Close to Harvest Time

Every season hath its pleasures;
Spring may boast her flowery prime,
Yet the vineyard's ruby treasures
Brighten Autumn's sob'rer time.
--Thomas Moore

Garden Gate Growers Fall Plant Sale: A Perfect Sunday Outing

plants on display at The Garden Gate Growers fall sale.

The Garden Gate Growers wholesale perennial nursery has been in operation for over ten years up the Inchelium Highway from our house. Todd and Lisa Kowitz open their nursery in May and September each year to the public. Their fall sale is when the perennials and ornamental grasses are at clearance prices and this is also a great time of year to plant perennials. We know when we purchase plants from Todd and Lisa they will be hardy for the area, healthy, and long-lasting. JEJ and I both look forward to the sales each year. If you are a beginning gardener there are resource books on display and Todd and Lisa share a wealth of knowledge about growing plants around the inland northwest. You can relax a bit and have coffee and homemade cookies as you ponder which plants you need and can ponder some more about which plants you just want!Now you can see why it is my favorite place around the area to shop! Yesterday I was looking for some new colors of sedum and a few hostas. After finding those I had to have another Russian sage and a lovely deep pink campanula. JEJ loves growing different varieties of ornamental grasses and that is one of Todd's specialties. I think JEJ would add more grasses to our gardens if he didn't have to negotiate with me for space in the flower beds! He is outside now trying to figure out the best locations for his new collection of ornamental grasses. Having those trees removed in August created a few more places to plant.If you want more information on the plants available at the Garden Gate Growers during their sales you can go here. The spring sale is always Mother's Day week-end and the fall sale the second week-end in September. For the rest of the growing season these healthy perennials and ornamental grasses can be found in plant nurseries around the inland empire. You can find out about the wholesale nursery itself and contact information here.
As we left the sale I paused to appreciate the view from their driveway. You can see our Garden Valley Church surrounded by trees to the right and a lovely combination of mountains and sky to top off a perfect Sunday outing.

Camera Critters: Our Newest Church Member

No, we didn't get another dog. I have to say though if I would have seen this cute puppy at the feed store with a sign that said FREE I would definitely have been tempted to take him home. Fields was left out in a field and brought to the feed store by the rescuer. One of our church members brought this 8-week-old puppy home to a better place.
He decided he was ready to listen to the gospel when he jumped out the window of the van during adult Sunday School and trotted up the aisle to meet the pastor. He did chime in on the worship songs with his own singing from the van. Later he was invited to join the other children in Sunday School by the teacher MS above.
I had JEJ hold him for one more picture before coffee hour was over. The vet thought Fields was perhaps part cocker spaniel and part Australian shepherd. He could have also been named Camo because of the way the colors are marked on his fur.

None of us really cared about the breed, but felt blessed today that Fields found a good home with Flossie and all of us could share in welcoming him to the church family. To find other Camera Critters go here.

Sunday Scribblings: Coffee

Rewinding back to growing up vivid images come to mind when I think of coffee. Every morning when I came downstairs the familiar smell of brewing coffee filled the house. The clear Pyrex coffee pot on the stove was always full of enough coffee so Dad could have some with breakfast, Mom could have her morning coffee before school, and the thermos Dad took to the Zinc Plant could be filled. I remember removing Dad's thermos from his lunch bucket in the evening and washing it gingerly as not to break that magic glass inside that kept the liquid hot.When a can of MJB coffee emptied, I loved watching Mom use the little key to open the top of the new can. Even today with an electric can opener and a different brand of coffee I love that smell of the fresh coffee as the lid comes off the can. The only time coffee was made in the evening was when we had a special dinner and coffee was served with a dessert, sometimes during the holidays, or if Dad wanted some to go with brandy. It always seemed odd to me when people always had a pot of coffee going on the stove.
Grandma Woolum always said nobody made coffee like my mom. She loved to come to Kellogg and drink my mom's coffee. After each of us left and moved to other places we decided it was the good water in Kellogg that helped to make that good coffee. Grandma's house had that same smell in the morning when we stayed there and I think Dad always liked that comfort of coffee made at his mother's house.
We often stopped at Dick and Floyd's in uptown Kellogg. It had a counter out front with a soda fountain, magazines, candy, and doughnuts. There was a bar in the back. Oftentimes as I sat drinking my fountain root beer there would be the same people drinking the thick black coffee that had sat on a burner for most of the day. That coffee had a much different smell than what I experienced at home.

