????...20º

No blathering today and maybe not until after the first of the year...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Snowy Monday...16º

A little snow on the ground with a few flakes in the air...Looks like a cloudy, dreary day threatening snow but not following through...Not much happening today, more sewing, cleaning, fixing food and working on our calendar for 2016...It will be a few days late, but oh well, I will get it done...Hugs To  All...OWAV:)

Saturday Dinner.

Sunday Dinner.

Lazy Days..20º/Cloudy

Coasting through the remainder of December, thinking about a new year...I've been sorting through photos on the computer trying to put a new calendar together, featuring events of the past year...Always fun to reminisce of days and years gone by and without photos to jog our memories, so much would be forgotten...I have over 900 photos stored on my computer and probably that many more stored in shoe boxes in the closet. (pre computer days)

Many years ago for Christmas, before Cienna was born, I worked for weeks sorting photos and putting together an album for each of our kids...A memory book of them growing up...It was the hit of Christmas that year and I assume it is still enjoyed occasionally by them and Cienna...Without photos it would be had to imagine our parents as children...So all of you pull out an old album and take a trip down memory lane, bound to bring a smile to your face, maybe a fit of laughter and a tear to ones eye....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Just a few photos:

My Parents and Maternal Grandmother

Herb and his parents at his college graduation

Cienna 3 years old?

My Mom as Cienna remembers her.

Post Christmas...19º

Blue sky, puffy white clouds, cold crisp air and a warm cozy house...Our little Christmas tree is still up, lights shining brightly, and it requires minimal cleanup...No dried needles to fall, no strings of lights to tangle into a knotted mess and the spirit of Christmas slowly fades away....Or does it?...I think not...To me the spirit of Christmas is love, sharing, friends, family and it stays in our hearts year round, forever and ever.

Chatted with both our Kids on Christmas morning, before we settled in for a quiet day...Herb took care of prepping the prime rib, while I prepped the remainder of our simple Christmas menu...Meat, potatoes, salad and pie...We set a festive table and waited for the day to unfold...Pam arrived about 3pm...We had time for a Christmas toast before we sat down to eat...A relaxing day to the very end, after a game of cards, we had pie for dessert and called it a day.

I got a little twinge of "longing"when Bobi chatted in this morning and said that her and Ci were off for an after Christmas shopping spree...I gave them my short list and said, "Have Fun!!"...Hugs To All....OWAV:)

Herb showing off his hand

knit Christmas Socks.

Salad

Roast ready for the oven.

Cherry Pie.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL 2015...13º

I guess you could call me lazy today as I repost last years Christmas Greeting, I changed only a few words (Cienna flew home from Thailand instead of Cienna flew to Thailand)  Every thing changes and everything stays the same!

Fresh snow, sunshine, good food and memories...Christmas has been celebrated in many ways at our house, starting with Santa, chimney, toys, cookies and milk,...The yearly hunt for just the right Christmas Tree, hours spent making ornaments, cookies and candy...Grandparents visiting to share in the excitement...Gifts of new sleds and saucers, snow suits, parkas and boots, hand knit mittens and caps...Searching for enough snow so everyone could have the thrill of the hill...Laughter, board games, card games and the favorite Christmas specials on TV...Then the teen years, when new clothes were modeled, records and books, ski's and boots were high on the list...The empty nest brought all kinds of changes as we celebrated Christmas two days before the actual date or even a week later...Now margarita glasses were under the tree, gifts were opened and we toasted the New Year...One year when neither child came on Christmas day, Herb and I took in a movie, "Crocodile Dundee" and dinner in LaGrande...Christmas at the Oregon Coast, a rented house overlooking the ocean, 3 dogs, son, daughter, son-in-law, two sets of parents all joined in the fun...Jumping ahead, Cienna arrived and Christmas took on a new/old look as we did Santa, chimney, cookies and milk!..Sixteen years we had a new focus and the fun began all over again...As she reached the teen years we celebrated "Thanksmas" with less travel and more about quality time with our family whenever we can get together, whether it be July or December..This year it is really "empty nest" as Cienna flew home from Thailand where she is having one adventure after another...We are at home are having a quiet, peaceful holiday and toasting the New Year...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Thanksmas in Joseph

A boyfriend

Back in the pool

With her dad before a date

Cinnamon Rolls...26º

The last water therapy before Christmas with a small group in attendence, was fun and relaxing...After a soak in the hottub I left the pool, temperature was a balmy 40º and a light rain fell on the way home...I made a quick stop at Safeway, thinking oysters for our Christmas eve stew...Seems that a small prime rib jumped into my cart that I had no intention of buying but I know it will taste wonderful after smoking and grilling on the Treager..

