Taxes and Tulips Hodgepodge

Get your muck boots on and tiptoe through the tulips with me.

It’s not taxing to answer Wednesday Hodgepodge questions, thank you, Joyce!

1. Big week in the US of A…do you do your own taxes?

We don’t do our own taxes.

I am in charge of the books for our well that four properties share and I have to file an annual nonprofit tax form and I’m patting myself on the back for getting that done.

What’s something you’ve found ‘taxing’ lately?

Exercising.

2. When it comes to travel are you a last minute packer or a lay it all out a week in advance type?

I don’t lay it all out but I do think about it and make lists.

Do you struggle to pack light?

For our trip this past March we packed very light and proved we could do it so we will be packing light for any trips in the future unless it is a road trip.

Share a packing tip that has worked for you.

Pack your socks inside your spare pair of shoes that you are packing.

3. April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Hmmm…who knew it got its own month? Do you like a grilled cheese sandwich? What ingredient do you add to take yours to the next level?

We do enjoy a good grilled cheese sandwich. A good slice of salami can take it to the next level.

4. There’s a well known quote that says-

‘A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.” John A. Shedd

Is constant growth necessary or do you think it’s more important to prioritize stability and peace in your life?

As a Biblical Christian I am admonished to grow. Grow in my knowledge of the Word of God. Grow more like Christ. Grow in my love for God, my Savior. My peace and stability come from walking with God and knowing Him more and growing more and more like Jesus Christ. This does not happen overnight, it is a lifelong process of Sanctification.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

You, therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:17-18

5. Let’s wrap this up with a fun spring this or that-

daffodils or tulips ~ first daffodils and then tulips!
lemonade or iced tea ~ lemonade
gardening or hiking ~how about walking
ladybugs or butterflies ~ butterflies
umbrella or raincoat ~raincoat
floral patterns or polka dots ~polka dots

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of tulips, you don’t have to travel all the way to Amsterdam to enjoy amazing tulip fields. When we lived in Kenmore, Washington we tried to make an annual trip to Mount Vernon, Washington for the tulip festival. That was just an hour to an hour and a half drive. It was worth the tulip traffic and dodging all the people like us who wanted to enjoy the glorious fields of tulips.

I could go on and on with the photos I have but this will give you a good taste of the variety and massive industry of tulips from this area of Washington State. Besides the fields there are several gardens to enjoy with many more unique varieties of tulips with gift shops, etc.

Roozengaarde Tulip Farm

On the letter R and let’s go back to remember better days when we could schlep about the muddy tulip fields during the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The Tulip festival of 2020 had to be cancelled and the only way to see the Roozengaarde Garden is by a virtual tour.

Our very first visit to the tulip fields in Mount Vernon was a brief one in 1989.

This was in the late 90’s when my folks visited us in April and Katie was at least 10 years older. These photos were taken in the Roozengaarde Farm Garden.

We celebrated my mom’s birthday while they were here so we know they were here before and after April 8th.

The first time I met some of the Mennonite Girls Can Cook face to face was during the tulip festival in 2010.

That was the beginning of a incredible adventure.

In 2014 Katie and I visited the Roozengaarde again before she moved back to Jacksonville, North Carolina.

In 2015 as many of the Mennonite Girls who could, traveled down into the USA to meet me at Roozengaarde.

In 2018 we had a very muddy windy schlep through the fields with my sister, daughter and DIL.

We don’t live on the “Coast” anymore so a quick trip up to the tulip fields and to Roozengaarde Gardens is not easy anymore. I have lots of good memories and photos to remember.

A New Week…

If you want to see fields and fields of tulips without traveling to Holland you need to come to Washington State in April.

Do you see the heart of pink tulips here?

We are fans of Roozengaarde in Mt. Vernon and always enjoy our visits to this beautiful garden and their tulip fields. Always make sure to have your mud boots with you when you visit the tulip fields.

We have had a weekend of keeping things clean and tidy and letting people traipse through our home at their whim. Sigh. Hope we sell soon so we can relax, a little. Hope all is well in your world.

Tea and Tulips

We had a great escape on Saturday running away from the storms and catching some blue skies. There was lots of wind that whipped our hair around. I’ll fill in the blanks about our tea and tulip time gradually this week. Lots to do around here and my brain is too tired for too many words. The men folk got a lot accomplished while we played. God bless them. Tomorrow is another big day in the packing world. Hope all of you are doing well.

In the Pink!

I’ve got one more post from our trip to the tulip festival this year.

Meanwhile at this old house we are busy busy getting ready for Easter.

Today is Maundy Thursday—the Thursday before Easter. Christians around the world and across many denominations take time on this day to remember the Last Supper, when Jesus and his disciples dined together for the last time before his death.

The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word for commandment (mandatum), which Jesus talked about when he told his disciples that he was leaving them “a new commandment,” that they “love one another.”

As a reminder of this commandment, some churches hold foot washing ceremonies on the Thursday of Holy Week. If you’ve never been a part of a foot washing ceremony, it’s an incredibly humbling activity—one can imagine how difficult it would have been for the disciples to allow Jesus to humble himself in this way.

ht: Bible Gateway

Time to Pack it Up…

…this will be my last tulip field post for now. It’s time to pack and head south.

I’m always on the lookout for the odd one in the bunch…

I was so happy that I was prompted to stash my yard boots in the car before I headed to the fields because…

…here’s what I got to walk through to get to all the different colored rows of tulips!

Yes, I felt quite smug! I’ll admit it…

If you didn’t have boots on the Roozengaarde Garden was a good choice to see many beautiful varieties of tulips and to be able to buy bunches of tulips, too.

Packed fresh and ready to send to the stands to sell.

I managed to take the garden shots avoiding hundreds of people that were milling about. The later in the morning the worse it gets.

Tuesday will be my day to get everything organized at this old house for my absence. I will be packing the suitcases for a very early departure on Wednesday morning. Dear will be coming later in the week.

Mixing It Up!

Hope you aren’t tired of tulips! Today I’m sharing the variegated and mixed up tulips. We have had rain, rain and more rain this weekend. Finally on Sunday afternoon we got some blue skies and sunshine!

We had some fun news this weekend. Our nephew Caleb asked his sweetheart Marie to marry him. Looks like our family will be having another wedding celebration come August! Reasons to celebrate are the theme of this year!

A friend of Caleb and Marie was hiding out to take this photo and others of this fun moment.

Congratulations on your engagement Caleb and Marie!

Anything new in your neck of the woods?

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Tag Archives: Roozengaarde Tulip Farms