Juniper Berry

Changes in Life!

2011-09-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Understanding it has been a while since my last post, but I have been trying to come up with a blog that will be fun to read, helpful and inspiring with a twist of intrigue on what I might talk about next. Glenn and I are now empty nesters and what you might say "middle age", I am OK with that but your prospective on your life style and the freedom that comes with this stage in life is a little unsettling to say the least.

I wonder what it would be like to blog as a couple about this stage of our life?

Or

A blog that travels through the new life style of a women who became a parent of young adults on their own?

If you have any ideas that might inspire me, please let me know otherwise I guess I need more time to think about this!

Thanks for the support, Betty

Garden boxes not as easy as they say!

2011-06-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

After much discussion between Glenn and I we decided to "mix up" our yard. For 8 years we have planted our garden in the backyard, planting your traditional garden plot in rows of corn, beans, zucchini etc. Glenn has played around with the garden watering trying to get to the most bang for our buck but if you know Central Oregon the watering is one of the many challenges you come across in your garden. Just to list a few; cold nights, short growing season like under 50 days, deer, rabbits this is what makes up gardening in the high desert of Oregon.

http://www.sunset.com/garden/perfect-raised-bed-00400000039550/

The above link is what we used as "guidelines". Those of you that know my Husband will understand what I mean. Our good friend Lisa was over for the weekend, she got to see 1st hand Glenn and I trying to get the 1st box built. After we were well on our way Lisa states that most people hire out to have this done or buy kits. My only comment to you my dear friend is "now do you really think we are like most people"?

I am please to say we are 1/2 way done with the 3 boxes we are building this year deciding to build the next 3 in 2012 for a total of 6 boxes. Moving the boxes to the front yard is a good decision but pulling up sod is a killer. My core muscles are so sore, but I guess that is a good thing right. Every night since we have started this project both Glenn and I are popping aspirin for our aches and pains, it is so silly getting old and what you have to put up with isn't it.

If I could see into future I would say the 3rd week of June will be the date I can sit back and wait for the seeds and baby plants to start growing. That is my personal goal to have this all completed. If you are wondering what we are going to do with the huge garden space in the backyard, we are turning it into a small field of wild flowers mixed with sunflowers it will be a sight to behold so you can be sure I will be posting some wonderful photos for you to enjoy.


Getting started is the easy part!

One frame built.

Pulling up sod, Google it, they make it sound so easy. Just do this they say, oh the pain it puts on your body:(...

All 3 frames built as I type 2 frames have sod removed, 1 frame has its mixture of dirt in it, just waiting to be planted.

Remember to mix your dirt you buy from the dirt place with peat moss. What is peat moss anyways??

I don't like that old sod, it is going to the dump.


Micah taking a break from studies to play us a tune or two. Thanks we needed that and I am sure he did too.

I will update my blog on our progress as it happens. Thanks for reading my blog and have a great growing season. Betty

Good People don't come along that often but when they do....

2011-05-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

With a title like that what do you suppose I am up to? I work with the most wonderful Lady (leaving her name out to protect the innocent), Lol. How this all started is when I was discouraged with my outdoor bathing area it wasn't going as smoothly as I had hoped and I was venting one night at work about it. While no customers were in the store if that matters to anyone reading this post:). I got some wonderful advice from her and she understood exactly what I was talking about, I was explaining that cost was a big issue and anytime you want to create something outside you can just see the $$$ adding up. So I think you get the drift.

The conversation I was talking about happen well over 6 mos. ago, to bring you current, my co-worker/friend is moving out of the area, and there we were working together on one quite evening. What I didn't know was her next statement was going to completely change my thoughts on well lets say a lot of things and what she didn't know was she was tapping into one of my passions that very few people know about outside of my wonderful Husband Glenn, my kids and a few very close friends. The passion being my yard. Now if you know where I live, you might wonder why I say its my passion because I differently don't have the "Good Homes and Garden" yard but I have yard that is me and I always say its a work in progress that seems to get me off the hook when needed.

After a nice conversation and I find out she is not going to be able to take a lot of her yard belongings and they are for sell. She invites me over to take a look, I can hardly wait to get home to tell Glenn, he sees how excited I am and really doesn't understand but says OK we can take an hour out of our weekend to stop by and see what she has for sale. 2 loads later and well over 5 hours invested here is what I picked out, I should say Glenn had his eyes on a few pieces also. Lets see if after looking at the photos you can tell me which pieces Glenn picked out. Go ahead and leave a comment I like the feed back...

We don't have everything placed where we want it, but most of the stuff is in the vicinity of its new home:)..

This beautiful bronze Dancing Lady is going to be placed by the outdoor bathtub. Perfect!!

One of many heavy pieces that Glenn was a real trooper in helping me with. Solid concert what a wonderful piece.

The sound is amazing, it lingers on well after you ring the bell.

These are the pieces my Friend knew I would like and boy was she right. Front yard is their new home, when we gaze at the stars in the summer we will feel like a King and Queen due to the size of these chairs.

This is the detail on each of the chairs and bench, each post has a bird house on it.

OMG, the quail they are so cute and if I remember correctly they are from Sundance Utah, you know Robert Redford's stuff, you can look it up online, fun outdoor items and more.

What can I tell you about this "jack" rabbit I can tell you "I Love It"!!!

Pots, I only wished I had, I think all 5 of them are going on the back patio, summer photos in a few months.

The top of this photo is our roof line off the garage, this wonderful sunflower is at least 6'5". It will welcome you to our backyard all year long but especially in the summer/fall. As a side note ignore the paint that needs to happen on our house that is on our to do list.


I am not a fan of bird houses but this one is different and I knew when I saw it, it belonged in our front yard..

So I have plenty more to show you but that will have to wait, they require plants or ?? on them or around them. I hope you enjoyed seeing what I purchased this weekend for the yard and as you can see I am very excited about everything I got. A special THANK YOU to My Friend who will always be welcome in my yard for a glass of tea,,I am going to miss working with you!!

Wild Huckleberry Merlot Cake

2011-03-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

key ingredients

The cake mix

The Wine

cook for 20 minutes, cool for 10

cooling before being frosted

Have you ever used Merlot instead of water in a cake mix, all I can say is amazing. Micah brought back from Glacier Park a cake mix which calls for wine. Sometime in the near future I am going to try using a regular cake mix and see if I get the same wonderful results. The next time you decided to bake a cake see if you have a bottle of wine sitting around use it instead of water and if you are so incline why not have a glass to enjoy while you are baking your cake:)..

Thanks for reading my blog, Betty

Let's do this together!

2011-03-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

This past month has been very stressful for both Glenn and I. There were times I was wondering if we could handle just one more thing in our lives. Now with all that has been going on, it hasn't been life threatening or any thing like that but just little stressful life situations.

A few days ago I decided to just sit back and look through some magazines that I have not had the time nor the energy to look at. While looking through Whole Living Magazine I am across this article, boy did it hit home. The article reminds you to work with your marriage and remember it's not just about you, you have a partner that might be having just as hard of a time as you. This article gives you 5 steps to build a happy, lasting marriage.

1. Create Rituals - Researchers found that the shared emotional investment in the ritual made the couples feel a closer bond.

2. Be a Daredevil - so go ahead and pursue some exciting activities together.

3. Sleep (well) Together - the better you sleep the more positive you are about life.

4. Support Each Other - When a spouse felt supported even in daily obligations, he or she was significantly happier in marriage.

5. Build your Career - A dual-career marriage is OK!

Just thought I would share these five strategies with you, if anything reading this reminded I am not the only one feeling the stressful situations that life throws at you from time to time.

Hope you enjoy reading my blog, Betty

Roasted Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash

2011-02-25T10:20:00.000-08:00

Roasted Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash

About 2 weeks ago Amanda gave Glenn a spaghetti squash, I am assuming she did not know quite what to do with it well neither did I:). I had heard how good this type of squash tasted but never really cared or explored to find out. I now have a new found desire, yes that would be spaghetti squash!

The texture is amazingly just like noodle spaghetti, hence the name I guess. The taste is nutty and something else I can't really explain. I bet most of you have tasted or cooked with it before so this is nothing new to you. Amanda it is so easy to cook and the following recipe is wonderful.

This is something so easy to make but is very intimidating to try. All you do is slice in open length wise, sprinkle with Himalayan salt and cracked pepper, lay the two pieces face down on a cookie sheet add 1/4 cup water cook for 40 minutes at 350. Cool, take out the seeds then scrape with a fork and "Wa Laaaaa" you have spaghetti. Truly amazing.

So my next step is to find the growing season for spaghetti squash, if it is under 60 days I just might be adding this to my garden. Try the attached recipe it is a keeper.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/roasted-shrimp-with-spaghetti-squash

What a great day to cook and thanks for reading my blog,
Betty

The Positive Enneagram - a new approach to the nine personality types!

2011-02-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

Today I was able to attend a 2 day class on emotional intelligence provided by my husbands work. Wow talk about some soul searching or should I say finally I a beginning to understand why I am the way I am, Lol...

The Positive Enneagram/a new approach to the nine personality types - have you ever taken a class about this? Well let me tell you it sure can be an eye opener and as for the question asked so many times, "Why please tell me why I decided to proceed this way or what was I thinking"?? All good questions with some real soul searching answers.

Glenn and I were placed at opposite ends of the room and more then once we looked over and each other, both thinking "so that is why you are like that". This class is designed for us to get a better understanding about the people you work with and also the people you live with, IE, spouse. So far today I am showing up as a 9, a 9 The Storyteller - they are referred to as some one who brings people into harmony, for one example but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Wish me luck and thanks for reading my blog,
Betty

Snowy Day Off

2011-02-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

It's funny the things you find to do when you have 2 days off in a row and you wake up to 6 + inches of snow that you didn't even know was suppose to happen.

I have had this funny desire to sew and quilt before spring/summer arrives. The attempts I have tried in quilting in the past month, which I might add is my 1st time at this art, have been OK, I guess.

I saw this pattern in a Martha Stewart magazine for quilted coasters, and that is what I did today while the fire was going in the wood stove and the snow was stacking up outside. Let me show you;

Start of my day, watching Glenn leave for work. Drive safely!

This is in my backyard, look at the snow build up on the rails of our trellis. If you look real close you can see how much snow is coming down.

Here is the fabric scrapes I had to work with, as you can probably tell already, the coaster are really for my Husband Glenn to use when he is drinking beer or whatever.

Close up shot of the finished product, cute isn't it.

Take a look at my set of 4. I need to work on my measurements, each one is a different size:(
They were all suppose to be 4" x 4". I guess just like anything else practice makes perfect. But one thing is for sure Glenn will like them and he will use them because he knows that will make me happy.

Here is the link for the pattern I used, just in case you might want to give it a try.

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/quilted-coaster-set

Have a great snowy day, and thanks for reading my blog,
Betty

The Month of January!

2011-01-26T09:18:00.000-08:00

I have come to realize I can't wait for the month of January to be over. Why you might ask, I really can't give you one reason or the other but it is just how I feel. I "googled" "the month of January" just to see what was said about this long cold month. It really is a pretty busy time of the year as history states. So take a look at some little snippet's of what time has to say about JANUARY....

Facts about JANUARY

Most of the world uses the Georgian calendar, which has January as the first month of the year. It is named for Janus, a Roman god. Roman legend has it that the the ruler Numa Pompilius added January and February to the end of the 10-month Roman calendar in about 700 B.C. Pompilius gave the month 30 days. Romans later made January the first month. In 46 B.C., the Roman statesman Julius Caesar added a day to January, making it 31 days long. The Anglo-Saxons called the first month Wolfmonth because wolves came into the villages in winter in search of food.

In the northern half of the world, January is the coldest month. Nature is quiet and the birds travel less. The woodchucks and bears sleep day and night, in hibernation. The plants are resting, waiting for the warmer temperatures of the Spring. In the southern half of the world, January is the warmest month. Animals are very active, and plants are growing.

Information taken from World Book Millennium 2000

Also did you know that;

Gold discovered in California, January 24, 1848.

The snowdrop is the flower for the month of January. It often blooms in the snow.

