TAHOMA CEMETERY UPDATE ~~ WALK AT WEST VALLEY PARK ~~ UPDATE ON PUZZLE ~~ RECIPE OF THE WEEK ~~ PARTING SHOT

TAHOMA CEMETERY UPDATE

Since we enjoyed our walk at Tahoma Cemetery so much, we went again last Saturday. I was still hoping to find the headstone that I really like, but I wasn't successful. However, I did want to take a picture of the headstone that is right beneath the big tree that was pictured in last week's blog.

Only 29 years old

I don't know if this young person was buried there when the tree was just planted, or if it was later. I tried to find some history on the cemetery but there just isn't much out there. However, this is one of the older markers in the cemetery because it was established just eight years earlier in 1867. There is a large part of this cemetery dedicated to veterans. A lot of those grave markers are some of the oldest ones in the cemetery.

Veteran section

While on our walk, we encountered our Canada Geese friends from last week's walk. They were still fussing at each other! The funny thing is that it was so chilly outside you could see this guy's breath each time he squawked.

We also ran into this guy foraging around in the leaves. He's a Black-Billed Magpie, a very striking bird that is quite prevalent around here. Most people do not like this bird as he is a scavenger, but I take the position that since he is a bird, I like him. When the sun hits the feathers of a Magpie just right, they are a beautiful blue and teal color. Unfortunately, the sun wasn't out when I took this video.

WALK AT WEST VALLEY PARK

We found another park near us and since we hadn't walked there before, we decided to check it out last week. The West Valley Park is somewhat small compared to some of the other parks, but they did have a paved walking trail, which is a good thing in inclement weather. We drove over to the park and took a walk on the short path. We did discover that when walking, as in life, you sometimes need to stray off the path to see some interesting things.

Paper Wasp nest

Some kind of seed pod

We didn't see any birds of note on our walk and I was desperate to get some pictures for the blog, so I decided to take an arty photo.

Arty Photo

UPDATE ON PUZZLE

We have made a good start on our latest puzzle endeavor, but it is proving to really be a challenge. That's okay, though, because we need challenges at this stage in life! We try to work on it every day or so, and sometimes we lose track of time and are back there for hours on end. I am including a picture of just part of what we have gotten put together so far. I want to keep the subject of the entire puzzle a surprise until we get it finished.

Just a part of the puzzle

One reason this puzzle is driving us so crazy is the way the pieces are shaped. We've done a lot of puzzles but I don't think I've ever seen one with such interesting shapes. It does have some of the "usual" puzzle shaped pieces, but there are some that are really different from the norm.

Typical puzzle pieces

Uniquely-shaped puzzle pieces

I will post updates on the puzzle as we get more of it finished. Anybody want to hazard a guess as to what the main subject is? Linda H., you are disqualified from making a guess since you already know.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK:  LEMON BARS

Most of the time I prefer to do my baking from scratch, but every once in a while I will opt to use a boxed mix. I had been wanting to try this mix for a while and when I finally saw it in the grocery store, I snatched it up. This particular mix is from the Essential Goodness line of mixes from King Arthur Flour (click here to go to their website). If you read this blog on a regular basis you already know that this is my favorite baking website.

A great mix from a great company

Nothing could be easier than making this recipe. All you need in addition to the boxed mix is three eggs, a stick of butter and some water. That's all. Anybody can bake a delicious dessert using this  mix. So if you've been hesitating to get into baking, this would be a good place to start. Just look at this picture of the result!

Yum...are you hungry yet?

PARTING SHOT

I just went looking for Summer Girl to get her weekly picture for the blog. I found her curled up in her bed outside. I tried my best to get her to come out and pose pretty for all her fans, but she wasn't having it.

Summer Girl, teaching the class on "how to ignore someone"

That's all for this week, be sure to check back again next week to see what's happening!