Sonoma County is a unique place. On the westside, Highway 12 and Occidental Road run parallel to each other between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, with peaceful countryside in between the two roads: grassy pastures dotted with gnarly old oaks and grazing cattle, egrets and herons […]
All posts filed under: Musings
A Stroll through Old Town Olympia
We’ve visited Olympia several times. The people are friendly, the city easy to navigate, and if you stay in, or near Old Town, everything is within easy walking distance. Some of our favorite things to there are looking at the many incredible murals, grab […]
Zunday Zen … I spy a …
hummingbird baby, a playful fledgling maybe? ogling me softly. Hummingbirds are some of my favorite backyard birds. What is your favorite backyard bird? Have a Zen Sunday! Sabine
Meditation in Moments … Slip Sliding Away
Last summer sighting scaly serpent slithering lickety split … … gone. This is our resident garter snake. It, or its doppelgänger, has been hanging around the garden since we first moved in 13 years ago. While walking through the dewy grass one morning this summer, I […]
California Road Trip 2018 … Hiking Howarth Park
One morning during my visit to Santa Rosa I met my friend Trish for breakfast at the East West Restaurant across from Howarth Park. I remember when they were located at the corner of Sonoma Avenue and Farmers Lane. The menu hasn’t changed much since […]
California Road Trip 2018 … “Good Grief Charlie Brown”, Part 2
Snoopy’s Home Ice has a bit of an alpine chalet look. The flower boxes remind me of Europe! The area around the entrance. Come on in! Welcome to Santa Rosa! Welcome to Snoopy’s Home Ice! I spent many an afternoon watching our boys learn to […]
California Road Trip 2018 … “Good Grief Charlie Brown” Part 1
Do you remember when most of us used to get a newspaper delivered in the driveway? Some mornings the paper would be wet because it had landed right in the sprinklers. The Sunday paper always contained lots of add inserts and a multi-page color comic […]
California Road Trip 2018 … Getting there!
On my way to California this July, I spent the first night in Ashland. This small town is about halfway point between Portland and Santa Rosa. The entire distance is around 650 miles, one way. While it’s possible to drive it all in one day, […]
Up Close & Personal … The very hungry Wasp
Have you ever seen these foamy masses on your plants? Spittlebug nymphs excrete a fluid and literally whip it into a bubbly foam. They then hide from predators inside it. So imagine my surprise, when I encountered this scene one summer morning! The wasp climbed […]
Zunday Zen … I spy an …
elusive fallow deer with twin fawns, who no longer show fear Sunday Night Family Dinner … … right here. This doe and her fawns have been coming through the forest behind us since the beginning of the year. I remember the first time I spotted […]
Zunday Zen … I spy a …
tuckered out hummer during the height of summer ready for a nap. Hummingbirds have been constant visitors in my garden this summer. Generally, they zip all over the place at neck-breaking speed, then perch on a branch to rest a moment or two. And they […]
Happy Friday from scenic Bodega Head!
During all the years we lived in Sonoma County, California, I rarely missed stopping off at Bodega Head, anytime we went to nearby Doran Beach. I still love this spot and still stop here every time I come back to Sonoma County. Bodega Head is […]
Zunday Zen … Bluebirds at Sunset
“Want to look for bluebirds at sunset?” How could I resist? Meandering along a trail, through endless meadows … Golden Hour’s magic in plain sight. Just behind the bend, a Townsend’s Solitaire appears. Quietly, we approach. Off he goes … and so do we … […]
Zunday Zen … zEntanglement
Way up in the clouds on this midsummer day a swallowtail gliding without hiding joyfully jiving, suddenly diving through trees, clouds and sky … Pardon the Interruption while I unzengle my feet … Down below buddleja’s aglow honeyed fragrance’s wafting on the breeze a swallowtail’s […]
Zunday Zen … I Spy a …
quick-moving shadow in the wildflower meadow some slurps on the fly then it’s off again … Goodbye! I hope you had a Zen Zunday! Sabine
Up Close & Personal … The Cooper’s Hawk
The view from my kitchen window is fabulously distracting! I was in the midst of making a salad for dinner one night recently, when I happened to glance out the window. The yard was eerily quiet and not a bird in sight! That’s when I […]
Meditation in Moments … The Humble Bumble Bee
Nectar of the Gods Inviting & delighting this humble bumble bee. This summer, I’ve observed an unbelievable number of bumble bees visit the flowers in my garden. They definitely have taste preferences! Just like us humans! Their favorite plant is my Lavender Grosso, followed closely […]
Happy Friday from my favorite Spot in my Garden!
Love-in-a-mist, or Nigella damascena, are some of my very favorite flowers! These particular ones are extra special because they were given to me many years ago. I sprinkled the seeds throughout the flowerbeds around our deck. I waited, and waited, and waited some more … but […]
in cahoots with muddy boots 