A Dawn in the Life

Dale and I woke up early, early one morning last week. We were shaking off the odiferous remnants of a middle-of-the-night skunking. It was hard to breathe, much less return to sleep. So we decided to go out to breakfast.

Across the highway, the clouds hung down so low to the ground, that the mountaintops to the north rose above them.

To the west, the moon was beginning to set.

While in the east, the oranges of a smoky dawn were giving way to blue overhead.

Our coffee and hot chocolate arrived with a jolly greeting - both by our favorite server and by the message on the cup. Dale spiked my hot chocolate with his coffee so I could get a caffeine buzz.

We rubbed the rest of the sleep out of our eyes as the meal arrived. French toast, sausage, egg whites and the most perfectly cooked hash browns I've ever seen for Dale.

A short stack and bacon bacon bacon bacon for me.

And the sun rose.
And we winked at each other across the table.
And we shared a little lovin'.

The Iris Family

Baby Bud

Tall Dark Daddy

Mamma May

Open wide and say ahhhhhh!

Addi's Afghan

Our neighbor's daughter just had a baby girl. Addison. Since I'm in the baby-afghan-making mood, I decided to make one for her.

The afghan is loosely based on a pattern by StuckAtHomeMom.com I found through Pinterest. After working with the baby yarn, changing hook sizes and checking gauge, I altered the pattern to fit my needs.

It's basically a series of half-double crochet + chain 1 for one row, then single crochet + chain one for the next row for the white rows. The colored rows are all single crochet + chain one. The stitch is formed in the chain stitch of the preceding row.

I left the color-change strands long. When making the fringe, I used 2 strands of white with one strand of the row's color. I simply wove the color-change strands into the half-hitch knot as the fringe was formed.

Addi's grandma was so pleased! When she came to pick up the gift, she brought the baby with her -- and I got to hold the sweet newborn!

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Inspired by StuckAtHomeMom via Pinterest
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Rosebuds

Something beautiful is about to happen here.

Here too!

Oh. Maybe not so much. Eek!

Bearded Beauty

This lovely iris poked its head up in my garden last June.

Welcome, Baby!

My ivy is putting out new leaves ... so pretty in the morning light.

Night Bloom

This rose in our front yard becomes magical in the twilight.
I stopped to smell.

Spotted St. Johns

In my neighbor's yard ... pretty little bits of sunshine.

Leaves of Grass

Now, at late summer, the changes begin. The pines lose their cones.

Grass stubble browns.

The illusive blade grows tall and wild, dancing on a wisp.

On the Sunny Side

For the first time, I planted some sunflowers this year. I wanted to bring some color into a part of the yard that gets a lot of shade.

It was a treat to watch the buds form and bulge.

The leaves at the base of the plants wilted the taller the flowers grew.

Then the flowers began to unfurl

and turned their faces to the east.

A new habitat for our 6-legged friends.

Well Done, Grasshopper

Dale and I borrowed the truck from our daughter Jeanne so we could pick up a piece of furniture in Spokane Valley. On the drive home, look who crawled out onto the hood of the vehicle?

I was able to capture him with my phone's camera before he hopped into a gust of wind.

Kaylee's Afghan

It's baby afghan season at my house. I crocheted this one for my niece, Tonya, who is expecting her first child, Kaylee, in October.

The stitch is called a Granny Stripe. It's formed much like a traditional granny square ... but without corners.

I finished off the edge with some single and double crochet, and a little scallop stitch.

I was invited to Tonya's baby shower in Lewiston, Idaho. So I had a very nice ride south. This time of year, the wheat harvest is coming in and the hills of the Palouse are magical. I had lunch with daughter Julie and her boyfriend Jeff in Moscow. Then I drove another hour south to Lewiston. (It took an hour instead of 45 min because I got lost ... hey, it's been 31 years since I graduated from college there!)

The biggest surprise was that Tonya's little sister was visiting! I haven't seen Emily since she was four years old. Now she's a sweet young lady of 11.

On the way home, a deer crossed the road in front of me, the Palouse pulled out all the stops and was gorgeous in the twilight, and I rolled into Post Falls as the full moon rose over the Spokane River.

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I was inspired by an afghan I saw by Arctic Strawberries on Pinterest:

Huckleberry Season!

My brother and his family spent some time in Montana and had a chance to pick some huckleberries. When he visited me the next day, he gave me a bag full.

Yum!

Last night, huckleberry pancakes for dinner.
Tonight, huckleberry cheesecake for dessert!

For those interested, I simply used a Jello No Bake Cheesecake.
Then I made a glaze with:
- one and a half cups of huckleberries
- 1/6 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- a squirt of lemon juice

Once the glaze was cool and set, I added another 1/2 cup of uncooked huckleberries to the glaze, spread it on top of the cheesecake, and let the whole thing chill.