Warm, Dry...43º...Updated

Hoping the weather will hold today and keep it dry and warm for all the little goblins tonight...I remember most Halloweens as being cold with rain or snow and wind...Our own kids in costume but then bundled in coats, hats and mittens, trick or treat bags in hand ready for the big night...Last year at our house we didn't have even one little spook show up...We are off the beaten path so usually only get neighbors or friends with small children...So this year do I make treats (cookies, donuts or brownies) as I have in the past or do I rely on my standby of freshly popped popcorn, a small bag full for each child.

Reminiscing back 45 years when our little ones did their trick or treating in Duchesne, Utah where we lived for 7 years, their favorite treat every year was given to them by friends of ours...Bachelor brothers who every year brought out the unshelled mixed nuts of the previous Christmas and gave each child a handful...When we arrived home with the "booty" I placed a sheet on the floor of the living room and Bobi and Rusty would empty their treats onto the sheet...Soon the nuts were separated from the candy and I retrieved the nut crackers from the kitchen drawer and we cracked the nuts and shared this special treat and saved most of the candy for another day.

I probably should give an explanation...Way back in the "olden days" usually at Christmas time, mixed nuts, unshelled, often were placed in a bowl along with nut crackers and picks for each person to shell  nuts to eat...Always Santa put these unshelled nuts in Christmas stockings...Included were almonds, pecans, walnuts, filberts, and brazil nuts...We always had a large bowl of nuts at Christmas time and my Dad would sit and crack nuts for all of us to eat and enjoy on a snowy winter night...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Mixed Nuts

The Nut Bowl (1960-70)

Pictures borrowed from the internet.

Quandary...41º

Yesterday was a physical therapy appointment...Aaron was waiting for me and glad to see me walking without the cane...He listens carefully, goes back over his notes while I do 12 minutes on the recumbent bike, then we move on to other exercises before going into the treatment room when he manipulated my kneecap and we work on range of motion...Very important to get that back to somewhat normal...While doing this he checks the back of my knee and finds it is a "mass of knots"...No wonder my knee doesn't want to bend backwards...He massages carefully and gently finding all the sore spots...Then hooks up the ultra-sound machine and does about 15 minutes with that...I can't believe the difference when he finishes...I go back on Wednesday and Aaron will again use ultra-sound to relax the "muscles, ligaments, or whatever is back there in hopes of getting my range of motion working again.

I relate to him that Dr. Burgoyne keeps mentioning the "injections" and thinks it will help me through the healing process...I did some research on the internet this morning and one statement that jumped out at me was this "The cortisone shot will bring relief from pain but it does nothing for the underlying cause and usually prolongs the recovery." I haven't been sold on the idea of "cortisone injections" and after more research (YES I know that I can't believe everything I read on the internet) it makes me even more skeptical...So as of today, I'm saying no to the injections but I have a week before I see Dr Burgoyne and will decide for sure at that time!

Write group is today so I must get moving...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Warm Rain...47º

A warm rain fell most of the night as the temperature remained a balmy 47º...I've been up since 4am writing on my essays due to be sent to Katey by October 31st...Also I have my scrabble game and lexulous games caught up...I switch over to games when my mind becomes jumbled and I am frustrated trying to make the words on paper say what I want them to say. Here is another excerpt from my essay "Conversation around the supper table." Hugs to all...OWAV:)

One suppertime stands out in my mind when I was thirteen. My sister Mona, six years older than me had graduated from high school the previous May. She worked along side Daddy during the summer and fall and then not interested in continuing her education she went to work as a maid, cleaning motel rooms in McCall Idaho. Mona with her gregarious nature, sparkling blue eyes and quick wit was popular in high school and never lacked a steady boyfriend. In the summer before her senior year she met Bob while he was working road construction on Highway 95 near our home and at Christmas they announced their engagement and his enlistment in the Navy. No wedding date had been set. Mona would continue living at home and now was employed, earning and saving her money for their life together. The Park Motel where she worked was family owned. In April of 1956 the owner’s son was home on a months leave from the navy. His name was Jerry, and he thought this petite little “maid” was extremely cute and not noticing the diamond on her left hand or maybe he did but didn’t let it stop him, asked if she would go to the movie with him. She immediately said “No, I’m engaged to be married”, thinking that would be the end of it. But the next day and the next he persisted, she kept saying no. She related these stories as well as a description of Jerry to us as we sat around the table at supper one night.

Home Again...44º

I awake this morning, comfy in my own bed but my head is stuffy and eyes swollen...Pat was bothered the two days we spent at Wildhorse with red, scratchy eyes...She doctored with artificial tears and didn't let it slow her down..I didn't notice any ill effects until this morning...Casino's are known for their smoke filled rooms and tout some smoke free spaces to entice non smoking people to these resorts...This resort claimed a smoke free passageway from the lobby desk to the opposite side of the resort to the brand new 5-theater cineplex...Pat and I traveled this path many times as we attended events, over the next two days, not only was it very confusing but not smoke free...Really the only place we couldn't smell the smoke was outside or in our comfortable room on the 4th floor of the hotel...The room with two queen sized beds offered us most of the comforts of home, the usual fridge, micro wave and free wifi was at our fingertips...But we weren't there to stay in the room except for sleeping, so we braved the smoke filled atmosphere.

