LIFE CHANGES

Life can change in the blink of an eye, the ring of the phone, or a knock on the door.

Mike gave us a scare on Tuesday when he collapsed while walking Bess in our neighborhood. A neighbor came to the door to get me. In all, half a dozen people were showing concern. The ambulance had already been called when I got there. With the neighbor’s help, I got him back to the house, but he kept losing consciousness. The EMTs said he was having a cardiac event and whisked him off to the ER in Lewiston.

I reached out to my children because I felt they should know in case the worst happened. Son Murray was available and readily agreed to meet me at the hospital. Within a few hours, we had the diagnosis – clots in Mike’s lungs requiring a procedure to clear them. The cardiac specialist said he could work Mike in that day, and by Wednesday noon, he was good to come home with no restrictions on his activities. It had felt like a close call, but by Saturday, he was happily bird-hunting with friends. KW

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

 

“What made you decide to take on this project today?” asked Mike. Well, I didn’t tell him, but Christmas is coming. (He thinks it’s a long way off.)

Cleaning the kitchen soffits (the tops of the cabinets) is a challenge. First, it requires a plan of attack. Then I need a ladder, a vacuum cleaner, a Swiffer duster, a sink full of hot soapy water, a soft rag, and the discipline to stay on task. It needed to be done, and I just decided that Sunday was the day. Further, I display my Christmas figurines on the soffits, and they have been there for several years. Well, no sense to put them away now, but they must be cleaned anyway. The whole thing is time-consuming – and not very interesting.

I have always found when cleaning that one thing leads to another. I couldn’t find the Swiffer duster, and it was logical to think that it was behind the washing machine. Mike helped me, and we managed to retrieve it, along with a glove and a shoelace. And while I was looking for a flashlight in the utility cabinet, I found Mike’s missing cap. (Mike is part packrat.)

And then I remembered a basket stored in the shed which would be useful to trap random items on the washing machine. (There will always be random items on my washing machine.) I retrieved the basket, but its canvas liner was very dirty, so now I had to do a load of laundry. And what does this have to do with cleaning the soffits? Everything and nothing.

Oh! And while all this was going on, I was also baking the molasses cookies I mixed on Saturday.

Since the basket has vacated a spot in the shed, I decided it would be a great place for my rather extensive collection of cookie cutters. (I love cookie cutters.) So, yes, I moved the cookie cutters from the cabinet above the fridge to the shed where they are actually more accessible. (I love my shed!)

“Are you finished with the ladder?” calls Mike, and I just can’t help but feel defensive for the fact that, I’ve barely begun. And I’m already tired, and I’d rather do something else, but I promised myself I’d stay on task.

And yes, I did finish before suppertime. It was a good day. I got a lot done. KW

WINTERIZING THE FARMHOUSE

Autumn at the farm

On Friday (Nov. 8), we drove to the farm in the old pick-up to winterize the house. Son Clint went with us to a lend a hand. It was a decent day – 40 and sunny when we arrived. The sun was warm and an impediment to taking pictures.

First, Mike and Clint loaded the 4-wheeler into the back of the pick-up and the lawnmower onto the trailer.

The old maple has lost her leaves

While Mike and Clint pumped antifreeze into the pipes, I took fussy Bess for a walk. She usually insists we go to the pond, but she gleefully agreed to walk down the lane, working both sides of the road and into the fields as we went. At the bottom of the lane, I suggested we return to the house, but she made it clear that we should go on. “What does she know,” I wondered. So, we moved up the road, beyond the old apple tree and the elderberry bush where she went over the bank and was soon on point. Then she stealthily crept into the scrub brush, and within seconds, the elusive covey of Hungarian Partridges (probably 25-strong) got up and flew farther up the hill. Bess continued to hunt the scrub brush and was soon on another point. This time a pheasant got up – and then another. (Pheasants here are escapees from the hunting club in Little Canyon.) And then another bird flew out, either a hen pheasant or a hun. (My bird identification skills aren’t the best.)

Next, Bess led us on up the hill to the edge of the field where we knew those huns had parked themselves. Bess pointed them again, and as she moved in, they flew farther away – this time across Plank’s field, which is now a homesite. Well, no matter. I wasn’t hunting anyway.

