DuPont Graduates! Sundays in My City

Welcome to Chico, CA, where
 city mascot DuPont quickly changed out of his Mother's Day garb...

into his cap and gown. Congratulations, DuPont!

 

He finished first (and last) in his class (of one). 

His future's so bright...well, I'll stop now. Suffice it to say, we locals couldn't be more proud.

  

                                Plus, timid April showers brought May beauties.

Visit others contributions to UnknownMami's remarkable Sundays in My City here.

Congratulations to all the graduates!
Thank you for visiting, and have a wonderfully picturesque week.

Tornado Terror, Sundays in My City

Unknown Mami's Sundays in My City offers a wonderfully scenic way to learn about bloggers' hometowns across the globe. I jump aboard sporadically.

Thanks for braving it with me for this one...Terror frazzled the greater far Northern region of California yesterday evening, when news broke of a series of funnel clouds threatening fierce tornadoes that would devastate parts of Butte (my county), Glenn and Tehama Counties.  We were advised: "Go inside!"

Photo courtesy of Wayne Riser,source


My local friends posted facebook updates like these:

• "The family and I are all in the laundry room. Hope everyone else is safe." 

I suppose it's good to have clean clothes should the tornado hit. I responded gratefully, but only because his post reminded me that I needed to scurry to my washer; I'd left my clothes in there for hours.

• A friend's toddler ran through the house, screaming in fear over the looming "tomatoes!" 

I couldn't help but post a link on her page for the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Theme Song. 
Tell me you remember this one too.

•  Yet another friend posted a photo of her "prepared" children huddled together on the couch, wearing  bike helmets.

Because it's smart to bike into a tornado. (?)

The point is, we're wimps (in California)!
There was no damage. Today, things look like this:

Thanks for visiting.
 I hope you're safe, warm, and enjoying signs of spring.

PS To all my friends doing the A-Z Challenge, good luck and have fun. I'll be visiting and cheering you on.

Anti-Valentine's Day Giveaway, Sundays in My City & More

UnknownMami turns blogland into a wonderfully small world every week, through Sundays in My City. Visit her site to visit the world of bloggers' hometowns.

Welcome to Chico, CA, where DuPont is ready for Valentine's Day.

A few miles away, this beauty poses for a photo. Does anyone know what kind of bird it is? It's so pretty. I'd like to find out.

And now, back to Valentine's Day. I hate it. Thus I'm hostessing my annual Anti-Valentine's Day Giveaway. All you have to do is write an anti-Valentine's Day slogan in less than 20 words. Put it in the comments section of this or an upcoming post. {I'll announce the contest once or twice more.} That's all! Just write something funny/entertaining/hateful about V. Day. You'll vote on your favorite, and the winner will get a sweet package involving fair-trade chocolate. (I don't skimp when it comes to chocolate.)

Finally, Facebook turned 10 this month. In honor of its b-day, I wrote a poem.
 
A BIRTHDAY MESSAGE TO FACEBOOK

You’ve had more facelifts than Rivers,
More fans than the Biebs,
More questions than Leno,
Than Honey Boo Boo, more feeds.
Quit asking my status, what I’m feeling today.
I’m doing nothin’ with no-one. It’s complicated. Okay?!
You remind me of birthdays.
When I hide, you ask “Why?”
Inform on what’s trending.
And what apps I must try.
Kindly cut out the ads
And hide all the hate
You’ve more money than God
Subtlety, not your fate.
Go play with farm animals. Defeat Candy Crush.
Happy birthday, dear Facebook.
Send money. Please rush.

Thank you for stopping by.

Be safe, warm, and have a peaceful week. 

You are loved.  Smiles.

Sutter Buttes, Sundays in My City, Cow Pelvis

It's Sunday, so I'm once again thanking UnknownMami for hostessing an extravagant worldwide
tour of bloggers' hometowns.
                                            Welcome!

Today, we visit a stretch of land in the Sacramento Valley, the Sutter Buttes. This area has been private property since before CA became a state. John Sutter of Gold Rush fame initially claimed it, until it was given to a group that took Sutter to court over it. (Me thinks Sutter was a bit greedy.) Today, ranchers own the property. So we'll break through a few fences and trespass. Ssh, come on....
Oops, is this the last trespasser? Good thing I paid for a guided tour.
Can you guess what this skeleton remnant is?

                                            Nope. Good try, though. Actually, it's a cow pelvis.

The Sutter Buttes formed from volcanoes that erupted over a million years ago.

