09-30-2025 September The "Big Birthday" Month

 

The lower half of the property is dry all summer until the rains begin in the fall

As I write, it is early October and already raining. Fall this year has been much different than we usually see here in Grants Pass. Often it’s still dry and warm, and I watch flowers, lawns, and trees suffer with heat and drought even into October.

No matter how much I water, the dogwood suffers the most from our hot summers

As September began, life was about easing into the changing needs of early fall. We caught up on doctor visits, skin checks, eye checks, and took care of the myriad chores that somehow take up so much time. We had to have keys made for the new truck, with a big surprise when I learned they would cost $120 each! Mo harvested the last of the apples, and I made another pie, even better than the last one.

The flowers love it when the temperatures of summer ease into fall

This year, September gave the gift of wetting rains on the 7th, then again for a few days mid-month, and another shower on the last day of the month. It was amazing to watch our dry pasture grasses begin to show green long before September was over. Usually, we don’t see green until mid-October, sometimes even into November.

Look at that green grass coming already, and the springtime poppies are really confused

My friend Maryruth and I were laughing the other day about our California friends who think of Oregon as a wet and rainy state. They don’t realize that “Oregon” and “Southern Oregon” are very different regions. Our climate here has more in common with the hot, dry parts of Northern California than the misty forests up north. Another fact that’s often forgotten is that more than a quarter of Oregon is what we locally call “high desert.”

Followers of this blog know that Mo and I love the high deserts of Oregon and have spent many happy travels camping there. The Oregon high desert feels like another planet with wide horizons where light and shadow trade places all day long. Sagebrush and juniper scent the wind, and the silence is palpable. Volcanic ridges and dry lakebeds hold the memory of ancient seas, and as Mo and I often say, “I can feel my eyeballs stretching.”

However, this September we had other plans.

I was three in the photo the kids enlarged for the birthday party

In celebration of what’s considered a somewhat momentous birthday, my 80th, our family planned a shared outing to the coast. Originally, I chose a house just south of Cannon Beach for the gathering. The daughters hunted for the house and reserved it more than a year in advance. We had imagined spouses, grandkids, and extended family joining us, but we learned quickly that many houses have a one-week minimum stay and won’t allow pets under any circumstances. After a bit of sticker shock for a week near Cannon Beach, we did some rethinking.

None of us really wanted to stay an entire week, and the cost was prohibitive, especially after we learned that Deanna’s husband Keith, couldn’t make it and Melody’s husband Robert, would be working out of the country.

The house in the middle, barely visible above the beach pines, is "Once Upon a Tide"

Instead, we chose three perfect days at a great house called Once Upon a Tide in the beachfront town of Rockaway Beach, on Oregon’s northern coast in Tillamook County, stretching about seven miles along the sandy shoreline.

The view south along the coast from the trail to the beach

Rockaway Beach is a laid-back, family-friendly town where visitors come to walk the shore, fly kites, hunt shells, and breathe salt air. In town there’s a sprinkling of local shops, seafood restaurants, and the Cedar Wetlands Nature Preserve, home to the “Big Tree,” thought to be hundreds of years old. Once a resort destination connected by train in the early 1900s, Rockaway still carries that nostalgic coastal charm, quieter than many Oregon Coast towns yet rich with shoreline drama and sea-wind stories. It was the perfect choice for our celebration.

Originally, when I chose Cannon Beach, I imagined the shopping opportunities, the great restaurants, and the beautiful beach. The more we planned our time at Rockaway, the more we realized that eating out and shopping weren’t high on the agenda and that simply hanging out together was the priority.

We planned our meals with each daughter sharing a night of cooking. All I needed to do was show up with a couple of salads.

In addition, the fact that our time together was limited to just Mo and me and the daughters made it even more special. It has been years since I’ve had time like this with my three girls, and I treasured every single minute.

The kitchen and dining area were very roomy and comfortable

The house was lovely, with two levels. The top floor included the kitchen and dining area, a big cozy living room with lots of reclining chairs and sofas, and a wonderful master suite with a very comfortable bed.

