Ruth Lake

After a few days off I thought I had best get back and write a few lines. I will be gone on vacation for the next week. My youngest daughter and grandson are going up to Ruth Lake with me and we plan to just plain relax. I have dibs on the hammock!

The very first thing we do when we arrive at our place is to put the American Flag out. The flag is also the very last thing we put away before leaving. The lease lot that we have had for about 25 years now is really special. It is one of the few places that have oak trees on it and it just has a real charm to it. It is tucked away and very secluded. The property around the lake cannot be sold so they lease out the lots of which there are only around 200.

After the flag goes up we throw a table cloth on the picnic table and insert
the large crank up umbrella. Once that is done the place starts to feel alive. Of course we have to make things ready for nightfall so we have a few strings of light bulbs that go from pillar to post to tree. They really light the place up and cut back on the number of Coleman lanterns we need to fire up at night.

The first thing you notice when you arrive is the wonderful smell in the air. The heat brings out the smell of the trees and brush and the aroma is intoxicating and fresh. Since we dwell on the coast where we are used to the fog we also appreciate the bone penetrating warmth from the sun.

When night falls and the campfire is lit we also bring out the bug zapper. I am proud to be a redneck ~ and it is something that no redneck would be without! I am here to tell you that some of the beetles out there are ginormous! There is no better way to relax than sitting around a campfire telling stories. It is a great time of year when we all catch up on each others lives.

It is also true that food tastes better when you cook outdoors. Why is that? I particularly like it because everyone pitches in to prepare a meal and it does not fall on just one persons shoulders! You have to eat early in the morning before the yellow jackets wake up ~ but we have bee traps everywhere so they usually only visit if you put off breakfasts to long.

I cannot wait to put my "floatie" in the water and read my book. It is the rare time when you actually have time to read more than a chapter. I have been known to read two books in a week ~ and that is the only time I have that leisure. It is hard to believe that summer is almost over. I hope to soak up enough warmth to carry me
through the winter.

Until next time ~ God Bless ~ Cheryl

Sunset View Ranch

The story continues on the California Coast near Cape Mendocino. The ranch was a home away from home. On weekends and during the summer months we could hardly wait to get there. The caretakers, Bill and Mable, were like a second set of parents. Following Bill along on his daily chores was a great treat. When it was time to milk the cow we always hoped there might be a new batch of kittens in the barn. The cats loved the milk barn because Bill always gave them a treat of fresh milk. Sometimes it was in a bowl and sometimes it was a squirt in the face while he was milking. Behind the milking stalls was a loft full of hay. Bill always knew if there was a litter of kittens hanging around and he would send us off to hunt for them in the hay bales.

The milking barn also happened to be right next to the bull pasture. There was nothing quite like a bull close up. There was always a fence between us and the bulls so we were never to worried, even when the bulls would paw the ground and snort loudly. I think we secretly hoped each time we went along that we would have the chance to look one of those creatures straight in the eyes. At times there were also pigs to slop (meaning feed them slop or scraps from the ranch house). Those funny pigs would eat anything but pickles as I remember. Then it was off to the horse barn to feed any of the horses that were in the stalls for the night. Bill was our hero as he raised and broke all of the horses that were born on the ranch. It was quite amusing to us when we heard Bill tell the story about a couple of buckskin horses that were brothers. One was named Tim and the other was named Tim Buck Two ~ and they were so similar in looks that Bill actually brought out the wrong horse to saddle one day. I believe Tim Buck Two earned his name honestly ~ the bucking part anyway.

My older sister and I also enjoyed going on hikes and looking for deer antlers and other treasures. The ranch had been in the family since the 1850's so we always were in awe of the old things around the place. There were old horse collars with hames, an old buggy in the horse barn, and the collection of antique bottles that Mable and Bill had dug from various gullies. One day while building a fort inside a large brushy gulch, I unburied a bottle with the date 1875 on it. It was a Colgate Perfume bottle. It was wonderful to think about the ancestors that actually held that very same bottle in there hands, it was a connection to them of sorts. I know that the discovery of that antique bottle was the beginning of my passion for antiques.

The fog on the coast was an intriguing feature also. It would be so foggy and overcast one minute and pure blue sky the next. This phenomena could happen a number of times in one day. In the fall and winter months the wind would just howl sometimes. Since the ranch sat high on the ridge overlooking the ocean the wind gusts would get so hard that sometimes you could lean back and the wind would actually hold you up.

The howling of the wind also reminds me of the bawling of the cows. Twice a year the cows were gathered and held in corrals over a couple of nights. They were gathered in the spring for marking and in the fall I believe, many of the calves were taken to auction. In order to mark and brand the calves they had to be separated from their mothers ~ hence the bawling. My sister and I always slept in the bunkhouse which was closer to the corrals. It was a very sad and eerie feeling to know that those baby calves just wanted their mamas. We were also fascinated at how fast the calves found their mothers when they were put back in the same pens.

