Clouds/Light Rain...38º

Monday and Tuesday mornings were a pleasant surprise as sun and blue sky spread over the Wallowa Valley...The Eagle Caps covered in fresh snow were illuminated by the sun...Temperatures in the 50's allowed us to take walks and while I puttered around the flower beds, Herb was busy trimming bushes/trees and cleaning the irrigation ditch of last falls leaf crop...We look forward every spring for the water to fill the little ditch one more year...It runs along side our bedroom windows, lulling us to sleeps on the warmish summer nights...Living so close to the mountains, our nights seldom get stifling hot, usually cooling down for a good nights sleep...With the ditch water we are able to irrigate  our almost acre of lawn, gardens and pasture.

Today looks more like the forecast with dark clouds overhead and rain fall overnight...I hear the birds singing as they flit through the trees and think that is a sign of at least partial sun later today...Inside chores are again calling me, meals to be planned and cooked, with maybe a walk in the afternoon...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...I found a few bare spots in the flower beds a few days ago and decided that more oriental poppies would be a good choice to fill in...An order has been sent for new poppies, they will be similar to the photos below...I can hardly wait...😀

My favorite

Salmon 

Plum

Cream & Orange

Spring Rain...38º

After two sunny spring days, this morning brings rain and cooler temperatures for the week...I spent the last two days trimming bushes, picking up winter detritus, digging a few dandelions, but mostly just wandering around the yard, wondering how I became so lucky to live in this awesome place...Today I must concentrate on neglected inside chores.

Our first real flush of spring blooms is now in progress, most of the daffodils are in full bloom and even though I prefer the sun, the blooms will last longer with cooler temperatures...Glory of the snow, Grecian wind flowers are fading and grape hyacinths are opening up to take their place...A Manchurian bush apricot is the first tree about to burst into bloom, followed by apricot, apple and plum trees, as well as the lilacs...The next ground covers will be forget me knots, sedums of all kinds and fern leaf bleeding heart...May will bring irises, alliums, columbine, lavender and on into summer with peonies, day lilies, rudbeckia, bee balm, fading into fall, as the colors change from blue, pink, yellow and reds to yellow and orange of fall flowers, such as black eyed susan's, golden glow, gloriosa daisy and autumn joy to name a few...Each day brings something new to behold.

In case you are wondering, the three turkey are now in jars, on the cellar shelves, done for another year...It won't be long before pickling season and tomatoes roasting in the oven...I could think of this as endless drudgery but instead it inspires me to get up each morning and be thankful that Herb and I are able to keep doing what we do!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

More beautiful in real life

Jars waiting for turkey

My Mom's pressure cooker purchased in the 30's

Pressure Canning...36º

Rain overnight, foggy this morning with snow in the forecast...A perfect day to stay inside and get the turkey in the jars...All 3 turkeys are boned out and cut into pieces...The bones have been boiled, drained and the broth is also ready to go into jars and then into the pressure cooker...Getting a slower start than I planned on but we don't have to do it all in one day.

It was a sunny day yesterday so I snapped a few photos of our blooming flowers that are right now getting covered in snow again...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Busy Week...40º

Easter Sunday...PB&J joined us for a late afternoon tri tip/shrimp (beef & beach) dinner along with the traditional fresh asparagus, warm bread and yummy salad followed by carrot cake...Almost forgot the deviled eggs served for appetizers.

Monday, it took me a while to get moving but knowing a wheel barrow load of "aged manure," was waiting for me (Herb doing the heavy shoveling and hauling) I side dressed the rows of garlic, now over 10 inches tall, to give them an extra boost as the spring days start to warm up...They are easy to care for, mulched with straw, few weeds can grow and with the ample rain fall we get they are now on their own until June...Ready to harvest mid July...It is too early to plant other veggies, so I spent time, layering more leaves, peat moss, manure and straw, always amending the soil for another year...In one small bed where I will plant root veggies, I carefully turned over the top three inches of soil to see if the mulching I did last fall had worked...I was pleasantly surprised to find bunches of little "red wigglers" (worms) doing their job, composting the soil, making it loose and friable...Perfect for carrots.

When he wasn't helping me, Herb was hauling wood from the back lot to the basement "woodshed," replenishing the supply to finish out spring and calculate how many cords of wood we need to buy for next winter...Such a good feeling, knowing that we are preparing for winter...And on that note, this morning we will start the yearly "turkey canning marathon," to add to our cellar shelves...Turkeys bought last November are now thawing and this morning H will saw them in half and I will start boning and chunking (my own word) the meat to put in jars and then into the pressure cooker...A skill learned from my mother, when I was in my 50's, she in her 80's...This will keep us busy for the rest of the week, along with our other activities...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

side dressed garlic

Almost 200 plants

Straw bed for growing potatoes

A new bed for radishes and lettuces'..