While in Safeway, a friendly face peered out at me from under a cap, blond hair pulled back in a pony tail...Two young children vieing for her attention, while she too was at the prime rib counter...It took my brain awhile to process as the mental photo's ran through my head of some 20 years ago...I met up with her again at the checkout counter and ask, "Are you Kjer?" "Yes, I am,"she said, as she introduced me to her children as "The Lunch Lady, who made wonderful food for us at Joseph school." I worked with Kjer's Dad, Nils, at the school for many years, fed her and her siblings, Bob and Kim all those years as well...Nils, a swell guy who loved his sweets was a regular visitor to the kitchen for lunch....But on cinnamon roll days he made more trips to the kitchen and swore us to secrecy as wife Sheila was always watching his diet...We had many good laughs and Nils many good cinnamon rolls over the years!..So today I send hugs to the Ames family, enjoy your Christmas with family and so good to see you Kjer and relive the memories....Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Still making them.

More Snow...20º

I get the feeling when people ask me if our kids will be home for Christmas and I say, "No, we had Christmas at Thanksgiving," that they immediatly feel sorry for us...As if you can't possibly have Christmas without family!..I have to repeat that we "Celebrate" every time we get together, no matter what time of the year that happens to be or, where we meet...Some of our "Celebrations" have been in Joseph, the old home place on Barton Heights, any season...In Portland at Embassy Suites (when Ci was a wee girl) she called this Oma/Papa's big house and loved that we had a swimming pool...Another year we were in Bend at Rusty's house, where Ci slept in her own private bedroom, commonly called a closet...Before Cienna was born we spent a week at the coast, renting an ocean front house in Coos Bay...Other Celebrations have been in Hawaii and Cancun, Utah with the Ashton relatives, at Gramma Greats little house in Elgin, in the Columbia Gorge at the "burger place," or at a cafe or rest stop, any place that we can get together for a few hours, share a meal, play some cards and open a bottle of wine...Life is all about family but I refuse to stress out about having our "Kids" home for Christmas, I find nothing wrong about picking a day, any day and let the Celebration begin...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Our beautiful Wallowa Mountains

Stormy/30º

We had snow, wind, rain and sleet yesterday and looks like more of the same today...It is a winter wonderland outside...I can't help but think of skiing at Fergi, some 20 years ago now...Looks like it should be perfect conditions for Christmas break and family fun, located only 10 miles from Joseph.

While eating dinner yesterday, Herb and I watched three red tail hawks play in the wind over Hayes' field...Looked like so much fun as they circled catching the wind current and soaring off into space...One of them stopped for a rest in the poplar tree in our back lot.

Water Therapy was fun with a different group of people filling the pool on Monday...Pam and I took advantage of the "choose any day or more" this week as we head into Christmas and the New Year...I have write group/potluck luncheon today...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Solstice 2015....24º

Winter Solstice, click on the link for everything you wanted to know and more...The experts are having a hard time agreeing on the date this year...Is it today or tomorrow?...Celebrate one or both which ever you prefer...I for one don't really care as I celebrate the day after as we start the reverse climb back to the longest day...Those few seconds/minutes a day add up quickly for me as I enjoy the added daylight.

Yesterday I fixed cookies for the annual Winter Concert held last night at the Josephy Center...Been going to this for many years now, enjoying the local talent...This concert is all about local people and families singing for their own enjoyment as well as entertaining the crowd...It moved right along, lasted two hours and if someone made a mistake, they paused briefly and gave it another try and the crowd clapped louder, encouraging them on!..I saw and visited with friends that I see only once a year and shouts of Merry Christmas and Happy New Year filled the air as we walked out into the wintery night, Joy abounds...Hugs To all...OWAV:)

Starry Sky...13º/Partly Cloudy

New fallen snow, new snow shovel, perfect day...Herb plowed while I shoveled/pushed the snow from steps, walks and deck...While in Lewiston 3 weeks ago getting our "check engine" light diagnosed, we had time to also check out the new "North Forty" store that has taken up residence in the old Lewiston, Walmart store..It has long been vacant since Walmart moved acrossed the river and built a new store in Clarkston, Washington...North Forty has made good use of this space with well arranged, wide aisles displaying a wide assortment of goods...Clothes to farm supplies and everything in between...After spending an hour wandering aimlessly up and down the aisles we met at the checkout stand, Herb with an "ergonomical" snow shovel in hand..."Our old shovel has a big chunk broken out of it and this one should be easier on the back, what do you think?" he asked..."That looks like a good Christmas present for you," I said, knowing full well that he would be more than happy to share it with me!

