Busy, busy computer

 

The company I used for years to make these beautiful hard cover blog books went out of business. I got behind on the project, with about a four year backlog now. Each book covers only about 6 months, so some catching up to do. 

The books are expensive, but gosh, we think it's worth it preserve all that family history. Blogs can crash, get lost or deleted in a moment of carelessness. Google could just decide they're done supporting the old Blogger platform. Goodby, all 4,745 posts. Maybe vanity, but I'd be heartbroken to lose what has become my life's work in many ways. 

 

 

 

Anyway, I found a new printing company. The books look different but still nice. I've bought two so far.

 

The problem is the process of uploading my blog to their site-- and their clunky interface for designing the books. My laptop was grinding away all morning for nothing. I'll just have to start again from scratch tomorrow. 

.

 

Speaking of from scratch, these rustic tarts are fun to make and less fuss than pie. Just a simple butter crust topped with sliced apples (Honeycrisp from Lone Pine) and toasted walnuts. Yes, pears would work. 

 

National Cat Day

 

"If she had seen you, 

I should never have seen you again, that is all,"

replied Mamma.

There are most likely mice and pack rats in the orchard's several old outbuildings. How could there not be?  

 

Farmers once considered a good ratter/mouser the most valuable animal in the barn. Breed is a factor, but kitty temperament and upbringing (as in no spoliing) is more important in the making of a good hungry barn cat. 

Too late for that here. The family cats, "Georgia" and "Millie" are in for a rude moving surprise. 

 

As we know, cats hate change, and these butterballs are just settling in for their usual winter semi-hibernation in front of the wood stove. But I have a feeling the Russian stove will do nicely. 

In good weather, both cats do a little light mousing around the yard, but a whole new wild world awaits these city slickers.  Coyotes are common (yikes) and a black bear seen in the orchard recently. The property is adjacent to the wilderness Golden Doe Wildlife Unit, with cougars, moose and plenty of mule deer. 

We've  hiked in the beautiful place several times. Now, we can walk in from the back of the orchard.

 

Home sweet farm

 

The orchard with almost three acres of trees, and not just pears. Get out the canner.

 Tom contemplating kitchen painting projects...

 

And getting right to work outside...

Maya in front of the beautiful Russian wood stove...

(Going to be a learning curve there.) 

 Tom and Amanda in the sweet dining room...

Pears, pears, pears...

And Nica, already a country dog. 

Wishing them a safe and quick move to the new home. They need to be completely out of their old one by November 15th for the renter. 

 

Back to the city

 

When we return in November, the view will be full on winter-- the leaves down and the ground blanketed with snow. 

Our house is neat as a pin and ready for another long winter, which is closing in fast. Yesterday morning the hills around town had the first dusting of snow. 

  

 

I walked up the familiar street to Amanda and Tom's house for dinner one last time, something I've enjoyed over the years and frankly, will miss. I sat on the porch looking at the same view of Mill Hill that captivated me when we first came to Twisp about 18 years ago. That long!

And now a new and exciting chapter begins for all of us. I saw their new home for the first time yesterday. The old farmhouse is dripping with charm, and the orchard a wild and wonderful thing to behold. 

I don't have time to sort through all the pictures this morning, but here's a teaser:

 And we will never need to buy pears again.

On the town

 

While everyone is at work and school, I've been having a good time with my friend and neighbor Karen. Last week we went to an art show at Lost River Winery in Winthrop, and yesterday an orange wine tasting at Glover Street Market, the gourmet grocery store here in Twisp.

In case you are wondering, orange wine is a "skin contact wine," made by fermenting the juice in contact with the grape skins, which gives it color. 

The pours were a bit strange, including a "natural" Gewurztraminer from a Washington winery called "Savage Grace." 

Gewurztraminer is an extremely aromatic grape that can be quite delicious, but they managed to turn it into something that looked and tasted like unfiltered vinegar. Savage, indeed! The Germans would be horrified at what goes on with their grape out here on the frontier.  

But all in good fun-- the company you're with, as always, makes the excursion.

And it hasn't been just boozy excursions!  

