Yesterday I had planned to make a double batch of hamburger buns, some for dinner and some for the freezer...That didn't happen...After Herb fixed bacon and eggs for our breakfast, I did usual cleanup, iced my knee and before I knew it afternoon arrived...Pam stopped in after her morning hike and we spent the rest of the day "deck sitting, visiting and eating", something we haven't done much of for the past two years...Pam starts a new job on Monday, maybe one that doesn't demand so much of her time and energy and she can again have time for relaxation, as well as work...We wish her well!
Endless watering for Herb seems to be the norm this fall...Our ditch water is still running and supplies irrigation for our trees, shrub, flowers and garden...Usually by now Herb has started to drain and store hoses and pumps for the winter as fall rains soak deep into the root system and nourish plant life before it goes into its winter dormancy...We have had no measurable rain since early July and although thunder showers are predicted, nothing seems to be coming from the sky...Hopefully we can get the potatoes harvested today and clean other things out of the garden and then give it all a good soaking before planting the garlic.
But before going outside I must start some bread dough, think about what we are having for dinner and also maybe get a pot of beans going for another meal later this week...Wonder if I can wash a couple more windows?..Maybe not I have to remember to ice my knee...Hugs to All...OWAV:)
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Fiddle Dee Dee...51º
Time was all my own yesterday as Herb left early, with the list, for Costco...Short ribs were simmering in the oven, timed to be ready for dinner at 2pm...In my mind I was going to wash windows inside and out...I managed 3 outside and 1 inside before my knee began to swell and ache...By that time Herb was back home, we had dinner and I elevated and iced the knee through the afternoon...Windows will wait for another day.
Pat and I video chatted, she from a beautiful B & B overlooking her childhood home of O'Dell, Oregon near Hood River...Smoke is also a problem there and they viewed Mt Hood through a haze...She said the "Mountain" looked ghostly as it's outline faded in and out of the smoke.
Late afternoon after a refreshing shower, I dressed in my favorite capri's and pink shirt, swallowed 2 advil and headed out the door to pick Pam up for our outing to the Elgin Opera House and a performance of "Fiddler on the Roof"...It seems a short drive to Elgin as we talk non-stop arriving just in time to pick up tickets, a small bag of popcorn and a small pepsi to share...We climb the stairs to our favorite balcony seats, scan the program for familiar names, before the lights dim and our setting is transformed into a different time and place...Times passes quickly with singing, dancing, laughter and drama...Intermission and then the final curtain...Another amazing performance by amateur actors and actresses who have committed themselves to hours of rehearsals for our enjoyment...I arrive home shortly before midnight, no need to unwind, just crawl into bed and i'm out like a light until 6am.
Sun is shining this morning, again through a smoky haze...Thunder storms and maybe a little rain are predicted...Hugs to All...OWAV:)
Pat and I video chatted, she from a beautiful B & B overlooking her childhood home of O'Dell, Oregon near Hood River...Smoke is also a problem there and they viewed Mt Hood through a haze...She said the "Mountain" looked ghostly as it's outline faded in and out of the smoke.
Late afternoon after a refreshing shower, I dressed in my favorite capri's and pink shirt, swallowed 2 advil and headed out the door to pick Pam up for our outing to the Elgin Opera House and a performance of "Fiddler on the Roof"...It seems a short drive to Elgin as we talk non-stop arriving just in time to pick up tickets, a small bag of popcorn and a small pepsi to share...We climb the stairs to our favorite balcony seats, scan the program for familiar names, before the lights dim and our setting is transformed into a different time and place...Times passes quickly with singing, dancing, laughter and drama...Intermission and then the final curtain...Another amazing performance by amateur actors and actresses who have committed themselves to hours of rehearsals for our enjoyment...I arrive home shortly before midnight, no need to unwind, just crawl into bed and i'm out like a light until 6am.
