LIFE ON WILDFLOWER LANE

There are 11 families living on Wildflower Lane, which is a private road.   We are all different and unique.    What we have in common is that we all appreciate our isolation and privacy.     Weeks can go by without speaking to a neighbor, except for an occasional chat at the mailboxes along Highway 138 or meeting each other while driving along the road.   

With the recent snow storms neighbors become more dependent on each other since we are all responsible for maintenance of the road we share, especially when the snow prevents us from getting down to the highway.  Those living on top of the ridge, at an elevation of 2000 feet, can get over two feet of snow, while those of us downhill get less than two feet.   One neighbor on top has an excavator with a 3-way blade and will plow snow all the way down to Highway 138.    We will all chip in and reimburse him for the cost of the fuel.  When my big Eucalyptus tree came down across my driveway three nights ago, my neighbor downhill came up and helped me cut and clear it from the driveway.    After trying to call my 91 year old neighbor, living at the end of the road by himself, I became alarmed after I was unable to get a hold of him by phone.   I sent an email out to all neighbors asking if anyone had seen him lately and that I planned to walk out to his house the next day to check on him, since the snow would prevent me from driving out to his place.   Immediately I received 3 replies from neighbors saying they would go with me.   Another neighbor living on the ridge top replied that he had talked to the 91 year neighbor and said he was doing well.  

During the dry and long hot summers the fire threat can keep us in touch too, since Wildflower Lane is basically a dead end road, except for an old overgrown jeep road near the ridge top that connects to Dodge Canyon Lane to our west.   In many ways that would be a death trap trying to escape a fire coming up hill off Highway 138.    We all have our own escape plan.   Another neighbor with their house on the ridge overlooking Green Valley to the north, have a swimming pool and would just use it during a fire if they could not make it out.  They will welcome anybody else to join them in a pool party in the event there is no escape to the highway below.   

IS EVERTHING ALL RIGHT?

 The following is from the book, Healing After Loss by Martha W. Hickman:

Is everything really all right?  Really?   Though it assumes different aspects at different times, it is our most basic question.   It is behind our ventures into theology and ethics, behind our anguished dreams, our fears and hopes as we stand at the bedside of loved ones, as we confront the mystery of death.  

There is no way we can know all the particulars on how "all right" everything is.   But if we can trust that behind life's mysteries and dilemmas there is a Creator who knows what is going on and who wishes us well, that's a very good start.

And then what?  What could be better than to sing songs and tell stories?

WINTER DRIVING

 All this wintry weather got me thinking back on my driving experiences through bad weather once upon a time.   When I was going to Lassen College in Susanville, I took off for Christmas break in 1968 to go to my parents, who were living in Stockton at the time    The roads were covered with snow all the way down Highway 395 to Reno, where I got onto Interstate 80 to cross over the Sierra Nevada Mountains.    I was driving my old 1963 Ford pickup with a 6 cylinder engine, no 4 wheel drive, before the days of cell phones, leaded gasoline and bald tires with chains on the rear tires.    When I got up on Donner Summit the snow was so deep it had to be hauled out by trucks because the snow blowers could no longer blow it over the berm that must have been 20 to 30 feet high.    About this time my engine started sputtering and finally died.    It was snowing hard as I sat in my truck with no heat thinking this is the end.    All of a sudden a tow truck pulled up in front of me and started hooking my truck up.   When I got in the tow truck I asked the driver how he knew I was there.   He said that is all he did during the storms was drive the summit looking for stranded vehicles.   He took me to a nearby gas station where he poured a can of fluid in the gas tank that would prevent vapor lock in the carburetor.   It worked, the engine started back up and off I went on my merry way.  

On another occasion while going to Lassen College in the winter of 1969, is when I was driving over Fredonya Pass, between Westwood and Susanville on Highway 36, when I lost control going downhill and purposely drove into the snow bank on the uphill side of the highway to avoid going off the road on the downhill side.   A few minutes later a state snow plow truck came by and pulled me out.   

One of the most terrifying experiences was driving over the passes between Canyonville and Grants Pass on Interstate 5 in a snow storm in the late 1990's in my 1994 Ford Escort wagon with poor visibility, packed snow and no tire chains.   It was a white knuckle experience gripping the steering wheel I will never forget.   

Now a days just the thought of driving in the snow is out of the question.   Home by the fire is the place for me now.  

