Category Archives: Our Country Bungalow

Free Range Hodgepodge

Time for Wednesday Hodgepodge with thanks to Jo From This Side of the Pond for coming up with the questions.

The internet has been touch and go at our country bungalow so I’m behind on my visits to your blogs. Hopefully things will speed up and I’ll be back soon.

1. July 6th is National Fried Chicken Day…are you a fan? Do you make your own or have a favorite place to buy from? Do you own chickens? If not chicken what’s your favorite fried food?

Chicken is not my favorite fried food but we do enjoy fried chicken and buy it once in a while from Colonel Lickie Quickie Chickie. We do not own chickens but our local kids do. I like Tempura Vegetables and they are probably my favorite fried food.

2.  What’s something you’re too chicken to try?

Sky diving, bungie jumping, backpacking just to name a few.

3. When did you last find yourself running around like a ‘chicken with its head cut off‘?

I’m drawing a blank with this one.

4. Something you’ve done recently that makes you think ‘I’m no spring chicken’? 

Oh boy, here we go. Trying to get up off the floor when I get down to play with the grands. Getting down on the floor isn’t easy either. Weeding is another thing that reminds me of the natural progression of my age and how it affects my body. Trying to get out of cars that sit low to the ground.

5. ‘Winner winner chicken dinner‘…tell us about something good that’s happened in your life lately. 

So many things…

Time spent with loved ones that I hadn’t seen for ages. Visits from our kids and grands. Finding a friend to walk with. My dear husband and his care for me. Speaking of Dear, he’s painting the exterior of our home and it is looking fresh and good. Generally relationally I am blessed with very little conflict, with good relationships and I don’t take that for granted.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The many faces of our grands reacting to their at home Fourth of July fireworks! Thank you to our daughter-in-law for capturing these moments.

Still Stormy

We’ve had some stormy weather with wind, downpours, thunder and lightening. The ground was so soaked that we took the opportunity to pull a lot of weeds that were easier to pull up.

On the Fourth the skies cleared up just in time for a gathering of lots of church folks at a family from church’s home. Everyone brought their own meat to throw on the barbecues. We all got a grilling number when we arrived. We were number 7. Everyone also brought sides and desserts to share with everyone. It was a feast. We left about halfway through the Corn hole tournament. There were enough corn holes for 8 teams to play at a time. We made it home just in time for another downpour. Hope the corn hole tournament wasn’t rained out!

With all the storms this summer it was safe enough to shoot off lots fireworks.

Walking early this morning with a new friend from church who just moved back to Colville from Montana. It’s going to be hard to remember what day of the week it is since the Fourth landed on a Monday.

If the rain is over for a few days Dear will be able to continue on the exterior painting project.

Out of the Blue

This Ground Hog showed up on our property this week. We have never seen one in our yard before. Our neighbor also said he has never seen ground hogs in our little stretch of homes.

After reading about the ‘colonies’ these critters are associated with we decided to send it on it’s way.

It was fun to watch for a day…

Robins have been quite active around here building nests. The Swallows are busy with their nests in the bird houses around our property. The birds are entertaining and we welcome them.

Welcome to July! We don’t have plans for the weekend but we will be attending a Monday 4th of July gathering with several folk from church. Do you have plans?

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God…

Jo is taking the week off from Wednesday Hodgepodge.

I was up early on Tuesday and stepping outside I enjoyed the beautiful skies while listening to all the songbirds greeting the morning. Couldn’t help myself from hoping I’d hear that trumpet sound!

Painting is in progress. This is the South side and most exposed and faded part of the house. We are changing the trim to white and simply framing the windows with white. The rest of the siding will be the Teton Blue by Behr paints. We won’t add a third color except for the doors which are already painted the Marine Dress Blue. Don’t look too closely at all our weeds.

June is speedily coming to an end.

All My Times Are in Thy Hands

~
Even though the day be laden,
And my path dreary,
And my strength small,
A song keeps singing in my heart:
For I know that I am Thine;
I am part of Thee;
Thou art kin to me,
And all my times, all my times are in Thy hands.
~
~Inscribed on an altar in the Hebrides
~
And here are some photos of the current state of our plants after all our Spring rain, then being basked by some summer sunshine. We had to water for the first time this year on Saturday.
Peonies have such a delightful but short season. I’m always in awe of their beauty.
~
These two are celebrating their 7th Anniversary. They spent Sunday without their little ones in tow and had a nice time in Spokane which included bowling. They met each other at the bowling alley in Colville and that’s where it all began. Happy Anniversary Dan and Jamie! We love the two of you together! God bless you with many many more anniversaries!
~
Hope you all have a beautiful week which brings us into July.

