Here is the view of the river from the back deck of the cabin. Mornings are so ethereal...with a fog rising up off of the river, and the sun just coming over the ridge reflecting off the water. I feel like I belong there. It's in my heart.

Just back from a week at the cabin....weaving....also took a load of wood over, washing windows, vacuumed spiders and just cleaned the place...it was soooo beautiful and peaceful!!! I wove two saddle blankets...one was a dud, but will still work under the saddles of MY horses, and one is awesome....I finally got the correct ends per inch, tie up and color combination....I am in love with this Krokbragd Pattern for sure....(it means The Crooked Path in Norwegian and that suits me fine!)

Common Wood Nymph (Cercyonis pegala)

I was out taking pictures a few days ago, and saw what I thought might be either a moth or a butterfly. I took the picture and started to research it on the internet....Hey! There are a lot of butterflies and moths to choose from here in Oregon. It didn't look exactly right so I emailed a butterfly expert from Duke University and he told me for sure that this was what I had photographed (common wood nymph)...a beautiful thing, but I love anything that is brown!!!

Well I surely have enjoyed the last few weeks...I got to go to the cabin and start working on a new saddle blanket. I got the warp wound, and loaded onto the loom, the heddles sleyed, and then it was time for me to go up to Yamsi Ranch. John and Jerri Hyde were kind enough to let me come back up to watch the Ranch Roping Clinic they have each year. This year was so much fun...and I got to take lots of pictures as well. This is one of the most beautiful places on earth...I came home and played around with some special editing of a few of the pictures. Jerri and John are pictured below, then a few picture of dragon flies and two group shots of gathering cattle. The horses were so gorgeous, and I even got to get on Jerri's handsome horse for about 10 minutes...hah!!! That was about all 'he' could stand of me....no not really....he is a gentle big guy and sweet as could be, maybe just too much horse for me....seems like I always get on horses that are WAY smarter than I am!!!! :-)When I got home there was lots of produce from the garden, and I got going making refrigerator pickles, zucchini bread, soups and salads, using eggplant, onions, crooked neck squash, zucchini squash, tomatoes and bell peppers, There were also lots of strawberries to clean and freeze and eggs to wash and use in the cooking and baking!!!!

Banana Squash Muffins

This is the recipe I made today...man are these good!!!! I had fresh crooked neck squash from my garden and some really ripe bananas...normally I would have given the bananas to the chickens, but I thought - some healthy but yummy muffins would be better!


Banana squash muffins

Ingredients
• 1 cup zucchini or yellow crooked neck squash, grated (I leave the skins on)
• 1/2 cups bananas, mashed (about 2 extra ripe bananas)
• 1 farm fresh egg
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• two packets quick cook Quaker Oats (I used Apples and Spice)
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Oven at 350°F. Make 12
1. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Mix banana and zucchini. Add brown sugar, egg and applesauce. Combine well. I used my old food processor to make this a creamy mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, oatmeal, salt, chocolate chips and walnuts.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
5. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let muffin tin cool on rack for 5 minutes, and then use a fork to gently lift them out of the muffin tin and into a big bowl… either to eat warm with a big mug of milk or cup of hot coffee….or cover with a cloth to serve later. Mmmmmmmmmm….

Joey and Rory

Boy I just had to let you all see these folks. I watched them on "Can you Duet", and thought they might make it all the way to the finals and win a recording contract. I have to say that watching them sing together I can feel their love for each other, and Joey has such a sweet country voice. check them out!!!! Although they were eliminated in the finale, I believe that they will go on to make some beautiful country music. You'll hear more about them for sure in the future!!!!
I could listen to them all day long!!! Click on their name above and it will take you to a "you tube" video of their submission tape into "Can you Duet". If you like that video, check this "You tube" video of them out too...you'll have to copy and paste it into your browser bar. The song is "I want to be loved like that"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sR42gqXc74

Just one more Hollyhock...then I'm done for the day....hoping to get into the garden at daybreak tomorrow....lots and lots of weeding to do....a good way to celebrate the 4th of July I guess?

Hollyhocks in my flower beds...also something I take pix of each year....the wind blows the seeds into other flower beds and sometimes they grow taller and prettier....man!!! I love old fashioned flowers....

There is this little wayside on the way back over to the west side of southern oregon off of the Lake of the Woods highway...it's called the Great Meadow. There are other pictures of it on my blog, but it never ceases to make me stop and take pictures...as you can see there is a perfect view of Mount McLoughlin too!!!

...and here is the finished saddle blanket....I love it, but I already have some ideas on how I can improve the next one, and I'm dying to get over to weave again!!!!

Started a saddle blanket a month ago...then last month went over to the cabin and finished weaving it. I brought it home and finished off braiding the edges.

We had strange clouds last week the day before the big storm blew through southern oregon...I got some pix of them in the evening.

The last picture taken in the waining evening light.

Common Monkeyflower

Isn't Butterscotch a beautiful filly!!! She is getting so big....she always comes to me when I call to her. She loves to learn and is learning to pick up her feet for me, so I can clean her hooves. I let ZuZu, The Arab and her out into a pasture yesterday filled with chamomile and beautiful flowering weeds. They had a wonderful time walking knee high through the tall weeds and grass, and filling thier bellies!

Butterscotch, The Arab and ZuZu

Here is the Arab we adopted. He is a sweet horse, but very nervous. I think it goes with his breed. He makes snorty sounds whenever he is scared.

We have a man who lives down our road. He cuts our hay, then puts it into windrows, like it is here. After the sun dries it out good, he'll come back and bale it. Then we can store it in the barn for the horse!

Took a few pictures of Buddy yesterday. We let him and the icelandic mare Kufa into the pond pasture. They grazed and ran around the pond. Buddy gets a little wild sometimes, so it's best to steer clear of him!!!

It's finally sunny here for a few days....these are a few pictures I took of flowers...The Rose is a climber that climbs up the side of an old cabin on our property. The Dogwood is a small domestic dogwood tree that is in the front yard at our house and the Foxglove is by the parking area on the side of the house....I love the bright purple color!!!!

Common Camas - a beautiful periwinkle colored flower and edible root. There is also a white version of this called "death camas" it is obviously NOT edible!!!!

More garden pix. The top of an onion growing into a seed head, the raised bed with the onions and cilantro and finally the two rows of potatoes.

ZUZU

ZuZu - Momma Mare...This is Butterscotch's momma...She is a beautiful bay colored American Paint Horse of America. "Truly Semi Sweet"

The Arab

This is "Butterscotch". She turned a year old on the 17th of May this year. Her American Paint Horse Association name is "Truly Sweet Reward". She is one beautiful filly!