Family Home...38º

It has been our house for 44 years, officially next month...April of 1973, we moved from Duchesne, Utah to Joseph, Oregon, planning to stay from 2 to 7 years, before making the next move at the whim of the Forest Service...Luckily that never happened and over the years, our kids grew up, left home and now come back to visit us...We live in the same house, that we have remodeled, on the same acre of ground, now with more trees, shrubs and flowers and we call it home.

So for the next 5 days, 2 kids plus 1 granddaughter and 1 grand dog will fill the house with laughter, louder voices than usual (better for old folks to hear) and fragrant smells (sometimes smoke) from the kitchen, as we savor favorite foods, take trips down memory lane, play endless games of cards and if the weather cooperates, we will spend some time outside or maybe venture to Imnaha, where the weather is warmer and the fruit trees might be in bloom...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Rustic huckleberry/cherry tart

Cienna sporting a new hairdo, she has been

the recipient of good natured teasing.

Overcast...30º

Yesterdays text from Cienna, "On da road."...It was 7am and caught me a bit by surprise, so instead of sitting in my recliner, playing scrabble, writing a blog, I kicked it up a notch...We both took a morning walk, then Herb fixed us a breakfast smoothie and I mixed a small batch of bread...From there I moved onto mixing noodle dough for our turkey/noodle dinner...The rest of the morning was spent clearing clutter, dusting and vacuuming.

The girls are always good about keeping us posted, as they journey through the Columbia Gorge, stop to split a Bozo Burger in Boardman, then at Grocery Outlet in LaGrande...1:30PM, the sound of gravel in the driveway, signaled their arrival...Our house is as cleaned up as it ever gets, the smell of fresh baked bread permeates the house and egg noodles are drying on the counter...We visit away the afternoon and get settled in for the week...Rusty will arrive either today or tomorrow...Cienna filled us in on her latest adventure...She has been taking a scuba diving class in school and over the weekend, joined her classmates at Hood Canal in Washington, where they were tested and certified for recreational diving...Another water sport to add to her list.

This morning will find us at the local thrift stores, looking for bargains and shopping at Safeway for veggies...The sun is peeking through the clouds, 6:30AM...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Sunny Saturday...35º

Trying to be positive as we head into spring break...Kids arriving in a few days as weather turns to rainy, cloudy with temps in the 50's, not predicting sun until Friday, about time to pack up and go home...Typical spring break and can only hope that the forecast is as far off as usual and that we at least have some sunshine...But we will be happy with whatever comes our way, bundle up and get outside some, otherwise we will be cooking, eating, playing cards, doing puzzles and computing.

Calling this Surprise Saturday (never know what the weather will be) I have photos from 2015 showing what we were doing for spring break....Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Cienna was still in Thailand on her Rotary Exchange.

A favorite photo

Wonder if this was breakfast or lunch?

Fun with friends from around the world.

A new host sister

 Herb and I were in Arizona for three weeks...Soaking up the sun.

Saltwater pool, view from our balcony.

Enjoying the ballgame

Lemons from Arizona, including an egg to depict size.

Bobi came to Joseph for a week in April and we made lemon Pie.

Cooling...Mmmm good!

Blooms...38º

Almost a month ago, daffodils started showing up in the flower shop at Safeway...Slender green buds packaged 12 to a bunch, selling for 2 bunches for $5.00...A reasonable price and all you had to do was arrange them in a vase with water and wait for the buds to open...I almost bought some, but since I still had blooms on an orchid (in our living room) I decided to wait for daffodils from my own garden...Last Sunday I picked 12 of the tallest daffodils from the budded plants...Below is day 2 and day 5, a small bouquet, very fragrant and cheery...The really nice part is that over the past 20 years I have planted and transplanted hundreds of daffodils bulbs, an unlimited supply of blooms for the next month, to be enjoyed at home and shared with friends....Happy Spring...Hugs To All...OWAV:)


                    

