Myrtle Falls

There's a wildlife refuge here in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, that includes a nice little driving tour with great views of the marshes where thousands of migrating birds stop to rest on their way through to (or from) Canada. We always see deer and have seen a moose three times! I think it's the same one each time.

This post isn't really about the wildlife refuge because I'd like to do that one more justice at a future date. BUT Myrtle Falls is at the same place.

The first time we walked up to Myrtle Falls was in late May when Gary and I came here to find a place to live. It was greener and there was more water, but even at the end of a very dry summer it's a pretty little hike!

The trail is easy, though it is all uphill and then all downhill. It's a mile round-trip. Our kids think it's an easy hike, and there's a great view at the end!

What I think is a great idea, they've posted stories along the way! In the few months we've been here we've seen two different books. One was about bear scat (and other wildlife "signs") and the other was the life of a forest over several hundred years.

The books are taken apart so there's a two-page spread on a post under plexiglass every hundred yards or so. Just about the time you start to get winded, you stop and read another two pages of the book! Great motivation!

This is definitely one of our favorite hikes. It will be a place we'll take visitors and we'll follow it up with a drive through the wildlife refuge. Grandparents, be warned!

Bonner Lake

When I was a little girl my family moved a lot. New places meant new weather to experience, and it seemed as though we were always hearing about how "unusual" the weather was in our new location. The heat in Central California, the snow that stayed on the ground for weeks in Maryland, the late fall snow storm in Kansas. All were so "unusual".

Well, since moving to northern Idaho this summer we have had that term used quite frequently! It's unusually hot for this time of year. We're unusually dry. This heat isn't typical. It's not usually like this.

Sure.

Our favorite escape on an unusually hot afternoon is the lake. Our favorite is Bonner Lake, just twelve miles from our house. It's quiet, small, warm and we are sometimes the only ones there, even in the summer!

Bonner Lake is quite small. We've rowed across it in less than an hour in a big raft with one paddle while fishing and taking in the scenery.

There is a boat dock for public use and several private docks around the lake. We're pretty sure an osprey has a nest in a tree on the far side of the lake.

We've loaded the boys up with floaties, rafts, goggles and snorkels and we can spend several hours out there with no one getting bored or too cold.

My favorite place to be is in the raft, either with Gary and the kids exploring the middle of the lake or soaking up the sun near the boat dock while the boys play and Gary fishes.

Gary likes to paddle his kayak out to the far end of the lake where the water is deeper and fish.

It's not a bad way to escape the unusual heat! We're grateful for beautiful, quiet, free places to be in nature while we swim, relax, fish and play.

 Have a great day!

Landscape Garden

We don't have a designated "garden" this year. We're renting and didn't want to tear up the lawn, plus we knew we didn't have time and energy for a real garden. We did, however have empty landscape beds around the house, so we spent a few dollars at Lowe's on Mother's Day and put in a couple of our favorite things.

Since we didn't plant from seed, some things like basil have been producing for us all summer, but other things are just starting to come to fruition! Today was what seemed like the first harvest--finding four cucumbers big enough to pick!

So for our records I busted out the ever-ready cell phone and snapped some pictures of our little landscape garden, as of the third week in July.

We planted these cherry tomatoes for the kids. They've been asked to wait until they turn red, but after than they can pick and eat when they want.

Here's another angle of the cherry tomatoes, which have been the right size for a couple weeks. When will they ever ripen?

I adore eggplant. I know some people don't like the texture, but I've never had issues with that. For some reason they've never done well in the garden for me, so I'm excited about this little guy that's about the size of an apple.

Something is obviously enjoying the leaves of this sweet bell pepper plant, but since the tiny peppers are still doing fine, we're leaving it.

The largest peppers about the size of the cherry tomatoes, but growing fast!

Beefsteak tomatoes are the epitome of summer to me. I can't wait to have a big slice on a piece of gluten-free bread with lots of mayo! And maybe some of the basil you'll see in a big. Mmmm!

I think these tomatoes (above) are supposed to turn yellow. I like those. Somehow they're more mellow than red tomatoes. Yum.

Then of course there are roma tomatoes! Romas mean bruschetta to me. Another summer staple.