Fairy-tale collector Jakob Grimm born January 4, 1785.

Cicero, Roman statesman, born January 3, 106 B.C.

Thomas Paine published his Common Sense, January 10, 1776.

I bet by now you are wondering where I am going with this post. You might say I am trying to show myself that January is as important as any other month of the year and I need to respect that fact. So for those of you that choose to use this month as a "catch all" for your current state of mind; sad, crazy, weird, or just plain bored with life take a second look and ask yourself "really should I be blaming it on the month of January"..? That's what I did, so now on my daily walk I am watching the crocus and the snowdrop flowers poking their stems out of the frozen ground only to turn their buds towards the winter cool sun. So guess what, they only do this in January (normally). That tells me if they try that hard every year to push their way through frozen ground just to enjoy the month, then maybe I need realign my thoughts...

snowdrop

crocus

yellow crocus

Hope this helps, have a great day and thanks for reading my blog,

Betty Jo

Quilting/log cabin pattern - My first time!

2011-01-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

January through May can be a little frustrating if you live in Central Oregon and you are a gardener or you like to be outside but not really found of the winter sports. Well that would be me! Don't get me wrong I love the snow but I don't really partake in skiing or snowboarding. I will occasionally snow shoe but that is really it. So my point here is what do I do with myself after the holidays when everything has really slowed down? This time I have decided to learn how to quilt beginners style.

With Glenn gone camping for a few days (crazy), I put my thoughts together and decided to test my skills at this wonderful art. What inspired me to do so was this article in the Martha Stewart Magazine Jan 2011 issue.

http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/quilting-how-to-make-a-log-cabin-pattern

I really don't have a clue as to what I am doing nor what I will do with the squares when I complete them but I have to say it is really quite fun and boy do you use a part of your brain you don't use a lot, at least it felt like it.

Thanks to Leslie who owns a small fabric store in Redmond I was able to get started. I started going to her store because of the quality and variety of her fabrics, when I talk about her fabric I tell people it is "top shelf":). I love her assortment, having made Glenn shirts, robes, pjs. they have all worn well. And yes he does wear everything I make for him. He is so good to me, I miss him when he goes camping! Anyways....

If you like to sew or like color/patterns and your in Redmond stop in to see Leslie she is a great lady and will help you with what ever you need when it comes to sewing. Every Saturday is her SALE day that is a great day to go in.

http://www.superpages.com/bp/Redmond-OR/Material-Girl-Fabrics-L2138821773.htm

So enough said here is my 1st quilting square I have ever made.

My very 1st log cabin block! I can't wait to see what I can do from here:).

Until next time, have a great day!

Thanks for reading my blog, Betty

2011-01-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

What a great cookie to make; I couldn't find the recipe on-line so here you go. You can see the list of ingredients above I will give you the low down on what to do from there.

Mix 1st 3 ingredients together in one bowl

Blend next 4 ingredients in 2nd bowl

use mixer to mix bowl 1 slowing into bowl 2

put 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl or plate

roll dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar

place on baking sheet

with bottom of a glass flatten balls

use small cookie cutter and imprint figure not going all the way through the cookie.

cook for 9 minutes at 400 degrees

after cookie cools frost with power sugar, vanilla and water mixture, which is call glaze.

as you can see I had a small star shape, cute don't you think.

What a nice batch of cookies!

Thanks for reading my blog,

Betty

Bringing on the new year 2011 right! / Hot Springs

2011-01-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all my Blog readers!

I thought I wanted to do something different this year with my blog, but after some thought I have decided to leave my entries as they are. So this year you are going to get my personal thoughts and some crazy ideas I might have or take a trip to somewhere I just experienced, and last but not least my fun projects.

With that all said, I had the most wonderful New Years, Glenn and I went to Crystal Crane Hot Springs in where else but Crane, Oregon. (website attached at the end of the post)

The snow that had fallen the week prior was incredible, and the chill in the air at night when the temp. dropped down to -15 wasn't even noticed. Our cabin was well heated and the hot spring pond was a hot 101 - 102 degrees. Our hair would ice up, that was sort of weird and if you got your face wet it burnt from the cold but other then that it was wonderful.

Glenn enjoys and loves to experience all kinds of hot springs from rustic to resort, we have traveled to the ends of the earth to see hot springs that are so deep, hot and amazing but you can't soak. Why you might ask well it would "cook" you inside and out. I on the other hand always go with him, (of course) but I partake in the more updated civilized locations ;) wink wink...if you know what I mean.

After enjoying myself so much this last time, I suggested to Glenn that we spend a week at Crystal Crane this year as one of our vacations. I think that would be the most relaxing, rejuvenating vacation ever.

I have to admire my husband he is pretty smart when it comes to making sure I have all the luxuries I might need while I follow him on these types of trips. We all get a chuckle out of my fashion wardrobe for camping or visiting remote areas. He is very good at making sure I am outfitted to my liking and for the elements of the outdoors. You might not understand but you will see by the photos in the past and future that I post on my blog.

Great trip Glenn "you want to do it again"?? Yes of course you do!

We were so excited to be there, fun photo it is one of my favorites.

The cooling tower, can you tell what is iced over?

Wow, 102 degrees in the water and maybe zero out of the water amazing!

Snow on the rocks right by were we swim.

Heading back to the cabin, have you ever walked on top of snow bare foot, I have...

I have the footprint to show it.

Glenn making our morning coffee. I am glad you brought enough creamer:).

Crazy pretty out in the desert of eastern Oregon.

My new cape, I will have to talk about it later.

Glenn checking out the hill side about 2 miles away.

Back home to the real world. I so can't wait to visit again!

http://www.cranehotsprings.com/

Now don't go telling everyone about this place, it will be our little secret!

Great to blog, Betty Jo

The Tablecloth....this is beautiful!

2010-12-20T08:50:00.000-08:00

This was a great story I received from a friend, given the time of year I think you might like to read it. What I don't understand is why The Hallmark Channel hasn't picked this up for one of their movies:)! Betty

Understand that things happen for a reason

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned

to their first ministry, to reopen a church

in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October

excited about their opportunities. When they saw

their church, it was very run down and needed

much work. They set a goal to have everything

done in time to have their first service

on Christmas Eve.

They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,

painting, etc, and on December 18

were ahead of schedule and just about finished.

On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving

rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.

On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.

His heart sank when he saw that the roof had

leaked, causing a large area of plaster about

20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall

of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,

beginning about head high.

The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,

and not knowing what else to do but postpone

the Christmas Eve service, headed home.

On the way he noticed that a local business was

having a flea market type sale for charity, so he

stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,

handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth

with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross

embroidered right in the center. It was just

the right size to cover the hole in the front

wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

B y this time it had started to snow. An older

woman running from the opposite direction was

trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor

invited her to wait in the warm church for

the next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor

while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put

up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor

could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and

it covered up the entire problem area.

Then he noticed the woman walking down the center

aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"

she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"

The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check

the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into

it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had

made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .

The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor

told how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The

woman explained that before the war she and

her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .

When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.

Her husband was going to follow her the next week.

He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her

husband or her home again.

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;

but she made the pastor keep it for the church.

The pastor insisted on driving her home. That

was the least he could do. She lived on the other

side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn

for the day for a housecleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas

Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the

spirit were great. At the end of the service, the

pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door

and many said that they would return.

One older man, whom the pastor recognized

from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the

pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he

wasn't leaving.

The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on

the front wall because it was identical to one

that his wife had made years ago when

they lived in Austria before the war and how

could there be two tablecloths so much alike?

He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he

forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was

supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and

put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home

again all the 35 years between.

The pastor asked him if he would allow him to

take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten

Island and to the same house where the pastor

had taken the woman three days earlier.

He helped the man climb the three flights of

stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on

the door and he saw the greatest Christmas

reunion he could ever imagine.

True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid

For all of you that read my blog, have a great Christmas Season.
Merry Christmas, Betty/Juniper Berry

Interesting History

2010-12-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families
used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken &
Sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive
you were "Piss Poor"

But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't
even afford to buy a pot......they
"didn't have a pot to
piss in" & were the lowest of the low

The next time you are washing your hands and complain
because the water temperature isn't just how you like it,
think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about
the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their
yearly bath in May, and they still
smelled pretty good by
June.. However, since they were starting to smell . ..... .
Brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.
Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting
Married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man
of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then
all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the
children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so
dirty you could actually lose someone in it.. Hence the
saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"

Houses had thatched roofs-thick
straw-piled high, with no
wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get
warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs)
lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and
sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof...
Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the
house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs
and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence,
a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top
afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into
existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other
than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt
poor." The wealthy had
slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet,
so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their
footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until,
when you opened the door, it would all start slipping
outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way.
Hence: a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't
you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big
kettle that always hung over the fire..
Every day they lit
the fire and added things to the pot.
They ate mostly
vegetables and did not get much meat.
They would eat the
stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold
overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew
had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence
the rhyme: Peas porridge hot, peas
porridge cold, peas
porridge in the pot nine days old.

Sometimes they could
obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When
visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show
off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home
the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests
and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of
pewter. Food with high
acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food,
causing lead poisoning death. This
happened most often with
tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were
considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status.
Workers got the burnt
bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests
got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or
whisky. The combination
would Sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days.
Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and
prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen
table for a co uple of days and the
family would gather
around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake
up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running
out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins
and would take the bones to a
bone-house, and reuse the
grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins
were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they
realized they had been burying people alive... So they would
tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the
coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell.
Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night
(the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus,someone
could be, saved by the bell or was
considered a dead ringer.

And that's the truth....Now, whoever said History was boring!!!

So...get out there and educate someone!

As a side note; I recieved this from a co-worker and thought to myself "this is pretty good". If you took the time to read it I know you will learn a thing or two, and as we all know that doesn't hurt us one bit. Have a great day, Betty

Now what is he up to?

2010-12-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was getting a box of Christmas decorations out of the garage and this "thing" fell on my head. I was startled at first not knowing what hit me in the head but after I picked it up to examine it I discover this "thing", which I still did not know what it was.

I brought it into the house to show Monica and ask her if she knew what this was used for. Monica just started laughing and asked me what I was doing. I explained it hit me in the head and it was something that her dad had made to use for ??? Then the laughter began, I told her that this was prime blogging material. As you can see this magnet is held in place with electrical tape onto a 6 foot PVC pipe. What in the world would Glenn be doing while he made this?

Here is the side profile of this "thing" that hit me in the head. I just can't write this enough, "what do you suppose he was up to when he put this contraption together"? Only one person knows that that is Glenn:).

Thanksgiving Menu 2010

2010-11-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

It is that time again when I am busy looking through my recipes, looking up new dishes to try, and pulling together my menu for the annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner. After I have complied my food list to buy Glenn and I go out for our annual buying trip to a few different grocery stores. We have done this since the 1st Thanksgiving Day we spent together as a couple in 1998. We have gone after mid night the night before due to heavy work schedule at Sears to a casual Sunday afternoon one week before. That is what we do now:). I always look forward to this shopping trip I really can't tell you why but we always seem to have so much fun buying a ton of ingredients for one great meal. So to say the least I am very thankful I have Glenn to help me with the Thanksgiving Day shopping. Can't wait till Saturday for that annual "date" of ours.

2010 Thanksgiving Day Menu

Turkey/Sourdough Stuffing w/Juniper Berry's

Mascarpone Chive Mashed Potatoes/Bourbon Gravy

Pomegranate mixed green salad

Green Bean Casserole

Sweet Potato Wedges

Cranberry Relish

Mandarin Orange Salad

appetizers

Herbed Shrimp Dip/Crackers

dessert

Cranberry and Apple-Cider Sorbet

Ting A Lings

Thanksgiving Day Punch

Champagne

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EACH OF YOU AND YOUR FAMILY,

AND A SPECIAL HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY TO OUR GROWN CHILDREN THAT COULDN'T BE AT THE HOUSE TODAY, YOU ARE IN OUR THOUGHTS AND WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Mother Knows Best!