Morning Sun...38º

Three bags full, many more to go...The ladies at Soroptomist are happy, I'm happy and invigorated to start on more bags...So after I get a batch of bread started I will work on filling more bags to donate next week...The morning sun really helps to lift my mood, my mind blocking out the possibility of rain/snow...Spring is here and yes we will probably have nasty weather but it won't last...Hoping for nice days next week for spring break...Enough blathering for today, must get moving...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Last nights sunset

Scattered Showers...40º

Scattered showers/mostly cloudy has turned into cloudy with occasional showers, sun breaks, dry pavement...Not sure what the difference is but it made for a nice day yesterday...Herb has been taking a walk nearly every morning and I have started again but more sporadic...It is nice not to have the slick pavement of winter to contend with as we trudge our way up and down the Barton Heights hill, both of us using trekking poles for balance and stability.

Mid day yesterday, armed with plastic garbage bags, I started sorting an upstairs closet...(I still have some books to sort but needed to distance myself from that, so I can be more objective about what I keep on my one small bookcase)...It is amazing what one finds in an out of the way closet, everything from a stash of baby quilts (made for gift giving), worn out jeans for quilts, a huge stack of mending/altering (does anyone mend things anymore?), old sets of sheets, too worn to put on a bed, BUT they must be good for something...Quilts, comforters, blankets, Oh My...Now I have my work cut out for me, because in one short week, our "kids" will be home for spring break and the mess I made yesterday has to be cleaned up...I must refrain from stuffing it all back into the closet!..I did fill two bags to take to the thrift store today.

Our dinner yesterday was easy, leftover corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and dressing was stacked on homemade bread and grilled into a yummy Ruben sandwich...Nothing vegan about this as along side was the infamous jello salad, leftover from Sundays dinner club...It actually made a good combination and Herb remarked, "It has been a long time since we had jello salad."...Indeed it has...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Ruben Sandwich

Comfort Food...38º

Pam and I joined six other people for our monthly (winter) dinner club...After a long, difficult winter, comfort food from the 50/60's was on the menu...Appetizers were an assortment of crackers, cheese, olives and cheese in a can (very popular in that era)...Meatloaf, mac and cheese, jello salad, green salad, whole grain bread and pie, filled our plates and our tummies...An assortment of old time soda pop to quench our thirst, as well as red/white wine...It was an enjoyable evening, as much about the social aspect as the food...Next month we will search the Internet and put together a menu of favorite dishes depicting "New England."

It is raining again this morning, with a promise of sun later today...I just happen to have a meatloaf (ready to cook) in the fridge, and potatoes scrubbed and ready to go in the oven...So that means I should have time to sort a closet or a drawer and come up with a couple more bags to take to the local thrift store...Or I have four new books from the library begging to be read or at least looked at...Right now it looks like a break in the rain, I think a walk might be nice...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Raining...43º

It has been warm enough this week, that we open our bedroom window for the night...I love the fresh air and this morning I woke to the sound of rain...Looks like tomorrow will be sunny, then showers the rest of the week...Hoping it gets it out of its system before spring break rolls around, starting on March 25th.

Cienna will be going to Hood Canal for her scuba certification that first weekend, then planning on a few days in Joseph for our usual family spring break celebration...Then it will be back to the old grind as she starts her last term of early college, with some fun thrown in, going to her last high school prom and practice starts for the dragon boat races in June...She is a busy, determined girl!

Spring has to be my favorite time of the year, watching all the plants come back to life, as buds swell on the trees and bushes and shoots push their way out of the semi frozen ground...The garlic has jumped another two inches and the asparagus can't be far behind...Memories of my Mom come to mind, she would be itching to get outside and start digging in the dirt...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...Photos from Spring Break 2016.

Wallowa Lake State Park

Out for a drive

Celebrated Easter

Road Trip...34º

Black cloud loomed over Joseph yesterday

as we left for La Grande

 We made our second trip to La Grande in two weeks, not usual for us, but to get our eye checks in and conform to medicare, it was necessary...After our appointments we did some casual shopping/looking and decided on pizza for lunch before heading back to Wallowa County...The weather was lovely and warm, in the high 60's, by the time we started home...The fields out that way are greening up and Minam Canyon is starting to flourish...The rivers are running high and muddy, out of their banks in many places...It was an easy day but we are always happy when we arrive home to our comfy house, a glass of wine and books to read.

