Category Archives: Flowering Plants

Back to School Hodgepodge

From years ago, our sons heading off to the first day of school in Ventura, California and several years later our daughter waiting for the school bus on the first day of school in Bothell, Washington.

Hello to September and another Wednesday Hodgepodge hosted by Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

1. What’s something you wanted to do this summer that you never got around to doing? 

With fires and smoke filled skies we never got around to our short summer road trips.

2. Were you the student who sat in the front row or hid in the back of the class? If you could go back and take one high school class again just for fun, which would it be? 

When seats weren’t assigned, I’d tend to sit closer to the front than the back. We don’t sit in back at church, either.

If I was going to choose a class to go back to, I would choose English, especially literature.

3. What characteristics do you think are essential in a good teacher (this can be applied to anyone who teaches, not just classroom teachers)? 
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Listening to and knowing those whom you are teaching would be good.
I get weary of teachers who talk too much or ramble on.
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The teachers that I remember fondly are those who treated me as if they liked me, understood me, and were kind. Teachers I remember fondly are my 1st and 2nd grade teacher, my 6th grade teacher who was my first male teacher, a high school English teacher, and my social studies teachers in high school. I had 3 older siblings ahead of me who were good students (my sister Vera was Valedictorian and a math whizz). I got tired of hearing, “you aren’t like your sisters”.
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4.  September 2nd is National Grits Day. Have you ever eaten grits? Are you a fan? If so how do you like yours? Would people describe you as ‘having grit’? 
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Growing up in Southern California and now living in the Northwest, Grits are not a common thing. I might have tried grits when we were in the Carolina’s but I don’t remember. I can’t say that I’m a fan.
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Yes, I think some would agree that I have grit.
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5. What’s something you’re never too old or too young to enjoy? 
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The Zoo! 🙂
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If you are a Born Again follower of Jesus gathering on Sunday to worship Jesus is something you are never to young or old to enjoy!
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6. Insert your own random thought here. 
These two started 2nd and 4th grade last week. Each year they answer the question, What do you want to be when you grow up? At the beginning of this Homeschool year Addy wants to be a Daycare provider and JJ wants to be a Hunter.

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.

 

Along the Road

On Saturday we made a trip to Spokane for some big store shopping. On our way home we stopped in Deer Park for a meal at Master’s Brewhouse. We had their Teriyaki Rice Bowl and their soup of the day. The rice bowl was delicious and especially the fresh Asian spiced coleslaw. It’s hiding under the chicken. The soup of the day was a Mexican corn chowder. We always enjoy their soup of the day.

Along the highway from our lunch stop there were some sunflower fields and we pulled off to enjoy some closer views. The fields were a little past their prime but it was a nice sight nevertheless.

 

From the fields we continued north into Chewelah. We are still basking in the views without smoke.

This mural honoring Veteran’s is on the front of the American Legion building in Chewelah right on the highway. We get a good view when stopped at the one signal in the whole town.

We continued home and enjoyed a quiet evening.

On Sunday we had a great morning church service and then a relaxing afternoon and evening at home.

Happy Monday to you all.

Simple Joys

It is the sweetest experience to be doing my regular shopping in town and having these two find me in the store with a big hug! Simple but a very special joy for me.

It is also so sweet to enjoy flowers that pop up year after year that I had no hand in planting!

We had a wild thunderstorm come through on Friday morning! We had lightning and thunder and a good soaking of our planters. I’m happy when God does the watering for me!

During our heat wave which is continuing this week it was a good exercise to finish this summertime puzzle.

On Saturday afternoon, JJ had a Taekwondo exhibition at Yep Kanum Park.

It was time for the Yep Kanum Park Celebration in Colville, the celebration will bring neighbors and visitors together from July 17-19, 2026, for a vibrant weekend of activities. Attendees can enjoy live music performances, local artisan markets, food vendors, and family-friendly events. This year’s celebration promises to be a wonderful celebration including performances by musicians, local artists, a classic car show, a youth baseball tournament, a pickleball tournament, and plenty of entertainment for all ages.

