Pumpkin Patch

The kids have been talking about a new pumpkin patch they drive past every day as they ride home on the school bus. Emily tells me they've dubbed it the "pumpkin army". When I asked why, she described it something like this: "There's all the pumpkiny troops waiting in the field to do battle" :) With a reputation like that, going to any other patch was out of the question this year! So Saturday afternoon we made the short drive to experience the pumpkin army first hand - and bring home a troop or two of our own.

Everyone left with a pumpkin of their choice: Ben's the biggest he could find, Emily's perfectly shaped, Jenna's a little green, mine all bumpy, and Paul's...the closest to the wagon. It was a fun time!

Brrrrr...

I look out my window and see an unforgiving fall day in my little corner of the NW. I know. I know! I can hear you now...

"What, Laura? Unforgiving? I thought you just blogged about how you love fall?"

Ahem. Yes. I DID say I love fall...which is true. The exception for today, however, is that it is stormy and raining pretty heavily and I (like a crazy woman) accepted an afternoon position supervising the elementary school playground. Picture me, out in the cold/wet elements for an hour and a half today and you begin to understand the 'unforgiving' portion of my statement.

A person can do anything for an hour and a half, right? Especially when I have promised to reward myself with a caramel apple cider from Squeeze & Grind - the BEST I have found in all of Clark County. It's right here in my little town of Camas, so I will soothe my chills with a super yummy and steamy beverage and think cozy thoughts of wrapping up in a down throw later tonight; perhaps snuggling up with a good book or movie.

Off I go. Wish me luck...and warmth :)

Post Script: I was SO well prepared for this afternoon that it actually turned out to be quite nice. I layered up more than sufficiently, brought a giant umbrella, and even got to pass some of the time hanging out with my daughter and her friends. It was not an unforgiving fall day afterall!

Poppy & Sam

Once upon a time there were two goats named Poppy and Sam. Poppy was a plump and sassy goat with ears that stuck out to the side like wings on an airplane. Sam, her brother, was a large, simple-minded goat with ears that flopped down like a puppy dog.

If anyone were to approach the fence surrounding their field, Sam would plod up to the fence to see who had come to visit, then nervously back up a few paces. You see, being a simple-minded goat, Sam wasn't able to control his curiosity or his anxiety of the unknown. Sam was a kid at heart. Poppy, on the other hand, was all vim and vigour. Whenever she saw Sam approach people at the fence, she would trot over as fast as her stubby legs would carry her, and place herself front and center to assess the situation. More often than not, she would disapprove of the visitor and head-butt the fence in reproof. You see, being plump and sassy, Poppy liked to consider herself queen of the pasture.

One grey autumn morning Poppy decided that it was time to expand her empire. She longed to explore what lay beyond her half-acre parcel and simple barn. A small, weakened area in the meandering farm fence provided the opportunity she was looking for. She stepped back, lowered her head, and threw the full weight of her round body into it. Just as she hoped, the fence gave way and she was able wiggle her way to freedom. Sam, ever inquisitive, craned his neck over the fence and watched from the safety of the pasture to see what his sister was up to now. Poppy was nose to the ground, smelling her new surroundings. She wandered this way and that, congratulating herself for her conquest, and nibbling the grass as she went. She was not only queen, but fearless explorer, too.

Poppy had not been out long when her owner, a sweet, young girl with straight hair and milk chocolate eyes, discovered her escape. The girl ran out, still barefoot and in her pajamas, into the early morning light to lure Poppy back into her rightful field. The girl was the one person Poppy tolerated...liked even. And when she scooped out a savory cup-full of golden grain, Poppy, the plump and sassy goat, was unable to resist following the girl back through the gate and into her half-acre parcel.

Only the queen would not be contained for long. With the grain devoured and the girl gone back to the house, Poppy trotted to the opening in the fence, and once again forced her way to freedom. Sam stood nervously by the opening, bleating to his sister. He finally decided to be brave and follow. There was only time for a few mouthfuls of sweet, autumn grass before the girl, still barefoot and pajama clad, emerged from the house; this time with her mother in tow. The girl scooped a second cup-full of grain and gently persuaded Poppy and Sam to return to their field. Her mother, though not skilled with hand tools, was determined that plump and sassy Poppy would remain contained this time.

So she went to work. She measured and clipped a new section of farm fence. Then, using a multitude of zip-ties, the mother attached the new portion of fence over the warped and broken one. Poppy looked on with disdane, and even tried to head-butt the mothers hand as she worked. The mother, however, was not to be hindered. A few more zip-ties and the patch was complete. Queen Poppy was once again restriced to her original half-acre kingdom. She begrudgingly conceeded the battle. Turning her plump body away from the fence, Poppy trotted off into the field with all the sassiness she could muster...Sam following obediently behind. Perhaps the queen would explore another day.