So, we headed back to the house to tell Mike about our hunt. We knew he would be sorry he missed out. Bess was satisfied with her hunting experience and finally settled down.

As a part of winterization, we unloaded the refrigerator into two crates and the cooler, and that was about all we had room to carry back, though I did bring the bin of Christmas stockings and Hallie’s stuffed Dalmatian that barks “Jingle Bells.” Also, Avista has alerted us to the possibility of electricity outages this winter, so we brought the generator back, too.

But I’m making another list of things to get from the farmhouse because Mike wants to return so that he and Bess can search for those huns again. Mike says we’ll go as soon as the rain is over. (Apparently he thinks the predicted rain will actually happen.) And that will give me a chance to pack up more more stuff. KW

HALLOWEEN IS OVER -- MOVING ON

 

Looking across the south field to the canyon

Mike and I went to the farm Thursday – just a quick trip (really quick!). I wanted my sewing machine and some machine embroidery supplies, and while we will make at least one more trip before Christmas, I brought back the bin of small cars that I know Silas will expect when he visits. He will remember the bin of cars for sure. He’s been playing with them since he was one, and even last Christmas, when he was two, he watched me carry the bin from the shed to the house and exclaimed, “That’s my cars!” Knowing that the cars will be Silas’ priority, I left our Christmas stockings behind until the next trip. If it comes to that, Silas won’t care if Santa fills a paper bag – or even if Santa doesn’t come – as long as he has the cars.

Mike had things he wanted from the farm, too – a bicycle, his power saw, and the homemade ice cream that I’ve forgotten twice. I packed a couple of crates with open packages from the pantry that should be used.

3-year-old Silas as a monster truck

That night was Halloween. We turned on the porchlight and had just one caller, the adolescent from across the street. Just as well. Mike added the leftover M&M snack packs to his trail mix. He has already taken down and stored our Halloween yard figures.

I have long felt that my standard ironing board took up too much space in my cramped sewing room. While pressing is important, I make mostly small things and seldom need to iron our clothes. I searched for and eventually found exactly what I wanted – a small ironing board affixed to a cabinet, available from Wayfair. “Will I have to assemble it,” asked Mike, and I affirmed that he would. They made it sound easy, but it was a nightmare – heavy, awkward, some of the holes not punched, inadequate instructions. It took us at least 3 ½ hours, and don’t believe them when they say you won’t need an assistant. The good thing is that it fits the room as I expected. The standard ironing board is stored in the shed and accessible if I need it. KW

THE LANGUAGE OF SALES

Little girls ready for the Halloween party

I sign up for email promotions from those online retailers from which I purchase. If I didn’t, I’m afraid I would forget all about them. So, everyday my inbox is filled with sales promotions with the expectation that I, and other shoppers, will be drawn in:

·      Hurry! Your deal expires soon. (Trust me, if it ends, it will be back. They always want to sell me something.)

·      Last chance (Fat chance! There will always be another deal.)

·      Final hours

·      Get it before its gone! (Okay. It might be gone.)

·      Your 10% (or 15% coupon) ends soon. (Are you kidding? I might pay attention at 25%.)

·      Free shipping / free gift / save 20% (And then you open the website to discover this deal only applies when you spend a certain amount, like $69, $85, or $150, carefully calculated so that you won’t reach that amount with just the item you have in mind.)

·      Buy one, get one -- and variations thereof. (This is my least favorite promotion. When you only want one, as is often the case, this is a useless deal whereby they lose my purchase altogether.)  

·      Today Only! (Give me a break. There’s always tomorrow.)

·      Here’s your $10 bonus (which upon ordering, doesn’t seem to mean very much in the total)

·      This weekend only – $4.99 (original price: $5.99)

·      Or, they invite you to the clearance sale, and everything you might want is no longer available. Penney’s and Blair are big offenders.

·      And then we have seasonal sales, such as “Spooky Good Deals,” “No Tricks, Just Treats,” or “Monster Sale.”

