mother realtor! real estate & other delights from your fave mother in the 'hood ~

The Lazy Prepper! Mason Jars!

2024-08-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

Mother Says, "Mason Jars!

Multi-Useful Staples in any Prepper's Kitchen!"

I have taken to gifting wide-mouth mason jars as part of a housewarming gift to new neighbors and clients, and here is a good, short list of reasons why:

It's a matching set! They go with any decor, even when you change up the size or color!

They make great drinking glasses! Have kids? I do. Mine like to break my dishes when I ask them to wash them, and I suspect it's because they think I will stop asking them to wash the dishes. Well HA! I can pretty easily replace these without breaking the bank and without breaking a sweat, as they are pretty easy to find.

They make great cocktail shakers! Just pop in your ice and pop on the lid and shake it! You don't even need to really strain it out into another mason jar. It's already in one of your favorite drinking glasses, hooray!

Better than Tupperware ™️!!! Worried about BPA s and PoopPooPoos and BaddaBipBaddaBeepsBaddaBoops? Pour your hot soups, stews, leftovers, broths, teas, tinctures, and don't worry about anything weird leaching into your food. Meal prep away, stack, store, and stow.

Oh yeah! You can actually preserve and can food in these, which is like being a prepper for real.

Google Review of Albertson's, Ramona, Ca

2020-05-29T12:32:00.001-07:00

May Something, 2020, the Year of the Covid.

Everyone is staying away from everyone else, everyone is wearing masks. But you've never experienced more chit chat and conversation and downright commiserating while grocery shopping in all of your life. Sweat drips into your eyes, clouding one of the few remaining unimpaired sensory mechanisms you have left, not to mention your glasses steam up with every breath you desperately suck in and heave back out, along with the canvas material from which your mother in law sewed your face protection.

And as you stoop and peer into the shelves to locate what you need, the person closest to you down the aisle, oh, six or so feet down, is cursing and grumbling to themselves, but also most definitely to you and for your benefit, too. And you agree. The most profane small talk just spills right out. Right out there between boxes of cereal and once again fully stocked bags of rice and beans and onto the squares of the linoleum floor. Perfectly vulgar curse words, within earshot but really to your closest co-shopper, a perfect stranger. And you cuss and complain and squinch up your faces to show each other you're smiling at each other. And there is closeness. And comfort.

No capers, though, the capers spot is empty on the top shelf between imported olives and overly red bell peppers in jars. But look! They sell duck fat. Neat! You've heard amazing things but never tried it. Curse. Cuss. Complain. Strain to see through the atmosphere of fog accumulated around your head. There rings a slight echo down the toilet paper aisle as another shopper lets out their own opinions, also artfully adorned with a vocab not typically heard in the grocery store.

You make your way to checkout, and fall in like a well trained soldier. The payment pad is covered in cellophane, and after touching the damned thing no less than 45 times to introduce your funds, your muffled voice asks, "So how often do you all have to change this?” To which the equally masked and both named Steve cashier and bagger answer, "Who the hell knows?" and "Never," and "I don't even know, maybe the manager does it once a day."

And you all squinch up your faces at each other and roll your eyes in total concert. In togetherness. And you wave farewell to the other potty mouths at the other end of the store, you grab your duck fat, and you make your way back to quarantine, alone, at home.

Willow Creek Ranch, 188 Acres, San Diego County

2017-12-09T21:33:00.001-08:00

Chihuahua Valley, a short history, BY PHIL BRIGANDI

2017-11-03T00:09:00.000-07:00

1920s photo of the Leland & Pearson families with their Angora goats. Left to right: Irving Stamness, Margaret Stamness, Andy Pearson, Bertha Leland, Marie Leland, Sylvia Pearson. Roughly 800 goats were herded in a two-week drive to the rail head in Temecula. M.V. Tobin & Andy Pearson helped with the drive. Photo Copyright© 2009

The area around Warner Ranch got a boost from the Julian gold rush of the 1870s. Farmers and ranchers now had a ready market for their crops and livestock, and more and more settlers began moving into the area.
It's around this time that we first hear of settlers in Chihuahua Valley. Undoubtedly, Luisefio people from Oak Grove, Puerta la Cruz, and other villages visited the valley in the past, to gather acorns, and hunt rabbits. Now ranchers and farmers would try their luck in this broad, chaparral-covered valley.
By the l 880s, the valley had a name. A Mexican herdsman from the State of Chihuahua had brought his flocks to the valley. Most people simply called him
"Chihuahua," and the name was soon attached to the valley.
California place names scholar Erwin Gudde said his real name was Jose Melandras, "a goatherd who loved solitude." But the land office records show a Louis Melendrez who received a patent ( deed) to 160 acres in the northwestern part of the valley in 1891. His home probably gave Adobe Springs its name.
"'Chihuahua" had a rough history. He was probably the husband of a Mexican woman who burned to death in 1882. The San Diego Union reported that she had been living in the mountains east of Oak Grove with her husband and daughter. where they kept goats and sheep. She died when their little "brush shanty" burned to the ground.
In 1887, "Chihuahua" was implicated in the murder of David Blair, a prospector who gave his name to Blair Valley on the Anza-Borrego Desert. Later that year, his step-daughter, Belita, was found dead, shot in the chest and hidden in the brush. At the time, the local justice of the peace refused to pursue the matter, since "it was only an Indian woman." Suspicions continued to rise, and in 1889 "Chihuahua" was brought before a judge in Julian, and questioned about Belita's murder, but the charges were soon dropped for lack of evidence.
Other settlers began to join "Chihuahua" in his valley in the 1880s and '90s. Some of them also left their names on the land. Charles Johnson received a government patent to 160 acres just south of Melendez's claim in 1891. He was presumably the namesake of Johnson Canyon. Beginning around 1895, William Boden homesteaded 160 acres on the east side of the valley, receiving his patent in 1900. Boden Field still bears his name.
But map makers don't always get things right. In the 'teens, a man named Walter F. Privette homesteaded in the canyon below Chihuahua Valley, where Chihuahua Valley Road now climbs up to the valley. He died before proving up his claim, but his heirs were able to obtain a patent for 99 acres in 1920. His name was later garbled into Previtt Canyon, and is misspelled on maps to this day.
Prospectors and Miners
The area around Chihuahua Valley had its own little gold rush back around 1900, as prospectors began staking claims north and west of the valley. By 1899, interest was focused around Beauty Mountain, and in 1900 a two-stamp mill was in operation there. But whatever gold they found was soon worked out. In the 1940s and '50s the area had a little revival with the filing of a number of tungsten claims.
One of the better known miners during the brief Beauty Mountain boom was Henry Combs. Combs came from an old San Diego County family; the name is sometimes spelled "Coombs" and was probably pronounced that way. Combs decided to stay in the area, and by 1903, Combs Camp is shown on the maps. Later his name also drifted up to the high point of Bucksnort Mountain.
Other prospectors continued to work the local hills and canyons over the years. In 1905, Bert Simmons staked a tourmaline claim in the hills northeast of the valley. Tourmaline was popular for jewelry in those days. The multi-sided gems are found in black, green, red, and blue. Simmons' fmd must have been blue, since he called his mine the Blue Bell. It was worked intermittently over the years. From the 1940s to the 1970s, Charles Fleischer of Poway picked away at the mine, and built a cabin there (destroyed in the Coyote Fire of2003). New claims were filed in 1983. and the mine was worked as recently as the l 990s.