Methow at Home organized an outing at the Shafer Historical Museum in Winthrop. 

The museum is closed for the season, but our group of seniors got a behind the scenes tour of the offices and archives.

 

The textile storage room, and a nicely done item inventory with photographs. 

And something near and dear to my heart: finding aids. These documents are the key to the archives, describing in detail the various collections. 

Almost all the work at Shafer is done by local volunteers and historians. Much of the museum's collection of photographs and documents is scanned, cataloged and available online through their website. Impressive.

My dear friend in front the North Cascades topological map her husband Bruce carved for the museum some years ago. 

Amanda and Tom's new home is set to close on Monday, and they had a walk through yesterday with the owners. It was the first time they've been inside the house since that sunny day in August, and there's still much to discover. They are excited and of course overwhelmed. I'll see it for the first time today. 

So a new adventure begins just as winter is closing in fast here. They're moving everything (including 12 chickens, 2 cats and a dog) over the next 2 weeks. 

 

The Dress

 

 

This is the homecoming dress I've been talking about. Whew, alterations complete. I'd post a picture of Nova wearing it, but it might crash the Internet. Ha!  She is growing up to be a lovely person. 

And as the saying goes:

 

Red sky in morning

 

 

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in morning, sailor take warning."

The first atmospheric river of the season is poised to hit the Northwest coast tomorrow. The storm is potent enough to bring rain over to central Washington this weekend and snow in the mountains. 

How much snow and at what pass level is the question, but the first snow always seems to catch people off guard. A bad time to be out on the highways. I'll keep a close eye on the pass reports for the drive home next week.  

In the meantime, I'm in no hurry to leave the cozy house, and enjoying the last few autumn like days, with the valley covered in golden foliage. All too soon, the leaves will be down and the ground covered in snow until spring. 

What a dramatic sunrise this morning. The sun climbs over the eastern hills about 8, although that will soon be an hour earlier, as we go back off daylight savings time. Why oh why, we ask ourselves twice a year. 

Today I have a dress to finish,and will make dinner for the crazy busy family tonight. Curry. 

Autumn splendor

 

I like driving in shoulder season, especially on a fall weekday when there's less traffic on the highways. 

The 93 mile leg from Cle Elum to Lone Pine Fruit and Espresso is my longest, so the store is a welcome sight and rest break. Customers are unfailingly greeted with a hello and smile from the familiar sweet women who work there. 

Yesterday was still warm enough to sit outside and have a cup of their homemade soup. 

Corn and green chili...

 

 

Very quiet and pretty along the river, with the cottonwoods just turning gold. Hunting season is on, so the deer might be hiding. 

 

Our HomeWatch company already shut down the irrigation system and blew out the lines. The local snow plower set up his markers on the driveway. Winter is just around the corner. 

 

I have a pleasant day ahead. Amanda is working at her office in Twisp, so hopefully we can slip out for lunch between patients. Then Karen invited me to go with her to Lost River Winery in Winthrop later today for an artist's exhibit. 

 

Nova brought her little pink sparkly homecoming dress over after school yesterday. Yikes! I shortened the straps and fingers crossed I can get it securely sewed back together. (Nana does not want to be responsible for any traumatic high school wardrobe failures.)

 

No joy in Mudville

 

The Seattle Mariners retain their long record of being the only major league team never to make it to the World Series. That was a heartbreaking finish last night, but congratulations Blue Jays. Go Canada. 

It looks like good weather for the next few days and I'm hitting the road to Twisp. It might be my last solo trip for the year-- when the snow piles up in the passes and the driving gets dicey, I'm not keen on being out there alone.  

Moving day is approaching for the family, and Nova has a homecoming dress that needs a bit of alteration before Saturday. Hopefully Nana can handle that with her rusty sewing skills. 

 

 

Breakfast?

 

I happened to look out the window on Sunday morning and there was a hawk in the yard, enjoying a leisurely fuzzy breakfast. Squirrel? More likely our little bunny that's been hopping around the yard all summer without a care in the world. 

Coopers Hawk, also known as a chicken hawk, took his time dining on the Petit Lapin, then left a few unappetizing bits for the crows. 

