April 29, 2013 - Backyard Birds

Robin, near the nest

Magpie, finding food for chicks

Late afternoon, from the front deck

This morning I had a little bit of time outside, after finishing an early PT session and doing a bit of grocery shopping, a bit of house cleaning, etc.  I noticed a pair of mourning doves out back...but they flew off as soon as I opened the door.  As I wandered out to the back yard, a pair of killdeer flew out of the vegetable garden.  The robins were staying close - they have at least one nest in the spirea shrubs.  The same with the magpies - they were their usual wary selves, but they were busy finding food for the youngsters they have in a spruce tree out front.

 

Mid-afternoon I picked up a friend who is here to visit for a week.  She had a serious accident, right after mine.  She is also healing much better than I am.  (As she points out, she didn't require any bones to be repaired.)  She brought with her Cruiser, her black lab ambassador dog.  We love Cruiser - obviously, as an ambassador service dog, he's well behaved - but he also loves to snuggle when out of harness, and loves to play.  Two nights from now, he and granddog Patton will meet.  That should be fun!  I'll try to get photos...

April 28, 2013 - In the Garden

The back yard garden

The vegetable garden

The "out back" garden

Linden tree blossoms

The first poppy in bloom

I've been writing a lot about what's happening in the garden, so decided to show some broader views, along with a couple of the day's delights.  The backyard garden is right off the back deck.  There are a number of roses there, several shrubs, lots of perennials, and most of my herbs.  The "out back" garden is behind the fence.  There are lots of trees and perennials, a firepit, and I have several areas planted according to "type" - peonys, day lilies, anemones, etc.  The vegetable garden consists of eleven raised beds and two bedding areas.  The first has two rows of asparagus, the second just got planted with strawberries.  Behind the raspberry bushes is a large, open area where I grow corn, squash, and pumpkins.  It's too much for the two of us, so a lot goes to friends and to the local food bank.  Why do I do all this?  For a very simple reason - I love having dirt under my fingernails, dirt between my toes, and I love seeing things grow.  One of my greatest delights is the eighty-plus roses I care for.  The buds are beginning to show - I always hope for the first roses in time for Mother's Day!

April 27, 2013 - A Windy Day Outside

Today was spent mostly in the garden.  I mowed both the back acre, and the lawn (which my husband then trimmed...it now looks really nice!)  Then I moved on to transplanting more strawberries, pruning back the forsythia bushes, deadheading daffodils and trimming some herbs that need a bit of management.  I pulled a few weeds, watched a small flock of pelicans wheel overhead, continued my "stomping campaign" with the snails, and emptied a couple of raised beds.  I picked yummy radishes, lettuce, asparagus, and cilantro, all of which entered one of two salads that were featured for tonight's dinner.

Today was supposed to be very windy.  Well, it was windy - but not very - not for around here.  And the wind direction was such that the house blocked most of the impact.  I enjoyed being outside a good portion of the day.  Doing some garden clean-up is one of my favorite chores, even if it is never-ending.  Seeing where there used to be a weed patch become a nice, open space is very satisfying.

I'm looking forward to a visit from a good friend the next week.  I expect we'll spend some time in the garden, some time hiking, some time just catching up, and who knows what all else.  Maybe finally a trip in the kayak?  It depends upon the weather - and I don't have a rack yet, anyway.  I don't think I'm quite up to carrying the 'yak a quarter of a mile to the river...not yet, anyhow.  But the day may yet come when that, too, it possible.  I can always hope!

Holly in bloom

April 26, 2013 - Pollinators, and....Ouch!

Wisteria

Tulips

Anemone, and bee

Phlox, and swallowtail butterfly

Tree peony, and honeybees

It's good to be back home, to have a camera in my hands, and to be back in the garden.  Today was warm...much more so than usual.  It was into the 80's by the afternoon, so we were able to open up the house this evening, and let the cooler evening air flow in.  I do love this time of year!

