February 28 is National Floral Design Day. It is the birthday of Carl Rittner, a pioneer in foral art education and the founder of the Rittners School of Floral Design in Boston.
Floral design is a true cultural art form, spanning thousands of years. Flowers brighten our days, like this beautiful bouquet John brought home yesterday from the Metropolitan Market.
What a day of weather! Snow in the morning, followed by thunderstorms, more snow and sideways sleet in the afternoon.
But Spring gets a big "A" for effort. The sun is strong when it finally comes out, and there was a flock of robins in the yard yesterday searching for worms and insects. A cheerful sight.
According to the website SmartAsset.com, Seattle has the second most depressing winter weather in the country, behind Anchorage. Portland comes in third, followed by other charming places like Cleveland and Buffalo.
During the fall and winter months, it typically rains in Seattle on 20-23 of the 30-31 days. Las Vegas makes the top ten list of the least depressing winter cities, even though it's chilly and windy. But at least the sun shines most of the time.
I think we saw the second most depressing opera yesterday, a seldom performed work calledKatya Kabanova by Janacek. Like other tragic operas such as Tosca, La Boheme and Traviata, the heroine dies in the end. Katya takes place in a Russian village in the 1860s along the Volga River. However, I can't remember the last time we saw a production at Seattle Opera with a real period set and costumes.
In this case, the setting was changed to a small Washington town in the 1950's. The idea is that removing an opera from its historical context somehow makes it more relevant and easier to understand. They used a video backdrop showing scenery from the Cascade foothills, so it wasn't clear if poor Katya threw herself off Snoqualmie Falls or jumped into the Columbia River.
It's another dismal Seattle morning, and actually snowing right now. It feels good to stay home in the warm house. I have some sort of weird cold that can't decide what to do next. On a bright note, today is our 24th wedding anniversary. How about that? Steak for dinner.
The temperature has been about 20 degrees below normal this week. In Seattle, 50 degrees is a just another soft winter day, but here in the high desert, with a stiff breeze blowing and low humidity, everything stands out in sharp relief.
Unfortunately, it's been too cold to sit outside on the patio, but yesterday morning the wind died down and we took a long walk at Floyd Lamb Park.
We fed the ducks and then checked out the stable at the adjacent historic Tule Springs Ranch, where you can horseback ride on the weekends. I might do that sometime. It was once a self-sufficient working ranch, but now an assortment of lucky animals are cared for by the Horses4Heroes organization.
I'm headed back to Seattle this afternoon. It was a wonderful visit. Today would have been Mom's 91st birthday. She is forever in our thoughts.
Men are like wine - some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_age.html
Men are like wine - some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_age.html
"To keep the heart unwrinkled,
to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent-
that is to triumph over old age."
Thomas Bailey Aldrich
To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent - that is to triumph over old age.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/old_age.html
Can you believe I've lived this long and never eaten at In-N-Out burger? Today was the day. In Las Vegas a person can drive a few blocks and get just about anything they want in the way of restaurants. Or for that matter, anything else.
I don't waste calories on fast food often, but I put this delicious cheeseburger away pretty quick. In-N-Out, please come to Seattle and bring Pollo Loco with you?
And then on to dinner. I made pasta with shrimp, olives and fresh tomatoes.
Just a couple of foodies...
Dad and I went to the library this morning and had a nice day, although it's about 20 degrees colder than normal with a a brisk breeze. The skies are clear and bright and the air is extremely dry.
When I stepped outside after dinner, Venus was shining like a spotlight in the western sky. We hope to take a walk in the park tomorrow, if it isn't too windy.
Those crack-of dawn-flights are pretty unpleasant, but mine went well yesterday. As we were hanging around sleep deprived and cranky in the departure area this morning, a nice Alaska Airlines girl came around with a cart offering free water and cookies, like a flight attendant working the ground.
At the check-in kiosk, I scored a window seat near the front of the plane (maybe that Alaska credit card is paying off) and sat next to a couple who chatted quietly and politely the entire flight, hanging on each others words. Obviously they were not married. So I looked out the window for two hours, and goodness, the West is a snowy, wet and beautiful place right now.
