Spring has sprung where I live! The garden is beginning to awake from hibernation. We’ve had some sunshine, some rain showers, and even a day of 72° sunshine! I stopped everything that afternoon and went outside to bask in the warmth of the sun. These […]
Happy Friday from my Garden!
This week I spent some time birdwatching in my garden. I made a makeshift “bird blind” using an old blanket, a beach chair and an outdoor plant shelf to sit behind/underneath to observe and photograph our backyard visitors. Many birds aren’t all that shy if […]
Happy Friday from my Garden!
Yesterday after filling up my bird feeders, I went back outside to see if any birds would come by. It didn’t take more than a few minutes before the regulars flocked in, bringing with them this bright yellow Townsend’s Warbler. It was such a treat […]
Happy Friday from my snowy Neighborhood!
When I got up Thursday morning and opened the blinds I was greeted by a magical winter scene right outside my living room window. It had snowed again over night! After drinking my morning java, I quickly got ready to go out for a walk. […]
Up Close & Personal … Nature’s Crown Jewels
Just a few days ago I sat outside in the sun enjoying a cup of coffee while daydreaming about spring. It didn’t seem that far away…. …. until it started to snow! We got a nice dusting over the weekend, then several inches more last […]
Up Close & Personal … Droplets of Rain
It’s been a warmer than usual winter here in Portland without much weather other than the usual rain. During a rain break the other day I went outside and took a closer look at raindrops through the lens of my camera. As I am writing […]
Happy Friday from my Garden!
Earlier this afternoon I got caught in the flightpath of a delightful flock of bushtits. Dozens of these tiny birds suddenly appeared on the suet feeders in my garden. They chattered, ate and didn’t seem to mind me standing just about a meter from the […]
Up Close and Personal … Spring Daffodils
The sun peeked out a little from behind the clouds reflecting the daffodils on the kitchen table’s surface. That led me to play around with some inexpensive cellphone clip-on lenses. And since I enjoy looking at things up close, I thought I would mix it […]
Tasty Tuesday … Roasted Garlic and Citrus Infused Olive Oil
This garlicky, citrusy olive oil condiment is incredibly good! I came across the recipe in my “Vegan Tacos” cookbook by Jason Wyrick. It’s a fantastic book with not only taco ideas for just about any taste, but also side dishes, condiments and beverages. It’s peak […]
Zunday Zen … Fair Winds and Following Seas
Boston Harbor shrouded in mist, early morning silence. Moored boats, sleepy town mirrored perfectly in The Sound. Before the noisy day begins. A couple of weeks ago we zipped up to Olympia, WA for a couple of days. Early Sunday morning we drove down a winding […]
Happy Friday from my Kitchen!
My Friday today was a productive one. I ran some errands, got a couple of care packages ready to go to the post office and cleaned up a little . I also baked some delicious blueberry-corn muffins while listening to some of my favorite music. […]
Zunday Zen … Virtual Winter Escape
My tropical paradise all but a distant memory retrieved for reprieve from the cloud. It’s been almost a couple of years since our last trip to Hawaii. Taking our usual flight from Portland to Maui would have been a little quicker and slightly […]
A Stroll through Downtown Bellingham, Washington
We did a number of short road trips last summer. One of the places we explored was Bellingham, Washington. It’s about halfway between Seattle and the Canadian border. There were lots of city parks, a board game pub, colorful murals, donuts with enough sugar to […]
Tasty Tuesday … Best Damn Cornbread Ever!!
Hard to believe that I only just recently discovered this fantastic cornbread recipe. Hard to believe, because I’ve had the cookbook sitting on my shelf for more than a decade. The book, in case you’re wondering, is “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” by Mark Bittman. […]
Winter Magic at The Oregon Garden, Part 4
There were a few families with younger kids strolling through the Oregon Garden on Christmas morning. I sure hope they were able to visit the Children’s Garden area while there. It’s a fun spot to check out. The butterfly bench, the hobbit hole, the giant […]
Winter Magic at The Oregon Garden, Part 3
Imagine my surprise, when on Christmas morning I discovered The Secret Garden in a hidden corner of the Oregon Garden. When the trail forked, we stayed to the left. Just past a stand of cotton woods a heavy gate blocked the path. I peeked over […]
Winter Magic at The Oregon Garden … Part 2
Christmas at the Oregon Garden was cold and foggy, it was icy at times, and then we got a perfect dusting of powdery snow on the morning of our departure. But before we drove off, I dashed out into the garden one last time to […]
Winter Magic at The Oregon Garden, Part One
After a bit too much holiday drama last year, the Zendog and I decided to do something different for Christmas this year. So we did! We headed to the Oregon Garden in Silverton. This charming small town is just about an hour southeast of Portland […]
