Rylee and Pedyn

Rylee is the newest member of our family. Holding her is big sister Pedyn.

Ode to Snow

How highs the snow Larry
One foot high and rising
The Canadian geese
Won’t come home to the coupe
They are staying down south
Where there’s sunshine and warmth
The snow is tickling the dog’s belly
I’ve got snow tires, studs, and chains
It’s snowing and I can’t get out
When the winds stop blowing
And the snow stops falling
We’ll be singing
How highs the water mama
And where did I put my goulashes

Wednesday Art Card Donation

My Wednesday art card donation was a photograph on a painting I did several years ago of a dachshund. Since I am not a card artist, I don't think about using my art as reproductions for other art pieces. It was well received and I am pleased.

Seattle Garden Show

I’m not a morning person but there are certain things, events, meetings, occasions that require me to get up early. Going to the Seattle Garden show is one of those occasions that I willingly get up for. I said willingly, not wide awake.

My friend Kim was the only member of our small group who was going to be able to go on Friday and Friday was the only day I could go. We were set to meet Kim’s mom Sherry in Mt. Vernon but she hadn’t been feeling well, so decided to stay home.

Kim and I were on the road by 7:45 AM. I left the house early enough to stop by my local Starbucks for a wake-up fix of a Grande, white chocolate, non-fat, two pump, peppermint mocha. We visited all the way to Seattle and in no time at all we had arrived. Kim knows her way around Seattle having grown up there but the most difficult part was finding a parking garage and then remembering what floor we were on.

We had already pre-purchased our tickets so we breezed right on in. The first major display was four outdoor rooms decorated with salvaged doors, windows, tiles, quilts, ironing boards used as tables, and clay tiles used in a checkerboard pattern with grasses to form walkways and patios.

We moved into the mail hall to see the large garden room displays. The vast heights of the convention center were unnoticeable because the lighting was centered on the displays and all overhead lighting was dimmed way down low, almost like looking up at a dark sky with tiny stars overhead. It felt very intimate looking at the plants, the furniture, ponds, and garden structures, even when standing next to hundreds of people.

Kim’s sister Lori arrived with two of her friends and we sort of wandered together, exchanging comments and snapping photos of our favorite displays. Kim’s mom called and said that she felt better and was driving down to meet us and shortly she arrived.

There were vendors selling every type of garden ornament, flags, sculptures, statues, jewelry, clothing, and furniture. The next hall was filled with vendors selling systems that water the garden, fertilize the garden, lights for the garden, garden sheds, ponds, baskets, gloves, and more. On the other side of the room was the main course. The plants and bulbs, the baubles that make a garden come to life and give it bling with color and bloom. I bought red crocosmia masoniorum (lucifer – montbretia) and foxtail lily for my garden. I was looking for voodoo lily - Dracunculus vulgaris but the one vendor who had them, had sold out. Kim bought some dahlias for her growing collection or is that addiction.

When we had walked up and down all the aisles, assured that we hadn’t missed anything, we headed back to the main vendor area near the front entrance. A small artist from Portland had decorative garden lights made from recycled tin cans and hanging garden art pieces that were cut from steel. Kim bought a really cute teapot, cup, and spoon to hang in her garden. Smith and Hawken designed a wall around their display with clay pots set into the walls from floor to chest high and windows to look in. On the other side were benches built into the wall with turquoise and cream fabrics. The upper parts of the walls were filled with a patchwork of grasses in different colors. On the opposite was a matching display to form the room boundaries. A large work table made out of wood and surround by chairs made a beautiful vignette with a tall back wall of large wooden boxes designed to house garden accessories and lit with copper globes and copper down lights. With an unlimited budget anything is possible and I know what I want when I win the lottery. Through in an outdoor fireplace, a waterfall, and a warm weather climate and I would be good.

It was a great day to wander and see what creative minds could do to inspire us to garden. This was also the last year of the Seattle Garden show so now we will only have our local garden show and private gardens that open to the public for special events to encourage us to garden.

Kim and I stopped at The Red Robin on the way home for dinner and the arrived home about fourteen hours after we left that morning. A full day of exposing the minds to color, whimsy, imagination, ideas and goals of what we can do with our own gardens. Yes it was a very good day.

A Care Package From Home

Anyone genuinely knows me, understands that I am really all about my family. Living in Washington with my husband Larry and only my son Michael living nearby means that I am far away from everyone else that I love.

I go to California a couple of times a year to visit my mom, my sister Mary, my oldest son Jim, nephews James, big Michael, Mick, and nieces Haley, Melissa, and Samantha. I go to Vegas about once a year to see my daughter Kelly. All this is good but I still miss them more than I can say.

I also miss the homemade goodies that my mom is famous for, her fruit cobblers, fried apricot and peach pies, cakes, cookies, the casseroles, and southern sweet tea. Well today I received a package in the mail from my mom and sister. A care package for me! Okay I shared it Larry and Michael, but only because I had to. When it has been months since you have had mom’s cookies and then find three varieties packed in a box, you kind of get protective of your stash.

There was a book to read about sisters, and readers digest with an article marked to read, and at the very bottom of the box was a Harley-Davidson white hooded sweater trimmed in faux fur. Whoooo Hoooo! I wore the sweater to the Mt. Baker Chapter HOG meeting tonight.

This is what family does. They knew how much the grey winter days have gotten to me this year and decided to cheer me up and it worked.

Thanks mom. Thanks Mary. I love you both.

My Wednesday Art Card Donation

I am not really an orange person, even though orange is one of the trademark colors of Harley-Davidson and we own one. I'm more the black and silver girl. Any way I tried using a color outside my comfort zone and it was the perfect color for Hooters pin attached to it.

So I have a stash of Hooters pins from Las Vegas and gave all the Ladies in the Harley group their choice of pins several months ago. So what do you do with a bag of Hooters pins? Make art of course.

I used variegated ribbon yarn woven on the front of the card with a double thickness of felt to raise the pin up and make it more prominent. I used an owl image from my art files for the inside of the card.

The outside of the card reads: Mild, Medium, Hot.

The inside of the card reads: If you're hot...who cares how old you are.

Valentines...roses, chocolates, a romantic getaway

My wonderful, sweet, romantic husband surprised me early on Friday with two dozen red valentine roses, chocolate from Chocolate Necessities, and a card with a note that we are going to spend valentines at Semihamoo.

We had already planned on having dinner at Packers at Semihamoo and listening to our friend Marks duo play music that evening, so now we will have a totally romantic evening to ourselves and not have to rush home. Larry arranged for Michael and Ryan to come pet sit Ally the cat and Deuce the dog so the babies are in good hands and will be well taken care of.

We haven’t had a trip away from home alone, just the two of us, no family, no friends, no business, in a couple of years.

God blessed me with a loving husband that I cherish.

Peppermint Valentines

I discovered a wonderful artist Anne Hayward at: www.stampingwithbluemooncreations.com

I used her idea to make my own valentines for family and friends.

Please vist Anne's website to see her other creative ideas.

The valentine card was created at: http://stories.scrapbooksetc.com/