Marathon Over...27º

It was another long day...Started about 6am, finished the 4th canner after 6pm...The guys went for a load of wood while I watched the afternoon canners...We celebrated with a shrimp and steak dinner...Rusty and I prepped and cooked, Herb took care of setting up the card table in the living room so we could eat at a table instead of on our laps...Everyone finds a job to do and we move effortlessly around each other in our small kitchen...Only thing missing was our "Portland Girls"...We look forward to spring break when they can join in the "FUN"....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Start

Finish

Celebrate

Rejuvenation...31º

Yesterday was a day for resting the body, after the marathon day before...Herb did work as he hauled all the boxes of canned goods down to the cellar before he and Rusty took my shopping list and headed for Safeway...I gathered my writing materials and was off to the Josephy Center...The Center was hosting an Artists meeting of some kind downstairs so we explored the upper rooms...Found one with windows looking out at the Eagle Caps and doors that could be shut all around...Perfect!

Such a varied group we are, we spend much of the time visiting about our different life styles and experiences...I opted out of lunch and came home to slice and dice veggies...Rusty started a ham in the oven while I put together some scalloped potatoes...Then we started work on the veggies...Two large tupperware bowls are full of celery, carrots, onions and peppers...To this we will add some frozen beans, corn and garlic when we fill the jars..Tomato juice, mixed with broth will be the liquid...We will add cooked turkey to some of them but most will just be vegetables and the meat (canned) can be added when it is reheated for a winters meal.

I was up this morning at 4am, filled the dishwasher with jars and now have finished all my scrabble games, chatted with Pat (on eastern time)...Will close this blog, get dressed and start stuffing jars...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Marathon...27º

First canner started at 8am, last one turned off about 6pm...The gas camp stove ran continuously all day long....Never turned it off just removed one canner and placed another full canner over the flame...None of us cooked a meal, if we got hungry we made a sandwich or ate a snack, whatever we could find. At 5pm we called and ordered pizza, opened a beer and sat in the living room to eat because the kitchen table is covered with 65 jars of various sizes, filled, processed and ready to be marked, boxed and carried downstairs to the cellar...Today will be a day off from canning, while I go to write group...Tomorrow we will can some more, playing with different things to put in soup and sauces to go with last years ground beef...People ask, Why do you do this?..The only answer I have is because I enjoy it!...Below are a few photos...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

All Done

Broth, Soup, Ground beef, Turkey

Soup

Work/Reward...18º

Hard work brings rewards...Turkeys boned, bones simmered, broth cooling, dishwasher full of jars, 6am and I must get moving...By tonight we will have; jars of turkey processed and ready for the cellar shelves, turkey broth and maybe even some turkey soup...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

An excerpt from "Siblings"...

I was 7 years old when George started dating Marlene. Marlene's Mother, Myrtle owned a hotel and I spent a day or two visiting there. I was in awe of the hotel (never having been in one) with its staircase to the bedrooms upstairs reserved for guests. I accompanied Marlene to school, where all of her friends exclaimed over me and made me feel special. That night I slept in one of the hotel bedrooms and the next morning Marlene fixed a special breakfast. Plate size pancakes, with a choice of pineapple sherbet or syrup on top. I ate two pancakes topped with sherbet that morning. 

Later when I was about 16 years old, my Uncle Harold introduced me to a new topping for pancakes, peanut butter. Over the years I consumed "gallons" of peanut butter. Mom bought it especially for me in #10 cans, which had to be stirred and stirred to incorporate the oil back into the peanut butter (before hydrogenation). For a period of my life she claimed that peanut butter was my main diet. She gave me the "look" when I spread peanut butter on my pancakes the first time, but since it was her brother’s idea she decided it was okay. To this day it is still a favorite and especially when I have homemade huckleberry preserves on top! 

I've thought several times about having pancakes with pineapple sherbet, but know that they would never taste as good as they did that day long ago when a wide eyed girl of 7 ate one of the best breakfasts of her life.

Cloudy, NO Fog....23º

Had a successful bread making day yesterday... Fry bread and soup for dinner and restocked the freezer with several loaves...Maybe I will keep feeding the sourdough and make another batch after the turkeys are canned...Herb plowed snow in the morning, maybe two inches fell but it was very wet and is nice to clear it out so we don't have to deal with a sloppy or frozen mess later on.