I wouldn't like shoveling snow on a daily basis but I do enjoy the occasional snow storm we get in Joseph and enjoy the time outside either in the falling snow or after a storm, clearing the walks, making it safer to get from house to car...Herb likes the 4-wheeler, zipping around, clearing driveways for us and the nearby neighbors...I shoveled twice yesterday, first the 5" of snow overnight and later in the day, sun shining, snow melting I cleared the deck again, thinking about the times that Cienna was here building a snowman and playing in the snow.

After this refreshing exercise I Facetimed with Bobi and Ci, catching up on life in wet/rainy Portland...Ci has finished a term of early college, doing very well with her grades, she is swimming on the Beaverton High School swim team, spending time with Austin, going shopping, to movies and cooking with her mom and friends...She is looking forward to next term when she is enrolled in a drivers ed class, learning to navigate the bridges and freeways of Portland...(At least that is what I think of when I think of Portland driving.)

I spent time in the kitchen, making a huckleberry cheesecake for John's 50th birthday party...We arrived a little before 5pm as John finished clearing their walks and Becky was putting the finishing touches on the taco bar...It was a fun evening, so much food...We, the old folks of the party, left before the card games started...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

And Snow It Did...30º

Up at 5am, couple inches new snow and now at 7am, total of about 5"...Looking more like a white Christmas and although I would love to have Cienna here right now, I'm glad they won't be on the freeways and the push to get to Joseph...I'm already looking forward to our next visit in the warm summer days.

It is just breaking daylight, time to get out of the jammies and outside to shovel/broom the snow, it looks light and fluffy...Maybe a good day to make soup...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Looking out the back door

Different View

Warming...38º/Gusty Wind

Taking the cautious way out, we are spending the day in our warm, comfortable home on Barton Heights...We've looked at the road/weather reports this morning, listened to the gusty wind, peeked out the windows at the shiny surface on the ground and took a vote...Two to zero, it is not life or death, the catalytic converter will have to wait...It might be a decent day to travel, there is no real way to know...The weather forecast for the last week (at least) hasn't been even close to what our weather is here in the valley...The roads within a hundred mile radius of us have been closed periodically the past two days because of fog, freezing rain, black ice and blowing/drifting snow, but here in our isolated valley, it has been cold and breezy with no measurable snow fall and mostly bare roads.

If we were going to Lewiston, we would already be on the road, it is 7am...At 8am I will call Subaru and cancel our appointment.

(I just finished writing these words when Herb came in and said, "It's 38º outside and thawing like crazy, should we go?" I said, "Why not, we can always turn around if it gets too bad..."

In record time we had changed clothes, packed snack food, water, coats, gloves, and boots...Roads were not bad at all, snow pack to Bogans then mostly bare from there...We got there on time, we had a brand new Forester to drive while they worked on the Outback, make a trip to Costco, then picked up our car, had lunch and got home about 3pm...Glad that is done...Drinking a glass of wine and relaxing...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Light snow...27º/breezy

Went to write group yesterday morning, then on to water therapy...Back home in the afternoon Herb was fixing his dinner and I settled for fridge leftovers made into a salad...I finished dipping mints and made turtles out of caramels that Cienna brought for Thanksmas, cut them in half, added pecans and dipped to make that delectable treat...Most everyone I know loves turtles.

Not sure what I'm doing today, chicken is on the dinner menu and I have to think about making appetizers for the annual Christmas Concert at the JC on Sunday...Do I stick with the usual deviled eggs or try something new?..Time will tell.

Looking at another storm system moving our way, will we get snow or not?...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Cold/Possible Snow...25º--All day.

The storm of the weekend kind of fizzled, at least here in Joseph...After snowing all day on Saturday we had enough snow to cover the ground and that was it...Now it is cold and maybe turning to rain by the end of this week.

I called my sister, Mona on Saturday to wish her a happy birthday and she said Salt Lake City was expecting a storm and from the looks of the weather reports they got dumped on...Not unusual for them.

After putting off dipping chocolates for two weeks now I finally got the rolls of fondant out of the fridge, cut off pieces, rolled them into balls and dipped all but the mints...Thinking I might do them this morning...Now we have huckleberry, butter rum, coconut and chocolate creams ready to share...Not nearly as much as I used to do, but it was all I wanted to dip...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Huckleberry before dipping

Different flavors, separated by lines

Easy dinner of home canned

chili over bake potato.

