We have had some rainfall that gave me a break from watering.
The little toddler quail are hard to see but are so much fun to watch. We are inundated with quail, babies, toddlers, and teens. They grow fast.
If they didn’t blend in so nicely with their environment they’d be easier for predators like this next one who flew in on Monday.
Today is mowing day. What’s up where you live?
We made it to our little Country Fair Parade on Saturday morning. We were only sprinkled on and didn’t get wet…just sprinkled. ‘Every cloud has a silver lining.’ Our Grands were able to gather a bunch of candy as the different participants in the parade threw the treats to the sides of Main street. Our Fire department starts the parade off with their sirens and such and that is why Addy and JJ have their ear protection on! ‘Better Safe than Sorry’
Onward to our questions of the week…
Yikes! It’s the last Wednesday Hodgepodge for August! Thank you to Jo, From This Side of the Pond, for the questions that ‘give us a run for our money‘.
1. What is one cliche you think is nonsense?
‘Easy as pie’, for me, is nonsense. Getting the pie crust just right and making a great pie without a ‘soggy bottom’ is not easy for me. I wasn’t raised with a pie baking mom so making a pie has always been intimidating. That said, I do appreciate my pie making friends and their great pies with the crust being just right!
What’s one you think holds truth?
‘Ugly as sin’ Sin is ugly and has caused all the trouble we’ve ever seen in our world or will ever see. So thankful that God made a way for us to be out from under it’s condemnation! That way came through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for our sin. Colossians 1:13-14: For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
2. What’s the last thing you broke and how did it happen?
Recently, I knocked a stemless wine glass off my little side table and it shattered and traveled to many places unknown. The glass did not have wine in it, it was empty which was a good thing! It was a cheap variety of glass, too, not a Riedel, (if you know, you know). ‘Don’t cry over spilled milk’
3. Are you a fan of s’mores? Have you had a s’more this summer?
Not a fan and no I haven’t had a s’more this summer.
Last thing you ate that you wanted to ask for ‘s’more of’?
A Scone with lemon curd. ‘One Man’s Meat is Another Man’s poison’
4. A mode of transportation you’ve never tried? Will you someday?
I’ve never tried a Hover board and I will never try them. I’m at the ‘it’s too easy to break a hip’ stage of life! ‘Don’t Play With Fire’
5. Believe it or not, next week’s Hodgepodge lands in a brand new month. What’s your happiest memory from the month we’re bidding adieu?
My favorite part of August was when Josh and Laura came for a 4 day visit in the middle of the month. All the gathering moments together were sweet and it’s always good to spend time together ‘face to face’.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Speaking of Josh and Laura, they celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary this past Sunday.
Our third day in Ireland was Sunday September 17th. We enjoyed breakfast at the Lemon Jelly before we attended church at Grosvenor Rd. Baptist Church, Sunday Roast at The Old Spot, St. Patrick’s Cathedral for Evensong and Guinness Storehouse Experience for the finale. Sunday it rained off and on, mostly on, so it was good we had so many indoor activities planned. Slainte!
What a surprise we had on Sunday evening!
On Sunday after church we made a quick trip to Spokane to pick up my new prescription eye glasses. When we got home closer to the evening I received a text on my phone from Steven’s County informing us of a major Thunderstorm coming through our area. Pretty quick after the notice the rain started to fall. We saw lightning and then we heard the thunder and knew those strikes were very close by.
The rivers of rain starting coming off the roof. We had talked about putting the summer furniture away and taking down the shade cloth the day before but put it off, oops.
A gust of wind blew through and lifted the bar that holds the cloth up. We were fortunate the bar didn’t go flying into our patio doors. Down came one end of the cloth and the chair and a decorative lantern.
This was one of the stronger storms we’ve experienced since moving here. The power only went out for a few seconds which is very fortunate. The lightning and thunder continued through the evening hours even after the rain died down here. That was an exciting Sunday evening at our country bungalow.
My plans to mow our acreage on Monday have been changed to later in the week.
On Monday (Labor Day) we put away all the patio furniture and took down the shade cloth and cover on the gazebo. Everything is stored for next summer.
Jo has worked on some more questions for us to answer for Hodgepodge Wednesday. Want to join in the fun?
1. What’s your earliest memory?
With this old brain this is a tough one for me. I seem to remember being in front of a wonderful bakery with cookies displayed, a Jewish Bakery, in East Los Angeles. Bakeries always draw me in and that brings me to my biggest first world problem!!
We moved from East Los Angeles to Montebello Gardens soon afterwards and most of my ‘early’ memories are connected with that property. I remember things like an incinerator in the back yard. A cement slab where our new family room would be built where we played jacks for hours. Our first black and white TV, watching Engineer Bill, Chucko the Birthday Clown, Ed Sullivan, The Mickey Mouse Club, and other Disney shows that included the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew? The only books we owned were Bibles and Encyclopedia Britannica. I remember having to sit for what seemed to me hours in front of a bowl of borsch, not wanting to eat it, after everyone else had left the table. Stopping by the seed man after ‘Big Church’ to buy packets of ‘plain’ sunflower seeds that came in brown paper packets and pumpkin seeds that came in clearer paper packets.
I better stop there, you really got my old brain going.
