Miss Camellia--Thank you!

Every autumn through part of winter

she is there for me.

-

Tall and graceful,

evergreen;

beauty in the season of darkness.

-

And as she opens each of the rosy pink blooms given her by the Creator,

I smile,

despite the gray clouds and rain,

because it is so like our God to create beauty even when we see only gray.

-

And I just need to say--

-Thank you Miss Camellia

and

THANK YOU Lord for this blessing!

-

Blessings,

Aimee

PNW Flooding

As I have mentioned, the PNW has been hit by a lot of rain this year; that combined with with a large snowpack in the mountains followed by a warm streak with lots of additional rain means flooding and other problems.

We are now looking at forecasts for drier weather (YEA) but needless to say some damage has been done. The area (mountains, valley, coast) has had a number of landslides, a sinkhole, downed trees, flooding, road closures and other problems related to the weather. This is true in both Washington and Oregon.

Here is a video of the flooding along the Sandy River near Zig Zag (Lolo Pass Road, Mt Hood, Oregon). It makes me sad to see the destruction and in awe at the same time. It also makes me wonder what my family and I would do if faced with something that knocked out our water, power, telephone and our road to the nearest supplies. I know I've made some preparation in this area, but what if it was for a prolonged time?

What would you do for water and food?
Do you have another way to prepare hot food?
Could you keep warm without electricity or gas?
Are you prepared for a natural disaster?
Do you have a neighborhood plan in place?

Link to video: http://vimeo.com/18921387
Video: By Tyler Malay & Alexandra Erickson.

Be safe & be at peace,
AImee

The WORD on Wednesday

Praise ye the LORD.

Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise Him in the heights.
Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts.

-

Praise ye Him, sun and moon: praise Him, all ye stars of light.
Praise Him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

-

Let them praise the name of the LORD: for He commanded, and they were created.
He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: He hath made a decree which shall not pass.

--Psalm 148:1-6 KJV

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~This week the PNW saw some beautiful weather--short lived, yes, but with 'hopes' (AKA hopeful weather forecasts) that it would soon be back! I was SO grateful to have a day that I could go out in the garden again with a blue sky overhead and wander about! It wasn't the gift of snow that I desire each and every year, but it was an equally treasured gift--the gift of sunshine in what has been an endlessly dark, dreary winter!

-
When I experience a BIG blessing like this, it is easy for me to be thankful and feel joy;

but when the weather around me is stormy, it isn't so easy.

Quite honestly, I don't like the rough times in life,

they are painful to go through;

but they are the times when I tend to draw closer to God--

and for that I am thankful.

-

May you be blessed this week,

Aimee

-

Photo: part of the lower pond

A Look Back at 2010: Autumn in the Garden-Pt 3

In arranging flowers

and

in planting flowers

there is a rule

and that is to use odd numbers of flowers only.

Now there is probably the same rule for posting photos on ones blog--

if so it is about to be broken:)

a less then clear photo of ripe (and unripe) evergreen huckleberries.

These are highly prized in the PNW;

if you ever eat some you will know why!

You can grow them in the garden

or pick them in certain mountainous areas.

One of our lingonberries.

I like the shadows on the rocks but not so happy with the lighting on the plant--hope you can see the berries.

This was not a good year for my huckleberries or lingonberries...

with the very strange weather our plants were totally confused as to when to bloom and when to ripen. These are Balsgaard (I think that's the spelling)--they produce twice in the PNW--once in summer, once later in the fall.

This photo was taken in early October.

Our fuzzy ones-

kiwi.

BIG crop this year.

Yes, you can grow kiwi in the PNW and you can also grow olives (at least certain types) but that will have to wait for another trip post:)

Our lovely evergreen huckleberries and a few lingonberries...

these were put in our freezer.

~

Other fruit we grow are: gold raspberries, strawberries, various fruit trees -- most are dwarf or semi dwarf

(plums, apples, pears, asian pear, 4 way cherry), grapes,

caneberries and blueberries.

I really love edible gardening and heartily recommend it to people who may not live in the country. Some fruit, like grapes, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries can be grown in a relatively small place--for example our raspberry is growing in a wine barrel half as are our strawberries.

Blueberries are now available in smaller sizes too and are pretty all year long. We grow ours with some of what would be considered ornamental plants and they do fine.

Lingonberries and evergreen huckleberries do not take up much space--both of these have evergreen leaves which are nice to see in the winter;

they both seem to do well in the PNW.

I have seen urban gardens with raspberries in raised beds (they don't like wet feet so I thought that was a good idea) and grapes growing on arbors (nice shady place to put a bench for those warm summer days) and they looked great!

~

Do you grow fruit where you live?

