A PROMISING SPRING

Happy spring, Everyone.........we're almost there and in a few days it will be official.  In announcing the happy weather, here is a photo of some beautiful tulips that my niece Lauren brought me when she and her girls came for the weekend.  They're looking too nice in my living room right now for me to plant them outside yet.  That will come soon enough.  The daffodils below are our own......one of the first garden blooms from some bulbs that I just barely got in before it was too late in the season.  Other plants are poking through the soil or bursting out into leaf, depending.  It shows great promise.  We're already making some of our own changes in the back yard without going too crazy.  But my visions for the future garden are inspiring me to forget the aching back and get out into the midst of it........I'll probably "Cry Tomorrow".....

 This below photo was my proud find while I was doing some weeding.  The prized black morel mushrooms!!  I've never had them but the mushroom books all say they're highly valued among mushrooms. We have a ton of them coming up under a dead oak tree whose has some branches that drape over our fence.  The others are too little just yet to pick but you can depend on me checking them daily!  And into the frying pan they go!

Had a wonderful time over the weekend visiting Ashland for my first time.  I definitely need to go back to check out all the area we didn't get to.  There were street musicians on every corner as well as a lot of colorful characters walking the streets and in the shops.  There was a lovely little park that we walked through on our way into town complete with bubbling creek and duck pond.  The park was so well used with a lot of families and little kids running all over.....enjoying the warm sun and the bagpipes, or fiddles that were playing by more street musicians.  I enjoyed the bagpipes..although normally I can only take it for so long.......the bagpipers were dressed in their kilts, of course.  Always makes me wonder...........hmmm??

Norm has had a bad couple of weeks but is feeling much better now.......although he still has laryngitis.  Doctor said that he aspirated stomach acid into his bronchial tubes and lungs during a medical procedure.  This is a new area for us and of all the things I'm alert to and making as sure as I can do to prevent, this, I didn't expect.  Anyway, it never did get into anything like pneumonia, thankfully so I see the way all-clear ahead now.

Well, while the sun is still out and the day is balmy, I'm going back out to rustle around a little more in the garden..........Hope you're all enjoying...........

A SPECIAL TREAT

 Well, what a sight for sore eyes!  My dear friend and ex-neighbor, Nanci came by for a visit today.  And the  beautiful orchid below is from her.....We talked and talked non-stop, catching up on all the old news, new news and everything in between.  It was an extra special treat since this past week has been pretty rough for Norm.  He had a medical procedure that left him in worse condition than before.  Apparently, he had saliva entering his lungs and developed a type of aspiration.  A lot of pain, coughing, coughing and more coughing plus laryngitis.  And anyone who knows Norm, knows that he doesn't sit around all day in front of the TV, but that's pretty much all he did the past week.  To say I've been worried is an understatement, but I do think he's moving forward now.  And Nanci's visit was just the perfect boost.

We're both looking forward to Nanci and Ray coming back over and stay longer so we can go
exploring.......

It looks like our drought is over here on the west coast.........we've had lots of rain with more promised.  I read that another El Nino might be developing.  I remember when we moved to Port Orford there was an El Nino to end all El Nino's!  1998, I think.  A woman who lived in a cute little beach cottage with a nice slope down to the water's edge ended up with an abrupt cliff with logs outside her window being tossed up in the air like matchsticks.  She was getting ready to have the house movers....like move the house not the furnishings, take her home out of harm's way.  Then I guess the storms subsided.  Just one of the reasons I never wanted to live right on the water.  I liked a nice healthy buffer zone.

Norm and I continue to plan our garden.  I haven't received in the mail yet the climbing roses, jasmine or clematis I've ordered and I'm getting impatient.  Especially since I have some gardening magazines that are inspiring me.  We planted some new lawn where the heavy equipment tore things up when we had our back yard and fence boosted up.  In order to not encourage the birds in eating the lawn seed, we stopped putting out birdseed.  Now we set up the hospitality wagon again and the juncos and finches are returning.  I never see any squirrels or chipmunks, though.  We have oaks around so I'd think that the little critters would be seen........course we do have a few kitties around.......That might explain  things, huh?    The Little Darlin's........

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.  More rain coming tonight and tomorrow but here in the valley we're looking at sun later on in the week.  So........everyone enjoy the hints of spring coming.