Farewell to a Good... (Well Most of the Time...) Dog

Tina here. A bit late. I didn't want to write this. We had to say goodbye to our thirteen year old Welsh Corgi Robbi (Duke Robin Hood of Kelsey) this past Saturday.

I really hate it that I am outliving my pets.

Oh Robbi, I hope where you are, over the Rainbow Bridge, there is plenty of room for your tongue!

One of Robbi's favorite things was riding shotgun on the ATV with Rich to the mailbox or just around the yard.

Robbi and Ishi were pals, and until Robbi grew ill they would wrestle, and Ishi would end up rather damp-mop-like. I think he misses that. Heck, I miss that.

Goodbye little swift cattle herder.

Robins are disturbing the peace in Kelsey!

Good morning, Tina here.

The other afternoon I was sitting out on our deck. I was enjoying some mostly clear, slightly warm weather after what seemed like weeks of torrential rains. As it stormed, there were lots of noises. The flooded river was raging and very loud. The winds blustering through the neighbor's gray pines sounded like busy highway traffic. The gutters on our house were constantly gushing. The winds pounded against the bay windows on the west upstairs. 

The robins have been coming in droves when it isn't raining. They (and lots of the other birds) love the red toyon berries, and they cover our west facing hillsides, a veritable feast for those red robins when they want to come bob-bob-bobbin'.



The various chattering, calling, happy eating voices surround our home when they are visiting. 

They don't come during the storms, and they don't come every clear day. They have lots of other yards to visit, they spread themselves around. They are quite energetic and by their echoing song, you can tell they are happy!

The picture above and the last one below, were taken by a facebook friend in Placerville.

 Anyway, the other day, out on the deck, it was a beautiful calm winter day, no wind, the river was down, and the robins were visiting elsewhere. It was so quiet it was amazing! We hear no traffic, no one was using a chain saw or taking rifle practice, even the peacocks were silent. I sat alone, taking in the fresh air and enjoying the view.

As I relaxed, savoring the peacefulness, I was started by what sounded like footsteps, a rustle in the leaves. Who could be walking up to my home in the middle of nowhere? As I looked for the intruder, my eyes fell on the sloping hillside above me, and a spotted towhee, searching for worms, making that startling noise! No, I wasn't alone in the calm and quiet any longer. Can't blame it on the robins either!



Cedar Waxwings

I'll be sorry to turn over my calendar to a new month tomorrow because April's lovely image is the gorgeous Cedar Waxwing photo you see below.
These birds fascinate me; there is something about the look of them that I just love. Their "masks", the touch of red on their wings; they're just so pretty, so unique.
Just about a week ago, my husband was telling me "Don't leave your car parked in the driveway. Not even for a few minutes. Make sure to pull it into the garage."
This was because the Cedar Waxwings were all congregating in the sycamore tree that shades our driveway. Then he showed me what they had already left behind on our brick patio in the back yard.
 Let's just say that he didn't want to have to clean up after them....

Here's an image from one of the books by John James Audubon; you have to admit they are stunning:

 I was happy to find this vintage card, below, at a thrift store.
That's what they're after in our yard - the berries:

Because they come around every year, and because both of us love them despite their messes, I had to get this beautiful Hallmark ornament for my husband for Christmas the year it came out:

It's one of the prettiest ones I've ever seen.

Thank you, Hallmark - you captured their beauty perfectly!

Have a Happy New Year - Best Wishes from Ishi the Pistachio Loving Cat

Good morning, Tina here.

Ishi and I are just planning on kicking back tomorrow night, enjoying a DVR'd Christmas movie on TV, and eating us some pistachios.

Ishi loves pistachios. If he hears the bag open he comes running. There's no hiding them from him!

I have to shell them for him, he has a hard time waiting.

He will eat four or five, then he's satiated for the moment.

When he is done, he tops it off with his favorite beverage, ice water fresh out of my cup.

He has strange tastes for a cat.

Have a great New Year's Eve, and we'll see you next year!

Helpful Kitty

Good morning, Tina here.

I have three cats:

Luna is 12, she is very quiet and likes to stay in a store room above the garage, occasionally going outside to look for gophers.

Cheshire Cat (Chessie) is 14 and is the most vocal of my cats, he also likes to sit on my lap (more about that later).

Ishi is 4 and he thinks he is king of the roost, he has a very fluffy tail which collects stickers and needs to be brushed every day.

Chessie loves to sit on my lap. It doesn't matter what else is on my lap...

Just work around me, is what he says, as he purrs away.

You, person, are so lucky to have me.

Sorry you can't move your arm, but aren't you warm and cozy with me here?

Good thing you have very flexible wrists.

Thoughtful as always, Chessie always leaves my right arm free so that I can type or write.

Happy Wednesday!

Only the Lonely... A Toad's Tale

He was a very lonely toad.

He usually only came out at night.

There was never any one there.

Only a few crunchy bugs, a couple of slinky ants.

He looked in all the pots for the frogs he thought should be hanging around.

He knew at one time a salamander lived here.

He checked out the undersides of the begonia leaves... nothing, no one.

It seemed to him that he was the last amphibian in Kelsey.

He was so alone, he felt rejected by all slimy things, pushed away by all his slippery kin.

One last look under the wandering jew, or perhaps over there near the impatiens.

Where have all the froggies gone, long time passing?

Oh well, he thought, there are more mosquitoes and fruit flies left for me.

A Peacock Guards the Road in Placerville (Kelsey Edition)

Good morning.  Tina here.

I was coming home one afternoon last week and there was an unusual obstacle in the road up ahead. My neighbor was the first to reach it. 

My neighbor was very slowly trying to make her way around a peacock who was strutting his stuff. His mate was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't seem to matter.

The other car finally got by and the peacock got tired of showing off for no one except us humans, and started back towards his home.

I stopped and took these shots above with my phone out of my car window as he headed for the meadow trailing his lovely tail behind, his feathers glistening metallic in the 3 o'clock sun.

Yesterday at about the same time in the afternoon, who did I spy?  Proud Mr. Peacock again in the road at the same place, but this time he was in rare form.

His tail spread in magnificent array but heading forward, with his lower feathers sticking out from his rear as if they were the ones to be on stage.

As I watched in awe, he did a funny little dance with his rear end, wiggling his butt feathers as he did his choreography carefully, for what reason I don't know.

Yes, Mr. Peacock, you definitely stand out in the crowd today. I think you will win your love, if she ever comes around to watch!

Salamanders on the Georgetown Divide

A facebook friend shared some photos of salamanders found on the Georgetown Divide. These newts were seen on the middle fork of the American River and also at Knickerbocker Creek.

Apparently when they are all wadded up together it is called a mating ball.

I only see one or two around my house here in Kelsey, but I guess I might see more if I went down to the river.

And from the looks of these mating balls, there will be even more of them around next year.

I just love these little guys.

I hope they find nice moist places to hang out during the dry weather.