 

An afternoon in the garden yielded transplanted strawberries, the death of a number of snails, and quite a few photographs, including the ones you see above.  As I returned to the house around 7:00 p.m., I brushed aside the clip to my hat, which had been bothering me all afternoon.  Unfortunately, I also brushed aside a bee that had been happily sitting on my bright spring green shirt, probably wondering why there was no pollen or nectar to be gathered there.  I got a sting on the neck for my trouble, but of course, for the poor bee, it was a lethal encounter.  Okay, it kind of committed suicide, but I still feel bad when a honeybee dies because it stings me.  There is no other outcome.  Wasps, hornets, etc...they survive the encounter...but not honeybees.  And as so many hives have had so many problems (varroa mites, hive collapse, etc.), the loss of a single bee, even if it wasn't my idea, seems a loss to our world.  It is certainly a loss to my garden.

 

The other pollinator I show above is, I believe, a swallowtail butterfly...but I don't know my butterflies that well.  Does anyone out there know if I've identified it correctly?  If not, please let me know...I'll be happy to correct the label!

April 25, 2013 - People, People, People

Still sans camera, I spent most of the day today in a meeting near Seattle.  Then I headed for the airport - too late for the early flight, five hours before the next available flight.  Sigh....except for the people.

It's been a while since I simply sat and watched people in a public place.  I eavesdropped on conversations, watched the staff at an excellent restaurant, enjoyed listening to the banter among the staff at the gate, had the privilege of watching a couple assist a woman who didn't speak English figure out her forms for flying into Canada.

At the restaurant, the chefs were mostly smiling as they hustled about, fixing wonderful food.  The majority of them looked like they were from the Pacific Islands, with a couple of Asians.  The wait staff was African American, white, and Asian.  I saw one person who looked to be of eastern European origin - not sure what his job was.  Everyone was pleasant - most kept up a smile - all were attentive, but not overly so.  I never felt rushed.

Then, at the gate, the fun of watching people moving in and out as several flights departed.  And listening in on conversations!  One man had a long conversation with his mother, explaining how he'd missed his flight, and had to buy another ticket to get on another flight.  I expect other people enjoyed listening to my conversation with my nephew, who called while I was waiting, and told me about his graduation from flight training (still a butter bar, for another couple of months!)  I had so wanted to go there when he graduated, but it didn't work out, and it was wonderful to speak with him.  Then a follow-up conversation with my sister, was wonderful, as she described the flowers and cactus currently blooming in Texas.  Oh, how I wish I were there!

Yet here, I just had someone stand behind me, watch the basketball game that's on, and give his approval of the current score, before he rushed off, probably to get his luggage and head for home.

People watching...a joy I don't spend enough time doing any more.  Since I'm living without a camera for a few days, I'm paying attention to other delightful experiences.  I believe I'll consider that a part of my discipline on camera-less days - it makes keeping up this writing much easier, and a bit more far-ranging.

April 24, 2013 - Sans Camera

I am out of town for a couple of days, and without my camera.  Yes, there is the camera on my cell phone - which I haven't yet bothered to learn to use, and didn't bring the equipment to synch it with my computer.  So...as little "tech savvy" as I am, I am inclined to handle this in an alternate way...as an exercise in description, as differentiated from a photographic depiction.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day back at home.  I spent the morning doing various tasks and chores, then spent the afternoon and early evening out in the garden.  The tilling is done, the roses and spring bulbs are fertilized, a few more weeds have been pulled up by the roots (okay, quite a few more weeds.)  But what I noticed yesterday were the sounds.

The first hummingbird buzzed past me as I walked into the garden.  I didn't see it - I only heard the rapid beat of its wings, with the signature sound they have.  I also heard (and saw) the first mosquito of the season - a sound somewhat less welcome, but nonetheless promising of spring.  In the evening, as we sat on the deck, a woodpecker was busy in the trees down by the Columbia River.  We could hear her search for grubs and beetles within the deadwood that is so abundant there.  And there were the magpies, who have a nest in one of our spruce trees out front.  Normally raucous, when they have youngsters, they are eerily quiet.  The only sound we heard from the pair (apparantly feeding newly hatched chicks) was the sound of their wingbeats as they moved in and out of the tree, across the lawn, and off to their favorite spots to find food.  What do magpies feed their chicks?  The adults are pretty opportunistic, eating just about anything, but I'll bet the kids are a bit fussier.

