Recent activities

The garden was planted and MaryLou has enjoyed watering and watching it grow which has been surprisingly fast.

We celebrated Saint Patrick's Day which corned beef, boiled cabbage and potato dinner with Irish beer. Our friend Clara joined us in a favorite Irish prayer for friends.

I continue to play with the kayak at the closest access to the river which precipitated a trip to the river/Sycamore Island for three days and two night.

The dogs swam out to me in the kayak, flushed the albino deer that lives on the island and chased the rabbits until their tongues hung out and they couldn't go another step. We saw quail, an eagle's nest and lots of ducks and geese swimming and flying.

The morning we left was foggy which made an interesting picture of the fifth wheel. The river road is a great place to spot all sorts of small animals; especially along the ponds.

My latest cooking class, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, was fun and easy. We've only met once so far but already I found a receipt I liked and made it for MaryLou who hates fruits and vegetables. It's a potato and bean stir fry with arugula, garlic, onions and mushrooms.

Mom's 93rd birthday is Thursday. I've been repairing and replacing parts on her power chair which has been really expensive but she really depends on it to get around and socialize with her friends around the facility. Sam's coming up and going to help me paint the house which is overwhelming just to think about. We'll have Mom over and Larry will join us for a little party for her. She gets down every birthday as all her friends and family are gone and she wonders why she's still here. We try to get her out more often and keep her mind on other things.

I'll take some before and after pictures of the house for my next post. Love you all!

"She's an ole 'farm' hand..."

The idea of a garden came from Sam offering to put one in for us. Next I had coffee with a fellow retiree from FCMH who told me re. a class she took with the Master Gardeners at the Garden of the Sun. http://groups.ucanr.org/mgfresno/Demonstration_Garden/ It was all about tomatoes which she's grown for years. Then with the economy and food prices going up, we decided to put in a small garden.




The concept of planting in straw was a winner since neither of us can get down on our knees to weed, etc. any more. With an instant raised garden, it was a snap. First I had to locate and haul in 4 bales of straw, then get bags of potting soil and finally, a trip to the nursery brought home carrots and lettuce seeds, tomatoe, pepper, strawberry, zucchini and squash plants.


We have to water the soil and straw for a week before planting. The last garden we had exploded with veggies and we gave away more than we ate. I intend to plant tomorrow if the weather hold up; the plants have been inside for two nights as the temp was below 32.

Tai Chi

Today's fun activity is my Tai Chi class. I really like it because it combines breathe work, movement, music and meditation. I've been going now for two years since I retired and am getting more and more out of it. It's offered free from Fresno Unified SD's community education. Our teacher, Debi Kalas, is always working new ideas into the sequence.

We are a big group that seems to grow weekly.

One of the fun things we have each year is a Christmas Tai Chi Tea. Debi brings the tea and everyone brings all sorts of goodies.

It's amasing to see these men and women in their 80's and 90's happily moving and grooving. I figure if it works that well for them I'll just keep showing up.

Blossom Trail

Every year Fresno County celebrates its rich agricultural heritage with the Blossom Trail which is a scenic drive through all the fruit tree orchards. http://www.goblossomtrail.com/ This 62 mile trail includes a festival with various activities: bicycle ride, 10k run, art show and many fruit stands.

Here's a shot of our own peach tree with its deep pink blossoms.

Fresno city has planted thousands of Bartlett pear trees along street and many businesses have landscaped with them too. Their blossoms are white and are often used next to cherry trees or peach trees to contract with their pink. Almonds are blooming and filling the air with their white petals with a pink center.

With recent rains, the wild flowers are blanketing the foothills. Here's a few shots a friend of mine, Duane, took.