Category Archives: Flowers

Feed the Birds Hodgepodge

Jo From This Side of the Pond is tweeting out some new questions for us to answer for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1.  April 26th is National Audubon Day, honoring John James Audubon, the French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter known for his detailed study and illustration of birds in their natural habitats.

Do you have a bird feeder? 

Yes, several.

Any birds in your home decor?

A few.

Have you ever owned a pet bird?

Yes, and it’s a sad story I’ve told before. In the 50’s our Pop decided he would get pigeons and he built a pigeon cage for them in our back yard. I had 3 siblings at that time and we all chose one to be our pet. Mine was Green Neck. Things got so dire financially that our pet pigeons ended up in a pot of soup. All of my siblings and myself refused to eat that soup. Our Pop couldn’t understand why. OYE!

The photo above is of our Pop, my older sisters Kathy and Vera and that’s me with a pigeon on my head. I’m guessing it’s Green Neck.

What’s your favorite bird? 

This is tough. I love many birds. The majestic eagle and the hawk are special. I love the look of owls. Hummingbirds are adorable. I’m not a fan of pigeons and won’t let them find a place to roost.

2. What’s something you took to ‘like a duck to water’? 

Blogging.

3. Empty nest, nest egg, proud as a peacock, free as a bird, birds of a feather flock together, or the early bird catches the worm…choose one and tell us how it currently applies to your life. 

I’ll go with the early bird catches the worm because lately I’m finding myself awake at 5am and by 9am it seems like I’ve gotten all I need to get done, done.

4. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds…your favorite seed and a favorite food or dish made with that seed or topped with that seed?

Sunflower seeds first and pumpkin seeds come in second, roasted and lightly salted in the shells.

Have you tried all the seeds on the list?

I don’t think I’ve tried flax or chia.

Any you don’t care for? 

All are fine in limited quantities, except for sunflower seeds. I can crack and eat a whole bag of sunflower seeds!

5. Something in the past week that made you ‘happy as a lark’?

We took the plunge and are trying out a new satellite internet service. Waiting for one last mount before we are good to go. If you don’t see me next week you’ll know something went wrong. Where we live in the country our only good option is a satellite service.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are warming up the rest of this week and finally have mornings above freezing. We had our first walk on the Rotary Trail on Saturday morning and are looking forward to this trek a few times a week.

Today is a busy day with a 7am appointment for new tires on the car, an 8:30 appointment with the doctor, 9am Prayer meeting and then the window washers are coming in the late afternoon. Hooray for clean windows!

Our shadows on the trail last Saturday.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to be around to visit soon.

The Day in Between

On this day in between we are preparing for our Joyful Resurrection Sunday service. “It is Finished”

It rained most of the day yesterday but it looks like we have the day off from rain today.

I’ve not been on my computer much as we are busy here at our Country Bungalow preparing not only for Easter Day but some other events this Spring.

Hope to be around soon to see how Spring is unfolding in your neck of the woods.

Still Stormy

We’ve had some stormy weather with wind, downpours, thunder and lightening. The ground was so soaked that we took the opportunity to pull a lot of weeds that were easier to pull up.

On the Fourth the skies cleared up just in time for a gathering of lots of church folks at a family from church’s home. Everyone brought their own meat to throw on the barbecues. We all got a grilling number when we arrived. We were number 7. Everyone also brought sides and desserts to share with everyone. It was a feast. We left about halfway through the Corn hole tournament. There were enough corn holes for 8 teams to play at a time. We made it home just in time for another downpour. Hope the corn hole tournament wasn’t rained out!

With all the storms this summer it was safe enough to shoot off lots fireworks.

Walking early this morning with a new friend from church who just moved back to Colville from Montana. It’s going to be hard to remember what day of the week it is since the Fourth landed on a Monday.

If the rain is over for a few days Dear will be able to continue on the exterior painting project.

All My Times Are in Thy Hands

~
Even though the day be laden,
And my path dreary,
And my strength small,
A song keeps singing in my heart:
For I know that I am Thine;
I am part of Thee;
Thou art kin to me,
And all my times, all my times are in Thy hands.
~
~Inscribed on an altar in the Hebrides
~
And here are some photos of the current state of our plants after all our Spring rain, then being basked by some summer sunshine. We had to water for the first time this year on Saturday.
Peonies have such a delightful but short season. I’m always in awe of their beauty.
~
These two are celebrating their 7th Anniversary. They spent Sunday without their little ones in tow and had a nice time in Spokane which included bowling. They met each other at the bowling alley in Colville and that’s where it all began. Happy Anniversary Dan and Jamie! We love the two of you together! God bless you with many many more anniversaries!
~
Hope you all have a beautiful week which brings us into July.

Raindrops Keep Falling…

…and our blooms are slower to open up this Spring. Compared to last year our Peonies, Clematis, Irises, and Columbine are all a bit behind in opening up in their glory.

We have 2 large bushes of this variety of Peony and 3 smaller ones. When they bloom I try to bring bouquets in and give away some, too. I was able to take a nice bouquet to a surprise birthday party we went to on Sunday afternoon during a dry spell with sun, some blue sky and lovely fluffy clouds. When we got home from the party the skies opened up with an amazing downpour with lightning and thunder and hail, oh my.

One of the many Iris bulbs opened up on Saturday. Several more to come.