~

Blessings,

Aimee

A Look Back at 2010: Autumn in the Garden-Pt 2

Ahhh! Pastels.

I love them no matter the season.

Here are some from autumn.

Cosmos--sorry but since this flower rates really HIGH on my list of favorites,

you'll be seeing a lot of them on this post.

Not a great photo--this is here to remind me what to plant in my baskets this year.

Begonias--love these little ones.

And that one single bluish one at the top?

Lobelia.

I love lobelia too

AND New Guinea Impatiens

(lower right corner, not blooming in this photo)

Oh surprise!

More cosmos.

They were big in our wildflower garden this autumn.

Autumn crocus.

Every year when I see it I am surprised.

One minute it is a grassy looking area

and the next--these!

I know you are getting tired of these C flowers,

but I am not--yet!

Bleeding heart.

We have an alba that blooms first then dies down later in the summer,

but this one keeps blooming into the autumn.

This photo was taken in early October and despite the quality (not) of this photo,

these are a really pretty light pink.

And to end this post--

what else?

Cosmos!

Next: fruit in the garden

Blessings,

Aimee

A Look Back at 2010: Autumn in the Garden

A few photos from our autumn 2010 garden--

enjoy!

The koi pond in early November-

I love the reflection of the 'pagoda' in the pond with the fish swimming by.

Japanese maples near the lower pond.

I love these trees no matter the season but especially in the autumn!

Do you see that bit of blue sky poking through the trees?

We saw some of that today and it SO made my day.

even without the gorgeous red, gold and orange colors of autumn:)

And Japanese maple leaves in the pond.

I feel the need for more Japanese maples--

but I am not sure where I would put them since we have a septic tank that doesn't like trees on its lines or drainfield.

Not a photo taken in our garden but the light through this red tree was amazing

and I couldn't help but include it--it is so much better then this photo shows! This was taken during a stop at Camp 18, an amazing log restaurant in the coast range! I will make a post later but their breakfast is amazing, the location scenic (there is a river in the back and lots of birds) and they have a yard filled with old logging equipment that is fascinating!

Next post: the pastels of autumn and some fruit!

Blessings always,

Aimee

A Look Back at 2010: Pacific NW Photo Potpourri

It's pleasant fragrance follows me home
the salty smell of the seashore

the fresh, clean aroma of the foothills and mountains

the earthy perfume of the woodlands and forests

It is the scent of nature

it is the fragrant potpourri of the PNW

It is that sweet something that satisfies me to my very soul

and yet

always leaves me wanting more

What does your area's potpourri smell like?

Blessings,

Aimee

~

Photos:

2010--autumn

coast at sunset (there were people riding the waves)

(3 photos) along the Three Rivers highway

(LOVE that place!)

View from Ft Yamhill

(so have to go back there! Somewhere I have a photo of the historic blockhouse that was moved quite a long time ago to a small town about 1/2 hour or so away from the fort site)

This is probably the Nehalem Valley--not too far from the Sunset Highway

(yes I love the names of the PNW roads)

(3 photos) trail in the foothills of NW Oregon

A Look Back at 2010: Autumn in the PNW-Pt 4

Remember this?

Blue.

Lots of blue.

And sunshine.

Lots of sunshine.

And this?

More blue.

And green too.

And dry grass

not soggy wet grass.

What about this?

Pleasant warm temperatures,

no clouds.

And this?

Very happy seagulls and very happy people spending time by the bay.

(sorry no photos of the happy people today

but take my word for it they were happy, including the kayaker in the bay).

Very happy people and seagulls.

Sunshine and warmth.

And blue...

BLUE!

It is a state of mind that doesn't always mean unhappiness:)

-

Spring coming

sooner or later

to a location near you!

Are you ready for it?

-

Blessings,

Aimee

Photos:

taken autumn 2010

Siletz River-traveling eastward

(love those mountains)

Siletz River--looking towards the west (the bay)

Siletz Bay

(beautiful bay, part of it is a national wildlife refuge)

Seagulls

(there are always lots of seagulls)

Taft sign

D Lake from the state park there

(it actually goes by a different name but IMO it is way TOO pretty to call it that)

A Look Back at 2010: Autumn in the PNW-Pt 3

Beautiful

amazing

historical

Vernonia!

I am a small town/country girl.

I can enjoy cities (I used to live in Seattle),

but my heart belongs to the small town and the country.

Now if you throw in history

(here there is strong logging tradition and a lot of historical buildings),

parks (city and county),

and views of hills and such...

you have me as your friend forever:)

Oh and good (tasteful) public art--

I love public art.

From the statues in a wonderful park in Loveland, Colorado

to the great metalwork I found throughout Vernonia;

call me happy when I see art in communities!