Now the reason for our trip on this cold, snowy weekend was a new event centered on Writing and books...Word Roundup was hosted by Wildhorse and Libraries of Eastern Oregon...Pat and I left Joseph at 7:30am Friday morning and amazingly had clear, dry roads the entire 120 miles over two mountain passes...We arrived in time for the 10am class that we planned to attend only to find that the room was filled to capacity...A check with reservations and yes we could check in to our room and get settled and catch the next class...Confusion reigned for the next two days as for some reason Wildhorse had double booked the meeting spaces and "Word Roundup" was continually bumped to another smaller venue or no venue at all...So for the next class Pat and I joined others in a "hallway" to learn about Libraries to Go, where on line we can check out books or download audio books or ebooks, all for free from this huge library in the sky...The two day schedule was jam packed with readings, workshops, mini classes, guest speakers, live music, a used book sale and books for sale featuring Northwest authors...We took several classes, navigated our way around the casino, even lost a few nickels, sampled the food, made new friends, visited with people I haven't seen in many years...But the confusion reigned for the entire two days as events were moved and/or rescheduled for a different time...I think next years "Word Roundup" will be held in a different venue....Our return trip was made on clear but wet roads, a little fog thrown in and we arrived back in Wallowa County before dark...Another enjoyable trip to add to our memory book...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Road Trip...25º

Pat and I are "off"--on an adventure...Doesn't really matter too much what the adventure is, a short walk, or hours spent in a car, we seem to have a good time...Today we are headed for Pendleton Oregon, over the Blues (mountain range) know for being closed periodically because a semi is cross ways of the road...Hope that is not the case today...This roundup is held at Wildhorse Indian casino convention center and is about books and writing...If the smoke isn't too bad we might play the nickel slots when our minds get saturated from all the words...Have reservations for dinner tonight...I'm almost packed, Herb had the studded tires mounted on the car and filled the gas tank to the top yesterday...THANK YOU!..I'll give you the full scoop on Sunday morning...Have a good weekend...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Homemade Soup and sour dough Bread...32º

Sourdough starter is an interesting product...I started mine about a year ago with potato water, added a few grains of yeast, some bread flour and left it to work on the kitchen counter...And soon it was bubbling away...I did some googling (research)...After a few days it quit working, so I followed directions to feed it...I added maybe 1/2 cup of flour & 1/4 cup of warm water, soon it was bubbling...I continued this over a few days until I had a large amount of bubbling starter ready for my first batch of bread...Sourdough bread is made with starter, bread flour, water and salt...NO yeast or sugar or fat...I've had varying results with my different batches from 2 pound door stops or bricks to lovely two pound loaves of bread that are dense in texture but light when hefted.

Yesterdays bread turned out nice!..We had hard rolls, dense, crusty, fragrant morsels warm from the oven, slathered with real butter, enjoyed with our homemade vegetable/chicken soup...For the soup I started with rich chicken broth, added chopped onion, celery, carrots, squash, kernels of corn from one last ear that was hiding in the crisper, roasted tomatoes from the freezer, tiny pasta shells and after I ladled the soup into bowls I added broccoli pieces that had been heated in the microwave (to keep their green color and crispness) sprinkled finely grated parmesan cheese over the top...That was our dinner...Food for the Gods or Peasants, however you want to look at it!

I hope your eyes didn't glaze over with all this info... If it got your digestive juices flowing and your taste buds dancing then I accomplished what I set out to do!..The starter is back in the fridge waiting for the next baking frenzy...Three loaves of bread are tucked away in the freezer, that will keep Herb happy for awhile and I have today to pack for the "Word Roundup in Pendleton"...Feel free to leave comments or join my blog as a follower or send an email (all options on the blog)...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Word Roundup...22º

A busy morning for me yesterday;  write people, Dr. appt., grocery shopping...Five of us gathered for writing and reading, I left for my appt, returned in time for lunch...A quiet little nook with four tables and actual homemade soup...Yesterdays Italian Vegetable really hit the spot as we watched a snow storm blow through Enterprise.

My appt was encouraging as Dr Burgoyne explained that anytime I push the knee with exercise there will then be pain to work through...Icing immediately then later heat and ice and take advil regularly...He is still talking injection to get me over this healing process, I said, "How about if I come back in two weeks and we discuss it more at that time." "That's sounds reasonable and if you come in doing cartwheels you won't need an injection,"He said, blue eyes twinkling!..He knows and I know that he has me over a barrel...It has been 60 years since I did a cartwheel...Bottom line, he doesn't think I have damaged anything, it is just the healing process in a knee that also has arthritis.

