Arbor Day

 

What a sweet-looking couple. Arbor Day was founded in 1872 by Julius Sterling Morton. In 1854, Morton and his wife Carrie settled on 160 acres of open prairie in Nebraska. They planted thousands of trees, including rare varieties and many different orchards.

Julias Morton went on to become a politician and advocate for modern forestry and ecology. A man ahead of his time, as Secretary of Agriculture he supported setting up forest preserves, the start of our national forest system established in 1891.

 

 

Arbor Day is one of the oldest national holidays. 

Friday rolls around again. After being cancelled two years in a row, the big West Seattle Community Yard Sale is back tomorrow. I always enjoyed driving around and stopping at whim, not that I needed anything who does? but it was fun seeing neighbors who are almost always tucked away inside. And yes, paw through their junk.

Seattle always comes up on those lists of unfriendly cities. It's called the "Seattle Freeze." Over half the residents say they avoid casual conversation with strangers. Maybe the weather has something to do with it. Saturday looks like a day of steady cold rain, which makes outdoor chit-chat even less appealing.

Have a good weekend. I'm off to Las Vegas on Monday morning, looking forward to spending a few days in the warm friendly desert. 

Wingding

 

Hopefully you had a healthier dinner than we did last night. I cooked the last of that gigantic bag of frozen wings from Costco. An embarrassing 20 pounds of wings did give me a chance to experiment on different Buffalo sauces.

And the winner is Franks, even better than the more expensive Stonewall brand. It's got the right blend of heat and vinegar. 

There's no recipe on the bottle; you have to go to the Internet. The classic method is to bake the wings plain, then dip them in the sauce right when they come out of the oven. It's the same method for Nashville hot chicken, except that dip is a mixture of melted lard and hot pepper sauce. And of course the chicken is fried in a heavy batter.

 

Most recipes say to bake the wings about 30 minutes, but they need twice that to become fall-off-the-bone tender. The final result is messy and delicious. We skip the celery and blue cheese thing. I made some crinkle cut oven fries with red potatoes.

Reading this blog anyone would think, oh yea, here's a gal who never gets tired of cooking. Wrong. I run out of inspiration like everyone else and seldom make complicated recipes anymore. Been there, done that. The thing that keeps me cooking is how depressing life can be without good plain homemade food, especially when you're stuck at home. 

I always look forward to grilling to break up the monotony, but it's been so frigging cold. In fact, this April was one of the coldest on record in Seattle. Maybe May will finally brings us some warmth.

Give us pleasure

 

 

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.

Robert Frost

"A Prayer in Spring"

 

Have a pretzel

 

The earliest known illustration of a pretzel in art from the 1100's.

April 26th is National Pretzel Day. The legend goes that pretzels were invented by an Italian priest as a reward for good children who learned their prayers.

The strips of dough look like arms crossing the chest. They were  called 'pretiola' or little rewards.  And pretzels, made with only flour and water, could be eaten during Lent. They were once associated with strict fasting and prayer, not beer and football.  

If you're from eastern Pennsylvania, you've had pretzels with ice cream. And admit it, you've also had fried baloney sandwiches on white bread. 

 I can resist most junky snacks, but if there's a bag of pretzels in the house I can't leave it alone. And I’m partial to sausage.  It must be genetic. Pretzels are just empty, salty calories, but there's worse. Like baloney. 

The classic parting shot on Waikiki Beach yesterday morning before heading to the airport. Next stop--Twisp. 

Talk about a contrast. And 8 chickens, 2 bored cats and a dog will be happy to have their family home.

Serenity

 

With Hawaii more popular than ever, it must be a challenge finding those little spots of tropical serenity. This looks like one. We'll hear more about the trip when they get back later this week.

John and I were lucky to have seen Hawaii (and many other places) years ago. So many good travel memories. The epic Maui drive, Road to Hana, was already bumper-to-bumper in the 1990's. Hard to imagine it now. 

It takes about 12 hours to go 64 miles with all the curves and one lane bridges and waterfall distractions. The Road to Hana is also known as the “Divorce Highway" because it causes so many arguments! Trouble in paradise.

It was a lovely weekend in Seattle. We did yard work on Saturday and went downtown to the Symphony Sunday afternoon. Driving home, there was a weird yellowish haze in the sky that was actually Gobi Desert dust and smoke from wildfires. April showers are back for the week and should make quick work of unwelcome things from "over there." 

