you didn’t plan for
winter’s ice fog descending
yet look – lace decor
lace decor by Angie Quantrell
Winter 2026, Yakima Valley
Haiku Moment: lace decor
Category Archives: The Daily Grind
Happy Everything!
It’s been a minute or two since I’ve posted. So Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Hope the time you spent with family and friends was beautiful and blessed.
December was exceptionally busy, and January is off to the same start. But you’ll be happy to know that so far I’ve gotten the year correct when I’ve needed to write it down. 2026! If this year goes as fast as 2025, I better start practicing writing 2027, because I’ll need it next week.
I’m just back from an enriching trip to Birmingham, Alabama. (This year I made it, unlike last year when an ice storm in Birmingham sent me back home from Denver.) I went for the January Board Meeting at National Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), but it was anything but boring. It was inspiring and filled with great connections, ideas, discussions, planning, information, and fun. Loads of fun! And good food.
I still haven’t landed on a word of the year. But I did read this verse today on K-love, and I think it might be a great focus verse for 2026.
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” -Ephesians 3:20 NLT
I think that will set up my year quite nicely.
We’ve had an unusually warm and weird winter. One mild snow event, bucket loads of rain, warm weather, foggy sock-ins, and that’s about it. Well, maybe wind and occasional frosty mornings. My daffodils are coming up. Pansies are still blooming, and buds are appearing on a variety of plants. The good news is that the reservoirs are filling with water from all the mountain rain, which will be helpful this summer.
Forward and on! Hoping you have a fantabulous 2026!
Celebrate World Kindness Day Today – November 13! PLUS #Giveaway
Each year on November 13, we celebrate World Kindness Day, “a day to celebrate and promote positive human interactions.” We focus on showing kindness in ways big and small. Every kindness extended to others spreads goodwill and lightens the load of stress people shoulder as they go about their days.
Need more info and ideas? I found Awareness Days very helpful. I especially like the list of ideas and the #hashtags to use when sharing and talking about World Kindness Day (and kindness in general).
Some things you could do include showing random acts of kindness, volunteering, donating to a charitable cause, and teaching kindness to children and young people.
Not quite two years old, my picture book Be Kind, Make Friends, helps preschoolers and the younger audience learn about showing kindness and making friends. I’m glad to have this resource to encourage us to celebrate kindness every day! Do you know of any other resources to help promote kindness to the younger crowd? Add them to the comment section so we can all hear about them.
What will you do to celebrate World Kindness Day?
To celebrate World Kindness Day, I’m giving away one copy of Be Kind, Make Friends to someone who comments on this blog post (US only). Let us know how you would use Be Kind, Make Friends with someone in your world. Winner chosen in one week on November 20. Check back next Thursday to see who won!
Happy World Kindness Day! Thank you for being a part of this blog world!
2025 Pumpkin Report
Like last year, the “new seeds” portion of the pumpkin crop was off to a slow start. I repeatedly replanted several sections of the various garden areas I have. Not to great results.
BUT the “toss out some old pumpkins and let them rot and self-seed” portion of the crop performed with glee! Pumpkin glee!
Keep reading to find how many pumpkins were harvested in 2025!
Especially productive was the raised bed we have way out in the pasture. That’s where I left several pumpkins from 2024: a white one my son surprised me with after a trip to a pumpkin farm stand, a smaller orange one, and one of those tiny pumpkins. They rested in the bed over winter and sprouted early. Hundreds of sprouts. I had to rip out handfuls to give room to the rest. By pumpkin harvest day, the spread was huge! We actually had to curb the growth as it headed over to the horse pasture (not ours) next door. It took many hours to harvest them. And then more moving them, ripping out the vines, stepping gently to find any lost ones.
Also productive were the tiny pumpkins planted (but also I left some from 2024, so it’s a toss-up which ones actually sprouted) in the sunflower forest bed. I love these, because they vine and grow up. We had them climbing pumpkins, shrubbery, and some of the pine tree (which began as a twig with roots from the Arbor Day Foundation, and is slowly taking over said sunflower forest and patio). I love discovering where these cuties show up.
I had some muscle to help haul in the heavy wheelbarrows!
We even ended up with a wagon of rejects (partially eaten) for the animal farm on the other side of the pasture.
Plus 40 in the trunk to go to church for a potluck!
Finally, here are the 2025 pumpkin harvest totals! Drum roll please . . .
White pumpkins: 17
Tiny pumpkins: 67
Orange pumpkins: 158
For an amazing grand total of 242 PUMPKINS!
So thankful for a wonderful harvest! Can’t wait until next year!
Just for fun, check out totals from last year here.
Haiku Moment: beach time mystery
as I walked one day-
random sunbathing surprise
beach time mystery!
dog toy? picnic side?
fallen barbecue baked dish?
couch beach potato
beach time mystery by Angie Quantrell
Grayland Beach State Park, WA
come fall
come fall, my breath eases
garden chores relax
cozy becomes theme of the day
sweaters resurface from storage
colors vibrate with final goodbyes
crisp air invigorates
dew dampens pant hems and ankles
caws and honks sing seasonal music
rustles dance through dried sunflowers
zinnias fade and go to seed
pumpkins dangle from spent vines
birds fatten, cats fluff, people bundle
tea and scarves and throws
beckon me to breathe,
embrace
all that is autumn
come fall by Angie Quantrell
Haiku Moment: fall hurrah
garden end begins
sunlight dwindles, weather cools
final fall hurrah
fall hurrah by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Sunday Peace
Yakima Valley, WA
A Morning Date
Some days you need a date with your cutie. Just the two of us. We took the Yakima River Canyon drive to Ellensburg, happy to spy a bald eagle, osprey, and several boaters and rafters already out on the water. Once we got to Ellensburg, we parked downtown on Pearl Street and hit D&M Coffee-a cup of joe for him and a London Fog for me. We sat and sipped at the adorable little outdoor tables. The view was just right.
After the drinks were gone, we walked around and headed to Jerrol’s so I could stock up on purple pens. I got the LAST box! Rumor says they might not reorder. I encouraged the cashier to ask for them to be reordered. The good news is they can order them for me, so there is always that. Whew. Plus I found my Sierra Club plan book for 2026. Ready for the new year!
We wandered back to the car, pens and plan book in tow. After a quick stop at Freddy’s to grab some veggies for dinner, we cruised back home.
It wasn’t a long date. We barely spent money. But the time away together was precious.
What do you like to do with your cutie or bestie?
Love, Laughter, and Life 