"The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life." ~Robert Louis StevensonToday we had our neighbor over for a casual breakfast gathering on the deck. Nothing fancy, no gourmet dishes, no new brunch recipes. We enjoyed simple food, a lovely morning, good conversation, and some fresh picked peppers from the garden to add to the eggs. This is a fine way to start the day.
Planning bloom times is a challenge for flower gardeners. When I used to just plant annuals I was safe because usually something was in full bloom. When I first tried bulbs and perennials I was just happy when things came back the second year and bloomed again.I have tried recently to pick plants that have different bloom times. I hate it when you have June glorious roses to nothing until the mums bloom in September. Last fall I ordered a set of lilies called " All Summer Lily Mix." It was a mix of lilies that had different bloom times so they just overlapped each other. I have loved not having all my lilies bloom in the same week and then be done. This mix has really worked out. I started having blooms in late June and they are advertised to bloom until September. I don't know the names of any of the specific lilies pictured here.These blooms are perfect subjects for my photography 101 sessions I have been trying squeeze in each day as I learn how to do different things with my camera.I found this lily mix in the van Bourgondien catalog. You can find it online at www.dutchbulbs.com.This photo was taken by my niece Z2 during her stay here recently. I think we can survive the dog days of summer with these flowers greeting us each day.
"The radiance in some places is so great as to be fairly dazzling... every crystal, every flower a window opening into heaven, a mirror reflecting the Creator. "John Muir
dog days of summer plural noun: 1. the hot, sultry period of summer between early July and early September 2. a period of stagnation 3. the time when you get up early to enjoy the cool breeze or go camp under a grove of trees 4. the time when wading in the creek can feel good in the heat of the dayI am not a big fan of the dog days of summer. I was talking to the librarian today when I dropped books off and she stated, " I hate this time of year... it is so hot and everything is brittle and dry. Fire danger is high, water is scarce.... just give me winter any time!" Perhaps winter wouldn't be my first choice of season, but definitely fall or spring. The dog days of summer keep everyone where I live on edge. When the woods and fields are dry and water sometimes gets scarce it is a time when neighbors watch out for neighbors knowing a cigarette tossed carelessly out a car window could cause a blaze. Lightening storms can create beauty as they light up the sky, but can also spell danger. Knowing we need summer heat for our vegetables and annual flowers to bloom, I also know these plants need that critical cooling off period during the night to gear up for another hot day. Dog day summer nights don't provide that break so plants get stressed and their growth can stagnate. With a sultry feel to the air the dog days of summer urge animals to go undercover. We find our cats in the oddest places during the day. We always try to check before we set a sprinkler so one doesn't get soaked when water is turned on. The dogs can't go for car rides as often and both tend to sleep much more as the temperatures during the day rise. When I was younger I worshiped the sun. We would lay out and get tans, stay in the water on air mattresses for hours on end and never think twice about any dangers the sun or heat might bring. Now I move through the dog days of summer with more ease by finding that campsite enclosed in the trees, wading in the creek down the trail from out site, reading and writing inside during the hot afternoon, enjoying the animals and sitting outside during the last hours of daylight, or work at getting up earlier to work outside when the air is cooler.
Sometimes I just give in to the dog days of summer and grab a cool drink, a book, and sit in front of the air conditioner. How do you survive the dog days of summer?
Here is sibling assignment # 70: "Share a memorable family vacation memory that involved all three of us."This is the second time we have written about OregonCoast memories. You will find Raymond Pert’s here and Silver Valley Girl’s here soon.
For those of you that have read my blog you may know our summer vacations until I left home for college always were a trip to Orofino to see Grandma West and Mom’s family and trips to Spokane to see Grandma Woolum and other family that may be visiting. We loved these vacations. We could swim in the Clearwater River and eat ice cream from the Creamery in Orofino. In Spokane we went shopping at the original Northtown Mall where you walked outside between stores. We also went to the A &W, played miniature golfand played with Chi Chi, the dog next door.
After Raymond Pert had moved to Oregon Mom and Dad began a love affair with that state . They loved the lush green growth along the highways. The cooler weather appealed to my dad.Both of them fell head over heels in love with the OregonCoast.
Dad and Raymond Pert enjoying the sport page and the view of the ocean.
