End of Month…15º

Yesterday morning we awoke to a snow covered world…Several new inches of the fluffy white stuff was everywhere…It was an overwhelming sight, but we were up to the challenge.

Dressed for the weather, 7am found Herb on the 4-wheeler and I ready to shovel the walks and deck…We knew that by taking it one step at a time it would get done, even if it took all day…We worked steady for about 45 minutes, then took a break for breakfast and returned to finish the job in less than 2 hours total.

It was a good morning exercise, fresh air included…So thankful, we can still do this!..We went to bed early, with the full moon bright in our bedroom window…It was a good day…Hugs To All…OWAV:)

Wintery Days…22º

Wintery Days…22º

February is almost over but it is not giving up on winter yet?..A good 3 inches overnight and more in the forecast…Herb and I have walks and deck cleaned off and he is now on the 4-wheeler clearing the driveway and parking area…Breakfast is next.

I took a few photos last night with the light of the moon shining through the storm…It was an eerie scene…It looks like a good day to read a book or watch videos on PBS…Hugs To All…OWAV:)

Sunny…28º

It takes awhile to get back into the routine of only two people in the house…After two days, Herb has the laundry caught up, I’ve done some cleaning, bathroom, kitchen etc…The crockpot simmered all day Sunday, giving us enough beef(cooked until tender) for several meals…Tacos, beef gravy over biscuits and today a hearty vegetable beef soup with crusty french bread…We have finished the huckleberry pie and most of the turnovers, but there are still leftovers in the fridge…I might resort to a total fridge clean out, which would probably be a good thing.

We have a sunny morning, after last nights rain, that melted snow and made everything icy and slick…Will have to drive careful, going off of Barton Heights today…Hugs To All…OWAV:)

Winter Weather…25º

It is very wintery on Barton Heights, but nothing like Upper Prairie Creek or Alder Slope, just a few miles away…The roads in and out of Wallowa County are iffy and I-84, is closed off and on as the storms move through.

We are lucky to have a warm house, ample food and a Subaru, that get us to Enterprise and back, with no problems…Rusty is off with John for a few days, will be back tonight and leave for Bend on Sunday…The “honey do” list has started over for the next time…It has been a good visit…Hugs To All…OWAV:)

Catchup…18º

Rusty arrived from Bend on Thursday, just ahead of the stormy weather…For three days now we have, visited, played cards, cooked (actually i’ve cleaned out the fridge of leftovers)…Rusty brought tamales, so we made salsa…Then tried our hand at noodle dough out of cream and flour that we turned into ravioli and plain noodles…(which are rather doughy when cooked in beef and noodles)…We are thinking about frying the ravioli, like potstickers, instead of boiling them and adding marinara sauce…Yesterday we stirred up the chocolate sheet cake, that was a staple in our house when the “kids” were growing up…It was easy, fast and always good...Still is!

In between all of these things, we have been sweeping, shoveling and plowing snow…We have 6 to 10 inches, depending on where you measure, and that much more predicted over the next 3 days.  

We have marked some of the honey-dos off of the list and added more…A drive to the lake on Friday was our only outing, an enjoyable drive, as the lake area is beautiful any time of the year…Happy Valentines Day to All…OWAV:)

Tired of being placated…12º

The following is a quote from the Wallowa County Chieftain… “There have been 50 new cases of COVID-19 in the county, since the first of 2021.” 

When the general public asks, what is going on, the hospital answers, I quote,  “This is not information that we have at the hospital. We too are waiting for more information from OHA to be able to pass along.”

I’m sorry, I don’t understand…If they don’t know, who the hell does?…Who gave information to the state, to make their report?..