The three bedrooms were downstairs in what was obviously a space designed for large parties with a pool table, ping pong, beer fridge, and big screen TV. I only needed to use those stairs a couple of times, once entering the house and once leaving.

The living room faced the outside deck with a somewhat limited view of the ocean beyond the sea grass. It wasn’t a long walk to the beach, and there were no dunes to climb to get there. In addition, there was a big, spotless hot tub on the deck.

Yummy drinks and wine with our first night supper of beer-battered halibut and chips with cole slaw

We arrived on Sunday afternoon and settled in right away, with Melody taking charge of dinner that night. She brought a huge chunk of fresh halibut and made superb beer-batter fish and chips. I haven’t had halibut that good since Mo and I were in Alaska.

Lots of room for relaxing and visiting

The evening stretched into a lovely sunset, and the five of us sat around laughing and talking together until that comfy bed finally called to me. I think the girls stayed up much later, scheming plans for the next day.

The girls went all out for the birthday decor

I woke up on my birthday morning and stepped out of the bedroom to the most amazing sight. The girls had filled the upstairs with decorations, flowers, candles, birthday signs, and balloons. I was so moved and so thrilled. Everywhere I looked, there was something delightful and creative to smile about, such a wonderful surprise.

Look close and you can see Mattie off leash to the right of Mo on this lovely beach morning

One of the nicest things about staying at this particular house was the ease of getting to the beach. We could walk there whenever we felt like it, all together, or just Mo and me, or Mo and Mattie. I’m not sure how many times we walked the beach, but each one was a treasure.

For lunch that day we drove the two miles into the main area of town to visit the famous Pronto Pup. Rockaway Beach claims a delicious bit of history. In 1939, George and Versa Boyington were selling hot dogs near the sand when a rainstorm ruined their buns. George whipped up a cornmeal batter, dipped the franks, and the Pronto Pup was born. They trademarked the recipe soon after, making Rockaway’s stand the first of its kind, though Texans still swear by the Fletcher brothers’ “Corny Dog” from the early 1940s, and Illinois boasts its own Cozy Dog claim. Still, on the Oregon Coast, locals insist the corn dog’s true birthplace came with a view of the Pacific.

The corn dogs were wonderful, although I still think the foot-long ones Mo and I shared at the Balloon Festival at 5:30 in the morning, waiting for the sun to rise, were the best ever. On the other hand, the pickle dog was a true bust, nothing like the fried pickles that Mo and I had at Pickle’s Burgers and Shakes in Seaside, Florida.

Melody enjoying the goodies at the fun beach store

After lunch we did succumb to a bit of shopping in town, enjoying the eclectic offerings at Flamingo Jim’s Gifts and Clothing. Deb found a garden bench she loved, but I didn’t spend a penny there, in spite of all the treasures that filled the aisles.

Melody took the photo so she isn't in this one

That evening was the “birthday dinner,” a magnificent spread of home-smoked ribs that Deb prepared before coming, with all the goodies to go along with it. 

After dinner, we shared another wonderful walk on the beach, watching the sun set over the ocean. Everyone took so many gorgeous photos of the family and the sunset that I created an entire album of just that evening walk on the beach.  Here are just a few:

This last photo captures the perfect essence of our time at the beach and I will treasure it forever

The day was topped with a delicious birthday cake that Deborah made, a perfect rendition of a favorite of mine, Sticky Toffee Pudding. She even made a creamy caramel sauce to drizzle on top and gifted each of us an extra jar to take home. Another surprise was a shiny new Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker the girls bought for me. We christened it that night with a batch of truly luscious vanilla ice cream to go with the cake.

Our last day at the beach was sweetly calm and lovely. In spite of some talk about “doing something,” we ended up just hanging around together, talking and laughing. We had even brought puzzles to share, which stayed in their boxes. We never once turned on any of the TVs in the house. 

On our last evening at the beach house, Deanna treated us to her special recipe chicken enchiladas. It seems on that last day, I didn't take nearly enough photos, and completely missed photos of the enchilada supper.  They were so yummy, and we had plenty of leftovers.  In fact, we all left the beach with halibut, ribs, and enchiladas to take home and enjoy.

