My Computer Survived

Just a month ago I got a new PC and I was so thrilled…UNTIL

Just before I flew to LA, the darned thing started acting up… so much so that the Printer decided NOT to have anything to do with my requests.

So off to LA and my adventure!

Upon return my PC got more sluggish.

It got to the point it just plain Froze …SIGH

But to the credit of the Tech support we figured out what was the problem.

Seems AOL, even the program that says it will support Vista…does not work. Now the “BUG” is gone.

New Friends ;) Soon I can share WHY I was in LA! The Los Angeles River is a creek flowing through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the west end of the San Fernando Valley, 51 miles (82 km) southeast to its mouth in Long Beach. For most of its length, it flows through a narrow concrete channel. Today, some environmental groups advocate the removal of concrete and the restoration of natural vegetation and wildlife.

Some History

~~~~~~~~~~~ Check out the Virtual Tour!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What do you mean you didn't know there was a river in Los Angeles? Why not take the Target Science Los Angeles River Virtual Tour and see for yourself? Like modern-day Lewis and Clark explorers, you will be able to digitally navigate the river from the headwaters in the San Fernando Valley to the mouth of river in Long Beach, over 50 miles away. This will be a descriptive tour, showing you samples of the sights, plants, animals, architecture, and history along the way. There are twelve stopping points along the tour: Headwaters, First Channel, Convergence, Sepulveda Basin, Verdugo Wash, Los Feliz, Frogtown, Arroyo Seco fork, 4th Street Bridge, Rio Hondo fork, Lower river, and mouth of the river in Long Beach. At any point along the journey you can choose to back up, or continue down the river. If at any time you would like to learn more information about selected topics concerning the Los Angeles River, refer to the menu at the bottom of each page. Here you can learn more about the Plants, Animals, Birds, Microorganisms, Water Quality, Human Impact, History, and Art on the L.A. River

Meanwhile some pictures from outside the set of Criminal Minds. Also from behind the fence the LA River… and lunch with the Crew!

LEAF it to me

Off on a New Adventure

Look out Los Angeles here I come

Ha ha Leafing on a JET Plane… John Denver

Oh, kiss me and smile for me

Tell me that youll wait for me

Hold me like youll never let me go

cause Im leavin on a jet plane

Dont know when Ill be back again

Oh babe, I hate to go

Or The 5th Dimension and

Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon

Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon

We could float among the stars together, you and I

For we can fly we can fly

Up, up and away

My beautiful, my beautiful balloon

Closer and CLOSER

Recalling the picture from Friday, October 10, 2008

Have a SUPER Weekend…

I take a closer LOOK

Reminded me of one of our Cats Tails, although our cats have Fuller tails…

Still the light from the sun played wonders with this grass

As promised ~ There is LOVE in the air…

Short side of the “STORY”, for several years my Sweetie has purchased baby turkeys. Baby turkeys are called poults.

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More Information here!

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He has one remaining

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Black-winged Bronze Turkey

a. k. a. Crimson Dawn Turkey

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Now comes what most might think AWFUL. We raised these to eat. Heretofore they NEVER had names. Frankly calling them Thanksgiving and Christmas mere denoted when they would appear on the table.

NOW here is the new PLIGHT!

!!

He had 2 left and they seemed to be doing fine UNTIL one morning one was dead. No markings, no way to understand what had happened.

!! Life goes on as it were, and the Turkey called to her wild cousins as they would range our meadows. Again life went on. NOW, while my Sweetie was BASKING in the glorious wild life of the Boundary Waters of Canada, I was in charge of the FOWL!

!! HA HA and CLUCK CLUCK.

Blue Slate Turkeys are named for the beautiful blue slate color of their plumage. This is a complex genotype, however, and the breed actually has three color phases: the Slate (pictured) which is blue with black specks, a pure black, and a pure bluish gray. They are medium sized turkeys and very good foragers, consuming great quantities of insect pests.

!!

Blue Slate The Self-blue form is also known as Lavender

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Brief History of Blue Slate Turkeys

