Productive....55º

Another load of wood in the woodshed and 5 loaves of bread cooling on the marble...That is what I call a productive day in our little corner of the world...I think we have enough leftovers in the fridge to get through today, then start the cycle again of thawing, prepping and cooking.

Write people has been canceled for today, which is a rare event...But with Summer Fishtrap in session, family gatherings, gardens to tend and just the busyness (that really is a word) of summer we all needed a break from the weekly routine.

Last night Pat and I attended this years, first evening of Summer Fishtrap, to listen to the opening remarks, music and readings of the participants...Standing out above all the rest, for us anyway, was our friend and "cohort" Amy...Amy read from her childhood memoir that she has been adding to and polishing as she takes part in a year-long workshop to see her book come to fruition...A talented writer and we have heard most of her "stuff" but we listened enthralled as she read to a standing room only crowd...Can hardly wait to see it published!...Hugs to all...OWAV:)

Thunder/Lightning...50º

Another night of thunder boomers and flashes of light waking us with a jolt...We did get some rain with it which was good and the clouds are moving out this morning, starting to look like another nice day.

As usual yesterday was laundry day for Herb while Rusty and I spent time slicing, dicing, sautéing for a BBQ last night...We started with dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) as our grape vine is growing like crazy with the hot weather...Got them on to simmer then prepped for stuffed mushroom & jalapeño peppers and bacon wrapped scallops to go with a BBQed tri tip...On the menu for dessert was watermelon milkshakes...John, Becky and Pam joined us and a good time was had by all.

The guys are headed for the log deck this morning and I'm being lazy staying home to clean up after yesterday and get the sourdough bread started that I've put off for a couple of days...Hugs to all...OWAV:)

Flea Market...44º

It was a sunny morning as Pat and I headed for Lostine and the annual flea market that has taken place for over 30 years now on the 4th of July weekend...We stopped at every yard sale along the way, then went up river from Lostine...A beautiful drive as well as yard sales and gardens to view along the way...Back in Lostine we started the rounds of booths finding a treasure here and there before stopping at the Lostine Tavern (under new ownership)...They were doing tacos and soda's as a fundraiser to redo the buildings facade as they remodel the original building and hope to open it again as the place for families to gather in Lostine...We ate tacos and took a well deserved rest in the shade of the building then hit a few more booths before carrying our purchases back to the car arriving back in Joseph at about 2pm...Another fun day in the chronicles of "Pat and Della".

Herb and Rusty were relaxing on the deck after an early morning trip to Winding Waters Clinic where Rusty had a piece of metal removed from his eye and other than being a little swollen his eye should be back to normal in a few days...It was breezy and cool on the deck but we visited away the afternoon before having patty melts and leftovers for dinner...Biscuit is making her self at home and entertained us as she retrieved the ball, then later Rusty took her to John and Becky's to meet Tate.

Today I must get on with some of the Honey Do's that I have for Rusty, go to the Farmers Market to get strawberries and cherries (I hope) and think about the food we are cooking for the weekend and get the bread started as the sourdough start is bubbling and threatening to ooze out of the container....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Shivery-Burr...50º

Heat wave is over for a few days, nights in the 40-50's and days in the 70º into next week...The garden is probably in shock this morning!..Rusty and Biscuit arrived yesterday about 1:30 and we spent the afternoon visiting on the deck and getting acquainted with Biscuit...She is a nice little "mutt" with some border collie and who knows what else...Not sure if she is just on loan, for Russ to socialize her or if she will be a permanent part of his life...She pretty much only has eyes for him and doesn't let him out of her sight.

After a dinner of steak, potato salad, asparagus and salad, we stayed on the deck until the mosquitoes and cool night air chased us into the house...Also the fireworks as this is Biscuits first 4th of July...She was a little spooked...I went to bed about the time the fireworks started at the lake, listened to them as I fell asleep...Then woke up about 2am to someone make big "KABOOM" sounds that jerked us out of a sound sleep...Damn people anyway!!!!