And I love flying with "lady pilots," as our mother called them. They had to work twice as hard as men to get where they are. Captain Jennifer brought us down neatly through the typical turbulence in Las Vegas.
We also flew in one of my favorite Boeing planes (John can tell you what number) that has that nice blue mood lighting along the ceiling.
The desert is windy and rough today. It is too cold to sit outside, but I stepped out on the patio long enough to see a hawk almost snatch a dove from the ground feeder my sister has set out. It was over in a flash, the dove escaped.
The predator was either a Cooper Hawk or a Sharp-Shinned, a species so similar it stumps experienced bird watchers.
They look like a big raptors, but they are only as large as a Seattle crows. And very fast...
This is a video of a Cooper's Hawk someone took in Las Vegas, where they are year round residents.
It is nice being here again in Marji's comfortable home.
Dad and I went to the grocery store, and he put in a request for pork and sauerkraut. I never get to make sauerkraut because John won't touch it, so I jumped on that idea. It simmered all afternoon and we made mashed potatoes and fresh asparagus. Yummy supper on a cold desert night.
The prediction for a colder than normal winter turned out to be correct. Snowflakes in the forecast this week. By late February the ornamental trees along our street are usually blooming, but not this year.
Still, signs of Spring are everywhere. I hear different bird songs as the mating season gets underway, the bulbs are poking up and the roses sprouting. I pruned and fertilized last week. All we need is a few days in the high 50's for things to really take off. Everything is certainly well hydrated. Record wet winters are great for the garden, and this summer is supposed to be hotter than usual in the Northwest. A good combination.
I'm flying to Las Vegas tomorrow and looking forward to spending a few days with Dad (and of course, Doodles) while Marji visits her kids in Utah. Those storms that hammer California usually make their way out to Las Vegas, but it looks like I'll have a little window of sunny weather. I'll check in from the desert later this week.
After the concert at Benaroya Hall on Saturday afternoon, we strolled to the Pike Place Market with Betsy and Paul looking for a happy hour.
The market was a human traffic jam with tourists shuffling along en masse taking pictures and gawking at fish and flowers.
Haven't you ever seen a King crab? Or a flying salmon? I wonder if I would like Seattle more if I didn't live here. Yes, cranky locals out wanting a quiet glass of wine and some cheap snacks. Ha ha. The bars and restaurants were all noisy and crowded.
Once upon a time, we would "run down to the Market" to pick up some Starbucks beans and a loaf of good bread. Well, everything changes...I suppose we should be proud so many people enjoy our fair city.
Betsy and Paul
We finally settled on the Pike Place Brewery, sharing a hummus plate and some chicken wings. Worked just fine and we got a chance to catch up. The world travelers are off next on a Rick Steve's tour of eastern Europe. That makes our March trip to Palm Springs sound rather staid.
Oh yes, the other adventure travelers checked in from Popoyo Beach, on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua.
They are staying in a Airbnb until Wednesday, when they start the journey home. Sounds like a great trip so far. From Amanda's email:
"We are doing great.. got to popoyo beach house last night from ometepe.
We stayed at an old coffee farm with howler monkeys all around and a
few scorpions thrown in the mix. Rode horses up a volcano, swam in the
lake. It's amazing.. beautiful outdoor bathrooms like a secret garden
here. Tummy is a little upset but nothing major. Cooking our own food
now."
I got distracted this morning catching up on my blog reading. All that creativity, photography and fine writing is both humbling and inspiring. You can lose yourself jumping and skipping around the big blog universe, and before you know it your coffee is cold and you've wasted a big chunk of early morning. Well, not exactly wasted, since all serious bloggers read other blogs, whether they admit it or not. There is a fine line, of course, between plagiarism and taking inspiration from other people's work.
Google does not release any official figures in the number of blogs on Blogger, but it's in the millions. So many blogs, so little time. I ran across a mind-boggling ticker on a site called World-o-meters. It shows a live count of daily blog posts: Click HERE.
