Thank you Diane for honoring me with this award. It's so sweet of you. As I mentioned in my e-mail to you, I am not able to do this right now, but I sure hope my readers will go to your blog and read all the nice things you had to say about the five of us that were so blessed by your sweet words.

Thank you so much.

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GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER?

In my previous post I shared my great granddaughters birthday party with you. This family live in a woodsy setting in the mountains. .
Cougar, bear, lynx, bobcats, Beaver, raccoons, opossom, deer and coyotes are common, but except for beaver, deer, and lynx, most haven't been seen.

A few nights ago, my daughter and her hubby were getting home late. It was dark and as they pulled into their driveway their headlights shined on the white garage door. I sure wish I could have seen their faces when they found a big black bear standing there.

This picture I am posting was found on a Google search.

Here's a bit of trivia about these creatures.

They are about 4 to 7 feet from nose to tail and two to three feet high at the withers. Usually black or brown but occassionally blonde and rarely white. They weigh between 125 and 500 pounds depending upon age and food. A well fed bear can be heavier, the record is 880 pounds.

Bears see in color and have good close up vision. Their distance vision has not been tested. (want to volunteer? LOL)

They are intelligent animals and have an excellent long term memory.

They are usually silent, but in amiable situation, make a variety of grunts. When they are frightened they make loud blowing noises and clack their teeth .

They can use a resonant, human like voice to express a range of emotions from pleasure to fear.

They do not threaten by growling (except in the movies)

They are good swimmers.

A lean bear can run 30 MPH. They can run uphill, downhill, as well as level ground.

They can live more than 23 years.

There now. We've had our wildlife lesson for the week.

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A BUSY WEKEND

Saturday a birthday party for my great granddaughter Julia who is now nine years old. then a party for my granddaughter Shanon who has graduated from college with two majors and a minor. She will be a teacher.
On Sunday a garden tour.



Here's our Birthday girl, shaing her pose with the bears and an eagle.

Madalyn and Kenny love four wheelin'

What boys could resist an opportunity to go fishing? They caught four.

A loving daddy turns the jumprope for his little angels.

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GARDEN TOUR

On Sunday, two of my daughters and I did a garden tour out in the county at Everson. This is a farming community and the garden we liked best had old garden impliments and toys incorporated into the garden scheme.

There were five homes on the tour but we only did four because a horrendous thunder storm hit when we were at the fourth and we got saturated! I've never seen rain like that! Thunder, lightning, and even hail and it just kept coming! The rain drops were bouncing high off the pavement and every low spot in the surrounding lawn became a pond. We found shelter in a carport and waited nearly an hour for the rain to stop but it didn't until after we had left. The next three posts will have some of the photos I took before the storm hit.

(Picasa will only let me put four photos in a post so I have to do several posts!)


A quiet shady place

I'm not sure what this piece of machinery is, Maybe a hay rake..
It sits among the trees and shrubs as if it were made to be right there.

Minus the wash and rinse tubs, this old washer stand still has the rubber ringers and clamps. I can just imagine the farm wife who stood beside the wash tub with a scrub board for hours at a time. (And I think my back is sore!)

This antique car sits inside an old garage. The crank still attached to the front just above the license plate.

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More Garden Tour

Hen and Chicks suculent grow happily on this old wood stove.

This old wagon holds some country charm as honeysuckle grow freely around it's weathered box.

Using a large leaf for a pattern, this bird bath has all the markings of the leaf it was moulded from. And just see how cleverly the twigs are joined together to hold it in place.

Once the prized posession of a country girl, this retired bike now holds a profusion of Fuschia's in it's basket.

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MORE GARDEN TOUR

The old Wagon finds a new place in the yard.

Grandma's water pump now drips life into a bucket of posies.

My little grandma had a chamber pot just like this one all trimmed in red which she kept under her bed. I'm glad grandma's had a lid!

I took this picture from the car window as we were driving a country road. The pasture land looks as threatening as the sky, and still in the distance is the promise of fair weather to come.

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COTTONTAILS & BLESSINGS

This morning I stood at my kitchen sink washing dishes and enjoying the flowery view from my kitchen window which overlooks the upper lawn and fish pond. A huge Siberian Laurel, started from a tiny twig from my son's wedding flowers, stands proudly at the edge of my property, glossy leaves sparkling in the sun, white lilac and tiny pink roses nearby.

Many flowers are blooming. The Esther Reeds are making a lovely show this year, and the field daisies growing beside them remind me that I'm not the only one who plants flowers around here. Oh, our Lord does a magnificent job! I just love His surprises. He tells the Sparrow to go plant a seed in Beverly's yard, and the little bird does it, all ready fertilized even!

