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.

not always bees

BY NOW I've figured out, you may have too: My blog is not exactly about bees. I love to write about my beloved garden, and I need to get some pictures up of the changing colors and frost-bitten flowers. I want to stay focused on what happens in the Wenatchee garden too, as I am convinced I will be there, at least someday. Along with my gardens other dreams are calling. I have approximately 8 different projects going, and my goal is to finish 2 of them before Christmas. They are mostly 3-dimensional, or repurposed books, and paintings. This is that time of year when I get pensive and review my year, and my heart.

the last sprouts

MY DELISH BRUSSELS sprouts grown in my backyard by mr. sun, ms. water and the bees. I get a kick out of growing my own. ;B It's November and I cooked them last week. Hope to get a lot more next year from heirloom seeds.

my shrine today

THE WARM COLORS emitting from this corner and the low light washes everything with that dark fiery red. It's lacquer red. Cinnabar. I'm crazy about it. Especially with blacks and silver. I took down the little black shadow box and painted the inside of the door that red. So it has that color in daylight.

our path

AT BOTHELL LANDING Ophee and I have a great path to follow by the Sammamish river, host to herons, otters, ducks, geese and beautiful trees and views

borrowing the view

Shakkei: Japanese term meaning borrowed scenery - the art of incorporating a near/distant view of mountains/river/trees or buildings into the garden composition.

I ENJOY THE very near Sammamish river about 100 yards from my house. The giant cottonwoods, and many trees and wildlife here are mostly due to the river. Ophee and I need to walk a few steps to get to Bothell Landing, which is where we see myriad trees and plants, now in gorgeous fall color. We also visit ducks, herons, otters, geese (including an old farm goose who has adopted a gaggle of Canadians for her flock), and feral chickens.

the humble yet glorious...

ROSA RUGOSA. Plain old wild rose. Gardeners get too excited about all those hybrid teas and grandifloras. Rosa rugosa has masses of vivid blooms all summer, provides a great shrubby form for hedges, and turns rich colors in the fall (observe!), finally leaving nice big hips for the birds when it snows. A perfect plant.

all the gold in the world

...CAN'T COMPETE with the morphing colors in my garden. Each of these plants are different, yet the frosty nights are giving them similar cool-weather jackets. Click to see up close: from left to right, top to bottom:
weigela 'french lace', sedum 'angelina', wisteria 'texas white, honeysuckle 'baggesen's gold', sorbaria, spiraea 'magic carpet', bamboo 'nigra', choisya, golden hops, lamium 'anne greenaway', goldthread cypress, sword fern, artemisia golden, spiraea 'goldflame', cotinus 'golden spirit', golden barberry, pachysandra.

ferns: perfect symmetry

WHAT MORE DO I need to say? These are sword ferns, native to the Pacific Northwest.

seed time

ONE OF THE THRILLS of autumn. Seeing plants and trees set their unusual seeds of every kind. And the colors, rusty roses and patina greens, are so rich. Here are my crocosmia 'Lucifer' pods. And a canna pod. I do love the pods.

answer to my question

I WONDERED whether to blog only one garden; but I can feature both here; a tiny urban garden tucked behind a busy Bothell hi-way, and the quiet, funky garden my dad lovingly created in Wenatchee. I'll drive back and forth, so fuel concerns. Perhaps I'll even get a Smart car for the trip. This Hermes model should do. ; } But it's a beautiful drive, as you see from this Hwy2 pitstop. I can see 3 times the beauty.

the other garden

MY SISTER AND I closed up dad's place for the winter. I can hardly wait for the spring, when planning and planting new gardens will begin.

painting a spring foto

A PEONY ARRANGEMENT from dad's springtime yard for a painting I'll start in november.