After lunch Pat and I sorted through the schedule of events for a writers conference being held, called Word Roundup...Two days of readings by writers mostly from Oregon; workshops, a book fair and music all held at the newly renovated Indian Casino (convention center) in Pendleton Or...There is so much to choose from and it runs for two days starting at 10am on Friday and goes to 10pm Saturday...We will leave Joseph early Friday morning and stay until Sat. afternoon, then start home as Pat has other plans for Saturday night...I'm sure by that time our brains will be saturated, eyes glazed over and we will be ready to return to our quiet corner of the world.

Bobi and Cienna are home, you might want to click on Cienna at the Fair to see photo's and info about their trip...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

First Snow...27º

Herb spent his morning at our wood-log pile "sawing logs" for a couple of hours...Hauled it home and unloaded to be split later...A good exercise program for him for the next, whatever it takes to make burnable chunks out of a big pile of logs...When my knee gets better I can join him.

I spent the morning in the kitchen and then on the computer...After procrastinating for some months I booked some days in Arizona for us in February and March, still working on another week...Will take in a few ballgames at spring training and enjoy the warmer weather...It must have been the storm yesterday that put down a smattering of snow that motivated me to look at warmer climates.

Today I have write people and an appointment with Dr. Burgoyne (knee doctor) for my one month checkup...After icing and heating for the pass several days the knee is feeling better!

I'm continuing correspondence with Colleen (granddaughter of my Aunt Ruby (Daddy's sister)...We are exchanging snippets from the past about our memories of aunts, uncles and cousins...So many questions and virtually no one left with the answers...Why is it that we wait until we are old before we delve into this stuff...Anyway it is very interesting reading her stories and thoughts on this big extended family...At least it gives us a chance to become acquainted and probably never would have happened without todays technology.

Haven't heard from Rusty so he must be busy and having a good time...Our girls are on a little trip to Seattle where Cienna is representing the Science and Technology camp she attended last summer...I'm sure they will cover this event in Bobi's blog in a few days, so stay tuned...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Celebration...28º

Where to start?..A quiet morning passed quickly as birthday wishes came by telephone and  facebook...At 1pm Herb and I arrived at Arrowhead Chocolates for my Birthday celebration...What started out to be a surprise, changed when Pat was afraid I might not show up?..Anyway space is limited so our group was small...Mocha's and specialty teas were ordered and then a chocolate cake appeared for all to enjoy...Presents opened, photo's taken, laughter, love, fun, friends and chocolate...A special birthday and now an annual event because it was so much fun...My thanks to all for coming and especially to Pat and Brian and Arrowhead Chocolates for making it all happen...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Wendy (the maker of the cake)

Party time

Erica and Bruce

Stewing Hen...25º

Early yesterday morning as the gentle rain added a few snow flakes, the temperature cooled and the breeze picked up...I asked Herb to get a stewing hen from the freezer...Herb has the wood stove going in the basement but another way to bring warmth to the house is to put a chicken on to simmer...All it takes is one old hen, covered with water, 1large onion, several cloves of garlic, celery and broccoli stalks, fresh ginger, sage, rosemary and basil...We enjoyed the smells all day long, while I iced and heated my knee morning and afternoon...When I put the chicken on I also mixed a small batch of bread dough for pizza crust...It rested quietly in the fridge until about 1pm when I shaped a small pizza crust, covered it with roasted tomatoes, sautéed ground beef, Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, green peppers then covered it all with cheese and black olives, slid it into a preheated oven and voilà 15 minutes later we were dining on pizza and salad...Early evening I removed the chicken from the pot (the meat is okay but after simmering all day most of the flavor is in the broth) strained the broth and Herb carried it outside to cool overnight on the porch roof...This morning I will skim the fat, maybe reduce the broth before freezing it in small containers for use on other cold days when we want a homemade bowl of soup.

Today is the big 70 birthday for me...Pat and Brian have invited us to Arrowhead Chocolates for "chocolate of course" a drink and visiting, not sure what else Pat has "cooked up"...Then Herb will take me out to dinner or maybe we will come home and eat soup (at least we know it won't be made from a mix)...My wants and needs are small at this stage of my life, I already have a new pair of red socks, sent an order off to Sierra Trading for a couple of things that will arrive tomorrow and if Rusty can find a spot to get cell service I will get a "Happy Birthday" wish from him...Soooo a warm house, homemade food, relatively good health, family and friends that love me--what more could a girl want ...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Sounds of Fall....44º

I was lulled to sleep last night listening to a gentle rain outside our bedroom window and woke up this morning with the faint sound of wind chimes wafting in the fall breeze...The rain quit before midnight and may return today and might even change to snowflakes before next week ends...Aaah yes the sounds and sights of fall.

