A Windy Night!...40º

Maybe it takes a windstorm to jumpstart my blogging...I awoke to the gusting wind at 3am and immediately my mind was back in time to the many windstorms that we have experienced in our 46 years liiving in Wallowa County, Oregon...The most memorable one for me was December 1982...It blew the roof off of the highschool cafeteria, just before Christmas break...The storm (wind and rain) lasted for 2 days...I worked in the lunchroom at that time and we had planned on a ham dinner to celebrate Christmas...Needless to say that didn't happen but what did happen was even better...Contracors were called in to replace the roof and all staff members and many community members and students, showed up to help...Our ham dinner soon turned into ham sandwiches on our homemade bread, along with salads that had already been prepared..Sandwiches and salad along with coffee, tea and milk was handed out to all who came to help...That lasted through the initial cleanup and the construction crews stayed on for the next two weeks and had a roof back on and school resumed in January 1983 as if it had been a normal Christmas vacation...Below is a link if you want to read about more windstorms in Wallowa County...So far the storm in progress now is just a slight breeze compared to others we have known...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

https://omanumber1.blogspot.com/2011/12/windy34.html

Growing up and comfort Food...35º

What I think of now as comfort food was the food that Mom made from scratch, and served on a regular basis...A few of those were mac and cheese, ham and beans, meat and potatoes (my Dad's favorite)...Our meals were breakfast, dinner and supper, homemade bread in some form was served with every meal...Lots of carbs were included to tied us over from one meal to the next, no snacks, no junk food, no soda pop or cookies were consumed between meals...On rare occasions we had homemade cakes, cinnamon rolls, or pies, fudge and divinity was made at Christmas time.

Much of our food was canned during the summer; fruit, vegetables and meat, then stored in our underground cellar to supplement wintertime meals...I don't remember asking for certain foods or not liking a meal, Mom cooked it, put it on the table and we ate it!...Occasionally, my Dad would ask Mom to buy canned sardines, tamales or oysters...That is one time when we didn't all eat the same thing, we tasted, declined and ate leftovers or our usual supper dish of "bread and milk."...I didn't acquire a taste for these foods until much later in life, still not fond of sardines.

This brings me to what I intended to write about today and that is tamales, many people consider this a comfort food...I see them occasionally for sale about this time of year but after making them with Bobi and Cienna a few years ago, I found that I kind of like the process and love the final outcome.

Two weeks ago I had leftover pork and beef and time on my hands...The meat filling, needs to be simmered in spices of your choice, I used chili (of course) garlic, onions, cumin, oregano and add other stuff such as, green chilies, olives, cheese and saracha sauce...Mushrooms simmered in garlic and butter are also a favorite filling...A bag of Masa is a must and the recipe on the bag worked just fine...I made about 30 tamales, we ate some, shared some and froze the rest...It seems like a lot but it isn't and if you are going to make a mess, it may as well be a big one!

The Masa and fillings can be made the day before and refrigerated and then all assembled to put them together...I use parchment paper, instead of corn husks, for wrapping the tamales...I haven't included a lot of directions but if you get serious about making these I will be happy to assist...Hugs to all OWAV:)

I use a bench knife to spread the masa on

parchment, doing 4 at a time, then add meat and 

roll up, twist one end, fold the top.

Marked with a P for pork, ready to steam.

 Mushroom filling

Served with homemade salsa and cheese, lots of 

cilantro and a dash of saracha and a nice

glass of merlot.

Hot Springs Continued...8º burr, it is still October!

Thursday shopping was fun for a change, our first stop was a consignment store, where they only take quality items, and price them so everyone gets a good deal...All of us scored there, Jan and Sue thinking of the guys they left behind, found coats at bargain prices, Pam was into vests this year, as a multi colored wool fit in her bag, along with practically new winter gloves, and I with much trepidation tried on a pair of leather, ankle boots, (me who only wears stable tennis shoes, as I "approach" old age) they fit, felt good, had good soles and only a few scuff marks, I succumbed! Linda is a "professional" thrift store shopper, buying for; Herself, husband, kids and grandkids, she has a nose like a bloodhound when it comes to finding the best names, quality clothing and equipment for family skiing trips...From there we moved on to thrift stores and three hours later, Sue, Jan and I were shopped out and hungry...We left the other two, to shop more and walk "home," while we drove to the cabin, made sandwiches for all, visited, before Sue and Jan, took a walk for some fresh air and the incredible views of Payette Lake...For the evenings entertainment, some played cards and others enjoyed crazy tv shows/movies on netflix.

