Hike to Kings Creek Falls

Pictured is the Kings Creek Trail sign with a work truck parked in front of the sign on Highway 89 in Lassen Park.

This week we took a day off to drive up to the Lassen National Forest. We were planning to hike to Mill Creek Falls but the trail was closed due to construction work. The entire parking lot was filled with construction equipment. We have tried to hike to the falls many times in past years but always end up going to the park too early in the season and the trail was always buried in snow. We were very disappointed that this time it was construction that was stopping us.

At the entrance booth we were told the Kings Creek Falls trail was open and that there was no construction being done at that spot. It is a 12 mile drive to the trail from the entrance. As we got to 12 miles we saw what looked like construction work to us. Work trucks were on the side of the road and workers were walking around. As we drove by we caught a glimpse of a board propped up by a sawhorse with the words Kings Creek Trail painted on it. It was behind one of the trucks parked along the road. We went up the road looking for a place to turn around when we came to a place they were stopping traffic for more road work. There was a turn out right by the person holding the stop sign so we asked them if we could pull up and turn around. They said no, that they could not allowed us to go past them, but that it would be all right for us to just turn around right on the road where we were. The road was only two lanes, one in each direction with no shoulders and we have a large crew cab, dulley pickup truck. With no other choice we gave it a try and after going back and forth many times we did turn it around!

Back by the other work crew there was just enough room for us to pull off the side of the road. We parked and asked one of the workers if it was all right to park there. They said it was fine if we were all the way off the road.

Starting off on our hike down to the falls it was steep and muddy for about 30 feet but then leveled out to a nice trail. It was about a half mile before we seen an official park sign that said the falls was about another half mile. It is really the beginning of very steep cascades that comes before the 30 foot waterfall. The trail that followed alongside the cascades was steep and rocky.

When we got to the bottom we found a place to sit down in the shade and eat our picnic lunch that we brought with us. There were many wild flowers to look at as well as butterflies dining on the flowers. We had our camera with us and took many shots of the falls, scenery, flowers and butterflies. Our total hike was about two and a half hours.

After lunch we hiked back up to the road and there was still work being done. The work truck was still blocking the trail sign. It appeared to us that the construction was first priority and that visitors were a nuisance that must be tolerated.

The next day at home we got out our trail book and found if we start at the at Kings Creek picnic area we could hike to the Mill Creek Falls by way of Cold Boiling Lake, Crumbaugh Lakes and Conard Meadows. It would be a six mile round trip that would take about six hours. We’re thinking about going back to try that route. We’ll let you know if we do.

Apricots

Picture is some of the canned apricots, apricot jam and crisps the Love’s have made this summer.

Preserving fruit is a major task during the summer for us. We have recently finished our apricots and are beginning our mid-season peaches and the elderberries. The apricots were plentiful this year. Last year there were none to be found on our trees and the year before there were only enough for a few crisps.

This year our newer tree had enough for a crisp. Our old tree was so loaded the goats, chickens, geese and ducks ate all the ones we couldn’t process. That made them very happy. We canned many quarts of fruit plus made jam, but our favorite is to make crisps from the fresh tree-ripened fruit.

We came across a new recipe for crisp this year that we like better than our old recipe. We did make a few changes to fit our personal tastes. It is a small recipe that makes only two servings, but is easy to increase amounts to make the number of servings desired. The fruit used in the crisp can be apricots, peaches, berries or any other fruit in season.

Below is the recipe the way we make it. It is baked in two 8-ounce ramekins, or small ovenproof dishes that each holds a single serving. The dishes are sprayed with non-stick spray. Then crisps bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

To make the crisps combine the following, then divide mixture in half and place at bottom of two ramekins:

1 ½ cups cut fruit

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons flour

1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon allspice

Mix the following and place on top of fruit mixture:

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 tablespoon honey

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/3 cup oats

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

When we increase the recipe we still use the individual serving dishes as it makes it quick and easy to serve to guests. Anything made from fresh tree-ripened fruit is always a hit. Those who don’t have their own fruit trees can usually find fresh fruit at the local farmers market or fruit stands.

Along with peaches and elderberries beginning to ripen, we also have apples ready to process, so our work goes on. Even though fresh is best, canned, frozen or dried is most of what we have to eat throughout the winter months. We always look forward to summer coming again.