I don't remember exactly when I started drinking coffee. I probably made the mix of coffee, sugar cubes, and cream at church or at a wedding reception just because we loved sugar cubes and cups with saucers. I just remember always adding something to it in my youth.

Moving to college is when my serious coffee drinking started. Moscow, Idaho does not have good tasting water and the coffee we had at the house tasted horrible, but everyone drank it. We often went to a cafe that stayed open late to study and have "better coffee". Thus began my lifetime ritual of drinking coffee. I have carried coffee in a big Stanley thermos, a plastic to-go cup that came free at the service station, a cuter red cup that fits in the car holder, and a mug that stayed a bit stained all week in the teacher lounge. I was still living in Kennewick when the first drive-thru espresso stand opened. I drank these horribly sweet mochas back then and thought I was getting designer coffee. I survived moving to a rural area without espresso stands. When JEJ and I first met we would do Saturday drives around the area and stop for coffee at small town cafes, gas stations, and rest stops. I do like fresh ground beans at home, but now mix my own by taking a few types of coffee beans and mixing them in the bag at the store. Every time it tastes a bit different.

I still look forward to drinking coffee at my mom's house. Nothing fancy. She has moved to a coffeemaker you plug in, but she doesn't grind her own beans, buy Starbuck's House Blend, or use a French press. She opens the can of whatever brand she had a coupon for and it was a store special. I think last time I was home it was Yuban French Roast. I often take a cup for the road when we leave after a week-end visit.

For other Sunday Scribblings on coffee go here.

Post #700 : Bright Blooms, Bargain Books, and Blue Cookies at the Bakery

The flowers blooming in front of the courthouse.

My first blog post was entitled "Four Seasons in the Inland Empire" and I explained many of the joys of living in this part of the northwest. Today for #700 I experienced inland empire joy again in Colville, Washington. It is the largest of the towns in our area. It has many historic buildings and two of my favorites are the Stevens County Courthouse and the Colville Public Library. The courthouse from spring through fall has eye catching displays of blooming flowers. Today it was giant mum-like marigolds that were brightening up the whole area in front.
Across the street is the Colville Public Library. Today was my first time attending one of the book sales held the basement of the library. I learned that it is important to come early and bring your own canvas bags. There was a line weaving up the stairs when I arrived and it had been that way since they opened an hour before. Only so many people enter at a time because of the size of the room. It was worth the wait. The sale had an amazing selection and all paperbacks were 50 cents and hardbacks a dollar. I found books for JEJ, myself, my students, and some poetry books to add to my growing collection. The Friends of the Library have this sale about four times a year and take donations of books all year. It is a great way to recycle books and support the library.
I finally took time also to visit our newest bakery today. JEJ had to find some tool part at the hardware store and the bakery was across the street. That was an easy decision to make. Heather's Fairy Tale Bakery is also located in Colville and I walked in to an appetizing display of cakes, cookies, bars, European pastries, and breads. Locally roasted coffee and free wireless are also available. We will definitely return to this spot another day. They always have free samples of many of their wonderful pastries and bread. I just love the door they chose for the entrance. Silver Valley Girl... they did have baklava also! I came home with fresh baked oatmeal bread, almond biscotti, and a wonderful French plum tart slice.I look forward to having another pile of books to read. Mary Clearman Blew is an Inland Empire author and instructor at the University of Idaho and I have always wanted to read these two memoirs.

Visiting these places today made a Saturday errand trip to town even more enjoyable. If you are from the area or visiting soon, stop in at Heather's Fairy Tale Bakery. Just seeing the cookies for the two political parties frosted in red and blue with the names of the candidates piped in white frosting is worth the trip. The worker said the red Republican cookies are selling the most, but the woman in front of me decided it was only because people don't want cookies with blue frosting!! I settled for the yummy plum tart.

Photo Hunt: Wild

A plant showing it's wild side in the woods by Trout Lake in northeastern Washington last fall. For other photo hunts go here.