REFRESHMENT

You can water and water, but there’s nothing like a refreshing rain to bring the plant world to life. It’s like the plants take a big breath and expand for the moisture with a deep “ahhhhhh.” I’m sure the cooler air is part of it. And -- I feel fresher, too.

We’ve had several storms in the past month, but not much rain. That ended at 5:00 a.m. this morning when the little men played ten pins right over our roof. It poured rain for ten minutes and then continued to rain intermittently for several hours. A lovely cool breeze wafted through the windows from the north and then the east.

The storm cleared out much of the smoke, though some haziness has managed to sneak back in.

From where I sit, summer is gradually fading away. Days are shorter. Fields are harvested. Fall is in the air. And at Jo-Ann’s – or any other fabric / craft / home dec shops, we see fall colors and Halloween decorations. I don’t mind at all. If you’re going to decorate for a holiday – especially if you’re creating your own decorations – it pays to start early.

I just started the quilting process on my “Halloween Masquerade” quilt with some hand stitching to accent the center design. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I sit in Hallie’s room – a.k.a. the guest room, a.k.a. my room – which I consider altogether the best room in the house. When I was growing up and we stayed at the farm, this was my room, and my mother put some effort into making it my place. I spent quiet times in that room – and now sewing in that room is just feels like home.

With the cooler day at hand, Mike made muffins and I baked that old harvest favorite, pumpkin bread. And supper is cooking in the crock pot. Yes, it seems like fall. KW

A QUICK RECAP OF RECENT DAYS

Friday morning I kissed Mike good-bye at the convenience store in north Lewiston where the Boise-Winnemucca stage line picks up its passengers. I don’t know if a bus ride was on his “bucket list,” but at any rate he greeted his trip to Boise on the bus as a great adventure. The purpose of the trip was to pick up his new-used BMW F800 ST (Sport Touring) motorcycle purchased through a Boise dealer.

Mason & Mike with BMW

Milo, Jenny, Mason & Gage, Mike

While in Boise he visited son Milo, met Milo’s girlfriend Jenny, and spent time with grandsons Mason and Gage. 

Naturally, he rode the BMW home, arriving at suppertime Saturday evening.

The touring bike will be much more comfortable for trips and enable him to carry more gear and (hopefully) keep track of his stuff. That seems to be a challenge. He’s already volunteered to carry a gift to granddaughter Emmy when he goes to Denver next month. Usually he declines to carry anything I might send.

Nellie & Bess hope Mike returns soon

Of course, the dogs and I are a unit while Mike is gone. I think they handled his absence better with the Boise trip because he didn’t leave on a motorcycle. He simply didn’t come back with me, and they had no picture of his leaving. Contrast that with this photo of them after he left on his motorcycle yesterday morning. (They had been moping in tandem but raised their heads in interest when I took the picture.) He would only be gone the morning, but they didn’t know that. When he leaves on a motorcycle, he might be right back – or it could be days.

Harvest finishes to the north

So, we’re back at the farm, and while we were gone, the farm crew finished harvest on our land. I watched yesterday as they worked on the ridge to the north. Then that was finished and they moved on. 

Smoky today

So we escaped the worst of the dust, but today it’s smoky! It wasn’t so bad yesterday, but this morning the smoke was upon us – not just a distant smoke but smoke in the yard. I decided not to do the laundry. It’s that bad. KW

TOMATO-LOVIN' DOG

At first I could only guess as to what was happening. I had a nice crop of ripening tomatoes on one bush, and the next time I looked, they were GONE! I suspected Bess.

I was slow to act on the problem. I guess I really couldn't believe a dog would like tomatoes. Of course, green tomatoes resemble green apples, and the dogs do love green apples. 

Yesterday was the straw. Arriving in town on Thursday, I had picked half a dozen nearly-ripe tomatoes. And then yesterday, I noticed several I wanted to ripen a bit more were gone. And the signs were obvious: it was Bess.

Obviously tomato cages and decorative fencing would not deter any animal, so I installed heavier trellises. Those didn't work either. By digging she had managed to compromise them and reach through for the fruit.

Online search revealed that dogs will eat tomatoes, but tomatoes aren't good for dogs. So, the sooner I could thwart her efforts, the better. Jo-Ann Fabrics was having a timely sale on netting, so I bought ten yards. Now my three tomato plants are beautifully draped in wedding-like finery, and it remains to be seen if that will do the trick. 

