Happiness Is....Throwing Up a Banana?

I have a good excuse for not coming up with any amusing blog posts for the past month-I’ve been puking. I spend most of my waking hours worrying about when I'm going to vomit, dry heaving, or being thankful that I am not vomiting. It leaves little time for me to come up with something “cute” about chickens or snakes.

This morning I had a breakthrough. I ate a banana before my morning shower (knowing in advance I would be spewing shortly after getting out of the shower). This was my first banana morning. I had tried nuts, fruit bars, cereal and bread. Well, the banana came up like a dream-smooth and somewhat delicious. I actually smiled and said, "Not bad!" when it was over. Who knew that puking up a banana would be the highlight of my day?

I should start feeling better in three short weeks. Until then, please excuse my absence (or presence with a lack of creativity).

Sincerely, Jessica

PS-This is just my weird way of saying I'm pregnant.

Tide Poolin' with Grammy

There have been so many changes lately here on the BB "farm" that I have fallen asleep too early to blog each night. I will post a quickie now, before it gets too late and I lose my will to blog. We have plans to build a fence to make a pasture for the goats, turkeys, and guinea hens arriving this Spring. I will have a lot of property posts coming soon, so I decided to post about life off the property.

Oliver had the "most fun day ever" yesterday looking at tide pools with his Grammy. I enjoyed my role as photographer. I know Oliver is going to love looking at pictures of himself and his grandparents in the future. I love seeing old pictures of me and my Grandma Maxine or Grandma Jean. Grandparents are a vital part of a happy childhood and Oliver is lucky to have four young, healthy, fun grandparents.





These Oystercatchers had a pretty good day too. Check out the satisfied look in the second picture.

We Got a Puppy ( AKA Livestock Guardian Dog).

For some weekend excitement, our family went to a farm up the road yesterday to visit chickens and quail. On our way up the dirt road to the house, we saw giant white dogs hanging out with goats. Then we saw five white, fluffy puppies. The puppies are 14 weeks old and weigh over 40 pounds.


The farm owners told us the white dogs in all of the goat pens are called livestock guardian dogs. These dogs (part Great Pyrenees and part Anatolian) protect chickens, goats, and llamas from cougars, bears and other dogs.

So we decided as a family (Grammy and Pop, too) to get a dog to protect our goat babies and chickens. Glenn works on a sheep ranch locally and there has been a major mountain lion problem (killing sheep). Instead of an electric fence, we got a beautiful dog.

We went back to the farm today to pick out the best of the remaining puppies. Pop named her "Lotta," which is short for Whole Lotta Dog. Pumpkin is in love with his new puppy friend. After he got over the initial excitement of having another dog around, he cuddled with her next to the fire. Welcome to the family, Lotta!

My Camera Sickness

I've been on call all week, so instead of getting tipsy on the 31st, I stayed sober enough to answer compelling questions like, "Is my fallopian tube coming out of my vagina?" Don't worry, it wasn't. I also spent the week taking hundreds of pictures. I have been a little sick about having my camera available for pictures. Driving home from work (without my camera), watching the blue moon rise, was agonizing. I also tried not to have a fit when I learned that we drove right by a golden eagle devouring its prey. I'm sure those "once in a blue moon" opportunities will present themselves again.

So what to do with the hundreds of pictures? I decided to pick my favorites and publish them here. I'm hoping to blog about something a little more exciting tomorrow. We will have to see how things turn out.

Slender Salamander


I took this picture for our new lip balm display.


Pumpkin Smiling


Blue Moon Behind a Tree


The neighbor's puppy stole Oliver's sword.


Frozen Bee

My New (Slightly Used) Christmas Toy

I wasn't expecting anything for Christmas this year. After I crashed the car, I figured I had used up any extra Christmas money. My wonderful husband really surprised me this time. He got my parents and his parents involved and bought me a beautiful new camera. Now he is going to be faced with even more annoying pleas to stop the car. Stop the car, I have to take a picture of that long-horned cattle nursing her calf! Stop the car, I need to get a shot of that herd of elk!

