Month of Love: Day 17 Memories

On the 17th day of the month of love,
my TRUE LOVE gave to me...

a thousand geese a roaming
and  

an old hunting lodge in the middle of trees.

 

OK...enough.

I'm just not feeling that poetic this evening after a fun time at one of my fav stores today...

 

But last Sunday my DH did give me all these things (and more) as my Valentine's Day gift!

Yep,

a roadtrip to wherever I wanted to go...

and I wanted to go see one of my favorite national wildlife refuges,

the William L. Finley NWR just north of Monroe, Oregon

in the beautiful Willamette Valley.

 

 I love this NWR for several reasons...it is large and has varied topography

(a long gravel road allows you to drive through the park--although some sections are not accessible).

But most of all, I love the historic buildings there

(barns, carriage house, two homes)

and the wildlife!

 We quickly changed out the lenses on my camera, opting for the zoom lens.

 It was a wonderful day... 

my hubby is a very good, loving man who knows how to make his wife smile
and her heart sing:)

Blessings,
Aimee

Link:
 http://www.fws.gov/willamettevalley/finley/index.html

More photos to come;
photos from 2 years ago...

 http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/2011/03/sometimes-you-just-need-refuge.html
and a post with close ups of my fav geese:)

Please excuse any errors...typing this by
yep, candlelight:)

Month of Love: Day 15

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,

 that we should be called the sons of God...

Up late (because of several factors) I awoke to this beautiful blue sky
and after taking care of our smallest dog, went for a stroll in the gardens...
what a gift such a day like this is!

Everywhere I looked I could see the first signs of spring...
and I almost felt like crying--
not from unhappiness or pain but
from sheer joy:)

And now,
as I sit comfortably curled up on our recliner,
with light streaming through the window
(which by the way is opened all the way),
listening to my favorite radio station playing 'Friday favorites',
I can't help but feel loved by Him who made all this beauty around me
and sent His only begotten Son to save me:)

Is it sunny where you are?
What beautiful scene have you seen lately?

Wishing you all a happy weekend whether your weather is sunny OR cloudy:)
Blessings,
Aimee
 

Notes:

I John 3:1a KJV

Photos:
plum (Shiro, a Japanese plum) buds
camellia sasanqua
(thank you DSLR for finally getting the pink right -- LOL)
daphne odora
(I'm on a fragrant flower watch...)
daisies (lawn or common---although I think there is nothing 'common' about them)
AND
sunlight--
beautiful, wonderful, incredible sunlight!

Month of Love: Day 14

"They do not love that do not show their love."

William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act I, Scene 1

This year I wanted to do something special for my hubby.

So starting on Monday I began cooking his favorite meals...

tacos, Reuben sandwiches, a heart shaped meatloaf...

and tonight a meal from the land of amore--Italy

(or at least my version of Italian food).

 We are starting to get changes in the yard outdoors--

 

promises of the spring still to come,

and I wanted to bring a little spring to our table

with some 'lovebirds', a lantern, some greenery and these napkin bundles.

BTW--sunstarved Oregonians.

Did you hear tomorrow's forecast?

I am giddy just thinking of it...

today, when a friend and I were on a roadtrip

we actually saw blue skies and a farmer in his field.

I should also say, while it is still Valentine's Day--

Happy Birthday Dear Oregon!

And now back to our meal

(and further proof why I am not a food blogger)

First up antipasto...do you have a favorite?

I confess there will probably be no more green olives by tomorrow eve...

I LOVE green olives:)

 

And at the same time,

a tossed salad.

The main course,

spaghetti and meatballs

(my DH said they were as GOOD as THAT Italian restaurant...

perhaps you know which one I am referring to?

I LOVE their chicken marsala;

he always, always orders their spaghetti and meatballs...)

 They were pretty good,

and so was the garlic bread.

Mmmm, Italian garlic bread...

 

And then there was dessert...

but since it is almost tomorrow

and since we are going to have a winter 'heat wave'

and since I am going to be busy...

 

Happy Valentine's Day

and night all.

 

Blessings,

Aimee

Month of Love: Day 13

Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind;

charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly,

seeketh not her own,

is not easily provoked,

thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity,

but rejoiceth in the truth; 

 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things,

Charity never faileth...

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three;

but the greatest of these is charity.

 

I love you Farmer Boy.

May God enable me to love you even more:) 

Blessings, Aimee

 

Notes:

Scripture from I Corinthians 13:4-8a, 13 KJV

charity=αγαπη (agape) unconditional, perfect love

 

Photos:

My wedding veil and gown.