Weekend is here

 

Sometimes the early morning muse sleeps in and a blog just doesn't get written. Oh well. 

Then I had a Zoom meeting with my hospice volunteer group on medically supervised psychedelics, and how they can often relieve fear, PTSD, depression and anxiety. 

Psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms) is illegal in every state except Oregon, which recently passed a law allowing its use. They're still working out the details on how to do that as safely as possible. 

They claim that psilocybin activates the same neurons in the brain that light up when people have rapturous near death experiences. For better or worse, the substance seems to lift the curtain on the universe inside our heads. If it alleviates end-of-life suffering for patients and their loved ones, why not? But don't expect Medicare to cover it anytime soon.

Then was just too nice to stay inside a minute longer. Sunny, bright days have been rare as hen's teeth lately.

I bought 12 geraniums at Costco and planted them up. Pleasant work. Usually the tomatoes are in pots by now on the south side of the house. I'll go to Home Deport and look for some tomorrow. 

And last but not least, a turkey dinner tonight.  I know, weird time of year. But Safeway had a flash sale on half birds this morning and this big beauty set me back $8.  Simple mashed potatoes and salad to go with. Not exactly Thanksgiving but good. 

Have a nice weekend.

The view from here

 

Another day, another appointment. Like many others, I'm catching up on routine screenings and doctor visits after the pandemic. I scheduled everything in late April to "get it over with" but that probably wasn't such a good idea. It's much better for my stress level to space things out. 

I've been blessed with robust health and yes, have sometimes taken it for granted. Entering the home stretch of life, so to speak, it's inevitable little things come up that need to be investigated. How we deal with the what if's is the key. For better or worse, our medical system is designed to take us down these paths. It can be a source of unnecessary stress, and life right now is stressful enough.

Our mother was an expert worrier and I inherited the family gene. One of her favorite sayings was "if I worry about something, it won't happen." The idea being, it's the things we don't see coming that will get us. Well, she had a point. But how do you also worry about things you can't see coming? 

My sweet Vietnamese doctor thought that was the funniest saying, and the polar opposite of her cultural and spiritual philosophy. As we know, worrying is nothing but an endless and exhausting waste of time.

Anyway, I had the most comprehensive eye exam ever yesterday so check that off. After much flashing and blinking, reassured that everything looks pretty good, except I need a new expensive pair of glasses. So it goes.

Don't worry, be happy like these two lucky gals.

Pineapple

 

Not much going on this week. Even I eventually get tired of talking about the Seattle weather.

Another picture of Maya and Nova on vacation at Historic Wahiawa Town Plantation. I believe that is pineapple soft serve ice cream topped with fresh pineapple. Whatever it is, Miss Sweet Tooth sure has a happy look.

Hawaiian gardens

 

 

A cute picture of the girls at the Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden in Honolulu. They've also been to the zoo, Diamond Head, the beaches and some fabulous shopping malls, at least by eastern Washington standards! So a great family vacation so far, with lots to do. We've only passed through the Honolulu airport on the way to Maui, and I'd like to see more of beautiful Oahu if we ever go again. 

Tulip fields

 

The tulips are magnificent this year in the cool, wet weather. John placed a large order last fall with the mail order company "Breck's." Tulips bulbs don't multiply and peter out after a few years, although the big yellow and red Darwin varieties seem to last the longest in the ground.

Easter was beautiful in Seattle. We had a brilliant sunrise instead of the gradual lightening of gloom like this morning. Now we're back to rain for the rest of the week and still a good 10 degrees colder than usual. On the bright side, all this late mountain snow is good for the summer water supply.

Today is "Nation Stress Awareness Day," always on the first workday in April after U.S. taxes are due. "Nothing is certain except death and taxes" is a famous quote that originated with Benjamin Franklin. Speaking of whom, there's a new PBS documentary about him, only 4 hours long, which is short by Ken Burns standards. We haven't jumped into it yet.

Postcards from Hawaii

 

The Hawaiian beauty sisters...

Aloha

 

They're off to Honolulu this morning for 10 days, after a quick overnight stop in Seattle. The weather in paradise looks delightfully boring next week: high of 80/day and low of 70/night.

Still unseasonably chilly in the Northwest, but they're promising us some sunshine for Easter. Have a lovely holiday weekend.

