July in Idaho

Hubby and I are winding down another stay at our Idaho home.  It was unusually hot for July, high 90's and a few triple digit days.  Leaving humid Texas is always a delight...however, even though it is  a dry heat here in the high desert, when it is over 100 it is still really hot.  It's still been in the 60's in the early a.m. so we get out early, have our breakfast on the deck, then get to work.  Hubby has done a lot in the garden, thinned out a lot of overgrowth of flowers that tend to take over, redone the path that goes around the back of the garden under the pine trees. He's done a lot of basic home improvement projects, like he does every time we are here.  I have done some work in the yard, and in the house. A little bit anyhow.  Mostly I have done artwork, hung out with friends, cousins, Sister and Mom.  I've read 2 Louise Penny novels while here as well. Oh and every evening and most mornings we are visited by the quails. They are so sweet, but they move so fast it is hard to catch a photo of them. I love watching them scurry across the yard. 

 The main reason I love being in Boise, is the view of my backyard from the family room, kitchen and sun room. It's like staring at an aquarium to me, in the calm feeling it gives me. 

There are a lot of Hostas.  I want to plant more of these giant ones in the shade beneath the pine trees.  This one seems quite happy here. 

Tiger Lilies I had forgotten were there.  Discovered after Hubby cleaned and thinned out a lot of overgrowth.

We've had the joy of being here almost the entire month of July this time.  We had a family reunion of sorts a few Sundays ago.  With so many cousins living here within a 100 mile radius, the family has these get togethers often.  We miss most of them, but thankfully were here for this one.  One of our cousins was out from Nebraska for a week, so of course it was a reason for another big dinner at Aunties place. We hadn't seen this cousin since we were youngsters many years ago, so it was great getting caught up.   It was 100 that day and we had an outdoor picnic.  It was incredibly hot, but there was shade and fans running. We all had a good time.  My Aunt is 86 and her husband is 85...they have the most amazing garden, with flowers and veggies and fruits.  We've had the most delicious raspberries, that taste just like the ones I remember from childhood.

One day husband, sister and I took a day trip to Shoshone Falls, a two hour drive from Boise.  It was a nice drive, and the falls were beautiful, even though they were running quite low as it is late in the season.  The best time to go this year has been in April.  We still enjoyed it and got a few good photos. We also got to see some base jumpers at the Perrine Bridge that spans the Snake River. 

We're heading back to Austin, where I hear they have had 25 days in a row of temperatures over 100. When it is like that I become a cave dweller of sorts.  Out in the a.m. to do what errands have to be done, then home for the day, thankful for A/C. It takes me about a week to recover from the differences in humidity between Boise and Austin. If you've read this far, thanks for visiting me in My Own Private Idaho. 

The colors of Idaho and Happy Thanksgiving

Last week Hubby and I returned from our trip to Idaho.  We spent 2 1/2 wonderful weeks there, enjoying an unusually warm November.  Hubby did a little yard work, we enjoyed time around the house, besides doing some home repairs and having things serviced.  We spent time with family, especially my Mom.  I was able to go with Mom and Sister to two of Mom's Dr. appointments, and find out she does have wonderful Doctors there.  She was in good spirits, especially when we all were playing the card games she loves.

 Still had roses in November

 

 

Sun rises every morning, view from our family room and kitchen

 

Turning colors and falling leaves, and some orange flowers still blooming

 

On November 17th, Hubby and I celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary.  With what we've been through lately, it gives more critical meaning to "in sickness and in health."

We have planned a very low key Thanksgiving, as neither of are very cheerful, for a variety of reasons. We'll watch a lot of football, read and watch movies, and avoid news stories at all costs.  Make of that what you will.

Busy April and May

Hubby and I spent 3 weeks in Idaho.  While there we relaxed, visited with family, went to a couple of concerts, an art fair, spent Mother's Day with my Mom. Hubby got to play some golf, and we spent as much time as we could just enjoying our house and garden. Lots of spring flowers were coming into bloom.  I did not have reliable internet there so spent very little time on the computer. Actually it felt quite nice to be away from the computer for awhile.  It rained one day the entire time we were there.

Back yard

metal cranes by pond

Clematis

Honeysuckle

Iris

orange tulip

 

Tulips and hyacinth

 

First peonies-for Mom

 

Walk by the Boise river

Geese crossing, an every day occurrence

100 Years Ago

Today would have been my Dad's 100th birthday. He was born in Nebraska and was a farm boy until he came to Idaho.  Before he was my Daddy he was a Cowboy and remained so for the rest of his life.  The photo on his funeral card is one I took 19 days before he died.  He looked good for 99. The smaller photo, on the horse named Ranger, was taken in 1936. I used it for the covers of the cds we made for the family, of some of his favorite songs.

