Elderberry Is Blooming All Around Larry Moore Park

 

Elderberry at Larry Moore Park, © Barbara Radisavljevic

I finally got a chance to walk in Larry Moore Park yesterday. I discovered elderberry was blooming almost everywhere I looked. (Please click photos to enlarge photos). 

Elderberry near Beginning of Trail at Larry Moore Park, © Barbara Radisavljevic

This is near the memorial tree I discovered a year ago on another walk. Both that tree and this elderberry tree have grown larger since then. You can see the difference if you look back at that post and at this one on Medium.

Elderberry on the Other Side of Trail at Larry Moore Park, © Barbara Radisavljevic

As I've discovered on my Paso Robles property, elderberry grows like a weed. The birds eat the berries and spread the seeds. That must be how my own tree got started. 

There used to be an elderberry marking the junction of this trail and the one leading westward to the river. It was still there last time I walked the park, but it was gone yesterday. Here's where it used to be. You probably won't notice the tree below because that photo was taken in January when the branches are bare. This year they've been cutting a lot of trees from this area. The tree they removed may have been the mother of many of these other trees. 

Elderberry Removed This Year at Larry Moore Park, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Below you can get a closer look at the elderberry flowers and some baby berries.                    

Close-up of Elderberry in Bloom at Larry Moore Park, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Below is an expanded view of the scene in the first photo. I have shown you just some of the trees I found on limited parts of intersecting trails near the north end of Larry Moore Park. If I'd shared photos of all the elderberry trees in bloom at the park right now, this post would fill several more screens. 

I wonder who will eat all those berries when they get ripe? Do you think the birds will be able to handle it? Or do you think the homeless who camp in the riverbed below will have a handy medicinal food source if they can can cook the berries. They are toxic if eaten raw.

Elderberries in Bloom at Larry Moore Park, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Learn more about elderberries here. 

Finally I Can Eat My Power Breakfast Again after Oral Surgery

 

Barb's Power Breakfast, author photo

Back to My Normal Power Breakfast

I had an infected tooth extracted 13 days ago, and it wrecked my usual diet. Liquids and soft foods can get boring fast. For the past few days my breakfast consisted of mashed bananas mixed with smooth peanut butter and an Orgain Clean Protein Shake, my favorite. 

I like the Orgain chocolate protein shake because it tastes better than other brands I've tried. The milk comes from New Zealand cows that feast on grass. If I decide to have scrambled eggs for breakfast for variety, I save the protein shakes for later in the day when I want a quick nutritional boost. 

I usually buy the shakes at Costco, but I see that Amazon also has them on the subscribe and save plan for those who enjoy them as much as I do. The price is almost as good getting them at Costco and I won't need to worry about running out. Costco is thirty miles away. 

My power breakfast is super easy to fix. Just combine about 1/2 to 3/4 cups of your favorite brand of uncooked oats (I use Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats), with about 1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts, half a small apple chopped, and about 1/3 cup fresh blueberries. Today I used bananas to sweeten because I'm not allowed to eat apples yet. The goat milk I add at the end also adds a bit of sweetness. 

Up until yesterday I wasn't cleared to eat oats or blueberries, either. Normally I sweeten with chopped dates or a combination of cinnamon and Xylitol. (See my review of Xylitol here.) I'm not too fussy about the amounts of each ingredient I use. 

You can also substitute other fruits or nuts, unless you are still on a soft diet like I am. I'm just gradually working back to normal food. I still have to be careful. I can have Brussels Sprouts, but not broccoli. I'm also allowed to add seedless grapes to my diet, but not anything citrus.

I still crave crunch and usually live on nuts for snacking. Now I may now eat cashews and walnuts, but not almonds or peanuts, unless in butters. 

Other Soft Foods I Enjoyed Eating

Staples of my diet have been eggs, cheese, yogurt, pudding, applesauce, avocados, and  yellow cling diced peaches in 100% fruit juice with no added sugar. This made a delicious lunch about three days after my tooth was pulled.

Eggs scrambled with plain yogurt, feta and cheddar cheeses; diced peaches; and salted mashed avocado sprinkled with lemon juice. Author photo.

