Hey, Friday

 

Perfect weather for a drive and I'm headed to Twisp for the weekend. See you on the other side.

Hold the mayo

 

An unusual recipe from the NYT for lemonmint potato salad-- about as different from the mayo version as you can yet. It calls for the juice of one lemon and half cup of olive oil, which would have been swimming in dressing. 

The NYT food editors tend to have a heavy hand with ingredients. I cut the recipe in half.

 

 

To go with, thick grilled pork chops. No leftovers.

I invited a friend over for coffee today, thinking we could sit out on the deck. Ha. Pouring rain this morning, so the living room it is. 

One day wonder

 

“Happiness,” Cadfael thinks as he floats on the River Severn, “consists in small things, not in great. It is the small things we remember, when time and mortality close in.” 

Year after year, our "Brother Cadfael" rose is a star. John picked it from the lovely David Austin rose catalog about 20 years ago. It was named after the crime-solving monk in Ellis Peter's historical mysteries. 

The books are set in medieval England. Brother Cadfael is a healer who solves grisly murders on the side. It was an excellent TV series from 1994-1998 starring Derek Jacobi.

Brother Cadfael ponders a mystery in his herbarium. We remember watching other purely escapist TV series from that wonderful decade on PBS, like "Inspector Morse." Long before streaming and binge watching, you had to wait for each new weekly episode.

Oh, what a beautiful morning. At 5 am, the sun was already up in a clear blue sky. Rain returns tomorrow, but a glorious day ahead.

 

Show off Henry

 

That flashy peony variety is named "Henry Bockstoce."  

Pack your patience growing peonies, because the bare root takes about 5 years to finally mature and bloom. That is, if you lucked upon the right place to plant it.

Peonies are finicky and slow to get started, but unlike the needy iris, they bloom for decades in the same spot. In fact, the one thing they hate is being transplanted.

Well. They are saying tomorrow will be the warmest day here in the last 8 months. The mid-80's brings out the heat complainers in Seattle. This May has been that perfect mix of sunshine and rain for the garden. 

For what it's worth, the Old Farmer's Almanac says cool and dry for the Pacific Northwest this summer.

Memorial Day

This poster was meant to inspire reluctant Americans to join the fight in WWI. And "civilization" still calls out for help.

Here's a quote for the day, written by Frank Herber in "Dune," no less.

"Four things support the world: the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave. But all of these are as nothing, without a ruler who knows the art of ruling."

 

Little house, big footprint

 

John mowed and it sure looks nice after all the rain. More weeds and moss than grass in there, but at least it's green, for now.

We have a larger lot than most people in West Seattle, and it's kind of luxurious having a dab of open (some would say wasted) outdoor space. Needless to say, the lot is worth more than the little old house.

The developers would love to get their hands on this because there's room to build a giant box or a row of tall condos. That, I suppose, is inevitable, but for now we have our home with the birds and bees. Enjoy what you have while you can.

I went to ukulele group at the C&P Coffeehouse yesterday. The group has just recently been invited to use their spacious back patio again, a big improvement over everyone crowding into the front yard facing California Ave. 

The coffee house is surrounded by apartment buildings, and someone "up above" had complained about the noise from our Thursday afternoon jams. 

Apparently, this joyless person has since moved away, so we got the all clear from management to use their back patio again. We were delighted. It's just about impossible to embarrass ukulele players.  

Have a safe holiday weekend. Remember our heroes who have given their lives to protect our freedom. 

In yer' Easter bonnet

 

This confection is aptly named "Easter Candy."

Of the five iris we planted in 2021, only "Beverly Sills" is still MIA. 

And here's the thing about iris. In a year or so, this bed needs to be dug, divided and replanted and the wait begins again. Gardeners are passionate about iris, one way of the other. Are they worth the trouble and all the space they hog for just 2 weeks of glory?

 

If you've ever seen Taos, New Mexico during iris season, the answer is yes. Iris are extremely hardy and thrive in bright, dry weather. There is something about that vibrant color in the high desert air. My sister has gorgeous iris in her patio garden in Las Vegas. 

Iris is the only flower I've been tempted to plant in Twisp, but nah, I have enough work over there. Besides, the deer would probably eat them. 

May is flying by, as the more pleasant months of the year seem to do. 

