Life Reset Day 3

Today I didn't get much done.  I spent most of the day on the phone with the Accountant or on Turbo Tax with and expert trying to make my form (from the accountant) fit.  I finally managed to make Turbo Tax happy and hit the electronic filing SEND around 2 pm.  I have no idea why but I was exhausted by the end!

 

I cruised up to Chipotle for food, yum. 

Then I worked on the current puzzle--bought  in Grand Lake, Colorado--I think this is the 6th one for this year.  It's challenging but I don't care.

After that I headed down to the Studio to do a bit more work.  Adding shelves to yet another bookcase. Tossing out the multitude of empty prescription bottles, I did keep 4 one for each machine and bent pins and needles!  Puttering mostly.  

Still feeling tired I came up to watch Chinese TV on YouTube.  Funny thing about watching TV from another country using English subtitles you can't multitask!  I do understand a little 

Chinese but don't ask me to speak it!

 

Life Reset Day 2

Today did not go as planned.  Partly because last night did not go as planned.  I was almost ready to hit post last night when a pretty nasty thunderstorm (complete with a Tornado Watch) pulled into Greenwood. Quickly followed by a power outage.  Totally dark!  I used my phone light to find my flashlight and sat down in my room.  I'm sure you guessed that I fell asleep and only woke when all the lights came back on about an hour and a half later.  I got up and finished the post then tried to go to sleep, not a great nights sleep so I didn't wake up until 10:30 am.  (don't judge I live alone, I'm the only one this bothers!)

Today, I need to complete my taxes.  I wish I didn't always leave this until the very last minute!  That did not happen quickly, and in fact I need to talk to the accountant for the estate in the morning to finish off.  

I did manage to finish my broccoli stem pickles today and made my bed.  Some small accomplishments at least.

Here's to hoping tonight is not a repeat of last night!

Resetting my life

Don't go into shock!  I am finally posting!

I am recovering nicely from surgery (hip replacement) the doctor said everything was good to go and I can now DO things!  Like Drive!  My children haven't been letting me do anything much and I was terribly bored but I was freed from all restrictions last week!  So I'm trying to reset my life and do the things I use to do before pain caused brain rot.  So, I'll be posting more often.  I hope each and every day!

 Before surgery I worked really hard at getting the house ready and my TO DO list whittled down.  Of course, a TO DO list is never done.  Not when I keep adding things to it!  Six weeks of doing nothing, plus drywall and new floor in the kitchen created a complete mess.  Not to mention work in the garden before it gets away from me!  

I decided I would work at making one space tidy and useable again so I started with my studio.  This is one room that didn't get too much done before surgery and lots of stuff dumped into it. So this is where I began on Saturday.

By Sunday evening I had moved the stitching books and project boxes to the white  bookshelf on the left above and my art and craft books as well as my paints, inks etc to the bump out case.

     

Today, while I did laundry moved more craft supplies to the bump out shelves and into the cabinet emptied by moving the art stuff out.  There is now room on the bookcase behind the ironing station for boxes of  fabric etc.

Still so much to do down there but I am determined!

Wanderings - Episode 15 - The last days in Montana

(Warning--Photo heavy!)

The clouds had lifted by morning showing fresh snow on the Bitteroot Mountains and I began the drive south towards one of my favorite places in Montana.  Down hight way 93 past Lolo to Hamilton, where I stopped for a bookstore and a flat white at the coffee place.  Yet another book added to the box!  It's Sunday so not much was open so I went south again through the little tow of Darby where the TV series "Yellowstone" was filmed.  I didn't stop, not much open, not much to see.  Up the mountains to Lost Trail Pass  where I stopped to admire the snow  (and got snowed on!)

Once I'd gotten cold I crossed the highway to route 43 East to the Big Hole, the first of my favorite drives!  I stopped in again at the Visitors Center for, Big Hole National Battlefield mostly to ask about the forest fire whose remains could be seen for miles on the left of the highway.  I was told that they had removed all the artifacts and the staff thinking the very close fire was likely to engulf them as well but it stopped on the hill opposite them!  So all was well.  The snow had turned to light rain so after a peanut butter sandwich I continued on.