Twentieth Century Homesteaders

As late as the 1930s, folks were still filing homesteads in Southern California, and Chihuahua Valley was no exception.
The Jeffries family came to Chihuahua in the 191 Os, and by 1923 owned some 800 acres in the eastern end of the valley. For many years, Martin and Bertha Jeffries raised silver foxes on their ranch, before moving to Vista around 1946.

Treasure Jeffries married Sylvester Biles, a local cattleman who had come to Chihuahua around 1917 and owned another 520 acres at the east end of the valley. "Sal" Biles was an orphan who had a pretty rough childhood. It left him tough, selfreliant, and profane. But despite his almost constant cursing, he was widely respected - even iflocal parents warned their children not to 'talk like Mr. Biles.' In later years, Sal and Treasure Biles lived down in Sunshine Summit.
Michael V. Tobin came from Los Angeles with his family in 1919, in part to get out of the big city after the influenza epidemic at the end of World War I. He homesteaded 120 acres southwest of Boden Field, and in 1925 received a patent for an additional 320 acres near the center of the valley. His family remained in the valley for many, many years, though their old home was destroyed by fire in 1948. A road had been built up "Previtt" Canyon before 1920, allowing automobiles to reach the valley. The county took over the maintenance of the road in 1928, but only as tar as today's Mitchell road. From there, dirt roads ran back to the various homesteads and ranches. The county did not extend the road any further until 1951. The Puerta la Cruz and Lost Valley truck trails were completed in the 1930s. A number of the local ranchers took advantage of the increased access to start hunting camps on their land. Andrew Pearson, who homesteaded southeast of Boden Field, ran a camp during the hunting season, as did Lloyd Mitchell, who had proved up a 160-acre homestead east of Adobe Springs in 1921. Pearson's Camp and Mitchell's Camp are still shown on maps in the 1950s.
In those days, Combs Camp was sometimes known as Chimney Camp. and was also popular with hunters. Bucksnort Mountain, northeast of the valley, was probably named by one of those early hunters.

School Days

Chihuahua Valley was in the Oak Grove School District, which had been fonned around 1892, and built a substantial schoolhouse near today's Oak Grove Community Club building in 1893.
Ellen Holmes, who later drove the school bus for Cottonwood Elementary for many years, lived in Chihuahua Valley in the early 1930s, and attended the Oak Grove School. In the 1970s, she wrote out some of her memories for the Cottonwood Country Council.

In 1930, she said, there were more students in Chihuahua Valley than in Oak Grove -nine in Chihuahua and just two in Oak Grove. so the trustees decided to move classes to an empty house in Chihuahua Valley for the 1930-31 school year. A Mrs. Vincent was the teacher.
In 1931-32, and 32-33, classes were back in Oak Grove. The teacher, Alice Clevenger, lived in Chihuahua Valley, so she drove the local children up and down the hill every day.
In 1933-34 and 34-35, Mrs. Holmes recalled, there were enough students to hold classes in both Oak Grove and Chihuahua Valley. Alice Dellmann taught in Chihuahua in 1933-34. Two years later, she married Mike Tobin's son, Arthur. In 1934-35, Leona Mendenhall taught in Chihuahua Valley.
In 1937, the Oak Grove District was unified with Warner Springs, San Felipe, and Volcan and the old Oak Grove School was closed. Students were now bused to Warner Springs, and-until recent years-all the way to Julian Union High School. In the early 1930s, Chihuahua Valley residents also held their own weekly Sunday School classes.

Disasters

Fire has always been a danger in the brush country, and Chihuahua Valley has been scorched several times over the years. But for the old timers, ''the big fire" was always 1928.
Actually there were several fires in the area that year. One of the biggest burned over 50.000 acres in Riverside and San Diego counties. According to the San Jacinto Register the fire swept the south end of the Cahuilla Valley, then across Beauty Mountain into Chihuahua Valley, spreading down to Oak Grove, and east towards Lost Valley and ''the neighborhood around Warner's Hot Springs," where it turned west again and burned across to the base of Palomar Mountain.
There have also been several plane crashes in the local hills. In 1941, a Navy bomber crashed on "French Pete Mountain," east of Chihuahua Valley, near Sal Biles' place. Two of the fliers were killed, and a third parachuted to safety.

Modern Times

Chihuahua Valley Road was originally dirt, then graveled. It was not paved until 1971. and didn't even have a center line until 1979.
It was around the 1970s that some parts of the valley were subdivided, including the large lots along Cruces and Palmas drives. Vacation homes, country estates, and horse ranches began to appear. A 1985 count found 85 mail boxes along Chihuahua Valley Road. At three people per box, that would suggest a population of about 250 then. In 1987, the Los Angeles Times estimated the population of Oak Grove, Chihuahua Valley, and Sunshine Summit at about 500.
East of the valley, at the top of Agua Caliente Creek, is the Orange County Council Boy Scout camp at Lost Valley. Purchased from the Bergman family in 1959, the camp has been open every summer since 1964, with thousands of boys attending camp each year.
Along the road to Lost Valley, San Diego State University operates the Sky Oaks Field Station. Established in 1980, the station is a center for biological research in the chaparral country. Badly damaged in the Coyote Fire in 2003, new facilities have been added, with more planned for the future.
Another Chihuahua Valley landmark is the Lieu Quan Meditation Center. Begun in 1981 by Nguyen Dat, the complex has been quite visible since 1998, when large statues of the Buddha and other Oriental religious figures began to appear.
Today, Chihuahua Valley remains sparsely populated. There have been a few local businesses over the years (including a bed and breakfast), but never even a store. Change may come some day, but the history of the valley will always remain.

Pocket Listing: One of Mother's Favorites!

