Garlic Harvest...60º

Early yesteday morning found Herb and I in the garlic patch digging/pulling/carrying until all 170 heads of garlic are now hanging to dry in the lean-to...Always a rewarding job for us...What do we do with all that garlic?...Use and give away some fresh, and the rest we dry to give away...The dried will keep, probably forever, but usually by next summer we have given all of it away...We are just a little bit crazy...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Crazy/Busy Weekend...58º

I had good intentions of writing yesterday but a raspberry patch, garden, cleaning huckleberries for the freezer, watering and cooking, all got in the way...Backing up a bit, on Saturday, Pam and I got an early start driving to the land of Huckleberries...Must say it was a fruitful (berries) exhausting 12 hour day, and so much fun...Although the woods are drying out, it is still a beautiful, quite, peaceful place, where one can shut out the world and relax...Again R shared yet another HB patch with us, where many years ago he, as a boy, picked HB's with his family...We came home with ample huckleberries for winter desserts and more memories with friends.

Happy Day.

Backing up a bit more, Herb and I finished up the "roll" deliveries on Friday, with a grand total of 20 dozen rolls made and delivered...From all reports the "law enforcement officers" were well fed for the 4 days of CJD's and did an excellant job of patrolling and keeping things under control, so everyone could have a good time...Always glad when CJD's is over.

We must harvest garlic this morning, so I have to get moving...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

All in a Weeks Work...58º

About a month ago, Becky brought up the subject of Chief Joseph Days and her role as District Attorney in providing a "hospitality room" for all of the "law enforcement officers," that would be putting in long hours keeping our small town safe and sane...The usual fare has been a hot/cold sandwiches, salads, desserts buffet, that is set out for a few hours late afternoon, before the officers start their evening patrol...Since she is the only DA on staff (still advertising for an Assistant DA) her staff has stepped up to help her and she asked if I would make "fold over rolls," (she loves my rolls) for possibly one or two meals, of the four days of CJD's.

Wow, what an opportunity, anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knows that I have a love affair with dough...I could play in the dough for one, two, even four days if I wanted to get really crazy...After some discussion we settled on three days, (Becky asking, "Are you sure?")..."Piece of cake," I said...Of course without asking, I knew Herb would come along for the ride, to fetch and carry as I would need, multiple items from the basement each day, (up and down stairs is in his exercise program) and help in the delivery.

We are on day three, with just a few minor blips...Day one I miscalculated the flour and ended up with a huge wad of dough that my mixer refused to knead..."Damn!" I started over, the 2nd batch of rolls were kneaded, baked, packaged and ready to go on time...Day two, I was up early, started water outside, thinned the apple tree again and started the rolls with plenty of time...Got my flour ratio correct, machine did the kneading, all was well...But the dough didn't want to raise/rise...Finally I was able to get the dough rolled out, cut and in the pans, then resorted to putting then outside in the sun (covered) to raise enough to bake...Out of the oven I had to get them cooled, ice packs and fans helped with this process and we easily made the 3pm cut off.

It is 6am Friday morning, last day to play in the dough...The apple tree needs more thinning, do I dare?..Maybe I will mix the dough and leave it to raise, while I thin the apples...That should work...Come back tomorrow, oops, NO, I'm going picking huckleberries tomorrow, come back on Sunday to find out if the rolls get delivered...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Dough rolled out, buttered and cut (pizza cutter)

into roughly 2 X 4 inches.

Folded over, don't have to be perfect.

Golden brown, just right for sliders, pulled pork,

or whatever you want to put in them.

Todays Blooms....59º

Years ago I tried growing hollyhocks but finally gave up when they got so rusty and shaggy that they ceased to be pretty...Herb threw some of the seed out in the back lawn, around the watering trough, and this year, after he protected them from the goats and llama they have multiple deep purple/maroon blooms.

Hollyhocks

Another different bloom in the yard is one called "Love in a Mist My mom had it in many colors, ours are all white, so far the deer haven't developed a taste for it...Thanks to a doe and her two (some days three) fawns we have very few blooms right now.

Love in a Mist

This week I'm playing in the dough and will post photos and write all about it tomorrow...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Honey Bees...60º

Summer is upon us, the sunshine and heat that we have been wishing for is here...Although we have been watering on a regular basis everything is really dry and no rain in sight for the next week...Sprinklers are already going this morning, fans running trying to cool off the house!