Sun is shining this morning, again through a smoky haze...Thunder storms and maybe a little rain are predicted...Hugs to All...OWAV:)
Friday, September 21, 2012
Mustard Pickles...49º
House is quiet, old routine resumes...It is an early morning today, woke up at 3:30 after a restless night...The continual ache in my knee makes it hard to get comfortable and something seems to be catching inside there...Sooooo I will be glad when surgery is over and hope it takes care of the problem knee, and that recovery is speedy. -:)
I made mustard pickles yesterday, 12 colorful jars all lined up before adding them to the cellar shelves...This recipe was handed down from my Mother, who got it from her Mother...It can be a planned assortment or simply what happens to be left in the garden...This year I added patty pan squash to the original recipe of cucumbers, peppers, cauliflower and onions...It varies every year but it is always sweet with sugar and sour with the cider vinegar...I love it with chicken strips and sometimes use the sweet/sour mustard sauce that surrounds the pickles for a honey/mustard dressing for our winter salads.
We had leftover meatloaf in a "tomatoey gravy" for our dinner yesterday, then iced my knee and relaxed on the deck reading and resting...Herb is making a Costco run today but I'm saving my knee from the cement floors, so I can go to "Fiddler on the Roof" with Pam tonight...More about this tomorrow...Hugs to All...OWAV:)
I made mustard pickles yesterday, 12 colorful jars all lined up before adding them to the cellar shelves...This recipe was handed down from my Mother, who got it from her Mother...It can be a planned assortment or simply what happens to be left in the garden...This year I added patty pan squash to the original recipe of cucumbers, peppers, cauliflower and onions...It varies every year but it is always sweet with sugar and sour with the cider vinegar...I love it with chicken strips and sometimes use the sweet/sour mustard sauce that surrounds the pickles for a honey/mustard dressing for our winter salads.
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| Middle (middle) |
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Smoky Valley...54º
After my morning pre-op at Winding Waters Clinic and a blood draw at the hospital, I had some time to kill before Physical Therapy ...Since the hospital cafeteria is known for its good food and I left home before breakfast, I ordered a whole wheat hot cake with a side of link sausage...The hot cake was excellent the sausage not so, but I was hungry and slicked my plate clean...Next I took the new back road from the hospital to Safeway, bought red peppers and cauliflower for a batch of mustard pickles, circled around to Mountain View Glass where I paid for our shower door and completed the circle at WWC just in time for my PT appointment with Aaron...Aaron as always greets me with a smile, takes the walker I have borrowed from my friend Nancy and instructs me in the proper way to go up and down stairs after surgery, then he uses ultra sound on my knee to alleviate the swelling that appears when I've done too much walking...My surgery is now scheduled for Tuesday 25th about 1pm.
I arrived home and decide the tomatoes need attention...I sort, wash, core, slice and chunk, then pile them on two oiled cookie sheets, sprinkle with dried garlic, basil and salt and slide them into the oven, where they will roast for the next 3 hours while I fix BLT's for our dinner, ice my knee and relax on the deck while Herb takes a 2 hour nap, after doing laundry and watering all morning.
Our Valley was so smoky this morning on my trip home from Enterprise that the sun and mountains were non existent...It looked like a foggy winter day instead of a fall day...Fires are burning in Idaho, Washington and Oregon and will continue until we get rain, none is predicted for the next week.
Mona called around 7pm, their car was unpacked, dinner eaten...Their trip was uneventful and as with the rest of us they are always glad to be back home.
One last chore for me as I scoop the roasted tomatoes into ziplock bags place them in the freezer next to the roasted peppers for use later this winter...Now it is time to crawl into our line dried sheets (smelling a bit smoky) but clean and crisp just like I like them...Hugs to All....OWAV:)
I arrived home and decide the tomatoes need attention...I sort, wash, core, slice and chunk, then pile them on two oiled cookie sheets, sprinkle with dried garlic, basil and salt and slide them into the oven, where they will roast for the next 3 hours while I fix BLT's for our dinner, ice my knee and relax on the deck while Herb takes a 2 hour nap, after doing laundry and watering all morning.
Our Valley was so smoky this morning on my trip home from Enterprise that the sun and mountains were non existent...It looked like a foggy winter day instead of a fall day...Fires are burning in Idaho, Washington and Oregon and will continue until we get rain, none is predicted for the next week.
Mona called around 7pm, their car was unpacked, dinner eaten...Their trip was uneventful and as with the rest of us they are always glad to be back home.
