Tag Archives: Colville Washington

Not Blushing Hodgepodge

1. This time last year where were you?

On June 23rd of 2019 we were driving to church for our first summer service. Don’t know what we did the rest of that day.

2. In honor of National Pink Day (June 23rd) tell us your favorite pink food or beverage. Was it on the menu at your house yesterday?

Kensington Dream

In a shaker over ice add juice of 1/2 a lemon, 2 oz. Creme de Cassis, 1 oz. each Brandy and Amaretto. Shake well and pour into Goblet. Add about 4 oz. of champagne. Enjoy but don’t drink and drive! There’s a reason this drink is called “Dream”.

I’m taking the liberty to say this is a pink drink and it is my favorite and I’m enjoying one right now while I type out my answers for the “podge”.

Do you like to wear the color pink?

Yes, I do enjoy wearing pink. (fuschia)

Me and my sisters.

If we came to visit would we find this color in your home decor?

You would see some pink but only in dishes or figurines or fresh flowers and some pink in the play room, like this pink kitchen.

Blush-fuschia-salmon-raspberry-your favorite shade of pink?

I think I’ll go with Blush.

3. Stop and smell the roses, looking through rose colored glasses, a rose by any other name, not all moonlight and roses, no rose without a thorn…which rosy saying currently fits your life in some way? Explain.

no rose without a thorn…

To enjoy something pleasant like our acreage means we have to work hard to keep weeds under control and especially in the Spring and Summer we have to do a lot of mowing and weed wacking and weed pulling.

4. Are you a ‘reader’?

Yes.

Do you tend to read lighter books in the summer months?

I haven’t been reading any light books lately. When we take road trips we enjoy listening to books on CD, usually murder mysteries.

Do you have a summer reading list?

Not a list. The books I’m reading right now are the Bible,  a compilation of works by Spurgeon, a commentary on 1 Corinthians, Strange Fire by John MacArthur.

If so, give us a title or two.

For lighter reading I love going back to some Children’s Classics like Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, The Wind in the Willows, and Anne of Green Gables.

5. Share with us one rose and one thorn from your weekend.

The rose was having time with our grandchildren and honoring Fathers. The thorn was the evil narrative going on in our nation.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

We have lots of Columbine that we did not plant and they come up every year with no help from us. They are always a great surprise. 

Thank you to Joyce who comes up with the questions for us to answer.

Fun in the Snow

Addy loves the outdoors in every season!

More snow on the ground since these photos were taken by our DIL.

Happy to report their power came back on, finally, last evening.

On Monday I shoveled a path to our satellite devices to clear them off of snow. Not sure I would make it into a snow fashion magazine especially with my choice of summer hat!

Snowy days project. The priming and painting of our master bath cabinets and ceiling. We still need to pick the grey shade for the walls and buy the paint.

On Tuesday we woke up to a couple more inches of snow on top of the 14 inches we have on the ground already!

Bible Study Fellowship was cancelled this morning due to the snow and driving conditions. Some of the ladies drive from miles away from small country towns around Colville. Our studies in the book of Hebrews continues. We were in Hebrews 8, 9 and 10. I’ll miss that discussion. Next week we move on to 11, 12, and 13.

The Full Assurance of Faith-

Hebrews 10: 19-25:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Have a good day dear visitors!

 

Eagles in Our Backyard

We spotted these visitors in our back acres on Saturday and had fun watching them and capturing them with the camera. I did a word search in my Bible and added verses that speak about Eagles and some of the verses reminded me of Tolkien’s writings, too, so I added some quotes from his works.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget none of His benefits;

…Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”

Psalm 103: 1, 2, 5

“As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle.” Ezekiel 1:10

“You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.” Exodus 19:4

“The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand., a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young.”

Deuteronomy 28: 49, 50.

“The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.” Revelation 4:7

“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, And in their death they were not parted; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.” 2 Samuel 1:23

“Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.”

Isaiah 40:31

“Farewell”, they cried, “Wherever you fare till your eyries receive you at the journeys end! That is the polite thing to say among eagles. “May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks, answered Gandalf, who knew the correct reply.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Annotated Hobbit: The Hobbit, or, There and Back Again

“The Eagles are coming! The Eagles are coming!” ~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King (Pippin)

It was a thrill to see the eagles in our backyard on Saturday. I think I was exclaiming a lot like Pippin in The Return of the King. I jumped up off the couch saying, “eagles in our backyard, eagles in our backyard!” It would be fun if they decide to nest in our trees. We don’t have chickens or small pets so they wouldn’t be a problem to us.

Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent which culminates on Thursday April 18th, the day before Good Friday. Easter is Sunday April 21st. It seems late this year. Don’t want to sound like a broken Winter record but they are talking more snow for us today and tomorrow. Hope you are enjoying the last weeks of Winter in your corner of the world.

Mosaic Monday ~ Snowshoeing

We bought snowshoes at Costco last week and I’ve been walking around our property getting used to them. When you have snowy winters it’s hard to get regular walking routines in. At least that’s the excuse I’m going to use. Ice is also a danger and at my age a fall on ice isn’t recommended. We live in the country and there are no malls to walk in. I’m encouraged with my first three tries in the snowshoes.

Here’s hoping I can use this new form of winter exercise work off all those hibernating calories.

So far, Dear has to help me get them on. Getting them off is easier.

We had a full day yesterday and then in the evening someone was in the kitchen with me…

As ominous as this figure seems to be, she’s just my dear granddaughter, Addy.

Baba’s vest and Gramps’ hat.

Later she switched outfits and became Cinderella. Those photos will come later.

So thankful for the time we had together with Dan, Jamie and Addy on Saturday evening. They came for dinner. Also so thankful for my Dear who patiently puts my snowshoes on for me and tightens them just right.

Linking up with Angie for Mosaic Monday.

Barns and Brunch

A couple of barns off highway 395 on the way to Colville in low light.

I like to take a photo of this view every time we visit our son and his family. This time I took it early in the morning on our way back home. Next time we go the snow will probably be gone.

Linking up with Tom The Backroads Traveller for The Barn Collective.

On Saturday we enjoyed brunch at Josh and Laura’s for a belated birthday celebration. Josh and Laura gifted me the sign that they chose because of the name of my blog. Thoughtful kids.

We had a nice walk to some local play fields and decided to take our obligatory selfie.

We have a busy week ahead with a trip east and over the mountains again to celebrate our little grand’s first birthday. Excited that we will also be enjoying the beginning of Spring this coming week!

 

Leftovers

Before I forget about these leftover photos of barns and critters I’m posting them for Eileen’s Saturday Critters and Tom’s Barn Collective. The two farm structures above were taken on some back roads October 6th in Skagit County.

On October 28th I took several fall photos in our yard and this sweet robin stayed still for a couple of photos.

The photos above of the Canadian Geese on the Sammamish River in Bothell were taken back on October 29th while we walked the Wayne Golf course.

These next three photos with barns were taken in Colville, Washington on November 17th.

The view above is from our son’s driveway looking out to Colville. I like to take this shot every time we visit to see how it changes in every season.

On our way home from Colville on November 20th we saw a few rainbows and this one happens to be over the nice red barn in the distance. I took this one with my cell phone.

I’ll soon be linking up to Eileen’s Saturday Critters and to Tom’s Barn Collective.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Overflowing With Gratitude

We had 4 days of family time living under the same roof and enjoying cooking for each other, eating together, working together, and play time, too. We had a sit down Thanksgiving meal together on Saturday evening with all the trimmings and we were stuffed.

Dan showed us the skull and antlers of the Buck he preserved from our first annual family hunting trip in October.

Dan and Jamie indulged me and let Addy have an early Christmas opening the stocking filled with little things from Gramps and Baba. We will not be with Dan, Jamie and Addy on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day this year so it was fun to enjoy this early gift giving.

The elephant was her favorite and she really wasn’t too sure about the soft dolly.

Josh and Laura flew home on Sunday and we enjoyed some family shots before they left for the airport.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is
    when brothers dwell in unity!
 It is like the precious oil on the head,
    running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
    running down on the collar of his robes!

Psalm 133:1-2 (ESV)

The family selfie. We were sad that Andrew was not able to travel with us this time. A degree in Aeronautical Engineering takes lots of study and class time and his fall quarter is overloaded with classes.

Katie, Dear and I had one more evening to spend with Dan, Jamie and Daddy’s Girl.

Early on Monday morning we posed for our obligatory goodbye photos.

So thankful for this little girl and all the joy she has brought into our family dynamic.

We thought we’d have rain for our full 6 hours of travel time but thankfully we had some very short periods of sunshine breaking through and we enjoyed several rainbows on our drive home.

We spotted this rainbow passing through Ellensburg, Washington. Yep…I have a burg.

Back at the home front Dear went right into action removing the old counter tops. We are currently without counters, our cook top and our sink. Yikes. Hopefully things will get installed for sure on Wednesday so I can cook our portion of the Thanksgiving meal we are taking to our friend’s home on Thanksgiving Day. Good thing we did not plan on a Thanksgiving meal at this old house this year!

We are thankful to the God who is who was and who is to come for all he has done for us and to us during our lifetime.

