Bird’s Nest
by Angie Quantrell
not what you think, this;
fragile eggs offering spores
tiny fungus cups
I found these beauties in my garden! I’ve only ever found them one other time in the Yakima Valley. So excited!
What’s your Haiku for the day?
Category Archives: RV Life
Seize the Moment ~ #ThrowbackThursday
Now, mamas, I’m not going to tell you, “Don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys,” but I will say, “Seize those moments!” I’d love to go back to this moment and enjoy that face-smashing hug a few more times!
Circa 1992, this photo shows my (our) daughter, Chelsie, loving her mama, right there in the middle of the floor. Sometimes you have to just be on the floor. Or the couch, the bed, the dirt, the tub, even, eh-hem, the potty. Wherever and whenever the moments present themselves, go for it! Abandon the to-do’s and not-right-now’s and seize the moment.
Lesson to me, the Nana. I need to remember this when my grands are all over the place. They are growing up so fast! Nothing is more important than those sweet hugs and kisses. I’d pass on the germs they share, but that goes with the territory of young children building up their immunities.
Seize a moment today.
P.S. Comment below and let me know which moment you captured!
Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: The Bumblebee
The Bumblebee
hovering fatness
worker intent on flowers
bumbling life giver
by Angie Quantrell
Do you love to haiku? Post your nature haiku in the comments. We’ll do the bumblebee dance to celebrate!
Photography & Me, We Go Way Back #TBT
It seems I always have 3 things on hand: paper, something to write with, and a camera. Those ideas and great shots aren’t going to just record themselves!
While searching photos for images of my wonderful and recently passed mother-in-love (my second mom, mom to my honey), I found this little nugget. My photo habits might just predate the need I have to write (and write and write).
What habits or hobbies do you have from waayyyy back? I’d love to hear!
Update: After messaging with Natalie (see comments), I realized I nearly always have 4 things on hand: paper, writing tools, camera, AND a book (or multiple books-one I’m reading and several on standby in case I finish reading a book and need the next read).
Reading, writing, and taking photos, those are my lifelong loves in the categories of hobbies and habits. WE go waayyyy back!
Happy Hump Day ~ Haiku Challenge
How does Hump Day come around so quickly? The older I get, the faster time flies! Here is my Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge. I’d love to read yours!
weed?
opportunistic,
sink roots deep ever you land;
weed, no! flower.
Bloom where you are planted.
Happy Hump Day Haiku ~ Haiku Challenge
farewell gate
hugs and kisses, love
not bound by earth, I miss you
always in my heart
By Angie Quantrell
Photo taken at Terrace Heights Memorial Park in Yakima, Washington. I’ve gone through these gates so many times, and all it took was one glance in the right light to see the XOXO designs in the center of the gates. What a fitting tribute to the loved ones who have gone before us.
Happy Hump Day Haiku!
Haiku Challenge: Let’s play with words! Share a haiku with in the comments. I’d love to read your thoughts.
*Family friendly please.
Will Stop for Pennies
I’m one of those people.
You know, the ones who dart out between cars to grab one penny. The ones who poke gum on a stick to secure a coin in a hole. The one who makes others fall over the top of her as she stops post-haste and bends over to get whatever coin catches her eyes.
I will stop for pennies.
Pennies don’t carry much value, except for making change. They are perhaps the least favorite coin due to the fact that you need 100 before you can even get a dollar bill. Or 25 for a quarter, 10 for a dime, 5 for a nickel.
I still stop for pennies.
No matter their size or value, small things are important.
A smile. A wink. A hug. A pretty rock from a grubby little hand. A ladybug on a sleeve. Flowering weeds clutched and given as a bouquet. A scribbled drawing. A gentle touch. A helpful hand. A peanut butter kiss. A wave. A friendly, “No, you go first.” A penny on the sidewalk.
I stop for pennies. And small things. For small things pile up like treasures until our cups and hearts run over. It’s the small things that count.
Go ahead. Stop for pennies.
Monday Mouthfuls – Breakfast Sandwiches
We love breakfast sandwiches! Or at least I used to, before cleaning up my diet. But my honey still enjoys taking a break from muesli and yogurt to eat a yummy protein-rich breakfast sandwich. I make these at home, usually 3 at a time. They freeze very well and he can pop one in the microwave any day he feels like a little something different. The filling possibilities are endless.
