Things My Dad Taught Me

• 

  Dad

  Patience: Pull the two ends of the shoe-lace so they are even lengths. Make a loop with one and wrap the other around the loop. Now pull the second loop through, and pull tight. Not an easy task when one set of fingers is very large and one set is very small and the shoe in question is a size 5 child's.  Do this approximately 300 times over the course of 1 month until said child learns to tie her shoes. Now do this 5 times for 5 daughters.
• Tolerance: Spend several months, every weekend, hanging beautiful wallpaper and painting walls. In the middle of dinner, with 5 excited daughters and one wife talking all at once, you suddenly pay attention to the littlest one. She is saying something very important. 'Daddy, Daddy, I drew pictures!' To which Daddy answers, 'Where are they, show Daddy.' At which point tiny daughter jumps down from her high chair and runs upstairs to show Daddy the beautiful drawings all over the new wallpaper and paint. Daddy carries baby daughter downstairs, laughing.
• Heroism: It is the middle of a cold and icy winter. Everything is frozen, including the pond behind the house. Suddenly, two children start pounding on the door. 'Robby fell in the lake, Robby fell in the lake!' Dad bounds forward, runs to the boat landing, slides it onto the lake towards the open, gaping hole and furiously pushes with the paddle, shoving the heavy boat forward with his own strength on the ice, reaches into the cold, icy water, and rescues Robby. Who turned out to be a Collie! It wasn't until afterwards that Dad realized he had run out of the house without a coat and shoes.
• Integrity: Join the armed forces. Become a Sargent and Tank Commander. Join town politics. Become head of the Finance Committee. Work hard all of your life. Become President of your local Steelworker's Union. Twice.
• Kindness: Be willing to help anyone, the elderly woman down the road, the family broke down on the highway, the lost cat that needs a home. Treat everyone equally and with respect. Go out of your way to be there for others.
• Devotion: Stay married to the same woman for 58 years. Build her two houses. Lovingly care for her in sickness and in health, through two bouts with cancer. Devote your life to making her happy.
• Humor: Look on the funny side of life, always. Even when things couldn't be worse. There is always humor to fall back on. Tell corny jokes. These will be tenderly remembered.
• Resilience: Lose your job of 20 years when business closes. Move your family cross country. Work at terrible jobs to make ends meet. Finally find a good one, and build a home with your own two hands from the ground up. Lose that job due to lay-off, leave the house before you get to live in it. Move again, and build another home, become Union President at a job you love, and tell funny stories about all you went through to get there.
• Life Skills: Teach all of your daughters how to fish, how to build a shelter in the woods, how to make a campfire. Teach them how to hold a hammer, how to measure, how to wire a lamp. Teach your daughters how to be kind, courageous, honest, patient, devoted, resilient, and have a sense of humor. Teach your daughters by example, how to be role models for the next generation.

Here's to all the unsung Heroes that we call Dad.

Happy Father's Day! 

A little Walk About

Hello, thanks for stopping by!

Come along with me and I will take you on a little stroll. The sun is shining so beautifully, leaving little dappled footprints on the woodland path right outside the door.

The ancient birdcage reminds me that feathered friends are waiting....

It will just take a moment to fill the feeder under the Hemlock tree. We have new visitors this year, a pair of Goldfinch. Like flying Buttercups. Bright drops of Sunlight flying through the air.

Follow along and we will see what is blooming up the little knoll by Hubby's tool shed. I planted some hanging baskets a few weeks ago with red Petunias and blue Lobelia. But the Petunias have been sulking in our cool, wet weather.

Although, the Columbine are very happy in their wildflower garden. Soon the beautiful pinwheel flowers of Sweet William will take their place.

But for now we will enjoy Columbine's cheerful beauty.

Is there a prettier combination than purple Allium and blue Forget me Not?

I would like you to meet my roses growing in the back yard. This highly scented double rose is a Rugosa type. These are the hardy roses you see growing along highways and in commercial plantings. They are carefree and will spread to form a large colony. It is a good thing they are carefree because they have needle sharp thorns.

Make sure you get a scented variety.

Heavenly.

They have formed a hedge, along with wild Fireweed which will be blooming soon with purple blossoms. In the far back is the 'Snowball' hedge. I started with 3 tiny shrubs and they have spread to form a beautiful hedge. That is how I like to garden! Let nature do the work!

We are about 3 weeks behind the lower elevations. It stays cooler here in Spring and early Summer. But once the Sun comes out, we are always warmer. Warm air rises! But if it is cloudy, the mountains will trap the clouds.

If you turn around, you can see our viewpoint. This is where we spend our time outdoors. Close to the doors for those sudden showers!

Mountain weather is very fickle.

This is my favorite place. I like to sit here to drink my coffee in the morning or if I want to take a little break from chores.

It is a wild and lonely place. I don't venture too far on my own. I feel safe on the deck. And in the little clearing we have made in the forest. But I always remember that I am the visitor.

Whitey stays with me, always alert. But he needs a companion. He lost his best friend, Little Bear and he is not brave on his own.

We have applied to some rescue groups to find him a friend. A new member of the family. A friend and protector for me.

If you walk to the end of the deck, you can look out over the side yard. The Bird Bath Succulent Planter is really starting to fill out, despite the cool, wet weather. I made sure to provide plenty of drainage.

And if you look down over the rail, my herb garden grows along the base of the deck. Purple chive blossoms match purple sage.

I grow several kinds of mint, two kinds of oregano, thyme, dill, rosemary and lavender in half whiskey barrels.

