A lovely Morning

I woke up to a rosy dawn and clearing skies

after some cold and stormy days. 

Can you see the fresh snow in the mountains? 

This is what I have been looking at for days. 

Pretty dramatic....but very cold

with wind and hail. 

I had this brief glimpse of Mt. Rainier

this morning, after days of being hidden, 

 but already the clouds 

have obscured it once again. 

It's not quite warm enough to spend the day

in the garden, but I still have plenty to do 

inside. 

I still have my little house guests, Peanut (shown here)

and her sister, Weenie Baby,

but there may be some developments 

with my daughter Jennie's house-hunting.

I'll keep you posted..... 

What with those two and this guy, Whitey, 

plus two cats and a cockatiel, 

daily vacuuming is a must. 

Whitey is starting to shed....

Actually, I also have to dry-mop in between! 

I love the sunbeams shining through

the windows! 

Morning is my favorite time of day. 

Each day holds new promise. 

Later, I will cook a Marinara sauce

from scratch for Ramblin' Man's

homecoming. 

It is a favorite of his :)

My Ramblin' Man has been gone for days

but he is coming home tonight. 

I've used this time to put things in order

after my busy weeks hosting Easter

and baby shower plans. 

This wine rack was used at the shower for the punch. 

I've re-purposed it into a plant stand

by the window. 

It comes in handy for parties! 

My stone bird collection....

I found the quail at the garden show this year. 

 xo

It always takes me a few days to regroup

after parties.....

I have put off working in the gardens, 

so that is on the agenda for this week. 

Everything is blooming and growing - 

the trees are leafing out and 

the weeds are, too! 

Although there are pretty scenes everywhere....

Here Ajuga and Forget-Me-Not make 

a lovely pairing in my garden by the rose arbor. 

I have done a little sewing....

a new pillow. 

The large one is my newest addition. 

The crocheted table cloth I used was a thrifty find. 

All of these were fashioned from vintage

crochet and made into sweet pillows

by me. 

I will tend to my indoor garden today, too. 

This is tucked into the corner behind

the settee. 

I have always loved houseplants. 

Some of these plants are over 20 years old!

I love African Violets....

My sweet blog friend, Mariette, offered 

her technique for multiplying them in a comment

 on a previous post. 

Simply cut off a leaf, put it into 

potting soil,(African Violet potting soil, preferably)
hold in place with a hair pin

and cover with half of a plastic 2 liter soda bottle. 

Thank you, Mariette, I will try this! 

To keep them blooming, I use fertilizer

specifically for African Violets

and always keep them moist. 

I step outside to sweep the front entrance

and shake a few rugs. 

I bought 3 new Columbine at the market

last weekend. There is a beautiful 

garden section there and I always 

come home with something new.....

I bought the lidded tin for my pantry, 

and when loading everything, I tucked 

the Columbine into the tin for transport. 

I liked this arrangement so much, 

I think I will keep it this way! 

I guess I need to buy another tin! 

This Bleeding Heart came home with me last week! 

You can see the Bumble Bees like it! 

I do love Columbine! 

They remind me of party pinwheels! 

Well, I guess I had better get back to work - 

the washer is done, the sheets need drying, 

and the floors need attending to. 

Then I need to start that sauce....

I will be glad to see my Ramblin' Man

again. It has been very quiet here. 

Thank you, Dear Friends for stopping by today! 

I hope your day is filled with a sunbeam or two. 

xoxo

'My friend is one whom I can associate with 

my choicest thoughts.'

- Thoreau -