2010-10-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

Question for Marie:

"Mom, I have a plant that has been sitting on the patio all summer that I need to bring into the house for the winter. The plant has brown dirt spots on the leaves, is there something I can clean the leaves with that won't harm the plant"? The plant is called Cataractarum Palm.

Answer from Marie:

"Oh yes, all you need to do is take a paper towel with a little dab of mayonnaise on it and rub the leaves with the paper towel. This provides a food source for the plant and cleans up the leaves and makes the leaves shine like a brand new penny".

Of course it works, try it you will be amazed. Betty

For the love of "Mom"!

2010-10-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Aging parents. Now there is a very powerful sentence! It is hard to come to grips with all the emotions you go through as you watch your parents age..... I often have thoughts of how I really miss the mom of 10 years ago. So then my next thoughts are of her excellent health she has carried into her golden years and this makes me realize how fortunate mom is to have her health be so good. Short term memory has been the one thing that has robbed her in her aging process. Bless her heart she takes each day in great strides and has a wonderful attitude about her memory. I don't live close to my mother so to curb my loneliness for her, I call her Friday's on my way to work. I stay consistent with this just so she will see a repeat pattern and know the day I call is Friday:)

I have found if I call her with a question or two about something she knows a lot about helps make our conversation productive. It always amazes me how mom will know just the right answer and all the knowledge she stores in her 81 year old mind. So I have decided to pass along her answers to the questions I ask that might be interesting to my "blog readers". Watch for the Blog Title of; Mom Knows Best. I guarantee you will learn something new each time you read it. I know I do!

Elma Marie and Betty Jo

Japanese Gardens to Voodoo Doughnuts

2010-10-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

It is funny when your children are older and on their own you always know as their Mother when it is time to have one on one time with them. So that is when I either travel to Portland to stay with Casey and his wife Holly or call Kadie and have dinner out and then shop or leave Central Oregon for the day and visit the big city with her.

So a few weekends ago I traveled to Portland and had a wonderful time with Casey and his wife Holly. It so happened to be a beautiful weekend in the city so we adventured out to the Japanese Gardens. If you are ever in Portland this is a wonderful place to go, it really takes you to another place and the beauty of it all can overwhelm you if you are not careful:)!
http://japanesegarden.com/

****************************************************************************
Voodoo Doughnuts
Whatever you do don't forget to stop here and enjoy their fresh made doughnuts the experience is one you will need to experience yourself.

http://www.voodoodoughnut.com/locations.php

I always enjoy my time in Portland, it is especially nice when I get to spend time with family or just hang out with Glenn in down town Portland, something we haven't done in a really long time. Just a hint!

I will never forget Wendy "the dog"!

2010-09-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

It is 7am and I am out on my walking program (part of the loosing 10#'s before I am 50), I have just started down the canal road when this large dog barks, growls and then jumps the fence and proceeds to run to me while still barking and growling. My mind does not take over at this point because in the next few minutes my actions are everything they shouldn't be when it comes to strange dogs. I freak out, I am standing there screaming and crying and this guy comes out of his house trying to tell me that the dog is not going to hurt me. My screaming stops, but the crying doesn't, I ask him in a scared to death tone "is this your dog", "if so get it away from me"! I find out it isn't their dog but their neighbors. The dog is now going into the canal, I take off walking really fast still crying, while all the time my ipod is playing a few of my favorite songs so I try to sing along to calm down when all the sudden I see a shadow beside me I look back and see I am being followed. I decide to turn around and go back to the fence he jump over, I told him to get back in his yard when we got there when all the sudden his "partner" might I add a little bigger dog then the one I am dealing with runs out barking. I tell the both of them I am out of here and leave me alone! I am pretty sure I am sounding like a child on the playground at this point:)! But needless to say I DID NOT get my point across.

With my new found friend in tow I proceed around the canal path to the road - destination the green house where this dog lives. I am listening to my ipod so I don't have to talk or look at the dog when all the sudden I see another shadow behind me this time in human form and a stroller. To my surprise when I turn around I come in contact with a very upset man with a baby on his back and toddler in a stroller and a young kid trying to keep up with his Dad's pace. This guy is on the phone talking and yelling at me at the same time, saying something like "no collar, no license and no leash"!! I won't bore you with my reactions but I was out of control. In the middle of my yelling and might I add I am back to crying he hears me say this isn't my dog. At this point he tells me he is talking to the Police, turning me in for the mentioned above. I am pissed!

I notice I have 3 cute kids staring at me, I bend down to their level and tell them it has been a rough morning I am really a very nice person and good mother and I was even a grandmother. I then looked up at their dad and told him, he as out of line and a "creep"! I don't think anything I said mattered to him but I felt a little better.

Back to "the dog" as I decided to call it. I am waking everybody up on this block if I have to, but somebody is going to take this dog. All of the sudden my day just got better, a guy comes out with a leash and yells "Wendy get over here"! Wendy comes running and sits by my legs I look up at the guy, with this pretty sure crazy look and said.,"please can you help me and take this dog so I can just finish my walk I just started and forget this whole thing even happened". He did, and he thanked me for helping with "Wendy" and he would let his neighbor know that I helped and was also really upset. So I calmed down and went on my way.

I am at the 2.5 mile mark still in the golf neighborhood that is usually quite and a good place to walk, I am heading towards the 2nd stretch of the canal road when this mini van pulls up beside me with the guy who had the 3 kids and says,"I just wanted to let you know that my kids and I were attacked awhile back by a stray dog and when "that dog" came running towards us barking I sort of overreacted". He also then said thanks for helping in finding her a safe place to stay. I looked at him and said "I am told the dogs name is Wendy, have a great day"! I start my fast pace walking put my ipod in my ears, press play and the song Zombie by The Cranberries starts to play, I thought to myself perfect timing don't you think Betty?

3 things I learned about this morning;

1. Try walking in the cemetery down the road instead of the golfing neighborhood. It should be much quieter!

2. Don't tease Glenn anymore about the Zombie songs on his ipod.

3. And I really would like to live out in the middle of no-where!

Just the journey to loose 10 lbs that is all I want to do!

Journey to lose 10 lbs before my 50th birthday!

2010-09-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

t's not that early in the morning, something I like about where I live is the sun is always there to say Good Morning.

I cross over the canal bridge on my way to the morning power walk that is going to help me achieve my goal.

Since there is cinder on the path instead of dirt it is like walking in really rough sand, that should help me legs, right?!

Along the canal is always so pretty in the morning don't you think?

I like to think these sunflowers are here from my back yard. Bless their little hearts:)

This is my 1/2 way mark the fountain is the entrance into The Greens Golf Course that backs up to the other side of the canal.

Great sights know matter where you look that is for sure.

The ducks and geese are always so busy this early in the morning, someday I will have my camera with me and get a really good landing of one of the ducks.

Cute little guy, don't you think.

I always laugh out loud when I walk by her, I just know that someday when I walk by her she is going to say "good morning Betty" :)

Now this didn't make me very happy, because I am on the other side of the canal and this is my wildflower garden in our back yard. There is anything I can do but zoom in as close as the camera will go and snap a photo.

So as I have just shown you a early morning power walk can be very exciting. I just hope this small step I am taking will help me with my goal of losing 10lbs before my 50th birthday. I have a little over a month so lets get going!!

Only in Betty & Glenn's backyard!

2010-09-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

As you can see I got a really good deal on metal cookie cutters, I saw this awhile back in a photo and told my husband I wanted to do that to a warn out gate that I don't have the heart to ask Glenn to take down. Not because I don't want to ask him but just because it is old and sort of outdated, which in turn makes the gate "cool"!

We have a new area we have been working on in the backyard, the entrance from the front actually. I have wanted to have tumbled glass so this is where it ended up. I used metal rings from a broken wine barrel to keep the glass in one area. It ended up being a great circle effect and I also put weed cloth under the glass so the pieces didn't make their way into the dirt, as I was told they will do that.

Just a closer look at stuff that seems to show up "only in Betty & Glenn's backyard.

Summer Time boy do we enjoy the Summer Time!

2010-08-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Summertime is sweet and fleeting. We wait all year and then it's gone in a sunset... The dark nights of Winter arrive and we long for the warm carefree days of Summer once again.

The words listed above is a beautiful comment left by my Husband Glenn on my last post I just had to share it with you. Very nicely said Glenn!

This is my dinner when my husband and best friend decide to have oysters for the main and only course for dinner. Yes as you can see it is a bowl of honey nut cheerios and a bloody mary.

Hence, a really big bowl of oysters:(

Here they are enjoying their dinner while I am getting some cereal out of the cupboard.

Here is the 1st photo taken of my outdoor tub, I just love to soak my feet in the evenings. It is still a work in progress but we are getting closer everyday to having this project complete and then I will follow up with photos to show our outdoor bathing area.

I just have to show you the wild flower garden, what a pretty site to sit by and enjoy the evening after work. Glenn and I have new ideas for next year I can't wait to see how it turns out.

I would like to introduce you to Lincoln Edward the newest member to Glenn's oldest daughters home. He is our 2nd grandchild and both Glenn & I welcome him with open arms!

Big Sister Lucy is the apple of our eyes! She is going to be a wonderful big sister that is for sure.

Hope you enjoyed just a snap shot of our summer and I just know I will have more to talk about here real soon.

Summertime! Summertime!

2010-08-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

I just love this time of year all my hard work is starting to pay off, visually that is.

Arbor is 2 years old this year the vine we planted last year really made great progress.

Hello Susan:)

The most perfect zucchini flower ever.

Hello to the 1st sunflower of the year! I can't wait to see the rest of the crop.

Perfect song on the radio

Sing along 'cause it's one we know

It's a smile, it's a kiss

It's a sip of wine, it's summertime

Sweet summertime

The Alvord Desert & The Steens Mountains

2010-08-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

When you are out in the middle of no where, you should always read the signs:)

This was so deep and the color was incrediable, I could feel the heat rising onto my face when I was taking this photo.

Peeking in at Glenn while he was enjoying the Alvord Hot Springs, it was to hot outside for me, but this rustic structure and the bathing is all the make up for a good time.

If your not careful someone might just take your hat and sunglasses, something you definitely need in this area on a hot summer day.

The Steens Mountain Range, need I say more, WOW!

Here we are heading to the top summit of the Steens gets a little warm at 9000 ft. That is for sure but I see snow in the distance.

Oh, this is funny to get to the alvord desert you take a gravel road for approx. 45 miles at the end of the gravel rode is Fields Oregon where the cafe there is known for their famous milk shakes. Yes we both had one:) If you look closely you can see an air plane taking off to the right. Yes out in the back country the county roads are also the run way and if you didn't know it Air Planes have the right-a-way. Good Times!

scary big, for no water except hot springs about every 20 miles.

This photo is fun to me because I use to work with a Guy who would say, "why do you choose to follow Glenn to those far reach places"? This photo shows I am doing just that follow Glenn to the edge of the earth (it felt like).

Glenn taking the Jeep out on the desert floor, not sand but alkali, dusty that is for sure.

Hot feet!

You do what you can to stay cool.

I don't like it when Glenn lays over the edge of glacier cliffs just to get a good photo, doesn't it look like he is going to roll off the side.

Cold feet! Finally some relief from the heat.

Just can't get enough of the wild flowers.

Alkali dust storm off in the distance, incredible.

Crystal Crane Hot springs, there is nothing better then jumping into the pond 1st thing in the morning when you wake up. The pond is a cool 103 degrees on an average this is utopia.

Hope you enjoyed this trip via my blog as much as we did in real life.
Until next time, Betty

Summer Camping trip

2010-07-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

We look so forward to our week long summer camping trip in the wilderness. What a stress free vacation, really the only problem if you want to call it that is making sure you can get to the shade in time, before the afternoon sun does you in. Now that is what I call good stress!

It's always important to have the "luxuries" close by. Glenn was the best ever and put a nice bathroom together for us, the bathroom was tucked away down a hill into the wilderness I have to say it's one "room" we really appreciated. Thanks Glenn ! Yes if you look closely that is the current copy of Mary Jane Farms:)

Having proper food available is good here is a good example cold beer in a glass and red vines! Then there is the camping bed room. Somebody slept all night long each night we were there do you blame her?

