Learning to Scan

This is my Mom and Dad. It is such a great picture of them. I am learning all about scanning because I want to put together my mom’s recipes. She was a fabulous cook who took classes all over the world. I have most of her recipes and want to put them in a format I will share and have forever. Kind of an Ode to Rosemary… 
Maybe "Rosemary's Recipes"

Mid Life Crisis Car

This is my birthday present to myself! I have wanted one of these wagons for 30 years and here she is. Meet

Miss Oddette....

This is the definition  of a don't need just want item. She lived in Coupeville, Washington and I got her from an estate sale. I Love her...she is perfect just the way she is!

                                          1981 300TD Turbo Diesel Station Wagon

• Classic White with Palomino MB-Tex
• 144,000 documented miles since new
• sunroof, rear-facing 3rd seat,luggage rack cross bars, luggage/parcel divider
• one owner, 100% original paint
• new home, Santa Margarita, California

I still can't get over this wagon. I've never seen a cleaner interior. Ever. It looks like it has 44,000 miles not 144,000. 30 years ago the one and only owner of this W123 wrapped the carpet in plastic, and if that wasn't enough, she then put two sets of protective floor mats on top. Pictured in the photo below is a factory driver side floor mat that has never seen a shoe. Believe it.

The original owner documented every mile, service check, 

maintenance and gasoline stop ever in this car. It is truly amazing.

Happy Birthday to me...

Busy Busy Hillbilly...

Watch out neighborhood, the Hillbilly's have an arena ! I have always loved a good riding arena. They come in so handy. Not only are they a great places to master some training techniques, but they act as a wonderful turn out area for your horses to play, roll and just generally hang out. I call mine Hillbilly because it was done on a shoestring budget. That being said it is much better than what we had before.I have been trying to spread the sand for the arena. Not as easy as it looks. Daddy helping too.

Hillbilly Daddy

The best thing just happened. My neighbor John, this is his tractor, just came and gave me a lesson on spreading the sand! I was doing it all wrong...yea. I love to learn new things.

The only thing better than learning new things is eating fruits and vegetables that you grow!Here are my first 3 cherries of the season, right off our tree.

Seymour...ouch!

Seymour is my 27 year old European Trekahner. Fancy breed of Thoroughbred. He has an ulcer (tear) on his cornea. Horses get these more often than you think. They are prey animals, so they can spook easily. They are always watching out for themselves. If they aren't careful they can hit or rub their eyes on things...or if they are just plain stupid. With Seymour it is neither of these things, he is just old, and forgetful. I watch him in the pasture, where he loves to sleep laying down and LOVES to roll. He just forgets to close his eye and then it gets scraped on the ground while he is rolling. He can still roll all the way over and when it is time for medicine (every 4 hours salve in the eye) he can still run backwards much faster than I can. He is a great part of my animal family and I will treat him with the care and dignity he deserves. Even if he forgets....

On a brighter note, today was another outside day, My favorite kind actually. Planted two new pots and weeded the vegetable garden...it needed it. It is now getting warm enough that my vegetables should really start to grow. 

 before

  after


The rest of my day will be spent  at a birthday party for my my dear friend, John. I am bringing Deviled Eggs. The eggs are from my neighbor, gathered today. I made the mayonnaise and grew the chives.

Very homey, my girl friend Kary would Say!

Catching up

I have been M.I.A. for a couple of days. Just been busy with life. I spent the day before yesterday spraying, yep the dreadful spraying, yellow star thistle. An abnoxious weed that if not managed will take over everything you own...and more. Because of my lack of knowledge around weeds, pasture and manure management, water erosion etc. I have become a stakeholder in the pilot program  Livestock and Land.www.livestockandland.org

The program was created by Ecology Action.www.ecoact.org

The program aims to achieve immediate and lasting water quality and watershed improvements by educating livestock owners on Best Management Practices (BMPs). The educational opportunities are conveyed via workshops, technical trainings and demonstration projects. By raising the awareness in the community we will achieve the cultural changes necessary for healthy livestock and watershed management. I am hoping to become a demonstration site for this program. In the mean time I will be spreading the word and trying to help educate small ranch and farm people in the never ending poop and mud issues we all have with our beloved large animals.

My passion is horses. I have 3. Bambi, Seymour and Smooch! Between the flys, poop, and erosion issues these friends of mine create..I am hoping to learn how to make their homes a better place for all of us!

In the Garden

I just got eggs from a neighbor of mine. this photo is of Toby, my friends rooster. Isn't he pretty?

TOBY

AFTER

BEFORE

Today in my garden I cleaned flower beds and added new bark. We have a huge pile of bark in our driveway that needs a home. 

Monday just dooting...

Dooting, (rhymes with booting) is Gregs term for doing what ever you want. It comes in handy for lots of things...I am dooting on the computer now!
His other favorite term is DOGOMAR. Which translates to "don't go to the market." Thats a chef term I guess. The girls and I know we will be having dinner out of whatever he can find in the kitchen. Never any complaints from his meals, he can make a can of creamed corn taste good. 


Yesterday, Greg cooked paella for Chef Charlie at this fundraising event that was held at Templeton Park.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Join the Pinot Noir Producers of Paso Robles and 20 great chefs for an afternoon of great wine, creative Paella dishes, and dance to the live Latin guitar world fusion beats of Incendio. Sunday, June 5, 2011. Mingle with the winemakers and discover how the sense of place is reflected in each glass of their Pinot Noir. Visit each of the 20 chefs and taste the wonderful flavors of their talent to create a unique Paella to pair with the local Pinot Noirs. Find out why Paso Robles is legendary for its friendliness. Breathe in the aromas of the Paellas simmering in the pans, and taste why leading food magazines identify this area as a great place for wonderful cuisine made with locally grown and farm fresh ingredients.

After the event we hung out with our friends Maegan Loring , her wild boar paella was voted #1 at the event and our very winey friend Eric Fister. . It was great catching up with Maegan. She has a new restaurant "The Neon Carrot". www.theneoncarrot.com 

I am embarrassed to say I have not been to The Neon Carrot. I am going to take care of that this week.

She is so funny and full of life. We drank lovely Windward Pinot Noir Rose wine and chatted about the restaurant business. She asked me if I missed it and I didn't immediately say NO! That was weird because for the last 4 years I have had myself convinced I didn't. Miss it, that is. Funny what time does...We talked about so many things. Getting older. Getting wiser. Being happy about who you are and how you look. And mostly we talked about what wonderful husbands we have. She and I feel so much the same about our men, and we know how lucky we are to have such great lives with them.

The after party was held at Windward Vineyard.I had never been to Marc and Magggie Goldbergs winery, even though we sold their Pinots for years at 1865. The wines are stellar and the tasting room is great! Below is the winery information. I highly recommend taking a drive to their spot!

Tasting Room Open Daily 10:30am - 5:00pm

P: 805.239.2565 F: 805.239.4005 info@windwardvineyard.com

1380 Live Oak Road Paso Robles CA, 93446