Sandwich Life

 

Sometimes life is like a sandwich. There is an order to the days. You may have variety of course...maybe start with a different bread or adding different condiments...you get the idea. But the elements are layered again and again, day after day.

Bread - veggies - cheese - oil & vinegar - spices...etc.

My daily sandwiches include the commute & work (of course), walks and nature and things I enjoy (I try to add lots of that!)

Here's a couple weeks of ingredients...

I ordered "The Wild Braid" finally and have been reading on my lunch breaks (thanks for the recommendation Jude). I even was inspired to draw a garden space. The full quote, which I could not fit on my bench, is: "Don't just do something, sit there"

I chose the stamp page with the the proverb: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I thought I'd fill the page with drawn other proverbs, but could only think of: A stitch in time, saves nine. So out of character for me to draw a blank for so many days. I finally did a search and thought...oh yeah, all of these!! Now I remember!

I held this rock a bit after going to the well and considered taking it with me the next time I go. It was found years ago on a neighborhood walk. I looked a bit here on the blog to see how long ago that was, but I could not find it. Oh well.

Work crows, work clouds...

Off to the Railroad Bridge walk again on Saturday and Monday. I did find this OLD POST from 2013, maybe the first time I posted this walk!

Saturday, before the coming storm...

Clouds coming in...

Monday, after the Big Storm, blue skies start peeking through again.

Believe it or not, I get the creeps when things grow out of odd places. ha

I finished the latest Medicine Bag today.

Blue, Green, Brown and Purple...

May you keep on in the best ways you know how, even if it feels repetitive and boring to yourself or others...

May you just keep on truckin'

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2023 

Railroad Bridge Before and After

 

Saturday, looking East

Today, looking East.

Notice how the trees, brush etc. are plastered to the ground!

⼮ ⼮ ⼮ ⼮ ⼮

Saturday, looking West - towards the 5 Freeway...

...and today, looking West - towards the 5 freeway.

I'll keep it short and sweet for this post and throw my other pics up later.

May you marvel in the Wild that is Mother Nature!

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2023 

We Are Fine

 

Just a quick post...

1). It has been raining non-stop since 7:30 AM. A lot of rain. Sometimes heavier that other times, but a constant sheet of rain. I could not get a good pic and with no smart phone, I could not video either, so you'll have to imagine or do a search for news stories.  Our place, us...we are good. No flooding at home. However the freeways around here a flooded mess. Grateful to be home. If you read here frequently, you know my history with floods and rain (my commute, my daughter being swept away in a water main break, La Conchita's mudslide)...so I have history and just try to keep it all in perspective. We're fine.

2). There was just recently a 5.1 earthquake , centered in Ojai, CA. If you've read here for a while, then you know that is close to home...a day trip...a close location on my old commute up North each day. But, not centered here and we are fine. I said aloud, in a tone of disbelief, "This is an earthquake?" - knowing full well it was, but kinda surprised as I was watching flooding news at the time. Ha  If you read here often, you know I've lived through many quakes, don't hold a lot of fear for them, get by okay. Our circle dancing men was dancing!

3). We are fine in relation to both natural events (but kinda wonder in the most joking way - what is next?)

4). We've both gotten alerts on our phones all day for flash flood warnings and then the earthquake alert after the fact...even though it read as a prior to the event message! Ha again.

Welcome to SoCal babys!

I'll update this same post as need be, but (except for the fact that my asthma is triggered) we are fine, really.

❤️ UPDATE: Work is closed tomorrow, so no commuting for me.

May you be safe

May you be dry

May you know stillness

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2023 

Things On My Mind

 

RIP to a man and a town and all that it held (human, plant, animal...more)

LINK

My sister sent me THIS ARTICLE, which included the video above and a few other related PFC videos.

I in turn sent her this 2 minute listen

💔

...and Maui...Maui. I have no words.

Updates LINK

💔

Marking the day here. That's all I've got.

May you find compassion in your heart, always.

xo

Familiar Places #2

 

Sunday had me taking a short drive after running errands. I dashed up the canyon near our local grocery store...a place I have been many times before and posted here (just search here under Mentryville for more posts).

*SIDE NOTE: As I write this, I remember a conversation with my mama, when we discussed how I say, "Grocery shopping" and she said, "Going to the market". Once she pointed this out to me (I hadn't noticed), I became forever curious as to how & when the language of my childhood, my home, my mom changed into my new way of saying. i have a feeling it was when I moved to NV at 20 years old...newly married and far from home, I spent those early marriage growing years with my wonderful sister-in-law (15 years my senior). Did she say "grocery"? I don't recall and will never know, but it is an interesting quirk to me.

Anyway, this past weekend had me considering familiar places. Places well-known and based in comfort...places you've been to many a time and return to again and again. I believe we each have places like this. The Railroad Bridge and up Pico Canyon (where Mentryville is) are two close by such places. There is of course the Big Sur coast and Los Osos/Morro Bay...there are more, but you get the idea. I'm even confident that I could name some familiar places of YOURS, if I've read your blog. There is something quite soothing in all of this. Yet, even in familiar places...there is always something new!

LINK

More 'weaving' in this Sister Post. 🙂

There were small, white, triangular 'traps'? in many of the trees up the road. I think they are Fruit Fly traps, as there was an issue here. Mmm...

I never tire of the bright blue skies and hills.

You last saw this stump HERE...now it is a few feet up the rise, split in half and dry, dry, dry!

Even the Post Office trees were in beautiful bloom! 

The weaving is closer to done every day. Soon.

May you find a home in the familiar

May you notice the differences of time

May you still feel connected

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2023 

Familiar Places #1

 Back to the "Railroad Bridge" walk on a very hot Saturday, which may be the reason that I only saw a few bicyclists. I walked further than we walked when there with "the kids". For some silly reason, I love calling my son/wife/grandson that. My dad used to call me and my young family, including my ex "the kids"...so, it reminds me of him and of being the older generation...sort of passing on the torch of being the parent. Yeah, weird, I know.

This day, the sheer size of this Cottonwood greets me, along with the combined scents of the various plants. 

I gently say hello to this fluttery Cottonwood within reach. I was surprised by the thickness and waxy feel. After all of these years...my whole adult life really...watching these leaves move in the breeze...I feel like I never really knew them so well. Mmmm...

The river is finally drying up. There is still water, but so much less than the last visit. I guess all of those triple digit days did the trick!

As I wound my way around the trail, I kept a close look out for rattle snakes, but there were none to be seen this time around.

In all of that dry brush, there is still a tinge of green and two plants reaching and leaning.

You'd be surprised how loud that one small dove sounded. I know I was!

I walked all of the way to a fence shift. this is where the trail shifts into a new trail and leads into 'city' streets, passing by an industrial area.

There were so many tiny lizards, which had me thinking that "the kids" loved seeing them on this hike...mentioning that they don't see them at home in MA. I really considered not living with lizards and it was hard to imagine. The one above was maybe a couple of inches big!

'Diversity' was the word of the day! From plant life, to human life, to moisture level...just a super cool place. Believe it or not, this is the same big rock that I paused on back in February It looks totally different now...so much smaller, surrounded by all of that dry plant life.

May you enjoy the blessing of familiar 

May you know place

May you be comfortable within

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2023