I'll leave you with that for the weekend. Have a good one. We have another concert tomorrow afternoon. Joshua Bell is playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and we're going our for Happy Hour afterwards with Betsy and Paul. Then Sunday is a home day.
Oh yes, we haven't heard from the travelers since Monday, but I'm sure everything is fine. Amanda mentioned they were planning to leave the technology behind for a few days. Good for them.
On January 11th the rusty-patched bumblebee was listed as an endangered species for the first time. That listing is now on hold, and an environmental group is suing the Trump administration for delaying
the listing. Every day counts, and cutbacks on federal regulation from the White House put the preservation of the bee and many other species in danger.
The American Farm Bureau said the listing of the rusty patch could lead
to limits on land or chemical use and that private partnerships, not the
federal government, are better suited to protect the bees in the wild. Welcome to our new world.
Since the late 1990s, the population of bumblebees has plummeted 87%. Of course bees are responsible for pollinating most of the plants that require insect pollination to produce fruits, seeds and nuts. If bees go extinct, it’s simple: no food.
And what does the American Farm Bureau have to say about that?
In the city, bumblebees like messy natural gardens without pesticides, which are few and far between. We can help them by leaving some areas unraked in fall, since bumblebees need a safe place to build their nests
and overwinter.
They like the leaf mulch I spread in the fall, and we always have a few big bumblebees in the summer, especially when the allium blooms. Every now and then one bumbles into the kitchen greenhouse window and gets trapped, but I save them with a dab of honey on a ruler. It makes them sticky and super mad, but they live to pollinate another day.
My gosh, it is soaking wet out. And relatively warm since the fire hose is pointing up from Hawaii. Seattle has seen more than three times the normal amount of rain for February — and the month is only half over. The wettest February on record was in 1961, when 9.1 inches of rain were recorded in Seattle. We've had over 7 inches and will probably break that record.
Bumblebees, stay dry and safe under there. You'll wake up in a more dangerous world.
Today is the birthday of Harold Arlen, who wrote the score to the "Wizard of Oz" and other great hits from the 30's and 40's, including "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Last Night When we Were Young," "Let's Fall in Love" and my old favorite, "I've Got the World on a String."
Classy Frank Sinatra, two chairs, a great song. All you need to start the day off right.
Our society has villainized candy, but at the beginning of the 20th century it was considered a healthful energy food.
Over 60 million pounds of chocolate are purchased for Valentines Day...
And in case you forgot, here's a guilt trip from Liz Taylor.
John didn't, and I've been nibbling from my deluxe heart box of Fran's all week. I don't have a sweet tooth, but I like a piece of chocolate now and then. With really good candy, a little goes a long way.
Fran's Chocolates are made by hand in the Georgetown area of Seattle. They are expensive and worth every calorie!
In past sweeter times, President Obama put Fran's Chocolates on the map when he declared a taste for the salted caramels.
"A woman never forgets the man who remembers."
Happy Valentines Day.
After years of fits and starts (heavy on the fits) I finally mastered the humble crocheted granny square. Between the bad weather and healing up from my little surgery, I've been pretty much confined to base the past two weeks.
I tried to channel my irritability into some activity like crocheting or practicing the ukulele. But I would be one of those horrible invalids because of my propensity to feel sorry for myself. All the more reason to stay healthy and make myself useful right up to the end.
Well, enough of that. Thankfully it's back to normal routines this week. We enjoyed seeing Betsy and Paul and going to the concert yesterday. Hilary Hahn, a world famous violinist, played Bruch's Violin Concerto, a wondrous thing to experience from our excellent fourth row seats. Hilary Hahn is 37 now, but we saw her once before in 1998 when she looked like a little girl. Time passes so fast. Why do we hurry our lives along to the next thing?
