Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Taking a Break

Me, hard at work - age 4

Hello, Dear Friends, I have been so busy
here that I am unable to find time to 
give you a proper visit! 

I have not forgotten my sweet friends! 
I think I just need a little break right now
to catch up on things. 

As soon as the dust settles 
(literally and figuratively!),
I will come calling once again. 
So keep that tea-kettle warm for me!

I also want to wish you all a very 
Lovely and Happy Easter! 

xoxo

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Life in the Slow Lane and a Birthday


It was a rainy and cool week and Ramblin' Man 
was doing his thing - in Salt Lake City, so I had 
a few days to myself. 

What did I do? I hunkered down and did some
spring cleaning. I know, boring! 


That's exactly what Princess Peanut thought as she 
found the most comfortable spot to nap the day away. 


Weenie Baby was also blissfully cozy. 


Whitey Bear prefers the rug.

So while they dreamed of chasing squirrels, 
I stayed busy dusting and organizing and washing 
and vacuuming. 


We are finally getting a bit of snow in the mountains, 
and that cold mountain air forced me to keep a fire going
while I worked. 

I still haven't decorated for Easter......
I am always trying to catch up with life, it seems. 


The clouds finally cleared and I was able to 
get outside for some gardening. 

Since our coyote sighting, I have been a little wary
about going out with the little dogs, 
but I have not seen him again and 
Whitey is very good at alerting me
to any 'intruders', so I put on my gardening
gloves.



Spring is showing its beauty and pink currant is 
one of my favorite native blooms. 
The hummingbirds would agree - it is theirs, too.


You can see it growing to the right of the bench.
This is a busy place with hummingbirds darting back and forth.

You can also see the lawn needs mowing.....
That is Ramblin' Man's job,
only because I can't start the mower!

But it has been raining and he has been away.


The viburnum and sweet box are still blooming
and fill the back yard with intoxicating fragrance. 


Star magnolia really does look like floating stars
with a backdrop of evergreens. 


Delicate violets - a gift from a friend's garden- 
bloom by the rose arbor. 


A little friend......a Douglas squirrel. 


I sit here and enjoy the fresh air and bird song. 


This is the view and where I saw the coyote
 from my kitchen window last week.
My giant holly tree is straight ahead. 
It is still loaded with berries until 
the cedar waxwings arrive.  

The fragrant Narcissus that I planted last fall
in the wildflower garden are starting to bloom. 


A closer look. These make me smile.


The first forget-me-not in the same garden.


A hawk flies over. 


Weenie Baby helps me plant a new rose - 'Blaze', 
a red climber. 


It will look beautiful on my arbor.

I fertilized all the roses and
put out 'Worry Free' slug bait,
which is safe for pets and wildlife.  

I also planted a sumac, which 
Weenie Baby promptly dug back up
when I wasn't looking :-)

She's a digger.....


These are blooming by the arbor. 

It's getting late and my Ramblin' Man 
is due home after his long trip. 


It's his birthday and I baked his favorite 
 crumb cake to enjoy after his favorite meal. 
(Broccoli beef stir fry)

I cut some pansies from my potted garden on the deck
to display in my Mum's blue glass.

My Dad bought her the tiny hand blown pitcher
from her favorite Ethan Allen store
in the small Massachusetts town where I grew up.

It has traveled 3000 miles and many years.
She kept it on her kitchen window sill
along with a small collection of blue glass bottles.

The bottle says 'Bromo Seltzer.'



A simple celebration.....


Just the two of us. 
(We'll celebrate with the family at Easter)


I've celebrated birthdays with him 
since he turned 16! 

My sweet 'Blue Eyes' and me - High School Sweethearts

We are so blessed to share these many years 
of celebrations together.

xoxo

Wishing you lovely spring days, Dear Friends!
A celebration in itself!

xoxo


Friday, March 20, 2015

Five on Friday - Spring is Here!


Hello, Dear Friends! 

Is there any season that is more anticipated
than spring? 

I know that is particularly true for 
many of you this year! 

Today I am participating in a new 
meme, called Five on Friday
from Amy's blog, 'Love Made My Home'. 

I am so glad that spring is here, 
and I have been busy. 

Here are five things I have been working on. 

To begin, I have added some spring touches to my mantel. 
I still have to unpack my Easter decorations, 
so that is on my agenda this week. 


Another thing on my agenda is planting 
a kitchen garden! 

Mine will be tiny in galvanized tubs, 
but it is a start! 

I have radish, lettuce, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, 
and sweet peas. 

Every kitchen garden needs sweet peas, 
don't you think? 


I have been crocheting, too. 
This will be a tiny sweater for my 
first baby grandson, due in May. 

The yarn is Paton's Beehive Baby Sport, 
and is unbelievably soft. 

I crocheted the basket out of vintage calico strips


I am hosting Easter dinner this year, 
so I am browsing my cookbooks 
for recipes.
(Vineyard Seasons, by Susan Branch
and 
The Beatrix Potter Country Cookery Book
by Margaret Lane) 

I am also looking through my vintage linens
to use in my spring decorating. 


Last, but not least, 
I am planning a little getaway 
for my Ramblin' Man and me. 

Maybe just a day-trip, but someplace 
pretty and interesting to break up 
the routine. 

Maybe a picnic if the weather is nice! 

So that is my Five on Friday
what do you have going on? 


Won't you join in? 

xoxo

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Country Roads with Good Fences



Whenever my spirits are low, 
and I have a case of cabin fever, 
a trip to the library
(and a country drive) 
is the perfect cure. 

Come along with me 
and we will lift our spirits together! 

First stop - the library, 
with lovely flowering trees
along the walkway. 

I always come away with an armload
of books. 
Gardening, cooking, crafts, 
auto-biographies and local history
are my favorites. 

Sometimes I find a best-seller, 
but those are usually already taken :)


Let's take a little drive through town. 

Pink petals carpet the roads. 


Vintage cottages have blooming trees. 
These are ancient Camellias. 


My favorite.....


The local history museum with sweet 
log cabin. 


A pretty garden behind a chain link fence. 


We leave the little town behind to do some
 shopping at the market,
in the larger town nearby. 

Flowering trees form a petticoat
under tall fir. 


Miniature donkeys in a pretty paddock. 


A tall privacy fence with escaping beauty. 


A neat, working farmyard. 


Hello! 


A Fairy dell. 


Wide open spaces behind us. 


An enchanting fence-line. 


Flowering mustard in a fallow field. 


Sunshine brought to earth. 


Mt. Rainier in the late afternoon sun, 
as we head for home. 

You can see my little mountain 
above the white barn. 

A plume of smoke rises above
from a spring burn.
Logging companies burn the 'slash' (leftover debris), 
although this is being greatly discouraged
now, due to air pollution.  


One of the last working dairy farms 
on the plateau. 


The creek runs high this time of year. 


Skunk cabbage along the side of my country lane. 

Just in time for waking hibernating bears. 

A favorite food. 


Home again. 


It was a lovely day. 

I hope this country drive 
lifted your spirits, too, 
Dear Friends! 

xoxo

Today I am linking with:Good Fences

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