Freshening Up And Giving Myself A Break

Every so often I like to freshen up my blog. It is a bit like thinking and writing. It clears the cobwebs, gives me more motivation, and it challenges my computer skills. I still don't have buttons linked and other parts added, but it will come in time.
When we went on our retreat away from home last week we did the same thing. We cleared some cobwebs, came back more motivated and we gave ourselves a huge break. JEJ and I needed to do that. We think Rome can be built in a day, so when it comes to projects around the house, we feel the urge to get everything done before the weather gets colder, before the snow flies, before November comes, before the first frost.

We have moved into November. When I was teaching I dreaded November. It was a weary part of the school year with grades, conferences, darkness when you arrived home, changes in weather, and lack of energy. I had an ongoing struggle with depression during that month. This year I like November.  We are giving ourselves a break. We decided last week while retreating we don't have to work on a project every day. If we want to read books in front of the fire, we have given ourselves permission to do that.  If there are leaves on the living room floor that should be picked up, we know they will eventually get off the carpet.

It is a better way to begin the shift in the seasons and weather. We are privileged to be able to do it because we are retired. As November has begun,I  have enjoyed reading four books, working on my blog design, doing some writing,  learning how to use a different camera, and giving myself a break.

Happy November!

Six Things I Still Love About Moving Back to My Hometown

As most of you know, in July I returned home to Kellogg, Idaho when I left my teaching career. People keep asking my if I like it, and every single time I smile and say, "Yes!" I wrote a similar post in August. Here is an update. Many  of the reasons are still the same.

For the first time in twenty years I can go grab groceries in five minutes. The days of  preplanning meals and stocking up are gone. I love it. I feel so much more creative in my cooking.

I hardly have to visit a gas station. I had a set routine when I lived in Martin Creek and commuting. I knew each Saturday it was fill up time. I keep checking my gas gauge, thinking I must be on empty. No sir... and what a money saver.

The sunsets. Everyone that lives on the west side of Kellogg knows that if the sun is out, prepare for a spectacular show of beauty as the day comes to a close.

The family is close. It has been over thirty years since I have lived in the same town as family. Not only is Mom next door, but sister Carol and family are five minutes away. I love it.

A choice of restaurants.  Again, for many this is a small thing, but to able to have food delivered, go to good restaurants close by, and have lots of choices is something we love.

 Day trips are easier. We loved our day trips in northeastern Washington, but we always had to drive quite a ways. We can be at the river, the lake, the mountains, or on the gondola in no time.

I think I will stay awhile.

Sibling Assignment #170: Memories of Montana

I gave this sibling assignment this week. It was simple:Memories of Montana. I will link the other sibs' posts when done.

There have been conversations between the sibs recently about a place to visit when we are all together in November. Montana kept coming up. It reminded me of how much I love Montana. In my whole life I have not been to Montana many times, but each time I visit the state I grow more attached to it's beauty.

Each August around our anniversary and close to when school started, we always tried to plan a getaway  to rest and recharge before getting into the routine of the school year again. In August 2013 we found a lovely cabin on the Clark Fork River by Clark Fork, Idaho. We discovered two things on that trip. We were very close to the beauty of Montana and there was a cedar grove close by.

There is something about hiking through a cedar grove with camera in hand. I love being surrounded by natural history, coolness, green, moisture, and quiet. We found Ross Creek Ancient Cedars and I captured a series of photo images I really liked. It was fun today to revisit the cedar grove through the pictures. Now I want to return.

Sibling Assignment #169: Keep the Obsession Strong!

Brother Bill gave the sibling assignment this week. "We all have our little obsessions.  What are you currently obsessed with?  A book? A movie? An idea? A song? A project? An activity?  Write all about it ." I will post links to the other siblings' assignment upon completion.

Having a new home and yards to landscape creates lots of opportunity for obsessions. Right now inside decorating is a low priority. The walls are decent colors. They have recently been painted. There are new wood floors and carpet so we are content with the inside of the house for now.

The outside is a different story. The yard looks similar to how our yard look next door in the sixties when we were growing up. A few lilacs, the original cement patio and sidewalks, the original long clothesline in front of the lilacs, and mostly grass. JEJ's obsession has been to get the grass green, which he has succeeded in doing. His obsession will continue as he maintains it. 

My obsession is plant choices. I went from over a half acre of gardens to a back yard that is 100x100. ( I do have flower beds in front of the house also). The main obsession is choosing plants for the backyard. I mentioned in a recent post the lessons I learned and plants I have grown to love from 18 years of creating gardens at my former house. You can find that here.

Somebody recently asked me what I was going to plant here.  I couldn't even answer. I am obsessed with revisiting garden plants from the past, studying successful flowers in Mom's gardens next door, remembering plants I loved that never made it in my last garden, and what color schemes I want. We love roses, but don't have good locations for roses here. We may have to narrow our choices to roses. Everett loves the Iceberg Climbing Rose above,  so we may try two of those the ends of the shed. We have one I brought to fill in also.

Right now the burning decision I must make with this obsession is which spring bulbs I want since they need to be planted soon. I love all of them, but don't have the room to plant them. I think tulips may win out. They are showstoppers in the spring. Somewhere I must find room for some lilies also.

The two sunflowers that just emerged on their own before we arrived inspired me to keep sunflowers in that corner at the end of the patio. Whew! One easy decision. We want vines again, but will wait until the fence is built to see how that will work. The Silver Lace Vine will definitely find a place in our back yard, plus we love honeysuckle, trumpet vines, and hops.