It's a gorgeous 75 square mile patch of land, and I'm still a tad sore from hiking just a few of those miles.

We were bird-watching, actually, though I have no photos of birds for you. I saw some from afar, through binoculars: quails, robins, a red tail hawk that wouldn't budge from atop a tree a mile away...

So I came back home to take some photos of birds in Chico for you. The seagull in flight was kind enough to fly on command for me.

Have a peaceful, safe and scenic new week.

Northen California Road Trip: Sundays in My City

Hi, friends.
I drove through three Northern California counties this weekend, so I'm exhausted but anxious to show you some photos. This post also serves as a late entry for UnknownMami's Sundays in My City. Visit her site to tour the world of bloggers' hometowns. Spectacular scenes abound.

I promised you a photo of the cake at my friends' son's Bar Mitzvah. They did better than cake, though. They had an ice-cream sundae bar. Here's a smidgen of mine before I attacked it. If you look closely, you can read that I was seated with the losers (49ers Table).

Sorry, DuPont. All of Northern California feels your pain.

 

Charles Schulz Museum, Santa Rosa, CA  

It seemed like a good deal, but Lucy said, "I am not equipped to address problems of your magnitude." Then she screamed, "Go away! NOW!" I want my nickel back.

  

                                                                Clear Lake. Heavenly.

The Blue Lakes were part of Clear Lake until volcanic eruptions and subsequent landslides broke them into separate lakes...I'm not sure when. Tens of thousands of years ago? I dunno, but it's been a while. I have more pictures, but I'll end with these visions of a beautiful world - in honor of Martin Luther King.

Thanks for visiting.

Have a peaceful week.

Verging on Paradise, Sundays in My City

Thanks again to hostess extraordinaire, Unknown Mami, for a fascinating blogland tour, Sundays in My City. Visit her site to visit the world.

"It is better to have your head in the clouds, and know where you are...

Welcome to the Butte Creek Watershed. We're at the verge of Paradise and Chico, overlooking Butte Creek. This area's referred to as a "Mini Grand Canyon." The view really is spectacular. I haven't captured it well. I'm more impressed with the clouds right now.  

Winds aren't too strong, so don't worry about the 25 mile drop.

than to breathe the clearer atmosphere below them,

and think that you are in paradise."

-Henry David Thoreau

Paradise, CA trivia:

-Population in 2011 = 26, 408

-Scenes from Gone With the Wind were filmed here.

-Richard Moore of Wild Thing (the song) glory and the Troggs (the band) lives here. I met him at a party, nice guy.

-Tom Selleck has a home just north of here.

-54 registered sex offenders reside here. Chico isn't far behind. In fact, they tend to gravitate to Butte County (Chico, Paradise, Oroville, and the greater area), generally.

On that note, keep your head in the clouds and stay grounded.

Have a safe and peaceful Sunday and new week. 

Thank you for visiting.

Seasonal Snapshots and Rudolph's Special Problem

Every Sunday, UnknownMami plays gracious hostess to blogland's  Sundays in My City. Visit her site to visit the world.

We've no shortage of festive sights in Chico, CA.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the sake of sillyness, I've resurrected an oldie inspired by Jenny Matlock. Her Saturday Centus exercise involves writing a piece within 100 words. The prompt is bolded below.

Rudolph's Special Problem, 12/10

      Times are tough. Rudolph's lost his charge. The poor deer's tried everything: LED bulbs, performance enhancing pills, Emotional Freeing Techniques...to no avail.
       Meanwhile, Santa patronizes Starbucks. Gulping a grande chai-nog, he ponders Plan B. Do I pick the Tom Tom, Garmin, or Magellan? Shall I shop Best Buy, Costco, eBay or Amazon? Farklempt,* Santa skypes the elves for a consult.
       Vixen and Prancer strut by, giggling about Rudolph's special problem.
       Eyeing Santa's laptop, Vixen sneers, "What was he thinking? OMG! Elves are soooo 2009..."
       "Totally," adds Prancer. "Hasn't he heard of outsourcing?"
        Santa flashes the deers a gesture inappropriate for the season.

***

*Farklempt = Yiddish for utterly flustered and discouraged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for visiting.

Catch your breath, as we approach mid-December, 2013's finish line.


Have a safe, peaceful, warm-loving Sunday and new week!

Turkeys and Miracles: Sundays in My City

UnknownMami hosts this Sunday extravaganza. Visit her site here to visit the world. Thanks for stopping by. Welcome to Chico, CA, home of spunky turkeys.

