I first met Jolly Miller on New Year’s Eve the winter of ‘96. That was a bigger winter than the one we’re in now. We’d had 6 feet of snow; on New Year’s Eve it began to rain. Brooke and I walked up the then – quiet Rendezvous to neighbor Lee Miller’s for a party. … Continued
‘Tis the season, truth to tell! Thanksgiving has come and gone and this year could have easily passed for a Christmas setting. Hopefully, most have gotten into better eating shape at this point because now the real test comes: Christmas! Winter descended on our little Valley November 7th and has been building on that early… Continued
Late summer to early winter that fast. And so the seasons have rolled here in the Methow this year, with little time at all for fall. The later start to summer kept things 3-4 weeks “behind” all the way to November. July was more like June; September more like August; October definitely more like September… Continued
September… the mellowest month of the year. The land itself exhales from a summer of constant work. That sigh of relief fairly infiltrates the countryside after a season spent growing vast varieties and quantities of both wild and domestic foods. Calm, warm evenings are followed by cooler, quiet mornings. Hillside grasses fade to gold like… Continued
August, month of the full Corn Moon; the Ricing Moon; the Harvest Moon – all names from various Native Americans – has come and nearly gone now. True to form, August is the peak month for harvest of cereal grains around these parts of eastern Washington, as well as elsewhere. I was reflecting on various harvests… Continued
That fast, the cool, moist spring and early summer seem to be of the deep past. True to form, beginning around mid-month July began to kick up the heat. As I tap these keys the mercury reads an even 100 degrees outside. The 100’s seem locked in for the remainder of the week and the once… Continued
Wow! The cool, moist spring continued on right up to the Summer Solstice. As for this weather, this spring was a very different one than most. One that, by and large we’ve embraced. We are not alone. Although I still need a jacket some days for my morning cup on the south porch, the birds are just loving the lushness… Continued
And here they were, two scrawny male hummingbirds at the feeder after all this time. As if sheep hefted to the fell. Weeks had gone by since I traded out our one sunflower bird feeder for our one hummingbird feeder. It hung vacant for long enough that I actually restocked it with fresh juice then… Continued
Spring has sprung. At least for the time being as I write this on April Fools morning. Most all the snow patches have disappeared while meadowlarks, robins, flycatchers, and BLUEBIRDS have arrived back to the valley here. Deer have moved back up to graze and owls still sound at dusk. Resilient and wonderful bunchgrasses are… Continued
Truth to tell, sitting by the woodstove while listening to the Labradors snore this morning feels mighty good. Siskins, chickadees and finches visit the feeder, silhouetted by a gray and foreboding sky beyond. Most of February gave us ample sun and warmer temperatures that sped us toward spring, while easing up the cold… Continued