DH and I on our wedding day.

Month of Love: Day 9

"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it..."

Blessed Saturday to you.

This has been an eventful week...

a short visit by a virus

(ick!)

 a very scary discovery

(which later on. thank God, was revealed to be not quite as bad as I had thought at first),

a lot of progress on the alcove area (cabinets and moulding now finished),

garden discoveries

 (a camellia sasanqua STILL full of blooms;

a dapne odora that has buds on it now, 

continued bulb stalk growth)

and more.

Spring cleaning and organizing continues with a few bright sunny days to remind me that spring is just around the corner...

well almost.

Oh, and little reminders of the day of love are beginning to appear around our house:)

Anything happening at your place?

Blessings, Aimee

 

 

Notes:

Scripture is Song of Solomon 8:7a KJV

 

Photos:

The cute couple above is a salt and pepper shaker that belonged to my mom.

I am not sure how old it is but I really love it!

Our daphne odora

I can hardly wait for the buds to open....mmmm

Valentine Tree

The Month of Love: Day I

"Love comforted like sunshine after rain."

William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis

 

The first day of February saw me admiring a golden sun and blue sky.

Unfortunately, I had slept little at my dad's and had fallen asleep with my contacts on 

(my eyes were screaming at me of the 'wisdom' of that decision).

So after a morn snack,

a 'chat' with my dear daughter

(whose eye was screaming at her too),

and a little TV

(please pray for the little boy being held against his will in Alabama and for his family too).

it was off to bed for a few hours.

 

Yes, it was a little difficult because of the sun

but my eyes were SCREAMING and I couldn't ignore it anymore.

And then I got up, put on my contacts and went in search of love...

 

Well I went off to find things that remind me of love...

specifically my wedding day:)

First goal-

my going away dress....

it was a struggle to get it out of the dark recesses of the closet where it

 and my wedding gown have been residing for years.

But I was determined because it was

1. a sunny day

2. it is the first day of the month of love

(besides it was good exercise).

My going away dress was a Gunne Sax,

very popular at that time

and apparently experiencing a 'revival' in popularity.

 

I still love the lace detail,

the feminine style,

the color--a very light natural (between an ivory and white),

the neckline and all the other detail.

It also gave me some more incentive to keep on the path I have been following since January 20

(although I don't plan on losing quite that much---

I was a size 5 when I married and way too skinny!

Funny how I could eat everything then and not put on a pound. ).

Here's the label...

And here's a close up of some of the lace...

 

Yep, I LOVE lace...

which reminds me I found some pillow shams in another dark recess of my room.

They have some nice lacy detail on them,

which is what I've been wanting for the bed.

Now I can cross off those items on my 'wanted' list:)

After my search for the day was over I went outside to tour our yard,

count (LOL) the gopher/mole holes in the Japanese-style garden and check for any blooming items...

and found this

 

and our irises were even bigger!

It almost feels like spring

and I LOVE that:)

 

What are you up to these days?

Are you craving spring also

(or autumn if you are in the southern hemisphere)?

And now,

speaking of cravings,

I need to go devour my new secret weapon that keeps me from devouring my DH's chocolate:)

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Notes:

For help with identifying whether your dress is real or not

(I guess some people are now selling counterfeit Gunne Sax dresses)

see this terrific post

http://www.bignabazaar.com/2013/01/identifying-gunne-sax-dresses.html

LOVE vintage...wish the mice hadn't gotten into some of my other old clothes.

 

When Aimee Dreams...(pt 2)

As I was saying this whole journey started with a dream
(lately I've had dreams about meeting William Shatner -- who I actually did see at a fair one year,
a very sad looking former coworker -- who I hope isn't sad,
my grandson eating heart shaped cookies and my daughter going to get one -- probably related to the fact that I am currently on a diet
and more)
But back to the dream,
the dream with a covered bridge...
and this time (third journey to find this particular bridge) we had success!

Ladies (and possibly gentlemen) may I introduce you to the Free Enterprize bridge...
(this was our third attempt to find it)
and yes we can grow some palm trees and other 'tropical' looking plants in the PNW.

Along the journey we drove this country road...

I LOVE roads like this,

especially on foggy days...

you never know what you'll find.

BTW, my DH 'swears' he saw a Bigfoot one time on a mountain road.

Do you think I should believe him?

