Asleep with the PC & Garden Dreams

Friday night repeated on Monday night at Aimee's...

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Wow, I really must be tired! I just fell asleep while waiting for my blog to load (slooow dial-up). At least this time I had the foresight to put my laptop down on the coffee table/chest first; in the past I've been known to fall asleep with it on me and that can be a bit scary when you awaken to it laying at a precarious angle.

Now you'd think this falling asleep while web surfing could be a 'sign' that just maybe I should be going to bed when most Americans do---alas no; that would be way too logical.. In my Aimee way of thinking, I consider this to be a 'sign' that I 'need' high speed not an earlier bedtime and besides I’ve always loved the silence of the nights.

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Today (Friday) my garden expert, AKA best friend, came over to inspect our million weeds and see if there was any hope that someday this land could look the way I want it to. The verdict after the weed garden inspection: despite the fact that it will take many, many long hours of hard, back-breaking toil under the sun, clouds and rain of the NW and a bit (lot) of money--there is hope, a small glimmer of hope for our land.

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In addition to her thousand and one good qualities, my best friend is good at giving me hope...

So what is Aimee dreaming of besides a trip to the Rockies, a cabin in the woods, a faster surfing experience and a dark chocolate raspberry bar? Well, you'll have to wait for the answer in another post...it's that time again and I am feeling a bit---AKA whole bunch--tired

(and the laptop is on my lap this time and NOT the coffee table)

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Aimee gardening verses--I am thinking the first two will be my 'before' verses and the last two my 'after' ones with God's help. Oh and I don't have a stone wall but some of the Japanese garden lanterns/statues were looking mighty sad :)

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“I went by the field of the slothful…And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.”

Proverbs 24:30, 31 KJV

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“...thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee…”

Genesis 3:18 KJV

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“And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”

Genesis 2:15 KJV

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"Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful”

I Corinthians 4:2 KJV

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Blessings, Aimee

Photo: rhododendron bloom

'Lady' by the Water's Edge

She stands near the pond’s edge,

one solitary ‘lady’ keeping lonely vigil over the fish swimming in the dark, cold waters close by her feet.

She is slender and elegantly dressed in a long form-fitting, stylish gown;

perfectly coifed and of delicate, yet stony features.

She stands there - silent and without complaint,

though she is in great danger.

For this beautiful ‘lady’ is not a picture of peace as one would expect from her kind--

for even now there are those who threaten her well-being and beautiful form;

those of a thorny type-

ones who trespass at will and without regard to boundaries.

Those who are attempting, and have succeeded to a large degree,

in enmeshing this lovely 'lady' in their strong, thorny, suffocating grasp.

They are without feeling, without 'heart', as they spread out in their aggressive push to take over what was once her sole domain.

She stands and is silent;

yet in her silence her despair is eloquent as she seems to cry out for help,

for some kind soul to release her from the grip of those who have entangled her in their ever growing web.

She stands and waits patiently--for it is her lot in life to do so.

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But this week,

the one who owns the land heard her wordless pleas for help

and had 'pity' on her.

She grabbed her weapon of choice

and moved carefully out into the yard,

braving all possible dangers of snake, mice and thorn--

as she did battle with the evil ones who have encroached

onto this once serene and peaceful piece of land

working hard to free the elegant 'lady' from the web of weeds and vines

which surrounded and threatened to bury her.

And the 'lady' was and is…grateful,

albeit in her own, very stoic serene way.

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Blessings,
'Rescuer' of desperate garden 'ladies' and huckleberry plants,

vanquisher of thoughtless wild blackberry vines and brambles.
Former bad steward of land,
and one who gladly welcomes spring despite its accompanying invasion of noxious weeds,
Aimee

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Photos:
Just a itty, bitty, tiny, very little view of our weeds AND one elegant garden 'lady' BEFORE her rescue

Another Note

Just wanted to let you know I am still in the process of changing things on the blog--I like change ya know (well at least some types of change).