Looks like a partly sunny day as the sun is peaking through...I have to think of an easy meal for afternoon when Rusty arrives and now I must get stated on boning the turkeys and boiling the bones.

I made some headway on my essay yesterday and will try to include a paragraph or two in tomorrows blog...It is about siblings...What to write, what to imagine and what to leave to the readers imagination?..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...Question to all you Utah readers...I visited North Summit High School with my sister in law Marlene when I was 7 years old...School Mascot was the braves and I remember an Indian head in the floor of the school that we looked at from the balcony...I checked history of the school and indeed the Indian head (now displayed in the gym) wasn't something I imagined, but nothing is said about a balcony...Anyone familiar with the NSHS?

Foggy....32º

The temperature rises and the fog moves in...We had a fun lunch yesterday, catching up on the news of old friends...Topics of conversation were the length of time that hearing aid batteries last...Who had the last knee surgery and who is scheduled next or was it cataract surgery?..Is anyone going south for part of the winter?..Who is still driving a car with maybe one good eye?..Oh the joys of getting old, nice that we can still laugh about these infirmities in "Other" people and think we still have most of our faculties.

Not much to write about today and in the days to come we will be canning turkey, so you get to hear all about jars, pressure cookers, Herb making umpteen trips up and down the stairs...Rusty coming home, an occasional moment of levity but mostly just my blathering!...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

1952 snowbank in Lake Fork Idaho

Old Friends and Lunch...32º

So nice to have the temperature rising a bit...On Wednesday we had freezing rain in the County as we transitioned into a "warm sunny" day yesterday...Snow and rain predicted today and the rest of the week...A welcome change from the near 0º that we've been having...It is much easier for Herb to keep the fire stoked and the house warm.

Today we join friends at the R & R (cafe) in Joseph for our annual lunch...Old friends that I worked with at the Joseph schools from 1977 to 1995...We have a great time reminiscing about the good ole days, eating, laughing recalling the good times and now are even able to laugh about the bad times...Those later years when administration was changing, money became more scarce and tension crept into what had been a family atmosphere...Enough said, it is better to remember the happy times...Hugs To All...OWAV.  Below is a pair of sled dogs from the Eagle Cap Extreme Race.

Add caption

Games we play...30º

My head was spinning as I trudged up our hill from the neighbors...Marsha hosted their regular pinocle club at her house and asked me to sit in as a sub, something I've done one other time...I know all the ladies who are regulars so feel comfortable with them...The game is different than I'm used to so have to pay attention to the cards, trying not to make glaring mistakes...These ladies don't seem to worry about mistakes, they are there to visit and have a good time and the cards seem secondary.

Common questions are; What is trump again? Who led that ace? Is it my turn to deal? Did you count that right? Are you sure you took that trick? and so on...So my silly questions fit right in, I feel at home...Scoring of the meld is done so fast that I'm still trying to see if I have anything to lay down, while they are ready to start the play...What makes my head spin though is that all the time they are playing cards they are talking about (example) what restaurant has the best tacos in the county, does the bowling alley have a buyer?..Their latest trip to Vegas, how long is the strip, where are the best shows?..Did you know that the Lostine Tavern closed?..Someone bought Crows store in Lostine, a local boy went to New York, now has money and is moving back...Wonder is it is a tax write off?..Is it ever going to warm up?..I'm so blankety blank tired of this cold weather! OMG

This kind of conversation, laughter and expletives continued for 4 & 1/2 hours...We played two games took a brief intermission between games for stretching and cherry crisp...Everyone was drinking, but would you believe only TEA or WATER...I made my way home, just starting to get dark, wind blowing, maybe clearing my head...My partner and I won both games, I took only one bid but had great helper hands...I needed a drink but settled for food, I was ravenous and exhausted...The second time Herb saw me looking in the fridge, He said, "Are you eating again?" What could I say?...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Sunset over twin peaks

