Wasabi

... and there went November! I tried to savor the colors of the leaves while still on the trees because it is such a show that I enjoy each year. And I love the crisp bite of fall with the tinge of smoke in the air bringing to mind sitting with a hot cup of tea by the fire feeling all cozy while it's frosty outside. Our November was not so frosty. It was kind of soggy, actually. But I'm not complaining. We need the rain! And I'm sure those frosty days are ahead of us.

Look at our red maple. It's on fire! I love this tree.



When the kids were younger they used to play in the fallen leaves. Now our youngest brings her bunny out to play in the fallen leaves. Spot enjoyed it for a moment and then felt like hawk bait and asked to be brought back inside. He is such a house bunny.

I also did my best to enjoy the large flock of turkeys that entertained us all these months. They flocked around the yard gobbling and barking at every sound and motion that passed through our back 40. So, it was loud. 

We pardoned 4 turkeys, a tom and 3 hens. Michael, in keeping with his military theme (Colonel Sanders for our rooster) has named our tom, "Major Tom". Yes, he's punny. Anyhow, Major Tom has a harem of 3 darting around the yard with his fat self. We are wondering if he will ever learn the miracle of nature and get together with his girls to produce some spring turkey poults. We'll keep you updated.

Ah, speaking of turkeys, Thanksgiving was delicious. We had the usual suspects over for dinner plus a couple of bonus guests. There was no shortage of food. I spent the following few days in a tryptophan and wine induced sloth mode. We finally cracked open the bottle of red I brought home from Canberra in August. It went well with the turkey (topped out at 15 lbs, so we cooked up 1.5 turkeys). Thanksgiving has got to be my favorite holiday. It's a day to get together and share our gratitude and feast. There is no crazy gift giving or other ordeal. It just feels good. Also bonus that the turkey and pumpkins came from the yard.

Just after Thanksgiving Michael took off for Los Angeles and the rest of us resumed our work and school schedules. Monday morning I received an unexpected message from our Craigslist post about our missing blue parakeet - Ramon. It was an odd message but I was hopeful that another miraculous recovery had been made. So, I went out to the garage and put the cage all back together with the cleaned up bird dishes and bird toys in the hopes I would be picking up my little buddy while the kids were off at school. But, there was something odd about the communication I was having with the person on the other end of this. Turns out this person lives in Texas. And they sent a photo of someone else's blue parakeet. 

Well, after getting my hopes up and dashed like that, I found it hard to get work done. So I took a theraputic break down to the local pet store (where they are very familiar with my lost and found stories ... they are the ones who originally brought Ramon and I together). Anyway, I thought some oogling at the budgies would some how make me feel better. I was no way going to get a new one.

Except that I had this cage all ready and set up. Taking it apart would seem like another loss. And, hey, are those baby budgies? They still have the barring on their heads. Oh, look at this little guy. He says he wants to come home with me!

Meet Wasabi ...

Wasabi is still in the "I'm terrified that I'm in a new place" space. But I figure within 6 months he will sitting on our shoulders and making a complete mess of the place. Yes, his wings are clipped. You cannot see from the photo here, but he has a teal-blue tail with black and yellow feathers that flare out to the sides. He might be part peacock! His songs are much nicer than those of a peacock (thank goodness). He is already chirping away to certain songs that Valerie plays on the piano.

It's the end of November and I am still feeling much gratitude for so many things. You know, raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens and all that. 

Konichiwa & Sayonara

October at Rancho Wilhelm was good month. We kicked it off with a visit from Scott & Dawn. What a treat to hang out with them for a few days.

The turkeys really miss Scott. He provided some excellent leadership to this confused and unruly bunch.

We ended October with Michael & Tiff traveling to Tokyo and Valerie traveling to Indianapolis while Rex & Amira held down the fort.

I have always wanted to visit Japan. I just love the culture there. It's so unique. So, Michael had said that when he got a job there, someday, he would take me along. Well, that day came along in October and off I went. Michael was working the Auto Show for Nissan. Here he is at the Nissan Crossing:



And here we are with Godzilla!



When I first arrived, Michael was busy at work for a few days. But he greeted me in the hotel lobby the night I arrived and took me out to dinner. I was still buzzing from the adrenaline of landing in a country where I didn't speak the language but was able to find my way from the airport to the train to the metro to the hotel all by myself. Real life puzzles! 

Surprisingly, our first night was not sushi. But it was, perhaps, the most tender beef ever and attractively plated.



Our first hotel room had a view from the 12th floor that I very much enjoyed. But our second hotel had a view of a different part of the city from the 23rd floor. 

Views, views, views! We stomped around the city for days ... visiting the fish market - Michael says of this photo taken here, Japanese version of "bobbing for apples". 



Meet the fish, eat the fish!




