Figuring out how to post a blog on my iPhone, while computer is getting a new battery. We are catching up after a getaway trip for me and a visit with Bobi and Cienna for Herb. All of us had a Sunday to visit. We have lovely fall days this coming weekend. Happy Halloween everyone. Hugs to all OWAV:)
It was a whirlwind trip, 3 nights, 4 days spent on the road and in McCall, Idaho for our 4th annual Hot Springs trip...Zims Hot Springs (now owned by the Nez Perce Tribe), located in New Meadows, Idaho, was the only hot springs open because of the Covid Pandemic...We stopped there on our way to McCall on Wed. Oct. 21 for a relaxing soak before arriving at our condo in McCall...The next two days were spent cooking, shopping, playing games, talking, laughing, walking/hiking and back to Zims for a soak on each day...Saturday morning the 7 of us split into two groups, one returning home by the 39 road, and the others, going north to Lewiston, shopping at Costco before returning home on hwy 3...The weather was mostly sunny but cold and we hit some storm coming home, but all in all it was a fun trip, and good teaveling.
I was happy to get home and visit with Bobi and Cienna, who came to spend a few days with Herb, and doing "honey do's" and will take home the beef (cut and wrapped) that is their annual Christmas present...A gift that keeps giving!..We have talked nonstop, cooked and played cards...They will leave this morning for Portland/Corvallis...Cienna is doing online college/student teaching and will graduate in June.
Bobi is taking my computer to Portland for a new battery, so I will not be doing a blog for several days, until it gets shipped back to Joseph...I will post photos on FB periodically.
Herb and I have a busy week coming up, weather is supposed to be decent, maybe the maple trees will shed their leaves and we can finish with the fall chores...Hugs To All OWAV:)
A few photos from our trip.
Looking ahead to finish the odd jobs to be done before winter...Looks like the weather is changing to cooler and wet, but we still have all the leaves left on our maple trees...We really need them to fall to the ground so Herb can mow over them and collect all to go on the garden...Don't know why they are being so stubborn.
Our eye appointment got canceled on Friday, but we took the opportunity to make a quick trip to LaGrande and work on the endless shopping list that I always have going...We shopped early before the stores got crazy busy, and before noon we were back in Elgin, at Billy Bob's Butcher shop, giving cutting instructions for the beef that will soon soon fill our freezer.
My 5th annual hot springs trip is right around the corner, so I'm continually making and checking the list for that trip...I will make bread today, including buns for sandwiches and a loaf to go with soup...Lots of slicing and dicing of vegetables will also get done...With the limited restaurants that will be open, we plan to buy groceries at the local Albertsons' store and cook our meals...We also have only one hot springs that will be open, so shopping at the thrift stores, cooking and playing games will fill the days...Should be a different but interesting time for all of us.
While I'm gone playing, Bobi and Ci are coming to get their beef and keep Herb company while I'm off galavanting again!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)
Town house that we will be staying in this year.
More fruit out of the freezer, and I added a dozen + jars of raspberry jam to the cellar shelves...We have a dozen huckleberry, strawberry and raspberry in case boxes, then the extra jars are out and easy to grab, when we need one...I have either plum or apricots to do this morning, but only have 1 dozen small mouth lids...(due to the lid shortage in the stores)...I have large mouth lids but am saving them for when I start canning turkey and chili.
It was a busy day yesterday, I made the jam early so I could get to water therapy, then grocery shopping, and home to fix dinner...We were early to bed and woke early this morning to wind, clouds, and sun breaks...Looks like cool weather for the next week...Hugs To All...OWAV:)
10/15/2020....The wind on Wed. night caused problems on "Sheep Ridge" with EONI's equipment that keeps our internet signal coming into Wallowa County...Eoni is good about putting a recording on their phone alerting Wallowa County to that kind of problem...So after hearing the recording, I moved on with my day and didn't worry about connecting to wifi...Instead I took the car to Schwabs' and had the snow tires put on, in case it snows on our McCall trip...Back home I did the last batch of jam for this year...I had Santa Rosa Plums cooking in no time and the most beautiful, flavorful jam possible, in 16 1/2 pints, cooling on the counter.
Another busy day in store for me today...Last spring when "Spit Shine" advertised car detailing gift certificates, I bought one for myself for Mothers' Day...It is Mothers' Day in October and today I take my car to get the inside spic and span...Never had this luxury before...Pam will pick me up and we will meet our Hot Springs Buddies, to finalize our trip to McCall...After that I have water therapy and hope my car is done, when I finish...If not I will wait for it or borrow Pams' car to get home.
When I arrive home the house should smell like a roast beef dinner, cooking in the oven...That means I must end this and get the roast, potatoes and carrots prepped...Hugs To All...OWAV:)
Herb was up early yesterday morning, anticipating his routine bloodwork at the hospital sometime after 7AM....I managed to roust myself out of bed about 6AM and we arrived at the hospital shortly after 7AM...We both checked in with masks on and got our temperatures checked...I left Herb waiting for the phlebotomist and went back to move the car closer to the "out" door, where I would pick him up...It all went like clockwork and we were back home before 8AM to fix and eat breakfast.