Sometimes I get sucked in, but my goal is not to add more fabric and yarn to my stash without a definite purpose. (Notice that I am enticed by fabric and yarn, not clothes and home dec. Sometimes I have to be stern with myself. “You’re shopping,” I say, “and you don’t need a thing!” True but not much fun.

I used to think that I should never shop JoAnn’s without a discount coupon. If I got to the store without a coupon, I just didn’t go in. Then I realized that for the little I actually spend plus the fact that the coupon doesn’t apply to sale merchandise anyway, I really don’t need to bother with coupons. These days I seldom present a coupon, and they never ask for one. KW

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

THE AT-HOME DESTINATION CHRISTMAS

The purple ash passes

The thermometer didn’t quite register freezing Friday morning, but I saw frost on the rooftops. It was 35 as Bess and I took our morning walk at 8:00. I wore my winter coat for the first time, but it wasn’t the first time that I’ve worn my gloves. We haven’t had a fire in the little stove yet, but we’ve talked about it. We’ve turned the furnace on a couple of times. Our space heaters are in place.

What about the farm, you ask. Well, we aren’t worried about anything there – yet. We were going to go on Thursday, but Mike’s appointment at the pain clinic was moved up three weeks to that afternoon, a significant improvement in timing. And then, son Clint asked Mike to accompany him to Tri-Cities on Friday to pick up a used motorcycle, an opportunity too good to pass up. Saturday, Mike has football games to record and watch, and then there’s a chance of rain. And that’s the way it goes. Wait and see.

The red maple begins to turn

But as it gets colder – and it is getting colder – winterization of the farmhouse is on our minds. Overnight freezing is definitely happening at the farm now. It’s only a matter of time until that first cold snap is upon us. We keep a watchful eye on the forecast. Besides winterizing, Mike, wants to bring the 4-wheeler and the lawnmower back to town, and as for me, I don’t want much – just the sewing machine, the Christmas tree, Christmas ornaments, and six or seven projects in progress.

The "burning bush" begins to "burn."

You see, this past week I decided to put my desire for a farmhouse Christmas aside and pursue “Plan B” in earnest. I suggested to daughter Hallie, my logistics go-to person, that we rent an Airbnb here in the Valley for our holiday get-together. She was on it! It would have been better to have arranged this earlier, but it’s okay. She rented a house for Dec. 24-27. She says we can decorate quickly, so we’ll “haul out the holly,” drape a few red and green afghans over the furniture, put some stuffed toys in strategic places, set up a pre-lit tree, and hang a wreath on the door. What more could we want? What, indeed? We’ll be together. KW 

IS IT FALL YET?

 

Ash tree glows in the morning sun

If I had posted this essay several days ago, I would have said, “Okay – it’s cold now. 33 this morning.” It went from a high of 80 to a low of 33 on Thursday in a matter of days.

“Fall weather switch has flipped,” read the headline in Wednesday’s newspaper. It goes on to say that it might snow soon in the mountains. And that reminds me that my brother Chuck predicted this six weeks ago or so. “It’s going to be warm, and then it will be winter,” he said. I begin to think he might be right.

Once again, I washed my summer robe and t-shirts and put them away – “for the last time,” I pronounced to myself. But no! The high in the Valley on Saturday reached into the 70s, and hit 79 on Sunday. Mike wore shorts. But the change is here again now with rain and highs in the 60s.

Well, it just leaves us wondering when we should winterize the farmhouse. I’d like to have Christmas there, but Mike says he’d like to winterize before it gets cold. Seems like that would be pretty soon. So -- I’m working on “Plan B” for Christmas.

We went shopping this morning, and it was cold in Walmart. I suppose they kept it cool over the weekend. Our house is still reasonably warm.

I came back from the farm with two containers of tomatoes – ripe and green. I didn't expect the green ones to ripen, but every day, several of them turn from green to orange. It happens so quickly. I'm getting quite a collection on the kitchen window.  Such fun to watch! KW

EARLY AUTUMN YARD REPORT

Mike and I came to the farm Monday morning, bringing enough supplies for a night or two. It’s just a quick trip to take care of some fall clean-up. Fall colors have begun to appear, and the trip up the Clearwater was beautiful. In fact, Monday was a beautiful day here with a high in the mid-70s and a pleasant 72 in the house. It's just a few degrees cooler today.