Juniper Berry was always standing guard she is one faith full camping dog. Except when she wants to be tucked in at night then you are on your own.

PS. I made her dog bed out of Glenn's old work shirts I used the panels with the front pocket on them so she can have treats waiting for her. She is always surprised to find a bone or a cookie in one of the pockets.

Camping isn't all roughing it, people pay good money to have their bare feet warmed on a hot bed of rocks in the cool night. Here we had it every night free of charge.

Wild flowers are one of my favorites, we had the opportunity to watch wild garlic in bud form when we 1st arrive to blooming after a short summer rain storm. WOW! Take a look for yourself:)

Another great past time is traveling around mountain roads to see what you can find. Like pretty things (see photos above) or a structure left from a sheep herder or maybe elk camp. Fun stuff to do that's for sure.

Sometimes we have accidents but they are taken care of quickly, I broke my finger. But I have to admit I actually did this before we left packing my camping pack.

Laying out and watching the starry nights is amazing another Wow that for sure!

The sunsets!

Thanks to my Husband I still can be fashionable, I just love this coat even though it's not snowing. I am sure some of you can understand:)

And then there is the "Best Friend Times" I am so glad we could be caught in a rain storm together. Great shot with the rainbow, Glenn. Thanks!

This bouquet of wild flowers and grass were with us all week. I miss this week allot and can't wait till our next trip. That's right we have a back packing trip soon, I can't wait:)

Have a wonderful day and I hope you enjoyed the camping photos as much as we enjoyed the camping trip!

Sincerely, Betty Jo and of course Juniper Berry

Monica's Graduation Bar-B-Que

2010-07-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

Monica graduated from High School, 1 year early that calls for a family celebration:) So with the weather not really wanting to cooperate and the growing season getting off to a slow start, this made for quite a challenge to get the backyard in order.

But all worked out and Monica was able to even enjoy her Grandpa coming for the day from Salem, Oregon.

You couldn't ask for a better day, the weather was perfect. The lemon/mint ice water was a hit that is for sure.

Grand Daughter Lucy enjoyed playing with all her older relatives, she loved the attention the family gave her.

Some were not on the guest list and showed up anyways, but that's OK until this visitor ate this beautiful flower I have been protecting from all the deer the last week. That night after the event I didn't take the time to cover most of the flowers from the deer, so it took advantage of situation and enjoyed this beautiful flower for it's nights feast, why can't they go to someone elses house that is all I ask!

Pretty while it lasted!

Monica's Uncles and Father made it a point to coach and guide her into her next phase of life this day. But I am very proud to say she held her own that is for sure and this is one touch crowd, good job Monica!

The food was wonderful didn't get many photos though but I can always seem to enjoy snapping a shot of the sushi plate.

So here I am with my dear friend who always seems to fly into Redmond no matter where she is at in the United States to help me out at the last minute. The celebration is over and we took just a short time to sit in the sun and enjoy the moment!

Again Congratulations to Monica for a job well done all through High School.

Summer Time at the Ashfords 2010/ book review

2010-07-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

Summer time blogging is going to be short and sweet, it seems like I am busier then ever just like everyone else this time of year.

Back from vacation and I was pleasantly surprise to be welcomed back with produce from my garden :)

While I was on vacation I had the wonderful opportunity to read. The book I finished was 'Loving Frank' by Nancy Horan. This book was the story of Mamah Brothwick Cheney who was the "lover" of Frank Lloyd Wright. I always knew that this very talented and way before his time Man was eccentric but oh my gosh he was one different fellow. Mamah was one driven Lady, she knows what she wants and most the time had to take the high road to get there. This story was one of the best love stories, I would suggest this book to anyone and everyone. The Seattle Post summed up this book the best by saying "A beautifully orchestrated rendering of the affair and inner lives of its two love-torn principals. Understated yet dramatic, painstaking and convincing, this is fiction with the heft of truth".

Sunny Days/ Freezing Nights!

2010-06-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

Come on sun you can do it, keep the ground warm so the garden will grow. To garden in Central Oregon you have to be a little crazy, stubborn, and have a drive that just won't quit. Time is not on your side when you are trying to get your plants to produce vegetables before the 1st freeze of the fall season which is usually around September 15th. Most Central Oregon Gardeners don't even think about putting in a garden before July 1st but every year I get this "itch" to start in June. If you start your garden early you have to provide any kind of warmth you have available. Last night the temp. dropped to 31 degrees this is enough to wipe out your garden and not even think twice about it. All that hard work gone in a matter of minutes, so I actually with help from my Husband, I put the garden to bed. Yes I covered the whole garden in bed sheets, I bet the houses across the canal are having a fit because of the view they have out their back windows into my garden:) But I am going to do what I have to do, with what I have to work with and that would be 15 bed sheets all colors and varied in size! I also have to remember the view of my sunflowers are breath taking from their homes. As for me I have to walk across the canal path to their yards to admire my sunflowers since my house blocks them from following the sun every night in July and August.

I forgot to cover the carrots but they did OK next to the house. I don't have very good luck with carrots so this year I am trying this little "round" type we will see what happens. Now the peas should be OK they like a little cold weather but these are still pretty small the raised bed should help and the morning sun.The flowers are surviving, I am pretty selective on what gets planted in the yard as far as flowers are concerned. They have to be deer proof! I do use a spray that works pretty well but you never really know for sure. Sun come on do your fine work and keep the frost away until the fall that is all I ask of you!

For The Love of WILDFLOWERS!

2010-06-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or

planted.

Bitter Root

Red Clover

???

Harebell

???

WOW! these wildflower photos were taken Saturday 6/12/10 in the Ochoco Mountain range where we will be camping in about a month. I am so excited to see what else we will find since we will have a week to explore this beautiful area. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I do.
So I got out my Wild Flowers spotters guide and still can't identify all of them. I bet my husband can tell us what some of these flowers are:) If you can identify any of these please leave me a comment.

Have a beautiful day, Betty

Outdoor Bathing!

2010-05-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think I should of been born in the 1800's. The everyday simple way of life they use to live is not that easy to pull off today. You know now that I think about it, I am sure it wasn't that simple then either; so here is what I have going on in a very small section of our backyard.

We gave one of our kids our hot tub, I was tired of the chemicals, and I am sure Glenn was tired of the electric bill:) I love being in water or around water so thanks to an article, "outdoor bathing...aaahhh" in a magazine called Mary Jane Farms vol. 9 #3 April-May 2010 I was inspired!

1st step - The Tub! Only cask iron will do so after "the search" we found one in Portland at Hippo Hardware Store, this tub was away from the rest, pretty much down some stairs in a corner with stuff piled on top of it. My new tub is pretty beat up and has been mistreated for some time now. The good thing about it is all 4 feet are present and we found a cold water knob that was missing so after some loving care this tub will look just like knew I just know it.

2nd step - Heating the water! Glenn has some ideas, that sound like it will work, more on that at a later date.

3rd step - Location! We have the perfect spot, I can't wait to blog about it when we get the tub moved to that area.

4th step - Pulling it all together! This is where I will stop for now, please feel free to check my blog in the future to see how things turn out.

Happy Bathing!

note: Hippo photo courtesy - Casey & Holly Rausch :)

I just know that summer is coming!

2010-05-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

This time of the year is hard on me, like when I walk around my yard I see and take mental notes of what needs to be done before July 4th. That is the cut off date I have set for the yard to be "summer ready". I have found that if I take notes on what I see needs to be done then I can check them off when I am done with that task and that makes it a little bit easier, I guess:)

My cupboards are 3/4 of the way through, my goal was to be done by May 1st, but I didn't take into consideration some of my days off being occupied with other issues. So I have reset my new date to be June 1st and I am on target to make it, I just know I will. You see when I get the kitchen done then I can concentrate on the outside yard work the house projects will have to wait until this fall.

Also with summer coming means it is camping time, so when I get a weekend off we are "gone camping", it something that is very healthy for the mind, body and marriage I believe this whole heartily. I can't wait for the summer to come and spend some well deserved time with us.

Here is some photos of Glenn's spring camping trip I won't get to see this area but isn't it just breath taking. It is hard to believe that something so beautiful can be found out in the desert surrounded by nothing but sage brush and and few juniper trees. Take a look and enjoy!

kshocolat is the best!

2010-04-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

Chocolate is usually not one of my desires but when we were in Portland a month or so ago, Holly and I went into a store that sells all different types of salt for cooking, crazy place but it was busy and people seem to like what they saw there. I picked up some chocolate two different kinds the actual brand is KSHOCOLAT. On there wrapper it says UNIQUE, INDULGENT, PURE. That really sums up the taste and quality I found in this kshocolat. There were all different flavors I picked out lemon & pepper white kshocolat and mini strawberrettes milk chocolate, WOW! what an experience if you are interested here is their website by all means take a look and order some great kshocolat you won't be disappointed I promise you!

http://www.kshocolat.co.uk/index.php/products

Busy Weekends!

2010-04-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

Wow what a eventful weekend we had, first of all we were able to enjoy a day at home just doing the silly stuff that gets left behind or shoved into a corner by two people who work fulltime and like to have fun on our days off. On saturday we headed to southern oregon for the District finals for Toastmasters, Glenn has done very well during these few competitions. Boy do I feel he is riding the circut for Toastmasters:) by winning 1st place at regionals he is onto state competition in Portland Oregon on May 1st. I can't wait to cheer him on and try to keep him calm before his 7 minute speech. Let me tell you that can take a lot out of you and I am not talking about giving a 7 minute speech I am talking about keeping him calm. But thats is my job and I will follow him until he chooses not to place and go on.

After the competition we drove back to Bend to spend the night at the Oxford suites to celebrate Glenn's birthday. Our dinner at 10 BeLOW was one of the best we have had and I would have to say the most original, WOW what a meal and the drinks were to die for. http://www.oxfordhotelbend.com/

In our room and at the resturant 10 BeLOW.

Photo of a driveway we walked by in downtown Bend, I just loved it!

Beautiful flowers!

Cute dog waiting for his cup of coffee in downtown Bend.

Sunday we enjoyed tacos and marionberry pie from WestSide Bakery for Glenn's birthday dinner.

Glenn enjoying his gifts and his granddaughter Lucy!

Lucy playing in the backyard and Grandpa and Grandma Bettys.

Me & Totoro!

It's a good thing I work the next weekend so I can relax a little, just kidding I really do work hard and I can't wait for my next day off with my wonderful very talented speech giving Husband, Glenn. Happy Birthday to you my Dear! Love , Betty

The Painted Hills, Oregon

2010-04-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.paintedhillsvacation.com/index.htm

Fun Stuff going on at home!

2010-04-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Day! Glenn and I putts (sp) around the house until Easter Dinner. Amanda, Dustin and Lucy joined us for dinner, Lucy looked for Easter eggs and was a fun night for all.

Lets see to catch you up on our life; most of you already know Glenn's involvement with Toast Masters but what you don't know is, his competions in speech is doing really well. So far Glenn and Co Worker Carla are going to regional in April and if they place either 1st or 2nd they will go onto state in Portland. So far Carla has a wonderful 7 minute speech and has taken 1st place with Glenn right on her toes with his great 7 minute speech, his speech has put him in 2nd place through out these competitions and I must say I am really proud of him, Good Job Glenn!

Can you believe it I am over 1/2 way through with the kitchen cupboards, Yippee! This has been one long road to ride on but the final result will be much appreciated. When I get tired of the slow progress I just look back at the awful before photo, then look at the new results and that is enough to keep me on track.

I am excited for gardening to start, we are adding something every special to our front yard which needs it desperately. I tend to just keep the front yard free of weeds and such and then put the creativity in the back yard well not this year. We were inspired from the Country Gardens magazine that Better Homes and Garden puts out. Here is what we are going to do;

Hey guess what I found out from the same magazine, you can grow carrots in a container! Who would of thought, I have not had much luck with carrots and I really don't understand why so I am going to try this process and see what happens. So today I am off to the Redmond Antique store to see if I can find wooden crates.

Take a look at my Aero Garden! What a great way to get through the winter, while you are waiting spring or summer to come.