I had PT yesterday and limped in, very disgruntled at the way my knee was feeling...Very sore and didn't want to have any weight put on it...Aaron was not happy at this turn of events so to alleviate the pain he massaged then did electrical stim and heat...Sent me home with instructions to ice and heat the rest of the day.

Stopped for a quick visit with Jane, very disoriented but was happy to be in a different room with a view of the mountains...She will be moving to the care center on Monday.

At home before I started to ice and heat, there were 4 gallons of cucumbers soaking in water, vinegar and salt (for the past 6 weeks)...My calendar said it was time to make them into sweet pickles...Herb had 23 pint jars in the dishwasher almost ready...I sliced the cucumbers and he measured sugar and vinegar for the brine, put lids on to heat...I filled the jars with cucumber slices and hot brine...He took care of the rest, lifting pans in and out of the oven, adding lids to the jars and placed them upside down on the table to finish the sealing process...What a team!

A quick dinner of toasted tuna/cheese sandwiches on homemade buns, salad on the side and finally I was ready to ice and heat my knee...So for the rest of the day I passed the time reading while my knee alternated between hot and cold...It is feeling much better this morning so will continue that treatment today!

During the pickling process, Herb brought in our mail and my birthday gift from kids in Portland...Oooh my, a new pair of hand knit sock especially for me from Bobi...What a blessing they were as i'm always freezing when I have to ice my knee so I put the socks on and wore them the rest of the day and with the help of a quilt I stayed toasty warm through the process...Thanks again Bob for my lovely socks....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

"A perfect fit"

Appointments...44º

We were up early yesterday and I fully intended to write a blog before leaving for LaGrande and eye appointments, as there was plenty of time...But in my Inbox came a message from someone that had somehow stumbled onto my blog....So I spent time writing an answer...Following is the message I received:

 I have just found this. I am the grandaughter of Ruby Ashton. I have lost

> contact with most of family. Was always close with aunt Lorene. I have no

> idea where her two daughters, Shannon and Betty Rose are. My mothers name

> was Afton.

> 

> Colleen Barnett Taylor

The blog she found I had written in 2011 and titled "Whislin' Joe" an excerpt from a story about my Dad...It has his place of birth, full name, parents name etc...He did have a sister named Ruby (I don't remember her daughters name), a sister named Lorene with girls named Shannon and Betty Rose...Very likely Colleen Barnett Taylor is a cousin of mine...I answered her message through the blog and hope that she will write back...Would be fun to pursue this and maybe connect with another branch of the Ashton Family...Since Daddy has been dead for 50 years now, all of his siblings have died and we have lost track of much of that side of our family.

We left Joseph by 6:30am yesterday morning arriving in LaGrande early for our appointments at 8:15...We finished before 9am, I had a visual field and Herb was dilated so scans could be taken...I got to be the driver as we made our way to BiMart, Sears, Grocery Outlet and WalMart...11am found us headed out of town, made a stop at Kauffman's Market for dried beans to make chili and decided to try their soup and sandwiches...The prices are inexpensive, soup was okay but had a definite taste of dried potatoes and onions (from a mix)...Sandwich was very tasty but a little heavy on Jalapeño peppers...We topped lunch off with a slice of apple pie alà mode and Herb said, "It was a far cry from the ones I make at home"...Maybe I put words in his mouth but that is what he meant...The little store is family owned and run, very clean and we will stop to shop, but don't think we will have lunch there again. :(    Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Main Street...30º

Not the best photo's of our little city but at least you get an idea...Main Street was revamped a few years ago, some people love it and some think it changed Joseph--Not for the better...The street is lined with planter boxes, bronze statues and sugar maples...For a few days every fall the sugar maples turn to an iridescent red that is breathtaking. Tamarack turns gold in the back ground and in a few days all of these tree will loose their leaves/needles and remain naked for the winter.

Maples red and gold with larch on the mountain

Sugar maples

Write group got off to a good start yesterday, only four of us but Leita was back to entertain us with her vivacious personality...We took time to visit before reading...It was a morning filled with laughter that continued as we ate soup and sandwiches, shared a piece of pumpkin cheesecake four ways and nearly blew away as we raced back to our cars...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Busy Writing...52º

Here is a paragraph from todays writing assignment...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

My favorite meal though was our evening meal called supper. Late evening after the cows had been milked, chickens fed and a myriad of other chores completed, our family gathered around the small oak table late in the evening. The meal before us was now a simple meal, usually bread and milk, cheese, fruit and leftovers from dinner. Each person took their own slice of bread, broke it into bite size pieces filling a large cereal bowl. Ice-cold milk was poured over the bread and topped off with thick cream, maybe a sprinkle of sugar was added. Not only was this a tasty meal but it took little concentration to eat and the conversation flowed easily around the table as we discussed our days activities. Everyone helped in clearing the table, doing the few dishes before we retired to the living room with bedtime soon to follow.

Rain...50º

Awakened by the sounds of a light rain and wind chimes playing their song from the front porch...It is a welcome sound as I snuggle back into the covers, doze off, then wake again, stretch and climb out of bed...It is 4:30am, Herb is up, coffee done, our morning starts.

