Photo Hunt: Ruin(ed)

Our cat Lily likes her privacy and peace and quiet. Annie has a way of ruining that sometimes. She is obsessed with being Lily's buddy and pal.

Annie is trying to convince Lily that it is time to play.
Lily seems to be saying, "You have ruined my peace and quiet!"
Annie is a slow learner. As Lily strolls away to another spot of privacy, Annie just keeps following her. For other photo hunts using ruin go here.

Counting My Blessings #15: JEJ

"One does not have to be an angel in order to be saint."
Albert Schweitzer

This week-end we are spending time in my hometown of Kellogg, Idaho. I am thankful for my husband JEJ today because he always helps my mom with chores that need to be done when we visit. Today he cleaned out her gutters that were full of leaves.
Another time he constructed a trellis for her climbing rose when it needed a place to continue to grow.
He also built her raised beds for her garden and today was out fixing a loose board so it would be ready for spring planting. It is nice to have a husband that is also a handyman and I know Mom counts her blessings also when he helps out. I have a friend that always refers to my husband as St. JEJ. The name fits him perfectly!

Counting My Blessings #14: Harvest

"Come, ye thankful people, come,

Raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in,

Ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide
For our wants to be supplied;
Come to God's own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest home."
-Dr. Henry Alford

the beans in our garden a sink full of flowers raspberries for jam grapes for eating and jam peaches, plums, apples,and pears from the local orchard potatoes from the fields of Idaho

for this harvest bounty I am thankful once again.

Counting My Blessings #13: Twenty Mile Road Trips

I love the short road trips we take around our corner of northeastern Washington state. Tuesday we took a car trip across the bridge into Stevens County, then headed south on Highway 25. This is where the Colville River drains into Lake Roosevelt. We looped around and hoped to capture some shots of our house from high on a road across the big lake.The fog definitely got in the way. The fog also muted the bright colors of a grove of autumn trees.I can also find humor in signs like this. How did I know that a falling tree is one that falls (like by the wind), but felling a tree is to cut it down. I guess only trees cut down by loggers are coming down on this highway, versus trees falling from the wind. Go figure. The picnic table by the campground was deserted this rainy day. The carpet of yellow leaves enveloped the table with brightness. We found beauty in rain, fog, and falling leaves on this road trip. I am thankful for places that surround us with such scenic beauty.

Counting My Blessings 12: Kind Words

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

Mother Teresa

The note and the gift of a Tootsie Roll Pop made me smile today. I am thankful for people that take the time to write kind words, especially my students.

Counting My Blessings #11: Our Veterans

As I sat at our school assembly Friday honoring our veterans I was amazed how many young men left Inchelium to go fight the war in Viet Nam. As name after name appeared on the slide show I kept thinking how hard it must have been for those left behind in town that usually never has a senior class of more than twenty students . When one vet got up to speak he choked up talking about how he was treated after coming home to the U.S., but how proud he feels now when he can attend a program in his hometown.

A group of community and staff members are creating a Wall of Honor for all the veterans from Inchelium. It hung proudly as work in progress on the bleachers on Friday. The collage above includes the recently retired principal, a retired teacher and now newly elected county commissioner, a former school board member, and the maintenance man at our school currently. These four Viet Nam veterans got a big applause from our students and staff. I am thankful for all our veterans on this special day to honor them.