So in all of haste to get to Stockton for Slightly Stoopid last night I forgot to put any of my ranch pictures up. I have not been knitting much lately, I have decided to focus my attention on my little home and it's even smaller garden out back.



When I did try to do some knitting at my dad's the other night, Donner climbed in my lap and made it quite difficult. I am working on Glampyre's Orangina. I finally got one side done...I think it will be the front because it is simply perfect. As a result of ripping out and re-knitting until I chanted the pattern in my sleep. Hopefully this pretty little shell will be finished in time to wear to job interviews. It would look ravishing under a nice suit...still have to find that suit.



This is how my back deck looks now. I should have taken before pictures so you could properly appreciate how much work I actually did. Basically I had to dump all of my very large terra cotta pots out and refill them with new soil. I figured since the frost killed everything may as well replace the whole she-bang. I also had to do damage control on the whole large river rat situation. If anyone out there know of any sure remedy to raccoon size vermin..please, for the love of all that is good, tell me your secret!!




Loverly Miss Ern took me to Talini's nursery and bought me many a new plant in exchange for all of the small terra cotta pots that I can't manage to keep moist for more than 5 minutes in the central valley summer. Most of the plants are surviving, but the rats are eating some with a vengeance. I did not realize that mum's are tasty, but apparently they are my despised roommate's favorites.
I really love the....damn forgot the name...but the pretty....FUSHIA!! (Use your words Meg.) My dad came over with handy drill in order to hand the holders from the side of my cabin. Nothing makes a man more happy than a woman asking him to use his power tools. Especially when a glass of wine is involved. My garden looks fabulous now and I have been spending more and more time outside in it.

I also started jogging/walking again. This was encouraged by Homer, as he got injured on the ranch. He is fine after a $900 vet bill (thanks Mom). He ripped his flank open on some sort of very sharp object and much to his chagrin has been exiled to the back deck during the day. For a dog who spends most of his day roaming 90+ acres this is torture. I have had to walk him every morning so he doesn't do more damage to the leg. Since the injury I have logged 12 on foot miles on the ranch. I have a lot more energy, but it would be quite nice to take a morning off. I'm not going to post any pictures of the injury because it is nasty.

The other day I decided to rid my tiny freezer of excess ice. Rather than taking it out on the deck for the afternoon to defrost, I used a hammer and screwdriver to chisel away at the built up ice. This didn't work out so well for me. I punctured the freon line and ruined my small dorm fridge. After telling this story to a few people I found out this is a common mistake. If I had only known. Seconds before murdering my fridge I had the fleeting thought that I might be making a mistake, but I didn't heed my own subconscious warning. I am clumbsy...I drop things (I have broken all of my martini glasses and one wine glass this week alone, and no I am not drinking to much I was using all for different purposes than the intended use for martini glasses. As for the wine glass...I was drinking wine at the time)...I hurt myself constantly...I spill..With all of these warning signs I still proceeded to use a sharp object and a hammer. Whoopsie daisy.

The upside? I got a new fridge. I LOVE this fridge. It is a perfect half size model of a big refrigerator! It feels very Barbie dream house to me and I wish it would have come in pink. I'm sure I would have gotten sick of a pink fridge, but still...

I love this fridge so much that the second I put all of my groceries into it, I just had to take pictures!!

Here it is in all of it's wonderful mini grandeur!! I also discovered while stocking it that I will never need another bottle of flax oil again. I don't even use what I have...and I have 5 bottles! I can't bring myself to get rid of any. I guess I just will have to start taking it again.




Another thing I am just ecstatic about is my bestest pal from Sonora days is moving to Sacramento. An even better thing is that she is moving in with my pal Allen. I go to his house at least once a week so I will be seeing Digs all of the time!! I am super excited that we will be living so close again. Not to mention many of my girl friends have moved some what far from me and it will be nice to have another girl friend that lives close!

Not that I don't love hanging out with all of my guy friends, but the constant barrage of testosterone gets a little overwhelming at times. And after spending so much time with them I tend to say wildly inappropriate thing a lot. I do this without their assistance, so it only gets worse when I have been spending much of my time with only men.


I am off to Hanford, CA tonight to see The Avett Brothers with Bob (a.k.a Amazing Bob the funniest man in many universes). Pictures to follow.