Richard Sawdon, Broker/Owner, SRES, E-Agent

How did that happen?? Where did the year go?? Once again, the month of December has rolled around and the year has but a few days left. I have been trying to get ready for this auspicious month. The house is decorated, I am in the process of writing Christmas cards, most gift shopping has been completed and soon I will be making some sweet treats in the kitchen to share with friends and family. The only thing missing~~~and it is the most important piece of the puzzle~~is the emotion that goes along with the holiday. Where did I leave it?? How can I recoup those feelings?? Am I just getting old and grouchy?? Well, some might say I am always grouchy, so that cannot be the case! Help!!

Today I will do my weekly visit to the Care Home to visit with my Mom and the other “girls.” Their living room is decorated to the hilt with Christmas goodies. These ladies are so proud of their holiday decorations and each time I visit, with big smiles on their faces, they point out to me the holiday village, the tree, the angels, the snowmen and the candles. I am sure, at their advanced ages, that they still feel the innocent joy and happiness of this special season. Maybe they will share with me..........

Driving home from work in the darkness of early evening, I am always struck by the beauty of our majestic pine, cedar and fir trees which have been outlined against the deepening purple sky. They stand like silent sentinels protecting the peace and beauty of the native landscape. As I drive through the silent streets of Nevada City, the old Victorian homes are sporting bright colored lights which warm the cold evenings with holiday cheer. Maybe my emotional shell is melting.........

Many years ago I learned that Christmas is not about how big or costly the gift might be. It is about that certain frame of mind and those words one says inside one’s head, which will, ultimatlely, bring the holiday spirit to one’s heart and soul. I have never been one to give up. I shall keep looking. I have to tell myself that I will find the missing “holiday cheer” very soon. In fact, I think it would be a phenomenal idea if the joy and hope that signifies the holiday season would last all year long. I hope you all find your joy this season! Happy Holidays...............

By: Diane Sawdon

Spring ahead~~Fall Back. It is that dreaded first morning of the Fall Back variety. Your body thinks it is six o’clock in the morning, but the clock says five o’clock. One tosses and turns, adjusts sheets and comforter, another toss, one more turn, blows nose loudly and the desired result is achieved. Your Roommate of many years is now grudgingly awake. Expecting some sweet pillow talk, I hear, instead, blatant hints about the content of my Ramblings. In a not so sweet voice, I answer that I have NO idea what I am going to write. To which I hear, “Oh, one of those months, huh?” Now, I have heard this before and I take offense to these words even at five in the morning.

When have I ever been at a loss for words?? Not too often in my lifetime. The words are not always pretty, not always appreciated, not always acceptable, and sometimes downright mean. I often see life and my daily passage through it with a slightly twisted or skewed vision. Am I trying to make excuses for my words?? No, not really. I am proud to say that I am very much like my Poppy, my Grandfather, in this respect. And, he is one of my biggest Heroes. Growing up I was his shadow, and he had big shoes to fill. He was a warm and loving gentleman with an amazing code of moral principles. I only wish that someday I can be just half of that person who he was when he walked this earth.

Geesh, that was all a prologue to what I really wanted to say this month. It is November~~the month where we count our blessings and share those blessings with those around us. Every time I look out a window at my home and as I drive through Nevada City, I am assaulted by the indulgence of Mother Nature. Red, orange, yellow and purple are everywhere. It is a glorious time of year to be a resident of Nevada County. It is one last hurrah before Winter sets in and the landscape becomes colorless.

Once again, Thanksgiving will be at our home. What a blessing to see those closest to me sitting around the dining room table sharing an abundant meal. There will be no more High Chair at the table this year. Those three little girls are growing up too quickly. Hopefully, they will help Nana set the table for a “fancy” dinner. The glow of the candles will dance across sweet smiles as we sit down to share the most important part of the day~~family being together. We will celebrate health and happiness for another year. These are, in my opinion, life’s greatest blessings.

I wish an abundance of blessings for all~~may you have much for which to be thankful. Happy Thanksgiving!!

By Diane Sawdon

The calendar tells me that Fall has officially arrived, but the
thermometer says it is 87 outside. There is some confusion here, to be
sure. Mother Nature delayed the arrival of Summer, so Fall, too, must be
following in this delayed arrival pattern. Like many residents of Nevada
County, I am ready for a change of Seasons. The weather forecast for
next week is rain and I am looking forward to it. After last Winter, I
better be very careful about what I wish for~~~I may be eating these
words in a few short months.

Two weeks ago, we returned to The Lakes Basin area of Sierra County. I
was so enamored with this little bit of Heaven on Earth on our last
visit, that I convinced my Better Half that we needed to return. The
compromise I made was that we would not bring our kayaks and we would go
?over the mountain? into Plumas County and explore that area. Wrong
decision and wrong compromise. On our way up Gold Lake Road, we stopped
at Sardine Lake to reacquaint ourselves with a sweet memory. All I
wanted to do was abscond with a kayak from some unsuspecting soul who
happened to have left his or her kayak by the shore. I behaved myself
and we moved on down the mountain.