The pale pink peony is still gorgeous and the bright cerise Rhody still has some color. Several patches of blue Nigella look straight up into the heavens as some sort of yellow creeper embrace their narrow stems.

The Rose Campion with surprisingly bright blossoms are the tallest of all my flowers, with leaves a frosted green color they are a strikingly beautiful addition to any garden. The old sage which has grown to monument proportions is blooming purple all over with hundreds of bees just loving it. (there's a snake living under it too)

My dear old Gravenstein Apple tree holds it's branches over the young weeping willow as if protecting it from the harsh wind and rains, as families of robins grace her branches with their sweet music. The yellow Honeysuckle draws the Hummingbirds, who drink their fill of sweet nectar.

Surrounding all this are many trees and vines for I live in a wooded area.

Getting back to the dish washing....I noticed movement closer to the house, and realized there were three full grown Cottontails playing in a flower garden. Well....I thought they were playing.

I did a little Google search and this is what I learned.

They were actually doing a mating dance. Yep, it's the truth. "The Cottontail Rabbit has an unusual courting display. The male and female will sit facing each other. The male then moves toward the female and leaps straight up into the air making a 180 degree turn. In the meantime. the female has run under the male and will sit facing him when he lands.

They will keep this up for a period of time (about 20 minutes from what I saw) with both sexes making the leap and spin into the air. Mating immediately follows this 'dance.' (I did not see that part)

Rabbits are polygamous and the males play no part in rearing the young." (I know some men like that. Actually some are a lot like rabbits when you think about it. they just run around making babies then are gone) Shame.

I borrowed this picture from the Internet, but this is a Cottontail. See his little white powder puff?

This is the result of the strange dance I watched.

Cottontails are entertaining, but also destructive to gardens. They live 12 to 18 months and can raise up to six litters of about five young during that time.

I'll continue to keep my veggie gardens inside a fence they cannot penetrate, and hope they don't care for the new pansies, Zinnias and other posies I planted on their dance floor.

I hope you are blessed to see something so entertaining today.

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MORE FUNNY KIDS

JACK (age 3) was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked, "Mom, why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?"

STEVEN (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom goodnight. "I love you so much that when you die I'm going to bury you outside my bedroom window"

BRITTANY (age 4) had an earache and wanted a painkiller. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a childproof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked, "How does it know it's me?

JAMES (age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read, "The man named Lot was warned t o take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt. Concerned, James asked, "What happened to the flea?

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My daughter Patty-Jo sent me tthis and I just have to post it! LOL

An acquaintance of mine who is a physician told this story about her then four-year-old daughter. On the way to preschool, the doctor had left her stethoscope on the car seat, and her little girl picked it up and began playing with it. Be still, my heart, thought my friend, my daughter wants to follow in my footsteps.
Then the child spoke into the instrument:


"Welcome to McDonald's. May I take your order?"

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POTATO CHIPS

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the Earth (Genesis 1:1 KJV) This includes the trees and flowers, the critters and fowl, the herbs of the fields, and the POTATO!
Now when you pull one of these things from the ground it is not impressive at all. It looks like a lump of dirt and smells like it too. However, once washed and all the dirt is scrubbed off it begins to look rather interesting.

I grew up eating potatoes, fried, baked, in soup and salads, even raw. I liked them then and still do. But I am heading off into the wrong direction with this post. What I really want to do is tell you about Potato Chips. I think the following info came from Wikipedia. Don't you just love that site?

It is believed that potato chips were invented by chef George Crum, at the Moon Lake Lodge in Sarasota Springs, New York in 1853. It seems he had a customer who complained that his fried potatoes were too thick so the chef decided to make some so thin that they couldn't be eaten with a fork. He was surprised when the customed loved the potatoes and they became a popular item on his menu known as Saratoga Chips. They soon became popular throughout New England.

A mass marketed potato chip didn't become popular until a traveling salesman invented the automatic potato peeler. Before the airtight sealed bag was developed, chips were stored in barrels or tins but the ones at the bottom were usually stale and damp. A Laura Scudder invented the bag by ironing two pieces of waxed paper and creating an airtight seal. Today chips are stored in plastic bags with nitrogen gas blown in prior to sealing to lengthen shelf life and provide protection from crushing. In 2002 the world wide sales volume of Potato Chips amounted to more than 30 billion dollars.

So are potato chips good for us? HAHAHAHAHA! dream on. Each ounce of innocent and skinny looking chips provided us with 150 calories and 10 g. of fat (That's for the plain, unflavored chips) They are loaded with sodium at 180 mg and if you like the flavored chips, you will be getting a good size dose of MSG as well. (I did find a Frito Lay site listing some their products made without MSG)

Ok so now you know about potato chips. (As if you really wanted to! LOL)

This is a very silly post. It's late, I'm tired. God bless us everyone and thank you lord for creating the potato.

