Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Love locks at Chambers Bay Park

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

It's true. Time flies. But not only when you are having fun - though those particular minutes, hours, and days seem to sleep more easily through our fingers.

I've found that time. Just. Flies.

For instance, my honey was on vacation last week. There were just not enough hours in the day! We . . .


We had a wonderful time. I think maybe they were embarassed by us!

- traveled to see my cousin in the Tacoma area where we ate, hiked, visited, walked, sipped coffee, ate some more, and watched exploding fireworks

- shopped for an RV trailer as a part of our long term plan to build our own small home

- returned home and cleaned house with much attention given to fine detail

On the first hike we got lost. This was our trick for choosing the correct path on the next hike.

- decluttered, packed boxes, moved furniture, and prepared our home for sale

- shopped again for an RV trailer - and purchased a lovely used model that we pick up on Saturday where we will attend a class on how to make everything work

- washed windows and removed cobwebs

- spackled and touched up painted walls

- filled the garage with boxes, bags, and large items for storage and donation

Titlow Beach at low tide

- spent hours talking on the phone with various service providers and business people, asking questions and learning the ropes about selling and building homes

- and finally, put our home on the market

We are exhausted!

The above schedule did not allow time for reading email, blogging, writing, or any other creative endeavor. I barely had time for grocery shopping, but we were getting hungry and I had to cave and make the trip.

The fun continues tomorrow. The gray girls and I are banished for 4 hours while realtors visit and walk through our home. I think Monet, Mabel, and I will visit some grands. Won't that just make their day fantastic? The grands will love it. The cats, not so much.

Oh, friends, I could have used you. At the least we could have stopped for a bit and sipped a cup of tea. Rest and relaxation. Do consider a visit soon so we can catch up. I may not have furniture, but I always have hot water and tea.

Fireworks on the 4th

Tea with Me - Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast

What is your tea of choice?

I'm currently sipping Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast with a little drizzle of honey. Perfectly yummy!

Pour a fresh cup and let's chat. Oh, dear, things are just popping along around here. Yes they are.

For instance, did you know we have really bad smoke in our valleys? Huge forest fires - I'm talking in the 10's of thousands of acres on fire or already destroyed - have been filling our air with hazy smoke. Some days are worse than others. Like Sunday. The gray was pretty thick. In fact, we took a motorcycle ride to Ellensburg, trying to retrace a nice ride from the ending point and working backwards. We never found our way. No, not at all. We were actually lost! With such thick smoke, we couldn't see the landmarks and foothills to keep us headed the correct direction. We narrowly missed going the absolute opposite way over a different mountain pass. Instead of finding northeast we rode blindly all the way around Ellensburg and ended up northwest headed north. We live south of Kittitas County, so you can imagine our surprise! Back roads sometimes do not work.

Yet another exciting event on our ride was the yellow jacket stuck under my shirt. Uh-huh. I felt a sharp poke, scratched it, and it stopped. About 15 minutes later, I had another stabbing pain, but it was much stronger. I scratched at it, and decided perhaps we should pull over for a check. Yes. Right beside the Yakima River, there we were, river float and canyon road traffic all watching, and Kevin was flapping my shirt up and down. I was almost ready to disrobe, too bad about the free show. We never did find the yellow jacket but two huge welts showed where it had gotten my attention. I am so pleased that I was only stung two times! Fifteen minutes of repeated stinging could mean a trip to the hospital if that thing had kept up it's crankiness. When we got home, we couldn't even see the holes. But Monday morning, the welts were back and full of red. A lesson learned - tuck your shirt in and keep it tight.

Six overgrown thick skinned yellow squash went directly from the garden to the compost bin. Too big, too seedy, too tough. One day I peek, and they are finger length and not ready. The next time I look, it's good-bye to you and how did you get that big that fast??? If ever you are over my way, you are welcome to a few.

Sunday morning I awoke to the sound of banging. Loud banging. Miss Mabel had her mouse and daddy was not letting her keep it for a toy. The bad news was the cats had not been outside yet, so the mouse had somehow made it in alone. Mouse mistake. The good news is we have cats. Inside and outside.

The office looks even worse than the photo of my previous post. If that is possible.

Twenty-eight old folding chairs have passed through my patio this month. Ten are staying for cool seating at the blue door table. Twelve headed north by way of my sister. Six are hanging out waiting for my daughter-in-law. Honestly, who needs that many chairs? I guess we think we do.

The kitties, now officially over a year old, have their annual check-up, vaccinations, and de-worming tomorrow. Let's just predict that Mabel is going to get 'the talk.' The fat kitty talk. She is fluffy I say. I can't figure out how to feed her on a schedule and her sister (who is quite thin) who needs to eat more. Maybe our vet will give suggestions. Whatever happens, it usually involves Mabel eating everyone's food. She loves her food.