One last chore for me as I scoop the roasted tomatoes into ziplock bags place them in the freezer next to the roasted peppers for use later this winter...Now it is time to crawl into our line dried sheets (smelling a bit smoky) but clean and crisp just like I like them...Hugs to All....OWAV:)
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Visits End...54º
For the last two days we have continued with our chores and did more relaxing on the deck visiting with Mona and Jerry about old times, families and our future as the older generation...Our aches and pains, knee surgeries or replacements, previous back surgeries, nursing homes and on and on were included in the conversations...We were not dwelling on this stuff just being realistic, trying to keep it light and at the same time facing the facts of our creaky joints that are wearing out and seem to lock up every time we are immobile for a period of time.
Monday morning Mona and I met Pat and MariEtta for a drink and conversation at the "Red Horse Cafe"... Sat outside near the irrigation ditch on a beautiful Wallowa County morning...Back home, Herb and Jerry were reading on the deck and Mona and I spent time in the kitchen dicing and slicing, trading recipes and kitchen hints...For breakfast we had eaten leftovers made into omelets, then made meatloaf and stuffed peppers for our dinner, then made another apple pie, called friends and shared our pie a la mode with them...Finished the evening, again playing cards trying to stay awake until 9pm.
On Tuesday we slept late and after the morning "chores" decided that while it was still cool, we would go to the lake and play a round of miniature golf at the new course...We stayed upright and our creaky joints held up long enough to make it around the 18 hole course...Amid much bantering and laughter we all made at least 1 hole in 1 and finished the course none the worse for wear...Seriously considered having an ice cream cone to celebrate but then apple pie was mentioned as an alternative...While the guys drove to Enterprise and picked up our order of broasted chicken, Mona and I whipped out ANOTHER fresh apple pie...We enjoyed our dinner on the deck...Mona has been saying since they arrived here that when the food ran out she was going home...That time has arrived, they will leave this morning making the 600 mile trek back to Centerville, Utah where home and family awaits them...It has been a fun few days and a good end to summer.
One last note...On our way to the lake yesterday we saw yet another bear as he crossed the road in front of us and made his way over the guard rail and down the steep incline to the lake...Below are some photos of miniature golf and the last apple pie....Hugs to All...OWAV:)
Monday morning Mona and I met Pat and MariEtta for a drink and conversation at the "Red Horse Cafe"... Sat outside near the irrigation ditch on a beautiful Wallowa County morning...Back home, Herb and Jerry were reading on the deck and Mona and I spent time in the kitchen dicing and slicing, trading recipes and kitchen hints...For breakfast we had eaten leftovers made into omelets, then made meatloaf and stuffed peppers for our dinner, then made another apple pie, called friends and shared our pie a la mode with them...Finished the evening, again playing cards trying to stay awake until 9pm.
On Tuesday we slept late and after the morning "chores" decided that while it was still cool, we would go to the lake and play a round of miniature golf at the new course...We stayed upright and our creaky joints held up long enough to make it around the 18 hole course...Amid much bantering and laughter we all made at least 1 hole in 1 and finished the course none the worse for wear...Seriously considered having an ice cream cone to celebrate but then apple pie was mentioned as an alternative...While the guys drove to Enterprise and picked up our order of broasted chicken, Mona and I whipped out ANOTHER fresh apple pie...We enjoyed our dinner on the deck...Mona has been saying since they arrived here that when the food ran out she was going home...That time has arrived, they will leave this morning making the 600 mile trek back to Centerville, Utah where home and family awaits them...It has been a fun few days and a good end to summer.
One last note...On our way to the lake yesterday we saw yet another bear as he crossed the road in front of us and made his way over the guard rail and down the steep incline to the lake...Below are some photos of miniature golf and the last apple pie....Hugs to All...OWAV:)
Monday, September 17, 2012
Morning Sunshine....46º
Another lovely Sunday in Wallowa County...Mona and I sliced and diced in the kitchen getting peppers ready to roast and freeze...I plan on using them when I start pressure canning later this winter...My sourdough was working well so I took a chance and started a batch of bread...It felt good after it was mixed and with help from the sunshine it rose above the pans, browned beautifully in the oven and tasted so good, warm slices for our dinner...We had BBQ'd lamb chops, fresh green beans, gorgonzola stuffed "HOT" jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and corn on the cob...Mona keeps saying if the food runs out she is going home...The guys kept mentioning that another apple pie a la mode would taste really good...Maybe today?
