Bug Love! (Part One)

Sooooo, I caught these two in the act on one of the sunflowers in my garden and had to share. In a strange sort of way, it's kind of romantic...if there were a sunflower big enough I'd probably do the same, tee-hee!

Little Critters Hanging Out

The spring weather we've been having - sun, rain, sun, rain - has brought a few critters around to visit. Inside one of the birdhouses I keep by the front door (which were made by the husband last summer)...
...this cute little tree frog decided to spend an afternoon.

One of the things I have noticed as a new comer to the Pacific Northwest was how few snails there are...even with all the rain we have. So I had to get a picture of this cute little guy.

The rain also brought this waddling pair to spend a couple of days floating around and munching on worms and bugs in a big puddle.

By the way, Happy Earth Day (one day late)!

Alternative Energy

I went to the Seattle Home show recently...mostly because the husband and I were interested to see the exhibits. An unexpected (to me) part of the show was being able to see the vendors who had green/alternative energy and recycled products. There were of course lots of solar panel products, geo-thermal heating units, high-efficiency-organic insulation, roofs made out of all sort of recycled materials - plastics, tires, metals, but probably the most interesting to me were the wind energy turbines. I may have never shared in this space that I studied mechanical engineering as an undergrad. Several of the courses I took had an emphasis on alternative energy and efficiency. I am drawn to the idea of being "off the grid" (or at least partially so) on an intellectual and practical level...good thing is that the husband has similar feelings. Some day in the future, hopefully sooner rather than later, our home will be running on sustainable energy.

Spring Sneak Peek

In the last day or so everytime I glance at a weather report it seems as though it is all news about the extreme snow blizzards, wind and cold happening in the midwest and on the east coast. For the last day or so we in western WA have been lucky enough to have a break from our usual winter rain and have had some pretty nice weather.

I think this tends to happen in January on the west coast. As far back as college I have memories of it being very pretty for a week or two during the month of January. In college I lived in San Luis Obispo, which is about a 15 minute drive from Pismo Beach and Avila Beach. I remember right after the winter quarter had begun I would sometimes head to the beach in January to do homework and study while sitting in the sun and enjoying the sand and sound of waves. I would even wear shorts and flip flops with a light hooded sweatshirt. Washington hasn't quite had the warmer temperatures, but it has had the sunshine. I have to remind myself on these sunny winter days to enjoy and appreciate being able to go outside. In the last few years we seem to have hit a pattern of spending a few scattered days outside in the winter when it gets pretty like this. Usually the days are spent on some kind of outside project. I always find these work days to be so refreshing. I know that there is still several more months of grey overcast skies and seemingly non-stop rain, but getting outside on the sunny days makes it more manageable. The husband and I took advantage of just such a day yesterday by spending a good chunk of time on a few outside projects. One such project was to start laying a new pathway from our driveway to Bambino's kennel. We already had the flagstones and the gravel is pretty inexpensive if bought by the yard (or half yard in this case). This area can get kind of soggy at times, so a path will be nice for keeping our shoes dry and mud free. Eventually grass will grow up through the gravel between the flagstones.Another item I was able to cross off the never ending to-do list was clearing the dead plant stocks and vines from the flower bed on the side of our house. This area is beautiful once spring hits, lots of blooms. The cosmos I planted a few years ago are actually just starting to peak out of the ground. I love those first little bits of spring!

The last project that I thought I'd tell you about was one that was entirely done by the husband. My only part in removing a large and deeply rooted stump in our vegetable garden was standing by for a bit and snapping some pictures. It was actually pretty amazing to watch him use the excavator on his tractor to dig this thing out of the ground. It was in the area near where our chickens were until just recently. I say this because another project we accomplished yesterday was moving our poultry to a new and improved area of their own in the garden. I plan to share more about this in a day or so...it deserves a post of it's own.

Well, whether it's freezing where you're at or if you're lucky enough to be getting a little bit of nice(ish) weather, I do hope your week is ending well!