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously now, I did do it BUT, the first day as I entered the Turkey pen, I had great misgivings. The turkey seemed sick, I thought. I had to pick it up to take it to the water and feed. Ummmmmmmmmmm odd it had been eating, ummmmmmmmmm

!!

A sit down Strike cause I was not the normal care keeper? I had youngest son take a look, he surmised she had a bad wing…he looked and found NADA.

!!

Enter Sweetie from Canada ~ as he assumed his feeding of the fowl he literally skipped into the house with three eggs.

Guess the turkey is a SHE and he said “She needs a companion”. SIGH

SOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo off we went yesterday[Saturday] in search of a Tom.

Well the farm was a great place WAY out in the country. We did get a male AS WELL AS...

Yup you guessed it Sweetie got More Fowl. BUT I did agree that having three Guinea Fowl would be Neat. We had them years ago and they are a neat bird.

More about those later

So as we settled down last evening in front of a small fire in the pit we talked about NAMES for the Turkeys.

!!

YUP Rule here, if it has a name it is not FOOD for our table. SO may I introduce you to SLATE, the male, and Goldie the female! We chuckled as they names coincidentally are the colors of WVU Mountaineers.

Go Figure that one!

More on the Nest Post! Pun Intended!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Froggy Sunday Morning

Today: Sunny, High: 74 F, Low: 47 F

As I walk out into the yard the fog is so heavy that every cobweb is perfectly outlined. Some webs sits upon the dried flowers as if to say

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“Here is a different bloom to consider.”

By 11 am the sun will break through and the need to accomplish some much needed tasks is at hand. The sun will dry the heavy accumulation of dew.

SIGH There is LOVE in the air…

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~~More about that on the next Post ~~

Carving Pumpkins

It is REALLY too soon to carve, BUT, it is never too soon to PLAN! So close to the ELECTION…why not have some FUN

Voting is exciting

Voting is your right and responsibility.

Why not COMBINE both Halloween and the Upcoming Election!

NOTE the Frog here?????

I like FROGS

The United States presidential election of 2008, scheduled for Tuesday November 4, 2008, will be the 56th consecutive quadrennial United States presidential election and will select the President of the United States and Vice President of the United States.

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The Republican Party has chosen John McCain, the senior United States Senator from Arizona as its nominee; Barack Obama, the junior United States Senator from Illinois, has been chosen as the nominee for the Democratic Party. The 2008 election is particularly notable because it is the first time in U.S. history that two sitting senators will run against each other for president, and because it is the first time an African American is a presidential nominee for a major party, as well as the first time both major candidates were born outside the continental United States - Hawaii for Obama and the Panama Canal Zone for McCain. With African American candidate Barack Obama, who is of mixed African and Caucasian parentage, as the Democratic Party nominee for President and John McCain's selection of female Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as the Republican Party nominee for Vice-President, the eventual winning ticket is very likely to have a historic context, as either the first African American will be elected President along with the first Roman Catholic as Vice President or the first woman will be elected Vice President.

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The Libertarian Party has nominated former Congressman Bob Barr, the Constitution Party has nominated pastor and radio talk show host Chuck Baldwin, and the Green Party has nominated former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. Ralph Nader declined to seek the Green Party nomination and is running as an independent candidate.

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Consider these options: Carving Pumpkins for Halloween

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Presidential Candidate Pumpkin Carving Stencils 2008

Site One

Site Two

Today is the September equinox

Fall Color in West Virginia

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Leaves turning gold, crimson and pumpkin, color West Virginia bright and fun as fall comes to the Mountain State.

Visit our fall festivals, try our outdoor recreation, stay in our cozy cabins or homey inns. Whatever your plans for this fall season, make sure you include a trip to the mountains and the fun that make West Virginia wild and wonderful.