No mice in traps but obvious rodent activity in the yard. 

We stayed in town several weeks, and I was worried about the produce ripening here at the farm. However, for the little we actually get, I told myself that it just didn’t matter, so I was elated to see that apples still hung on the three young trees in our little orchard / meadow behind the house. I picked as follows:

·      7 Empire (the tree closest to the house) – no worms (Yay!)

·      5 Freedom – quite wormy

·      Honey Crisp – 3 beautiful medium-sized apples; 4 small; half a dozen culls; and a bunch that succumbed to the worms.

It seems that the dormant spray has helped, so we’ll keep that up. Each tree is protected by fencing, or the deer would have eaten the apples by now – maybe even the trees! In fact, the country trees are barren of fruit now. Existing apples have disappeared, but some trees did not set fruit this year. I used most of the apples I picked to make a pint of applesauce.

It hasn’t frozen here yet. The zucchini plant still looked good but had only one very overgrown squash and a couple that were misshapen. The tomato vine was dying, but I picked plenty of red and green tomatoes. The strawberries didn’t do a thing this year, so while we were pulling out the zucchini and tomato plants, we ripped out the strawberries, too. Then Mike spread manure over the beds and tilled them. I don’t think we’ve ever done such a good job of putting the garden to bed.

We also put away the solar lights and ornaments. I love solar lights. Mike said the orchard looked like a carnival this year.

Son Murray, who gardens in town, reported that his tomato plant set on late in the season. He had his first BLT just last week. He called it “August in October.” And we discussed what we could do with the green tomatoes. I believe I have enough to make green tomato mincemeat.

In other kitchen work here, I used some frozen serviceberry and apple juice to make a batch of jelly. It took a long time for it to cook (I think the burners need adjustment) and turned out syrupy but delicious.

I believe a change in the weather is imminent, but I can’t tell you how many times I have washed and put away my lighter-weight clothes – especially nightwear – only to dig them out again.

Speaking of temperatures, I’m listening to The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown in which he mentions a record high in my hometown of Orofino, Idaho, on July 28,1934 – 118 degrees. It was 117 in Lewiston and Lapwai. I verified this online, where it also said this temp is still the highest recorded in Idaho. KW

EARLY AUTUMN MUSINGS

 

Purple Ash

The forecast is for several days of highs in the 80s. Typical of autumn in the Pacific Inland Northwest, mornings and evenings are cool. It takes longer to reach the day’s high temp, and it doesn’t last as long. To some extent, it depends on what you’re doing. At 9:30 this morning, Mike and Bess returned from hunting, complaining that it was hot on that hillside while I’m wearing my hoodie over a long-sleeved shirt.

Moving on to today’s musings, say what you will about Amazon, it’s nice to be able to order something you want / need and see it in the mailbox or on the doorstep in two days.

While Mike was gone over the weekend of Sept. 27, I happened to come across a pattern I’d saved for a Halloween spiderweb project in crochet. Inspired, I found the yarn on sale at a famous online retail outlet and ordered it. Meanwhile, I continued to work on the current crochet project, a “scrap” afghan in the wattle stitch, in order to make as much progress as possible before I put it away. I do like to work on seasonal projects when it’s the season, and a seasonal project trumps the non-seasonal.

After five days or so, I started watching for the ordered yarn, anticipating that it could be delivered at any time. However, a week to the day after submitting the order, I received notice that it had just shipped. And now, through the magic of the internet, I see that it isn’t due here until this coming Friday, two weeks after I placed the order. It’s now traveling slowly from Michigan to Washington state, currently in Illinois.

So, I’m just sayin’ – two-day delivery is wonderful. It just doesn’t always happen. And I’m spoiled.

Oh! And as I moved through Albertson’s yesterday, I came upon fruitcake fixings and grabbed the classic mix of candied fruit. I usually order it from Amazon because I can't find it locally. “Good for you,” exclaimed the cashier. “You have to buy this early. Wait until later in the season, and it will be gone.” How well I know! (Frankly, I just thought they never stocked it.) KW

PERSONAL EFFECTS

“You are welcome to use anything that is mine,” said son Milo when I told him Mike had hung his cool wall clock in the den at the farmhouse and I had taken over his wonderful lap board. I promised we would return them when he was ready, but now he won’t ever be back.