My best memory of the trip was simply the time with my girls, watching them enjoy each other and interact in ways they hadn’t had the chance to in years. With some of us living miles apart, it’s a rare gift to have everyone together all at once. It was the very best present I could have received.

I came home feeling loved, cared for, and happy to settle back into our daily rhythms.

Shortly after we returned from the beach, we were treated to an overnight visit from Joan, a friend from my years in northern Idaho. Joan travels between Idaho and Morro Bay for the winter season, and her route passes near our home. Once again, our choice to live near Interstate 5 paid off, and we offered Joan a cozy stopover. She insisted on taking us out to dinner as a thank you.

We slipped back into our Sunday brunch routine with Deborah, yard work during the day, puzzles in the afternoon, and preparations for fall. We enjoyed our first symphony of the season and spent an evening listening to music at Schmidt Winery with friends.

This time of year is so rewarding.  The grass gets greener, the flowers respond to cool temperatures and shorter days by growing fuller and more brilliant with each passing day.  

The most exciting thing toward the end of the month was the long-awaited tree work. An old madrone near our front gate was almost dead when Mo bought the property in 2012, but all these years later she was really gone. We could see space between the trunk and the ground, a clear sign she was about to tip over.

look close and you can see the tree climber in that big oak on the other side of the garage

We called our dependable tree guy, Rico, and he gave us a bid for that tree and another madrone leaning over the pump house. He also noticed that the huge oak beside our sidewalk was rotting at the base. We decided not to take any chances and had that one removed too.

It was sad to see her go after years of trying to keep her healthy. Her roots were disturbed when the house was built, and we always knew she might not survive long. Rico trimmed her a few years ago, but the top was much too heavy for the weakened base. Watching his climber take that tree down was both exciting and a little scary, but it all turned out fine. The empty space along the sidewalk feels a bit strange now, though I’m sure we’ll get used to it.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, it’s already October. The rain is expected to last a few more days, and the air is chilly. This morning I turned on the gas fireplace, our favorite marker of the shift from late summer into fall.

08-31-2025 Medicine Lake, Managing Yellow Jackets, and Mattie

August slipped in quietly, reminding me that even ordinary days can hold a spark. The month began with a flurry of errands as we prepared for our Medicine Lake camping trip (which I wrote about here). I keep a running to-do list for each trip, which makes it easier not to forget the essentials. This time it meant loading the kayaks, packing clothes for every possible kind of mountain weather, and, most important, gathering all the supplies for THE DOG.

Traveling with Mattie sometimes feels a bit like traveling with a baby. There’s the dog bed, the crate, blankets for warm and cold nights, food, treats, collars, vests, leashes, and of course, doggie bags. Add to that the usual chores of scheduling the water delivery, soaking the property before we left, and making sure grandson Matthew knew what to do while we were away, and you can see why the first few days of August were busy.

By the 5th we were on the road to one of our favorite high-country hideaways. Four days of cool mountain air, sparkling water, and quiet time with Deb were exactly the refresh we needed. Coming home on the 8th, I carried with me the inner peace that only Medicine Lake seems to bring.

Back home, life quickly returned to its usual rhythm. I had hoped to find fresh Oregon blackberries for jam, a summer tradition, but somehow I missed the season. On the practical side, we had a well-flow test done and learned we are only getting 1.2 gallons per minute. The water guy thought it might just be a late-summer dip and suggested we test again in November.

.

The most excitement came mid-month, when Mo knelt down to repair a leaking hose and uncovered a huge underground yellowjacket nest. That first day, she was stung just once, and that evening, we tried drowning the nest with water and following up with wasp spray under the cover of darkness. But the next morning, the yellowjackets came after her with a vengeance. She ended up with twelve more stings and a firm resolve to end the battle.

When I tried to take a turn spraying, I learned how quick they can be. I was stung hard, chased into the garage, and then into the bathroom, where one little stinker managed to crawl up my shorts and sting me again. I locked that mean guy in the bathroom, and I ended up bottomless until I was sure he’d stopped buzzing around in there! That bathroom was my only access to my clothing closet.

