Birthdays

Last Thursday was a good friend of mines birthday - 47! (I can still remember that far back, but prefer not to . . . the future is much more interesting.) He, DB, came home from work around 3 pm, went to help a neighbor move a steer (didn't happen that day) and when he pulled into the drive way, his wife, CB, and I has set up the shade canopy and chairs . . . he just looked sideways at us and we just smiled.

Then other people started showing up . . . "What's my wife been up to?" . . . no one answered, just smiled. 12 people and 3 kids later, DB finally figured out his wife had been up to the ol' Surprise Birthday Party trick . . . we had a wonderful time, and he really was surprised since it was a Thursday night!

We are again getting ready to go camping. Next Friday a little before noon . . . can hardly wait! To the local campground, (will need 4 spaces) and a boat - gonna do some night catfishing!

Today is just one of those lazy contemplative days. I need to gather supplies for the variety of crafts I'm going to do for the annual Christmas bazaar. I know, I know, a little early to be thinking of Christmas, but when you are making bunches of things, you really have to start this time of year. I will do some beading, some knitting, definitely some sewing and then there are a bunch of general crafts . . . I will take pics as I get stuff done so you can see what my mind conjures up.

Just a little view of my south 40. This picture was taken in mid June so everything looks green. Now, a month later, there is a lot more brown stuff down there.

Wishing you clear skies and lots of sunshine.

Boy, does time fly . . .

I had a doctors appointment last Monday (7/14) because I hurt. I just hurt, every bone, every knuckle, every joint! The doctor ran me through a bunch of questions, hmmm . . . then he sent me to the lab where they proceeded to take a gallon and a half of blood . . . He says every thing is acting like I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. The lab work will confirm this, or I will be sent to a doctor over the hill since our town does not have a Rheumatologist. Ahhh, life in a small town.

I had a Veterinarian appointment this morning because my dog is afraid of EVERYTHING. Scared of thunderstorms and gunfire is understandable, but she is afraid if I look like I'm leaving her by her self, scared of bug zappers, scared of cars backfiring, just scared of every sound the world makes . . . I can't take it any more. She wants to hide, yup, ummm . . . inside the computer desk, on the printer, under my bed . . . she is a 60 pound Lab!

I have left a message for a Behaviorist to call me back - I never thought I'd be calling a "Dog Whisperer", but I need help - big time!

There are so many fires in Northern California that we can almost taste the smoke! Sunrises and sunsets are orange, and the whole day has a light orange glow. I've lived in So. California and seen more than one wildfire that I wasn't sure we should run from or not . . . it is a horrible situation to be in, my heart goes out to all the folks affected by the fires.

Wishing you clear skies

I think summer is here

I might be really nice in the mornings between 6:30 and 8:00, but after that the temperature starts to rise significantly in a short period of time. I love cool mornings. Yup, I do! It is now 6:25 pm and the temperature is 82 right outside my dining room window. Hmmm . . . and it will get hotter as the calendar progresses . . .

I never did report on the mildew - just some spots that came off with one of those bleach wipes . . . love those things . . .

I finished D's curtains - wow do they ever block the light . . . they are a nice denim and they take care of the 5:30 am sunshine. I'm beginning to look at my room - facing southwest, but there are lots and lots of trees blocking the sun, so I'm not sure I need the curtains that dark. Come winter, I might look for something in the fleece family to keep the warmth in, but until then, I have NO PLACE to set up my machine . . . oooh, pity party me . . .

I planted some zucchini and the two of three plants that survived the last freeze are really going to town. Now I need to find all sorts of recipes for zucchini . . . including freezing them.

We again have a camping trip planned - July 25, 26 & 27, at Topsy . . . more catfishing . . . There will be more of us going with kids, which is always more fun, but I might just find a corner of the campground to set up the TC. I like kids, but there really is a limit . . . like maybe 4 hours in a day. I'm not grumpy about kids, but at my age (61) I've earned some quiet time even while camping.

Late yesterday afternoon a lot of the dogs in the neighborhood were barking up a storm . . . all I could do was holler at them to "shut up" . . . my dog is not much for barking, but she sure was running back and forth from the back yard to the front porch window - - - well, the neighbor call about 6:00 to tell us that a 300 lb. black bear was traversing our south 40! We never saw it, but our neighbor did . . . hmmm - we do live in the mountains.

No sign today, which I like, but we are leaving early in the a.m. for Portland and won't be back until late Tuesday evening...... hope no more bears!

Wish you comfortable days and cool drinks!

. . . and again we're off . . .

Camping again, I love camping! We aren't going far(gas prices), but when you live in the mountains you don't have to. We can enjoy nature at its finest just 3-4 miles from the house. We do go further since that makes you think you are camping in your back yard. We like at least 10 miles.... LOL It's still easy to run home if you forget something....

Even though I don't much care for campgrounds, this time we are going to the small local one so we can catfish after dark..... the campground only has 10 or 11 sites, so you have to get there early, and I will be taking off from the house in about 2-2 1/2 hrs. Last minute packing - like food..... and drinks..... in the ice chest.