So, today was the day that we sorted through Milo’s stuff. We agreed that we needed to get it done while the weather is decent. It was a family effort. Sons Murray and Clint arrived at the town house at 8:00 this morning. Clint set up some folding tables in the garage, and we commenced to go through storage bins, boxes, and bags, loading items for donation into Clint’s pick-up.

“I could use this,” one of us would say from time to time, and that was nice. No one wanted what someone else could use, and that was nice, too.

It was a lovely morning. We worked steadily and were finished by noon. Well, I say we were finished, but Clint would still have to sort through the stuff in the bed of his pick-up, keeping some things and taking others to the thrift store.

After lunch, Murray and Clint left, and Mike and I worked along at clean-up until about 1:30 when a dust storm commenced. I was so glad we had finished. KW

[There is no pictorial record of this event. I didn't want one.]

WELCOME OCTOBER!

What happened to September?

Maybe autumn is here after all. Gradually both the high and low temps are lower, though still up and down. The last couple of nights, my winter PJs and one blanket haven’t been quite enough, so I topped our bed with my Halloween quilt.

“This is a decorative quilt. It shouldn’t be used,” said son Milo a couple of years ago. I meant for it to be used, though. I think quilts should be used. But – whatever Milo said, I will think of it now. He was not without observations and perceptions.

Mike is home now from his excellent motorcycle adventure. The only thing he lost on this trip was his hot water bottle, which he left behind at a motel. I found a replacement on Amazon at half price – $8.00. No point in worrying about the one he left behind. It’s cheaper to replace it.

And now onto the autumnal fun. Well, except for those pesky October gnats which are already making an appearance. They breed on ash trees, and unfortunately, we have one.

Through the magic of the internet, Mike, Hallie, and I attended court in Ada County this morning. I just can’t keep saying “Milo’s murderer,” so I’ll call him by his name – “James.” James pled “not guilty,” and I guess we think that’s a ploy – a bargaining chip, as it were. The trial was set for February 2025, with a projected duration of two weeks. To me, a lay person, this seems ridiculous, but the clerk was ordered to set dates and times and no one laughed or so much as cracked a knowing smile. Clearly, a protocol must be followed, and I consider myself a reasonably patient person, but I would not be cut out for this work.

Oh well. A lot can happen between now and February. KW

YET ANOTHER SHORT STAYCATION

Yes, all right. I got it wrong. My prediction that autumn had arrived with cooler temps and no more heat-related alerts was totally wrong. In the Valley, afternoon temps this past week soared into the high 80s or even the 90s. I had to get my summer pajamas and shorts back out and leave the blanket folded at the foot of the bed. And this weekend, the weather service alerted us to the fire danger. But I really do think that it will be cooler this next week. We’ll see.

Bess and I are together again while Mike is off on another adventure. Bess mopes, and I don’t say I like it, but I make use of the “alone” time to spread my projects out all over the house. I will have to clear away the clutter before Mike gets home so that he has a place to sit.

I have had two Daisy Kingdom Christmas border prints in my stash for 25 years. I bought them to make dresses for granddaughter Annie, who is now 28. I really wanted to make those dresses, too, but when it came right down to it, I realized I couldn’t overcome the difficulties. My sewing time was limited, and Annie lived a thousand miles away. Still, I love that fabric, and when we downsized 20 years ago, I retained it.

fussy cuts -- apron bib and pockets

So, yesterday I cut a bibbed apron with a full skirt out of that fabric. I did some fussy cutting (cutting specific designs from the fabric as decorative elements for the apron), which isn’t optimum use of the fabric, but I figure its value has depreciated anyway. Even so, I think I have enough fabric left over to make another apron. And that’s just from the first fabric.