2015-12-07T16:54:00.001-08:00

10+ acres of West Loop/Highway 76. Well drilling logs report over 100 gallons per minute. Also Previously engineered for septic. Your choice of several ideal building sites. Not a bad view in sight. Overlooks Lake Henshaw, San Jose del Valle/ Vista Irrigation District open space, views to Palomar, Hot Springs Mountain. Killer sunrises, moody evenings. Tons of native flora and local fauna. Power to site with SDG&E or remain off grid for a more sustainable, low footprint experience. Build tiny or build grand.

Seller may finance with 20% down.

Offered for $195,000.

Pocket Listing: 11 Acre Farm, Upgraded Home, Ranchita, Ca

2015-12-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

Very cozy, comfortable home features oversized master of 800 esf, two guest rooms, living room with brick fireplace, open kitchen, laundry room, new flooring, all under the shade of handsome oaks. Completely fenced and cross fenced, with thoughtful improvements such as ample water storage and a greywater system for irrigation.

Property features 4 fenced-in horse or livestock-worthy pastures, 4 pens, a 24'x30' barn with two stalls, a tack room and hay storage, two lockable entry gates to the farm, and adjacent thousands of acres of open space owned by Vista Irrigation District. The Pacific Crest Trail can be met only a short ride out the back of the property, and vistas from Palomar Mountain's observatories to Julian's Volcan Mountain can be spied from almost any spot on this pretty acreage.

Some equipment and materials negotiable. Asking $415,000.

See all photos and aerials by clicking here: https://goo.gl/photos/QvJL2PiayP3QYRTf6

Pocket Listing: Multi-Family in Ranchita

2015-12-06T02:31:00.003-08:00

click https://goo.gl/photos/CcaATD4eHb2fFHgm9 for photos.

Cottage industry PERFECTION, the garages & shops alone will make any craftsman/mechanic/tinkerer/welder/artist salivate. Main home is cozy and mostly original, detached apartment home over garages could be fine for guests or tenant income. Easy access and plenty of space for additional gardens, livestock, horses, etc. Large shop, quonset hut, outbuildings, and remnants of the original homestead which would be a 3rd home on the property. Beautiful mature landscaping, views, four seasons, and only minutes into bustling Borrego Springs with art, dining, entertainment, nightlife. Offered for $325,000.

Pocket Listing: Mother's Picks!

2015-11-29T20:27:00.002-08:00

38351 Highway 79, Warner Springs, Ca,

small home, needs TLC, on nearly 30 acres.

Contact Angela to bid on this at auction.

18, 20, or 38 Acres Prime Agricultural/USDA acres, Warner Springs, California*

2015-08-27T03:10:00.000-07:00

Have you ever considered: Lately the sound of free-range and grass-fed or wild-caught meats are the most nutritious, most conscientious, most locally and globally responsible foods we can obtain when being a consumer of formerly-living proteins, but did you know our organic farmers and growers we are committed to supporting have to haul their livestock hundreds of miles (spending hard earned dollars and fossil fuels, not to mention precious time) for processing their animals in a USDA facility? Did you know that So-Cal is in desperate need of these locales, and not only that, that the social and political climate for building a better meat processing place has never been better?

Please ~~meat~~ meet the Paradise Valley Ranch & Farm. This is 38 Acres in two legal parcels: one 18 acres with address of 26600 Paradise and one 20 acre parcel at 26789 Paradise. $100,000 discount if purchased together. Properties were once a feed lot and commercial cattle operation/stock yards. Together they feature two stick built homes with Olde California charm, several outbuildings, massive feed barn, grain silos, agricultural worker housing, animal pens, chutes, weigh station, fruit trees, hoop greenhouses, and more. Three working water wells, producing appx 20, 25, and 70 gallons per minute respectively. Current demand for pasture-raised niche meats is soaring... but Southern California seems lacking in a good, humane USDA processing locales. Catch the foodie wave and provide an evolved community need.
Warner Springs could be the ideal, centrally located area for the revival of
local meat trading arts
for the region! See also mls #SW15182609 and #SW15182567 for more information on this very timely real estate offering. Asking $375,000 each ranch or discounted to $650,000 if sold together.

CLICK HERE FOR INFO ON MEAT PROCESSING DEMAND:

http://reason.com/archives/2014/03/08/breaking-the-usdas-slaughterhouse-strang

and click away for a few good arguments and musings on how eating meat can be humane:

http://ruhlman.com/2012/05/why-its-ethical-to-eat-meat/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/eating_1.shtml

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/magazine/the-ethicist-contest-winner-give-thanks-for-meat.html?_r=1

https://www.bulletproofexec.com/bulletproof-editorial-for-the-new-york-times-why-eating-meat-is-ethical/

Paradise Valley Road Ranch - More Images

What are your thoughts? Please comment below :)

Sky Oaks, Warner Springs!

2015-08-01T16:16:00.001-07:00

(a re-print of a study from the 1990's)

SKY OAKS

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN MEADOWLAND

Sky Oaks totals approximately 1,800 acres is 14 separate tax parcels ranging in size from 40 to 400 acres and encompasses the best private land holdings in the east half of a scenic valley of about 6700 acres. The elevation ranges generally from 4,400 to 4,600 feet, with small extremes of 5000 feet to the northeast and 4000 feet to the southwest. Boden Field at the northwest end of the property is over 200 level acres with about one mile of frontage on an excellent county paved road. Another larger level field dominates the central part of Sky Oaks. It is open grassland with scattered mature live oak. The property is bordered by mountains on the north, east, and south that belong respectively to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and Cleveland National Forest. These surrounding public lands provide protective buffer and make the property's effective size much larger.

The eastern end of the land has fairly dense tree cover which spreads out to open fields adorned with mature oak trees. The property's unspoiled appearance also includes remote creeks, stands of coulter pine, and numerous native plants including chaparral, redshank, and manzanita. There is abundant water from numerous existing wells. Geological evidence in a central location suggests an untapped thermal fault near the surface.

At Sky Oaks the air is clean, the sun shines most days, and stars brightly illuminate the clear night sky. The Mediterranean climate includes summer daytime temperatures reaching 80 degrees F and above, with cooler nights. Snow falls several times each winter and is quick to disappear.

The property is designated for multiple rural use. Specific zoning designations are S92 and A70. Current zoning allows for a maximum of 236 lots with an individual size of 4 to 20 acres. The San Diego County Department of Planning and Land Use has been receptive to specific plan developments. Biological investigations of the property have been made by Federal, State, and County, as well as university and independent scientists and no rare or endangered species have been found.

