Mono Lake

Sad, sad, sad; overwhelmed with sadness as we drove along Highway 50 East of Placerville where the Caldor fire, the 15th largest in the state of California, raged this summer past. Seeing all of the old, old, old trees burned was just heart wrenchingly devastating.  The travel through the area is slow as crews are cleaning up and logging trees, so ample opportunity to BE with the ravaging of the landscape. 

In spite of the delays on Highway 50 we arrived in Bridgeport, the home of the stately county courthouse where we were married.

Much of the town is now shuttered. The effects of the sequestering during the pandemic? Or houses and businesses have just been forever vacated? Or just shut down for the Winter? Luckily the library is open and we were free to check out books which we did. It is so much easier to find the best reads here than within the Sonoma County library system where, of course, the demand is far greater.

The view of Mono Lake 
hiking the trail from South Lee Vining
to the Visitors' Center.

Another view of Mono Lake
hiking along Lee Vining Creek
towards the Visitors' Center.

Lee Vining Creek
which has so much less water
than usual because of the
severe drought.
We noticed many of the older
and larger sagebrush, 
are dying from the severe drought.

Mono Lake Committee mission statement: "The Mono Lake Committee is a non-profit citizens' group dedicated to protecting and restoring the Mono Basin ecosystem, educating the public about Mono Lake and the impacts on the environment of excessive water use, and promoting cooperative solutions that protect Mono Lake and meet real water needs without transferring environmental problems to other areas."  

We delight in donating to this endeavor, which is close to our hearts, that does such stellar work safe guarding this treasure, Mono Lake .                                                                                                        

Hiking from Doc & Al's Resort

to amidst the aspen trees

and up into the Ponderosa pines
looking Southward towards the
Sawtooth Mountains.
On Shasta's way back to Stella, our Prius,
she found a deer bone which was
pretty fresh and cracked, probably
gifted to her by a Mountain Lion.
As she pick up the bone, she thought "a very tasty treat."

 

Returning to Stella with Shasta carrying her treasure.

The rock pile in Lundy Canyon where we have 
culled gorgeous rocks for our gardens.

Shasta checking out all of the good smells
while we search for just the "perfect" rocks to place in our Cotati garden.

The view towards the Sierras
from the rock pile.

The beaver dam and beaver on the Walker River,
which meanders along side of the 
Walker River Lodge
where we stayed in Bridgeport for the last time.

A beaver swimming 
in the river just below their dam.

The sign on the West side of 
LeeVining Creek.
We love hiking along the road
parallel to Mono Lake.

Shasta enjoying running along the road away from Lee Vining Creek.
She had such a great time with her freedom from a leash.
She is usually a good dog to come when called. 
If she does not respond, a treat will bring her running.

The North view of Mono Lake
taken from the end of the 
boardwalk from the County Park

Shasta, with visible tufa in the background, 
on the boardwalk in the
Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve 

               

County Park
where over the many years we have
spent time in Cathie's most favorite place (Mono Lake)
on Mother Earth.

Our week long respite from our arduous year past of relocating from Santa Fe and back to Sonoma County, California, was topped off with a familiar event. On our way home we ventured out into the National Forest to the North of Bridgeport. 

Here in this stunning beauty depicted above, we cut a Pinyon pine for our annual holiday tree; markedly smaller than any previous. We also, as is our tradition, cut a small one for Shasta's Auntie T which she already picked up and transported to her home in Point Reyes Station.

As we settle back into our Cotati home preparing for the holiday season please join us in a hardy

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Transplanting . . . Again

“We who have lost our sense and our senses --

our touch, our smell, our vision of who we are, we who frantically force and press all things, without rest for body or spirit, hurting our earth and injuring ourselves: we call a halt.

We want to rest. We need to rest and allow the earth to rest. We need to reflect and to rediscover the mystery that lives in us, that is the ground of every unique expression of life, the source of the fascination that calls all things to communion.

We declare a Sabbath, a space of quiet: for simply being and letting be, for recovering the great, forgotten truths for learning how to live again.”

                     U.N. ENVIRONMENTAL SABBATH PROGRAM

This past year has been difficult, disrupting, problematic, disturbing and has drastically altered our lives. We were settling into our lives in "the best neighborhood", as one of the long time Santa Fe residents stated who was living in the house in which she grew up. We were enjoying getting to know and developing connections to all of the neighbors living on San Felipe Circle. Then BOOM Cathie had two visits to the ER. She had never been a patient in one before. Then followed an admonition from her acupuncturist that she would be so much better off healthwise at sea level. Shasta was so bummed to leave behind morning play time with Hobbes, her treasured Great Pyrenees friend and morning playmate at Lopez Park. Whenever either dog would pass by Lopez Park both would sit and say, "Shasta/Hobbes will soon come play with me."

