Back on the trail

My riding skills are getting as mossy as my favorite old boots.  These guys have been out in the garden for about 10 years and I think they look rather artistic. In an old moldering sort of way, like everything else around here. 

Anyway, between the bad weather, issues with the horses an so on, we haven't had an opportunity for a trail ride since January, which seems a lifetime ago.  But today is finally the day, and I'm headed to Vashon Island with my friend Maryanne to ride Moe again.  It's already the last day of April, and the month is finishing with spectacular weather.  

Controlled clutter

Way back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth (last New Years day) I remember some vague resolution to "complain less." Well, that one fell by the wayside...

I was inspired by my sister's neat and tidy pantry to finally replace the kitchen shelf liner (scratched, peeling, grubby.) What an exasperating job! The sticky sides of the plastic contact paper cling together like a magnet when you pull the paper backing off.  And can you believe contact paper costs $10 a roll now?

Anyway, despite my sloppy measuring, it doesn't look bad now that everything is piled back in. I only have a few kitchen cabinets, so the baking pans and bulky gadgets are stored in the laundry room, like the potato ricer (for gnocchi) and spaetzle maker (for German dumplings.) The unwritten rule is to get rid of things you haven't used in a year. But hey, you never know when you'll get the urge to cook up a pot of homemade, starchy noodles. John would say, not nearly often enough.

Anyway, we're always being admonished to simplify and de-clutter our lives. It's almost a character failing now to have too much stuff, and getting rid of it is supposed to make us happier. But not so fast. Other studies also show happiness value in some material purchases, especially if money is spent on things that match your interests and personality.

We were at our friends Betsy and Paul's house this weekend, and it was filled with their art collection and all the mundane accumulations of a long and interesting life. Controlled clutter can be beautiful.

Have you heard of "Norwegian Death Cleaning?" It sounds grim, but when people in Scandinavian countries reach middle age, they start sorting through things, throwing out, giving away, whatever, so their descendants won't be burdened with all their stuff, and wonder what to do with it.

I have to admit, I see the point in keeping things somewhat under control.  There are few things sadder than an estate sale. But of course, I won't be at mine.

Arbor Day

Arbor Day is one of the oldest holidays, founded in 1872 by Julius Sterling Morton.  In 1854, Morton and his bride settled on 160 treeless acres in Nebraska.  He was fascinated with trees and planted thousands, including rare varieties and many different orchards.

As a politician, Morton was an advocate for modern farming, forestry and ecology. As Secretary of Agriculture he supported Cleveland in setting up national forest preserves.  That sure sounds old-fashioned these days.

Not a tree exactly, but I was surprised and happy to see my "snowball" Viburnum rising up from the dead.  Remember the snow crushed the poor trunk to the ground?  Perhaps a blessing in disguise, because it's coming back as a round shrub instead of a top heavy tree.  It even has a couple of buds.  

Have a good weekend. 

Worth a thousand words

As I was going through files looking for old pictures of Aunt Doris, I ran across this one taken in the 1930's. Uncle Clarence is standing next to Grammy, proudly holding his Brownie camera, and Dad is the little boy in the ragged sweater. They look as poor as church mice, but everyone is beaming.

Grammy wrote across the bottom of the picture: "Some happy days on the farm.."

A family loss

Doris Sheetz

1934-2019

We were sad to hear that Dad's sister Doris passed away this week at age 85.  She was dearly loved by family and friends for her old-fashioned courtesy, generosity and sweet dignified ways.

Aunt Doris was a big part of our best childhood memories. Doris lived in Quakertown her entire life, and with Uncle Charlie raised a family in a home they built next to the farm where she was born.

 The old Bleam family farm

She grew up during the Great Depression, the youngest of Grammy's six children. This was obviously a hard time to raise a big family in rural Pennsylvania. But the old photographs I have are full of smiling, contented faces. It was indeed a simpler and kinder time and the passing of this generation is a sad loss.

Aunt Doris with friend, circa 1940

Aunt Doris (left) and Aunt Shirley with our cousins Jack and Brian, circa 1950.

Speaking of tomatoes

It's funny the little things we suddenly remember from early childhood. Yes, our minds play tricks on us, but some memories are so clear and visual, they must be real. 

Something jogged a Pennsylvania farm memory when I read a Smithsonian magazine article about the revival of the Rutgers tomato. It was introduced in 1934 in New Jersey, a state famous to this day for delicious summer tomatoes.

By the 1950's, almost all tomatoes commercially grown in the United States were Rutgers. Fresh produce wasn't transported vast distances then, and people didn't expect perfect looking fruit year round, albeit hard and cardboardy tasting.  

