While I have not been posting much of late, and still have not caught up visiting many blogging friends, you can see from this sketch that my nine year old granddaughter, Haley, has pictured me with pen in hand after she and I were working on reading together one day. [very kind of her to make me appear thinner than I am]
Several weeks ago I was thrilled to see Mt.Hood from 307th Street near our home. We are dashing about through many April showers so views of Mt. Hood are precious and few!
One day between showers, my oldest daughter and her five daughters and I, hiked around our ponds to see what we could see. Molly caught this beautiful little green frog who soon leaped down along his way.
We admired the Holly trees still showing us their pretty red berries.
Last year we could not find any Trillium in the woods, but this year we saw four!
Johnson Creek is full and flowing along at a merry clip.
Thanks to
Karen's post, I believe we saw a patch of Salmon Berries.
These Pansies somehow survived our winter.
Our neighbors across the drive had profuse blooms in their Camellia hedge.
The Mallards are visiting us, and we hear geese cheering their way south in the skies over us.
The Wild Cherry tree has gorgeous white blooms.
Although, they were battered by an impressive hail storm recently.
However, after one such storm I looked up and saw this rainbow through the window to the right of the fireplace, then saw the other end of the rainbow through the window to the left of the fireplace. By the time I aimed my camera through the left window the rainbow had faded and did not show up well in the photo, but seeing the rainbow that way is an exciting memory for me!
Aren't these sweet heart coasters and hand painted card lovely? My dear blogging friend,
Pat, blessed me with them. Thank you again, Pat.
Completing this crocheted pocket for my iPhone is my main crafting achievement since my last post...unless you count frogging many rows of a baby blanket as an achievement...sigh...
While driving around our neighborhood I loved seeing this row of trees.
The local nursery arboretum was coming alive with fresh colors.
The Saturday before Easter my five granddaughters went hunting for eggs in the yard.
Sarah was pleased to find this one.
Then on the way to church on Sunday while my youngest son in law was driving, this flock of sheep and our church sign came into view. Sheep not only remind me of my love of trying to tame fiber into yarn and fabric, but they also bring to mind numerous scripture verses that challenge and comfort me...chief among them,
Isaiah 53:6 NKJV All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way;
Psalm 23 NKJV The Lord is my Shepherd...He restores my soul...I will fear no evil for You are with me...
Joy, my retired nurse, blogging friend from northeast England, sent me a wonderful hand-made card and note and a book mark for Easter, which I really appreciate and I thought some of you might like to see as well. Thank you again for your kindness and encouragement to me, Joy.
What season is around you there? May you know comfort and joy in it!
xx
Gracie
Gracie, your post is such a happy one. I love the picture Haley drew of you, it shows the love she has for you in every line. You have been blessed with gifts of love from friends and family happiness. I miss Pastor George's sermons at Abundant Life and the sheep so close by is very appropriate. Thank you for sharing the snippets of your life. I miss seeing you my friend.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betys
Oh how I love all the blue glass Gracie, how it must glow when the sun shines through them. Thank you once again for a walk round your garden, it is ever changing.
ReplyDeleteGod bless my friend.
I always love reading what you have been up to. Love the pictures of the flowers and trees. You live in such a beautiful area of our great country. I love your phone case! That was very thoughtful of your friend to send you such a sweet love gift. :) Love the picture that Haley drew. Wishing you a lovely day filled with many blessings. :)
ReplyDeleteA lovely post Gracie, I have missed you recently. Lovely scenes especially the pink blossom and rainbow. Hope warmer weather heads your way soon. We are in a very dry spring at the moment. Unheard of to have drought in April. It doesn't bode well for the summer. B x
ReplyDeleteSuch an uplifting post. You are blessed living in such a beautiful area, Mother Nature showing us Spring is in the air.
ReplyDeleteHello Gracie, I think I may have missed your last post, I will check back in a while. Lovely, lovely photos. It is definitely Spring here and the gardens have 'exploded' really beautiful. Today has been glorious sunshine, fabulous blue skies and warm. I just wish that life was as joyous. My mum is not too good at all and there are difficult decisions needed but at the present we are going round in circles :-( it is breaking my heart at how my mum's health has deteriorated and at what is going on. But I pray that God will guide me and the right outcomes will be reached. Take care Gracie Hugs Anne x
ReplyDeleteI so enjoyed this post.. starting with that extremely talented drawing by your granddaughter! It was fun to follow you around your property and see your wildflowers, the creek and pond. And also all the gifts sent to you by your admirers! :-) We had a gorgeous day yesterday but awoke to wind buffeting the trailer around and then the rain began.. I even got a gale warning on my weather app on my phone! But I don't care at all because it's warm in the trailer and we get to see the stormy ocean hitting right on the bank here! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great drawing Haley made of you! You look kind and fun and happy, just like you are here on these pages. I really enjoyed wandering around your land, so much to see and do. It was lovely to see you again, I've missed you. xx
ReplyDeleteGracie. good to see your photos!!! I love the sheep/bible references as well. Your portrait is priceless I'd laminate it and save it
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun drawing Haley made of you! That is one beautiful trillium. I should walk in the woods more in the Spring so I have the chance of coming upon one. Blessed Sunday to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to read another post from you Gracie! Nice to see your neck of the woods in Oregon. Nice Fri and only a bit of rain and wind this late a.m. when Megan and I were out. I'm enjoying my blooming flowers! I like your reference to sheep and to our shepherd Jesus. So thankful for what he's done and does for us. Granddaughter's drawing is precious and memorable. Have a blessed week, my friend.
