By Diane SawdonYou are going to have to humor me. I have embarked on a serious stroll down Memory Lane this past month via music. It all started when we were on one of our many “clean and dump” days at my Mother’s home. She had one of those stereo systems dating from the early 1960s which was housed in a piece of furniture that was the size of a freight car. Did it work?? Of course not. It has not worked for years, but it filled up a large expanse of wall space. Besides, it was a gift to me for Christmas in 1960 or 1961. The year escapes me now, but it is what I found inside of it that was the real treasure~~~LPs~~~anyone out there remember those black, vinyl beauties?? Naively, we thought we could sell them on eBay, but a thorough search brought us face to face with the reality that ... 02/07/2011

      Happy New Year!!  It has happened again.  The past twelve months have come to a grinding halt and all is new again today.    We all have been given a new slate to write our stories on for the next 365 days.  Hopefully, these  personal narratives will be filled with positive thinking and enthusiasm for our daily trek through our paths of life.  I would like to claim, right here, that I will be doing this each and every day of 2011, but I know myself and there will be roadblocks along the way.You see, I am convinced that I have these two invisible creatures who sit on my shoulders.  On the right shoulder is the perfect little character with a perfect little soul who speaks softly and patiently to me and guides me down the high road of life.  Now, on my left shoulder is a wretched li... 01/11/2011

15500 CASCADE DRNEVADA CITY, CA 95959 PRICE REDUCED List price: $199,900 13424 OLYMPIC DRTRUCKEE, CA 96161 NEW 18197 HUMMINGBIRD DRPENN VALLEY, CA 95946 NEW 10227 LABURNHAM CIRTRUCKEE, CA 96161 PRICE REDUCED List price: $279,900 12195 ROUGH AND READY HWYGRASS VALLEY, CA 95945 PRICE REDUCED List price: $179,900     For the most current listing information and market updates on these and all properties in Nevada County contact Sarah Becker Sellstate Gold Inc. Sellstate Gold Inc www.SellstateGold.com 530-671-1300   11/09/2010

  By Diane Sawdon   Today is October 1st~~~~my daughter’s birthday. Happy Birthday to you and countless more. I remember this day those many years ago when you arrived in this world. You continue to amaze me with the way you balance your family, home and your career. Make sure you take time to “smell the roses” this next year. That is my gift of advice for you. Those precious years with those adorable granddaughters of mine will fly by in an instant.   My husband told me that life is about money and time. My retort was that you cannot buy time. It is that one, very precious commodity, without a price tag. I think we need to fill our hours, minutes and seconds with as much simple pleasure as we possibly can each day. Do not misunderstand me, I am NOT talking about spending money on “thi... 10/03/2010

Sellstate Gold Inc www.sellstategold.com Foreclosure List Report Presented By: Sarah Becker 530-671-1300 Sarah@sellstategold.com Properties Stage Address City County Units Sq Ft Beds Baths Est. Value Est. Equity Lender Sale Time Sale Date Est. Bid # Loan Date Listed 21605 ARMSTRONG RD GRASS VALLEY NEVADA 0 1,590 4 2 $241,362 -183% US BK NATIONAL ASSN 12:30 PM 10/07/10 $376,465 First 08/18/05 No 10530 BOULDER ST NEVADA CITY NEVADA 1 1,188 2 2 $206,706 -57% WASHINGTON MUTUAL BK FA 12:30 PM 10/06/10 $255,011 First 02/22/06 No 11376 RAGAN WAY GRASS VALLEY NEVADA 0 2,620 3 2.5 $373,350 -31% INDYMAC FED'L BK FSB 12:30 PM 10/04/10 $530,431 First 10/18/06 No 10486 TO HELL AND BACK LN ROUGH AND READY NEVADA 1 1,854 3 2 $344,770 -44% LEHMAN BROTHERS BK 12:30 PM 10/14/10 $497,231 First 08/15/07 N... 09/30/2010

Sellstate Gold Inc www.sellstategold.com Foreclosure List Report Presented By: Sarah Becker 530-530-671-1300 Sarah@sellstategold.com Properties Stage Address City County Units Sq Ft Beds Baths Est. Value Est. Equity Lender Sale Time Sale Date Est. Bid # Loan Date Listed 16285 PASQUALE RD NEVADA CITY NEVADA 1 768 2 1 $179,399 -61% MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATI 12:30 PM 08/23/10 $278,398 First 01/06/06 No 12526 ROBINSON RD NEVADA CITY NEVADA 0 2,028 4 2 $366,013 -20% INDYMAC BK 12:30 PM 05/27/10 $325,059 First 01/05/06 No 10530 BOULDER ST NEVADA CITY NEVADA 1 1,188 2 2 $206,706 -57% WASHINGTON MUTUAL BK FA 12:30 PM 10/06/10 $255,011 First 02/22/06 No 21321 PINE NEEDLE LN NEVADA CITY NEVADA 1 980 2 1 $240,415 100% 12:30 PM 09/30/10 $100,101 10/04/91 No 18314 KENTUCKY RAVINE RD NEVADA CIT... 09/22/2010