So if I forgot to add something I will blog about it next time, like the outdoor bathing area we are putting together! Have I peaked your interest well more to come. Betts

Lucy's 3rd Birthday

2010-04-04T14:47:00.001-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to Lucy! Grandma Betty was very excited that Lucy is showing an interest in flowers and gardening. As you can see by the very special watering can she got from us.

Lucy's Daddy and Aunt Monica waiting for their Ice Cream.

Lucy was so cute with the intense concentration she displayed as she opened her presents.

Candy Land, what a great game for kids.

I sure enjoy this little girl, or should I say "very big girl" being 3 and all.

We love you Lucy, Happy 3rd Birthday Grandpa Glenn and Grandma Betty!

Few days on the "farm" will do you some good!

2010-03-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Last week I decided to go spend a few days with my Mother on her farm/ranch. What a great time we had enjoying each others company. It is so funny how things change when your parents age, you know your Mom or Dad are strong but as they age to 80+ you really see how strong they are! I admire the will to grow old gracefully as possible I really want to remember this as I am turning the wonderful age of "50" this year. I can't believe it and Mom really has a hard time putting "50" with her youngest child...

A beautiful day in Eastern Washington as I crossed the Columbia River bridge from Oregon. Farmers were out working up the dirt from the winter rest. But what really was exciting was the crop dusters were out in full force I tried to catch this on my camera but it was to hard to get a really good shot as they flew right over the top of the house.

If you look real close at the middle leafless tree you can see the plane coming this way. Sort of hard to see but that shows how low they fly.

And there he goes!

While my Brother and his family were away on vacation Mom and I made sure the cows and calves were taking care of by 2 great guys. My Brother should give the 2 of them a bonus for how well they did in his absence!

Lined up and ready to eat!

This little calf layed in the same spot every day I was there, it looked like she was watching Mom in her kitchen window. It is to bad the tulips were not blooming wouldn't that of been a great photo!

This feeding truck has been used twice a day for feeding corn silage (sp) ever since I can remember.

Walking around Mom's house is fun, I can remember this stuff from when I was a little girl and to be honst I don't think most of these items have moved from their spot weather it be on a self or in a cabinet.

Actually this little guy isn't that old, I sent it to Mom for Mothers day about 9 years ago. I just think he is so cute.

Now this Rooster is really old, as you can see the cracks in his tail. I think Mom use to have 2 but I only saw just the one sitting proudly in the kitchen.

Well Mom I will be glad to see you in May when we come up for Mothers Day weekend.

Life on the Farm!

Today is the first day of Spring!

2010-03-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

I am so happy spring is here, I have so much going on in my life with the days getting longer I will be able to balance out my time better. Does anyone understand what I am trying to say? Lets see I was able to go to Portland to visit Casey and Holly, what a great time. We walked to wonderful places we had coffee and stop and shopped at vintage stores:) The weekend before Glenn and I took a day trip to the painted hills, WOW every time we go there I am amazed like it is the first time I have seen such a sight what a wonderful day trip that was. I am still working on the kitchen cupboards, Glenn has enticed me by buying a new faucet and dangling it in front of me. So here is the deal Glenn has told me when I am through with the cupboards he will put in a new sink and faucet. What a beautiful faucet I can't wait! At first I wanted a red cast iron sink, but that has changed after hours of conversation with my Husband we are getting a white cast iron sink. Also after hours on pondering the red sink I think it would be to much red in one spot, but boy wouldn't it be pretty.

I am leaving next week to spend some time with my Mother, just her and I, I wonder what kind of trouble we can get ourselves into??.. Maybe it will be something to blog about only time will tell.

A nice day in Central Oregon - Road Trip with POE!

2010-03-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

It sure in nice when you live so close to the "open road"! In 1/2 of a day Glenn and I were able to go for a ride in POE, Glenn's 1974 MGB GT. The photos will tell you the whole story with out me having to explain a thing. ENJOY, this wonderful day just like we did, well almost as good:)

Now wasn't that a relaxing trip!

The sun is shining!

2010-02-17T11:42:00.001-08:00

What a wonderful day to be off the sun is shining, still cold outside but the brightness is long over due. To catch you up on my kitchen project; I went into Sherman Williams they are so funny there, when I walk in it sort of reminds me of "cheers" they sure have fun greeting me. I think they like to see women come in because all I ever see is paint contractors and we all know what they look like. (if your a paint contractor don't take it personally) I had to get the pre-wood conditioner to see if that helps with the uneven-ness in the staining process of the wood. I am almost to the point where I will be staining cupboards that are eye level I think that will be the true test. But really it doesn't matter because there is no turning back at this point.

The cupboard on the far right looking at the photo is before and the cupboards to the left are after.

On a totally other subject, I watched the dvd Julie and Julia, WOW! lets say I watched it 3 times in 2 days what a great movie. Ever since I was a little girl Julia Childs annoyed me when I would watch her on TV. Well come to find out I just didn't "get her"! I now have a new found respect for her and I am sorry I judged her so quickly but again I was pretty little at the time. Virginia a very nice lady I work with let me borrow the 2 cook books that they were writing in the movie. I think it will be fun to sit down and look through them. From what I understand they are hard to follow one because they are a cookbook for cooking "French" and two they use different ingredients then we use today.

What great cook books, can't wait to read them.

Yesterday I took a big leap and had my hair cut to my shoulders, I think it looks "sassy", my husband thinks I look "cute". I am OK with that. My hair has been long for some time and when you have long hair it just gets to the point that you have to cut it off and start over so that is that.

As you can see in the back ground cupboards and drawers drying, me with new hair cut and no make-up, it is my day off!

Tonight Glenn and I are going to sit down and order our garden seeds from the Burpee Catalog, that will be fun and also a challenge we have to pick short growing time seeds, under 58 days ( I think) and that can be hard to do. But this year we want to shake things up a bit around our yard so I look forward blogging about it.

Valentines Day! What a great day, it isn't like a birthday or a holiday where you cook all day. It is just a loving day and I like that. Glenn was very good to me; I got a Aero Garden and a beautiful dinner out and a bunch of cards that were mailed to me from his work. I think there was only 2 days I didn't get a card in the mail that was a lot of fun and I miss them but I know someday I will receive a card in the mail again from the one I love! I made one of Glenn's presents; he wears printed shirts to work and he has a way of pulling off really any print, I think he likes to wear different prints because it can be an easy conversation piece. Boy when he wears this one he will have a lot of explaining to do about the print but it was fun to make and if he likes it I am sure the future will bring more his way.

Glenn's shirt!

The Aero Garden

Valentines Cards

Have a great day and thanks for listening to me ramble on today.

Betty

Things don't always turn out the way you want!

2010-02-09T19:12:00.001-08:00

Well today was day 3 of my kitchen project, I had a little break down and decided I wasn't going to go through with this project. I got to the cupboards below the sink and I guess wood has "pores" and soaks up stain differently so on and so on...There were spots where the stain would not adhere to the wood at all no matter how much I put on the stain or how much I sanded it.

When Glenn called to see how I was doing I told him "I Quite and I wasn't going to be able to pull this off". Now we all know I wasn't really going to quite I just needed to vent and be a little mad. I am not even 1/4 of the way through so who knows how many times this type of behavior is going to happen. I was coached through the next few hours by my Husband, he is really good at that. You know it really isn't going to be as bad as I thought and it looks much better then the cupboards I haven't touched so on ward I go next week day 4 here I come!

Kitchen Cupboards phase 2

2010-01-31T11:23:00.000-08:00

I can not believe what you have to learn by trial and error along the way while you are trying to re stain your kitchen cupboards....

I have found out that the 2 most important steps in redoing your cupboards is in the sanding and what you apply the stain and varnish with. So if someone was going to read this before they took on a task like this here is what I recommend;

1. #100 sand paper if you have severe damaged cupboards like mine (see photos on previous blog). Also use the cute little electric sander that your husband came home with awhile back as a "I just wanted to get you a gift" forget about trying to sand by hand it just doesn't get the job done. Thanks Glenn for the sander, even though at the time I thought it was sort of weird when you brought it home for me to add to my "girly tool box", as a side note it has my name on it the outside of the tool box says Betty's Tools. Isn't that fun!

2. Buy yourself a real treat, invest and I mean it when I say "invest" in a sheep skin pad (qty 2) to apply the stain and a Purdy SYNTOX nylon/chinex blend brush for the top coat of varnish.

There is other stuff you will need also but these three items seem to be the most important to achieve a professional fresh new look.

It's sort of funny I have been home for a few days and have been able to pace myself for the start of this project and as I am waiting for the stain or varnish to dry I see myself looking at the sun room window seals , very cautiously thinking I should redo them they are weathered, then looking at the kitchen chairs thinking I could really make those look much better then they do now. OH BROTHER!!!! One thing at a time please, note to self I am only one person and I can't take on all of these projects at once. FOCUS on the kitchen cupboards ONLY!! For the time being:)

I do get a little anxious on days like this; sunny Central Oregon mornings. I know my time inside the house is indeed limited and pretty soon I will be outside and the inside of the house will have to wait until fall before I will attempt any other projects that require me to be inside. But it has occurred to me I could work on the dining room chairs outside in fact that is probably where it should be done so I will have to do some investigating on this subject. I will just have to wait and see what happens.

Day one - Kitchen cupboard project

2010-01-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

Kitchen Before 1/27/2010

I decided a few months ago that I was going to redo our kitchen cupboards, they are a mess and I don't know if they have been touched since this house was built. So at first I was very overwhelmed as to where I was going to start. As the same as my other projects I am the type of person that can create a phasing schedule and work at any pace I want. I am so glad I am not one of those people who have to start and finish immediately. I am also very lucky and so is my family as I always finish the project I start, I don't leave it 1/2 done or do I not finish at all no that's not me so if I calculated this right I should be done with the cupboards in about 2 months, if all goes as planned.

I went to our neighbor hood Lowes with some questions every one was busy so my second stop was Sherman Williams. I was there probably 1 hour or so the guy there was very helpful he even took me to the back and show me the difference in stain and how to prep the wood for the look I wanted. Oh yes and they price match if needed. But it looks like they won't need to, I am very pleased with their help and answering all my silly 1st time staining like this questions that I had.

Today I prepped the 1st section I am doing with this cleaning stuff call, tsp cleaner, great stuff but it is not the type of cleaner you would use all the time. Second I used wood filler where needed and then "surface" sanded. I don't have to strip the old varnish because I am using this stuff called Gel Stain. From reading about it and the guy showing me how it works it just sits on top of the old varnish and re stains the wood then you put this other stuff over the top when it drys. So wish me luck, tomorrow it's staining day on section 1 :)

Just look at these cupboards, I am embarrassed to even show them! But I just want to remember how bad they needed to be done incase I get tired of this little/big project..

Chair REDO!

2010-01-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

I acquired 2 chairs from Amanda and they are the perfect size to put into the Voodoo Lounge. So I wanted them to look like the "motif" that my Husband is trying to achieve, that would be like dark, skulls, roses, candles, you know a voodoo type of look :)

I found some fabric that is black denim with skulls and crossbones stitch onto the fabric, prefect!

I took the chairs apart how hard could that be, well there are so many pieces of wood and cardboard and then this really old cotton padding needless to say the red vinyl on the outside of the chair seat completely fell to pieces or maybe crumbs would be a better word when I took it off. So that took awhile but now was time to clean up the chrome, and re pad the 2 chairs.

Re padding the chairs took me about 6 hours, I used new cotton padding with the original wood and cardboard. I am very pleased on they way they turned out, and they look pretty good in front of the army stove that heats the lounge, (which by the way is a stick built garden shed).

Here are the photos to show you the steps I took and how the end result came out.

Hey Glenn if you are reading this maybe we should plan a dinner out in the lounge on friday night since I don't go to work until 11am, hey what do you think? It's been awhile since we have enjoyed the warmth of the stove, and the dim lighting from the candles and the cool air from the open door....