ReplyDeleteThe view of Mount Hood is truly stunning. I do envy you that beauty! But not the rainy days.
ReplyDeleteI love your granddaughter's drawing. She is a talented young lady!
The one "Christian" activity I always did with my kids was the egg hunt -- although we did chocolate eggs. Its such a wonderful tradition. The kids loved it.
Spring has finally arrived here, and it is so uplifting!
Loved this post Gracie and have missed you.....your granddaughter certainly captured you in her drawing so lovely :) how cute was that little green frog :) here is Autumn but we are still having rather warm/hot days crazy weather lol
ReplyDeleteThat's a very good drawing by your granddaughter. I like the way she drew your hair and the little creases in your sweater.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautifully flowery place Oregon is! The flowers are just getting started here. Last week I didn't see any wildflowers on my ride, but this week I've spotted six varieties. The trickle will soon become a flood. Spring is wonderful. :)
Such a beautiful rainbow, and that hand-drawn card is very lovely. I hope Mt. Hood will reveal itself many more times this spring. Have you ever read the poem "Settling" by Denise Levertov? Your Mt. Hood photo reminds me of it.
http://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/Classroom%20Materials/Reading%20the%20Region/Northwest%20Schools%20of%20Literature/Commentary/18.html
Happy spring, Gracie! :)
Hi Gracie, it's so nice to see you back to blogging again. I appreciate the comments you've left on my blog lately. I'm impressed and so flattered that you took the time to catch up with my posts. That was very kind of you, thank you for being interested in my and my family. I enjoyed seeing some of what you've been up to lately. I love your granddaughter's drawing! I think she has a talent and I can just see you there helping her with her reading. I'm glad you had a nice Easter with your family. Take care and have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteSuch an adorable drawing of you, dear Gracie. Talent runs in your family.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Love the little frog and the beautiful hand-painted card. The holly berries remind me of our house in Portland when I was little. We had a couple holly trees in our front yard.
ReplyDeletemt. hood??
ReplyDeletewe're neighbors!! i also live in oregon...not too far from the mountain actually.
these were lovely photos...thank you for sharing!
be blessed,
ashley
www.likenootherjourney.blogspot.com
Hello Gracie. I'm catching up with your news and pleased to see the good things that you have been experiencing lately. I've enjoyed seeing Mount Hood, the wild flowers and the frog you saw on your walk, your beautiful garden where you have fun with the family and the cards sent from friends. The scriptures and the rainbow are uplifting. The drawing is very sweet.
ReplyDeleteYou pack SO much into one post it's difficult to comment on everything, but I loved it all :)
ReplyDeleteThe trillium is Ontario's official provincial flower. I rarely get into the woods early enough to see it carpeting the forest floor these years, but it comes out in May here. Your hike with your granddaughters sounds like a lot of fun, and I can just imagine the happy chatter from them all. Beautiful photos of all the areas around you, and loving the pink blossoms on the line of trees. There are some magnolias in bloom here, but nothing else just yet (tree wise). Enjoy your weekend Gracie, hugs,
Wendy
Gracie, thank you so much for visiting and commenting on my blog. Very nice to meet you! Your sketch is adorable and it's nice that your granddaughter sees the artistic side! Lovely flowers.
ReplyDeleteHello Gracie, such a wonderful view of springtime in your beautiful world! Oh, that view of Mt. Hood is so amazing, and loved seeing your precious grands searching for pretty flowers and Easter eggs. The view out your window of the rainbow with all the blue glass is so pretty. You have received some thoughtful little gifts, too, from some very sweet bloggers. Your portrait is so special - looks like you might have a budding artist there! I am glad that I was able to help you identify the salmon-berry flowers. Sweet blessings from the Angels. Sending you hugs xo Karen
ReplyDeleteHi Your post has inspired me to write one similar to post his week about family, the things around me and the changing season. I have really enjoyed looking and reading your post today.Enjoy the season. Jo x
ReplyDeleteIt is lovely to see the signs of Spring in your neighbourhood. That avenue of blossom is gorgeous and the green frog so unusual! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteI like little green frogs, too. They tell us an active season is beginning.
ReplyDeleteSpringtime is always rejuvenating to me so am trying to catch-up with friends. I love all your pictures of God's creation that surround you, particularly the flowers--oh, the freshness and renewal of spring. Sounds like your world has been a wet one; ours in the South has been wetter than most springs and seasonably mild. However, we just did turn our air on last night--we enjoy the warmth during the days and the cherish the freshness of the cool nights. We have a small herb garden along with a few tomatoes and peppers just in planters and pots on our back porch as well as a small flower garden planted in the front of the town home we rent. So I have gotten to dig in the dirt again this spring--I am still so much a farm girl at heart. Keep enjoying the beauty around you. One of the things on by bucket list is to visit the Northwest--an uncharted territory for me. So your blog is so inviting--got to get in that direction some day. Blessings.....
ReplyDeleteLove the flowers and all the beautiful colors! Last year I had some pansies survive the winter as well--which was shocking considering how severe of winters we have here in Iowa!
ReplyDelete