Joyful Celebration...11º

I'm thinking this morning about how the Christmas Celebration has changed over the years, how commercial it has become and how it can be all about advertising and shopping and glitter and glitz...I have gone from the excitement of Santa and Reindeer flying through the air and anticipation of what might be hiding inside the gaily decorated packages, under the tree...Worrying about, have I been good or bad and is someone really keeping score, did I asked for too many gifts, will I get what I really wanted?..Is Santa real or are my more wordly classmates right, when they say that our parents buy all the gifts and Santa is but a fantasy for naive children?

Now as I look out at our snowy world, here on Barton Heights, Christmas for me is about the gift of love, as we spend time together, fixing food, playing games, sharing and caring, with family and friends, no matter the season or the place...And of course for children, it is about Santa and Reindeer on the rooftop....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Quiet/Cold...13º

I wake in the night to the house creaking...Just one of the "kids" coming downstairs to the bathroom, I think, and go back to sleep...Hours later I wake up again, more creaking, but now I realize it is just the temperature changing, making our old house creak...The "kids" left for home two days ago and Herb and I are still getting readjusted to the quiet that surrounds us...After a week of celebrating the Christmas Season, cooking, eating, candy making, snow shoveling, cards, board games, puzzles and laughter, we settle back into our routine, with memories of another year gone by.

We have lived in this old house for 43 years now, the place we call home...It was a bone chilling, cold week, so our time outside was limited to only necessary trips to the local store...One day warmed up enough for a freezing rain, which kept us even more house bound...Rusty left on Tuesday morning, only to spend about 5 hours, waiting for highway 84 to open, arriving in Bend after 7pm that night...Bobi and Ci left Wednesday morning, with mostly sunny skies and clear roads...It is good to have them safely home and us enjoying our quiet, warm, creaky house...The days start to lengthen and the weather will warm up, I'm enjoying the foot of snow still on the ground, a real winter...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

A quick photo on the deck!

ZERO DEGREES...0º

No matter how you read it, write it or look at it, it spells COLD...Luckily it is a dry cold, the air is still, sky is partly blue,  a chance of sunshine is in the forecast...Herb keeps the wood stove blazing away and we stay toasty warm, most of the time...Yesterday the guys were out plowing snow and cleaning walks as we had a couple more inches of the fluffy white stuff on the ground.

We've had our Christmas prime rib, cooked to perfection on the traeger, accompanied by baked potatoes, squash, rolls and salad...Now we are enjoying the leftovers and will for many days...For a change, Cienna has the chicken wings marinating, Bobi will make Wasabi noodles to round out the meal for today.

Our little tree stays lit, presents still wrapped, piled nearby...Stretching out the days of Christmas, no one seems overly anxious to start tearing off the wrappings...Will today be the day?..Or will we just sample another chocolate, play another game of cards, check the latest on our devices and revisit memories of Christmas celebrations of years gone by...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

O' Christmas Tree

Prime Rib, ready for the Traeger.

Snow and More Snow...38º

Growing up near McCall, Idaho, our winters were long and the snow was deep...Six feet on the level, covering fences, winter started in November and the snow lasted through April...That was the norm...Temperature could drop to -40º for days on end and if the snow was just right a crust would form on top, so solid that it would hold up horses and sleigh...So it was possible, at that time, to ride on the sleigh, going over top of fences as if they didn't exist...A foot or more of snow overnight was common and if the storm was accompanied with wind our road would be drifted shut and our only way to the outside world was by sleigh...We lived on a county road, 3 miles from a main highway, a small mercantile and the postoffice...County road equipment in those days was minimal and before the road crew could get the roads passable, another storm would come through, dumping more snow...As an 8 year old child, I was in a dream world, not realizing what it took for my parents to keep our house warm, pipes from freezing, animals fed and watered and food on our table...Growing up in that world, I learned to love a snow storm as long as I was safe, warm and surrounded by love.

Not sure where I was going with that story, just a memory sparked by a foot of snow on the ground and possibly more on the way...I am concerned about the ice storm in Portland and the Columbia Gorge and our kids making the trip to Joseph for Christmas...Guess I have a love/hate relationship with snow and winter....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Winter Weather...8º

After a lovely snow storm on Sunday our weather has turned frosty cold...Our old house creaks and groans as the temperature changes and we stay cozy and warm inside...In anticipation of "The Kids" arriving next week the doors have been opened in the upstairs bedrooms, warming than a bit and airing things out...I removed a layer of dust and Herb has remade the beds with clean linens...Yesterday he put Christmas lights on the front porch and now we have to bring a few Christmas decorations downstairs to make the living room festive...Bobi and I chatted yesterday about menus for the upcoming week, prime rib dinner on the day we celebrate Christmas and simple nutritious meals for the other days, with all of us slicing and dicing, stirring and cooking.

