I have been wanting to get back to Bed, Bath and Beyond for a while, but darn! they are no longer carrying the refills for the Method foaming hand wash that I like so much. But, I did find a rug for the front of the RV and a smaller one for in front of my new chair. I also picked up a few smaller items including a pair of zippered control socks for Forry.
Needing groceries, we went to the Safeway store in Cheney. By the time we finished, I had had it. I thought we could get some Chinese food for dinner, but both places in Cheney were closed. There are a lot more empty buildings in town then there were when we were here last year. We ended up over at the Iron Skillet by Petro. I had my usual spaghetti while Forry ate a chicken fried steak.
We met Chris, one of our Menno family, at the restaurant and had a short visit before we headed home. Time to haul in the groceries and put them all away. My very most favorite task, NOT!
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Rainy Morning
Joy was having to look for my rain jacket before we left for Menno for church. It had begun to rain just before we left - the first swipes of the windshield wipers were muddy, then dirty water. The sidewalk going into church had drifts of dirt from yesterday's dust storms.
From what I could glean from Facebook posts, it rained some pretty much all across the state. I think the fire areas may have gotten enough to slow the massive growth of the fires somewhat and at least give the fire fighters a bit of a break.
We took a detour by the ranch after church to check on the wheat that Jeff had sown last week. We could see green in all of the outside rows, but not too far into the field. It didn't look like it had rained enough there to form a crust, so we will just have to wait and see.
We saw the film clip from MSNBC in church this morning showing Rev. Al Sharpton's interview with Pastor Duplessis of Mt Nebo Bible Baptist Church in the 9th Ward of New Orleans that Menno has partnered with over the last years. The quilt wall hanging by the Menno ladies is seen a couple of times and he mentions the support of Menno Mennonite Church (but doesn't say where it is).
I got a chuckle when I reminded folks how ten years ago I had told them they needed to get a tetanus booster before they went to New Orleans to work with Mennonite Disaster Service and that now they needed to get their ten year booster. All of the talk of it being ten years since Katrina sure brings back memories of our work with MDS. Gene talked this morning also of last week's dedication of the two houses built in Brewster this summer after last year's fires. MDS is still working on several more in the area.
We went for lunch in Ritzville with Colleen and Dennis and Earl and had a good visit. Afterwards we stopped by their house to take a look at a wonderful batch of teapots, coffee pots, sugars, etc. that they had recently bought from a retiring antique dealer. Dennis will be giving them a second chance at life by making them into wind chimes. Their jewelry is fun and gorgeous, but until you see Dennis's work area, it's hard to see how much work goes into the transformation.
From what I could glean from Facebook posts, it rained some pretty much all across the state. I think the fire areas may have gotten enough to slow the massive growth of the fires somewhat and at least give the fire fighters a bit of a break.
We took a detour by the ranch after church to check on the wheat that Jeff had sown last week. We could see green in all of the outside rows, but not too far into the field. It didn't look like it had rained enough there to form a crust, so we will just have to wait and see.
We saw the film clip from MSNBC in church this morning showing Rev. Al Sharpton's interview with Pastor Duplessis of Mt Nebo Bible Baptist Church in the 9th Ward of New Orleans that Menno has partnered with over the last years. The quilt wall hanging by the Menno ladies is seen a couple of times and he mentions the support of Menno Mennonite Church (but doesn't say where it is).
I got a chuckle when I reminded folks how ten years ago I had told them they needed to get a tetanus booster before they went to New Orleans to work with Mennonite Disaster Service and that now they needed to get their ten year booster. All of the talk of it being ten years since Katrina sure brings back memories of our work with MDS. Gene talked this morning also of last week's dedication of the two houses built in Brewster this summer after last year's fires. MDS is still working on several more in the area.
We went for lunch in Ritzville with Colleen and Dennis and Earl and had a good visit. Afterwards we stopped by their house to take a look at a wonderful batch of teapots, coffee pots, sugars, etc. that they had recently bought from a retiring antique dealer. Dennis will be giving them a second chance at life by making them into wind chimes. Their jewelry is fun and gorgeous, but until you see Dennis's work area, it's hard to see how much work goes into the transformation.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Another Busy Day
Tonight I fixed my dear departed Mother-in-law Martha's favorite harvest supper. I had found a nice piece of ham (about a quarter) when we were at Costco today. I fried up a potato, sliced several slices of ham which I also fried and sliced some tomatoes. Since we always fixed the heaviest meal for noon, suppers tended to be a little lighter and this was always her go-to meal. Of course, there would also have been bread or rolls and butter and a dessert of some kind.
