Tomatoes/Tomahtoes...45º

However you pronounce it I say delicious...This time of year, I eat tomatoes for every meal, as well as tasting them warm from the oven after they are sprinkled with garlic, basil, salt, oil and roasted in the oven until they are soft, squishy, sweet, dark red morsels of yummy goodness!

I had 100 lbs. of roma tomatoes delivered from Imnaha and have over half of them roasted and in the freezer for sauces this coming winter...Also we are eating fresh, a box of peaches as they ripen, plus beans, cabbage, carrots, beets and cucumbers from our garden...Love this time of year!...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Below are photos of roasted tomatoes ready for the freezer.

tomatoes being ladled through a homemade funnel,

into a sandwich ziplock.

A delicious deep red.

Imnaha/Blackberries/Tomatoes...54º

Our smoky drive to Imnaha yesterday was uneventful...The Magic Garden is slow this year, maybe due to the weather, as it is hot one day, only to turn cool the next...We did some weeding, visiting and picked cucumbers before turning to the blackberry bushes and then sat on Janies porch to eat lunch...Back home I turned the cukes into pickles, the berries into one of my favorite pies, before heating leftover stuffed peppers for our dinner.

Later I sorted ripening tomatoes for an early start on roasting this morning...Smoke still surrounds us and we get brief sightings of our beautiful mountains through the lingering haze...Herb continues to hang our laundry outside to dry and our noses have gotten used to the ever present smell of smoke that permeates everything...The weather remains hot and dry, with a slight chance of thunder showers and maybe a sprinkle later in the week...The end of August is near, everyone is hoping for a rainy September...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Blackberry Pie

One more jar of pickles

Smoky...50º

Didn't cool off much last night, smoke settled in...Pat and I are off on an adventure to Imanaha this morning and check out the magic garden...As if we don't have anything to do at home...Must have fun while she can...Hugs to all..OWav:

My Friend Bud...45º

As I wrote about the Grizzly Bear Fire yesterday, another fire had been reported only a short distance from Joseph...Falls Creek Fire in the Hurricane Creek drainage was spotted early Saturday morning...The latest reports are that it was given high prioity and has been doused with water from high lakes...Two helicopters worked throughout the day...The Grizzly Bear fire has burned over 60,000 acres...No updates yet this morning...Our valley is still filled with smoke...But we count our blessings.

Yesterday Herb and I along with over 300 people (my estimation) crowded into the thunder room to celebrate the life of Bud Botts...Bud grew up in Wallowa County, worked at the Joseph Schools for nearly 30 years, was a mentor and a friend to kids in 4-H and FFA, as well as many others that he took under his wing, teaching them to ride, rope and work...He had friends in the county from all walks of life, he was a friend to all, a stranger to few...He was a cowboy, a rancher, a man of many talents...His priority was family...He loved kids, animals and most people.

I worked with Bud at Joseph Schools for 17 years, I counted him as a good friend...Kind, steady, quick to find the humor in most situations...You never had to wonder where you stood with him, he told it like it was, no pretense, no bull...We haven't seen much of each other the past 20 years but when we met over lunch or on the street I always got a big smile, a bear hug and his greeting of, "How you doin', Stella?" That nickname was his for me and it always made me laugh as we shared the private joke...I will miss his smile, his laugh and his bear hug...I will miss this friend.

My heart goes out to his family who are struggling to fill the void, following his death...Their lives have changed forever, but Bud leaves then with a legacy, to remember and take pride in...They will never forget his smile, his laugh and his arms surrounding them...Hugs to the Botts Family...OWAV:)

Thinking, one year ago at Margaret's

90th birthday party.

A Grin

The full blown Laugh

Grizzly Bear Fire...46º Smoky

The fire burning only 40 miles north (approximately) of Joseph, has our valley filled with smoke this morning...We are lucky as we deal only with the smoke, while others, in the path of the fire, loaded possessions, and animals to flee from the advancing flames...Others still wait to get evacuation orders, hoping that the fire will be abated and eventually controlled, before it reaches them...Emotions run high in our valley as the fire rages out of control...Over 20 years ago now, logging was a major occupation in this county, supplying family wage jobs in the woods and the local mills...Fires both lightning and man caused were immediately suppressed and put out.

