poppa + twinz

MY PROFILE PIC is an old photobooth of me and Ter, and dad popped in at the last minute to our hilarious delight. Chewin' on a Swisher Sweet. This was at the Space Needle. I miss my poppa. He has left me and Ter a wonderful gift.
(as a courtesy, I have identified mySelf in the pic..the goofy!! one. As if I needed to. hawr)

let's bee friends

PACKING UP TO get over to Wenatchee. Here's a bee friend visiting the cotoneaster out at the end of the Bothell garden. Soon I will have many many more of these at my farmlet.

my new home...

...THE FARMLET. It may look funny right now, but it's mine!

no words describe

A BABY BEE on a bee plaque.

beetles must fly

A LITTLE BEETLE headed up out of the shade he was enjoying (until i molested him) and took flight from that sunny leaf. Possibly in a huff.

new bee

I THINK it's a baby bumble. no words follow.

morning in wenatchee

MY FIRST POST from Wenatchee will be misleading. i'm not moved here yet, but i'm posting it anyway.
It's a clear morning, typical of Wenatchee in springtime. All the birds are out.
I've been watching a litttle quail pair wander around the property...she's obviously gravid or they're watching a nest of new quailettes.
I'm channeling my mom this morning: she loved them, and she would stand outside for what seemed like hours, just watching the birds, with her arms crossed and her little cardigan on.
But she was smitten with the quails, their babies tagging along in a row, looking like ambulating walnuts, and the little family was her charge. It snowed one year, and when she looked out to her crabapple it was full to bursting with quail, just roosting in the branches. I know it made her swoon and she was forever watching for them after that.
Of course karma is at work--Terrie and I used to hear her comments about them, and as self-indulgent teens, we thought 'BORing!' or 'whatever.'
Now I'm leaning out the kitchen window, at an uncomfortable angle, with a gleeful grin on my face. Delighting in the quail.

more change

SO NOW IT'S MAY, and I have an interview for a job in Wenatchee. If it comes through, this vision of living over there becomes real. And then this blog is going to be STUFFED with the things that will happen there. And it will start getting interesting.

change in the air

I FINALLY GOT a job!! But wait...
The job was only 2 months, and then they did more cuts, and off I went AGAIN. I'm going to laugh about all of it. A plan is stirring, and I feel a good, big change coming. I'm seriously trying to line up all my ducks so I can create the Farmlette in Wenatchee.

if you build it

BEES WILL COME. I built this gorgeous BEEMUSE over the winter. She is my art saint for Beekeeping, which I hope to do this year. I found these darling hives on craigslist, and if I can get them I will start there. Then buy the other stuff, and finally, a bee fambly. :

springtime gold

MORE LIGHTS coming on in lime and chartreuse. Dicentra 'goldheart", Ribes sanguineum, Choiysia, sprouts of Tradescantia "Sweet Kate," and Goldthread cypress. Also, I think my poor transplanted box made it through cuzz it was so warm.
The last shot is my evergreen clematis "apple blossom" all ready to bloom.

cuzz it's spring

PIX OF SPROUTS, cuz Spring is close. The Seattle area had unusually warm weather this winter, so everything is starting to bloom a month early. This is actually a gold variety barberry.

gifted

ANOTHER BOX with a serene saint.

little altars

MADE HOLLY DAZE items, sending cards. Most of what I do is paper based, and I find downtime during the season to work on painting, books and altered art. I'll send a hand-painted hat box to one pal, and Heart Book to another who has helped me so much. Pix coming, for this first draft. But for the holidays...pix of the beautiful altars at St James.

mystery train

I TOOK A RIDE on Amtrak to Portland this last week, to see my wonderful friend and life coach deluxe, Kathy. No matter the weather, the train is a comfy and quiet treat. Here's a glimpse of the cloudy skies over Puget Sound. You can just glimpse the shore.
As for coaching, let's just say The Bee Book is more than ever my focus, as my dream of growing a little Farmlette is coming closer. Life has some mysteries for me even in the face of difficult times.

Her site is runlikeagirl.org

snipping stems

TODAY WAS MILD here in Seattle. I spent part of the afternoon snipping off frost-bitten grass spikes and willow branches, and started taking stock of what plants look like they will make it if the rest of winter is temperate. We haven't had snow here. But the Farmlette in Wenatchee is covered. I will garden both gardens this year and make a final choice to move to the Farmlette or stay urban.

glowing potential

MY LATEST grab from Value Village. I love to snoop around there, finding 5-dollar goodies to tear apart and create with. This one will turn into a little vitrine and hold some kind of tableaux. Perhaps a little skeleton band. :B

chrismustime is here

I HAVE THE beautiful reds from the frost to adorn my trees and leaves, and make a gorgeous wintertime display just in time for christmas. Now if we would have snow, perfection. Photos TK--my son nicked my camera for a holiday idea but I'll get it today. little steenker.

on fire

THERE WAS A FIRE in my kitchen
this morning. The sun popped out
for awhile and made this store-bought
parrot tulip above my sink glow from
yellow to deep red.