Backing up a bit to our Sunday snowstorm, a total of 6 inches of wet heavy flakes fell throughout the day...It seemed like we were living in a snow globe...About 10am the storm let up and Herb and I were outside shoveling, brooming, pushing snow off the walks and deck, thinking the storm was over...Not to be as it settled in and snowed throughout the day...So before dark we again put on warm clothes and this time he used the 4 wheeler to push snow out of the driveway and along our road, while I cleaned the deck and walks one more time before we called it a day.

Today I will make more fondant so the girls can help me dip chocolates when they get here with the dipping chocolate...Today will be cold but sunny, tomorrow snow is in the forecast...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...With the cold weather I like nothing better than having my nose in a book and I was lucky enough this week to have two books that I throughly enjoyed..."The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" about a girl growing up as the "horseless carriage" was being invented in a household full of brothers...She wasn't interested in needlework or cooking but loved spending time with her grandfather in his library or exploring the mysteries of science with him...It was all about caterpillars, plants, insects, birds anything to do with science, much to her mothers dismay...A time when girls were groomed to be married off to a man who could support her and the many children she was destined to have...She wanted to go to college and yes, study science!..It's a young adult book and a Newberry Prize winner..

"Locally Laid" about a young couple, both with college degrees and she thinking of life in the city will all its amenities, but he has other aspirations...Both books can be checked out of our Joseph Library...

Sunday's snow storm.

Barton Heights Weekend...27º

A quiet weekend, after yesterdays road trip to Clarkston/Costco...We pulled into Winco before 9am, clear roads all the way...Dropped into a stinky, foggy Lewiston/Clarkston valley...This valley has a lot of pluses but stinky fog/smog in the winter is not one of them...It was cold, breezy and damp and people were dressed like they lived at the north pole and complaining about how cold it was.

We bought mostly veggies and fruits at Winco as I prefer their packaging  to Costco and we can get large or small amounts to our liking, instead of hugh Costco, indestructible plastic shells!..We left there with just time enough to make Costco's 10am opening...Two hours later we left Costco after spending more money than we had anticipated--Surprise, Surprise...When I commented on this, the lady checking us out said, she has the same problem and thinks that "things" jump into her cart automatically...Herb and I each have a cart and check in with each other to see if we are duplicating, and we did with a gallon of popcorn, that I was supposed to return to the shelf and forgot...Christmas gift for someone!

On our way over we noticed that the little cafe in Anatone was opened so opted to have lunch there on the way home...The wind blew us in the door, where we quickly found the blazing pellet stove in the back corner...Our cook/waitress brought us burgers and a milkshake to share in a timely manner and after a quiet lunch, a tasty burger, we were headed home...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

4am, Morning Sky...26º

Coffee almost ready...As I waited, I looked out the back door to a star filled sky and silently wished for a hot tub...Then had a second thought about braving the cold, slippery deck to get there and decided I would just have to live with the memory!

Glad I looked out when I did, saw all the stars as the forecast for the next 5 to 7 days is for scattered snow showers...So like yesterday I think we will have sunny/cloudy skies, few snow flakes...Herb and I both went for a walk yesterday, we wore our Yak Trax, for traction on the semi icy roads and will keep walking as long as its not too slick...Maybe resort to walking on the track at the Joseph school...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Christmas Spirit...30º

A couple of inches of snow overnight, maybe more to come...Yesterday I looked through photos both on my computer and sorted through 4 shoe boxes full of photos, trying to get in the Christmas spirit and also looked at the calendar to see how many days are left...Approximately 3 weeks until our family celebration...I think I'm supposed to be buying/making gifts, making candy and chex mix, cleaning house, listening to Christmas music and doing other Ho Ho stuff...Hmmmm, the Christmas Bazaar and Jingle thru Joseph last weekend didn't spark my interest...Years ago I would have been first in line to attend these events and before that I was in the thick of things, making ornaments and candy to sell at my very own booth!

It seems that nostalgia about family outings riding a bobsled, pulled by a team of horses, picking the perfect tree, got in the way of my Christmas spirit, as I spent the day remembering...Other celebrations with grandparents and our then young children, hunting for the illusive perfect tree, Santa was visited, presents wrapped, secrets kept...There was sledding on "saucers" over bumpy terrain with just enough snow, listening for reindeer on the roof and shouts of "Merry Christmas Everyone" echoed in dreams...Soon these little ones turned into teenagers, we still looked for a tree, filled stockings not with nuts and candy but funny gifts, all in the spirit of giving...The spirit of Christmas changed as we celebrated with Margarita glasses, toasting to many more years...And then we became the grandparents, Christmas again had the excitement of wonder, surprise, Rudolph, Santa decked out in a red suit, flying around the world bringing gifts to all good children.

