Category Archives: Colville

Corn Maze 2021

We interrupt the recap of our Land That We Love Tour to record the real time happenings this past weekend. This year the annual trip to the Corn Maze was modified as was our annual hunting weekend. Addy took over for Katie’s job of getting everyone through the maze. Katie and Baba were not able to join the maze fun this year.

Laura was in Colville and took beautiful photos of this annual event.

Our beautiful daughters-in-law.

We took a quick trip to the western side of the Cascade mountain range and missed out on the Corn Maze this year. It was a strange year with interruptions to our annual hunting weekend and family festivities.

We enjoyed dinner on Friday evening with our son on the West side of the Cascades.

On Saturday evening we enjoyed Laura’s homecoming from Colville with a Thai meal delivered to their door and time also with our daughter and son-in-law. We left early Sunday morning from Bothell to return to Colville. The winds were forceful and scary going over Snoqualmie Pass early on Sunday Morning. When we were on the east side of the Cascades we decided to get off the freeway and enjoy some breakfast in Ellensburg.

We tried The Wild Huckleberry in historic downtown Ellensburg. Delicious. We’ll stop by on future trips.

We would like to explore the town of Ellensburg more fully in good walking weather sometime in the future. After Ellensburg our trip the rest of the way home was calm and easy with light rain and light wind.

We have a busy week ahead. Hope you all have a good one!

Farm to Table Hodgepodge

It’s time again for Wednesday Hodgepodge where Jo From This Side of the Pond asks the questions for us to ponder.

Speaking of farmers, on one of our traveling days we took an exit to visit the Mennonite Heritage & Agricultural Museum in Goessel, Kansas. The mural above is from part of the museum.

1. What obligation do you believe you have to your country? 

I suppose as a good citizen we are obliged to follow the laws of our country. It would be good for a citizen to know what is in the Constitution of the United States of America. I also think we are obliged to cast an informed vote in elections. As long as the laws of the country don’t violate my religious freedom in following God’s laws and my worship of Him I’ll keep the law. My allegiance is first and foremost to God the Father and His Law set down in the Bible.

2. October 12 is National Farmers Day. Do you know any farmers?

Yes, I know several farmers from my experience with the Mennonite Girls Can Cook and now living in Colville we’ve been acquainted with more farmers. We have farmers across the road from us.

What do they farm/grow/raise?

Hay, Wheat, Alfalfa, Corn, Vegetables, Apples, Apricots, Pears. Dairy Farms and Cattle ranches abound, too, along with sheep and goats and pigs.

Are there any farm stands where you live? Do you shop there? 

Yes there are great farm stands and farmers markets and yes, I do shop there. Wednesdays and Saturdays we have a Farmer’s Market in town. I like to stop and support our local farmers. Farmer’s Market only runs through October and then opens up again sometime in the Spring.

3. What’s a skill you think everyone should have? Tell us why? 

I think everyone should be taught to read. Reading is foundational to so many other skills. Without this skill you are more open to misguidance and deception and false teaching.

4. Favorite thing you’ve purchased this year? 

I bid on, won, and purchased Tea for Eight in my home. It was so nice to sit at the table and be served all the wonderful delicacies that the Hostess made. The only thing I had to do which I thoroughly enjoyed was to set the table with my hoard of tea things.

5. What’s your favorite place to visit in the fall? 

The Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze at a local farm here in Colville. The maze is always top notch!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are just back from driving across the country for 20 days. We called our trip, Land That We Love Tour. I’ll be sharing lots of photos from all the things we saw along the way on my blog. So much to share.

When we arrived home we found sweet notes taped around the house that our grandkids left us.

“Welcome home We missed you See you soon Addy” also “I ❤️ u”

The note on the bottom right is Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti. Addy has been mastering and enjoying this song.

Baba appreciated each note and drawing and it made me smile real big.

Hope to come around soon and see how y’all answered the questions this week.

 

Apples of My Eye

Spent several hours with these two last Wednesday. We picked these apples right off one of their trees for a snack. They keep me moving. Love them so much.

