Remember when....

...your child would would surprise you with a bouquet of handpicked flowers?  My thirty something daughter did that this week.  The charm and dazzle of a wildflower bouquet is as sweet as ever!  She found these in our woods, along the creek bed, which is running well this time of year.   Flowers that are meant to grow in wet areas.....cover the ground like a wave.   

 Common Camas

(Camassia quamash) from the Lily Family (Liliaceae)

Blue hue!

Thank you, Laura Jane! 

A bouquet of wild flowers is the perfect gift for this mother!   

Baby shower,story and pictures.

Have you ever had a day when you have taken lots of pictures and can't wait to upload/download them ? You want to see all the wonderful moments you experienced but the pictures don't turn out so great? Saturday was that day for me...but the good news is...another person took really good pictures and I can send you over to look at them! I'll explain. I hosted a baby shower for my daughter-in-law, Andra. She and our son, Derin, are having their first baby! There is so much anticipation for this wonder of wonders to occur!!

I began setting the table last Saturday for high tea! I used my mothers china, which is a baby shower maker, due to it's pink and blue pattern! I added little things to the table all during the week and at the last moment lit the candles for the affair. With each detail I thought of the baby and our adult kids. They are having a baby!! We are going to be grandparents again!!

To get the good pictures and story go over the Sherry's blog. I think you will enjoy reading about the day. Our grand niece, Claire, was front and center helping to reveal each prized treasure. Everyone was so generous and thoughtful with their gift giving.

Cupie doll was looking pretty cute next to Andra and had the same fun grin on it's face! Or is that the other way around?

It won't be long now!

The Pacific Dogwood,

Cornus nuttallii (syn. Benthamidia nuttallii), is a species of dogwood native to western North America from lowlands of southern British Columbia to mountains of southern California. Wikipedia

We have several very old dogwood trees growing in our woods, with two of them close to our house. They have grown and stretched to reach the light beyond the fir and cedar trees. Evergreens grow at a more rapid rate and tower over the beautiful dogwood. Right now we can walk through the woods and find every dogwood that grows within our boundaries. After the flowers fade, the trees easily blend in to the landscape, and aren't so easily seen.

The dogwood flower can have from four to eight petals. I climbed to a very high place to get these pictures and was surprised to see the four, five and six petal flowers. Each one was different and growing on the same branch.

Pure beauty is seen by looking into the face of a wild dogwood blossom!

Do you know why a dogwood tree is called "dogwood?" It is said that the bark was used as medicine to cure mange on dogs. I couldn't verify this as a fact but found the information on Yedda.com.

Walking daily......

....is a healthy habit. It gets me into another neighborhood that is quite different from our farm. The neighborhood I am referring to boarders Stone Creek Golf course and is the golf course. This route has been the same path I've taken, with my walking partner, for the past four years. We have worn out several pairs of shoes and enjoyed some pretty lively conversations! We often talk about the benefits of walking like: lower cholesterol, keep weight in balance, eye health, lower blood pressure and attends to vitamin D deficiency. I'd like to say that walking has allowed me to lose weight, but that is not the case. It allows me to eat without gaining. We walk in the rain and sunshine. There is also the exception of rain blowing sideways and extreme wind! Many times we have gotten wet down to our underwear but not as often as some report! Every day it doesn't rain is appreciated and noted! :)

A friendly neighbor puts out fresh water for those who walk with their dogs.

Daffodils grow freely against the fence and will be there for years to come.

Way up, over our heads, we hear honking. A gaggle of Canada Geese fly in V formation, heading towards the East, with a stop at the pond.

We head down into the wooded area, along the creek and behind the golf course.

Deer fern grow on the rocks and trees along the path. They are so pretty and won't grow in other places...like pots.

Trillium are scattered all along the creek and path.

Ahh..the sunshine is beginning to peek out beneath the fluffy white clouds!

Many of the homes along the golf course are large and very well appointed. We get to look at their pools and lovely landscapes as we tread by.

This planting is exceptional and if we ever saw the owners outside we would say, "thank you!"

In a few short weeks it will be changed out and another amazing show will be displayed!

I encourage those of you who want to walk to find an area that is safe and one that you enjoy. Start out slowly and build up to a distance that is further than you think you would like to go. Four miles sounds like a lot to me, but it is the distance that has built up my strength and given my body the opportunity to repair itself in areas that were lacking. It is also the distance around the golf course and back to my walking partners house. It's been a good thing.

Yard work...Saturday

A trip to the nursery and a car full of plants await my attention today. I put off buying plants until the weather co-operated, and before taking that drive into the country to our favorite growers. Hopefully.......these plants will be alright! It is still a little crisp at night.

Red and purple salvia, purple petunias, grasses, brightly colored geraniums will fill our pots and be nestled into the flower beds. This is just the start of more to come and another season bursting with promise of beautiful flowers! We will water, fertilize and exclaim over the plantings as they flourish!

The color spots this year will be red, peach, orange, yellow, purple, blue, pink and white! The more color....the better!

A quick walk out to the garden area, behind the barn, we find the apple trees making their statement of what is to come! Gravenstein and Red Delicious apples are forming as the bees do their work!

The bees are here!!

Spring....the season of hope and dreams!

Learning to cut with real scissors

Last week our granddaughter spent four days with us, while her mommy and daddy were moving their belongings to Bellingham, Washington. They wanted to get the house settled before taking LA up to see everything. We were thrilled to have LA, and it gave us the opportunity to enjoy her for a long period of time. I got out the art supplies and she spied the scissors. LA asked if she could use them? I replied, "yes" and "I'll sit right here with you while you do that!" I showed her a few ways to hold the scissors and she used them the way that felt right to her. Her little hands couldn't open them up far enough to have complete control but she was able to cut paper...lots of it!! I understand that when she went home she told her mommy that she had used "real" scissors at Grammy's house.
Scissor skills are refined at about five years of age and LA is just four. She has lots of time to practise! Tea time! I brought out a big box that holds little tea sets and chose the tiniest two sets for LA to play with. They are real china and quite cute. LA was thrilled to say the least. I let her do as she liked and added a couple of frosted animal cookies. She was so very careful with the little dishes and it made her day! The pictures tell the story.

We love you little missy! There will be lots more days full of cutting and tea parties!!

Critical Thinking

"Don't believe everything you think." I read this quote recently, added to an email signature, and liked it. Then, Googled the words and found a book with the very same name. It is written by Thomas E. Kida. It is a book about the six common mistakes we make in thinking. Next stop...the library to check out the book. I'll let you know what I think.....after reading it.

"Junk?"

The eye is....

...the lamp of your body....see the light.? Love the light.....................

...within........

....and upon.

Speaking of light within.....we are so excited to meet our new little "light" soon!

There will be big blue eyes!