Keep playing

 

That's a screenshot from a Seattle Times article featuring our West Seattle Ukulele group. Unfortunately I haven't gone much this summer, between travel and health issues, so it was nice being there yesterday, although chilly sitting outside on the patio at C&P Coffeehouse. A hardy group-- coffee and beer helps. 

WSUP started four years ago with a handful of people looking for a safe outdoor place to play during the pandemic. 

It was informal and we airdropped the music to each other, calling out song requests. Now the group uses a slick app called "SongPro" with playlists put together in advance by our leader. He's partial to 80's pop songs, some of which sound better than others arranged for the uke. But all in good fun. My playing ability has neither improved nor declined-- these days, I'm happy with stable anything. 

Over 50 players often show up for the Thursday jam, and the group performs several times a month at different venues and events. There is no lack of opportunity to hear (or play) ukulele music in West Seattle. 

 

It is apple pie season for sure, and I made one yesterday with a recipe from the NYT that called for cooking the filling first, instead of piling crunchy raw apples into the crust. It was good, although like many recipes from the NYT, involves some extra fuss and bother. 

Have a good weekend. 

The owl and the pussycat

 

 

Amanda says this Great Horned Owl visits 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.