I Need, I Need

I need blue skies and sunshine

 

I crave them like I crave:

dark chocolate with orange or other fruit filling
gjetost cheese with kavli
smoked salmon
Danish havarti
and sorbet!
-white snow in winter
yellow narcissus blooms in spring
scarlet maple and gold aspen leaves in autumn
cool, green forests and the blue, blue ocean in summer
and mountains (any kind, anywhere, any season)
-Yes,
I NEED blue skies and sunshine.
NOW!
-
But when you are a pale, sunstarved lass of the PNW
OK, OK a water-laden, middle-aged grandmother of 5 who has been hanging on every possibly sunny weather forecast for what seems to be forever now...
and
when you can't just excape to a Rocky Mt paradise
or an eastern PNW one this summer either.
-- -
Well, you learn to be content with traveling eastward through the magic of photos--
lots and lots of photos
of sunnier places
and really blue skies
in, near and on the mountains.



Ah--the lovely Cabbage Hill (AKA Emigrant Hill) of NE Oregon!
Can you imagine what the Oregon Trail pioneers must have thought when they first saw it? (BTW--the haze in the sky is not normal;
it was a result of wildfires in California that year...)



This lovely road has a well deserved reputation for it's steep grqdes and the views all the way UP are awesome; the views all the way DOWN too:)
But the trip up to the top (well the pass and beyond) is all worth it,
because then you are in the Blue Mts of the PNW and they are incredible!
(a photo of the Blue Mts above, just below post title)



And this is northeastern Utah--headed towards Wyoming really, really early in the morning
(I have no problem getting up early on vacations...usually)
 I really love the area near Morgan!



More NE Utah...I love, love, love the canyons of Utah
and I LOVE, love, love when the evening sun makes the Wasatch Mts glow!



And then Colorado
LOVE this state!
Been there by plane, train, car and never get tired of it!
These photos are in the Colorado Springs area--
but you really must go to the Rocky Mt National Park,
the Boulder area (Mork & Mindy's 'home', Celestial Seasoning Tea Factory, the Flatirons and Chautauqua Park, Leanin' Tree museum and more)
But back to the beautiful Colorado Springs area and
the Garden of the Gods shortly after sunrise
(they DO know how to do a spectacular sunrise in the Rocky Mts)!
Also beautiful, and very close by is Manitou Springs and the Navigator's Glenn Eyrie castle and grounds! Really beautiful just before a thunderstorm as we found out
(not that I suggest being anywhere outside during or just before ANY thunderstorm,
especially a Rocky Mt thunderstorm).



South of the Colorado Springs area.
Love the red rock that you see in parts of the Rocky Mts--it glows in the morning sun:)



Blue skies, wind vanes, snow capped mountain view.
SW Wyoming, of course, with a view of the Uinta Mt range in NE Utah.



BTW--did you know the small ponds of southern Wyoming have the most intense bluish-purple color and that the Red Desert is green in spring? Well at least for awhile. And that the winds sometimes blow SO hard that they have to shut the parts of the freeway down?
(you should see what it does to long hair; I have a picture of it)
-
So when I feel like I cannot live one day more with gray skies and spring rain--I travel to other destinations via cyberspace and...I browse my photo albums and eagerly await the return of gardening season:)
-
What or where do you dream of when the weather gets you down?

Blessings, Aimee
-
If you'd like to see more photos of Colorado and Utah check out the label for Rocky Mts (some of Nevada and Idaho there too). For more NE Oregon check out east of the Cascade Mts.
OK, back to dreaming of sunnier skies for me:)

The Word on Wednesday

“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is...because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice.“
Psalms 63:1,7 KJV

Well the PNW is far from a dry and thirsty land, especially lately, but one's soul can be and there is only One who can satisfy that thirst.

Blessings,

Aimee

-

Photo: upper pond during recent shower

An Act of Mercy

I saved a slithery one the other day...

you know the kind I have had many bad experiences with-

under rocks I innocently pick up.

