Worth a thousand words

 

The weekend forecast-- with highs near 80 across the state.

When it gets above 75, complaining about the "excessive heat" is very Northwestern. And super annoying. 

 

Turn on the heat, please

 

 

Not exactly a record, but Seattle's high of 51° yesterday tied for the 3rd coldest May 5th in 80 years. Rain and wind made for a pretty miserable outdoor weekend from start to finish. 

One more dreary Monday and then (be still my heart) we're looking at temperatures approaching 80 by the end of the week. That's the big buzz this morning. And it will be summer like over in Spokane for Amanda's big graduation weekend. 

The garden will go absolutely bonkers finally getting warmth after all this rain, bringing the first flush of roses. May and June are the most beautiful months here. We've had some of the roses for decades, and it's always like welcoming old friends.

Speaking of new friends who already feel like old friends, Bruce and Karen had dinner with us on their way to the airport last night. They brought good wine and I just pulled some chicken enchiladas out of the freezer in honor of Cinco de Mayo.  Lot's of laughs and catching up on the Valley gossip.

Garden Meditation Day

 

May 3rd is also our brother's birthday. I hope there's a big steak on the grill tonight in Enumclaw. Many happy returns, Dave!

I just glanced at the calendar. What a busy month shaping up filled with exciting events, like Amanda's graduation at Gonzaga University on the 11th. We'll be there with bells on to celebrate with the family. 

Some maternal bragging is in order. Not only is she graduating with honors (Amanda, all that angst about grades was just wasted time-- ha ha) she also won the Patricia Ruzyla Smith Award for Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing for her "self-reflection, empathy and compassion for others." 

She's been accepted for a UW Fellowship in rural nursing, and in August begins a new career as a Psychiatric Nursing Practitioner, based in Twisp. A handy profession to have in the family, I might add.

Have you heard about those zebras escaping a trailer on I-90?  It made national news in the crazy story department. One zebra is still on the run since Sunday in the North Bend area, right where I used to ride. My old horse buddy said it's freaking out the stable horses, who have never seen such a creature.The zebra seems to be having the time of her life, and doesn't want to be caught. She looks pretty fat and sassy, but apparently there’s a cougar in the area, maybe dreaming of Africa. 

Have a great weekend.

A natural

 

 

That's Nova on "Buttons," taking a jump in perfect form. Her first horse show is coming up this weekend.

May Day

 

I've been shopping at the Costco on 4th Avenue South almost since it opened in 1983. It started as a rough warehouse with low-cost, bulk goods, nothing fancy, but created quite the buzz with my peanut butter buying friends. Money was tight and we had young families. 

That particular store was the first in the world, so I'm surprised people don't make pilgrimages there like Starbucks at Pike Place Market. But if you've seen one Costco, you've seen them all.

In the cranky I-remember-when-category, the $1.50 door buster was once a choice of hot dog or polish sausage on a decent stadium roll with self-service warm sauerkraut and fresh onions. They even had dark or light mustard. 

I haven't had a Costco dog since before the pandemic and decided to treat myself yesterday. The hot dog was disconcertingly floppy and huge (like everything at Costco) but kind of tasteless hanging out of a spongy bun. But what do you expect for a buck fifty? Of course I scarfed it down sitting next to my cart in the depressing dining area. When in Rome...

Welcome May! I did some high intensity gardening yesterday and feel like I got a handle on things again. Maybe not ready to throw in the towel and turn it over to wilderness. Yet.

Psacalium

 

Psacalium is a genus of flowering plant in the  sunflower family. There are dozens of species of Psacalium, and even with the help of my clever plant app, I haven't been able to identify this particular one. 

We bought it during the pandemic at a public garden, when that was one of the few safe outings-- it was an innocent looking thing with pretty leaves in a gallon container.

Anyway, needless to say, it likes the rich flower beds and grows 8 feet tall, sending out roots in every direction. 

John gave me this lovely but poignant book for my birthday. Renkl writes an ecology editorial for the New York Times, and her column usually centers around the plants and animals in her Nashville backyard. 

Her neighborhood sounds like ours, with massive box houses and sterile landscaping replacing the modest bungalows and established yards. To the chagrin of some neighbors, she's left her property to nature, covered with native trees, shrubs, weeds and flowers and teeming with all types of insects, nesting birds, animals and amphibians. Even a 6 foot rat snake makes a home in her yard. 

I recently realized, I just don't have the strength or sheer willpower anymore to keep Mother Nature under my heel with chemicals and backbreaking work. 

Maybe our yard will evolve into something like hers, without the snake! Becoming the old people on the corner who have "let things go" on their big wasted lot that could hold a row of townhouses. This is considered rather selfish and elitist behavior in our silly Seattle. So be it. I'm listening to the robin, house sparrows and finches chattering away outside.