It might be cake, or ice cream, or a cobbler, but never pie. Pie was for the noon meal. Bless her heart, she could make pies for thirty plus days of harvest, and never make the same kind twice! She'd make two or three pies, depending on how large a crew we had, every day. Even after she and Dad Hardt retired and I took over the cooking, she'd bake pies for us. She said it was her payment for the two of them eating with the harvest crew.
I always looked forward to harvest - just as much as I wanted it to be over by the second or third week. I saved up recipe ideas all year to try during harvest. If something wasn't real successful, oh well, it gotten eaten up anyway, usually without any leftovers,
We sure had all kinds of weather today. The prediction was for strong winds and there were NOAA weather warning of dust storms and fire danger. There was indeed a great deal of dust in the air when we went to Costco. At times, visibility was less than a quarter of a mile. It's a good thing the car wash that I had on my To Do list for this week didn't happen. In the midst of all the dust, we got enough rain drops to really make a mess. This evening the wind is quiet, the skies are blue and we are not smelling smoke.
It might be cake, or ice cream, or a cobbler, but never pie. Pie was for the noon meal. Bless her heart, she could make pies for thirty plus days of harvest, and never make the same kind twice! She'd make two or three pies, depending on how large a crew we had, every day. Even after she and Dad Hardt retired and I took over the cooking, she'd bake pies for us. She said it was her payment for the two of them eating with the harvest crew.
I always looked forward to harvest - just as much as I wanted it to be over by the second or third week. I saved up recipe ideas all year to try during harvest. If something wasn't real successful, oh well, it gotten eaten up anyway, usually without any leftovers,
We sure had all kinds of weather today. The prediction was for strong winds and there were NOAA weather warning of dust storms and fire danger. There was indeed a great deal of dust in the air when we went to Costco. At times, visibility was less than a quarter of a mile. It's a good thing the car wash that I had on my To Do list for this week didn't happen. In the midst of all the dust, we got enough rain drops to really make a mess. This evening the wind is quiet, the skies are blue and we are not smelling smoke.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Busy, Busy Day
We actually got a smidgen of rain today. It was overcast and felt like rain when we got up this morning. I think I could have counted the raindrops that actually fell. Such a disappointment for an area that desperately needs rain. The wild fires flared up again today with high winds mid-state.
We made a quick trip over to the storage unit to get our chairs and the dryer racks so that I could have a place to hang laundry. I took the time to do a "cleansing" cycle of my Splendide washer/dryer that I had read about on a couple of Facebook posts. It actually worked! It has not dried so well in a long time!
I stripped the bed (still have to put on the clean sheets). I made a pot of chili for supper. I don't know what else I did, but I was busy all day. Oh, and best of all, Forry took his shower without any help today! He may recover fully from his back surgery yet.
We made a quick trip over to the storage unit to get our chairs and the dryer racks so that I could have a place to hang laundry. I took the time to do a "cleansing" cycle of my Splendide washer/dryer that I had read about on a couple of Facebook posts. It actually worked! It has not dried so well in a long time!
I stripped the bed (still have to put on the clean sheets). I made a pot of chili for supper. I don't know what else I did, but I was busy all day. Oh, and best of all, Forry took his shower without any help today! He may recover fully from his back surgery yet.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Once Again, On the Road
Our week at Cascade Park was up, so today we moved on to Spokane. We will be staying at Ponderosa Falls as it is part of our K/M membership where we can stay without additional charge for two weeks.
We've done a good job of stream lining things without having the couch. It is much easier to get organized and packed up to move these days - even with the new slide boards that we are using with the new flooring. It was only a bit after ten when we left the park.
As I was getting ready to back the car out so that we could hook up, I only saw one little girl at the RV across the way. So I hollered over at the lady,"where's the other one? Is she inside?." She looked sorta surprised, then told me she had gone with her Grandpa. Later, she came over and thanked me for looking out for her little girls. I didn't tell her that one of my biggest fears is hitting a child - they dart in and out of places so quickly!
It was an easy jaunt up I-90 to Ponderosa Falls near Exit 272. We've been here so many times it feels like coming home. However, it took a long time to get registered. There was a couple ahead of us that were evidently evacuees from the fires near Repubic. They were pretty uptight and stressed. They didn't like the site they had been given for their trailer, wanted a new one and wanted to stay longer then the two week limit. The staff was trying to be accommodating what with the Labor Day weekend coming up, but anything they said seemed to upset the poor lady more. They were still there after someone else came and got us taken care of. I don't know if they got everything resolved or not...