Working on the check list this week, frozen fruit from the freezer is being made into jam...We have a half of beef ordered and must pick it up in a couple of weeks, thus the freezer needs to be somewhat empty...Monday I made 16- 1/2 pints of huckleberry jam and yesterday added 16-1/2 pints of strawberry...Today raspberries will soon be made into jam...We actually don't eat very much jam but it is good for special occasions to top ice cream, or put on pancakes or waffles or give as a gift with a loaf of homemade bread.
After some glorious fall days, our weather has turned rainy and cold, with sun breaks...The geraniums are still blooming and I cover the house plants at night, so they don't freeze...Maybe if I get through "jamming," on Friday we can bring them inside and get the windows washed, depending on the weather...Hugs to All...OWAV:)
Front porch photos.
An early morning phone call from Imnaha, "apples were on their way."...For the past 3 years we have gotten Cameo apples, a variety I had never heard of before, but they are a good keeper and wonderful eating apples...We are able to store them in the "little garage," (that I just got cleaned out)...We leave them in the boxes, and cover them with old sleeping bag liners and wool blankets and can leave them there all winter, bringing in a bucketful at a time to put in the fridge downstairs...They are good for breakfast and sometimes a snack before bedtime.
The last of the Gravenstein apples from our tree were in the garage, waiting to be peeled and sliced for pies...I checked that off of the list and Herb took the 4 bags to the freezer for apple pies this winter, while I kept enough apples and made a small pie...We finished up the leftover meatballs/sauce on spaghetti noodles, savoring the apple pie for dessert...I made the crust using lard, that Rusty brought and ended up with crust so rich, that I had to piece it together...It was sinful...Hugs To All...OWAV:)
I have no excuse now, not to do inside work...Supposed to have rain/rain showers off and on for the next week, with cooler temperatures for sure...The geraniums on the front porch are still blooming and beautiful...I don't have the heart to cut them down, until they frost, then it will be time to move the house plants and chairs back in the house and clean the front porch and wash windows...That is on the list along with making jam from the frozen fruit, that needs to be cleaned out of the freezers.
We had a wonderful visit with Diane, mostly reminisced about the years when her parents were first married, me telling stories that she has never heard about her Mom, Marlene and Dad, George (my brother)...Also stories when I babysat the 3 oldest girls, Susan, Pode and Diane, and other family stories...When we weren't talking about family we were talking about cooking, gardens, crafts, we talked fast, trying to get it all said!
Our house is quiet this morning, Herb reading, me doing puzzles and now writing memories, so next year I can look back and reminisce about the good visit, food and fall colors...Hugs To All...OWAV:)
Our traditional breakfast for company, Huckleberry Compote over pancakes and a side of sausage...Diane is savoring the last bites...😀
I babysat these two girls and their younger sisters, when I was a teenager growing up in McCall, Idaho...We don't see each other often now, but have always shared a close bond...Diane and I have talked nonstop, trying to get all of our visiting done in a few hours...We share a love of cooking, gardening, and preserving food, but she takes it to a higher level as she dries and powders herbs and makes medicinal salve and tinctures...While I make a great dill pickle using vinegar, she ferments them along with many other veggies...She admits, she is a bit obsessive with the whole process, drying and powdering mushrooms, onions, garlic and even making pickle powder!..She, like me makes "stuff" to share...We will hate to see her leave today, but am so thankful that she added laughter and love to our life...Hugs To All...OWAV:)
PS...A scenic drive and hot springs are in my future.
Seeing the nice days coming to an end, Herb was outside early yesterday morning, giving the row of lavender plants a haircut, with the electric hedge trimmers...I on the other hand stayed in the house to finish my blog, fix our breakfast and slice and dice all the things that make up a chicken salad, for our dinner...It seems I never stop thinking about what goes on the table next!
I was looking forward to water therapy that started yesterday, and since that takes quite a chunk of time out of my day (two days a week) I have to work around it with more of my "jobs."...I had time to pull the carrots and leave them soaking in cold water while I was soaking in warm water at the pool.
In the afternoon, I scrubbed carrots, laid them out to dry, then bagged them in gallon ziplocks and Herb stored them in the basement fridge for winters' use...Chicken salad on fresh sourdough buns alongside cottage cheese and pineapple tasted good for dinner.
We have acupuncture appointments this morning and our niece Diane is coming for a short visit arriving this afternoon...Herb and I will eat leftovers for breakfast and I must get things prepped for dinner...Hugs To All...OWAV:
Early morning appointments with our hygienist found us in Enterprise...I dropped Herb off at the office, took "stuff" to Soroptomists and from there to Safeway, where I shopped for groceries, then back to my turn in the hygienist chair...We were disappointed to hear that our hygienist/friend was no longer there, instead a new person greeted us, did the cleaning and we were home before noon.
Before leaving the house, I noticed that the sourdough starter needed to be used...I had limited time, but managed to get flour in a bowl, made a well and added whole wheat, the starter, and water, gave it a quick mix and was out the door.