Romance

Roses and candles can help spark romance.

The date was 07-07-07, perfect for weddings. In fact, it has been reported that this date was one of the most popular dates for a wedding all year. Churches and wedding chapels were booked months in advance just to secure that date. But after the wedding comes life, and to keep the fire of true love burning it is just as important to romance our spouse after the wedding as it was before. We had a few thoughts about this and would like to provide some romantic ideas we have done that are easy and inexpensive.

Ideas for husbands:

• Take a walk together holding hands. During your walk, tell your wife three qualities she has that you appreciate most.
• Take over folding the laundry for a week AND put it all away.
• Give your wife a coupon for three hours of your time and attention to be used this week. The time must be scheduled ahead and protected by both of you.
• Fill a basket with your wife’s favorite things, like beverage, magazine, candy, lotion or cologne and surprise her with it. Also, put in a note that says you will do one of her usual chores this week.
• Write a poem about your wife’s top three qualities and read it to her aloud.
• Give your wife two hugs per day this week. With each hug say thank you for two things she has done for you today.
• Hide your wife’s favorite “whatever” and prepare several clue cards that will lead her to it.
• Before your wife wakes up put sticky notes around the room with “I love you” on them.
• Purchase tickets to a movie your WIFE would like and mail them to her with a note telling her how much you appreciate her. If necessary, have child care arranged ahead of time.

Ideas for wives:

• Go for 48 consecutive hours with NO criticism or judgments toward your husband, only encouragement and complements allowed. Tell husband when time begins and ends.

• Serve a romantic dessert just for two by candlelight. Then ask questions like: what is the one thing you most want to accomplish in your life; when you were a child, what did you want to grow up to be; and what makes you feel masculine. Show you value what he shares.
• Give your husband a 30 minute massage using lotion.
• Give your husband an evening off from all responsibilities.
• Make a large banner; an old sheet works great, to hang on the front of your house or garage. Write MY HUSBAND IS WONDERFUL. Let it surprise him when he comes home.
• Wash his car inside and out. Put little dabs of perfume on his steering wheel. A few sticky notes with kisses, hearts or I love you on them are a fun touch.
• Cook a simple meal in: an apron only, formal wear or a chef outfit. Serve on nice dishes and eat by candlelight. Soft music sets the mood. During the meal tell your husband two things in the last week you appreciated that he did for you.
• Write a love letter to your husband reflecting on when you first met, what brought you together, thank him for one major sacrifice he has made for you and why you look forward to spending your future with him. This must be mailed, not hand delivered.
• Put on his favorite outfit and take him to the dance floor. This can be at home or a favorite dance spot. Let the music bring out the best of the evening.

Keep romance in your marriage by scheduling a date night at least once a week. If childcare is needed trade babysitting with friends to keep expenses down. Your spouse is worth it.

Summer Reading

Pictured are some of the current books we have read along with the book issue of World magazine with columnists book reviews.

Summer is a time of reruns on the television and most of them were not worth watching the first time, so we do even more reading. We take turns reading to each other while working on our hobbies in the evenings. Most books we find to read are from used bookstores or thrift shops.

Lately our reading has included a lot of fiction and some on financial planning. We think it is a good idea to review our financial goals and plans to see if we are on the path to achieve those goals. Two books on this topic we are currently reading are “Investing for the Future” by Larry Burkett and “Splitting Heirs” by Ron Blue with Jeremy White.

Fiction is something that helps take our minds off the pressing issues of the day and just relax. Recently our choices have included books written with a bit of mystery and humor. An author we recently came across, Robert Whitlow, writes legal thrillers set in the South. The first book of his we just finished is titled “Jimmy.” It is about a boy with special needs. It has unexpected twists and turns beginning in the courtroom, seeing life through Jimmy’s eyes as he experiences everyday events, and ends with a bitter-sweet finale that was not predictable. We intend to keep our eyes open for other books by this author including: “Life Support,” Life Everlasting,” The List,” The Trial” and “The Sacrifice.”

Another author we found in our latest search is Rene Gutteridge who has written a series including the titles “Boo,” “Boo Who,” Boo Hiss.” The fourth book is set to be released in September called “Boo Humbug.” We found the third, “Boo Hiss,” and read it first. After we finished it we decided to find the first ones. We are now reading “Boo.” This series is light reading and adds a little romance in with mystery and humor.

