Warm Wishes to Marmite Toasty

You can never have too many red geraniums. I wanted to send warm wishes to my blog friend Marmite Toasty across the pond. I just didn't have the white picket fence Marmite! If you haven't visited her Twaddle of Everyday Rubbish go here and read about nippers, her lads, and Janet, and neighborhood tales. It is bloody brill I tell you.

Monday, Monday: GPS, DISH, and Loading Up the Logs

We have had an ongoing problem that has involved our satellite dish for a few weeks. Fortunately it only effected local channels on one TV. When the first very nice technician came the power had just gone off. He did what he could, but it was fruitless if his adjusting did anything, because we couldn't turn the T.V. on. It took until today for another technician to be scheduled.
Early this morning I got a call from a polite sounding man about the repair trip.
"Your house does not show up on my GPS tracker. Are you sure that is your house address?"
I explained about rural addresses. He then inquired, "How far is it from Post Falls, Idaho to Kettle Falls, Washington?"
I explained about two and a half hours, then he filled me in that he was flown in from California to do work in my area. He was given a GPS tracker and hoped he could find the way. I asked if he had a map, but he assured me that he had GPS.
I suggested he call if he got lost. I also tried to explain that I really didn't live in the Kettle Falls, but across Lake Roosevelt, in a different county, and up a state highway, and through some county roads that weren't very well marked.
About two and a half hours went by and I got another call from the technician. He was concerned because the GPS showed that the wildlife refuge road was closed. I once again gave him directions to get him closer. I gathered up the animals and watched the driveway for him to arrive. He called three more times. He had missed our road and ended up taking a beautiful scenic drive south on Lake Roosevelt. I sent my own GPS tracker JEJ after him and after a few more bumps in the road, his van arrived escorted by my husband's pick-up. Now we only live one street off the county road, but to a guy from a city in California that was subjected to rural northeastern Washington, it was a struggle.

His repair took ten minutes. I knew it would be simple. I said, "I hope you have other jobs up this way after making this long drive."
He did have lots of orders. Fortunately they were at apartments in the town of Kettle Falls. He left with a bright smile on his face and said he loved the lake, our view, and the area. What a positive guy!We thought after that whole ordeal our Monday would calm down. Not a chance. Next came the call from the guy who fell our trees last week. "We are on our way with the logging truck" . Would a logging truck even fit through our gate or through the driveway? We moved vehicles, once again gathered up animals just in time to hear the roar of the logging truck. He made it through the gate, got himself turned around, and I finally got to see just how they loaded big logs on a truck. I had to grab my camera and catch some photo images.
What a day. It was only 1:00! What else could happen? This is quite a bit of excitement for us country folks on a Monday in August. Usually the highlight of our day is when the mail lady comes or a different dog is barking down the road. Yikes!

Changing The Landscape, Part Two: Changes in the Wedding Garden

a new garden room without the weeds

When I first bought my place in 1996 I had no idea how to plan gardens and knew I had a lot to learn before I proceeded. I took a class, read numerous books, studied gardens, and talked to many seasoned gardeners. I found out what grew well in my climate zone and in sandy soil.
Here is how the yard in the front of the house looked that spring. I killed off the weeds and laid down bark. The tree to the left was all that was planted by the former owners. When JEJ and I were married in August of 1997 we knew we didn't need the usual wedding gifts as we were combining two households of "stuff". We asked people to contribute gifts for a wedding garden. It was a lovely collection of trees, flowers, pots, and roses that we received. We planted the garden that fall and by spring of 1998 the first bulbs bloomed and other trees and shrubs began to take off. It was a joy to watch that little garden grow more beautiful each year.By 2004 the wedding garden was a focal point in the yard. The Mountain Ash had grown quickly. Shrubs were filling out. The irises from EM were lovely every spring and JEJ added a new path around the garden. This picture was taken this last spring. Ground cover had gotten a bit out of control. Grass decided to take up residence around many of the plants. Some plants weren't doing as well because more shade had developed. There wasn't as much color in the summer. Neither one of us were ready to tackle this project .


