Where tha Mammals at?

Brain cancer is...

 

...back indoors, continuing our investigations.

Thanks for sharing your ideas about peanuts without shells.  Above you see today's robin saying what everybody is thinking:  "I'll eat these if you don't have anything better."  We conclude that shelled peanuts are no one's favorite around here.  They'll go, but not first.  

Jays prefer the peanuts in shells, it appears, because they are particularly good for caching (like Roene's squirrels back in Arizona).  Caching is like a 401K plan for lots of birds and other animals.  (Here's a good, brief article on birds that cache if you just can't get enough. Find out how many peanuts jays will cache in one day.  Respect.)

Enough about birds.  Curt's comment about possible bear sightings on yesterday's post (here) has us missing mammals.  We'd really like a peek at some more apex predators!  You know, the ones at the top of the food chain that eat everything below them. Like bears, bobcats, and mountain lions.

Not that we aren't appreciative of the mammals and mammal evidence we've seen on this stay! We've seen some great rodents and, yes, a couple of those apex predators.  Here they are in 1:44:

  

Mammals and Their Evidence:  Our Sightings Video (1:44)

Happy Friday, Team D!  You made it to another weekend!

 

(Photo credits:  Beth caught the squirrel, and Sandy got the foxes.)

 

Today's Sunrise

In Wisconsin from Meridyth

Today's Blooms

Alabama camellias from Roene

So lush!
 

 

Another Day, Another Ten Miles on the PCT

 Brain cancer is...

 ...back on the trail.

With his design work completed for now, Darrell and I hit the Pacific Crest Trail again this morning.

We scoped out another point to hop onto the trail, this time out past Baldwin Lake...one lake east of Big Bear.  We headed north.  This chunk of the trail afforded us great views of what's on the other side of the San Bernardino Mountains:  The Mojave Desert. 

 

It was beautiful opportunity to appreciate California's diversity.

Baldwin Lake

Given the coming winter, we're not sure when we'll be back out on the PCT.  So we appreciated each of the views, and almost every step of the 10 miles.

Here's the two-minute video version:

 

PCT Near Baldwin Lake:  The Video

Here's to appreciating every step...and the pizza at the end!

 

Today's Bloom

 

Purple?  Up here? Today?

 Hurrah!

"Everything's Beautiful Up Here."

Brain cancer is...

...feeling pretty self-satisfied.

This afternoon, when I told Darrell to "Look how beautiful the light on the mountain is" (above pic), he replied, "Everything's beautiful up here...especially our bedroom."

Hey, he just calls 'em as he sees 'em!  Here's the current state of his Big Bedroom Design Project, taken from the door:

And from the foot of the bed:

So cozy and elegant.  We may never come down.  Well done, Darrell.

Darrell's Design Services:  Available for YOU, Team D!

Updates on Two Experiments

1.  The One-click Experiment:  Results

One-clicking things for delivery to our address in Fawnskin works!  One-clicking sends deliveries to our post office, where they will be held for 15 days. Above you see Darrell with his vacuum cleaner bags.  

 

2.  The Jay and Peanut Experiment

 

On our last trip up, we learned that the Stellars jays go wild for peanuts in the shell.   They like our regular bird seed mix fine, but they swarm within minutes of us putting out peanuts. (We've saved you from so much conversation on this topic!) 

Our question is:  How do the jays sense the peanuts?  Sight?  Smell? Radar? At the bird food store yesterday (yes, the bird food store is a real place), the guy told us that birds don't have much of a sense of smell.  How did we not know that?  He said jays use sight to find the peanuts.  An experiment loomed.

We bought peanuts in the shell and peanuts already shelled.  We placed them both out on the jay table.  As you see, the peanuts in the shell are on the left.  Shelled peanuts, right.

What's your prediction, fellow bird dorks?  Will the jays go for the easy way--no shells, or will the shells reign supreme?  The results are very clear in our resultant time-lapse video.

You Tube Link:  Jays and Peanuts

Amazing right?  

 

What do these results mean?  We have no idea. Our work continues.

Today's Blooms

 

Designs by Darrell

 Brain cancer is..

...rethinking the big bedroom.

Above you see the larger of our two bedrooms, which we now claim as "ours" given the addition of our new, queen-sized "hotel bed." This photo shows how the room looked this morning.  Plenty of sleeping space, not much space for moving around.

Flash back to one dismal day, about four years ago:  It was a very wet season here in Big Bear, and we actually felt water squelch through our feet as we walked through this room (a clogged French drain, we think).  Upstairs, we plugged something into a socket and a large spark leapt from the outlet.  It was a low point, that day,  especially given the uncertain future we faced with Darrell's diagnosis.