My eye feels better but still has an annoying "shadow" moving back and forth...I can ignore it for the most part, blink my eye and it moves to a different spot or move my head and it also changes places...The knee is acting better, not painful to put my weight on, so will give it a good massage before PT this morning and then let Aaron deal with it and give it another day before I walk one time around the track!

I did some writing and reading yesterday, also surfed Sierra Trading Post for Christmas presents...Since the beef we buy for our kids Christmas is difficult to wrap :), I like to have at least one gift for each to open at our annual celebration...Since John is on a hunting trip in Idaho, Herb gets to look after Dobby, the cat and John's mules...I rode along yesterday as I haven't been to see Barney and Clyde for some time...On the way home I enjoyed the view of Joseph's main street where all the sugar maples have turned a brilliant red...I'm hoping to get a photo today!

The third Monday of the month is here again and time for our book group...So I will go straight from PT to Fishtrap House and our monthly discussion....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Tamarack Turning....43º

It was a perfect day to walk yesterday and it felt so good that I did 3 laps, which might have been one too many...I iced my knee after the walk but I had to be careful the rest of the afternoon as it doesn't like it when I step just right/wrong...Sooooo, I will ice, stretch and rest it today and miss a walk on the track where we have a stupendous view of the Wallowa Mountains and the turning of the tamarack (Larch)...Driving home from PT on Friday I saw a hint of gold on Chief Joseph Mountain, then just overnight the gold is full blown and stands out over the evergreens.

Herb spent his day (off and on) splitting wood in the back yard, adding to our stock pile for years to come...I think of it as money in the bank and a warm house in winter....I made a batch of egg noodles for our dinner, added a jar of beef that didn't seal on Thursday...Yum, reminiscent of years gone by...As a child we had lots of meals from Mom's homemade noodles.

It is warm and breezy this morning, possible rain tonight...More fall chores to do today along with laundry, cleaning and cooking...Wonder what's for dinner?...Hugs To All...OWAV:) Photos' taken from the internet

Fall

Spring

Day To Rest...46º

Yesterday morning was cleanup time...Herb carried full jars to the cellar, gas stove and pressure cooker was put away...I cleaned up the kitchen and started breakfast...A big breakfast was in order for all of us...Herb fried bacon, I did hash browns, eggs and warm cornbread with honey butter...We gathered around the table for breakfast before I left for a lap around the track, Herb was soon on his way to Enterprise to mow Pam's lawn and Rusty left for his hunting trip in Idaho.

A slow walk around the track on our last sunny day for awhile, turned into two laps...It felt good...I left Pat to continue at a faster pace and stopped at my friend Margaret's for an overdue visit...Her son Kyle is here from Gresham for a few days so the 3 of us rehashed old times, when he was a student at JO HI and his mother and I both worked in the kitchen, she was my boss...Over the years that we worked together we became good friends...I think of those as the "glory days" when lunches were made from scratch "homemade comfort food"...The early morning smells of hot rolls emanated from the lunch room and peaked appetites...Students and staff soon gathered at long cafeteria tables fueling their bodies for afternoon classes.

Back home I was feeling particularly lazy and the need to recoup from the canning frenzy...Our big breakfast sustained us way past our normal dinner hour, so Herb and I snacked our way into the evening on whatever called to us.

The afternoon sun soon faded behind clouds and rain showers started about dusk, dampening the parched earth...That is a start and we can only hope for more soaking rain in the weeks to come...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

The end of the blooms.

Canning Marathon...41º

The Looking Glass Bookstore (new and used) in LaGrande is a treasure...I have been a customer for many years, first when it was called "Earth and Books" owned by Jessica....Now with a new name and a new Jessica as the owner, I love going there and today introduced Pat to this store...We spent over an hour, browsing, comparing notes, each buying a book, taking down a few titles, hoping to find them on our "Sage Library System"...Pat heads the car out of town, through Island City and one last stop at "Kauffmans"...A small store managed by Mennonites, featuring bulk items, fresh and frozen local foods, a small eatery with soup and sandwiches...We browse and plan a return trip to try out the lunches...We retraced our path arriving in Enterprise on time for Pat's acupuncture appointment...A fun day enjoyed by both of us.

My PT went well Thursday morning, under Aaron's guidance I will continue exercises to strengthen my leg...I'm using the cane less and plan to do 1 lap around the track today as a start and hope to get back into the daily walking routine.

