A September Visit with my Dad

Thursday, September 30, 2021

My Dad came for a wonderful visit around the first of September. He was here for three weeks, and we spent so many wonderful days together. It seemed the days just flew past, and that we never got to do all the things we hoped, but we sure did do a lot! 


We took lots of little day trips around our area to see the sights and scenery. 

My garden received several frost hits shortly after Dad arrived.
He helped me put out the sheets to cover my veggies. This helped, and prolonged their life! My first frost in the garden was on August 23! 

Picking the garden harvest! Banana peppers, green beans, and a few strawberries. 

A friend took us out on her boat. What a beautiful day it was! 



Something about old barns that just brings my heart joy!

We found lots of little mountain lakes to explore. 

We traveled our fair share of logging roads, such beautiful sights to see! 


Dad enjoyed snuggles with the kitties... how precious they are when they are sleeping!
How mischevious they are when they are awake  ~smiles~ 

More harvest from the garden!

Blanching and freezing the green beans.

Shredded zucchini for wintertime zucchini bread, or to use in soups and stews. 

Canning time! In this picture, there are canned cherries, candied jalapenos, and pickled banana peppers. 


We took Dad to a local car show... he found some beauties that he loved and knew well :) 

Dad and I enjoyed breakfast together at a local cafe. 

And yes! We celebrated my birthday... Dad bought a large chocolate cake, a cherry pie, and another chocolate/cherry cake.... I enjoyed beautiful cards and gifts from friends and families. It was a wonderfully special day :) 


We met the kids for lunch to celebrate my birthday.

All the special men in my life! 

Beautiful scenery abounded! 


Dad enjoyed the views. 

Zak's family wanted to meet Dad, and they combined it with a birthday party for me. 

Dad, Danielle and I 

Zak made a cheesecake especially for me... so sweet of him!


It was a good, good day :) 

One afternoon Dad and I went up to Priest Lake. 

We enjoyed lunch at Elkins Resort. The resort overlooks the lake,
and the beautiful red chairs line the shoreline. 

The fish-n-chips was amazing! 

Such beautiful scenery to enjoy. 

Love those red chairs! 

Back at home... the mornings are getting cooler,
and frost/fog fills the skies with 
its crisp air. 

Enjoying the last days in my garden before a final frost takes it all. 

The garden at sunset the evening before the frost took it all.  I'd had about 8 frost hits when this picture was taken. That night though... sealed the deal. 


It is hard to go to bed at night, knowing in the morning, when you return
all that you have worked so hard for over the past months... 

... now lies dead on the ground. But I am thankful for the great harvest season I had! 

Soon it was time for Dad to leave... oh it was a sad day! 

We had such a good time together, and we got to see so many
beautiful parts of the area we live in. 


I'm thankful Dad was able to come. We made many special memories together. My Mom had traveled to see her Mom in Canada earlier this summer, and was awaiting knee surgery and unable to travel. 

Mom had her knee surgery done right after Dad returned,
and I am thankful to report that she is doing really well. 
We look forward to having them both visit us hopefully in the spring next year. 


Very thankful for my Dad's visit and all the special memories we made together. 


And I look forward to springtime, when we start... all over again!

But for now, it is time to put the garden to bed. I am busy now pulling up all the dead plants that gave such a bountiful harvest. I am canning tomatoes as they ripen (they are mostly green in my greenhouse, ripening a bit each day).  This was a challenging year of gardening, but I am thankful for the benefits we have reaped from it.  

Soon, October will be here, and Fall colors are abounding. I have taken some beautiful Fall pictures, and hope to share them soon.  I also have an exciting post to share with a giveaway too, so stay tuned for that post! I do hope that my posts will be a little more regular now that the garden work will be easing up for me :) 

With blessings and hugs to all my dear faithful readers, I appreciate each and everyone of you! 

46 comments

  1. Happy Belated Birthday, Marilyn!!! If I'd known, I certainly would have sent you a card. Such a great visit with your dad, I agree. It looks like all of you had so many special moments and outings together. Good news about your mother, too. I know you're looking forward to seeing both of them in the spring.
    Blessings, my friend!

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    1. Thank you Martha for the birthday wishes! Had such a wonderful visit with my dad, for which I am so thankful! Blessings to you too, dear friend!

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  2. Happy Birthday sweet lady! And how nice to have your Dad there all to yourself. I love the things you did and those red chairs are awesome. You look a lot like you Dad. Thanks for sharing your fun!

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    1. Thank you Diane for the birthday wishes! Dad and I had a fabulous time together, many wonderful memories made :) Many blessings to you!