BACKGROUND HISTORY

During the last century, a rest stop for the Butterfield Stage Coach was located in Combs Camp at the east end of Chihuahua Valley. An adobe building in the nearby community of Oak Grove was an official stagecoach stop on the Butterfield-Overland mail route from Fort Yuma. During the Civil War, Union troops established Camp Wright there to block secessionists from traveling through from the est to join Confederate forces.

The property has been used for grazing cattle and horses and growing crops intermittently. More recently, tourmalines have been mined on the next-door BLM lands. Today, the adjacent Pacific Crest Trail and the California Riding and Hiking Trail are excellent well maintained public paths that traverse the most scenic parts of the state.

The variety of flora and fauna created by this bio-diversity combined with a Mediterranean ecosystem, with its mild climate, and the scenery of coastal mountains and valleys in a pristine clear environment makes the property exceptionally attractive.

LOCATION AND ACCESS

The property is located in the northern part of San Diego County just east of the I-15 "growth corridor" and south of Riverside County's Inland Empire - the fastest growing area in California. Access to the property is via the multi-lane I-15 freeway and paved county highways.

Ontario Airport, located at the east end of the greater Los Angeles area, is 1.25 hours away. San Diego International Airport is less than a 2 hour drive, and it takes 2.5 hours to drive to LAX. There are also four airports for small aircraft in the Temecula Valley. The private, paved Warner Springs airport is 5 nautical miles south of the property.

The property is located east of Highway 79 about 30 minutes drive southeast of Temecula in Northeast San Diego County. It is 6 miles north of Warner Springs and 12 miles east of Palomar Observatory. Access to the property is from Highway 79 between Sunshine Summit and Oak Grove on the county paved and maintained road known as Chihuahua Valley Road. Chihuahua Valley is about 6700 acres of mountain meadowland. The east end of Chihuahua Valley comprises primarily the Sky Oaks property and the Rocking W Ranch and is in the center of the Southern California Peninsula Range. Combs Peak at 6193 feet elevation on Bucksnort Mountain is one mile to the northeast near the Pacific Crest Trail. The property slopes southwest providing views of Lake Henshaw (el. 2680 feet) ten miles away, and is part of the headwaters of the San Luis Rey River. The California Riding and Hiking Trail is one mile west of Sky Oaks and the Pacific Crest Trail is one mile east.

Nearby focal points to the north include Temecula and Rancho California, known for fine vineyards and wineries, excellent restaurants, golf courses, and gated estates. The western town of Temecula, about 30 miles from the property, has retained its 19th century storefronts in the center of town, yet has all the 20th century amenities. These communities annually celebrate their heritage with frontier days, a colorful hot air balloon festival, and wine and food festivals.

About five miles north of wine country, the largest earth-fill dam ever built in the U/S. is nearing completion. It will have 1,800 acres of recreation activities and a 9,000 acre nature preserve on either side of the water.

About 30 miles to the south of the property, apple pie and cute B&Bs bring visitors to the quaint gold mining town on Julian. About 6 miles due south of the property, the Warner Springs Resort is known for therapeutic hot springs discovered by native americans centuries ago. The Warner Springs Airport is a popular site for sky sailing, and has extensive glider facilities. Another nearby attraction is the Palomar Observatory.

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN THE PENINSULAR RANGES

The University of California independently ranks two California Peninsula Ranges (one in the north and one in the south) as having the greatest biological diversity anywhere in the Continental United States. The Northern California Peninsula Range forms the spine of the San Francisco Peninsula - with San Francisco at the north end, the Santa Cruz Mountains being the spine, and the city of Santa Cruz at the south end.The Southern California Peninsula Range begins in the north - with the San Jacinto Mountains (south of I10 where the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway ascends to the San Bernardino National Forest). It continues south through Idyllwild, and then through the Bucksnort Mountains, in the middle of the Peninsular Range, where Sky oaks is located on the western side. It goes through portions of Cleveland National Forest lands, and continuing south through Cuyamaca Mountains (Cuyamaca Rancho State Park) and finally crossing the San Diego County line and Mexican border into Baja California.

BIOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF SKY OAKS AND SURROUNDING AREA

(From the Biology Department, San Diego State University, May 1996)

Sky Oaks is centered in a broad valley and extends into adjacent mountain slopes. The valley is dissected by several drainages that are the headwaters of the San Luis Rey River. Elevation ranges from approximately 1000 to 1500 m (3900 to 4900 feet). Higher mountains surround the property on three sides. Beyond the mountains to the east, the elevation decreases rapidly to the floor of the Colorado desert about 20km from the property. The climate is mountaine Mediterranean, with warm dry summers with occasional thunderstorms and cool to cold wet winters with some snowfall. The vegetation is primarily chaparral/oak woodland complex.

Prominent species are Adenostoma fasciculatum (Chamise Chaparral), Adenostoma sparsifolium, Ceanothus greggii (Dear Brush), Cercocarpus betuloides (Birchleaf Mountain-mahogany), and Quercus berberidifolia (Live Oak). The desertic influence is manifested by the presence of cacti, most notably Opuntia basilaris, on the site. Extensive areas of nearly pristine oak woodland dominated by Quercus agrifolia (Coast live oak, many exceed 3 feet in diameter and 500 years in age) occur in the valley bottom and along drainages. Small stands of Pinus coulteri (Coulter pine, cones are 8 to 12 inches, and are the heaviest known, often 4 to 5 pounds) are present on the higher peaks, mostly outside the boundaries of the property. The larger drainages are lined with riparian woodland and Populus fremontii (Fremont Cottonwood) and Salix (willow). There are also small areas of grassland and old field.
Sky Oaks lies within a region that is notable for its high bio-diversity. San Diego County has one of the highest levels of endemism in the U.S. outside of Hawaii. Much of this bio-diversity is explainable by the climatic and soils variation that accompanies the marked topography created by the Peninsula Ranges. Sky Oaks exemplifies these conditions because of its unique location within this regional landscape. The vegetation is dominated by the distinctive and bio-geographically interesting redhsank (Adenostoma sparsifolium) chaparral. This type appears to occur only where the summer drought is ameliorated. In the case of Sky Oaks, this is attributable to this special habitat in southern California and Baja California, Mexico.
On the higher slopes, change in soil type and perhaps overall improved moisture balance results in a shift away from dominance by redhsank and toward than of chamise (A. fasciculatum), manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.), and other species. Further up the slope, there is an open pine forest. These gradients from valley bottom to ridgeline offer excellent views.
Perhaps the single most outstanding biological feature of Sky Oaks us the presenrce of nearly pristine oak woodland and riparian woodland. Both of these types occur primarily on alluvial soils or residual soils immediately adjacent the drainages. Both of these types have, in general, been badly abused elsewhere in southern California, and this gives little disturbed areas like those in Sky Oaks special significance. Further, their presence on the property provides a complete gradient from aggrading and degrading alluvial areas in the valley floor to the uppermost part of the contributing slopes.
Included within the property are open areas dominated by grasses and forbs. The largest of these (Boden Field in the northwest, and in the center in the vicinity of Sky View house) show evidence of having been cleared in the past, and have been grazed by cattle and horses in recent years. In other places, especially on seepage slopes and on deeper alluvial soils, herbaceous dominated areas are almost certainly natural. The alluvial areas also support populations of the native shrub Artemesia tridentata (big sagebrush). These more open and level to gently sloping areas contribute important habitat and species diversity.
No rare or endangered species have been found on the property or near adjacent property. SDSU has conducted extensive and continuous field studies on Sky Oaks and adjacent properties for most of the last two decades by permission of the respective property owners. Steep slopes or rocky areas are minimal on Sky Oaks. Air quality at the property is excellent. The location of the property adjacent to the Anza-Borrego State Park and the Cleveland National Forest increases its effective value by assuring permanent dedicated natural open space adjacent to the property into the indefinite future.

