Month: February 2024

Tuesday, February 13th

Lots of dull, damp days this week, neither cold nor warm. In the morning E went out and did a little garden work in the drizzle while M went to the eye doctor to discuss whether cataract surgery might make things brighter. Eye doc seems to think so.

In the evening we went up to Salem to have dinner with K and J. K made a great salad with fried chickpeas, kale and spinach. We brought a chocolate pie for dessert. And it turned out that chocolate pie is one of K’s favorites.

Wednesday, February 14th

E went down to Eugene today to meet S for coffee and to go shopping. She went to Nordstrom’s in the Oakway Mall and was pleasantly surprised to see that they carried quite a collection of shoes in her size.

For Valentine’s dinner we had Brazilian fish stew from a Local Ocean dock box. Out of this world delicious in E’s opinion. For dessert we had a bonbon or two. Also delicious.

Thursday, February 15th

Our friend P came to lunch. We had take-out sandwiches from the Vietnamese Baguette. We also finished off a bag of Kettle chips, but it was only one of the really small bags.

Friday, February 16th

We’ve been looking into getting some solar panels, which at first seemed pretty complicated. By now, though, we’ve gotten three estimates and narrowed it down to one. A technician came this morning to take final measurements and to inspect our roof and electrical panel. Everything seems fine, so it looks like the project will proceed.

Mostly cloudy today but not raining and the roads were dry. M took the Jaguar out for some exercise. What a noisy and bumpy car that is! Clearly, you must put it into Dynamic Mode and ride around in the foothills raising a ruckus. (In a suitably restrained sort of way.) Nice.

Saturday, February 17th

Another soggy day. The yard is like a wetland. It could really use some attention, but it won’t be getting it today.

Sunday, February 18th

E has been doing a lot of preparation for the upcoming birthday celebrations. For one thing, she’s planning a dinner for the extended family on the day before the main party. She’s looking forward to having as many family members as possible seated around her grandmother’s oak dining table. Complicating matters is the fact that we also need to prepare for a trip to Salt Lake City this upcoming weekend. We’ll be attending a wedding, so we should probably think about what we will wear…

We did manage to get in an afternoon walk on the Calloway Creek trail. It didn’t rain on us right then, but there was a coldish wind and the southern portion of the loop was a mucky mess.

Monday, February 19th

More rain early this morning. We passed that time doing our grocery shopping. As usual E went to the Co-op and M searched the vastness of Winco. Then, in late morning, the sun came out. Wow! That drew us both outside, where we accomplished quite a bit. The yard was soaked and the grass was squishy, but it made for easier weeding. M planted a new little blueberry bush, continuing his quixotic quest to replace an old one that mysteriously dwindled and died. Last’s year’s replacement plant did not thrive either. But hope springs eternal.

Saturday, February 3rd

We finished one of the puzzles that E got from her puzzle exchange with her yoga teacher. Just 500 pieces and very entertaining.

Sunday, February 4th

We went up to the Washington Square mall today. E took this photo on the way. That’s Mt. Hood in the background.

Wednesday, February 7th

We packed a bunch of winter stuff and drove over to Bend today, planning on doing something in the snow, either snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, depending on conditions. We stayed at a hotel that was handy to the slopes but was also in the middle of redecorating. Some of the parking lot was stacked with dozens of old couches, partly covered by a tarp. Another corner held a couple of shipping containers from which people were unloading new couches and carrying them inside. We had dinner at Hola in the Old Mill District. Hola is still good and still kind of expensive. Later in the evening we were happy to see some snow falling. It was a lot nicer than watching ice rain falling.

Thursday, February 8th

We woke to a dusting of snow covering the world. Very pretty and not very serious, so the roads were fine. In Bend it was overcast, but as we drove south up the Mt. Bachelor highway, we saw more and more blue sky. It turned out that conditions were nearly perfect at Swampy Lakes sno-park: soft new snow, little wind, and lots of sunshine. Such a contrast to our last visit, when the snow was icy, the sky was dark, and the wind never stopped. We did the main loop and had a great time, especially on the way down.

Friday, February 9th

We got up early and were on the road in time to pick up some donuts and scones at Sisters Bakery as we passed by. We arrived in Corvallis around 12:00, early enough for E to get prepared for her Smart Reading at Lincoln School in the afternoon. We put the scones in the freezer.

Saturday, February 10th

February, such a beautiful time of year in the garden:

Sunday, February 11th

For Sunday breakfast, we had marionberry scones from Sisters Bakery! Awesome.

Monday, February 12th

Mostly cloudy today, just a little damp. Nighttime temperatures are in the thirties, but daytimes are more fiftyish. For some of the early plants that’s quite acceptable.