Category Archives: Colville

Youth Soccer Season 2026

Tonight will be the final game for our short summer soccer season. There were fewer practices and games this season because of all the wildfires in our area which caused unhealthy air quality. Congratulations to our Grands for a well played season and to our son who coaches well.

This week the air was clear and we had games Monday through Thursday. Two games each for our ‘Grands’.

While at the game on Wednesday night,  the water bucket helicopters were still hard at work helping with the fires that are not contained yet.

The Wednesday game was later than usual so we got the bonus of seeing the sunset on our way home.

After the game tonight, our folding chairs will be back in storage until the next season.

Acres in August

Views from our summertime yard.

On summer mornings I walk out to turn the oscillating sprinkler on to water our planters. The faucet that the sprinkler is connected to is further away from the house. When I walked back on this particular morning last week I took some photos.

I wish you could hear the birds serenading and the quail warning signals that a human was about.

Can you see the reflection of me still in my summer robe?

These last two photos are afternoon photos after yard work. I do the mowing on the riding lawn mower and Greg does the weed wacking. When I’m done mowing there is a set up to wash the undercarriage of the mower which takes 5 minutes with me sitting on the mower for the process. I took the photo above from my mower perch. If you squint, you can see Greg on the left walking with a white bucket.

After yard work if the deck is still in the shade we cool down with some iced cold water and we thank the LORD for being able to get the job done yet again.

Just after midnight Saturday we had a thunderstorm roll through with lots of lightning bursts and a downpour. It was welcomed. Some from our church got their power knocked out. Ours only went out long enough to have to reset the oven clocks!

As I type this Sunday afternoon we hear more rumblings in the distance. Hopefully more rain is coming. We have a new fire 30 miles from us that is thankfully being managed well. More rain will be welcomed.

We are entering the last week of August and already there are more events on the calendar. Hope you all have a good week.

 

Good Things

I started another thrift store puzzle and it’s a tough one.

I’m making slow but good progress.

Josh and Laura surprised me with this puzzle in the mail. They chose this one because our VBS theme this year was centered around Psalm 23. I’m looking forward to starting it soon. Thank you, Laura and Josh for your thoughtfulness!

On Thursday Addy and JJ were over in the afternoon so we made Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with walnuts. They are at an age where all I have to do is watch while they mix and load the cookie sheets. They are experienced in the kitchen. We threw caution to the wind and enjoyed a little cookie dough, too.

The big news is that the skies were not smoky on Thursday because of our rain. That meant that soccer games were not cancelled and we could finally watch Addy and JJ play soccer. There games were on adjoining fields. It was a cool evening on the soccer fields.

The skies continue to be glorious and the air is good to breath. We are over the top grateful. It is exhilarating to say the least to have our clear skies again.

Have a great Saturday!

At Last Rain

We had quite the thunderstorm roll in last evening, a heavy downpour. We hope the lightning was not an issue anywhere. It was so good to hear the patter of the rain, though. We hope it washes away the smoke filled skies and especially that it aides in fire containment.

I’ll add a photo during the day tomorrow to see how our skies look.

Thank you, Lord, for the rain!

These next photos are from 6:30 am on the 13th of August.

The atmosphere has improved. Can you see our morning visitor enjoying the berries off our Aronia Bush?

Hopefully our storm that lasted for several hours through the night and into the wee hours of the morning did good even though the lightning put on quite the show!

We are so thankful for this good soaking!

Another Red Flag Saturday

We have another Red Flag warning in our county and surrounding counties. The rising sun is affected by the smoke.

We carry on and persevere. Our Grands had swimming and soccer cancelled a few days this past week because of the air quality.

We had another successful VBS week and there were many excited children participating each night of last week. Hats off to the 125 volunteers who helped make the week run smoothly.

No outdoor work this past week so I did the lazy thing and finished this puzzle.

It’s a puzzle, not treats for my pantry! It was another thrift store puzzle. This one was brand new and sealed so I was confident all the pieces would be there.

Today we will continue with indoor things.

Any excitement in your corner of the world?

VBS-2026

Welcome to Stillwater Farm.

There is a coloring contest before the week begins and if you win a ribbon you get a free t-shirt.

Children from age 3 to 6th grade fill the church each evening this week. We have over 75 volunteers helping things run smoothly. Our kitchen crew even feeds the workers and their families each evening.

By the end of the week the truth of Psalm 23 will have been heard and hopefully many will know that the Lord is their Savior and they will travel on the right path all the days of their lives following the one true Shepherd.

August Island Hodgepodge

We had a surprise on Sunday, clear blue skies and fluffy clouds. It was a one day event but we were grateful. The days here in NE Washington State have been like the following photo for a stretch now. Several fires are contributing to the smoke filled skies.

