Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows...

...yay, I finally got outside and finished a few Spring chores along with leftovers from last Fall.  Finally the sun came out, the air was warm and skies clear.  I could hear people in the pool over at the clubhouse.  Yes, it was a beautiful weekend.  Alas, only one day but that's Seattle and we wait in anticipation for the next one.

view from our back porch, the pool is over past the green area.  Not our pool, we have to share with the rest of the commumity.

 looking up, the trees are budding, some are blooming.  The Cherry Blossom Festival was last week but I didn't see many.

 I don't know what kind of tree this is...the coolest one in our yard with a 'funky' tree trunk.

 Yes, we grow prize winning dandelions!  I always remember a story my daughter told me about dandelions.  When she was younger I told her the puff balls were seeds and not to blow them all over the garden...she was broken hearted and to this day tells me it's one of her worst childhood memories.

 getting some rest after playing in the grass and lolling in the sun, he does not like having to stay put but won't go out in the fenced backyard alone.

 cleanded out all the flower pots, planted seeds...zinniea, 4o'clocks, hollyhocks, and bluebells...none of which I have planted from seed in the past.

my grands love to bring me little garden décor, this is a pinwheel blowing in the breeze, didn't stop all day.  I keep seeing it from inside the house thinking someone is coming to the door!

As I look forward to Spring and Summer, being outside with my family, bbq, walking to the river to fish from the bridge, pic-nic, and grandbaby visits, voices, and smles, I know that some of you are heading into Fall.  I love every season and the changes they bring but I have a special place in my heart for Fall.

Where ever you may be, what ever season of weather or life, I hope you are well.  Be safe, be strong, shine. ;j

In plain sight...

...last Fall when the stores were looking towards Spring and put their bulbs on sale buy one get one I jumped on the bandwagon and bought several packages.  Then I promptly put them away somewhere and forgot all about them.  We've all done that right?

Of course, I put them somewhere that would be so obvious that there was no way I would not remember the place.   So, these last few weeks with Spring like weather and pretty flowers on my mind I decided that maybe I should look for them.  Never mind that the time for bulb planting was long past, I was on a mission.

I looked high and low, the garage got torn apart, the potting bench, the storage area for the summer furniture, the laundry room...all a big NO.  It began to feel like a big, stupid game of where's Waldo.

Yesterday I was putting away groceries and noticed a bag in the way back of the fridge.  Now please let me be clear, I clean out the fridge on a weekly basis and wipe it down every two weeks...I'm rather OCD about that.  But there was this bag in an area of the fridge that is completely useless, or so I thought.  The space is the width of the door but only about an inch wide, can't fit much of anything in there and is usually only used for any medication that needs refrigeration.  The bag;  full of bulbs.

I vaguely remember hearing that the fridge was a great place to store the bulbs so they would think it was winter and not sprout too early.  Too early is not going to be a problem here.  I've got my chicken doo and a few bags of organic potting soil all ready to go...next stop?  Bulbs.

I was strolling through the yard one day...

in the merry, merry month of May.   Okay, I don't know the rest of the song.  I swear, and my hubs will attest to this fact, I know the first verse to every song ever but that's it.  I can't tell you who sang it or when or any other line from the song just.the.first.verse.   Anyway,  the last few weeks when I've taken a big brave breath and wandered out into the backyard there has been a tiny little bird following me...chirp, chirp, ever so softly.  If I walk near the fenced areas she is on the fence 'talking' to me, almost in a whisper.  If I walk near the house she jumps to the roof and walks along with me, chirp, chirp.  Back and forth, up and down there she is.  Never loud, never anxious, never fearful.  Just chatty.  (do you know what she is?)

 Well, being the brilliant woman that I am I surmised that she must have a nest nearby.  I also assumed she was a 'she' since there was very little colouring to her.  So I looked high and low, in the trees and all the bird houses...nothing.  I checked all the obvious other places and still nothing.

I asked the hubby if he had seen a nest and he said he saw the bird but no nest and that she seemed to be hanging out by the garbage cans.  So we checked over there...carefully, and found nothing.  I decided to sit on the edge of my wrought iron patio chair which is in my secret garden and currently holding some lumber for a deck repair.  I looked over to pull some weeds out of an overgrown planter and there it was.  Hidden in plain sight.

This planter is about 15 inches off the ground and is grassy/weedy on the top.  The eggs are not even out of sight from a predator.  I was so surprised.  And the whole time she was just standing on the fence watching me without a peep. 

I know better than to mess with mother nature but what was this little mama thinking?  Every day we check on them and they are still there and she is still on the fence.  No sign of the Mr.  And it has been raining hard the last few days, and cold.  I keep thinking I should bring an umbrella and blankie out there.  Gah, this mom stuff is tough. 