Shasta and Hobbes playing in Lopez Park

Hobbes in a creek near Moah, Utah

So the packing and organizing for a move back to Sonoma County where our longtime friends live began. In March we drove back to California, staying in what would turn out to be an emotionally disastrous short term rental while we began our search for a house. Fortune would have it that both Shasta and Cathie felt so, so, so much better at sea level immediately upon arrival. Luckily we found our home on Page Street in Cotati and initiated a move into the 1950's bungalow. Now some seven months later with all the many necessary projects completed we all are so ready for a Sabbath filled with resting, hiking and generally enjoying all the beauty of the region.

So we are returning to what use to be our annual trek to the Mono Lake Basin. We will be staying at the longtime familiar Walker River Lodge that has a two bedroom apartment right on the Walker River. Whew! a Sabbath . . . finally!

While on our week long Sabbath we will have and enjoy a frequent

Result

Beneath our living room window and to the left of our front door:  Clematis ligusticifolia (Western virgin’s bower) on the trellis    Cornus sericea occidentalis (‘Tomales Bay’ Western twig dogwood)

has “red twigs” which are spectacular & cheery

in the Winter after the leaves drop. It is planted near the

downspout so it gets lots of moisture during 

       the rainy season. Dwight’s Santa Fe sculpture is in

the far left of the above picture.

Beneath our living room window and to the

left of our front door: 

Clematis ligusticifolia (Western virgin’s bower) on the trellis

   Cornus sericea occidentalis (‘Tomales Bay’ Western twig dogwood)

Phytophthora root disease, as I discovered when I wanted to recycle empty containers at the local nursery I frequent, is causing nurseries to reassess their practices. They now must buy new containers continuously, keep most plants up on tables rather than sitting them on the ground where they are more likely to be contaminated with Phytophthora, and be continually vigilant for the danger of this organism infecting their stock.

Not reusing containers at nurseries is costing the nurseries more money AND is a dilemma for those of us who do not want to dump them into the trash only to be thrown into the landfill. Luckily I have discovered that Harmony Farm Supply will take empty containers 1 gallon size and up. I have loaded up all of those I have to drop off at Harmony before my next appointment with my acupuncturist who lives just beyond this business.

Our front yard does not look so beautiful just yet.
However, as the perennials, shrubs and trees
mature I am looking forward to a
spectacular display in this wildlife habitat.

Now that all the purchased perennials, shrubs and trees have found "their forever home" at PageRefuge, there are a plethora of empty containers. Luckily only a few of them are 4" pots which I can "sterilize" with vinegar and water for reuse when I have veggies starts. I am beginning to contemplate seed ordering which I usually do after the beginning of the new year. Perhaps by then raised beds will be in progress so I can realistically assess my veggie garden space. As I did in Santa Fe I plan to have circles of delish ear corn with small tasty melons planted in the middle. These circles thrived on San Felipe Circle so hopefully they will likewise flourish here.

Our shady area in the back along the North side of the house:
6 Heuchera maxima (Alum root),
2 Carpenteria californica (Bush anemone ‘Elizabeth’) 
& 1 Corylus cornuta v. californica (Western hazelnut)
which all thrive in the shade.

The more I read about Phytophthora, the more my dismay soars. In my humble opinion the climate catastrophe is setting the stage for more and more virulent viruses. Those viruses not only affect humans as with COVID-19, but Phytophthora is threatening native habitat here in California. Probably these virulent viruses are upsetting humans, plants and animals' well BEing far beyond California.

As humans have incredible difficulty altering their way of life to reduce the climate catastrophe, we are faced with a calamity that is distressing all BEings on Mother Earth, our home.

Happy and "sweet", as so many describe Shasta
when they come upon her, on a sunny
afternoon in our backyard.

Mathis Wackernagel in his blog post discusses the global leader meeting in Glasgow and the difficulty of change in spite of all the evidence of the climate catastrophe destruction upon us. As each of us perhaps come to grips with the impact of our human behavior and vows to alter ourselves before it is too late, may we 

Halloween: Cross quarter day

The moon is full, the autumn nights grow longer,

In the north forests startled crows cry out.

Still high overhead, the star river stretches,

The Dipper’s handle set to southwest. 

The cold cricket grieves deep in the chambers,

Of the notes of sweet birds, none remain.

Then one evening gusts of autumn come,

One who sleeps alone thinks fondly on thick quilts.

. . . .Man’s life is not as the grass and trees,

Still the season’s changes can stir the heart

WEI YING WU

“California” pepper tree, Schinus molle, originates 
from the arid regions of northern South America
 and the Peruvian Andes.

