old and new

ah... a diabolical dichotomy... one foot in the '60s listening to Tammy Grimes in the original broadway cast of "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", which i actually did see on broadway in new york!!  and the other foot in the digital computerized world of the new Kenmore washer and dryer which were delivered today.  they replace a washer that was new in the early 90s... no shit... it was a Kenmore and it actually did last that long.  this new one is high efficiency, computerized, low water, "senses" the load and adjusts accordingly, and makes the damnedest noises... plus it locks the lid.  come on.  reallllly?  and the new dryer replaces one of unknown age... probably not as old as the washer.  it was given to us after the original owner inadvertently closed her cat in there... and turned it on.  yeah, i know... grim.  needless to say, she wanted that dryer out of her sight immediately, so it came to live here.  and served well.  no more cats!

and tomorrow my very dear friend Anna arrives for a visit.  our friendship dates back to the early 70s and has seen us thru lots of adventures, personal complexities, adventures, road trips, marriages (one each), problems, happinesses, joys, heartaches, ... and it endures.  one of those friendships where it's ok to just go to the beach and sit around in jammies all day talking, drinking wine and watching movies.   and i'll just stop here...my mind is going into the way back time machine when i just couldn't have made it thru the days of being a single mom with a small toddler child without Anna!!  a friend for whom i am eternally grateful.  Thursday we'll go to portland for the matinee of "Oklahoma!" which i saw a couple of weeks ago and loved it so much that i want Anna to see it and i'm delighted to see it again.  it's at Portland Center Stage in the old armory building in NW... a must see if you possibly can.  then maybe we'll go to the beach or maybe victoria or who knows... 

plant sale.. uh oh...

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/329806/

well, what can i say?  show me neon purple berries on
a shrub and i gotta have it!

 Beautyberry 'Profusion' (Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii)

everything was 50% to 75% off (at Larson's Nursery
in Hillsboro,OR) and perhaps i went a bit over-board, but got some plants i really love!  2 roses for the new rose bed at one side of the veg. garden, miniature pomegranate, 2 heavenly bamboo, a pink gaura  that is gorgeous...etc etc. and more!   no words for how much my poor ole back hurts after digging holes and planting just a few of this bounty.





dwarf pomegranate  hoping it will be happy here and will thrive!  and now must get ice pack for my back!

more Montana

we saw LOTS of bears (none of them alive!!) and mooses (what IS the plural?  spellcheck says that's not right).  anyway, the kids were very patient about posing for pics for their mom and gramma.  i was totally surprised that Z would even go into a place where there were stuffed animals, esp. heads hanging on the wall.  she loves animals very very much, and doesn't like any form of anything that was once living.  doesn't even like museums or anyplace where there are figures of the human form.  needless to say, she doesn't like dolls either...

anyway, we were in a steakhouse near Whitefish which had a sign out front welcoming hunters.  think we should have known what the decor would be??  the dinner was wonderful, but i could have done without all the mounted heads of moose, deer, long-horned sheep on all the walls.

Kate, Jim and i visited the Black Star brewery in downtown Whitefish.  good beer... i tried the Wild Huckleberry (samples are freely offered) then had a glass of the Frog Hop which was a nice pale ale.  and, yes, i did buy a teeshirt.

Jim enjoyed his porter... isn't that a cute photo!  i love it!!

another moose... placed on a shelf up above the lobby.. strange.    this one is at the local theater where we saw "39 Steps" which was a slap-stick and silly comedy... which we liked.


stay tuned... more montana to come.

i'm baaaack from Montana

last week we rode Amtrak to Whitefish, Montana... got back this afternoon.  it really was a great week! Kate and the grandkids drove up from WA and spent the week with us.  had a nice little place thru our time-share.  the leaves were changing color and yellow was the predominate color, which was gorgeous, but it did seem strange not to see the variety of reds, oranges, browns of the leaves around here.  most days were sunny... or part-sunny ... and close to 60s... no rain or snow!!

roadside information about Lake McDonald

we really lucked out on the day we chose to drive up to Glacier National Park... very clear and sunny day.  and not many other cars headed in that direction.  the big bummer thing was that the road was closed up into the area where we could have seen the actual glaciers... not because of snow, but because this is the time it's best to get road maintenance and repair done.  we did find lots of beauty, photo ops and chances for the kids to do some running around.  including driving around about 3/4 of Lake McDonald.

quilt show - Hillsboro

on sunday, Pam and i went to the West Side Quilters Guild show in Hillsboro.  we wandered thru the exhibit room for a couple of hours absorbing inspiration and taking photos of favorites to be able to jog our memories later when we tried to remember what it was that inspired us!  these were some of my favorites.  seems i have some sort of thing about houses.  have made one with "liberated houses?, Gwen Marston style and will prob. make more!  and color!  love the bright  colors.

this was one of Pam's favorites and she is probably at this very minute working up something in this style.

the black and white caught my eye, too... and then one with purple thrown into the mix.

harvesting

i feel like a freakin' manic squirrel getting the harvest gathered in and getting ready for winter.  i do love the harvesting part... and up to a point, i enjoy preserving it for winter... but there is always a sadness about it for me.  i know it's the end of summer, which means the grey, wet days are ahead for the next several months.  for me autumn = sadness, winter = gloom, spring = delight and joy, and summer = happiness.  and despite all that, i love living here and wouldn't want to live anywhere else, and i love my life and there is very little i would change!!  ok, one thing i'd change is:  i'd hire maid service and i'd have a gardening assistant (for weeding and carrying heavy things and pruning trees and bushes ).  since there's little to zero chance of either of those changes coming about, i'll just do as i always have... ignore the dirt and the weeds for as long as i can.

 

this has been a year of abundant tomato harvest and i've been slogging my way thru doing something with them.  spent yesterday making and freezing tomato sauce and making salsa.  will try freezing some of that and see how it is when thawed, but i fear it will be very watery.  have also filled one drawer in the little freezer with perfectly beautiful red ripe tomatoes.  will use them in soups, etc... dip in boiling water, slip skins off, place on cutting board and stab with sharp knife, put shattered pieces in soup.  apply first aid if the stabbing knife missed the tomato and a finger was in the way.

it was so windy today that i decided to take hanging fuchsia  baskets down before they blow down.  they are on the ground on the patio so the deer can reach them easily and finish their nibbling of the blooms. at this point it really doesn't matter.   i've been amazed at how many different flowers they like.... nasturtiums, cosmos, dahlias, geraniums, roses of course but i moved 3 yesterday so they are all now in the garden behind the 8' fence!!

and now the wind is blowing hard and the rain is pouring and i will forego all the platitudes and cliches about the need for rain.  time to get a drink and settle in front of the tv machine and knit on that second baby jumper dress for one of our baby girls in Vamos.  see you on the flip side (whatever that means...)