Urban "Coops" are the most common hawks in the Seattle and have been sighted in many parts of the city, including the West Duwamish Greenbelt which is close by, as the hawk flies.

In less gruesome news (hopefully) the Blue Jays forced the Mariners to game 7 to finally determine which lucky team goes up against the well-rested Dodgers in the World Series. We've been listening to the baseball games on radio, but can watch this nail-biter on television, followed by the Seahawks on Sunday night football. Seattle's sports moment in the sun. 

  

National Pasta Day

 “Pasta doesn’t make you fat. How much of it you eat makes you fat.”  Giada de Laurentis

The problem is, who eats a half cup serving of pasta?

Useless factoid of the day:

There are about 600 shapes of pasta, and no surprise, the most popular being spaghetti. The rarest shape is called "Su filindeu" from Sardinia, meaning "God's yarn."

Made from a simple semolina dough, the threads are painstakingly stretched by hand into a weave mimicking fabric. 

Good grief. Looks like a recipe for aggravation. 

Speaking of which, tickets for the Mariner's game this afternoon have dropped from the $1000 range to about $150.  Oh ye of little faith...

Well, Friday rolls around again and it's going to be a rainy weekend up here in Seattle. Have a good one.

 

A blowout

 

 

As Yogi Berra famously said, "It ain't over until it's over." 

But the rout in Seattle last night means the Mariners aren't headed lickety split to the World Series after all. 

At 2-1 now with the Blue Jays, it's far from over. Hey, it just means more games. We don't have cable, but if they're broadcast on antenna TV, John has a Rube Goldberg set up with cables and antennas to pull in the Fox signal. No go on that last night, which in retrospect, was a blessing in disguise.

Here's another good quote:

"A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into 9 innings."

Robert Real Wilson 

 

Once in a blue moon

 

 

Perfect autumn weather in Seattle this week with no rain in the forecast until the weekend. As luck has it, our West Seattle ukulele group is scheduled to play outside on Sunday afternoon at the Fauntleroy Fall Festival. 

Once in a blue moon, the Costco geraniums survive the winter, but doubt that will be the case this year. We're going into a La Nina pattern, trending to wetter, colder and snowier than average (whatever average means these days.)

Anyway, the fall colors were so vibrant yesterday when I was out and about. The trees in Seattle are at their peak. 

As you've probably noticed, the fall and Halloween decor (except for tons of candy) is almost gone in the stores. I went to Home Depot yesterday looking for winter blooming pansies and the nursery was already shut down, with full on Christmas inside. They did have a nice final display of chrysanthemums outside the door. Of course the yellow pot hooked me. 

Since Tom painted the shed door many years ago, I've been attracted to that Viking yellow. It's a garish color for sure, but cheerful and improbably it looks good with blue.

There is a BIG baseball game in Seattle tonight. 

I'm not going to jinx it by talking about it.  

National Dessert Day

 

 

The Pennsylvania Dutch tradition was to put the pies and cakes on the table with the savory food, rather than serving it after the main course. It was a generous, smorgasbord-style meal. I remember many an uncle's plate filled with Lebanon baloney, shoo-fly pie, potatoes, pickles and bread-- at the same time. 

 

The old "seven sweets and seven sours" tradition meant serving a variety of sweet and tart dishes, including desserts and pickled vegetables to balance out the flavors. Salt and pepper were pretty much the only seasonings. 

 

 

Looking back, the food was heavy but wholesome. Sunday dinner especially seemed to last a long, long time, with the adults eating slowly and talking. There was no rush for anything. Of course kids were expected to sit quietly at the table and listen until excused. After dinner, the men went in the living room to smoke a cigar while the women cleaned up. 

 

Pie was cheap and filling and they made it from just about everything, including Funny Cake (above) a weird but delicious pie/cake combo. 

 

When we were kids in the 1950's, there was always some sort of dessert right after dinner: jello or pudding from a box, fruit cocktail or peaches from a can. On lucky nights-- pie, cake or ice cream.

 

 

Have a sweet day.