 "YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME?"

 

This sweet mother-daughter turkey duo stopped applying feathers to pose for a photo.   Daughter told me it was her first 5K Run for Food. I shared that it was mine too...We waved at each other when she took a break after the first mile.

On Thanksgiving morn, over 5,000 people ran/walked to raise money for the Jesus Center, a community stronghold for over 30 years. 

With every stride, my thighs felt like bricks, pangs of soreness shot up and down my calves, and my knees screamed for mercy. As I rounded the 4K mark, a man behind me told his child,  "We're going to lift you across the finish line." I turned to see a young girl running between her parents, with all her might. I thought to ask if they'd kindly lift me too. But then he told his daughter that there'd be food at the finish line. I looked at him, shouted "Thank you!" and left that family for dust as I soared across the finish-line.

Given there was a time earlier this year, after major surgery, when the best I could do was walk to the corner and back, it's a small miracle that I was able to run a 5K. Moreover, I'm thankful to be in such a caring community that puts forth this effort on Thanksgiving. All told, money was raised to provide over 110, 000 meals to those in need. 

Last night, friends joined me in a wonderful celebration of Thanksgivukkah, Hanukah's fourth night. We're grateful for light and all that it symbolizes.

Celebrate your blessings this holiday season.

Have a safe, peaceful, hopeful Sunday and new week.

10 Days 'Til Thanksgivukkah! Sundays in My City

UnknownMami hosts this Sunday extravaganza. Visit her site here to visit the world. Thanks for stopping by.

There are only 10 days left until Thanksgiving and Chanukkah converge in an explosive celebration of Thanksgivukkah! This miracle won't happen again for another 77,798 years. So I went around Chico, CA in search of signs of this remarkable occasion.

 I didn't find any at the supermarkets, though that's a hefty pumpkin.

I also didn't find any at the gift shops, though I like the sentiment on that pillow. (Santa...I Want it all.)

I ended up in my living room, where, alas, I found this:

The orange-ish thing is an inflatable turkey.  Who, but me, would have one of those? Let me explain: a friend sent it to me years ago, because she didn't want me to be alone on Thanksgiving. It's not like that, though; I didn't take it out and try to blow it until now. And I'm out of practice, I guess, because it didn't respond to my breath...Perhaps I should not have explained.

Happy pre-Thanksgivukkah!

A peaceful new week to you and yours.

Chico Miscellany: Sundays in My City

Thanks to hostess extraordinaire, UnknownMami, we're back for another glimpse of Chico, CA. To tour the world of bloggers' hometowns, visit her site here.

I didn't know there's a plant called Chocolate Mint. Did you? It smells like chocolate mint too. I found this gem at the Little Red Hen Nursery, a non-profit nursery in the heart of Chico.

A cute 'ole time mobile in my neighborhood. It reminds me of the car ride (Autopia) at Disneyland.

I snuggled up to an ex at Dracula's Closet. He looked a bit hammered, and didn't mind or notice.

At the end of the day...a peaceful sunset.
photos taken this past week-ish.

Have a great Sunday and new week! Thanks for stopping by! 

Halloween Pumpkin Head Horse, Sundays in My City

Hello, there.

UnknownMami is at it again: hosting another glorious week of Sundays in My City. Visit her site to visit the world of bloggers' hometowns.

We're gearing up for Halloween in Chico, CA.

I'm doing that by eating things like this pumpkin 'n chocolate ("guilt free") gelato from Powell's Candy Store. Not the most natural combo of flavors, but it was refreshingly yummy and "guilt lite" (i.e., a mere 200-300 calories short of guilt free).

DuPont, our relentlessly spirited horse, is....um, a very good sport.

Night skies are gearing up for an eerie Halloween too.

This duck (mis-placed)  makes me smile because he/she appears to be smiling. Have a happy, safe, peaceful Sunday and new week.

Thanks for visiting.

DuPont does Pink! Breast Cancer Awareness

Thank you for visiting Chico, CA, and the horse we've grown to love. Draped in pink, Du Pont helps raise awareness about breast cancer. He's a winner, always doing the town proud.

I'm displaying these photos for Sundays in My City, hosted by a warm-hearted wonder, UnknownMami. And they tie-in with my Breast Cancer Awareness Giveaway. I'll announce the winner Monday. For now, here are some stories of courage, strength, tragic loss, love, faith, and perseverance. Thank you to everyone who commented. There's still time to share a story if you'd like. I appreciate it, and I'm sure many others do too.