I will put a corned beef in the crockpot this morning before I go to water therapy...Looks like we are in for rain/snow showers today...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Changing times...40º

Our weather seems to have settled into a spring routine of warmer days, scattered rain showers...Buds are swelling, green shoots are poking through the semi frozen ground, birds return to summer habitat, spring blooms soon to appear...This morning I will repost a "little ditty" that I wrote in 2011 as my frustration returns when the time changes...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Crocus

CHANGING TIMES

Sunlight

Moonlight

Daylight

Who was so bright?

Lose an hour here

Gain an hour there

Change clocks everywhere

Is it more than I can bear?

Spring them forward

Fall them back

Oh no I’m all out of whack

Is someone keeping track?

One clock 

Two clocks

Forty-seven clocks

Is there no more tick tock?

There was a time when

We had grandfather clocks

Cuckoo clocks

Mantle clocks

Sundials, are they long gone?

Now we have blinking lights

Saying change me, no me

Like spoiled children

Begging for attention?

We have Clocks on the microwave & range

Clocks on the coffee pot & computer

Clocks on the TV and telephone,

Should I keep going on and on?

Our life is ruled, lest we forget

Not by the sunrise or sunset

The simple time of daylight to dark

As nature intended

Is it now but a lark?

More time squandered

Less time saved

As twice a year

Our clocks are changed

Do we all believe our daylight is more

As we bank it in the spring 

Then come fall it’s out the door

Please, please let us stop this foolishness

For now and evermore.

Sunny/Warm...51º

A lovely day yesterday for just about anything...I had baking on my mind, wanting to make a good loaf of bread for our dinner club, scheduled for tonight, (it has been rescheduled to next week, due to illness)...Our theme was 50's/60's comfort food...My first thought was to do dinner rolls, but then decided to go with something more wholesome and nutritious...Anadama bread came to mind, it was my Father-in-law's favorite...I have a recipe, but true to form, I just put some bread flour in my big Tupperware bowl, added whole wheat flour and corn meal, made a well and added sourdough starter, water, yeast, molasses, butter and salt...Wanting still more grains, I added Bulgar (soaked overnight), flax meal and rolled oats...This was a small batch so I mixed and then kneaded by hand, adding more bread flour to made a very stiff dough...I let it raise 3 times, punched it down and kneaded more...It was elastic, yet soft and puffy.

As dinner time grew near and nothing was cooking, no leftovers, fridge was bare, I shaped a pizza crust from some of the dough and while I had all the pizza stuff out I tried some pizza rolls (idea from Bobi)...Then since I had plenty of dough left after making a 2 pound loaf for dinner club (now in the freezer), I patted the last pound of dough into a rectangle, spread it with soft butter, sprinkled it with raisins, craisins, walnuts and cinnamon/sugar, rolled it into a loaf for breakfast toast...while all of this was in its final "rise" I wandered outside without a coat!...A few crocus are blooming, daffodils and poppies are sprouted and the garlic is pushing its way through 6 inches of straw mulch.

It was a glorious, productive day and today is also starting out with sunshine, blue skies and the promise of temps in the 50's, not a snowflake in the forecast and oatmeal and cinnamon toast is on the menu for breakfast...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Melting/Rain...38º

An uneventful trip to LaGrande yesterday, roads bare, very little wind, rain showers...Our big snow storm did not materialize and this morning with warmer temps and rain, it looks a bit like spring outside...The snowbanks have almost disappeared and some green grass is peeking through...Crocus can't be far behind.

Looking ahead, I have a medical appointment this week, dinner club on Saturday and still more books to sort (making some headway)...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Ignorance/Bliss...25º

Joseph Oregon Weather this morning says conditions are cold and calm...Below that in eye catching yellow are the following warnings...+Winter Weather Advisory and !Hydrologic Outlook...They are predicting snow then rain/snow into Wednesday...I look at this site most mornings then try to guess how accurate the prediction is...Also I look at road conditions that can tell me if I84 is closed, what the roads look like between here and LaGrande or between here and Lewiston...Both of those road reports usually have "weather hazard," somewhere in the description...The biggest problem with all of this is that conditions can change practically in a heartbeat...By the time we leave home and 30/40 minutes later arrive in the canyon, the conditions could be totally different, better or worse...This site also tells us how much snow we might get during the day...Never very accurate, it is a crap shoot if you ask me.