Great Weekend

2010-01-18T07:55:00.000-08:00

Wow, even though I worked all weekend, What a great time I had! Glenn surprised me each night with a great dinner I would wake up to a good breakfast before going to work, it really doesn't get any better then that. Watching movies and enjoying each others company is really a good thing.

Yes that is Mickey Mouse Waffles!

We worked out 2010 vacation schedules, or 2010 goals or should I say long term goals. We both talked about how we can't wait for the summer and how much we enjoy that time of year. Living in Central Oregon I use to say we were able to experience all 4 seasons but really I think only 3 seasons. Summer then Fall and then Winter and again Winter. Spring really doesn't show it's face around this area. But that is my opinion.

Thanks Glenn and I am glad you were able to accomplish some things that needed to get done on your "list" that were bothering you. You see Glenn is the very proud owner of not just one but 2 MG's (cars), and if you know anything about MG's they are a blast to ride in, and even more fun to drive but the up keep can overwhelm you if you let it. So good job in all you did this past weekend!

I think a road trip is in order here real soon, what do you say!

No Sun and Wandering

2010-01-15T08:31:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was my day off and the forecast was for the sun to come out and shine. Since the sun was going to be coming out I was going to go out and rake up pine needles and wander around outside thinking of this summer and what I wanted to do in the yard, (a big past time for me). The yard thing all started when I left a very stressful job in late spring a few years back. The "therapy" I chose was gardening so I would recover quickly and start a new way of life. I am still in "therapy" or should I say gardening, ha ha, and it's been almost 4 years, again ha ha! Now back to yesterday wouldn't you know it the sun did not come out even though the temperatures seem to be on the warm side at least not freezing I still didn't want to go out unless the sun showed it's color.

So I wandered around the house, opening drawers and cleaning them out I was able to clean out 4 of them:) Then I sat down at the side bar in our kitchen and mapped out a phasing schedule of my upcoming project, refinishing the kitchen cupboards. When I was pleased with the map I did some research on painting cupboards vs varnishing you see my Husband wants varnish and I would like to paint them. After some research it does look like varnishing would be less work so varnishing it is. From the phasing schedule I came up with it will take me 15 days working only 1/2 of the day on the cupboards. It is a good thing I am not one of those people who have to have it done now and it doesn't make me crazy to let a project go on for days but I do finish what I start, I hope my plan works. My goal is to start before the end of the month, wish me luck...

I was pleased to receive a call from Son while he was on his lunch break. It is always nice to talk with him for a little while, Casey's conversations are always pleasing to me. The calender on my desk has the final countdown for when Casey and his wife Holly move to Maryland to start a new adventure in life this August. It's funny with them living in Portland I don't see then but maybe every 4 months now but I can get to their home quickly if needed but them moving clear across the United States has been challenging to get use to. Don't get me wrong I am extremely excited to visit them in Maryland and see that side of the United States and how Casey and Holly adjust to the area. So I call it a "bitter sweet" time for Mom.

My evening finished with Kadie coming over and between her and I we signed Kadie up for some online courses through Penn Foster so she can get her "medical coding and billing certificate". Kadie has not been back to school since she graduated from high school and I did not push her at the time to start college. She came to me about a month ago after she had done all the research and asked me what I thought. It was so funny last night we were at the computer enrolling her; laughing, being serious and looking a little nervous with both of us wondering what has she gotten herself into. I know she can do it, it seems like her mind is made up and schooling of any kind is good., right? Kadie I am very proud of you and your decision and You have my full support!

After Kadie left I looked around the house and decided there was a reason the sun didn't come out today I was needed in the house to get stuff done that has gone unnoticed for a while and answer the phone when it rang also to be the support needed for my Daughter. Maybe next week I can get outside and take care of the pine needles but then again it is still January and in Central Oregon that means snow, snow, snow! I will just have to wait and see what happens.

2010!!

2010-01-08T19:49:00.001-08:00

The year of 2010 is going to be a year of hope, change, and love. I sort of sound like someone out of the 70's hey I am...

My blogging in 2009 was fun for me but I want to try something different this year. I really haven't come up with what I want to do but I will; in the mean time I will just write what comes to mind or what ever I got going on in my life.

So I just finished a good book titled "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett this is her 1st novel and she did a great job in describing the 60's in the deep south from the eyes of a few different Maids or Housekeepers.

During my read I laughed out loud, cried, felt happy and sad, had to look up a few words to see what they meant, etc. So it was everything I look for in a book. I can't wait to see what she write next.

If you have any ideas on what I can do to make my blog just a little bit more exciting please feel free to leave me a comment or two I take constructive advice very well, ( it's one of my better strengths). Right Glenn?!?

Write to you soon, Betty

To our Kids, Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a little holiday video we are sending you, we were reminiscing about the Christmas past. In doing so, we started missing you that were not here today. So here you go, it's short and sweet and just us being Mom and Dad.

We love each and everyone of you!

The black scene was Juniper Berry telling you she missed you guys, but she didn't show up.

4 days till Christmas!

2009-12-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

Friday night was date night for Glenn and I. What a great time we had, it is very important to spend time on a "date" it really doesn't matter what you do it's just that you go on a date. I picked up Glenn at his work at 4pm then we went to BO's for great Thai food. After we were full and had a drink or two we walked around downtown Bend it was warm that night and the Christmas lights were all aglow. I can't wait until Jan. when we have our next date night....

7 days until Christmas!

2009-12-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

Every year Glenn gets me an ornament to put on the tree, usually what he picks out means something to me for that given year. I would like to remember the year and why I got an ornament so the best way to do that is blog about it and update it each year. I hope you enjoy looking at these great gifts, as much as I will having them documented so I also can look back and remember just how special they are;

This is one of the 1st ones I received during Christmas 2000, we were in Oregon City and I so enjoyed the city lights and especially Peacock Lane in Portland so this ornament represents the magic of Christmas in the city.
This great fella is made with a leaf dipped in gold with a howling coyote stamped on it, I would say probably Christmas 2001. When we are in the desert in Central Oregon Glenn has shown me the great appreciation one should have for these creatures and the songs they sing in the night that still scare me, but I still admire them.

This pelican represents the pelican I used to love to watch by Malheur Lake when we would visit the "duck club" Glenn's brother used to have. Christmas 2002Now these two are perfect for our 1st Christmas in our new home. The back of it lights up with a flame in their stove just like ours. Christmas 2003 (PS, I don't understand the underlining on this one?)

This silver bell is a partridge in a pear tree, whats better then the Christmas song SILVER BELLS. Christmas 2004

This little deer is for the deer I battle in the spring and summer in my yard and also the same deer that I feed in the winter because I feel sorry for them:) My co-workers are starting to call me the deer whisperer, Glenn just smiles at me when I am mad at them for eating my flowers or when I am worried that they aren't going to make it through the cold nights in the winter. We truly have a love / hate relationship that's for sure. Christmas 2005

Now this guy is very special to me, Mickey Mouse anybody that knows me understands my feelings for this guy with red pants on and big feet. Glenn is very good about watching out for something I don't have of him. Christmas 2008

Christmas 2006 and 2007 I am not able to find on the tree one is a bunch of Cherries and the other is a mystery to me. This helps me to understand just how important these are to me and I will be packing them up differently this year and years to come. I also will find a safe place here in the house for them instead of the garage where the cold to hot temps. are effecting their paint and stuff.

Now to tell you about this guy, it is my oldest ornament I have I am thinking about 1965. Every year we had 3 Elf's 2 red and 1 green they would sit in the tree watching us. Now they sit in our tree and I know for sure they are still watching us.

*****Merry Christmas 2009*****

18 Days till Christmas!

2009-12-07T19:38:00.000-08:00

Boy am I busy, every minute of my time at home is filled with pre Christmas busyness. Here is how I spent the only Sunday I get off before the big day.

We picked up a fire pit on clearance at Costco for the outdoor living room. I just love it.

The deer are back, so I watched them for awhile, they ate on the left over sunflowers and the dried up wild flowers. I am OK with them in my yard during the winter but come spring they have to go. I know this confuses them, but that is just the way it is.

My 1st of the morning coffee mocha latte.

Glenn and Monica decided to try some boxing on the wii. That was interesting to watch and listen to!

Our tree is in its stand and the lights are on now I just need to decorate the rest of it and the house. No worries I have all week to complete it, right.?.

Boy this is one busy week! I am going to have to remember to sit down and enjoy the warmth of the wood stove and relax thats for sure. Happy Holidays.

21 Days till Christmas!

2009-12-04T17:59:00.000-08:00

So today Monica and I wanted to help Glenn out a little bit since he has been working so much. We decided to hang the Christmas lights outside. We established early in our adventure that Monica would be the one on the ladder and I would guide her from the ground. It worked great. We found the art of throwing the lights up into the trees and then going around and rearranging them that worked also. We couldn't wait for it to get dark we were both nervous and excited to see our "art". So what do you think??

Thanksgiving is a time for "Thanks"!

2009-11-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a fun time of year for me. I feel very traditional I like to do the things like; the Thanksgiving Dinner, the Macy's day parade, the Redmond Starlight Parade on Friday day night, you know stuff like that.

Glenn and I like it when our house is full of our Kids and their friends or family everybody eats, plays and has a good time. I am thankful that this year is going to be the same a full house with all the trimmings.
I would like to take this time to thank my Husband and Kids for being apart of my life;

Glenn
Casey and Holly
Amanda, Dustin and Lucy
Andrew and Debbie
Micah
Kadie and KC
Monica
Juniper Berry

I love you all and I can't wait to see everyone on Thursday and those of you that won't be able to make it, you are in my thoughts and heart you will be missed on this special day.

Happy Thanksgiving, Betty Jo aka Mom

Fun Snowy Day Off!

2009-11-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

This is such a good day to have off, the air is cold and there are flurries of snow in the air. I happen to like this time of year your home changes it look so quickly with Halloween then the smells of cooking for thanksgiving , the decorations for Christmas time and then we seem to finish this busy time with a celebration of the past year and bringing in the new year!

Today is the day I am preparing the menu for thanksgiving day and get my shopping list ready. It's funny but I like to do my thanksgiving day shopping at Safeway. I don't shop at Safeway any other time of the year, I think it has become a tradition with me. When we lived in Oregon City, it was different living there you really had to plan you time wisely and being in retail we were always so busy during this time. It never failed every year Glenn and I would end up at Safeway across the freeway in Gladstone around midnight a day or two before Thanksgiving. You see in the city the grocery stores stayed open all night or into the early morning hours so you could shop for food anytime you liked not like here in Redmond where most places are closed by 11pm. So again this year I will keep my little Thanksgiving meal shopping tradition and visit our local Safeway.

Hope you have as good as a day as I plan on having.

Glenn is brewing again!

2009-11-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

Glenn has played with the "art" of brewing beer for about 8 years now. You never really know when he is going to brew a special batch of beer so I always like to see what inspires him to do so. My "49"Th birthday was one of those inspirations, he started the process the day of my birthday. He choose a mixed berry ale, I really can't describe it now because I haven't tasted it yet. A batch of beer like this takes about 20 days from start to finish. The beer is bottled now and they are just sitting there waiting for the special labels to be put on. The name of the beer is called "Birthday Betty's Brew", I can't wait for that 1st taste, I am sure I won't be disappointed!

Saturday night after spending Halloween with Lucy and Amanda we decided to make the Birthday Betty Beer labels. We both had input in designing the labels so that made for a fun time. In about 5 days we will be able to open up a bottle and have a taste I can't wait I will be excited to see how a bottle of beer tastes that is named after me:)

I have an unexpected announcement to make, I am deeply sadden by the 1st beer my Husband named after me has gone awry ( looked up the spelling). The taste was OK but there was an odor, Glenn is recapping his steps to see what went wrong. I feel really bad but in all the years of him brewing this is the 1st mishap, so if you ask me that is a pretty good track record. I would like to have you try another one when your ready so maybe some day I can have my personal beer made especially for me. As they say "don't sweat it, have another home brew"!
Until next time, have a good day, Betty

June's got a new dog bed!