JJ gave a demonstration of his kick that split the wood in two. I have a video of that but I’m not able to share it here.

On Sunday after church we enjoyed the finale of the World Cup with Spain defeating Argentina. I’m one who has enjoyed every World Cup soccer game despite the teams I was cheering for coming up short. We were rooting for Spain in the end and were happy for their accomplishment.

I’ve been following ‘Drew Cooks‘ on Facebook and we enjoyed two of his recipes on Sunday.

Blueberry biscuits were very good. We also enjoyed chicken thighs in the crockpot with a soy sauce, brown sugar, green onion, garlic, and ginger. Delicious!

Our area is experiencing wild fires with smoke making our outdoor spaces unhealthy. We can identify with those of you on the east coast experiencing smoky skies and hard to breathe air. Praying for our firefighters!

Last and least, it is always fun to spot these frogs in our yard, as long as they stay in the yard!

How was your weekend and what does this new week hold for you?

July at Home

Summer has arrived in our corner of the world. On Friday evening our A/C stopped pumping cold air into our home. Of course it was after hours which means we won’t be able to schedule a service call until Monday after 8am (today). We have had the windows open and are enjoying the summer breezes. Thankfully the air has been fresh without the fertilizer and other natural livestock scents dominating the air!

Our July views prompt gratitude and thanksgiving to our God who created all things for us to enjoy.

lavender

We have a new umbrella this year and we’ve had to put extra weights on the base even though it’s supposedly a 40 lb. base. Before we added the weight the umbrella had tried to fly away.

Bee Balm

Coneflowers

Hosta

Bluebells or a relative?

Day lilies

The baby swallows have exited their nests and learned to fly.

We have several Quail families roaming our acres with babies, toddlers, and teen quail in tow. They always make us smile. There is always a scout quail that chooses a higher position to warn the other quail of any danger.

Deer have been more sporadic.

Hopefully before the morning ends we’ll have a scheduled HVAC appointment for this week!!

Busy Butterfly

We have a very busy Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

We are flitting about like this butterfly from one activity to another.

The Swallowtail enjoys this plant.

I think it’s a Tiger Swallowtail.

We have Taekwondo Promotion, Taco Salad Dinner, Irish Dance Recital, overnight out of town guests, Church, Lunch, Irish Dance Recital, Pulled Pork Sandwich Dinner and more!

Whew!

I did manage to finish this puzzle before things got real busy.

I’m glad it was a thrift store bargain with all the pieces included. The quality of the pieces and the way the pieces fit was a bit of a challenge. I’ll offer it for sale at the Community Garage Sale we are part of at the end the of this new week coming up.

Speaking of puzzles…

These two finished up the puzzle I started with them over Memorial Weekend. It was a fun one to work on. We almost finished it before their parents got home from Montana. I’m glad they put the last pieces in. Looks like someone wants to put in the very last piece.

If you don’t see any comments from me on your weekend posts, you’ll know why.

May Endings

Spring rain has been a theme here these last days of May. We also had thunder and an epic lightning show on Thursday night of last week. Epic in that it lit up the surroundings as if it was daytime. It lasted several hours and we had never experienced anything like it before. There was dry thunder, too, if that’s a thing.

It hasn’t been easy getting mowing and weed wacking in since we’ve been dodging the rainy days and waiting for some dryness in between the storms.

Plans are afoot to transfer the pergola/patio structure up onto the deck instead of leaving it below. Before that progresses we needed to pressure wash the deck. One thing leads to another.

Hooray for a clean deck. It has been several years and we were happy the pressure washer stayed on for the job after several cranks to get-er-going. We won’t be giving it a fresh coat of stain this year.

Our plants and weeds are thriving! The pink peony bush tripled in size from last year!

The butterflies especially love this bush, a relative to a lilac?

This clematis looks the best in the 8 years we’ve lived here.

Columbines have taken over!

The yellow ones are the hardiest and pop up in new places every year.

Farewell to May and hello to June.