Red Horse Coffee Company...15º

Had lunch at this small cafe in Joseph yesterday...The Red Horse opened early last summer with coffee drinks, smoothies, baked goods and a few breakfast quiches and wraps...It has now expanded to lunches with soup of the day and panini sandwiches...For many years it was a small home on main street situated along a canal...It has housed other businesses, been a rental and now the Red Horse with kind of a Spanish decor...They have ample seating indoors for winter and patio and lawn seating in the summer months...It has become a regular place for "Yuppie" locals and others...What drew our write group there yesterday was "HOMEMADE" from scratch soups and sandwiches, sweet breads and cookies...So many places in this day and age tout homemade, but neglect to say that it is a mix that they reconstitute with water and maybe add a dollop of butter on top of the soup...Our food was tasty yesterday and it did taste homemade, time will tell as we have more lunches there and try different menu items.

Herb called late afternoon when he and John got back to Enterprise with the horses and mules to say they were in and maybe did I have anything in the way of food...I quickly sliced 3 onions and started them sautéing with butter...A pint of chili was heating in a pan...Burger made into patties....Fixed sourdough bread with garlic butter ready for Texas toast...Made an old fashioned salad of cottage cheese, pear half on top over a bed of lettuce, with a dollop of blue cheese dressing...Set the table, and when they walked in the door I toasted the bread in the frying pan, then it went into the oven to stay warm with the onions and plopped the meat patties into the frying pan...All ready in just a few minutes...I fixed the plates at the stove, burgers covered with chili, topped with cheese and toast and grilled onions on the side...John saved his salad for last as he said it was too pretty to eat...I had to laugh as this salad was popular in the 50's and isn't seen much now a days, but Herb and I still eat and enjoy it...Only thing missing was the maraschino cherry on top...You've probably guessed that I like feeding John...He eats anything and everything that I place before him, never says "I don't like" or "what's that?"...Just eats with gusto and grins the entire time and thanks me profusely when he and Tate head home.

Have been asked to fill in at pinochle again today, told Marsha they would have to teach me all over again as my rememberer isn't as good as it used to be...Should be a fun afternoon...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Pink Sunrise...5º

Methinks we are getting used to the cold days of January...No longer shocked when the temp reads just a few degrees above 0...Clear skies again, off to the east a pink sunrise awakes the morning.

Book group was relatively quiet yesterday with only 4 of us hardy souls visiting around the Fishtrap table..."The River Runs Through It" and other books written by Norman Maclean...I was in the minority as the other ladies seemed mesmerized by his writing and description..How many different ways can you describe fishing, gambling, fighting and drinking...To me his paragraphs and chapters seem to go on and on and I'm always thinking maybe the next page will grab me...Like everything else it is a good thing that we don't all like the same books or the same food or the same people!..Makes for a more interesting world...I watched the 3rd episode of Downton Abbey last night, not much humor in this chapter.

Yesterday about 1pm when I was making murmurings about fixing dinner, Herb said, "Do you want to go to the Range Rider, where you can have chicken and I can have a chicken fried steak." "Sure." I said...Alas RR is closed on Sunday and Monday, so was Heavenly's, so we went to Safeway, bought frozen shrimp and came home to make our own version of "beach and beef"...Much better than a restaurant meal anyway!

Herb is off for another day with John, getting the last of the stock moved into Enterprise for the rest of the winter...I have write group this morning and we are having lunch at a small cafe "Red Horse" in Joseph where they specialize in quiches, wraps, soups and baked goods....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Cold, Sunny Days....6º

Looks like a couple more cold sunny days in store for the Wallowa Valley...Possible snow in the forecast and a bit warmer but not much...Looks like a good forecast for the annual dogsled races starting on Wednesday the 23rd...Some years have been plagued with warming temps, rain, slush and other years have been blizzard conditions...These mushers and dogs are a hearty breed as they are in training and trying to qualify for the "Iditarod"...Joseph Community Center will be "Race Central" and Joseph's main street will be host to a meet and greet of the mushers and their dogs for children and adults of all ages.

