May Days

 Hello, Dear Friends, here we are, almost all the way through the month 

of May, as time flies by on gossamer wings. 

The sun is setting at just the right angle to create 

rainbows in the mist over the mountains.

It has been very cool and rainy here. 

We've had hail, thunder and a fresh dusting of snow in the foothills. 

This was after a couple of weeks of summer-like weather

where temperatures climbed to near 80 degrees. 

Every day is a new surprise. 

"You can nearly always enjoy things

if you make up your mind firmly that you will."

- Anne of Green Gables -

xx

I hope that you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! 

It seems so long ago, but it was just a couple of weeks ago. 

Does anyone else feel like time is speeding up these days? 

My sweet Mr. built me this beautiful plant ladder for

Mother's Day. He even picked out all of the plants! 

He also made these planter boxes for all the sweet Mom's 

in our life. 

Now that my whole family is vaccinated, we were able to 

celebrate Mother's Day with my grandson's birthday, all together,

 the day before. 

I have to admit, it was a bit overwhelming after being 

 isolated for so long! I have five grandson's under the age of six

which makes for some beautiful chaos, but those hugs

and smiles from my family were so wonderful

and I was so filled with gratitude that we all 

made it through this terrible time. 

Too many have not been so lucky

and my heart truly goes out to them. 

I even got to go to my first Mother and Grandmother's day 

celebration at my grandson's pre-school. The students performed 

a sweet song and decorated picture frames for photos that were taken. 

 I helped bake cupcakes and make cards for his Mom (my daughter, Heather). 

The flowers were made with cupcake liners and buttons.

(He made some for his little twin brothers to give, too). 

xxoo

I spent Mother's Day with my baby grandson 

and my daughter, Jennie. Here I am snuggling him as he slept in my arms. 

Her husband is a Captain in the Fire Dept. and duty called, so 

I had the privilege of having them all to myself.

 She ordered this amazing charcuterie board from a local company, 

which came with a loaf of artisan bread and some crackers. 

We stuffed ourselves and had leftovers to enjoy for a few days. 

I was thoroughly spoiled by my whole family with flowers,

gifts and lots of love. 

We stopped by the cemetery to bring flowers to my Mom. 

She's with my Dad who served in the Korean War.

What I wouldn't give for one more day...

We took a little stroll along the tree-line and saw a bunny

and some pretty wildflowers.  

It is such a peaceful and solemn place surrounded 

by forest, with a view of Mt. Rainier. 

I love reading the epitaphs. Some are humorous, some 

are profound, but all declare love of family, God and country. 

xx

Kai in the Forget-me-nots. 

They have seeded themselves everywhere

from one little plant I bought at a church

  sale years ago. 

I love private plant sales. 

You can always find the best plants for the region at these. 

The lilacs are blooming outside my sewing room window.

This is a second-floor window, so you can see how tall

they are!  

I open the window to catch the wonderful scent. 

I've had this African violet on the window-sill for years, 

but it was out-growing it's pot and needed dividing.

I found this sweet little 'cottage' pot in storage

and thought it would be perfect. 

My sis gave me the framed print. 

The 'cottage' has an open front door and shuttered windows. 

The back door has a kitty on the stoop. 

I am a bit of a hoarder, but now that 

we are retired and on a fixed income, 

it is nice to have a little inventory 

of special things to fall back on. 

The original plant came in this vintage flower-girl basket

with the fairy graphics. I found it at a flea-market. 

I sure do miss going to those!

I hope we can enjoy these again, soon.  

xx

While I was in my sewing room, I decided to sew

a few lavender sachets.

The 'sewing basket' is actually a needle book. 

 

I also sewed a pillow from ticking with a narrow lace trim

and crocheted a 'flower' dish cloth. 

I put them all together with one of my tin can decoupaged 

'wildflower' vases as a birthday gift for a dear loved one.

Time spent in quiet contemplation 

 in my sewing room, really does mend the soul. 

I've tried to restyle the mantel, recently. 

The twine spools and dough bowl were

gifts from my daughter, Heather.

My son, Dustin and wife, Jen gave me the rusty candle holder. 

My sis gave me the ceramic bird.  

The giant nail is Ramblin' Man's find. 

xx

A mantel always seems to be a work in progress. 

