Tired, Achy...50ª

About seven hours on Thursday unpacking boxes of collections and treasures from at least two/three generations found Pat and I tired and achy...Utmost in our minds was a hot shower and a comfortable bed to refresh and renew ourselves for another day...Friday found us back for a 5 hour stint, Pat at the "cash register" me helping other people with small purchases or packing breakables in boxes and getting them to the cars.

A huge assortment of tables set up in a shop, we spent the first day unpacking, dusting of the worst of the dust, organizing into tables of kitchen utensils, glassware, fine china, pottery, Christmas decorations,  small furniture, tools, books, vintage clothes and much, much more...Then the hard part came; The pricing for a yard sale, because many of these items are quite valuable but the object of the sale was to SELL and things don't sell at yard sales for high prices...Soooo some of it was priced, most of it was make an offer...After the initial rush, things settled down and it was fun to watch people who came and some stayed for over an hour shopping, waiting for more treasures to be added to the tables...Amy ordered us burgers from the "Little Bear" drive in.

Soon we were on our way home to make appetizers for a concert at the Josephy center and crash into bed for the second night...Almost 7am this morning and we are scheduled to leave here at 7:30...So it is Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Yard Sale...54º

It is an early morning to help Amy set things up for her "Estate Sale"....We really have no idea how much stuff is involved, so plan the entire day and hope it all gets done...The actual sale starts on Friday morning and goes through Saturday....So you probably won't be hearing much from me the next few days...Wish us a fun, productive day!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Launch Day...48º

A busy day ahead with even busier days to come...The sourdough is rising along with the sun and I must get moving...One last trip to Alder Slope yesterday where I purchased a few more bedding plants so they are calling me...Several loaves of bread will be made today and I have to think about quick and easy meals as Pat and I will be helping Amy with her estate sale for the next three days...A tray of savory finger food is on the agenda for a Friday night concert at the Josephy Center...And time must be found to relax on the deck...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Blooming now, my Mom's favorite columbine.

Sunny Week...48º

Sunny days are in the forecast, perfect for more days outside...Yesterday was perfect for planting...And so I planted cucumbers seeds, tomato plants in the garden and then moved onto the deck where I finished the planters for the deck and the front porch...This all sounds simple enough but it involves removing old soil and adding new, finding the right pot for a certain plant...Getting the watering system in place...Many trips are made to the garage and back and forth...Now if one was more organized it would help!..I easily get side tracked.

I finally came inside at after 3pm and Herb helped get dinner ready...We had hot pork sandwiches, apple slices and asparagus (fresh from the garden) also a few tiny radishes which I swear every year I will not plant again...They grow lots of green tops but very little radishes...GGRRRR

Write people is on the agenda today and then home to plant the potatoes...Hugs To All....OWAV:)

Mushrooms-101...44º

Years of mushroom hunting, cleaning and eating have taught me a few things...My first experience with mushrooms were ones Herb brought home in his lunch pail after a day in the woods...They were immediatly placed in a sink of salt water to get rid of the critters...Little effort had been made to clean off the dirt, pine needles or to sort out the ones that were obviously "wormy"...I spent hours over a sink full of water sorting the debris from the M.R. over the years...The next step was trying to dry out the soggy M.R. (mushroom are just like sponges)...We must be slow learners because this went on for years... Now however when we hunt mushrooms we remove the lower stem of the mushroom where it has dirt on it, leave the pine needles in the woods and leave the obviously wormy ones to rot in place...I carefully sort through the dry mushrooms removing any debris that we may have missed...Cut each one in half from top to stem, where I can get a good look at the insides for worms...These halved M.R. are then bagged and stored in the fridge.

Now for the cooking directions...Place halved M.R. in a colander, rinse well with cool water, dump onto paper towels to drain a little, slice into smaller pieces if you like before putting them in a DRY frying pan on low to medium heat...The M.R. will release their natural water, I let them simmer until they are dry then add a little butter, garlic and sauté until they brown and even get a little crispy, sprinkle with a salt and serve...Mmmmm-Good.

You may want to make copies of these directions, so the next time a good friend (doing you a great favor?) brings you a bag of mushrooms...It might be appropriate to share these directions with them...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Productive...51º

Perfect weather yesterday for digging in the dirt and planting seeds...I did a wide row of carrots, row of beets and got 12 cabbage plants in the ground...Put water on a couple of raised beds and today will plant them with cucumber seeds and a couple of cherry tomato plants...I still have the planters on the deck to finish and geraniums on the front porch.

Yesterday Herb vacuumed and hauled the house plants to the front porch for the summer and mowed Pam's lawn, he is doing laundry this morning...We have lots of greens in the fridge and a steak thawing so dinner is pretty well taken care of, which means that I can putter and dig and take breaks on the deck with my mountain view.

Debbie just stopped by with salt for the lambs & kids and I pulled her an armload of rhubarb because Tim loves his rhubarb desserts....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Bed of Forget -Me-Knots

Cabbage plants in their own little "greenhouses"

Mushrooms...43º

Herb and I made our mostly annual trip to the local ski area "Fergie" yesterday...A little late for skiing you might ask?..After the snow melts on the south facing ridge it is a good place for hunting mushrooms...Notice I said hunting not finding mushrooms...Herb did luck out yesterday and found enough for us to sauté for breakfast this morning...A treat we always enjoy.

Speaking of "Fergie", many years ago we spent almost every winter weekend on the slopes of Fergie where we skied with friends making Wallowa County winters more enjoyable...Summers years ago found us at Wallowa Lake with our kids and boat where we water skied, sunbathed, swam and picnicked every weekend...Aaaah, the memories.

Yesterday "We 3" met at Amy's new home off of "Old Ski Run Road"...A park-like setting, her 10 acres on a slope give her a lovely view of Joseph and the surrounding area...The property is fenced, has it own horse arena and fits Amy and her two horses perfectly...Quiet and tranquil her small home is nestled among tall trees with a small fenced garden where fruit trees are blooming...Raised beds for veggies and a raspberry patch complete the garden space...We shared a potluck lunch and toasted to Amy's future as she continues to build her acupuncture business, starts an interim job at the Josephy Center and in her spare time rides and trains her horses.

Today will be spent mostly in the vegetable garden where potatoes, cabbage plants and assorted seeds are waiting to go into the ground...Also I hope it is safe on this first day of June to move starts from the greenhouse to the half barrels on the deck...Hugs To All...OWAV:)