Happening...32º/6am

No snow overnight, but still threatening, high today is 34º...I looked at last years blog to see what had been happening or what I had been "Bitching" about last year...Life was much the same; Days were getting shorter, chocolates need to be dipped, snow predicted but very little falling, a rant here and there, cooking, cleaning and another year drawing to a close.

We are watching Cienna from afar but not nearly as far as we were last year, when she was basking in the warm Thailand weather...This year she is at home in Portland, just finished her first term of early college and is now on winter break/a very rainy Portland break...She is swimming on Beaverton High Schools swim team and doing well...Her Mom tells us that in the first meet, she came in 2nd in both the 200 and 500, losing out on maybe a 1st in the 200 when she missed her last flip turn...I think Cienna is more into improving her times, then her placement at meets will stay high...She is a determined, hard working "Girl," and we are only a little bit proud...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

December in Thailand 2014

December in Portland 2015

Road Trip...27º/starry sky

We have owned 4 surbarus over the years, sedan, brat and two outbacks...They have all given us dependable service, decent milage and 4-wheel drive...The outback we have now with 57000 miles on it is running great but the "check engine light" came on before Thanksgiving...Not to be ignored I stopped in at Alpine Auto where Peter checked to see what code came up to identify the problem.

Who else remembers the good ol' days when you bought a car, took care of regular maintenance, such as changing the oil and replacing spark plugs, put antifreeze in for the winter, kept the gas tank full, occasionally bought new tires and other routine things and in a few years for whatever reason, you traded it in on a new or at least a newer car...There was no such thing as check engine light...No such thing as emission control or cruise control, or anti skid control...Also in the early days when warning lights first started appearing on your dashboard, they were called idiot lights...I think the problem here is Computer Control.

Peter said, "This looks like the code is for emission control (catalytic converter) bad new is that you will have to take it to the dealer (in Lewiston) who will tell you this is the problem and they will have to order parts and you will make another trip BUT the good news is that it is covered under the Federal Government Emissions Control Warranty, or the other possibility is that it is just a bad sensor...Whatever the hell that is!!!!!!!

I must also say here that I hate dealing with "Car Dealerships." I don't like playing their games when you buy a new car or go in for a minor service and come out owing $500.00...I really appreciate Alpine Auto for honest, fair and mostly prompt service but he can't do warranty work...And I wouldn't mind going to Lewiston if it was spring or fall but it is winter!!

Enough of my ranting, we made the impromptu trip to Lewiston yesterday, roads were mostly bare,  it was a sunny, warmish day in Lewiston, worst hazard was lots of deer on and near the North highway...We left at daylight, got back home before dark...The service manager at Kendall Subaru was very nice, took over an hour to pinpoint the problem and yes, it is the catalytic converter...Parts are on order and we will return in a few days or maybe a week, depending on the weather...He thinks the problem may stem from the fact that we do only short trips and never get the car warm/hot enough to keep the catalytic converter burned out...So maybe we should make more shopping trips to LaGrande/Lewiston/Boise/Tri Cities/Pendleton and put an end to the short trips around the county or maybe not!..In the long run it would probably be cheaper to replace the catalytic converter...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Baking Mood...36º

One sewing project finished, another one cut out and ready for the machine this morning...Sorry to keep you in suspense but this is the time of year for secrets.

Along with sewing, I have also been in the mood for baking...Last week it was bread and yesterday as I shredded the rest of the pork roast, I decided to make buns for pulled pork sandwiches...I went with the small batch of "sweet roll" dough...Usually I make cinnamon rolls, but yesterday I first took a small portion of dough, flattened, pulled and straighten it out into a rectangle...Then with the pizza cutter, cut it into small squares...Earlier I had cut small chunks of cheese, mixed them with Italian seasoning, pesto, garlic and now wrapped them in the small pieces of dough and sprinkled chunky salt on top, let them raise, before baking.

Seasoned Cheese Squares

(You will have to use your imagination now, sorry no more photos)..They along with the buns came out of the oven beautifully raised, browned and looking good enough to eat...Some of the cheese had escaped from the little balls of dough, but dipped in a marinara sauce they were all tasty...I had called Becky to stop after work and take what was left of the pulled pork for their dinner and also gave them the rest of the "cheese bombs," as Herb and I didn't need to be snacking on them...In about 15 minutes she called back to say that with John's help the cheese bombs were all gone and they were delicious...Don't know if they ate dinner or not...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Warm/Rainy/Windy...45º

Gusty winds, warm temperatures made for fitful sleep last night...We like a cool bedroom and this time of year that usually isn't a problem, but last night I opened the window, crawled into bed and a gust of wind promptly, shook the house and rattled the open window, threatening to tear it off of its hinges...I closed the window...The wind/rain continued throughout the night and is coming down hard again this morning...I'm not complaining about the moisture, just the wind.