The type who like to hide out in the shadows so I don't see them, until to my dread and probably theirs, I step on them--in soft soled shoes.

-

The kind who like to slither around in the deep grass

and then wiggle just so I will jump backwards

and scream.

The ones I used to have nightmares about as a child--

dreams which involved snakes in the garage and terror.

Yea those slithery creatures.

-

But on with the story...

-

This unheard of act of compassion took place in our yard

on a day when the grass wasn't too wet

and it wasn't raining, having a thunderstorm or hailing

(so it must have been several weeks ago

when we were having spring--for a day or two).

-

I had mowed most of the yard and

had emptied out the grass on the compost pile,

where God had answered prayers for mercy and one didn't crawl out,

when I was most vulnerable.

-

Then, as I was nearing the BIG snake zone--

I saw a wierd 'line' in the grass,

and I knew what it was.

-

I had a choice.

I could have easily run him over;

logic would dictate one less snake, one less fright.

-

But I couldn't do it.

Mercy was BIG here that day.

-

Blessings,

Aimee

-

Photo:

Bleeding heart 'Alba'

A Beautiful Post by a Friend

Recently I felt an urge to visit Claire's blog (Claire is a Christian friend I met through a forum I've belonged to for several years now). All I can say is it must have been an urging from God as she posted a perfect post for the struggle I have had about priorities in life.

With her kind permission I am posting a link to her site and that post called "A New Mercy For Me This Morning". I hope this will bless and help you as well :)

Blessings to Claire, her family & to you,

Aimee

-

Photo:

New 'cinnamon' fern frond

Note to Visitors

Actually more a question then a note, but wonder if anyone else noticed a difference with the Blogger photo upload (picasa) lately? The screen where you normally have to click 'done' isn't coming up...but they appear to all have uploaded. Strange but then many things are strange at 3 AM!

Blessings from the PNW,

Aimee

Note (5/22): Whatever was happening with the photo upload, things seem to be OK :)

-

Photo: our first daylily of 2010; since this is a known snake zone and since the daylily was really, really close to the pond edge--well it was a lot of fun getting this:)

Pond Time

Ah, spring---time of sun, rain, sun, rain and more sun in the PNW...
and when we have the sun, and when it gets warm --
well it seems like the frogs just want to lay around in the shallow part of the pond and on the shore around it
which makes them a whole lot easier to take pictures of,

or just stand and watch them:)

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings,

Aimee

What Am I?

I hope you aren't getting bored yet with this series, but nature brings out the child in me--as I search eagerly almost everyday for sights I haven't seen before. Beautiful sights that hold the promise of even more beauty to come, or of beauty that has been and still is. Today's hints:

• I am a flower (duh, Aimee---I know you are saying that so please admit it because it will make me smile)
• I remind Aimee of a child's toy pinwheel in my present, baby flower form, and she had to hold on to me to get this photo because it was windy the day she took it:)
• I live in her wildflower-style garden, but would be happy almost anywhere.

And--if you don't know, but just have to know, because you need to know, because you are you....then please see this link.

Garden blessings, Aimee

In Their Words: Voices From the Past

Our family has been fortunate in that we own some of our ancestors writings (poetry, books, journals, family history information, letters). I find that the more I read them, the more I see how many of life's challenges - and joys - are the same.

Here is an excerpt from my Grandpa M's journal (1909-1911) written while he was at college in the PNW:
“ I worked a little while on my story plot this evening but did not accomplish much. Time passes so swiftly and I can’t do half of the work that I plan. I am praying for wisdom regarding these things as I wish to make my time count for more than it has in the past.“

• Do you see any similarities between any of your ancestors and yourself or your children?
• Do you think that many of life's challenges and joys are the same as they have always been-despite improvements in technology?
• Do any of your ancestors inspire you because of hardships they faced?
• If you could go back in time, which of your ancestors would you most like to talk to and why?

