Welcome Spring!

Tonight, a little after 10 PM,

God opened the door to a new season...

the season of spring!

May it bring you lots of blue skies

beautiful blossoms

warmer temperatures

and hopefully NO more snow (pretty please).

Wishing you a season of many blessings, Aimee

Photos: Astor Column, Astoria, OR
Cherry blossoms, Salem, OR
Wooden Shoe, Woodburn, OR (sorry about the quality--old photo)

The City of Roses (Before the Roses)

So many things I could say about Portland, Oregon's largest city,

but I'll let the photos do most of the talking...

Portland is known for being bicycle friendly;

many of its residents use their bicycles to get to work.

Some even commute from their homes in the suburbs to their jobs in the city on bike. We saw several bicylists during our time there, including this group of 'bicylists' found on top of a building in SE Portland. I do LOVE public art and Portland has a lot of that:)

Portland also has a mass transit system including buses, MAX (lightrail) and streetcar should you not want to ride a bike or walk. (IMHO it is a bit challenging to drive in downtown Portland, hence I let my wonderful friend, who is quite familiar with the downtown district do all the driving).
Oh I should say Portland has an aerial tram too--

Here is a photo I took of it in 2010.

Speaking of public art...

Portland is known for its bridges...there are 10 bridges that cross the Willamette River, the river that runs through the middle of Portland. The oldest, the Hawthorne Bridge, was built in 1910. Today we used the Burnside Bridge, built in 1926. I am particularly fond of its towers and think it is much prettier than the Marquam Bridge built in modern times.

The city has many historic churches-on both sides of the river. In the downtown section of Portland it seemed like their towers were everywhere I looked; some day I would love to spend time exploring them. Meanwhile I keep adding more photos to my collection of PNW historic churches...do you think it has something to do with the fact that I have some ministers in my ancestry? Maybe. But it could also be that I just adore the architecture of historical churches and imagining what it was like when they were new.

Did you notice the wind turbines on top of the skyscraper? The one behind this old church?And what about that combination of historical and modern; yes that is Portland too. We have historical buildings in the more rural areas of Oregon, where I happily reside, but it was quite exciting to see so much history in such a small area. I LOVE it!

This is the Keller Fountain; this is the dry Keller Fountain. I know this one well from having spent a lot of time in Portland when I was younger (during the so called hippie era) when we attended a church there. This is the first time I've seen it not running--but then I don't go to this area of Portland a lot anymore. It is quite popular when it is flowing during the summer; pretty too.

Portland is home to several colleges--both private and state. One of them is PSU (Portland State University). These spring blooms were on their campus.(BTW, the roses Portland is famous for start blooming later in spring--around May or so. Portland celebrates this with a big Rose Festival held in June. One year a friend of ours took us on his boat while it was going on. Quite a different view from streetside).

I should be in bed...that is if I want to get anything done today plus html is NOT cooperating with me so I will close with this photo that is SO Portland: a bike rack, electric car charging station, an eco (green) roof at a downtown office building...I LOVE the eco roof, don't you! If ever I get my dream of having a stabbur, it will have a green roof:)

Night all!

Blessings, Aimee
(SO sorry about the horrific formatting)

Links for more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon

(wikipedia was one of the sources for some of the info in this post)

http://wikitravel.org/en/Portland_%28Oregon%29

A Journey to a Wee Bit of Éire

I'd love to someday go to Ireland;

to visit the land which some of my ancestors called home.

THAT would be sweet...

But since I can't go this year,

a little journey to Irish Portland will have to do.

My Irish eyes were smiling because we had finally arrived

AND got parking right in front of the restaurant!

Our destination!

They were busy setting up for the St Patrick's Day Festival...

how I would love to be there to see Irish dancing,

hear Irish music and enjoy more great Irish food!

A tradition of caring...money collected throughout the year

from Kell's patrons and matched by the kind owners (sorry about the photo quality; I was actually trying to shoot something else and then realized what I had captured).

http://www.kgw.com/home/Money-rains-down-from-ceiling-of-Kells-116700074.html

Comfortable, cozy and interesting decor.

Personable servers too!

And the food...

Irish lamb stew----yum! Makes me hungry again just to look at the photo:)

Shepherd's Pie, soup of the day (chowder) and

corned beef and cabbage

(all good)

Irish soda bread (traditional)...one of the best I've had!

Great texture and taste; no raisins.

Part of our Irish experience in our visit to Portland this month!

Blessings,

Aimee

Notes:

Kells is well known in this area and has recieved honors before.

A few things to keep in mind...in this area of Portland,

parking can be hard to find (in my opinion at least).

There are parking places (with meters which accept cash or cards);

some paid lots too. Portland also has a mass transit system with MAX trains and buses.