I'm going to let the pictures tell about the Big Hole!

I've never been in the Big Hole in the spring so the green was amazing!

This is cattle country made up of family ranches.

They still use the beaver slide to make gigantic piles of hay, I didn't see either the piles or the slide so the cows much have eaten it all!

There is only one very small town in the Big Hole, Wisdom.  When I say small, I mean TINY!

I once said that I thought I'd like to live there and was told that it was very cold and snowy there!

I finished the day off in Butte for two nights.  I can't imagine why I did that I don't like Butte!  There aren't any quilt shops of book stores-that I could find-and the mountain behind the town is still being mined for copper and the slag or whatever they call it is UGLY! 

Once on the road again I drove up the Interstate to Deer Lodge.  There is a lovely quilt shop there that I have visited every time I've been in Montana.  I added yet more fat quarters to my stash!  Then it was on to Helena, the state capital.  I had debated and debated about whether I was going to go up there or not.  My cousin lives there and I hadn't seen him since 2016, I wanted to see him but I didn't have a phone number to arrange a time so I was unsure about it.  It's a short but lovely drive up and somehow my route took me past two very nice quilt shops!  You guessed it more fabric added to the stash!  There was a snafu with the hotel but I got settled in before dinner, luckily there was a lovely place for dinner next door.  (That hardly happens!)  The next morning I got up found Starbucks and after some debate I plugged my cousin's address into Apple maps and drove up.  Once we recognized one another we had a lovely chat.  He is losing all his memories (that's the way he put it.) After agreeing to meet for dinner I headed out to check out another quilt shop-I didn't buy anything! We had a nice dinner at a good Mexican place before we parted.  It is unlikely that I will ever see them again-we are all getting OLD and it's a four day drive from Greenwood to Helena.

The next day, I left Helena for the next of my favorite Montana drives.  Down Interstate 15 to Wise River  and the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway Again, I'll let the Pictures tell the story!

Another long lovely drive never before seen in the spring!

I ended the day in Dillon. 

The next day I went shopping!  Bought yarn for a jacket, another glass ball, and several books in the downtown. Then I got ready for the drive out of Montana.  Getting closer to home.

 

Wanderings--Episode 14--Wallawalla to Missoula, MT

 Traveling Through Southeast Washington was peaceful and beautiful very green with rolling flatland.  Farm country.  Unfortunately, the drive was short then I arrived at Lewiston, Idaho.  Located right on the Snake River!  Apparently, Lewiston is an inland port of some kind.  There is a "Lake" with quite a few commercial boats--not the huge ocean-going ships but definitely for cargo.  I stopped off here fo hit a T J Maxx.  I was looking for more of a particular cosmetic bag.  I had purchased one in California and it was perfect for traveling and I had uses for more.  I didn't have lunch there-it should have occurred to me but sometimes I'm not terribly bright! Instead I turned onto US 12.  A scenic route that ran along side the Clearwater River

I stopped for lunch at some tiny town and ate at what we call a "greasy spoon"  I really should have eaten in Lewiston!

Back on the highway I saw the first sign.  

NEXT 77 MILES

Curving road,  Okay.  Only a few miles later there was a sign: 

 WATCH FOR FLYING WOOD 

TREE WORK NEAR.

I didn't see any but I was watching for that along with driving those curves.

Next there was

        WATCH FOR WILDLIFE ON ROAD.  Just a plain white sign not this 

or this 

so I guess to many possibilities.

I watched, didn't see anything but I know hitting a deer, a bear, a moose etc would not end happily for either of us!

Next, a plain white sign WATCH FOR STOCK ON HIGHWAY!  Again not this

Or sheep or. . .

Lastly, a large ORANGE sign:  Known wildfire near, may be smoke on highway.  Please do not report it!  Then. . .Watch for fire crews.  Then fire crew Rendevous.

I was really grateful to arrive on Lolo Pass safely!  I've been to the Visitor's Center there before so I didn't stop.  I bypassed it and started downhill in Montana.  At Lolo, MT on US93 I turned north and drove into Missoula for two nights.

