Summer in Joseph...18º

Nothing to write, just a few photos from years gone by...OWAV:)

Road Trip...25º

With an appointment at the eye doctors, list in hand, we left Joseph on a snowy morning just as the sky started to lighten, 6:10am...We ran out of the snow flakes just outside of Enterprise and had only scattered rain showers, bare roads, all the way to LaGrande...We did our usual shopping before and after the appointment, had lunch (finger steaks for Herb, mushroom burger for me) before the final stop at Grocery Outlet...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Return trip I started taking photos as we left Wallowa Canyon, into Wallowa, Lostine and Joseph...Below are the best ones. :)

Rain drops on windshield

Bridge before City of Wallowa

Green field between Wallowa and Lostine

last big corner before home.  

Before the Storm...28º

Outside wandering around yesterday I was surprised to see a little yellow bloom...Yes one lone crocus was brave enough to show its little head...A few daffodils, only 3-4 inches tall have buds that were almost ready to bloom...This morning they are all covered under a blanket of snow, patiently waiting for another sunny day...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Crocus

Normal bloom time for daffodils 

in Joseph is mid April

Changing Weather...27º

!$@!^@%@$@#& Damn...I was trying to redo this blog to include the recipe and succeeded in wiping out the entire post...As near as I can remember what I wrote---The weather is changing to rain and snow tomorrow.

Yesterday was a busy day when I baked a fresh batch of cookies using a new recipe then instead of chocolate chips I added vanilla chips and raisins/craisins...Took a plate to Write people...Water Therapy was next and a stop at safeway...Home to warm up our meatloaf, topped it with freshly made mushroom gravy and added a side a salad...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (secret ingredient is cream cheese)

-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
-1/4 cup cream cheese, softened (don’t use fat-free, light or whipped)
-3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
-1/4 cup granulated sugar
-1 large egg
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
-2 tsp cornstarch
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp salt, optional and to taste
-2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
And here’s what you do: 1 Mix together butter, cream cheese, sugars, egg and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment). Beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, fluffy and light. This should take about 5 minutes. 2 Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Mix for about a minute until combined. 3 Add in the chocolate piece and beat briefly, or fold in to incorporate. Bake at 375º for 8 to 10 minutes .

February Winding down...15º-Sunny

It was a quiet day at the Josephy Center yesterday, a few visitors stopped by to view the Black and White exhibit, that runs into next week...Following for the month of March will be "Women's Art," opening Friday March 6th...I spent time cleaning sinks, counters and refrigerator before gathering and emptying the garbage...Counted the donation money and entered it into the cash registar...Since it was quiet and no other jobs were waiting, I left early because I knew that at home, Herb was cooking dinner.

Not only was dinner ready but Pam had stopped by for a visit...We had time for a glass of wine and conversation before sitting down to meatloaf, potatoes, carrots and an assortment of pickles...Chocolate chip cookies and half a glass of wine made a perfect dessert...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

yum, yum, yum.

Brrrr...11º

A peaceful weekend with a semi busy week to follow...It is a docent day for me today, then the usual Write People on Tuesday with water therapy to follow...Thursday instead of WT, Herb and I have appointments with the eye doctor in LaGrande...The following week will find us heading first to Utah on either the 6th or 7th of March and from there to Arizona for the last two weeks of March...Then we return to Joseph and April...Wonder if we will have spring weather this year?...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Sun/New Snow...11º

3-4 inches of new snow yesterday...Much of it melted as the sun came out...Temperature dropped last night and today we are cold but the sun is bright and very welcome...Compared to the Eastern US our little snowstorm is hardly worth mention.

Did a bit of sewing yesterday and have more set up for today...Its about time I get some clothes ready for our jaunt to the south...Also in the baking mood, cookies are on my mind...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Barton Heights after the storm.

Snowy Morning...27º

A little snow overnight and now for about 15 minutes it has been a real blizzard, maybe not a blizzard because not much wind...It is already getting light off to the south, so don't expect it to last long and the weather forecast has the sunshining for the next three days...At least the mountains are getting snow and we could get a couple of inches.