Maundy Thursday

 

Today is Maundy Thursday when Jesus had his final meal — Jewish Passover. The word maundy means “the ceremony of washing the feet of the poor." As an act of humility, Jesus washed the feet of his 12 disciples. 

Easter is late this year. Based on the Hebrew calendar, Easter falls on the first Sunday following the full moon after the Spring Equinox, the time of Passover. The earliest possible date for Easter is March 22, and the latest possible date is April 25. 

Network TV used to show old biblical blockbusters on Easter, like "Ben Hur." They dragged on all afternoon. I still associate those movies with the relaxing smell of ham baking. I'd jump up and work on dinner during the commercials. The picture wasn't very good and no one has that kind of patience anymore. Now we have "Ben Hur" and several other campy Roman movies on lovely Blu-ray, nice Christmas presents from John over the years.

The chariot race from "Ben Hur" is the most famous scene, but my favorite is when Ben Hur sees Jesus for the first time, especially the expression on the face of the cruel centurion. For a few seconds, he sees inside his own black heart. The novel "Ben Hur" by Lew Wallace was a huge bestseller in the 1950's.

The face of Jesus is never revealed in "Ben Hur" which makes the film more moving. In more recent Biblical movies like the "Son of God," Jesus looks like Brad Pitt. Easy on the eyes, but imagination is better.

So cold

 

The unpleasantly cold spring weather persists with snow all the way down to the lowlands, unheard of in April. On the bright side, the tulips should last a good long time in this florist refrigerator. And yes, everything is very green and looks nice after the first mow. All tidy.

I was sure glad to get back yesterday afternoon after a tiring, winter-like drive. Fortunately, the road surfaces were OK, but occasionally the snow squalls were so intense it created white-out driving conditions. 

You know things are getting serious when the big rigs actually slow down. I followed one over Snoqualmie Pass (at a safe distance.)

When I finally reached the insanely busy junction of I-90 and I-5 (sun shining, almost home) a woman nearly wandered in front of my car by the homeless encampment there. Welcome to Seattle. It's a notorious spot, where people cross the freeway all the time, but still a jarring sight. Heaven forbid, nothing happened, or I'd probably still be sitting down there sorting things out.

Anyway, all is well. Not much going on for the rest of the month except hunker down and check off a slew of routine appointments.

Shoulder season

"It was one of those March (April!) days when the sun shines hot and wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade."

Charles Dickens, Great Expectations 

I watched Maya rolling around on the sun heated deck Saturday, toasting herself on all sides.  "Nana, this feels SO GOOD!"

Yes it does feel good to finally be warm outside. But not for long. People on both sides of the state are tired of this wet cold La Nina winter, which hasn't given up yet. There's even a dusting of snow on the deck this morning and the weather in the mountains is terrible. I'm planning to drive back to Seattle tomorrow so hopefully things improve by then.

But other than weather complaints, the shoulder season here in the valley is pretty nice, just a short break between winter recreation and the summer tourist season. Soon the highways will be streaming with heavy traffic. But for now you can pull right up to the gas pump at Hank's and feel like a local as you empty your bank account. Well, guess I am a local now.

The first Saturday market of the year is a special occasion for the Twisp community. There's very little to buy actually, but no one seems to care, greeting unmasked friendly faces for the first time in almost 2 years.

The girls made a beeline to the hearty Kettle Corn man staked out in his usual place. In an another month, the market will be hopping with tourists and locals buying organic plant starts and the first garden edibles.

 

 

Amanda was busy all weekend with finals so the girls and I hung out. The Cinnamon Twisp Bakery for a piece of quiche and loaf of bread. Some sewing, some drawing, some baking. Nothing much but it was relaxing.

Monday is a quiet day in Twisp (you might say dead) and everyone is back at work and school. If I can drag myself out of this warm bed I'll do some spring housecleaning and then weather permitting hit the road early tomorrow.  Enough with the snow, already!

 

A good plant

 

 

The previous owner planted yellow Potentilla shrubs along the front of the house, and they bloomed beautifully all last summer requiring nothing more than an irrigation drip line. An excellent choice for this harsh climate, where it often goes well below zero. Also known as "shrubby cinquefoil" it's one of the most popular landscape shrubs because of the exceptional hardiness and easy care. 