Will let you know how many fish we catch...

Wishing you sunny days

Ohh . . . . and it's Fridaty the 13th . . .!

Hmmm, maybe I should just sit tight and not do anything at all today...... no matter what I do, I could get hurt..... ahh, I just remembered - I usually get some sort of money on Friday the 13th! I will check the PO Box, and I will look on the street, but since I'm not going far to do either, it probably won't be a huge amount....... now if Publishers Clearing House would stop by, then I don't have to go any where!

I do not believe in a particular day being bad luck..... each day is what you make it.

I am making my day beautiful!

This is my South 40 . . . and when the sun shines through the pines, it is just spectacular!! The yellow spot you see near the center of the picture is a bird house. When it is 80 deg in the sun, it is sooo cool in the shade. It is time for me to bring out the gliders, hmmm, and put up the hammock too!

I need to get the camper (Picture in a previous post) ready to go again... we are leaving next Friday for a 2-day trip. This time we are going to a small campground and will do some catfishing!! It is about 10 miles from home - we can't afford to go far. Thankfully in our area we have plenty of public lands and forests that we can find a wide spot in the road and park it.

I also need to finish the curtains for D's room..... as I feel like it. While I'm working on the curtains, I keep thinking of other things I can make - uh, like duh - this is D's room I have things set up in, and he will be coming home by the end of the month! I have to put all the sewing stuff away!!! and no where else to set it up....

Go enjoy this Friday the 13th . . . it's Friday, what can be so wrong with that?

Wishing you short trips of the happy kind!

Happy Birthday Dear Jennie!

My daughter is 40 today! I sent her a huge bouquet of yellow roses and lilies. She has loved yellow roses since she was in school. The first bouquet I gave her was when she graduated from High School with Honors. I also got her some electronic thing, a VCR if I faintly recall. You have to realize that her graduation was 22 years ago, and that I've aged accordingly....... shhh, don't tell anyone!

Yellow roses have played a role in her life, even if she had no clue that it would. She lives in TX. She had a story published in an anthology, Love Texas Style, by Wild Rose Press which has a yellow rose on the cover. Her story is the 5th in the book , The Rancher's Wife. I'm very proud of her as you can tell.

Oh, and we are having road work done here in our "dirt road" subdivision on the main entry, and it seems to me that every one coming and going up here, has passed by my house to the secondary entry road.

The sun is shining, it's nice, the windows are open and the DUST is just pouring into my house. I put a traveling sprinkler close to the road to help keep the dust down, and it is slowing people down. I know it's hard to keep dust at bay when you choose to live on a dirt road, but why do some folks have to drive at warp speed? This road work will hopefully be done soon. I really enjoy my peace and quiet here, with few vehicles going by....... WOW, I forgot what traffic was like.

Wishing you lovely days

Finding my sewing stuff . . .

I have a sewing project that I need to get done while D is away. D is my room mate and bestest friend. He has had pretty pink ruffly curtains in his room since we moved into this house in 2001. Pretty sad, huh? His room is on the SE side of the house and here during the summer, he gets the sun at around 5:30 a.m. and is not very thrilled about it. We found some denim that will darken the room in the summer and help keep the heat in during the winter. I think it's about time to get this done. Having said that, we will win the lottery and get a new house...LOL...LOL, now that's funny!

So, while he is visiting his sister, I'm sewing curtains.... well, trying to anyway... I haven't used my sewing machine in 4-5 years, but I knew where it was! I had to dig out my 2' x 4' camping table to cut and sew on - I don't have a decent table that isn't covered with crafts. Then I had to search the house for my rotary rulers.... took at least 45 minutes and a call to my girlfriend C to see if she could remember where she saw it last.... hmmm ? ? ? I finally had the bulb go off = in the top drawer of the built-in dresser.

Thank goodness all the measurements on both windows are the same! This old house is about as caddy wompus as they come, so I never know what happens when I start measuring. Any way, I got one panel out of four done. I figure if I do one every day, or maybe two, I will definitely have them done in no time, and if I'm lucky, I might even be able to sew a few other things..... who knows ? ? ?

Wishing you blue skies, no wind and sunny days.

First camping trip of the year!

Wow, I've been remiss on posting . . . We left for camp at noon on the 29th of May with a slight drizzle coming down. It was a short trip, 9 miles on pavement and 2 on dirt roads - (95% of the time we boondock - no neighbors and no noise). We found a beautiful meadow and set up around a small group of trees. (when I get the photo posting down I'll get some pics up-as you can see, I got it!!!) There were 2 truck campers and 1 travel trailer, 6 people all together - 2 being kids. Boy do we haul the 'stuff' to camp!

We had 3 pop-up canopies plus the trees, so plenty of shelter. We did get rain on and off the whole trip, but it really was wonderful to get away from home and chores. Some of them do follow us, but it seems to be more fun doing them while camping.

We really do eat better when we camp than when we are at home! First night out we had Chicken Noodle soup - homemade by moi the day before leaving! Cooking the first night after setting up and dragging out all the 'stuff' just isn't fun OR easy. Breakfasts consist of either whatever you can grab that you brought or Hunters Hash - ground sausage, hash browns and eggs all mixed together - yum, yum!

