Giving Thanks

I love a road trip. I love riding along and looking at how other people live. I love looking at farms and imagine living there. After our last road trip where we made the unfortunate stop in Vegas I didn't think Hubby and I would ever leave our street. But we did and I'm glad for it.

We decided to take a Thanksgiving trip to Bakersfield to visit my son, goldilocks, and her very fun family. It was so good to see them and laugh about our above said trip, share a bounty of good food and meet goldilocks' 90 year old grandma. I have come to the conclusion that Bakersfield gets a bum rap. The butt of jokes for years, Bakersfield is not as I pictured. It is very much like Tacoma, the town I grew up in...but minus the rain plus sweltering heat, I hear. I love California...north of the Grapevine hill. It still has a lot of open spaces, lots of farms and some very beautiful countryside. Grapes grow around Bakersfield as far as the eye can see. I love grapes and I love wine so grapes as far as the eye can see is good. But most of all I love where real people live and Bakersfield is full of real people. It is a practical, sturdy town that helped to mold goldilocks into the smart, down to earth, real person that she is today. That is why my son loves her....and she is beautiful. I'm sure that has nothing to do with it.

Some random things I observed on the road trip are...
America if you are listening, we don't need any more stores!!! If I see one more new modern complex with a Target, Home Depot, etc. etc. I am going to scream. All the towns are starting to look the same.
People need to take a lesson from Hubby and turn those junk vehicles into some cold hard cash. That's scrap metal you know. I think there is enough out there to fund the bail-out for the automakers. The circle of life.
Oregon is the cleanest of all three states. Hubby described it as the best of California and the best of Washington all rolled into one state but they love their ADULT SHOPS right next to the freeway.
Oh and one more thing...Danni, when did Waddles become Hooters??? That's just WRONG.

Solomon was happy to see his brother...


Returning home to find all animals in good shape is always a blessing too. My animals love when I'm gone because that means my neighbor, Barb, feeds. Barb is very generous with the food. She thinks a little hay is good but a lot of hay is better. I come home to fat and happy animals.
I have been trying to entice the neighbor's chickens into my chicken coop. Now I admit it is chicken thieven' but the reality is that they are at my place all the time. I feed them and they don't. I don't want them eating at my place and laying at theirs. It kind of reminds me of when another family lived there and bought two sheep. They were under the impression that the sparse pasture was enough for the sheep to live on so fed them no extra. I couldn't stand to see them looking through the fence at me and would throw them hay when I fed my animals. A year later I was talking to the woman and she marveled at how wonderful the meat from those sheep was...and it didn't cost them anything to feed them. I didn't clue her in because they were moving and I wouldn't have to feed any more sheep and they needed the help anyway but I refuse to feed the chickens and not get any eggs. They started out with six lovely young hens and because they don't lock them up at night they are down to three. One nice Black Star and 2 wild Rhode Island Red Heads.

Before I left I locked up the Black Star in with my hens. She really liked the never ending buffet.
The Rhode Island Reds wanted nothing to do with it and freaked out, upsetting my girls, so out they went. Barb was able to lock the Black Star in every night with my girls. No luck on the wild red girls. I am afraid their days are numbered.
I asked Barb if she got any eggs and she said no that there weren't any in the boxes. I thought that strange and went out to look. Oh there were eggs all right. It's just that my girls lay all their eggs in one basket...so to speak. They have six boxes and all lay in one. If someone is using it at the time they just wait their turn instead of choosing an empty box. Barb just didn't look at the one on the far end so I have eggs to sell tomorrow.

It's time to get back to our routine.....and put these animals on a diet.