Some times are obviously busier than others--we visited at a slower time and were there about 1 1/2 hours. Kells has Irish dancing and music throughout the year -- see their website for details. Loved their servers--very personable; loved the atmosphere too! And -- loved the Irish food; a great way to celebrate St Patrick's Day 2012!
http://www.kellsirish.com/portland/

As usual, I am in no way associated with Kells (or any restaurant for that matter);

just wanting to pass on a good place to eat for those in the PNW.

A BIG thank you to the kind staff who assisted and waited on us while we were there;

a BIG thank you for permission to take photos and post them on my blog.

Can hardly wait to go back...

St Patrick's Day Food

St Patrick's Day morn' found me very tired after getting little sleep last night

(I was staying with my dad at my sibling's home while they were out of town).

My DH, who had my car, picked me up and gave me a little St Patrick's Day treat...

one of my favorites with a little seasonal flair

(see last photo).

It was yummy:)

Earlier I had decided to cook our corned beef in a crockpot per Cathy's

(http://www.wiveswithknives.net/2012/03/13/st-patricks-day-dinner-colcannon/) instructions. This method of cooking worked beautifully...I was able to catch up on a little sleep AND also do some more family heritage research (discovering even more Celts in my ancestry). After 2 hours on high, 6 1/2 on low, I boiled some potatoes and placed the Irish soda bread (purchased) in the oven to warm while the corned beef simmered 1/2 more hour.

Irish butter, hot honey mustard, horseradish sauce, sparkling apple cider and place settings on the table; cabbage to boil in the last 8 minutes...and I was done!

An easy meal but very, very tasty meal for a tired Irish lass and her Celtic Farmer Boy:)

Next year, I will try Cathy's glaze and perhaps her recipe for Colcannon,

something I have never--to my recollection--had.

I heartily recommend her site to you and hope you will check it out.

Well---time to finish a few things and then off to bed I go...

How was your day?

Blessings,

Aimee

Notes:

Still not sure about the place setting--

next year I might try a darker green plate with the chocolate colored ones; we'll see...

Another Irish site I found recently
http://www.gaelicmatters.com/irish-blessings.html

(Irish blessings in Gaelic, English along with pronunciation and more)

The Great Hunger

An Gorta Mór--the Great Hunger.

I've never known that type of hunger. Our pantry, refrigerator and freezer are full; I can easily drive to the several grocery stores not too far away should I need anything more.
My kids are not hungry; my dad and other family either. None of us are wan or haggard from going without; all of us are well nourished.

Here in the beautiful PNW we are blessed.

Even when the crops fail or are lessened because of the weather,

we still have abundant food.

But for those who came before, this has not always been the case.

Things have not always been as easy; goods not always as plentiful as now

(here I am not referring to those areas of the world that still know

hunger, thirst, famine, drought;

sadly they know firsthand the knawing pain of hunger, the endless yearning for pure water).

In Ireland they knew hunger;

they called it an Gorta Mór--the Great Hunger.

It was a time of great pain and anxiety in the Emerald Island;

it was a time that brought great change and suffering to many who called

Ireland their home.

~
In the beautiful hills above Portland; in that area above the snow zone,

stands a memorial to those affected by the Potato Famine, the Great Hunger.

It is fitting that the victims and those affected by the Potato Famine should be remembered;

it is fitting that those who came after them never forget the suffering that took place there.

It is fitting that we as fellow sojourners on this beautiful earth

remember there are those who even now know great hunger...

it is fitting and furthermore I think our ancestors would want us to.

Blessings, Aimee

Notes: I have used a wee bit of literary license here. Although I am part Irish, to my knowledge --thus far--all my ancestors arrived prior to the year when the Potato Famine began (1845). However, there may be an exception as my great grandfather was said to come from Ireland sometime before the 1870's.

For more information re: the Potato Famine (1845-1852) and Bliain an Áir, The Year of Slaughter (1740-1741) see these links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)

and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Famine_(1740%E2%80%931741)

Photo: Potato Famine Memorial, Mt Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Portland.

Of Yummies (+ Sweet Shamrocks)

Recently one of the bloggers I follow, Alicia of Posie Gets Cozy, mentioned a favorite bakery of hers...and she just happened to include a photo of one of their tarts (she takes phenomenal photos). Since I had already made plans for a trip to the 'big city', I checked out their website, drooled (without making a mess) over their menu and added 'Baker + Spice Bakery' to our itinerary.

Craving deliciousness and noticing that they had St Patrick's Day treats, I decided that the bakery would be our first stop once we got to the city. Soon we were there...
Baker + Spice Bakery is popular and there was a tiny bit of a line...