CHRISTMAS 2009

 Reflecting back on better days makes this Christmas a little more enjoyable under the circumstances.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

BACHELOR SWILL

Being a bachelor again, I've taken up some of my old cooking habits.   Basically one dish meals, be it a combination of three or four different items all served up in one big bowl.    Some days I cook enough to get me through a few days, such as a big pot of soup, beans and rice, left over chicken that can be incorporated into all kinds of dishes for a few days or all the above wrapped up in a big burrito.   

Lately I came up with this one that I'm sure will excite you:   Sauté left over chicken with kale, precooked pasta and topped off with a can of lentil soup, season to taste.  It's that simple and economical in these uncertain times.  .

Enjoy!

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

Shopping has never been one of my favorite things.   When it comes to Christmas shopping I could usually buy practical gifts at Bi-Mart, such as flash lights, camping equipment or out door clothing for my kids or other family members in a timely manner.    When I took up with Celia that all changed, as I learned men and women are not meant to shop together during the holidays.    While living in Cottage Grove, a new store opened in town a week or two before Christmas.   I don't remember the name of the store.    It was mostly clothing and few other items, such as mantle pieces, small furniture and other items that women can spend much time looking at.    Celia talked me into going with her for the grand opening of the store.   As soon as we entered the building Celia was like a kid in a candy store and I realized nothing was going to happen quickly according to my shopping standards, which is find it, pay for it and get out.    At first I followed Celia around the many aisles of merchandise, until I broke away to check out the men's section.   After spending a few minutes looking over men's clothing I went back in search of Celia.    When I caught up with her it took a few minutes to realized we were in the women's underwear section.  Being surrounded by panties and bras, and not seeing another man in sight, I became paranoid  that I would be looked upon by some of the nearby women as a pervert, so I returned back to the men's section.   I started to imagine the store manager escorting me from the store.   Finally, Celia could see I was getting stressed out and we made our escape.  

FRUITCAKE

 As Christmas gets closer my memory drifts back to my childhood in the 1950's and all the fruitcakes that were all over the house during the holiday season.  There were fruit cakes in big round tins, small square tins, wrapped in clear plastic and in boxes.  Fruitcakes with nuts, cherries and dried fruits of all kinds, all cemented together in a thick dense dark cake filling.   Seems most people coming to visit always brought fruitcakes, they arrived in the mail, they were under the Christmas tree, they were every where.   As kids we were sick of fruitcakes and can remember feeding some of them to the dogs we had.  Now in my old age I have a desire for those old fashion fruitcakes.  Went on-line to look for some, starting with good old Bi-Mart.   All that came up in the search was different pancake mixes, dried fruit, can fruit and Fruit of the Loom underwear.   Next, I searched on Harry and David and sure enough they have fruitcakes ranging in price from $20 to $80.  Their classic traditional fruitcake comes in a round tin for $20.   Hopefully it gets here by Christmas and I can share it with friends and neighbors.   What would Christmas be without fruitcake in our old age as we reflect back on those childhood memories?

SPACE DUST

 I came across the following from The Handy Weather Answer Book by Walter A. Lyons and thought I would share it with you.   Like me it is probably something you never gave much thought about.   

How much "space dust" reaches the surface of  Earth?   A lot more than you might think.  The Earth has been slowly gaining weight:  by some estimates over six tons of microscopic meteoric dust and debris sinter down into the lower atmosphere every day.  

Now, didn't that make your day and give you something more to ponder during these uncertain times?

ROSS LAKE

 As I go through the many pictures that have been filed on this computer all the memories associated with each picture come rushing back as I try to remember specific places and time.    This picture was taken from our camp at Lightning Creek Campground on Ross Lake sometime in the late 1980's.   The view is looking north toward Canada, which was about 10 to 20 from our location.   That is my son and daughter on a log with poles making there way out across the lake.   My sister and her husband were in camp with me when this picture was taken.   My sister arranged this trip and rented a boat that took us to the north end of the lake where we backpacked 5 to 10 miles to this campground.   We stayed for 3 or 4 days, until we had to go back to meet the boat for our return trip to civilization or did we backpack all the way back to Highway 20 in the North Cascades National Park?   From this camp we would take day hikes.  One hike that stands out in my memory was up a trail to Desolation Peak where we came across a blue berry patch or was it huckleberries?    As I was picking berries I could hear somebody on the other side of the berry patch picking.   I walked around the patch to see who was there and to my surprise it was a bear.  The bear did not notice me, so I slowly made my way back to the others informing them of the bear as we departed back to camp.   Thinking back that was a big bear and may have been a Grizzly.    