Environmental practices closed the mills and much of the woods to logging, leaving only private lands available to harvest...Now thousands of acres of designated wilderness surrounds our valley, where fires are left to burn as the "natural way of things..."Forest Service timber sales were squelched with the process of environmental analysis and the many appeals by environmental groups...Basically forest management also came to a halt, no logging, no thinning...Nothing...Now our forests are filled with diseased, dying trees, that with the tightening of regulations, cannot even be salvaged for wood...Our forests in this dry year of 2015 are a tinderbox waiting for the dry lightning to strike and strike it has.

Will we learn from all of this?..What can be salvaged after the fires are finished in October, when snow comes to the high mountains...Is there a middle road?..Why does it always seem to be all or nothing in the USA?..First the logging was fueled by "lumber barons" amassing their fortunes and now the shut down of forests, fueled by "trust funds" of "save the planet greenies"...No one wins in the end, the trees are gone, the landscape is blackened and everyone cries...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Annual Physical...46º

Today is that sort of dreaded day...Although I've been feeling good, is there something looming on the horizon for the doctor to find, something that I am not aware of?...Mostly I am an optomistic person, but sometimes I look at the worst scenario and then when it turns out not to be, I am much relieved...Today I see a new doctor because my "Primary Care Giver" (doctor) is on a years sabbatical...Dr Witt is new to the county but I have been reassured by two friends, that I will like her...She is kind and caring and will listen to what I have to say...Time will tell.

Yesterday morning I worked outside cutting down flowers that have gone to seed...About noon I got a call from Janie needing help to finish canning her sauerkraut...Back home about 2pm to fix our dinner...The afternoon flew by and 5pm found us at our usual place at the Gazebo listening to music.

A huge smoke plume rose up in the north as fires in the Wenaha area mushroomed, jumped the river and caused the Troy, Eden Bench and Grouse Flat to be evacuated...Not a huge population of people or houses in that area but still very tramatic for the ranch people and their animals, who are in the path of a wild fire...A Red Cross shelter has been set up in the Enterprise School and local people are volunteering trailers, trucks and pastures for cattle and horses.

We have sunshine here on Barton Heights and very little smoke this morning...We are lucky so far to have only smoke from the fires and will not complain...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Photo Blog...50º

Food from the garden...Flowers all around.

First quart of dills

Carrots, tomatoes, cukes and potato salad

all from the garden...Elk roast from the grill.

Flowers on the deck

Flowers circling the yard

More lovely blooms.

Volunteering to do or not to do..50º

Many people make a full time job being a volunteer, a pleasant experience, where you put in your time, have little responsibility, and only do what you enjoy doing...Well Maybe...Since retiring 20 years ago my stints as a volunteer have included doing my civic duty as a sorority member, touting memberships for Airlife, and at the same time I shared the history of railroads in Wallowa County as I rode the Eagle Cap excursion train, where I perfected my smile and welcomed people aboard...I served lunches, sold t-shirts and other memorabilia and also took on the job of trying to keep their membership rolls up to date...Volunteering at Hells Canyon Mule Days came looking for me when my friend Pam called one day and said, "Can you and Herb fill in for a few hours."..Those few hours turned into four years of cleaning bathrooms, hauling trash, selling souvenirs and T-shirts and all the while I smiled.., until all at once the fun ceased and I found myself dreading the next shift, the ever present smile fading from my face... One by one I resigned from those volunteer positions ready to move on with my life...Did I move on with my life, well no, life is life...I love my home and my gardens...I worked at my writing, I love cooking and canning, once in awhile I get back into sewing, my computer gives me hours of gaming and reading, keeping in touch...I have friends, young and old, that fill a niche in my life...But is that enough to keep me happy?

