February was a month of celebrations, family and fun.
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| Hugs for my Grannie! |
Yes, there was the old stand-by Valentine's Day, Presidents Day, and of course Groundhog Day, but more importantly, we gathered together to celebrate my grandson Gage's First Birthday. First birthday's in our family have always been a milestone not to be taken lightly. I think it has to do with the fact that my grandparents came from Poland in the early 1900's and a child reaching their first birthday meant that they made it through the the hardest point of survival. I can only imagine the hardships that newborns faced in the late 1800's. Having reached their first birthday probably bought relief to a mother's heart in knowing that their child would survive for years to come. We celebrated Gage's birthday with an old tradition of placing six objects in front of him to see what his future would bring. This tradition has been part of my family for as long as I can remember. This traditions includes the following items and represents many different things: A Shot Glass: Outgoing (Great socializer, people-oriented), Money: Prosperous (Ambitious and drives, business-oriented), Rosary: Religious (Spiritual, awareness-oriented), Book: Intelligent (Actively pursues knowledge, wisdom-oriented), and Bread: Healthful (Sound in body and mind, nourishment-oriented). We added a Pen; Expression of self (Great communicator, self expression). Gage had picked the Rosary and the Pen which foretells that he may become a Philosophizer! Now, mind you, the only Rosary I have is a crystal one which I'm sure caught his eye as the light reflected off it and made it very alluring. He is already a great communicator using sign-language for the word "milk" to let us know when he is hungry or thirsty. It was a wonderful visit with the family.
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| If I peel back a little bit, I can sneak a peek! |
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| Gage with his Mom and Dad |
My daughter Coren has taken delivery of four beautiful baby chicks. She is living her mother's dream of raising chickens for fresh eggs. She lives in Menlo Park, California which is a very up scale suburb of San Francisco and I was very surprised that they would even allow chickens. Roosters are not allowed but it seems chickens are less noisy. Upon receiving her shipment of chicks she became aware of all the noise coming from the box. Imagine her surprise when opening the package there were not four, six or even eight baby chicks, but twenty-five! Now, how was she going to explain this to her skeptical husband who was worried about the noise level of four chickens much less twenty-five. In her state of astonishment she called the company only to find that they could not ship four lonely baby chicks this early in the season so they shipped twenty-five to generate enough heat among themselves to survive the trip! After her shock wore off, she called the area feed stores and located a wonderful home for twenty-one adorable, soft, fluffy yellow chicks. We are wishing her luck on her new endeavor and looking forward to fresh eggs for breakfast on our next visit!
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| Coren and the unsuspecting Ajim |
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| The "Cheeps" on their first day out! |
We attended the 1st Annual Hi Desert Cache Bash. This took place at the Yucca Valley Boys and Girls Club. It was great to meet some local cachers and some cachers who are visiting the warm desert area for the winter. We walked a couple of miles and picked up nine caches, logged a few Travel Bugs, some big, some small and some that have traveled for hundred of miles.
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| Try fitting this one in a cache! |
Geocaching in Yucca Valley we made a discovery that shocked and fascinated us. You know how all the movies about Superman show his fortress out in the bitter arctic cold, far from all civilization? Well, while walking long a desert road, this is what we found. Look at the picture and tell me, isn't this more likely the place Superman would be? Behind these Fortress walls, I'm sure Superman was sitting, waiting and listening with his super hearing, for our call to him that we were stumped and could not find the cache so that he could come with his x-ray vision to make the find!
With the end of February around the corner we are looking forward to the warmer temperatures of Spring. Not that we are complaining. Who could complain with winter temperatures in the 60's and 70's? While we may not be looking forward to the summer heat of 100's, it still beats the snow and ice of the Northern tundra. While driving to the high desert, the landscape becomes filled with Joshua Trees. The Joshua Tree got it's name form the Mormon pioneers who thought the tree reminded them of Joshua, from the Old Testament of the Bible, a prophet who was waving them on to the Promised land. The unusual Joshua Tree is a member of the lily family and can grow for 200 years. It grows in arid desert with elevations from 2,000 to 6,000 feet. The Joshua Tree is only pollinated by the Pronuda Moth. The moth is commonly called the Yucca Moth. This moth evolved special organs so that it is possible to pollinate the Joshua flower. Both depend on each other for their existence. Both people and animals have relied on the Joshua Tree for survival. The Indians would remove the rope-like centers form the limbs to use for as canisters for nuts and berries. They also used the lightweight bark for dishes and bowls. A far back as 1883 the pulp of the Joshua Tree was used to make paper for the London Daily Telegraph. During WWI, the U.S. government used the strong wood as splints for injured soldiers. The pioneers used the Joshua Tree as fence posts, and roasted parts of the tree and gave it to children for a sugary treat.
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| I've always loved the way a Joshua Tree looks. |
As always, thanks for stopping by and sharing our journey.
Jo
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