Friday dawned cold and clear...We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, and were entertained by a family of raccoons, parading through the property and into their "home," under a storage garage...Soon we had lunches packed, car loaded, Sue as pilot, (her car is more roomy than mine) we drove the scenic 40 mile route to Burgdorf...As we neared Burgdorf, signs of this summers fire became apparent and we could see how close the fire came to nearly wiping out this lovely spot, with all of its historic cabins and lodge, and are so glad that, that didn't happen...Four of us enjoyed a 2 hour soak, (had the pool mostly to ourselves), while Jan investigated the many cabins, walked to nearby campgrounds, then joined us in the lodge for our lunch before we just had to get back in the pool for another hour, before our ride back to McCall...It was a sun filled, crisp, cold day as we soaked, neck deep, in this mineral bath that hovers around 103º.

On our other trips we have returned via the 39 road to home...Since Sue and Jan had never been from New Meadows, north through Riggins, Grangeville etc, to Lewiston we decided to drive this loop home...We left shortly after 8am, fueled up in Riggins, where Pam and I spent some time trying to meet up with friend, Kitty...We kept in touch via cell phones, for the rest of the journey...All made a stop at Costco and we drove through snowy country as we approached Wallowa County...We all arrived safe and sound, tired but happy and already planning next years trip!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

These ladies get more camera shy every year!

Zims Pool

Selfies Were A Bust!

Brundage Ski Area/Lodge

Upper Payette Lake.

Back Seat Drivers

Home Away From Home.

 

Jan Found A Friend On Her Walk At Burgdorf.

October has been a long, cold month...23º

The writing/photo bug has eluded me for the past month...It has been a crazy October, with snow and cold days and the autumn colors have been missing on Barton Heights...Indian Summer must have taken up residence elsewhere...The leaves, still green, instead of that lovely golden color have fallen and Herb has raked and bagged them to be used in our veggie garden...Everything has been put away for winter and the wood stove keeps us warm and cozy.

The highlight of October is a "getaway," for me and "4 days alone" for Herb, no honey do list, he can do only what he wants to do...But he did rake more leaves and keep the home fires burning, eating hamburgers, until I returned home to cook.

On Wed. Oct 23, 5 ladies, 2 cars (packed with all the necessities) for a 3 night/4 day trip to soak in as many hotsprings as possible, left Joseph...The 39 forest service road was still open and we were on our way shortly after 8am...It was clear, cold and sunny...Perfect!..Our first destination was Zims at New Meadows, Idaho...Unknown to us they decided to go on "fall hours" and didn't open until 4pm, so we changed plans, got to our little cottage mid afternoon, settled in, before all piling into one car and were off to Gold Fork, to soak until dark...The main pool at Gold Fork is big and hot!...The day crowd (lots of kids) was beginning to thin out, so we had plenty of room to just soak up the heat...Nothing feels better, after many hours in a car!..Average temperature in that pool was over 104º, depending on where you were, and it has a ledge to sit on, that gets your upper body out of the water...It is heavenly!..Back at the cottage, we ate soup and ice cream before calling it a night.

Thursday morning, a short driving tour up to Brundage ski area and then a morning in the thrift shops, where we all managed to find a treasure to bring home...A late afternoon soak at Zim's, not our favorite, but an easy drive to get there...To be continued....Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Ready for adventure.

Over the loop road.

Real Autumn Colors.

Unusual September Weather...30º

A common saying in Wallowa County about our weather and seasons of the year is, "We have winter and July."...I think it came very close to that this year, spring was middling, summer was iffy and fall ended Sept. 27th, with maybe 2" of heavy wet snow overnight, that left everything drooping and snow showers that lasted for 5 more days...Maybe today Oct. 2, we will have sunshine and the temperature could reach a "balmy 51º."..We are optimistic folks and think Indian Summer is still possible.

It was a push to get the potatoes harvested and garlic planted before it snowed...We had offers of help, but being stubborn and determined, we dressed warm, encouraged each other and voilà, we made it happen!..We have potatoes for winter in the cellar and 9 new rows of garlic in the ground, for next years harvest...There is  more fall cleanup to be done, one day at a time.