We also visited a Samurai Museum, Shinto Shrine, Owl cafe and a hedgehog/bunny cafe. These are definitely not experiences I would get in Chico. 

Next time I go back I would love to visit some rural parts of Japan.

Valerie had her own experiences stomping around Indiana and Kentucky with her FFA chapter upon their National Convention tour. 

They visited a popcorn factory, a marshmallow factory and kissed the bricks at the Indianapolis Speedway. She also turned 16 while she was gone and was treated to some extra special attention from her friends.

Valerie arrived home an hour or so before Michael and I did on the 29th. Her grandma took her off to a piano recital that night while Michael and I collapsed into a deep sleep. The next night we were able to celebrate Valerie turning 16 and her grandpa, Alligator,  turning, well, a bit more than 16.

On the 31st we had our annual pot-luck, costume party. It's great to have all the neighbors over and see friends that have managed to elude us since last year. Very few people got my costume (Frida Kahlo). I thought for sure the mono-brow would have been a hint. 

Our friend, Casey, brought frogs' legs again. And for anyone who wanted to say that they tasted like chicken, well, he brought chicken as well. The whole thing was garnished with climbing roses from their garden. What an exotic treat.

Of course there was the, "Gee, we have all this left over dry ice ... what are we going to do?" We ended up with pumpkins blown to smithereens all over the back yard. As usual.

Just after Halloween Michael was back on a plane to Brooklyn for a week. How his body copes with the constant jet lag, I'll never know.

Although the weather has turned cooler and a bit more damp, the yard continues to produce some flowers. (Haven't had that first frost yet). So, I've made up some bouquets for the house.

And because I love to surround myself with color, I got a fresh paint job myself. Mermaid hair.

While Michael was gone we had a special guest, Josie, the neighbor's dog, stay with us while her family traveled. She was excellent company, as always. We love to have well behaved fur friends come visit. It was like having one more kid on the couch.

Mr. Whiskers took the couch sitting to a competitive level with the dog. I have to say, he looks super comfortable, if a bit annoyed.

On Monday, 6 November, Josie's person, Madelyn, came to pick her up and take her home. I was standing at the front door, with my ever-present bird on my head, talking to Madelyn and saying good-bye to Josie. Suddenly, without warning, Ramon flew off my head and right out the front door. 

Now, he'd been known to fly out the door to land on my head. But he had never flown off my head into the great beyond before. It was as if he had the taste of freedom on his last adventure and maybe yearned for some more excitement in the wild. Sadly, we have not been able to find him. And I do not think I can count on a second miracle. This time we have to say good-bye to our little buddy, wherever he is. It is with heavy heart that I say good-bye to my little friend. He is greatly missed.

LOST & FOUND

Sunday, 8 October brought some incredibly gusty winds to our area. Michael had planned to fix up the fence but it was too powerfully windy to work on it that day. I was focused on cleaning the house and preparing dinner. I'd just made a pie.

I stepped out the back door with the pumpkin pie in my hands, prepared to take it around to the garage fridge when Ramon flew onto my head. 

He often does this. He wants to ride on our heads no matter where we go. I'd stepped out the back door many times prior with a budgie on my head. Usually I just step back inside and put him up on the light fixture and race back out the door. One time he even got all the way out the back patio with me and buzzed around the entire patio before alighting on my head for a trip back inside. He usually comes when I call him.

As I was saying, Ramon flew onto my head as I stepped out onto the back patio, carrying a pie on this blustery day. I stepped back in and set him on the light. We danced this dance about three times. The last time I raced him to the back door I thought I had made it out without him. But I was wrong. There he was on my head again. I reached my finger up to my hair when a swirl of wind pushed through, startling Ramon. He popped straight up above my head. This is when the gale tore through and seized Ramon like a riptide at sea while he was just above my head. I watched in horror as my little friend was spirited away like a kite up, up, up and over the garage toward the front of the house. I stood still a moment and called to him. But the wind was still beating my back and howling through drowning out my voice.

I dashed back in and shouted to the girls to run out front and look for Ramon. I ran around the side of the house and fetched Michael. We immediately started canvassing the neighborhood, calling for him. We searched trees and bushes, front yards and back yards. Neighbors came out and called for Ramon. We searched two blocks to the south (the direction the wind seemed to continue tearing). As we searched all day the wind ripped at us and drowned out our voices. Feathers, leaves, trash, other birds were all pushed about swirling in the air giving us false hope that maybe that was Ramon.

We cancelled our dinner plans and spent the rest of the day despondent. 

That night the temperature dropped and the wind continued to pound outside. I had a hard time sleeping thinking about our little friend all alone and scared and cold in the night somewhere. And then I realized that he doesn't really understand he concept of predators. This is the bird who gets down on the floor with the bunnies and eats greens with them. Finally I drifted off to sleep and dreamed many dreams that he came home.