Yesterday was a relaxed day for me, Herb was off with John gathering horses and mules from the winter pasture...They made two round trips bringing in 15 head of stock, left at 10am and arrived home at 6pm where I had dinner cooked and ready for the table...They were two hungry guys and finished off large plates of roast pork, mashed potatoes, sliced carrots and warm bread...John and Tate were soon on their way home and Herb and I in bed by 9pm.

We had messages from Portland where Ci (after having been sick all week) was able to participate with her robotics team at the state competition and garnered a 4th place...Theirs was one of the few all girl teams to take part...So proud of "That Girl".

Rusty at home in Bend will be heading to Joseph by the weekend and looks forward to helping with the next major canning project...Four turkeys in the freezer are ready to be canned or jarred, I guess is the proper term.

I have book group this morning, maybe a stop at Soroptomists and home to write on my monthly essay....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

8AM Sunday...7º

Sun is up, time is wasting or I'm wasting time is more like it...Herb has the sheets washed and hanging downstairs on the clothes lines while I've been catching up on Angry Birds and Scrabble...He has also had breakfast and fixed a lunch in anticipation of an adventure with John today...The horses need to be hauled in from Chico as the winter pasture is getting short.

Last night I joined Pam and Nancy Greene for a "gala" event, the opening of the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture...Now I suppose you are thinking "Gala--Formal Wear"...Wallowa County has its own definition and style for this term...I must say the board of directors had spiffed up a bit and the docents were nicely dressed...The "presenters" were presentable and everyone else was well, dressed!..A few ladies were in dresses, very few in heels...I saw several sport coats on the guys, but nary a tie in sight...Everyone was clean, comfortable and non pretentious, gathered to celebrate a newly refurbished building where talents of all kinds can be displayed and shared with the community...A time to visit with friends old and new...A buffet table laden with finger foods and drink, flute and guitar music in the background...Newly hung art separated the room and the crowd flowed easily in and about, upstairs and down...We looked, listened, visited, snacked, had a glass of wine and did some people watching...The evening flew by and as the crowd thinned, the three of us made our way home under a starlit sky, Chief Joseph Mountain in the background....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

I keep trying to be literary...6º

Wallowa County is in the midst of the "Big Read"...This year they have scaled down the event and are calling it "Wallowa County Reads" and chosen the book "A River Runs Through it" (not on the Big Read list)...This is an acclaimed book (made into a movie) about relationships, alcohol, gambling and fly fishing...It is a short book, I read most of it last night, but it doesn't really grab me...In fact I can't get excited about the events at all, maybe after 7 years I'm just a little burned out on the entire thing...Plus it is really hard to leave a nice warm, comfy house and brave the near 0 temperatures to sit on hard chairs and listen to a speaker no matter how interesting they may be...Am I just getting old and crotchety or what?...I can hardly wait to see what my "kids" have to say about this statement.

The next book on the end table for me to read is "Two In The Far North", non fiction written by Margaret E. Murie about life in Alaska....It's not even 7am and the sky is starting to lighten with shades of pink off to the east, looks like another cold, sunny day in Wallowa County...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Noodles...7º

It was leftovers for dinner yesterday...I had gravy, beef roast, deer steak, sautéed mushrooms and tomato soup...Small portions of each...Possible stroganoff??...But first I needed to start the noodles...Cup of flour, make a well, added two eggs and a pinch or two of salt...Stirred into a soft ball then dumped onto the marble where I kneaded in more flour but left the dough soft...It now rolled easily into two large circles using lots of flour both over and under...Placed one circle on top of the other and rolled into a long tube...Using the dough cutter (bench knife) I cut noodles across the tube, then cut each slice in half making short noodles...(easier to eat)...Separated any pieces that stuck together, added extra flour...Now back to the leftovers...Gravy, beef, deer and mushrooms went into a frying pan but it needed to be thinned...Ahhh the tomato soup will be perfect because my stroganoff recipe calls for tomato paste...Over low heat I let this simmer for about an hour, by then it was a dark brown sauce with chunks of meat, thick and creamy...Noodles went into boiling water, turned off the heat and left for 10 minutes, then drained...Added sour cream to the sauce and served--Sauce over noodles, salad on the side...I think this was the best stroganoff I have ever made!..It was so good I forgot all about getting a photo...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Baking Day...5º--Sunny

Good nights sleep last night, a full 8 hours!...That means I should be up and raring to go but first I have to drink my coffee and get that caffeine fix and write this silly blog...I've started on the 3rd year of writing almost daily and find it fun to go back and see what we were doing on any given day and maybe even get a report on the weather...Following is the first post and the post exactly 2 years ago today.