As we grew up we learned to help wherever we could. I am sure we were in the
way more often than not too. The calves had to be run through a narrow fenced area and into a chute that was quickly closed on them to keep them still. The chute had a lever that was used to flip it sideways to put the cows on their sides. The calves would then have a chunk of their ears cut out (I think it had something to do with telling the boys from the girls at a long distance but I could be wrong) I also remember when the male calves were castrated and made into steers. There was a batch of hot tar and after the procedure took place the hot tar was applied to stop the bleeding and keep the area free of infection. Then the poor creatures were dehorned with a large cutting devise and a branding iron with a ball on the end was used to cauterize the area. The calves also received a brand on their backsides with a hot branding iron. The registered brand for Sunset View was the number 10. Once the chute was opened the calves came out bucking and running. The whole procedure was done over and over all day long and the smell of the burning hide was thick in the air.

The ranch was so large that the chores and fence mending were just a few of
the projects. There was also the yearly opening of the slide. The land on the coast is prone to slides and every winter when the ground got saturated the ground would slide and wipe out one of the roads. Bill had an old Oliver tractor that would serve as a firewood hauler, road opener and it would also pull an antique road grader. Those tractors must have been something else as it was the only tractor that I remember being used in all my years at the ranch. It is still running today!

Well ~ it is time to hit the bunk I guess ~ Until next time ~ God Bless Cheryl

Getting Started

      Well folks ~ please bear with me ~ I am still working on figuring out how to blog. I originally just Googled and picked a site. It was a free trial. I was then contacted by someone that told me they had three blogs at a free site. Having different blogs for different subjects sounds much better to me ~ it also made me rethink how to approach what I was trying to do! 

     I have also decided that leaving a written record of my experiences would be a great thing for my children and grandchildren and it would
give me the practice I need to figure out how to get the spacing to behave. Now the next trick I have to pull out of my hat is how to put things in chronological order. As many of you know the aging process really messes with your ability to do just that. There are also childhood memories of Scotia and then again of the ranch ~ so it is a bit tricky to jump back and forth with those stories as well.

     The very earliest memory I have is of the old ranch house in Petrolia. The ranch was called The Sunset View Ranch and it sits on a ridge that overlooks the ocean at Cape Mendocino. I have attached a photo of it ( I was not able to enlarge it but will try again latter). I am told that I was two and half years old when they tore down the old house. It had become a fire hazard and there was a very close call when a chimney fire was put out by throwing cups of water up the chimney.

     In a conversation I had with my mother about the ranch house she told me I was to young to remember it. She said that what I thought were memories were most likely things that people told me about it. That is odd because I can see different rooms in my minds eye. I can remember where the dart board hung over the desk to the right of the door in the parlor. I can also remember that the bathroom was upstairs of all things. The view from the bathroom toilet looked out over the ocean. There was a large staircase with a landing at the top. On the landing there were old trunks and a railing where you could look down to the bottom floor.

     The kids always had great fun in a hiding spot that the adults had a very difficult time getting into. The old house was built up against the side of the mountain. There was a rock retaining wall around the uphill side of the house and we loved to hide between the house and the retaining wall. I also remember Guy ( what a great name for a guy eh?) who had built himself a homemade go-cart. Guy was the youngest son of the caretakers that ran the ranch. We were treated to a ride or two and that was something I will never forget.

    I was fascinated with the giant balls that were the newel posts on the porch railings and a room at the back of the house that they called the "museum". The museum was filled with old items of every description. The antique ladies side saddle was the main attraction for us at that age. There was also a giant antique coffee grinder that was really institutional size! It had been years since it was used for grinding coffee. We always tested it with dry dog food to see how it worked. Just outside the museum was a small tree with a triangle piece of iron hanging from it. This was the old dinner bell ~ it came equipped with a metal bar hanging from a rope and you would run the bar around the inside of the iron to make a very loud noise. I was very fortunate to inherit the dinner bell. I really
could have used it when my children were young.

     To this day the smell of eucalyptus trees transports me right back to the ranch. There was a giant old eucalyptus below the house ~ and a wonderful antique gate near it that had a fancy top and wire running through it. I believe the other reason I remember the gate ~ was a swing that was very nearby. Now I am not sure if the swing was hanging off the tree or if it had a frame of it's own but for some reason I believe it had a large timber frame.

     Across the road from the swing was a old tool shed. It is not so much the shed that held my interest but the old fox pens behind it. The fox were long gone by the time I was almost three ~ but my mother had a fox stole with the head on it and glass eyes. When they talked about the fox pens ~ I would immediately think of the stole that was buried in my mothers cedar chest. We always took great delight and squealed when we were allowed to touch it.

    I suppose this is where I should call it a night and I will most likely dream of that fox with the glass eyes. God Bless Cheryl

The Country Life

    Well folks ~ I am taking the dive ~ my son tells me that I have to much knowledge not to share ~ so here goes. I am an avid antiquefreak ~ but in the scope of things I have spread out into so many areas that I really think I can pass along some very helpful tips. I have decided that I will need to postpone the antique blog
until I can generate some photos to make it more interesting and easier to follow.