I'd like to ask a favor: Please lend support (and prayer, if you're so inclined) to our dear blog friend, Mike Swift, as his twin sister, Michele/Shelly, is gearing up for a lengthy, grueling battle with breast cancer. We're here for you, Mike and Shelly! 
************************************************************
Debra She Who Seeks said...I'd like to nominate my friend Elaine who is currently battling breast cancer. She is having her radiation treatments now. The chemo made her quite sick and landed her in hospital a couple of times. But Elaine has been a real trooper throughout. We all hope for a successful resolution and a long life ahead for her!
************************************************************
Daisy said...An aunt of mine struggled with fighting breast cancer. So far she is winning the battle as it seems that it was diagnosed early enough that it could be taken care of.
************************************************************
Julie Luek said...Four years ago three of my college pals and I started getting together. Now in our mid-40s, our kids almost grown, we drew together, reunited, laughing like the school girls we once were. Our reunion after all these years, was motivated by the breast cancer diagnosis of one of us, Joan. Every year after, once a year, we got together, as Joan bravely fought. We shed tears over her fears-- not seeing her children graduate college, get married or meet her grandchildren.
Last August (2012) was our last reunion. Joan slipped from our world that October. To all the kids she touched in her life of teaching, to her family and to us, her lifelong friends, it is a loss we still mourn. Here's to the awareness and hope for the future.  
*************************************************************
Theresa said...My paternal grandmother lost the fight against breast cancer. I really wish I would have had the chance to have met her. I hear she was a great lady, one with a really big heart.
*************************************************************
JoJo said...I'd like to nominate my friend Jaime, who discovered a hot mass under her breast in 2008, at the age of 29. It was breast cancer and she went through hell with all of the treatments, radiation, chemo, etc. She lost her beautiful red hair, but she soldiered on. She named the lump Tumora and decided to adopt a warrior attitude toward defeating it. All that time, she refused to give up and refused to be 'poor me'. She's now cancer free.
*************************************************************
Cheryl said…My walking partner is a breast cancer survivor. Sally was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 28 years old and had to have a bilateral mastectomy. She has been cancer free for many years.
*************************************************************
Tammy said...Well, breast cancer has touched those close to me quite a few times. It killed my maternal grandmother as a young woman and my paternal grandmother was a survivor. A Coworker died young leaving a two-year old son behind. But my hero award goes to my great friend Carol who has twice fought and beaten breast cancer with a positive attitude and incredible resoluteness. She is someone who appreciates life’s many adventures and gives so much.
**************************************************************
Susan Flett Swiderski said...Yes, men can definitely get breast cancer. My brother did, and he was only in his thirties at the time. Unfortunately, I know way too many people who've fought and lost a battle with breast cancer. I'd like to nominate my life-long friend Caryl, who won her fight, in spite of being told by her doctor that she was a goner at one point.
**************************************************************
Empty Nest Insider said...I know that you lost your mom at a young age to cancer. We lost our cousin several years ago to breast cancer. She left behind two small boys who were only two and four years old.
**************************************************************
Ruth said...Sadly, I know too many people that have had it. Cancer rates are fairly high in my area. A former classmate of my husband, Cindy, had it twice. She is a teacher and had to drive up to Des Moines every day for chemo for 7 weeks. She is one of the sweetest people I know.
**************************************************************
M.L. Swift said...It comes at a difficult period in the lives of this household.
A month ago, my twin sister (Michele/Shelly) went in for her yearly mammo and found out she had BC. They noticed this spot last year, but "weren't concerned," and didn't biopsy, although they did biopsy another area that proved to be calcification. We figured the other (you know, the one they weren't worried about!) was the same
In this year's mammo, it had changed. A biopsy proved it to be what's known as Triple Negative BC, and is pretty serious. These past few weeks have seen many doctor's appointments: surgeon, oncologist, MRI's, an upcoming PET scan, and the like.
So sis will need a double mastectomy. The cancer is close to the chest wall and has affected the nodes...scary shit. Almost six months of chemo will precede the surgery so they can shrink it first and get it more away from the chest wall. Nodes will be coming out.
Both of us are scared, but putting it in God's hands (it just dawned on me—that sounds like God is copping a feel from my sis).
This came to light a mere three months after Mom passed, so the reality of sis's mortality is staring us both in the face. Please keep her in your prayers.
My aunt, a survivor, is doing well and has been lifting her up with hope and prayer.
**************************************************************
Momma Fargo said...My mother survived breast cancer and I am very proud of her.