A PRIVATE HIDEAWAY IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHEASTERN SAN DIEGO

Sky Oaks dominates the east half of Chihuahua Valley, which is just east of Highway 79 between Sunshine Summit and Oak Grove on 79. It is easily accessed from Highway 79 via the paved, county maintained road known as Chihuahua Valley Road that traverses the east-west length of the valley. San Diego Gas and Electric provides 3 phase 120/240-volt electric service through the valley from a 12kv line. Service goes through the middle of Sky Oaks from west to east with some north and south laterals. GTE provides telephone service to the entire valley (Area Code 909); the majority is underground telephone service, and the balance is via overhead line easement on SDG&E's utility poles. Most of the 6500- acre valley is 4500 feet elevation +-100 feet. It is gently sloping and level and level mountain meadowland with abundant mature native live oak and other trees, open fields and brush. The valley is otherwise surrounded by mountains - the highest being Combs Peak (el. 6193) on Bucksnort Mountain to the northeast - except for some openings to the south on Sky Oaks with magnificent views to Lake Henshaw. Simply stated, the surrounding mountains are adjacent public lands: Anza Borrego Desert State Park to the east, Cleveland National Forest to the south, and BLM to the north. The east end of Chihuahua Valley is the headwaters of the San Luis Rey River (originating on Sky Oaks). The 10,000 acres of watershed provides ample local water supply generally available with 100-foot wells. Mostly granite-type soils provide excellent drainage.

Sky Oaks has been farmed or grazed since the early 1900's. Various studies over the years have found no endangered or threatened species in the immediate or surrounding habitat areas. There are abundant adjacent protected public lands that adequately support varied species of flora and fauna. Cleveland National Forest immediately to the south is 25,000 acres. It has campgrounds (Indian Flats) and 2-wheel drive dirt road access. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is immediately to the east and is the largest State Park in the continental U.S. at over 600,000 acres. BLM has odd-sized multiple parcels to the north and partially to the west and south. These unique Forest and Park lands have and will continue to enhance the natural beauty surrounding Sky Oaks.

The natural beauty of Sky Oaks enhances the soundness of long term investment in Sky Oaks. The existing improvements and divisions of land in the valley are compatible with development of Sky Oaks. The supporting infrastructure of county paved and maintained road(s), electrical service, underground telephone service, high underground water and recharge rate, to Sky Oaks is very favorable.

The Bucksnort Ranch
(A 40 acre farm and home within the Sky Oaks Ranch available for purchase now)

Abundant trees and water, especially noted for abundant mature live oak
Great views and paved road access
Quiet, clear air, tranquil setting
Best mountain climate
Protected by adjacent public lands, including National Forest and State Park
Once a rest stop on the Butterfield Stage Route
Riding and hiking trails nearby, including the Pacific Crest Trail, and California Riding and Hiking Trail
Utilities: well water, SDG&E electricity, GTE telephone
Three active wells: production 20-200 gallons/minute
Zone: A70 and S92
Improvements: 1600 square foot residence, hand hewn oak 19th century homestead house, barn, wells, fencing
Topography: mostly level to gentle sloping valley

1800 ACRES MOUNTAIN MEADOWLAND Potential uses include vineyard/winery, horse/cattle ranch, equestrian subdivision, spa/retreat, bed & breakfast, RV park, or combination thereof.

Brutalist Architecure - Brutally Cool

2015-03-25T02:19:00.000-07:00

I love it when I find it, and anymore, it seems to be around less and less. I think the thought first hit me when I read an article about my alma mater's Meyer Library being demolished this year. Built in 1966, this thick, hulking beastie I think qualifies as brutalist, though I can't find much evidence online besides a reference to the general nickname around campus for the Meyer Library, "UgLi" (which they say is just short for Undergrad Library... or is it?)...

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/october/meyer-library-future-10-14-14.html

In any case, travellers on California's Highway 74 between Palm Desert and the highlands above of Anza or Idyllwild over the last decade plus may have noticed another heavy presence decidedly positioned on the outskirts of the small subdivision called Pinyon Crest. From the highway it looks something like a Spartan helmet, an intimidating but intriguing figure on the horizon, and is locally referred to as "the ark."

Primarily constructed of exposed poured concrete, 60240 Juniper, Mountain Center, CA, the brainchild of designer Charlie Martin, was sadly never completed by his creator. For reasons unknown, the project lay in an abandoned state for several years, collecting code violations and citations with Riverside County, until this month, as new owners will love and breathe new life into this unique treasure.

For fun, search #brutalist on craigslist, check out the wiki link here, think fondly of the Marina City cameo in Steve McQueen flicks and I am pretty sure the Blues Brothers movie at some point... and celebrate brutalism! We may just not have it in such abundance from here on out, but it certainly is a prize to this writer's eye, wherever it is.

Listed & Sold by Angela M. Acosta, March 2015.

SEE ALSO: http://www.dailyicon.net/tag/tadao-ando/ FOR TOM FORD GOODNESS IN BRUTALISM

AND http://curbed.com/archives/2015/02/05/steve-martin-montecito-home-for-sale.php FOR STEVE MARTIN'S MONTECITO HOME :)

Immaculate Cabin Style Mountain Home - Live in or AirBnB!

2015-02-08T22:52:00.003-08:00

Mother Says RENT THIS ADORABLE FARM HOUSE APARTMENT!!! Downtown Oak Grove, Warner Springs.

