Every springtime Judy’s gorgeous clematis visits! I’ll snip off a couple of slips to grow against the back fence. My valerian plant is just about to flower. Hummers really like them. Dingo discovered my asparagus plants! She loves it so much, she ate every single […]
Well … we just couldn’t help ourselves and adopted a new puppy. There were nine – yes – nine! It was tempting to bring home two but sanity prevailed and we picked our favorite of the bunch. Meet Mocha! Chasing a ball! Attacking ice cubes! […]
Last week I spotted a rare visitor to my garden! Golden-crowned sparrows spend winters along the Pacific coast. By mid-May they migrate to Western Canada and Alaska where they nest. They feed on seeds and insects below feeders and in underbrush. Moments later a second […]
for all the Mother’s in this World Motherhood is not for the faint of heart! As a new mom we often feel lost and always tired. Back then “Google” and “Alexa” did not come to the rescue. It was mostly on-the job training. Which mom […]
Right side up … … upside down … … one greedy gull going to town. Early February we had a delightful break with the rain. It gave us a chance to visit the beach for a couple of days and recharge our batteries. It was […]
Here’s a moment of Hummingbird Magic! Ever since putting out the flying saucer style feeders I’ve gotten more visitors. Our local bird store recommends mixing the nectar 1 part sugar and 3 parts water. This makes it more concentrated and nourishing during really cold weather. […]
It’s been a strange week here at my house! Sunday night I felt like something was in my right eye. I didn’t think much of it until Sunday morning when the entire right side of my face started to hurt as if thousands of needles […]
Black Magic Penstemon are hummingbird magnets! This rufous hummingbird is feasting … flitting from blossom to blossom … back and forth … up and down … and around and around … until it’s time to move on! 🙂
Last summer we had a large number of woodpecker parents bringing their fledglings to our suet feeders. This year not so much! I suspect that it has probably been too hot for the birds too around here. It certainly has been way too hot for […]
A minus tide last month had us back at the Oregon Coast. The weather again was just about perfect and the low water levels left much of the usually submerged rocks and sand accessible. We left Portland by 8 a.m. to arrive in Cannon Beach […]
Yes, this was a real encounter! A few years back, on a short visit to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State I spotted this “Slow down” sign along a winding country road in the town of Sequim (pronounced Skwim). I sped up a little as […]
I’ll always remember the first time I spotted one of these birds! It was on a very cold winter morning in our garden in Portland, Oregon. I had to get the bird field guide out since I’d never seen this bird before and learned they […]
If it’s Friday, this is where you’ll find me! A few years ago I signed up for a watercolor class and fell in love with it. It took a lot of practice and patience to improve my paintings. For much of 2020 I didn’t paint […]
… Space … … Sand … Sun … Surf … … to my left … … to my right … … high-up in the sky … a kite … … some people quietly delight … … in all of nature’s might … … crashing waves […]
The year after planting this plum tree we got a bumper crop of fruit! But ever since, when the tree awakens in the spring there are lots of blossoms, but no fruit. Nontheless, I love this tree! It provides nectar for hummers and mason bees […]
A little cleaning, a little preening, there really are moments when these very active birds sit still. 🙂
… raindrops … … gently falling … … tiny surface waves … … forming … … expanding … … gliding … …each identical … yet different … … intermingled … … separate … … tranquil … … never-ending … … ripples … … drip […]
in cahoots with muddy boots 