Health wise we are both feeling better, Herb has most of the fall deadheading done, irrigation stuff all put away, the garlic is drying, (our house is very odoriferous), and my knee finally feels like it is healing, after two months of physical therapy and trying not to overdo, but still fill the cellar shelves for winter...We are snug and warm in our house and as ready for winter as possible...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Before the storm:

Fall Grasses

Fall Crocus

Asters

Black Eyed Susans.

Some of our Potatoes

The last bouquet of Sunflowers.

After the storm, bleak Sept.days.

Cold and damp.

Huge snow flakes falling.

Where to Start...44º sunny/cloudy

The last two weeks have been crazy, busy...It started with a spur of the moment trip to Milton Free Water and Edward's Farm, where we bought 10# peaches, 40# of cucumbers and 125# of tomatoes...That is 220 miles, and we were back home around 1pm...After unloading the car and a brief rest, Herb carried jars & lids upstairs and I loaded them in the dishwasher and assembled all the other canning stuff...Our garden supplied the dill, garlic and grape leaves, needed for dill pickles...All was ready to start early Tuesday morning.

Two days later, we had 24 quarts and 14 pints of "Hot Garlic Dills, on the cellar shelves...One gallon of cukes in brine are set aside for 6 weeks, then I add sugar and make sweet pickles...With a few cucumbers left over and a couple of huge red peppers in the fridge, I decided to make a bread and butter pickle that I've named "Confetti Pickles."..Patty pans, zucchini, and onions from our garden made up the mix and the red peppers added color...Sugar, salt, and vinegar for the brine.

Cukes ready to scrub and trim.

Hot Garlic Dills.

Confetti bread and butters

Patty pan squash that took over the garden! 😀😀

Thursday was a day of rest, sort of...I had PT and Herb mowed lawns...Friday morning early, I had 25# of tomatoes washed, scalded and started to peel...Herb had been outside doing a little deadheading before he sat down for his breakfast of oatmeal and said, "My hand doesn't want to work and my face feels funny."...I looked at him and said, "Get your coat, we are going to the ER."...5 hours later we were back home, diagnosis was a TIA or mini stroke...Some of his medication has been changed and supplements added, to ward off a real stroke.

A week later, more doctor appts, blood pressure checks etc, and Herb is back to his old self doing my honey do's and getting things ready for fall and winter...Our first snow on the mountain tops appeared last week...I finished roasting all of the tomatoes, they are in the freezer ready for sauces, soups and casseroles...Life goes on here on Barton Heights...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Ready for the oven.

Well Roasted.

Gloomy, Wet Day...55º

Looks like we have a week of rainy, cooler weather for the next week...Fall is in the air and we need rain...I hope it is a nice gentle, soaking rain, not the short, downpours that we had the last two days...Of course we will take what we get and make the best of it.

Yesterday, we took advantage of the warm, sunny day, Herb continued on his quest to cut down the spent perennials, caught up on the laundry, and picked the remaining gravenstein apples...I enjoy the process of cleaning, trimming and sorting our garlic harvest, that has been hanging to dry since early August...Sitting under the aspen trees on the deck, the 160 garlic plants took me all afternoon and are now ready to be shared or peeled, sliced, dried and pulverized into dry powder, to be used all winter and also shared with friends and relatives...Garlic is easy to grow, very dependable, (never had a failure) and brings joy to many.

Taking a break from cleaning garlic, I managed to make a fresh apple pie and fix dinner...Today with the rather gloomy day, fresh baked bread will warm the house and fill the house with that wonderful smell of  bread straight from the oven...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Before trimming and cleaning.

Beautiful.

Rustic apple pie, (it was yummy)

A fruitful week...54º

Apricots taken care of for this year, enough plums rescued from the marauding deer to make jam and a few to eat, we are looking ahead to roasting tomatoes and making pickles next week.

The last few days were spent in the kitchen, first making zucchini/pattypan relish for hot dogs and hamburgers...Then a messy job, dicing Santa Rosa plums, because they are cling stones...I got enough to make a double batch of the most delectable jam and since I had all the pots and pans assembled, it seemed like a good idea to make huckleberry jam as well...I found packages of HB's from both 2017 and 2018 in the freezer...They will now join the plum jam on the cellar shelves and be used for topping on pancakes and cheesecakes this winter.