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  3. Hi Marilyn and a Belated Happy Birthday! Oh, how I miss the PNW. We used to go to Elkins Resort quite often. They do have a nice restaurant and sitting on those chairs, looking at the view was wonderful. Nebraska does have it's own beauty in the bluffs and rolling farmlands, but to Dennis and I, nothing beats northeast Washington, north Idaha and Western Montana and we miss it deep down in our hearts.
    It looks as though you had an amazing, loving and busy visit with your Dad. I'm so glad. I hadn't realized before that you're nearly young enough to be my daughter! I would have been a pretty young Mom, but at almost 62 I'm 14 years older!
    Take care my friend. Many blessings to you and your family.
    Blessings
    Betsy

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    1. Thank you for the birthday wishes, so much appreciated! Yes, Elkins Resort is such a delightful place to visit! I can only imagine how you must miss it here. There is a beauty to be found no matter where you live, but I do believe this is God's country here! Yes, isn't it amazing how years don't really matter in sweet friendships :) Many blessing to you Betsy, I hope that you get some cooler weather there soon, it was down in the 20s here last night, but a beautiful fall day here! Hugs and blessings :)

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  4. Happy Birthday! How wonderful to have your dad visit and to do all the delightful things together. Your garden may have been a challenge this year, but it has also yielded a lot of produce. Busyness is slowing some surely...once the garden has been put to bed and the canning is done. The pictures are beautiful. Those red chairs against that backdrop—wowza!

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    1. Thank you for the b-day wishes Vee, it was a wonderful day. Gardening certainly had its challenges this year, but the harvest was amazing, and I am so grateful! Yes, those red chairs just really pop and catch the eye! Such a delightful place to visit :)

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  5. Each scene is so beautiful. You live in an area blessed with beauty.

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    1. Thank you Ruth, I am grateful every day for the beauty I enjoy here!

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  6. How wonderful it is to have had that special time with your day. You made great memories together.

    Belated best wishes too.

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    1. I will treasure the memories always in my heart Marie! They are special indeed to me :)

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  7. Happy Birthday ( a little late). It's wonderful that you were able to celebrate your special day with your Dad and other family members.
    It must be sad to see your flowers and garden killed by frost but at least you put off the inevitable with sheets for a short while.
    How lovely that your Mom's knee surgery went well and she is on the mend. Blessings, GM

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    1. Thank you for your sweet comment GM, I appreciate your wonderful visits, and I am so thankful that my Dad was here to help celebrate my birthday, and we had such a wonderful time together. Many blessings to you, and I hope you are enjoying lovely fall days!

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  8. Happy Belated birthday!!
    What pretty photos!! I'd love to visit Idaho one day...seems similar to here in the Northeast except FROST?????? ALREADY????? Yikes!! Today is our coolest day since early May....it was only 60 all day. and you are either retired or a stay at home mom because there's NO WAY I could do all that gardening, canning, etc while teaching full time. One day i WILL retire and then I want to have a garden of herbs. Loved your photos!!

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    1. Hi Faith, thanks so much for your lovely comment! And for the birthday wishes :) Yes, we get frost early here, up on the higher elevations. In fact, last night, we had a low of 22. Fall's colors are so beautiful right now, but won't last long. Enjoying every minute that we can! Indeed, I do work at home, which is such a blessing. I manage our family business. No, I couldn't do all that I do in the garden if I worked full-time! It is almost a full-time job in itself! Blessings and hugs :)

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  9. Happy belated Birthday Marilyn. Idaho has some beautiful scenery. My husband wants to move there. I think it is precious your dad came for a visit. Charming photos and lots of bonding.

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    1. Thank you Linda for the birthday wishes! I have a lot of dear friends here who are from Northern Cali. They love it here. The 4 seasons are amazing, but do take some getting used to. Many blessings to you!

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  10. Glad you had a nice visit with your father. Happiness and blessings to you throughout your birthday year. God Bless.
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY
    Joan,Marion and Marilyn

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    1. Thank you Joan, Marion and Marilyn! How I appreciate and love your kind comments and birthday wishes! I had such a wonderful visit with my Dad, what a blessing it was. Many blessings to you :)

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  11. Happy Birthday and what a wonderful gift to have your dad visit. You live in such a beautiful area! Also, I know what you mean about seeing the garden begin to fade. I need to play out there as much as possible before it's gone.

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    1. Thank you for your wonderful comment, and indeed, my Dad and I had such a great time together. It is hard to see the garden's harvest come to an end, but it has been an amazing year for us, so I am grateful! Many blessings to you, enjoy Fall's lovely days :)

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  12. Your photos are always just gorgeous! They could be part of a tourism ad for your state.
    Happy Birthday! Glad you had a nice and also productive visit with your Dad.