My bread dough cooperated yesterday as it rose, popping the lid off the big tupperware bowl, asking to be punched down again and again...It snapped and crackled as I formed 6 loaves and four hamburger buns, two for our dinner and two for the freezer...Late afternoon I delivered a small loaf to my friend Margaret and stayed for a long visit...Our conversations revolved around family and old times when we both worked at the Joseph School Cafeteria...Janice, another friend and coworker, stopped by to deliver Margarets mail and the conversation got more lively...It was getting dark as I arrived back home, where Herb had the loaves of bread bagged and ready for the freezer...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

The Crowning Moment...33º

Finished water therapy at 1pm, then Pam and I met Becky at the "Red Rooster" for lunch...The three of us split two sandwiches/soup/salad and had a good visit and it was a very good lunch...I easily made it to my 3:10 appointment at the dentist office to get my new "crowns" cemented in...I anticipated maybe a half hour at the most...I was still in the chair at 4:30, dentist and assistant getting more frustrated and my jaws getting very tired...No way could they make the crowns fit and the one for a front tooth was the wrong color as well....Was it possible to have gotten someone elses crowns, not likely...New impressions had to be made, sent back to the lab and new crowns will be made...In the meantime I have the plastic ones that look fine, feel fine (except for being a little rough) and I'm wondering if the real ones will ever fit!

I have bread to make today, so will take my frustrations out on the dough...Hope the bread is crusty on the outside and tender inside...Wouldn't want to break any of my teeth...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Changing Weather...25º

After saying for 3 months that I was going to schedule a carpet cleaning and never doing it, decided yesterday that since our sunny, warm weather was coming to an end, we would rent the "machine" and do it ourselves...Herb made a trip to Joseph Hardware, while I vacumed over and over...Our carpet has been down for over 20 years and except for the dining area it still looks good...So that is where we concentrated our efforts...I used an entire bottle of spot remover, doing the pre spotting as suggested in the directions...(Those little spills around the table, just grow and grow.) We finished up about noon, enough for one day anyway...Opened doors and windows, put a heater with fan in the doorway and both went outside for a break...Herb worked on repairing the fence, I got the wheelbarrow and picked up limbs and other debris from around the yard.

Cleaned out the fridge for dinner, each of us taking a plate to the living room and Herb declaring it was better than a gourmet dinner...Whoa, he must have worked up an appetite...By 4pm we closed the doors, brought chairs back inside and the carpet looks decent this morning...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

photo blog...18º

No blathering today, my mind seems to be blank, so photos it will be: Before Cienna's Journey...Hugs To Cienna...OWAV:)

Ci and Ginger

Ci and Bobi

Letter from Rotary

R U really leaving me?

Braces off...Have smile will travel.

Sunrise...20º

Little after 6am and the sunrise is just starting to show some color as I look East out our front window...Everyone is trying to enjoy this strange February weather while shaking their heads saying, "We are going to pay."..Bushes are trying to bud, bulbs are pushing out of the frozen earth, temperatures hovering in the low 50's during the day...Everywhere small fires are burning as people clean up limbs and debris from last weeks storm...This is the month for snow in Wallowa County...The month that we build up the snow pack in the mountains, our irrigation water for the summers crops...We still have time but it means snow in March and April, when spring would be nice...Nothing we can do about the weather but talk...Mother nature is in control...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...Had a post on FB from Cienna this morning, wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year!..So nice to see what she has been up to!

Ci decorated the cake but said she had

 a lot of help making the dragon.

Baking Mood...20º

The mood hit a day late for Valentines day but not to worry...Herb was happy with his favorite "Cherry Cheesecake."...An easy one for me as he likes the no bake graham cracker crust, cream cheese mixed with real whipped cream and Wilderness cherry pie filling on top and he shares it with me...He on the other hand, not the kind of guy that buys me flowers (I learned that early on) but he treats me on a weekly basis by doing all the laundry for our household...Yesterday was special with sheets dried outside on the clothes line...Oh luxury, when I climbed into bed last night...Much better than the smell of hot house roses, anyday...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Looking Back...33º

A year ago yesterday we traveled to Clarkston, Washington to spend the night and do some shopping before driving on to Moscow, Idaho...My laptop needed a new battery and that is the closest authorized Apple Store...Today we will spend the day in Joseph where the temperature will be near 50º and by Wednesday, it will climb to 55º...Hard to believe that this is February.

Taking advantage of the sunny, warm weather yesterday, Herb carried the stove racks to the deck and I did the last scrubbing on them outside getting some "rays." A walk around the yard where signs of spring are everywhere and in the garden the garlic is poking its head through the ground...I try to keep myself from saying, "We are going to pay for this weather," and just enjoy every second.

