DAY OF LIQUID SUNSHINE

 What happened to our beautiful sun??   It was out and about, warming everyone's body and soul, just a couple of days ago.  So fickle, this time of year!!   I've heard of a number of friends who have started their vegetable gardens and things are popping.   Norm has started a few things in his greenhouse, but in spraying on the floorboards for a few weeds, he likely killed off a few of his future dinner side dishes. 
This above photo is of Norm building a surprise for one of the newest family additions.  I can't print here what it is just yet, since that would give away the surprise.  Some of you might be able to guess though...........
I've been at spring cleaning the past few days.....so many old magazines and books that I'm never going to read again.  It's time for them to go~make room for the new with promises to not hoard again.  I'll see if I can control that tendency to keep everything that passes under my nose........I grew up hearing a lot about the horrors of The Great Depression, as it was told to me by my older relatives.  I'm sure a lot of you reading this had similar 'teachings'.   On second thought.......IF the Great Depression comes visiting again, I can always use the supply of magazines and books to keep us warm and cook by using them in the fireplace.  Hmmmm...........Oh, wait now.  The Library can use them a lot more than I can by passing them on to others.  So!   The Great Defeat of The Great Depression wins hands down.

This is a photo from my archives, but one of my favorites.  Norm watering his veggie garden when it was at the height of it's beauty.  It was edited to imitate a pastel, which is one of my preferred art mediums. 
I did get the window washers out last week as I said I would.........What a glorious and bright move THAT was!  Even after a few days of rain, they're shining and spotless.  I feel like I've been given a number more light blubs beaming in the house!!  And the goldfinches have returned.......a pair of junco's remain as well as the chickadees.  A couple of purple house finch also come visiting towards dinner time and always the jays.  I try to appreciate them too, but it's hard.  They're such big bullies!  One redeaming feature is that they're related to crows and ravens and those I really do like.......but the jays are just so crude and rude! 
Is anyone besides us watching the TV program "Touch"??   It stars Kiefer Sutherland.  It always gives me happy shivers at the end........but it's message is one that is refreshing in todays world.......of how we all do touch each other's lives and our impact can sometimes travel the world to people and places we'd never be aware of.   It might help to remember that absolutely everything influences others. 
Hope everyone has a great week...........and THINK SUN!!

SPRING SUNDAY

 I think Spring has really, really and finally arrived.   We might have a bit more 'sog' here and there but lots of flowers are either blooming or just loaded with buds waiting to burst out.  This afternoon it was a beautiful 62 degrees........which feels a lot warmer if you're out weeding or planting.  I really think it must have been the concentrated thoughts and NEEDS of all the people of southern Oregon!  It was enough-already with the rain!   Another sign of Spring...........I'm getting my windows washed this week.   First time I've hired someone else to do it.   I'm excited!   And Norm got the bar-b-que up and ready to go~

I am getting older!  do you know how I can tell?   Blogspot is remaking their website on how, we that post, are going to have to learn the new way.   I resist!  And everyday there are new devices or big changes in the electronic and digital world.  I resist!   And here I thought it was my aching muscles and unflexible joints of the gardening that would give me away.  No.........it's the changing world and how it's all speeding by so quickly.  Even the glaciers are melting away too fast.  Pretty soon, we'll all be afloat......and I resist.   Remember how simple it was to choose a TV show to watch?  Now we have so many channels to choose from that no one can watch all that's offered or even know what's offered.  Oh, well.  I resist but it does me no good.  Change happens and if I can't resist then I guess I better adapt.  I'll resist the resistance.........maybe and in small doses.

For those of you who follow my step-son, Lance's, progress.........He seemed to be doing so well that the doctor's took him off the ventilator the other day and maybe a move out of ICU.  But.....not in the cards just yet.  So back on the ventilator but he's moving along in all other ways.  We continue to pray and our hope for his recovery is stronger each day.......Thanks again to everyone who is sending prayers and support.  You're amazing!

Hope you all have a great week ahead~and keep the sun shining!

OH........The top photo is of my neighbor's beautiful full red rhoddy.........It's really spectacular.  The second is the new leaves on my pieris andromeda.  They've been extra colorful this year.  Next is the Empress tree.......it's just full of buds that will be opening in purple soon.  Next posts photo.

IT'S BEEN A LONG, LONG TIME......

The beauty is in the skies these days. We, hopefully, have passed on the soaking and flooding rains of the past few weeks. These days it's chance of showers with possible thundershowers. That always means great big puffer-belly clouds. So dramatic! This first photo is from down at our Port Orford dock. Love the bright tourquoise color of the little building. The reflections on the wet sand is what drew me but the sky was what kept me lifting the camera.

This shot was taken about a week or more ago down at the Bandon jetty. I was told by someone commenting on another photo that the name is not the Bandon Lighthouse, it's the Coquille River lighthouse......so that's what you see over across the river. And look at those glorious clouds!!!

In the past couple of weeks it's been pretty intense around our house...........Norm is sick with a bad cold, his son (my step-son) had to have a leg amputated and then suffered a heart attack while in surgery. Each day brings new reports of the different up's and down's. His sister, girlfriend, and now one of my grandsons are there keeping watch over in Reno. The prayers and well-wishes that we've received from people has been almost overwhelming and so very much appreciated.

I've been concentrating on my furniture re-do's. It's time consuming but I'm enjoying it. Lots of experimenting.

And there's the cruise to Alaska to look forward to........Karen and I were laughing how we don't even have this one started yet and we're thinking about Ireland! Got that travel 'bug', I guess.

So.......plenty going on with more coming........as soon as the sun stays out for awhile.

Have a great weekend!