Alas, sadness sets in at the ending of summer. Not the heat. Tomorrow is supposed to be triple digits again. The end of that no-school-vacation-time feelings of summer are evaporating like a puddle on a hot day.

But the waning of summer means - hurray - the waxing of fall. That means cooler temps, beautiful colors, cozier nights, and relief from forest fires and tinder dry conditions. Please, Lord, send us ample snow and rain this winter!

My hair seems to be getting grayer and my knees are creakier. How did that happen? Just last week I was 25. (wink, wink)

Ah, life is good. The finches serenade me every morning, the kitties are glad to see me, and I am usually guaranteed to see at least one grandchild!

Hoping your life is filled with peaceful sips of tasty tea and lovely adventures worthy of sharing.

Waiting to hear...

The Monday AFTER Vacation

Looking at the Puget Sound from Bainbridge Island

We are back. Home sweet home. Back to the regular schedule. Responsibilities to be met, chores to be done, catching up required.

But first, shall we have tea?

Grab a cup and enjoy while I share a few things about the last week.

Let's pretend you are right with me, seated and facing me across the little patio table. It only has one chair, but that's ok. I'll pull one out of the house.

So, you ask, how was vacation?

~ We spent lots of time driving. Many miles. But we had AC and snacks. It was all good.

~ At the beach, we lazed our way from favorite spot to the next favorite spot. Ocean Shores beaches (two separate stops) equaled lunch, lounging in our chairs, putting up the kite, and wading in the water. Brown Point Beach by the marina provided plenty of wind, surf, and curiosity. What were those pelicans, seals, and seagulls feasting on anyway? Pacific Beach was our napping spot, though the wind was picking up and we were slightly sandblasted. It was all perfect. We just went from place to place, doing whatever sounded good.

~ I had ice cream. Good ice cream. Twice. (If you knew Kevin as I know Kevin, the hubby, you would see that indulging in ice cream two times in one week is amazing!)

~ I filled up my camera memory card. It wasn't empty to begin with, but I really added some photos. I didn't realize it was that close until I clicked the very last photo standing on a beach on Bainbridge Island. That left no spots for ferry shots.

~ We went to Bainbridge Island. It was our first trip. I researched it in advance. Could we find anything? NO. We were completely lost the entire time. Though we now know the tiny, single car backroads, we were unable to actually follow the roads to any place significant. We did manage to find the ferry dock at the end of the day. That was because we found our restaurant, which overlooked the harbor, after stopping for directions. We could see the ferry coming in from our table. I should add that we did stumble across a delicious ice cream spot, Mora.

I felt eyes upon me when we tried to take a beach nap. Someone was watching us. Very closely.

~ We did not find any public beach on Bainbridge Island. I'm sure there are some. But not easily discovered or located. No signs. Google maps did not assist in this area. At all.

~ Lunch on the Bainbridge Island day was not on the island, but just outside of Bremerton. Scenic View State Park is lovely with a very accessible beach. This little gem is right outside Seabeck, Washington. It's very rocky though, so water shoes are a necessity.

~ We purchased some snacks at Trader Joe's. We forgot the chocolate covered almonds. They no longer even remotely resemble almonds. The chocolate part is easy to see, but is now shaped like the bottom of the bag.

~ Road crews were blasting rocks on the top of Snoqualmie Pass. They do this on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. We hit two of those days when traffic was stopped both directions. One evening traffic was already moving by the time we got there, though it was crowded and we had to drive slowly for many miles until the vehicle crowd stretched out. The second evening we hit it perfectly and had to stop and wait. I got out my beach chair and watercolor paints and enjoyed myself. Many travelers were out playing around, tossing softballs, chatting with friends, and jumping the barrier to find a private tree or bush. Sneaky as they appeared, we still knew where they were headed.

~ We spent the days between our trips doing little projects at home. For me, that meant writing responsibilities.

If I had snorkel gear, I could figure out what they were catching.

~ Oh, the first day of vacation was salsa day. We helped my sister, brother-in-law, mom, and dad, can way too many jars of homemade salsa. Mmmm. Hot, spicy, sweaty work. The fruits of our labor should be ready to sample in six weeks.

~ We met my parents, sister, and brother-in-law at the theater to see Mr. Holmes. It was very good. Dumbledore, nope, Gandalf played Sherlock Holmes. Dad, you are still right about that. For a moment there, my sister and I both confused our favorite heroes and movies.

~ The last day of vacation we got up early, as the temps were supposed to be in the triple digits, and went for a motorcycle ride. It was actually cold on our way up Chinook Pass. We looped behind and came home on Highway 12. That was where we hit the heat. Nothing less refreshing than leaving the delightful cool forest fragrance to swelter in the sauna heat of high summer.