~~~~~~~~~~~ The regions and approximate dates of peak leaf-peeping are approximations based upon average conditions for those areas.

The West Virginia Division of Tourism obtains this information from the West Virginia Division of Forestry and makes no guarantee that visitors to the areas will see peak color at the times predicted above. Please call your destination ahead of your visit to ensure the best possible show of fall color. During the season, weekly updates on fall color are available here or by calling

1-800-CALL WVA.

The start of autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere. It arrives at 10:44 a.m. CDT as the Sun crosses the celestial equator from north to south. The Sun rises due east and sets due west today. MEANWHILE in CANADA

Thanks BEV ~ Make a flower-filled basket for a friend

An online friend told me about these…I was SO enchanted about it I made seven…and today I scurried about delivering them to unsuspecting recipients.

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I just wanted to share this idea with you all and express my gratitude to Bev…she reads my blog but has never commented ON the Blog…but she is one wonderful WOMAN that came into my life…

Tell ya what It was a GRAND day delivering seven baskets to people…better than Christmas…BECAUSE it was unexpected! Of course I put my own twist on it… But it was sooooooooo much fun…

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Now take this idea make it happen…forget May the First is past…But spread the good feeling, it feels soooooooooooooooooo good… But oddly enuff…everyone KNEW it was I even though I was sneaky

Go figure that Make a flower-filled basket for a friend

~~ One of the most popularly known May Day traditions is to hang a basket full of spring flowers and/or other small gifts on a neighbor's doorknob. Gathering flowers and branches became a tradition and "bringing in the May" became a popular activity on May 1. The giving of baskets became part of the festivities later in the evolution of May Day. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Fill a small basket with freshly gathered Spring blossoms. Tuck a small vase or something that will hold water into the bottom of the basket and fill the basket with a selection of flowers. Tie a bow or ribbon streamers onto the handle and fasten it to the door handle of a friend. ~~ Handing out May Day baskets is a charming and gentle activity. It's a tradition that Louisa May Alcott wrote of in "Jack and Jill" (Chapter 18): While fresh flowers and candy treats are usually left in the baskets, you can put other things as well. I think fresh flowers; a few tea bags and some little tea cookies would be wonderful!

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Stuff is POPPING out Everywhere ;)

Flee!

Flee fly flow!

Vista,

cumala, cumala Vista.

Oh, no, no, no, not the Vista

Eeny-meeny-desimeeny...

A new Lilac Lilacs that have been here since this home was built @ 120 years ago Lilacs I transplanted from the Niece of the original owners lived in what is now our home

Lilacs over Sarah's Koi Pond

Poppy

Iris almost ready to burst forth

Ferns

YUMMY! Check it out!

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Facts on Fiddleheads

Shrimp and Fiddlehead Medley

Purple asparagus originated from a region around Albenga, Italy. This "cultivar" is known as Violetto d/Albenga. Although the spears are of deep purple color, the ferns are actually green. The farmers in Albenga region propagate the plants using seeds from open pollination. Seeds are usually collected from vigorous female plants producing large spears. ~~

Purple hybrids produce larger spears but fewer in number per plant than the green hybrids Green, White and Purple!

To keep the purple in asparagus, add acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to its cooking water. The acid anchors the red pigment, anthocyanin. If you don't do this, the color fades to green--a bit extravagant, because you pay a premium for the purple. Dishes that maximize purple asparagus's color maximize its value, as in the purple, white, and green asparagus platter and the citrus salad. To keep the purple in asparagus, add acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to its cooking water. The acid anchors the red pigment, anthocyanin. If you don't do this, the color fades to green--a bit extravagant, because you pay a premium for the purple. Dishes that maximize purple asparagus's color maximize its value, as in the purple, white, and green asparagus platter and the citrus salad. ~~~~~~~~

Purple Asparagus recipes

Spring Tabbouleh Recipe

used it raw here.

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Blueberries the kids called them boo babies the picture shows the blossom that sure looks like pantalets to me

Sweet Shrub Scientific Name

Calycanthus floridus

Common NameSweet shrub; Sweet Betsy, Carolina allspice

SWEET SHRUB (Strawberry Bush, Sweet Shade)Sweet Shrub is native to the Appalachian stream banks of the Smokies, where it is also known as Carolina Allspice, Strawberry Bush, Sweet Shade, and Bubby Blossom. Women used to place the flowers in their bodices as a perfume, hence the name "Bubby Blossom". Sweet shrub was once commonly found as an ornamental around colonial homes, especially south of the Mason-Dixon line. Several large bushes can fill a small yard with the combined fragrance of strawberry, cantaloupe, spiced apple, and burgundy wine. Sweet shrub has a distinctive maroon-red flower about 2" across. It is pollinated by small beetles that were the first pollinators of flowering plants and were instrumental in the evolution of flowering plants, long before bees and flies appeared on the scene. When the flower first opens it has the fragrance of spiced apples as it opens over a period of 7 to 10 days. Flowers first appear in mid-March with a flush of flowers in April, and a trailing out through May. Even the leaves are fragrant when rubbed, and in the fall they turn a sunny yellow. In colonial times the cinnamon-flavored bark was used as a seasoning. Sweet shrubs are ideal for planting close to the house near a window where the fragrance may drift indoors. Plant additional plants by a favor-ite path or sitting area. Will flower splendidly in full sun, but is best adapted to light shade. Flowers in 2 to 3 years from seed. Medicinal: Useful for damp spleen. An excellent herb for moving stagnant chi. The leaves, twigs, and buds have diaphoretic properties. An emmenagogue, and possibly has some anti-viral activity.

The seed pod