Our weekend was filled with mostly rain with a few dry spells. During the dry spells I pulled as many weeds as my back and arms would permit. When the soil is wet with rain the weeds pull up easier. I figure 20 more hours of weeding and I’ll be ahead. I smile and sigh at the same time.

Even though we are getting a lot of rain and cooler temperatures this Spring we go with the flow and hope that this accumulation of moisture will help lower the risk of wildfires this summer.

How goes it in your corner of the world?

Robins Old and New

We don’t remember them with white on the tail feathers like this.

This young one was just improving it’s flying skills, just fresh from the nest.

If you squint you can see the little one on the branch to the left. It flew up into the trees in our front yard.

It’s been fun to watch the festivities of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee! We recorded it and are slowly making our way through.

In other news we have had to turn from heat to air conditioning the last couple of days and the Columbine is blooming beautifully!

Hope your first weekend in June is a good one.

May, the Present and Past Hodgepodge

At the end of April and beginning of May in 2014 me and our daughter were on a journey from Seattle to Jacksonville North Carolina to set her up in an apartment before her husband returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. On May 3rd we were at the Biltmore Estate and Gardens in Asheville, North Carolina. Talk about beautiful May flowers!

Speaking of May flowers Jo From This Side of the Pond has some timely questions for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. May Day! May Day!…last time you shouted for help? Or maybe just asked? 

I was shouting for help the whole month of April and mostly from my spouse. There were others I called into service to help me but the best help by my side for huge functions is Dear. We can depend on each other for good consistent effective help in getting an event ready and done. If my sisters lived nearby I’d call on them. There’s a level of good help that comes instinctively. People who walk into a situation and know what needs to be done without asking a million questions. Someone who doesn’t have to ask but sees and gets the task done. When I can’t depend on that kind of help I’m learning to write out detailed instructions and steps to execute an event. I tape those instructions on the kitchen cabinets at church so all can follow along and get things done step by step.

2. What’s something you may do this month? 

I may schedule myself a massage.

3.  ‘April showers bring May flowers’...is this true where you live? What’s blooming? What’s your favorite springtime blossom?

The daffodils have bloomed and are waning with the Lily of the Valley starting to sprout. The Johnny Jump Ups are showing. The first harvest of rhubarb is just about ready. The peonies are sprouting but won’t flower for a bit yet. The most healthy blooms right now are the dandelions! By the end of May we will see lots of beautiful blooms.

Some of my favorite Springtime blossoms are lilacs, azaleas, peonies, and wisteria.

4. What’s something you learned at your mother’s knee?

That the Bible is the book to cherish.

5. Share a thought about motherhood. 

Motherhood is a privilege to cherish and not take for granted and grandparenthood is one of the rewards for enduring, the cherry on top!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

More beautiful blooms from the Biltmore 8 years ago…

A very Happy Mother’s Day is wished for any mom who visits here!

And…

May the fourth be with you! 🙂

Friday Smiles

When we were in Spokane on Monday we picked up a couple bunches of daffodils at Trader Joe’s. We enjoyed them on our table on Tuesday night at an early St. Patrick’s day dinner. Photo fail again as I didn’t take a photo of the St. Patty’s Day table I set.

Daffodils are such a happy flower. They make me smile. Another thing that is making me smile is that the snow is melting and it’s such an easy walk to the garage now. Watching the birds is making us smile, too. Photos coming soon.

Speaking of smiling, today our kids are arriving for the weekend and we have a special 5 year old to celebrate so I will be scarce on the internet. Hope you all have a great weekend and you find something to make you smile.

Speaking of Yellow Hodgepodge

Sisters wknd 076

My sisters in a field of daffodils in Mount Vernon, Washington State. We enjoyed a sister weekend back in March of 2016. I think it’s high time we had another sister weekend!!

It’s Wednesday and that means it’s time for Wednesday Hodgepodge! Thank you Jo for the questions and the link-up!

1. It’s National Popcorn Day-my favorite! Are you a fan?

Yes

Sweet or salty?

Both. Give me some good Garrett Chicago Blend, cheddar and caramel!

A good or great movie you’ve seen recently (at home or in a theater, either one)? 

We haven’t watched many movies recently. I can’t remember the last time I was in a theater. We did watch ‘The Blind Side’ recently and it was good.

Some ‘great’ movies we’ve watched in the past: Fiddler on the Roof, Sound of Music, Lord of the Rings.

2. What’s something you didn’t realize was going to take so much of your time as an adult? 

Preparing all the things for the Tax man! We are now at a stage of life that this is not daunting anymore.

3. Your favorite yellow something? 

Daffodils, the flower that makes me smile because it heralds Spring!

4. Why do you write? 

I write to bring clarity to my jumbled thoughts. Things become clearer to me as I write. My thoughts can be so unorganized but when I write them out they make better sense. Writing out prayers is a good exercise for me.

5. Share a favorite memory associated with snow.

Christmas 2020 we had snow that was just right for building a snowman. Our whole family enjoyed creating Ami the Amish Snowman!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Happy Birthday to our firstborn son! He is God’s unique creation. He’s a great son, husband, brother, uncle, friend and boss. A great encourager who is giving, kind, dependable and hardworking.  We are so thankful to God that He gave you to us and that He saved you and continues to lead and guide you. We love you Joshie!