After I got us all set up and plugged in, the last thing I wanted to do was cook, so we made a quick run up to Gordy's on the South Hill. We split a wonderful beef and red sweet pepper stir fry that was one of their specials tonight.
We've done a good job of stream lining things without having the couch. It is much easier to get organized and packed up to move these days - even with the new slide boards that we are using with the new flooring. It was only a bit after ten when we left the park.
As I was getting ready to back the car out so that we could hook up, I only saw one little girl at the RV across the way. So I hollered over at the lady,"where's the other one? Is she inside?." She looked sorta surprised, then told me she had gone with her Grandpa. Later, she came over and thanked me for looking out for her little girls. I didn't tell her that one of my biggest fears is hitting a child - they dart in and out of places so quickly!
It was an easy jaunt up I-90 to Ponderosa Falls near Exit 272. We've been here so many times it feels like coming home. However, it took a long time to get registered. There was a couple ahead of us that were evidently evacuees from the fires near Repubic. They were pretty uptight and stressed. They didn't like the site they had been given for their trailer, wanted a new one and wanted to stay longer then the two week limit. The staff was trying to be accommodating what with the Labor Day weekend coming up, but anything they said seemed to upset the poor lady more. They were still there after someone else came and got us taken care of. I don't know if they got everything resolved or not...
After I got us all set up and plugged in, the last thing I wanted to do was cook, so we made a quick run up to Gordy's on the South Hill. We split a wonderful beef and red sweet pepper stir fry that was one of their specials tonight.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Family Time
It's been a good week here in Moses Lake with lots of family time. In a discussion with my Niece Becky either at the rehearsal or the wedding, we realized she had never seen the inside of our RV. So I invited her and David and the boys to come by. As we were talking Sister-in-law Cindy said she'd like to see the renovations as well. So Brother Pat suggested they should come down to the park this evening for a picnic - and they did!
Cindy brought fresh mozzarella cheese and basil to go with tomatoes and basaltic vinegar. I had smoked salmon dip and crackers. After touring the RV, we sat outside with our appetizers and visited and watched our Great-nephews play. Later Cindy heated up some au jus and we had roast beef sandwiches, green salad, cantaloupe and watermelon. Becky had brought along cones and ice cream that everyone enjoyed for dessert.
It was a very nice way to end our week's stay in Cascade Park. It's been a very good week!
Cindy brought fresh mozzarella cheese and basil to go with tomatoes and basaltic vinegar. I had smoked salmon dip and crackers. After touring the RV, we sat outside with our appetizers and visited and watched our Great-nephews play. Later Cindy heated up some au jus and we had roast beef sandwiches, green salad, cantaloupe and watermelon. Becky had brought along cones and ice cream that everyone enjoyed for dessert.
It was a very nice way to end our week's stay in Cascade Park. It's been a very good week!
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
BLTs!
We had an appointment at ten this morning with our accountant. We almost didn't make it. I was sitting in my nice new chair, drinking my coffee and reading the Spokane Spokesman Review on my iPad when I suddenly realized at was almost 9:30! Fortunately, Forry was already getting up when I went back to wake him and we made it into town on time.
When we were done with our meeting, we went over to Shari's for breakfast. I had the Senior breakfast of one egg, toast, bacon and hash browns which was good. However, Forry was very disappointed in his biscuits and gravy. I asked for an extra dish of gravy for him as the biscuits were barely covered - and he said they were hard as well.
This evening we went over to Pat and Cindy's and had wonderful BLTs with some of the heirloom tomatoes from Pat's garden. Lordy, they were good! They were so big and luscious that one slice covered the whole slice of bread! It was good to have a chance to sit and visit without the commotion of the wedding.
Pat reminds me in so many ways of our Dad. I came home with the same kind of goody bag of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers that I used to get at Dad's house.
When we were done with our meeting, we went over to Shari's for breakfast. I had the Senior breakfast of one egg, toast, bacon and hash browns which was good. However, Forry was very disappointed in his biscuits and gravy. I asked for an extra dish of gravy for him as the biscuits were barely covered - and he said they were hard as well.
This evening we went over to Pat and Cindy's and had wonderful BLTs with some of the heirloom tomatoes from Pat's garden. Lordy, they were good! They were so big and luscious that one slice covered the whole slice of bread! It was good to have a chance to sit and visit without the commotion of the wedding.