 I usually eat my evening meal while watching TV, which is why this isn't on a plate at the table. I used a lap desk on my reclining chair. This lap desk was also a lifesaver after I had foot surgery and needed to do all my computer work with my feet up. Not only will a laptop fit securely here, but I can also write letters and pay bills the old-fashioned way in comfort.

Looking Forward to Eating Crunchy Foods Again

I'm glad I can eat mashed avocado from the shell with lemon juice and salt, but I like it better on toasted sourdough or a tortilla chip than on a spoon. I crave almonds in my dark  dark chocolate. I crave trail mix. 

Favorite crunchy snacks from Costco. Author photo.

What are your favorite soft food diet foods? What crunchy foods would you miss most?

My First Decluttering Project for This New Year

 

My First Decluttering Project of the New Year Awaits

Yes, I have to deal with all that paper and a couple more stacks of it. Somewhere in this room sits the envelope with my husband's 2021 Medical ID card. I asked him to put it in his wallet when it first came a month ago, but he didn't want to do that. So he asked me to keep it until now. 

Now is here and I can't remember if I filed it or if it's in one of my to-to-be-filed stacks. I need to start sorting for filing 2020 taxes anyway, so I guess I'd better stop procrastinating and start sorting. 

I'm a bit bummed out that my favorite tax receipt organizer seems to be unavailable this year. The substitute I bought last year because it was cheaper didn't meet my needs very well. I found the one I liked on another site last week but I had to order a dozen at once to get them. So I did. I figured it was as cheap as buying three of the other options I've seen. This week the company notified me they were refunding my money. Guess even that package of a dozen was gone. 

 I want something I can keep on my desk organizer I bought last year. I put the folder with the open end up in the top of the organizer so I can just slip papers in as I sort them. You can see my organizer, along with some of the paper I need to file, below.

My Loaded Desk Organizer in Use, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Here's how  it looked just after I assembled it and  before I filled it up. Even I managed to assemble it without calling Hubby for help. Now it's one of the most useful items I own.

My Newly-Assembled Desk Organizer, © Barbara Radisavljevic

I knew you'd want one, too, but I'm not sure if my exact model is still available. I got it at Costco in September of 2019. I don't see it on the Costco website now. I didn't see this  exact model with the drawers anywhere on line. But you can find something very close at Amazon.  

Click here to find this product on Amazon with photos of all its component parts.

               

I can't find a tax deduction organizer that I like anywhere this year, either. Amazon is totally out of stock on anything similar. So I'm doing what I should have done in the first place. I just emptied out my Dome Tax Deductions File from 1998. That's well past the seven years I need to keep receipts. It's still sturdy and will do the job. I don't need anything but the pockets with categories. 

Meanwhile I'd better finish this and post it. I still haven't looked for the ID Card as I'd planned and it's almost time for our family Zoom meeting. I'll have to look for the medical ID card after that. The Zoom meeting is one good thing that's come out of the pandemic. I wouldn't miss seeing how much my eight-month-old grandniece has grown since last week for anything. 

Hope your new year is off to a more exciting start than mine. Hope you stay happy and healthy in 2021.        

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Best Photo of 2020 That Reflects the past as It Looks to the Future

Circle of Life Sculpture, Charolais Corridor Trail, © Barbara Radisavljevic, 2020

 Is this the best photo I took in 2020? It's the best one to show the contrast between past and the future I hope for in 2021. It features Robert Roemisch's metal sculpture, "Circle of Life" which you can find at the beginning of the Charolais Corridor Trail in Paso Robles. That trail happens to be behind the tract where I live, so I walk it often, usually in the late afternoon or as the sun is setting. 

You can see in the sculpture that life goes on. The dark cloud of 2020 with all its storms seems to be disappearing into the horizon and leaving the sky above it clear and blue. I hope this will be the case. I hope some of the conflict and death that marked 2020 will be replaced with seeing what we have in common, the end of the pandemic, and a return to normal life. 