 R.I.P. Daddy, I miss you every day.

Sometimes the best thing to do....

Is to do nothing at all.

One view of the backyard at my little retreat in Idaho..

 

 

I arrived there on August 31st, my birthday.  I spent almost the entire month of September there. Every morning I chose a different window to sit by and drink my coffee/tea/chai and gaze out at the garden. In the early evening, I wandered out to the deck or one of those weathered chairs and sat there, looking back towards the house. It is truly a retreat for me, and I enjoy being there so much, for a variety of reasons.   This is not to say that is all I did while there.  I ran around with family and spent time with my Mom. Saw the Aunts and Uncles.  Went to a football game with Hubby, went to several art fairs.  But my best times while there, have become just hanging out with Hubby at the house and relaxing, or even working in the yard.  I know it will feel different when we move there for good, but for now, I see it as a little escape from the real world and I relish it so much. September was truly vacation month for me.

When I get back to Austin, everything is so hectic, with a million things to do, and being pulled in so many directions.  I've been really busy since I got home and here we are the middle of October already.  I'm feeling stressed and overwhelmed so I'm trying to focus on taking care of myself instead of just slipping back into the rut I usually do.  Part of taking care of oneself is setting time aside to create, instead of planning to create when everything else is taken care of.  It never happens.  So that is where I am at, and where I will be for awhile, with my head down...trying once again to find some balance.  Maybe even some finished artwork.  Don't know why that is so difficult for me, but all I can do is continue to keep trying.

Snow Day in Idaho

Hubby and I flew to Idaho last week to spend the holidays with family. There was snow on the ground when we got here, and a few days later we got a few inches more.  It snowed most of the night and we had almost 3 inches of fresh snow by morning.  Beautiful to look at from inside, but then there is that task of clearing the driveway and walkways.  Not to mention driving in snow, which we have not done in quite a few years.  Everything has worked out fine so far.

 

The view of the back yard at my Idaho house. I love the look of the snow on the bare branch trees. This tree is a Crabapple, and in the far background there are several tall pines next to the fence.

Long Ago and Far Away

Yes, it's been ages since I dropped by to let anyone know what's going on around these parts.  Mostly, I've been busy and too stressed to write about stuff.  Most of May was spent on another road trip to Idaho, a couple of weeks there, then back home to prepare for the home construction here.  All of June was spent with the house entirely torn up, with holes dug around and under, and yes even inside the house. Then July was spent cleaning up, unpacking the things we had to pack up to get out of the way for the foundation repair. Things are back to normal, house-wise, still a few needed repairs.  We are taking our time with that.

As usual, I am slogging through the hot, muggy, Texas summer. Another trip on the horizon though.  Back to Idaho, with a side trip to Portland for a mini-family reunion with Hubs people. Then to Chicago for a week, then back home. Anywhere we go, it will be cooler weather than here, thankfully.

I had tons of road trip photos from the May trip, but never got around to posting them. Most of them were shot from the cab of the Penske truck with the cell phone I had to buy the day before we left, because mine broke.  So, although some of them were interesting, none of them were spectacular!  We spent a night in Amarillo on the way, just so we could go see the much famed Cadillac Ranch. Out in the middle of a field.  At least we can say we saw it.  LOL

We stopped at several other roadside attractions along the way.  We actually took an extra day on this trip, just for that reason.  We stopped to see a place I had never been to in all my years of growing up in Idaho. The town of Twin Falls, with the lovely Shoshone Falls Park.   Very beautiful, even though we were told the water was at it's very lowest in years because they had not had enough snow or rain last winter.  Most times the water spray reaches the observation deck, which is in the bottom left corner of the photo, right under the rainbow.

 

Nothing much else to show, except...look at this beautiful plant growing in one of my neighbors yards. It is Agave, also known as century plant. This is the first year it has bloomed.   It is done now, and the base is dying out and the stalk is leaning towards their doorway, getting ready to fall.

Sunday morning clouds on the drive out of my neighborhood.

 I have not done a bit of artwork this summer, which is making me kind of cranky.  I have started sewing again, just a few small things, and making some plans for some needlework.  But no journaling, painting, etc.  Have most of my supplies still packed up.  I usually go through this drought of inspiration in the long hot summers here anyhow. Hopefully I'll snap out of it soon and get busy with something.