Plumas County is a place unto itself. For a golfer, it must be heaven.
For those of us who do not know the difference better a putt and a par,
it was a foreign nation inhabited by aliens. It was not exactly the home
of warmth and friendship. Those small towns that dot HWY 70 and HWY 89
seem to be dying a slow death. They have been left behind since the
logging industry has virtually disappeared. We spoke with some fifth
generation Plumas County residents and they told us they hoped their
sixth generation leaves the county because there is no future for the
young. How did this happen? I have no answers, but I certainly felt this
helplessness. How does one walk away from five generations of family
history?

We had another adventure at the very beginning of this month. It was a
once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of California history. I did
things on that day that I have never done in all my years on this earth.
We were so in awe of our experience that we have not stopped talking
about it. I wish I was in my 20s and could partake in such an adventure
of the body and soul. I will never forget that day. Thank you many times
over to our hosts and friends. You know who you are!

It is getting darker much earlier these evenings. Soon the fires will be
lit and we will, once again, ponder the significance of Fall~~~home,
hearth, and harvest. Hopefully, your home and hearth will be filled with
a bountiful harvest for your soul. Happy October!

Ramblings....................September 2011

By Diane Sawdon

For almost three days this past month, I was a different person. For the first time in almost fifty years I did not carry a purse or a wallet. I could prove my identity by my Driver’s License which I carried with me in a small pack. I did not wear jewelry of any sort~~including taking off my wedding rings. I wore absolutely no makeup unless sun block and chap stick can be considered such. I lived in shorts, T-shirts, a bathing suit, a large sun hat, and my life jacket. Best of all, I left my watch at home, too. I was but a mere sixty five miles from my house, but I was in another world. I was completely transfixed by the peace, beauty and grandeur that inhabits this area. I never felt more insignificant and at the same time peaceful and content.

We were vacationing in The Lakes Basin area of Sierra County. I am ashamed to admit that as a California native, I have never visited this area before now. We had excellent guides in the form of our neighbors and fellow kayakers, Karen and Bill. They opened up the door to a region that has not been abused by mankind with rampant commercialism, strip malls and fast food restaurants. This is not a venue that offers glitz, glamor and nightlife. Instead, one will find the rugged beauty of mountain forests, pristine lakes and a peaceful dignity that seems to permeate the air.

We kayaked Lower Sardine Lake, Lower Salmon Lake, Goose Lake and visited Gold Lake. The water is clear, serene and cold. One’s kayak floats, almost mysteriously, across the water. Surrounding the lakes are mountains still decorated with snow patches like frosting on a cupcake dotted with the emerald green of the proud trees that can survive and thrive in such an unforgiving land. The crowning glory is the view of the craggy peaks of the Sierra Buttes in the distance.

Since returning home, I have adopted my old habits. I carry my purse, wear my jewelry and watch, no more bathing suit all day long, and I indulge in a scant use of makeup. But I could not get this experience out of my mind. On the ride home, all I wanted to do was return. I managed to bore everyone I met with my tales of The Lakes Basin. Well, I did my homework and we are going to return and in just a few days. This time we are staying in Cromberg and using it as our home base. We want to spend hours exploring this part of our state. Why, I even found out that Packers Lake Lodge is “for sale.” Who knows?? Besides, who was it that said “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

By Diane Sawdon

I have two favorite times of the day. I am, and have always been, a morning person. I am up and ready to go as the sun stretches and begins it’s early morning crawl into the sky. At that moment, I feel like the entire day in front of me is mine and mine alone. I can do whatever I choose to do with the hours and minutes set before me. While this is usually not the case~~~most days I am committed to other’s whims and demands, I have, deep inside of me, the feeling of ownership for whatever few moments belong to me. I covet these hours alone in the garden. I am there with Mother Nature and her creatures. It is usually quite silent at this time of the morning. Birds are singing and the grey squirrels are chattering to be fed by my husband. If the ponds are running, the water jumping and rolling over the rocks is a peaceful backdrop to my musings. All too soon, the sun bounds up, high in the sky, and the spell is broken. The day must begin. Maybe I could steal just a few more seconds for another cup of coffee while I sit in the gazebo at the bottom of the ponds.....................

As for my other favorite moments of the day, it would have to be when the sun is dropping low in the sky on the other side of my world. Mother Nature is closing the curtains. Again, some peace seems to return to my earthly circle. The hours and minutes seem to be totaling up the gains and losses of the day. What I always hope for, is to be left with a positive feeling~~that the day and what I did with that day meant something to someone. I always know when I have achieved this goal and so often it is the simplest action in a busy day that puts my frame of mind in the positive column.

And now we are in the month of August. Where did the summer go?? It rained in June and The Fourth of July is a fleeting memory. School begins this month~~yes, this month. Dinosaurs, like me, remember when school began after Labor Day. Not anymore! My two oldest granddaughters go back to school on August 10th in the heat of a Fresno Summer. How did Number Two Kiddo become old enough to enter Kindergarten?? And Number One enters Second Grade. Nana is getting older by the moment. I hope you find your favorite moments of the day and take pleasure in their offerings to you. Enjoy August~~aren’t these the “dog days of Summer?”