Spring Rain...36º

Overnight the grass has turned that lovely shade of green, only possible with a gentle spring rain...Not so gentle when I went to bed last night and it didn't take long to lull me to sleep...Everything seems to be jumping out of the ground, garlic, daffodils, crocus and dandelions...Snow is in the forecast but I'm hoping it will stay farther up the mountain.

Yesterday was the perfect day for baking bread and making a big pot of ham and beans...After the BBQ at B & J's last Saturday, J made sure that I came home with the ham bone...H & I like bean soup but for me it is impossible to make a small batch... J loves ham and beans...So I make a big pot, we each have our bowl full and J gets the rest of the beans, all packaged in bags to freeze and use for meals on busy days...It brings a smile to his face when they arrive at his house.

The yard sale wasn't much but Pat did come away with a nice jacket, 50¢, in a lovely shade of lavender, so it wasn't a total bust...A quick stop at Safeway, then I dropped her off at Schwabs to get her car...Back home I punched down the bread dough, stirred the beans and played scrabble and angry birds, before reading my latest book "State of Wonder" by Ann Patchett...Its a good read but tends to get a little slow in places!...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Saling...41º

Yard sale in Enterprise this morning, then to Les Schwabs where Pat's car is waiting for her after having the studded tires traded for summer treads...This is a Wallowa County ritual--studs on in November and off in April.

We3 had a fun pizza lunch at Coco's in Joseph yesterday...Lots of news to catch up on since our last meeting in 2012...All of us seem to be stuck in the never ending process of writing, rewriting and revising of a writer...At some point does someone say enough is enough, tie up the loose ends and push DONE?..Hmmmm, I don't see that key on my keyboard.

Yesterday morning I made hamburger buns and this morning the sourdough start is bubbling away to replenish our supply of loaves in the freezer...Now the question, what is for dinner?..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Worth the Wait...40º

As all of my regular readers know we brought a bunch of lemons home from Arizona...We shared many with family, friends and neighbors...Tree ripened and hand picked they were extra large, juicy and yes lemony...Herb (the main lemon juicer) looking ahead ordered a juicer attachment to fit on my Bosch bread mixer, destined to be delivered by Fedex about the same time we arrived home...It was not on the door step when we arrived so after tracking the shipment we found it was coming from New York and would have gotten here faster by "Pony Express".

Finally the package arrived and with great excitement Herb cut open the box and much to his dismay--"OH S---" found a blender attachment (which we already have) in the box...Phone calls and emails followed, the company would send a prepaid return label and credit our Visa...Another order was made and the juicer was shipped from Salt Lake City and arrived in three days...This juicer was a little disappointing, didn't look like it was very well made, had a very small reservoir and looked like all of the pulp from the lemons would be lost with the seeds.

Hmmmm--Other things were on our calendar so the juicer was put aside and the lemons in the cool cellar waited almost patiently...I was careful to keep the "rotting" lemons sorted out of the box...Lemons are like apples in that regard...Yesterday was the day to juice lemons...I carefully scrubbed the lemons, Herb used the new zester (thanks Bobi, it is a great, grater) and then proceeded to try the new juicer...It works very well, way beyond our expectations...In no time at all we had almost a gallon of pure lemon juice with pulp...I will freeze some in ice cube trays, some in half cup portions for lemon pies and lemon curd...I preserved some lemons with salt to use in cooking...I will save enough out to make lemon bars for the tea party next week...So much joy from such a sour fruit...Anyone for lemonade?...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Some of the juice

Herb juicing the lemons

Preserved Lemons

One lone lemon is left

Not much news...47º

Although the temp is warmer this morning, we have a cooling trend moving into the County with possible showers for the next few days...Alas my warm afternoons on the deck have come to an end...I have endless things to choose from to do in the house plus a new book to start on...Yesterday I attended the 3rd class of "Handwriting Analysis" and think I will have to audit the next series of classes as my study skills are very rusty.