Today I will make something "cherry" for Valentines Day...Will it be pie or cheese cake?..I will remember to take a photo....Valentine Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Worst Kitchen Job...23º

How silly of me to clean the kitchen floor, before I decided to clean the oven...The oven is self cleaning and really wasn't too bad until I wrapped a couple of pork ribs in heavy foil and let them cook while the lard was rendering...Unbeknown to me a tiny hole in the foil was letting the juices run onto the floor of the oven and the "juice" soon burned into a lacquer like finish...Hence I decided the oven must be cleaned...Months ago I stashed a miracle cleaning recipe in Evernote, now I was ready to give it a whirl.

Into a spray bottle mix:

2 oz. Dawn Dishwashing liquid
4 oz. Lemon Juice
8 oz. White Vinegar
10 oz. Water
Now make your house sparkle!
*Please test it first before using on delicate surfaces. This is powerful stuff! If your shower has a bad build-up of soap scum and crud it may take a time or two to get that shine.

I sprayed the oven including racks, closed the door and left it to do its magic...Didn't have much faith in it since it was basically lemon juice and vinegar...The vinegar smell was pungent but nothing like the caustic oven cleaners of old...In the meantime Herb (bless his heart) was down on hands and knees (I can get down but not back up) with the vacuum cleaner sucking up all that hidden dirt, as well as petrified morsels of ?????...Low and behold one of my favorite griddles was lurking under the oven drawer...We had looked high and low for this griddle, even accused Rusty of taking it home with him at one point and there is was covered in dust bunnies!

About 6 hours later, I opened the oven and started wiping on one of the racks, the gunk was loose and flaking off onto the rag...Long story short, it is not going to get every bit of stuff off of the oven but enough of it to do the self clean...We took the racks out of the oven, put them all in a large plastic bag and sprayed them again to leave overnight, hoping it will take off another layer...So we have our work cut out for us today, finish the oven cleaning and redo the kitchen floor...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Clean up...33º

When a pig takes precedent over cleaning, things begin to pile up...Mostly the dirt and dust of everyday living stacks up in corners, on counters, over and under every surface...Yesterday morning was spent cleaning the bathroom; shower, counters, floors, toilet....UGH...From there I progressed to giving the kitchen floor a good scrubbing...That was enough for one day and after fixing dinner, deer tenderloin, mashed potatoes and cole slaw, I played on the computer and read...Late afternoon my sweet tooth got the better of me and I mixed up a recipe called "Crispy Cremes..."It was an easy way to make a small batch of doughnut like confections...They were good, not as light and fluffy as I like and since I've never eaten a "Crispy Creme" not sure if they were anywhere close to those well know treats...Next time I think I will just make a small batch of my basic sweet roll dough and see how that works...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Dinner

Crispy Cremes

No News is good?...33º

So busy with our butchering that "The Girl" got put on the back burner...She texted her Mom about a week ago that she had gotten medication and was recovering from a bout of food poisoning...But we haven't seen a new blog to let us know what is going on and no photos have been posted by her friends in Thailand this past week...So does that mean she is home recuperating in bed or maybe she looks too bedraggled for a photo or is she unable to flash that famous smile of hers for the camera?..We would love to know what is going on.

Being the dedicated Oma that I am I will post photos of her growing up years for her Thailand friends and some of the last photos that we recieved from Thailand for our friends here in Oregon....Hugs To All OWAV:)

Easter Smile

Smelling the flowers

Modeling a new skirt

Wonder what it says?

Standing on the "Bridge over the River Kwai"

Back to the routine...40º

I think that Herb and I are thinking if we never see another pig (live or dead) it may be too soon!..Just kidding really...It is with a sense of accomplishment that we successfully did the cutting, wrapping and rendering of one pig...We have eaten our fill of fresh pork and now sated, will let it languish in the freezer for another day...Spaghetti is on todays menu.

Our Monday was non eventful...Morning we both worked on slicing and packaging of the fresh side pork, while waiting for the last of the lard to render....I spent a quiet afternoon at the JC, doing some clean up after Saturday's opening of this months "Black and White" exhibit...Beautiful works of art, both photos and paintings are displayed.

I have a dental appointment this morning to have 2 new crowns cemented in place, then home to start dinner before Write People, then go to water therapy, arriving home by 2pm, just in time for dinner...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Cold and Windy...44º

Weekend over, pig cut, wrapped and frozen...Now we are in the process of rendering lard...Herb and I have chunked all of the pig fat and have half of it rendered out for lard...The fat that clogs arteries and has nearly gone out of use since crisco came into vogue...Now crisco (hydrogenated) is out and lard slowly comes back and maybe not so bad after all...It makes the flakiest pie crust ever and we should have 12 to 15 pounds when all is rendered...Rendering is the slow process of heating the fat until it turns liquid, straining it off, cooling, then it will keep for a long time either refrigerated or frozen.

