Category Archives: Colville

My Latest Jigsaw Puzzle

This is another tough one but a good challenge.

Little by little, inch by inch…

I retreat to the living room away from the TV and turn on some worship CD’s on low and plug away at the challenge of this puzzle. The scene is perfect for this time of year and what I can see outside our windows.

On Thursday evening we had our daughters-in-law and the grands over. We enjoyed dinner together. We tried a new recipe for a pork loin that was cooked on a bed of sauerkraut, apples and brown sugar. Yummy. I didn’t take any photos of the meal. Auntie Lolo is visiting. I’ll be sharing lots of her great photos.

Happy Friday everyone.

Stepping Back 100 Years!

We have some very talented people at our church who can transform a gym into a great themed venue. Others come up with a menu and cook and serve a nice dinner with dessert to 90 of us. The cast of the murder mystery did a great job, too. We had to find out who killed Chuckles and how they did it. There were several puzzles to solve to get more clues. One table of 8 got all the answers correct and won gift cards to small businesses in our town.

At ‘Carossino’s’ in ‘Chicago’ we enjoyed Cherry Spritzers, a plated salad, cheesy bread, stuffed shells, meatballs with sauce and a lovely triple dessert.

To get into Carossino’s for the evening we walked through a back alley (a transformed hallway in our church) through a phone booth with a false door. We knocked on the false door and were ready with our password to gain entrance.

Photo fail…I forgot to get a photo of the back alley and phone booth!! If photos from our church get posted I’ll ‘borrow’ some to add to this post. Many of the 90 of us were dressed for the 1920’s era.

By the way, it was Blondie who killed Chuckles.

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

Knock, Knock…

Who’s there?

This gobbler saw it’s reflection in the slider and was mesmerized.

Our snowy mounds are still part of our landscape. I’ve pulled the ice cleats onto my shoes when I walk out to the garage and they seem to make things more secure. Starting Saturday we should be above freezing for several days during the day so we should have some more melt off. Our roads are clear and the grocery parking lots are clear. How are things in your corner of the world?

Firsts on the Weekend

Driving back from Chewelah on Sunday we noticed a moose on the side of the highway. We turned around and hurried back to get another look.

We spooked it and it started running away.

Thankfully it stopped to take a look at us!

Our son thinks this was a young one!

On Saturday we spotted this critter on our back slope. We think it is a fox but it could be a coyote.

It’s coloring makes us think more fox than coyote.

This was the first moose we have seen since moving to Colville in 2018. Whether the other animal is a fox or a coyote it is a first sighting on our property of either!

Our yards are still covered with snow here and we have temperatures below freezing so not much melting happening.

Here we are on the last day of January. Is it just me or did January fly by?

Still Early Hodgepodge

Time again for Wednesday Hodgepodge! Thank you Joyce From This Side of the Pond for asking the questions!

1. January 25th is National Opposites Day. ‘They’ say opposites attract…do you agree, and if so is that a good thing? Or do you subscribe more to a ‘birds of a feather’ philosophy? 

Getting really basic, in marriage opposites are a good thing, male and female. Our marriage started with a foundation of being the same spiritually, believing in God and being born again believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. After 47 years of marriage we have grown more similar than different in our likes and dislikes. We have different personalities and a different skill set, which works well. Although we don’t isolate ourselves with only like minded people it is nice to have a haven of like minded people in the world of ‘differences’.

2. Something you’re glad to have behind you?

Formal schooling from Elementary through College.

Something you’re glad is ahead of you? 

Continued learning experiences of life on this earth.

3. Your favorite hot food? Cold food? Are you a fan of breakfast for dinner? 

I love food! I’ll go with soup for hot food. I’ll go with a cold cut sandwich with all the extras for cold food. I am a fan of breakfast for dinner!

4. Are you someone who always arrives to appointments/events early or do you tend to run late? Last thing you were late for? 

Early, early, early. Hmm, hard to remember something I was late for. We did make it to a surprise party after the big surprise because the person who was being honored came early!

5. “What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?” John Steinbeck….Your thoughts? 

Every season has so much to enjoy all on it’s own and sometimes the huge contrasts do make us appreciate each season’s special characteristics more. I’m so happy to live in a part of the country where there are distinct differences in the seasons. Some here say we have a fifth season…mud.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are in a distinct Winter here with temperatures below freezing, snow still on the ground, and treacherous icy spots to avoid! We are a third of the way through Winter.

Enjoy the rest of Winter hodgepodgers!

Speaking of Yellow Hodgepodge

Sisters wknd 076

My sisters in a field of daffodils in Mount Vernon, Washington State. We enjoyed a sister weekend back in March of 2016. I think it’s high time we had another sister weekend!!

It’s Wednesday and that means it’s time for Wednesday Hodgepodge! Thank you Jo for the questions and the link-up!

1. It’s National Popcorn Day-my favorite! Are you a fan?

Yes

Sweet or salty?

Both. Give me some good Garrett Chicago Blend, cheddar and caramel!

A good or great movie you’ve seen recently (at home or in a theater, either one)? 

We haven’t watched many movies recently. I can’t remember the last time I was in a theater. We did watch ‘The Blind Side’ recently and it was good.

Some ‘great’ movies we’ve watched in the past: Fiddler on the Roof, Sound of Music, Lord of the Rings.

2. What’s something you didn’t realize was going to take so much of your time as an adult? 

Preparing all the things for the Tax man! We are now at a stage of life that this is not daunting anymore.

3. Your favorite yellow something? 

Daffodils, the flower that makes me smile because it heralds Spring!

4. Why do you write? 

I write to bring clarity to my jumbled thoughts. Things become clearer to me as I write. My thoughts can be so unorganized but when I write them out they make better sense. Writing out prayers is a good exercise for me.