2. What’s something about you today that the old you would find surprising?
The old me would be surprised that I moved away from the Southern California Beaches to Washington State and now I’ve left the city girl life for the country far far away from the coastal beaches!
3. Do you like to fish? Are you a fish eater? Favorite fish (to eat)? Favorite way to prepare fish?
You know, I’m not a fan of fish unless it’s Fish and Chips or fish tacos!
4. What’s your biggest first world problem?
Keeping that bakery weight off is my biggest first world problem!
5. What one word would you use to describe your year thus far?
Sanctifying. Growing in the Word of God, the work of the Holy Spirit and fellowship of Believers. This is a life long process that got sharpened this year after Greg’s stroke last November and the state of our world.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
We got rain on Tuesday and what a wonderful sound that was to wake up to. We’ve had such oppressive smoke filled skies because of fires and the rain should help. Hopefully the rain will fall on all the fires in the region and help the Fire Fighters with their seemingly endless task!
Another good day to stay in and make a dent in the sky of this puzzle!
…and our blooms are slower to open up this Spring. Compared to last year our Peonies, Clematis, Irises, and Columbine are all a bit behind in opening up in their glory.
We have 2 large bushes of this variety of Peony and 3 smaller ones. When they bloom I try to bring bouquets in and give away some, too. I was able to take a nice bouquet to a surprise birthday party we went to on Sunday afternoon during a dry spell with sun, some blue sky and lovely fluffy clouds. When we got home from the party the skies opened up with an amazing downpour with lightning and thunder and hail, oh my.
One of the many Iris bulbs opened up on Saturday. Several more to come.
Our weekend was filled with mostly rain with a few dry spells. During the dry spells I pulled as many weeds as my back and arms would permit. When the soil is wet with rain the weeds pull up easier. I figure 20 more hours of weeding and I’ll be ahead. I smile and sigh at the same time.
Even though we are getting a lot of rain and cooler temperatures this Spring we go with the flow and hope that this accumulation of moisture will help lower the risk of wildfires this summer.
How goes it in your corner of the world?
…and these two are happy.
They were finally able to use their new umbrellas from Auntie Lolo.
We are swiftly moving into the season of mud!
Welcome to March. It might come in like a lion and hopefully out like a lamb.
We drove down to Spokane for my last eye exam on Tuesday and once there the skies were not as smoke filled. This photo below is of the Spokane river looking west. Spokane is about 70 miles south of us.
Jo From This Side of the Pond has given us the Wednesday Hodgepodge Questions for the week.
1. Monday, August 16th was National Roller Coaster Day. Are you a fan? Did you celebrate? Last place/time you rode a roller coaster?
Not enough of a fan to mark this day with any kind of celebration. Last place I rode something that resembles a roller coaster was at Disneyland in 2009.
2. Tell us about a time in your life where it felt like you were figuratively riding a roller coaster.
The first thing that comes to mind is when we lost all the equity in our ‘dream’ home in 1996 because of a landslide. This was the first home we purchased in Washington State with our California equity in 1988. The period of time from 1996 until 1999 moving from rental to rental was a rollercoaster for many reasons including having all of Dear’s mother’s belongings to move, too. Moving a baby grand piano 3 times in 3 years was not ideal. We thought we’d never be able to get another home loan because of the fact that we gave our home back to the bank and our record would be marred for life but when we sheepishly applied for a loan in 1999 to purchase our Kenmore home we were shocked to find out there was nothing in our history to show we defaulted on our loan. God erased that bad mark in our home buying history.
3. Favorite treat to eat at an amusement park or state fair?
Fair Scones! Our county fair is happening at the end of August this year after being cancelled last year. Looking forward to attending it.
4. Are you easy to get along with? Elaborate.
Yes, I think so. I try to give people including myself enough slack to be comfortable. Is that elaborate enough?
5. Something on your calendar to see-do-read-accomplish or just enjoy before month’s end?
Our oldest and his dear wife celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary before month’s end!
6. Insert your own random thought here.
We got rain on Tuesday, lots of rain and we are thankful to God for that. We hope this will help with the fires in our area.
In the last week we have had a couple of refreshing rainfalls that our yard soaked up. There was lightning and thunder which always brings the threat of starting more fires so everyone is on edge with these events.
The cool down of the weather made it so enjoyable to walk about and to take these photos. Taking advantage of the under 90 degree day we tackled some weeds.
The bunny trio are unaffected by changes in the weather.
We’ve enjoyed cooler temps the last 4 days with Sunday being the coolest into the 70’s! Woohoo. Today we are heading up again to the 90’s and later this week we will be over 100 degrees. Time for me to start watering again.
This past week we’ve had a doe and fawn visit. That’s always a treat. I’ll be sharing some photos soon.
Our Pastor has been preaching out of the Psalms this summer. Sunday was Psalm 46. God is our refuge, river, and ruler. He covered the whole Psalm and here are just the two beginning verses.
Psalm 46:1,2
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Enjoy the 10th day of August friends!
We woke up to lightning flashes and thunder and the sound of rain in the wee hours of the morning.
A very welcomed event with hopes that the lightning doesn’t spark more fires in our area.
Love seeing the raindrops! No manual watering today!
The blue skies showing through the clouds have me smiling. Smoke is so oppressive.
Thank you for all who have visited here and commented. I’m off my game with visits but hope to see what’s going on with you all soon.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 