How is your week going?

the spring trifecta...

...as I was looking out my kitchen window today, pondering all the things in my home that weigh more than one pound, I noticed these three things (and yes, they are all like the other, Sesame Street);

this is Spring in my backyard.  Some forsythia starting to bloom it's bright yellow while the maple tree slowly awakes from Winter and the blossoming cherry tree tries to hide it's blush...the leaves from last Fall cover the green grass as it spreads it's carpet of green.  One season flowing to another...and crap, there is a lot of work to do.

I have sprung my back and now must spend the next few weeks on bed-rest with a lifting weight restriction of one pound.  How many things can possibly weigh less than a pound.  I'm thinking pound cake, how about you?

counting chickens...

*******edit****** due to some medical complications with my back and leg I am needing to be on complete bed rest for a few days.  If I can manage to blog I will give it a try, otherwise please send some light and love my way.  I appreciate it.  See you soon...

store bought 'spring'

...remember that old saying?  Don't count your chickens before they hatch.  As I was leaving the house today I noticed that bulbs are popping up through the ground, the flowering cherry trees are getting their pink on and the forsythia is going to town all dressed in her yellow finery.  I made a mental note to get home quickly and take some photos with the 'proof' that spring is indeed on it's way.  That's when that old saying popped into my little head.  And by the time we got home it was pouring rain, rivers were pushing their banks to overflow, there were a few small mud slides on the road home and the very thought of spring seemed like a distant memory.  We have had almost seven inches of rain so far this month...so I may have been counting something but it sure wasn't chickens!  Happy Monday.


have courage; there are great things waiting on the other side of fear. (2014 word up)

do you see what I see...

 source

have you seen this nest?  This amazing birds nest was found by a fellow bloggers Aunt.  She dubbed it the Martha Stewart of birds nest!

I have to admit, it is one of the most intricate of nests that I have ever come across.  It is well worth clicking on the picture and looking just

a little closer at the detail.  Did you see it?

Dried flowers, bits of dryer lint, pieces of string, ribbon, paper

all so delicately woven into a wonderful home for a little bird family.

Martha indeed!

We've found a few nests around here and they are incredible works of art by nature

but

nothing so, so, sooo imaginative,

hmmmm, what is the word I'm looking for?

Anyway,

I haven't seen many birds around here yet this Spring and I don't know if they are building their nests now or if they've finished with that business for the season.

Just to be sure they have all they need

and to give nature a small hands up

(which I am quite certain she doesn't need)

I decided to collect a few bits and bobs, string, paper, ribbon, dryer lint and such

and, after snipping them into small pieces, placing them into a wire basket that I had in my craft room.

Then,

I hung it out in a tree.

Won't it be interesting to see if I find any nests next Fall with little bits and pieces from my house

to theirs!

(wow, the photo nightmare...bad lighting, too close, and blurry!)

Enjoy your day,

be safe, be kind,

remember happiness and peace are a choice.

don't let the door hit you in the b*tt on your way out of town...

courtesy; nasa

Welcome Spring, when the Sun crosses the Equator bringing us warmer days and shorter nights.  One of only two times a year that this phenomenon happens....see even in Nature balance is overrated!

We've had a mild winter here, well, until the last few weeks.  Had our usual (1) big snowstorm which closed down the city, lots of dreary days and mild temps and of course more than our share of rain.  This year has been a little strange though, now we've got snow, hail, ice, and colder temps.  They are baking in the mid-west and we are freezing in the northwest.   Well, I am still hoping that Spring is going to kick some Winter butt and we will soon be enjoying those warmer sunny days.  Happy Spring!

May Day...

...despite it's history of unrest and upheaval I prefer to think of May Day as the official start of Spring.

Years ago, before we moved to this house, the neighborhood girls would make May Day baskets, by hand, and deliver them to our front door.   There would be a knock at the door and when answered you could see the smiling eyes and hear the muffled giggles as the little ones waited in a secret hiding place for you to find the basket.  They were always made of construction paper and filled with flowers from our yard...cherry blossoms, tulips, and an occasional dandelion.

I miss those sweet days of little girls with their sweet gifts of Spring.   (I do wonder, now that my daughter has her own yard, if she find dandelions so cute!)

Happy May Day y'all. 

Bloomin' Jade...

...we went to the nursery a few days ago

to

look at what Spring

is

supposed to look like!

We

came upon this Jade plant

which

is over 25 years old.

It's

rather difficult to see

but

is quite amazing.

I have been having a LOT of problems with blogger lately.  For several days I couldn't find my blog...then it appeared but I couldn't sign in.
(I even went so far as to start a new one)
uploading photos has been
a process all of itself...oy.  Are you having problems too?

