Cows don't know it is vacation time

Unfortunately, the cows don't seem to know that some of us are on vacation. Therefore, the work continues.
There is hay loading that needs to be done.

Luckily, there are some extra people to help. Brian and Clay were a big help to Grandpa when it came to loading the truck.

Krissy and even Lola came along to help a couple of the days. Lola has finally learned that she is not really a cow dog (either that or it is just too cold to be a cow dog). She mostly hides under the trucks or follows close behind the people rather than chase the calves like she used to.

We are finished feading for the day. Don't the cows look happy?

Clay was glad he found his calf that was missing. It was just born two days ago.

You know it is true love when you see each other in such hot outfits and the wedding is still on.

Vacation weather

Nothing like the mild, tropical climate in La Grande Oregon! This is AFTER most of the snow has melted. Here is where a drift was on foothill road...

A house on foothill road with a few drifts taller than their roof....


And the trucks lined up on the night when the road was closed.

Let it snow...and snow...and snow...

Well, today is the big Waite family party. Unfortunately, there is a blizzard outside! The road is closed between Baker and La Grande, so none of the family members from that direction will be able to come. I'm not even sure we will make it as there are huge drifts in the driveway! Oh well, we hope people will be able to come safely! These pictures just don't do it justice. Wish you could feel how cold, windy, and snowy it is out there (mostly for the Las Vegas family:).

Anyone for trying a new recipe???

Since it was blizzarding outside, my trip to Boise to see "Lord of the Dance" was cancelled. So, I certainly didn'
t want to go anywhere when it was blizzarding outside, the temperature was 3 degrees, and the wind about 30 mph. So that gave me that "lazy day" feeling. Most of you know I don't really do recipes, but I decided to try something different for dinner. Glancing through my "Good Housekeeping" magazine, the title , "Easy 1-Dish Dinners" caught my eye. I decided right then and there I was going to try a new "easy Dinner", even if it meant following a recipe. So, here goes:

Observation #1: My choices are Beef Carbonnade, Veal Shoulder Chops, Osso Buco Style;Chinese Red-Cooked Pork Shoulder;Italian Califlower Curry Stew; and Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

I don't know about you, but some of those titles make my meal sound not easy, and what the heck is Osso Buco?? Who eats veal now days, except the rich and famous, since, if you can even find it, it costs about $12.99 a pound! Carbonnade sounds scarey, and shrimp is not on my list of things to eat. Narrowing it down further:

Obserfation #2: Beef Carbonnade calls for dark beer--The Osso Buco, besides calling for veal, also calls for dry white wine, so it's definitely out! --As for the Red-Cooked Pork Shoulder, it calls for dry sherry, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds, 2 strips of fresh orange peel 1 stick of cinnamon and 1 whole star anise, among other things. Let's try the Italian Califlower Curry Stew: hmmmm--do I have these things on hand: finely chopped peeled fresh ginger, curry powder, chickpeas, loosely packed fresh cilantro ? Certainly not!

Observation #3: Is a recipe with 16 ingrediants easy? Exhausting all o f the above recipes and eliminating them, maybe I should try Lamb and Root Vegetable Tagine or Thi Chicken-Basil Soup or Peruvian Fish Soup. Let's see: I'd need for the Tagine (if I substitute beef for lamb) sweet potatoes, parsnips, dried apricots, ground coriander, Cumin and Cinnamon, 2 cups of couscous, pitted green olives and fresh cilantro--that's out! For the Thi chicken soup I'd need poblano chile, peeled fresh ginger, fish sauce, fresh basil leaves, rice noodles and fresh lime. I'll rush right to my pantry and see which of those I can find. Nope, better try the Peruvian Fish soup. I'll need 1 seranno chili, cumin, clam juice, 2 limes, scallops, squid with bodies sliced crosswise into 1/4 in rings and tenacles cut into pieces if large, and fresh cilantro. Don't even have to go to the pantry on this one!