Last week as we were changing the landscape by have trees removed, I tackled our sad wedding garden. I removed weeds, the old chair used to hold a big pot, pine needles, dying plants, and grass. I trimmed back shrubs and tree branches. There was still much that was good about it... it just needed a summer makeover.
Rather than finding new plants that would grow under the tree we decided we liked the space under the Mountain Ash as another place to rest in the garden.
Rather than redoing the weed barrier, I just put down a rug. We moved in some chairs and a table JEJ built and now just need to transplant some lavender and hostas when the weather is a bit cooler to finish it off. I love little garden rooms that call you for morning coffee or a rest after dinner.

Until I went through all the pictures, it was hard for me to believe the wedding garden was almost eleven years old. Many of the original plants are still there and some new ones will be added. I look forward to enjoying time actually sitting among my wedding gifts now while they mature for another eleven years.

Comfy, Colorful, Caught ,and Camera Critters

It had been a long time since we had gone to a garage sale. Friday R Gardens Company right up the road used part of their warehouse for a huge garage sale. We loaded up, stopped and picked up our neighbor and got there as soon as it opened. We found those items you can't resist at a garage sale... Christmas snowmen, a great cart on wheels, and lovely pitchers. I glanced at a chaise but lots of people were around it and it was heaped with bedspreads and pillows.

Later that day I starting thinking about the chaise again. It had looked so comfortable. I couldn't remember the color or the price. That evening I asked JEJ if we could return in the morning and check out that chaise. He figured it would have been sold. He wondered where we would put it.

Back we went to check out the chaise in the morning. It was there. It was in beautiful shape and oh so comfy! The price was more than I wanted to pay. The color did not match anything in the house... but I was so drawn to that chaise. I actually dickered with the owner for a lower price. We loaded up the 60.00 chaise and brought it home. After an extreme furniture moving makeover, we found a spot that worked for our new addition.The color is hard to describe. It is a bit of a '70s blend of avocado and gold. In the light it looks a bit more like a bright olive color. It really doesn't match anything else in the room.... but...
if you add a few pillows you can pull it together with the rest of the room....
and add a throw to blend the greens together a bit. It is certainly a perfect spot to blog, read, or rest. It will be a fine place for visiting nieces to sleep... or a visiting sibling to nap!
The chaise got the true test when Annie and Shelby decided to check it out to see how comfortable it really was.
Will we both fit on this with room to spare? Where is IEG and is it okay if we sit here? Oooops.....caught in the act! They both gave it the comfort seal of approval. Now I guess I will need to move the dogs, pillows, laptop, and throw so I can finally check it out while I "rest my eyes".

You can find other Camera Critters here.

Sunday Scribblings: Do I Have To?

here I am as a child

The topic for Sunday Scribblings this week is " Do I have to?"
How many times did you utter these four words while growing up? The question may have been spoken in a bit of a whine. There may have also been some begging involved.
Do I have to come inside?
Do I have to sleep with clippies in my hair on Saturday night?
Do I have to turn off my light and stop reading?
Do I have to go to bed just when the good part is starting?
Do I have to ride in this hot back seat with my two siblings close to me and you smoking in the front?
Do I have to wash woodwork instead of going to the pool?
Do I have to sit still while you comb the tangles out of my hair?
Do I have to sit and visit with Uncle Jack even when he hides behind the couch, then jumps out and scares us?

Growing up my mom seemed to be the one that answered the questions for me.
here is my mom

Now that I am an adult this nagging question comes up often. Sometimes I want Mom to be here to say, "Yes... you have to" and then I will just do it. No procrastinating. No second guessing. No questions asked. Just do it. here I am today as an adult

Do I have to weed the gardens when it is ninety degrees outside?
Do I have to scrub my grill in the BBQ every time I use it so it looks brand new?
Do I have to decide myself if it is time to put Emily to sleep?
Do I have to cut coupons and drive to three stores to "save"? Can't I just buy the brand I want?
Do I have to eat right, exercise, drink filtered water, take vitamins, wear sunscreen, and floss every day?
Do I have to read a book because it is on a list that somebody said was a "must read" book before you die and the plot doesn't interest me?
Do I have to drive slower and keep my trunk empty to conserve on gas?
Do I have to be nice to people that go against everything I believe in?
...and do I really have to wash down my kitchen once a year? Who made that rule?

Sigh.... maybe I don't want Mom here today.... I think I would have too much to do.

To read other Sunday Scribblings go here.

Photo Hunt: Clouds

When I was returning home Mother's Day week-end I drove through a storm on Highway 395 through the Chewelah valley.


To enjoy other photo hunts using Clouds go here.