All In A Days Work

Lately, it seems, there is no such thing as a “typical” day up here in the Back of the Beyond in Ferry County, Washington. I still have my routine, and a list of chores that have to be done no matter what else pops up, but our list of “must get done” keeps getting bigger and bigger no matter how many other things we have checked off the list. But there is such a sense of accomplishment as Sparky and I begin to see the fruits of our labors manifest themselves.

Take today for example. Up at 5 a.m. as usual, I let Otto out and made coffee. Both the in & out cats get fed as does my best buddy. The in & out cats go in and out several times in the first 30 minutes! I enjoyed my coffee on the front porch watching the Pine Siskens, Hummers, Gold Finch and Green Violet Swallows feast at the feeders. Today promised to be just a glorious day. Possibly the best day we have had so far this Spring. Then it’s ready, set and go as I threw a load in the washer, emptied the dishwasher, pulled on a pair of jeans and headed out to fill the bird feeders and feed the barn cats. Otto, by this time is bouncing around, whining and looking at me and the door, so I grabbed his leash and off we went on our daily walk to see what had transpired on our dirt road overnight. This morning we saw three Red Tail Hawks riding the thermals and screeching their haunting cries. A garter snake about 12 inches long and a ground squirrel were the special treats we saw this morning. Back home, I swept and vacuumed the house and cleaned the bathrooms before waking Rip Van Winkle i.e. “Sparky” up from his long slumber. That man can sleep! I have enjoyed sewing since I was a child and today I finished another apron. Sewing is relaxing to me. The routine and concentration are soothing. I don’t have time for major projects right now but making these aprons is fun and lets me explore my creative side! Dan has a way of drawing me into his hobbies which mostly is fine, but  I also need to do “my thing,” so before he could side track me, I headed out on a two mile walk down Tiffany Rd to Curlew Lake and back. The air was just so fresh and clean this morning, I felt like a new person!

And then…….with that mental list of chores in front of us, it was just a matter of prioritizing what we could do today with what we had on hand and what the weather was going to be. Gardening won out! Yea!

The Strawberries are in blossom and needed weeding. These are just so incredibly sweet and flavorful! Can’t wait!

I have an Herb Garden planted with Sage, Parsley, Thyme, Lavender and Dill. Friday, I will add the Basil plants that I have been nurturing along. Way too many plants for the space, so later on I will transplant to a larger area.

We have…Dan has, at least 100 starts to plant and today is the day. We can have frost any time for the next two weeks or beyond, but generally speaking, now is when our gardens go in.

This is Sylvia. She is Bandit’s mother and the mother of the other three barn cats, Mayhem, Shadow and Rowdy. She is a good mom but not to Bandit! There may be a bit of jealously involved.

Ms. Bandita. My Bandit! The Diva! Her meow is my command! Oh, she does boss me around! In the first hour of my day, she was in the kitchen window, the bathroom window and on top of the cupboards before she finally decided that being awake for an hour was exhausting so she went back to bed!

Sparky has been working on upper body strength this Spring as he digs and pulls, digs and pulls in the front garden. It is so overgrown and we are (he is) removing, cutting back and replanting most of the garden. Finally got the Bleeding Heart planted today. Something I have wanted for years!

I have four hanging baskets planted on the front porch. Pink and white Petunias. Not my first, second or even third choice, but this is what I had available up here. Next year we will have our greenhouse up and we will start our own flowers.

Unpacking all the “stuff” from the 37 foot RV and cleaning it all has been a major chore for me. Then cleaning and re-stocking the new travel trailer has also been a huge amount of work! Hopefully we will take the TT out for her maiden voyage soon. Really anxious to camp and canoe this year!

Another view of our camper. It may be a lot of effort up front, but the joy of leaving the world behind and going to a National Forest Campground is the reward!

But, despite our crazy hectic world here, I always take a moment for my birds! So blessed to have these tiny beauties here for the summer! I go through a liter of nectar ever 36 hours for four Calliope Hummingbirds!

Like magic, the Bearded Iris just opened up today! Proudly displaying their beautiful, delicate beauty alongside our driveway! There must be 150 blooms!

I took all these photos after dinner tonight. The light was still bright but as I turned to look behind me, there was old Mr. Sunshine calling it done for the day. The sunset was incredible as are most of our days up here in the Back of the Beyond in Ferry County, Washington.

So “Goodnight” and “God Bless” you all as we travel on our journeys.

Hugs and much love from me,

Karen, TJG