Gardening is in full force, so I'll probably be with the camera less, and you'll be getting more descriptions.  It's good to be able to be out and working.  Five plus hours yesterday left me with a very sore foot (and a weary back) but the progress is real.  Last autumn, the most I could manage was about three hours.  I am thankful for the progress, for the movement forward!

April 21, 2013 - Sunny Sunday

Balsamroot

Phlox

Nothocalais

The photos were taken yesterday on Saddle Mountain, but I do want to talk about today.  After our friends taking their leave, my husband and I headed to church, both for services and for the auction for youth ministry.  We had a good time, but the best thing was coming home and heading out into the garden.  My feet were sore (especially the broken one) from all the tramping over the hills yesterday, but I still managed to dig and plant a bed in front, and then till up the large bed in back.  Finally, wind and a light rain chased me in.  Later in the evening, my husband looked over his shoulder, and there was the most vivid rainbow out our back window!  It lasted only a few moments, as the sun was going down.  I was very thankful he happened to look when he did.

 

So, my question...how often do I miss those thing of beauty that surround me, simply because I'm not looking in the right direction?  Something to ponder...

April 20, 2013 - Walking the Wahluke

Purple cushion fleabane

Common larkspur

View of the Columbia from Saddle Mountain

Allium robinsonii

Thelypodium

Today we went out with two friends to look at wildflowers on Saddle Mountain.  There were few near the base, but the top had quite a selection.  We began our search in the Hanford Reach National Monument, at the eastern edge of the range.  We found some lovely flowers, but not in large numbers.  We then headed out to the west end of the range, going to some BLM land that is open for rockhounding.  Flowers galore!  (And I didn't take my camera with me there - we were focused on petrified wood.)  Yes, we found lots of petrified wood, too - much of it just sitting on top of the ground.  I came home with a lovely limb cast, and some beautiful pieces of wood.  My friends took home a number of pieces to share with students.

 

The day was lovely, the flowers incredibly beautiful, and we had some difficulties along the road that made for an intense day.  That said, all ended well.  A good dinner, a good bottle of wine, and a movie that required no thinking made for a wonderful end to the day!

April 19, 2013 - Shelter from the Winds

These bees were hiding out in the tree peony blossom

The anemones are hiding other critters

The tulips were almost afraid to open up

But harvest is still happening

And the sunsets continue to be lovely

Today I had planned to get out into the garden, but between rain and high winds, decided to spend the day (mostly) indoors.  I did venture out in the late afternoon, and found this group of honeybees, that really did seem to be trying to stay out of the wind.  (It's the first day the peony has been open - and it is lovely!) 

 

As long as I was outside, it seemed reasonable to do a bit of harvesting - so I gathered a few fresh radishes, some cilantro, the asparagus that was tall enough, and some of the ripe rhubarb, which was made into rhubarb crisp for this evening's dessert.  Friends are coming over for the weekend, and I like to have something special for times like that.  (The asparagus is likely to find its way into some portion of tomorrow night's dinner - along with quite a bit more I have in the fridge from the past few days.)

 

The asparagus has been slow - the cold, windy weather doesn't suit it very well.  It doesn't suit me all that well, either...but then we get yet another incredible sunset, and I realize I am not going to get the one (beautiful sunsets) without some weather I'm not perfectly delighted with.  So, let go, enjoy what actually is present, and take delight in the small things...like bees, sheltering in a peony blossom...