I needed a break on Sunday, so when Pam text that she was joining John and Becky and company on the Lostine River, did we want to go along?..Herb opted to relax at home but I went along for the ride and a fun afternoon in the outdoors, sitting along side the river, drinking red beer, eating hobo dinners and enjoying their camping spot.

Yesterday H and I both had acupuncture and he a dental visit to fix a tiny cavity, that turned into a crown prep and hopefully not a root canal...Time will tell...I had a PT appointment and saw the MRI of my knee, no torn meniscus after all, just deteriorating cartilage, not sure if that is good or bad...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

The Girls cooling their heels.

Tater patiently waiting for someone to throw his a stick.

Yummy hobo dinner.

Seasons Bounty...45º

The apricot tree is the first to bloom in spring and usually puts on quite a show...That doesn't mean it will have fruit every year but about every 5 years we have a bumper crop...Herb and I diligently thin the apricots when they are tiny green orbs, so they will grow into nice sized apricots...We have to resort to climbing a ladder to do this...Since we now avoid ladders, except for the very lowest rungs, I've found that a long wooden pole, used in July, banging on the branches and clusters of apricots, knocks the fruit to the ground, thus thinning the crop.

2014 August 1st, 

mostly large green apricots...this

was before I figured out to use a pole.

This years apricots were thinned and the waiting game began for them to ripen...They turn a lovely orange color and look good enough to eat...Our neighbors start to worry that they will rot on the tree and try to help us by putting apricots on our porch, signaling that they are ripe...But only a few were ripe, the others are still rock hard and sour...So we wait and watch.

Photo last night thanks to Marsha.

Herb has been picking a few each day and we have them for breakfast and snacks throughout the day...I've shared some with friends that don't live close...I text Marsha last night, "I think the lower apricots are ripe," and she picked enough to make jam and took a photo for me to share...We have younger people (ladder climbers) that will pick for themselves and others as the fruit continues to ripen.

Our next project is the Santa Rosa plum tree, it is also loaded and sort of thinned...It is really tall and almost impossible to pick, so we wait for them to fall and pick the best ones off the ground to made into the most luscious jam and maybe a rustic pie.

Meanwhile the garden is running away with patty pans but only a few zucchini and an occasional cucumber...The green beans had a short season and were quickly packed into jars for "Dilly Beans," they now reside on the cellar shelves, for winter Bloody Marys'.

I've been having problems with a torn meniscus in my right knee, so am limited to what I accomplish on any given day...I still hope to get tomatoes to roast and cucumber for pickles from Walla Walla in early September...Wish me luck...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

That Peaceful Feeling...47º

Some 46 years ago, after living in the high desert country of Duchesne, Utah, for 7 years, the Forest Service moved us to Joseph, Oregon...I was in heaven, back to the same kind of country that I grew up in, in McCall, Idaho...One of the first places Herb took me was to the upper Imnaha River, where the yellow pines tower above everything else, grass grows lush and green and the Imnaha River, runs free and clear...Over the years, we tent camped there with our kids and later, Cienna joined us in our 5th wheel...Playing in the river, building the evening campfire, roasting wieners and smor's are now all memories but the peaceful feeling of that place is still very real.

The huckleberries had been calling for a few weeks now and Pam and I were ready for a day of idle chatter, recalling memories of grandchildren, hobo dinners, lazy creeks, yellow pines and the sound of huckleberries hitting the bottom of our picking jugs...Richard fixed us breakfast before we set off for the HB patch of the day...Some 7 hours later, we had survived the buzzing wasps, and assorted other "biting bugs," many berries picked, our picnic lunch eaten, and our voices now quiet, we left the yellow pines, knowing they will be there another day...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Beautiful Berries.

Quiet Week...46º

After all the hubbub of the past few weeks, we have settled into a quiet time...We still water, deadhead and weed...But mostly we rest, enjoy the view and watch the sauerkraut ferment and the garden grow...Thunder storms and rain showers were predicted for the weekend, but we got only the edge of the storm at our house...Sun has arrived for the next few days.

Our patty pans and zucchini have flourished and we have enough to share...I think they will slow down now as the nights are cooling...The vacant bed (after the garlic harvest) has been layered with chopped leaves, stalks from the comfrey plants, squash leaves, straw and manure...Now it has been soaked with water and a little rain, more will be added later, then all is left to decompose over the winter and ready for planting next spring.