Pat reminds me in so many ways of our Dad. I came home with the same kind of goody bag of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers that I used to get at Dad's house.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Smokey, Hazy Day
It's funny, but the only nice clear lovely day this week was Saturday, the evening of my Niece Ashley's wedding. The days before and after have been hazy and smoke filled. Today was no different. As I look across the lake, the house and other buildings are indistinct in the haze.
We spent a quiet day today. Daughter Mary Mae was able to take care of some banking for us when she got the mail, so I was able to take care of some stuff on this end. I do love on-line check depositing - it greatly simplifies my life!
I went ahead and ordered some Simply Human bags for the three waste cans. I had them sent to General Delivery in Cheney. Hopefully they will arrive there about the same time we do.
I'd like to do some laundry, but it can wait until we leave as well as there are no sewer hook-ups here so we are conserving water. There is a dump station near the park exit.
We did get the new smoke detector put up that we got at Lowes the other day. It's not the Kidde brand that the previous one was. This one not only has an obnoxious sound, but also a verbal warning to get out.
We spent a quiet day today. Daughter Mary Mae was able to take care of some banking for us when she got the mail, so I was able to take care of some stuff on this end. I do love on-line check depositing - it greatly simplifies my life!
I went ahead and ordered some Simply Human bags for the three waste cans. I had them sent to General Delivery in Cheney. Hopefully they will arrive there about the same time we do.
I'd like to do some laundry, but it can wait until we leave as well as there are no sewer hook-ups here so we are conserving water. There is a dump station near the park exit.
We did get the new smoke detector put up that we got at Lowes the other day. It's not the Kidde brand that the previous one was. This one not only has an obnoxious sound, but also a verbal warning to get out.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
A NOT So Quiet Day
We thought about being ambitious and heading out to Menno for church this morning, but Forry didn't even wake up until 9:30 when we would have had to be leaving. But about ten o'clock I got a text inviting us to join Cle and his wife at Inca's for lunch. Later I got a text saying if we got there first we should get a table for 7-10.
We did so and ended up with a tableful. Fun! Elizabeth and Cle, Reed, Malinda and her son, Randy and Barb, Amber and even Vic in his fancy new wheel chair. So good to visit with everyone!
By the time everyone got fed, it was after one and everyone was ready to head home for naps. We didn't do much this afternoon. We watched a birthday party set up at the tables across the park. They had a huge castle bounce house and a gazillion balloons. They had some pretty good music this evening until the park ranger came along and reminded them of Quiet Time.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Ashley's Wedding Day
Today was the big day at Brother Pat's house. Sister-in-law Cindy and Pat and family have been working on the year all summer and it looked like a fairy-land tonight.
Just a few of the wedding snapshots. Here's Kyle waiting for his bride -
One of the lovely bridesmaids was my nephew Jared's wife Becky -
Nephew Nick ended up carrying the Ringbearer Great-Nephew Jackson down the aisle -
The Matron of Honor, my Niece Becky pulled Great-niece Peyton in her wagon -
Great-niece Payton's chariot -
Great-niece Ellie was one of the flower girls -
Jackson waited with the guys -
For my Niece Ashley to come down the aisle with Brother Pat -
The officiant was Kyle's Step-father -
Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Spies!
It was a lovely evening. Last night's wind and smoke was gone. We had barbecued beef and chicken, salads and fresh fruit along with baked potatoes. We had a chance to sit with my Sisters Dena and Roxy and their spouses Ron and Rich. The tea lights on the tables sparkled as the sun set. You couldn't have asked for a nicer evening for a celebration!
Just a few of the wedding snapshots. Here's Kyle waiting for his bride -
One of the lovely bridesmaids was my nephew Jared's wife Becky -
Nephew Nick ended up carrying the Ringbearer Great-Nephew Jackson down the aisle -
The Matron of Honor, my Niece Becky pulled Great-niece Peyton in her wagon -
Great-niece Payton's chariot -
Great-niece Ellie was one of the flower girls -
Jackson waited with the guys -
For my Niece Ashley to come down the aisle with Brother Pat -
The officiant was Kyle's Step-father -
Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Spies!
It was a lovely evening. Last night's wind and smoke was gone. We had barbecued beef and chicken, salads and fresh fruit along with baked potatoes. We had a chance to sit with my Sisters Dena and Roxy and their spouses Ron and Rich. The tea lights on the tables sparkled as the sun set. You couldn't have asked for a nicer evening for a celebration!
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