"If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the May Queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run-
There's still time to change the road you're on."

From, Stairway to Heaven

Led Zeppelen

(Arguably, the best rock song ever written)

 

 

 

Mount Everest Allium

 

A member of the onion family, allium bulbs are amazing, how that slender stalk shoots straight up and supports the flower head. They rarely topple over, and the dried flowers are interesting long after they bloom. 

"Mount Everest" comes up to my shoulder. I haven't planted alliums for over a decade, so we're lucky to still have a few scattered here and there.

This is a picture of the garden back in 2011. So many! The girls loved them when they were little.

 

So fun, looking at these old pictures. It seems like both yesterday and another lifetime.

A cloudy, wet day dawns in Seattle, although the weather in the northwest is supposed to be perfect for Memorial Day weekend. That's unusual! But then we're usually the contrarians, and when the weather is nice here, it's atrocious across the country.

Considering the forecast, I almost wish we were going somewhere, but the highways are crazy and our neighborhood is nice and quiet on 3-day weekends, when everyone leaves town. We're having some old friends over for dinner Saturday, and that's about the extent of the plans.

 

Janus

 

The Roman god Janus has two faces, one looking to the future and the other backward at the past.  

A simple fact of life, neither happy nor unhappy-- but there's more days behind us now than ahead. I sometimes take a jaunt down memory lane on the blog, which stretches back 16 years and 4,630 posts. Feathers and Flowers started back in 2009, right before Nova was born.

And here's our princess in 2010, on her first tent camping trip at Banks Lake. The same group of Methow friends have kept this May tradition going, and are heading out there again Memorial Day weekend with trailers, campers, dogs, boats, tons of food and their "babies," now strapping teenage boys and girls. 

 

What else happened in May 2010 that was worth writing about? Well, I brought that little stick of an olive tree home from the West Seattle Nursery.

 

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” 

  Mother Theresa
 

Sticker shock

 

It caught my eye at Metropolitan Market yesterday, and the most shocking thing being that people can actually afford this "deal." 

Hey, lets throw a couple of $35 steaks on the grill tonight!

Meanwhile, across the tracks at Safeway, a package of stew meat I plucked from the 50% off bargain bin. 

A little pile of scrappy meat for $2.50, and the base for a pot of chili con carne (light on the carne.) I'm ashamed to admit we eat meat almost daily, but at least not too much, and nothing ever gets wasted.

The mess simmers for a couple of smell good hours until the meat is finally tender, then I'll add cooked Ranch Gordo cooked pinquito beans. 

And a good night for chili it is, on a May day that feels more like early March. The rain is welcome, the unseasonable temperatures not so much. The furnace is running.

Green, green, green

 

The garden went crazy behind my back. It's been damp and cool in Seattle and heavy rain at times today, so a perfect excuse to stay inside and rest. The weeds can wait.

We have been waiting since 2021 for these iris to flower, good grief. Was starting to think I'd have to retire my gardening hat, if I couldn't get plain old flags to bloom. 

 

They came from the Breck's flower porn catalog, and have wonderful names like Easter Candy, Champagne Elegance and Penny Lane. 

I left Twisp very early yesterday morning and was home be noon-- rewarded by light traffic the entire way. Memorial Day weekend will be another story and we're content to stay home and let the working people duke it out on the highways. 

High up ride

 

When I pulled in the parking lot at the Sun Mountain riding stable, I expected the usual scene of people milling around and the row of tied saddled horses waiting to go. 

Instead, only two horses in sight (Belle, above for me) and the wrangler's own horse. So I was lucky yesterday and got a private trail ride for the price of the group ride. Mid-week and early in the tourist season is the way to go.

Sun Mountain Lodge is located high on a mountain outside of Winthrop. It was a nice day but windy at times, so I was glad for my parka. 

I've done the Sun Mountain ride several times with the girls, so I expected the same old trail. Instead the wrangler took a different route though aspen groves out to a old homestead, where the hotel stages cowboy dinners and other events. 

Ash was very personable, here from Montana and working for the summer at the Lodge. We enjoyed chatting about horses and everything under the sun, as women do. Since I know something about horses, I was probably a novelty to her, especially showing up alone like that.

Well, when you have not sat on a horse for long time, an hour and a half in the saddle is enough!  I expected to be sore, but I slept long and hard with deep dreams. 