This photo isn’t the worst of how the skies have been but it gives you an idea of how our usual layered mountain views are hidden by the smoke.

Onward to the Hodgepodge…

Hello Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce!

1. What’s something on your August calendar you’re looking forward to? Or dreading if that’s easier to answer. 

It is soccer month for our Grands with parks and recreation here in town and that is something I always enjoy. It’s the month that the folding chairs live in our vehicle ready to place on the sidelines to watch youth soccer.

2. August 5th is National Oyster Day…do you partake?

I do enjoy an occasional Oyster.

How do you feel about pearls? 

I think pearls are elegant.

Here I am way back in 2008 wearing pearls to a ‘Tea Bridal Shower’.

3. Tell us about a time when you felt like ‘the world was your oyster’. 

I think this phrase fit best with my High School and early college years. Carefree days, lots of choices, no huge responsibilities, still living at home, school achievements and awards, college acceptance letter, summer beach days, part time work, trip to the East Coast, and tours in England.

4. Trip Advisor lists seven islands in the US that require no passport (for US citizens). If you’re answering today from outside the US you’ll still need to produce yours. An-y-way, have you been to any of the seven? Let’s pretend you get an all expense paid trip to one this month…which one do you choose and why? 

Catalina Island California~Martha’s Vineyard Massachusetts~Mackinac Island Michigan~Key West Florida~South Padre Island Texas~or Kauai Hawaii

I have been to Mackinac Island way back in the early 70’s. Greg was at Catalina Island for a school trip when he was in the 5th or 6th grade.

Twenty Six miles across the Sea, Santa Catalina is waiting for me…

This is a rare view of Catalina Island from Huntington Beach.

I lived in Southern California for 37 years and never ventured to Santa Catalina.

I would take an all expense paid trip to Catalina this time of year. The other spots, weather wise, are too hot and steamy for me this time of year.

Here are some photos I took on Mackinac Island. Heidi, Faye and I stayed in Michigan with Peter and Ruth who owned a cottage on a lake. Peter and Ruth generously entertained us at their home and took us up to Mackinac Island where we rode bikes around the island. I remember buying Mackinac Fudge and I have a letter opener that I bought for a souvenir.

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I’m surprised Trip Advisor didn’t mention Whidbey Island in Washington State or the San Juan Islands.

5. Sylvia Plath is credited with the following- 

“August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.”

Agree or disagree? In other words, how do you feel about this month? 

The quote doesn’t resonate with me.

Growing up we started school right after Labor day so August became the back to school shopping time. That was always exciting. There were big sales in downtown Los Angeles that we’d enjoy going to. We found great bargains at Buffums and in the wholesale shopping district.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are in full swing with Vacation Bible School this week. I love the theme this year. I’ll share more on Thursday.

 

Happy August everyone!

Three Buck Monday

Last Thursday we had three bucks pay a visit to our back acreage.

They had a variety of head gear.

This fella’s was out of the ordinary.

This one was more typical.

Smile, you’re on candid camera.

They entertained us for a while and then they took off.

The Quail families we have on our property weren’t worried about them.

The babies are always well camouflaged.

Before July was over, I completed this wooden piece puzzle. It was fun.

I’m scheduling this post on Saturday morning while we still have power. We have been warned by our Power supplier that they are planning outages to different areas in our county because of the Red Flag warning and the existing major wild fires burning in our county and adjoining county. The concern is high winds and continued dry conditions. We might be one of the properties that will not have power for an extended period of time. Hopefully the outage won’t run into Sunday. We are completely dependent on electricity including our well/water. Time will tell if we can have a fresh shower for church on Sunday. We are not in the path of the current fires.

I’m happy to report we did not have our power shut off. The sad news are the devastating fires that burned through and are still burning in the Spokane area.

August is coming in hot and smoky and tragically. Continued prayers for all those in the path of the fires, those who have already lost their homes,  and to the firefighters!

This and That

Marilyn at Mountain Top Spice blog had a generous giveaway of Lorrie’s freshly published book called Life is Short but Wide, a memoir of life in Ecuador. Lorrie’s blog is called Fabric Paper Thread. I won the giveaway and the book arrived this week.

If you haven’t visited either of these blogs, I think you’d enjoy them. I haven’t read Lorrie’s book yet but I know she writes well and it will be interesting.

To round out the end of July we had this handsome buck visit.

My friend Linda knows I enjoy jigsaw puzzles and she gifted me this acrylic puzzle. It was fun to put the pieces together into the round frame! Once the pieces are in there are little plastic screws to hold the two clear rounds together and to lock in the pieces. It comes with hooks and a chain to hang it.

Goodbye to July and welcome to August! Hope your weekend is off to a good start.