There are many more pictures and many more stories to be told--stay tuned.  

STREAM FLOW

The seasonal creek that goes through our property started flowing water yesterday, December 12th,  after receiving 9.14 inches of rain since October 1, the start of the water year (WY).   Last year it started flowing December 11th after 11 inches of rain from the start of the WY.    In 2019 it started flowing December 21 after 6.59 inches from the start of the WY.   More rain in the forecast with a chance of snow at lower elevations.   Sure beats summer and the fire threat.

EUGENE VISITORS

While living in Eugene I had my fair share of all kinds of people knocking on my front door.   There were the usual sales people, religious disciples, law enforcement, the homeless and a few other lost souls.    

Two of the most memorable sales people was a lady selling a cleaning solution.    While she stood outside on the front porch talking of the great things this product would do for me, she noticed the stove in the kitchen with markings of grease down one side.   She asked if she could demonstrate how good this product was with removing grease.    I let her in the house where she proceeded to clean the entire stove.   After that, I felt obligated to buy a bottle of this amazing stuff.   

The next sales people were some university students selling vacuum cleaners.    They came in the small living room where there was the only rug in the house on the hardwood floor.   It was a round rug about six feet in diameter with dog hair and other elements of dust on it.    I did have a small vacuum cleaner and they asked me to use it on the rug in order to show how much better the one they had would clean it after I finished with mine.   They were right, their machine did a much better job, but for one rug it was not feasible, nor could I afford to spend more money on their machine, so they departed.    The rug never looked so clean.  

One day I had a visit by a police detective with the City of Eugene wanting know some information on a policeman that lived down the street.  He asked if I ever saw any activity during the day, such as the policeman coming home in his patrol car and if anybody was with him.    I told him I was at work most weekdays, but have noticed a patrol car there at times on weekends and few ladies coming and going.  He wrote all that down, thanked me and left.   A few weeks later I noticed the policeman moving.  

One evening two very intoxicated men came to the front door wanting some money for food.    My daughter had a night job in a bakery on Willamette Street and would bring home all kinds of left over breads and pastries in the morning.   I informed the two men I could furnish them with some fresh baked bread, knowing if I gave them any money it would be spent on more booze.   I could see the disappointment in their eyes as I handed each of them a loaf of bread.   

One of the most sad cases was on a cold, wet winter night when a young man knocked on the door wanting to use some tools to remove the engine starter on his car that was parked at a gas station on Willamette Street.   He promised to bring them back the next day.   I loaned him the tools and walked back with him to his car as he told me the people at the gas station permitted him to park his car there until he could find a new starter.   I noticed that he was living out of the car and was not going to take off any time soon.    He was trying to get to Seattle and had very little money.   The next evening he returned my tools, saying that he found a rebuilt starter after walking out to west 11th street to a parts store that had one that fit his car.    That had to have been a 5 mile walk one way from south Willamette Street.    I asked him when he had something to eat last since I had plenty of dinner for two of us.   He was very appreciative for the tools and dinner telling me I had done more for him than his own father had ever done.  

1630 Ash Street Cottage Grove 2000-2006

Celia and I bought this house in August of 2000 with the money I received from selling my house in Eugene and the sale of her house in Cottage Grove.   Our wedding was planned for October 7th and we prematurely informed our neighbors that we were marred.   Celia would tell me jokingly that I was bound at this point to make her an honest woman.   There was over 1600 square feet, including three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen with dinning room, living room, office and up stairs bedroom.   It had an attached garage and a separate shop building in the back, better known as the man's inter sanctum   The entire backyard was a garden.   In 2002 we took out an equity loan on this house and purchased 10 acres on Wildflower Lane in Douglas County to start a native plant nursery.  In 2006 we sold this house and moved to 10 acres at 855 Wildflower Lane just above the the 10 acres we bought in 2002.  