January 6 2011...It is too early to see the mountains, but soon the sun will rise and cast shadows on the west mountains. In this way it is my treat to watch a sunrise not only in the east but also in the west.  Shadows of purple and pink with the snow glistening in the sunlight, as the light rays moves slowly across until they fade into the distance.  They are covered in snow, cold, luminous, silent.  Mountains so tall they take your breath away.  I love the mountains in this valley where my home has been for nearly 40 years.
 

January 17 2011... We had one of our wind storms overnight, it started about 7pm and continued off and on all night.  At times it sounded like a freight train was coming through the bedroom.  The snow and ice is almost gone and the deck is totally dry this morning. The wind continues to blow.  We have had many of these windstorms over the years, this one being mild in comparison, or maybe it is just because everything that could blow away has done so.  The local rivers are at flood stage and more rain is in the forecast.

Enough reminiscing...I did make cinnamon rolls yesterday and even remembered to take photos...Hugs to All....OWAV:)

Ready for the oven

Baked and frosted 1/2 with orange peel and 1/2 plain.

Sunny...4º

Up in the wee hours this morning and now it is 8am, the sun is starting to shine and I'm just getting to my blog...So far I've played games, read and mixed a batch of dough for cinnamon rolls...In Monday nights paper an article on different kinds of cinnamon rolls caught Herbs eye...He said, "They really sound good."...Basic cinnamon roll dough is all about the same, just different toppings and fillings...After some discussion about one of the ideas of coffee flavored icing, we both decided we would just as soon have regular cinnamon rolls with vanilla icing, along with our morning coffee...I personally like cinnamon rolls heavy on the cinnamon with a light delicate dough and vanilla frosting...I have cream cheese in the fridge so today I will make an icing using that and maybe add a little orange peel for added flavor...Deer steak is on the menu for todays dinner and yep cinnamon rolls for dessert.

Looks like we are in for another sunny day, temperature might get up to 30º, ground is covered with snow that is likely to hang around for awhile...Beautiful winter day in Wallowa County.

Yesterday only three of us showed up for write group but we had a lively discussion and enjoyed soup and bread for lunch...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

"Write"...7º

Write People today...I have been editing my essay from last month so I will have something to read...Now I must get moving and make soup to take for our potluck lunch..I'm making creamy tomato soup from frozen roasted tomatoes, with a warm loaf of bread...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Short Ribs...14º

Short ribs, one of my favorite cuts...I know they are full of fat even from our grass fed beef but oh the flavor...I browned them slowly in the dutch oven, with garlic, salt and pepper...Covered them with the lid and into a 200º oven to simmer...Just enough for dinner for two...A couple of hours later delightful smells were coming from the oven and then the phone rang...John needed a little help at his log deck...Aaah the perfect reason for Herb to change into work clothes and get some fresh air and exercise...Temperature was still hovering at about 14º.

Immediately my brain starts thinking how do I stretch the short ribs to feed three, because John is going to be cold, tired and hungry after cutting two cords of wood...My first thought is stew but no we just had that last week or we could have mashed potatoes with meat and gravy over top but since I would rather bake than peel potatoes, baking powder biscuits come to mind...I separated the meat from the fat and bones, skimmed off the grease from the drippings and made the gravy...The biscuits came out of the oven nicely browned, light and fluffy...I ate mine with apricot jam, meat and gravy, green beans and salad on the side...The guys covered theirs with meat and gravy then had biscuits and jam for dessert...Not much in the way of leftovers and everyone was more than full!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Plant Sitter...3º

Temperature is slowly climbing, daylight lengthening...January is zipping by...Not much to write about today so will share a poem I wrote for the "Write People" last week...I normally do not write poetry so this is really a stretch for me...Let me know if it makes any sense...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

                     Rosemary's Demise                                

She arrived on my doorstep

Dressed all in green.