(if you go to their website and read about the bakers, you will know why).

Meanwhile my eyes pored over the many taste treat possibilities and then it was our turn!

The next few minutes were filled with the wonderful sight of their awesome staff filling a box and bags with chocolate dipped shortbread (shared yummies), lemon treats (for me), chocolate cookies (DH) and more...and we even got advice on what temperature to serve one of the treats at (in all my many, and I do mean many, decades of life, that has never happened--and I've been to a lot of good bakeries).

And tonight...well let me just say Alicia was SO right (but then I knew she would be)!

See--this is proof that bloggers really do make a difference in other's lives.

If you are in the Portland area, this is a definite recommend:)

Blessings, Aimee

If you haven't already done so, I recommend a visit to Alicia's wonderful blog, Posie Gets Cozy,

(Alicia is a very talented crafter, cook and photographer; she also likes Carl Larsson, as do I and IKEA. Her recently remodeled craft/sewing room is truly amazing!)

A BIG thank you to the staff of the Baker + Spice Bakery who gave me permission to post a photo of their sign on my blog. As per the usual...I am in no way associated with the bakery (except for possibly being their newest happy customer)!

My apologies for any mispellings, bad grammar and any other errors in this post...one of my contacts and I had a slight disagreement earlier. I did not win, so now it is resting comfortably in its case and I am feeling a bit challenged vision wise:)

Tomorrow, if my contact decides to play nice,

our pre St Patrick's Day trip to Portland, Oregon will continue. And now it is time for the right to join the left and the contact wearer to get to bed. Night!

Happy to be Celtic...

Both Farmer Boy and I have a Celtic heritage--

he shows it in those BEAUTIFUL blue eyes of his

and I show it in my tendency to get freckles and LOVE of Celtic music :)

This Saturday, we like many others will celebrate St Patrick's Day with the usual fare--

corned beef (check--snapped one up a week or so ago),

cabbage (oops! Forgot to pick some up),

carrots (yep), potatoes (ditto the cabbage), Irish soda bread (absolutely...

but my DDIL promises to send me the recipe she uses which is SO good),
butter (yep, although I am thinking of picking up some Irish butter now)

and some kind of dessert (still looking for one...)

SUGGESTIONS WELCOME!

~

Yes, we celebrate St Patrick's Day,

all the while wishing my DDIL was here

(not only for her and the grandkids sweet company,

but because she just happens to make the BEST Irish soda bread

and corned beef of anyone I know).

BTW--our DDIL is part Irish heritage wise too.

We like Irish things, did I tell you that?

~

We will celebrate St Patrick's Day with a little wearin' of the green

(because I don't like being pinched and also because I LOVE green--

sage green and emerald green especially);

perhaps I'll even wear a scarf, sweater or shawl from Ireland

(found a beautiful pink one in mom's collection).

We will see...

Maybe I'll display the photo my friend took in Ireland

or possibly watch movies filmed there.

Could even watch the History Channel if they have a special

about Ireland or St Patrick's Day.
~
But, to tell the truth, if I really had my wish,

I'd be celebrating this St Patrick's Day in Ireland...

walking the grounds of an Irish Monastery or the green, green fields there;

eating some yummy Irish lamb stew or trying my first REAL Irish breakfast.
Or kissing the Blarney Stone

(not so likely as I prefer to not be dangling backwards over high places--

not that I've ever tried this feat, but it sounds SCARY).

~

Well, back to dreaming...

but before I go,

I just have to know---

how do you celebrate St Patrick's Day?

And while we are at it...do you believe in Leprechauns

and rainbows with a pot of gold at the end of them?

Blessings, Aimee

~
Links/resources to check out if you'd like:

http://blog.discoverireland.com/

(a blog I want to read more of---recipes, history, traditions, etc)

http://www.sodabread.info/

(Irish soda bread and other info)

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/St._Patrick%27s_Breastplate

(poem/prayer for protection, attributed to St Patrick)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quiet_Man

(An older movie made in Ireland...my DH + I like old, classic movies.

Any ones old or newer you'd recommend?)

Colors of My Life: Early March

My heart opens wide to embrace the colors of the season.

The blue of the sky,

the deep green of the grass and Irish moss,

the pink of the primroses and this cyclamen.

I smile as I pass by the forsythia with its sunny flowers;

I feel content as I catch a glimpse of our brightly colored koi in the

water of the lower pond.

Inside our home a bit of spring colors have taken residence too~

the forsythia branches I forced quite awhile ago

(thanks Momzoo!)

and the yummy, sweetness of the first red strawberries from California

being incorporated into fresh strawberry muffin batter:)

In this season of new life and increased light,

I find my heart overflowing with gratitude to God for the many wonders

and countless blessings of His created world.