Obvervation: # 4: Who cooks these "easy recipes"? The cook at the whitehouse? Oprah's personal chef? Certainly not me! How about the young mom with young kids? Or the working mom? Or the mom with 4 kids and 2 part-time jobs? How about the retired old ladies?

Observation #5: How many ways are there to put a teaspoon of garlic in a recipe: chopped, ground, diced, crushed with a press, thinly sliced, or this one--crushed with the side of a chef's knife? I wonder if that last one tastes different than the one crushed with a press?

Observation #6: I could try the Ropa Viueja or the chicken Bouillabaisse-Style that calls for a bulb of fennel, white wine and saffron threads--but why would I want to? This old lady who hates recipes is going to stick to her own version of "Quick and Easy" and go read a good book!

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, you should be ashamed of yourself!

Oh, yes, I tried some "never fail mint cookies" and guess what ? They failed!

5 Things About Him Tag

5 Things he loves

The Gospel and all associated with it
His family (wife, 5 children, 5 daughter or son-in laws, 8 grandkids)
His newspaper
His TV
His cows

5 Things on His To Do List

Go on a Mission
Make it through another winter feeding the cows in blizzards
Endure to the end with his church calling as YM secretary
Never miss going home teaching on the 1st Tuesday of every month
Always be prepared

5 foods he enjoys

Seafood
Potatoes of any kind, fixed any way
Green Salad or Coleslaw
Homemade Soup of any kind
Winter Squash

5 things you might not know about him

He has written a math textbook
He was in the Navy as a NavCad but got medically discharged because of hayfever
He was almost killed twice, but was saved by "a miracle"
He won an award for outstanding achievement in mathematics
He played the alto sax in several dance bands in h igh school and college

5 places he's lived

La Grande, OR
Pendleton, OR
Kalamazoo, Mighigan
Logan, Utah
Missoula, Montana

5 quirkky things about him

He was "Mr Computers" when they first came out--taught computer classes, helped other teachers learn to use them, was a master programmer, etc. But now, he can't even get on a website without panicking!

He can hardly walk to the bathroom from his bed in bare feet--he has to have socks and shoes on AT ALL TIMES

He is Mr Laundry--and is very particular about how it must be done. He does it all at our house, and DON'T TOUCH HIS LAUNDRY.

This I love about him--He NEVER leaves a mess behind! He cleans up after himself, never leaves his clothes anyplace but where they belong--not even a sock on the floor EVER!

He hates to talk on the phone and would rather drive 50 miles to talk to someone to avoid a call!

5 people to tag

Debbie
Heather
Xiechelle
Audra
Brooke

Redneck Grandma

YOU'RE A REDNECK IF . . .

You sit in a cold gymnasium for 7 hours just to watch you grandson, Trey, play 2 40-minute basketball games

You have to sit there because you were told they would play at 9 and they didn't play until 12:30

You don't leave because they might change their minds and play early!!

Then, after the 12:30 game you don't leave because they play again at 3:oo!

You finally get done at 4:00, so proud of yourself that you have 16 really good pictures for Trey's scrapbook!

You get home and discover, after seaching every crevice in the car, every pocket, throughout your purse, under everything that you have LOST YOUR CAMERA!! Don't expect another picture blog anytime soon :(

More Round-up Pictures

Kris, Kres, and Lola couldn't resist taking a little rest in the sunshine!
Love Conquers All! Brian talked Kris into taking her first ride ever on the ATV (and we've had them for 4 years now!)
Cute picture of Rob and Jodi taken by Brian, who was in a tree stand.
Another interesting picture from the tree stand!
Grandpa and his little helper count the cows!

Another year--another round-up

Saturday, the family gathered to move the cows from the summer range to the winter range. We had lots of help--Rob's family, Ky, Clay and Kres, Krissy and Brian, Reed and Debbie, and Joe Dial. The weather was beautiful, and Kres enjoyed a slow ride in the basket of the 4-wheeler!
Trey and Kres enjoyed playing and exploring. They really bonded!
Bugs under rocks wasn't Kres' idea of fun. After finding the first bug under a big rock, Kres wouldn't touch another rock all day!
There they are--all gathered safely in the corral--except for 3 calves which we never did find!
Kres wouldn't rest until grandpa took him into the pen with the cows! Here comes another good helper in a couple of years!