This is the time of year to clean out our (us and John & Becky) freezers...We both have beef and deer that once it is thawed and chunked goes into jars, then we preserve it by pressure cooking...That makes  room in the freezers for this years meat and on the cellar shelves we will have jars of meat ready for a quick family meal...Most people think I'm crazy (maybe so) but I like canning of all kinds...Herb has become a willing partner and without him I couldn't begin to do all the lifting of jars up and down our cellar steps or setting up the gas stove outside the kitchen door and on and on...I try to do it in small steps but yesterday it snowballed as I always try to do full canners and late afternoon instead of calling a halt after we started the 3rd canner, I said, "Don't we have leftover soup bones, with lots of meat on them in the freezer?"...We thawed them, and ended up with the 4th canner also full, ready to go on the heat at 5pm...By that time we are tired and cranky, Rusty and John are not home yet...So while Herb watches the canner I start the meat and sauce for enchiladas, leave it to simmer, ready when they walk in the door...Herb empties the last canner at 8pm and I wash the outsides of 48 jars...We leave them on the counter for labeling in the morning...A good nights sleep and all will be well...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

A Days Work

Road Trip, Eye Appointment...41º

Eye appointment relieved my mind, but didn't give me a lot of answers...My symptoms: 1. There seemed to be a spider either on the rim of my glasses or on my eyelashes...2. A tiny light keeps flashing by the corner of this same eye...Dr Pettit looks deep into my eyes, looking at every angle possible with magnifying lenses...He finds no tears (pull or rip (something) apart or to pieces with force) but says there must be something stretching or pulling in there, maybe breaking off more floaters...As far as the light I see--If the light only comes in flashes in the dark, not to be concerned, but if the light comes on and stays on then I need to see him NOW...I've alway been one who likes the "light" as in the light dawns, I love to see the sunrise (light) every morning...Normally I don't like flashing lights (as on the top of a police car or on an ambulance (scary lights)...But for now I will live with my little flashing light and hope it never morphs into a steady light and a rush trip to Dr Pettit...We will keep a close eye on the eye and I have an appointment to see him again in 6 weeks.

Now for the fun part of the trip...Chauffeur Pat at the wheel, picked me up at 8:05am, I chose the time...In what seemed like mere minutes we were speeding out of Wallowa and around the curves in the canyon...Fall colors surrounded us, as we made our way up Minam grade, over Cricket Flat and in record time we arrived at the LaGrande city limits....Well actually not record time but it seemed that way...The conversation was non stop, with Pat occasionally coming up for air, I jumped in and continued the train of thought or started off on a new tangent...Then she took her turn and away we would go again!..The two of us never seem to run out of things to talk about.

First stop is Grocery Outlet, then WalMart...Now up the hill to Dr Pettit's office...Pat leaves me off and goes on her own to downtown, frittering away the time in a furniture store and an antique shop, waiting for my phone call...Next it is time for lunch and we have chosen a small Greek take out...We each order the special "Lamb Chops with potatoes, flat bread and a side salad...We ooh and aah over the smells and soon are devouring lamb chops and chewing on the bones, getting every last bit of garlicky flavor before turning to the green salad with a tart lemon and oil dressing...We finish by "licking our chops" and cleaning our hands and faces but I'm sure still smelling like we have been immersed in garlic nirvana...We headed for the "Looking Glass Book Store"...To be continued, I must get to my PT appointment at 8am...OWAV:)

Passed the Test...38º

Arrived at the DMV, 2nd in line...The person in charge was out with a customer, giving a driving test...I visited with the lady seated next to me and then realized I could be filling out paperwork as the forms were all displayed on the wall...New regulations have been passed and even though I have had the same license, in the same state for nearly 40 years I must have in my possession a certified birth certificate or a passport, and two pieces of ID with my physical address on them in order to prove that I am who I say I am!..Also I must have an eye test and have my photo taken...Form is filled out, signed, photo taken and eye test passed (it is a joke)...I write a check for $40.00, get a temporary license and 45 minutes later I'm out the door...My new shiny, plastic license with photo (deer in the headlights shot) will arrive in the mail in 10 to 14 days and I'm good for another 8 years.

OMG...The expiration date on that license will be 2020, just a few years from now or is it a lifetime from now?..The scope of what will have changed by then is mind boggling...Herb and I will chug along in life, except for changing health issues as we age...Our kids world is faster paced and changes even more...The most dramatic change though is our 14 year old Cienna could be finishing college in 2020...That blows my mind!..From 0 to 20 at warp speed...Put on the brakes!

Speaking of health issues, my knee is healing, i'm walking more normal but my right eye has decided to have a twitch...At first I thought it was a new floater showing up but it feels different so I called Dr. Pettit's office, and have an appointment for 11:15 today, in LaGrande...Herb of course said he would drive me and I said that would be good, but maybe I'll call Pat and see what she has on her agenda...So Herb will be staying home to finish chunking meat to can and Pat and I will make the trip to LaGrande, with a little shopping, lunch and my appointment...Keep me in your thoughts, eye issues are most scary...Hugs to All....OWAV:)

The Hunt Goes On...37º

My PT appointment went well yesterday with Aaron doing an evaluation, checking the strength of the knee and leg compared to what it was on my first visit with him...I was able to do 10 minutes on the treadmill, then he measured, took notes and massaged the knee and surrounding area...He was somewhat concerned about the bruise on my leg and consulted with Ann, also a physical therapist...The mutual consensus was a pressure bruise caused from "restraints" holding my knee during surgery...I need to be aware, watch for swelling or pain and call the Dr. if that happens...My treatment is to keep icing, use the cane if needed but also do some walking...Maybe a slow trip around the track with Pat...That would be good therapy for my body as well as my soul!