My last foray into volunteering began four years ago when my friend and partner in crime, Pat, said, "Della lets get a team together and volunteer at the new Arts Center, we will come up with a name, get to see all the new shows, it will be fun, come on I know you will like it and people love your smile."...Pats enthusiasm carried me along and it lasted for awhile...The Josephy Center is growing and with the growth comes more responsibility for the Docents...Some of the docent jobs involve garbage, recycling, vacuuming, washing windows, dusting, cleaning (these are all jobs that I avoid at home) and now new things such as selling tshirt and art from the new "Art Shop." A new device called "The Cube" is in use where by we can ring up cash sales, slide a credit card, enter everything with a few swipes, Sorry but this makes me nervous...I've smiled my way through the years but the last year I have found myself dreading the next shift and my greeting and smile have grown dim...So I must with regret, resign from Team Monday...I do have one more volunteer job at the Wallowa County Museum...For the months of June, July, August and September I sit upstairs with the other relics and dummies, where I greet people, smile, make small talk and answer questions...So far I haven't been asked to empty the trash, dust, vacuum or sell a Tshirt...I have to admit it is incredibly boring but maybe this is the place for me, now if I could only find this kind of deal to keep me happy during the long Wallowa County winter!..But, this only brings up another question, what is happiness?...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Blood work...46º

Up early this morning and what a bummer, all we can have is water...I opted for hot water, Herb said "No," he will wait for coffee...Our yearly routine blood work at the hospital this morning, then Herb has an appointment at the dentist to get a new crown put on.

I have docenting at the Josephy Center this afternoon...We have leftovers for dinner.

Yesterday we watered the garden and made cinnamon rolls to take to the Botts Family...Bud Botts, our friend, died of a heart attack on Saturday morning...I will write more about Bud later, he was a special friend...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Roasting tomatoes, Rerun 8/15/15

I Think Roasting Tomatoes and Idella's Zucchini Casserole is worth a rerun...Don't get bogged down thinking this is too much work because it is really quite easy...The tomatoes are used all winter and the next summer and the Zucchini Casserole is an easy dish for family or potlucks!..Hug To All...OWAV:)

ROASTED TOMATOES

Roasting tomatoes brings out their flavor, and they can then be used to create tasty pasta sauces, bruschetta, added to soups or casseroles.  Use fresh, ripe, flavorful tomatoes for the best results.  

10 to 15 ripe tomatoes

2-4 cloves garlic, chopped (sometimes I add bell peppers and onion)

1-2 Tbl. chopped basil or dried

Salt & pepper (Optional, I like course salt)

Olive oil (optional)

           Preheat oven to 250-300 degrees. (I do the first ½ hour at 400 deg.)  Core & halve  the tomatoes, and place skin side down on a large baking sheet.  (If tomatoes are really large I slice them into 3 slices).  Sprinkle the tomatoes with garlic, basil and salt.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and place in the oven.  Bake for 3 hours until they have shriveled yet still remain moist.  Cool and use as desired or package in ziplock bags and freeze for winter sauces.   

Lovely Roma's

Taking the chance that my readers won't care if I sound like a broken record, once again I will expound on roasting and freezing tomatoes instead of canning them...USDA wants you to add acid (vinegar or lemon juice) to tomatoes, increase the processing time or even pressure cook them...I want to be safe but I also prefer that my tomatoes taste like tomatoes not lemons or vinegar...A favorite when I was growing up was a bowl of tomatoes fresh from the jar with a slice of Mom's homemade bread and butter.

Step l - I'm using romas but any tomato will work they will just have more juice...Wash tomatoes, then core slice in half and place in a cookie sheet, skin side down.

Sliced Roma's

Step 2- Drizzle with a good quality oil, sprinkle with fresh garlic, basil (dried will also work) and coarse salt...Three of these sheets will fit in my oven, each sheet holds about 4# of tomatoes...I set the oven on 200º and roast for 3 to 5 hours depending on the tomatoes and how dry you want them...

Ready for the oven.

If I am in the house I will switch the pans around in the oven periodically but if I'm outside working in the garden they roast fine all on their own...I do have a convection oven.

Tomatoes done roasting

Step 3 - First thing I do is slurp a couple of these tasty morsel, using my fingers, right into my mouth, then I toast a slice of homemade sourdough bread, slide a couple more onto the bread and see if they still taste like I remembered from a year ago...AAAhhhh that concentrated sweet tomato with a burst of garlicky goodness and just a hint of sour from the bread...Are you salivating YET?