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!” Revelation 1:8 (ESV)

Hope your Thanksgiving week is shaping up nicely. Are you cooking or is someone else doing the hosting and cooking? For our Canadian friends who have already enjoyed Thanksgiving, have you started your Christmas decorating?

Catch-Up Collages

I have some catching up to do from the month of May. Country mosaics with barns and critters and a special baby girl.

Scenes while driving in central Washington State and Eastern Washington State in mid May, 2017.

The farm above with all it’s red out buildings was taken from the Sprague Rest Area.

On the drive from the Seattle area across the Cascade Mountain range into Central and then Eastern Washington on Interstate 90 you approach the 2nd largest city in population in the state of Washington. Spokane is 279 miles from Seattle and 70 miles south of Colville, our final destination. From the 2014 census figures Seattle has a population of 668,342 and Spokane comes in second with 212,052. Spokane Valley has 91,729. Colville has a population of 4,706. Once we pass through Spokane and head north there are no interstates or freeways, we drive on highways and country roads. On the 70 mile trip from Spokane to Colville we only encounter one traffic light in Chewelah which is approximately 20 miles from Colville.

The collage above shows the approach to Spokane on I-90 and some buildings you can see in the city with a mural on the side of an old brick building. There are a few grand churches in Spokane I’d love to explore and photograph.

Leaving Spokane we see more cattle, horses and deer along the country roads. Deer are one of the most dangerous road hazards in the country. The next collages are from Dan and Jamie’s and close to their home.

Hummers on our kids’ front porch.

This hawk might be the one who is eating our kid’s chickens. There’s a price to pay for being free-range.

A riding lawn mower and a good tractor are a must when you own 20 acres and have to tend to a mile long driveway to your home. I caught a glimpse of Dan mowing the brush around his property. Dear and Dan moved the chicken coup to have better access in the winter.

This little one gives us an extra draw to travel to the country. Thankfully Dan and Jamie are patient with us showing up on their doorstep more often. Soon I’ll be sharing several photos of Addy in some special dresses. Here’s a sneak preview of a haphazard elephant prop pose.

She is such a good sport!

These last shots are of some properties closer to our kids.

Congratulations on making it through one of my catch-up posts. I’ll be linking up to a few parties this weekend since Dear is in Chicago and I have lots of time to myself.

Linking up first to Eileen’s Saturday Critters. Next up will be The Barn Collective with Tom. Last will be Mosaic Monday with Maggie in Normandy. When the link ups become available I’ll add them so you can click over and see lots of critters, barns and mosaics from around the world. Thank you to Eileen, Tom and Maggie for hosting these blog carnivals.

Oh Deer…

This foursome of deer like to graze on our son’s land.

They spotted me looking at them and were snorting at me.

Some more photos of Auntie Katie’s time with her niece Addy. These photos were taken on Monday April 10th.

Peace to you and to yours…

Excited to say the sun is shining right now as I finish up this post. Hope it continues through tomorrow.

Missing Little AMB

Friday March 24th I got some more cuddles in and while we made cookies little Miss was snug as a bug in her little portable cradle.

Rayna rested close to her, too.

Later in the evening we were all relaxing and Gramps and Addy had a little snooze time together. I really enjoy this photo. Too bad copying it from phone to computer gets a little grainy.

I have missed this close up view of her for a week now. Sigh.

On Saturday morning March 25th we packed up the car and sadly said our goodbyes.

Happy our kids thought to take a photo of the 3 of us before we hit the road for home. We said to the kids when we were heading out the door that we wished we lived around the corner from them.

Heading down their driveway…

Still on their driveway looking out at flooded areas of Colville.

Heading into town to connect to highway 395.

Looks like there were a few more newborns in the neighborhood of the animal variety.

Once we connected to highway 395 I took a lot of photos of the flooding in Stevens County as we drove south to Spokane to connect with Interstate 90.

There’s a little town south of Colville that is named after our granddaughter. 🙂

More flooding…

The city park in Chewelah was flooded and there was water over the roadway.

I could share a lot more but this post is getting long.

I’m itching to get back over the mountains to see our sweet little Addy and her folks! We just might have to invite ourselves over for Easter with the promise to cook! I can now really empathize with all you grandparents out there who live a long way from your grands.

We had a dry day yesterday! The weather people said things like…”today you will experience dry pavement for the first time in weeks”. We didn’t get our paws wet yesterday and it was quite a treat! Thursday Katie and I did manage to walk the grounds of Bonhoeffer Botanical Gardens and the University of Washington Quad missing the rain showers. I will share a lot of those photos soon. Here’s a preview of one from the Cherry Blossoms in the Quad.

APRIL FOOLS Y’All! Hope this is the mildest prank you have all day!