During the day we enjoyed a short walk, conversation on the deck, laughter, good company and food...Spent an hour or so on the front porch, visiting with Pam and watching to see if the bear might saunter by...(Not today) A few hands of "Gramma's game finished the evening and today we have another beautiful sun filled day in the making...What more could anyone ask for?..Hugs to All...OWAV:)
During the day we enjoyed a short walk, conversation on the deck, laughter, good company and food...Spent an hour or so on the front porch, visiting with Pam and watching to see if the bear might saunter by...(Not today) A few hands of "Gramma's game finished the evening and today we have another beautiful sun filled day in the making...What more could anyone ask for?..Hugs to All...OWAV:)
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Warm September...53º
After a few cold nights, Herb had made sure our beds were covered with down comforters (so our company would be warm and cozy) windows were closed to prepare for fall weather...After four nights of freezing temperatures, Friday night staying at a warm 55º, I spent a restless hot night, up three times going to the bathroom and opening windows, looking for a breath of fresh air...Not the restful night I had hoped for.
A leisurely morning, we made breakfast of toast, fruit, eggs and salsa...Started outside to take a short walk but only made it to the comfy chairs on the deck...There we sat, sun shining, surrounded by flowers and the view of our Wallowa County Mountains...Pat and friend, Marietta, (visiting from Pennsylvania), stopped for a short visit.
Needing to move our bodies we climbed in the car and headed for Imnaha, down, down into the canyon on this hot day, knowing that at the Imnaha Tavern we could find a cold drink and lunch on chicken gizzards and fries...The Imnaha Canyon is dry, brown and hot in late summer and the difference in the scenery from Joseph is startling...In the short 30 miles the elevation drops and the terrain changes dramatically...Bare canyons rising on all sides, rimrocks jutting out, not a pine tree in sight...Along the narrow river bottom, small home sites are nestled in, surrounded by orchards and gardens...Irrigated with river water these small oasis line the bottom of the canyon.
We return to Joseph, relax for a few on the deck then Mona peels apples while I roll out a pie crust and we soon have a rustic pie in the oven for our dinner...We decide to go meatless tonight and dine on fresh veggies, corn on the cob, wait an hour and then dish up pie à la mode for dessert...As we are taking our last bite, Mona says, "Is that a bear?"
A leisurely morning, we made breakfast of toast, fruit, eggs and salsa...Started outside to take a short walk but only made it to the comfy chairs on the deck...There we sat, sun shining, surrounded by flowers and the view of our Wallowa County Mountains...Pat and friend, Marietta, (visiting from Pennsylvania), stopped for a short visit.
Needing to move our bodies we climbed in the car and headed for Imnaha, down, down into the canyon on this hot day, knowing that at the Imnaha Tavern we could find a cold drink and lunch on chicken gizzards and fries...The Imnaha Canyon is dry, brown and hot in late summer and the difference in the scenery from Joseph is startling...In the short 30 miles the elevation drops and the terrain changes dramatically...Bare canyons rising on all sides, rimrocks jutting out, not a pine tree in sight...Along the narrow river bottom, small home sites are nestled in, surrounded by orchards and gardens...Irrigated with river water these small oasis line the bottom of the canyon.
We return to Joseph, relax for a few on the deck then Mona peels apples while I roll out a pie crust and we soon have a rustic pie in the oven for our dinner...We decide to go meatless tonight and dine on fresh veggies, corn on the cob, wait an hour and then dish up pie à la mode for dessert...As we are taking our last bite, Mona says, "Is that a bear?"
I haven't talked about the bear sightings on Barton Heights even though it has been the talk of the hill for several weeks now...Supposedly a sow and 2 cubs...We (along with the neighbors) have seen the signs--bear poop in the flower beds, garbage cans disturbed, a small bear on Haines' back porch and a large "live-bear-trap" set by the ODFW, down the road in the meadow...Occasionally in the last forty years we have seen bear scat in the meadow and logs and rocks turned over by Hayes' pond but only for a few days and then winter came and the bears went away...Last night we actually saw one of the bears with our own eyes and even caught it on camera as the four of us stood on our front porch and watched it walk down the road, stop for a crab apple before ambling away down the trail and into the meadow...Now the question is will the bear (s) be trapped or will the weather turn cold and they will return to the woods?...Hugs to all....OWAV:)
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| Reaching for an apple |
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| Looking back at us after Herb whistled |
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| Ambling down the road |
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