Tomatoes ready for the freezer

Step 4 - If there are any tomatoes left on the tray after cooling :)... I slide them into ziplock sandwich bags...The tomatoes concentrate down to less than half of what they were in the raw state...I squish the bags, pushing out all of the air possible, then to double bag these I put 4 of these bags into a gallon ziplock for their final storage in the freezer...They are flat and stack nicely, they are simple to take one or more bags at a time for soups, sauces or casseroles...Of course for a large family you can use a larger bag to start with and I do recommend double bagging them...Happy tomato roasting...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

Grate one large zucchini (approximately 10 inches long.) I use a very course grater...Mix in with a fork 4 to 6 eggs…place large spoonfuls of the mixture  and cook on a griddle like you would pancakes, browning on one side and flipping to the other…Barely cover the bottom of a casserole dish with roasted tomatoes, layer zucchini patties on top of the tomatoes, then a layer of mozzarella cheese... keep layering, with tomatoes, zucchini and cheese until casserole dish is full…Bake in a 325° oven for about 30 minutes…Don't overcook…I serve it warm or cold, eat it for dinner or breakfast…Just love it anytime…It works well with the frozen roasted tomatoes…

NOTE*  Since none of you will have roasted tomatoes, I think you can use a recipe for marinara sauce or a good quality marinara sauce from the store should work…Maybe add a little more garlic, basil, onion or herbs of your choice.  Eat and enjoy, Idella

Below are photo's of start to finish casserole. I grate zucchini, mix, fry and assemble casserole as i'm frying patties so a large casserole can be made and ready for the oven in about 30 minutes...In the first photo I have one large zucchini grated...Break eggs over top and start stirring with a large fork until egg coats all of the grated zucchini.

Keep stirring until all is covered

Have the grill with oil and butter heating

Zucchini Patties almost cooked

Bottom of pan covered lightly with roasted tomatoes and starting to layer the patties.

Starting on the second layer, don't overdo the tomatoes or you will end up with soup!

Ready for the oven

Out of the oven, let rest before cutting, ENJOY

Busy Day...60º

Worked outside spreading chips, cleaned three bundles of garlic (30 bulbs,) cleaned up to go to lunch at the Community Bank appreciation day...(We have banked there for 43 years)...Back home and a brief rest before my afternoon of volunteering at the Wallowa County Museum...Met nice and interesting people from Oregon's West side and others from Utah...All here for the beautiful scenery and peace and quiet...5pm found us again at the Gazebo for the weekly music...It was a beautiful, warm evening listening to music, while visiting with friends...I certainly didn't have any trouble falling asleep last night!...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...Smoke fills our valley with fires all around...So far none that are close to us.

Garden Menu...60º

We have set up a watering schedule for lawn, flowerbeds and veggie garden, using metered city water...The forecast for the next 15 days is in the 80's...We have gotten spoiled with the ditch water, using it whenever the mood strikes or we see something drooping or if the ground seems really dry, when I'm deadheading and digging...Hopefully a regular schedule will keep everything alive and looking decent and won't cost us a fortune to use chlorinated, filtered water!

Yesterday I was watering the garden, gathering the days produce and planned to spread more chips in the cool of the morning, but I was just getting started when the insurance company called to get my info on the "fender bender" of last Saturday...Since I was back in the house and had the paperwork out I decided to quickly make a copy of the estimate that had arrived by email....Printer would not work, said it wasn't connected and my laptop was searching...Grrrrr, it worked the last time I used it!..Finally when I was ready to scream, I gave up, found the number for Canon and was soon talking to "Hazel," a kind, patient lady at tech support...She talked me through the steps to get a printout of what the problem was...Long story short, when our kids installed our new router about a month ago, no one thought about the wireless printer and that it needed to be included...It took maybe 10 minutes and the printer was spitting out all the info that I needed, but by then it was too hot outside to do chips...I had my timer set for two hour intervals to change water and since it is a drip system, I didn't mind watering in the heat of the day.

