Paragliders in Chico, CA

My Day started off badly but ended wonderfully as we had the opportunity to watch these guys pilot their gliders out over the south rim of Big Chico Creek Canyon



Here they are checking the wind and watching the birds take the thermals.





Pilot one's kite fills with wind and he makes his run for the cliff edge.





Both pilots had a nice ride down to the canyon floor.

In Memory

We lost this very dear friend today. I am very sad.

Red Tulip

I saw these tulips bursting with color at the Farmer' Market. It was a busy St. Patrick's and there were people everywhere. We are a college town so you can imagine what they were like dressed in anything green they can get there hands to.
Yawn, must go to bed and quit fighting Mr. Sandman.

Dragon Lily

I've had these bulbs since 1995. Every year I forget about them because they are at my mom's house. And then I see the blooms they are just great, except for the smell which is like rotting meat on the first day they open. It is one of the carrion flowers that attracts flies with its aroma for pollination. But what a beauty. It looks like maroon velvet. For more info on this flower, visit Dave's Garden Community



Oh, and my mom's irises are nice also. I find myself out in the garden today watering and planting bulbs that have been in pots for too long. I really should be inside taking it easy. I've had "the cold," the one that grabs your chest and keeps you awake for hours coughing.

Ripple Blanket

I had to join the Ripplers! I decided to use up some yarn I had for hat making over the winter. I have enough hats for the whole family. I decided to start with a small ghan until I had it figured out. I'm not sure I like the pattern I chose to work with. This is more of a gently rolling wave. Not as much as a ripple that I would have liked. That's ok though, this is just practice. But I couldn't believe what happened. I a sheet out to the front lawn and laid the blanket on it so I'd have enough light to photograph it. I went back in the house to grab the camera. As I got to the front door and looked out on the lawn what should I see. One of my favorite cats taking a pee on it! So now it's sitting in a tub of soapy water. Oh the joys of owning too many cats who like to mark their territory too much.

Handthrown Stoneware Beauties

I unloaded the kiln last night. I was so excited and nervous all day waiting for it to cool and taking a peek inside every now and then. I hadn't fired the kiln all by myself in long time so I was a little afraid that I might botch the load and that's a lot of pots to have to remake. Wow, I did a great job. I was delighted with these gorgeous hand thrown stoneware heart bowls with a red glaze. I had a lot of beautiful mugs, butter dishes, collanders, batter bowls. See the last photo for the group shot.




How is it that the cats always know? Do they just lurk around on the fringes watching our every move? No sooner had I placed this beautiful piece of fabric, perfectly draped and smoothed out on the table, and arranged the heart bowls where I wanted them, this kitty hopped up. I think he was hoping for a gourmet dish to be served up in these new bowls. Ahi tuna or perhaps caviar? I've been watching Alicia Paulson's cat antics as she makes her ripple blanket and granny squares and I can relate to their inquisitiveness. You know what they say? Curiosity got the cat.



Here is a group shot of the stoneware. These get high-fired to 2380 degrees Fahrenheit. That means they can go in the microwave, dishwasher and oven. All the good stuff and no lead, ya da ya da. This is only about a third of what I got out of the kiln. I'm planning on selling on Etsy. I don't have an account yet but I think I'll set one up real soon, maybe even today.

My orange tabby, Funny Cat

One of my best cat pals, Funny Cat. There are three short hair orange tabbies, three long hairs, two torties (orange tabby mom, silver tabby dad), plus two totally feral males lurking around that I'd like to trap and relocate. This buddy of mine catches me when I'm out in the garden, coming seemingly out of nowhere, to demand my attention and get some love. Yesterday evening during my daffodil photo shoot I found myself lying on the straw in the garden with Funny Cat on my tummy getting lots of loves and scratches. And I got to have a Funny Cat photo shoot. Then the mosquitoes started biting and when they started itching I decided I'd better get out of there. Poor Funny, He could sit on my lap all day. This is the first time I'll thank mosquitoes, though. If it hadn't been for them I might not have remembered the cakes and they would have been completely charcoal.






Aw, shucks mom, too many photos. Really, I just caught him mid-groom as he was washing his face.

Stormy Daffodil

I had great evening in spite of the fact that the two, not just one, but the two pineapple upside down cakes I was baking got pretty botched. I was busy firing the kiln and keeping an eye on it when I decided to make the cakes. One was to go to a friend and the other was for my son's birthday. First I forgot to put the pineapple and the cherries on the bottom before I poured the batter in. Then I decided to grab my camera and go out in the "mini" orchard to see how the trees were blooming. That led me to the daffodils and then to petting the cat who proceeded to demand that I sit down in the garden so he could play lap cat and get some good scratches. That of course led to a photo shoot of the cat, his name is Funny. When I finally remembered the cakes it was a bit too late. The one on the top rack was very brown, verging on black on the top. I cut into it to find out the the butter and brown sugar mix on the bottom had solidified to the extremely hard ball candy stage. The second cake was a little better but I almost didn't get it out of the pan and it left its butter sugar layer in the pan. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. I think it was worth it though for this shot of the daffodil and brooding sky in the background