2014-12-28T22:09:00.000-08:00

2 bed, 1 bath, upstairs apartment of adorable farm house, $800/month for 12+ month lease. Available immediately. Oak Grove Truck Trail, Warner Springs, CA 92086.

$800 security deposit, and pay your portion of electric bill. Property is on well for water. Easy, short trip into Temecula, in clean mountain environment of Oak Grove, Warner Springs. Horse & hiking trails all around. A beautiful little love nest, to be sure.

Temecula Parkway and Highway 79 Corridor to Warner Springs

2014-11-17T23:31:00.001-08:00

For as long as we have been living in Warner Springs, we have watched citrus and avocado groves in Temeula disappear to be replaced by tract homes, and a stellar roadside produce stand surrounded by acres of open space burned down, to eventually be replaced by Walmart and Applebees. I confess, I enjoy the conveniences, and I was happy to see a Chipotle Burrito go in, and now we even have a Corner Bakery. We have Sprouts, and regular department stores, pharmacies, gas stations, and more. For as long as we have lived here, we have always said that Temecula will eventually build right up to the county line, and today more than ever, this looks like a very probable reality.

A few months ago, Rancho Water, Temecula's water utility company, purchased the Vail Lake Ranch, and of course, water rights. Nothing shady, I am sure, though I like to think I am watching something like the details of Chinatown unfold before my eyes, but with the annex of this major local water source, there truly is nothing stopping the growth of this city from creeping south along the Highway 79 towards pastoral, rural Warner Springs.

Once you cross that line into San Diego County, you find a very different philosophy on development in general. Subdividing parcels is next to impossible, or possible, but not cost effective, so from here on out it is highly unlikely you will ever see anything smaller than 8 acres, and where close to Cleveland National Forest or BLM lands, the minimum lot size can be 20, 40, or 80 acres. But agribusiness and eco-tourism is thriving. Just across from the County Line BBQ Cafe is over 300 acres of the Emerald Creek Winery, a commercial venture in the making, which not only enhances the views for onlookers on every side, but also promises to be a major success. Already providing employment for several lucky locals, they have also taken over management of the quaint County Line BBQ, and as their massive tasting room nears completion, the entire property gets more and more handsome each day.

Driving further south you come to Oak Grove and Sunshine Summit, villages within Warner Springs. Sunshine Summit is host to 5 boutique wineries, Hawk Watch, Orrin, La Serenissima, Sierra Roble, and Shadow Mountain, as well as several quarter horse and thoroughbred race horse ranches, private homes and farms, with a few airbnb spots sprinkled in. Then the highway passes through an 8 mile stretch of open space, mostly owned by Vista Irrigation District, the controller of water rights from the San Luis Rey River and Lake Henshaw.

Rounding a curve in the highway just past this open space of real estate no man's land, you are greeted by a rustic sign for the Warner Springs Ranch, 2500+- acres once owned by 1200 or so tenants in common. The property features natural mineral hot springs, a private air strip and glider port, equestrian center, several hundred casitas/hotel rooms, a lodge, golf course, 1840's era cantina and more, and was largely enjoyed as semi-private country club for several decades. In the 1980's plans were made which resulted in entitlements for several hundred homes to be built onsite, but no further action was taken, so the approval expired. The new owners of this fine property, Pacific Hospitality Group, has recently revived those plans, an application that would not be received without water and other feasibility studies.

This just ensures that some very lively action is finally on its way to us here in the North Mountain region of San Diego's back country. Everything between Temecula to "downtown" Warner Springs along the Highway 79 corridor suddenly seems fair game again, "in the path of progress," and abuzz with activity. For just about everyone from the roadside farmer to the trained entrepreneur, there is the notion that the last many years of economic hardship for us locals may finally be giving way to a little free enterprise, as well as a little shot in the arm for property values. And I am not alone to feel relief that we have that insulation - that good old county line - which will keep the big city at bay just enough, and our sweet country lifestyle will be preserved here on the San Diego side.

Great investment information? Mother says, "Yes!"

Come see what is available - everything from high end lux homes like this:

to the extreme mountain-perch-communal-artsy-off-grid-sustainable-cabin-farm set-up:

to what Goldilocks might call "just right....."

The time to consider beautiful Warner Springs has never been better. :)

Mother Says RENT ME! LEASE ME! Don't Ever Leave Me!

2014-10-04T23:52:00.001-07:00

Adorable adobe 2 bedroom, 1 bath with fireplace, porch & patio on gated acreage. 34179 Highway 79, Warner Springs, CA 92086. Vintage cookstove in kitchen. Laundry room. Hardwood floors. Walk to Sunshine Summit Store, Pancho Villas Pizza. Asking $950/month. Contact me for an application, please provide your own credit report.

motherrealtor@gmail.com

Mother Says to Take Note of this Avocado Acreage & Cabin in Fallbrook!

2014-10-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

Located on Rainbow Crest in East Fallbrook, CA, this 3.13 acre parcel sits comfortably up on a hill overlooking neighboring avo groves, Fallbrook proper, and even beyond with a peek of the ocean. Metered water, septic in. Paved driveway only feet away from paved Rainbow Crest Road. Home designed for pad above cabin, which is a converted garage.

Great opportunity, ready to build, asking $169,000. Owner will finance with 40% down.

Warner Wildcat Sports Calendar!

2014-09-17T23:33:00.001-07:00

Autism, Smart Meters, Radiation, Microwaves

2014-09-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

In my career I have served many from all walks of life, ages and creeds, but the majority of my clients seeking property in the #backcountry are also seeking #shelter. Parents of autistic children seek out the mineral hot spring waters of the Warner Springs Ranch Resort and chemically sensitive folks seek reprieve from the bombardment of toxins found almost everywhere in city life from the food, to the water, to the very materials used to create an abode.

I have also worked with many highly educated folks who would be more inclined to call these so called "sensitive" people quacks - they know and understand the science behind radio frequency, waves, and scoff at the premise; that these invisible bad guys can not actually do any harm. I especially loved the scene presented in the series on National Geographic, Taboo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKekrESXssM was an especially telling episode about a few french birds hiding out in caves to escape high frequency electromagnetic waves. From this and the experiences I have had with my own clients and neighbors, I submit that many of us can live in a variety of environments and very easily these poisons go unnoticed. But I also admit that the most sensitive among us may also be our little coal mine canaries, warning others of these harmful things before we have the chance to detect them or suffer the effects of them ourselves.