Christmas was exciting for Oliver as well. He received great toys, books, clothes, a Mac Truck (the highlight of the morning) and a bike. And to think I actually worried he wouldn't have enough to open. After he put all of his new toys into a box (to save for later), he spent the rest of the morning playing with a wrapping paper roll, his trampoline and dirt. I know what I'm getting him for Christmas next year!



We finally pried him away from his cheap/environmentally friendly toys and forced him to try out his bike.

I convinced Glenn this morning that we needed to drive to the coast to practice taking pictures with the new camera. We bundled up and headed north of San Simeon to take pictures of the elephant seals. My new camera is a bit more difficult than my trusty old Olympus. I think I need to spend more time reading the manual and possibly take a class to get some better pictures. Here are some of our highlights from the photo shoot today.

Jessica:

Oliver, in his usual fashion, made friends with a cool couple from Santa Barbara. He sat with them and ate their picnic. Making friends with complete strangers is a piece of cake with Oli.

Some seal shots:


Glenn:

Glenn got this cute picture of Oliver holding my old camera. He looks like a little photojournalist.

Yikes-attack shots!


Oliver:

Oliver took this great pic of my camera from Glenn's shoulders. Isn't it pretty?

Here are Oli's seal shots:

Alpacas and Olive Oil

I LOVE alpacas. Those eyes, that adorable mop of hair, those skinny necks! Alpacas even use a predetermined toilet. And alpaca fiber is so warm and soft. Name me a better farm animal! Just try.

Last weekend we were treated to a tour of a local alpaca farm. Alpacas of Cripple Creek is the most clean and beautiful alpaca farm we have seen (and we have visited our share of alpaca farms). Art, the owner, is interested in breeding the darker colored alpaca fibers (blacks and grays), which makes for some cool alpaca color combinations.

Art and his wife Lynn also grow olive trees and make olive oil. We were given a tasting of their three very different (and delicious) oils. Did you know that you should slurp when tasting olive oil?


After the tasting we went back to the alpacas to visit with the males. Our dream is to purchase two males from Cripple Creek.

The alpacas seemed to find Oliver very interesting. He can tell you there is nothing better than receiving an alpaca kiss.

A Bag of Bones, A Naughty Christmas Letter, and More

I have been away from my blog this past week because I put all of my energy into my Christmas letter. Every couple of years I write a highly inappropriate Christmas letter and send it to three people. My letter this year is so over the line that I may only send it to two people. Anyway, I'm back. Here are a few things that have been going on in Santa Margarita the past couple of weeks.

1. I crashed the car.

I'm a busy lady. I was trying to read the mail and talk to Oliver at the same time. Apparently I forgot to put the Subaru in park and pull the e-brake. As soon as Oliver and I got to the front door of the house we heard a loud crash outside. It was dark and I assumed it was a murderer or something so we ran inside and locked the front door. Glenn found his car smashed against our truck and a tree when he got home from work at eleven o'clock. I tried to be positive about the whole thing. I told Glenn that he needed a new paint job on the door anyway, "Merry Christmas." Can you believe he was still angry? Then we found out the poor car was totaled.

We got a nice check and set out to find an Outback. Isn't she pretty?

You're welcome Glenn.

2. I sent my son to school with a bag of bones.

Oliver and I found an owl pellet on a hike. Some women may get excited about finding a beautiful pair of shoes. Owl barf really does it for me. We found a perfect specimen and began the joyful task of dissection. What kind of meal was it? Could it be a mouse? Look Oliver, a scapula! It turned out to be a bird. I collected all of the little bones and sent it to school with Oliver for show and tell.


3. Our Araucana laid an egg!

You can see how much darker her egg is compared to the Ameraucana egg.

4. California "Winter" is here.

Oliver and I have had a great time taking pictures of the rain and ice lately. Here are some of our shots:

"Why did it die?" By: Oliver

"Salamander" By: Oliver

"Mommy Splashing" By: Oliver

"Ice Oak" By: Jessica

"Enjoying the Rain" By: Jessica

"Cold Cactus" By: Jessica