Whole Wheat Egg, Ham, and Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches
Ingredients:
3 whole wheat English muffins
3 slices ham (we prefer thinner slices)
3 slices cheddar cheese (Swiss or pepper jack are also great)
3 eggs
black pepper
olive oil
Dijon mustard
plastic wrap
ziplock bags
Directions:
1. Toast the English muffins. Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on each sandwich. Place open-faced on a cutting board.
2. Layer ham and cheese on one half of each muffin, cheese is on top.
3. Fry the eggs in olive oil, liberally doused with black pepper. For freezing, cook the eggs all the way through. For immediate consumption, a runnier yolk is fine.
4. Place one egg on top of each cheesy muffin. The egg will melt the cheese. Leave open-faced to cool. Unless you are eating right now, then close it up and enjoy!
***If you want, quickly place eggs on a folded paper towel to remove excess oil, then add to sandwich.
5. For freezing, let sandwiches cool completely. Add muffin tops and wrap snuggly in plastic wrap. I also like to put mine in sandwich ziplock bag. Pop in the freezer until time to eat. Rewarm in the microwave.
Delish!
Other things to add: baby kale or spinach, turkey, onions, sausage patties, bacon, different mustards. For fresh sandwiches (not frozen) you can add tomato slices, thinly sliced zucchini, mushrooms, or any other fresh veggie from the garden.
The sky is the limit! Or should I say the amount of space between muffin top and bottom and what you can hold together in your hands is the only limit. 🙂
Bon appétit!
Hiking: Selah Cliffs Natural Area Preserves
We ‘hiked’ the trail at Selah Cliffs Natural Area Preserves on Saturday.
Where: Seven miles north of Selah, just south of mile post 3 on SR 821, or as locals know it, the Yakima Canyon Road (slightly northeast of Selah)
Distance: RT about 2.5 miles, if you go all the way to the cattle guard and fence that signals the Military Firing Center boundaries
Discovery Pass Required: Yes, though many parked beyond the nature preserve lot on the old canyon road
Tips: No toilet facilities and not much shade; Bring binoculars, bug spray, water, and hat
This is a local, easy hike with the hardest parts being concern for ticks, rattlesnakes, and heat. The views of the Selah Cliffs are gorgeous. As per signed instructions, we didn’t traipse off the path, which means we also didn’t see the basalt daisies for which the area is known. Judging by the trails leading up to the basalt cliffs, I’m sure some disregard rules. OR they could be game trails. Yes, I’ll go with that.
The hike/walk leads along a gravelled path for most of the distance. Towards the far end (headed east), hikers must go through a barbed-wire gate. After that, the gravel disappears and more clambering is required. During the entire hike east, we watched the Fred G. Redmon bridge loom ever larger and closer. Soon enough, we stood beneath the massive structure and listened to vehicles boom overhead. It was fascinating to look, listen, and call aloud. If you stand in just the right spot, your voice will echo back. I tried recording the echo, but there was too much interference.
We saw and heard a waterfall, but couldn’t get through the underbrush to get close. Plentiful birds, spiders, insects, lizards, and evidence of other wildlife kept us searching and entertained. The scenery was gorgeous, the basalt columns beautiful, and amazingly, the traffic overhead was negligible.
Two thumbs up!
Don’t Need to Go Camping
Funny how life choices change your thinking.
While on a motorcycle ride over Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I saw numerous (read: hundreds) of campers heading to the mountains and other recreational locations around the northwest. Roads were more crowded than usual, grocery stores were packed with shoppers filling up ice chests and RV refrigerators, and every campground we passed had RVs and tents slotted side by side.
I’m not sure how much fun all of those cozy camp sites were, but I was not interested in the slightest.
BECAUSE. We are camping. All. The. Time.
We live in our RV. Not permanently (please, God, not permanently), but while we research, plan, and build our small home.
Our family used to love camping at the beach. We’d use the old Prowler, load it with supplies, and drive five hours to our favorite beach locations in Ocean Shores. Those were the good old days. Dog, kids, junk food, sand, toys, rain, shells, campfires, …
Now?
No. Since we are camping 365 days a year, give or take an overnight visit with family or friends, hooking up the RV in which we stay all the time and heading to a different place to stay in the same RV does not sound appealing.
Plus. We LIVE in the RV. Full-time. There are many extra things in our RV that do not relate to travel and camping. And as we are not retired, we can’t hit the road for months at a time.
For now, we shall enjoy motorcycle trips and staying at hotels (which include HUGE showers and sometimes even bathtubs). After we move into our future home, we’ll strip the RV clean and load it up with camping supplies.
Then we will need to go camping.