I've been tagged

La Grande High School
Class of '58

Did you date someone from high school? Actually, I dated several guys in HS, and ended up marrying one of them. Ron and I started dateing our Jr. Year--he asked me out on a dare! that'll teach him!

What Kind of Car did you drive? Well, I mostly drove my dad's tail-finned Dodge. But I also drove my friends Ford convertable occasionally In those days, kids didn't have their own cars! And, usually, a family only had one car.

What was your most embarrassing moment in High School? Can't remember one!

Were you a party animal? Uh, NOOOO

Were you considered a flirt? Definitely a big NO

Were you in band, orchestra or choir? I was in band, pep band and orchestra
I began playing the clarinet in 3rd grade and was first chair, solo clarinetist grades 10-12 and in college.

Were you a nerd? No

Were you on varsity teams? Girls didn't play sports then, and if they would have, I would not have been an athlete!

did you ever get suspended or expelled? No, but I came close. Ron and I skipped school and got caught. My punishment was I had to wash the walls in the hallway. Ron's punishment was--he had to watch me! In those days, girls were always the reason boys got into trouble, no matter what the trouble was!

Can you sing the fight song? Never could because I was always playing it!

Who were your favorite teachers? Mr Scott, the band teacher.

Where did you sit during lunch? At our kitchen table--we always went home for lunch!

School Mascot? La Grande Tigers!

Did y ou go to homecoming? With who? Yes--George Council

If You could go back and do it all oer again, would y ou ? Yes, I enjoyed high school

Where did you go Sr Skip day? No such thing!

Were you in any clubs? Oh my, yes--Band, pep band, orchestra, National Honor Society, Quill and Scroll, Spanish Club, Ski Club, Yearbook

gained weight since high school? Yes, but not much

Who was your prom date? Ron Waite

What cliques were you in ? the Mormon clique, although I wasn't one!

I can't tag anyone because everyone who reads my blog has already been tagged!

Exciting News

I was excited for the weekend to come, because Krissy hasn't been home since school started--not even for her birthday (which she shares with Ron!) One of the reasons she hasn't been home has a name--Brian Terry, and he came with her. What a super nice guy he is! And, we were glad he came with her.
Of course, we went up to Marley Creek just to relax and look for animals. Kris and Brian took a walk, and Lola was a little jealous!
When they returned from the walk, they had a happy announcement--At the top of the hill, at the end of the road, Brian asked Krissy to marry him--and she said yes!
We are very happy for him, and think he is a good match for her, and she is a good match for him.
The ring is beautiful, and very sparkly! We are glad we got a chance to meet Brian, and welcome him into our family. Now, when? you may ask--they haven't set a date, but "in the spring" was as close as we could get! CONGRATULATIONS BRIAN TERRY AND KRISTEL WAITE!!

TOO GOOD TO PASS UP

Ky's little guy, Kresimir, loves the horses and intended to feed them all by himself!
Would you believe it? He really can play the organ!
Chilren learn by example--good thing to always remember!!
This is a feat very few people have accomplished! And, one of my favorite things to do!
I had to toss in a picture of Krissy and her beautiful flowers!
Now, remember, the last thing I am saying should have been the first!


I was getting ready to throw my old camera away, when it occurred to me to take the chip out. I took it to WM and had the pictures put on a CD, and this is some of what I found. . .

Cat Food and Critters

First off, my camera or computer won't download my pictures again, so sorry-=I had pictures for this blog that were really cute!

Well--last month I spent over $100 on cat food and we have two fairly small cats! So, you might ask, "why do they eat so much?" I can tell you that if I only fed 2 cats, I could get by on about $24 a month. But, living somewhat in the country, I feed cats and an assorment of critters. We have fed in the garage, but we have about 6 stray cats on our property and so I started feeding them in the mud room--leaving the door open during the day so they can eat. Our traditional critters have been magpies, racoons, mice and stray cats.