April 16, 2013 - Another Trip to Portland

Sunrise over Wallula Gap

On the road

Wild dogwood - Koberg Beach

Prairie starflower

All of Portland was in bloom

Near home, from Juniper Canyon

Today was another trip to Portland, another injection in my good eye.  Sigh...  As you can tell, at least we had an absolutely gorgeous day!  Portland was filled with blooming trees and shrubs, the mountains had a bit of fresh snow, and lots of lupine and California poppies, and the shrub-steppe area had balsamroot, phlox, and lupine.  Trees were in bloom in the wild, in gardens, and in unexpected places (leftover orchard trees from abandoned properties.)  The sun was warm, though the outside temperatures were not.  The wind mostly stayed down, and despite seriously dilated eyes, I was able to enjoy much of what was visible out the car window, and on a saunter into Juniper Canyon and a short walk to Koberg Beach.

April 15, 2013 - A Few Miles from Home

Bitterbrush close-up

Locoweed

Bitterbrush in full bloom

The cherries are almost done blooming...

and the apples have just begun.

This evening my husband and I went for a drive out to the section of the McNary Refuge that's along the Walla Walla River.  The bitterbrush - one of my favorite local shrubs - was in full, glorious bloom!  We found a few other plants blooming, as well...some locoweed, some biscuitroot, and some flax that hadn't quite yet opened up.  Lots of fiddlehead flower, of course, and plenty of mustard.  'Tis the season for the mustard to be in bloom!  I must have seen at least four different varieties.

 

I also found portions of a skeleton I couldn't quite recognize.  I think, most likely, it was a beaver.  There are quite a few in that area.  Then, on the way home, we viewed the fruit trees coming into full blossom, or as in the case of the cherries, just finishing up bloom.  There were plenty of wind machines running last night, to keep the blossoms protected.  And we saw a pair of deer, right next to the highway, and ponds filled with ducks and geese.  They've mostly moved off the river at this point, and are in quieter places to nest.  It is such a joy to watch them - I was glad we went that way this evening.

April 14, 2013 - Sun, Wind, a Few Sprinkles, and Good Company

Sunset after the storm

It was chilly and a bit windy when I got back from church this afternoon.  We'd had a wonderful time, making noise and playing with the concept of "Holy Hilarity".  So, on returning home, I thought I'd play out in the garden a bit. 

 

I got some daffodils deadheaded, pulled a few weeds, squashed a few snails (yes, gardens also require a willingness to destroy), then pulled out a few perennials that were growing where they weren't wanted.  And then, wind, a few drops, and a definite drop in temperature.  I headed back inside, fixed dinner (stir-fried fresh vegetables and brown rice) and sat back to watch a movie with my husband.  Sunday dinners can be just about anything - we find popcorn and wine to be an excellent combination - but dessert tonight was the best.  My husband's special homemade apple pie, with whole wheat crust.  He has it down to a fine art, and I do enjoy it when he takes the time to make pies.  A perfect end, to a very good day.

April 13, 2013 - It Snowed Last Night

Fresh snow on the Cascades

Spring near the Wenatchee River

Snow and river

A lovely reflection

Though it's not obvious from these pictures, despite the fresh snow overnight, I actually awoke to sunshine.  And we had sun, off and on, through most of the day in Leavenworth.  I had an hour or so off from meetings to be able to walk out near the river, to enjoy the mountains, and the stretch my legs a bit.

 

Spring is about two, perhaps three weeks later than at home, here.  I appreciate visiting a place where I go "back in time" as it were, to experience what I was enjoying a few weeks ago.  It's a minor form of time travel, if you will.  And it's a reminder that we are not all on the same clock, no matter how we may measure time on our phones, our computers, even our watches.  Nature keeps her own clock, and it has a varied pace, for varied spaces.  I like that...it seems, somehow, more relaxed, less anxious, more filled with graciousness.

April 12, 2013 - Beginning to Bud

A few apricots survived!

Early strawberry blossom

Even some of the weeds look lovely

Early growth on the perennials

Buds on the wisteria vine promise beautiful blossoms

Tulips

This morning, before leaving for a meeting that lasts over two days, I went out into the garden to see what was in bud.  Much more than I show here!  And I am excited about the promise of what is yet to come in the garden.  The buds on the tree peony continue to swell, many of the perennials are starting to form buds, and spring will yet arrive!  Meanwhile, on the way to our meeting, we drove over Swauk Pass, through the snow.  One never quite knows what to expect this time of year...