A Meadow of Flowers for Me

The Fruit of our Lips Giving Praise

If I don't praise the rocks will!

Lupine

Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that he might sanctify the people by his own blood. Let us then go to him outside the camp, bearing his disgrace. For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come. Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.”- Hebrews 13:12-16

I needed to get outside the city, this morning. I awoke a 6 a.m. and was traveling East, up to the foothills, before eight o'clock. 
I live in the upper Sacramento Valley. Our elevation is near sea level and gets into 110 degrees off-times for a week in the summer. As my sister-in-law in Colorado has had snow blizzard this 3rd week of May~my highs went from 58 on Monday to 98 today.
    So, I headed for the hills in search of wildflowers before they all dry up!

Golden Aster

Wild  Hyacinth

Wild Hyacinth and Golden Aster

St Theresa-Chapel

My surprise to crest the hill and find a replica of an old Chapel!🌻

This was made to go with a Vineyard, which has a venue for weddings and parties.

I had no idea the chapel was there, I just took a side road that had a "CLOSED" sign with a winery, which I did not remember knowing was in the area of Shingletown. (click title for vineyard details)

Oak Skyline

The sun was cutting through the trees as I held the camera over my head to see the skyline.

Our valley has over 20 different Oak trees and even sub species within each variety. Many do not loose their leaves and have a ghostly gray in the sun light. In the hills I saw many of the other evergreens and enjoyed the non-natives in the landscape of the vineyard.

Even the rocks are fenced in

Pig wire is a local ranching staple. It not only keeps the cattle off the road; it will keep the deer out of the vineyard. I only saw cows and squirrels today, however, I am sure the deer would be prevalent on cool mornings since there is water nearby for cattle.

More Asters and my foot

The last clump of Asters that I photographed will not be long for this world. This week may mark the last of the rainy season. As school winds down to the last NINE days, I wonder if we have had the last rainy day recess. Our 10 day forecast is flirting with the 100 degree mark every day with no clouds on the horizon.

Blooming in my own back yard

I wasn't expecting the hill country to seem so parched, as we have had rain periodically through the past weeks. We have experienced an unseasonably wet winter/spring. Unfortunately, I have needed to water my flower beds on the terrace. My white tea rose is done blooming and the yellow one has just started to bud out. The little cactus is starting to bloom and the chrysanthemum is covered in buds that I hope wont get too hot. 

The last two weeks of school are filled with makeup testing and readying our room for next years reading groups. I taught over 700 individual reading groups during the 2016-17 year. Each group had 4 to 5 children age grouped K-5th. So, much progress and growing of young minds.

Our Summer Day camps for YMCA begin on June 5th this year. For 8 weeks we will be learning and grow together each afternoon, as I lead a group of 20 who are going into 2nd and 3rd grade.  I could spend every spare moment planning in my head. However, I decided to block out an hour here, an hour there and try not to spend my entire weekend planning activities.

Going to the Foothills was a way to refuel my creativity on so many levels. Driving with the windows down, I could smell the mountain lilac and sweet peas along the road. Hearing the birds and animals as I popped my ears  over and over as I traveled up near 3,500 feet of elevation in 20 minutes. The feel between my toes of dried grass and dirt reminded me of the many trips I have taken only as far as the West base of Mt Lassen these past 30 years.

West Facing View of  Mt Lassen 

Now July 15th as I travel over to Susanville for my 40th Class reunion, I will again see My Childhood Side of the Mountain. #lastvisit1986

My Childhood side of the Mountain

This butterfly is headed home in less than 2 months

* Photo credits for Lassen and Monarch are in link of caption

What Doesn't Kill Me Will Make Me Stronger

More than once this week I turned on the radio and Mandisa was belting out this song to me:

"When the waves are taking you under

Hold on just a little bit longer

He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger

The pain ain't gonna last forever

And things can only get better

Believe me

This is gonna make you stronger

Gonna make you stronger, stronger, stronger

Believe me, this is gonna make you

Try and do the best you can

Hold on and let Him hold your hand

Go on and fall into the arms of Jesus

Oh, lift your head it's gonna end

God's right there

Even when you just can't feel Him

I promise you that He still cares"

 My New Weather app

Wednesday night 90 degrees and 87 in my apartment

Today down to 80 and I have a temp a/c unit

It was a very rough week for me. I have a "Kid Cold" and then the Cottonwood Fluff started blowing around. I have felt like I was drowning in pollen all week.

I have been drowning in pollen

My a/c in my apartment went on the fritz when it hit 90 degrees. For 3 nights my apartment was 87 degrees when I got home at almost dark. Each day the maintenance people had been trying something while waiting for the "Big Guns" to show up this week. Maybe Monday or Friday I will get the a/c fixed. Meanwhile, R2D2's cousin in hooked up to my kitchen window to blow cold air down my back if I sit in the living room. Thankful to get it all taken care of before the real heat (110 degrees plus) comes in the next three months. 

Artistic Expression

Last week I made a new friend and she offered to draw a portrait to raise money for her tuition.

I had been wanting an 8x10 of Emelia, my Granddaughter, for my wall. Shelby came by on her bike today to deliver Em.

Em by Shelby Cook

I also figured out how to make my Gis Butterfly in 3D.

GIS Butterfly

Kinder Highlights for May

My Morning job the next three weeks will be "end of the year testing". We have finished reading intervention groups for the school year. In the afternoon I get to use my GIS training for the next 3 weeks and teach old fashion cartography. (Map making.) That will be a club 3 days a week for an hour with all ages. Normally I spend my 4 1/2 hours each afternoon with just Kindergardeners. They are mostly going to be 1st graders in three weeks, so we are working a lot on the "sit still and listen" stuff, but having a lot of fun.

I have a rolling cart for crayons, pencils, books and the like for our group. Each month we design a different picture for the front. I've had every season finger or foot print. Our last one was tulips made from foot prints in fuchsia paint.  This month the children wanted to have unicorns. My youngest is soon to be 5 years old and she told me that unicorns live on rainbows. They made the rainbow with their fingers and a bit of guidance to make the arch. Each took the unicorn color page and made their own unicorn design. The clouds are cotton-balls and the the entire thing is sealed with packing tape.

Shameless Advertising

My youngest daughter opened an Etsy Store for the Baby clothes she makes. Em did some modeling a few months ago of the Yoga pants. Too Cute!!

Just a Little Picky
(click for link)

Random Week Before Mother's Day

Last week, I could barely breath and the winds were 30 to 40 mph the past two days. The winds have died down and the heat is on for this week. I spent my weekend resting in my apartment to stay out of the pollen loaded wind gusts. After finishing a book and starting another. I cleaned my apartment for my sister from Reno to visit on Wednesday (May 10th). I started a new picture of a bicycle. I'm thinking it will be watercolor or needlepoint? After paying bills I played with a hair extension I had gotten a while back.

Yes it is purple, hehe

I have been exploring my creativity in so many way this past two years. I was talking to a friend this week and mentioned once sitting the SF airport in 1987 with my sketch pad and watching the people go by. I felt I was pretending to be someone I wasn't. Now I see I was slipping out of the box people had for me into the person I am now.