About Janice

I love California, both in and out of my garden. My passions are gardening and photography. My goal is to make Plum Bird Corner a happy place to visit often.

Polishing The Brass

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Janice

Recently, I went to one of my favorite blogs, Inspired by Charm, authored by Michael Wurm Jr. His post in the DIY section on August 27, titled How to Polish Brass, caught my eye. Michael points out that brass and gold are again popular for home decor, and he explained a fast and easy way to clean brass. I immediately thought of some lovely brass pieces we virtually gave away at a recent garage sale, and was suddenly glad that three pieces had gone unsold.

This experience provides yet another example of why it’s difficult for people to clear out cupboards, closets, and garages: We fear that as soon as we get rid of something, we will wish we hadn’t. My mother had given us several brass pieces to garage sale for her, since she was tired of cleaning them the traditional way. Although I was a little sad to see my parents’ brass collection go, I also hadn’t wanted the chore of polishing them.

Now, after reading Michael’s blog post, I bought the inexpensive product he recommended and gave it a try. He was right … It was easy, and the picture above shows what I accomplished in a couple of minutes. I couldn’t help but remember the hours my parents, especially my Dad, had spent cleaning brass. Since Mom had saved a few pieces, including two large bells, I quickly shared Michael’s advice with her.

This afternoon she called to say the brass bells were shining, and she couldn’t believe how easy the job was. Later she texted to say her kitchen sink, faucet, and taps were also now shining like mirrors, and she was happily polishing her way through the house.

Thanks to Inspired by Charm, I can easily keep our three remaining pieces of brass clean and polished. If you would like to read details of how to shine brass quickly and easily, do check out Michael’s posting.

A Local Treasure in Dana Point

Posted on August 30, 2014 by Janice

The Dana Point Headlands Conservation Area

The Dana Point Headlands Interpretive Center

You may have read that our south facing beaches here in California have had enormous waves the past week or so. The authorities are asking us to stay away, because several people have been injured while surfing or swimming. This morning our curiosity got the better of us and we decided to have a look. We drove to Dana Point and had lunch at Smokey’s House of BBQ on Pacific Coast Highway. We are familiar with Smokey’s because our San Clemente Scooter Club often meets there for dinner.
After lunch, we went to the Dana Point Marina, where we drove up the very steep Cove Road, and then spotted Green Lantern. This was a road we had never noticed before, even though for many years we kept a sail boat in the Dana Point Marina.

We turned on to the street to see where it led. It was then that we spotted the sign announcing The Dana Point Headlands Conservation Area. We parked and went in to the Interpretive Center. We were welcomed by two docents who showed us around and told us the building had been there for four years, which was quite a surprise to us. They also told us about the hiking trails that were part of the conservation area. After looking at the exhibits, we headed out on the trail.

Here you can see my husband, Martin, walking the sandy trail, with the beautiful Pacific in the distance. The trails were easy to follow, and very well tended.

The view was absolutely breathtaking. We hiked for a little over thirty minutes and then turned back. We had not planned on a hike, so were not carrying water, or sun screen. We were so happy to have found this wonderful treasure, so close to home. We plan to return soon, carrying the proper supplies, and hike farther next time. Oh, by the way, we never did get to see the waves up close. That is probably a good thing as the lifeguards are busy enough, without us adding to their work.

New Zealand, A Wonderful Place to Visit

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Janice

Now that we are retired, people sometimes ask if we get to travel. The answer is yes, to visit our three kids.We then get that poor you look from those who don’t really know where our children live. Those who do, know our children live in beautiful places well worth visiting. This photo of Tiare Iti (Little Flower in Polynesia) belongs to our younger daughter, who lives in New Zealand. It is spring there, and as we await winter, they look forward to their summer. Nicole sent these photos to us this morning and I could not resist sharing them. She is readying her boat for the summer sailing season.

As you can see , it is very colorful and cozy down below. Last spring I spent a month living aboard Tiare Iti and it was great fun.

Here you see part of Nicole’s book shelf, and her cat, Tui, wearing a life jacket. Tui is named for the black and white New Zealand Tui bird.

New Zealand is a lovely country and we are very fortunate to have a great reason to visit often.

I am looking forward, to sharing with you, in future posts, the beautiful places where our two other children live.

Molasses Brown Bread

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Janice

This recipe for Molasses Brown Bread is an old one that I clipped from the London Free Press news paper in the 70s, when I was first married and living in Canada.

I discovered the clipping filed away in an old cook book, several weeks ago. I knew I wanted to post it on my blog sometime in the future, and when I got up this morning, I knew that today was the day.

It felt like fall. Baking and fall seem to go together. I know I may be rushing things, but the light coming through the windows was different. The angle and the intensity had changed. Yes, autumn was definitely on the way.

I love the word autumn, so just had to use it. While the bread baked, the entire house filled with the scent of cinnamon, and it was wonderful. The recipe says brown bread, but it really is more like a cake. Not as sweet, but perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour Mix these dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Beat one egg in a large mixing bowl until foamy. Mix in one cup of All Bran Cereal

Add 1/2 cup raisins, 2 Tbs. butter, and 1/3 cup molasses. Next add 3/4 cup hot water. Stir until butter is melted. Now add dry ingredients and mix only until combined. Do not over stir. Place batter in 9x5x3 well greased loaf pan. Bake at 350° F for 30-35 minutes, or until firm.

Serve warm or chilled. Slice thin. I hope you will enjoy.
Now that I have finished this post, I think I will go and have a slice of molasses brown bread, and a cup of tea.

A Scooter Trip Down Memory Lane

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Janice

backyard 2 Yesterday was a beautiful day and perfect for a ride on our motor scooters. We headed into the canyon past Cook’s Corner. A big favorite with local motorcyclists. There is always an enormous crowd on weekends and especially onSundays. We made our way along the curving tree lined road past O’Neil Park, eventually reaching the coast, where we turned south to San Clemente. As we passed Doheny State Beach, I could smell the smoke from smoldering beach fires and I was also aware of the smell of sea weed and salt water. All of these reminded me of high school summers spent at Huntington Beach.

We turned around in San Clemente and headed home through San Juan Capistrano, with all of its memories.

The first time I set foot in the beautiful gardens of the Mission San Juan Capistrano I was twelve years old and living in Toronto, Canada. We were visiting relatives who had moved to California. I remember how amazing the mission was to me. Two years later my family moved to Southern California. One thing about riding a scooter, it gives you lots of time to think, especially if traffic is lite. As an adult I worked for a dentist in Capistrano and stabled a horse there as well. So many happy memories of time spent there came back to me as we rode along.

Then it was time to eat and we stopped to grab a quick burger. You can probably guess where the quickest stop was. Yep, McDonald’s. I felt like I had spent the day in a time wharp, so when we stepped into the Ladera Ranch McDonald’s which happenes to be decorated with a 50s theme I just had to take a photo of the wall. We had chosen the perfect place to eat after a memory filled day.

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