A DIFFERENT WALK
Linda and I live near a very nice park, Emil Kissel Park, which we walk to almost every day. It is just a few blocks up to the park, then we walk around the paved pathway, and then back home. All told, the entire walk is about a mile. But we do like to change it up every now and then just to keep things interesting. So we decided to drive to Randall Park on January 4th and take our walk there. I had been anxious to get out with my camera and get some pictures of something other than sparrows and finches. Randall Park is not very far from us but it would be quite a walk for us to get there, so we always drive over and then walk the pathway around the park. This park is bigger than the one near our home, and it has a pond. We all know what a pond means...ducks and other assorted water fowl! Here is what greeted us upon our arrival at the park.
The ducks are quite friendly, mainly because they think we are going to feed them something. When they found out we had nothing to offer, they proceeded to ignore us. There are usually a few geese of various species in among the ducks. The temperature was in the low 30's that morning, so it was quite cold. The pond was frozen over in most places, so the ducks were gathered on one side.
A couple of the ducks actually posed for me.
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| Say "cheese" |
There is a song I like by Leonard Cohen, the Canadian poet and singer who died almost a year ago. The song is called "Anthem," and the chorus goes like this:
"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."
I don't know how this crack got in the pond at Randall Park, but I think that particular quotation fits this picture perfectly.
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| Letting in the light |
The days have been pretty dreary around here since before Christmas. We've had a couple of days where the sun has come out for a while, but not enough to my liking. It was dark the day we walked at Randall Park, but the sun did try its best to poke through the clouds. It almost did at one point.
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| Just a glimmer |
The thing about walking in Yakima in the winter is that you really have to bundle up, so it takes some commitment on your part to even consider a walk. I usually wear my snow pants over my jogging pants, a long-sleeved undershirt, a t-shirt, a fleece jacket, a parka-jacket, a scarf and knit hat, socks and boots. By the time I get all this on, I feel like I can barely move!
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| All suited up! |
THE LAST JEDI
Linda and I usually go to the movies only about once or twice each year. There has to be something really good playing for us to decide to leave our comfy home and brave the cold (inside the theater). I don't care if it's summer or winter, movie theaters are always cold. And then, too, there's the sound level. I swear they have upped the volume in recent years so that it is almost unbearable. But, since the latest Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi, was playing, we couldn't say "no." Our usual tactic is to go to a matinee that gets out right around suppertime, and then we go to Chipotle Mexican Grill for a burrito to split for supper (with chips and corn salsa, of course!). We did just that last week and we are so glad that we went because this was one of the best Star Wars movies yet. And that is saying a lot. If you like Star Wars (and who doesn't?), I urge you to go see it...if for nothing else than to see the performance by Carrie Fisher. It was a fitting last movie for our Princess.
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| A movie & dinner |
DEHYDRATING DIVAS
I belong to many "groups" on Facebook, most of them cooking related. As you know, my latest craze is dehydrating, so I joined the Dehydrating Divas & Dudes group. There is one lady in the group who drives a custom-built long-haul truck with her husband. She calls herself the Truck-Driving Dehydrating Diva, or TDDD for short. This gal has her dehydrator going in the truck while she's driving! It is so much fun to see what's she is dehydrating and where they are traveling. She's very innovative with her dehydrating. She has even inspired me to try dehydrating a few things other than the usual zucchini or apple chips. This past week I dehydrated salsa (from a jar) to make salsa chips, and also chickpeas to make a crunchy chickpea snack. I am happy to report that both endeavors were successful and I now have some healthy snacks.
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| Salsa on top, chickpeas on bottom |
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| The finished product...the salsa chips were HOT! |
FOR THE BIRDS
We did some re-arranging of the furniture in our living room this past week so I could move an ottoman over to the front window to watch the birds. It's almost like having a bird blind because I can sit in there and watch them and they don't see me if I don't make any sudden movements. This is also a great place to take pictures of them at the feeders. Although it is a real challenge to get good bird pictures when it's so dark outside (those little buggers won't stay still), I have managed to get a few decent shots, such as this one showing these birds all queued up for their turn at the feeder.
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| Playing the waiting game |
FIRST THE FIRE, THEN THE FLOOD
Once again this past week we have been on pins and needles about the situation down in Carpinteria, California, where Linda's dad lives. You may have heard on the news that there was a devastating flood in the fire-ravaged hills that were burned by the Thomas Fire just last month. Fortunately I can report that dad's house has been spared again, although they did have to evacuate as a precaution. There was some flooding in areas around dad's house, but not nearly as drastic as in the neighboring city of Montecito. The rains were much heavier there, just 14 miles down the road from dad's. Houses were washed off the foundations and huge boulders came down from the hills. Interstate highway 101 was closed down from Carpinteria through Montecito and Santa Barbara because in some places, the water and mud were completely covering up the road. If you didn't know better, you would think that it was a lake instead of a highway. Below is a picture of the computer screen that Linda took this morning as she was watching the coverage by KEYT Newschannel 3 in Santa Barbara. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this flood.
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| News from California |
PARTING SHOT
In addition to everything else that has happened the past week, we are still working on the puzzle...when we can get to it.
Thanks for stopping by, check back in next week for more news!
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