Paddy Waggins

I would really like to write about food, or fun things to do but this has been a tough week. We lost one of our dogs to cancer. I’ll never forget the day we met Paddington. Rick picked him up and he laid his furry little head on his shoulder. That was it. We were in love. He filled our days with mischief and wags. We called him Paddy Waggins. Whenever he laid down he always gave 2 wags. Every. Single. Time. Though I hate this part, I wouldn’t miss a minute of being head over heels for that little guy even knowing what it would feel like today.

So each day I try to go for a little walk and look for something beautiful, cottonwood flying in the sunshine, poppies in bloom, clouds racing across the sky, and maybe shed a few tears. On one walk I took a picture of a piece of gravel close up and thought how when I get farther away that piece is just a part of the whole road, like the rain that it takes to make a rainbow, the clouds that make the sunset or sunrise so much more beautiful or the beautiful forest on Hwy 44 planted after the Goat Fire. I’m waiting for this rock to become a part of my road. But in the meantime (and sometimes it’s a real mean time) I give myself a break watch a show I like, sit in the sun, take that walk and grieve a bit. 

                 

                 

There’s an quote I read “it’s okay to look back, just don’t stare”, good stuff. So I talk to a friend about it but not ALL my friends, have a cookie but not the whole bag, and know that this will pass and when it does, then I’ll be ready to do it all over again.


Oh wait. I guess I did just tell ALL my friends. That’s what community is all about.

                

Mr Somerville's Ag Welding

I still remember my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Van Aspirin. She was kind, soft spoken and played the piano. Some teachers leave a strong impression and we learn so much more than reading, writing and arithmetic. Even how to be better human, to serve our community and leave a mark for generations to come.

Take, for instance Mike Somerville’s Advance Ag Welding at Lassen High School. Did you know Mr Somerville takes on a large community project each year? His class recently designed and built the magnificent arched entry to the Susanville Cemetery. The detail and scrollwork on this piece is stunning, AND this isn’t their first, they also built the arch for Lassen Cemetery. Wow. Like I said, something for generations to come. Mr Somerville says while working on the arches the students had to learn troubleshooting and problem solving like how to get the arches even. I can’t even imagine.
               
Advanced Ag Welding led by Mr Somerville also built the trailer our Rotarians use to place all of those lovely American flags along Main st on Independence Day. Wouldn’t it be cool on the 4th to cruise our flag lined street up to Susanville Cemetery, make a loop to Lassen Cemetery and honor our heroes. Maybe for a moment think about how teachers influence and shape the face of our community.
                        
Thank you Mike Somerville for making our community a better, more beautiful, place! Hometown Proud!

Happy Independence Day!

Take a look at some of the students individual projects pictured, a few will be in the Lassen County Fair auction! Cool stuff!

                                                                                         

                      

Hope's Street Tacos

Deli Supervisor Hope Browning has got street. Street Tacos that is! They are simply amazing. She marinades Tri-Tip in FrEsH onion, garlic, oranges, cilantro, lime and an assortment of spices, overnight. Then the beef is roasted to perfection in the rotisserie, chopped, tossed with a little more cumin and layered into Mission Street Taco flour tortillas (these babies taste authentic!) with more FreSh cilantro and diced white onion.


Hope learned to cook from her granddad. She even learned her States by making tortillas with Grandpa. He would stand beside and say what State each tortilla looked like, if it was Florida it was not good! Grandpa cut everything up with a machete, she adapted it to a regular knife, thank goodness. You should see her peel a watermelon, she taught our Produce department the fastest and bestest ways to prep all their Fresh cut items.
                                

Hope frequently walks to work while reading a book, she loves to read. Early in life her favorite books were cookbooks, a natural born foodie. Always happy to share a technique or recipe, here is her marinade for Street Tacos~

                       

Marinade recipe~
4 oranges
6 limes
1 head garlic, peeled and smashed
1 white onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, diced
1 (overflowing)tbs cider vinegar
3 tbs chili powder
2 tbs cumin, plus a little more for dusting
Salt and pepper


Juice limes and 3 of the oranges into your marinade container then tear remaining orange up and toss in to get that extra zest. Add all other ingredients plus tri-tip. Marinade overnight.
                               

Hope says low and slow cooking is the key. For grill, sear over direct heat then foil wrap and cook indirectly for 2 to 3 hours. In the oven, sear on stove top then cook at 300* for 2-3 hours depending on poundage.


OR better yet. Just let our lil ray of Hope do it :) Available in our hot case daily!

The Shoe

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children she didn’t know what to do,
She gave them some broth without any bread,
Spanked them all soundly and sent them to bed. ~ Mother Goose


This is what sticks in my head when I ride by Helen and Lanny Mayfield’s house on my bike. You can easily see why. Years ago there was a school out in Buntingville called Lake School where the shoe resided, the school went up to 8th grade and had between 8 and 10 kids when Helen’s kids attended. When the school closed in 1971 the building was used as a daycare, during that time Helen bought the Shoe. Helen tells me with a smile that when she went home and told Lanny about her purchase, he said “How are you gonna get that home?!” she told him they could drag it behind the tractor. A friend stopped by and asked “How are you gonna get that home?!” What actually happened is Lanny and friend took a forklift and a flatbed and moved it to their property where it has been overlooking Honey Lake for many years now.

                                           

                                   
The Shoe was made at CCC as a Masonry project for Lake School. Lanny says there was a Whale also but he doesn’t know who ended up with that. When the Mayfield’s got it home there was some damage inside and out but you’d never know it now. It is lovingly cared for and the paint is restored regularly. In the winter the Shoe is wrapped up tight to keep it safe from freeze.


Helen said some people call her the old woman in the shoe, I would never. She is one of the trusted keepers of our Hometown Heritage.

                                  

Thank you to the Mayfields for keeping and protecting this piece of our history!