I returned home after a brief visit with Jane (her care level has changed from comfort care to rehab, decisions have to be made by her family, as to what happens next)...It breaks my heart to see her so frail and confused about what is going on and wonder why she has to suffer.

At home I busied my mind and hands with the process of cutting meat (beef and deer) for the canning process this week...This is a good way to clean out our freezers and stock the cellar shelves with meat for winter meals.

I cut up a fryer for our favorite oven fried chicken, added cheese to leftover sheep herder potatoes, scraped leftover squash out of the shells into a casserole dish, packaged rolls in foil...Now everything was ready to go into the oven for dinner...John and Rusty arrived after a day preparing "stuff" for the upcoming hunting/camping trip to Idaho...Things became a jumble as it was time to eat and John had spotted a deer in the "back forty"...He filled his tag, dinner was postponed about a half hour, we ate and then the guys finished taking care of the deer, now hanging in the garage...Evening ended with bedtime at 9pm...On my agenda today is write group and I must jump through the hoops to renew my drivers license at the DMV....Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Sunday...34º

I woke yesterday morning finally dragging myself out of a nightmare that seemed to have been going on half of the night...Quite often I still dream about my days working in the cafeteria at Joseph Schools...For the most part those were happy days, doing a job I loved but when I dream about that time I awake in a state of agitation because nothing is going right...I had arrived late for work to find meat for lunch frozen solid, my staff  failed to show up and before I could get anything even started to cook the bus arrived with hungry students...These things never happened in real life so it boggles my mind that now almost 20 years have passed and I dream these crazy dreams...The point of this rambling is; The mood I wake up in kind of set the tone for the day...I didn't want that to happen.

I settled in my chair, coffee cup in hand, did my morning puzzles (to keep my brain stimulated) wrote my blog and then started to write on my essay...My mind calmed, I iced my knee, the "guys" were up and moving, we each got our own breakfast, they had cinnamon rolls, I had 1/2 a cinnamon roll and leftover soup...Then we made plans about what we would have for dinner...I said chicken, Herb said he would BBQ steaks, I said fine, less work for me...An apple pie was mentioned, I said I was thinking of berry pie...Morning just kind of "bumped" along like this, I showered, then put the black berries out to thaw...John showed up, he and Rusty were hungry, so I added to the "must go" soup, made cheese bread, cleaned up the mess and stirred sugar and tapioca into the berries.

Rusty had a project working on camp stoves for the upcoming hunting trip to Idaho with John...Herb was doing laundry and in between loads I gave him a haircut...He said he would get the apples, I said, "We just had six apple pies" He said, "I know, your apple pies are so good."...I took the pie crust (made out of bear fat) out of the fridge to soften, peeled the apples and did one of my half and half pies...This is a deep dish pie, apples, sugar and cinnamon nestled to one side then I gently laid a strip of pie crust against it and added the berries and sugar to the other side...Since this pie crust is soooo rich I carefully rolled it out and cut it into triangle shapes and decorated the top of the pie, slid it into the oven.

Now what to have with the steak?...Baked potatoes, squash and hot rolls sounded good...Dinner was wonderful and we were all so full that a "sliver" of pie was all we could manage...Rusty decided to save his for breakfast, I had berry, Herb had apple and said, "I don't care if my apple pie is red, as long as there are no seeds in it."....Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Cutting up...32º

Saturday morning Herb and Rusty started the job of boning deer and bear, then cutting and packaging it for the freezer...I fixed a pan of tomatoes, onions, peppers and herbs to pop in the oven, slow roasting while I went to Enterprise and lunch with friend Ruth, who is leaving for the south on monday.

After a relaxing afternoon Herb started a pan of sheepherder potatoes and onions in the dutch oven and Rusty coated deer and bear steaks in flour and fried them for our supper...I added a fresh cole slaw and we all agreed, potatoes seasoned just right, meat tender and juicy, coleslaw fresh and sweet, we enjoyed an excellent meal!

After Fridays final crew-cut on the flower beds, readying them for winter one of my favorite plants "Joe Pye Weed" still stands stately and tall, swaying with the breeze...Joe Pye slow to come through the ground in spring, does not have a showy flower, but his size over 8 feet tall makes him stand out head and shoulders above all other plants...Joe Pye doesn't take much care, a little shade, some extra water and he happily grows tall, with blooms on hollow stalks in September and October, the last blooms of summer....Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Joe Pye Weed

Saturday Morn...28º

Such a busy Friday...I had made plans to spend a quiet morning at Pat's perusing information on a workshop "A Roundup of Words" being held in Pendleton the end of this month...Do we want to go?..SURE, Is it really beneficial?...MAYBE, Can we fit it into our busy schedule?...OF COURSE!