I want to try again my list of "plants I have never been able to grow".  This list includes lupines, delphiniums, bee balm, and foxglove. Alas, another obsession. 

Obsessing over all these plants is timely because now is the time to buy perennials at garden stores. They are marked down for quick sale. It is also a good time to get starts from other gardens. Cooler weather makes replanting much more successful. Creating gardens isn't a cheap hobby so this project will be spread out over a period of time. Obsessing over all these plants is also exciting, energizing, and it keeps my head full. Now off to the magazines, catalogs, articles, pictures, and notes I surround myself with. Keep the Obsession Strong. 

Stay tuned for a follow-up of what I decided. 

The Things We Leave Behind: Farewell Tour of Martin Creek.

I knew the time would come when I would say my last goodbyes to the home I have lived in for nineteen years. My home at Martin Creek was like a  gardening classroom. I learned from trial and error everything I know about working with the soil. I learned what to grow and what to get rid of. What to do, what not to do. I will use that wisdom as we plan our next gardens. A lesson to remember-always throw your fruit pits and seeds in the yard. We raised peach, cherry, plum, and apple trees from seeds.

Someone asked me recently what I would miss the most at Martin Creek. At first I thought the view and then I realized it will be the gazebo. We spent so many wonderful hours talking, dreaming, warming by the fire, and appreciating the beauty around us in that gazebo. I loved what JEJ created.

I hope to once again grow Oakleaf Hydrangeas. They were beautiful blooming shrubs that took on color and provided colorful foliage all through the year. The blooms were always a surprise, and when they dried, you never knew the color the may become.

If you are ever looking for a hardy vine, purchase a silver lace vine. We will certainly get another one at this house. The are green and hardy, and the white flowers add to the display through at least two seasons of the year.

 Autumn Joy Sedum are the hardiest flower you can grow that looks beautiful in September. They require little water and little care. Perfect for the sandy soil I just left. I will miss them, but did bring a few to start again in my new garden.

I will miss the maple trees.  Every season of the year they provide beauty, but autumn is when they really show their stuff.

There is nothing like apple trees to fill in a orchard. I was so tempted to pick the little apples that were on the branches, but decided to leave them for the next owners.

The experiences, the photos, the family memories, and the various images I have stuffed in my head will help me remember this place fondly. It was a learning place in so many ways. I hope to take that learning and use it for our next garden projects and life itself. I'm so glad we had this time together.

Ten Things I Love About Returning To My Hometown

At the early part of July I moved back to my hometown of Kellogg, Idaho. Any of you that have moved know that part isn't fun. It can be a lot of work when the weather is hot and there is lots of heavy furniture and tubs of holiday decor.

The transition from our house in Kettle Falls to the house we are purchasing in Kellogg has been draining also. My life has been consumed with paperwork, flood inspections, insurance research, repairs on the house in Kettle Falls, bank business, and appraisals. I am sure this will all end soon.

I do love living in Kellogg, Idaho and here are just ten reasons:

1. I live next door to my mother. 
It is so nice to check in with Mom over coffee in the morning, over the fence while we are gardening, or even by phone when we are lazy. Meals are sometimes shared and Mom outdoes herself with her signature dishes that I love to eat... like her potato salad today.

2. I live five minutes from my sister and her family.
What a joy to be able to see my sister and her family more. We can enjoy dinner in her beautiful back yard, have a movie night, or just catch up on what is going on. My nieces are gone or will soon be gone again for the school year, but it was a joy to spend time with them also.

3. People in Kellogg are friendly. 
Every place I go, people are so friendly. They go out of their way to help at stores, parking lots, and around the neighborhood. We feel so welcome here.

4. Sunsets.
This may seem a silly reason to some of you, but where I lived before we never had a sunset. The sun disappeared early behind Bangs Mountain and we missed the enjoyment of sunsets. Here they are spectacular and daily.

5. I am three minutes from a grocery store, espresso stand, and hardware store.
 During the last twenty years I have had to drive thirty minutes or more to get anything at a store. Coffee drinks were a big treat. I don't have to fill my trunk with food and paper products to last me for weeks. I can buy when I need things. Wow.... a big change.

6. Good restaurants. 
 If we choose, we can eat at a good restaurant any time of the day and only have to drive five to ten minutes. For many of you that is a given. It hasn't been for us for a long, long time. It is such a luxury now. We are enjoying it.

7. I have lifelong friends here. 
I haven't had time yet to really connect with many friends, but I love that two showed up at my door to welcome me home, many joined me up the river to celebrate our birthdays, and I have reconnected with others at places I have gone in the valley.

8. We don't have to take out a second mortgage to pay for gas.
That is an exaggeration, but I can't believe the difference in our gas bill since we relocated. We don't have to drive fifteen to thirty miles each time we went  to work, to shop, play, or eat. Awesome.

9. I get a real newspaper. 
When they stopped delivering the Spokesman Review to my rural route in Ferry County I was devastated. It is just not the same reading it online. It is a simple pleasure to wake up, make coffee, and have two real newspapers to read in the morning. Just call me Old School.

10. JEJ likes it also.
It was quite a change for my husband to make, leaving an area he had lived for many years, but he was ready for a new adventure. I am so pleased we are on this adventure together and he likes it also. We have many more adventures ahead that I will share.

Besides, where else can I be the descendant of a jackass?