One of several controversies of the back country is that of the fight against smart meters. Here is an interesting article about just that. http://stopsmartmeters.org.uk/first-study-on-short-term-effects-of-4glte-cell-phone-radiation-shows-affects-on-brain-activity/

In addition to fighting for their health, their sanity, their wellbeing, these vulnerable and delicate neighbors, even in the most remote and tucked away sanctuary of the country, are also from their views being attacked daily by what boils down to big business. Cell tower monopolies. Utility barons. In light of different studies that are presenting themselves on a daily basis, I think it may just be something to thing about. Consider for a moment that there is nearly always a trade... high speed connection and ease of company billing for brain function? A baby's health? A life? Just a thought...

Summer WIC Trick - Electrolyte POPSICLES!

2014-09-03T01:18:00.001-07:00

Know the Herb Doc, fellow Mamas everywhere? He's great. Today he has a great idea. Living in the country I often have to buy in bulk when I do my shopping - what a great way to USE fruits n veg fresh OR when it's beginning to wilt, and the kiddo's like it, too.

Here's a quick video, with the Herb Doc's shameless plug....

http://herbdocblog.com/article/Video/electrolytes-dehydration-and-popsicles/

Mother Says Check Out the Real Estate Drama in the #LBC!

2014-08-28T01:05:00.001-07:00

And by drama, I mean only of the best kind! Central in the #BixbyKnolls neighborhood, this home has it all. Sexy, vintage, stylish, a pool, and REDUCED! Nevermind the price behind the curtain (at the bottom of this posting) as this magnificent home is being offered for only $835,000 and worth every penny. A must see for any #Angeleno or #OC enthusiast.

#markjohnson #coldwellbanker #coastalalliance #3834CedarAvenue #LongBeach #California #PW14021139 #realestate #LBC #poolhome

Mother Says see USBank for Vacant Land Purchase Loans!

2014-08-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

usbank.com/mortgage

mother says BUILDING SMALL IS A GREAT IDEA!

2014-08-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

Tiny Homes, Small Home Movement, less carbon footprint, more affordable and MORE DESIRABLE! A small space well thought out and well executed these days is selling for more and faster than some monster place no one could ever afford to maintain and has let go down the drain.

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/30177138/list/Houzz-Tour--Family-Living-in-980-Square-Feet

Now where can you find affordable acreage over a great water table, where solar & wind power is an option, where the views are open and wild? Where the neighbors, like you, come with a sweet mix of talents, walks of life, political views, are all ages & creeds, are delightfully full of character,

but are all outside of at least 1000 foot radius where you make your home?

Warner Springs, Ranchita, Aguanga, Anza, Santa Ysabel, Julian, for starters.

And here is one of the most affordable places around:

HERE!

5 acres, highly usable, low/no grading needed, power can be dropped to site, mild four seasons (these pics taken after the last snow) and on riding & hiking trails. Easy build, and a darling community.

So be good, kids! Listen to mother. :)

Mother Says THIS IS A GREAT PROPERTY!

2014-08-04T00:28:00.001-07:00

For Sale:

i actually owned this for a short time. it's over 10 acres, very private, killer trees, KILLER views, great access (less than 1/8th mile from pavement) wild and romantic and sublime. if you're into visual drama, you will flip for this one. i had them in agreement to come down to about $165,000 at one time, and they prefer not to carry paper, but i think they could be convinced. there is no well, but there is water storage so they were just having water delivered now and then. power is close.

easy to find, you can go see any time. i HIGHLY recommend this one! it's one of the very best around. (and granted, it was the height of the market, but i sold its neighbor for $265,000 a few years ago. million dollar views! :)

http://paragonmls.sandicor.com/publink/default.aspx?GUID=94c633e7-f7aa-4fd4-a24e-99903b9aac1f&Report=Yes

To Catch a Phone Thief & Get Google to Help Me.

2014-08-03T23:20:00.001-07:00

Here's what all went down:

Fly from San Diego to Toronto, October of 2012 with two small boys, one on the lap.
Immediately put nice smart phone in seat back pocket, and even though I cherish it almost as much as my human children, I forget it there.
Realize this as we board the 2nd leg of our trip to Germany, tell the flight attendant.
Hope and pray she gets right on her little walkie-talkie to the other plane to tell them my seat number, etc., so it can be retrieved somehow.
Hope and pray even more she isn't yeah-yeah'ing me as I catch a glint of pure, dead hatred in her eyes towards me because I am her least favorite kind of traveller in this entire universe.
Arrive in Deutschland a sweaty, worried mess, and file a claim in the terminal for my lost phone, which is not only lifeblood of my work, my income, my living, but also my contact info with my family who is hopefully not trying to reach me to tell me they aren't coming to pick me up, etc.
We DO get picked up, finally, and I get online to file another claim. The airline assures me their employees are all held to a very high standard of ethics, and they are doing all they can to recover my mobile. I try my hardest to believe them.
When all my hope dies that I will never ever see my sweet little phone ever again, I haggle with Verizon to send me its twin, my pain of loss and suffering eventually dwindles, and I forget it.
Months and then years and 3 other devices later, I notice my phone alerting me to the weather in Thousand Oaks, California. Odd, I live in San Diego! I've never even been to Thousand Oaks. I am fairly sure that it is only a glitch.
More time passes and I continue to get Google cards about how Magic Mountain and the Getty are right around the corner from me, when I know very well I am a whopping 3 counties away.
The suspicion creeps up on me that I know where my long lost phone has been living. Even freaking Groupon is telling me Thousand Oaks.
My mind races and I become drunk with imaginings of staking out the home, the exact address and home footprint clearly outlined on an aerial photo every time I log on. Dark glasses, slumped down in the front seat of my car, I can see in my mind's eye a prim, thin flight attendant, blonde hair in a french twist, rolling her cheap little carry on full of carrion behind her, full of scavenged goods, getting in the car for the afternoon flight. And there's me, very righteously, because after all, I have just discovered the seedy underbelly black market of airlines world wide, hoarding our hard earned hand-helds, our glamor magazines, our makeup that's just a smidge over the 1 ounce rule, etc. As she approaches her ecomony car to leave, I fly at her, baseball bat in hand - she never sees me coming. She gets the beating of a lifetime. Or at least of the 1994 Olympics.
I snap out of it. Dammit, Jim, I am a Realtor, not a gangster! Speaking of being a realtor, I have been building up my business, branding, & reputation since 2002. I am seasoned, I am responsive, and now my clients are beginning to think I am a flake because they aren't getting my emails. My GMAILs. NOW what's going on? Thank you, FAQ's, I am not being marked as spam. I am responding in line directly to clients I've been working with for years. My messages are just disappearing into thin air. As another lost soul in Google Help Forum is saying, "So what is a person to do? I can't control what the recipients service provider is doing!!! Is there anything I can do on my end?"

