A Stellar Of A Morning

As I slowly woke up this morning and stumbled into the kitchen for my morning coffee I decided to head out to the deck as has been coming a tradition since being here on vacation to enjoy the crisp, clean air and do what I love best, which is bird watch.  This morning at 8 a.m. it is 35 degrees with a high today of 62 today.

Being out in the country of New Pine Creek, Oregon there are sites to be seen that you just cannot get in Southwest Arizona.  One that just tickles me "blue"  is the Stellar Blue Jay.  This gorgeous aviary specimen just takes my breath away.
I am learning to take my camera with me wherever I go just to catch some of the lovely sites that surround me here.  Ever since I was a little girl I've loved birds of all shapes and sizes.  From the powerful birds of prey to the tiny, flighty hummingbird.  There is just something so liberating in watching them.  If you really take the time to notice they have their own distinct personalities as well, some down right comical.

Anyway, as I made my morning phone call to my husband whom I miss terribly on my vacation and wish every day he could be here with me to enjoy the beautiful scenery and drinking my coffee I was presented my time to snap a picture of the Stellar Blue Jay.  Isn't he just the more gorgeous guy you've ever seen?  This Jay is not to be confused with the smaller but equally beautiful Blue Jay.

There were several out and about going back and forth from a large tree in my friends backyard to the deck snatching bits of dog food from Baroshka's dog dish.  I notice they love to go high up into the canopy of trees and let me tell you they can be a wee bit noisy but to me that is just part of their charm.  They are very graceful when flying and one would say almost in a lazy daisy kind of way, then in the next breath can turn quickly on a dime.  You can see the intelligence in their eyes and lean towards calculating.  Beauty with brains, what a lovely combination.

I surely will miss these gorgeous birds when I head home back to Tucson, Arizona.

Merry Meet and Merry Part until we Meet Again,
Jamie

Thanksgiving Ramblings

As I sit here looking out the windows of a very picturesque town with its cool cloudy day and small spurts of rain I cannot help but think about Thanksgiving being right around the corner.

I generally am one to get her holiday shopping done early.  So early in fact it's done by thanksgiving but, not this year.  I will now have to face the masses of holiday shoppers this year. May the Gods help me I shall need anti-anxiety meds to get me through it all hahahaha.

I will have to start my plans in motion very shortly after I get home from Oregon on the 10th of November.  In order to gather my loved ones together all at one time will require finding out everyone's schedule in order to get us all together for the celebration.  This is never an easy task but one I generally accomplish.  Then there is getting all the food purchased for our feast, getting the house decorated and having all my little ducks in a row.

Thanksgiving morning brings a tradition I have not waived from since a child.  I get up around 6 am to get the turkey prepped and in the oven, start my coffee and head for the TV to turn on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Thanksgiving for me would not be worth a hoot without the parade on.  Whether I watch it or not as I bustle around to get our feast ready it MUST be audible for me to hear in the background.  I do however stop everything I am doing towards the end of the parade to see Santa Claus.  Yes, boys and girls, Jamie believes in the magic of Santa!

What are some of your Thanksgiving Traditions you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear about them!

Merry Meet and Merry Part Until We Meet Again,
Jamie

Magical Fall

It's October 30th and I am still on vacation in New Pine Creek, Oregon.  I woke up this morning around 7 a.m. and headed for the coffee pot.  I heard my friends dog Baroshka who is their 12 year old Husky barking which meant she got herself all tangled up so I wandered out to the deck with my coffee to help her out.  It was about 32 degrees outside, me still in my flannel jammies and sweat jacket and I decided to sit down on the deck to nurse my coffee after I gave her food and water, for which she was grateful.  She told me so with her yelps and kisses she slathered all over my face.


Fall is magical to me and always has been my favorite season of the year.  I do not ever get to experience its true beauty living in the Southwest desert but I am truly feeling it's magic and absorbing its beauty and splendor in all it's glory here in Oregon.  If I wasn't missing my family I'd probably never leave.


The deck was so covered in fall leaves from the resident maple tree you could barely see the wood of the deck.  How fun!  I love them crisply crunching under my feet and the next thing I knew I grabbed the broom and started to sweep off the porch and one thing led to another.  I grabbed the leaf rake and started raking up the fall leaves throughout the yard depositing them into a pit off to the side of the yard for easier pick up later on.  I came back into the house to borrow my girlfriends IPod (I really need one of those gadgets) and put a head set on with some soothing Celtic music softly playing in my ears and headed back outside to continue my raking (in my case it was playing lol)

Trust me truly when I say it took everything in my might not to jump into these piles of leaves and make a mess all over again lol...however even though I was having a good time doing this, I did not want to have to start over hahaha.  I also discovered in my friends yard back along the fence line she had grapevines!  She had NO idea they were there and there were even grapes present on them.  My friends had recently moved to their property so they have not had time yet as to explore.  I let her know about the grapes and also told her I found a peach tree as well.  What a glorious yard she has and will have fun fixing up her yard and gardens  come spring.  Frankly, I will be honest here, I am so jealous I could cry.  In my mind I was pretending this was my home.  As the sweet melodic sounds of celtic tunes played in my ears I was taken back to a different time and place with hopes and dreams building deep inside my soul for a place of my own just like it.

