Hiking Boondoggle

We went hiking yesterday to two different fire lookout towers: Pilot Peak and Smith Peak. And in between, we drove around in the middle of nowhere on forest roads.

The pic here is of Pilot Peak and it had an amazing 360 degree view. You could see Yosemite off to one side and the central valley to the other. The only issue was the 50 mph winds! The poor chiweenie was freaking out!

A Gross Adventure

After we dropped off our pine needles for recycling, Jim took us to see the dead deer pit. It is a pit where they throw dead animals found in the community. The road to the pit was closed, so we actually got out and hiked to it! Along the way we found a dead fox (see pic) a HUGE, fresh pile of bear scat (see pic) and TONS of bones.

Once we got to the pit and looked in, there were not very many dead deer in it(see pic) but there were bones all over the place. It was clear that something was going into the pit and dragging the deer out. And there was also goose feathers everywhere. So they must have dumped dead geese in their and those got dragged out too.

All in all, it was a totally nasty hike.....but it made for great pics on my blog!

Cabin Clean Up

We spent part of Thanksgiving and part of today raking up pine needles. This is the first year that we did not burn them but brought them to the recycle place. It was a fun adventure and good clean fun. Stay tuned for the pics of what we did after dumping off the pine needles.

Happy Day of Thanks!

What a wonderful thanksgiving....we went out to the club, so no one had to do any work. The only thing that would have made it better was if Drew didn't have the swine drew and could join us and if Brian, Diana, Sam, Jack and Mimi were there. Jim's Aunt Ginny and Uncle Glen joined us which was a nice addition. Their kids were busy doing other things so they came up on their way to their cabin in Yosemite.

Swine Drew

I think we finally have H1N1. Drew has a 101.4 fever and feels like crap. I am going down to get some tamiflu.

New pet

I loved Gracie's beta fish so much that I got one for my office at work! It is blue like Gracie's and is really active. He has a little castle that he swims in an out of. I named him Bodie and I spend a good part of the day talking to him. I will post pics as soon as I have my camera at work.

Sicky Poo

Ahi was sick at the end of last week and thru Saturday. She would not eat and was very lethargic. We were worried that we may need to buy another $400 chiweenie enema! We kept a close eye on her and she did not seem constipated like last time. She just seemed sick. The biggest worry was she was not drinking. So I got her to drink out of my hand and added some beef broth to her bowl and that did the trick. Tonite she ate a normal meal and seems on the mend.

Stupid chiweenies are just not as hardy as labradors. How did I get myself into being a mother of a chiweenie????

Tis the Season

Tis the season for crab and winter squash! This was our dinner tonite. Crab and a new recipe for butternut squash soup. The soup was delicious but what made it outstanding was the crostini with melted swiss cheese and chives on top. Jim added his fresh crab catch of the day to the menu.

Quesadilla Casserole

We tried this new recipe last nite and it was really good.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup chopped onion (I used shallots)
1 can black beans (29 ounces), drained, 1/2 cup liquid reserved
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (I did not use this but added one can of chopped green chilies instead)
5 10-inch flour tortillas
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (Go heavy on the cheese!)
1 cup store-bought green enchilada sauce (I added about 2 Tablespoons of enchilada source to each layer in the casserole.

Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add half of the beans and mash into a chunky paste. Stir in the reserved liquid.

Grease a heavy, ovenproof skillet. In a bowl, combine the corn, parsley and remaining black beans. Place a tortilla in the skillet and spread with 1/3 cup of the mashed black bean mixture. Top with 2/3 cup corn-bean mixture and 1/2 cup cheese. Press to compress the layers. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, mashed black beans, corn-bean mixture and cheese.

Bake until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through, about 30 minutes. Transfer to the broiler and cook for 1 minute. Serve with the enchilada sauce

Note: This is a Rachel Ray recipe that I modified a little.

Mom Update

My mom had surgery last nite to remove a piece of metal from her shoulder that became dislodged when she fell and broke her shoulder. The metal was there to serve as an anchor for the sutures from her previous shoulder surgery. Surgery went well and she is home recovering. This recovery should be easier than the last one.

Feed the Hungry

It is that time of year. Look up the website for your local food pantry and give them some money to help feed the folks that don't have enough food. Even $20 goes a long way to help out others.

Do it now! And then do it again before Christmas.

I am thankful that I have enough food to eat.

One Less Gallbladder in the World

My brother has spent the last 4 days in the hospital with a bad gallbladder. He had it removed yesterday and should be on the mend shortly. It was scary because he had this gallbladder attack at the same age my dad was when he had his first heart attack. So we all freaked out a little until they narrowed the problem down to his gallbladder.

Thankful Thought

I am so thankful medical and dental insurance: my brother needs surgery to have his gallbladder removed, my mom needs shoulder surgery and I need a root canal.

Thankful Thought

I am so very thankful for apple cranberry pie!

The Good News and the Bad News

The good news is my mom's shoulder break is healing nicely. The bad news is that in the fall, a piece of metal that had been pounded into the bone to repair the rotator cuff has come loose. And it is floating around in her shoulder. There is risk that it could get into the joint and cause damage....so.....back to surgery for her! It is not an emergency but the sooner the better because they are not really sure what might happen since this is a rare occurrence.

Thankful Thought

I am so thankful that my mom is healing from her broken shoulder.

Thankful Thoughts

I am very thankful for my new vacuum cleaner!

Our vacuum cleaner was slowly dieing (although we didn't really realize it at first). We tried a bunch of different things to fix it but it just wouldn't suck up the massive amounts of dog hair that my yellow dog produces!

So I made an emergency trip to Costco yesterday at lunch. Last nite we vacuumed the family room and WOOOOO WEEEEE was it nice!

Abraham Replacement

Gracie got a new fish this weekend. It is a beautiful blue beta who is named: "Redfin" or Bluefin" or "Blue Bob"...depending on the minute. I will try to post a pic soon. He is so cool that I want one for my desk at work.

Thankful Thought

I am very thankful that I was born and raised in the US. Not just because the US is safe and full of opportunties but because of the diversity.

Many mornings that I walk the dogs, I walk by a house where an old, tradtional, middle eastern man lives. His bedroom is in the front and it is clear that he has a morning routine which includes praying and chanting. Everytime I pass his house, I wonder about his story. What type of life has he led? What is the path that brought him here? Who does he love? What has he seen in his life? I would love to hear him talk about his life.

The diversity of my town brings richness to my life and I am thankful for that.

Thankful Thought

Full moons. (The variety in the sky - not the one you get when dropping your pants!)