2009-11-02T17:32:00.001-08:00

What do you do with a pile of men's shirts that your Husband says are wore out? here is what I did, You let the pile sit were you can see it and you stare at it wondering what could be done with a great pile of fabric. Casey's dog Simon gave me the idea when I was visiting, it was funny to watch Simon; his "blanket" was being washed and he didn't want to lay on his bed until his blanket was out of the dryer. I thought to myself I could cut up Glenn's shirts and make a dog bed so June could enjoy her bed as much as Simon enjoys his!

Well, June still sneaks up in her favorite chair when we are busy, this habit started when she was a puppy so it's probably to late now to correct:) But I do think she appreciates her new dog bed when we are in our outdoor living area (patio). The cement doesn't seem so hard and cold when she lays on her bed.

I still have shirts and fabric left over so now I am working something else up in my head, pillows maybe I guess we will all have to wait and see. But in the mean time thanks to Simon for the great idea!!

Weekend at Casey & Holly's House

2009-10-26T19:59:00.001-07:00

I spent the weekend at my Son and his Wife's home in the St. John's area of Portland. Those two will probably get tired of me before the year is out but I want to spend as much times as possible with them before they move on to their new life adventure together. I am very excited for them but I would call this a "bitter sweet" time in my life.

Casey and Holly are moving to Maryland around August 2010, Holly as been accepted into The University of Maryland with also other great things attached to this opportunity. I will let them talk about that because I just might not get it all right. She has worked really hard to be able to get this scholarship and she deserves the chance to learn and show them how good she is. I am so proud of Casey he has been a huge support for Holly and I know he will continue to do so in the future. It will take the two of them and they know that, they are not taking this lightly from what I can tell and the many questions I have asked them:), they have crossed every T and dotted every I one might say. Good Luck to the both of you and I know you will do well. You both make me so proud!

When I got there birthday presents were waiting for me. I was so excited to get measuring cups like I had never seen before from Casey and Holly knows just what to get me, can you believe she found season 1 and 2 of Dallas. Yes I am a Dallas (show from TV) fan from way back and it just so happens so is she. So I think I will be on the hunt for season 3 and 4 for her just to keep this fun thing going.
Portland was a beautiful and sunny day so we decided to enjoy it by going to the Japanese Gardens. Oh the colors, reds I can't even tell you all the shades, yellows the color of buttercups everywhere you looked. Boy if you live close and your week isn't going in your favor this is the place to go unwind. Really quite an experience. You can guarantee I will be going again. Here are some photos of a great weekend thanks for letting me come and I will see you two again in January if not sooner.

I really appreciate all the extra stuff Casey and Holly do for me when I visit, you could say they have a way of "spoiling" me. Thank you!

That's all Folks, at least until my next trip to Casey and Holly's House!

Grandma Violet's Steamer Trunk

2009-10-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Do you have the same problems I have when the season changes and you have to deal with your closet that looks like the "black hole"? This is the time of year that my Husband looses more of his closet, if I was to take more space this year he would end up in the coat closet in the living room probably not really that fair for him is it.?. So I knew I had to do something different, I looked in each closet in our house trying to see the light; 1st our 2 full size closets busting at the seams you might say, nope nothing there, then I went entered Monica's room but I stopped dead in my tracks I guess I will put it we have an understanding she keeps her door closed and I don't "grip" about the condition of her room. I do know that her closet is empty most of the time, the clothes seem to stay on the floor or on her bed but that is another story all together that I will skip... Teenagers?? Then I went to the spare room now that closet has become Glenn's "cubby" I won't say anymore about that because "I am a good Wife"!

So the next idea was to look under the beds, no! all full of very important stuff, in plastic under the bed boxes. If you were to ask me what is under there I would have to say honestly I have no idea but it is organized :)

Glenn has this steamer trunk that I have moved to different areas of the house, it is locked and has been opened once by Glenn since he has had it. He acquired it sometime out of high school. When I questioned Glenn where it came from I got the response of "well lets see it was Grandma Edna Mae, no no it was Grandpa Pete's but Edna Mae gave it to me, No that's not right either Grandma Violet yes it was at Grandma Violet's house and she gave it to me. So as you can see Glenn really doesn't remember but we are going with Grandma Violet so if anybody knows different please let us know. Sorry Glenn but really you don't remember do you?

So one night at just the right moment I asked Glenn if he could open the trunk so I could look in it. Then I told him about the seasonal closet issue he tried to understand and he tried to give me the look of concern but really he only understood I was frustrated about something to do with my clothes so he opened it. All I can say is WOW! I am not a good enough writer to explain the feeling, the smell, nor the excitement I had. The inside is amazing it has a box you lift out where "they" put jewelry, hats or purses but really who knows. The boxed is lined with a thin shelf paper or maybe wall paper that is blue checked. The smell was musty, salty sort of smell. BUT CLEAN!!

After I asked if I could use the trunk as long as he was able to keep it as his nightstand I had to figure out how without the items smelling like a very old steamer trunk. At Costco I found "space saving bags". You fill them full then you use your vacuum to take out all the air, this process keeps them air tight until you open the zip lock, and they are reusable. That's it, I know this will work! I was able to put all my summer stuff in this trunk plus some summer purses. I was so happy and yes Glenn got back his full closet, when I opened it today he is still using only one half like he has done for years. Change can be so difficult for him, but I know he can do it. Just move your pants to the other side Honey it will be OK, I promise:):) But you better hurry before I use the space!

Now take a look at the amazing trunk we have moved around our house completely empty and locked for all these years.

Thank you to which ever Grandparent this came from and we will take good care of it just like you did in your day.

Patio Curtains

2009-10-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

Funky tree decoration from the Redmond Antique coop.

We are in the process of turning our patio into an outdoor living area, to be used not only in the the summer but winter as well. I was at the point where I needed to start thinking about outdoor drapes, so I set myself up with a budget and away I went shopping online and going to the local stores everything I came up with was like double+ what my budget was. I didn't want to get to discouraged right in the beginning of this quest. So I went on-line and typed in frugal outdoor drapes. Here is what popped up; (on a side note I will post the sites at the end of this post) A person who has a blog that explains how to make drapes out of medical bedsheets you order on-line from a medical supply house in qty's of a dozen. DONE! So they only come in white I wanted a tan/earthy color her suggestion was to dye them with Tea, IN THE PROCESS!

Fabric in tea dye, with a plate in the middle used as a weight.

I asked Glenn to put up the hardware for me this past weekend so it would be up when I started sewing the panels, DONE! Thanks Glenn I really like how it looks, your the best!!

Glenn helping me with the "hardware stuff".

I am on day 4 of dyeing the curtain panel's, looking on the "net" it states to leave the cloth in the tea mixture for 12 hours I am leaving it in there for 24 hours with that I am getting a very faint tan color, perfect for what I am wanting. The sheets are not a thick as I would like but I am OK with that I will have to figure out how to put weights on the bottom to hold them from blowing in the wind, and such. I guess I will try the fabric store for weights to see what they have.

It is now a week later and I am done with all the tea dyeing. I am going to the store tomorrow to purchase fishing weights, to sew on the bottoms of the drapes to keep them from blowing in the wind. Well the fishing weights work OK but I needed to add more panels so they fell closer together so back to tea dyeing 6 more sheets. When I am finished I will have used the entire dozen but it will look so pretty hanging in the winter air.

All done with the sewing I used 1 and 1/2 spools of thread, I couldn't believe it. But 90" adds up when you times it by 12 sheets right. I am so pleased with the final result of my outdoor drapes, take a look. What do you think.

Well now that I have that done I need to start thanking about what I am going to do with the lighting and the walls. I will let you know when I start on those projects but for now I will enjoy the curtains with the patio heater on high and the music of Chicago or maybe Santana playing in the background.

Grandpa and Lucy enjoying the outdoors before dinner

View from inside the house

Corner where the curtain meet.

I can't wait to see what we do for the lighting and such.

Web site I got my inspiration from;

http://frugalluxuries.blogspot.com/

Great way to end the Summer of 2009

2009-10-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

I can't think of a better way to end the summer months of 2009 then by spending the weekend with our Family. Our house was full of love ones and their dogs, the whole dynamics brought the house to life in a different way then the normal life our household shares together. This was the last summer weekend of the season, it seems like winter hit us right when the last car drove out of the driveway taking our family back to their own homes.

I was please how everyone seem to enjoy the backyard. Glenn and I have worked very hard on our yard this summer and we still call it a work in progress, (that keeps us from going crazy about what we still want to do to complete our vision). Providing we don't change directions which we have been known to do:).

Casey & Holly, Nighttime, Kadie & Mom

Juniper Berry, Casey Holly & Lucy, Grandma Marie & Bonnie

With life, work and family I know it is hard to get everyone together at once, and I really appreciate how everyone that came was able to take time out of their own very busy lives to enjoy each other once again. Those of you that were not here let me be the 1st to tell you, You were missed!!!

Debbie and Andrew

Amanda & Monica

Thank you for being a part of Glenn & Betty's life because of you all, our life is complete!!!

Photo's are courtesy of Glenn, Holly and Myself hope you enjoy them, I can tell you I did.

Year for Change

2009-10-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

fall is the time of year for change

change in color's of the great outdoors

change in the trees by shedding their clothes

the gardens stop all production until next year

fall is the time of year for the soothing smell of the wood stove

say hello to crisp winter nights

Freezing Garden Vegetables to enjoy later!

2009-09-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

THE END OF SUMMER!

The last of the green bean's, we have been eating on them most of the summer. I have found if you saute' them instead of steaming or boiling they don't seem so "squeaky" when you eat them. Thanks for the tip Sis!

Also the last of our corn this year has been the best crop we have had here in Central Oregon. When it comes to fresh corn there is really no other way to eat it but cooked on the cob.

Prepping for the blanching process, 7 minutes in boiling water and then 7 minutes in an ice bath. Package and off to the freezer to enjoy in the winter months to come. I amused myself while working in the kitchen with the summer veges by watching the movie Wall-E on my laptop. I just love a movie where robots fall in love!

Dad, Son and Microbrew in a can! part II

2009-09-21T07:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I posted about how my Husband Glenn "has to" climb Broken Top in the Cascades. Every year when he makes it to the top he either calls me or sends me a photo of him from the top. This year was no different, except the photo he sent me this year really shows the elevation he is sitting at when he reaches the top. Notice the lake in the bottom left hand side of the page it looks like a mud puddle not a lake.

Each year when you make it again to the top, I am very happy for you. I know this is a big deal for you to accomplish this task. If I know you there will be many years to come to view this photo of you FROM THE TOP!

Betty's summer Sun Flowers!

2009-09-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

OK here it is the yearly "sun flower" post, I have been planting these flowers for 5 years now and every year I am amazed at their presence, beauty, and demand for attention from all things surrounding them. Or should I say; in all things they surround. The photo on left is looking across the canal into our back yard. I am a little jealous of the view the neighbors get across the canal, so I have been known to take a short hike and go stand on the edge of their back yards to enjoy the view of my sun flowers. As I did here!

These 3 photos are from the wild flower mix that we broad casted in the flower garden. It is fun to watch the multiple heads on one stem and the way the move in the sky.

This is the owl I have in the corn rows to scare the birds away and also for June to bark at when it moves in the wind.

Mr. Owl is pictured here leading a choir of sunflowers in the morning symphony of "the dancing flowers".

This is the biggest composite I have this year it measures 1 foot in diameter. Needles to say it is almost hanging to the ground it is so heavy.

When you read about sunflowers it states that they only follow the sun during the time they are buds and when the flower opens up it faces east to protect itself from all weather elements like sun, rain, frost, wind. Interesting!

Sun Buddies!
We leave the flowers standing all winter for the birds to eat on, come spring when we pull them up you can look on the ground at the foot of their roots and see many empty sunflower shells laying all over the ground. I say to myself in another month or two I will be starting over again with a whole new patch of Sunflowers, yippee!

This is the tallest sunflower this year, I haven't measured it but it is above the roof line of the house, impressive!

Being able to enjoy all types of sunflowers I have in my yard is thanks to; the American Indians who domesticated various varieties of the sunflower.

Smile you never know when a sunflower is watching you!

Dad and Son and Micro Brew in a can!