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COMPUTER UPDATE
As many of you know, my computer crashed a while back and I have been concerned that I had lost everything on my hard drive.
Well thanks to my son-in-law Lorne and grandson David, they managed to salvage all of it and it is now in my new hard drive as well as 'BACKED UP"!
Thank you boys. You are miracle workers!

SWING & POSYS

While my computer was broken I managed to tackle several projects. One was making a new cover for my lawn swing.
I love to take my morning coffee and Bible out here and have a study time while my pups are having their morning run. I can hear the birds and watch the squirrels playing tag in the huge evergreen by the fence. I feel so close to the Lord here. It's a good way to start a day.
My sister Bonnie gave me the lawn swing several years ago. Isn't she a blessing!

This is my newest Iris. The tag called it a "German Iris." I don't know if this is the only color, but I think it's magnificent!! And just look at the photo below taken from directly above the blossom. It looks like a lot of purple, ruffled petticoats to me.

This beauty was growing across the street from where I now live, at the house we moved into when I was ten. It was well established then. I started two plants from small branches of the mother plant. They are a rambler type so need to be tied up. (I haven't done that yet) I believe it is an old English Rose of some sort. If anyone knows, please tell me. The fragrance is intoxicating. I remember as a young girl picking handfuls of the petals and burying my nose in them until my toes curled with delight!

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PRAYER REQUEST

One of our blog friends has asked for prayer for her unborn son.

After what we have been through with Baby Ethan, we know of the Lords power, love and mercy.

So if you are led, go pay sweet Kilikina a visit and let her know you are holding her baby up in prayer.

My thanks to all of you wonderful, blogging prayer warriors!

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DID HE LEARN THIS AT SCHOOL?

I know this must have been very humiliating for the young man whose head is stuck through the back of the chair, but It struck me funny.
I remember some of the positions my own kids used to get into, and I still don't know how they did it. I don't think they knew either.

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GILBERT EARNS HIS WINGS


The following story was taken from a 1999 issue of Angels On Earth Magazine, and was written by Peggy Porter of California,


My eight year old son, Gilbert, had only been in Cub Scouts a short time when he was given a derby-car project.
I read the directions and let him do the work. My son was awfully proud of his "Blue Lightning" when he was done, the kind of pride that comes from knowing that you accomplished something on your own.

On the night of the competition, the other boys, with their sleek' polished racers, snickered at Gilbert's lopsided car. But astonishingly, what his car lacked in looks, it made up for in speed. In race after race, Gilbert's car beat its flashy competitors. Finally we were down to the last race. When it was about to begin, Gilbert asked shyly if they could wait for him to pray.
He bowed his head for a moment then announced, "Ok I'm ready."

As the crowd looked on, the "Blue Lightening' wobbled down the ramp and zipped across the finish line just ahead of the other car.
Gilbert was practically turning omersaults when the scoutmaster came over and asked, "so you prayed to win, huh, Gilbert?"
"Oh no sir," Gilbert replied. "It wouldn't be fair to ask God to help you beat someone else.
I asked not to cry if I lost."

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TIME OF THE IRIS

The end of May and through June are the time of the Iris here in Bellingham. I love them because they are easy to grow and it takes very little to keep them happy and blooming year after year. Mine need to be separated this fall. When the rhizomes become too crowded they don't bloom well. So come fall, I will be out there with my shovel prying them apart.
I have a few more Iris that I didn't get pictures of this year. One a peachy pink color and another which is a very deep purple. They are gorgeous.

I have to admit that I don't know the names of these lovely Iris and I don't even remember where most of them came from, but when I see the flowers, I know the Lord said, "Lets put some flowers here for Bev." He's so sweet!

This is a rather odd looking little guy. I remember finding the parent tubers in a gravel pit near my house many years ago. I knew it had to be some sort of Iris so brought it home and planted it. Now I can't seem to get rid of it. It grows and grows and grows! And so do the seeds!

This is my newest Iris. She looks all white but actually has just the slightest hint of lavender. My daughter is getting rid of a lot of her
gardens so I brought this home not knowing what color it would be. I am so glad I did. I think it's beautiful!
(I'm using Picasa today and don't know why it's underlining???

This purple bearded Iris has the true Iris shape, which is what the fleur-de-lis was patterned after. I love the variety of colors Iris give. Also the stems are strong and don't flop over to the ground in the first wind. The flowers are wonderful in bouquets too,

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More Iris

This one came from a young boy in Georgia, several years ago when I was involved in a seed exchange. It's a very old variety that is delicately colored and it smells like Grape Kool-Aid.