~ The cats did not like us much during vacation. We were not here often enough for them.

~ Having iced coffee with my honey was and is one of my favorite treats.

~ The garden survived just fine, though I am still behind in garden chores.

Scenic View State Park Beach

That's our vacation in a nutshell. I did not get good clam chowder at any time. That was one of my goals. Next time, clam chowder goes to the top of the list of vacation necessities.

How about you? Have you had any vacation time this summer? I'd love to hear.

Mad Monday - aka - Tea with Me

Whoa, baby!

It's been Mad Monday here all day long.

Originally, I was going to spend the day off on a retreat by me-lonesome, taking photos, dabbling with watercolor paints, and chilling. Well. That didn't happen.

Instead:

I had to harvest the garden. Green beans, wax beans, yellow squash, and raspberries were waiting for me.

The gardens had to be soaked. This 100-plus spell is taking it's toll. Raspberry and blueberry leaves are positively baked on top.

Laundry. Oh, boy. For two of us, it is amazing. Loads of laundry and changing of the sheets. Not as important or exciting as the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, but necessary.

Grocery. Shopping. My usual store (first word starts with an F, second word begins with M) is in major remodel mode. Can't find anything and most things are non-existent. Still, I was there early and the crowds were light.

Spreading bark on my triangle kitchen garden was mandatory. The heat has been brutal. Poor plants. The cats loved helping me and the soil should stay moist and weed free(er).

Due to above cats, I had to recover a bird. Dead this time. My first hint was Monet trying to get something beneath the couch. As she walked off, I thought, ok, it's a toy.

Hours later, a I discovered feathers in two spots. Ok. It was not a toy. Up went the couch, and there amidst many kitty toys was a poor dead sparrow. After fighting off Mabel, who loves stealing Monet's prizes, and shooing off Monet, who wanted her birdie back, I was able to capture and dispose of said bird. The good news is that it was dead and therefore easier to catch.

Plenty of green beans filled my basket, so a second batch of spicy garlic green beans made their way through the pickling process.

Muesli was on the list of to-do's, but guess who forgot oatmeal? Kind of an important ingredient in oatmeal muesli.

So far, laundry remains on the list. As do tacos for dinner, numerous paperwork tasks, packing for a writer's conference, piling craft supplies for a rubber stamp fest,
and writing tasks.

I could sure use a tea break. How about it? See you in five. And then we can chat about your weekend.

Like Mabel, I'm exhausted. However, I will not recline on the table like a naughty kitty.

I suppose it will be Mad Monday until tomorrow, when it is Tuesday.

Monday Tea with Me (on Wednesday)

Baby Gage sneak preview!

Hello!

Due to many circumstances, some wonderful, some irritating and frustrating, I haven't been able to blog for a week!

I KNOW. I missed you.

Today, let's have tea. I have been dying to share tidbits with you. Grab a cup. Remember, I share, you share. I'd love to hear about your week.

1. The number one priority - Baby Gage has arrived! All 9 pounds 1.4 ounces of him. I shall blog about him on Friday and share photos. Of course, Nana has to do that. Do you have any new additions to your family?

2. I've spent the last two days trying to figure out computer and internet problems. Yesterday was the worst day with my time spent on the phone with tech help (I might add that Chasity at Costco Concierge was delightful, while Dell tech was not and hung up on her). I tried several strategies, from restore to virus scan. Nothing worked. Last night, I even lost the internet. Period. But this morning, ta-dah, I was able to easily get online and do what I needed. I know God worked a miracle overnight, because I went to bed with a non-working computer and no internet access. What's your biggest tech frustration?

3. Kevin survived a bumblebee in his helmet! We were on a short motorcycle ride out the North Fork Ahtanum Road west of Yakima. His visor was up so he could enjoy the cool mountain pine-scented air. And a bumblebee. He calmly drove on after he saw a bee wandering just outside his peripheral vision and heard buzzing. He pulled over at the next available safe spot. I jumped off and that's when we realized it was a giant bumblebee. Who immediately dropped down and flew off. Whew. Any other bee stories out there?

4. Raspberries are on, and they are oh so yummy. I love them fresh off the bushes. What's your favorite raspberry treat?

5. Getting ready to rip out a sage bush (the herb). I've come to the conclusion that nobody needs two, when one provides more than any family can use. Plus the extra one is taking up raised bed space. Sage, anyone?