Do you?

Lenten Blessings, Aimee

Notes:

fresh strawberry muffin recipe found here

http://nancysrecipes.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/fresh-strawberry-muffins/

Momzoo's post on forcing forsythia branches here

http://www.momzoolife.com/2012/03/09/i-love-flowers/

It Felt Like Spring

Today the smell of freshly mowed grass was in the air and

sunlight shone through the windows of our home.

Today I saw baby chicks and turkeys (itty bitty fluffy cuteness) at a farm store we stopped by,

but they didn't have my favorite breed

(and I didn't have my camera with me to take a photo of their fluffy cuteness).

Today a friend and I planted Italian parsley, Bright Lights Swiss chard and Merlot lettuce

outside in one of our wine barrels.

I hope it doesn't get too cold tonight.

Today I bought new garden gloves--

not pink, but a purple with flowers.

Today I noticed summer bulbs are now for sale...

I am particularly fond of Stargazer and Casablanca lilies;

oh--and lily of the valley bulbs.

Today felt like spring...

I hope tomorrow will too.

Lenten Blessings,

Aimee

Note:

we are currently using container gardening for many of our edibles. Some things growing in wine barrel halves are: culinary lavender (several kinds), strawberries, a raspberry, various herbs and some veggies. I really, really like this method; it has worked well up to now for us.

Here is how we prepped the barrels:
http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/2009/05/container-barrel-gardening.html

Photos:

sorry I am feeling rather lazy tonight, so all these photos are from previous years:)

Escapees From the Refuge??? Maybe...

Actually we let our wonderful winter visitors go anywhere they want to

during their time here...I saw these in Independence, Oregon--

a great little historical town set along the western bank of the Willamette River.

I LOVE this photo...it makes me smile whenever I look at it.

Is he (or she) showing off...

doing a little quick-step; trying to catch that special someone's eye?

Maybe...

Walking (the goose);

watching and waiting (me)...

Could it be love or just two buddies meeting by the river?

Can't tell the boy geese from the girl geese by just looking at them...

More watching and waiting...(me)

Not love it seems..

Lenten Blessings,
Aimee

Early March Garden

Our garden, despite the surprise of morning snow this month,

is beginning to really take on the appearance of spring!

The primroses I brought home in late February are now happily set in planters on the deck and by some daffodils.

As I have said, the pieries is blooming, as is one of our rhododendrons.

And, shock! I found some blooms on one of our evergreen huckleberries this weekend

(could not get a good photo of them though).

The plum trees have buds, although no color yet.

Our smaller (tete-a-tete) daffodils are all in bloom,

with the Mt Hood's (a white, later blooming one) to follow in time.

All the changes in the garden

plus the fact that we are expecting temps in the 60's later this week,

have me thinking it might be good to plant some cold weather crops...

time to pull out those seeds:)

Anything blooming at your home?

Lenten Blessings,

Aimee

It's For the Birds (But Not At All Worthless)

Every winter a magical thing happens in the Willamette Valley region of Oregon...

the valley gets visitors.

To be completely honest, it gets a LOT of visitors;

~

Now, during the winter, you can see these feathered visitors in quite a few places--

by rivers, in wetland areas, by a casino we drove by...

but one of the best places to see them is at a National Wildlife Refuge.

The Valley has three of them: William L Finley (south of Corvallis), Ankeny (south of Salem) and Baskett-Slough (near Dallas).

~

Sunday we went to Baskett-Slough, hoping to see some of the swans I had seen there before.

No such luck this time, but we saw hundreds of geese--maybe even thousands.

This was my DH's first time here--

we stopped at the kiosk along the highway (22),

but then we drove through the refuge like we had done at Finley NWR.

Driving through a refuge is an awesome way to see any wildlife

as your car serves as a 'blind' ...

oh, by the way, during the wintertime access is somewhat limited for us humans to let the Geese get some much needed rest before they head back to their northern homes.

Suggestions? Bring a camera with a zoom lens and a pair of binoculars. Drive slowly and bring my eagle-eyed DH (OK, not that last suggestion...but it does help to have someone who can see things from miles away). Sometimes you will see the waterfowl in the grasses which are near the ponds; sometimes you will see them in the fields.

I LOVE it...

Oh--I should say that geese are not the only visitors in the refuge...

you probably already guessed that--

but they are the star attraction:)

For more information, see the link below.

Thank you God for the PNW's winter visitors!

Lenten Blessings,

Aimee

Links:

http://www.fws.gov/WillametteValley/Complex/dusky.html

(information on Dusky Canadian Geese and links to all 3 of the Willamette Valley NWR's. The Dusky Canadian Geese are there from October/November to early April)