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:)