Tea. Nature. Friends. Autumn

Autumn arrived right on schedule. We went from unseasonably hot weather to days of wind, rain, and chill. So far there has been on gentle transition. Long sleeved shirts, jackets, and boots have been dug out of the back of the closet for daily wear. Even on the mountain there was not a transition period. It's been a shock to my system! But I am trying to take it with grace and adjust as quickly as I can.

Just two shorts weeks ago we were sitting in these chairs, enjoying the view in short sleeves and sandals! It's hard to believe! The change of season brings its own beauty, though. I love the vibrant yellows and oranges of fall. The woods have a carpet of golden pine needles and there is a general crispness in the air!

Mountain flowers are in the last throws of bloom! Yellow is the color of the season. It's so pretty!

New grow is evident too, as summer's growing season helped new plants and trees sprout and grow. This pretty little pine tree is new and is not far from the cabin. It's so perfect in its tender form. New needles radiate from each branch in perfect symmetry.

Rain has settled all the dust of summer. Rocks glisten with the moisture and prints can be seen in the mud. In early summer we observed a mother doe and her newborn twins not far from the cabin. The little ones were curious about us and the mother kept a close watch nearby. Over the summer we've seen them nearby from pictures on our trail camera. Yesterday they stepped out to greet us near our meadow as we arrived. Curious. We were so happy to see that they had survived the summer and grown so well. The fawns are now adolescents and have lost their spots, but they still hang behind their mother as protector. Our trail camera also showed us pictures of a lumbering black bear that passed by the cabin while on his search for grubs and berries.

Inside a blazing fire was welcome! Come in and sit for awhile. I'll put the tea kettle on!

There is an art to warming up in front of the wood stove. First the front, then the back, and around and around until toasty warm!

Friends and their four-legged pets are always welcome. Yesterday two of each stopped by for lunch. Afterwards the rain stopped long enough for a walk in the woods.

The meadow is turning dry and golden after the summer heat. After we passed along the trail we heard crackling, like fireworks. A tall, dead tree crackled and popped as it fell. The forest is never quiet. 

Beautiful colors. Purples in autumn compliment yellow, orange, and gold so well!

Afterwards, we warmed up again with mugs of hot tea. Tea. Nature. Friends. Autumn. A perfect day!

Spring Fever

Fever.

Spring fever.

Sometimes it hits.

And you just have to do 

something about it.

So, on a trip to 

town to buy groceries,

I took the slow way home

just so I could stop by the feed store.

As I walked in

I was greeted with an inquiry

as to what I needed and how could 

I be helped. I replied with a smile and said

I was just stopping by so I could see the baby chicks.

No problem!

The salesman directed me to 

where the chicks were and then left

me alone to enjoy them. 

Peep, peep, peep. 

Chip, chirp.

Precious!

It was such a simple thing, but I came home refreshed after my visit with the little critters. They brought back memories of similar stops to the feed store with my sons when they were young. The difference now is that this time a visit was enough. In days gone by, baby chicks, ducks, geese, or turkeys would sometimes come home with us.

Do you have spring fever?

What are you doing about it?

A Day Trip and Tea

Sometimes locals say we live in a desert, but that's really not true. Spring is the time of year that illustrates best that we live in a region that is shrub-steppe instead. Shrub-steppe depicts an area with low rainfall and natural grassland. This type of region has sufficient moisture levels to support a cover of perennial grasses or shrubs. That, combined with the rich volcanic soil of southeastern Washington, creates ideal conditions for grazing or raising crops of dryland wheat. With the addition of irrigation water, orchards and other crops grow very well. A drive through the countryside is prettiest in April and May because of the vibrant green of new growth. When it starts getting hot, everything turns brown and beige instead.

Erosion during the Missoula Floods caused deep canyons in some parts of the landscape. It is not unusual to find flood-created coulees, cataracts, plunge pools, potholes, rock benches, buttes, and pinnacles in this part of our state. They have a unique beauty all their own.

As soon as the weather warms up each spring, it has become tradition that our family take a day trip to Palouse Falls. It involves a drive through flat, shrub-steppe lands, past wheat fields and through fields of cattle. Pretty farms and ranches dot the landscape. Eventually a small sign indicates a turn onto a dirt road. Washboarding through a cattle pasture is a bumpy experience! But it leads to a magnificent sight!

Out of nowhere a deep canyon appears and with it a beautiful waterfall! The Palouse River flows through the shrub-steppe and suddenly falls 198 feet to a basin below the canyon wall. A picture cannot do this waterfall justice! Humans who hike to its base (and fish along the pools shore) look like tiny dots from the observation area at the top of the cliff.

Mock orange and other flowering shrubs provided beauty and much contrast to the basalt rocks and grasses nearby.

We enjoyed viewing the falls, looking at marmots as they ate and played, and observing all the other humans who came to enjoy the view!

The view to the left, the falls. And if you look to the right, a canyon with the Palouse River winding along for four more miles where it joins the Snake River.

Here's another description of the falls. The writer who shares hiking information with others notes that the paved paths that lead to the observation site are appreciated by bull snakes and rattlers on a warm day. Yikes!

Yellow-bellied marmots thrive in their rocky homes between the safety fence and the edge of the cliff. They are quite immune to being bothered by humans, generally ignoring those who come to view them. The babies were especially cute and fun to observe!

Such a pleasant excursion, topped off with lunch and a cup of tea back at the car. Life is good!

Cabin Critters

I've shared tea times and wildflowers from our cabin, but our animal guests are a bit camera shy and more difficult to photograph for sharing. Sometimes we can see deer observing us from the woods; elk grazing in the meadow or drinking from the spring; or bears grubbing for bugs in stumps in the woods. I'm generally too slow with my camera or they are too far away for me to get a good shot.  Early this summer we installed a trail camera that is motion activated and takes pictures day or night. It's been fun to see who are visitors are. This meowing bobcat is right outside the cabin and looks to be sauntering to the area by the fire pit.

A deer is by the shadow of the cabin. Of all the animals captured by the camera's eye, they win for being in the greatest majority!

The elk come in second. Once one walked right up to the camera and sniffed on the lens! Then he changed the camera perspective, making for interesting, skewed photos for awhile!

And this young bear is headed into the space between the woodshed and the outhouse. He found an aluminum funnel that was set on a ledge by the generator station and chewed it up! I doubt it tasted very good, but he was curious.

A young buck grazed in the meadow among the wildflowers.

A wild turkey on the cabin's circle drive. All I can say for him is that he is fortunate that he's visiting a family of vegetarians! He's one safe Thanksgiving turkey!


I'll post updates as they become available. We know there are many mountain lions, coyotes, and a wolf pack in our area. Maybe someday they'll be in the camera's eye as well.  Thanks for visiting!

Busy with Spring!

The world wakes up when spring arrives! Life is busy and satisfying. Sunshine, wind, and rain take turns sharing the days of the week. Chores inside and out keep one active and productive. It's a good feeling. The scent of lilacs fill the air. New garden growth is sprouting through the earth. Who knew that it took kale so long to sprout! I'd about given up on it when little shoots finally pushed their way to the light.  Tomorrow starts the month of May; the very best month of all! It's the month when the roses start to bloom and the vegetable garden really takes off with new growth. There's so much to be thankful for!

A trip to the Farm & Garden store for plants was productive. Not only was I able to find new plants that I needed for the garden, but a side trip took me to look at the baby chicks and geese. Aren't they adorable? It's the same Farm & Garden store where I'd take the boys when they were young. More often than naught, we'd come home with chicks, geese, or a turkey or two. Peep-peep!