Each morning when I walk with Shasta I have the glorious opportunity to pass by my all time favorite California nonnative tree which is pictured above. Although it is not native I have been drawn to it since I relocated to  California in the '70's. In the past, on a small rental property where I lived, I planted two. They were a devil to find but I finally did purchase two in a Carlsbad nursery while visiting my now passed aunt and uncle.  At this time of the year it is especially beautiful as the "pepper" seeds turn bright red.

Halloween, short for All Hallows' Eve, descends from the ancient festival celebrated by the Celts and Druids in Britain who called this cross quarter day Samhain. It is also known as the "Witches' New Year according to Starhawk. This cross quarter day occurs half way between the Autumnal equinox when the sun sets due West and the Winter solstice when the sun sets at its most southern point on the horizon. Thus this day marks the longest night of each year for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere.

Tradition has Halloween occurring on October 31 when the true cross quarter day is actually November 07, 2021. Another discrepancy is evidenced in the ancient Celts' practice of celebrating the beginning of the year at this time.  We in today's world say Fall begins on the Autumnal Equinox. 

The local vineyards are alive with brilliant Fall color.

However, no matter your point of view Halloween is approximately half way between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice making it an astronomical holiday. And it is also one of the four cross quarter days occurring each year.

And South of our border in Mexico the people call this Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). This year the holiday falls on November 01 and 02. The souls of those passed are honored. Some say they are able to readily communicate with these souls at this particular time of the year when the "veil" is the thinnest. Often altars are created commemorating the dead and people prepare their favorite traditional dishes which are added to the altar. Celebratory parades are also widespread not only in Mexico but here in the United States as well.

Shasta enamored with the ghoul's recording.
The neighborhood with  new family homes located to our North
has a plethora of Halloween decorations
in both yards and front porches.

However you view this particular time of the year, may each and everyone of us have a releasing belly

BEing close to Mother Earth

Strong Heart 
created by Roxanne Swentzell

In these times, Roxanne Swentzell’ s message is "to be strong 

by staying close to the earth. 

Doing things close to our Mother Earth 

like touching Her, 

walking more in nature, 

growing gardens, 

and doing things that help us listen 

to Her better

 will help give us strength and guide 

us to do what's right. 

She helps us have a good heart 

by slowing us down and 

reminding us what is important."

As I have mentioned in an early post the entire yard has been sheet mulched. I have been to the Milo Baker (our local chapter) California Native Plant sale to purchase native plants. Although it is not my favorite place to buy natives, I have also been to California Flora Nursery in Fulton. My favorite place use to be Mostly Natives Nursery in Tomales where the climate was close to the climate of MuRefuge. The owners retired and the nursery was bought and moved to Pt. Reyes Station where the inventory is markedly smaller. However, they do have a desired shrub, Creek Dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp Occidentalis), which I plan to purchase the next time we visit Shasta's Auntie T. The red stems in the Winter are so lovely as they brighten the gloominess of the often grey skies.

Last week in spite of the severe drought I did plant a few natives in the rock hard soil. 

To the left of the walkway to our front door:
The four plants at the bottom of the picture above:
Penstemon heterophyllus (Blue Bedder Penstemon ‘Margarita BOP’)
 The 2 plants at the top of picture above:
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus (California Wild Lilac ‘Skylark’)
Ceanothus (California Wild Lilac ‘Dark Star’)

                            Clematis ligusticifolia (Western Virgin’s Bower) 
                               to the left of our front door.

Our British friends living close by voiced surprise that I was planting in the drought, but I am wanting to get on with beautifying our sheet mulched yard.

From left to right in the above picture:

Heuchera maxima (Alum Root)

Carpenteria californica (Bush Anemone) 

Heuchera maxima (Alum Root)

Corylus cornuta californica (Western Hazelnut)

This is the North side of our house

in the backyard where it is shady year around.

These are the plants awaiting their "forever" home mostly in the front yard.
Of course, the plant (cherry tomato) in the far right will not be transplanted.
I am so hopeful I have enough plants!
I am focused on not over planting as I have a tendency to do.

Rain has now finally arrived here in Cotati. So far we have gotten 2.38" of rain. The quote below is a really good summation of the almost week long rain event which began a couple of days ago. This event is predicted to go through the beginning of next week.

"After nearly a year without rain, a series of potent Pacific storms is directed at Northern California this week, potentially bringing as much as a foot of rainfall and up to three feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada. 

Supercharged by a classic atmospheric river pattern, the storms could lead to flash floods and dangerous debris flows in a wide swath of the region already devastated by recent wildfires. 

With each successive storm, the moisture potential increases, peaking with possibly a rare category 5 atmospheric river event on Sunday.

"An atmospheric river marked as a category 4 or a 5 is capable of producing remarkable rainfall totals over three or more days, likely to exceed 10-15% of a typical year's precipitation in some locations," said Marty Ralph, director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego.

