Three sets of 5 cards each, ready to be mailed to the winners! Congratulations!
Last week, I posted a slide show of some of my rubber stamped card creations. In order to have some fun and share my cards, I offered a set of 5 handmade cards to 3 guests who followed this blog and commented about their hobbies.
And the winners are:
Judith the Reader
Alyson
Marilyn
Thanks, friends! I will be contacting you soon to get your mailing address. I hope you enjoy sending the cards as much as I had fun making them.
Actually, it is 53 years – until my birthday in November. Why am I making myself older than I am???
A tiny baby girl was born 53 years ago. When that girl was married, she had 2 children, a boy and a girl. Neither resembled her. YES. She was there for the birth, so she knows they are hers.
Much later, the boy and girl both married their lifemates and produced wonderful grandchilden. None of which looked even the slightest bit like the Nana. Rather, they looked like mommy or daddy or this cousin or that one, or even aunties and uncles. No one resembled short little Nana.
Until now. Nana giggles and rubs her hands together with glee.
Little Autumn, the youngest princess, coming in at barely 3 months old, finally shows signs of having something in common with the Nana!
Autumn’s eyes look like Nana’s eyes. A family resemblance – how nice for me!
Little Autumn and her Nana eyes!
This Nana is happy with even the slightest hint of “she has my eyes.” I would be fine if she had Papa’s height and not my lack. Actually, I am very happy that she is healthy. A slight resemblance is just eye-cing on the cake. Wink, wink.
Yippee for grands.
Do your children resemble you? How about those grands?
Harvesting pumpkins in August just does not sound right. Especially when it will be around 90 later this afternoon.
Not right at all.
Extenuating circumstances encouraged me to wade deep in the bristly pumpkin patch and knee high grass to grasp my favorite orange fall buddies. Er, I mean, signs of the season. Sure, I talk to my pumpkins. And those dratted slugs and squash bugs. I do admit to speaking kindly to my pumpkin pals. Not so much with the vermin.
Doesn’t everyone talk to their plants and garden inhabitants? No? Hmmm.
Slugs. They were eating HOLES in my pumpkins! I rolled one large pumpkin over and a huge spotted slug, probably 3-4 inches long when stretched out, was coiled comfortably in the blossom end hollow. UGH. Tiny little slime booger slugs were creeping all over as well.
Odd. Spring. Weather. We had the weirdest spring. That is all I can blame on the extremely early crops. It was very warm, very hot, and then very cold. Plants in my area don’t know what to do. Except grow.
Squash bugs. I’ve been so busy packing up the house, I missed recognizing the sign of yellowed leaves that indicated I had extra special garden pest visitors. Why, those hungry little insects have moved right in!
Orange. These pumpkin babies were colorful and ready to visit my porch.
Snip, snip, tug, and off we went away from hungry mouths to the safety of shade and protection.
When in Washington (the state), going to the beach may look different than going to the beach in other locations.
For instance, one may need to wear a winter hat at our beaches.
Hayden, Audrey, and Khloe sporting layers, hats (including winter), and beach tools.
Sweatshirts may be required.
You will get wet. With rain more than salt water.
Barnacles and tiny crabs abound.
Picnics are held under shelter. Or you eat wet food.
Picnics under shelter keep the food dry.
Seagulls will peck open unattended packages and ruin the cookies.
Sand will be discovered in odd and stayed-in-the-van-how-did-sand-get-there places.
You will bring too many things in order to plan for any type of weather.
Gage, 1. The same beach and same age when Hayden first went to the beach.
You will take home more than you bargained for. Some of those things will smell after a day or so.
Laundry and deep cleaning will be necessary once you get home.
He who wanted to throw himself into the water. Or eat sand. It was hands-on-Gage for one adult at all times.
Wet, cold, damp, briny kids smell just like that in the close confines of a van. Wet. Damp. Cold. Briny.
Umbrellas are often in use.
Can you see the little feathery barnacles? The openings are ones that are feeding.
One might wear a camera around the neck, but it will be covered with a plastic grocery bag that is tied tightly to keep out the rain. And sand. And stuff.
Water sandals are the perfect shoe. Waterproof and protective against stones.
Seals will wonder what you are doing. Bald eagles will soar, seagulls will annoy, ferries will pass, squirrels will steal, raccoons will beg, deer will graze.
Looking at wildlife.
Those dead looking rocks with barnacle crusts are not dead. Just put them in a bowl of ocean water and see what happens.
Strangers are kind. They may even bring a new crab specimen and seaweed clump for investigation.
Our barnacle and crab observation project.
On rainy days, you will mostly have the beach to yourself.
You can still get sunburned if it’s raining and cold.
If you want to go to the beach, go. Sunny or rainy, windy or stormy, the beach is a wonderful destination. Just know that our beaches will not resemble southern beaches (most of the time). The water will not be warm. Body extremities will turn blue. Noses will run.
But it will be the beach.
The group – minus the photographer who quickly unwrapped the camera for a quick shot.
Layer up, my dears. Or at least plan for a variety of beach weather. This is the life of Washington beaches.
