Sharing our State Fair....

Our state fair concluded Monday for another year. We were there until nearly the closing bell, attending the last concert (Weird Al) and then walking through for a final look.  I do so enjoy experiencing it (five different times this year!), and several of you have commented over the years that you, too, enjoy it vicariously through my photos. Unfortunately, my devices are refusing to communicate again, so sharing photos will have to wait until they get over their current snit. (The on again off again nature of their spats reinforces a favorite line of mine from Madeline L'Engle: "The animosity of inanimate objects.")

We had a lovely stretch of cool, wet weather that shouted "FALL!" It has warmed up again, but the quality of light has changed, the air feels different, my mare is shedding her summer hair, and the woolly bear caterpillars have appeared; my favorite season is here. 😃 I'm done with prunes and now need to focus on apples, while continuing to harvest and cook what little our garden is still producing.

Oh, and Hawaii, here we come!!!

That's it until I can download photos, from . . .

Summertime, and the eating is easy

Oh, I do love breaking out my favorite zucchini and other garden produce recipes, like Potato Zucchini Bake, tabbouli, pasta salad, chocolate zucchini muffins, zucchini chocolate orange cake, caramelized onion pasta, raw beet salad, Scarpaccia, Greek Salad, black bean zucchini burgers, zucchini brownies, etc., etc. I need to pick and use parsley – I sense another big batch of tabbouli – and basil – pesto, obviously. 😋 Yep, it's summertime, and the eating (well, at least the menu planning) is easy. On top of that, the prunes are ripening; every morning I pick a couple handfuls for Rick's lunch and my breakfast but very soon I'll need to 'pick a peck of prunes' and load our big hydrator a few times. After that it will be time to start on applesauce....

Last night's lunar eclipse was fun; it started while I was in Costco visiting with my cousin after shopping and continued well past the time I got home and could stand out on our deck enjoying it.

The Oregon State Fair officially opened today, but Rick's duties as fair veterinarian started yesterday. Twelve days of getting up early and getting home late take much of the joy out of it for him, but I am looking forward to my visits. You know I'll take photos to share. But in the meantime, here are some recent photos from around the 'farm:'

'tis the season; the Western Gray squirrels are busy putting up hazelnuts and walnuts

Bernadette and her flashy daughter Broadway

Broadway 'playing dead,' with Bernice, one of her twin daughters, looking on

a pretty start here the same day of the horrific flash flooding in Nepal/Tibet😢

The next couple months are starting to develop a travel theme. The last time I visited my mom was last September near her birthday, and I am feeling the need to visit her again soon. I'd get to see my sister and her family plus my friends in the Lincoln, NE area, too, adding to the draw. Next, a dear friend of mine who lives in Kauai has long urged me/us to visit. I was hoping we could make that happen back in June for our 42nd wedding anniversary, but there was hemming and hawing at this end (Rick seemed inclined to take our adult son along), then our friends put their house on the market, and I thought our window of opportunity to use their ahana unit had closed. Turns out we might yet be able to make that happen! It would be the first true vacation (with no continuing education or family obligations attached) Rick and I will have taken since our honeymoon, and the thought makes me a bit breathless. Then, at the end of October an Israeli acquaintance is traveling here to see the sights and attend the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. The weather has usually turned at least somewhat wet by then but we are going to get in some hikes through Oregon's natural beauty regardless; I am looking forward to the cross-cultural experience. Goodness, after that we'll be well into the lead-up to the holiday season!

Speaking of a fiber festival, I continue to play with fiber here. I liked the yarns I shared in my last post so much that I flick-carded some washed colored merino locks someone gave me so I could ply it with my remaining blue silk singles:

That's it for now from . . .

Full September

volunteer 'sunshine' in our garden

When the State Fair ended and our schedules returned to 'normal,' I felt a little giddy, like a big load had lifted. Yeah; that was short-lived. Garden harvest and fruit preservation season waits for no one, and with my upcoming trip to NE taking a considerable bite out of the month, I can't afford to dawdle. I finally procured a lug of so-so peaches, and have been picking our prunes to freeze and dehydrate. Since these won't wait, making applesauce will have to. I'll lose most of the apples on our first-to-ripen tree, but should have plenty to sauce from the others once the stone fruit is put up and I'm back from my trip. The limiting factor? My ability to stand for extended periods. Nothing 'cripples' me like standing; my knees stiffen and my sciatica screams. So I adapt my work to sitting at the table when possible, and take icing breaks when it's not. (This is also why I'm so behind on skirting fleeces.)

I've been helping a little with the firewood, but Rick has been doing the lion's share. Last night he got a bunch of the split hardwood moved into the new woodshed. The woodpile has been Poppy's obsession for days, as well as some cabinets in the shop. Apparently varmints are afoot, and we have to physically drag her inside to get her to stop her fruitless hunts. (Then she moves from window to window, bark-screaming when she sees a Western Gray Squirrel scurrying around preparing for winter.) The obsession seems to have affected her ability to focus in agility class, so I'm limiting her freedom on class days.

before any of the wood had been moved inside

AHA! A California Ground Squirrel scurried out when I approached to take this photo.

Yesterday morning Bitsy was unusually cuddly; it was loverly. 😍 Some of the sheep need bigger coats and I should go through the flock to check feet for needed trims. Just add it to the list....

That's it for now from . . .

Fair September

The first day of September was the last day of the Oregon State Fair. I drove down Thursday, August 28, but when I arrived Rick was in the middle of treating a horse who had gotten loose, slipped and fallen on the pavement, so the majority of my time there was assisting him with vet work. Afterwards we dashed over to catch the end of the Battle Between the Breeds competition, got falafel and salad for supper, walked through my favorite building, and just started taking in the photography exhibition when that building closed. I hoped to go back to the Fair one more time, but it didn't work out. So the following are my last photos from this year's Fair.

The Battle Between the Breeds competition. I was too overcommitted to volunteer.

The Morgan team, which won the class. Stella would have been black horse #3!

The Mustang team, some of whom are my riding buddies. The person at left works for Rick.

We sat and watched this entertaining mix of skills while we ate.

And on to my favorite building! Entries were down this year.

Loved this representation of how many people each farmer feeds, and the quilts in the background.

Artistic, all-edible cake decorating

"The Beat Goes On" marching band, always a favorite feature.

With September has come a shift in the weather. Not every day is relentlessly sunny and hot now; summer is faltering and fall is summoning change. That makes September fair as well! Yes, the days are getting shorter – and I am running out of time to find and freeze some peaches. I also need to continue making applesauce and start dehydrating our prunes. Our older tree lost two big branches this year due to heavy fruiting. We're working on firewood; Brian has cut and brought home two loads, and Rick has been dropping dead firs in our lower pasture. It's hard work putting up our abundant blessings for winter, but it is also satisfying.

The first load on the ground and split; the second load was removed and split Monday.

This morning's sunrise shining through the gaps from removing dead firs.

Chuckie says, "Take time to pet the barn cat."

My sister texted me the following photo and daycare note, perhaps from among the things the neighbors found and sent after my mom moved. There are more photos she wants me to help sort through when I visit and more daycare notes; what 'treasures' await? 😉

I was not a comely child!

Hilarious last sentence! Mom thinks I was not yet 2 1/2 at this time.

That's it for now from . . .