That being said, those things aren't under our control. We control only our own thoughts and the  actions that spring from them. Whatever is ahead, I will trust God to bring good out of it. I will pray my leaders will be wise in their decisions and seek divine wisdom. I will try to do what's right with what I have and in the way I treat people. All that God requires of me and others is to do justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him. (Micah 6:8) And that's what I want to do. 

Let's all walk courageously into 2021 and see what awaits us. 

In case you're wondering, the most popular post on this blog in 2020 of the six I wrote was this one: Spring Begins with Wet Sidewalks and Gray Clouds. 

This blog is part of the City Daily Photo Blogger Network. See what other members considered their best photo of 2020, the theme for this January. 

The Old Cottonwood, Like 2020, Is Almost Gone

Dead Cottonwood Tree on December 30, 2020,© Barbara Radisavljevic

This cottonwood tree In Larry Moore Park was showing signs of ill health when I moved here and first photographed it in December 2004. At the time most of the green part of it was mistletoe hanging from the branches. It did still have a few branches with leaves, but not many. You can see the tree's history from 2004 to 2017 here. Now even the mistletoe has given up on it. 

Soon this tree will be history, just as 2020 will be. The sun is setting on this year in a few hours. 

Sunset from Charolais RiverTrail on December 28, 2020,© Barbara Radisavljevic

Let's hope 2021 will be happier than this one has been, but that is in God's hands. I hope the pandemic will be over and we will have more, not less, freedom to move and do business again as usual. 

Is This the Last Photo of This Tree I Will Be Able to Take? © Barbara Radisavljevic, 12/30/2020

Happy New Year!

How Well Do Your Yard Decorations Reflect What You Think about the Meaning Christmas?

 

House Decorated with Light, © Barbara Radisavljevic

What Does Christmas Mean to you?

Some think it's only a season filled with lights, a season when people try to treat each other more kindly, a season when they give more than usual to others. Some see it primarily as a time to celebrate the coming of Christ to show earth's people what God is like and to save them from their sins. Some think it's simply a time to nurture family traditions. 

Those traditions often include decorating inside and out. It's when the family Christmas tree goes up inside and yard decorations go up outside. Those decorations may have secular or religious themes, mixed themes, or maybe no theme at all. Some families celebrate other holidays, such as Hanukkah, during the season and their yards will reflect that. 

I plan to explore some of these holiday decorating themes in photos I've taken over the years in my city of Paso Robles.  

Non-religious Yard Decor

Non-religious themes can be almost anything wintery or traditional with no religious overtones -- Santa, holly, candles, North Pole, snow, Christmas trees, snow people, reindeer, wreaths, and other such symbols. Light and color are the most important common ingredients. Here are some examples. 

Secular Christmas Decor, © Barbara Radisavljevic

The scene above has many of the traditional secular objects associated with Christmas: a snowman, presents, reindeer, Santa, and a Christmas tree. And, of course, there are lots of colorful lights.  

North Pole Theme, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Everyone knows Santa lives at the North Pole, but penguins don't. They live in more southern regions. You are, however, as likely to find penguins at the North Pole as you are to find Santa living there. Imagination can put them anywhere. So it was with the rest of this yard's very creative decorations. The entire display was too large and intricate to capture here, but it was secular and colorful. Below is another part of the display. 

Snowman Toy Train, © Barbara Radisavljevic

I showed more pictures of this decorated house after the 2015 showcase. Most yards aren't as lavish as the one above. It is located on Vine Street and was part of the Vine Street Victorian Christmas Showcase, a long established Paso Robles tradition. The last time I walked past this house with my camera, the front of it was torn apart for what I assumed was a remodel. 

The photos below are more typical of the secular displays I see. This one has a Disney theme. 

Disney Yard Decor for Christmas, © Barbara Radisavljevic

The simple reindeer below will be lighted at night. Nothing fancy, but they show this minimalist family wants to participate in the festivity without overdoing it. 

Reindeer to Celebrate the Winter Season, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Christian Yard Decor for Christmas

Most Christian yard decorations I saw were very simple, as is fitting. 

I love this one all in white. 

Outdoor White Nativity Scene, © Barbara Radisavljevic

This one in front of another home is a bit more colorful at night. During the day, it may only be heap of colored plastic on the ground. Read more on that at It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas -- at Least at Night.