We had a perfect summer dinner yesterday, parsley, dill, garlic "new" potatoes, zucchini/egg patties with small chunks of sausage in them, cucumber and cherry tomatoes...All fresh from the garden to our table...Soooo Good!...It is almost 7am and if I get moving I can spread chips before the day gets hot...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Zucchini, egg, sausage patties 

(cooking and will be flipped over.)

Garden Produce

Last nights sunset through a smoky haze.

Summer Returns...59º

Summer returned to Wallowa County as the temperature hovered in the mid 90's by late afternoon...My morning was spent at the JC with the Write People, then home for a short time before driving to Enterprise, meeting up with fellow gardeners and a jaunt to Lostine...Jay's Worm Farm was our destination...Jay rents an old "hog barn" for his worm business...He started it about 4 years ago, thinking his son would use it for a senior project, when that didn't pan out, he now runs it as a small family business...His only advertizement is a "Worms" sign on highway 82 and flyers that have been distributed around the county...His sales are local and he doesn't seem interested in sales via the internet...Large bins made of pressed board fill the building and are the home for thousands of "Red Wigglers...In these bins the worms spend their time eating, pooping and reproducing..." Gardeners love Red Wigglers, as they compost all kinds of garden trimmings, food scraps (veggies and fruit) newspapers and manure into rich, ready to use compost for gardens of all kinds.

He packages the finished product in ziplock bags and also sell a concentrated fertilizer tea in gallon milk jugs...Both of these are for sale at the worm farm...Worms, by the pound, are also for sale...As gardeners are always looking for new easy to use fertilizers (other than chemicals) we left the worm farm with bags of worm castings to try on our own gardens...It was tempting to buy worms but common sense told me that I have Red Wigglers, already at work in my gardens and I probably wouldn't go to the extra work of grinding and heating my garden trimmings for them to digest more easily...They will just have to do it the old fashion way...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Red Wigglers at work.

Routine...52º

Sunday wasn't totally lazy as Herb dug overgrown daylilies and a rhubarb plant, one that has defied me for the last 10 years...I have tried to get rid of it but it alway reappears...As he did the digging I cleaned dirt off the roots, cut down other plants and unloaded fresh dirt and chips that he hauled for me...The cool morning was rapidly turning humid, after a couple of hours we called it quits.

Lamb ribs were cooking on the Traeger...I picked a handful of fresh green beans, another zucchini and a patty pan squash for our dinner...Cherry tomatoes turning red, fell into my hands as I moved the jungle of tangled vines, trying to get to the bottom of them...I love having fresh food, in the backyard, just waiting to be picked.

Today will be more of the same...I better finish this and get moving before the day warms up...We have leftover spaghetti for dinner and I have house cleaning to do, when it is too hot to work outside...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Drought...48º

Barton Heights Ditch

For the first time in memory, the little ditch in front of our house is empty, dry as a bone...We were notified a few days ago that this would happen...Due to the low snow pack, Wallowa Lake has reached a level that usually doesn't happen until late fall...Water must be rationed, so valley farmers can continue to water crops, until they are ready to harvest...So for the rest of the summer we will resort to metered city water to keep our lawn somewhat green and flowers blooming...But most important keep the veggies watered  in our garden...Herb has rearranged hoses so it is easy for me to do this...We are also digging out some of the flower beds that have become overgrown and spreading chips to help retain moisture and keep the weeds under control...(Weeds seem to grow even without water.) At this time we don't know if city water might be rationed, as it also comes from the lake...Early forecasts are predicting another mild winter, makes us really wonder what next summer will bring...Over night we had scattered showers, giving us a wee bit of moisture and clearing the air.

It was a busy weekend here in Wallowa County...Bronze, Blues and Brews played until 10pm in the city park, just below our house...The Joseph Airport was busy all day Saturday with the second annual flyin...Over 80 planes were counted, flying in just for the day...A pancake breakfast was a sell-out...Herb and I opted to stay home as we could watch the planes from our deck and listen to the music as well.

