Out Into the Wild

These quail don’t require groceries, hand sanitizer or masks.

Thursday morning I left home at 5:45 in the dark, cold, and rain to go to Winco in Visalia. The last trip was in January, and it seemed prudent to stock up. (My Mom had a huge list too.)

This is a weird angle of Pippin, chosen to make you smile.


I managed to get both our lists at the same time into one very packed and heavy cart. It was disconcerting to see all the bulk bins empty, including most of the ones where you don’t actually have to touch the food with a scoop. I made substitutions, skipped some things, and only bought produce that came in plastic. Mom wanted things I didn’t know how to find, and just touching the bag of frozen okra almost triggered my gag reflex. (Really, Martha, are you that hungry??)

Pippin is a compulsive paw washer.


Winco isn’t banning people’s own bags yet but I didn’t know that. (I now have 17 plastic bags to use in sharing oranges with neighbors.) I had to put it into 2 carts once it was bagged, and then a stranger helped me pull one of them to my car in the rain. I should have taken the pick-em-up truck instead of Fernando (that’s my ’96 Honda Accord Coupe – have I ever disclosed that before?) Good thing I had no passengers.

I drove with the window open through Lemon Cove so I could smell the orange blossoms.

Time for a restorative cup of tea (I’m reading a novel based in England in WWII* – can you tell?), a bit of dark chocolate, and a reminder that spring is still happening and it is beautiful so stop whinging. (See? reading an English novel)

P.S. The neighbor’s dogs have stopped barking – there’s a bright spot in this mess.

*Coming Home, Rosamunde Pilcher

Saturday Bonus

How long will this “Shelter in Place” be in effect? What a terrible balancing act between economic health and physical health, with so many unknowns, and so much pressure to see into the future accurately. If you are a praying person, please pray for our leaders.

Meanwhile, let’s continue enjoying springtime.

I wonder which one is popcorn flower and what the other one is.

Penstemon already?
I love this wildflower, and it will not grow in my yard.
The light on a neighbor’s house just caught my eye.
This is some sort of a mushroom, although it looks like a piece of styrofoam.
What is that chick doing??

8 Things Learned in March

  1. Life is full of unexpected events, changes, and unknowns, making it important to stay flexible and continue to adjust. (We probably all knew this but are getting many new opportunities to put that flexibility into effect.)
  2. Mooney Grove is full of unexpected things, including random fruit trees. (I saw a newly planted apple tree, but didn’t photograph it because it wasn’t photogenic.)
  3. Painting on a north-facing wall is full of advantages, mostly the ability to paint at any time of day without having to dodge the direct sun.
  4. People are full of weird ideas when faced with a pandemic; the things they choose to hoard don’t seem to be in alignment with the situation.
  5. Pandemics are full of new phrases: “shelter in place”, “self isolate”, “social distance”. (Why not just “stay home”, “stay away”, and “stand apart”?)
  6. The Skimm is full of news summaries in a handy daily email form. I think it is fairly neutral in terms of its political leanings, but am not completely sure yet. This is where you subscribe: The Skimm
  7. The country is full of flexible, generous, and versatile businesses. Distilleries are now making hand sanitizer, auto factories are making ventilators, and all sorts of folks are sewing masks instead of preemie baby clothes or sewing as a hobby. Way to go, People!!
  8. This monthend’s Learned post is almost all related to The Thing or to Mooney Grove. 

I found the drawing of the Boy Scout cabin that I did back in 1999. That was last century. I didn’t know how to paint or that Mooney Grove does not have an apostrophe S; my studio was in Exeter, I still had my first best cat, my 1988 Accord, my dad, grandma, and all my brothers-in-law. (But I didn’t have 6 new nieces and nephews or the internet.)

Another Walk in Three Rivers

As this Thing continues, so many people are seeking respite from “shelter in place” by going to parks that most of those parks are now closed. I feel sorry for city folks during this weird time. They may have Trader Joe’s, lots of movie theaters, fancy stores, access to sporting events and plays and concerts, grocery delivery, big libraries, fast internet, mega-churches, and who knows what else, but they don’t have beautiful places to walk during this Thing. 