And I crocheted on the latest scrap afghan, did some reading, went to Walmart, had phone conversations with family members, etc., etc., etc. Tomorrow: clear the clutter and fix a nutritious supper complete with an apple / pear / blueberry pie. KW 

HAPPY FALL

Get out your flannel PJs. Turn on the electric blanket. Fall is here and with it the autumnal temps – cool mornings and warm afternoons. Gone are the excessive heat and smoke warnings, and now we have a respite before we’re alerted to freezes and excessive cold.

Just another week and October will be here and we will segue into Halloween, then Thanksgiving and on to Christmas and New Years. For me, it will have its downside as we work through our first year without Milo, but we will weather through. We always do. We must!

The garden here at the farm is still “viable,” to use Mike’s word. I picked 17 tomatoes and 8 zucchini following a week’s absence and two more zucchini today. Some of the zucchini went into the compost bin. I don’t know how much grated zucchini I need to store in the freezer. On the other hand, perhaps there won’t be so many game birds this year and the zucchini will keep us from starving. (LOL)

Times are changing. It’s just inevitable. Sadly, Mike’s hunting partner had to have his dog put down. Besides losing his pet, this is a dilemma because he wants to keep hunting, but his own age is a factor. He’s been searching for a settled, trained older dog with a few good hunting years. It’s a nice idea, but no such dog has stepped forward to serve.

At 11, Bess is still an active, happy hunter, but Mike says when she gives it up, he will, too, and adds, “If not sooner.” If he had successful hunts, it would make a difference, but good places to hunt are scarce and growing scarcer, along with the game birds.

Here at the farm, we see quail, doves, Hungarian partridge, pigeons, chukars, and the occasional pheasant – just not in profusion. And as I always say, they aren’t stupid. They hear a few shots, and they are gone. At least, that’s the way it seems. It’s probably just the time of year.

While Mike was hunting on Saturday, he came upon better elderberries than he found last week, so he picked another six cups or so and I made more juice. Sunday I made jelly – four batches: black hawthorn berry; elderberry; a wild berry mix of haw, elder, and serviceberry; and elderberry / apple. I have 18 jelly jars in all plus partials for immediate consumption. And I’m tired, but I kept at it because once I had organized all the paraphernalia, I just wanted to keep going and get finished. KW

PROJECT MUSINGS

Cheerful sunflowers on the bank

“Start searching for a new project today,” messaged one of my favorite project retailers. That’s one thing I don’t need to do. We’re in town this week, so it’s an opportunity to clean and reorganize my sewing room, an activity that always brings me face to face with my many ideas and works in progress. (Do I sound like a broken record?) Well, it can be discouraging, but I’ve concluded that at this point in my life, it’s the process that matters, not the finish. Maybe I want to see how a pattern lays out, or on a given day, maybe I just want to cut into fabric. But if the project doesn’t continue to inspire, I give myself permission to let it go.

Last year I made a scrap afghan – gray with colored stripes in the wattle stitch. The bright colors pop against the gray, and a family member admired it several times, so I’m making one for him. (Shhhh – It’s a surprise.) It’s repetitive work, perhaps even boring, but I love it because I can just pick it up anytime and add a row or two. It’s such a relief not to have to read a pattern.

Through the magic of video, we attended court in Ada County today for the arraignment of Milo’s cellmate. Hallie went in person. As I predicted, he did not enter a plea. This will be a slow process, and it doesn’t matter. Life goes on. 

Mopey Bess

Autumn is upon us, and now it’s really time to get with the plan for sure. The cooler temps are invigorating. I note that Bess is energized, and so am I. Speaking of Bess, she refused to lick my cereal bowl this morning. “What’s wrong, Bess,” I inquired. “She’s moping because she isn’t going hunting today,” responded Mike on her behalf. Oh yeah – I forgot that she mopes. KW

A RECLUSIVE MUSE

Sometimes the muse just goes away. Fortunately, Mike’s travels have given him something to say, which relieved my muse during a testy week. And it’s not over. This next week, Milo’s cellmate has a court appearance to enter his plea – IF it happens. We know all too well that these things are often postponed. And we are fortunate that we don’t have to go. It doesn’t really matter about that guy, you know. I’m not vindictive toward him. He’s in prison, and he will stay in prison. It’s the system that’s at fault, and we have joined with others to support change.

