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:)

Quiet Days...38º

Looks like intermittent rain/breezy through the week, with high temperatures around 60º...Lovely fall days to wash windows, clean rain gutters, one more lawn mowing, to finish all the fall jobs before winter weather sets in...I think we are ahead of the game this year, due to Herb's diligence in doing the yard work, cleaning the deck and porch, doing one job at a time on a daily basis...It seems that one of our bigger jobs was taken care of with the last wind storm, as the wind took the leaves off the trees and blew them away!..It makes me a little sad because I like the chopped up leaves for garden mulch, maybe next year.

Another birthday over for me, as the years continue to fly by...We made the trip to Lewiston for car repairs and celebrated my birthday at the Red Lobster, where our healthy meal plan didn't stand a chance of surviving the day...Hot from the oven, cheesy biscuits delivered with the salad was only the start of our undoing...Herb had fish and chips, I had salmon, baked potato and brussel sprouts...We passed on drinks and dessert and promised to do better on another day, after all, birthdays only come once a year...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Almost done...40º/Cloudy

Yesterday Herb and I both worked outside all morning, first going for a walk and then more cleaning up and cutting down...Then on to the veggie garden where he brought me wheelbarrow loads of manure/straw that I layered it with new straw, added alfalfa pellets and left this for the winter to mulch down into loamy soil for planting next spring...We also doctored the raspberry plants, filled in the row with a few volunteers and gave them a good dose of llama manure!

Herb had a follow up doctor appointment from last weeks procedure, so I finished what I could in the garden before coming inside to fix dinner...The only thing left in the garden is carrots, which I pulled a nice big handful to go with our dinner of finger steaks ( 3 ounces each) mashed potatoes and salad...For some reason I've been really hungry for meat this week...Hope that will pass.

Herb has taken Tate for a walk this morning (dog sitting this week) and I must get dressed and moving myself...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Quiet Weekend...39º

Little wind, nice soaking rain over the weekend...Temperatures were warm enough for walks both days, but we refrained from working outside...Herb did lots of laundry, drying it in the basement,where the wood stove keeps everything toasty warm...Our clean sheets last night didn't have that outdoor smell but on the plus side, they didn't smell like perfume from the clothes dryer...Our clothes dryer is approaching its 30th birthday, but hasn't seen much use.

Over the weekend, our meals were mostly made up of leftovers and Herb made the comment, "They were pretty good leftovers."..So today I get to start over, seeing what I can come up with, will it be a marinara sauce, sans meat but with lots of sautéed mushrooms, onions, garlic and our own home roasted tomatoes or maybe mushrooms roasted with multi grain rice or maybe I better take a closer look at all the recipes that Bobi "dropped in my drop box" and see if something new will strike my fancy...You see, Bobi and family have joined a new lifestyle program, eating healthier meals with an abundance of veggies and fruits, less meat and dairy...We are happy to have them along so we can encourage and support each other...Wish us well on this continued journey...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Car Problems...43º

Don't you just love all the "CRAP" that is included in newer cars...Stuff that is supposed to make them better, safer, less polluting and all that!...Most of this stuff is computer driven and monitored and controlled by some form of computer...Sensors are added to tell you if the tires have enough pressure,  if the catalytic converter is working properly and idiot lights flash on the screen telling you to check tire pressure, check engine, check battery, brakes, door locks, air bags and who knows what else!

Check engine light has been on in our car for 2 weeks, waiting until we could get an appointment in Lewiston, at the "Subaru hospital," when it worked for both us and them...Leaving Joseph at 6:30 am yesterday, for our 9am appointment, the check engine light refused to light up!..We had already been through this little scenario last Dec. when we made the two trips to Lewiston in winter weather to have the catalytic converter replaced for the second time...First one was done as a recall, 2nd one under warranty...After an hour of testing etc. the news is...They think the converter is probably still good but will replace it, for the third time, under the 12 month guarantee and replace both sensors (not under warranty) for just under $400.00...So compared to the cost of a new converter if it wasn't under warranty, $600.00 - $1000.00 + $400.00, that should make us feel good...That's nice, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth...The car only has 63,000 miles on it, our previous Subaru's, with regular maintenance, have gone over 100,000 miles with no problems...Grrrrr...Guess I better quit before my blood pressure goes off the chart...We are scheduled to make another trip to Lewiston next Friday, oh joy, I get to go to Costco one more time before winter sets in!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Set for Winter...26º

Although official winter is two months away I think we are mostly prepared...Wood all stacked inside, most of the canning done, garlic almost dried, flower beds cut down, garden spot mostly ready...We should have a few more cold, crisp days before the first snow so we can finish it all up.

