Love these crisp fall days...24º partial sun

 A change of plans yesterday, found Pam and I driving up the Lostine Canyon to see what has been done since her last trip, when she worked to ready the campgrounds for winter...Huge brush piles are everywhere after a thinning/logging project late this summer...Some of the piles are slated to be burned, while other will be masticated/ground up...Also work is being done on the culverts that were plugged when slides came down in a rain storm...We thought the road would be frozen but not so, it was wet most of the way and snow covered as we came to the trailhead...It was a beautiful day for a drive, with snow and golden larch at every turn...We "toyed" with going on a real roadtrip, maybe Lewiston, as we have been know to do, but decided we better get home instead...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Looking ahead to partial sunny days... 29º

Cold weather with sunshine makes for wonderful fall days here in Wallowa County...Yesterday was cold, with an even colder wind, as I cleaned the front porch...A winter coat, hat and gloves made the job bearable, as I swept and vacuumed up the very last leaf...The window really needs to be washed, but it will wait as will the wind chimes, that have to come down soon, before we get stronger winds, that make them really noisy.

I have acupuncture today, then a stop to buy some groceries before coming home to do laundry and maybe sort another box, deciding what to donate, or keep or just plain throw away...What does one do with high school/college graduation awards, that we were once so proud of, as they showed our accomplishments in life...Sometimes I just close my eyes and think, I had forgotten that these things have been stored in a box for 50 years, so let them go, they were yesterdays treasures...On that note, wishing everyone a happy, productive day, enjoy the sunshine, when it appears...Hugs To All...OWAV:

My latest jigsaw puzzle

Wonderful surprise this morning...39º cloudy/rainy

 I opened my blog this morning and to my surprise, Cienna has posted about the process of getting her Visa, lots of photos, all about a train trip into Germany...Quite a process..Read all about it on her blog... http://travelingsquid.blogspot.com/2023/11/visa-process.html 

My day is pretty mundane compared to hers, again I will be clearing away my clutter, and maybe I will get to the front porch, where the Halloween pumpkins still sit, along side the frozen geraniums...Not a very inviting sight...My only traveling today will be 6 miles to Enterprise for balance class...The views are exceptional and I no longer take them for granted...Our mountains are stupendous!..Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...I asked Cienna if I could post some of her photos on FB and my blog, I love the following one.

Cienna, Noelle(roommate)

 and Lee(alumni from the

language school.

Another Gray/Rainy day...44º

I keep expecting to have snow on the ground each morning, when I look outside, but not yet.

I started early mixing bread yesterday, ended up with 11buns and 3 loaves...Rusty said, "Mom we can just eat warm bread and jam for dinner," but decided to go with our preplanned taco's...We did have warm banana bread for dessert. 

Some how making donuts keeps coming up in our conversations, and I keep saying, "That sure sounds good." Don't really want to deal with the mess and hot grease that it takes to cook them and there is a new donut shop opening in downtown Joseph, on Wednesday...Perfect timing!

We are back to playing 5 crowns in the late afternoon, to pass the time...We are almost even on wins and loses for each of us.

My computer says 7:10AM, automatically changed to regular time for the winter months, ugh, it will be getting dark at 4pm today.,,Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Banana Bread

Buns and loaves

A Rainy Weekend...44º

 The forecast says rainy, but it is often wrong and we are lucky to get sun breaks and a warm wind...We need the moisture now, while the ground is not frozen and the rain can soak into the roots of trees, shrubs and perennial plants.

So on this rainy day I will be playing in the dough, making bread and buns to freeze for the next week or two...I also have "black bananas" sitting on the counter and today they either turn into banana bread or they go in the compost, it all depends on my energy level.

My appointment with Kathy, my tax lady, went well, she projected my taxes for the next two years and it looks good, with minor changes...Color me happy...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Clouds covering the mountains.

Eye appointment in La Grande...Cloudy 39º

 A day trip to La Grande and the eye doctor, the laser    did what it was supposed to do, but the macular degeneration seemed to be a bit worse...I will go back in January to a different doctor for a refraction and maybe a new prescription for my glasses...I'm lucky that it is not a lot worse!

It was a fun day, Rusty drove,  Pam and I visited...We shopped and had lunch before my Dr. appointment, so were already to come home by 3pm and the drive was beautiful in the canyon, larch trees in all their golden beauty, this time of year.

I have a tax appointment today, hoping to get a head start on my taxes as a single person, and guidance as to how Herbs IRA can be rolled over into an account for me...Lucky for me, I always did most of our financial "stuff," so this isn't totally mind boggling for me...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Panang Curry my

favorite lunch/dinner.

Golden Larch/Tamarack

A deeper gold.

Feeling more settled...36º

Continued...Although Heather wasn't at Circuit Court, Dawn was able to help us with a "Certified" affidavit that would satisfy the IRA company...She was able to text with Heather and the La Grande office, who supplied answers to fill out the form...I mailed the form yesterday, time will tell how it goes from here on...All of this is being done by snail mail, so it might take a few weeks.

In the meantime, I called my tax lady and set up an appointment, so we can get a head start on taxes this year and also she can guide me as the best way to deal with the IRA when the money is released...I'm very thankful for kind, professional people for making my life easier...One day at a time!

Halloween was drawing to a close when Rusty carved two pumpkins for the front porch, (he used a drill for most of the "carving"). They lit up my front porch here on Barton Heights and I had a few treats set out, just in case some goblins or witches showed up...By 8PM the candles were still glowing but dim, and we had no traffic here on the hill...I was ready for bed...Hugs To All...OWAV:)