A Quiet Day

Yesterday, we enjoyed a quiet day off.  I put away the chore and project lists, turned off social media, and took time to be with My Pirate and our dogs. 

After we got up and fed the dogs, we turned right back around and took a morning nap.  It was fabulous!  Then we sipped our coffee together and watched the dogs wrestle and play.  

Barnaby and The Assistant enjoyed lying in the lawn chewing on sticks and pine cones while soaking up the sunshine.  Barnaby makes the funniest faces while he chews on sticks.  What do you think he is saying in each picture?

The evening breeze kicked up off of the Columbia River like it does on most sunny evenings. And I tried to take pictures of the sun glowing through the masterwort flowers, Astrantia major,  as they danced in the breeze.

I savor our quiet days together. They help me feel grounded and grateful for the riches in my life.  And I am grateful for you, my readers!  Thanks for stopping by.

Lost and Found

This morning as I was sipping my coffee, My Pirate walked into the house with a huff, a kitchen sponge held high between his pinched fingers, and he asked, “Why did you put the kitchen sponge in the yard debris container?!?” 

I stared at the sponge with a blackened corner from cleaning the grill and squealed with joy. I felt the worry slide off of my shoulders that kitchen sponge pieces were floating around in the intestines of my beloved dogs.  But, then I felt his question hit me square in the face like a wet moldy washcloth. 

This close-up of a borage flower has nothing to do with the story at all.  It's pretty.

Why had I? Me. Put the kitchen sponge in the yard debris container?

The answer:  I don’t know. Which Dani, the therapist from the show Necessary Roughness would reply, “You mean, you don’t want to tell me.”

No, actually, I have no clue how the sponge got into the yard debris container.  My current theory is that the sponge somehow got placed in the bottom of the compost bowl (for vegetable debris) on the kitchen counter and then I emptied it out into the yard debris bin, thus showing the sponge.  Sounds good to me.

But then there is the matter of the tweezers that My Pirate found stuck firmly in the teeth of our garbage disposal, yesterday.  How did that happen?  I’m thrilled that the garbage disposal is working again.  But as for the tweezers?  I’m at a complete loss.

Gnomes.  We must have garden gnomes on the loose.  That’s all I can say.    

Poetry Post: Poem of the Week

The Little Garden 

A little garden on a bleak hillside
Where deep the heavy, dazzling mountain snow
Lies far into the spring. The sun's pale glow
Is scarcely able to melt patches wide
About the single rose bush. All denied
Of nature's tender ministries. But no, --
For wonder-working faith has made it blow
With flowers many hued and starry-eyed.
Here sleeps the sun long, idle summer hours;
Here butterflies and bees fare far to rove
Amid the crumpled leaves of poppy flowers;
Here four o'clocks, to the passionate night above
Fling whiffs of perfume, like pale incense showers.
A little garden, loved with a great love!

by Amy Lowell

 

Visiting Xera Plants' Retail Store Opening

Today, I dropped by Xera Plants' retail store opening in SE Portland.   I've been eagerly awaiting the opening and when I mapped their location I was surprised to find that they are located one block away from my physical therapist's office, Lifestyles Physical Therapy.  Very dangerous, but in a good way.  

So this afternoon, I stopped by to snap a few shots.  This is the first time that I've brought my real camera into a nursery and I felt a bit self-conscious until the beauty of the plants captured my focus. 

 The plants are laid out like you would find in a garden.  The shade plants are located in the dappled shade of the neighboring tree and the sun plants are in the sun.  I was smitten with their diverse shade plant selection.

Sorry for the blur, I really need to remember to clean the dog spit off of my camera lens!

After I finished exploring, I went to my physical therapy and deep tissue massage appointment.  Then I returned afterwards, feeling like a new woman, to pick out a few plants.  And much to my surprise, I bumped into the elegant Ricki Grady from the blog Sprig to Twig that I only recently met at the garden blogger plant swap.  

From the top left to right:  Native butterly weed and Ribes sanguneum 'Brocklebanhii'

Bottom left to right: Cynara baetica 'moraccana', Podophyllum pleianthum, Gardenia radicans 'Frostproof'

I cooed and giggled over my plants as I paid for them and I was assured that I will love the blossoms on the Cynara baetica 'moraccana', which is a cardoon relative that has gorgeous 'florist worthy' flowers.  I wonder what I'll buy next time?  

Xera Plants is located on 1114 SE Clay Street in Portland, Oregon. Trust me, you don't want to miss it.

I Bought A Cake

I bought a cake for My Kid.  Me.  The one who loves to bake and give birthday treats.  But, it’s good to know one’s limits and I chose to focus on dinner (lemon roasted chicken with gravy) and let Larson’s legendary Bavarian Banana Cake star under the 23 lit birthday candles.  It was a lovely gift for My Kid and me.

I can’t remember the last time that I bought a cake for someone.  It was fun to call and reserve it.  And a thrill to go pick it up in its pretty pink box while the cashier beamed at me.  Plus, it was delicious.  No fuss, no muss.  But of course, My (sweet, sweet) Kid said that he prefers my Bavarian Banana Cake.  “Next time”, I reassured him as I sent him home with leftovers for today, his actual birthday. 

Happy, happy birthday to My Kid!