Critter Patrol

 A recent special visitor noticed some gopher holes in our yard.  He got busy trying to catch the critters and did not come up empty handed - what a prize!

Checking traps with his assistant

More of the White Stuff

Not 1, but 2 snow days! We had about 11 inches total - a near record amount. The power was out for over 24 hours and, as usual, our house became "snow fun headquarters" for the kids' friends.

Sten's orange machine did double duty. He used an old Ford hood, turned upside down as a giant sled - with the old Kubota towing his cronies.

My least favorite part of snow days - PILES of laundry and dirty boots

White Out!

Winter finally showed up! We all turn to 4 year olds when the white stuff starts flying - giddy with excitement.

Katrina is a bad girl in the snow. She has remained parked since her slippery trip down the hill yesterday. Bad girl.

6+ inches! It's supposed to keep snowing throughout the afternoon and night. The kids are definitely cheering for no school tomorrow.

Boom Boom Crash!

It all started one January afternoon. It was a simple project really. . . attach this faux western front (that we had made for a stage prop) to the end of the wood shed. The 11 year old girl (pictured below) was asked to hold it in place while the adult was quickly grabbing a drill. As girls sometimes do, she struck a dramatic pose at which time the western front started to go south and the drama unfolded. She scrambled, she panicked, and I'm certain she would've screamed if she could. We watched in horror as first one side fell then the other and her small body was pinned underneath. She peeked up from the debris looking astonished, confused and slightly terrified. After a few tears and reassurances - some modification and repair was necessary to the structure. Milah survived without a scratch, but she probably won't share my adoration for this new addition (in fact she probably won't get near it). Hmmm, I see a gingham curtain in the window, and a flower box brimming with posies.

Let it Snow!

What sweeter words to a kid then, "It's a snow day!" I think we may have a steady stream of kids arriving soon to play in th-th-th the cold white stuff. The girls wasted no time enjoying the day off and I will soon be hollering to put the boots/hats/gloves/mittens/scarves/coats in ONE PLACE!

Good Morning Sunshine

The last few days, we have been shrouded in thick soupy fog while the valleys are clear. This morning was a flip flop and we awoke to bright sun - hooray! I loved the view as it looks like the valley has been "frosted" with vanilla icing by an expert and steady hand. Off in the distance is Mt. Jefferson.

Sometimes I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head, it's difficult to sleep. However, since I cleaned my creative area - I've been thoroughly uninspired. I don't think creativity and cleanliness can live in the same house (at least not THIS one). Time to get busy -

Projects await me -

On the way Home . . .

I like taking the backroads. Tonight I was alone, enjoying the scenery down a favorite country lane and stopped once to snap a photo - this led to another stop and yet another. Because I didn't have impatient passengers, I was not concerned that a 30 minute drive stretched into 90 minutes.

Off in the distance is the tallest peak in the Oregon Coast Range, Mary's Peak. After living within an arm's reach of Pikes Peak at over 14,000 ft - poor little Mary is not too impressive at 4097 ft, but she looked pretty tonight as the sun was setting.

Something about that John Deere green makes a girl's heart go "pitter patter".

Camping

Once upon a time, three little boys sat in first grade together. . . about 6th grade, an adorable blond girl joined their class and one of the boys fell madly in love. Flash forward a few years, and they still enjoy each other. Much of the time we are entertained by stories that Mr. Speedo Senef recounts and, as always, it is amazing to see how much the kids have grown. In all, we consumed a lot of food, used up every stick of wood, (some even jumped off bridges) and we shared more than a few laughs.

A few kids were missing, as Brad and Kathy came alone.

Skipper, Toby
Tyler

Sten

Josh

and everyone shared a few spills

Katie gets the award for enthusiasm and determination

Susie, on the "all nighter"

Brad and Maren. Maren was in her element as there were many laps to sit on and people to snuggle with -

Maren seemed to really cozy with Tyler (who had poison oak), so we'll see if he rubbed off on her.

Buddies, Mitchell and Milah

Yeah for Freebies!

SCREECH! That was the sound the car made when I slammed on the brakes after spotting this beauty near the road in the "free" area of a driveway. I knocked on the door and inquired if the old chair was up for the taking, and quickly slammed it in the back and headed down the road when the lady answered, "yes". It's use as a chair is expired, but it looks quite patriotic (and happy) by our front door. The paint was almost non-existent, so I slapped on some red and used the orbital sander (love that thing) to give it that weathered look. I considered selling it for just a few minutes, but I don't think I can part with this treasure.

Brand new yard ornament. Scott grabbed this out of a free pile yesterday. I guess you could call us "scroungers" - and our poor kids will be stuck getting rid of (or fighting over) all this junk someday.

Al Fresco

I have a "thing" for white lights strung this way. I bought 2 packages of these string lights and was attempting to hang them out on the deck. My project came to a halt when I figured out that I was going to need many more sets to complete "the look". Also, as I was moving the ladder to a different location and pondering where I had misplaced the hammer -the missing item fell from it's perch on the top of the ladder - right on the top of my (obviously dense) head. Italian villa will have to wait 'til concussion subsides.

Summer Color

Why oh why must you munch on my flowers, please tell me Dear? or Deer? Go dine elsewhere, please - we are not accepting reservations at this time.

Due to this pesky deer issue, I look forward to planting the deck pots with delectable deer appetizers such as petunias, lobelia, geraniums, and other yummy annuals. "Look forward" is a bit of an understatement - I dream, scheme, plan, shop with glee and plant with anticipation. I am an impatient gardener and wish that I could step out tomorrow and it would be as full and beautiful as it is in the middle of July.

Our weather has been positively nasty - apparently we had more rain in one 24 hr period than we usually get for the entire month of June. Our rain gauge runneth over and over and over. Due to all this precipitation, I haven't been too eager to shop or plant flowers, but a promise of sunshine today had me seeking out some nurseries. In my haste to plant - I grabbed a trusty slotted spoon from the silverware drawer. No worries, I'll wash it real good before Sunday dinner.

Once upon a time, mi madre gave this to me for my bday (a handy little dude)- I'm usually certain to fertilize once a week, but I'm going to try a little more often this summer -

If a tree falls in the forest . . .

Did you hear this big bruiser fall? For two nights in a row last week, our power went out. We had high winds and this old tree was the culprit on the second night. We stopped to count the rings and it looks like it was about 60 years old.

Time Worn Textures

I had a few minutes to kill before I picked the girls up from school and noticed my camera in the seat beside me . . . I did a little trespassing (just a wee bit) and grabbed some shots . . . If you can tell me specifically where each item is, you might win a prize . . .