Blessings, Aimee
Photo: Grandpa & Grandma, probably on their wedding day.
Note: If you would like to learn more about Grandpa M, please see this earlier post here.

The Word on Wednesday

"O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches…The glory of the Lord shall endure forever: the Lord shall rejoice in His works.”
Psalms 104:24,31 KJV

Candles of Another Kind:)

Our tree, that replaced the one we had to cut down last year, is growing up! It looks good in the Japanese-style garden, and will look better after we let it get more of a naturally windblown look, but I still miss our old friend...and it's shade.

Blessings, Aimee

Photo: new candles--new growth on our pine tree planted last summer

Wildflower-Style Garden Update: Mid May

Back on this post I talked about our current garden project of a wildflower-style garden. Here are some updated pictures--sorry about the image quality (very bad lighting conditions)

Dianthus (Telstar mix)

Oriental Poppy (Allegro)

Cosmos (Sonata pink & Sonata mix); gypsophila (Gypsy)

Iceland poppy (Champagne Bubbles).

Also in garden--but no close up photo here--is an Iceland poppy (Spring Fever Red)

First section of bed. Columbines thus far planted: Musik Red-White & McKana's Giant (see post link above for close-ups of columbine). Also there is alyssum planted in the garden.

First 2 sections; third section (not shown). Not done yet, but a good start I think; will look better when one Oriental poppy from the first section is moved to the last section (after the rose is transplanted).

What are you working on in your garden? What is your favorite wildflower?

Blessings, Aimee

Reflections on the Pond

Last summer, when we redid the garden in the pond area, one of the things we did was to remove all the grasses which we, and nature, had planted in the upper (bog-like) pond.

I really wanted to do this to make the upper pond,

which doesn't have koi in it, a reflecting pond.

I've not been sorry a day since!

Would you be?

And just to give you an idea of what lives in our pond there is this photo--you'll see why I put it at the bottom of the post:)

'Cute', huh?

-

Blessings,

Aimee

The Other Day

Recently my sibling and I made a trip to my parent's home where I discovered some 'priceless' treasures--well priceless in my eyes, and the eyes of our family. One find really surprised me at first though, and then didn't as I got to thinking of my great-grandfather and what one of his children had written about him--- "and it was while riding horseback in the pursuance of his church duties that he mastered the Hebrew and Greek languages..."; he would later go on to be a professor at a Christian college for many years.

This is what I found that day, and even though we're not 100% sure it was great-grandpa's (because his name doesn't appear to be in it); he would be the most logical choice for having been the one who owned it originally.

I like the section where there are proverb-like sayings, and I am very excited because my father said that the book can come home with me for awhile :)

I am excited about that!

The book is almost 134 years old (Tamuz 5636 would equate to June/July 1876 from what we could determine on the Internet).

Hum, wonder what other old books are hiding in the corners of my parents' home...?

Blessings, Aimee

What am I?

This time you get two photos to help you figure out my 'secret' identity, and of course some clues, as always, to help you ...and because I am in a really generous mood right now, having seen a private dance performance of our neighborhood birds today, they will be GOOD clues...maybe:)

• I am in Aimee's wildflower-style garden, even though I am not listed on any of the PNW wildflower garden seed packets she has bought.
• I used to look differently.

Well that's probably enough hints for any gardeners out there so -- as per usual -- here's a link if you just HAVE to know who I am right now :)

Blessings, Aimee

What am I?

Actually, technically and of course grammatically, the question should be 'what are we?' but I'll let all that slide tonight and give you the following hints:

• Aimee thinks we look sort of like cute, little, kind of funny-looking whisk brooms
• Aimee had never seen us - like this - till this year, but she has always -- well at least for a long time -- loved us.
• You don't eat us, but can sometimes buy us at a store.
• If you want to see us at our best you must do something to us first and then wait about 2 weeks.
• Aimee likes one variety of us the best, but we are available in more then one variety.

