Guest Posting

I’m guest posting over at my very talented sister-in-law’s blog today: Get Your Crap Together.

I’m as surprised as you to think she asked me.

On purpose.

Here's how to get there.

Katie

How To Not Travel Through Eastern Oregon

I love my family.

I do.

Which is why, every single year, I go visit them.

And travel through the desolation know as eastern Oregon.

People who think the world is over populated have never driven those sorry stretches of state high ways.

I mean, it’s pretty barren.

Which is exactly why I was pluggin’ along {going roughly 30 miles over the speed limit} earlier in July.

And also why I got pulled over.

In Christmas Valley.

Actual name.

Actually as lame as the name implies.

I had just driven through the center of town.

And by center of town I mean I rolled through it’s one stop sign and glanced at the one store. 

And I picked up speed. 

And then quickly slowed down as I saw the Sheriff that had just passed me make a U-turn and flip on its lights.

Officer: Hello.

Me: Hi.

Officer:  Do you know how fast you were going?

Me: Yes, sir.  I was going 60.

Officer:  Did you know it was 35 mph?

Me:  Are you kidding me?  I thought it was 55 mph.  {I really, and truly, thought I had hit the sign that said 55.}

Officer:  Nope.  It doesn’t turn to 55 mph till that sign right back there.

Me.  I’m sorry, I had no idea.

Officer:  Where are you headed?

Me:  Idaho.

Officer:  What for?

Me:  To see my family for the 4th of July.

Officer:  I’m from Orofino.

Me:  Are you really?  That’s such a nice area.  {Never been there in my life.}

Officer:  And a guy I trained and is now my friend is working in Meridian.

Me:  That’s amazing.  I grew up in that area.

Officer takes my license and registration.

Officer:  Normally I would ticket anyone that was going 25 miles over the speed limit…..

Me:  I can understand that.

Officer:  Ten over the speed limit…?  Wouldn’t have even batted an eye.  Twenty-five over the speed limit…?

Me:  Totally different story.

Officer:  But I’m letting you off with a warning.

Me:  {Obnoxiously thankful}

Officer begins to walk away and comes back:  I’m also letting you off because you only have one more kid than me!

Thank you, Officer

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And on the way home…

we got to see this beauty:

How you might ask?

Because our tire had shredded.

Forty miles on the east side of Christmas Valley.

And we weren’t breaking 50 mph.

Driving with a spare tire.

Which we had no idea we had in our car.

{P.S. it wasn’t in the trunk.  Discovered only after we had unloaded all of the luggage for seven people coming home from a week long trip to Idaho in 100 degree weather on a deserted highway.}

The trip home took two hours longer than normal.

I love you, family,

so much, that I’m letting you come visit me from now on….

Katie

Garden Pictures

My friend came to visit.

While I was out of town.

And she and my other friend took the liberty of walking around my garden in my absence.

And gave their kids some of my peas.

They basically trespassed and stole.

However, they encouraged me to share what my garden looks like now.

So for the rest of you law abiding citizens that would like to see what my garden looks like now, here are way too many pictures:

Before

Now

 

 

 

 

 

Peas to right.

Tomatoes in the back.

Broccoli, carrots and onions at the bottom left.

Garden helper.

And one of our heavy pieces of machinery.

Tomatoes to the left.

Yellow crook neck squash to the right.

Corn, grapes, squash.

 

Flowers.

Green beans on the right.

 

Table grapes on the garden arbor.

Volunteer sunflowers.

My really, really, really pitiful sweet corn.

Cucumbers.

Water for the bees.

It’s my grandparents old bird bath.

Why I didn’t end up with the base I don’t know.

And loads of beets.

Which my family may or may not hate me for planting.

 

Pole beans.

And elsewhere on the property:

peaches,

apples,

Concord grapes,

raspberries,

and pears.

Katie

During the Month of June:

I bought a Chinese Checkers game at a garage sale and it has been a huge hit.

I know this because the kids fight about it constantly.

And marbles are everywhere.

Meg turned 5.

Elizabeth photo bombed one of her pictures.

Bryce’s family had a family reunion and we went to Crater Lake.

Where it was snowing.

In June.

The last week of June.

After we had driven an hour and half to get there.

In shorts.

 

We went to Emigrant Lake.

 

And we came home with sand in our bums.

Well, not my bum, but other people’s.

Mostly those under the age of nine.

Or maybe just Bennett’s….

Katie