Darling Home in Forest Knolls 11521 Tree Top Circle , Nevada City, CA 95959 View Map Peaceful and Private! Beautiful 3bedroom / 2bath home nestled in the vast yard amongst the mature pines, maples and lovely rhododendrons. Great room with gas log stove for those brisk mornings or snowy winter nights, opens to a covered deck. Large dining area with views of the landscape. Perfect for entertaining. Only minutes to Nevada City or Grass Valley. Enjoy the distinct Four Seasons this area offers. Feels like a vacation every day! Contact agent: Sandy Olson Lyon Real Estate Cell: 530-277-7862 Details Asking Price: $349,000 MLS: 10042858 Sq. Feet: 1766 Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2 # of Floors: 3 Garage Size: 2 Subdivision: Forest Knolls Contact InfoLori Kim Polk and Ryan Dressel Staging Pros at Stag... 06/15/2010

By Diane SawdonDriving home from Fresno today, I tossed around all sorts of ideas for this Ramblings in the “fleshy tablets of my mind.” Great word image----one of my high school Spanish teachers used to say that all the time. How I remembered it, amazes me. I think, most of the time, he was referring to our teenage lack of gray matter. But I digress. Almost four hours in the car is a lengthy amount of time for the mind to wander. One of my conclusions was that I had to approach this in a positive state of recollection. I felt the last few months have been sad, gloomy and negative. So here goes..........If you follow my written mind bending at all, you are aware that our Sacramento daughter has been involved in a house hunt for her first home. I am delighted to say that after twelve mon... 06/11/2010

By Diane Sawdon   The date of my birthday designates me as a Capricorn. My sign of the Zodiac is the (old) goat. Now, my friends who are Horoscope savvy, have told me that Capricorns are forever climbing mountains in their lives. I tend to agree and this past month I have been attempting to climb, step by step, the most monumental mountain of my life. After a fall in her home, my almost 92 year-old-Mother had to be sent to the hospital---against her will. She was just fine and told the paramedics of this fact in no uncertain terms. After eight days in the hospital, I was forced to make the decision to put her in a convalescent home near me. Driving almost 150 miles each way to Walnut Creek was no longer going to be an option for us. A good friend and neighbor volunteered to go with me ... 05/03/2010

Indian Springs Winery in Nevada City - Great Wines at a Great Price - Video of Wine Tasting Room Below is a short video of the wine tasting room at Indian Springs.  Indian Springs is a winery in Nevada County between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. The tasting room is located in the historically preserved gold rush town of Nevada City.  The tasting room offers complimentary tastes, and they also offer one of the best deals I have ever seen - if you join their wine club - they offer you as full 35% discount on a case during your birthday month. I just took them up on that offer since I just had my birthday by purchasing their award winning 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon.  At  $13.65 for a fantastic Cabernet, it is a great deal! When you're in Nevada City, make sure you stop at the Indian Springs win... 04/18/2010

    Ramblings April 2010   By Diane Sawdon   The calendar tells me that the month is April, but Mother Nature is still holding on to Old Man Winter. It is 38 degrees outside as I sit here and type this missive. The calendar also states that today is Easter Sunday. I hope that all of you had some joy in your lives today. If you were fortunate enough to have found this emotion today whether in church, in nature, in celebrations with family and friends or in a contemplative and peaceful time all alone, then you were blessed! My joy came from seeing the pure innocence, faith and delight on the faces of my three granddaughters. They just knew that the Easter Bunny had paid a visit to their backyard. They never saw him and they never heard him, but their belief was strong and he did appear a... 04/05/2010

By Diane SawdonI, for one, am very glad the month of January has reduced itself to history. January lasted much too long. I know it was longer than the allotted thirty one days. The daylight hours were monotonous and tedious and the nights were seemingly endless. The month began with a birthday I would rather forget. Since the occasion was not too well observed, does this mean I am not another year older?? That would be a plus! Unfortunately, I do not think Mother Nature has that in her Grand Plan. But, the optimist in me knows that another year is a grand gift and I shall try to use it well. The weather, in January, was unforgiving, soggy, cold and waterlogged. Here is Nevada City we had it all----rain, wind, snow, sleet, slush, hail, fog----did I leave anything out?? I know we need wa... 02/03/2010

