Intrepid Fiber Wizard

And the sun came out..

Things here have continued as before.

Although, with the added benefit of the sun finally shinning with the Pac NW. (hurrah) and thus many garden blooms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 There is truly nothing quite so peaceful as wandering in the garden... small as it might be, it brings me joy.

 

 

My Mom continues to struggle for her health. It is an uphill battle, with a step or two forward, and then a slide back down the hill. My youngest brother and his wife will be there mid-June, and I wlll go back for most of July, then my oldest brother will be there most of August. I am so proud of my Mom and Dad for all they have done to improve her health. It is a never ending chase to follow after the doctors and their mistaken orders, and illogical medication changes, and better health care.... Blessings to all who fight this battle.

Getting old is not for sissys.

 

the knit goes on

and I have found myself dreaming of a quilt rack - The quest to find one will commence shortly.

this week's progress on the blanket has been very nice. (one of the add-on benefits of needing to stay home and sit quietly).

 

as of last monday

each row was sewn  and individually washed (just too cumbersome to try and wash the entire blanket at this stage)

  yesterday

 

I've been playing around with how to add the wide border along the outside - not too pleased with this attempt - yet I tried another variation last night (photos to come when I get there)

and despite our chilly summer, more things are beginning to bloom in the garden

March is roaring

I lay in bed this morning, listening to the roar of the wind and rain against my bedroom roof, and thought to myself, it's a perfect March day. I would have liked to have a fireplace nearby today - to sit, curled in my chair with my coffee, watching as the rain drenched everything. And yet, the new week beckoned and I woke.
There are days when the soul needs tending. There are a few 'sure cures' for me on a soul-challenging day.... one is to buy flowers (which I have in abundance recently.)  My home and my office overflowed  with daffodils last week. This week is tulips. The local grocer has buckets full, and they catch my eye each time as I walk in... (and subsequently they hop into my basket). 


My other "sure cure" for a battered soul is to get outside, and up to my elbows in dirt. With the blustery weather, (and my crazy schedule)  this has been a challenge.  Yet, earlier today, there was a small window of time when I set out and dug in.There is a blackberry bush, which threatens to dominate the world between my neighbor's home and mine (about 15 feet of space). Last year I watched it creepy crawl up the side of their old house, puncturing enormous holes in a window screen as it made purchase and grew. I could almost see the giant inching towards my house each day as its sharp fingers reached and reached. One day, in a strong autumn wind, the behemoth fell. ripped from the small screen, it lay crashed against the grass, dying. 

With the spring rain, it was once again beginning its incredible growth...it seemed that the monster would simply not die. And this time, was so close to my house that I could no longer hope for it to stay away....Today was the finale of its demise. I donned my largest gloves, heaviest  sweatshirt, rubber garden clogs and double pair of jeans., and set out to chop it to bits. For the most part, I won, although I carry the battle scars of proof for my struggle. It fills my garden bin for the city refuse. (which is almost 5 feet tall)  Be gone, amazing beast. I know that its roots have spread far far from where it began, but I will fight them back when they poke up from the dirt. 

My  neighbor came out to witness its final battle cry - And she offered to bake me a cake in gratitude . I declined. Conquering the Beast was reward enough for this day.

Monday, Monday

Ever since last week when Mary Travers died, I have found myself singing songs from my highschool days - The Mama's and Papa's, Peter Paul and Mary,  Joan Baez.. all the greats. I wonder if younger generations do that with songs from their highschool days? And at times I ponder whether the kids raised on heavy metal and rap have missed out on this nostalgia... The old folk songs were really a unique era.

It's been a morning for 'chores' (and singing along with my Ipod blasting in my ears)- laundry, dishes, vacuum, and..... (she says with a small bit of glee) mowing the lawn! I know that most of you would not consider mowing the lawn a major accomplishment, yet this morning I am doing the little happy dance because of this (and yes, I have indeed warned you all before of how little it takes to amuse me).

The reason I feel so very clever is that I actually found a sunny day, a decent hour of the day, and enough hours to accomplish this task and then shower afterwards to get ready for work, without alienating every single one of my neighbors. (grin) This is no small bit of choreography between the weather that varies from a rainy 45 degrees last week to a predicted high of 92 and full sun tomorrow. Yes - this is our typical fall. :-D

And I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can get out and kayak a couple more times before they pull in the boats for the winter.

 

 It is 'spider season' here now, or so it seems. Every morning as I walk out to my car, I must remind myself to look up (or else risk immenent danger of walking into the web of one of these lovely creatures that dangle under my eaves.

There has indeed been some knitting going on - I am about 3/4 finished with Casablanca - and there may even be some live action modeling shots next weekend. Four or five of the knitting peeps and I are making a one day road trip to OFFF (my personal favorite local fair.... photos will follow for sure)

Tonight our chorus begins rehearsing once again for the fall/holiday concert season. I am so looking forward to singing with all of them! And we should be finding out a more definitive answer as to whether or not the Carnegie Hall performance (May 2010) is still a go... Yes, I know that recently I posted that it was a for sure, yet now there are 'rumblings amongst the natives' that it might not fly. There is a strong possibility that too few people have raised the funds to go, and that translates to our small group being smooshed in with another group of performers that weekend. I am not exactly sure how I feel about this potential new development. Somehow, singing with a group of strangers just doesn't seem the same as performing with our chorus and our director....... I will wait and see what is said in the next couple weeks.

So dear

Just before I left the house yesterday morning, I glanced out into the small back yard, and saw this:

Keep in mind that this small yard is fully fenced (ha ha ha) Yet there is a wood "buffer" just over to the left.
She must have jumped that fence so she could come in and rest.
Thank goodness I had my iphone on me, and was able to snap this photo.
No plants were chewed in the yard - Liquid Fence really works.