5. Share a favorite memory associated with snow.

Christmas 2020 we had snow that was just right for building a snowman. Our whole family enjoyed creating Ami the Amish Snowman!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Happy Birthday to our firstborn son! He is God’s unique creation. He’s a great son, husband, brother, uncle, friend and boss. A great encourager who is giving, kind, dependable and hardworking.  We are so thankful to God that He gave you to us and that He saved you and continues to lead and guide you. We love you Joshie!

Turkeys Entertain Us

These turkeys flew up high into an apple tree on our neighbors property and it was funny to watch them balance on the branches.

Coming in for a landing…

We’ve had several days above freezing so our snow is melting and slipping off the roofs. The icicles are melting. It’s a slushy mess around here.

Some workers here in the USA will have the day off as it’s a National day to remember Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hope you have a good Monday.

Blazing the Trails

I’ve enjoyed a couple days of snowshoeing in our back acreage. On the first day it was overcast and snowing lightly.

Tuesday the 4th of January.

After I blazed some good trails the turkeys flew in and appreciated my path.

On the next day (Wednesday Jan 5th) the sun was out and I worked on compacting the trails.

A rear view of our country bungalow.

We had 5-6 more inches of snow since I made these trails. After shoveling the front walk on Thursday I did a little more snowshoeing to make a path to our variegated willow to throw out some bird seed since with the snow cover the birds have a harder time finding food.

Joseph is now completely buried along with Mary and the Manger.

Time to shovel off the deck again. This will be a record year of snow accumulation for us here.

How are things in your corner?

A New Year for the Hodgpodge

Hello Hodgepodgers!

It’s Snow Angel season around our parts and…

It’s time for a new year of Wednesday Hodgepodge! Thank you Joyce for coming up with the brain teasers each week.

1. Share one happy moment/memory from the holiday season. 

Seeing each of the three vehicles filled with our most precious cargo pull into our driveway on Christmas day!

2. Let’s be reasonable with our expectations going into this new year, k? What is one thing you’d like to accomplish/improve/complete/do in 2022? 

I’d like to stick to completing a 30 minute cardio workout most days in 2022.  Shoveling off the back deck with Dear on Monday qualifies as a cardio workout! Snowshoeing out my back door is on the agenda this week. After wrapping up this post I’m happy to report I blazed a snowshoe trail in our back acres on Tuesday.

3. Every January 1st (since 1976) Lake Superior University has published a list of words they’d like to see banished from the Queen’s English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse or just general uselessness (go here to read more about how the words are chosen). Here are the words/phrases they’d like to see banished in 2022-

wait, what?-no worries-at the end of the day-that being said-asking for a friend-circle back-deep dive-a new normal-you’re on mute-supply chain

Which of these words/phrases do you use regularly?

‘No worries’ is the one phrase I’ve used most regularly, the others more randomly.  I do say, ‘did you mute your phone’ to Dear before the church service begins.

Which of these words would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why?

‘A new normal’ is a phrase that strikes me negatively mostly because much that comes with this phrase are things that shouldn’t be normal, in my opinion.

Is there a word/phrase not on the list you’d like to add? (I misunderstood this question the first time around and added a phrase I like, oops) Here’s one I’d like banished.

‘Pandemic of the unvaccinated’ is the phrase I’d like to see banished because it is false from it’s root up.

4. Best thing you ate in the month of December? 

Our traditional Christmas dinner. Prime Rib, roasted veggies, creamed corn and Yorkshire Pudding.

5. January 5th is National Bird Day.

Are you a bird lover? 

Yes!

What’s your favorite bird to see in the wild?

Eagle is by far the favorite with hawks coming in at second. I have a strong desire to see an owl in the wild and if I ever do it might win the favorite spot!

Choose a phrase from the list that follows and tell us how it relates to your life currently…eat like a bird, bird’s eye view, early bird, bird-brained, free as a bird, a little bird told me, or kill two birds with one stone.

‘Early bird’ is a phrase that relates to my life currently. Sleeping in has escaped me. I’m up before dark these days. Our pop was always early instead of late and I’m a chip off the old block when it comes to arriving at a scheduled event early, too!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

It looks like 2022 will not be a drought year in our parts! As of Tuesday morning January 4th we have about 20 inches of snow accumulated in our yard. More snow is on the way with temperatures that will not allow the snow to melt for awhile.

Only Joseph is still above the snow. We’ll see if he gets completely covered tonight!

To all my hodgepodging friends, I hope 2022 is a year filled with good things that draw you closer to the God who created you!

Baking and Snowmageddon!

For Katie’s birthday Addy and JJ helped me mix up the cake.

Thank you to Laura for capturing the moments.

Macarons ~ a small round cake with a meringue-like consistency, made with egg whites, sugar, and powdered almonds and consisting of two halves sandwiching a creamy filling.

Our son Dan surprised us all with his perfected Macarons for us to try. They were amazing!

We had our first snowstorm of 2022 starting late Sunday night into Monday the 3rd of January. It snowed all day on Monday. We shoveled off the deck but kept a section to measure our snow falls. Our neighbor plowed our front drive up to our garage on Monday and for that we are grateful. Here are photos of our snow piles!

The photo above is just for perspective. It was taken on Christmas. Notice how far up off the snow laden deck Joseph, Mary and the Baby Jesus are.

Here was the snowfall from early Monday morning with Mary just barely visible.

After we shoveled off the deck.

We have an accumulation of about 20 inches out in our yard right now. This is the most snow we’ve had accumulate since we moved here in 2018. Other years the snow melted off in between storms. This year is different with temps low enough that the snow has not melted off. We have more snow coming.

Snow hats all around!

Hope 2022 is starting off well for you!