This cucumber looks a little funky, but oh well! I'm so tired of spending money on cucumbers and I'm thrilled we got to pick four today! I love cucumber sandwiches and lots of cucumbers in Greek salads too. Hopefully we won't have to buy any more this summer.

Sadly our parsley disappeared (rabbits? squirrels? the wood chip mulch?) and our cilantro bolted so fast I couldn't make it stop, but our basil is big and healthy!

These (below) are jalepeno peppers, our oldest son's request. He and his daddy have shared about three, but they've decided to wait a couple weeks to see if they get spicier. Looks like we have most of the ingredients for salsa!

The one thing missing from our garden is zucchini. We planted several hills but they got rained out and I haven't replaced them yet. I still can, right?

Do you have a garden? Do you throw a few things into your landscaping? I think it's the best way to garden and I'd like to do it on a bigger scale when we have our own property again.

Ok, I'm off to figure out some way to enjoy cucumbers and basil with our supper. We were going to have tacos... Hmm.

Life Lately {June}

Well, shoot! Here it is, July already. I'm ok with that, it's just that I didn't blog in June. I seriously don't mean to do that! And I hate it when that happens. Not that there's nothing to blog about, it's just that life is busy and there are lots of balls I'm trying to keep in the air and I can't do them all at once. It seems like if I'm homeschooling, then I'm not cooking or keeping up with laundry. If I blog, I don't exercise, if I babysit a lot, I don't homeschool... I'm sure you know how that is. 

I love that saying I've seen posted on Facebook and Pinterest lately: Not my circus, not my monkeys! Well, these are and it is. And I love it! I wouldn't have it any other way, except a few more monkeys! I just love them, and they're so much fun! 

Let's see. June was full of signs, healthy coffee, snacks for kids, the park, more signs, iced tea...  I had someone local contact me through my Etsy store about selling my signs at her shop! I'm super excited about the opportunity and was able to make 12 signs in two weeks. The store is called Kindred and it's in Grand Island, about an hour away from Lincoln. It's actually where my husband lived for awhile growing up! Anyway, I have a whole post about the signs I made and will be adding to my Etsy store in the near future. Apparently it takes lots of iced beverages and the occasional pretty skirt to pull that off.

Speaking of my monkeys... They keep growing. And getting tan! And my oldest, Jonathan, got glasses! Apparently, he really needs them. I'm hoping they'll help. He was so brave at the optomitrist! I let him pick out his own frames--they are not at all what I would have chosen, but I wanted him to have something he likes since he has to wear them all the time. He usually does wear them and only sometimes complains that they're in the way.

The sunrise pictures are from my early morning walk. I've been going a lot more frequently, although after our mini-vacation over the 4th I haven't gotten back out there. On days I go I'm SO glad and it's pretty and I feel good getting something good-for-me checked off the list, but it's 4 miles around the lake which just about wears me out for the day. Hopefully that won't always be the case.

For Mother's Day I got a picnic table, and for Father's Day, we got Gary a little fire pit! We've had a couple marshmallow-roasting sessions, but usually the weather is already roasting without adding a fire! And it's not dark until after 9 PM. Hopefully we'll be able to use it more in the fall. We definitely use the backyard a lot! The boys and their daycare friends spend some time there every morning and afternoon, although it does get hot and buggy. Some days we declare it a water day and hook up the sprinkler or slip 'n slide. Sometimes by evening it's cooled off enough to enjoy supper al fresco!

There are lots of lakes around Lincoln. We've spent time at two of them, canoeing, camping, playing in the sand and water, or reading and enjoying an iced tea while you watch from the shore. Hey, I'll take my quiet moments when I can!

We've also had a lot of rain this summer. It's not uncommon to have thunderstorms after a hot day, but we haven't had to wait in the basement much. Things are very green and our garden is happy! I'll try to get some pictures of our cute little landscape garden for you. I'm looking forward to tomatoes and cucumbers!

So, there you go! June according to Instagram! What have you been up to this summer? What do you do to beat the heat?

Insta-Friday: Iowa Edition

We've had a fun week in Iowa! We stayed at a campground in a friend's trailer. The first few days were super hot and we have been so thankful for air conditioning!

While we've been here we've been able to visit friends, eat at a couple of our favorite places and play tourist in our old hometown.

Here's our week according to Instagram!