The Yarn Contest / Fundraiser is almost over - be sure to mail your donations soon if you want a chance at winning one of the cool prizes shown in the album. Donations must be received by May 23rd to have a chance at winning. We've raised $ 475 to date !

Just another rainy NW day

The rhodies are just beginning to open -
and this one is one of my favorites.

The clematis has just begun blooming

the mystery flower which pops up in all its glory through the day lilies  has begun its first blooming

And the kitty is now once again jumping in the basket which sits up on top of my china cabinet.

Despite all the rain and 50 degree temperatures, it is very much spring here.
One week from today, Erin and I fly to Georgia to see Kate graduate ;-)

The Yarn Contest / Fundraiser is almost over - be sure to mail your donations soon if you want a chance at winning one of the cool prizes shown in the album. Donations must be received by May 23rd to have a chance at winning. We've raised $ 395 to date !

The Floral Edition

A case of Mistaken Identity

Being in a new garden for the very first season has so many delightful surprises... and this one is no exception. What I mistakenly thought was a wisteria vine last fall, is in fact a clematis.
Behold.

The rainy Pacific Northwest weather has given way to a brief respite of sun - and 94 degree temperatures yesterday. The garden is awakening from its slumber.

 

If you happen to be wondering where I am, you can find me in the garden.

Gardening Curiosity

One of the delightful surprises in my new-to-me garden this year is this amazing bush.
It stands beside my driveway, and reaches almost 8 feet tall.
I suspect, that like all the rest of the yard, it has been ignored by the previous tenants for the past five years.

It gave me a few blooms last Sept after I moved in (perhaps grateful for the drinks of water - finally)
And now this spring, it has fully blossomed -
It is so lovely.
One friend called it a "tulip tree" - and perhaps she is correct - yet, I am sending out this query to my gardening pals. Do you know what specifically this is? Its leaves resemble a rhododendron, and open after it has bloomed.    

As you can see, the leaves are just beginning to appear now.
(And yes, for those of you who might ask.. that is my neighbor's yard in the background... the rhodies & azaleas are in full bloom here too!)  I look forward to all your thoughts about whether I should feed it, or trim it, or just let it continue to be the "wild child" that it is right now (which I must admit I am rather enjoying)

G is for....

Garden.

" A plot of land used for the cultivation of flowers , vegetables or fruit."

I am most at home in my garden. It is here that the rich earth calls me to plant myself. I dig and hoe, oblivious to all that surrounds me. Time passes, and suddenly I find that I am weary, and ready for bed.

It is a delightful kind of exhaustion - of a day well spent. Contentment ensues. I feel complete.

It is not unusual for me to lose hours amid my flowers.  I seek their solace often when the rest of the world does not make sense, or when I have a dilemma too large for my hands - and every time, I find solutions in my garden. The world always seems to set a bit easier with me at the end of my day in the garden.

My tending of this small portion of the earth is humbling, invigorating and joyous. I stretch the limits of my knowledge, and the flowers oblige by teaching me their rhythm.
Last week, it snowed and rained from Tuesday until Friday, then Saturday, the first Rhodedendron opened it's petals. Incredible.

So many things have survived my lack of "tending" last fall.

Roses that had not been watered nor pruned for five years prior to my moving to this land, are showing amazing resilience.

I praise their strength and am delighted.

The sweet peas which I sowed in June (very late for them) not only survived but re-seeded.

hurrah.

This unknown shrub survived my harsh pruning - I was yelling at it for smothering another flowering shrub (an azalea I suspect) and I chopped it back so harshly. I thank it for forgiving my harsh pruning, and returning to life.
It not only survived, but has been blooming all winter.

My Wisteria - I ignored it completely last fall. I wasn't familiar with what type it is, and was hesitant to prune it, plus my hand injury limited my ability to do a good job, so I just let it go fallow - wondering if it would survive my negligence.

The garden has been forgiving - and once again welcomes Spring in spite of me. and I am grateful.

I have found that I have learned some of the best  wisdom in the garden. I have learned of impermanence, of right timing, of life that outlasts my own.  I have learned from soil that is too rocky and soil that is rich. I am anxious for spring to settle in, so that I may learn more from this small plot of earth which I now caretake. And I feel completely blessed.

One last word on gardening: I have begun reading a complete gift of a book. "Gardening at the Dragon's Gate" by Wendy Johnson. If you too love gardening, this will be a welcome addition to your shelves. The author is an astute student of life - of history - of gardens. It reads like a novel, and I find that I can hardly put it down. It is an epic work of organic gardening information, as well as history and folk lore from many cultures. Wendy writes as though you were walking through her garden with her on a summer's day - speaking in soft conversational tones of a great master. Bless her.

I leave you with a quote from her marvelous book: "In the first years of Green Gulch Farm, whenever a new Zen student came to work in the garden, he or she was sent out alone to spend the day sitting in meditation somewhere in the garden. When you slow down like this, the real garden is uncovered. And so is the real gardener. You unfold together. This takes time and a willingness to sit still past the moment when you get bored,  or past the moment when you think of at least thirty worthy garden tasks that you need to accomplish immediately. Instead, give yourself all the time in the world, and don't move, even if by the clock you only have half an hour to be in the garden. This is radical cultivation, for out of this stillness,, the real nature of your garden soil is exposed...... but beyond any particular lesson, sitting still on the earth restores you to yourself and to the freshness of the whole garden."

The author, Wendy Johnson, invites you not only into her incredible wisdom about the land, the folklore and it's history, but into her heart as she works the earth. It reads like a novel - and is dense with wisdom about life and gardens.

I do not know if I own my garden, or if it owns me. I am simply grateful for this small plot of earth in which to sink my fingers and feet.