Today is the day for Herbs colonoscopy procedure and we both should be done with that for our lifetime...Friday we will be in Lewiston getting the car looked at and anticipate another trip over there to get it fixed, unless we luck out and it is only the sensor and not the catalytic convertor.

Herb built a fire last night, warming our house against the below freezing temperatures...We are cosy and warm, soon to take showers, before spending the next approximately 3 hours at the hospital...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Productive...35º

With an early start yesterday, I sorted out the smaller beets, put them in two large kettles to cook...While they cooked I sliced cucumbers that had been in a salt/vinegar brine for 6 weeks, added sugar to some of the brine, heated to a boil, poured it over pints of sliced cukes and processed...A total of 20 pints of crisp sweet pickles...By the time I finished those, the beets were cooked and cool enough to slip the skins...In no time at all I had them sliced into pint jars, covered with a sweet syrup, flavored with cinnamon, allspice and cloves and processed...13 pints of beet pickles to brighten up our winter meals...This morning I gave all jars a final wipe with a hot, soapy cloth, labeled and dated each jar.

Herb had carried all the empty jars upstairs for me and now has all of the full jars carried downstairs to the cellar...Yesterday while I was canning, he was cutting down more dead plants in the flower beds, so everything is getting ready for winter.

With the forecast for colder nights, we carried the house plants inside for the winter, they love being on the front porch all summer...Geraniums are still blooming but will freeze soon, normally we bring them in to overwinter upstairs, but that is a real pain, so have decided to just buy new ones next spring...Hugs To All...OWAV:

Coleus to brighten the living room

Nice loaf

Pickled beets.

Sweet pickle chips.

Wind Chimes...46º

I woke to the song of our wind chimes this morning at 4am, and thought they might lull me back to sleep, but no such luck.

It has been a busy weekend for us here on Barton Heights, as we continue putting  things to bed for the winter...The beets and cabbages are out of the ground, only the carrots are left to sweeten up in the colder weather of approaching winter...Raspberry patch is cleaned out, stalks trimmed and waiting for mulch and manure...Herb did the heavy hauling and I placed new straw on the depleted beds and covered them with a thick layer of mulch/manure...A little rain fell overnight, that helps!

We had planned to go to Lewiston today for a car appointment but have now decided to reschedule that for this coming Friday, which will make this week less hectic as Herb already has his colonoscopy scheduled this Wednesday...Also I don't want to miss any of my WT sessions and I have to do something with the beets and the rest of the pears...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Sunrise...50º/Cloudy

Hint of a sunrise, cloudy, breezy, ominous looking sky, the perfect day to make a batch of bread...Sourdough starter is working away, patiently waiting for me to get moving...Kind of hard to get motivated until it gets daylight.

Engine light is on in my car again, Peter ran a check and it is saying catalytic converter again, hoping it is just the sensor...I still think we were better off without all the computer stuff on cars!..We went through this only last December...Looking on the bright side, a road trip to Lewiston and Costco before the snow flies...Appointment scheduled for Monday...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Relaxing...35º

After having a mammogram (results good!) early yesterday morning and going to write group, before noon, I was ready for a restful session at water therapy...So nice to see the smiling faces and hear deep sighs as I joined old/new friends in the water...We immersed, floated, visited and yes relaxed in the warm water of the pool and finished it up with more soaking in the hot tub...Looking forward to this 2 days a week, all winter...The good life.