I was so tired I forgot to put water in the coffee pot, then staggered out half awake this morning and pushed the on button. Have you ever done that? It makes an awful mess.

The irrigation guy comes this afternoon to replace and adjust the sprinkler heads. If all goes well, I'm headed back to Seattle tomorrow. 

This has certainly been one of the more eventful visits.

 

 

Local water doings

 

I rode my bike to the City Park yesterday, and noticed they were working on repairs to the swimming pool. Among other things, the pool's 50-year old liner has to be chipped off and replaced.

The pool was closed last season, which was a real blow to the community. The Methow Valley News reported recently on the reopening, made possible because of generous local donations and such welcome news for parents and kids. 

Nova has already applied for a life guard position. She and Maya are excellent swimmers, thanks to all the dedicated instructors and their swim team practice.

It's been quiet here along the river, although yesterday afternoon a woman in a bathing suit with a dog was submerging herself in the icy, swift water in front of the house. Dangerous and cold, but whatever floats your boat!

Her dog was running loose, so I went out (as I always do) to say hello and ask her to please keep it leased on our property, because of all the wildlife. Not too much to ask, right?

Big mistake. The dog suddenly charged me, snarling and snapping, coming inches from my legs. Thank goodness I was not bitten, but it was terrifying. Then she yelled at ME for "scaring her dog." She insisted she was on public property, I informed her otherwise. 

I put the sign off the beaver's downed tree right smack on the trail where you can't miss it. Most of our neighbors gladly respect these conditions to access the river here. But there's always someone with a sense of entitlement who will probably toss the sign in the river. Life in the little big city of Twisp.

Enough of that. It's a beautiful morning, and I'm cheering myself up with a scenic ride at Sun Mountain Lodge. Been a long time since I sat on a horse...

 

 

Long shadows

 

"When small men begin to cast long shadows, it means the sun is setting." Lin Yutang.

Hum, rather an enigmatic Chinese quote. 

This time of year, in the evening, I like the way my shadow stretches half block ahead as I walk down the hill to our house from Amanda and Tom's place. It is so peaceful and I rarely meet another person.

It was a busy day yesterday, cleaning up after the dinner party and getting caught up on laundry. Sometimes there isn't much vacation in this vacation house, so good thing I like puttering around. 

A irrigation contractor came by to have a look at our system and declared it in pretty decent shape, but he's going to replace the old sprinkler heads and adjust all the water flows. This is small stuff that local homeowners take care of themselves, but we don't have the time or inclination to run down all the parts, much less learn how to install everything correctly. 

He talked like an expert, certainly very personable, and he's coming on Thursday. We shall see, all you can do is trust your hunches and hope he does a good job.

Yes, poor me. Stuck in Twisp an extra two days. Just kidding! Such a perfect time of year, the sweet spot when both the furnace and air conditioner are switched off.

We picked Nova up at the barn after her chores and riding Ginger. She is still using the English reins I gave her and my old leather half chaps, now beautifully worn from constant use. This made me insanely happy. 

 

Fields of gold

 

 The locals can’t explain the super bloom of wildflowers this spring. What a gift, especially the Arrowleaf Balsamwood, carpeting the hills and valleys in gold as far as the eye can see.

We had a nice hike with family and friends yesterday morning high above Pearrygin Lake, with sweeping views of the North Cascades in the distance.  The Western Meadowlarks were singing their hearts out.

 

We all missed Nova, who was working at the boutique in Winthrop all day. But I got a little Maya time.

It was a perfect Mother's Day, with sweet times and thoughtful gifts from Amanda and John, like this cute vase he brought over from Seattle (now filled now with valley wildflowers.)

As you all know, I like cooking, especially for appreciative others. We had lamb, saffron rice and a big garbanzo bean salad. The wine poured freely and pie for dessert.

Right before dinner, I texted these photos to our neighbors down the street and said hey-- come over and help us eat all this food. 

They showed up on short notice (which would never happen in Seattle) so we suddenly had a party going. I love the spontaneity here, and how the best things often come together without much fuss and bother.

School and work today for the family. John is headed back to Seattle now but I'm staying a few more days. Our irrigation system needs some upgrades, and I plan to meet with a local company who might take the job.