Late afternoon yesterday I took a video of the Honey Bees on poppies, gathering pollen...Watching this it is easy to see where the saying "Busy as a bee," comes from...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Butterflies and Bumble Bees...60º

The lavender patch is in full bloom now and the bees are in heaven...They stayed all day, gathering nectar...Also the swallow tail butterflies were there getting their share...I snapped a few photos...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

I think these are Bumble Bees, Honey Bees are 

so small they are hard to see.

Swallow Tail

Didn't realize it was missing part of its tail. 😟

The end of a beautiful day.

Huckleberry Season...40º

July/August is huckleberry season in Wallowa County...Some years we have bumper crops and other years they are few and far between...For many years while getting firewood, near a huckleberry patch, Herb would fall the tree, limb etc. and I would pick berries...Other times Pam and I would go on our own or with grandchildren so they could have this fun experience.

Now Pam is working summers, for the Forest Service, and met Richard, campground host last year, and huckleberry picking has ramped up...Richard born and raised here knows all the good patches and he loves picking huckleberries.

Yesterday found P, R and I in a huckleberry patch, and this is what we came home with...Already we are planning our next trip.

Herb was content to read and relax, never enjoyed picking very much but did it to keep me happy.

After picking huckleberries, we all enjoyed steaks cooked over the open fire, along with salads and dessert...Arrived home before dark and in bed shortly after...It was an extraordinary day...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Changing Temperatures...39º

I mentioned yesterday that I like the cooler temperature at night but I wish it wouldn't get quite so carried away, trying to please me!..Our veggie garden was moving full speed ahead, peas blooming, beets perfect for greens and baby beets, carrots big enough to thin, cabbages heading out, dill ready to go to seed, garlic almost ready to dig, cucumbers have finally started climbing the fence and a few small tomatoes with lots of blooms, but the temps need to stay closer to the 50º mark at night, instead of moving closer to freezing!..A look at the forecast is for a warming trend next week, wonder if that will make me happy?

With a busy week coming up (Chief Joseph Days) our town gets really crazy...Four nights of rodeos, two parades, dances and a bajillion more people/cars/RV's crowding into our little town...Herb and I are going for an outing today...The huckleberries are calling us to a lower elevation, a campfire near the river, steaks sizzling on the grill, laughter and conversation with friends, the lull before the storm.

We are lucky to live just on the edge of town, on a dead end street...We hear the PA system announcing the parades and rodeos and the music and screams coming from the rodeo grounds, but we can choose to stay home in our own little world and a week from tomorrow, it will all be over for another year.

Yesterday I pulled volunteer dill plants, shared some with a friend and put some to dry for dill pickles and hope I can get cucumbers from Walla Walla in the near future...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Lovely dill weed.

Wildlife...50º

I usually think of deer/wildlife in the same thought, but in the cool of the evening, sitting on the deck last night, new wildlife came into view...A pair of quail and 8 babies, so fun to watch...We have several families that live on Barton Heights year round, just to entertain us.

Mom and Dad with 8 babies.

 I started this blog post early this morning before I got the call to fill in at the museum today, so I'm now at the museum and can finish it...I worked outside for a couple of hours, took a shower and managed to put stew meat, onions and bullion in the crock pot so dinner will be partially ready when I get home...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Shasta Daisys starting to bloom.

Sweet Peas, my first bouquet in many years.

Cool Morning...50º

Yesterdays temperature was in the high 80's, maybe even hit the 90º mark...That is pretty warm for our valley and thankfully in these high mountains the night time temperature dropped down to 50º...We keep windows open and fans running all night to cool the house down, then close it up for the day...What work we do outside is done in the cool of the morning.

