It really felt like fall this week. We managed to get in a fishing trip, as usual, but the majority of our week was spent getting a start on winterizing.
Red Rudbeckia, aka black-eyed Susan, was a big success in this year’s garden.
Central Oregon winters can be fickle weather-wise, but there is the guarantee of one good snow dump. For that reason, you need to button up the exterior.
Petunias, a favorite of mule deer in our neighborhood
We’ve transformed the patio from a basic BBQ spot to a retreat, complete with a host of herbs and flowers. This has been a great place to share a morning coffee or evening cocktail.
Brief stop between watering sites
The patio gets crossed by neighborhood cats and there is a resident family of chipmunks that skitter across. The chipmunks seem to be using the bottom of our grow towers as watering spots.
In recent weeks there has been a small clutch of Mule Deer Stags feasting on neighborhood greenery.
Interrupted mid-munch (petunias, strawberries, and cherry tomatoes are top contenders)
We’ve seen a decrease in foliage on flowers and trees. We watch them nonchalantly strolling through the neighborhood streets.
However, we’ve not been successful in catching these tree pruners in action . . . until this week.
June to September in the high desert are marked with mostly cloudless days.
Accompanying this is anupward trend on the thermometer.We have gotten pretty adept at direct sun avoidance, but it takes effort by the middle of July.
A Cottonwood Canyon trip cut short in 2023 by wildfire
An additional problem has been added. Incidents of wildfire are on the rise.It’s not just the threat to our home, but we’ve pulled up to some fire closed roads in the past. That can put a damper on anyone’s plans.
As days get warmer, earlier, we retreat to the comfort of AC.E-readers are kept well stocked for the blistering hot afternoons that will be here soon enough.
Summer kitchen’s countertop
Before the full on summer weather hit, we managed to complete a few projects aimed at mitigation.
The side porch got sun screening. This makes BBQing a more pleasant task.
We also stretched out our gardening and landscaping. This was the first place we’ve lived that didn’t have some type of garden.
Oh, of course there were trees and a few pots of flowers. This year however, that changed.
Garlic ready for harvest
JQ may not have a green thumb, but she has a gardener’s heart.
With concern about access to fresh greens, given current conditions, we set up a couple of small raised beds.
Chamomile
Onions
Wax Beans
These got planted with hearty greens, garlic and onions. Once the gardening bug struck, it was hard to hold back.
Strawberries
Peas
Additional pots and plots got added to the mix. A space where a failed tree planting from the former owners got a crab apple tree.
Columnar apple trees in pots
More flowers were tucked among the rocky landscape and some “Fruit Snacks” columnar apple trees got put in containers beside the house.
A pair of Birch were put in the spot were an Aspen had been.
Cucumber
Petunias
What’s for dinner?
That seems like a lot, but most of the projects were part of cleaning up the area around the house.
We’re not sure how the edible plants will fare . . . this is after all a desert.
That said, we’re enjoying the patio along with additional visits from neighborhood birds and a squirrel that has taken to stuffing peanuts into the garden beds.
This week we both came down with colds. Then, in addition to sub-zero temperatures, the snows returned . . . so there were no excursions.
On the upside, the greatest luxury of being retired is you’re no longer enslaved to the clock. There are no places we have to be, meetings or work that demands our attention.
Winter’s chill just out the window
This means that our week consisted of a tissue box, cup of hot tea and a good book, all nestled in front of the fire.
February snows burden pine boughs
I guess if you’re going to have the sniffles it’s best during a winter storm. We’ll have to see what next week holds, but already cold symptoms are abating.
Morning starts out cool-ish, but that sun brings the heat up quickly
Jack’s knee is getting better, but the weather . . . not so much.
We spent last week sweltering in 100 degree heat. The longer the heat hangs around, the harder it is to bring house temperatures down with cool morning breezes. On an up note, wildfire smoke has not filled our air yet this year.
We did not make it far from home this week. Instead, we did some inside projects that were long overdue. There were also a lot of cold salad preps. No need to overburden the AC with a hot oven.
Summer is salad season at our house
In addition to the regular potato, tuna, chicken, and macaroni salads, we always include a side of sliced tomato w/ basil. JQ discovered an addition to the cold salad rotation . . . a Mediterranean Veggie salad (recipe below).
We’re up before the sun to open windows and prepare for the day
During these heat waves, we start our day early. By the time the thermometer hits 90, we’re back in the cool comfort of home.
The weatherman is suggesting a drop in daytime highs next week, so perhaps we’ll be able to venture further from home.
As we brace for an upcoming heat wave, we have time to reflect on this past week.
Crooked River
The knee is improving and stitches have been removed, but not much activity occurred. For Jack, that means we didn’t go fishing.
However, we did set up some camp chairs by the Crooked River and watched the wildlife, while sharing a cheeseburger from the Tastee Treet.
So, I guess the week wasn’t a total failure..
Brown butterfly feeding on blooming yarrow
The weatherman is handing out “excessive heat” warnings in Central Oregon, and it looks like those alerts will carry through the week.
These type of temperatures are hard to escape even in the depths of a river canyon. Unfortunately, river wading is off the list for now, so I guess we’ll hide out in the AC comfort of home.
Summer heat has cast a brown hue to the grasses
Although we are thinking about venturing to higher elevations of the Upper Deschutes . . . we will just have to see.
The patio gets crossed by neighborhood cats and there is a resident family of chipmunks that skitter across. The chipmunks seem to be using the bottom of our grow towers as watering spots.
