This Western Swallowtail has taken a liking to my Korean lilac bush. It visits every day and always heads straight for these fragrant blossoms. Just take a look at the proboscis covered in pollen! I watched until it disappeared into the woods along with the […]
A couple of days ago, as I was walking past a stand of trees at the park, I heard a rather loud and insistent hammering sound. “Woodpecker!” I told myself and slowed down as I quietly followed the sound. I peeked through some branches and […]
When the Zendog and I lived in Germany long ago, we’d often hop on the train to somewhere for a quick get-away: Paris, Amsterdam, Annecy-sur-lac, Avignon, Geneva … You name it! Back then, I had a fabulous job with great hours. I worked eleven 24-hour […]
Every time I’ve taken this dip to a gathering during pre-pandemic times, it was a huge hit! I’d venture to say that hummus is probably the most famous and popular one of middle eastern dips, judging from my experience in what people bring to gatherings […]
Happy Mother’s Day from my Garden! What better place to be than outside on a lovely day. The garden is starting to show its most beautiful side during this time of spring. The heavenly fragrance of lilac blossoms attracted the first western swallowtail of the season. […]
In my last post I highlighted the male black-headed grosbeak. Here are some photographs of a female black-headed grosbeak. Her overall appearance is much more plain than her male counterpart. Her body is buff colored and her wings have white markings. The white stripes on […]
Every morning when I wake up I thank my lucky stars! When we moved to Portland almost 16 years ago I wasn’t sure I’d like it. But sometimes we don’t have a choice where life takes us. In the end it turned out to be […]
Meet Dingo, our “granddogter”! One of our sons adopted her from a rescue organization nearly two years ago. She’ a bit of a mutt, including German Shepard, possibly some Shar Pei and a whole lot of lovable. Like all happy dogs, Dingo loves to search […]
Sometimes there’s nothing better than an old-fashioned, tried and true side dish like these green beans. When our kids were still at home I could always count on this dish to be eaten without any complaints. I still make them whenever they come over for […]
For many years we rarely got more than a handful of American Goldfinches in our garden. I’d buy some thistle seed, fill the feeder and wait … … until the thistle seeds finally got moldy. Since just about all birds love black oil sunflower seeds […]
Winter has finally left and the sun’s been shining just about every single day. The temperatures are warming up and whenever the cold east wind stops blowing for a few moments I feel like I am on a tropical island. Oregon has a fairly mild […]
Hard to believe that it’s been well over one year now since the onset of the pandemic. Life changed in ways most of us could have never imagined. Well, at least not I. Through all the ups and downs of Covid19, it was often difficult […]
Many, many years ago I bought a small package of pineapple lily bulbs at Fred Meyer. They were half off, so I figured it was worth trying to grow them. They’ve done quite well and bloom year after year. They’ve even survived a few ice […]
Hummers are resourceful when procuring their nectar. They are very agile and can fly in any direction, including upside! They weigh about 3 grams or approximately the weight of a penny. Look at her standing on the Rose of Sharon blossom! It’s just so much […]
This beautiful little rose garden is tucked into a corner of my favorite park, the North Clackamas Park in Milwaukie, Oregon. Over the past year I walked through here many times to keep track of the roses blooming and to sometimes sit down and […]
Here’s a quick, easy and healthy stir-fry you can whip up in no time at all. It’s probably faster than picking up to-go food or waiting for a delivery to arrive on your doorstep. Just remember to put on the rice before you heat up […]
When I noticed this tall flower stalk with its brightly colored blossoms at the park last summer I thought that it might be some kind of wild orchid. I had seen it in the exact same spot in previous years but never bothered to investigate […]
fallen pinecones decaying blooms prickly conifer needles springtime sunbeams a picturesque naturemade mess The Cycle of Life! 🙂
in cahoots with muddy boots 