Last night found Pam and I at the Hurricane Creek Grange Hall for the Big Read Fanale...Luis Alberto Urrea was there to talk about his book "Into the Beautiful North." Luis is an entertaining speaker, talking in both Spanish and English, he told about his childhood, born in Tijuana to Mexican/American parents, growing up in southern California and how the characters in his fiction book, are based on people (mostly relatives) in his life.

The Grange Hall was packed with people, the food was abundant and I was home by 7:30...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Fancy Cake

My Plate

Pam's plate

Dessert

Weather Warning...Strong Winds...43º

I could label this "Wind Storm of 2015," but since 2015 is just starting there could be another worst storm before the year is over...One never knows...We spent a sleepless night (night before last), wind gusts shaking our house, like a fist full of dice in a crap game...Then dozing back off to sleep, waiting for the next one to hit...I gave up at 2am, to sit in my recliner and wait out the storm, knowing sleep would not return...Our power and internet was still working so I entertained myself with Facebook, scrabble and my latest ebook before the lights went out around 3am...I lit a small candle, its flame flickered and danced, keeping me company as I sipped my now luke warm coffee and braced myself as the roar started far way in a canyon before it hit our house one more time, unleashing its furry, over and over.

The storm raged through the morning, downing trees, taking power lines with them and we gave up on power being restored anytime soon...Our damage seemed minimal and we had other more immediate jobs to take care of...A 200 lb, butchered hog was hanging in the garage and the overnight temperature was hoveing about 50º...We had started the cut and wrap process the day before but only did a quarter thinking, "it is February and the nights are cold"...Thankfully our garage stays cool enough, but we couldn't put freshly wrapped meat in our freezer, with the power off...Luckily the power had been restored in Enterprise and Pam's freezer had an empty shelf...So with the wind still howling and gusting we worked in the garage cutting and wrapping...We took the meat to Pam's freezer and treated ourselves to burgers and fries at "North Street Pizza" since our power was out and the peanut butter sandwich each of us had for breakfast was long used up.

It is morning now, (day after the storm.)  Our power is on and we both got a good nights sleep...We have more hog to cut and wrap, put it in our own freezer, and hope the power stays on!..We are in for more wind and rain storms today...If interested you can follow this link to blogs written years ago and learn about more Wallowa County Wind Storms...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

$36 Million Dollars...33º

Our country, "Our County" is just coming out of one of the worst economical times in recent history and I read in the Chieftain yesterday that a project is being considered to build a bike path from Joseph to the head of Wallowa Lake...5 miles of path could cost anywhere from $21,000,000.00 to $36,000,000.00....Middle of the road estimate is $28,000,000.00...Yes that is MILLIONS...It was calmly reported in the paper like it was mere pennies, even stating that it might be more feasible to do it one mile a year, rather than all at one time...Is anyone else shaking their head over the blatant stupidity of how to spend ones money?..After all, you can call this grant money, or state money or special funds money but when it comes down to it, it is TAXPAYER MONEY...

"Our County" has been hard hit over the years, starting with the loss of the timber industry in the 80's/90's resulting in less money for schools and roads, counties and cities...Belt tightening in all areas...Enterprise lost its outdoor swimming pool, when it was in such a state of disrepair that it was bulldozed under...The Enterprise City Cemetery, once a beautiful spot, has now become a haven and playground for rodents, since the city can no longer afford to irrigate...Joseph, home of the Main street beautification project is struggling to keep enough volunteers to maintain that beauty...Joseph City streets are more potholes than blacktop as the city fathers try to come up with answers.

Our County schools all have their own fundraisers so children of this county can have Art and Music along with other programs that were dropped from the curriculum when the timber industry went out...Josephs school are now having a fund raiser for money to put new playground equipment in after moving the grade school onto the high school campus.