I spent yesterday morning on Christmas sewing projects, making some headway as the December days silently tic away...Water therapy, relaxing as always, laughter, congenial camaraderie made the hour speed by...At home Herb and I dined on slow roasted pork, chunks of sourdough bread sopping up the juices, salad and applesauce on the side...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Rain/Wind...45º

I want to say that rain in December is not the usual weather for Joseph, but then my mind goes back 30 some years to December 1982, and the week before Christmas...It had been a horrible windy/rainy night, but it didn't stop me from walking to work at about 6:45am, just before dawn...A light mist was falling as I spied Margaret nearly to the corner where we met to climb the "school hill."..It was breezy with occasional wind gusts, but nothing we couldn't handle...She unlocked the door and I made my way through the kitchen to the light switch...I realized as I reached for the switch that I was standing in water, so instead of turning on the light I opened the door into the cafeteria, light flooded in and my eyes went upward, upward to a ceiling/roof that was no longer there...The entire south cafeteria roof was gone, blown clear across the school building, into the fields below...School alumni pictures that adorned the walls were now floating in the 3 or 4 inches of water that covered the cafeteria floor...The heavy velvet curtains on the stage billowed and danced in the wind...Need I say that it was all surreal...I don't remember the chain of events after all of these years, but one thing that sticks in my mind was the reaction of the new school superintendent, when I called him to report the damage...He said, "We must call all of the teachers and tell them to stay home."

Of course the buses didn't run and school was canceled but no one stayed home...Teachers, custodians, students, parents and towns people arrived...I'm not sure who took charge, but soon everyone had a job...Contractors arrived on the scene, huge vacuums went to work, sucking up water...The wind and rain returned with a vengeance but it didn't stop the pounding and sawing and by late afternoon a temporary roof covered the cafeteria and repairs had been made to the gymnasium roof...In the kitchen we went to work feeding people...I can't believe that the power was not out but I remember making coffee and we let it be known that we had coffee and cookies for anyone that needed to take a break and warm up...Knowing that Christmas vacation would start a few days early and our traditional ham dinner was canceled, we made ham and cheese sandwiches, to feed the community that showed up when the roof blew off of the school cafeteria.

I would rather see snow in December, but rain is not so unusual and the hope is, that snow is falling on the mountain tops...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Fog Moving in...36º

I awoke to the sound of gentle rain outside the bedroom window, and now hours later, as dawn breaks the fog moves in...It looks like it might be a cold, drizzly day after yesterdays cold but sunny weather...No matter, I have projects to keep me busy.

The sourdough bread I baked yesterday looked more like noknead bread...Every so often that happens and I'm not sure what goes wrong...Could be too much sourdough added, to heavy on the whole wheat...It is edible but not my best...I made a pizza crust and added toppings for our dinner, again it was edible but pretty sad looking...So today I think I will do a sewing project and heat up the soup that is still waiting in the fridge, for our dinner...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Noodle Dough...40º/Breezy/Gusty

An itch to play in the dough yesterday, I quickly mixed egg and flour, added a bit of cream to make a soft dough, easy to roll...Put the ball of dough in a baggie and went on with other chores...I had switched menus from soup (two days in a row) to tuna noodle casserole, using up the last of the baked tuna...As I rolled out the dough, getting it thinner than usual, my mind moved to ravioli, hmmm- 'That might be fun to try.'..Looking in the fridge I pulled out cheese, salami and spinach, cut tiny pieces, made little bundles, and using one sheet of dough, I place the bundles on half of it...Sprayed the entire thing with water, folded the other half over top, cut around the bundles with the pizza cutter, pressed edges together and into the boiling water I placed the ravioli...Nine ravioli in all...With roasted tomatoes from the freezer, I added pesto, italian seasoning, heated and added a little cream...A nice little appetizer...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Ravioli covered in sauce, sprinkled with cheese.

The tuna casserole was much better than

it looks here but not wanting

it two days in a row, we 

shared it with B & J....

Soupy Day...20º

It might be two soupy days in a row...Fog rolling in this morning and soup leftover from yesterday...I reduced the broth from our leg of lamb bone yesterday and made a yummy pot of vegetable/lamb soup...Toasted some of the leftover no-knead bread, butter/garlic added...The perfect addition to soak in the brothy soup...The leftovers seem endless with only the two of us to eat them but make for easy cooking...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

On The Road...33º

Eye checkups in LaGrande had us on the road at daybreak yesterday morning...It was a chilly, frosty 20º morning but at least it was light when we left the house...Weather forecast was for possible rain/snow with winds...The winds blowing on Hurricane Creek road but not bad and off to the East was a most awesome sunrise...I was snapping photos as Herb drove, then posted them to Instagram and Facebook.