News from the kids...Ci has started her next adventure "Dragon Boat Racing" as she takes her love of the water to a new dimension...I will leave it up to her to post more about this on her blog...Bob spends her time making sure Ci gets to all of her scheduled events plus the cooking, cleaning and gardening at home...Rusty called from Idaho to report in and had been practicing his limited "cowboy skills"as he helped vaccinate cows and calves and even got to do some horseback riding.

Herb has finished building fence, got throughly caught up on his sleep (12 hours) last night and is ready to again tackle the load of logs that will become our firewood for next winter...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Looking Back...37º

One of the fun things about blogging is being able to look back at what was happening one year ago...Much the same but also different...Our house was quiet as the "Kids" had returned to their respective homes after spring break and Herb and I were getting back in our groove (well worn rut)...Pat and I were walking on a regular basis, (oops, have hardly walked since my knee injury)...I was typing frantically to get my essay for Katey, (no essay this month but a list of the stories, sent to Katey,  to see if they are eventually going to mesh into a very small book)...I was making the rounds of my different meetings and the weather was similar... Time was spent outside cleaning up and looking for blooms... On April 5th we had a snowstorm of 4-6 inches...(Not in the forecast but could still happen)...It was just a year ago that I slammed my finger in the car door and a new nail has grown in place...Red Horse Cafe opened on Joseph's main street (P and I had lunch)...Now the Write People is making it a regular place for lunch after our weekly meeting...(Wonder how long it will take us to get back to our "potluck lunches)?..This morning we have a cloudy sky but more sun later today...I'm spending every afternoon possible on our sunny deck reading...Things inside will wait for a rainy/snowy day...I have writing analysis class this morning.....Have a Tea Party coming up at the Josephy Center that Write People will be making refreshments for and doing the serving....So life goes on, each day is a treasure...I'm trying very hard not to get stressed our or over booked with things to do as I feel like I've earned my days in the sun and need the extra dose of vitamin D...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Books...37º

Sunny days on the deck and a good book to read...My latest read is "The Fiddler on Pantico Run" by Joe Mozingo, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times...His mothers ancestors were from France and Sweden but he knew little about his fathers side of the family...Italy, Portugal and Basque were occasionally mentioned...One of his college professors told him that Mozingo may have come from sub-Saharan Africa...That certainly didn't fit with his blue eyes and white skin but it sent him on a mission to find his roots...I'm enjoying the book although sometimes it has way too much description for me, he makes up for it with wonderful metaphors and similes...I'm over half way through and a couple more day of sunshine will see me finishing the book.

Write People is on my agenda for today and I should start another cleaning project as I finished the linen closet...What will it be?..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Look quick it won't last long :)

April Fools Day...37º

A fun day for practical jokes, so everyone be on the alert!..I've been thinking that todays weather forecast might be a joke but last night before I went to bed at 10pm the sky was sparkling with millions of stars and this morning our living room is flooded with light from the rising sun...Another day to treasure.

Since it was quite chilly outside, (yesterday) in the early morning, I started a "cleaning out" project until the day warmed up and I could clean flowerbeds and dig weeds...I found that the ground is still very wet and soft and my footsteps were compacting the earth way too much...So I was soon settled on the deck to enjoy the sun and read the afternoon away...My cleaning project is about half done and the back room is a mess, you see I started pulling out towels, sheets, and all kinds of stuff from the linen closet and began sorting...So I have piles everywhere that I must finish sorting this morning, refold and put back only the things that we really use...Another bag for Soroptomists in the making.

Herb had a full day...He took a much needed break from his fencing project when Brian called and asked if he wanted to go flying...They flew from the valley out over Imnaha Country to the Snake River, Hells Canyon, Dug Bar, Hat Point and all places in between...What an opportunity on a beautiful day...Back home he continued fencing, laundry and BBQ'd us a steak for dinner.

One of our neighbor girls stopped by as she shared her Easter cookies on Barton Heights...A senior at Joseph High this year she is planning on college or an exchange...Really wants to go to Russia to learn the language...She is a smart, beautiful young lady and fun to visit with...She mentioned that she wanted to plant a few seeds this spring and see if they would grow, but she didn't know much about gardening...Now I have a home for some of my gardening books!...Hugs...OWAV:)