Spring light

 

"A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period.
When March is scarcely here..."

Emily Dickinson 

A glimpse of tulips through clean basement windows with new mini blinds-- what's not to like? 

Our Seattle winters are long and dark, and there's a disquieting feel to these first glaring sunny days. Mind you, I am not complaining, but the abrupt return of light certainly reveals the landscape (inside and out) with clarity. 

It looks considerably brighter downstairs after sucking up several canisters of dirt and dust. This is not an especially big house, but it's old and difficult to keep clean because of all the dusty nooks and crannies, not to mention stuff we've accumulated over the decades. 

As for the closet cleaning quest, I've always complained about the lack of closets in this house, but there suddenly seems to be a lot of them.  

Busy day

 

 

That plaster Buddha head looks a little green around the gills.  He's been sitting outside behind a bush for the last 20 years or so, and finally lost the awful gold patina he came with.

I like old things better than new, in general, but I have my wabi sabi limits. We've having new white mini blinds installed in the basement today, replacing some cracked and yellowed plastic ones from Home Depot put up in the early 1990's.

Anyway, this involved moving furniture and a bed that hadn't been cleaned under for about 10 years, revealing a spectacular amount of dirt. Oh, the shame. No picture. 

Well, listen to me, throwing out the decades like candy. But how quickly time passes, especially at this stage of the game. 

 

 

To the victor goes the spoils

 

 

 

Nova spent Saturday night at a friend's house, so her sister Maya and Nica had a no competition egg hunt in the orchard on Easter morning. 

 

Aw. The bunny also left something for a (mostly) good dog.

 

In other egg news, look at these beauties laid last week by Amanda's hens. Her eggs have always been good, but these are exceptional. Now the chickens have the run of the orchard with a natural diet of bugs and grass, making those beautiful yolks and nutrient-dense eggs.  

"Researchers found that pasture-raised eggs contain twice as much omega-3 fat, three times more vitamin D, four times more vitamin E and seven times more beta-carotene than eggs from hens raised on traditional feed." 

(Thank you, smarty pants AI.)  

The sun is shining and the weather is sweet. It's a rare treat in Seattle when Easter is a beautiful sunny day from start to finish. We had a quiet but nice holiday. I made roast lamb, which is getting to be another once-a year-treat. But there's plenty left for dinner tonight and then lamb curry later. Not a scrap will go to waste, that's for sure. 

 

 

Blossom time

 

What a difference a week makes. On both sides of the highway near Orando, the orchards were starting to bloom yesterday. 

Folks who live in the Methow Valley dislike that hundred mile drive to Wenatchee. Who can blame them, because it's the nearest city for anything big, like shopping and appointments, so they go often.  

After all these years, I still enjoy the views of the Columbia River and basalt cliffs, which are always changing with the light and seasons-- for a short time in early spring, the desert bluffs are covered in delicate green.

On the eastern slope of Snoqualmie Pass, I drove through a brief blizzard followed by torrential rain coming down the other side. The roads were wet and visibility awful, so I found a sensible truck to follow. I figured he could clear the path. 

By the time I got to Seattle, the sun was shining on a different world of full-on spring. All the ornamental trees on our block are blooming, and the tulips ready to open, just in time for Easter. 

 Have a wonderful weekend. 

  

Winter's last gasp

 

We hope. Snow is falling this morning, starting out like sifted powdered sugar but now coming down pretty good. It won't last long in the valley with rain by afternoon, but piling up in the mountains. 

 

 

My friend Karen has to drive over the Loup Loup Pass to Omak for an appointment today, which is an 80 mile round trip. Amanda makes that drive weekly to work at the clinic there, often coming and going in the dark. And it gets truly dark here. You have to be stalwart (and put lots of miles on your car) to live here.

Tomorrow should be a better day for travel. I'll head back to Seattle then. It's peaceful hanging around the warm house and I'll go over to Carlton later when everyone gets home from work and school. 

 

I've been killing time working on this farm puzzle, which I should be ashamed to show you because it is only 300 pieces, but challenging enough for me. 

 

Shoulder season perk

 

It was quite chilly but sunny yesterday, so we took a short hike on the Rex Derr Trail at Pearrygin State Park. 

This is a really popular place in the summer, swarming with campers, but peaceful in the late fall and early spring. Only one other car in the huge parking lot, and we had the trail to ourselves. 

It was my birthday, and what a memorable one.  Our neighbors invited us over for dinner and we always enjoy their warm company. 

Oh yes, John gave me thoughtful and useful presents as he always does, including a nifty cherry pitter that does several at once. Stay tuned. 

Hum. Might he be thinking of pie? 

And from Amanda, this cozy and stylish fleece coat. A step up from my worn out Costco puffy jackets.

Well, John is heading to Seattle now, but I have no reason to rush back into city life, so will stay until Thursday. The fickle spring weather is changing again, with rain and snow tomorrow.