I realize that much of this is brought on by the privacy laws, but when does common sense take over, so we can get answers…I for one am tired of being treated like a mushroom…”Kept in the dark and fed s__t”…Hugs To All…OWAV:(

A smattering of snow, baking bread…18º

Yesterday was the kind of day for baking bread…I used sourdough instead of yeast but wanted a softer, richer bread, so I added bacon grease, and molasses to the mix of flour, whole wheat, quinoa, and ground hemp seed…I mixed and kneaded by hand, off and on most of the day…The dough was okay but never got a really good stretchy feel…I made a few hamburger buns, and experimented making sausage wraps with a few little smokies and made the rest into loaves for morning toast and sandwiches…The buns and wraps, cooked on the top shelf in the oven turned out great, but the loaves on the bottom rack at normal time and temperature, are crusty and over done and didn’t get much oven spring.

So I’m thinking the dough wasn’t quite right plus my new oven element is much hotter than the one it replaced…I will have to do some tweeking to temperatures on recipes in the future, so that everything doesn’t overcook…The bread is definitely edible and won’t go to waste, but certainly not up to par…Hugs To All…OWAV:)

Back to Food…25º

It was a totally lazy weekend for me, we had leftover chicken in the fridge, that made perfect chicken/cheese sliders with coleslaw on Saturday…Sunday morning I made sourdough waffles covered in huckleberry compote alongside sausage and side pork, for brunch…That meant that we didn’t need a huge dinner…Herb had an egg/sausage McMuffin and I ate leftover soup…Pam stopped by for a couple of games of cards and took home the last of the leftovers…The fridge is mostly cleaned out.

While I was doing nothing, Herb did laundry and kept the wood stove stoked…With clean sheets on our bed, we both slept exceptionally well, last night, up at 4am, ready to face the week…The MM is calling and the COVID vaccine is on our calendar for Tuesday, 10am…Hugs To All…OWAV:)

PS…Oatmeal and bananas for breakfast.

Funky Sewing Project…34º

Finally I have something to write about besides, food and the weather…For many years i’ve made pot holders out of scrap material, to give for a small gift for birthdays, Christmas, or for no reason at all…I give them away so I can make more…They are somewhat mindless to make but do work my brain, measuring, cutting and trying to coordinate colors, but I’m more into just doing them willy, nilly because they don’t match most kitchens anyway…They are after all, just a pot holder…You use them once or twice and they are soon stained and dirty and in a few months, impossible to clean so then they can be discarded.

Just recently I saw a “fabric jelly roll” (2 1/2 inch strips of fabric) on the classified ads and I text “interested.”…The newest pot holders are very colorful and I think “funky.”..It has been fun and keeps me out of the kitchen…Hugs To All…OWAV:)

Snowy Day…19º

Snowy Day…19º

The wind calmed down and yesterday turned into a snowy day…About 1-2 inches in the afternoon and maybe more in the next few days...Maybe more wind in the forecast, but not constant, like the last few days.

We have puncture this morning, always a good start to the day…Now it is time for me to do the MM, then prep something for dinner. 

Yesterday we had crockpot chili dogs…We usually only do wieners in the summer, when we roast them over an open fire…But I had “Hills Meat” wieners leftover from wiener wraps and didn’t want to freeze them…I think they are the best and a close to home product…Hugs To All…OWAV:)

The Wind, Gusty Wind…46º

We have lived in this valley for nearly 48 years now and I don’t remember the wind being like this…Usually we have a chinook wind in January that takes our snow away…But this year we haven’t had much snow and now we have a warm, dry wind, that comes and goes, night and day…Forecast today says we are going to get moisture of some kind…Time will tell.

I look for comfort food, when the wind blows, yesterday we had vegetable, beef, noodle soup for dinner…Made totally from leftovers that were in the fridge or freezer just waiting for that kind of day…Herb said it was very good!..Hugs to All…OWAV:)

Sunday Dinner…40º

We seldom have fish or sea food in Eastern Oregon…It is hard to come by good fish of any kind…I bought a “fresh frozen” salmon fillet at Safeway and it tasted very good for a change…I covered it with slices of onion, dill weed from a jar of dill pickles and lemon juice, before wrapping it in foil, ready to bake…Baked potatoes and cabbage/carrot salad filled out the plate…Chocolate sundae’s made a nice dessert…Hugs to All…OWAV:)