The owl and the pussycat

 

 

Amanda says this Great Horned Owl has been visiting the farm each day at dusk. They are year-round residents in the Methow Valley, and use a "sit-and-wait" perch strategy to hunt small mammals, rodents, and birds. 

Yes, that includes Chihuahuas, chickens and cats, although Georgia is a rather hefty mammal for a three pound owl to haul off. Cats also fight back, so they're not the first menu choice for owls. Still, life on the farm has its risks for the plump and complacent residents. 

We had an easy drive yesterday and the fall colors were beautiful on the mountain passes.

Fleeting moments

 

My last peaceful river sit until next year? 

The Methow Valley is true perfection on a warm sunny day in October and we're enjoying the wildlife parade outside the front window. Who needs TV?

Tomorrow we say goodbye to our "wild" friends and head back to big city life.

"How blessed is he, who leads a country life, unvex'd with anxious cares, and void of strife!" 

John Dryden, 1631-1700 

A nip in the air

 

A moody and chilly sunrise this morning-- down to 28 degrees tonight.

 

And muted colors on the farm as winter closes in fast.

The pear harvest (that no one seems sad about ha ha.)

And Yoko, ready for Halloween in her new costume. 

And speaking of cute, Maya and her delightful friends at a cake decorating birthday party this afternoon.

 

 Crazy girls on the loose in the orchard! Fun times on the farm.

 

Unfamiliar sight

 

Hello to our old friend rain...and the official end of a dry summer.  

We're headed over to Twisp tomorrow for a short visit. Wintry mix on Snoqualmie Pass tomorrow morning here we go. 

And there's some celebrating to do-- Maya turned 14 this week!

 

 

Sticker shock

 

 

Our cherry tomato plant is still producing and I'm picking every one. We once joked about the cost of home-grown tomatoes (the plant starts, potting soil, fertilizer, tons of water) because it was cheaper back then to just buy them. 

Now a tiny plastic container of cherry tomatoes is about $6 in the grocery store. Our one plant could have filled 50 of those this summer. 

Fuel and grocery prices are shocking, aren't they? Maybe even more so to the older generation. I won't bore you with stories of 25 cent gallons of gas and loaves of bread. 

A modest package of sirloin steaks was over $70 at Costco yesterday. I couldn't bring myself to spend that so I bought Aidell's chicken sausage, pork tenderloins and a bag of frozen shrimp for less. I'm our mother's daughter, for sure.  

 

My sou chef sliced some pork for stir fry and it was better than a hunk of charred beef. (Or so we told ourselves.)

 

That's about it in the complaint department. I was walking around the neighborhood thinking there is something magical about fall in Seattle. The days are crisp but can still be beautifully sunny in the afternoon. That's about to change with a wet weather system headed our way tomorrow. Goodbye cherry tomatoes. 

   

Muted colors

 

These last little flowers are the sweetest.  

So far our October weather has been perfect- foggy mornings with the sun breaking out by afternoon. The garden is still dry and that dark rain curtain yet to descend on Seattle. It's coming...

 

The hydranges were the stars of the show this summer and fading now to these beautiful muted colors. I have quite a dead-heading project ahead, but they're still too pretty to cut back. 

We are settled into a fall routine, making soup, watching football, cozy covers back on the bed. Give me the simple life. 

Speaking of simple. This is called an "apple buckle," the recipe from the New York Times. An easy and indulgent little treat, it contains an entire stick of butter and a cup of sugar. Oh yes, and then ice cream.

If that doesn’t say fall?