I had a date last night with two friends from my "working school days." It was Margarets 91st birthday, and she had a free sandwich coming from the Lostine Tavern...Janice was the designated driver, Margaret and I indulged in a drink apiece and we left the LT as the crowd increased and the noise become almost unbearable...They really must to somthing about the acoustics!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Lucky/Unlucky...50º

Back in the 50's, it was common for farm kids to be driving at the age of 10 and I was no exception, as I followed my Dad around Valley County, Idaho (mostly on back roads...)He on the John Deere tractor pulling the JD wire tie baler and I in either an old pontiac station wagon or a ford, ton truck with a 2 speed transmission...My height only reached 5'2", so I suppose it was a stretch for me to reach the peddles and see over the steering wheel at the same time...But I managed and also learned to double clutch and properly shift the 2 speed transmission...Luckily I didn't have or cause any accidents and when my Dad bought a '57 chevy sedan, automatic transmission, I had no trouble driving it through my high school years...Not until about 8 years ago, when a deer ran in front of my subaru outback, with no way for me to avoid her, did I have my first accident...Two years later another deer ran into the side of my car for accident number 2...I felt lucky that neither of these accidents caused me bodily harm, although both deer were not so lucky.

The point of all this blathering is:..Yesterday Pats car was at Alpine Auto for routine maintenance and I was the designated driver for our weekly yard saling...Things were going smoothly with her reading the map and the YS list, a beautiful sunny day, we finished up the 2nd yard sale and headed back to the car...She checking the list again and I ready to start the car, saw a truck backing out of his parking space, directly across the road from us...He had plenty of room, but instead of turning as he backed, he came straight across the road, I hit the horn, but to no avail...He did hit the brakes but it was too late and it all unfolded in slow motion as I heard the sickening crunch and felt the impact, when the one ton truck connected with my left hand door and fender...Damn!!!

Pat was out of the car in an instant and I heard her asking in dismay, "Didn't you hear the horn?"...I on the other hand, I sat for a few minutes, getting a pad and pen to take down info, before I tried to open my door, knowing it was munched...I was able to squeeze out of the door, where the other driver was waiting, he willingly wrote down all of his info, apologized profusly, took down my name and number so he could contact me to make sure things were going okay with his insurance company...Again no one was injured, the car was driveable...We "hit" a couple more yard sales, went to Safeway and made another stop in Joseph, as I was in the process of buying a set of tires and rims, that were advertised on FB's swap and shop...Only then did we go home.

I spent the afternoon going back to Enterprise to Farmers Insurance, getting guidence to proceed with a claim, then to Neils Body Shop, for an estimate of the damage...And also a stop at Schawbs, hauling a tire around in the back of my car to see if buying the tires was in my best interest...Now the waiting game begins...I have insurance forms and will call the other insurance company, probably on Monday, after I get the estimate of damage on my subaru...And yes, I offered CASH and bought the tires...Back home, Herb becoming a pro on his new grill, was BBQing ribs for our dinner...I sat in a daze on our lovely deck and with a smile on my face said, "A glass of wine would taste really good right now."

I think I have been very lucky all these years, maybe in the wrong place at the wrong time in the last 8 years, but still lucky that a car is fixable and no bodily harm was done...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...The ribs were delicious!

The Damage

The Truck

"General Discord"...48º

"General Discord" 234th Army Band

Gazebo in Enterprise

Early yesterday morning, friend Debbie called inviting me to come pick the last of her raspberries, some small zucchini and she threw in a small head of broccoli as well...I returned home to mix another batch of sourdough bread, had just finished that job when Pat called and said there was a must see Estate sale, just across town from us...I found a few treasures and Herb returned with the truck to get 6 steel posts for a dollar each...The day slipped by, dinner used up leftovers of sweet Lebonese Bologne, sandwiched between fresh zucchini patties and smothered with cheese.

\

Dinner

Fragrant loaves of bread sat cooling on the counter, and we made our way to Enterprise for the weekly music at the Gazebo.

Just out of the oven

Yummy

It was cool and breezy as a crowd gathered at the Gazebo for the weekly music...On tap was "General Discord." A small group of mostly woodwinds from the 234th Army Band, out of Portland, on tour of Eastern Oregon...Enterprise their last stop.