No hat to adorn , but

She was never forlorn.

She settled right in

Adding fragrance to the room.

Her personality cheery

Why suddenly did she turn dreary?

I noticed a brown needle here and there.

Limbs kind of droopy.

Why was she ailing?

How could she be failing.

Entrusted to my care

she came with high hopes

The winter would soon be over 

And she again in high clover.

After all I have the green thumb

Passed down over the years.

I replenished her with a drink.

That's what you need I think.

I talked to her gently 

Her limbs seemed to lift

I was about to smile, but

Was this her last mile?

Her dress turned to brown

Needles fell to the floor

Death was not kind 

      I wonder will Pat mind?            

Lights Out...1º

Up at 5am, looked at Facebook just about the time that Pat chatted in with a Good Morning...We chatted back and forth, Joseph at 1º, calm, stars shining and Florida Keys at 80º with a lovely ocean breeze...We only chatted briefly while playing scrabble as yesterday we had a good connection on FaceTime and got caught up on our visiting.

As we finished our visit the power went out in Joseph, didn't blink on and off as usual just went OFF...Herb and I were both playing computer games so continued for awhile before he brought up the gas lantern for some light...The house was chilly so we started moving, emptied the dishwasher and I started doing my step exercises which warmed me right up...Power was off about 45 minutes coming on as quickly as it had gone off...Funny how if the power is off I want to do everything and anything that requires power, such as reheat my coffee!

Herb and I went grocery shopping in Enterprise yesterday as we were totally out of fresh veggies...Our cart was full and we were at the end of our list as I looked at the oysters...$7.00 a jar which would make us a nice oyster stew for dinner, then Herb spotted the shrimp...It has been years since we bought shrimp simply because from safeway they are pretty IFFY...and we are a long way from the ocean...The shrimp were large, ten of them in the package, in the cart they went.

Back home I pulled a sirloin tip steak from the freezer, put away groceries, washed, shelled and butterflied the shrimp for later...We had snow flurries most of the day but little snow stayed on the ground.

2pm finally arrived so we could have our Beef and Beach dinner...I chopped greens for a salad, made tarter and cocktail sauce, while Herb set the table and pounded the steak (sirloin tip has lots of flavor but tends to be a little chewy)...I rubbed a little lemon/mayonnaise on the shrimp, dusted them lightly with cracker crumbs...Now timing was everything...Two frying pans heating, (olive oil and butter) I seasoned the steak and cut it into strips...Steak went in first, browned nicely, flipped and taken off the heat...Next the shrimp, about two minutes on one side, turn over, remove from heat, about another minute and voilà, done to perfection...We were in heaven, can't even explain how good this was!..I almost forgot to snap a picture...Might go back to safeway again today....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Most of the Beef and Beach!

Snowy Evening...23º

Late evening snow fell steadily, no wind, just a gentle storm...3 to 4 inches now cover the ground making everything clean and white...Herb will be on the four-wheeler plowing this morning and I can get some fresh air by sweeping the sidewalk and steps...Scattered showers today possible then it looks like a clearing trend.

Yesterdays stew with sourdough dumplings on top, for our dinner, was very good...Late afternoon Herb got a hankering for popcorn...He popped up a couple of batches and split a pepsi between the two of us and we ate our fill...Many years ago popcorn was  eaten weekly on Sunday nights as we watched "Animal Kingdom" and "Wonderful World of Disney".

Ground beef is thawing in the fridge, maybe spaghetti will taste good on this snowy day on Barton Heights...Hugs To All....OWAV:)

Write People...35º

Warmer weather brings breezy conditions to our valley...Possible snow/rain today but mostly just a blustery day...Nice to have the temperature up out of the teens...Maybe we will get a glimpse of  sunshine.

A good day for stew and it just so happens that I have roasted veggies left from Sunday dinner...We've eaten all of the beef roast but happen to have a jar of canned beef on the cellar shelves...I will clean out the fridge of leftover gravy and veggies, add the jar of beef, simmer to heat and maybe add dumplings to the top for a complete meal with green salad.