Happy 2010!!  It is a new year and a new decade and my sincere wish is for health and happiness and growth and insight for everyone reading this----and for me, too.  Heaven knows, I need all the insight I can conjure up to get me through the days.   No, no, no!  There will not be any New Year’s Resolutions from me.  If you read last year’s Ramblings you understand why I despise them.  These useless diatribes so often made out of pure guilt from the night or days or weeks before the incoming New Year, leave me empty and annoyed.  I know, I know, the intention of said Resolution Maker was for improvement or a step in the right direction, but I have a very short fuse for any of it.  In fact, this leads me to my next subject which has been “rambling” around inside my head since the beginni... 01/01/2010

  November----the “thankful month.” My brain is full of seasonal musings and short stories of thankfulness. I worked in the yard most of the morning----Mother Nature blesses us with a riot of color this time of year, but all of this color brings closure to another year of gardening and with it comes the annual clean up. I was already thinking about gardening plans for next year as I cut, trimmed, raked and swept away months of gardening happiness and pride.    He entered our lives (and hearts) about three weeks ago. At first he was just a quick shadow of movement in the yard and then the visits became more frequent. Naturally, he possessed that sixth sense to know he just might be welcome here after a long quest to find a home. He was dirty, rather thin and wore a few battle scars of li... 10/31/2009

By Diane SawdonDo you remember the song, "What A Difference A Day Makes?" That song title is proof positive that Mother Nature finally decided to send my favorite season of the year, Fall, to Nevada County. In a short twenty four hour span, the temperature dropped over thirty degrees. It was a joy to wake up to a very chilly morning and grab some jeans out of the closet that have not seen the light of day for over five months and slither into them............and they still fit! But, the greatest thrill was to come home last evening after working for almost nine hours and find that my Sweetie had lit the fire in our Vermont Castings Gas Stove. I numbly walked down the hall, glanced into the family room and let out a hoot of joy! The old dog was sprawled out on her bed smack in front of t... 10/02/2009

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  By Diane Sawdon   I admit to doing and being a lot of things, but I am not one to procrastinate. Well, it seems this month I have added procrastination to my list. I just could not get those words inside my head and then transfer them to paper. And, it is not even paper, is it?? I am putting these words on a computer screen right in front of me to be sent out into the invisible world of cyberspace. It can boggle the mind of this techno peasant.   This past month both of our daughters have been on the hunt for new homes. One daughter, a first time home buyer, is embroiled in the circumspect world of the Short Sale. It is not the place for the impatient or faint of heart. Many of the homes are despicable. The service from the listing agents is non-existent, and the lenders have no moral... 06/01/2009

         April  has slipped away and with it one third of the year has disappeared onto the pages of history. April has made me ponder my own personal history.   This past month my roommate of almost 41 years and I took a quick four-day trip to the Mendocino Coast. For those of you who are not familiar with the Northern California Coast, it is a place of wild beauty and a source of extreme comfort and happiness to me and my husband. We have been seeking to refresh, renew, regroup, revive, and rekindle our lives here for the past thirty four years.   On the second day of our visit we were strolling along the beach collecting shells as we always do, and I came to the conclusion that these shells represent the passages of my life. They are the times of pure joy and the lonely hours of sadn... 04/29/2009

By Diane Sawdon   It was a joyful noise! Our third granddaughter entered the world on February 10, 2009. She arrived yelling at the top of her lungs protesting leaving that safe womb of her Mother. Welcome to the world, Baby Payton!! We know you will make it a better place just by your presence. You bring joy, happiness and hope with you wherever you go. I hope your future is bright and that the big world treats you with respect and open it's arms to the magical little person you are.   I have been away from my home in Nevada City for three weeks because I have been staying with my daughter and family. Life is NEVER dull here. With an almost five-year-old and a three-year-old, one dog and five cats, chaos reigns supreme! We have had the loss of two front teeth and two visits from the T... 03/01/2009

By Diane Sawdon   The first month of the new year has quickly passed. For me, it was a momentous one. I hit a milestone early in the month. As the famous Country Music Star, Merle Haggard, said in his classic song, "Big City," I have reached the age of "so called Social Security." How one could remain socially acceptable and feel secure on this amount of money boggles my mind. And to think I have worked a good portion of my adult life. But that is not what I want to pursue here.   I have been pondering the term "maturity" and I am wondering if I have been, or ever will be mature? Is there some particular rite of passage or a coming-of-age period when one is deemed mature??   My very wise Grandmother used to tell me, "darling, you are only as old as you feel." And, she lived to be 93!  ... 01/30/2009