That was the last straw. We called in a local pest control company, and a kind young man named Hayden came out to deal with the nest. He sprayed thoroughly, dug it out, and inspected the whole property for more. We decided it was time to start a quarterly spraying program, which also meant tackling the long-standing black widow population in the RV shed once and for all. Honestly, it was the best money we’ve spent all season.

When Hayden returned the next day, he found the nest he had dug out and closed had been opened.  He asked us if we had dug it out, and we said no way.  But we did see a skunk out there in the early morning.  I learned that a skunk will absolutely dig out a yellow jacket nest to eat the larvae and pupae. Skunks are natural predators of ground-dwelling wasps, such as yellowjackets, and their thick fur or natural immunity to stings helps protect them from the insects as they excavate the nest to feed at night when the wasps are less active.

Yellow jackets, especially their larvae and pupae (grubs), are a primary food source for skunks. Skunks typically forage at night, and yellow jackets are less active and more vulnerable during these hours. Skunks have long, sharp claws that are effective for digging into burrows to reach the nest.

You will often see disturbed earth or holes around the nest entrance after a skunk has raided it. The skunk may visit the nest multiple nights in a row to finish the job. Skunks are very effective at eliminating yellow jacket nests, solving the problem naturally. 

Mattie, meanwhile, kept us busy with her own health needs. Between vet visits on the 15th and 25th for an infection from anal swelling, and her regular NexGard and Heartgard on the 11th, she had more than her share of care this month. Twice-daily meds, warm Epsom salt soaks, cleaners, and creams kept us on our toes. Thankfully, she’s healthy again and doing well. We’re grateful for a good vet, hard to find in Grants Pass, where appointments are scarce.

Still, August wasn’t all about chores and checklists. There were bright spots, too. I took a few hot days to stay indoors and begin the Christmas card-making project.  I somehow didn't manage cards last year and made a commitment to start early enough this time around.  I do know that most folks don't send cards anymore, but making them is something easy and fun for me, with quick results and some satisfaction more immediate than knitting or quilting.

I made apple pies with apples from our tree that Mo peeled and cored for me and they were the best I have made so far.

I also had great success with an easy artisan bread recipe that yields some great bread with a great texture and plenty of holes to capture hot butter.

Our book club met at the Toasted Barrel to talk and laugh about our book that most of us didn't like much. The book was titled "The Book Club for Troublesome Women".  We all agreed we had never read about a more boring group of non-troublesome women ever.  The only redeeming feature for Connie and me is that at our age, we do remember a bit of what it was like to be a wife in the early 60s.  It is interesting that when we don't particularly like a book, we have a lot more discussion about it. The food and drinks were great, and they are also good at mocktails for those of us who want them.

Later in the month, Kristin and I went to lunch at our new local eatery, Rogue Salad.  It is a bit like a giant subway where you choose what you want and then walk the line, adding or subtracting ingredients to your taste.  So delicious and fresh.  Kristin first took me to the Rogue Salad in Medford last year, and everyone I know was delighted that one opened here in Grants Pass this month.

It was funny because we ran into Connie from our book club there, who was lunching with a dozen or so of the neighbors.  It was a happy, crowded, and much too noisy space.  Kristin and I ate outside!

We enjoyed a couple of cozy Sunday brunches at home with Deb . 

Sometimes we ate indoors when the yellow jackets were being crazy. Then, after a gorgeous, heavy rain toward the end of the month, we were able to eat outside again on the deck.

Mo tackled some of the late summer raking of fallen leaves and acorns that are the blessing of our lovely shady oaks.

A few beauty routines, nails, haircuts, and a bit of pampering were woven in as well, small reminders to take care of ourselves as summer’s heat softened into the promise of fall.

As always, we filled in the blanks doing puzzles that we so enjoy.  Some are more fun than others, but our favorites for the time being are White Mountain scenes with lots of color and 1000 pieces that aren't too small.

Looking back, August was a patchwork of small but meaningful moments: outdoor adventures, pet care, practical tasks, and time with people we love. Nothing too flashy, but stitched together it made for a rich, balanced month full of simple pleasures.