Field of Geese

I passed by this field a few days when driving home. I'd been out for a day of relaxing, manicure and pedicure, sushi lunch, hair cut, and a bit of shopping. It was one of those days that are just kind of magical, everywhere I looked everything seemed prettier than normal. I had to stop when I saw this sight of hundreds of geese grazing together. The collective sound they made was kind of amazing, it sounded more human than animal, like a crowd of people chatting away, overlapping conversations but not one conversation decipherable over another.

My next stop after taking these pictures was to Bungalow Bay, the store where I have been selling my handmade items since the end of the summer. I hadn't been by for a while to pick up my earnings. I decided that to treat myself I would allow myself a bit of a spending spree. In all the times I've been in there, I haven't ever made a purchase, so it was fun to get to pick some treasures out. It made an already great day even more special.

Stunning Morning Views

The views from our upstairs deck this morning were stunning, when I looked to the left I saw this:: And to the right this is what I saw::
Beautiful! Have a wonderful weekend!

I Made Garland!

I saw some lovely live garland being sold at Costco recently. It was made out of Western Red Cedar and was 15' long (if I remember correctly). It was also around $16... So this past Thursday, I decided to try to make one myself...

The husband was recruited to help with the first part of the project, collecting the branches. We went out into the woods on our property and found a part of a cedar tree that had been damaged and was growing at an odd angle.

The growth of this part of the tree was inhibiting other healthier trees nearby, so it was the perfect candidate to receive a good pruning.

Gratuitous pet shot of Bambino, he likes going out in the woods with us, he runs around and plays the whole time. I was able to catch him in a split second of stillness.

Back to the house we went, branches in hand...I was carrying a good amount as well.

That was a very cold but very pretty morning...

Later on in the afternoon, I began the task of assembling the garland. I already had the florist wire and wire cutters on hand, left over from a project that I had done many moons ago.

The garland came together much, much quicker than I predicted. The key was to cut a bunch of wire pieces and a bunch of cedar boughs ahead of time. I did get a little bit of a rash on my hands from the tree's oils and it was pretty chilly outside, even in the sunshine, but it was worth it. (The rash went away after a couple of hours and a couple of hand washings.)

I love the finished product, I can't believe how easy it was and how great it turned out. The husband put a couple of small hooks in the top of the door fram for me to hand the garland from. Once it was hung I did go back and add to the garland in a few places to fill it out and give it a richer look. I ended up making a second garland right after this one for our neighbors. We owe them a debt of gratitude because Berkeley (our rooster) has been recooperating with them (long story that I'll try to remember to share another time). I've gone back and forth with the idea of adding ribbon to my garland or hanging some of our extra glass bulb ornaments on the it. I may still do so, but then I may just leave it as it is...I do kind of like the "natural" look. This is the first time I've every done anything more in the way of outdoor Christmas decorating besides hanging a wreath on the door...it was fun. Of course it is very satisfying to know that I did it all essentially for free, my only costs were some wire that I already had and time in. I'm planning to make one or two more of these garlands for inside the house...if I actually follow through on that plan, there will be pictures shared. I'm finding this whole "handmade holiday" thing to be more fun than I would have predicted.

I hope your holiday decorating and celebrating is as satisfying as mine! Cheers!

What A Bunch of Turkeys

Happy Turkey Day!!! None of the birds pictured above will be losing their lives in today's celebration. These birds belong to our neighbor, I've been watching them while they have been out of town over the last few weeks. They're actually pretty funny, they call to each other with a little popping noise and then respond with a little gobble. Easy entertainment. Hope you have a fantastic holiday!

The Effects Of So Much Rain

It seems like it's been raining almost non-stop lately. Because we're housesitting for our neighbors this week, it has been necessary for us to be outside quite a bit to take care of their poultry birds and pups. Today there was a short but well enjoyed window where the rain stopped and the sun peaked through. I had my camera ready. I think the theme of this set of pictures is "The Effects Of So Much Rain". A nice afternoon assignment.

Fresh Cut Flower Friday: First Day of Riding for the Season!