I woke the next morning to the sound of rain.  I had been really lucky with weather so far but it can't last forever.    I have a cover on the bed of my truck but it isn't waterproof.  Most of the insane amount of stuff I I had filled it with was covered with waterproof sheets or in plastic totes.  My large suitcase, which had evolved into the holding area for clothes I was sure I wouldn't wear again is NOT waterproof nor covered So I had to run out and bring it in.

 After breakfast at Crackerbarrel and coffee from Starbucks I spent the morning looking around Missoula and shopping.  Hit a Montana shop for souvenirs and a  quilt shop for fat quarters (they had a sale going buy 10 get one free, who could pass that up?) and a few larger pieces.

In the afternoon, I found a laundromat for hopefully the last time! Once I'd finished that task I stopped in for a steak dinner and at TJ Maxx for you guessed it- more bags (I now have 6.)  The trouble with T J Maxx is that I always find something else to buy!

Back in the hotel for the night was spent repacking for the next leg of the trip.

Wanderings--Episode 13--Redmond, Or to Wallawalla, Wa

Since I only took 1 photo today I'm giving it to you BIG!

Mount Hood.

At one point I could see both Mt Hood and Mt Rainer but there was no place to stop and take a photo! 

 

It seemed like I drove forever!  On the map it looks like it takes forever and it's all mostly the same to look at! There were a lot of wind turbines especially in the Columbia River Valley-most on the Washington side as it's elevation above the river is much higher.  I didn't cross the river, I headed East until the river turned North.  Maybe I should put that the other way around - the Columbia takes a BIG turn from the North to the West.  You just have to wait for that  turn to head into Washington.  Wallawalla is not far north of Oregon and I did manage to get into my hotel in the daylight!

The next day I was off to The Whitman Mission National Historic Site.  I know quite a lot about the Oregon Trail after being a docent and Education Director at the National Frontier Trails Museum.  I have read many books and have traveled the trail most all of the way from Independence to the Willamette River.  Anyway, Two missionary wives were the first to travel the complete trail.  With their husbands they established two missions to the First Nations people in the area.  The Whitmans to the Cayuse.  It's a complicated story of a misguided attempt to bring Christianity to the people by teaching English, Reading, etc in a boarding style school.  As the Trail became more and more travelled, they also ministered to the travelers and with that came the measles.  Native people had no resistance to the Measles and could not understand why the travelers recovered while they died and so there was a massacre at the Whitman Mission and many people were killed. The historic site tells both sides of the story so I suggest you read the material on the link if you are interested. There isn't much to see there, except footings of the buildings but the interpretation is quite good. 

After that excursion I headed to Main Street to a Quilt shop quite appropriately named "STASH."  I only had the chance to take a quick peak around as they were closing but I went back the next day!  I did indeed add a few things to my stash.  

I walked around Main street, went into a book store-well I thought it was a book store but seemed more like a gift shop!  There was, however, a Starbucks!  

After that I headed back to the hotel.  I repacked the suitcase, etc for the morning as I was Off Eastward, once again!

Wanderings--Episode 12--Albany to Redmond via Sisters

The morning had me once again headed east down Hwy 20.  I passed through through the Willamette National forest where I stopped to walk around a bit at the. . .

    

These trees are huge! Some of the trunks could have rivaled a redwood.  Old growth Douglas Fir the sign said.

They were very TALL!

The path was inviting so I walked a little ways down just to see.

All such side trips have to come to an end so once again I went east towards one of the Mecas of Quilters. You know, Paduka, Missouri Star and. . .

Sisters.

The Three Sisters looked amazing and were still snow covered.

I don't know what I expected to find in Sisters.  I was sort of underwhelmed by it. 

I bought a book at Paulinas and enjoyed watching the Golden Retrievers look for a Chipmunk in of the stores (they never did find it!)  Lots of window shopping.  It wasn't show week so that probably would make it different.  There was quite a lot of traffic and folks walking about, but I didn't have trouble parking.  I did have trouble finding something to eat though, ended up at Dairy Queen!  At least there was a blizzard.

After several hours in Sisters I got on the road east again to Redmond.  Which is only about 20 miles from Sisters I chose it in case I wanted to return the next day-I didn't.