Today i'm back to slicing apples for drying and pears for freezing and cooking some food, as our fridge seems a bit bare...It is cooler now, so time for comfort food...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Accomplished...35º

From not knowing what we were going to do yesterday to getting major jobs accomplished, our day went well...With rain in the forecast, we got an early start harvesting potatoes, such a rewarding job...Both Herb and I pulled vines to find the "nest" of potatoes, some attached, some hiding deeper in the loamy soil...We finished with two boxes full to store for the winter, nice size, very few scabs, clean and solid...While Herb did the lifting and hauling the potatoes, down cellar steps, I did a little prepping on this now vacant spot, with it's loamy soil, so we could plant the garlic before it starts to rain...Herb made the furrows, I dropped in the garlic seed and we both covered, then packed the soil, and mulched the ten rows with straw...Early next spring about 175 garlic plants will poke their heads out and grow into lovely garlic heads.

No rain materialized, the afternoon was fairly warm and a good time to roll hoses and pick up soaker pipes to store for the winter...Back in the house I fixed dinner and sliced a bowl of apples for the dryer before leaving for a potluck gathering of the Chip program, so I can keep motivated and following our less meat, move veggies and fruit, food plan...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

A nest, dirt brushes off easily.

Winter food.

Looking Back...39º

And looking forward...Still have many jobs to finish this fall, pickle beets, harvest potatoes, plant garlic, roast tomatoes, apples and pears are waiting and water therapy starts tomorrow, twice a week all winter...I'm so looking forward to that!

I looked back at my blog to 2011 where I found we were doing all of these things except water therapy, plus many more...At that time I was still in Sorority, Garden Club (it dwindled away this year,) Book Group (no more,) write people (started back last week,) and Herb and I both spent a full weekend as volunteers at Mule Days (gave that up about 3 years ago)...So our load has lightened but our energy and stamina has waned so we only think that we are busier than ever!

Today I could be doing any number of things just haven't decided what it will be...I do have a full day booked tomorrow, mammogram at 7:45am, write people at 10am and water therapy at 12pm...Life never slows down, lucky for us, with a little coaxing, we are still able to keep our bodies moving....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

So pretty this year.

With old glory.

Asters making the last show.

Bitter/Sweet October...32º--Brrrrrr

October is a time of change every year, saying goodbye to long sunny days, trading them for the cool nights, short days and changing colors of fall...The time for canning and storing food for winter...We continue to dry apples and check the pears daily and will soon start to work on them...Yesterday I made some of the fresh/frozen strawberries into jam, that turned out more like strawberry syrup...My mouth waters for pancakes, hot off of the griddle, spread with peanut butter and covered with this strawberry red, sweet, delicious syrup and also for ice cream sundaes or even banana splits...Maybe a special treat this winter...Plus there are many jars to share when I need a special gift.

Another goodbye, so long, this year is to friends Pat and Brian as they leave for their home in Maryland...What before was a short stay for the worst winter months has now turned into a more permanent move, to be closer to son and grandson...They will return to their cabin at the lake, next summer, for the month of July, a break from the hot, humid weather of the East...With positive thoughts we send them off with a farewell breakfast this morning at the Wallowa Lake Lodge and look forward to next summers visit....I could go on and on here about missing our walks, yard sales, belly laughs, mochas, crazy things that we do so much alike and other things in which we are totally opposite...But I won't, we just wish them well, are thankful for the years and memories we have and move on!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Fall Photos...46º

Windy the passed two evenings, with just a sprinkle of rain...The temperatures still bouncing up and down as October dawns.

Yesterday started with a 28 pound bucket of mostly thawed sliced strawberries, that needed to be portioned into quart ziplocks for jam and pint ziplocks for smoothies...That's a lot of strawberries, but after buying frozen whole strawberries from Safeway or Costco, that have absolutely no flavor I asked P & B to get me a bucket of good strawberries from Klickers in Walla Walla...It seemed expensive but when I figured the price per pound, they are a super bargain, just have to have a big freezer...We now have enough fruit in our freezer for a lifetime year of smoothies and still have pears and apples to add to the mix...As usual when I do something I go all out!

We had a yummy dinner of home grown beef (small amount) in gravy, over new potatoes and carrots also fresh from our garden, with slices of tomatoes, cucumbers and onion...Hugs To All...OWAV:)