We just received the latest copy of the “World” magazine in the mail and this is their 2007 book issue. It looks like if we keep this issue on hand to refer to we could have enough reading material to last us until next summer!

Included is a column by Marvin Olasky on the notable anti-religion and anti-Christian books of the past year including: “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins, “Letter to a Christian Nation” by Sam Harris, “American Fascists” by Chris Hedges, “Kingdom Coming” by Michelle Goldberg and “God is not Great” by Christopher Hitchens. Olasky also reads many books while working out on a treadmill and has made a list of his all-time favorite 100.

Other columnists review “The Gospel According to The Beatles” by Steve Turner, “Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America’s Eagle Scouts” by Alvin Townley and “How to Raise an American: 1776 Fun and Easy Tools, Tips, and Activities to Help Your Child Love This Country” by Myrna Blyth and Chriss Winston. Nancy M. Tischler writes about inspirational fiction, many of which the outcomes are foreordained, but others are less predictable. Tischler highlights novels by Karon Mitford and Wendell Berry who both create their novels using settings in small towns – like William Faulkner, with his famous Yoknapatawpha novels.

Well if we haven’t tempted you to run out and pick up a few good books to read, you don’t know what you are missing. There is always the public library which offers a variety of topics from which to choose. This week we celebrated the freedom of our country, which gives readers the opportunity to read any type of book they choose and lets writers write any style and opinion that they want to.

Granola

Picture is a bowl of homemade granola and hi-energy bars made from granola.

Granola is a good for breakfast and for snacks. Most varieties of granola that are available in the grocery store have ingredients that are not the best choices for a healthy diet. However, in making our own, we can control the ingredients that are in the granola we eat.

We use granola as cereal for breakfast occasionally when we want a change from our regular breakfast of pancakes made from the five minute pancake recipe that we included in our column of March 2. The column is still listed at our blog site listed below. We also use the granola to make a hi-energy snack bar.

When purchasing ingredients for any recipe we are always careful to look for added sugar, sweeteners or other additives. Many ingredients like the fruit and nuts we grow ourselves, so we know there are no additives in them. Dried fruits and nuts purchased in stores sometimes have sugar, salt, oil that are made from the bad fats and other things added to them. These are the types of things we try to avoid.

The granola is easy to make. We just combine the ingredients below and bake. It bakes at 225 degrees for a total of two hours. This seems like a long time but we make the recipe when we are in the house doing other activities. Also, the recipe can be changed using other nuts and dried fruit in place of the ones listed below.

Ingredients we use most often include:

3 cups uncooked, old-fashioned rolled oats

1 ½ cups unsweetened coconut shreds

½ cup wheat germ

1 cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup sesame seeds

¼ cup flax seed

¼ cup canola oil

½ cup honey

½ cup water

Mix above ingredients and bake for 1 ½ hours. Stir every half hour for even baking.

Then add:

1 cup chopped walnuts

Bake for another half hour.

Remove from oven.

Add:

½ cup raisins

When cool store in a covered container.

To make the hi-energy bars use 2 cups granola and 2 eggs. Mix and spread on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Shape into an oblong shape about 6 inches by 8 inches and ¼ inch thick. Press firmly and cut into bars 1 ½ inches by 2 inches. Bake for 20 minutes at 300 degrees. Cool and re-cut. Store bars in a covered container.

Another use for granola is as a toping on yogurt or ice cream. Healthy foods can taste good and this granola does!

Handmade cards

Pictured are a variety of handmade cards.

Receiving a personalized card says to us that someone thought we were special; they took time and effort to think about and do something just for us. Creating a personalized card is easy and inexpensive. There are many options and one does not need to be an artist to create a nice looking card. This kind of project is also easy for children and they can have a part in making someone else feel special.

Cards can be decorated with rubber stamps, marking pens, paper punches, stickers, stencils, ribbon, fabric and more. We use cardstock paper to start with. Sometimes we add a piece of regular weight paper on the front, cutting the edges with a decorative edge scissors. Then after choosing rubber stamps to create the design, we choose the color ink pad. Sometimes we color in or highlight the design with pastels, gel pens or colored markers.

One technique we like is to color the rubber stamp with water-color pens before stamping. That way, the various details of the stamp can be colored individually and with much greater accuracy than by using a multi-color ink pad. For words a set of alphabet stamps is nice but not necessary. Calligraphy pens can be used to write the words as well.