First photo.

Last one, as we got close to Enterprise.

It was an uneventful day as we shopped before and after our checkups (Dr. said our eyes remain stable.) Our last stop was a Papa Murphy's take and bake pizza, where I came away with two family size pizzas, one for us and one for the Josephy Center opening "Gift of Giving." At home by 2pm we had no trouble baking and eating half of our pizza, other half went to the freezer...Late afternoon I finished making the deviled eggs, pulled a plate of cookies from the freezer, baked the other pizza, cut it into small squares for easy finger food and delivered it all to the JC at 7pm...I stayed for a few minutes, visiting and viewing the artwork before coming home to do scrabble and an early bedtime...Slept til 6am this morning!...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Winter Sun...15º

Temperatures are inching up, fog receded, sun shining...It is amazing to me that with snow covering the ground, trees filled with frost, when the sun comes out the temperature seems to soar...At 10am it was frosty and chilling cold when I left the house, 1pm when I left water therapy, sun was shining and it seemed almost balmy in comparison...Of course I had just spent 20 minutes in the hot tub before changing into clothes and leaving the swimming pool...How lucky we are to have this convenience, especially for the winter months.

I arrived home to the smell of broth simmering, leg of lamb bone, with celery, onion and garlic bubbling away on the stove...Herb and I were soon enjoying a hot dinner sandwich of sliced lamb, simmered in gravy, alongside salad and cranberry sauce...A simple but tasty meal...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Fishy Week...13º

After canning tuna for 3 days, the smell so unpleasant that we pressure cooked it in the garage, to keep the smell out of the house...Our house still has some lingering odors like fishing docks on the coast...Tuna for dinner, that is the last thing I wanted, but there was a small amount that wouldn't fit in the last canner and it wasn't to be wasted...I decided to bake part of the tuna, like I would salmon and the rest of it fixed more like fish and chips...While the tuna baked, I quickly mixed tartar sauce, and fresh lemon, then fried a few pieces without batter...By the time the tuna was baked, Herb and I had scarfed down the fish and chips and was looking for more...Fish smell or not, we enjoyed our dinner.

Yesterday stayed cold, but sun replaced the fog mid morning to create a magical world, diamonds sparkled at every turn...Pam stopped by about noon, encouraged me to get some decent clothes on and go to the Josephy Center to view artwork by the local photo club...It was a good interlude on a cold, frosty day...Hugs To All OWAV:)

Frosty and Cold...4º

Up early this morning, surrounded by fog and frost...Our kids are at home in Portland and Bend (Rusty had things to do so also went home yesterday.) Herb did laundry yesterday and more this morning...I heated up leftovers for dinner and was mostly lazy.

Now it is back to the picking up, putting away and sorting drawers, cleaning corners, all that fun stuff...We can watch all the other people scurry around getting ready for Christmas, smile smugly and say, "We are all done with Christmas, but hope yours is a Merry One!"

Had a long visit with Pat this morning via telephone...They started their Christmas Season on Saturday, gift shop open, trees for sale with a nice turnout of people...Hoping for good weather the next few weekends, when people come for a fun family outing before Christmas...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Time to head home.

Nov. 30

Lots of frost.

Winding Down...8º

Before bedtime on Friday night Bobi filled enough jars for Saturday mornings early start...Herb had the first canner "perking" away by 7am, and settled in for the first shift, I was in charge of cleaning more jars and Rusty took on the task of filling the next set of jars...Before Bobi and Ci took over for Herb on the second shift, we had enough time for all of us to sit and have breakfast of bacon/sausage, hash browns and eggs...Fueled for the day, by 2:30 two pies cooled on the counter, two pairs of pajama bottoms had been sewn, a tri tip was cooking on the traeger, and three canners done for a grand total of 7 canners totaling 147 jars of tuna...All the pressured jars are wiped down, labeled and boxed, enough tuna for our families for about 4 years...Pam joined us for dinner, Becky and John called in sick (flu symptoms,) bedtime came early again.

Amid all of the chaos the "kids" did a jigsaw puzzle, we played a few games of cards, looked at Ci's photos of her year in Thailand, talked, laughed, took turns being cranky, ate amazing food, opened Christmas packages, got over being cranky, drank glasses of wine and had a few relaxing moments.