Farmers liked the Rutgers plant for its early season fruit and disease resistance.  Food companies liked the bright color and it was the basis for Campbell's soup.  The variety eventually fell by the wayside, until a former food scientist for Campbell's set out to recreate the Rutger's by combining its original parent plants.

According to the article, Rutger seeds are available again, although the researchers caution that it might not live up to everyone's expectations because "people are comparing it to a memory."
Isn't that the truth?

Anyway, back on our farm, I remember one year Dad was a contract grower for Campbell's, and he planted a field of tomatoes near the barn. Everything was done on a small scale in those days. We thought it was exciting that "our" tomatoes (probably Rutgers) would go into the famous condensed soup, which was a relatively fancy thing.

I also remember at least one tomato harvesting panic on the farm, with our parents frantically picking at night before frost ruined the crop.  If fact, I can hardly recall a moment when they weren't working hard at something, taking care of us, the animals or crops.

Well, our little tomato crop (two Roma, one cherry) is in the pot, so to speak. I also planted a jalapeno pepper plant, which are quite prolific growing up against the hot south wall of the house. The weather is finally warming up into the pleasant 60's.

A garden in the rain

Here's some photos we took at lush Powellswood Garden, early on Saturday morning after a heavy rain.  This beautiful, dreamy old song was published way back in 1928.

Earth Day

Do something today in honor of Earth Day. Amanda took these photos at an environmental protest march in downtown Twisp on Friday.

 It looks like most of the town turned out. 

Good for them. 

Tom and Maya looking quite serious, marching down Glover Street.

Easter on the mountain top

Amanda sent these beautiful pictures this morning. They camped overnight in the yurt on their new property outside Twisp. Fabulous views from the mountain top, and looks like the Easter bunny made it up.

Neat as a pin

John managed to get the yard mowed on a dry afternoon this week. Notice I don't say "lawn." It looks nice from a distance, but up close the grass is mostly moss and the whole thing will soon turn brown for the summer.  The amount of work, chemicals, and especially, constant watering to make a respectable suburban lawn is too overwhelming. It's all I can do to keep the beds watered these days.

We're disappointed the kids can't make it to Seattle for Easter. Nova and Maya love the flowers and looking for eggs in the garden. And it's going to be a mostly sunny weekend with highs in the 60's.  What a shame, although it just couldn't be managed with their work schedules.

So it will be a quiet Easter weekend. Something good for dinner of course, yet to be determined but I'm leaning toward steak. I can't face a ham or turkey for just the two of us.  On Saturday afternoon, we might go to a spring open house and tour at Powellswood Botanical Garden.

Last Christmas, John gave me "The Robe" DVD in Bluray, no less.  It's one of my favorite Biblical epics so I saved it for Easter. A great long inspiring story, starring beautiful Jean Simmons and youngish Richard Burton at his tastiest, right before the hard living (and Liz Taylor) caught up with him.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend.

“Easter is…
Joining in a birdsong,
Eying an early sunrise,
Smelling yellow daffodils,
Unbolting windows and doors,
Skipping through meadows,
Cuddling newborns,
Hoping, believing,
Reviving spent life,
Inhaling fresh air,
Sprinkling seeds along furrows,
Tracking in the mud.
Easter is the soul’s first taste of spring.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich 

Holy Thursday

According to Christian legend, 

white violets had adorned the path where 

Jesus walked on his way to his crucifixion. 

As an anguished Virgin Mary followed her son, 

the white violets turned purple.

Spreading violets, a garden invasive most of the year, are absolutely adorable for a few days, like these, clustered around the base of a rose.

In the flash and bang of Spring, with gaudy tulips hogging the garden show, it's easy to miss the little faces tucked here and there.

Some, like this single anemone, managed to survive from bulbs I planted years ago.

Or this tiny, delicate flower, called White Ipheion, the only one left from a single lonely bulb.

The Star Azalea tree never fails.

And old-fashioned Bleeding Hearts...

Even the lowly dandelion is beautiful in the spring sun, through the lens of the rather amazing (if I don't say so myself) iPhone camera.

Tulip time

The first part of April has been soaking wet.  After a record dry March, it rained 12 days in a row, breaking the April rain streak record set back in 1955.

Another month, another weather record bites the dust...

But we'll take it. This is so good for the garden, and a gentle rain that doesn't beat down the tall tulips.  Of all the things I buy at Costco, those bags of 50 tulip bulbs for $12 are a screaming deal. I throw more in the ground just about every fall, so rain or shine outside, there's always plenty to cut for the house.

The stems grow in the vase as they reach toward the light, and they open completely wide in several days. When you look at this miraculous flower, it's easy to understand the Dutch Tulip Mania of the 17th century.