The beautiful tote was a gift from my son, Gabe and wife, Erica. 

It's perfect for my crochet projects. 

We put out the umbrella's and a tablecloth to enjoy 

whatever little glimpse of sunshine we manage to get. 

My daughter, Jennie gave me the hanging basket. 

My son, Dustin and wife, Jen gifted me with the beautiful 

blue and white pot. It came with a different plant, 

a monarda, but I transplanted it into a large pot, 

as it grows to over 2 ft. tall. 

I'll show that to you when it blooms. 

The Angel gets a pansy to watch over. 

Can you see my little friend by the church steeple?

A Pacific tree frog. Isn't he cute? He likes it here

with flowers to hide in and the porch lights to attract lots of bugs. 

Like this guy. 

Look how beautiful the patterns on his wings are. 

Who knows what wisdom nature holds. 

Certainly each living thing is an amazing creation and a work of art. 

I think of how intricate and astounding each creature, each being is, 

and how fragile we all are in this sometimes unforgiving world. 

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are 

to find out about?"

- Anne of Green Gables -

I potted up coral tuberous begonia for my library window box. 

I nestled in some blue lobelia, which hasn't bloomed yet, 

and a few tiny ferns with creeping Jenny. 

The living room window gets coral impatiens. 

Pots of both, for the canopy room we call the 'Summer House'. 

They all need some time to come into full bloom. 

A little bit difficult in this cool weather. 

I am loving the color. 

Ramblin' Man installed a fence 

 to keep Kai (and the grandchildren) 

in the back yard. 

We back up to wilderness...

Even though the 5 acres is completely fenced

with a 5 ft. fence,  

most of it is thickly forested and very steep. 

Kai inspects the fence line. 

Bleeding heart bloom nearby. 

The Mr. has also been tiling the shower in the master bath. 

This room has been unfinished for years and 

finally, now that he has been 'grounded' in retirement, 

he has time to finish all of his projects. 

(And grow a beard :)

He had a very demanding job as distribution manager 

for a regional snack food company. 

He had 9 managers and almost 200 distributors 

working under him and he traveled extensively 

to the 6 north-western states he oversaw.

(Including Alaska) 

I nick-named him 'Ramblin' Man' because of it. 

Now that he is not traveling any longer, 

I thought of changing his nick-name, 

but truth be told, I think he still deserves the name, 

although in a different way. 

Now that he is home all the time, with only me and Kai

as his companions, he tends to 'Ramble on'. 

He even talks to himself! 

I have to ask him whether he is talking to me or himself, sometimes! 

And so..., Ramblin' Man retains his title. 

He thinks that's hilarious, by the way. 

As he walks away, rambling....

Also, he is a very funny guy. 

He has a sunny disposition (most of the time), 

and keeps me laughing at the absurdities of life. 

We share the same sardonic sense of humor. 

  

We are just enjoying life and finding as much joy as we possibly can

 in this crazy world we live in.

Mother robin and her little one, searching for worms. 

A Junco nest in the overgrown, crooked bird-bath planter. 

We had to wait to install a section of fence nearby

until the nestlings had flown, so as not to disturb them.

One of them became the victim of the local garden snake. 

I heard a lot of bird drama one afternoon and went over to investigate

and saw the crime unfold. It was pretty horrifying, 

but I was too late to intervene. 

I did clip back all of the ivy that allowed the snake access, 

and the parents successfully raised the rest of the brood. 

I haven't seen the offending snake since, but that is 

nature and who am I to judge? 

When you live in the wilderness, the laws of nature rule the land. 

All this cool weather has me wanting to cook something 

to warm the insides. 

Broccoli-cheese soup and Irish brown bread is easy to make.

The bread freezes nicely (the recipe makes two loaves), 

and the soup tastes even better the next day. 

Just re-heat it very slowly on low heat.  

You can find the recipes under the heading, 'Soup' on my side-bar. 

After a dreary day, the sun finally sinks low enough below the clouds,

 to cast golden light on the foothills before setting. 

"Isn't it nice to think tomorrow is a new day

with no mistakes in it yet?

- Anne of Green Gables -

xx

Wishing you a wonderful tomorrow, Dear Friends, 

and many sweet blessings. 

xoxo

Linking with: Viewing Nature with Eileen - Saturday's Critters