I don't know where this one came from. It isn't the most beautiful, but I think it has character. See how distinct the veins in the lower petals are? Aand just look at the fuzzy yellow beard! Cute, huh?

The color isn't accurate on this one. It is actually a darker shade. The bees like it a lot so it must have a fragrance that attracts them.

This is one of my favorites. So perfect in form and the color is lovely. Makes me think of Angel wings.

If you want a flower that's easy to grow, is pest and disease resistant and has strong stems making them nice for bouquets, try Iris. You won't be sorry.

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MORE OF MY EASTERN WASHINGTON DAY TRIP

This is the Thorp Antique Mall. What a fantastic place to browse!

This old Steam engine sits in the parking lot in front of the mall. It was most likely used in threshing or some other farming chore. All rusted and forlorn looking now, one can just imagine the thrill of the dear farmer who purchased it brand new and learned how 'modern' machinery could make his life easier.

There are several old wagons holding a bountiful array of food items. I can just imagine this wagon about a hundred years ago, the sunbrowned farmer and his wife bouncing along happily, on their way to 'meeting' The family dog running along beside.

This dear old cabinet caught my eye because my aunt Gertie had one very much like it. I remember my grandma taking hot loaves of crusty bread from the oven of the wood stove, and setting them on a tea towel to cool. Oh my gosh, did that ever smell good! Sometimes she tore a loaf to pieces and spread it with butter or jelly for her hungry grandkids. Oh how I loved that grandma!

When I saw this sweet little wood cookstove, I remembered one I had back in 1958. We lived in the country and it was the only cookstove in the house. I learned to use one when I was a girl so did fine with it, cooking healthy meals, baking breads and all sorts of pastries and canning too. Boy that sure got hot in the summertime!

This old cabinet with chicken wire doors may have been used to keep the larger critters at bay. My grandma had a cabinet like this attached to the north side of her old farm house. She kept butter and other things there. In the hotter months it was common to lower the butter and milk into the well to keep them from spoiling. When I saw the awful things that came from the well when dad cleaned it I never wanted anything from that deep hole again.

Being the doll lover that I am, I enjoyed this little doll bed. It appeared to be store bought. The glass knobs on the posts are like those that were often used on cabinets, way back when. Isn't it just adorable and can you just see the little girl laying her dolly down to go nite-nite?

This I believe is an old hay wagon. Now loaded with a large variety of dried fruits, many of which are grown locally. Can you just imagine the hot, tired farmer walking alongside his faithful horse as the wagon load of hay joggles along in the hot sun. Eastern Washington temperatures get unbearably hot in the summertime. They have rattle snakes too!

I thought this popcorn display was interesting. At first glance I didn't realize that it wasn't just plain old popcorn. Some of the unusual flavors are, Honey Cashew, Roasted Coconut, Coconut Almond, Vanilla Hazelnut and Apple Pie. They sound interesting but I'll have mine plain, with butter if you please.

Well here it is! The famous Aplets and Cotlets treat that originated right here in Eastern Washington. They make other flavors now like strawberry Pecan and Cranberry, but I think the original flavors are still best. You can find the interesting story of this treat on the internet. It's worth checking out.

Ok, now we're talking real cooking! This huge old wood burner was most likely used in a cookhouse. As you can see there are two ovens and a huge surface for basic cooking. It even has two warming ovens. I wonder if they made hotcakes on the top like mom did on her little stove. First when the fire was out, she would clean the top of the stove with a lava rock, then she'd get a good hot fire going, grease the stovetop and drop ladles full of batter on the hot surface. I was so impressed, She made a dozen at a time. Now that was cooking!

The mall is a huge place with two floors. I took this picture hoping to include more than one of the old cabinets. I'm sure that everything in the mall is authentic. It's shocking to me that these days people beat the heck out of a brand new piece of furniture, even pound it with a hammer and stab it with a knife. Then they scrape the paint off making it look really shabby because they want it to look old. Golly, I remember taking an old piece of furniture and sanding the scrapes out of it and re-varnishing it to make it look new. Things have sure changed in this old world!

I just had to get a shot of this set of old Pyrex mixing bowls. When I got married I got a set exactly like them as a gift. However I am certain that the giver didn't pay $65.00 for them. LOL If I remember right it seems like they were $3.99. That was in 1955.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. This place called Thorp is special to me because my Great Grandparents, Robert Bruce Banks and wife Josephine Lydia Banks (nee Jones) lived there way back in the 1890s. As I wandered through the mall seeing all the thousands of items I couldn't help wonder if just maybe my great grandma may have carried water in that old bucket, or if great grandpa used that hay wagon on a hot summer day, way back when.

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