(possibly more photos of art later)

Add to that, fabulous Baba Ghanoush,

lamb, mint tea, baklava...but that will have to wait for another post;

it would make me just TOO hungry if I had to look at those photos tonight:)

Yes, beautiful

amazing

historical

Vernonia!

Can't wait to go back!

~

Blessings,

Aimee

~

Photos and notes:

Park located up on a hill overlooking the town

(hard to see when leaves are on the trees--but very pretty)

Another park--Vernonia Lake;

an old millpond with a walking path and wonderful views!
Sign near the main street of town

(which is highway 47)

Another water view at another city park

(can you tell I love reflections in water?)

One of the metal sculptures on the historic buildings downtown

(they all had a common theme of wildlife, logging, small town historical life)

3 more photos of the Vernonia Lake park area

and the ducks.

I LOVE ducks;

my sibling used to own 3 ducks.

We lived in the country then on a stream with big trees all around.

Good days, well except for the time I tried to walk on water there

(yes, it had ice on it).

I might have made it but I panicked (?) and tried to run;

it was a really cold horseback ride home.

I am thankful for horses and neighbors watching over silly neighbors.

I am thankful for funny memories like that too.

Cute autumn decoration at the Shay Locomotive park

(historical locomotive)

I have a thing about the railroad too;

maybe I get that from my grandpa.

-

Note: in part 2 you can see some photos of the park near their airport--the most secluded of the parks we visited that day (there were more in the town we didn't get to and of course there is the nature reserve, the county parks, the waterfall and all the areas in between).

Am so going back--soon!

The WORD on Wednesday: New Year's Resolution II

My next New Year's resolution is this one I first wrote about when my mom's condition had been fully diagnosed and we realized exactly what it would mean for her, and us. At this low point, Psalm 46:10 was of great comfort to me; actually all of Psalms 46 is good!

-

"Be still and know that I am God."

-

Be still and look around you;

I am the Creator of all the beauty and grandeur of nature that surrounds you.

I am your Creator too.

-

Why do you fear?

Why do you limit Me to what you can understand?

Your preconceptions of who I am,

the world's view of who I am,

rather then

who I say I am.

-

Am I not almighty?

Ever-present?

Omnipotent?

Eternal?

Holy?

-

Have I not promised I would be with you,

your mom

and all who believe in Me forever?

Have I not promised to be her Shepherd and yours,

even through the Valley of the Shadow of Death;

am I not faithful according to My promises?

Am I not merciful?

Am I not gracious to those who call on me with humble hearts?
Perfect in love and faultless?

-

Silence your doubts,

listen to Me.

Put your hand in mine

and believe the One who created all of this beauty,

the One who sees the whole picture

and

the One who loves His children perfectly

and has a great plan for them all.

-

KNOW that I am God.

I don't make mistakes.

Draw near Me,

in silence,

I have a lot more to teach you if you're ready.

--

Blessings,

AImee

~

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

Selah.

-

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah.

-
Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations He hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah.

Psalms 46 KJV

Photo: the Siletz River traveling east

A Look Back at 2010: Autumn in the PNW-Pt 2

I had never been to this area before--

close by, yes, but close was definitely not close enough!

Needless to say--

I LOVED this mountain valley and wondered what took us so long to go there.

It is located in Oregon's coast range,

I might have already said that.

Remember the park we just visited?

One of the trails that runs through that park, originates in the little town of Banks

and ends in the historic town of Vernonia,

another little town.

-

Re: the trestle pictured above.

I read that when you're on that trail,

you get to cross trestles like this one.

BTW,

I LOVE trestles,

the view looking up to them is perfect!

Just like the trail,

our goal was the historic town of Vernonia

and Mediterranean food!

This is
some of the autumn color we saw that day.

-

See the blue sky?

The PNW usually has awesome early fall weather!

~

-Now, just so you know, I am currently in a race.

That's right--even though it is not (I hope) too evident on these 2 posts,

I am racing the clock because soon my DH will be up

and he will need his laptop-

in fact he has every intention of taking it to work today

and so things are going to get a little wierd now...

because I have a lot of photos of the Vernonia area

and no time to post them.
-

So we're going to get unchronological here

(hum, is that even a word? My sleep deprived brain is getting tired now)

-

Of course if you've never been to this area,

this fact won't bother you at all.

And actually we could have done it this way.

So I really didn't need to mention it:)

So here we go on a little detour to a park located in the valley,

Gorgeous view on the way (or the way back)

Into the park area

A new friend we met there.

He (or she) was VERY interested in something across the river.

VERY.

So we will leave him

and I will pack up the laptop--quickly!

Blessings,

AImee

-

Photos: Nehalem Valley and park, Autumn 2010.

Note: Got to go--sorry about the quickly written commentary--

hope it makes some sense:)

Have a great day!