This will be a busy week into the weekend. We have an Irish Dance Recital Saturday and Sunday to attend with out of town overnighters staying here!

How’s the first week of June shaping up for you?

Early May Days Hodgepodge

May the hodgepodge questions entertain your brain, thank you to Joyce.

1. What’s something you may do this month?

Drop some pounds…

2. Hola! Hodgepodge Day lands just after Cinco de Mayo… how do you feel about Mexican food? What’s your favorite dish? Do you make it at home or is it a strictly dine out option?

Mexican food might be my comfort food. I don’t think I have an absolute favorite dish out but we choose the restaurant on whether they make a good salsa which is always served up with chips on the table. We do make some dishes at home like tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, guacamole, pico de gallo and margaritas.

3. When the children of today grow up what do you think they’ll say about this time period? What do you most hope they remember?

I think Covid will be something they will never forget not only because of the sickness and lives lost but also all the false information and lies circling around that time that were devastating to relationships and mental health.

I want our Grands to remember the rich time they have had learning about God’s love for them and all the love that their parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents showered on them, too.

4. What advice would you give a new mother?

Cherish all the seasons of growth and find joy in the current season even if it is a difficult one.

It is okay and beneficial in many circumstances to say NO.

5. What’s a phrase your mother often said to you? If you’re a mom do you say it to your own children?

No phrase from my mother comes to me. I’ll ask my siblings if they can remember anything.

Now that I’ve read some of your answers for this question, I do remember a phrase that we heard growing up. It was in Russian but the gist was “It will heal by the time you are married!” I might have said this same thing a few times…

6. Insert your own random thought here.

May already has given us lots to enjoy and it’s only been around for 6 days!

An overnight visit from Uncle and Auntie!

We were able to cast a live you-tube of our Great Nephew’s Senior Composition Recital.

We were all blown away by his talent.

Graduation is this Friday.

Hope that your May has started out well, Hodgepodgers and other visitors here!

Everyday Images #73

October Prompts – Everyday Images #73
I’m linking up with Kim from A Fresh Cup of Coffee for Everyday Images/October Prompts
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More photos, less words.
leaf or leaves
at home (monthly)
harvest
gold as in golden anniversary
doorway (quarterly)
on my plate (quarterly)
Something that is on my plate this time of year is clearing out the flower beds in front and back of our property.
We have company coming today from Southern California and are looking forward to time to catch up with each other. My computer time will be limited.

Catch Up Saturday

We had a nice Independence Day and we enjoyed texts with photos from our loved ones here in Washington, in California and in Texas. I’ll share some of those on Monday.

The rest of these photos are catch ups from the past couple of weeks.

These little Pansies (Johnny Jump Ups) pop up all over our acreage. I suppose you could call them wild.

We had a de-constructed Chicken Pot Pie for a meal. It is a simpler way to enjoy a nice crisp crust and the filling. When we buy a Costco chicken I take the meat off the bones immediately and freeze portions in quart size freezer bags for quick meals later.

This buck caught me looking at him.

A couple Wednesdays ago, Greg helped Dan butcher the last two of the three sheep Dan bought for meat. It was an all day project!

Josh and Laura were proud to represent the colors they stand behind at a soccer game.

Didn’t want to forget the traditional photo for our Colville kids’ anniversary that they take each year and added two more from their getaway at the end of June. They enjoyed a meal at Baba’s (no relation to this Baba 🙂 ).

Our daughter attended a Medieval Castle wedding and shared some photos. The wedding was during work hours so Katie and her friend attended without their husbands (they were able to get time off from their jobs). They enjoyed their time and all the medieval touches.

Our beautiful daughter.

Speaking of castles, this is one of the latest puzzles I completed and it is going straight to the garage sale pile. I love the result but the pieces were all cut into shapes that were too varied and too brain teasing. I bought it for $3.99 at Goodwill and was happy that there were no missing pieces. Hooray.

The lavender plants are in their glory and the fragrance can’t be beat.

Happy Saturday everyone. The weird thing is that every day this week felt like a Saturday to me.