The only meal we really think about is dinner - second night we had grilled pork steaks with macaroni salad & a cottage cheese, green olive and green onion salad. The whole meal is easy to fix and that's probably why we eat it out camping. Third night was Taco Salad and the last night out was grilled hamburgers & chips.

There was plenty of mud surrounding our camp, and the kids took advantage of it BIG time! Too bad we didn't have a hose and spigot handy - they surely would have literally been hosed off!

We saw some deer navigating the meadow, but not too many. But then there were the Cranes! They were around us even though we couldn't see most of them, they sure were making a racket in the mornings, and when they lifted off they looked like huge pterodactyls! Wing spans had to be 6-7 feet! And the cranes were a tan and brown color - absolutely beautiful. We also had a couple of Bald Eagles - which to me are just awesome.

After breakfast on Monday, June 2, we started packing things up for the trip home. I hate last mornings, but then again, getting into a nice shower with (almost) endless hot water is absolutely marvelous!

It usually takes a couple of days, besides the perishables, to unload the camper, but it isn't going anywhere nor will someone do it for me. I'm real slow this time since I have to pull the bedding off already. I guess the condensation was too much and my bed by the front window was very damp. Now I need to see if there is any mildew or whatever to contend with.

I'll keep you posted.

Wishing you sunny days.

Rain, rain and more rain

I've been trying for the last 2 weeks to get the camper loaded for our first trip of the year, and it has rained, and rained, and rained some more. I run back and forth with a covered tote to get things in the camper without getting wet, but I'm soaked! . . . and forget trying to clean the floor in there! But I'm almost done! Good feeling.

It has rained for almost the last week solid, with a thunderstorm thrown in for good measure. The weather is suppose to lighten up a bit (we'll see) the next 5 days. Hmmm, light rain tomorrow a.m. - chance of thunderstorms in the p.m. - sunny on Friday, rain & t-storms on Sat. - sunny on Sun. and rain on Monday when we have to pack up and come home. And of course, after that sunny and nice for at least 10 days!...... Well, it is Oregon in the Spring!

We are only going about 12 miles from home, but when you live where BLM has lots of open land - you CAMP.

I'm leaving the cats (2) at home with my friend, but I'm taking the neurotic dog. Thunderstorms sends her right up the wall - if no wall handy, you can find her sitting on my head. She wants to hide any where she can. Now picture this - she is a 65 lb. Lab mix - and she wants to hide under my bed; on the bottom shelf of my linen closet; on the shelf under my computer desk..... I think if she could stuff herself into a 12" x 12" x 12" box, she would be very happy. I have tried the thunder tapes, I have tried just playing ANY music loud; but no go. I bought one of those portable kennels to take with me, and hope I can stuff her in there if a t-storm comes up! I have a small truck camper and there isn't much room for anything large! It is a bit small for her size, but I want to confine her so she can't dig her way out or try to squeeze through the grated metal door! It will not be used to house her for any length of time, just when she gets that look in her eyes and starts to pant like a freight train. (You should see her during hunting season - gunshots, PHEW!!!)

I am so looking forward to our camping trip - we had a very, very snowy winter. I live in a very old mobile home, and anything over 18-24" on the roof has to go . . . and I'm it! I weigh the least of every one that lives around here - oh, fun. It is only a 1150 sq. ft. house, and the roof has a very low slope - but it is still a lot of snow!

My Irises are starting to blossom. A few of them were beat to death with the hail last week, but the majority of them haven't bloomed yet. It will be beautiful when they do - I have about 100 of them, and 97 of them are so light blue that they seem white. The other 3 are purple. I just got a bunch from a neighbor that are purple, so we swap. He (his wife) wants about a dozen of mine - great! I have to divide most of mine this year, so that will take care of 2 things at once. I like that!

I have to watch what I plant - the deer seem to love everything! They leave my daffodils alone, and my Irises, but most everything else I plant seems to disappear in the early morning light! Even things that are marked "Deer Proof" gets tried by the little ones...... and since there are little ones every year. I really hate to have every thing hidden behind chicken wire, it just doesn't make for beauty in the garden.

Well, I'm ready for bed so I can start early in the morning finishing up loading the camper. I'll let you know how every thing went - weather, dog - when we get back and dried out.


Wishing you sunny days ahead...

Hmmm, heat wave ? ? ? when ? ? ?

. . . and it came and went. Pffttt, gone, just like that. I have to admit that it was very, very warm... all the way up to 85-87 deg. That's almost hot when you come from somewhere in the 60 deg. range. And today got all the way up to 50 - maybe. The rest of the week we are suppose to have some rain and maybe some thunderstorms.

Since we are leaving for a camping trip in a week, I sure hope Mother Nature gets this out of her system by then. I don't mind camping in the rain, but...... I'd prefer not to. This is the first outing of the year and my birthday trip, so I'm asking for nice weather. Something in the 70's would be wonderful, with very little wind.

wishing you clear and sunny days..