Anyway, we came home from the 480 2 nights ago right after it turned dark, and went in through the mud room. Unknown to us, we both walked right by a new critter. Lola was acting strangely, but being tired, I dragged her into the house. Lola and I went in the house and Ron came in last. I heard him yell for me to come see, and a critter was just exiting the mud room. I missed it. So, I went into the house and a few minutes later the phone rang--it was Ron. He said, "Get your camera and look out the window and try to get a picture of the new critter eating the cat food." So, I grabbed my camera, looked out and saw a SKUNK in the mudroom. I opened the door a crack and stuck my arm out only far enough to click the camera. It captured the tail in the picture. Ron started to come out of the office, thinking it would run, but it didn't. Hunter was sitting 4 feet away--by the chair, watching it eat. Again, I opened the door a crack to try to get another picture. Lola was in a tizzy and litterally pushed me out of the way and dashed out the door into the mudroom! So, scene: Running out of the mudroom was a skunk, followed closely by 2 cats, followed closely by LOLA! I thought I would never see Lola again as she raced into the dark night in hot persuit of a skunk! And, I feared, if I did see her she would likely smell very bad!
but, she did come back about 10 minutes later, feeling very proud of herself indeed! And, lucky for her and the rest of us, she didn't get sprayed!
The next morning, Ron said he laid awake about 2 hours thinking of what could have happened if the skunk would have sprayed in the mudroom--us, the cats, or Lola. Or, Lola the mighty chaser, or the cats in the garage! All kinds of interesting possibilities there! So, now we close the mudroom door as soon as it starts to get dark and hope we don't see that skunk again! But--everytime we have to be gone, we feed the cats (and the critters ) in the garage! We'll hope for the best! Ahhh, country living!

All is Safely Gathered in, er the winter storms begin

Well--These pictures are really out of order--still haven't figured that out! Anyway, A couple of weeks ago (when I was younger), in a weak moment I bought 2 boxes of pears for canning! So, the day finally came when I was exhausted from walking 5km the previous Saturday! Lola (who I am babysitting for Krissy) even thought I was crazy!
I started early in the day, but by dinner time (actually way after dinner time) Lola is beginning to wonder if anyone is getting any dinner!

Actually, Ron was wondering the same thing!

. . .It just so happened that in the beginning Ron pealed several bowls of pears, but after the first 7 quarts he gave up and headed for a less messy task. If he wanted dinner on time, he just should have pealed a few more pears!

The result of the hard work was 24 quarts of pears! Here's part of them. . .+

Just when I was finishing, Shannon appeared on the doorstep with a box of apples for me--good for cooking, canning, freezing, but not real tasty for eating! Now, I have to ask myself. . .do I want to cook, can or freeze this hugh box of apples, Well, maybe. . .on the other hand those horses at the cemetary are looking mighty hungry lately!

Notice in the background, Lola's still wondering if I'm crazy!

I guess it was all worth it--ask me tomorrow after I wake up fresh!

Crater Lake

Of course, the mountain in the lake is always the focus of attention, and a picture can't capture its beauty!
It was cold--40 degrees! and in August! The lake is such a pretty blue color. (actually, the lake isn't blue, it's clear, but the reflection is blue because the atmosphere filters out all the other colors! : )
Beautiful girl in a beautiful picture!
This scene speaks for itself!

When we were in Roseburg, we took Trampis and Ella to see Crater Lake. Now matter how many times you go, it is always awesome! We all enjoyed the trip. (I'll have to remember the first picture I download becomes the last on the blog!)

Exhusting but Fun!

This is the very festive dessert table, it was very nice, suggested by Gwen and created by Krissy and Diane Winkle.

Ron is unveiling the famous Huckleberry ice cream to top off the dessert table. It's always a hit!

Here I am in the kitchen proping myself up after the big dinner! I was exhausted, and if dad and Krissy hadn't helped me, I never could have finished the job! Thanks Dad and Krissy. It was a big success and had LOTS of compliments.