Simple Inflated Nativity Scene, © Barbara Radisavljevic

The photo below was taken during the Paso Robles Vine Street Victorian Christmas Showcase. It was displayed on the property of the North County Christian Fellowship Church on Vine Street on December 19, 2011. 

This is an annual event. The houses and businesses on several blocks of Vine Street are decorated lavishly for the December showcase. Various organizations provide free food and drink or perform for those who are walking the street to see the decorated homes. There are even attractions such as snow slides, ice sculptors, dancers, bands, and choirs for those walking the street to see and hear. The biggest attraction is Scrooge's house. But he wasn't in it this year. Instead he was the parade along Vine Street in a vintage pickup, shouting at everyone. That part didn't change. You can see pictures of this year's event here. You will see Scrooge. 

Everything changed because of the Covid pandemic. In years past, the street has been blocked off and motor vehicles weren't permitted. This year it's been a drive-through event. And for the first time, it ran on two different Saturday nights instead of just one. 

But the spirit of Christmas hasn't hasn't changed. It is revealed in the scenes below. It's the news that God came to earth as a baby 2000 years ago. He didn't stay in the manger. He came to show us what God is like. He was born to die that we might live forever. Or as it says in the Gospel of John, 

    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5, ESV

If you want to learn more, pick up a Bible and read the Gospel of John.  If you don't have a Bible, you can read this chapter or the entire Bible free online. 

Church Outdoor Nativity Scene, North County Christian Fellowship, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Many churches and organizations have living nativity displays outside on special days during the Christmas season. The one below was peopled by friends of the Morning Star Youth Ranch which rescues horses and mentors at-risk young people and their families. In these displays, both people and animals are live.

Morning Star Youth Ranch Living Nativity Scene, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Houses that mix  up their decorating themes

Some houses I've walked by make it hard to tell what they think about Christmas. That is especially true on one block in my neighborhood. Is this secular? Christian? Or just confused? I'm not sure what to make of it. Is that a rabbit where Jesus ought to be or do I need my eyes checked again?

Peanuts Christmas Yard Decoration, © Barbara Radisavljevic

 

When I moved here six years ago and starting walking the neighborhood before Christmas, this corner house displayed only three decorations. The above was one of them. I think the others were a snowman and a Santa.

 Since then the display has grown more each year. Today it's quite elaborate. There are so many decorations it's hard to focus on any of them. That's why I walked around it with my video camera this year. I wanted to show it from many different angles to get it all in. If you look really hard you may find the Peanuts decoration above at the back against the garage wall. 

Do you see a theme? 

Do you decorate your yard for Christmas? Do you prefer simple or elaborate displays in your own yard? What do you want your yard to say about the meaning of Christmas or whatever December holiday you celebrate?

Alpacas Demand Attention -- Even on Zazzle

 

Alpacas, © Barbara Radisavljevic

Before our local alpaca farm in Templeton moved to a new home, I used to stop by on my way to and from the post office to photograph or just watch the alpacas. Even if the alpacas were lingering by the back fence, when they saw me they would head towards me. 

They wanted to make sure I paid attention to them. And I did. They were friendly and I enjoyed the little bit of interaction I was able to have with them from my side of the fence. What fun it would have been to actually play with them. This set of alpaca plush stuffed doll toys is the next best thing. 

I couldn't resist using some of their photos to make Zazzle products. I just sold one of them, a bumper sticker, to a customer who evidently championed alpacas. 

Alpacas in Templeton, California Bumper Sticker

 

This alpaca bumper sticker stands out in this month's sales so far amidst a lot of Ronald Reagan Presidential library products I sold. Although this customer chose postcards, most of these designs also come in a poster, magnet, or jigsaw puzzle. And you can also easily put the designs on any product you choose. To purchase or see online, please click links under photos. 

Fountain in Courtyard of Ronald Reagan Presidential Postcard
Postcard: Fragment of Berlin Wall Postcard
Postcard: Fragment of Berlin Wall Postcard
Postcard: Ronald Reagan Memorial Site Postcard

 

See Alpaca Wool at Farmers Market

See a photo review of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.