Anyway, we went to the farm in the pick-up on Monday (Sept. 9) and stayed until Thursday. On Tuesday, we loaded the red fir that Mike had cut the previous week and then topped off the load with pine from our stockpile in the barn. Mike is glad to have some red fir to add to his firewood mix.

I finished the white “afghan stitch” afghan except for the embroidery. I laundered it, and now I will put it away so that I can enjoy more seasonal projects during the wonderful “-ber” months. KW

IDAHO BACK COUNTRY GEOCACHING

 

After picking up a few caches in the Mt. Idaho area I decided I'd like to try to get the back country caches farther south and east of Slate Creek. Most of my geocaching is done by motorcycle (motocaching) but on pavement as I am far from an accomplished off-pavement rider. Nevertheless, with the help of my son, Clint, and friend, Jim, both of whom are accomplished off-pavement riders I was eager to give it a try. I left the farm 50 miles north of Grangeville at 7:00 am and Clint left Lewiston even earlier trucking his bike to Grangeville to meet Jim, a retired Forest Service employee who knows that back country very well.

"Slate Point Lookout" was our first cache in the area. Although it was a very challenging ride for me somehow I made it up without falling and learned a bit in the process. Beautiful scenery although somewhat limited by smoke today. This one was well done and we had no trouble finding it. 

"Ruins of the Nut Basin Forest Fire Lookout" was next on our list.  This one was a real disappointment. The three of us searched for a half hour with no success. Based on previous logs I'm pretty certain we were looking where it should have been. However, it was a beautiful location.

Slate Point Lookout

The one we didn't find

We next traveled to the Florence cemetery which is about all that is left of the wild west mining town.  The cache is called "Florence, Oh What A Gal" and is located at the cemetery.  I had heard of Florence over the years but never made it up there. Very interesting history and the cemetery had just been restored with nice wooden markers.

Jim takes in the view at Nut Basin LO

Clint and I look over the cemetery

Our helpers on the grandpa-jack cache

The "Centennial ATV Trail" was our next one. There is no way I would have found this one without Jim's help. We traveled several obscure roads not even on my GPS.  I located the cache with no problem although it was under a fir, not a pine tree as the description read.

Now we traveled much farther east over to the Gospel Hump area looking for the "grandpa-jack" cache.  We looked and looked for this one with no luck. There was a father and two sons camped there on an archery elk hunt and they helped as well. Finally we gave up and proceed up to our next cache. On the way back the boys flagged us down and had located the cache on the other side of the road from where the coordinates stated. Not only that, but the hint was totally wrong. The cache is now located in an old stump just off the side of the road and I posted the new coordinates.

Clint and I at the Upper Gospel Overlook

Our last one for the day was the "Upper Gospel Lake Overlook".  It was quite a ride to get to this one and a fantastic view to boot. It was a nice placement with accurate coordinates. After finding the cache we traveled farther up the road to get some water from a spring that Jim knew about. 

It was after 7:00 pm by the time I got back to the farm having ridden 185 miles, more than 50 on rough gravel and dirt roads.  M/W

UPDATE: MILO WARNOCK WRONGFUL DEATH

Why don't they use THIS photo?

James M. Johnson has been charged with first degree murder and tampering with evidence in the homicide of our son Milo Warnock. It's just another step in a long process, and it undoubtedly means more waiting. 

Read the article which appeared in today's Lewiston Tribune here. (Click on "here.")

SUMMER WINDS DOWN

Today, Sept. 2 -- smoke, clouds, rain

 It was another few days of “excessive heat” in the Valley, so Mike and I escaped to the farm where it was 10 degrees cooler. However, it takes the day a while to warm up now. It’s mostly just a hot afternoon. And today – Labor Day – it’s quite cool. And it’s so smokey!!! It’s so smokey that we can’t tell what kind of day it is, though it’s so dark and dull that we assume it must be cloudy. I have no specific info on the fires, but they can’t be all that far away, judging from the smoke.