2009-09-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

Glenn sent me this photo this evening via his blackberry. He is hiking the mountain range in the background with his son Micah. Two things about this is funny to me, one he took his blackberry with him and he has cell reception; two Glenn found micro brew in a can. Supposedly it is lighter to pack in then bottles, OK!

I hope they have fun and the weather cooperates for them the entire weekend. If only you knew how much my Husband loves this area of the Cascades and he is always so excited when he can accomplish that climb just one more time.

Have fun and see you on Sunday.

Sleep well, Betty

September 2009 Summer Vacation

2009-09-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

Spending day after day in the wilderness is amazing! I tried to pack my back pack as light weight as I can but that is something I just can't seem to achieve. Maybe it's the hard bound book I wanted to take or the one to many shoes that I think I needed to have during the week. Well just take a look for yourself, it really isn't a lot when you think about what you need on a daily basis to survive. Read on and you will see what it takes to be able to eat, sleep and play in the mountains.

I-pod in the dirt

The 1st night we spent the evening somewhere in the Cascade wilderness around the base of Broken Top. Into the warm night we enjoyed the sounds of my IPod and our favorite beer. I wanted to wear my camping coat even though it was eerie warm because of the furry hood attached which makes me feel pretty:):) So I did!

The next day we took a hike into "the tarn", needless to say within feet of our destination I tried to turn around or quite, I was so scared to go on any farther, why because of the small rocks sliding under my feet and the last part of the hike was far to steep for me. I have this fear of falling and hurting my back it seems really stupid to me but that's how it is. Glenn coached me across the stream and guided me the rest of the way up by walking partly in the ice cold water. All I have to say is, I DID IT! Thanks Glenn for your patience and guidance with those last few steps into paradise. Enjoy the photo's as much as I enjoyed the hike.

Let me backtrack into the morning, the weather was perfect not to hot or cold at least until about 1pm. But right at the heat of the day we ran into a snow cave, going inside the cave was like walking into air conditioning, the rest of the hike was one of those times where your mind gets clear of all possible blockage, does that make any sense to you? It does me, because I experienced it first hand.

The next chapter of our trip was spent at a lake that Glenn likes to think is his own private lake, so that is what we will refer to it as.

I guess I can do that because every time I go there it is like it is reserved just for us, there is nobody around but us, I will assume that is because you have to walk into it and there isn't any postings on the road that it exists at all. We hiked in a boat to float on the lake with and our favorite chairs to set in the lake with, and that is pretty much what we did. The lake beach was perfect only tiny footprints of something we didn't identify at the time and a few ducks and 1 crane.

I can actually say this trip was long over due and one of the best camping trips ever. For some reason (that I can't figure out yet), Those few days have really stayed with me in my memories of the best times ever. I am sad the camping season is almost over for this year but I look forward to this trip in the years to come as I am sure that Glenn is too. Boy did I have FUN!

Summertime, Summertime!

2009-09-06T11:18:00.001-07:00

Central Oregon gardens can be tricky, you pick and choose your seeds very carefully or you will be disappointed.

Deer resistant wild flowers just love this time of year.

Oh my goodness the summer time goes by so quickly, wouldn't you agree? Glenn and I have worked really hard this year on our backyard. It is just amazing to me what happens when you add water, I have found a talent in my Husband that I didn't realize when I married him. This hidden talent of making natural landscape come alive with automatic watering. If I need to get water to an area I just let Glenn know and poof there is water. You can't see hoses or anything it is all under ground. Let me tell you I am so going to use this to my advantage. Keep up the good work my Dear, I am just loving the outcome of your hidden talent.

Bread and Butter Pickles

2009-08-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

This time of the year is so fun because it is time to make "bread & butter" pickles. They are great in salads, tuna sandwiches, burgers well really almost anything. The process you follow is really easy and pretty fun to do. You cut up the small cucumbers and layer the cut slices with Ice and walla walla sweet onions then let them sit over night.

Cooking the brine bring to a rolling boil and then strain through a cheesecloth, this is the juice that goes into the jar with the cucumbers.

Cucumbers are ready for the final stage before becoming pickles.

If you are ever at our home ask to have some bread and butter pickles with your burger you won't be disappointed. Have a great summer.
Where you can find the recipe; Better Homes and Gardens magazine, August 2009, Classic Bread and Butter Pickles or on their website.

The Weekend!

2009-08-09T08:13:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it is not what is seems!

Let me explain, Glenn went camping this weekend, Monica is at her Mom's and I am working. I was looking forward to having the house to myself. Don't get me wrong I love my family but every now and then you like to do stuff that you like when you like and not have to worry about the other person. This probably isn't coming out right but if you are they type of person that is busy all the time and has allot going on you will understand.

So I come home from work after a weird day in retail, more management issues then I like on a Saturday but that is what keeps you focused, right? The house is empty I look forward to pineapple salsa and chips
and the movie Twilight. The pineapple salsa was OK I guess so then I find out that Monica took the Twilight movie with her:( so I watch something stupid on TV and decided to do some stuff that I really only wanted to do when nobody was around. LIKE;

*use this eye patch stuff I got from the DHC website, I like their products, all from Japan and only scent if any is from plants and herbs.

Then I alphabetized our CD collection, that was fun I had a laugh about the tallest stack. If you know us you can only guess what letter had the most, yes "S".

Then on to down loading Glenn's itunes gift cards, he told me I could put some songs on my IPod. But I couldn't think make up my mind!.

As you can see from June's yawn she is also getting bored with our projects so I decided to go out side and take some photo's of the wild poppies that are coming up in the flower patch.

I just love the poppy with the white on the edges on the petals, Poppies are fun in the garden the plant itself is really weird looking and in a few days there is this beautiful flowers, More Poppies that is the entry in my garden journal for next year.

So as you can see, being alone in the house isn't all that it is made out to be. Glenn will be here tonight when I return from work, I just can't wait to see him. Then we can do the silly stuff around the house together, like enjoy each others company!

Class Of 1979 Warden, Washington

2009-08-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

Summer Camping

2009-08-04T07:21:00.001-07:00

A summer camping trip can be one of the most memorable times of the season. I have put off blogging about this trip because I wanted to be able to post in a way that showed my appreciation for the time we get to spend in the wilderness, the forest, at the lake but most of all setting up camp in the mountains for such a small snap shot in time.

I really enjoy the wild flowers as Debbie takes a look at the Indian Paint Brush.

Cedric's 1st trip to Walton Lake.

I am able to get the summer tan, I have waited all winter for. The girls enjoying the night life.

Paul trying to "dance" with his bottle of beer while the girls coach him or maybe they are laughing at him!

The wild flowers are incredible in the mountains.

"Sweet Lisa" staying warm on a cool night.

Hot Fire!

I don't know why some photos are taken or by who, I bet if I was to guess Glenn took this one. I think it is so cute, this must be a camp guest aka Glenn's shot glass.

While Monica was enjoying a jeep ride with her Dad
they came across this wild yellow Daisy flower patch.

It was hot some days, that is really all I have to say for this Father and Son combo!

Micah's birthday, presents all around! Happy Birthday Micah!

A group going out to "target practice", I think.

Lucy even came one night to enjoy her 1st marshmallows. What a cute camper she is.

I really enjoy Amanda and Lucy's company. Thanks for coming to our camp site.

One summer night the music starts...

The great Camp Fire!

Our home in the mountains, looks small but really quite roomy.

Monica and Emily keep themselves busy doing this type of stuff.

Andrew challenges his Dad to a game of Chess, I think the game ended suddenly due to a foot knocking over the table. Andrew wasn't very happy with his Dad..

One can enjoy the sun and the surroundings ALL DAY LONG!

Micah and Jenn cool off while boating at Walton Lake.

Our Tent!

Two Brothers!

Another night of entrainment singing and dancing. I hear it soothes the soul and I believe that!

OK??? I just love these two guys!

The girls talked me into taking them on a Jeep ride to the top.

The stream

Beauty is all around us.

For years to come I will always remember the summer camping trips. These post only gives you a small sample of our time we spend in the mountains. Special thanks to all who came and enjoy this time, with me. Hey you want to do it again!?!

Happy 8th Anniversary to US!

2009-07-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Torch

FIRE & Water

Our choice of drinks and music

Spending the evening outside in our back yard together!

Enjoying each others company down town Redmond!

My Bouquet of Roses!

After a busy weekend traveling to Warden, Wa., my home town, for my 30th year class reunion, we were surprised to see our wedding anniversary was here. Glenn and I both wanted the day to be special even though we were tired from our travels not to mention this heat that is hard to get use to. I would have to say "we did it"!

The night was beautiful dinner and drinks at a very fun place in downtown Redmond, then back to the house to admire my Rose Bouquet and enjoy each others company sitting outside letting the sprinkler mist by us while we watch the evening turn into night. Can't wait for this weekend should be fun, blog to follow;

So I am having a problem with my photos. I will try to get this under control here real soon until then please excuse the messy post.

Mid July 2009 Gardening .Notes!

2009-07-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

After getting our garden in 2 weeks late I have harvested the 1st of many red potato's. My Mother explained to me that you take a shovel and dig deep under the plant and pull out the potato's and leave the plant in place to produce more, you can have fresh potato's through out the entire summer. How cute are these:) This amount of potato's are from under 2 plants I planted 9 potato starter seed things.

About 2 hours later they were transformed into Betty's Garden Salad. I really don't have a recipe it was what ever I had available at the time. Boy was it good!

Notes:

*Plant more rows of potato's farther apart, no animal has be interested in eating the plant itself. Try white, yellow ones next year.

*Cover bean's and pea's as soon as they are planted, if the deer don't eat the baby plants, June gets to them when the plants are about 4" tall.

* Don't plant carrots again, don't even try, I can't get them to grow in our garden.

* Add Grandpa Jason's watering sprinkler about 2 weeks after planting seeds. Leave on 30 minutes twice a day increasing up to 1 hour in mid July. In addition to the underground sprinklers.

To be cont...

When you are from a small town!

2009-07-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

cheese curds from warden washington!
Casey was snacking on these at his work when he noticed that they are made in Warden Washington, the small town where his Grandma Marie lives, the farm we got married at. His Mom's side of the family is from there, and it is very small. I love Warden, I have had such a great time there when I have gone with Casey. You can't even find much about Warden on the internet! So we were pleasantly surprised when we found out about these.

wrote by: Holly Rausch via flickr

While I was enjoying my Daughter-in-law's photos on Flickr, I came upon this post she did. How funny is this, well probably not to you unless you are from a small town. Casey use to spend most summers at his Grandparents Farm. I know for a fact there were times he didn't like it but today I bet he has very fond memories of the times he rode on the tractor with Grandpa, or drove the truck in the corral to feed the cattle, watching cartoons with Grandma on the 1 of 3 TV stations they got on their TV. What a great find you came upon. Have a good day to all that read this silly blog of mine:)

What one chooses to do!

2009-07-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

Glenn's son Andrew has a friend named Joe from Portland that has chose to go on an adventure of a life time. I am very excited about what he is doing right now because not just anyone can do this from start to finish.

Joe started the Pacific Coast Trail trek this year, WOW. Right now Joe has completed over 1000 miles , from his blog he seems very driven to finish and why wouldn't he be. I encourage you to take some time out of your busy day and read his blog because he is doing something different then the average person with a very big GOAL in his future.

http://sheeppct2009.blogspot.com/ , check it out, it will be good for you.

Joe, I don't know you, but reading your blog has been a pleasure. This trip will change your life forever! Take care my friend and Happy Hiking!!

Ochoco's Wild Horse's part II

2009-06-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

Last time Glenn took a drive up to the Ochoco's take a look at what he saw.

Yes spring time has been there, wild colts born and learning to live in on their own in the wild. This moment in time is a bitter, sweet snap shot since the outcome of these animals survival rate is questionable.

But what a sight to sit back and watch, I hope we get to see them in a few weeks when we are camping in this mountain range. I really don't understand my fascination with wild horses, maybe it is the freedom they have for a short period of time, I don't know but I like them. Side note: you can hardly see the 4 colts in the photo's but they are there if you look real close. Cute!