I picked a handful of raspberries yesterday, most delicious when eaten right off of the bushes...Garlic is starting to die back and will be ready to dig in about a week...Peas, patty pans, zucchini are starting to bloom...The deer came in last week and ate almost every marigold bloom off of the planters on our deck...Silly me, I thought that was one flower that they absolutely would not eat...Shasta daisy, sweet peas and lavendar are blooming...That's all for today, must get outside...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Joseph Fly-In...51º

A beautiful weekend for the annual Joseph fly-in...Since the airport is about a mile from our house we have a ring side seat for most of the air activities...The noise is intense some of the time but we take it in stride, knowing that it only happens once a year...In 10 days from today the noise and crowds of people will reach its peak for the summer, as Chief Joseph Days (4 day rodeo) starts on July 25th...Luckily we live at the edge of town and can stay out of most of the craziness and only hear the sounds of the rodeo announcer...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...
A few more photos from our Hat Point excursion and a brief glimpse at planes high in the sky over our house yesterday...Click on the photos to "get the picture."

Beautiful Canyons.

One of the many overlooks.

A huge bouquet.

Blooms and Rocks.

I loved the rocks almost more than the blooms.

Over our garage

High in the sky.

Hat Point...52º

Four years ago Pam started working summers, cleaning campgrounds, for the forest service...Her area covers a lot of territory...Bear Creek, Lostine River Area, Hurricane Creek, Wallowa Lake Trail heads, Hat Point, most of the Imnaha, Hells Canyon Overlook and also Fishlake...Since we have always had fun exploring the great outdoors, it is no surprise that she wants me to see these places...She called on Tuesday night and said, "Do you want to go to Hat Point tomorrow, the wildflowers are in full bloom." Without hesitation I said, "YES."

So as we used to say, she took a "bus man holiday" drove her car, on her day off and we retraced her route, 30 miles to Imnaha, then 5 miles of very steep, rough, narrow dirt road, we stopped at 5 mile overlook to look out over the Imnaha Country and back to the Wallowa Mountains...The road smoothed out after that and the next 17 miles are mostly smooth, if you miss the potholes...Next stop was "Granny View" where we walked the loop and were surrounded by carpets of wildflowers, nestled in among the rock out-croppings...We drove on to Hat Point where we ate our lunch, looking down into the Snake River Canyon and the Seven Devils, mountain range in Idaho.

After lunch we drove on to Hat Point Lookout and climbed to the very top of the tower...Pam spotted the Mountain Sheep/Goats way off in the distance...I could only see them with binoculars...Sad to say we forgot to take a photo as proof, but more amazing views greeted us from that Lofty Perch...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...My photos don't show how beautiful it really was, but gives you an idea.

Wallowa mountains in the background.

Stinky Stuff...56º

I'm always optimistic that the deer will leave some blooms for us...I'm willing to share but they don't seem to have the same mindset...Do they think I plant just for them?..As I deadheaded this past week, I found that they are deadheading EATING the buds, not only on their usual fare, (day lilies, gailardia) but even my purple cone flowers, hostas and autuum joy, that haven't been to their liking other years...So Herb mixed up the "Stinky Stuff," liquid deer fence, and I sprayed, almost the entire garden...Maybe that will help.

That brings up the subject of wolves and is it because of them that our town is inundated with deer?..Deer that are so brazen, that they bed down in our yard, walk on our deck and dare us to enjoy our own back yard...A bumper crop of wildflowers carpet the forests that surround our town, why are they not out there eating those delicious flowers?!!!!When we moved here 43 years ago, deer were not roaming the Joseph streets, where they have now taken up permanent residence...There has to be a reason...Our problem is small, compared to the cattle ranchers, who battle the wolves on a daily basis, as they are protected, and have free run of our county...Will there ever be an equitable solution?..Hugs To Most...OWAV:)

bouquet on one stem

Will the deer add these to their diet next year?

Do we have to learn to love only foliage?

A few photos...41º

After a hectic time of lunches, dinners, sorting, packing, and visiting with friends Pat, Brian and Mason start their journey back to Maryland...About 2 weeks will be spent on the road, stopping to enjoy Crater Lake, Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore and other sights of interest along the way.

Pat and I made the most of our time together, as we reminisced about times past and looked ahead to the future...Took in some yard sales, had a final mocha (for this year) and as a last Hoorah P & B treated us to dinner at the Wallowa Lake Lodge, an experience we will talk about the next time we meet...Some good, some bad, always memorable.

In all this time I forgot to take photos...As a parting shot I managed to get a couple last night at our final celebration...Wishing the Adelhardts a safe and fun journey, Hugs to Them...OWAV:)

All Seasons...37º BRRR.

From our Barton Heights, front porch...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY AND SAFE 4TH OF JULY.

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