The End

I Heart Fall

My favorite of all seasons is here! Don't get me wrong...each of the seasons have their own charm and enjoyable elements. Ah, but fall. Fall is grand. I cannot help but be partial to it. To borrow a line from Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."

*Amazing colors. The colors of fall are unlike anything else. Fiery red, golden yellow, glowing orange, warm brown...mixed in with the fading shades of green. Breathtaking!

*Brisk air that adds a blush to one's cheek and beckons us outdoors.

*Foggy mornings. Looking out my window to see everything enveloped in a lovely, soft gray. The landscape is changed...more mysterious and inviting.

*Snuggly sweaters, a good pair of jeans, and warm socks. That pretty much defines the perfect outfit for me!

*Steamy, warm beverages. Coffee, cider, chai tea, hot cocoa. The heat that radiates through the mug to warm hands. So comforting. Speaking of comforting...

*Homemade chili and soup. Oh - with fresh from the oven bread. Seriously. Does it get better than that? It makes the house smell delicious and it is so satisfying to be snug and warm in your house eating a great bowl of soup when it is stormy outside.

*Apple season. Apples are my favorite fruit. I am spoiled living in Washington state for this reason. The Honey Crisp and Fuji are amazing! Plus, who doesn't love a good apple pie or crisp?

I could go on with my list, but those rank at the top. So, I am going to snuggle in my sweater, grab my mug of coffee, and go watch the wind whip through the trees. If the rain holds off, maybe I'll throw on a scarf and take a walk; somewhere where the leaves have began to fall and I can listen to the music of them crunching under my feet.

I love fall.

Face Lift

I sat down at my computer, thinking about writing a new post. Instead, however, I got side-tracked looking at blog backgrounds. There are so many choices...and I just looked through one source. This was one of the first to really catch my eye. You know what they say. Trust your first instinct. I am enjoying this new look and color scheme. Change is good. It's like redecorating, only I don't have to mess with hours of hard labor. A few simple clicks, cut and paste, and voila. My blog is rejuvinated!

A Feature I Love

We've been in our new house long enough to learn how it functions. The noises it makes and the little idiosyncrasies involved in living here. There are only a few things I would do differently - one of which is better sound proofing between Emma's room and our bathroom (she says our shower sometimes wakes her up in the morning). But overall...we are pretty happy with the way the house turned out.

There is one feature that I am particularly happy with. I might even go so far as to say I love it. Curious? No, it's not the dishwasher, although that is quite a luxury. No, it's not the space heater in the bathroom, even though I sit contentedly in front of it almost every evening as I brush my teeth. The feature I'm speaking of? The toe-kick vent in my kitchen! It is glorious. During the hot summer months, when the last thing a person wants to do is work in the sink with warm water, it blows out cool and refreshing over your feet. Better yet, in the fall and winter, when there is a chill in the air, it turns that area of wood floor toasty warm. You stand in front of it and the heat envelopes your poor cold toes and you feel like you could camp out right there - standing in front of the sink - for hours!

When we put it in, it was with a mindset of convenience and space saving. But now I know better. All I can say is, it's sumptuous, and every house should have one! (at least)

Three Trips In A Week

Three times this week I have driven up the Columbia River Gorge. It started with a spur of the moment trip last Friday...just my husband and our youngest who was home recovering from a cold. Paul walked into the room and announced, "I thought we'd drive up the gorge today; maybe take some pictures." It was a glorious day, with a stunning blue sky and temperatures perfect for jeans and a t-shirt. Can you ask for anything more? Maybe a cup of coffee for the drive, you say? Yeah. He provided that, too. He IS pretty great. Try not to be too jealous :)


The next trip we made as a family on Sunday. The forecast showed rain coming in for the majority of the week, so we thought we should go and maybe get a couple photos of all of us while the weather was still lovely. It wasn't quite the perfection of the previous trip (there was some sibling rivalry in the car and multiple rest area stops) but it is good to be out all together, and you can't help but appreciate God's beautiful creation in that little piece of the world.
My final trip was made today, in a school bus. Yep. Just so happens that Emily's class had a pre-scheduled field trip to Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery...in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. It was a forty-five minute ride on the Washington side to the visitor center where we watched the salmon swim up the fish ladders, learned about hydro-electricity, and the history of the surrounding area. Then we boarded the bus, crossed over the Bridge of the Gods to the Oregon side, explored the fish hatchery, and enjoyed a one-hour ride home.

Three times is a lot in one week, but I can't take the sights for granted. The gorge is glorious in sun, rain, or fog; through a camera lens, a car window, and even the back seat of a school bus! I couldn't help but notice that autumn is creeping in, and already the leaves are beginning to change. It happens so quickly...there were no signs of it a few days ago. And crazy woman that I am, I began to plan in my mind when I should come again in order to enjoy autumn in all its splendor.