That friable soil for carrots, beets ???

Snow/Rain/Sunshine...32º

Typical spring weather for Wallowa County...In the space of a few hours, the temperature drops or raises several degrees, one minute we have snow, then sun, then rain...Never know if I should put on a coat to go outside or just a light jacket...These kind of days have me fixing comfort food.

I mixed a batch of no knead bread on Wednesday, then yesterday morning I shaped a loaf, let it warm up and baked it, while I chopped onions, carrots, celery and potatoes to add to the pork roast already cooking in the crockpot...I arrived home after water therapy to yummy smells coming from the kitchen...Our dinner was on the table in a matter of minutes.

Wednesday night/early morning, torrential rain fall to the north of us caused mudslides and flooding on the road to Lewiston, Idaho...Parts of the road were washed out and the road was closed for a few hours...It is now limited to one lane traffic, and from the photos, it looks like major construction will be needed this summer to repair the road...For those people not familiar with Joseph, OR and the surrounding area, there are only two roads leading out of Joseph in winter...North to Lewiston, ID and East to LaGrande, OR...Both are winding mountain roads, subject to rock/mud slides that can cut us off from the outside world...We appreciate the efforts of the local road crews that do a great job of maintaining these roads...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Snow Flowers?

Snow/flowers...36º

Luckily the flowers that bloom this time of year are snow hardy..."Windflowers" frosted with snow, "Glories in the Snow," (that is their name) and "Daffodils" bent over double from the snow are blooming in our yard along with the "Pasque" flower, that sometimes blooms in a sunny spot before the snow is all melted...That is, it blooms until the deer have it for a midnight snack.

Yesterday with brief sun breaks, I found myself outside taking a very short walk and snapping a few photos of these lovely spring flowers...They are some of my favorites and prompted me to do a little shopping on line, where I made a list for a possible order...I'm always looking for more poppies and peonies because mostly the deer don't bother them...Vegetable seeds are also on the list, I need to replenish my supply.

Enjoy the spring flowers below, they are getting snowed on again...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Pasque flower up close

Pasque

windflowers and a few daffodils

More Windflowers

Glories of the Snow

Call Me Crazy...50º

It was warm and sunny yesterday, just right to pick up limbs and assorted debris around the yard, while checking the flower gardens for emerging perennials...I ordered 5 new oriental poppies last year and at least 4 of them are coming up...They are among my favorite flowers and the deer seem to avoid them, fingers crossed...My early fern peony is up and other peonies are just peeking through...Blue windflowers and starry twinkles are in full bloom and the daffodils are about to start their annual show adding yellow to the landscape.

I made a trip to the Joseph library to return books and took a minute to glance at the shelf of new books...Now all of you know that I have been sorting gardening books and donating them to the local thrift shop, keeping only a few favorite ones...I came home with two new gardening books, feeling very proud of myself because I can look at these, glean new ideas and knowledge, and return them to the library, never having to dust them or worry about finding them a new home...Herb just shook his head, when he saw my new "reading" material...It just happens to be windy/rainy outside, a perfect day to peruse the new books...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Wintery Day...30º

A smattering of snow covers out deck this morning, but the forecast says partly sunny by 8am...Spring break is about over for us, our girls left Saturday morning for the trip back to their home in Portland, so Cienna can fill her shift as a lifeguard on Sunday and on Monday start her last term in early college...Rusty leaves this morning for his home in Bend.

Spring break, most days were cloudy and cool, with few sun breaks...Our days were spent cooking/baking/eating and playing cards...Herb and Rusty worked on Herbs new/old pickup and Ci and Rusty got some outside time, helping John with horses and mules...As always we drove to Wallowa Lake, bringing back memories of our life and Cienna's vacations visiting Oma and Papa...Friends joined us for dinner of roasted buffalo...Our apple trees got their annual pruning yesterday, as we braved a cold wind, saved by occasional sun...We welcomed a bowl of oyster stew to warm up.

Life returns to normal for Herb and I, a quiet house, less food and the beginning of spring and the endless chores of summer...We are thankful to have those chores that keep us active and surround us with beauty and add food to our table...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Huckleberry Waffles

Bean Soup

Fried Oysters

Huckleberry Cream Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

Our Parting Shot!