Halfway to Heaven

In case you wondered,

here's a good link to where we are on the planet:

http://www.visitsiskiyou.org/

Another way we say it is we're halfway between Seattle, WA and San Diego, CA. Or for those zipping up or down I-5, we're halfway between San Francisco, CA and Portland, OR.

(Or pretty close to heaven, except for the months it snows, in my humble opinion!)

We Grew Up Together

One pretty cute St. Bernard puppy, huh? Heidi was the offspring of a Canadian dog and one from Hollywood. She was, I was told, a cross between a long hair and a short hair version. Her most famous relative was the big Bernard who played the ghostly canine in the old tv sitcom,Topper. We used to show her the screen (and yes, it was also large and boxy in those days), and say "Heidi! Look at your grandfather!"

She was never big enough for me to ride on, as I kept growing too fast, but she was a wonderful pet, albeit the scourge of the neighborhood if anyone left steak on their BBQ....

Heidi's on the left

Her Sister was A What?

Hello to those of you

just tuning in

from somewhere

else

This blog is Kathi's creation, and began with a wish to share pictures and episodes of her Pacific Northwest childhood as an only child with a big hairy canine "sister" named Heidi.

It's become a blog to play with the emerging tools and share my current interests as well. I have the joy of being retired now, and I've recently indulged myself by taking some great art classes, with more to come in the fall.

The drawing and ceramics classes at COS for me have been as much about meeting new folks as they have been a place to stretch my creativity. This is pushing me toward my latent artistic/creative side, which has me also looking at the (decades-old) piles of collage materials and old family photographs, for possible real-time projects...

But here in the far northern woods of California, the sun only shines warmly a few months of the year around Mt. Shasta, and summer is the magic season, seconded only by a lovely fall which rivals New England's.

So gardens, parties and DIY projects pop up demanding attention. How very lucky we are to be able to have a peaceful and inspirational environment here to work and play within. Though the 1000 fires in northern California are getting deadly serious. Let's hope the firefighting crews can get them under control as safely as possible!

Suggestions for this blog are certainly most welcome, and I'd love to see what you're creating and considering, too. Best blessings to readers and their pets! ~Kathi

It's Gotta be 100 and smokey, too

But our little creek is still running slowly. Fires all over California, alas.

I'm alternating with playing with the garden, baking fruity desserts, and looking for old pix for my blogs. A united theme for this one wouldn't hurt, either, but summer's the time to relax, slow down and follow your bliss. Oh yeah--I was inspired today by a collage blog to get up there to my office and finish one of the many piles of collage ingredients.....for cloth, wooden screens, small boxes--you name it, it invites focus and time!

Does your summer feel eclectic, too? I'd be happy if someone responded.......~K

Friends on their deck

Red leaf lettuce emerges!

With a bit of hot weather, the greens in our small garden are saying "Whoopeee!"

Adeline's cabbage coming along nicely

Our favorite ranch

The Incipient Garden late June 4000ft

We have come to the mulch stage at last, but some of the peppers look puny. Lettuce is the star performer and the tomatoes look healthy. Much more fun to be outdoors than inside wrestling with this sloggy blog.... =)

Pray for warm weather!








~Kathi's garden, aka the Plant Jail, circa 6/08, Mt. Shasta, CA

Jack the Blind Wonder Boy Relaxin' at Home

Check out this colorful mountain blog!

Our new friend James is making a blog of his adventures upon retirement. The entries for these days includes the haying cycle on our good buddy Frank and his family, which we're all involved in. Enjoy!

http://jamesnextadventure.blogspot.com/

What's one of your favorite blogs this season?