Spring Fling...part 2...Pay it Forward...

...recently my pal, Suzan, from Oldgreymare put up a post encouraging all of us to get involved and Pay It Forward.   With all the misery and chaos in the world right now it is so easy to get overwhelmed and forget that a simple touch can mean so much.  It can touch the heart in so many ways and be an impetus for others to also reach out.

With this in mind I have decided to join in and Pay It Forward myself; I encourage you to do so!  Keep reading...

Here's how it works....(taken from Erin's blog)


The first five people who comment on this blog post will receive a handmade gift from me. (let me know if you want to participate).

In return, you must FIRST write a blog post explaining Pay It Forward 2011. Then.... send out a handmade gift to the first 5 visitors who leave a comment on your post. Take your time...you don't need to send them all today or tomorrow.

This is such a sweet way to connect with friends or meet new ones, by sharing things we create with our hearts.

"It's not the size of the gift that matters, but the spirit

of paying it forward."

Time's up...

...it's time to announce the winners of my Spring-fling part 1.  Thanks to all of you who entered and shared your favorite Spring accessory.  You are a bunch of crazy people, you know that?!  I think mine would be sun glasses, although being in Washington, we wear them all year long.  We are over sensitive to light here.

Using my own personal number generator, the hubs, the following winners will receive a Infinity t-shirt scarf from Adornment Assortment and the lovely Lea...here we go:

# 19-Yolanda from Perfectly Imperfect~~green.

# 11-Maggie aka, Grandma Yellow Hair from Just Between Me and You~~purple.

and lastly, persistence pays off for...

# 29-Sherry from Country Wings in Phoenix~~pink.

Send me your mailing address and I will get these out to you as soon as possible plus a little something from me to say "thanks."  (jmwe4(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Stay tuned, part 2 can't be far away! 

The Cherry Blossoms...

...today, as I was cutting Cherry blossoms from our flowering tree, I couldn't help but think of the peoples of Japan.  The victims, survivors and rescuers for who no words in Japanese or English can describe their plight right now...those images that keep flooding my brain, that keep me awake at night with dreams of their suffering, that make me feel so utterly helpless.

It is Cherry Blossom time in Japan right now.  It started in January and continues until the end of March.  In past years many celebrations have been made under the cherry blossom trees and they hold much tradition.

In Japan, the cherry blossom symbolizes clouds due do their nature of blooming and the ephemeral nature of life.  The transience of the blossoms along with their extreme beauty and quick death is often associated with mortality.

They are also an omen of good fortune and an emblem of love and affection.  They are an enduring metaphor for the fleeting nature of life...the fleeting nature of life which is all too real and present at this time.  Sending prayers for all of her people.

* because the time just doesn't feel right I will be postponing my dining room post until Monday.  Remember, tomorrow is the last day to enter my Spring-fling here.  Also, winners will be announced on Monday as I take tomorrow as a day of reflection.   Please remember to visit Lea and thank her for her generosity in this give-away.  Blessings to you all...*

I'm on my second cup of coffee...

...I was awakened uncharacteristically early this morning by a glow coming from outside my bedroom window.  As I have said before our property backs up onto a two-lane road that is quite busy in the mornings.   I hesitated to get up, longing to roll over and return to blissful sleep, but was drawn back to the window with curiosity.  As I approached the window I could detect a warm familiar feeling buried deep in my soul.  As I cautiously opened the shades I realized that warm-glow was sunshine!  Lovely, beautiful, healing, life-giving sunshine.   It was going to be a good day and quite honestly...my coffee agreed...

On another note, this is a picture of a rather non-descript wall in my dining room.  There are three others just like it, with the exception of a window.  Tomorrow I will show you what I did to cheer up this sad wall, without using paint or spending more than $20.  Shop the house, you never know what you will find.  Until  then...

google images...not my wall

Don't forget the Spring-fling giveaway!  Only two more days to go...here!

Etsy love and a give-away...

*first off I want to say that I think I have fixed the wonky font, although I have no idea where it came from I hope it is g.o.n.e.  if you are still having trouble viewing please let me know!  *




...Yay!  I'm having a Spring-Fling give-away.  This will be the first in a series of give-aways so be sure to check back often.  It is my way of thanking your for your concern and support during my recent cancer treatment and my effort to court Spring...my favorite season, o.k., not really but let's not tell Spring that!

Do you know Etsy?  Before I started blogging I had never heard of Etsy, now it is my 'go-to' place for everything handmade and unique.  At any given time I have at least six things in my cart waiting for my final decision...I hope you will check them out, I especially love their vintage and collectible section...sigh.  

