Being Thankful: Annie, Shelby and the Cat Kingdom

Yes... every day I am thankful for our dog and cat kingdom at Martin Creek Gardens . Most of the time all of them live in harmony. They provide companionship, devotion, and entertainment. All the cats were rescued or adopted. Shelby came from a famous litter on Summit Valley Rd. in Stevens County and Annie is our only registered pet.... from a great set of parents in Garfield, WA.

 Here is Lily, sister to Sweet William. She had been adopted at the feed store by our friends, but when Sherry died, we adopted the two of them.

 Annie, our springer spaniel. She loves solitude.

 Shelby, our Australian Cattle Dog ( red heeler) that loves to "be with."

 Junebug is sister to Grayson. She came from a lovely litter in Inchelium.

 Here is Grayson. When my student Victoria told me she had a litter, I had to go look. The rest is history.

 Isabelle is a loner now that she lost her brother Lucas. The litter was left out in the Colville National Forest, but a couple found them and adopted them out. We brought two home.  She is the one that loves to sneak up on our bed.

 Then there are the kittens, adopted in June. they also were left out in the Colville National Forest, but brought to an adoption group in Newport, WA. I found them online.  Meet Gracie and Winnie.

 Sweet William is a brother to Lily.
We have quite a collection of animals that each have a story. We are blessed with them every day.

Being Thankful: Updike, Poetry, Loveliness

There are so many poems that express the process of late fall. 

Even though we are not quite at this part of fall,

 I love this poem because if does display a certain loveliness. 

November

by John Updike

The stripped and shapely
Maple grieves
The ghosts of her
Departed leaves.
The ground is hard,
As hard as stone.
The year is old,
The birds are flown.
And yet the world,

In its distress,

Displays a certain Loveliness---

Being Thankful: The Beauty of Apples

 While exploring  the Methow Valley last week-end we discovered apples everywhere.

They were still remaining on trees where we were staying.

Others hung on trees along the road like Christmas ornaments.

Some appeared ripe while others seemed to be left on the tree after an early frost.

We know the deer will find much to feast on until the snow piles up.

Being Thankful: Aspens

I don't ever remember aspens being around when I grew up in Kellogg. I remember maples and elms, but no aspens.  I don't know when I first noticed the beauty of this tree. What I do know is when I have my camera and I am surrounded by these white-barked trees, I could take hundreds of pictures. The marks like eyes always intrigue me. Here are some aspen images from Mazama, Washington last week-end.

Being Thankful: Three Traveling Partners

We always try to plan a week-end getaway on Veteran's Day week-end. It is that time after first quarter, grades, and parent conferences. It is a good week-end to take a break. For the second year I loaded up with my three traveling partners and traveled to the Methow Valley of north central Washington state and enjoyed a quiet stay at a rental cabin. We didn't really care that it was foggy and rainy. I was still able to photograph my favorite aspens.

My traveling partners were JEJ, and our dogs Shelby and Annie. We rested, read books and magazines, explored,took pictures,walked the dogs, had good food and great coffee, and slept in. I think in this photo Shelby had just seen a very large buck along the river road.

We took a drive up the Chewuck River and appreciated the beauty enhanced with a sprinkling of snow.

We stopped at a SnoPark along the river for the dogs to take a run. All I needed was my traveling partners, my Idaho Vandal coffee cozy with a cup of hot coffee, and my camera. I was set.

Being Thankful :Billy Graham

Tonight we sat in our living room and were moved by thirty uninterrupted inspiring minutes of the ideals of  Billy Graham.  We both came to the conclusion that Billy Graham has never wavered from his same message. For six decades he has believed in forgiveness and the significance of the cross.  He said, 'With all my heart I want to leave you with the truth that He loves you and wants to forgive you of your sins."  My grandmother heard the same message with her black and white television in her house many years ago that we heard today. He delivered the message of hope we all needed to hear.