Good news on the travel front. Amanda send email from Grenada, Nicaragua. She said they took a bus across the border from Costa Rica, which was fun but a "linguistic adventure." Everyone is well and the girls are happy eating too much ice cream in the hot weather. They are taking some tours of nature reserves and volcanoes, and staying 3 nights in a hostel popular with travelers of their demographic. It is called De Boca en Boca. You can find reviews on Trip Advisor if you are interested. It sounds like they have all kinds of pets, including a turtle and cats that sneak into your bed. No wonder the kids like it.
February's full moon is known as the "snow moon." Tonight the moon will pass through the edge of the Earth's shadow, which
is called the penumbra.
During this full eclipse, the moon will be shaded, although it won't stand out as much as a typical lunar eclipse when the
moon passes deep into the heart of Earth's shadow, called the umbra, and
turns a ruddy color.
The skies cleared for a while last night, and the (almost) full moon came shining through the windows like a head lamp. What an eventful week of weather, and none of it good. It's raining again this morning, but Sunday should finally be a nice day.
The mountain passes are still closed for avalanche risk, with the exception of I-90 going eastbound. Getting across the state has been just about impossible for two days. It's lucky the little group of Methow Valley travelers left when they did, or their big trip might have been ruined. I haven't heard from them, but as far as we know they landed safely in Liberia, Costa Rica yesterday afternoon. We have a Symphony to look forward to on Sunday afternoon. It will be great to get out of the house and have a gelato with Betsy and Paul, recently back from another trip to India. Betsy brought some unwelcome hitchhikers home, but she is on the mend now. Lot's to catch up on. Have a good weekend.
Amanda, Tom and the girls came to Seattle yesterday, and this morning they left SeaTac very early for a vacation in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. They will be gone almost two weeks. This trip has been in planning for over a year. They're going with their friends Michael, Gina and their two kids. I have to hand it to them, traveling that far with four children all under the age of 8.
But I'm sure they will have a great time and some memorable adventures. When they land in Liberia, Costa Rica later today it will be 90 degrees. Quite a drastic change from the frozen solid Methow Valley.
Speaking of weather, it's lucky they came over yesterday, as this morning all the mountain passes are closed for ice and avalanches. On the news, the WASHDOT spokesman said the mountains received 30 inches of snow earlier in the week, then another 50 inches in the last couple of days. Can that be right? A mind-boggling amount of snow.
And now the Pineapple Express (atmospheric river) arrived from the southern Pacific, raising the snow level to 7,000 feet today. That means flooding. The (almost) tropical rain is coming down in sheets this morning, and it made quick work of the remaining snow and ice in our yard. What a winter.
America is projecting an ugly attitude to the world that manages to combine both belligerence and fear.
Or maybe that isn't new? People of other countries often view American as arrogant, ego-maniacal, not to mention ignorant and uninterested in cultures other than their own. Along with racism, violence, obesity and over-consumption, these are American stereotypes around the world.
Good old Norman Rockwell, dismissed as a serious artist in his lifetime. His birthday was this week, and I was checking out his paintings for the blog. Many of them are saccharine and overly sentimental, but it's easy to get sucked into nostalgia for simpler times that never existed.
There seems to be a desire now to take America back to those 1950's. Along with the sexism, racism, xenophobia and paranoia that went with that era.
It was the strongest snow storm Seattle has seen in over five years. It was beautiful to watch all morning from the comfort of home. I pulled up the blinds to let in the lovely snow light and made bean soup for dinner.
Right before noon when the snow finally ended, immense snowflakes started falling, an inch or so in diameter. Apparently this happens when flakes begin their melting process and then stick together in clusters on the way down. It was surreal.
But the heavy snow was too much for trees that toppled over, causing damage and power outages around the city. Our poor suffering olive tree was smaashed to the ground. I went out with a broom and smacked the snow off, adding insult to injury.
It's still below freezing this morning, but everything has recovered. In fact, we're going right from winter to spring. Bam. Thursday should be above 50 and pouring rain.
Here's a bit of weather history. January 31, 1950 stands as Seattle's coldest reading in history. No wimpy cold blast since has come close to that brutal winter 67 years ago.