Gardening here in town has been no more rewarding than at the farm.  Of three tomato plants, only one is bearing nicely. And two hills of zucchini are simply sitting there. Add to that the problem with Bess, and I'm considering giving it up. I'm not much of a gardener anyway, but one does have to do something with one's bare dirt. KW

CENTRAL IDAHO HARVEST -- 2014

My brother, Chuck, is very interested in genealogy, and while he doesn’t have Dicksons on his tree, he can access that info and did so on my behalf. As we traced my Dickson lineage (Grandma Ina’s family), I was surprised to learn that my great-great-great-grandfather Dickson is buried in Anderson, SC. This is ironic because Mike and I visited Anderson last year to research his Warnock forefathers. It just seems a huge coincidence that my ancestor also lived in Anderson, and we wish we’d known last year.

 

We were glad that Chuck’s visit coincided with harvest even though there were delays in the activity due to equipment issues and the weather. The farmer is running only one combine because the second one is out of commission. The work was slow compared to other years.

And then yesterday (Tuesday, Aug. 12) the weather was unsettled and a big storm hit at 4:00 p.m. The lightning and thunder didn’t seem all that close. The wind was the worst of it. We could see rain in the distance but we received very little here. That storm probably signals the end of the 100+-degree temperatures.

Chuck and the dogs wandered into the field to talk with the truck driver as he waited for the combine to dump another load of wheat. Farming involves quite a lot of waiting.

 

When the storm hit, the crew left the combine and truck in the field. They returned for the truck this morning, but . . .

. . . the combine stands idle. We expect that the operation will not resume today because of the weather, but then -- we're not in charge.

I thought maybe the storm would clear the smoke from the air, but any benefit was short-lived. Even as I write, it's getting worse.We can't see Little Canyon to the south or Teakean Butte to the north.

Chuck and Joanne left this morning to visit Chuck's friends and classmates in Orofino and then continue their round of family visits.

LITTLE TUDOR UPDATE: A SMALL FINISH

Nick and Hallie continue to spend hours fixing up their small brick Tudor in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. Hallie sent the picture left which was taken late in July. Note the contrast with the one on the right taken as the house was re-roofed last spring.

These are the most recent pictures, sent Monday (Aug. 11) and show the bead board above the door entry--it was peeling brown paint like the brick molding on the door. Hallie said the electric sander was not doing a good job, so she bought a heat gun and made quick work of this!





The comment on photo right is that Nick caulks everything.





And here it is: a beautiful finish!

HARVEST AT GILBERT

Harvest of winter wheat began on June's place today. It's wonderful that it's happening while my brother Chuck and his wife Joanne are visiting.





Chuck and Mike enjoy watching the big harvest machines from the comfort of the front porch.




It's hot -- 99 as I write -- and so-o-o-o smoky. Add the dust of harvest to that, and I'm glad I didn't do the laundry today.

Despite the heat, I baked a loaf of zucchini bread this morning with the one zucchini that developed on my plant. I wish I could say I see more such fruit in the future.  KW

SNAKES APLENTY

Snakes are plentiful this year. Ina Dobson -- October 18, 1933

I had just been thinking that it was the kind of day that we might see a rattler. Perhaps I’m not as intuitive as I am wary. It pays to be wary. At any rate I was alert -- and that was good.

As the dogs and I returned to the farmhouse from our walk yesterday morning, Nellie suddenly stood stock still. There, just a few feet in front of her was a coiled rattlesnake. She glanced at me, gave the rattlesnake wide berth, and went on to the house.

What IS that?

Bess, who had apparently bounced right by the rattler on her way to the house, saw that something was up and came bouncing back. I took this picture as I held her firmly by the collar. Note her ears.

LARGE garter snake

Not all snakes are rattlesnakes, of course, and we have our share of others. This large garter snake caught Bess’ attention this afternoon. We treat all snakes as if they were rattlers, though. “No, Bess! Leave it alone!”

And this evening, I spotted this “racer” near the top of the lane. It posed for this picture, and in a flash it was gone.

We’ve seen several bull snakes this season, too. Sorry – no pictures.

See how hazy our world has become. Sometimes it seems "other worldly." KW

Smoke obscures the butte.