Catching Up

Oh, my gosh, I haven't posted here since August last year!  I go through these dormant spells on this blog, but it's catch up time now.

First I'll share from our final camping trip at the lake last summer.  Our friend came out to visit (outside, safely) one day and brought his furry family with him.  What a time they had!

The next two pics are wildflowers at the lake 'cause I can't resist photographing pretty much every flower I see.

 

September of 2020 was a tragic month for many in the western US who lost their homes, entire towns, their lives.  We were safe here, but now and then the smoke closed in on us from all directions.  Pictured below is the sun in late afternoon in a smoke-filled sky.  I can only imagine what it must have been like for those much closer to the fires.

Skipping to November for a couple of backyard shots:

The impatiens aren't looking their best by November, but LuLu still enjoys them:

LuLu again, loving a November day out in the wide open spaces...

... and in December, bringing Christmas dog treats home from our friend's house down the street.

My beloved family in our backyard, December:

There's even a pic of me and the dogs.  This one was taken at a favorite outdoor spot in January this year:

The last two photos bring us up to this month -- Wally with his Christmas moose:

Wally and LuLu taking themselves for a walk:

It's been a whole year of living life under the limitations of a virus pandemic, but we've managed to enjoy ourselves.  Thank goodness for our little family unit.  I hope to be here again before too long.  We're working on some home improvement projects that will keep us busy for a while, but that can be fun, too.  Wishing you a happy day!

Flowers and Winged Things

Hello, friends!  Just a quickie post today with a few things from the garden.  First up is this vase full of Alstromeria from the back yard.  They're long lasting as a cut flower.  Just put them out on the cool back deck overnight.

The next photo is flowers in "casualty vases" on my kitchen windowsill.  I have one or more casualty vases all summer just for the things that somehow get broken off.  They turn into the prettiest arrangements.

Pictured below is a European Wool-Carder bee.  I spotted him/her in the garden and found it a curiosity I've never noticed before.  Easy enough to Google and learn it's relatively new to our area.

Finally, summer can't go by without a picture of a swallowtail.  Look how raggedy the poor thing's wings are.  Life can be rough.

We're heading out for a few more days of camping.  I appreciate the chance to escape this relentless wind and the neverending housework.  Wishing you a happy week!

Life in the Garden

Our life pretty much revolves around the house and yard these days, with the daily neighborhood walk and an occasional trip to the store.  I keep telling myself how lucky we are that we have a sturdy, comfortable home and a roomy lot on the edge of the woods.  If we have to stay home and play it safe, this is not so bad.  There are days I don't feel so positive... and then I look at this face:

LuLu made a point of bringing this pot to me just in case I needed it.  She was so happy and proud.

She's my pretty girl.

Just walking around the yard taking pictures of this and that... these Oxalis along the path are such a delicate pink:

 

Pots of color on the south deck:

Wally and LuLu -- my two sweetest sweeties:

Just a snapshot of the day's activities... Rich was trimming some tree branches, Wally is coming to see what Mom's up to:

 

Another variety of Oxalis with daylily and Lady's Mantle:

The preceding photos represent a beautiful day in the garden.  The next day was ferociously windy, as is often the case here, so close to the bay.  Our little sanctuary has its own microclimate which is more sheltered, but the wind in the trees overhead is a branch-cracking horror.  The picture below is a sad sight, indeed:

I never expected to lose the tree that provided such pretty dappled shade over a good part of the garden.  All the plantings were structured according to that dappled shade.  I do love the sunshine, but the loss is huge.  A tree service will remove it on July 17 and the area will heal and start over.  Isn't that the way of things?  Take good care of yourselves.

How Green is My Garden?

It's a good thing I like green because there's plenty of it showing in the garden right now.  There are other colors, too, but today I'm mostly focused on the green.  It's so welcome in the springtime.

Pictured below is one of several Hostas I have planted in pots.  This one is in a large orange pot sitting in the shade of the Purple Smoke Tree.  Not all color comes from blooms.

The hedge is fluffier than usual for this time of year and it takes Rich longer to trim it these days.  I still marvel that he manages to trim this behemoth at all.

Looks like somebody -- me -- needs to trim the barberry.

My favorite azalea spills spectacularly over the garden steps.  I don't trim it as I prefer its natural shape, but I do see a couple of straggling branches I'll snip off after the flowers fade.

LuLu has found a cool, shady spot at the foot of the stairs.

Several different plants are allowed to grow and mingle at will along the steps.

Orange deciduous and deep pink evergreen azaleas.  I saved this slip of pink azalea from the deer.   They ravaged four bushes one winter.

Walking into the backyard --  wind chimes hanging from the maple tree.

 Another Hosta in a pot.

Pictured below is a Rhododendron in the backyard.  It starts out dark pink and fades to this delicate shade.  Blooms are bell shaped.  The white flower spikes below it are a wildflower which is very invasive and some may call it a weed, but I rather like it.

There's that ground cover wildflower/weed again, growing along the backyard path.  I've just recently planted a few annuals and you can see a pot of Impatiens nestled into the ground cover.  I'm looking forward to its summer color.

We're staying home this Memorial Day weekend, which is nothing new because we always stay home on holiday weekends.  Oregon has opened some parks with restrictions -- bathrooms and gathering areas are closed, for instance.  It's going to be a madhouse out there, I think.  We'll let things settle down before we venture out with the motorhome.

This is a weekend for honoring our veterans so let's not forget that, even though most of the usual activities have been curtailed.  The thought is still there and we can all observe in our own way.  Wishing you a good week as we continue to navigate these unusual times.

Getting Along in the Neighborhood

Wednesday it rained, Thursday was gorgeous, Friday it rained again.  That's spring for you!

We took the dogs for a long neighborhood walk and stopped a few times to visit on the street, always at a safe distance.  When we turned the corner onto our own street it seemed like the whole block was outside.  Our neighbor on the corner was planting flowers with her daughter, and when we stopped to talk she gave toys to Wally and LuLu, which they've been carrying around ever since.  You can see Wally has one of the toys in this picture.

And here he's keeping an eye on both toys:

Then along came our neighbor friend and his dogs from the end of the street.  The dogs played in the yard while we humans watched from the deck.  Again, we kept our distance.  You can see Bailey, a Goldendoodle, in the foreground of the picture below.

And the next pic is Lynus, another Goldendoodle.  I like how Lynus and his ball are the same color as everything else in the picture -- green, white, brown.

It was a good day.  Still feeling fortunate in our area with few COVID cases and plenty of room to get out and about.  We continue with safe practices and bide our time.  I hope you're all doing okay, too.  Be safe.  It has to return to normal some day, doesn't it?

Cherry Blossom Time

Still staying home and loving it on a day like this!  The cherry tree is just coming into bloom at our house.  If you like pink, it doesn't get much prettier than a branch of ruffly double cherry blossoms.

It's a half and half tree -- half pink, half white.  The white shows first, then for a spell it's pink and white at the same time.

Wet LuLu laying in its shade.

Wet Wally squinty eyed in the sun.

We'd all had a busy day working outside.  Well... Rich and I worked... Wally and LuLu made the work more fun.  In these pictures they were ready to call it a day.

Through a tangle of smoke tree branches just starting to bud you can see how the dogs got wet.  They especially enjoy helping Rich play with the hose.  There's our poor motor home just sitting there.  Not sure when or if we'll get to do this year's road trip.

We're doing okay and I hope you are, too.  I watch the news and know how lucky we are.  Take care, friends.