Russ is making a trip to the dr's office this morning as he has a foreign body in his eye...Pat and I are headed to Lostine for the flea market and yard sales...Have to figure out meals for days to come...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

PS...With a little pressure Rusty pushed the lens back into my camera and it seems to be working fine..

Biscuit (Not happy about having her picture taken)

Celebration...63º

A quiet day for us today...Weather has cooled so we can enjoy the deck and continue watering lawn and gardens as we relax...Haven't heard from Rusty this morning but he should arrive sometime today...Bobi just posted in her blog that they are headed for a water park to spend their day.

I think of years past and how we celebrated "The 4th"...As a kid we did a family picnic with soda pop and watermelon...That is the only time we were allowed to have soda pop (7-up or root beer)...We stayed close to home because there were alway cows to milk and farming to do...Harvesting the hay usually started around the 4th...The only fireworks we had were sparklers and occasionally we watched the fireworks over Payette Lake in McCall..After Herb and I got married, boating, camping, and our own fireworks display in the backyard was usually on the agenda along with picnics with friends...The first few years that Joseph started having fireworks, Herb would drop Pam and I off at the foot of the lake with our folding chairs, quilts and thermos full of hot chocolate laced with Baileys Irish Cream...The fireworks didn't amount to much but we always enjoyed a good visit snuggled under the quilts, sipping on the hot chocolate and some years watching the full moon rise over the moraine...Which quite often was more entertaining than the fireworks.

My hornet sting is nearly healed (no more benadryl) annual physical went well, healthy just too fat (as usual)...Wishing all of you a Bang Up 4th of July from Barton Heights...Hugs to All..OWAV:)

Groggy...66º

I awoke from a dead sleep to the phone ringing this morning...It was only 5:30 and Rusty said, "Mom, are you still asleep you are always up by this time?" Yes I was still asleep...I had awakened at 3:30, my foot swollen and itchy...I tried icing & medicating it and finally relented and took another benadryl...I was really zonked out...Now I'm up and drinking ice water because I  have an annual physical at 8am along with blood work so nothing to eat, no coffee!...I'm feeling drugged and grumpy...Herb has been up and has water going and is ready for a flight to Walla Walla with Brian this morning...Guess I better shake the grumpy mood and get moving myself...Gonna be another hot day...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

"Summer Shuffle"...64º

It was a Sunday to "chill" on the deck...Both Herb and I worked outside early morning getting chores done for the day as the temperature climbed into the 90's by afternoon...A friend stopped by for garlic scapes and a tour of the garden around noon...After that we moved around the deck keeping in the shade of the aspens...Late afternoon Herb set up the rain bird sprinkler on the lawn in front of the deck...Maybe it is my imagination but I think it gives a cooling effect with the sprinkler running...Staying outside as long as possible I moved one last time, scooting my chair to the last shady spot...Little did I know that under the deck was a yellow jacket nest and the bouncing motion I made brought them swarming out...Thank goodness only one of them got me on the top of my foot before I made a hasty retreat to the house...I slathered the sting with water and meat tenderizer to take away the pain and had no other ill effects...Herb has sprayed with wasp killer and maybe will have to take a board off of the deck to make sure no more are lurking under there.

This morning because of the high temperatures, we are doing what I call the "summer shuffle"...We open windows and doors up at night, turn on the fans to bring in the cool air and by 10am this morning we will have everything closed up to keep the cool air in the house and make it livable for the afternoon...Late afternoon Herb turns on the furnace fan in the basement and it blows the cool air from the basement into the ground floor..By doing this the house stays pretty cool and livable.

I will be the afternoon docent at the Josephy Center today so I must get moving and take care of the chores outside...Another day in the 90's...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS..Looks like a hornet nest after Herb got the board up and turned over on the deck...Now it has been well sprayed with wasp killer...Sure glad they showed themselves before our kids get here for a visit!!!!!