than the front garden. Well, today, they got back from their vacation with said trailer, and have now moved the big white whale into the backyard behind a wooden fence where it belongs. And there was much rejoicing at 257 Valley View Road!!! Behold the pastoral view sans trailer! Huzzah!
---Mango
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Ode to the Pomegranate
The Pomegranate is finally getting its due. Pom juice is extremely popular and good for you. But what about the tree? I'm glad you asked. It flowers, it fruits, and it's sun tolerant and heat tolerant and grows in just about any crappy soil you give it. The hummers love the flowers for their nectar, and the cute little Poms, when they set, are so fun to watch grow. Here are some pics of our trees, which have been blooming since late May. We had cooler weather than normal for late Spring, so they seem to be blooming forever. Oh, and the Fall color (golden) is just gorgeous! One of the five top small trees for Western gardens. Long live the Pom!
---Mango
Mark your calendars
Breaking news! Points North finally has a gig in Ukiah! They will open for the Travis Larson Band http://www.travislarsonband.com/index.html at the Ukiah Brewing Company on August 7th. It will be so great to drive five minutes instead of two or three hours for a show. The guys opened for Travis's band this past Saturday night. TLB is another instrumental rock/fusion band with Steve Morse and Rush as major influences-same as Points North! Plus, TLB are extremely nice folks. I was so impressed, I bought one of their CD's. The two bands immediately formed a mutual admiration society, and can't wait to share the stage again. Now our job is to rally the home crowd to turn out for this show-I need to go into serious nagging mode... ---Mango
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Birthday, Taos-style
We celebrated my birthday in Taos by hiking in the mountains to Williams Lake. After we came back to the trail head, we had a delicious lunch and some excellent German beer at the Bavarian Restaurant. Just about perfect, birthday-wise.
--nancy
Friday, June 26, 2009
for doughboy
while in LA a few weeks ago, i went to a bakery where i spotted these guys on a back counter, waiting for pickup. holy GOD. how badly do you just want to tear into one of those??
--ilkea piru
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Scalloped new potatoes
Let's see if a food post can draw Val out of her nerdy science lair. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/scalloped-potato-gratin-recipe/index.html
I substituted soft Asiago cheese from Costco, and left out the thyme. I also used half and half to lighten it up. The Asiago thickened the sauce nicely. For an added kick, you can grate pepper jack over the whole thing and bake it uncovered for 45 minutes. No broiler time needed. Yummers....
---Mango
Monday, June 22, 2009
Off to Taos
Honcho and I are off to Taos tomorrow and will return on Friday. We've never been and are excited about a new adventure. We hope to have lots of pics and a report when we return.
--nancy
--nancy
i'm not dead yet
sorry, sorry for my extended absence from the blog...
it's been a rather crazy few weeks, starting with a lab trip to wine country, followed immediately by a trip down to LA for my friend's phd graduation, followed immediately by a week-long conference. but! it's all over now and i am ready to return to my regularly scheduled programming ;)
ps, this is a photo taken by nanio of myself and several boston coworkers who were in town for the conference. fun!
Has anyone seen this woman?
She seems to have gone missing. Hmmm....hope she's not living under a bridge somewhere with her stash of Fetzer wine and no internet access....
HAVE A GREAT WEEK, EVERYONE! WE'RE OFF TO THE LAKE
<>
This is Odell Lake lodge, which has a nice restaurant. We are staying
in a cabin, but when we get tired of our own cooking, we can have a nice
meal there.
--Huggie--
This is Odell Lake lodge, which has a nice restaurant. We are staying
in a cabin, but when we get tired of our own cooking, we can have a nice
meal there.
--Huggie--
My big fat gardening project
I got a phone call from my former employer (Fetzer) asking if I was interested in a consulting job. They want to reduce their landscape water use and maintenance at the winery/production site by about a third if possible. I was a little scared to take the job, because of the scope of the project (huge) but then Jim at the college said, "hey, you'd be crazy not to take it." He went down to the site with me to give me his thoughts, which was really helpful. So I did a fee proposal, estimating my hours and giving my hourly rate, and I'm just waiting to hear back. Very exciting, and will look good on the old resume. Wish me luck! ---Mango
Happy Summer everyone! Here's an interesting link:http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2334/ I think this picture, taken on an Idaho river trip four years ago, is the very picture of Summer. Nancy, that's Drifter and Sue in the lead boat! ---Mango
Sunday, June 21, 2009
My turn for the couch shot!
<>
We have to find a different spot for a photo, perhaps?!? I had to dig
up mine, and Valerie was kind enough to take this picture when I stayed
with the folks in March of last year. It was great to talk to them
both, and Bobby and Lindsay also got to chat with Dad/Grandpa. We are
so fortunate to have them around.
--Marian--
We have to find a different spot for a photo, perhaps?!? I had to dig
up mine, and Valerie was kind enough to take this picture when I stayed
with the folks in March of last year. It was great to talk to them
both, and Bobby and Lindsay also got to chat with Dad/Grandpa. We are
so fortunate to have them around.
--Marian--
I miss my daddy!
Dad sounded good on the phone today, as did mom. I wanted to transport myself there and plant them a tomato in a pot-they are really missing their home grown tomatoes! Maybe Marilyn can find a farmers market nearby, so that they can get their fix. Happy Daddy Day to all you dads out there!
---Mango
More Father's Day goodness
I searched through the archives and email and found two more pics to celebrate Father's Day. Here is Grandpa B with Caleb as a baby, and Bobby with his daughter and her hubby, who is also a dad! Happy Father's day to all!
--nancy
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