Now on a lighter note....

I decided to go blog hopping yesterday and stumbled upon a great blog! Nicole is probably not a stranger to most of you, but again I've been in a bakery for the last year and have missed a bit of blogging. The blog is full of crafty goodness! She has great links and I spent the better part of an afternoon clicking away!



Nicole has teamed up with Cake+Pie for a fun event that I have joined. It is an ornament swap that is going global. You have until the FIRST of November to join in the fun. When I joined there were close to three hundred participants and I am sure there will be more soon. Join the fun, exchange some ornaments and get your holiday ornament swap in full swing!

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ARSON!

Horrifying wake-up
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

This morning we woke up to the news about a fire burning out of control atop the mountain surrounding us to the north. It was traveling quickly and evacuations had already begun. I left at 6:45 to drive to work and found these scenes outside my home, and as I arrived at work 19 short miles away.









As I took this photo I noticed a air tanker on its way to fight the growing blaze.





This was at 9 a.m. or so this morning. The next photo was at 4:40 or so this evening. As I drove home it got darker and darker. It's only 5 p.m. and almost completely dark due to the smoke.



The worst news of this fire is that it is definitely arson. Four firefighters have died, with a fifth severly burned. Four heroes, lose their lives so someone could start a fire. The death penalty will be pursued if this person is ever found. The courts should just take him out and shoot him. Four families, possibly five, ripped apart by the senseless act of another. Then we have to consider the numerous homes lost, the people displaced, the animals lost, and the people affected by the smoke in the surrounding areas. It is difficult to take it all in.

My sympathies go out to anyone who is affected by this horrendous fire.

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Hues

Hues
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

Yesterday afternoon we decided to go to the movies. The Prestige was out and I love Christian Bale so we chose to see it. What a bummer. Such hatred. Ick. The Illusionist was a much better film.

So when we left the theatre, the real show began. It was just about sunset and these are some shots I got on the way home.







I think our Indian Summer has come to an end. Now it will begin to cool off. The mornings will become icy and good, while the temps during the day are never harsh.

Can ya begin to get that I love clouds. ;-)

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Yellow Roses

my roses
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

For my birthday over a month ago, I got a bouquet of roses. The big guy knows I love yellow roses and decided to get them for part of the celebration.

I didn't photograph them while they were fresh. Today I looked at the vase and realized they had just about completely dried. I love dried roses. Almost more than fresh. They have such character, and dry so well. No one misses the fact that they were once roses. Their fragrance is incredible. In fact, I think roses smell more fragrant when dried than when fresh. The leaves stay that really great color of green and I just can't imagine tossing them out.

They'll go into the drawer with the rest. I am gathering dried roses to make pot pourri. It'll be a nice assortment when I get it done. :-)

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Behold your little ones...

My friend Lisa has great blog. She talks about raising her children, her life as a child, and all those things in between. She has a full plate and challenges herself every day.

You see, Lisa has Ethan. Ethan was born almost three years ago with severe disablilities. She has found inner strength she didn't know she had. Ethan is teaching her things, she now realizes are essential to her life and others'. Lisa has taught me many things, as she has others. If you haven't read her blog, you owe yourself the opportunity to get to know her and Ethan. You never know, you may just learn something too.

Just before my oldest daughter was born, in November of 1978, Gordon B Hinckley gave a talk in October conference at church. He quoted E T Sullivan and said this:
E. T. Sullivan once wrote these interesting words: “When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn’t stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home out of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother’s heart, and she puts it into the baby’s mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies.”

I know for a fact that this is true. My first child changed me in ways that I could never describe. She gave me joy and happiness. She taught me how to be a mom, she sacrificed herself against the rock that was me on occasion. She challenged me, and she was a little miracle in my life. Never in my life did I think that I could do it. Be a mom, that is. But she helped me learn that it was not an impossible task, that children are resiliant and that they love you inspite of your worst mood. She taught me to enjoy being a kid, that kids can be serious, and a head like a rock is a force to be reckoned with and that moms and daughters can grow up together and be friends.

Today, my oldest, found out some great news. Yes, she already knew she was pregnant. That of course is the miracle. But today, today she found out that she will give birth to a son. A wonderful little boy that will prove her through the years. Prove her to be the kind of mom she can be, and has always been inside, waiting to be discovered. Congratulations, little one. Thanks, for being one of the greatest forces in the world, to me.

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CA Palm Tree

CA Palm Tree
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

This is a well known California palm. It doesn't produce dates, coconuts or any other kind of fruit. However, it does provide a needed source of available energy.

Look closely, see, there in the leaves of the fronds. Something strange. Strange green rectangles. Hmmm. what do they produce? I am not sure of the correct terminology, but the "tree" produces a bounce of cellular waves. Yep. There you have it. The well known California Palm Tree cellular tower. We have them in other varieties also. The Pine tree, Cactus and water towers.

I hear in places like Idaho they have grain silos that double as cellular towers. I'd like to see that one.

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