 Back to the beach and our posing seagull...
can't get enough of him (or her).

Love...

A path not yet taken...
but one that looks interesting.
I also haven't stayed in a yurt yet.
That's on my unofficial 'bucket' list.

And I leave you with this quiet waterside view.

Have any of your dreams led you on a journey?

Blessings,
Aimee

Notes: central coast and elsewhere, January 2013

When Aimee Dreams... (pt 1)

It all started with a dream...

a dream about a covered bridge

and the fact that one of the bridges on my list of 'to do's' still remained elusive.

But, that dream led to other sites as yet undiscovered by me one foggy day.
My dreams and plans always do:)

And they say dinosaurs are extinct.
This guy says NOT!

Most fish swim in waterways...
but here they swim on walls.
Wood walls.

You gotta love him...
you do, right?
After all he posed SO well:)
I am among those who do love seagulls.

Count the birds;

count the humans.

(Yep, we were outnumbered big time)  

Finally! Ducks were to be found...
NOT in a national wildlife refuge.
And thus ends part one because Aimee has a thousand things to do...

How has your week been?
Blessings,
Aimee

Note:
Yes the post about the wild west is coming if ever my easy going self wins
 the fight with my perfectionist self that is:)
Photos above taken January 2013, central Oregon coast.

Scriptures for Saturday + the New Year

Some people write New Year's Resolutions

(I did for many years and then never followed through with many/most of them).

Some choose a significant or special word as a focus for the year

(a good idea).

 

But for the last few years I have chosen a special scripture...

and this year,

as New Year's Day neared,

the one that I strongly believe God was bringing to mind

was this one.

 

And be not conformed to this world:

but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,

that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable,

and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:2 KJV
 

I LOVE this verse because it was just what I needed at this point in my life!
 

And then, shortly thereafter, another piece of scripture came along...

I found it when I was looking for a Bible reading plan because of the above verse.

It was also perfect for where I am at,
and I believe God directed me to it also.

 

Remember ye not the former things,

neither consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth;

shall ye not know it?

I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18, 19 KJV

 

Ah! LOVE these both:)

Such hope God has brought to me by these scriptures!

Nothing has changed...
we still have major problems with the house,
I still fight fears about the future and other things at times,
my dad still has health issues which require family/friends to be with him 24/7
(although he is doing incredibly well, knows family and friends,
carries on conversations quite easily, and can ambulate with a walker),
and we still face other challenges...some of which I am not free to discuss here.

And yet,
everything has changed!
Since the first of the New Year,
I have been filled with a deep joy and hope.
Bible reading is no longer a duty, but a pleasure...
I am drawn to watch and listen to things that glorify God.
And more and more, I find myself looking to HIM and desiring an even closer walk with the Creator.
So, it's true--God is doing  a NEW thing...
in me:)
He truly is the Prodigal's Father and for that (and many other things) I am grateful.

 

Do you have a special verse for this new year?

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Note:

When I quote verses
I almost always,

use the King James Version.

This is mainly for three reasons--

1. It is in the public domain so there is no limit on what I can use,

2. It's so beautifully written--although archaic it is SO poetic,

3) It's widely accepted worldwide.

 

But I totally fell in love with the verses from Isaiah in the NIV

(at home I have both the KJV and NIV in addition to the Jerusalem Bible bought during college)...

I won't quote them here,

but you can find them if you follow this link:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2043:%2018,%2019&version=NIV
LOVED the use of the word 'perceive'...
I wonder how much I miss because I don't perceive what God is doing in my life?

 

BTW, if you're looking for a Bible Reading plan for this new year as I was,
the site above has several.
I am doing the 365 plan
and

will soon be downloading a bible app for my smartphone.

Yea, a smartphone---how did I ever live without one?

:)

Actually quite well...but they do make life a bit easier. 

History Being Made: A Visit to Portland's Sellwood Bridge

Ah, it's late and I am typing this by candlelight so I'll hurry and

 hope I don't make too many errors in the process

(also some fresh blueberries and crab await me-another reason to hurry).

Today was a glorious day--sunny, blue skies, temperature above 32 degrees,

and I had, as usual, been doing some browsing on the Internet when I became intrigued

at what I found there.

A field trip was certainly needed, and off a friend and I went in search of history

(some of it in our past and some of it being made now).

*insert fresh crab and blueberry break here as I couldn't wait...

Definitely on my trip itinerary was a stop to see one of Portland's old bridges that is being replaced.