Reunited and Celebrating

Our dear grandchildren are back in our neck of the woods and we were able to enjoy a meal together at our home on Friday evening June 17th. After the meal JJ and Addy were keen on preparing me another meal in their play room. JJ prepared the crab for me while Addy put together a sandwich.

Later we headed outside for some time enjoying the latest skills these two have developed on their Big Wheels.

In the same week our kids on the Coast enjoyed a meal out together and sent us this picture. Love seeing them together.

On Father’s Day we received texts with photos and Happy Father’s Day greetings from all our kids and grands.

We enjoyed a Taco bar meal together in Colville with extended family. These two fathers were celebrated.

So happy these 4 are back home in our neck of the woods.

Happy First Day of Summer. We are supposed to enjoy some sunshine the rest of the is week instead of the cloudy rainy days we’ve had up to now! How goes it in your neck of the woods?

Sunday Night in Cali

On Sunday afternoon/evening my sister and I were invited for dinner at our friends beautiful home in the city of Orange. We sat in their patio and enjoyed appetizers, lots of conversations and then dinner. It’s hard to tell from the photo above but that is an infinity pool in the background.

Our wonderful host and hostess, Ken and Heidi. Heidi was my best buddy in my college years and beyond. She was living with Dear and me when she met Ken, dated him, got engaged and then married. I was her matron of honor. She is truly the hostess with the mostess.

Ta-da and toodle-pip!

Toodle pip is a very British and informal way to bid farewell.

Thank you for a beautiful evening, great food and good conversation. Till next time…

Driving home from Ken and Heidi’s I took a photo of the gas prices at this station.

While I was in Cali the local kids dropped by on Sunday to pick up a package that was delivered to us for them.

JJ and Gramps also went next door to pick up one of my packages that was mistakenly delivered to our neighbor. Addy conquered the gravel mountain in front of the shop.

Back to Colville and the Country and away from the big city lights. Tonight we are having our local kids and grands over for dinner. This will be the first time since April 29th. For much of May and into June they were in another state for a Workation.  It will be fun to have some extended time with Addy and JJ and see what new skills or vocabulary they have developed.

For those in the U.S. and Canada a Happy Father’s Day weekend to you!

Hummingbirds

I’m traveling today so Truth for Today will resume next Thursday.

We hung a Hummingbird feeder up on our patio structure and it has been delightful to watch the hummingbirds come and go.

 

I’ll be scarce on the internets for the next several days. I’m hoping to document what I’ve been up to soon.

Since Thursday is when I post Truth for Today I will share this paragraph from Drawing Near, by John MacArthur.

Be Quick to Hear

…”You should be quick to hear the Word because it provides nourishment for your spiritual life and is your weapon against all spiritual adversaries. It is the means by which you are strengthened and equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) It delivers you from trials and temptations and engages you in communion with the living God. The Word should be your most welcome friend…”

Spring Deer

 

 

The deer are coming around again to nibble and rest in the shade in our back yard. They are welcome as long as they stay away from my clematis.

This male was interested in the female and was chasing her so they didn’t stop to nibble on my clematis.

Here is some evidence of our Spring showers from this past weekend. While I’m typing the dark clouds have moved in again and we have thunder and lightning.

How Things Sit in May…

I wanted to get some views of our country bungalow so I would have some before shots since painting the exterior of our home is on our minds.

We are still deciding on the color palette. Our garage and shop are a biscuit color. We aren’t planning on matching the three structures.

While I was doing this walkabout I took some photos of our views first looking North.

This section of our front yard has this lane and to the right are some bushes and trees, a ditch and then the road.

Following our road you will eventually get to the Canadian border.

Southeast you see some of the destruction from a fire a few years before we moved here.

Looking to the East from our property.

We are more and more thankful for God’s leading in our move to this part of Washington State. I didn’t know how I’d manage being so far from a large city and all the conveniences a large city has to offer. We’ve managed just fine. I’ve embraced Wal-Mart. We have many small businesses that we try to support. We have a hospital. Our church is Bible believing (Inerrancy of the Bible), Bible teaching, Gospel centered (Teaching God’s Truth, not stories or opinion), and doctrinally sound. If that was missing it would be tough to live here. Having our middle son, his wife and our two grandchildren here goes a long way in adding to our country comfort. We are able to travel South whenever we feel the need to stock up the pantry with offerings from Costco or Trader Joe’s.  We travel about 70 miles generally without any traffic and at 60 miles an hour most of the way. There are only 2 stop lights between our home and the Spokane area. One of those stoplights is in our town and the other one is in Chewelah twenty three miles apart.  Spokane has all the box stores and a myriad of restaurants to choose from.

Moving onward into the last full week of May and ending with Memorial Weekend. Hope all is well from where you are sitting.