Atmospheric rivers are a narrow band of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere, cruising more than two miles above the ocean; they can transport as vapor, more than 20 times the water that the Mississippi River does, as a liquid. 

By the time Monday morning arrives, the parade of storms could drop as much as 8 to 12 inches of rainfall in parts of Northern California and add another 1 to 3 feet of snow to the high Sierra. For an area plagued by drought, a foot of rain is too much, too fast and too soon and will likely lead to run off, flash floods and debris flow in burn scar areas."                                                         Pedram Javaheri, CNN

So now I have on my calendar the completion of settling the purchased native plants into their permanent homes in the ground here at PageRefuge. I use biodynamic gardening principles in which planting days are chosen to enhance certain parts of the plants. The perennials, shrubs and trees are all flowering flora, so my intention is to plant on "Flower" Northern Hemisphere transplanting days: October 26 and 27. I am hopeful with the rains softening the hardpan soil that I will be able to accomplish this task within these two days. 

This joyful, to me, activity of planting a mostly native habitat does indeed connect me with Mother Earth. And I am optimistic that all who walk by will enjoy the beauty of the natives as they flourish.

May we all 

Unlikely

The front yard sheet mulching is now all complete.

As I was finishing up the front yard sheet mulching an Xfinity truck pulled up to the utility pole at the sidewalk to the East. The driver seemed interested in what I was doing. I launched into an explanation of the benefits of sheet mulching. He shared he was going to be putting down landscape cloth and cover it with plastic. EEK! I thought to myself but explained the benefits of regenerating the soil with the sheet mulching. The process of the breakdown of cardboard and woodchips encourages microorganisms in the soil which in turns draws carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Much to my surprise a few days later the same truck drove up to our driveway. The driver stopped by to let me know he was now planning on sheet mulching. He had delivered to his home 4 cubic yards of woodchips from Wheeler Zamaroni. He said it was really expensive so I suggested he call companies that do tree care and get free woodchips as I did. He was so surprised one could do that.

Shasta laying atop the white yarrow.

I must say it is rather satisfying to see an unlikely convert to a Permaculture practice of soil regeneration and carbon sequestration.  Well, lots of people walk by and ask what I am about with the cardboard and woodchips. Unfortunately no one has let me know that they were the least bit interested in duplicating the activity. But an Xfinity employee seems the most unlikely. Once I really thought about it perhaps not so unlikely since he was already planning to remove his lawn. Obviously this man has an open mind in how to accomplish this activity which is ever so exciting to me. 

Since so many just want their previous to the pandemic lives back, this man is aware we all need to move forward differently as we become aware of more healthy practices to combat the climate catastrophe.  Mother Earth depends on each of us doing so AND all of us depend on one another to embrace change with the prevailing evidence of climate catastrophe planet wide. Already the climate catastrophe is becoming way more rapidly destructive than any of the climate scientist had previously thought.

Each of us have the ability to change and change quickly and drastically. Let each and everyone of us set about doing just that and have a frequent good 

 

Delightful

Recently I visited Ruby and James's almost three acre property and home. Unfortunately Sage was not available since James was making a lot of racket in his space.

Sage went to live here just
down the road from
MuRefuge when we
moved to Santa Fe, NM.
Here he has lots of space for his avid hunting.
However, now that he is in his
senior years mostly he lounges
in a cozy chair on which there
is a heating pad during the Winter.
He has a good life here! AND 
has had a good long life as he nears 20.

One adult (in the far back left)
with five five week old Indian Runner ducks.
So sorry this is picture is so dark but
as I approached to take the picture
their surrogate mom lead them to a safe corner.

I love going to visit here! There is a real menagerie of animals all of whom come to greet you, even the Desert Tortoise who lumbers right up to you! He's huge and quite the stunning BEing.

The dog in the middle is named Moishe.
Rosco follows him everywhere!

Rosco, an Anatolian Shepherd
from Salmon Creek Ranch, is getting big. 
It is hard to remember
he is only five months old.
He and his family are off to
puppy school this weekend.

The specific reason for this particular visit was to pick some Arkansas Black apples (pictured below) to make apple crisp.

These apples are one of my all time favorites for apple crisp. In a few weeks I will return to pick more of the delicious apples to make an abundance of crisp to store in our freezer. And I plan to take one  of these crisps with us when we take a sojourn down the peninsula to Courtney's for a visit and lunch. Since whip cream is one of Courtney's basic food groups, along with chocolate, we will have the crisp topped with whip cream m-m-m-m I can hardly wait!

So wonderful to visit and see all the animals plus have a wonderful visit with Ruby. I even got to briefly chat with James which is a first since our return to California. Of course, while thoroughly enjoying this delightful space I engaged frequently in a good