A Year of Blogging...

Wow!  Today is the one year anniversary for this Old Moores Valley blog.  I have learned so much from doing this, and had fun, too.

This is a huge commitment.  More so, than I realized in the beginning.  There are people who check in on a regular basis and if I go too long without a post, I hear from them, though not in a bad way.  I usually post in the evening just before bedtime, and it always takes much more time than I think it will.

When I "designed" my first blog, I thought that I did not care if anyone read it or commented, that it was only for me and my enjoyment.  Not true.  I do care.  I enjoy the comments and questions, whether they are posted on the blog or come via an email.  I enjoy reading the "blog stats" and seeing where readers come from.....all over the world.  Thank you.  

It is always interesting to see what key search words bring folks to Old Moores Valley.  In the past year, the alligator lizards and the rubber boas have brought the most readers.


My favorite single post is probably the haying post with the black and white pictures.  And, of course, I love all the bluebird posts. 

I had lots of ideas that never made it into a post.  For instance, rhubarb. I am thinking that rhubarb may be the next most very wonderful thing to grow and cook with.  

Rhubarb: the next food craze.

A couple more pictures just for fun of it.

Early blooming poppies.

Rusty found objects get attached to the shed & the barbed wire wreath.
"Parking Lots or Pears" sign from an Oregon Land Use political campaign.

Instead of plastic bags.

Bees and Sunflowers

A self portrait.
Still love those saltwater sandals.

California male quail in the front yard.

Shadowy characters in the back yard.


If there is one thing that I hope shines through this past year of blogging, it is how much I love this place.  Everyday I wake up and feel fortunate to be the co-caretaker of this very special piece of land.


May your 2012 be wonderful!  Happy New Year.
http://old-moores-valley.blogspot.com/2011/04/rubber-boas.html

Oregon White Truffle...

Two years ago the American Truffle Society came out for a field trip.  Lots of people out in the woods looking for truffles.  We found some that Mr. Shoulder to the Grindstone likened to eating dirt.  We were all disappointed that we did not find any of the good ones.

However, tonight out digging under a fir tree, flashlight in hand, look at what we inadvertently found.  An Oregon White Truffle.  A large one.

I am headed back out in the morning to see if there are others.  Whoopee!!

A Frosty Walk...

Temperatures have been below freezing and even into the teens for the last several days.  The wood fire is working overtime. Decided that I needed a good frosty walk today.  So the dogs and I took off up the hill.

Up the hill....

Stopped to look at a bunch of towhees eating apples, 
just too flighty to capture them on camera.

Up the hill, past Bee Junction...

Heading toward the log landing...

Libby dog loving the frost

A brown creeper, great camouflage...

Around the side of the hill and then back up towards the top...

On the top of Muffin Mountain.  Carlton and then Mt. Hood very faintly in the background. 

About three miles up and back. Libby and Jack still have lots of energy.

And even though it's not a great picture, I couldn't resist including this picture of the bull elk
that was hanging out by the walnut trees at dusk.

A nice day. A nice walk.

Really, really, random...

Not sure where my holiday spirit is this year.  Seems to be missing.  I made a wreath, hung it on the garage and that is the extent of decorating.  December has wings, it is flying by, and I have no idea where it is going.  Below freezing weather every day, but no complaints from me, as it isn't raining. Even the ponds have frozen.

I have some new kick ass boots.  They make me want to dance and ride a horse, perhaps dance while riding a horse.

I went to a "clothing exchange" yesterday.  Take the clothes that you are tired of, never wear, wonder why you ever bought them in the first place, and exchange them for clothes that someone else is tired of, doesn't wear, and wonders why she bought them in the first place.  And then drink some wine.

I didn't get any wearing clothes, but I did get some clothes that I can cut apart and use the material to make something new and different.  If nothing else, I can use the material as lining for a bag or to clean up after the dogs.

And I did drink some wine, and so did everyone else.  One of the women, not someone I had ever met before, commenced to tell us all how to meet the perfect man and get him to marry you.  She is newly engaged, about 65, and feng shui-ed her home to make room for her perfect man.  Also, told us the book to read that would make all our dreams come true.  Talked about master minding.  Like Rick Perry, she had a hard time remembering the last part of the phrase....master, master, ummmm master... Well, of course I had to fill it in for her.  I was surprised to find that ....bating was not the rest of the word she was looking for.

Maybe I am jaded, but it was all I could do not to roll my eyes.  Seems to me that finding the perfect man is about 5% of the battle.  The real challenge is to continue to love the perfect man when you find out that he is not so perfect, and neither are you.  Speaking of which, my mother and father-in-law are celebrating 60 years of marriage this month.  Now that's a lot of compromising, putting up with, negotiating, and just plain loving.  Congratulations!