We had leftovers for dinner of roast pork, gravy, mashed potatoes and carrots, again we were hungry and it tasted as good as the original meal...Nothing to do in the afternoon except play with the dough...I practiced my stretch and fold, gently molding the dough as it becomes stretchy, alive and a bit sticky...I patted out small portions of dough into buns for quick sandwiches and then made two loaves for Herb's breakfast toast...It was late evening when it came out of the oven and perfect timing for us to have that warm slice of bread and butter, before bedtime...The smile on Herbs' face told me it was very good...Hugs to All...OWAV:)
PS...Water therapy starts today, after being rudely interrupted last March by Covid...More on it tomorrow.
With fresh sauerkraut and bratwurst in the crockpot, potatoes and carrots washed and sliced (ready to cook), I was free to work ourside...With Herbs' help, more stuff was hauled out back to go to the dump, planters emptied and returned to the old garage...Then it was time to get out the 4-wheeler and trailer and finish the cutting down and cleaning up the last of the flowerbeds...There are a few things still blooming and they might get cut down later or maybe not until next spring...Back in the house, showers taken, we sat down to a dinner of brats and kraut alongside mashed potatoes and carrots...It was a delicious dinner or maybe we were just hungry after working hard.
Becky came to look at the treasures that I cleaned out of the garage and went home with more than she bargained for...She like her mother has a love for digging and planting, so it was an easy sell to get her to take home most of the pots, a couple of chairs for their deck and I threw in two more chairs that she put out in front of their house with a FREE sign on them; (they have more traffic on their street than we do on our dead end road)...She text me an hour later, to say the chairs went to a new home!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)
PS...The sun and moon were painted on our first trip to Cancun with Mona and Jerry...They have hung in different places over the years, but had been relegated to the garage...Now they are a permanent fixture on the front porch.
Knowing that these nice fall days will soon turn cold, rainy and gray, we needed to visit friends and see a project, they have been working on this fall...Their property drops off a steep bank, to a couple of small ponds, and a rocky surface that stretches to the river...Loads of gravel and dirt have been hauled down the steep path/road by 4-wheeler, to level and make paths to a picnic area, a tent pad a fire ring and a foot bridge, all next to the river. (all in progress)...It is going to be very nice and we had a good visit.
Today Herb and I will spend time outside, cutting down, cleaning up, whatever it takes to prepare for winter...Hugs To All...OWAV:)
I could have worked outside, but for some reason, the sourdough starter on the counter called my name...I've had a sourdough starter for many years, have taken a class, joined a group on FB and talked to seasoned, sourdough bakers...To my satisfaction i have mastered, making a good batch of bread for everyday use, sandwiches and toast, it has good "oven spring", moist and tasty...The SD group I joined is way over my head, they weigh everything (which can be good) but it is in "grams."..They talk about ears, hydration, levaine, discard...They carve and decorate loaves...I'm more interested in getting the feel of the dough and trying different/simple things.
I pulled up the King Arthur web page and went to sourdough cinnamon rolls/buns...It sounded fairly simple, an all day process, where I could multi task my others projects...Unusual for me but I followed the recipe to the letter, only deviating when I doubled the batch...The dough went together easily, then rested for 4 hours with hourly "stretch and fold."..Herb had mentioned that the applesauce I made last week was very good, as he ate the last spoonful...He brought in more apples, I washed, cut, cored and put a pan full on to cook.
While doing my first "stretch and fold,"on the bread dough, the sweet pickles in gallon jars, caught my eye...They had been in brine for six weeks and it was time for them to have sugar added to the brine, slice the cukes, heat everything, get them in the jars and processed...With the dough resting, apples simmering, I decided it would be a good day to finish the sweet pickles.
This all started at 7am, we had bacon, eggs, fruit and toast for breakfast...(that was a good thing.)..I put jars on to sterilize for the pickles and started slicing cukes and had the sugar brine on to heat...At 2:30 the sourdough was ready to make into cinnamon rolls, I had mixed the filling; sugar, molasses (to make brown sugar) together, added cinnamon and the recipe said to also add, flour and melted butter...I rolled out half the dough, pressed on the filling and cut the first pan...My buzzer said the first batch of pickles were ready to come out of the processor...OH MY GOSH.
By 7:30 last night 2 dozen cinnamon rolls were iced and cooling, (I will take my light roll dough, cinnamon rolls, over these any day)...2 quarts of applesauce in the fridge for our eating enjoyment and 16 pints of sweet pickles ready for the cellar shelves...As my friend Pat says,"I was one pooped puppy."...Hugs to All...OWAV:)
PS...Somewhere in there we had hotdogs for dinner. :)
How easy it is to empty out a building, add some shelves and soon it is stacked with stuff, the dirt and cobwebs settle in over the years...The building is old, the original garage that came with our house and we used it for that until we built a bigger garage...Then it became an insulated shop, with a small stove that Herb used when he retired...In recent years it has become a garage for the riding lawn mower, and a storage place for all things related to gardening and yard work; hoses, flower pots, deck furniture to name a few things...For the past two days, I've rearranged, discarded, and cleaned...It looks better, more room to move around in and I don't think I threw anything of importance away...Hugs to All...OWAV:)