Snow on the ground, counting down the days, looks like I better start making a list or maybe just get busy and at least make a couple of batches of candy, some chex mix, check out the local shops for stocking stuffers and put on some Christmas music...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

The year of the little tree

A shirt sleeve snowy Christmas

Presents Galore

Thanksmas Turkey

Thanksmas is Coming...45º

Our Thanksgiving celebration at B and J's was quiet, relaxing and fun...The traeger turkey was done to perfection, veggie snacks and wine kept us going until the dressing was done, potaoes mashed and green bean casserole out of the oven...Throughly stuffed we played cards, letting our food digest so we could sample the pies...I checked the time thinking it must be at least 9pm and in reality it was maybe 4:30...We called it a night about 8pm.

Yesterday we had turkey/dressing leftovers with salad...It was a lazy day for me, my body still trying to digest all that food...I was lazy, lethargic and mostly worthless...Hoping for more ambition today...Start with a walk to get me moving....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Traeger Turkey, succulent inside.

John happy with all these veggies.

Now for the real food!

Thanksgiving Countdown...33º

For the past four years we have had "Thankmas" with our family joining us at the family home, here on Barton Heights at Thanksgiving time...This year our celebration will be held mid December when Cienna has a 3 week break from school, giving them more leeway to deal with roads, traffic etc...We have all become very flexible and take our celebration as a family whenever and wherever we can make it work.

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving (the national holiday) will be spent with friends...John is smoking a turkey (his first), Becky and Pam are doing side dishes and I will do pies and Bobi's Artichoke/sausage stuffing, to round out the meal...Guaranteed this won't be a vegan meal!

Speaking of vegan meals, Herb and I are still eating copious amounts of fruits and veggies with small amounts of meat/cheese added for flavor...I'm still trying to balance our meals, leaning to more veggies but I have to work at it because I did it the other way for over 50 years and coming from a meat and potatoes family it is a struggle.

Snow is predicted for Thanksgiving and through the weekend and even for last night, but the ground this morning is only frosty, no snow...Happy Thanksgiving to ALL...OWAV:)

Big salad, little dressing, healthy avocado 

and the first half of a veggie stuffed portobello.

The other portobello keeping warm...I think I got

a little carried away with the cheese...:(

Road Trip...35º

Friday seemed like a good day to go for a ride and taking a hot lunch to our wood gathering friends provided the excuse...2 quarts of chili, (home canned) 6 frozen tamales, cut into 3 pieces each, 1 quart of beef broth, all placed in a dutch oven and heated for a couple of hours...Condiments, veggie stix, grapes, chocolate covered nuts, plates, silverware etc all packed and ready to go by 10am...It turned out to be a cold, windy day, but we ate lunch, standing up and thankful that the chili/tamales were hot...The wood gatherers got back to work and we made a circle home, driving roads that Herb hadn't been on for  twenty years...It was a good day...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Threatening Sky

Seven Devils

Hardy Girls

Old Building

Old One Room School House

Love the Old Barn

Chief Joseph Mountain.

Brrrrr...16º

Looks like mostly sunny and cold today, still predicting snow showers for our area, but no major storm moving through...Winter is still a month away.

On Tuesday at water therapy, the water was a cool 83º, certainly kept us moving and we appreciated the hot tub and also the warmer temperature of the pool yesterday and a hot shower before getting dressed...This reminds me of a time many years ago in the late 80's when I joined a class of water aerobics held at Eagle Cap Chalets (motel at the head of the lake with an indoor pool.) Water temperature was about 83-85º and our exercise was vigorous...Of course it was winter time and we arrived at the pool, clad in layers of warm clothing covering our swimsuits...That worked well but the hard part came when after 45 minutes in the pool we shivered up a sweat getting dressed...LOL...You see this pool did not have dressing rooms, showers, nor a hot tub, so we struggled to dry off and get dressed in the many layers before going outside to a cold car for the 6 mile ride home...We were a bunch of hardy souls and loved the commradery of the group...We made new friends and always met at someones house for a grand finale potluck at the end of the winter season, when the pool was again reserved for motel guests, vacationing at Wallowa Lake...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

A winter scene on Barton Heights.