6. Right in the middle of two grands and a great-niece (holy cow, I have a great niece) being dropped off yesterday, the cats (always on cue for chaos) brought in a dead bird. I am glad it was dead, or I would have had to chase it around the house trying to keep two kitties from destroying everything. As it was, I had to hold off the cats, especially Mabel who was trying to steal it from Monet, while I yelled for paper towels. The guts were gone, so I suspect that Monet found it dead, snitched it from someone else, or previously ate out the belly parts. ICK.

7. I personally trimmed the three birch trees in the front yard. Do you know how much a birch tree grows in one year? Enough to block visibility from our driveway and keep big trucks from parking. I do miss the privacy, but it is much easier to be safe now.

8. Bladder infection. Again. I should be on speed dial with the doctor. I told him they need a home test kit. Then I could take it at home (because I do KNOW the symptoms) and text the results in, which would let me avoid an appointment (this one being one where I was checked OUT instead of IN by the receptionist and I sat for 30 minutes before I asked what was going on - meanwhile Papa was on lunch break with the three amigos, forced to wear a crown while he made lunch).

9. Finished a writing deadline. Just in time to help Baby Gage make his appearance and cut the cord.

10. I have slept in all three beds in my house over the last week. Yes. Amazing fact. Most of those nights were accompanied by small children with long, long arms and legs.

How about you? Time for your sharing. Thanks for having tea.

Tea with Me - Monday Mama Moments

Happy Monday Morning!

I wish we could physically sit down and have a cup of tea. Or coffee. It would be so much fun to chat about weekend events - the fun, the exciting, the dreadful, and the boring.

Maybe this will work best if we both grab a cup of tea. It may seem a bit one-sided. But let's pretend we are face to face. You read about my weekend, then comment and tell me about your weekend.

Here's my weekend sum-it-up.

Kinder Field Trip ~ Began the weekend by joining Hayden on his walking kindergarten field trip. We went to the library first (wise move). Next we walked to King's Row and had ice cream. Nothing like kinder kids, ice cream, and 90 degrees. We literally stuck together on the way back to school.

Baby Watch ~ Grand number 4, William Gage, has yet to make his appearance. Mommy's tummy is quite resplendent. Brother and sister are getting anxious. And this Nana wants to help welcome that boy to the world. Each night I go to bed thinking she will call tonight. I wake up telling myself, well, it didn't happen yet. Maybe today.

Embarrassing Moment Eye Witness ~ There I was standing at the Fred Meyer gas station window to pay for our fuel. The pump nearest the station was blocked off with a cone as the hose had no nozzle. Sure enough, up raced a lady who was very excited to find an empty pump with no line! She ran right over the cone, not paying attention, gleeful with her win at the pump. LOL. I was right there, watching. She finally realized she had killed the cone. Then she saw me watching. What do you do? We both grinned and shrugged our shoulders. She then slunk off backwards over the cone and went to a different line.

Wedding in 90 ~ Not 90 minutes, but 90 degrees. It was a hot one. The wedding itself was beautiful. Mr. Quantrell was the officiating pastor. The winery up on a hillside lent itself as a gorgeous setting. Guests fanned and tanned themselves in the full on sun. We sweated and dripped alike. My hand fan has become my new best friend. Despite the heat, it was a wonderful experience and we wish the happy couple all the best.

My Baby Turned 27 ~ Hello. I am not that old. My oldest, my firstborn, celebrated his birthday. Where have the years gone?

Raspberries are Ripe ~ Yes. I welcome the season of red. Strawberries are due for a rest while the raspberries are just starting to provide delish bursts of flavor for my mouth. Though my grands usually get to them first.

Three Cakes ~ It's true. I was feted with opportunities to devour three cakes this weekend. Wedding cake, birthday cake, and graduation cake. I did not have any of them. But the fourth opportunity, whole wheat almond flour shortbread cake with our strawberries? Mine to inhale. Mmm. I think that recipe will go in my cookbook.

Growing from the Inside ~ Church was chaotic but fantastic. Besides our own mama's providing additions to our children's group, we had three new boys and their parents. It takes the full attention of at least 2 adults and maximum energy to corral and enjoy our group. I might add, 7 months old to 7 years old between them all. Whoa, Nellie!

Watched Donavyn while Papa and Daddy fixed the truck.

Cut hair. Twice.

Love my air conditioner.

Sleeveless is my favorite (and all season) fashion statement.

Visited the horses, including the new foal, that pasture next door to our son. So adorable.

Made a record trip to Costco. Under 20 minutes. On a Saturday. Got in. Got out. Proud of myself. Yes. I forgot stuff. But that's not the point. In and out. Fast.


That's it for the highlights. The rest was cooking, cleaning, eating, and sleeping. Boring stuff.

I would love to hear about your weekend!

P.S. Should you ever find yourself in the Yakima Valley, call me up. We'll meet in person. See you then!