Perfect Evening

My new little bistro set arrived in the mail today...$5.00 shipping and handling! Joel put it together and I placed it on the back porch. I've been trying to cozy up the porch to give it a "come sit out here" with your coffee/wine/newspaper feeling. It's getting there. Rex and Jeanette sent us a lovely Japanese sounding chime for our 30th wedding anniversary. We hung it nearby and it has a very comforting sound.

Lady and the Tramp

Katie had her next door neighbor and all around gal pal, Sammy, over for a few days while Sammy's owners were out of town. Can you tell which is Katie, the inappropriately displayed teenager and which is Sammy, the lady?

We Miss You Friend

The better part of one's life consists of his friendships. - Abraham Lincoln

Spring Is Nature's Way Of Saying, "Let's Party!"

Thought you all might like to see a few pictures from the spring catalogue known as "A Poore Garden".

Eat Your Vegetables

I think Katie is a vegetarian. She gets more excited about a stump of broccoli than she does a piece of chicken. I bet she has the cleanest digestive tract on Elton Avenue.

The Circle Of Life

Joel and I have come full circle. Babies came along shortly after we were married. We were consumed with talking about baby food intake...what food, how much, if they liked it. More importantly...we discussed poop. That's right. Poop. How much, the color, how what the boys ate affected the color and consistency. Okay...in fairness to myself, Joel was the one obsessed by poop and its color. Now it's happening again. We find ourselves talking about how much Katie ate today, what type of food it was, how much she ate and if she seemed to like it. And, of course, that means we have to talk about if she poops, how often and where...not to mention the color and consistency. Yes, this is what we've been reduced to. No wonder Katie, after only two weeks with us, thinks she's the QOE (Queen Of Everything).

Of course, a discussion about our new child wouldn't be complete if we didn't brag on how smart she is. When eating outside with her bowl on the concrete patio pad, she gets frustrated that the bowl doesn't sit still as she pushes her nose to the corners of the bowl. So, she picks the bowl up with her mouth and carries it to the grass or dirt so it will stay still. How's that for critical thinking skills.

K-K-K-K-Katie

Katie is the newest addition to our family. We picked her up at S.C.R.A.P.S., (Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service). We stopped in Friday afternoon to "just take a look" and become familiar with the place and the adoption process. Unfortunately, we were gently "ambushed" by a volunteer who told us she had a favorite "just down here". We must have had "suckers" written all over our faces. The next thing we knew we had this dog on a leash and were taking this sweetie for a walk outside. I'm sure the volunteer used some sort of stun gun, hypnotism, weak will making type of dohickey on us to weaken our resolve and make us instantly love the dog. We did have the strength of will to say we wanted to think about it over night. However, by the time S.C.R.A.P.S. opened the next day, I was nervously pacing the house trying to get Joel out the door so we could be there as soon as the door opened. I just knew someone else was going to get OUR dog. Sure enough, when we got there, we saw about 20 cars in the parking lot and families of people lined up at the door! You would have thought it was a 50% off sale at Macy's. I had my elbows sharpened, however, and my running tennis shoes laced up and ready to go. Not to worry, though. The dog was still there and we were able to take her home. She's 2 1/2, listed as a laborador but she's smaller than a lab. She has a reddish coat. Her name was Coco but we've renamed her Katie, as in Katherine Hepburn, due to the redness of her coat. She's a well behaved doggie and loves to be scratched behind the ears. She doesn't bark or chew. It said she was taken to the shelter because she chased the neighbor's chickens. We think she was framed. Guess we'll find out when the quails come around.

There's No Time Like Snow Time

Leavenworth Washington

What Not To Wear

So, my darling daughter in law and I were talking on the phone this weekend about what should and shouldn't be worn while mowing the lawn. We both agreed that toeless anything was not appropriate. Unfortunately, we are both married to very stubborn men.

Great Scott

This is what Scottsbluff National Monument might look like if it were surrounded by water.





For comparison...here is a picture of Scottsbluff National Monument.

The first picture is a rock formation on Banks Lake called Steamboat Rock (we think this is Steamboat Rock anyway). We spent the weekend celebrating Joel's birthday on Banks Lake near Grand Coulee Dam. On Friday evening, we walked across the street from our motel to the dam which is the largest in the United States (5th largest in the world...the largest currently being completed in China). There we got to see a laser light show shown on the water rushing over the dam's cement wall. It gave a history of the Columbia River (3rd largest river in the United States) and why the dam was built and it's past and current contributions.

Saturday morning we were on Banks Lake by 6:00 am. This was after Joel charmed the convenience store lady and she gave him a birthday donut.


Joel eating his birthday donut.









The weather was beautiful. The lake was calm. The scenery was interesting. Not near as beautiful as some other places we've fished in Washington and Idaho but being from western Nebraska, we could appreciate the subtle beauty in the cliff and rock formations formed years ago.

We didn't do too well fishing. Our grand catch was one perch and a 17" large mouth bass.

Mommy Day

After a beautiful morning walk, Joel and I spent the day working in the yard (after he finished with the last bit of mudding -- yay).

The Rose Menorah

Here's a picture of a rose bush in our back yard. Joel commented that it looks like a rose menorah.

Pay It Forward...With Hugs

I was blessed with the opportunity to visit with my dear friend, Chris, this past weekend. She had driven from Scottsbluff (1,000 miles) and was visiting her mother in Coeur d'Alene (30 minutes from here). The remarkable thing about Chris and me is how our lives are inexplicably criss-crossed. She and Bob moved to Scottsbluff about a month before we did. We met when Jesse and Tyson were in 4th grade and kindergarten, respectively. Her sons, David and Jamie, were the same age and were great friends with Jesse and Tyson throughout their school years and after. That is just the start of our cross-crossing paths.

#1 -- Chris lived in the same Montana town as my sister in law at one time
#2 -- Two of her children were born in Spokane where we now live
#3 -- They left Scottsbluff and moved back a few years later, only to become our next door neighbors for many years
#4 -- Chris' brother in law lives in Post Falls (close by) not to mention her mother living 30 minutes away

While hugging Chris goodbye last Sunday, it occurred to me that she will be going back to Scottsbluff and walking among people that Joel and I knew there. By my hugging her, it was like getting to hug people we love and miss in Scottsbluff. David, her oldest son, is graduating from college this weekend. Such a proud moment. She invited Jesse and Tyson to attend the barbecue. If they are able to make it, my hug to Chris will pass on to Jesse and Tyson in a vicarious manner -- thereby, Paying It Forward...With Hugs.

Little House On The Prairie

Sitting on our back patio and looking into the canyon, I somehow envision Laura Ingalls Wilder running down the hillside, reminiscent of the Little House On The Prairie show.














Here are a few more April pictures of our canyon view. Right now there is a carpet of yellow Balsamroot (an Idaho native plant) nestled among the base of the pine trees on the canyon floor.












Soon, the hillside will be a mix of white and green from blooming serviceberry trees mixed throughout the pines.