EUGENE HOUSE ON 26th Ave 1991-2000

 This is the house I bought in 1991 on 26th Avenue, just a block off Willamette Street in south Eugene.   It was only 800 square feet with a small garage, two bedrooms, one bathroom, small kitchen, utility room and living room.   I did construct an upstairs bedroom in the attic with a window.   It was within walking distance of stores, restaurants, medical offices, bakeries and other businesses, which included all the traffic noise of Willamette Street.   My two children could live with me on a part-time basis and South Eugene High School was close by where my son, Jason graduated in 1994.   My daughter, Amy spent her third year of high school in Brazil on a student exchange program.   When she returned she became a student at Lane Community College.   There must have been 5 or 6 cats living with us, plus Jack, the dog.   That is Amy and Jason at the front door.

McIntyre Ranch 1977-79

 This old ranch house was located on the McIntyre Ranch along the eastside of Indian Valley in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.   We lived there from 1977 to 1979 when I worked on the Greenville Ranger District of the Plumas National Forest.    The house had 5 rooms, including a bathroom, two bedrooms, a kitchen, utility room and living/dinning room combined.   The were two wood stoves to heat the place when the temperature in the winter would go below freezing on many days.  The lowest I remember was minus 5 and on some cold mornings there was frost on the inside of the windows.    The water source was a spring  back up from the house.   There was a fenced garden, wood shed and barn behind the house.   It was a seven mile drive to Greenville.   The monthly rent was $100.  Our daughter, Amy was born at the hospital in Quincy in 1978.    The house burned down a few years after we moved.   

ORLEANS CABIN 1975-77

This is the cabin my first wife and I rented when we were married in  August of 1975, while working on the Orleans Ranger District of the Six Rivers National Forest.    It had three rooms--bathroom, bedroom and kitchen combined with a small living room.   It was all heated with a pot belly stove.   Don't remember the monthly rent, maybe $100 or less.   It was a 5 or 6 mile drive up the Klamath River on Highway 96 to Orleans and a 2 hour drive to Arcata/Eureka.   We had 4 dogs that I remember living with us and our son, Jason was born in October of 1976.   This picture taken during a dusting of snow in the winter, but not sure of the year.   

JOE THE CAT

Yesterday I buried Joe.  Not sure how old Joe was as like many of our cats he was a stray that found his way to us 12 or 14 years ago.   He may have been 2 to 4 years of age when he showed up on the hillside above the house trying to make his way into the cat colony we had at the time.    All the cats that had taken up residency with us, maybe 14 or 15 at the time, were not too accepting of new comers, so Joe had to be aggressive to gain his place in the pecking order.   Finally after a few days Joe was accepted and took up his place for his dally ration of food and a cat bed in the shop.    Eventually Joe and another cat, by the name of Fat Boy became friends and would follow me around the woods in search of a rat or some other small critter to go after.   To them it was like we were going hunting as I would cut brush.    Fat Boy died during the heat spell at the end of this last June and Joe was kind of lost after that and never developed a friendship with my surviving cat, named Clarice, who had been aggressive toward him.   Joe did not care to be petted on his head and we suspected he may have been abused, maybe by a neighbor that lived up the hill and died leaving Joe on his own.   A few weeks after Joe settled in, we found him on the edge of death laying in the garden.   It was a weekend and off we went to Bailey's in Roseburg, where Joe was diagnosed with crystals in his urine that required a special diet and few other procedures, none of which were cheap.   Over the last year Joe's thyroid became dysfunctional and required an ointment applied to his ears.   This did not really help him and he began to lose weight followed by kidney failure.   Clarice did sense Joe's decline and did befriend him in the last dew days.   He past away peacefully by the wood stove Sunday morning and joined Fat Boy over the Rainbow Bridge.  Now it is just me and Clarice.     

Picture taken in 2008.

 

CHRISTMAS 2021

Locals getting in the spirit of the season with the lighting of the Christmas tree in Oakland last night.    The most people I have seen in the last few years because of the pandemic and being a caregiver to Celia for the last 3 years.    It has been a roller coaster of  a year for us all, especially the last 6 months for me.  

Trying to maintain the status quo here is a challenge, which is a good thing as it keeps me busy, depending on my energy.    My health is priority number one now.    A bad fall,  an accident or some health issue could bring an end to me living here.  

I'm truly grateful to family and friends that have gone out of their way to help me over the last few years and especially the last 6 months.  Hoping for better times.

Wishing you all peace and love.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!