First Winter Storm

We have become a winter wonderland.

Snow and ice has covered every surface of our world.

Sourri the guard dog is on duty ensuring no abonimal snowmen wander in to cause harm to us.

 

Penny doesn't venture far from the house.

She prefers to stay in by the crackling warm fire.





Mom's note book

I have been going through a box sent home with me from my Dad and came across a note book with some of Moms writings in it. I would like to share her writing with you.

This was written October,12th, 1997 after moving to California.

        The coyotes are howling in the early morning darkness and setting the neighborhood dogs to barking. It reminds me of the years spent in my beloved Blue Mountains of northern eastern Oregon. Oh how I miss our 48 acres of tall pines and whispering aspen and rocks. Especially in the fall when I could walk through the falling leaves of the aspen and smell the fragrant smell of the pines.

 We live on the edge of a neighborhood now about three miles out of the city limits with open fields just beyond the neighbors house across the street. The cattle roam these fields and so do the coyotes. When I hear them it takes me back home to our place in Oregon that was 13 miles from the nearest town. We could hear the coyotes howl, elk bugling in the fall and occasionally the scream of a mountain lion. In summer the little sounds of fox and raccoons as they cross our place on their way to the pond and always the pines whispering in the breezes. Oh how I miss this place.
                                             
                                              Written by Janice Sannar

Home Made Apple Sause

 My favorite sent this time of year is apples & cinnamon.

 I love picking apples then bringing their deliciousness home to brew into a big pot of apple sauce. In the past I have always spent the entire day peeling, coring and chopping away but this year my friend Audrey loaned me her sauce maker. This handy dandy tool saves lots of time. You just boil the apples whole or quartered and run them through the processor. Out comes apple sauce to season to your taste. (I like mine sweet with Cinnamon)

 After using this wonderful time saving gadget I immediately went on line and ordered myself one.

 May the wonderful scents of Autumn waif through your house this season.

 

A family of Builders

I'm from a family of builders.

 

Grandma & Grandpa's brick house

 

 I remember as a young girl waking in the early morning hours to the deep resonate voices of my Grandpa Simmons and his cohort's. They were in my Grandparents kitchen planning the next project. The rich smell of coffee drifting into the cozy room I had been peacefully sleeping in. Such comforting smells and sounds drifting my way. Grandma was bustling around the kitchen pouring coffee and of course putting in her two cents. She was quite the business women herself running the small town lumber store & figuring cost & supplies.

     It's a wonderful & exciting feeling to plan a building project from the ground up. To look at a piece of property and imagine a building sitting on the spot. To study the plans and plan the rooms from windows, walls, layout of the kitchen and then to plan the color scheme and decorating idea's.

Echo Oregon

 My Dad is also a master carpenter. In his 70's still building and planning. Making the small town of Echo Oregon into a little gem of restored old buildings.

 

Timber frame house my husband built.

 

 Of course I married a self taught master carpenter 29 years ago. The architecture he has built and designed is amazing. I've been lucky to have a small part in these creative ventures through the years.





 

 

 

 

 



Turn The page Tuesday/ Mirage

This book sat on my shelf for years. I almost gave it away numerous times but am so glad I didn't. "Mirage" by Soheir Khashoggi is an intriguing read and gives you insight into Middle Eastern cultures. It makes you think of the lives many Arab women live.

 The engrossing story of Amira, a young girl from a wealthy and powerful family. Mirage takes you behind the veil of secrecy to expose the real lives of women in today's harems.

 Amira expects to be sold into marriage and to never step outside her house without being swathed in black veils and accompanied by an escort. But she's not prepared for the savagery of the husband she first meets on her wedding night, or the increasingly oppressive control he is allowed to exert over her. Finally, in a daring attempt to save her own life and sanity, she escapes with her baby to start a new life in the United States. But her past-and her powerful husband-won't give her up easily.

 Mirage is also the story of other harem women. From the stoning death of a young mother convicted of adultery to the desperate measures taken by a wife whose husband has brought a second wife into their home. Mirage tells the stories of the enduring strength and courage of women who defy the yoke of male dominance.

To find more good novels take a peak at Some of a Kind

Explorers

Like the great explorers Lewis and Clark we set out on our journey to find new territories.
I began my journey alone from Antelope lake which lays in the middle of North America.
I picked up my trusty navigator (Dawn) in Montana.

 We continued the journey west through the mountain passes to Missula where we spent the night.

We then made our way to the Columbia river to the dessert heat and cooled off that evening with a boat ride and dip in the majestic river.

In this part of the country we picked up two more explorers sister Susan & Ethan. We continued to the Oregon coast where we enjoyed the azure ocean waters and sandy beach.

From the ocean we made our way to Astoria where the mighty Columbia river pours into the sea.

In Astoria we hired a tour guide sister Paula who took us to Fort Clatsop where Lewis & Clark spent the winter of 1805-1806.

We explored the town of Astoria, the first permanent U.S. settlement on the Pacific coast. Astoria has served as a port of entry for over a century and remains the trading center for the lower Colombian basin. It is a fascinating town with the influx of many different cultures.

Back in Hermiston we had a Birthday Bash for sister Susan's 50th. Great food, fun, friends and family!

 The explorers then had a safe journey back home.

Turn The Page Tuesday/ Imposible

"Impossible" by Nancy Werlin is written in modern times about a young girl who has become the victim of an ancient curse. Read these pages to find out if she is able to break the impossible curse.

A cryptic warning:
     But then Miranda, with her hands cuffed before her spoke for the first time. "True love," she said distinctly. "Do you even believe in it? I don't. It's a trap."
   Everyone looked at her.
    "What was that, ma'am?" asked the cop.
     Miranda smiled a strange smile. Her eyes went to Lucy's dress, covered with grass stains and blood. To the pink camellia, crushed on Lucy's wrist. And then down to Lucy's sturdy red sneakers, which were supposedly suitable for kicking butt.
      "A trap," Miranda said again. Then she sang. "Else she'll be a true love of  thine."
         Her voice cracked, and now she was speaking again, not singing. "Pay attention," she said. "I've been trying and trying to tell you. Pay attention to the song. Now it's your turn. You've been warned. I'm supposed to warn you. You're allowed to try to escape. You have to try, in fact. None of us have ever managed it, though. Will you be any different?"

This book is written based on the folk song "Scarborough Fair" It certainly makes you think of this tune in a new light.

For more good books go to www.someofakind.blogspot.com