Elderberry Bush, Aug. 20

While Mike was riding his bicycle last week (Aug. 20), Bess and I hiked behind the farmhouse to examine the elderberry bushes. Some bushes had no berries at all, and those that had berries were far from ripe. I vowed to keep an eye on them because last year I said they wouldn’t be ripe until October, and when October came, there were no berries.

So, yesterday (Sept. 1), I went again to look at the bushes, and to my surprise, the clumps of berries I had noticed before were dry and dropping. Just touching a clump made the berries drop. Ten to 15 years ago, we were picking elderberries in October and making jelly. We called it Elderberry Fest. So, no Elderberry Fest this year, and perhaps never again for us, but thanks to Mike, we will have haw fest. He picked more than three pints two weeks ago, which I cooked into 3 cups of juice. These berries were plumper than the prior picking and made juice more readily.

Picking haws (black hawthorn berries) isn’t easy. The branches have long thorns, and the trees grow in awkward places. Mike said he was picking in the deer’s bedroom and he hoped they appreciate the berries he dropped.

The thing about the haws is that they aren’t tasty – sometimes described as insipid. I add a good bit of lemon juice, which at least gives it some tang. They have a lot of natural pectin, and when I make the jelly, I’m not going to add any. Wish me luck.

I was ready to take the hummingbird feeders down last week when one lone hummingbird came up to the window and asked for more nectar, so I refilled both of them. That was a mistake. I saw the little fellow once more, and then he disappeared. We saved the nectar to use in the wasp traps, so at least there’s that.

Harvest of the spring wheat to the north of us has begun. We only caught a glimpse of the combine once, but we know it’s there. We can hear it. KW

Central Ridge 

CANADA MOTORCYCLE TRIP 2024 - PART 3

 

Riverside State Park

Dam at Riverside State Park

Bridge to Boulder Cr Road

We were on the road by 6:30 the next morning heading southeast on Hwy 3 thankful for dry pavement and no rain. This turned out to be my favorite day of the trip in terms of fun roads, ironically most of it in WA State.

After crossing the border we took a more easterly direction over to Oroville. This is where the fun began. The next three roads to the east were some of the best motorcycle roads I’ve ridden. Most of it in deep woods with a mix of many curves, hills and no traffic. Much of the route was along a stream as well. The first road was the Chesaw Rd, then the Toroda Creek Rd followed by the Boulder Creek Rd.

Another embarrassing incident for me: I had used geocaches as my waypoints to guide me on the route. I reviewed the map with Sam and he said he thought he could get to the cache I was using to guide me through these roads. I like to go faster than Sam on these types of roads so I got a ways ahead of him and couldn’t even see him due to all the curves. Toroda Creek road comes to a tee with Hwy 21 before jogging over to the Boulder Creek Rd. Instead of waiting at the intersection as I should have, I turned north on Hwy 21 and waited a half mile up the road where you had to turn right across an old one-lane bridge to the Boulder Creek Rd. After about a 20 minute wait I knew Sam had turned right on Hwy 21 instead of left and doubted I would ever see him again that day. I didn’t know what to do but proceed on the Boulder Creek Rd. Long story short, after reaching Hwy 395 and turning south I saw Sam waiting at an intersection about a mile or so down the road. I can’t tell you how relieved I was.

We continued down Hwy 395 until a little before Kettle Falls where we turned due south on Hwy 25 which bordered the east side of the Columbia River and was a beautiful ride we had done before. At the little town of Hunters we turned east on the Springfield-Hunters Rd which took us over to Springfield where we connected with Hwy 231 south. We continued on 231 past Ford picking up another geocache  and had lunch in Riverside State Park where Avista has an old dam separating the Spokane River from Long Lake. It was a beautiful shady park and a nice break for us.

At Reardon we took Hwy over to Espanola Rd where we picked up a cache in some shady woods and continued merging into Hwy 902 over to Cheney. We turned south on the Cheney-Plaza Rd and eventually took more country roads going through Malden and Pine City. We crossed Hwy 195 and took Hwy 271 and Hwy 27 which was a very familiar but pleasant motorcycle route for us. This was our longest day and we didn’t reach home until about 5:00 pm having traveled over 1100 miles for the trip. Another great trip in the books for old-timers. M/W