In the winter, these looked well and truly dead, but new growth is just appearing. I'll do a light pruning for shape and that should be it for the summer, other than a touch of fertilizer. It would be fun to start some new landscaping projects, but to be honest, why mess with the natural setting. Keep it simple and don't create more work. I have plenty of gardening in Seattle. 

Having been here now in the dead of winter, it's fun seeing nature emerge just fine and dandy from under the piles of snow. The vast burn areas on the hills around Wenatchee were the most beautiful delicate, velvet green when I drove by Wednesday. The miles of orchards just starting to bloom.

Despite my worries (or maybe because of them!) the house and yard came through the winter without any problems. The deer rubbed some bark off the young Locust trees, but didn't manage to kill them. They are tough as nails with thorns like nails. When the trees get bigger, maybe the deer will think twice.

Our next step is getting the irrigation running, probably in early May. Some spring house-cleaning then we're good to go for another 6 months. Hopefully all the deer poop down by the river goes away, it sticks in soles of your shoes like glue. They used our place as their bedroom all winter, but haven't seen much of them this trip.

The April weather is still unpredictable. One minute you need a down jacket and the next it's tied around your sweating waist. I took a hike at Pearrygin Lake with my new friend Karen yesterday. We had Maya and Karen's granddaughter with us. The girls are the same age and best friends, like two cute peas in a pod. How fun. The big excitement was a garter snake trying to sun himself along the trail. I'm sure you could hear the screaming all the way to Winthrop. 

What a difference a day makes

 

Both Snoqualmie and Blewett Passes were beautiful, the roads bare and mostly dry, snow-covered mountain peaks melting before your eyes in the harsh spring glare. How many times can a person pull the windshield visor up and down? Answer: many. I need new sunglasses. Yesterday's snowfall was no match for the April sun. 

Honestly, the hardest part of this trip is just getting from our house to the freeway, navigating the stop-n-go detour for almost an hour, 7 long miles of it, and just when you're wondering am I CRAZY doing this,  suddenly more or less smooth sailing for the next 230 miles. 

On the bright side, they are finally starting concrete pours for the final phase of West Seattle bridge repair. Still no estimate for reopening, but hopefully before the end of the year.

The house looks great, the grass and trees greening up, the river getting high with mountain snow melt. Hot in the sun, cold in the shade. Was treated to a most wonderful pot roast birthday dinner tonight, with dear handmade presents from the girls. A good long day and looking forward to a good long night of sleep.

April showers

 

Doesn't that look nice? Another day of treacherous mountain driving. This is quite a powerful storm for early April. I'll see how the roads look by mid-morning, but most likely will postpone my trip until tomorrow. Why head out into that mess if you don't have to?

Lush life

 

 

The garden is sure looking lush from the three yards of compost and a wetter than usual winter. The new tulip bulbs I planted last fall are just ready to pop open. That is, when it finally warms up. 

 

We're having a storm today more typical of February than April. Wind, rain and feet of snow falling in the mountains. Winter's last gasp. Hopefully by tomorrow I can safely make my way to Twisp. The girls are on spring break this week.

We had a nice time in Palm Springs and were relieved to get home without any problems. Air travel is stressful because everything is pretty much out of your control. Alaska Airlines suddenly cancelled hundreds of flights over the weekend. Getting rerouted back to Seattle from Palm Springs would have been  long and complicated, since every flight out of that small airport is packed. 

 

I was watching the news last night, and felt bad for the families who had their spring break plans ruined by cancelled flights. Most hotels and resorts are nonrefundable, not to mention very expensive these days.

We haven't been to the Symphony since last year, but went downtown yesterday and heard Mahler's 6th Symphony. Known as "The Tragic" it is famous (among other things) for the three hammer blows of fate in the final movement. The Symphony runs well over an hour so you get your grim money's worth. Benaroya Hall was full and it felt pretty much like normal, except you have to show proof of vaccination to enter and of course wear a mask.

 

VillageFest

 

This is the 30th anniversary of Thursday night Village Fest in Palm Springs. It was the brain child of Sonny Bono, mayor at the time, who wanted to draw more people downtown. It's become wildly popular, with over 300 vendors stretching for blocks along Palm Canyon Drive.

Have you heard of drone art? It's quite spectacular. Operators use hundreds of lighted drones and complicated computer algorithms to create animations in the sky. Thanks, Goggle for helping us figure out what we were actually seeing last night.

A fitting send-off for a nice mini vacation. Back to Seattle today.