When attending my water therapy class at a small motel pool in Enterprise (the only indoor pool in Wallowa County) I see preschool kids flocking to this pool for lessons...75 kids are signed up for the latest sessions where a dedicated volunteer and her helpers take small groups and teach them how to swim...Where will these kids practice their new skills?...In Wallowa Lake of course...In years to come for two months out of the year they can watch the bikers riding along the lake on their million dollar bike path, as they freeze their little butts off in the icy waters, because no one could come up with the money to build an Aquatic Center...A facility that could be used daily, summer and winter by every citizen of this county!..Gotta go take a blood pressure pill....Hugs To All....OWAV:)

Soggy Day...33º

I long for the days of a good blizzard...I know be careful what you wish for...Yesterday morning was busy as I had a dental appointment, write people and water therapy...I did the dental appt...Decided to skip WP so I had time to get corned beef in the oven and prep some veggies...Picked Pam up as she is joining us at WT for the month...WT looks good as we have more people joining us to help pay for the pool...While exercising it was snowing huge flakes and hopes were high that we would get a much needed storm to add to the winter snow pack...It snowed/rained/sleeted all day but added only enough to cover the grass that thinks it is spring...Looks like more dreary/drizzley weather today!

While I was doing all of this Herb got the call that our butchered hog was ready at Fluits Farm...It is now hanging in our garage for a few days waiting for us to cut and wrap for our freezer...We haven't had good fresh pork for several years so this will be a real treat, along with good beef and elk and deer meat...Of course we will share with our kids.

That's all for today, my murder mystery (audio book) takes place in Southern Thailand, and is getting very interesting....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Devices....34º

Phones, tablets, laptops, desktops and all the sub categories....Audio, video, dvd's, mp3's (whatever that is,) on and on...As I've told you before Herb and I get most of our reading material (library books) on line and read them on either ipad or mac pro...Now I have progressed to listening to audio books on my iPhone...It is hard for me to just sit and listen, so I'm thinking about taking up knitting again just to have something to do with my hands.

So far I've tried cooking while listening, but this also can include reading a recipe while listening to a "murder mystery." 'Something about dead bodies buried in a VW in an old well or is that in my recipe that says 'Make a well in the flour and dump in remaining ingredients.' or 'Dump the dead bodies in a well filled with flour, pour into pan and bake at 400º until well preserved!'...Welcome to dinner at the Allens, "Burnt offerings are on the menu one more time."

Picture this...Yesterday I was sitting on the sofa; ear buds in, listening to a book, Macbook open on my lap, checking email, scanning Facebook, doing scrabble (came up with some new words), then resorted to doing a jigsaw puzzle (less concentration.) All at once the screen went black on the macbook, voice still reading in my ears and I thought "Oh Darn"...just blew the whole thing up!

Actually it just ran out of battery and needed to be recharged...Now if there was only a way to recharge my batteries...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Drizzly Day...30º

We have some red sky this morning with a forecast of scattered rain showers...Same as yesterday...It was the perfect day to stay inside, which we did, cozy and warm, reading/computing.

I worked at having a half way healthy dinner when I decided on a Chefs Salad (my version, whatever I can find in the fridge)...Didn't have any ham so substituted kielbasa sausages (heated and browned in a fry pan,) sliced sharp cheddar, grated carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, hard boiled eggs and blue cheese dressing...We topped that off with apple pie...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...I think apple pie sounds good for breakfast.

Dinner

Rustic apple pie.

Super Bowl Sunday...30º

Just writing my post title this morning I feel a soapbox moving under my feet and I'm not even standing up!!!

Many years ago "it" was not to be missed at our house...No sledding parties or ice skating parties unless they were over before "it" started or started after "it" was over...Now we no longer have a dish or a cable hookup, in fact the old TV sits forlornly in the basement, waiting for "The Girl" to return, when she might or might not watch a movie.

I could get on the "box" and rant about the salaries that the "Super Stars" are paid or about the wonderful "Role Models" they are NOT!..Or that companies pay millions of $$$$'s for a 30 second spot to tout their wares...Or all the greasy, sweet, calorie laden foods that the grocery ads temp us to buy...Or the price of a single ticket to see this super hyped up event and the possible wardrobe malfunction that might occur at halftime!..I feel my blood pressure going up.

I do find one thing interesting about this game...The Venue in which it is played...When in Phoenix several years ago I saw free tickets to a Home and Garden show so snagged a couple, thinking it would be a good outing for Herb and I, since we had grown bored sitting poolside, sipping the drink of the day...We had the address of the Garden show and a map, we arrived early, enjoyed the show and learned a bit about the Venue...Follow the link, it really is quite a place.

Today for us will be like any other Sunday, laundry to do, plants to water, floors to mop, rooms to clean, come up with something to eat for dinner...Hmmm, keeping with the Super Bowl Theme,  how about bacon wrapped little smokies, drowned in butter and brown sugar and roasted for 30 minutes in a 400º oven?...Maybe there is enough lettuce in the fridge for a side salad for each of us...Hugs To All...OWAV:)