26 Things Challenge

I found a photo challenge on this site here called the 26 Things Challenge. Each participant is to take a picture for each letter of the alphabet. I found this challenge an excellent way to revisit photos I have taken over the last year.

A is for apples from Sherman Creek Orchard up the road. B is for the beach at Priest Lake. C is for my church on Lake Ellen Road. D is for dog... this time Shelby our Australian Cattle Dog.

E is for evening on Highway 395 by Kettle Falls.F is for flowers that always make a colorful bouquet. G is for greenhouse which keeps our plants blooming through the winter. H is for hydrangea and in this case an oak leaf with its leaf color changed for the fall. I is for iris, a vivid memory from late spring. J is for Jack Frost who hit our garden vegetables a few weeks ago . K is for Kit and you can find him just about anywhere around the house.L is for lily that filled the air with beauty and fragrance throughout the summer. M is for morning glory, which illuminated the garden with its vivid blue hue. N is for nieces as they posed at Grand Coulee Dam is August.
O is for orchard that grows many varieties of fruit close to home.
P is for the Palouse during the harvest when the combine dusted the highway.

Q is for quiet, which is why we enjoy the hike around Swan Lake in the spring.
R is for rainbow, which appeared over Lake Roosevelt east of our house.
S is for Sullivan Lake with views that always provide many photo ops on a road trip over Tiger Highway.

T is for Tiger Store, an interesting historic place we stopped on our road trip a few weeks ago.
U is for Uniontown, Washington where I stopped to visit this Artisan Barn on a trip home in June.

V is for vine and in this case the strong ones that hold grapes.
W is for winter, that has a tranquil beauty all its own.
X is for an "xtreme" sunrise I caught at Lake Chelan in April.

Y is for yellow sunflowers that brightened up the cutting garden late in the summer.
Z is for Z2, my niece that taught me a few lessons on photography as we went on a photo trip in July.

The Small Things

Some days it is hard to watch the news. Other days just seeing the gas prices come down a bit puts a smile on your face. There is a heaviness of the heart in thinking about those that are suffering. We are experiencing a time that is challenging every corner of our world. The words of this poem helped to comfort me today. It reminded me of those small things each of us can do.

Accepting This

Yes, it is true. I confess,
I have thought great thoughts,
and sung great songs—all of it
rehearsal for the majesty
of being held.

The dream is awakened
when thinking I love you
and life begins
when saying I love you
and joy moves like blood
when embracing others with love.

My efforts now turn
from trying to outrun suffering
to accepting love wherever
I can find it.

Stripped of causes and plans
and things to strive for,
I have discovered everything
I could need or ask for
is right here—
in flawed abundance.

We cannot eliminate hunger,
but we can feed each other.
We cannot eliminate loneliness,
but we can hold each other.
We cannot eliminate pain,
but we can live a life
of compassion.

Ultimately,
we are small living things
awakened in the stream,
not gods who carve out rivers.

Like human fish,
we are asked to experience
meaning in the life that moves
through the gill of our heart.

There is nothing to do
and nowhere to go.
Accepting this,
we can do everything

and go anywhere.

-Mark Nepo

The Garden Valley Church : No Lovelier Spot in the Dale

Our church has been around for almost a hundred years. It sits on the Lake Ellen Road off the Inchelium Highway and has served the families around the area I live faithfully. Behind the church is the Garden Valley Cemetery which has sections for many pioneers from the area.

The church has needed some repair for some time. It is difficult to take a historical building and do an extreme church makeover. I loved the look of our church the way it was. It sat on a hill along the country road and has always reminded me of the Church in the Wildwood.

The church board hired a contractor to put on siding and a new roof. I am so pleased to see the historical look of church remained. Marty, a church member designed a steeple which was also built and placed on the roof. It now plays music that can be heard as church members drive up on Sunday. We still have our beautiful wood pews inside, but have new beams on the ceiling. The sounds have changed inside the church. We were used to some echoes that made it hard to hear.I learned this song as a child and although our church is white and we hear music instead of bells, it is still a fitting song.

There's a church in the valley by the wildwood
No lovelier spot in the dale
No place is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale

(Oh, come, come, come, come)

Come to the church by the wildwood
Oh, come to the church in the vale
No spot is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vale

How sweet on a clear Sabbath morning
To listen to the clear ringing bells
Its tones so sweetly are calling
Oh come to the church in the vale

(Oh, come, come, come, come)A few years ago a Sunday School was built next door.
Also a ramp and new porch had been added a few years ago.

Did the Garden Forget it Was Autumn?

I think my flowers have forgotten it is autumn. I am amazed what survived the frost a week ago. No complaints here... I will just keep bringing in bouquets!

Williamsburg Orange Cake: A Keeper from the Recipe Box

I have had this Gold Medal Century of Success Cookbook since the early eighties and I had never tried this cake recipe. I love orange and can't believe I always skipped this page. Yesterday I served it for birthday cake at a special Sunday dinner. It is a moist cake filled with golden raisins and walnuts and the frosting adds just enough sweetness to make it irresistible.

Williamsburg Orange Cake
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teas. baking soda
3/4 teas. salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
3 eggs
1 1/2 teas. vanilla
1 cup golden raisins, cut up
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 TB grated orange peel
Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour rectangular 9x13 pan or two 9 inch round pans. Beat all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl on low speed, scraping the bowl constantly 30 seconds. Beat on high speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, 3 minutes. Pour into pan(s).
Bake until wooded pick inserted in the center comes out clean. ( rectangular 45-50 min., layers 30-35 minutes.) Cool layers ten minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely. Frost with Orange Butter Frosting.
Orange Butter Frosting
Mix 1/2 cup softened butter and 3 cups powdered sugar. Beat in 2 teaspoons grated orange peel and about 2 tablespoons orange juice until of spreading consistency.

A Day Filled With Birthday Blessings

"Birthdays are filled with yesterday’s memories, today’s joys, and tomorrow’s dreams." Anon.
Today JEJ and I hosted a gathering to celebrate our friend GH's birthday. A circle of friends came for Sunday dinner and GH's special day was filled with good food, big laughs, great conversation, and a traditional toast for our friend and neighbor.
I only had two birthday candles so GH got to decide if he wanted to be three, seven, thirty-seven, or seventy-three years old today. I didn't have the right candles for his real age. He wanted to be thirty-seven today as we lit the candles and sang "Happy Birthday". He requested an apple pie with sliced sharp cheese on the side as his birthday dessert. I also made a Williamsburg Orange Cake (recipe to follow tomorrow). How can you have a birthday party without a cake ? It was fun to plan a dinner for our dear friend. Friends also contributed amazing food and wine and he loved the whole meal. His wife and our close friend died a few years ago, but fond memories of SH are always cherished at a gathering like this by the people that knew her.

MM,GH, and JEJ stopped to pose before dinner began.

As the celebration came to a close I loaded GH up with a leftover dinner and his collection of wonderful gifts. He confessed as he left that he also loved orange cake, but didn't have room for two desserts! I suggested he take a slice home to enjoy later. He didn't argue for a second.