I've been following the good news/bad news about the Notre Dame fire.  The most famous organ in the world and the rose window were apparently saved, although the stained glass looks scorched black and the organ might have water damage. This should keep the artisans busy for many years.

Still, bad as it was, the entire building didn't collapse, probably due the comparatively delicate and savvy firefighting.  They are the French, after all, and wise enough not to take the unsolicited advice to "bring in the big water tankers."

We had a roast Poussin for dinner (aka Cornish Hen, Spring Chicken) in honor of the French, and John opened a bottle of French wine.  Tonight we're having burritos made with leftover roast pork, in honor of the Crisis on the Border.  Home cooking, inspired by international events.

Notre Dame

Devastating, shocking, heartbreaking-- there aren't enough adjectives to describe the loss. The external masonry was mostly spared by the fire, but the entire interior wood frame, built with ancient French oak, was destroyed.  Firefighters and others risked their lives to save many of the cathedral treasures.

John and I have both been inside Notre Dame on past trips to Paris, so we decided to skip the long, long tourist lines in September and just admire it from the Seine river boat. It is stunningly beautiful from any angle, but now in retrospect, I wish we had gone in one more time.

If there's a bright side to the catastrophe, millions of euros have already been pledged to rebuild. The ancient building, slowly crumbling from urban pollution, will no doubt be stronger and more beautiful than ever. But that will take decades.

Green, green

The warmth returned to Las Vegas after I left, of course, so they can sit out on the patio again. Dad is slowly but surely recuperating, and has home visits from the nurse and the physical therapist this week.  Everything is in place for recovery-- it's just going to take time and patience.

My goodness, it feels cold for April in Seattle, although they say close to normal, the furnace is still running full time. I went to the grocery store on Sunday, then busy inside catching up with laundry and chores.

A wet, chilly April is actually a good thing, keeping the lowlands moist before the summer drought, and the snow-pack going a few more weeks in the mountains.  At least according to our weather expert, Cliff Mass. Everything is lush and full of promise. I love this time of year in the garden. All too soon, we'll be complaining about lack of rain. 

A lily pokes up his mighty head...

I was worried how the perennials and bulbs would fare, buried under that thick layer of compost. No problemo.  I need to start weeding, although the compost has kept the riff-raff tamped down.  It was $300 well spent, and maybe I'll splurge again on another 3 yards. But who wants to think about fall?

We are The Emerald City in The Evergreen State. We have Green Governor running for president with a Green Agenda. Bet we are Greener than Ireland right now.

That 1963 hit song "Green, Green" by the New Christy Minstrels has been looping through my brain. Thought I'd share the ear-worm. Sorry about that!

The sun returns to the desert

A desert flower

It has been unseasonably cold and windy in Las Vegas these past 3 days, but the sun finally returned in more ways than one.  Dad is getting excellent home care and showing slow but steady signs of improvement each day. He is very tired, but overall in good spirits. 

We've already had visits from two nice home nurses and a delivery of oxygen for nighttime breathing support. An "occupational therapy" specialist is coming this afternoon. I suppose she will soon have him back at his household chores.

Oh yes, and one other bit of good news. "Doodles" had oral surgery today and came through the operation fine.  Marji picks him up at the vet this afternoon and he can return to his most favorite place:  Dad's lap.

I fly back to Seattle tomorrow afternoon.  My brother Dave is planning a visit next week, which will be nice for Marji and Dad.

Have a good weekend.

A quick update

Dad came home from the hospital and "Doodles" is a happy dog.  His nose was seriously out of joint with his lap buddy missing.

Everything is going well as can be expected, considering-- pneumonia complicated with sepsis.

He had excellent, expert care at Mountain View Medical Center and is in pretty good spirits.  Recovery will be slow, of course, but he's definitely on the right track. We're taking him in to see his regular doctor this afternoon for routine follow up.

Down to the desert

I'm headed to Las Vegas this morning to spend some time with Marji and Dad. It's going to be a very windy day in the desert southwest. Hopefully my flight will leave on time.  After the February snow storm fiasco, I'm due for some better luck at SeaTac.

The news is all trending good!  Dad is improving and we're hopeful he can go home today or tomorrow.  My plan is to stay until Saturday.  I'll check in with more news later.

Sun and clouds

Unfortunately, more clouds than sunshine this week.  I was busy yesterday texting back and forth with my sister Marji in Las Vegas.  Our dad is currently in the hospital with complications from a bad cold and cough.  They are giving him breathing therapy and antibiotics, and he seems to be responding well to the treatments. He is getting good care and he's a strong man, so we're optimistic he will be able to go home soon.

I'll keep you posted on his progress. In the meantime, keep Sam in your thoughts and prayers.