Yesterday I was able to mow and get the riding lawn mower all cleaned up and settled in the shop. Junk Drunk was calm and fun with lots of interesting things to see. I bought a small item for a stocking stuffer for one of our kids and a sign for a friend that called out to me because of a conversation we just had this week. There was a stand where fresh little donuts were being made up to order so I had to support that business, too. It was fun to bump into a few ladies from church at the sale, too.

Happy weekend to all of you. It is raining here. Our land will enjoy that.

Before and After ~ Master Bedroom

The day we moved in, September 2018. Happy to see the house was vacuumed.

Progress and it stayed close to this until last week when Dear got inspired to paint. We’ve had the paint since 2018 but the bedrooms and guest bath had not been painted. All the other living spaces have been painted.

I didn’t get a great shot while Dear was painting but once the ceiling got some fresh paint on it the rest of the walls looked really yellowed to us.

And now in 2021 this is the new look in our bedroom. Next on the list in this room is changing out the closet doors for pull out style as opposed to sliders.

We are happy with the new look.

Dear finished painting one of our guest bedrooms this week, too. I’ll do a before and after as soon as I get all the bedding back on the bed. I’m a fortunate gal to have a hard working guy who is a painting pro, too.

Today I’ll be mowing our acreage for the last time this year, I think it will be the last mow. The weather has changed and grass growth is slowing. I’d like to get it done early so I can go to Junk Drunk before the rains come our way.

Here’s the description of the event:

Our Vintage & Shopping Market “Junk Drunk” will be held in Colville, Washington at the N.E. Washington Fairgrounds Ag-Trade Center and Dairy Barn. Join us and our wonderful group of vendors with all their wares and amazing treasures! You are sure to find some great “Junk”! Our Vendors will be selling Vintage items, Jewelry, Home Decor, Home Goods, Salvage, Art, Handmade items, Bath items & More!

Hope your Friday is a funday!

Honor the Fallen

Our little town of Colville set up this memorial for the 13 military service members who were killed in Afghanistan in late August. Our flags also flew at half-staff.

Praying that Americans left behind will be able to make it back home soon.

I’m preparing a post for the 20th Anniversary of 9-11 which is tomorrow. Have a good weekend everyone.

Happy Birthday Dear!

Happy Birthday to Dear who is still younger than me. This photo is from 38 years ago for his birthday in our 2nd home in Huntington Beach, California.

Another blast from the past for a birthday celebration in Southern California about 12 years ago.

Birthday brunch with our ‘coast’ kids in 2017

A little celebration last year at El Ranchito where every visit there is like a birthday.

I’m so thankful to God for the man I married.

He is smart, reliable, thorough, faithful, a hard worker, a good cook, a good teacher, a good dad, a willing servant and easy to live with.

Praying that God continues to grow your faith and your love for our Triune God.

Happy Birthday Dear, I love you.

P.S. And what is he doing on his birthday? He’s painting our Master Bedroom.

Pickle Ball Court~Phase 1

The ground has been prepared for the next phase of our future Pickle Ball Court. We won’t be having the concrete poured until next year and hopefully will be able to find concrete finishers available for that job. That is not easy out in the country with limited finishers available. Some folks we hear have been waiting for 6 months for someone to do this type of work.

If you are not familiar with Pickle Ball here is a link that will help.

It was such a beautiful late summer day when I took this photo.

September

September
“The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Burning brush,
New books, erasers,
Chalk, and such.
The bee, his hive,
Well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze.”
– John Updike, September
“The foliage has been losing its freshness through the month of August, and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first gray hair amidst the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many.” -Oliver Wendell Holmes
Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.
Ecclesiastes 3:1,2
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—

A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

Genesis 8:22

“While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
And cold and heat,
And summer and winter,
And day and night
Shall not cease.”

Looking forward to all that September brings…

Goodbye August

Straight from the garden. Their mommy plants and tends an amazing garden.

We were able to see these two on Sunday afternoon. So good to have them run to us with open arms and lots of hugs. As we leave they run along the fence line following our car and we yell our goodbyes to each other. They are safe on the inside of the fence and our car goes along the drive on the other side of the fence. Fun traditions.

Adios to August!