On Monday people continued to give us hope and advice but I wasn't so sure that I wasn't just holding on to wishful thinking. I put an alert out on Facebook. Michael posted an ad on Craigslist. Amira had already made up fliers and posted them all over the neighborhoods on Sunday. The winds died down a little bit on Monday and fires were springing up all over Northern California around us. Although we were depressed about missing Ramon, we still had a roof over our heads and the family was safe. So many others we know were evacuated and lost buildings and vehicles. We even had a couple of guest doggies here Monday while our friend, who had been evacuated, called insurance companies from a local coffee shopped and looked for lodging for her other animals and family.

Tuesday came. Ramon's cage had been outside for two days. We continued to look for him with a little less intensity and hope than the previous days. After dinner on Tuesday night I didn't feel like doing the dishes. I thought I'd just check my e-mail. I'd received a message from someone responding to Michael's Craigslist ad, "I think your bird found us," they wrote. I couldn't believe it. I called them immediately. I asked them where they lived. When they gave me their address (about 5 miles south of here as the bird flies - or blows) I wondered if they had found someone else's bird? They said he was blue with a white head and that he liked to land on people's heads and eat their hair. Well, that certainly sounded like him!

Amira and Rex and I jumped into the car with Ramon's cage and drove over there (much farther than 5 miles as the car travels). When we got there we were greeted by a young family (mom, dad, two little boys). They welcomed us into their home and showed us to a room with a small cat carrier containing a little budgie. IT WAS RAMON! They had put a dish of water and some wild bird see in there. Ramon immediately hopped up onto my hand and preened himself. I was over the moon.

I asked them how and when they found Ramon. Apparently when the dad came home from work today to check the mail, Ramon landed on his arm. They brought him in and made him a safe place. The youngest little boy said they were calling him Chirp - because he chirps! 

What an adventure. Ramon spent two nights in the wild and had been blown across town. It seemed miraculous that we were reunited. 

For as sad and gusty as it was Sunday, today we have a calm elation washing over us. 

We have much gratitude for all the good advice, good friends, good neighbors who helped us look for our little Ramon. He's at home talking to us and eating tons of spray millet and playing with his toys. He does look a little tired. Hopefully we will all rest well tonight in a nice cozy house knowing that the whole family is home where they should be, including Ramon!

Summer Finales

The end July brought cousins from up North. Maya and Anya came down for some actual summer weather (because I don't think they know what heat is up in Portland). Of course, that meant spending most of the time in the pool here and at Susan & John's.

A rare photo of all 5 of them! Valerie (15), Rex (17) , Amira (13), Maya (11) & Anya (9).

August brought opportunities for Amira's Girl Scout Troop to head up to Volcano Camp at Mt. Lassen. Here they are squished like sardines ready for transport up the mountain. Amira is in the back left next to her buddy, Sarah. Liz is in the back right. In the front row (left to right) are Juliana, Marissa & Trenity.

Compared to their June Jamboree, this camp was apparently much more comfortable and the weather was better. They enjoyed being the Cadet troop with the most seniority at the camp so the adults were thrilled to have their help. I didn't go on this trip, nor did any of their local leaders. So, they were holding their own up there and did a great job representing Chico. Amira said she would totally go back to that camp again next year after the four wonderful days she got to spend up there all unplugged.

Valerie continued her FFA adventures by getting together with the other officers this year to plan out their calendar and activities and do a little team building. She is Vice President of her chapter this year. They all got their photos taken too. Here are a few I was able to snag and share.

Rex went down to SoCal with his paintball team for another tournament and some beach time. Apparently they did quite well again. I understand they are going to use some of the money they won at this tournament to help pay their way to one they'll be attending in Florida this November. He just loves his paintball ... and cars ... And, for Rex, summer break is over. He is already buried in school work since he started the College Connection program. But it looks like he is still carving out time for friends and paintball. Good for him!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, our garden overfloweth. My favorite part about gazing into the backyard is seeing the sunflowers, amaranth and zinnias poke their colorful faces up over all the greenery below. It is a bit like a jungle out there. I have to work on my plant spacing and be better about harvesting next year. I am sort of a lazy gardener. But it's just so lush and nice to gaze upon this. 

Michael spent part of his summer taking apart the pergola and re-staining it. So, when you come to visit Rancho Wilhelm you will have a nice place to relax and sip on your beverages while listening to the trickling of the fountain, chortling of the turkeys and crowing of Colonel Sanders. It's actually quite a cacophony with a lush view at this time of year.

Now I will leave you with this sunny bouquet of zinnias, sunflower and basil from the garden. I cannot get enough of this. Mmmmm summer!