Added touches can be made by using stickers, punching the edge of the card with a paper punch and adding pieces of fabric or ribbon. Paper punches come in many shapes from animals and vehicles to hearts and stars. Using different fabric such as satin and lace will create a fancy look and plaids can give a country look. Designs can range from simple to elaborate. There are craft books and magazines full of ideas that can spark anyone’s imagination.

Our collection of rubber stamps, pads, punches, scissors and more has been added to over many years. We find things to add to our collection in thrift stores, at yard sales and we also keep an eye on the clearance sections in craft stores. You never know where you might find a good rubber stamp. After holidays is a good time to find many items on clearance for less than half price.

Cards can be given anytime. They can say hi, thinking of you, have a nice day, you are special,
thanks, I love you, congratulations and more. Cards can also be made to accompany a gift for any holiday or used as invitations to a party.

Rubber stamps can also be used to decorate plain wrapping paper or a gift bag to match the handmade card, giving it a customized look. Just use the same rubber stamps as used on the card and repeat the design over and over to cover the paper or bag.

For a more elaborate look we use embossing powder or flocking to enhance the rubber stamp design. These take a little more time to do but are fun when we get the whole family or a group of friends together to make cards. We have also used these techniques to make personalized stationary, which is always nice to give as a gift.

In the past we have made sets of cards and stationary to sell at fundraisers for different clubs we have been a part of. Card making is also an activity we have used for children’s parties that gave them something they could take home with them.

There is no “right” or “wrong” way to make a card. It is all about making a personalized greeting that says, “You are special” to the one you give it to.

Handmade gifts

Pictured are six macramé hangers and gift bag.

Summertime seems to bring more weddings and therefore wedding showers. Most brides have a registry at several stores where gifts can be selected. But we prefer to give gifts we make when possible. We like the more personal thought put into a gift made just for us.

One gift we like to make for brides are covered hangers. Covered hangers are good to hold things that tend to slip off regular hangers, like those made from silky fabrics or with a wide neck.

We start with wire hangers. First we spray paint the top of the hanger in a color to complement the color of the macramé cord chosen to work on the lower part. This time we did six hangers, three white and three brown. We used green for the paint color.

Each hanger needs about eight to nine yards of cord to cover it. Folding the cord in half, center it at the top below the hook. Tie half-square knots, going all the way around and back up to the top. Cut off excess cord and melt or glue ends to secure them.

To dress up the hangers ribbons can be added to the top. This time we used nine 6-inch pieces of quarter-inch ribbon in green and white. First we tied eight pieces onto one piece, which we then tied that piece to the hanger creating a fringe. Larger ribbon can be tied at the top in a bow or a pom-pom can be made and fastened at the top.

Wrapping the gift can also be personalized. Instead of regular wrapping paper we made a fabric bag out of a piece of green fabric about 25 by 30 inches.

To make it a little fancier we first sewed a piece of white and silver lace fabric on the bottom which was about 18 by 30 inches. Then we sewed a white ribbon across the top of the lace to cover the edge. To make the bag sew the top and side together, leaving about four inches open on the top of the side. Then fold over and sew the top edge to make a casing for a cord to go through. The cord of about one yard in length is then threaded through the top to close the bag.

This bag held six hangers. Fabric bags can be made in any size to fit any size gift. Then the recipient can later use the gift bag for holding other items such as lingerie or toiletries.

Boxes can also be covered with fabric to hold a gift, which can then be used again for another use instead of being tossed out like regular wrapping paper. We use craft glue or a hot-glue gun to secure the fabric to the box. Lace, ribbons and appliqués can be glued on to make it fancier. Lining the box with a contrasting fabric is also a nice touch. Shoe boxes make good choices to cover and fit many size gifts.

Then to complete the package a handmade card is the finishing touch. We use rubber stamps, scissors that cut fancy edges, color markers, card paper and other accent paper. We have collected rubber stamps over the years and have a selection that includes the alphabet, upper and lower case, animals, hearts, teddy bears, trains, planes and more. Cards can be customized for any occasion and they are always one of a kind. Next week we will go into more details on making cards.

We always treasure gifts and cards others custom make for us and hope others like receiving gifts made just for them. They are always fun to make.