The air is so clean and crisp, I spotted a couple of baby woodpeckers and of course the plethora of brightly colored blue jays who were squawking and coming up to the porch to steal a few nuggets of Baroshka's dog food.  I wish you could feel what I felt being out there.  The whispers the trees were sounding off with the very slight breeze was magical.  At some point Shanley, my friends 13 year old daughter had let their border collie Cocoa out and she was a riot to watch.  I have a special spot for the border collie in my heart and watching her run full tilt, with her stops, starts and spins made me laugh out loud with pleasure.  Even though she was scattering my freshly piled up leaves I could not be mad at her. Cocoa was having way too much fun and she kept me giggling.

My raking leaves and tiding up outside brought on a few small blisters on my hands which made me smile for I earned them with hard work that brought me joy.  The other thing it brought was my Fibromyalgia and muscle pain and stiffness set in of which I knew it would but the trade off was well worth it.  At this point I knew it was time to leave the outdoors for awhile to let my body relax.  I have to take things slowly with my illness so I will rest up for the rest of the day and see what kind of trouble I can get into tomorrow :-)

Merry Meet and Merry Part until we Meet Again,
Jamie

New Pine Creek Oregon Visit

I left the Southwest desert of Tucson, Arizona behind with pleasure on October 13th, 2010 to visit my friend Marissa in New Pine Creek , Oregon.  I needed to get away from the horrid heat and on to a place with seasons.  I long always to be anywhere but the Southwest and even though I was born and raised in the Coachella Valley, Ca. desert I have never belonged to the desert.  I have no love for it in my heart.  I regret when I have to leave for home November 10th.

My heart sings for mountain regions, pine, juniper, maple, oak and aspen trees.  Leaves falling in colors ablaze, winter dustings of snow on the ground, birds and wildlife abounds.

I have experienced this and more during my stay here.  I've witnessed a golden eagle, barn owls, frogs and crickets croaking pretty much all day, hearing the wind rustling the leaves, the sounds of a cow mooing in the distance, the scent of horses on the next property, herds of deer and antelope and even the howling of coyote in the distance.  My heart and soul has sung since I've been here.  I am at peace with the land and I am well aware that winter here can be a wee bit harsh.  I hope to experience this place in the Spring and Summer.

The nights.  What can I say other than the night sky is gorgeous here.  No city lights getting in the way with their harsh glares and buildings to block the vast view of a dark sky with stars shining so bright and clear you are tempted to put sunglasses on. 

I got up the other morning to 30 degrees and a light dusting of snow on the ground and as I took my coffee outside to sit on the deck I was never the more happier.  The blue jays were calling and flying, quail running around in huge family groups.  No sounds of car stereos boom booming, sirens of police and fire engines and gun shots going off.  Yes, I know deep inside my soul I could live this isolated and sweet country life.  It is what I have longed for all my life, ever since I was a wee girl.  Make no bones about it, I am fully aware that country living has it's draw backs and hardships and I wear no rose colored glasses.

The closest town is Lakeview, Oregon, 14 miles away which is a quaint and sweet, small town but they have all the needs to get one by out here.  If you need more then a 2 hour drive to Klamath Falls, Oregon would be needed.  Everyone I have come across in this rural part of Oregon which is by the way literally across the street from the California border, has been very hospitable.

The picturesque old buildings, barns and more capture my eye and I have been having a love affair with them.  The history and story they tell.  I cannot wait to unload my digital camera to see my pictures and post them here on my blog.  I have plans on altering them into a Sepia tone and making posters of many as art work for my home.  I think I'd like to take some professional photography courses.

While my heart screams to live in Colorado, it does say Oregon is a close second.  Moving here though
would be iffy in being able to get jobs out here.  I fight my being as I type from finding a cute 3 bedroom home and paying them a years rent right off the bat and move to Lakeview, Oregon.  Alas, I am fighting this urge.

I am not happy in Southwest Arizona at all.  Maybe my husband and I can look in Northern AZ which is similar to what I am describing here.  I fight leaving the state I live in because I do not want to leave my son who is 20 behind.  However, I realize he is grown and it is time for my husband and I to be happy and find our own way, leaving him is too hard.

Oh, look it starting to rain a slow drizzly rain outside right now ...sigh....so beautiful

Blessed Be until my next entry.
Jamie