Yesterday was good for our Write Group...A warm sunny room, at the Josephy Arts Center, maybe a little large for what we need but it will work...The bathrooms and small kitchen is close by...We are looking forward next week to having a potluck lunch and hoping for more members to attend if the weather is better...We toured the building originally built to house the "Bank Of Wallowa County" in the 80's...If my memory serves me correctly the log building came about to pay off the indebtedness of a small lumber company to the bank...In the late 90's, Bank of Wallowa County changed its name to "Community Bank" started a growth spurt and needed a larger building, so the original log building was sold...The new owners changed it into a restaurant plus small office spaces...The log building  has been empty now for about 10 years and recently purchased to house the Josephy Arts Center and provide a venue in Wallowa County for anything to do with arts and culture...Classes of all kinds will be taught there, art shows, musical programs will entertain and groups like ours will have a place for our weekly meetings...It is a unique and beautiful building and needs to be used, of course all of this costs money and the board of directors are actively pursuing grants and private donations for this purpose....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Some Snow...27º

LaGrande got 4", we got maybe 1"...Fellow writer Annette emailed to say she wouldn't be leaving her snowy abode in "Cricket Flat" as even the mail person hadn't made it through the drifts to deliver her mail yesterday...Wind warning is out for the entire Union County today and tomorrow, black ice on interstate 84 over the passes...Typical winter weather in northeast Oregon.

Herb and I stayed cozy and warm here on Barton Heights, I made a quick trip to the bank, fixed french dip sandwiches for our dinner, he read and kept the fire stoked...Swept the snow from sidewalks and stairs...It is nice when you don't have to fight the weather.

Write People will meet at a new venue today in hopes of finding a more permanent home, where we can share our writing, get feedback and once again enjoy our potluck lunches...One step at a time, we will check out the facilities today, read our latest story but eat lunch at one of several cafes in Joseph...Wish us well....Hugs To All....OWAV:)

Oh My Gosh...20º

I can't believe i've gotten sucked into a soap opera (upscale)...Yes "Downton Abbey" season 3 started last night...I went to bed early thinking I would just wait for the dvd's to arrive at the library then I would watch it at my leisure....Herb and I were up very early this morning 4am...I did scrabble games and then took a look on my laptop at OPB...Downton Abbey was begging me to open it and see at least the previews...Of course I tapped on full screen and closed caption so I could catch all the words but still hear the English accent and the volume was low enough not to bother Herb and I watched the entire first episode...Of course I love Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess of Grantham (Lady Violet) and now we get to see Shirley McLain as Martha Levinson (the American mother of Lady Cora) who has arrived from America for her granddaughters wedding...These two ladies exchanging barbs, one trying to better the other, makes me chuckle...Besides that there is all the drama of not only Upstairs but Downstairs as well...It is fun and entertaining, can't wait until episode 2.

The weather forecast is promising or threatening us with a snow storm again but it has failed to materialize so far...Yesterday I made reservations in Phoenix for the "Buddy Holly Story" and one ballgame mid-week when Mona and Jerry will be there...John and Pam joined us for dinner late afternoon...Now I must get on with my day...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Musical?...14º

This morning I've been surfing the net and the Arizona Broadway Theatre for tickets in March when we are in Phoenix...Tickets prices have tripled since the first show we saw about 10 years ago...Although we have enjoyed the dinner shows, they now offer with or without dinner and thinking we might go without since the food two years ago was only mediocre...AND Mona and I are such great cooks and we like to cook we may just do our own dinner...Oh yes Mona and Jerry are going to join us for the week in Cave Creek (north of Phoenix)...Looks like the timing will be just right for the "Buddy Holly Story" on a Sunday afternoon...Next I will start looking for Spring Training baseball tickets, so we can all go to one ball game together...We do eat dinner there although the sausage dogs are priced way out of the "ballpark".

Yesterday I "tackled" the job of cleaning, throwing away and reorganizing my pantry...Tony built the pantry in an old closet when he did the major remodel of the main floor of our house in 1990-91...It is only one of the many things from that remodel that has made our nearly 100 year old house more enjoyable...Tony was a fine craftsman and a special friend.

Time is wasting, I must get moving...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

What to do...8º

Christmas decorations and lights are boxed up and put away for another year...Not sure what I will work on today.