December and January were the coldest months in 26 years in Seattle, but other than a little storm on New Year's Day we haven't had snow. Until now. Actually, significant snow in February is pretty unusual. Well, everything seems out of whack right now, so why not? By February, I'm usually writing about spring bulbs popping up and forsythia blooming.
All the Puget Sound schools are closed and the city pretty much shut down for a snow day. We've had about 4 inches here in West Seattle and still coming down. The news is encouraging everyone to "just stay home."
I intend to do that, but after being cooped up for several days already, it feels like another long one stretching ahead. The Senior Center is closed, so no ukulele group today. There are thousands of power outages across the city. If the lights don't go out, I should find something useful to do with myself. Clean out a closet maybe.
John of course went off to work as usual at 5 am in Little Beep, our intrepid Honda. Mr. Avalon is not allowed to go out in the snow. The West Seattle Bridge looked kind of gnarly, but at that un-godly hour he has the road pretty much to himself. On a morning like this, most people just pull the covers back over their heads.
I had to run outside and do a quick save on the Leyland Cypress trees. My heart almost stopped when I saw my babied trees ready to snap off! There's nothing like a nice cold snow shower to wake up your brain.
Strong coffee
smells like a current
of warm southerly air
in the climate of dawn.
Strong coffee
gets stronger
when poured back
through the grounds.
Opaque,
thick, hot, bitter
for waking up,
the caffeine
pumps through your center,
stains your mouth with morning,
with going to work,
surprises you
with your own
breath.
“Strong Coffee” by Anne Higgins
"Within a daily dosage range of 300 milligrams
of caffeine per day, or two to three cups, coffee improves negative
moods that occur in the morning upon waking, lifting the sullen and
gloomy clouds which can fog the mind upon rising. Coffee, the most
flavorful and potent caffeine-bearing beverage of all, increases general
happiness and feelings of pleasure – and increases positive mood
overall. Coffee promotes an upbeat positive sense of self, and a feeling
of well-being."
"As a mood enhancer, coffee is one of the safest and fastest agents on
earth. You drink a cup, and things change rapidly. Surely, this is the
primary reason that people drink coffee in the first place. Coffee’s
greatest effects are exerted upon the brain and mind, since coffee is a
bracing awakener. As a delivery system for caffeine, coffee acts upon
the central nervous system, stimulating the brain and all the major
nerves, and facilitating cognitive function overall."
"Coffee enhances the flow of blood in the brain and
invigorates the mind. It enhances alertness and motivation, facilitates
thought formation and concentration, and decreases mental fatigue. Every
coffee drinker has experienced this combination of effects. A morning
shower will alleviate grogginess, but a bracing cup of coffee will snap
you to attention and prepare you for whatever lies ahead."
"In a study published in the Archives of Internal
Medicine, Harvard researchers found that drinking caffeinated coffee
lowered rates of depression among women. Women who drank two to three
cups of caffeinated coffee a day were 15 percent less likely to develop
depression over the 10-year study period, compared with women who
consumed one cup or less per day. Women who drank four or more cups of
coffee a day had a 20 percent lower risk of developing depression. And
what about decaf? Women who drank decaf did not experience reduced
depression rates."
I had an innocent-looking mole removed recently and it turned out to be a potential evil-doer. Fortunately, it was just hanging out on my midriff causing no trouble yet. However, this diagnosis required another trip to the dermatologist yesterday for a procedure called "wide excision" where the immediate neighborhood is also removed.
All things considered, it isn't particularly uncomfortable, but the stitches must stay in for two long weeks which cramps my active lifestyle. And that dream of becoming a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model is dashed. Ha!
Well, as the years fly by, a sense of humor sure helps. I just thought growing old would take longer.
Today is Candlemas, commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the temple. Traditionally, the clergy would bless candles and distribute them to the poor.
Our groundhog tradition stems from the early Christians in Europe, who considered today a milestone when the weather was an important predictor. This morning Phil says six more weeks of winter.
