Independence Day 2007

Like a Burst of Fireworks...Nature.
The Persimmon ....Its lovely cream colored blooms are understated but very interesting. This is an abundant tree and is loaded with fruit this year.
Late California Poppies...Scattered as seeds among the iris that are now bloomed and done to make way for the delicate, yet hardy and drought tolerant poppy. Below, a rare RED California Poppy.

Snoopy...He is a lot of dog for us, but we continue to hold him to a short leash. I have learned that dogs need exercise, discipline and affection, in that order. If you must leave any one of those out, it should be the affection! (It is hard to believe, but look to the pack, there is little affection between the members. It is more about avoiding correction from the alpha.) They look to us for limits and direction. Remember, no bad dogs, just bad dog owners! Snoopy still is not to be trusted with other dogs, so we are simply maintaining our regular obedience training for him in the meantime. We are riding him very hard, when it comes to undesirable actions. We verbally correct him, put him in his kennel (with a reward), or restrain him in some way when he is out of control. Luckily, he is quite cooperative when running along with the bicycle. That has gone a long way to helping him tune into me, and also expend some of his ample energy. The regiment when walking on the leash is very strict. One step, until he pulls, then stop. Saying nothing, simply waiting for him to focus his attention on me. Once he looks at me, he receives a reward of hot dog or cheese. We continue...one step, (can he go two?) as soon as he pulls, I stop, and wait. When we do this routine w/Pepper, he is very quick to catch on, as she immediately will turn to me as soon as we stop. He, on the other hand, first goes through a frustrated dance of sniffing, pulling, grass chewing, and grunting, (all stress relievers) until he finally backs up, sits down and looks at me. He is less treat driven than Pepper and I must really be patient with him. He is a big boy, and I am looking forward to having him in full compliance with the canine good citizenship rules. He is not there yet!!
First Sunflower of the year....a volunteer. I will have many sunflowers this year, as I planted about 15 different varieties.
Very Furry Caterpillar.....This little guy was on a friend's hat at a festival over the weekend. Quite a fuzzy Caterpillar and he would not sit still for anything! I am sorry, these pictures fail to do his furry self, with long feathery tail justice. I have never seen one like this. Cutie.
Brown Turkey Fig...Figs up here, for me, are a joke. We get just a baby-sized summer crop, that amounts to not much at all, and a huge fall crop, that I may get 50% of, in October some time... The rest, usually mold on the branch, unripe, and wondering where the sun went...
Garlic...Though I neglected to plant until February the garlic is looking fine. Most likely, I will take it in the next couple of days. You can see the baby seed pods that have formed on the top, are now fallen over with the stalk - a sign of maturity. Planting late, had the advantage of a lot less time for the weeds to take over!
Lilies...
Mulberries in their little Mulberry Jail...Keeps the birds out. There are so many mulberries and other berries (golden raspberries, black caps, and strawberries) ...yum!

FROZEN FRUIT PIE: When I have an abundance of berries I love to make frozen pie.

Line a pie pan with ground up cookies, the crisper the better. I like to use Barbara's wheat free oatmeal animal cookies. Mash together 2 Cups of fresh berries with sweetener (1/4 cup of honey or sugar). Fold gently into 2 cups of yogurt, or a pint of stiffly whipped cream. Cover with foil or Saran. Freeze overnight. (a thin layer of banana at the bottom is also a nice addition...) Remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving.
Apples...The birds are starting to go after my meager apple crop. Little buggers. I must stop them somehow!!
Bear Butte on a Sweet Day...Heading out of town...
The Start of the Butterfly Show....

Happy Fourth. I love this time of year. It is finally starting to warm up. The lack of spring rains is very obvious by the early, and especially huge cracks in the ground. Mulch, mulch, mulch. Oh yea, and the staking of fruit trees?? If you haven't done it yet, you may have broken branches on your plum trees, like me! I like to think of it as self pruning. No photos of the damage, yet, but I will confess, I lost one pretty major branch off of the Santa Rosa, and a less important scaffold off of the Green Gage. The plums are literally touching the ground. Glad to be home, and glad for the water that flows off of my mountain. Hope yours is flowing too. JJ