THE JOYS OF AUTUMN

Autumn Joy Sedum and Russian Sage (top right of picture) are 2 of my favorite low or no water plants. In the above picture they receive absolutely no additional summer water!
Actually these under my kitchen window don't get any water either!

Our Crape Myrtle are finally blooming. I was afraid they'd wait so long this year that it would frost first and we'd totally miss them. Jessi says theirs in Virginia are almost done, while ours are just beginning. This particular variety is 'Tuscarora' and I love how it goes so well with the Autumn Joy Sedum.

This is one of our reblooming iris, 'Buckwheat'. These beds with the Crape Myrtle, Delphiniums, and reblooming iris get watered once a week.

I also have fall crocus planted wherever I have the Autumn Joy Sedum because their colors go so well together, I know where they are when dormant, and they bloom at the same time.

OUT WITH THE OLD

Well, one good thing came out of our having to refinish the new finish on our kitchen cabinets that the painter screwed up. We got to replace our 30 year old sofa and chair because they paid us to do it! So since I forgot to take a picture of the old before we hauled it out (we were just so excited to get it out before the new arrived) anyway, I looked back in my pictures and found this picture from Christmas 2006 when Jess was home for Christmas while Drew was?
And this was also December 2006 a Christmas gathering with neighbors. I'm so glad it's just the furniture that went and not the cherished memories of family and friends.

Ahh! Christmas 2005 and Drew is with us! These chairs by the way, I could not bare to part with so we did a major shuffle. We put the wicker love seat that was in our room out on the deck and moved the chairs to our room.Jeremiah saying good by. Think about it. It's the only sofa all four of our children have ever known!

And off to H2O they go. Hope they find a good home. They served us well.

IN WITH THE NEW

Do you like the color? Why do you think we waited 30 years to replace them? If we couldn't have our same red in the style we wanted, than we'd just hang on to the old cherished ones, thank you very much! But, good news, Lazy Boy still lets you pick your style and fabric! YES!!


Of course they didn't have as big a red check, but we've actually learned to like the smaller check even more! Not to mention all three chairs are recliners!

We are really enjoying our new living room.

This too was a side benefit from having to be all packed up and out of our kitchen and dining room for 4 months. Dennis had time to refinish that old 70's dark pine on our china hutch! I love it, I love it, I love it! Did I tell you I love it?

BEFORE AND AFTER

Here are the long awaited after pictures of our kitchen post water damage reconstruction.

Before: After: I don't even miss the toile border. I like the sharp clean lines and contrast with the white mouldings. Before: After:

Really the only differences visually are the upper wallpaper which we had to replace when the painter ripped the old down with his masking, and the counter tops. We couldn't find the darker butcher block laminate, so went with an oak wood grain. I wasn't sure about it at first, but now I love it!

The cabinets may look the same, but they ended up being smaller inside. Each pull out shelf is not as deep and are also lacking heighth between shelves, so some things just don't fit any more. I got rid of some and am still trying to figure out what to do with some of the things I really need but don't fit. But, after 4 months with no kitchen at all, this seems very insignificant! Also friends of ours just had water damage (the dishwasher! can you believe it?) but their insurance (Farmers) is refusing to cover! We love State Farm and can't say enough good about how they handled every aspect of our claim. They were polite, compassionate, and there when we needed them.

9/12 TEA PARTY

You Were Invited to a Tea Party

When: 9/12 to commemorate the day when Americans pulled together after the terrorist attacks on 9/11

Where: All over this nation, including right here at our state capitol in Salem, Oregon. The biggest of course being held in our nations capitol where people gathered from all over this nation. They covered the 1 mile stretch of Mall from the steps of the Capitol to the Washington Monument and even overflowing onto Constitution Ave.
Who: Neighbors, veterans...

Ordinary people who gave up a beautiful Saturday to be here putting their feet where their mouths are...

Grandparents concerned about their medical care being rationed and out of control taxes for their children and grandchildren...

And even husbands who sacrificed one of their last nice Saturdays of the year instead of painting the house! What a choice!!

Why didn't you hear about it? Maybe you're watching the wrong news channel?

OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE

Ordinary folks, "not angry mobs" as we've been labeled, attend Tea Parties as a way to let government know how much we disagree with their out of control spending and taxing in these hard economic times. As we tighten our belts in order to provide for our families, they spend our hard earned money on frivolous stimulus! A better way to stimulate the economy would be to put that money back in the pockets of the American people!I thought this little guy's shirt summed it up pretty well. You know how cynical I've become when the first thought that crossed my mind when I saw these two dogs was, "Which would you rather feed...A bigger government or a smaller one? But then the animal lover in me resurfaced and I had to talk to the owners and find out all about their Great Dane and Chiwawa. I fell in love!

As we left to walk the several blocks back to our car, I turned and saw this beautiful shot of the capitol.

This statue of the Circuit Riding Preacher is right next to the capitol building. If only we could get back to God as the solution to all of our problems as we once did when we truly were "One Nation Under God"!