This takes me back to the "good old days," when all of the cars were only 2 wheel drive, not front wheel, or 4 wheel just plain 2 wheel...Normally we used the same tires for winter as we did for the summer...Where I grew up in Idaho, it started snowing in November and continued through March and sometimes into April...We didn't have hour by hour weather reports, but we knew it was going to snow on any given day and it could be an inch or a foot or two!..Granted we didn't venture far from home, no reason to...We had cows to milk, sheep, pigs, chickens, horses and range cows to feed and take care of, our days were full and we were lucky to have meat in the freezer and a cellar stocked with fruits and vegetables.

If we did take a trip, no weather report to guide us, we piled suitcases in the trunk, maybe packed some food to snack on, water? doubtful, wore our coats, hats, gloves and boots and headed out...We always made it, I guess we were lucky...Just saying...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Snow storm yesterday, lasted maybe half

an hour...1 maybe 2 inches.

Dinner

Musical/Winter...28º

Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat was playing at the Elgin Opera House...Yesterday was the final matinee performance and we had tickets...Pam and I have been going to the shows at the Opera House since they "reopened" after many years of sporadic movies and live music...Click on the link for the History of the Elgin Opera House.

The two of us started going on a whim, when I bought two tickets in the cheap seats (nose bleed section) for $6.00 each...That began a ritual for the past nine years, as we moved from one side of the theater to the other in the upper balcony...We even tried out the main floor seats, but found we preferred the balcony and just the last couple of years we splurged for the more expensive, front row lower balcony, padded seats...Over the years we have invited friend/family to join us and always when the only performance (such as Christmas time) was evening we relied on Herb to be our chauffeur.

As our group of friends has grown over the years, for this performance I bought a block of 10 seats (you know I'm always looking for a bargain) hoping that we could come up with people to fill them...It was easy to get 8 people to commit and I put the other two seats up for sale...No one jumped for them, not even a nibble...Then two of our originals got the crud...Long story short, we did fill 9 of the seats, (thanks to Jan, Sue and Cindy) all paying a bit more than the bargain price, so in the end no one will be out a lot of money and we chipped in a little for gas to the drivers...Everyone loved the seats and enjoyed getting to know some new people as we add to our list of friends that are now looking forward to 3 summer performances...If you haven't been to the Opera House, this summer is a great time to get started.

We lucked out on weather and roads, although it was a bit iffy as we exited the Opera House in a driving rain storm and drove through a snow squall over Cricket Flat...Back in Wallowa County the skies cleared and we arrived home, ahead of the storm...This morning 2 inches of new snow blankets the ground and more is on its way...Winter is not over yet!....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Books and Bags...27º

Since both of my WT partners were under the weather yesterday and I had many bags to go to soroptomists, Herb volunteered to go with me and carry them from the car, down the stairs and into soroptomists, basement sorting room...A beehive of activity as 5 women directed us saying "bags go there, put the big box over here, wait a minute and I will empty the bags so you can refill them."...They know we will be back with more donations.

Only 4 of us hardy souls showed up for WT, it was so quiet, peaceful and relaxing, but I did miss the comradry of all the others...Three more months to go before we take a summer break, then start back in October...It is a wonderful activity for the long winter months.

I finished my latest book yesterday, "Radio Girls."...A fiction based on some fact about the start of radio in England, known as the BBC...It spans several years in the late 30's and touches on subjects  about women in the work place, women suffrage and politics...It gets quite flat in the middle of the book but kept my interest and finally picks up toward the end...Interesting real history woven into the story...It is a worthwhile read.

Looking for a couple of people who would like to attend the musical in Elgin this saturday afternoon....I have two tickets for sale, $15 each for front row balcony, a great price and seat...The shows are always wonderful...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...I finally got my oopsi photo to show up in my blog...