Awaiting Another Big Storm

News of the day is another winter storm coming in..... It's now March 1.... enough of this EWS (Evil White Stuff).

Here is whats coming.....

Rest of Tonight -  Snow likely. Snow accumulation of 1 inch...with isolated amounts up to 2 inches. Lows 11 to 14. Breezy. Northeast wind 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.

Sunday - Snow. Snow accumulation of 2 to 5 inches. Highs in the lower to mid 20s. Northeast wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent. Wind chill readings 5 below to 5 above zero in the morning.
Sunday Night -  Snow in the evening...then snow and a chance of light freezing drizzle after midnight. Snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches mainly before midnight. Lows in the lower 20s. East wind 5 to 10 mph in the evening...becoming light. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.

Yep you folks in Arizona are in the right place at the right time.  Someday that will be me... but in the mean time here was the rest of our day.

A little drive before the storm set in seemed in order.  And of course early morning coffee was needed to fuel the day.   I was close to a road I had driven by may times but never gone on.  That was just the invitation I needed.


Up the road I went to view a landmark I had only viewed from off in a distance.  Here is a view from the hill down towards town. 

Mount Saint Michaels

 St. Michael's was founded by Father Joseph Caruana  as a Jesuit mission just north of Spokane in the mid-19th century to serve the Native Americans in the area. In 1878,  moved the mission to its current location with a purchase of almost 1,000 acres pf land at the price of $2 per acre. From 1881 until 1915, Mount St. Michael was used primarily as a farm, supplying now- Gonzaga University with fresh produce and dairy products.

Mount Saint Michael (known colloquially as "The Mount") is a former Jesuit Roman Catholic school and compound in Spokane Washington that was later sold to Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI), a Sedevacantist Catholic group. (Sedevacatists are traditionalist Catholics who do not accept the authority of the Pope.)
It serves as the home of Saint Michael's Academy and as a parish cent for Sedevacanists in the Spokane area.  It is staffed by the priests, brothers and sisters of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen.

My understanding is Mt St Michael is still a functioning community complete with residence, school, barns, gardens, gym, tennis courts and a cemetery.

When I was doing foster care, I had a 14 year old girl and her 3 month old daughter stay with me for a while from Mount St Michael.    I never learned more of her story.   It certainly was an educational and cultural experience for us all. I wonder from time to time about the lives of the hundreds of foster children I met over the years.  What has become of them?  What have their lives been like?

  The sun was beginning to peak out and the road called me on....

"Watch out for the broad with the camera....She is following us."

On down the road I went.  Seeing movement to my left and I stopped and grabbed my camera to checked it out.   Just when the first picture clicked, I received the dreaded "batteries depleted" message. After jumping back in the truck for my spare batteries and replacing them I found these sweet babies were waiting for me when I returned to snap this pic.

The Living Statues

I came across this private covered bridge.
It has a swinging gate that locks it from intruders and goes crosses over a creek running full with water and up to a private residence. 

I love finding log structures remaining from pioneer structures in the Northwest.  This one although abandoned appears to be in great shape.

Back in town I saw this tiny little motorhome..... What is off in this picture?

Sure don't see many like this!!

Back home to wait for falling snow.

And make soup.... It is a perfect day for soup.

Fridays trip to Trader Joe's provided an assortment of yummy soup ingredients.

 Cheese Tortellini Kale Soup

1 onion chopped and sauteed with mushrooms

add 2 boxes of soup stock and simmer with garlic 

with Italian Seasoning to taste  Simmer 15 minutes.  

Add  TJ Cheese Tortellini and one can small drained navy beans 

cook according to tortellini package directions, approximately 6- 10 minutes.  

Add package baby kale cut up to desired size.  Serve when wilted  with hot garlic bread. 

Where's Mine????

Now all that's left of the day is the snow to fall.....


And it's falling.....
                         falling......
                                    falling.....

Where is Spring ???