These purple lupines grow all around our area this time of year. They smell exactly like artificially-flavored grape soda.
Tag Archive: julian
Our nectarine tree, which survived the Cedar Fire, makes lovely blossoms that result in stunted under-ripe fruit.
Sounds like a song title, eh? Actually it’s a blue scrub jay hopping around on a reposing deer, hunting for ticks.
Got pictures of some daffodils just beginning to bloom:
My favorite.
Gracie loves eating grass:
Had a snowstorm Thursday night, all day Friday, all Friday night, and into half of Saturday. Some snow-laden pines:
An odd, prickly snow hedgehog:
It was SO nice to have it snow all day Friday, so we could enjoy watching it. Too often, it all happens overnight. First we went out walking in it, then I made onion marmalade, then we played Scrabble, then I took a hot bath. In other words, a perfect day. This was what Friday was like all day:
Yesterday afternoon, I walked into the bedroom and saw a large bobcat lounging on our south property. We’ve been seeing a bobcat kitten around here lately, but this guy was BIG. At first, all we could get were shots of him from behind. These were all taken at full (32X) zoom, making it very hard to stay on subject. Still, my new little camera did a great job!
Check out the white ear patches and black tufts
More ears
Finally, a profile
After a while of him not moving, I got set up on the windowsill while Rich prepared to rap on the window to get his attention. We expected to get maybe one shot before he bolted. On the contrary, not only did he not bolt, but it was very hard to get his attention! Rich even had to open the window and make clicking noises like we use to call our housecats.
“Whaaaaat?”
Just look at those eyes.
“Please, people, I’m trying to take a nap.”
Eventually he got up and trotted off into the woods. Because the camera was on full zoom, it was a miracle to get anything.
You can see his paw pads!
The instant he left, a deer came strolling into the same area. Maybe Bob got up to avoid contact? To watch and stalk? Even though he was a big one, bobcats don’t make a living killing deer. The deer wandered down to the exact spot where the bobcat had just been lounging, and sniffed intently.
Must not taste very good.
On the lookout now, but there were no encounters.
We had snow and howling winds all night last night. Got around eight inches! All these were taken with my spiffy new camera.
These are the snow pics I managed to get before my camera fatally crashed. I have a new camera now, another Canon Powershot.
I’ve been reading the book Salt, by Mark Kurlansky. It’s fascinating. On a whim, I decided to stop at a tack and feed store to pick up a salt lick for the deer in our neighborhood. It’s a lovely deep pink color. Took the deer a few weeks to discover it.
I’m pretty sure this doe is pregnant. Her belly seemed firmer and rounder than normal. She licked the salt rock for about five minutes.
Then a yearling came up and had a taste, too. They really seem to like it!
“Mmmm, salty!”
My friends and neighbors John & Terri Groth recently gave us a couple of cups of acorn meal they had made. You can mix it half and half with flour for pancakes, or anything else. We made pancakes, and they are GOOD. The acorn meal makes them quite filling!
There are different processes for leaching out the bitter tannins from the nut meat. Some require boiling, other just soaking in cold water. Either way, it takes several changes of water before the meal is ready to dry and mill.
The Native Americans who populated these mountains for centuries relied heavily on acorns for sustenance. It’s hard for foragers to find a reliable source of starch and carbohydrates in the wild. One can dig up tubers, but acorns are much easier to find.
CalFire has been conducting controlled burns on Middle Peak recently. This was yesterday, hours before the wet, misting rain we woke up to this morning.