Today I am featuring Lea and her shop Adornment Assortment.  I found Lea when I was looking for scarves and such to cover the scar I have on my neck from my recent Thyroid surgery.  I found her handmade infinity t-shirt scarves. These little darlings are lightweight and extremely comfortable.  They are not bulky but can be worn many different ways and can be casual or dressed up with a brooch, flower or pretty big button.   She also has many other handmade items in her shop so go check it out;  Adornment Assortment.

I asked Lea if she would like to be part of my Spring Fling and she jumped right on board and offered three, yep 3, of her beautiful scarves to be given away.  How sweet is that?  So here they are...

 first up: purple infinity t-shirt scarf...

 next: a vibrant green infinity t-shirt scarf...

and finally: Hello Kitty infinity t-shirt scarf.

Now I know you are all wondering how you can win one of these and what set of complicated rules must you follow to even qualify, am I right???   Well, here we go...none.  No rules, ok, not true...just a couple.    Ready...

1. you may enter as many times as you want, as many times a day, everyday, whatever you'd like.  Enter often, BUT, all entries must be on this post and only this post.
2.  IF you would like to spread the word, you know, via your blog, twitter or FB, then you will get an extra entry AND a special prize from me!  Be sure to let me know in the comments.
3.  contest is open until the official start of Spring which is Sunday March 20 at midnight PDT. winners will be chosen by random number generator  and finally:

answer the following question....
  What is your favorite Spring accessory?

there you go, good luck!

Spring Fling...

 (store bought) daffodils by lamp-light

...it is, yet again, a dark, dreary, windy, rainy day here and my longing for Spring is out of control.

I'm tired of taking photos by lamp-light.  I'm tired of looking at my yard and garden and wondering how will I ever get this mess cleaned up.  I'm tired of looking at all the pretty bedding plants at the nursery knowing what would happen if I brought some of them home with me.  I'm tired of "planning" my gardens and watching my bulbs floating in their beds.  I'm tired, just plain tired.   (and yet there is a part of me that thinks...shut up, I have nothing to complain about with all the misery in the world.  But I realize I cannot do anything but pray for those lost souls and so I do and then I must move forward with my life, hard as it may be to do so.  Sometimes being so tender-hearted is so very difficult, I really struggle with trying to understand.)

I wonder, where is the sun?  Where are the birds?  Where are all the signs that Spring will eventually make an appearance?  Where, why, oh my!  

I'm done with all the whining and waiting.  This week we are going to court Spring like never before.  I have five several give-aways that will make us all think Spring.  Soooo, be sure to check back here often and have some fun with me and let's  get Mother Nature on board.  Who's ready for Spring?

p.s.  I also have a very busy week with doctors and such but tomorrow I get to....babysit my little dumpling!  Yay!  The first time they are going to leave her and I get to rock her all afternoon...I'm so done!  Have a good Monday peeps...

In search of Spring...

...last weekend, after the snow had melted, I took a little walk around the back yard in search of any signs of Spring.  I have been suffering with Spring fever for several weeks now and hoped I would find a cure, or at least a little bitty hope.

 leaves left in the grass long gone from this world...

 tree branches from the last wind storm...

 the last vestiges of a hydrangea blossom...

 to the moss that has taken over the lawn...

 

to the bud-less branches waiting for the sun...

to the un-raked leaves still laying in the yard..oh, wait...what is that I see...there...that little sprout of green, could it be, could it??  Oh my yes...it's a Daffodil, there next to a weed.   Yeah, there is hope.

It's here...it's here...

10:32 a.m., Welcome Spring!

Reaching for the light...

week 1

week 2

week 3

week 4

viola!

Lately, I have been searching, reaching, in oh so many ways, for the light.  Hoping for an early spring...

In search of Spring...

Shades of Marie Barone...

Do you remember that episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" where Marie took a sculpting class? She gave her project to Debra and Raymond as a gift. It was quite large and would only fit in their living room. Marie couldn't understand why they kept covering it up and was rightly offended thinking they didn't like it. She had no idea that everyone but her saw something slightly inappropriate in the shape of the sculpture. It reminded people of a certain area of a woman's body and Marie was horrified when this was pointed out to her.

Yesterday we went for a walk at a local bulb farm. We have been in search of Spring and thought we might find it there even though it had snowed that morning and was now cold and rainy. As we walked around the gardens looking at all the bulbs in assorted stages of bloom I came across a sculpture I had never seen before. As many years as we have been going to the bulb farm and, as many years that this has been called the "Daffodil Valley," I still had not seen this structure. Immediately upon viewing it that episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" jumped into my mind and I snapped a picture of it. Tell me what you think...