The plantings are so lush this time of year that the barrels are hidden.

Maggie loves to sit on the deck rail surveying her domain.

Come with me and we will walk down to the far left hand corner.

We can peek over the fence into the forest that is carpeted with wildflowers. Hubby made a trail into the forest here.

If we follow the trail, it opens up to this.

But we are one man and one dog short of walking in the forest.

The forest belongs to the wild things today, so we must turn back.

Back to the safe and cozy house.

For some banana bread

And tea!

Would you like some?

xx

Sunlight

There is a certain time of day, late in the afternoon, when the sun's rays shine low on the horizon, illuminating the new green leaves of the forest canopy.

Adding a bit of mystery to an ordinary scene.

Lending a fairy tale quality to the late afternoon.

Beckoning me to follow......

the magical light.

Guilded Leaves, dancing in the fading light

as if lit from within.

Prisms of light.

A final curtain call, before the last act of the day.

Linking to: Weekly Top Shot at The View From Right Here

http://www.theviewfromrighthere.com/blog/?category_name=weekly-top-shot-meme

Vintage Style Flower Arranging

Beatrice Euphemie Vintage Cottage Stlyle

I fell in love with these bright packages of raisins and corn starch and didn't want to just throw them away when they were empty. They are so 'Vintage' and Cheery! So I turned them into flower containers!

Beatrice Euphemie Vintage Cottage Style

It's just the thing to cheer me up on a rainy day while I am at the sink.

I seem to spend a lot of time there lately. The cool and wet Northwest Spring has kept me indoors cooking and cleaning.

Looking out the window at the gloomy rain was no fun.

Beatrice Euphemie Vintage Cottage Style

So I made my own Sunshine!

Simply use a 'zip loc' baggie, (or food storage bag for a larger container) and some glass florist marbles.

The 'zip loc' style baggie has more structure than the fold over type, and is best for this project. The glass marbles are necessary to anchor the container so it won't tip and also holds the flower stems upright.  

Simply fill your baggie 1/4 full of glass marbles.

Insert into the container.

Fill with water using a watering can, being careful to avoid getting moisture on the container.

Add flowers!

Bright flowers with long sturdy stems are best.

Beatrice Euphemie Vintage Cottage Style

You may never look at food containers in the same way, again!

The tiny tomato salt and pepper shakers were a gift from me to my Dear Mother, many years ago. Now they are mine, reminding me of a wonderful day 'Antiquing' with Mom. She had spied these on our trip and I bought them for her.

The 'Bon Ami' tin was a gift from my sweet Sister-in-Law. 'Little Sis', we call her. She is so tiny. Like a little doll.

The 'Hot Pepper' salt and pepper shakers were a gift from a long ago client of mine whose Mother made ceramics. I admired hers and she surprised me with my very own.

They all just go together perfectly, don't you think?

Beatrice Euphemie Vintage Cottage Style

You will have to stop yourself from filling every bright container with flowers! Here I have added Buttercups to bottles housed in a beautifully graphic case.

These little containers add a bright pop of color to a dreary day.

They would also make cute party decorations.

I hope I have inspired you to take a second look at what you have in your pantry. Recycling these bright and beautiful food and beverage containers is easy and fun.

Beatrice Euphemie Vintage Cottage Style

They also make sweet little gifts for a special friend or relative. Perhaps with a set of garden themed salt and pepper shakers!

xoxo

Celebrating the Queen's Jubilee with Baked Beer Bread

We celebrated the Queen's Jubilee yesterday! To get in the spirit, I baked some yummy Beer Bread to go with our Toast to the Queen!

The adorable Cath Kidston dish towel hanging on my kitchen door came to me all the way from Scotland. It was a gift from my sweet blogger friend, Christine. Isn't she so thoughtful to give me the cutest dish towel ever? I can't think of actually using it! Thank you, Christine!

(Christine's blog, 'Writing From Scotland' is on my blog list)

Here's to the Queen!

Sixty years of dedication! She is an amazing Queen and I just love her. I love all the Royals. I think it would be so fun to have our own Queen.
And wear hats like the Royals.
I love hats.
Here in the Northwest, if you wore a fancy hat, you had better be going to a 'themed' party. Hats here are either knitted wool caps (winter) or baseball caps (summer). East of the mountains, you can find cowboy (and girl) hats. I have a few garden hats, but rarely have to wear them. We just don't have many days of hot sunshine!

O.k. I am getting off the subject. Where was I?

Oh yea, after toasting the Queen, we had some beer left over, so I thought I would bake some Beer Bread!

With the beer gone, the colorful carton served as a flower holder for some buttercups!



Beer Bread

Preheat oven to 375*

Grease a standard loaf pan

3 cups sifted flour

3 tsps baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 (12 oz bottle beer)

1/2 cup melted butter

Mix dry ingredients. Add Beer. Gently mix just until blended.

At this point you can pour batter into the loaf pan and drizzle with the butter if you prefer a crusty top.

If you prefer a softer crust, mix butter with batter and pour into greased loaf pan.

Bake for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes before removing from pan.

(Don't try to substitute the beer. Beer is the 'yeast' for the bread and it won't rise otherwise. Also, always sift your flour, then measure. It makes a difference between light and fluffy bread or hard as rock bread!)

Add beer to dry ingredients.

Add melted butter to batter. (my preference)

Enjoy this bread with soup, chili or warm from the oven with butter! I like it toasted the next day with blackberry jam.

Enjoy!

Here's to the Queen!