High Summer Delights

Since friends and members of our family flew home last week, we have made a flurry of calls and texts  to make sure all landed safely and just to savor the delight we experienced in the time we were together.

Mt. Hood is still Mt. Hood, but a little less snowy.  Grasses are growing, and waving and drying and flowers wild and cultivated are blooming and being plucked during warm sunny days.

Trees are growing in all sorts of fantastic shapes and patterns in the nurseries that surround us.  Sheep and goats rest in the shade.

And little Grand Girls and their mom delight in the cool water spray from the garden hose, while I snap some photos of them, knit one more row on a blue dishcloth, and wave at my youngest little Grand, Joy, and she waves back at me.

High summer delights, indeed!

What are your delights these days?

Gracie xx

Detour to Bluff Road

Such a fabulous stretch of warm and sunny weather we are having near Portland, Oregon, USA, it is tarnishing our reputation for being perpetually wet and cool :-) [I am not complaining!]

On the way home from church yesterday, Mt. Hood seemed to beg me to take the scenic route home.  I headed toward it, aiming to get on Bluff Road from which there are some lovely views of Mt. Hood, but I was soon detoured up and down and around many local farms and nurseries due to road construction.  I was giving up hope of making it to Bluff Road or seeing Mt. Hood when I came to a stop sign and was able to sit there long enough to take the first picture.  In spite of the power lines, I loved being surprised by a unique view of the mountain just as I was able to turn onto Bluff Road past my usual spots I like to stop to take photos.

When I got home I spotted a cluster of yellow wild iris on the edge of the front pond.  Then later the little grand girls got to play in the sprinkler for the first time in 2013!  I decided to tromp down around the ponds again and see if I could snap some photos of the Trillium I tried to snap several days ago, and this time I succeeded.  I also made a little audio/video recording of the brook behind the pond I wanted to share with you because it sounds and looks so lovely, but Blogger says there is some sort of error in downloading it...sigh.  Sorry!

On the way back to the house I spotted some feathers and took a picture of a pretty blue one [thinking of you Meredith as I did so.]

Last night I planned to start sewing the three bunnies I cut out from one of Helen Philipp's patterns from her book, Pretty Patchwork Gifts, when our lights went out for an extended period [not sure why].  Today all our technological gismos have been out of sorts and requiring resetting and my youngest daughter had many adventures getting to and from her work as a nurse at the VA Hospital because the public transit system was fouled up as well.  But I hope to do some stitching as soon as I press "Publish" on this post :-)

Are the lights on around you?
xx,
Gracie

Progressing...

While winter is progressing here near Portland, OR, I have completed the cowl part of my merino cowl hood, and the freezing temperatures have produced more ice on the ponds although the ice is not thick enough for skating on it. 

Our Camellia bush is promising Spring is coming, however, because it is full of buds,  and I bought a little pot of  crocus bulbs that are sprouting indoors between my two indoor geraniums to add to that promise.

Meanwhile, I am grateful for a warm hearth and home as I watch: little grand girls growing, and a guest with a broken shoulder that is healing, and  rows of stitching increasing in between the hum and drum of daily chores.

What is progressing in and around you?

xx,

Gracie

Family Trees

Thanks to those of you who guessed what our mystery tree is :)  Lucy suggested I consult Google to try to verify her idea that it is a macadamia tree.  I sometimes forget what a helpful resource Google images can be, and after checking, I agreed with her assessment. I was surprised to learn that they can grow in a number of different locations other than Hawaii :)  And I was concerned to discover there are several varieties that are poisonous :(  Whatever variety we have, the bluejays and squirrels are very fond of it!

Although we just had our normal gentle rain showers this week, the utility company sent a crew to do some trimming around our power wires in an effort to prevent problems should we have a severe storm.  We appreciated this all the more seeing pictures of the destruction in Sandy's wake.  One of my sons lives in Queens, NY, and the other son lives in New Brunswick, NJ.  While I am grateful that they were not harmed in the storm, I join many others praying for those who are suffering great loss.

In seven days my youngest daughter will be married!  We have lists, and charts, and itineraries to guide us through the celebration :)  We are soooooo looking forward to enjoying visiting family members and friends, eight plus who will be staying at our house or at least coming for some meals during the week.  In the midst of all the planning this week I have only managed to knit a dishcloth for a friend. But whenever I can I am going to knit some rows on the garter stitch moreno blanket I started months ago.  Meditative knitting...so good for stormy weather and growing family trees....

xx from Gracie

The Course of Fall

There were so many days in a row with only a trace of rain here I almost entitled this post, Parched Portland, but compared to many places even our driest seems moist and cool.  Today the rain is gently falling, the heater is running, and I have my Homespun prayer shawl about me as I type to you.  Last Sunday afternoon we drove around some of the back roads to our house.  We stopped and bought two bouquets of dahlias and daises from a farm stand...perhaps the last we will have this season.  When we got home we walked around the ponds that are just grassy puddles now, although a stream of water is still rippling through the brush.  It was a perfect day to enjoy swinging and strolling and staring at the wondrous sights around us before settling in to the comforts of hearth and home.

Are you having happy autumn days?  I hope so :)  xx from Gracie

March: In Like a Lion, Out Like a . . .

March came in like a lion this morning , but spared our daffodil shoots

 pictured below in the lower left of the photo.

It was a burden for our camellia bush .

But not too slippery for me to head out to the car .

I drove to church to attend a women's meeting.

And when I got home I was greeted by a new Snow Friend!

I briefly admired him before I headed inside . . .

and when I came inside I had a cup of tea

and I smiled when I saw what I had crocheted with the designer yarn

I spun several weeks ago at the spinning workshop .

My cup cozy kept my tea warm ,

and I am certain that the little scarves I made for Lavendar Lambiekins

kept her comfy

although she did not look very pleased about it.

Do you suppose March will go out like a grumpy lamb?