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    1. Oh thank you Mari! I sure do appreciate your kind words, they mean so much :)

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  13. Such a lovely post, I enjoyed seeing all of your photographs.
    I do like those red chairs.
    So pleased you were able to spend time with your Dad, and it was good to read that your Mom has had her knee surgery and is doing very well.

    Wishing you a happy October.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thank you Jan, for your kind comment. Those red chairs are special, indeed! Happy October to you too!

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  14. Happy Belated Birthday!Precious time with your father and stunning photos. You are so beautiful!

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    1. Thank you sweet friend! Your comment is so kind :)

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  15. Oh this is all so beautiful and bright, Marilyn! Every picture speaks of life and color, celebration and love.

    May the year ahead be your best ever!

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    1. Thank you sweet Linda, your comments are a blessing! Happy October to you!

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  16. Happy belated birthday! So glad you were able to celebrate together with your family. And how sweet it was that your dad was able to visit. I'm sure you had a blast and made many precious memories. :) Praise God your mom is doing well after surgery. That is a tremendous blessing.
    Your pictures are always so gorgeous...thank you for sharing!

    Love,
    Ashley

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    1. Thank you sweet Ashley, your comment was a blessing to me! It was such a blessing to be with my Dad, and we made such wonderful memories! Many blessings to you :)

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  17. Happy Birthday. What a wonderful post, full of love and family, my favorite kind. :-)
    Enjoy October.. Love, Carla

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    1. Thank you Carla, special memories made for sure :) Happy October to you too!

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  18. Oh, dear friend! It was so wonderful to see this precious post from you! I am so happy you got to spend that time with your dear Dad, and I know you will cherish those memories forever. Such fun times you had and you got to pack so much into your visit. God is so good! Happy Belated Birthday! It blesses me to know you were so blessed on your special day! Those photos are downright astounding. Oh, my goodness! You do such an amazing job!! The view from those red chairs is just stunning. May God continue to bless your life with good things. Sending much love to you today!

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    1. Oh I do thank the Lord so much for the wonderful memories we made while Dad was here. It was a special birthday for sure :) I just love the view from those red chairs, we love going up there for special visits! Many blessings to you dear friend, your comments always bless my heart!

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  19. Happy Birthday! Always love your pictures, and that sunset is just beautiful! I am sorry I have been MIA; I ended up with some major health issues. I just did my first blog post today, in about a year. Hopefully the Lord will allow me to continue blogging for a good, long time. Great post! :)

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    1. Hi Ang! I'm so sorry to hear you've been struggling with more health issues, you will be in my prayers! I'm thankful you are back and blogging, I will be over to visit you and catch up with you :) Many blessings to you dear friend, and Happy October Days to you!

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  20. Oh Marilyn Dear!
    What a wonderful post, filled with Love, Joy of living, of Family life and Nature and... all the most Beautiful things we can enjoy in our lives, thank you for sharing it all with us!

    Sending my best wishes for your birthday across the many miles and enjoy the remainder of your week
    Xx Daniela at ~ My little old world ~ (Dany)

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    1. Sweet Daniela, I am So grateful for all the many blessings of the Lord in my life, and for the beautiful harvest I have had, and the wonderful memories made with my Dad. Thank you for the wonderful visit, I will be over to visit you, I always enjoy your amazing historical stories! Many blessings and Happy October to you!

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  21. I wish you a blessed sunday! Thank you for your visit. Hugs! Maristella.

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  22. Happy belated birthday dear Marilyn. I enjoyed all of the pictures so much. Glad you had such a great visit with your daddy. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  23. Such a lovely visit with your Dad and a perfect way to spend your birthday! Beautiful photos of the scenery, family and garden. Goodbye's are always sad, but you have some wonderful memories. Hugs xo Karen

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  24. dear Marilyn thank you for sharing the breathtaking views of your magical world !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    i can only imagine your joy to have your father ,you are such a sweet soul as i can see how you managed to spent some remarkable days with your dad :) he looks kind and healthy and happy indeed !

    all the wonderful places you were able to visit with your dad are absolutely heavenly beautiful !

    happy returns of the day my beautiful friend ! may you see many more with your loved ones ahead amen!

    family is most precious gift on earth for sure !
    health ,peace and joy to you and yours!

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  25. What a beautiful treasure family is! So nice to see you celebrating time together. God has greatly blessed you! This year my parents were here for my birthday for the first time in over 10 years and it was very special.
    I love seeing all the beautiful things that are taking up your time these days. Wonderful blessings!

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Your comments are blessings to me, and I appreciate each and every one, they are precious to me! I appreciate you taking the time to comment on my blog... this is what makes blogging worthwhile! Have a blessed day!

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