Motivation...32º

Motivation has been lacking the last few days, as I take a walk each morning and fix dinner later in the day...That and puttering around in the kitchen, reading books, playing on the computer and sorting through a few photos has been the sum total of ways to waste time...Today I have write group and water therapy and must make sure to pay our annual property taxes!...Also I should do some grocery shopping but might leave that until Thursday.

It is windy this morning and Herb just got back from a short walk, so I better get moving and get a walk in myself...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Serendipitous Moment...37º

This happened so quickly, a brief moment in our weekend in McCall, that I had totally spaced it since sending Pam an email with a web address (url) about the 80 foot Christmas tree (loaded on an enclosed truck that crossed in front of us at a McCall stop light.

 http://www.kivitv.com/news/christmas-tree-cut-down-in-mccall-will-tour-idaho-before-going-to-dc

http://www.ktvb.com/news/local/idaho/mccall-celebrates-capitol-christmas-tree/348711467

So this morning I have been doing more research on what we actually saw, taking a chunk of time out of my morning, when I should be going for a walk!!! I have a couple more web sites for you and will tell you briefly what we saw.

It was not the National Christmas Tree but the "Peoples US Capitol Christmas Tree" that sits outside on the lawn at the Nations Capitol...This tradition was started in 1964, taking trees from national forests across the country...This years tree was cut on Nov 2 from the Payette National Forest near the little ski hill in McCall...We saw it on Nov 5th as it began its almost 1000 mile tour in Idaho before it starts its 3000 mile trek to Washington DC...(I wonder if it will have any needles left by the time it arrives.) LOL

More website if you want to check this out, I must get moving...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

http://www.capitolchristmastree.com/history.html

http://www.ktvb.com/news/local/us-capitol-tree-to-be-cut-down-near-mccall-on-wednesday/345993461

http://kool965.com/the-u-s-capitol-christmas-tree-is-from-idaho-in-2016/

More Adventure...37º

Sunday November 6th, clocks turned back, we spent a leisurely morning before packing a lunch, stopping at the Albertson's store for water and snacks...(Our checker was a girl who grew up in Enterprise and her parents owned a grocery store there, small world)...Our destination, 30 miles from McCall was Burgdorf Hot Springs (history)...Official site (up to date info)...A paved road except for the last mile or two allowed us to enjoy the breath taking scenery, around Payette Lakes...Just beyond Burgdorf is the old gold mining town of Warren...Please click on these sites to get more info!

The temperature outside was in the high 50's, sun was shining...We checked in at the office, talked with the friendly lady, (who had a sister in Wallowa County) and in no time at all we were soaking in water with a constant temperature of 97º....Heaven must be like this!..We bobbed around on swim noodles for the next 1 1/2 hours, sitting on the steps occasionally to cool off, before we toweled off, and ate our lunch...Pam and Linda walked around the grounds, checking out the rustic cabins (wood heat, gas lantern and out houses nearby.) Then it was back in the pool for another soak before we finally called it a day, got back into McCall where we met our host and treated him to dinner at one of the many restaurants in McCall.

On our trip home we stopped at Last Chance Hot Springs (unimproved) but decided to save it for another time and our one disappointment of the trip was when we realized that Mundo Hot Springs was closed both Monday and Tuesday...But we found a great little cafe in Cambridge, where we dined on giant sized sandwiches and Udderly Chocolate ice cream, all for a bargain price...A leisurely drive along the reservoirs, glassy smooth water reflecting the hills and autumn colors...It was dark as we dropped into the Wallowa Valley, that we call home....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

The first three photos are of the old cabins surrounding Burgdorf (15 or so of them are rented to overnight guests) open year round and accessible only by snowmobile, skis, snowshoes, in the winter months.

Green house heated by hot water.

Burgdorf Pool 97º

Oxbow reservoir

Glassy waters

Fall foliage

Rock formations

What a TRIP....40º

Saturday Nov. 5th...Sunny day, quite warm for November, occasional clouds, little wind...The car was loaded with sleeping bags, suitcases, pillows, blankets, towels, swimsuits and food, all the things and more that women think they need when going on a trip....Pam navigated the 39 road (Wallowa Mountain Loop) with ease in our Subaru, as she was used to driving a forest service truck all summer over this very road, as well as many other forest roads...Linda, our third passenger had worked with Pam during the summer...It wasn't long before we were chatting, laughing, reminiscing like old friends...The miles flew by, although we were not in a hurry, stopping for breaks and a side trip into Halfway to see the changing colors and maybe possibilities for a future trip...We were scouting and talked about how we wanted to see our local country, not really interested in Europe, South America, Asia, Etc...