Those of us in rural places don’t have any of the cities’ advantages, but that is just fine. Life isn’t fair – I am not tall, blonde, thin, athletic, or young, and that’s not fair either. That’s okay – I have beautiful places to walk.

North Fork of the Kaweah
North Fork again, looking downstream with Blossom Peak just barely visible.
Can you see the Gateway Bridge in the distance?

And back home again.

Weird. Is it a calla lily? Where did it come from? I don’t remember planting this.

It is Sunday and I am breaking my rules about not posting on Sunday,. Now I will break another rule and post a Bible verse.

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Fear not, friends! (But wash your hands a lot, okay?)

P.S. It came to pass; it didn’t come to stay.

It’s Still Spring and Still Beautiful

If you aren’t quarantined or under voluntary house arrest, I recommend taking a walk. You might have to be confined to your own neighborhood, but it is Spring, and much is in bloom.

Here are some photos for you to enjoy, without unnecessary chatter.

shooting star
Caterpillar phacelia (THANK YOU, LEAH!)

not bush lupine
California poppies

little bitty lupine
baby blue eyes
bush lupine
redbud
redmaid
bird’s eye gilia

Who knows?
owl’s clover

A friend sent me this:

One final thought to cheer you up: As soon as The Thing appeared in our lives, all robo-calls disappeared! Is there a correlation? Don’t know, just thankful and relieved.

Mooney Grove V

Today let’s look at some of the more unusual pieces of Tulare County’s Mooney Grove Park. It will require a little bit of talk today.

Hugh Mooney often gets credit for donating the family’s acreage to Tulare County, but this sign says the Mooney family sold it the County for $15,000.

Maybe Hugh used that rifle to shoot squirrels. They are certainly a plague on the place now. Active squirrel holes are rampant.

What’s this? A platform to put a thingie for Frisbie golf, which can now only be called “disk golf”. There is an entire course for this popular game on the north side, but I saw the gizmos (“holes”) in other areas too.And here is another platform which used to hold a statue called “The Pioneer”. The plaster statue crumbled. (End of the Trail in plaster was traded with the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City for a bronze version).

There are 2 hills in the Park on the east edge. They were created with the dirt dug to form a recharging basin in the park. The formation is useful as an amphitheater, and one hill has a disk golf “hole”. When I went to Redwood High School, I used to look through the fence at a little log cabin that appeared to be abandoned. It was. After I grew up and became The Central California Pencil Artist (a self-ascribed title), the Boy Scouts reclaimed it, disassembled it, moved it to Mooney Grove, and reassembled it. I drew it as a fund raiser to help pay for the enterprise. (I wonder if I still have a copy of that drawing. . .)

Finally, I leave you with this Peculiar Sight.

Tomorrow we will conclude our tour of Tulare County’s Mooney Grove Park.

Mooney Grove Tour II

More photos of Mooney Grove Park, where I took a walk each day after I finished working on the murals on the Tulare County Museum.

Speaking of the museum, let’s focus on that treasure today. I’ve included pictures of the Pioneer Village behind the museum (entered through the museum) and 3 photos inside the museum.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at a bridge, not my favorite bridge (Oak Grove), but a simpler bridge in a true oak grove. 

8 Benefits to “Sheltering in Place” or Chin up, Readers

“Chin up” is a weird little saying, but it reminds me of my Very Wise Dad telling his “little ewe lambs” to be “brave little soldiers”. 

Please forgive me for interrupting you on Sunday. I hope to not do this again, but will if I think of something encouraging to share again.

There is lots of common sense to staying home, obsessive hand-washing, and “social distancing” for awhile. Here are eight potential benefits (besides the obvious one of slowing this Thing):

  1. Fewer colds and flu will be passed around.
  2. Time at home is always good.
  3. You will use less gas and not put many miles on your car.
  4. We will learn what everyone’s true hair color is.
  5. We are all thinking a bit more about people we care about and checking in with them more often. (Maybe not “all”, but more than normal.)
  6. We are getting the chance to be more resourceful and creative with our time and supplies. 
  7. We get to learn new technology in order to “attend” our regular meetings. 
  8. Take a walk, people, this is MARCH!! (I know, not everyone gets to live in Three Rivers, but Spring is beautiful everywhere.)

P.S. We bought ice cream.