Last nights music was a rare treat as we sat enthralled listening to Marches, Overtures and Opera to name a few...It ended all to quickly, as they took their bows, ready to head back to Portland, where families await them...Many veterans, from our community, attended last night and stood to be recognized for their service...We were honored to be in their company and thank them for their service...It was refreshing to hear the Star Spangled Banner played and sung as I remember it as a child, instead of all the modern renditions that seem popular with todays musicians...After all it is a march and should be treated as such!

Thanks to Janice Carper and The Wallowa Valley Music Alliance for this Summer Concert Series that we continue to enjoy on a weekly basis, plus many other musical extravaganzas, played at the end of the road, Wallowa County, Oregon...We are very privledged to have a great variety of musical entertainment for our enjoyment...Your donations are always appreciated to keep this program going...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Unwind Wednesday...48º

Outside in the cool of the morning, I deadheaded, transplanted and tried to envision how things would look next year, after I move them around.

Herb had an appointment for his yearly physical yesterday so while he was gone I made an apricot pie to accompany our spaghetti dinner...As any kind of pie is his favorite, he was pleased.

I found a John Grisham audio book "The Summons" that I could listen to and give my eyes a rest...His books are always interesting, and easy to understand...Another lovely day to look forward to, here on Barton Heights...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Monday/Blur, Tuesday Write People...48º

I was up early on Tuesday...Monday evening I had mixed a batch of "no knead" bread and left it to raise in the fridge...Didn't work quite like I had invisioned but not bad...Herb and I enjoyed a slice for breakfast...My plan had been to take a loaf to Write People for our luncheon at Pats lovely cabin at Wallowa Lake...It wasn't up to par so I stirred up a small batch of dinner rolls, did a quick proof and had them out of the oven and ready by 9am...We did our usual reading and even had a new writing exercise, "A story in six words." (the original idea by "Hemingway")...Lunch was promptly at noon, with everything from salads, cheese/crackers, crustless veggie quiche, stirfry, and homemade (by Evelyn) fortune cookies, a special treat...I stayed late to help Pat with the cleanup and enjoyed the quiet outside as we wound down...My six word story: Yowling cats, garden hose, spay/neuter.
Hugs To All...OWAV:)

 Photo of the day.

Looking forward to a good day.

Weekend Photos...66º, Cloudy

The cloud cover makes it feel cool this morning, what a welcome relief, after a scorching Sunday.

Saturday was also hot and we worked outside early, then in the afternoon I fixed appetizers for the Joseph Center opening "The Wild Landscape." An outstanding show with 29 photos chosen for display, from 170 entered...The show was well attended on a beautiful Wallowa County evening...Pat and I fixed appetizers on behalf of the Write People, in return for a space to meet every week.

By Pat:

Cucumber delights

Blueberry/zucchini bites

 By Idella:

Pickled asparagus wrapped in ham

Deviled eggs

Sunday found me up and ready to go...Not thinking about how hot it was going to be, we invited friends to join us for BBQ'ed chicken, sausages and garden veggies...We had a wonderful evening (except for the yellow jackets) visiting and eating..Guess who forgot to take photos of the finished product again?...The chicken was so yummy, we will be having it again and I will get photos...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Wanting to share our garden

produce, is what 

prompted me to invite friends

for dinner.

Looking Back...55º

Always fun to go back in time and see what we were doing a year ago on this day...Huckleberries were plentiful last year and we (Pam, Herb and I) were on our way, early morning to Hells Canyon Overlook and a huckleberry patch...This year the berries are not so abundant and with the warm weather a few started appearing in mid July but soon dwindled...We still have berries in the freezer after using them sparingly through the winter...A couple of cheese cakes, occasional pancakes and the promise of huckleberry jam...When the weather cools again I will break out the large kettle, Herb will bring up jelly jars and we will make many jars of jam, thinking ahead to next summer and hope for another bumper crop of huckleberries.

Today is yard sale day for Pat and I...Herb has lawns to mow and garbage to haul...It was in the 90's yesterday and looks like another hot one today...So it is work/play early, shade up in the afternoon...I have appetizers to make for the Josephy Center this evening, and you can bet that nothing will be hot...Hugs To All...OWAV:)