The summer of 1982 we all gathered in Yachats, Oregon for a family vacation. Raymond Pert knew someone that worked with someone that had a house right on the ocean to rent. ( I don’t quite remember the vivid details of whose house it is… Mom Mary would know, but I am going to resist temptation to call her.) I came from the Tri-Cities via a tour through Washington and the northern Oregon coast. At that time I was married to SDE and we brought along our springer spaniel Nikki. SilverValley Girl was on summer break from attending college at the University of Idaho and Raymond Pert lived in Eugene.
Silver Valley Girl and Raymond Pert heading to the beach.
As we all descended on the OregonCoast little did we know we would leave much wiser with lessons learned on that summer trip to Yachats.
Lesson #1:Remember your inside voices!
The place was small and intimate. It had a great view of the ocean, but the house had one room and a bathroom. The sleeping arrangements didn’t allow for much privacy. Mom and Dad attempted to push two twin beds together. Dad explained it was for more room to move around. “Hey kids…. I won’t be getting frisky on this trip.” I don’t think frisky was in the cards that trip anyway because when Dad rolled over the first night the bed separated and I believe he found himself wrapped up in covers or on the floor.
Of course, this was all happening as the siblings were playing a very competitive round of Monopoly. Somehow in the progression of the long game we decided to sing when we moved to certain properties on the board.After my dad heard “New York , New York” belted out Liza Minnelli style about fifteen times he actually shushed us. I think that was right after he took his tumble in the covers.
Off to “bed” we went, which meant we moved from the game/dining room/kitchentable to a hide-a-bed and two sleeping bags five feet away. Who could sleep after being wound up singing lounge songs and stealing Monopoly properties? SDE decided to entertain all of us with a flashlight and a shadow puppet show on the ceiling. Were Mom and Dad asleep by now? If so I am sure they woke up soon as we watched Jaws and many rabbits dance across the ceiling.
Lesson #3: Don’t go fishing on the ocean!
There was a fishing excursion during this trip and to get the whole flavor of that day go to Silver Valley Girl’s very funnyblog post here.I stayed home from that trip and got to sleep in and avoid seasickness. I know fish was caught or bought because a whole dinner that included fish was planned for thatnight.
Dad looking like a north Idaho tourist in search of cronies.RP and SVG are in the background .
Lesson #4: Make sure there are steps that get you back up from the beach after dark!
Mom and Dad just loved to walk along the ocean. Mom also enjoyed collecting driftwood for craft projects when she returned home. He enjoyed throwing food to the seagulls and always had some type of funny hat on and was a crony magnet to other Yachats visitors hanging around the beach. Dad also loved to enjoy a good red wine while on vacation. This trip I believe he found a fantastic deal on Cabernet Sauvignon in a jug somewhere. Dad loved that deep burgundy colored wine, but could never say the word. It didn’t matter if he was completely cold sober, had tried one glass, or “had a few”…. The two words could not come out of his mouth clearly. When the family decided to have a beach bonfire with dinner and wine nobody thought about how everyone would get back up in the dark. Dad did fine getting down.Raymond Pert learned the delicate art of being a designated hill climber as the evening ended with RP easing Dad back up the rocky, steep beach hillside.
Lesson #5Enjoy the ride!
This was the most important lesson from this trip and many others. Whatever seemed to happen we all enjoyed the trip immensely and can still tell many, many stories about those OregonCoast trips.The sunsets were beautiful. Nikki loved playing in the ocean. Even though we all were squashed into pretty small quarters I think we all fared well.
My first springer spaniel Nikki.
My first blog post about another trip to the Oregon Coast is here.
Bill’s poignant piece about Dad from this same trip to Yachats is here.
On our recent camping trip I finally got some good shots of our Australian Cattle Dog Shelby. Shelby is always on alert and ready to go whenever, wherever. She is tougher to get good pictures of because she doesn't stay very still. Her favorite thing to do is take a walk along the creek. Her look of admiration for JEJ shows lovingly in this shot.She also loves wading in Sherman Creek and learning squirrel obsession from her buddy Annie. To find other Camera Critters go here.
"The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life." ~Robert Louis Stevenson
Today we had our neighbor over for a casual breakfast gathering on the deck. Nothing fancy, no gourmet dishes, no new brunch recipes. We enjoyed simple food, a lovely morning, good conversation, and some fresh picked peppers from the garden to add to the eggs. This is a fine way to start the day.