Now it is Sunday morning, I've had two early morning hours to reflect on the last three day, count our blessings and wonder how the time can fly so fast...Ci and Bobi will be on the road home today, Russ will stay for a couple more days, then it will be an empty house for us, Herb and I will settle back into our routine...Below are a few random photos...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Bobi and Ci in a tussle.

Ci giving Oma a new "look."

Dinner

Pies

Fashion Plate, Rusty, modeling

his newest outfit.

Sun Melted Chocolate...9º

When life gives you lemons..Make lemonade?..What about when the sun melts your chocolate?...Our Thanksmas Turkey sat proudly, decorating the kitchen table...We went about the morning, Ci doing homework, Bobi and I prepping for dinner, Herb and Rusty getting jars ready for the tuna canning on Friday...Super cold outside but the sun was shining through the sliding doors and into the kitchen.

Chocolate Turkey

I noticed Tom Turkey listing just a bit and took a closer look...."Oh No," I yelled, "The turkey is melting!"...Instead of crying over melted chocolate, I pulled fondant rolls from the fridge, cut off small pieces and with smiles on our faces we dipped the fondant into the melted chocolate...So another cliche, as on Thanksmas 2015 we ate dessert first!...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Thanksmas on Barton Heights...1º

Thanksmas morning, just waiting for the rest of the family to wake up...The celebration started last night when "the girls" arrived (bare roads all the way) about 7pm from the West side...Rusty, Herb and I had been busy; sliced, diced and grated, until everything was ready for our Thanksmas eve supper of nachos...Then we visited until 10pm, watched the full moon illuminate the Wallowa Mountains, counted our blessings and headed for bed.

It is very cold and crisp outside, temperature not supposed to get above 27º, we have pies and dressing to make and a leg of lamb to cook...Wishes for everyone to have a wonderful Thanksgiving on this day November 26 2015...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

What List...30º

The list I had for Thanksmas was mostly in my head and now that dooms day is only 2 days away the images that keep running through my mind are like a fast forward in a home movie...In the blink of an eye everything is done, ready, and I'm sitting down, feet up, drink in hand...Dream on!

One step at a time, deep breath and stop trying to make it all happen in a nanosecond...First step is to get dressed and get moving...It will not matter if everything gets done, just that the kids have good roads and arrive safely.

Snow is falling here this morning, write group will go on without me, water therapy will either energize me or wipe me out, time will tell...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Get Moving Monday...14º

One batch of fondant and one of fudge, more to do....Herb has the leg of lamb thawing in his fridge, depending on weather, kids will arrive on Wednesday...Sun shining today, storm moving in tonight...Grrrrr....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Countdown/Thanksmas...12º

The days are slipping by, celebration time is near...I must prioritize my list: 1...Make chocolates, and if I make enough, I can probably forget the rest of the list!

Yesterday morning I froze at the "Good Book Sale," but managed to come home with a stack of books...Can't turn me loose in a room full of books, without feeding the addiction...The afternoon was spent in the warm company of Margaret and Janice as we started the winter with our first soup lunch/dinner...Instead of soup we had sauerkraut and sausages, visited and laughed past dark with a promise to meet again before Christmas.

Cold days will continue through Thanksgiving and the Allens/Walls will celebrate, work, laugh and play the days away...More details to come...Hug To All..OWAV:)

"Huckleberries in November..." 9º

Huckleberry jam that is!..About 9am Friday morning, the sun was shining full force on the deck, wearing just a light jacket I cleared the snow away...The day remained cold but sunny and I remembered what my project for the day was.

Huckleberries in the freezer, and assorted juices (frozen or jarred) and a new kind of pectin were waiting to be used...Using 1 qt of huckleberries, 1qt of juice, 2/3 cup of "lite all natural pectin" and 6 cups of sugar, I soon had 10 jelly jars of jam...I did this 3 times yesterday morning and ended up with 30, 1/2 pints for the cellar shelves...This is much less sugar than the usual recipe and it was easy...Juice and berries in my deep 6 quart kettle, add pectin, bring to a boil for 2 minutes, add sugar, return to boil for another 2 minutes...Ladle into jars, seal and voilà, huckleberry jam in November.

I've been buying pectin in the bulk for several years now, much less expensive than at the grocery store...Kauffmans' in Island City sells bulk items and the last package of pectin I bought was called "Dutch Jell" and had a pamphlet with all the instructions...I bought lite so I could use less sugar...If you used "boxed" pectins for this much jam, the cost would have been over $15.00...I paid $5.13 for Dutch Jell pectin, for 3 double batches!..I like saving money.