My morning took an abrupt turn when Pat called and said, "How about if I call Amy and see if she can meet us for lunch and we can do a 'We 3'"...Sounds good to me because I think I will spend the morning at the hospital sitting with my friend Jane as she is now able to have company.

I headed for the shower, Rusty prepped the corned beef to start cooking at noon for an evening meal...Herb started cooking an egg scramble and toast for our breakfast and said he would get all the veggies peeled to add to the corned beef late in the day...We ate breakfast, I was soon out the door to be with Jane and meet Pat and Amy for lunch back in Joseph at 1pm...The guys had the morning planned for them to work outside doing the final deadheading of all the plants in the flower gardens.

I spent a quiet morning with Jane, trying to make her a little more comfortable, wondering why the CNA's weren't more attentive?..A mutual friend also came to visit so we were able to engage Jane in more conversation...After being very ill, her thoughts are jumbled and words don't come easily...I left there about 12:30, made my 1pm lunch date where "We 3" had our usual stimulating conversation, lots of laughter and left looking forward to our next lunch.

At home, I felt exhausted, the guys were relaxing, the corned beef was almost done...Becky, John and Pam had been invited to share the corned beef dinner...About 5:15 Rusty said, Mom should we start the vegetables?..I came out of my fog, dinner was scheduled for 6:00...A whirlwind of activity took place, Rusty worked on the carrots and cabbage, I cut up the potatoes and onions, Herb set the table, got out the extra chairs and voilà, a pleasant evening with friends...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Driving...28º

Here is an excerpt from a story I started this morning...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Starting at about age 10 Daddy taught me to drive the old farm truck while he threw hay off of the truck bed to our hungry bawling cows. The truck was put in “compound” or 1^st gear with the clutch engaged, then slowing letting out the clutch and steering, the truck would creep around the pasture while he threw off the hay. Easy, you might think. At the time I was approaching a height of 4'10", my legs barely reached the 3 pedals, gas, brake and clutch. Scooted way up on the edge of the seat almost able to see over the steering wheel I was ready. Daddy now on the truck bed, pitchfork in hand, gave me the signal. I let out the clutch but forgot to give it any gas and killed the engine. I tried again but with my short legs it took a few tries before we were finally off to a jerky start bumping over the ruts and old cow pies, Daddy still keeping his balance, he in control of the pitchfork, I circled the pasture until all the hay was gone. Whew, I promptly pushed in the clutch, turned off the key and scooted over to the passenger side and let him drive us back to the barn. 

Preparing for Winter....30º

The smell of garlic permeates the house...Herb has been busy the past two days, peeling, slicing and drying this odiferous herb...After the drying is all done he will do the final step of running it in the cuisinart until it changes to a dry powder form suitable for winter use...For many years we kept the garlic in the cellar using it fresh all winter and then in late spring when it was all sprouting we added it to the compost pile...Now we use and share every last drop of it until next summer when the new patch is ready to harvest.

Rusty spent several hours yesterday trimming the bear carcass and rendering the fat. Some of it will be used for boot grease but most of it will be for pie crust..

I made an apple/cinnamon pull apart cake yesterday but think I would rather have apple pie, not as much work from my point of view...Must get busy, day is wasting....Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Checkup, Bear Hunting...30º

Stitches removed, PT scheduled, back to the Doctor in 3 weeks to see if I need further treatment in the form of injections in the knee to help with arthritis pain...Thinking positive that that won't be necessary...From there Herb dropped me off at the hospital...I planned to have a short visit with Jane but instead I visited with daughter, Linda and son in law, Tom as Jane was sleeping...We caught up on family news and I left planning to see Jane on another day when she is more alert.

My taxi (Pat) picked me up at the hospital turn-around and we were soon gathered around the table at "Cloud Nine Bakery" for Write Group...Five of us reading and discussing...Exciting news is a chance that we can have a regular weekly meeting place in the new "Arts Center" in Joseph...Much easier for all if we know where we will meet and they even have a small kitchen so we can potluck our lunches!..Then we said our good-byes to Ruth who will be leaving for a warmer climate for the winter.

Late afternoon Herb fixed our last BLT of the summer then he and Rusty cut up Herb's deer and Rusty was off on the 4-wheeler to see if he could get his buck...Well not only did he get a deer but filled his bear tag as well...His excitement showed as he quickly started the hard work of dressing both animals to hang in the garage and cool out over night...This means one less bear in our neighborhood as they have become a nuisance this summer.

Rusty's first bear

Not sure what is on the agenda for today, hunting is over, Brian delivered one of Pat's luscious meat loaf's for our dinner this afternoon...Maybe its time to eat Bon-Bon's....Hugs to All...OWAV:)