Looks like another clear, cold day today...Yesterday was cold, clear and beautiful...Sun poured in the south windows so Herb and I sat reading soaking up the rays...I made chicken/rice soup out of the leftover chicken with toasted tuna/cheese sandwiches and a mincemeat pie for our dinner...Herb is the only one in our family who really likes mincemeat so I had homemade mincemeat from our friend Janie and it did make a yummy pie topped with ice cream....We decided to share the rest of the chicken soup and a small piece of pie with Pam--should be good for laryngitis...

Did a few errands in Enterprise and noticed gas is down to $3.44.9 cents a gallon...Herb said he better fill up the truck....Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Which brings me to another Debunked Truth...

You can prevent colon cancer by eating fiber-rich foods?...Although getting plenty of fiber in your diet is important, it won't help prevent colon cancer!

Frosty Photos...8º

Have a few photos for today...Yesterday I stood on the front porch and snapped shots of the frosty world that surrounds us here on Barton Heights...Finally by late afternoon some of it had blown off but it never got warm enough to melt.

It makes beautiful patterns hanging on every tree and bush and keeps our world in "black and white"...The sun peaked through a few times making everything look surreal...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Healthy Eating...10º

Eating healthy everyday is important but seems to always make the headlines in January when most people are trying to change habits and improve their life in the new year...So here we go again and I wonder what the new buzz words will be in 2013...We've been through, some good some bad "fiber, hydrogenated or not, cholesterol, low fat, no fat, high carbs, low carbs, whole grain, red meat " just to name a few...Quite often we are led astray as in remember when "eggs" were one of the worst foods you could eat and butter was right next to poison...We were "educated" to eat margarine, fake eggs and everything hydrogenated...OOOPS, maybe that wasn't the best thing to do...We are gullible people, ready to believe whatever the experts tell us to do...Whatever the latest study comes up with...We are human guinea pigs...Hugs To All....OWAV:)

I will stop now before this becomes a total rant and rave and quote the following:

 3...Clogged Arteries are mainly caused by high cholesterol foods?..All animal foods, such as eggs and meat, contain cholesterol. However, eating moderate amounts of those foods won't raise your blood cholesterol. You can blame saturated and trans fats (like those fround in packaged cakes and potato chips) for clogging your arteries.

"Foggery"...12º

I know that is not a word but it fits the Wallowa Valley today...This is when we wish for a little wind to clear it all out but I have to be careful what I wish for.

Not much going on here, holidays are over and time to take down the Christmas decorations and store them away for another year...A time for sorting, cleaning, reading and writing...Also fixing comfort food and staying snug and warm.

We took a little ride to the lake yesterday, checked on the cabin in the woods, wondered about the "polar bears" that take a refreshing dip in the lake every New Years Day...Hearty (CRAZY) people out to prove they are tough...That's it for today...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

2. We all need eight glasses of water every day to stay hydrated?.. It's true men need 15 to16 cups of water a day and women need slightly more than 11 cups...For a healthy adult, those amounts can easily be achieved from a balanced diet and just drinking water when you're thirsty--you don't have to stick to a strict eight glasses!

New Years Day 2013....4º

The last day of 2012 was a foggy, frosty day in Joseph...Herb kept the fire stoked and I finished my December essay...Late afternoon we celebrated the year with nacho's made from leftovers...Did some reading and called it a day before 9pm.

Nacho Plate

Up about 4am this morning to puzzles, Facebook and coffee...No big plans for this day, just keeping warm and cozy...Herb needs a haircut...Just an ordinary day...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PostScript: You may find these interesting....I quote the following..

5 HEALTH "TRUTHS" DEBUNKED.

1...Use antibacterial soap to prevent colds???  It's always a good idea to wash your hands often, but the common cold is caused by a VIRUS, not bacteria. That means expensive antibacterial soap is no more effective than regular hand soap at preventing a cold. So sudsing up with antibacterial soap can actually be bad for you. Antibacterial soaps may rid your skin of normal healthy bacteria. 

So instead of pumping out money for antibacterial soap, JUST use REGULAR old soap to stay clean and healthy! 

(Watch for more in the next few days)