Flash forward to a day about a week ago:  We had one of those light bulb moments when we realized that we should arrange the cabin in ways that fit our way of life.  We decided that Darrell should design the bedroom the way he likes it.  

Imagine, dear friends, what a different place in time that represents for us, where we were four years ago (soggy socks) and where we are today (He's decorating!). It's not something we saw in our future.

If you know Darrell, you know his style:  Minimalist.  It's a work in progress, but here's how the big bedroom looks now:

And from the other side:

Envision, if you can, what might happen next with Darrell's design.

Here's to today and to tomorrow!

Today's Blooms

Afternoon at the Stanfield Marsh, where deciduous trees and conifers represent.

Chopped Liver and Rose Soup

Brain cancer is...

 ...enjoying a day with Nova and Tiana.  Oh, and Chopped Liver.

When Alex offered to come up today for an impromptu fun day, we didn't ask who was included in the plural "they," we just jumped at the chance.  Surprise!  Tiana was able to come!

Once I saw Tiana, I rescheduled my work day appointments.  Alex noticed that I don't rearrange my work when he comes up without his wife.  "What am I," he asked, "chopped liver?"  

Sorry Alex.  You're pretty cool too.

Nova met snow today for the first time.

Good night kiss, Big Bear.

Good night kiss, Team D!

Today's Blooms

I know, that picture is precious.  Totally worth the life of one cut flower.  

Added bonus?  The pic was just one step in the process of Nova mixing up her recipe of Rose Soup.  Here's the process in pictures, just in case you want to make a batch yourselves.

Nova's Rose Soup

Ingredients

• 1 rose

Equipment

• 1 dog dish, preferably attached to a dog crate
• 1 set measuring spoons
• 1 measuring cup, any size 

Directions

1.  Smell the rose deeply while on the move.

2.  Share the rose with a loved one.  See above, top.

3.  Remove the stem.

4.  Remove the petals, singly.

Video version of petal removal, for extra detail:

YouTube Link, Just in Case

5.  Stir petals into dog dish with measuring cup. 

6.  Serve with measuring spoons.

Bon apetit!

Social Sunday

 Brain cancer is...

 ...maintaining a busy social schedule.

Today we enjoyed socializing from our forest hideaway.

• We had a great conversation with Zach and Summer in the morning, celebrating the end of their school term and envisioning future escapades.
  
• We had the awesome opportunity to hang out with Suzie and Gary again (above).  We compared MRI stories, grandchild hi jinks, and, travel hopes.  So good to be together again!
  
• A knock at the door came while we were talking with the Dominguezes.  It was our new neighbor Sandy.  What? A knock at our door?  It's nice to meet new friends.
  

 We weren't the only ones socializing today.  The birds started our day with their conversations:

Two finches talked while maintaining social distance (6 feet in bird measurements).

 

 

An American robin and northern flicker took their chances with some close-up interspecies conversations.

Team D:  You are hereby warned.  These bird pics are an indication of things to come.  Plan [to be away from your computers] accordingly.

Hope you enjoyed your people today too, Friends, no matter their species.

Today's Blooms

We were so social today that we didn't go outside to get any pics.  Here are the roses, over my computer screen (work time) and between us and our first course for dinner.

Marvelous

 Brain cancer is...

...marveling.

Every day we marvel about all there is to see and what a great day it has been.  

So many components just come together each day recently:  

• Coffee while watching birds breakfast
• Andi work (Why is it taking so long?  I do not know.  But it's good.)
• A highlight like a hike
• Mocktail hour by 5:30
• The appearance of The Emcee shortly after dinner
• Turn in early to hotel bed
• Repeat.

Here's today's Forest Loop hike in 40 seconds flat:

 Happy Marvelous Saturday, Dear Friends.

 

Andi's Book Travels Report

Not included in our list, above, because it's a habit, like brushing our teeth, is Reading Adventure Time.  I read at night, and Darrell joins me in the literary journey as we discuss the books in daylight hours.  Here are our recent book travels:

• Eastern Europe, 19th century:  I finished War and Peace.  Alone.  Smallest book club ever.  
• North America, 21st century:  For a change of pace and location, I read American Dirt. Different continent, different century, but some similar painful themes, such as inequitable distribution of resources and the misuse of people in power and control of the resources. It was hard to sleep each night, putting this one down. Fortunately there were positive themes like kindness and hope too.
  
• Last night we hopped back to early 20th century England for Erik Larsen's Thunderstruck.  So far more this one is more conducive to sleep.
  

 

Today's Bloom