Now, this bridge and I have a love-hate relationship.

I HATE going over it,

and I love it when I am safely OFF it

(just ask my dear daughter-in-law).

Alas---two other Portland bridges have this same effect on me,

as does the lovely Tacoma Narrows bridge in Washington state.

But we won't talk about that right now...

~

Now as much as I DO hate this bridge,

it IS part of Portland's history (built 1925) and it is being MOVED...

to become a temporary bridge while a new, much wider bridge is being built

where the old one is right now.

~

I felt that this kind of history called for a personal goodbye and visit from me, so off we went.

~

They had closed the bridge at 0500 and were hard at work on it,

separating the main part of the bridge from the west and east accesses to it;

Saturday they will move the truss over and onto the temporary supports.

BTW this is a photo of the Willamette River...

the river that divides the City of Roses.

This photo is taken from west Portland.

On the other side, in SE Portland, is the Sellwood District and

 Oaks Park--

an awesome historical amusement park with a great historical roller skating rink

(love, love, love it there!)

Last time I was over this bridge,

with my dear DIL and tease of a hubby,

I told them it wasn't safe...

today I sent her and my dear daughter a photo to prove my point.

I know, you all agree with me:)

Smartphones can be so handy at times, especially when you 'need' to prove a point.

Although this isn't the best photo

(taken while we driving)

I think you can see the new, temporary supports for the bridge.

I think...

1100 feet of bridge truss being moved...

THIS Saturday.

~

I'd SO love to see it in person,

but this Saturday we're working on a little project of our own...

I guess I'll have to content myself with the fact that I was there on the first day of the bridge's closure

and catch a glimpse of the time lapse video they'll post here the day after the move

http://www.sellwoodbridge.org/?p=bridge-move-and-detour-bridge

**Correction: the above site has a lot of information about the bridge, the move, etc...
but this link will bring you to the actual daily time lapse video:
http://www.sellwoodbridge.org/?p=construction-camera
 

 

Next up---a trip to the OK Corral and Wild, Wild West...sort of:)

 

How was your day?

Blessings,
Aimee

 

Photos taken January 17, 2013

A Year Ago: January 2012

The older I get, the faster time seems to go by.

It hasn't always been that way...

when I was a child time seemed to go much more slowly.

But now that I'm a grandma,

it seems like warm summer days were just yesterday

and that spring bulbs will be here before I know it

(although I am hoping for quite a few more snow events before then).

 

But let's go back in time...

back a year ago to January 2012 and some great memories.

First up-a trip to a historical dam I had been wanting to see for a long time,

a 'hidden' waterfall

and

some very peaceful mountainside and creekside views

(hum, I wonder what this area looks like in snow...)

January 2012 also brought us a visit from our oldest son...

who came bearing gifts--

edible and very, very yummy homemade gifts!

(He is a really good cook--love it when he shares his chef recipes with me)

A year later,

he no longer lives in the Pacific NW...

but he is still cooking --

 albeit under much sunnier, and generally, much warmer southern skies.

~

Along with some snow,

the PNW usually gets a bit of flooding--

some years being much worse than others.

Last January the Willamette Valley really got hit--

as the Willamette River swelled past its banks.

 This was taken in the Salem area--

it was just one of the flooded roads we encountered.

 We also saw a flooded ferry landing, orchards and farm fields.

~

Next up: winter's waterfowl.

Our normally abundant rainfall

and

mostly

(I say mostly because we've had subfreezing conditions for longer than usual this January)

temperate climate, brings a lot of waterfowl to the PNW

and some of the best places to observe them is at the many NWR's

(national wildlife refuges) to be found here.

Last January found a friend and I at Ankeny NWR--near Salem, Oregon.

It was my first visit there but not my last.

Now that I can change camera lenses,

I will be making more visits to our NWR's to get some zoom photos of

dusky Canadian geese, swans and the other waterfowl to be found there.

Visiting our NWR's and other wildlife preserves during the winter

somehow makes the seemingly endless rain and more subdued color palette a little more bearable:)

~

Last,

but definitely NOT least,

January 2012 saw some snowfall...

I am hoping for more in January 2013:)

What are your fav memories from January 2012?

 

Blessings, Aimee

~

House update:

we haven't made a lot of progress the last couple weeks but this coming weekend we start on the family room alcove. I am very, very excited:)

 

In the garden:

blooming camellias,

frozen and somewhat frozen ponds,

some very frozen kiwi that wasn't

snow and ice off and on.