LIVING AT THE RANCH

LIVING AT THE RANCH: It all began because I panicked. I had quit working at Fairchild in order to spend time as Earth Mother and to be with Charlie who was about two years old. His father was working at a Chevron station. We were living a nice two bed, one bath. One day the owner stopped by to said he was raising the rent. I talked Mike and Grandma LaVann into letter Charlie and I come to stay with her for awhile. She decided that we needed a small trailer house. There was one listed in the local paper. Grandma LaVann told me to say that I had one hundred dollars to add to the price. The price was 1500 and when the negotiation began to stall, I made my offer. Yay! Grandma LaVann hired someone to move the thing to her property. It was situated just a bit south of the washhouse. She had also had a concrete poo collector on the backside of the trailer. There was a bedroom in the back. The queen bed was squeexed into where the front room went. Propane gas was sented for heat and cooking as well as water heater. We were very cozy. One weekend Mike put a fence about a small garden patch to keep out the deer. Although why they would stick around with the very loud and excitable Irish retriever is beyond me. At any rate in the midst of this fencing fury. I heard Charlie saying, “Er it goes, Daddy, Er it goes.” The roll of metal fencing was merrily rolling into the orchard. There was a fig tree in front of the trailer. Delicious! The old orchard had Quince, Apples and Pears. The apples were buggy but they ate very well. Grandma LaVann had about 25 head of sheep. Every once in a while, she would close all the gates except the one to the pasture. She would then bellow, “Come sheep!” and in abou fifteen minutes they would come trotting in. She put out a tiny flake of hay and while they were there she looked them over for injuries, infections, etc. She had three cats who followed her faithfully when shewent to look the property over. She had a one hundred pound bag of cat food. When the bad was empty she filed with can and glasses. At a big family gathering she asked Patrick to empty the bag down the well of the old Fratti house. He came back and Grandma LaVann demanded to know where the bag was Pat said he left it in the well. He had to go back and retrieve the bag. Fortunately the well was not deep and there was nothing that could hurt him. We went huckleberry picking. Being carefull to make noise because black bears love huckelberry. I processed them by rolling them down a potato sack which held all the non berry detritis. A huckleberry pie is delicious. I do caution you that the end results are black as pitch and a bit startling if you were not expecting it. We attended church and the tiny 40 seat Catholic church. Grandma LaVann was the sole member of the alter society. Her decorations were either flowers or greenery from the ranch One time we went and a Quiceriana was being held. This a celebration of the young ladies 15th birthday. They dress in white wedding gowns and the Preist holds a mass in their honor. Grandma LaVann had never seen such a thing. It was quite wonderful. During the time that we were there the Priest, Father Kevin began services. He was the nephew of some friends just up the road. He offered to give us a plastic water pool for Charlie. So later that week we jumped in the old Jimmy and she drove to a cabin perched above the Navarro river. We hollered for him and went to look down river. We waved and Father Kevin started strolling toward us. Grandma LaVann asked what kind of swimming suit he was wearing. I guessed that it was a bag and string thing. She gasped, “That's not a suit, He's naked”. She jerked me back around front. Father Kevin called up, “Do you mind if I come up naked?” She yelled back at him that she did mind. So he put on some ragged cut offs. He gave us the pool , we put it in back of the truck and laughed ourselves silly on the way back. One time she called me to the shed in back and she had her hands cupped together. I peered in as she opened her hand. There was a stunned hummingbird. It recovered very quickle and zoomed past my face. I grew a pumpkin in my little garden. It won first place at the County Fair. A whole three bucks. Yay! Mike and his great uncle Tony went abaloney hunting on a minus tide. Mike cleaned it, slice it and put it between two boards and pounded the heck out of was utter heaven. Love it! One time Mike took the chainsaw to cut up some downed wood. Charlie fell asleep and looked so sweet sleeping in the sunshine while Dad worked away. My favorite stroll was a dirt road that went from the far locked fence through some shaded brush. I always think of that when ever I meditate and silently chant my mantra. Just lovely. One time Mike, Dennis, Charlie anen yaren d I drove to a nearby fire lookout tower. We took some figs. The guy was very grateful. We ate tuna fish salad sammies. He had an old book from when his people were on one of the wagon trains. His grandmother managed to bake some chocolate chip cookies! Fascinating reading. We loved to visit greatuncle Tonys chicken yard. The chickens would scratch up arrow heads. I loved to hunt for them and once I actually knew what they looked like, it became a lot easier to find them. There was a big old white tom turkey that scared Charlie, he did not like that bird. So he stayed outside the fenced yard. No idea if Charlie remembers any of this. Tony took us to visit the lady from where they obtained the abaloney. She was a retired teacher and had books every where. I then decided that I wanted to have that many books in my home. I have about 3000 books at present. At any rate we were there so Charlie could see the raccoons which she had been feeding dog kibble. Yep, they came and nibbled. Big ones too! They always wash their food because raccoons do not have salivary glands. We actually went trout fishing with Grandma LaVann. She caught a few and we had fried trout. One time during hunting season, Mike shot a nice little buck. It was early in the morning. Grandma LaVann fried up some venison liver. Just seared it. It tasted wonderful! I am a nontaster and because I do not taste the bitter, it was lovely. Any thing tastes wonderful when you eat in fresh air. Right across the road is what used to be a place where the Hagemann's held dances, sold home made sausages. There was even a small shooting range for people interested. Margaret sat inside an old redwood stump to take tickets. Price of entrance 25 cents. She still has the printed flyers. One time I made lunch for Charlie. I wanted to make BLT and I did not have bread. Oh dear! I had some tortillas, so I fried some bacon, fried the torilla, sliced the tomato, used some lettuce and a schmear of mayo. Instant favorite. I have done that occasionally every once in a while. Phil left his little red truck with me while he and Sherry lived in Hawaii. The Book bus stopped in Philo once a week. We would go there and I would select a bunch of books. So lovely. That is about all I can remember at the moment, perhaps others remember other stuff.