I need to confess right here and now that I've been playing with the photo software program I've had since - like - 2000 or so. I've always used it for improving the quality of my heritage photos (dating from the 1870's), and reducing the size on photos I wanted to upload, but now I've really gotten into 'playing' with it's other capabilities (TY to Pioneer Woman's blog for getting me inspired to 'play' with it--even though it isn't Photoshop. Sigh). You can find some of the fruits of my labor on the blog now-they are kind of experimental fruits. Playing with the software has been way too addicting and fun though--Poor hubby:( He is SUCH a patient man.

One closing note to any of you more experienced and established bloggers (which is probably everyone on blogspot)...I can tell I'm still SO new to blogging! An example: this morning all of my posts suddenly disappeared off the main page when I saved a new one. For a moment there I thought of resetting the blog to private but I stayed calm (OK maybe a little bit of fast breathing and panic there) and figured out I just needed to change one of my settings. And I didn't even have to use blogger help!!! For a moment there though....:)

A Walk in His Gardens--Astoria

You probably forgot all about it and like I, neglected to make a celebratory cake and blow out all the candles as you wished a very Happy 150th Birthday to ...

OREGON
The Beaver state.

Home to Ft. Clatsop, the winter settlement of Lewis & Clark

during the 1805-6 winter.

Site of Crater Lake, the USA's deepest lake.

Location of both a

windsurfing paradise in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge

and

home to Mt Hood where one can ski year round.

Oregon,

Washington state's southern neighbor

and

one of Idaho's western neighbors.

A really incredibly beautiful state where the Goonies and many other movies were filmed!!

So to honor Oregon, I present a 'Walk' in one of my favorite areas there--the home of the oldest permanent US settlement on the west coast (although I think that is somewhat a misnomer as the Native Americans were there a long time before it's settlement by Europeans) and much, much more--Astoria.

I hope you enjoy it; I know it helps me feel better for not celebrating the BIG day.

I like to think of Astoria as a little San Francisco but with a lot more trees and rain! But then the NW rain keeps our trees green--BTW--did you know that Washington is the 'evergreen state"? I know, I've done many walks there:) Will get to more of them later.

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Back to Astoria...if you ever get to visit this town make sure you take a trip on some of the back roads along Young's Bay and up into the forests--so beautiful! Up to the column (especially on a clear day) and along the Columbia River, where there is a maritime museum and a trolley. If you have time, across the bay is Fort Clatsop and Fort Stevens, with what is left of the Peter Iredale shipwreck and more!

While in Astoria, if you're hungry for pastries check out the bakeries in town--there is one that makes the best Finnish prune pinwheel (yes, you heard me correctly - a pastry made with prunes); it is 'heavenly' to eat and I can never stop with only one. Sigh. For the non-prune lovers out there, they have a lot of other equally delectable pastries.

All this thinking of pastries and beautiful Astoria makes me want to travel but I should, considering the hour, be traveling off to bed:) So I bid you a good night from the NW.

Blessings, Aimee

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Photos: Astoria Column (on that hill), Young's Bay view & eagle, view of Astoria and the column from across Young's Bay, rural view in Astoria area, a view from Coxcomb Hill and a trolley along the Columbia River.

Note: Sorry but some of these photos were taken with my older camera and the resolution is -- well just not that good.

Am I Resolute About My Resolutions?

In the past several weeks I've let all of my New Year's Resolutions slide. These resolutions were more then just 'things to do' tasks, they were life-changes and goals that I considered very important to work on this year..

I feel bad..and yet, not terrible. I realize this is a temporary setback and I know the reasons it occurred. If I dwell on these failures, it won't solve a thing and I'll waste the limited energy I have. It will also bring up old patterns of perfectionism and legalism--negative things I don't need in my life right now. Things which don't get me any closer to God either.

What I am going to do is confess this 'detour' off the right path and rest in God's grace. Today is a new day and a new beginning--I am again heading in the right direction.

Blessings, Aimee

Photo: NW Park -- can you find the robin? He's hard to find:)