       I am hoping that by writing about my life and great childhood memories that I will get a feel for
the blog thing. My oldest daughter has told me that I am suppose to keep it short. That will be one of
my biggest challenges. I will attempt to stay on track and put things in chronological order. I have four children ~ none of which have been interested in OLD things so far. I can hold out the hope that one or two of them will take up an appreciation of the past.

      I was given a blessed life ~ one that is rare to the majority of people. My mothers family homesteaded over 3000 acres on the California coast. I was raised in a lumber mill town ~ Scotia ~ you must google it to appreciate it.  Scotia is a town that was built around a mill ~ The housing was rented very cheaply ~ as well as water, garbage etc ~ even the electricity was provided. The company would come through ever so many years and paint the exterior of your house (free of charge) and also the interior every so many years (free of charge) ~ It was a mill town ~ and they took care of their own.

      The Company even went as far as having a Christmas for the Kids ~ and every employee was given tickets for their children ~ to attend the Christmas event. We would go to a very ancient theater ~ called the Winema ~ the exterior of the building was constructed of all old growth Redwood. There were pillars out front that were actual Redwood trees with the bark still attached. It still stands today ~ and is the community center for the town.

     At Christmas time ~ the Pacific Lumber Co. purchased tons of toys and jars of candy ~ each child of the employees would be given a ticket ~ to go and select a Christmas gift of their choice... and a jar of either butter balls or multi-colored candy. This really does sound like something out of a book ~ doesn't it? Since our family lived very close to the Winema ~ my sister and I were always at the doors very early ~ that did not stop some of the "mothers" from showing up later and pushing us out of our place in line....

      There are so many things about growing up in this town that affected me and my way of life that I could most likely write a book about it. I am really trying to just outline the beginnings of my mind trail ~ and what brought me to where I am today. I was also fortunate to have a grandfather who owned "the ranch" ~ the 3000 + acres on the California coast. The ranch was just north of Petrolia ~ where the very first oil well was drilled in California. How many of you can remember eating home grown vegetables and drinking cows milk , churning the cream into butter~ and getting up before dawn to saddle a horse and ride to the top of a mountain to gather cows? Oh what I would give to have my children experience what I did.

     To be brave enough to go and put a harness on a horse and lead it to the trough and saddle it up. To climb aboard and then climb the mountain. To watch the sun come up and the fog roll out of the valley.... It is something that most adults cannot even comprehend. I was blessed also with the family of the people who took care of the ranch ~ and their rich history. There was a weekly BBQ's at the river in the summer months~ when we had meat cooked over madrone wood ~ and the most wonderful swimming hole that anyone could ask for. When all the friends and neighbors would gather for good food and good fun.

      There was the Holiday dances at the Grange Hall ~ with the most awesome country western music you could ask for. Have you ever heard of the "Paul Jones"? ~ Please do google that also.... It was a dance at the grange when it would start out with the slow two step ~ and the tempo would pick up ~ and then the next thing you know ~ everyone on the dance flour would join hands in a giant circle. The everyone would whoop it up with a big yell and go to the center of the floor... and back out ~ to be followed by the one arm swing ~ changing partners with each beat. My father taught us girls at an early age that in order to stay in control you had to plant your foot so that the men could not fling you ~ but you could "fling" them to the next partner. I also remember being so small that our father let us stand on top of his feet when he danced ~ so we would feel grown up ~ like we really thought we were dancing.

      All of the crowd would have a bar set up in the trunk of their car ~ so that when the band took a break ~ the parking lot was one huge brawl of a bar ~ and you cannot imagine the jokes flying this way and that.
The next day ~ the grange held a pit BBQ ~ where they buried meat in a pit and a huge pot of beans ~ that was covered with canvas and a board and more canvas ~ and there was the secret recipe ~ but you could never replicate the taste of those beans cooked overnight in the pit. There was the penny scramble ~ the greased pig chase, the gunny sack race where two people had one leg in a gunny sack ~ and Bingo ~ that you kept score with beans ~ and won a desert ~ homemade ( pie ~ cake etc.) I would bet that the number of people that read this have never had an experience close to this.      How sad ~ that we have lost something that gave us so much satisfaction ~ that drew us together ~ and that kept us so closely connected. Life today is lacking so much in this area.

      I also remember my grandfathers sheep ~ and sheering them ~ and climbing the stairs in the barn ~ and falling into the 8ft gunny sack that they put the wool in. The smell of lanolin will never leave my brain ! So ~ what would our children gain ~ from learning what it really takes to make a living? I think they would gain a LOVE of LIFE ~ as I did.

      Ok ~ I have gone on a bit to much about my past ~ but I felt it was very important to have a background to my heart ~ and my mind ~ and my way of thinking. I know that my upbringing had a lot to do with my love of antiques. There are some people that can spot an antique from a mile away ~ and then there are others like my oldest daughter ~ that really thought she had a find ~ and I sadly told her it was from the 80's ~

     Old things have so MUCH character that they do reach out and grab you if you are aware of things. Old wood, old glass, old metal, old tools, etc. I am here to tell you that if you have something that you think in special ~ please , please ~ google it and research it first. In my next post I will continue on with the childhood memories that have made me the person I am today.       God Bless ~ Cheryl