The "fruits" of our labor appeared on our dinner table yesterday...Potato salad, (I robbed new potatoes) patty pan squash, stuffed with leftover chicken strips and topped with cheese, and fresh pulled carrots and onions all roasted, in the oven, on a cool Sunday afternoon...It has been a very good week...

A doe and her two fawns have made themselves at home in our yard, eating petunias on the deck, autumn joy, day lilies and clematis from the flower beds...We are left with shasta daisies, coreopsis, golden rod, cone flowers and bee balm...I guess we are sharing flowers as well as veggies...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Blooms in the yard.

Butterfly on the cone flowers.

Find the butterfly?

Volunteer dill and poppies, fading fast.

Yucca plant that only blooms

every few years.

Garden dinner.

Hot August days...60º

We had some relaxing days before Rusty arrived for a few days, on his way to Idaho and a visit with friends...I had renewed the "honey do" list...Of course his agenda also includes working with John...Yesterday we were outside early, he and Herb pulling garlic and hanging it to dry for a few weeks...The biggest cabbage was cut and grated/sliced to start more jars of kraut...The temp was close to 90º but we relaxed on the deck, in the shade of the aspens...Dinner was creamed potatoes and peas, alongside salmon on the grill...I have appointments today, Herb will be chasing water in flowerbeds and lawn, Rusty will be helping John...We will get together for dinner and Rusty will leave early Wed morning.

Last Saturday, we had visitors...Rusty's friends Randy and Justin, on a 14 day motorcycle trip, stopped for the night and camped in our backyard...We enjoyed visiting with them about their jobs and travels...Randy is a pilot and flight instructor, out of Bend and Justin is an aircraft mechanic, with  a home in Boise, Idaho and stationed in the Philippines...It was fun getting to know about their jobs and travels.

I should be in the kitchen making a huckleberry pie, so will include some photos and get up and moving before leaving the house until late afternoon...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

9 1/2 pound cabbage

Ready to grate

Rusty with the cabbage and garlic

Sauerkraut working for 3 days.

Sauerkraut made yesterday, 

trying a new way of fermentation.

Week Flies by...49º

The last week in July is always a busy week in Joseph, Oregon...46 years ago, when we moved here, it was the only week that Joseph ballooned, as people came from far and wide to join in the action of CJD's, Chief Joseph Days...Now nearly all summer our little town, fills with tourists, reveling in our town, with its' lake, unending scenery, Wallowa Lake State Park, hiking trails, campgrounds and a multitude of vacation homes, so everyone has a bed to sleep in.

When my sister Mona called in June and said, "Can we come for a visit the last week of July?.. " Without a pause, I said, "Of course, it is CJD's but we stay close to home and out of the craziness, that takes over, but if you want, I suppose we could take in a rodeo performance." "No, was her reply, we only want to sit on your deck and look at the mountains."

For the entire week, that is what all of us did, well almost...Herb and I had some appointments, we had to keep, I had signed up with Becky to make rolls for the hospitality room, for visiting law enforcement officers, that come every year to keep our town safe...The 85º weather was next to perfect, only two days close to 90º, and the nights cooled off...We moved out of our chairs to eat, two meals a day...Chicken, pork, meatballs, salads, fresh produce from the garden, raspberries from a neighbor and huckleberries from the surrounding forest and hot rolls appeared most days...We savored the huckleberry pie and made it last for two day's, with the addition of ice cream...We were in  "hog heaven."..Our niece Susan came for a morning visit, Pam stopped in to deliver huckleberries, other than that it was just the four of us...We visited, laughed and reminisced,

I can't say it was all peace and quiet because we live on the edge of town, near the rodeo grounds and about a mile from the airport...So we hear some of the action, but don't have to deal with the crowds...The week flew by and all too soon, Mona and Jerry were on the road, back to Utah and their family...Herb and I woke up early this morning, so guess we are rested and back in our groove...Of course the cleaning, laundry, watering and weeding is never ending, but it is quiet and peaceful...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

We made bread the first day.

Huckleberry pancakes for breakfast

Broccoli from the garden.

Hot rolls

Rustic huckleberry pie.

Jerry, Susan, Mona