Now for those who have no clue and curiosity is just 'killing' them, please feel free to see this link :)

Blessings,
Aimee

The Word on Wednesday

"Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities… For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." Psalms 103:1-3a,11,12 KJV

Blessings, Aimee

Photo: Forget-me-nots

Babies

We have lots of babies right now.
Not the cute, cuddly ones all grandmas and grandpas adore--nope, not that kind.

And not the cute, little chicks, ducklings, horses, goats, puppies, lambs and birds that catch my eye whenever I am blessed to see any of them...

-

Nope, none of these--

No--the babies I am talking about are still special though because they are all miracles of life--and this time of year is also very special because of them!
-

Come to think of it--even though these babies aren't cuddly, they are definitely still cute--because all babies are, even garden babies :)

-

So here in their 2010 debut--some of our babies...

Baby Anne raspberry

Baby Desert King figs

Baby Glacier tomato

And last, but not least, a baby strawberry--photo taken in late April.

Ah! You gotta love these garden babies-I know I do:)

---

Any babies around your place?

-

Blessings,

Aimee

For My Children

On this Mother's Day of 2010, I cannot help but reflect on just how thankful I am to have been given the gift of you--my 3 children; each one a unique present from the Creator above. So on this day, and all the days to follow, I wish you joy, peace, love and never-ending blessings! You are all priceless gifts to me---arrows in my quiver; flowers in my garden & some very sweet memories! I thank God for each and every one of you (and that includes my wonderful DIL, SIL and grandchildren too)!

Love always,
Mom

Happy Mother's Day

To all moms out there in cyberspace...

my wish is that you would know love, joy & peace on this special day...

and everyday -

Happy Mother's Day!

And for all Military Moms--a special blessing going out to you on this day.

---

Blessings,

Aimee

-

Photo: Begonias---last year I feel in love with these beautiful, dainty pink flowers!

For Mother's Day 2010: Of Mom & I

We share similar traits in appearance and tastes

and yet have some differences too.

She liked horses and dogs from childhood;

I always liked horses but the love for dogs had to grow on me

(of course now I can't imagine life without 'Man & Woman's Best Friend').

At one time, she loved the mountains the most, but now prefers the coast;

I will ALWAYS love the mountains more & cannot imagine a day without seeing them;

I should say I love the coast and the Puget Sound too--

if I can see the mountains from them:)

Now I was very shocked to find this---

apparently mom wore mini-skirts before the 60's--well at least for this picture;

she explained her mother had made it for her when I asked about it.

My mom sewed for us too--I remember an emerald green velvet ice-skating outfit she created, and of course I have lots of photos of my sib and I wearing homemade clothes

(well at least when we were very young).

As for mini-skirts, well we won't discuss here my like or dislike for them;

it is pretty well common knowledge to those who know me. And as for sewing---the last project I made was a bedspread and pillow in High School Home Economics (or was it Interior Design); SO wish I had kept up with it--but I still do have that wonderful old sewing machine that Grandma had so maybe one day...

when the remodeling is done whenever that is.

My mom & I.

Similar and yet different in appearance, tastes & life experiences;

but in things most important

values, faith & family

we're the same.

And, someday, I hope to be the Prayer Warrior that she is.

Love you mom

&

Blessings always,

Aimee

-

We both also share a HUGE love for travel--she has traveled as far east in the USA as Tennessee and Ohio; as far west in the USA as Hawaii & Alaska. Her world travels have brought her to China (Guilin & Canton areas), Thailand (Bangkok & refugee camp area), Singapore, Hong Kong & South Korea.

She still would love to make a trip to Ireland & other European nations (so would I)

-

Photos:

All photos are scanned family photos of mom and were taken in the PNW & the Rocky Mts

( which reminds me -- we both LOVE the Rockies)