Pam had never been farther than maybe Oxbow, but she made all the right turns, with Linda navigating and me the backseat driver...What a team?...The barren hills of the Snake River country, where 3 dams, built in the 50's/60's(Brownlee, Oxbow and Hells Canyon) back up the river to supply electricity and recreation, loomed on both sides of us...We traversed the winding road coming onto highway 95 at Cambridge, Idaho and stopped at Mundo (pronounced moon doe) Hot Springs with RV and tent camping as will as cabins for rent, a small Bistro and a lovely hot pool with a soaking tub...This small resort is situated alongside the Weiser River and the Weiser Trail (rail to trail) that runs from Weiser to New Meadows...Many years ago the Galloping Goose Train (railroad) was built because people needed an easy way to get to the County Seat of Weiser and also lumber was hauled out of Adams county by rail.

We spent time at Mundo, visiting with the owner (a delightful lady) and in our minds planning to "soak" there on our way home or maybe on a later trip...Mid afternoon we arrived in McCall (McCall/Lake Fork) where I grew up...We drove out to Ponderosa State Park, ate our lunch while taking in the surroundings and a lovely view of Payette Lake...From there we drove south to Donnelly and followed signs to Gold Fork Hot Springs...The setting is quite nice with natural rock walls nearly surrounding the area...Six or more large hot tubs are terraced down the hill, cooling off as they go...It was late afternoon and crowded, people and beach bags and towels everywhere...A small yurtlike building housed the office and the lady manning it was less than enthusiastic...It had been a long day for us so we made our way back to McCall on the Farm to Market road, stopped briefly at the old ranch, where I grew up, now called Jug Handle Estates...We met up with Linda's friend, and were soon at the house that would be home for a couple of days...To be continued...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Photos of Gold Fork Hot Springs.

Going on a Road Trip...33º

Pam has finished with her summer job and is ready for a road trip...Leaving Saturday morning, heading the back way, over the Wallowa Mountain Loop Road and will end up in my old stomping grounds, McCall, Idaho...Plan to check out some of the Hot Springs along the way and around McCall...Looking forward to a fun trip and some good soaking in mineral saturated water...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Quiet Days...32º

Quiet days of fall, cold nights, sunny days, not much going on...Halloween we had zero kids knock on our door...Tate is staying with us for a couple of days until John gets home from Idaho...Herb and I will be able to walk on these cold crisps days before the roads get slick and maybe I will sort through my mending/altering pile and actually sew a seam or two...Other than that it is just the usual figuring out what to have for dinner, sweep away the cobwebs and other mundane stuff...Below I'll post a few photos of the rainbow that lasted just seconds and the after glow that stayed around just a bit longer...Enough rambling....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Sunny...32º

Up late this morning, sun just showing its face from behind a cloud...Looks like the perfect morning for a walk...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Daybreak/Foggy...38º

Just getting light at 7am, fog is moving in and it looks like the beginning of an English murder mystery...Everything shrouded in fog and gloom...Not sure we will be walking this morning as the damp, cold temperature penetrates our old bones...Herb has the wood stove cranked up and the sheets are drying downstairs...Inside looks like a good place to spend our Sunday...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Fall Photos...38º

Photos from my morning walk...Have a great day...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Extended Birthday...45º

In some marriages, it is common for the husband/wife to buy each other gifts and the receiver is tickled pink, the gift fits and all is well...In almost 56 years of married life we have not found that to be true...So after much frustration in those early years, we quickly fell into the routine of picking out and trying on gifts that suit us...Since I'm always looking for a bargain, I want something that is well made but cheap, that means I go searching at Sierra Trading Post for the best bargains available, that are in my size and something I need...(Never been a fan of useless gifts).

My birthday box arrived yesterday complete with new shoes and swimsuit, to our delight both of them fit and will be used immediately...The shoes are made for walking and the suit for water therapy...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Spook Alley..54º/breezy, rainy...

Herb and I had the gutter cleaned and outside of our big windows washed by 9am yesterday...We then fixed a smoothie for breakfast and mostly decided to be lazy for the rest of the day.

Pam called about 10am thinking that a girls outing sounded like fun...So shortly after noon B, P and I were on our way to the Rimrock to check out their Halloween decorations...But first the girls were hungry, they had a burger, I had soup, then we were ready for Spook Alley...A hugh jumping spider took our breath away and the foggy, eerie tunnel made the cackling witches, spooks and skeletons appear very menacing...It is a fun display and the owners and their son have worked very hard to provide entertainment for their guests...Extensive decorations inside and out are worth driving 30 miles for a sandwich and soup...We were also invited to take home a pumpkin of our choice, to add a festive air to our own homes...Hugs To All...OWAV:)