So it seems that my "Fresh Cut Flower Fridays" have kind of morphed lately...I guess it turns out that they aren't just about fresh cut flowers. Maybe it's more about intentionally looking around my life at least once a week to notice what is bringing me joy...right now it is the light dusting of snow on the foothills that I can see from my back porch, it is the beautiful warm shades of yellow and red that the leaves have turned to, it is the fact that TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY I GET TO RIDE MY SNOWBOARD THIS SEASON!!! (Okay, I'm actually writing this on Thursday evening so I should really be saying "tomorrow", but you get the idea, I'm stoked!) The Jeepster is making her maiden treck up to a ski resort - Mt. Baker specifically - she is all ready to go with the Thule mounted. As soon as that Thule was on her, she became an infinately cooler vehicle, now she's not just a "run errands around town" kind of SUV, she's a mountain bound, snow sport serving kind of car.
Am I being dramatic?! Let me just explain that I love to snowboard. This will be my 6th season of riding, and every year I appreciate the sport more and more. I didn't grow up in a skiing family, we didn't have money for that kind of thing. So when I got out of college and was in my second year at my first teaching job, I decided that I wanted to learn. It was one of the first investments I made as an adult for myself that was purely for fun...everything else had always had a sense of responsibility tied to it, car purchases, pursuing degrees, paying student loans, it all was tied up in what I "should do". With snowboarding there really was no obligatory "should", it was pure, joyful "want". Well, maybe joyful is a stretch when describing some of what I went through, I had a hard time learning initially, I feel alot and bruised my tail bone (very painful by the way!), but I had a dear friend learning with me. She and I committed to learning together and we have both continued to ride every year since. When I moved to WA from CA, I initially was thrown off by the differences in riding conditions. In CA I'd been able to get away with lighter first layers, in WA the cold is no joke, and sunny spring conditions are not as typical.



My first winter in WA was rough for other reasons as well, I dealt with some seasonal depression from the lack of sunlight (and also because of all of the crazy transitions I'd just been through). It took a while, but eventually it sunk in that I was very close to some amazing places to ride, snowboarding helped me get through a difficult period of my life. My snowboarding went to a new level my first year in WA, I made a very stubborn decision to no longer be just a mediocre rider, I wanted to improve. With a ton of work, lots of falls, and many grouchy days (the poor husband had to deal with me through those - sorry honey!), my turns became cleaner and tighter, I learned how to carve with the edges of my board, my stance became stronger, I gained the confidence to ride in sometimes less than ideal snow, I stopped cursing everyone and everything when I unintentionally ended up on a cat track, I had the chance to teach the husband the basics of riding a snowboard (he's a great skier), last January I even got to teach my oldest friend in the world how to ride when she was up for a visit. The picture at the top of this post was actually taken that day at Mt. Baker. That was also the day that I began to seriously consider trying to become a snowboarding instructor.



Now this Saturday I will begin a course that will allow me to become a certified instructor and possibly even get a job as a part-time instructor this winter at a nearby resort called Steven's Pass. I am proud of myself for sticking with snowboarding even on the hard days...it is not a difficult sport to get the basics down, but to really ride with style requires tons of commitment. Snowboarding is something that I've shared with many of my students over the years. They always looked at me suspiciously if I missed a day during the winter...especially if a storm had just passed through and left fresh powder in it's wake.
Since I started to ride, I have had the pleasure of riding at some of the most amazing moutains in the world, I have riden in California, Nevada, Washington, Canada, Colorado, and Utah...some of the best days of my life have been up on a mountain, strapped into my board. So maybe to some, this all sounds silly and dramatic, but one day when my body is old and tired, I am going to be glad that I made a point of enjoying the beauty and thrill of mountains covered in snow. Time to go shred!

Beauty in the Small Things

From time to time the eaves of our house become the home to families of yellow jackets. When the weather warms up and we start spending more time outside, these little creatures become an issue and their homes have to be removed. Usually these evictions are taken care of by the husband. Once their nests are no longer inhabitated, I like checking them out. I guess the geometry teacher in me likes seeing natures examples of regular hexagons...just how do those little guys know exactly how to build such intricate nests? I suppose questions about the architectural abilities of yellow jackets are better left to a biology teacher to answer.