Now, I pretty much bleed rainbows for Google. I love their devices, their apps, their EVERYTHING. I follow them like a little google groupie geek and notice when they implement new things, and I am a little bit of a Google stalker. I bother my friends that work for them and when I see them, all I want to do is talk shop. How's Google doing? Did they have a nice birthday? Are they getting enough sleep? Who is in Google's hangouts, these days? Their circles? What did they have for lunch, etc. So when Google doesn't work, not only is it devastating to my ability to earn my income, but it hurts deep in my soul, like being snubbed by a dear friend or rejected by a lover. I turn to comfort eating, go on vodka binges... I lay around looking at old screenshots of when Google and I were a real TEAM and it was perfect and everything was working. It's really ugly stuff.
I call Verizon to complain about the problem, because now (almost two years after the fact) I begin to get paranoid about so much personal information I store on my phone. I ask them what to do, as I have seen something or other online that says DO NOT try to confront anyone holding ill-gotten phone goods, go through the proper authorities, blah blah blah. The girl on the line tells me, it's very unusual, but that seeing as the phone WAS registered as lost/stolen, no one would be able to use the device except for over WIFI, and that my SIM card could be sending out a location signal. The only thing she could do was recommend I go to good-old-google, and remotely wipe or delete the device.
So, off to Google I go, and I can see and locate and ring every device I've ever owned except my long lost love. I turn to my super realtor powers of address look ups, and I find a name. The owner of the home. I google him - he's a realtor, too! I feel the grip tightening around that baseball bat once more. But then I look him up on facebook, (send him a friend request of course,) and he looks like a typical, sorta frumpy, middle aged property pimp. And I don't think I have it in me to break his knee caps, after all. Maybe my sim card just fell between his couch cushions one day he was entertaining a trampy stewardess, and it has been there ever since, sending out its lonely beacon of location whilst simultaneously marking my cyber existence as omnipresent and so therefore spam. Causing my every digital move to be zapped from the clouds, never to be marked as read by the people near and dear to me ever again. Maybe he has nothing to do with it? But then why am I being singled out for obstruction of communication? Is it because I shared that article about the government spying on us that one time? Is it because my dad's in the NRA? Am I being blocked because I went to that Ted Nugent concert and everyone thinks he's the devil? Come on, Google! I remember you when you were just a start up. I loved you way back when! And we can get these guys, Google, you and me! Together, we can blow this whole conspiracy wide open! I know you know something, leaving me cute little hints and clues to follow. And I tried calling you, but your secretary in Cupertino said you weren't emotionally available and too cool to have a technical support department. Which I typically agree with that it's unnecessary for you, because if Google does anything, Google WORKS. Other companies can disappoint and fail to deliver, but Google just does what Google is supposed to do. But this is ME, this time, Google. Your old pal! My livelihood and sanity are clearly at stake, here, I mean, I am after all appealing to and empathizing with you, while carelessly not really giving a damn for the poor fool who may or may not have wound up with my item which is very likely causing all this trouble. Do right by me, please. I'll be your best friend, scratch your back, whatever it takes. Just do me this solid and figure this one out. Yours Forever, Angela.

Not quite WIC, somewhat of a TRICK

2014-07-24T02:23:00.000-07:00

Okay folks, the purpose of the WICness is nutrition, nutrition for healthy mamas, nutrition for healthy babes. I often mention things TO buy in the spirit of WIC, and don't much talk about what I NEVER buy... Kool Aid is one of those items I would never dream of purchasing. If my babes knew that something existed that when combined with a little water and a crap-ton of sugar became some kind of delicious, habit forming agent that also imparts its drinkers with obnoxious neon mustaches, they would be all over it like Flavor Flav on crack. But interestingly enough, Kool Aid actually has some alternative uses in this world, so this last shopping trip I DID buy some, and here is the fun that ensued:

NOTE - I AM TOTALLY NOT ONE OF THOSE PINTEREST MOM'S WHO'S ALWAYS COMING UP WITH THESE CLEVER LITTLE LIFE HACKS - NOT FOR LACK OF WISHING I WAS, I JUST DON'T HAVE THE FOLLOW THROUGH TO PULL IT OFF. I'M JUST TELLING YOU NOW, SO YOU DON'T THINK THIS BLOG IS TAKING A TURN FOR THE WORST... I PROMISE TO STICK TO WHAT I KNOW. :)

So it turns out, if you mix 2 cups of flour with 2 cups of warm water, 1 cup of salt, 2 tablespoons of veggie oil, and 1 tablespoon of cream of tartar, and you stir it up over medium heat for a few minutes, you get PLAY DOH! It's so cheap, it's practically free. (This reminds me: PSYCH FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE DAYS - I've been meaning to ask you: What does it mean when your child wants to watch Russians with hairy arms open and play with their toys on YouTube all day long. What is this voyeuristic entertainment trend all about? Playing through surrogacy? It seems to be all the rage - these videos have more views than... than... Charlie Bit Me, or whatever else the kids are into these days...ANYWAY, thanks to these videos, all I've been hearing for months now is I WANT YOU TO BUY ME PLAY DOH, and though I do obviously let my kids watch way too much youtube, I won't succumb to the buy me buy me bit, and so therefore, this post. Is someone discussing this? If not, will someone please look into this and get back with me???)

Anyway, the only real tragedy of this little experiment were my flavor choices at the market. I chose three, wanting to cleverly divide my dough into 3 parts, 3 colors, giving the children the illusion of 3 times the fun. I should have watched what I was doing a little more closely. Because A.) having to hand knead the color from the Kool Aid into each part of dough results in a very unprofessional look on the hands and nails for about 17 days post-DOH! making. B.) it turns out my people are the only ones crazy enough to think TAMARINDO is a good Kool Aid flavor. Way to be cross-cultural, Kool Aid! This flavor is poop-colored. My kids cried when I kneaded out the first 1/3 of feces colored dough.

To correct this I wound up mixing ALL my colors in to one batch, mentally resetting my order of operations if I ever undertake this again, and at the end of the day, we got one big blob of super fruity purple-ish play doh, and we couldn't be happier. Look at this kid - she is LOVING her home made play doh. Ok, this is someone else's child. I stole this pic from the recipe I used. Her mom's probably a Pinterest super star.

This was my batch, however:

Not as vibrant, not as expensive, extremely aromatic (not good, not bad, just...smelly) and my kids took about 3 and a half seconds to realize it was more fun watching other people play with their play doh, so back to the YouTube they go. But I bet you they never ask me to buy them either product ever, ever again. The End.