Late afternoon I attended the retirement party for longtime Joseph Librarian Jannine, a steady stream of loyal customers wished her well after 30 years of faithful service...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Stormy Day...26º

It snowed off and on yesterday, added up to about 4" in Joseph, temp stayed right at 32º all day...Water therapy was warm, wonderful, energizing...Lunch at the Thai restaurant was fun, visiting with old/new friends in a different setting...From there we crossed the street and helped Dandelion Wine get an early start on their opening...Jody gave us a tour of this long, narrow room, painted sunshine yellow with an added sky light trimmed in blue...She graciously opened two bottles of wine for our tasting.

Before I went to WT, I got on a cleaning frenzy when I looked for some icing in the fridge freezer and couldn't find it...I pulled everything out of the freezer, sorted it into piles (sort of) throwing away obvious mystery packages, cleaning, washing and rearranging...Herb made the mistake of coming into the kitchen to see what all the crashing, banging, swearing was about and found himself at the sink washing shelving and empting jars of science projects, (because by that time I had moved on to taking everything out of the refrigerator as well!) Two hours later the fridge was sparkling clean and naked looking with room for all the food that comes with "Thanksmas."

I didn't get home until 3:30, so it made for a short afternoon/evening...Herb kept the home fires burning and the house was toasty warm, so nice to come home to...6:30am and the sunrise is just starting on Barton Heights, gonna be cold with sun/clouds today...Not sure what the project for today is but I know that cleaning snow off the deck will be one of them....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Baking 101...26º

It was a perfect day for baking...Three loaves of zucchini bread (recipe from Janice,) four double loaves of sourdough bread and enough meatloaf for several meals.

A week or so ago, when I pulled the sourdough starter from the fridge, added flour and warm water, It didn't take off...Just sat there, no matter what I did...So I saved potato water added flour and a few grains of yeast and in three days I had a new sourdough starter bubbling away...It took about a week to get the good sour flavor and yesterday I added a good portion of it to a batch of bread, for good measure, I added yeast to make sure it would raise, (is that cheating?) I suppose it is, but it worked...Herb and I sampled it before dinner, had it with our dinner and I had a small meatloaf sandwich last night...It has a thick, crunchy crust and tasted oh so good!

Snow is falling this morning, haven't looked at the forecast, will just wait and see what the day brings...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

False Alarm...32º/partly cloudy

A few strong gusts of wind before we went to bed last night, but definitely not the major wind storm that was predicted...Even if the outcome is good, it is always a letdown when you try to prepare for something that never happens, but also a relief...Does that make sense?

Busy Tuesday was a bit busier, when Herb and I found ourselves taking advantage of the 55º temperature mid afternoon...Our leftovers were warming on the stove, while Herb climbed the ladder, I handed up a bucket for the leaves that he pulled from the rain gutter before we hooked up the hose to give it one last flushing of a summers worth of debris...Now we shouldn't have to worry about the rain gutter plugging up and overflowing this winter, as the snow and ice build up, then thaw in a winter chinook.

Herb is working on laundry, I have sourdough starter rising...Making meatloaf for our dinner and mixing a batch of bread...Looking out the East window it looks warm, but Herb says the breeze is coming off of the "polar icecap" atop Chief Joseph Mountain...Good day for baking...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Wind Warning...30º

I'm in a quandry this morning as to, is it better to expect a bad wind storm or just go on about your day without a clue as to what is coming?...Thinking back over 40 years ago when we first moved to Joseph, no computers, so we relied on TV/radio for local news and weather...Both coming from Spokane, so were anything but local...We paid (payed?) little attention to either...Sometimes our first clue to wind/snow/rain was waking up in the middle of the night, with the windows rattling, house shaking/shuddering and crashing, banging sounds, as loose items became airborne...Over the years we have insulated, replaced windows and roof on the house...Some wind storms have blown over trees and sheds, not to be replaced...I doubt that we will ever be totally prepared for an approaching windstorm...Today it is forecast to start around 1pm and last off and on for about 24 hour...Check out the link or come back tomorrow for an update, in the meantime, "hang on to your hats!"...Hugs To All....OWAV:)

Pie and More...25º

Pie in the oven, sauerkraut/sausages/porkchops in the dutch oven waiting its turn to slow cook, scalloped potatoes also waiting, salad chopped...Pam, Becky, John (and Tater) are coming for dinner...A tradition of ours to share meals, they doing the outside meals in summer when we gather around their fire pit for BBQ and roasted marshmallows...As always, it was a good time sharing not only food but conversation and laughter...Hugs To All...OWAV:)