A total of 7 children and adults plus our tour guide Mr. T. visited a local fruit ranch to pick not-quite-full containers of fresh ripe delectable cherries.
Not only did we have fun traipsing through the cherry trees and orchard rows, the young fruit pickers learned several new things.
Picking cherries is harder than it looks.
It’s takes lots of cherries to fill even tiny buckets. Lots.
It’s more fun to visit and play than pick cherries.
Don’t use the port-o-potties (as advised by Mr. T.).
It was a great outing. Plus I have a big bowl of the yummiest cherries just waiting to be gobbled up.
Fresh and raw, pitted and baked. Any way, any time.
These are before and after pictures of our backyard. The after pictures are really just snapshots of specific moments in time, as gardens are always changing and evolving.
Nearly 7 years ago we purchased our home. Putterers by nature, we have planted, chopped down, removed, added, painted, built, dug up, relocated, and generally wrecked havoc (or as I like to say, made improvements in accordance to our tastes) with the yard. Front and back.
The above photo shows what the triangle garden looked like when we moved in.
This is the patio door overlooking the old cement triangle garden.
Here is Kevin digging out the cement to create a new garden area.
Here is a view of the new triangle garden, after many years of growth.
This is the view looking out over the old gravel bed.
Here is our view.
The old backyard view while standing at the house.
The same view a few years later.
The garden shed without any sunflowers or privacy fence.
Our well worn garden, including a privacy fence and garden beds.
My garden and backyard today.
What we’ve added: a dogwood tree, a brick patio (covered now by the sunflower forest), 5 garden beds, a flower bed, hundreds of plants, cedar privacy fence, a clothesline (behind the shed), underground sprinklers, shade curtains around the patio, and lots of love.
That’s my garden. What changes have you made in your garden?
I’m amazed at how quickly the garden is taking over the backyard.
I’m sad that several icky pests are winning and eating as much as they can (slugs, earwigs, pill bugs, and aphids). Since I prefer not to spray my garden with pesticides, it’s a daily battle to find those critters. Loss is expected.
Strawberries are still blooming, though they are exhausted!
But mostly, I’m happy to see this dirt produce food and beauty for our eyes, nose, hands, and tummies. I supposed I could add ears to that list, as the bees are a humming, though they classify as beauty not food. At least for us. The cats love to snatch and gobble them up.
Here are some things growing in the garden.
Oregano, much loved by bees, is heading towards full bloom.
Tea roses – beautiful though they were plagued by aphids early on in the season.
Creeping thyme, a walkable plant (you can walk on it). But watch out for bees!
Edible thyme is blooming.
Radishes are tasty and almost gone. Mmmm
Sunset lily. I love the color of these blooms.
Ripening Roma tomatoes.
The pumpkin plants that are threatening to take over our tiny backyard. Soon, it will be true.
Poor, sad, dwarfed okra. I’ve replanted 4-5 times. This is the best so far.
Wax beans love my back yard. Green beans? Not so much.
Dill entices more bees and is ready for canning.
Part of the sunflower jungle.
Lavender and friend.
Raspberries are coming on strong, much to the delight of the icky pests.
Baby zucchini.
The parsley is blooming. Those tiny sweat bees love this stuff.
Garlic. I have no idea when it is done!
Kale.
Baby yellow squash. If you squint, you can see someone else was impatient to try it. Go away, bugs!
Sage. This is also in bloom. But there is more than enough to go around. Five times around.
That’s my garden so far, all from the backyard. I’d be happy to share, especially the herbs. Has anyone else grown okra? What trick am I missing (other than heat, which I think it really needs)?
Happy tasting, smelling, seeing, touching, and hearing in your garden today!
The first hint that something was wrong was the sound of the cat door furiously flapping.
The next hint was the flash of gray darting across the floor to the cat box. Monet had the kitty runs. Eww.
I mean the nasty smelly potty stops. While I’ve been there myself (though I don’t use the cat litter box nor do I go through the cat door), I’ve never seen a cat make a mad dash to the toilet!
Poor baby!
The dash and go lasted all evening and we were getting concerned. But since she continued to eat, drink, and play with her toys like a wild thing, we figured it would pass.
But this morning there was blood.
That definitely meant a trip to the vet. There was initial interest in the cat carrier by both girls, but the second I grabbed Monet to put her in, Mabel dashed off for hiding, afraid she would be next.
$125 bucks later, Monet was home. Colitis. Who knew cats could have that?
Cats eat all sorts of things. Especially Monet. She’s the wild girl and she very aggressively hunts, consumes, and shares her prizes. According to the vet, this is common.
No fever, healthy teeth, eating and drinking, playing, good fur, no temp = colitis and maybe a some worms (from eating before mentioned outdoor treats).
“Are you able to give her pills?” he asked.
“My guess is no, though we’ve never had to give them to her before,” I said. “Monet is our more intensive cat and pulls no punches when she plays. I’m guessing I would earn a bite or scratches from any attempts.”
This idea was confirmed when the vet came back with Monet after a little visit to the back room. “I did manage to give her a pill, but I had a technician and an assistant helping me. I gave her a shot. It’s not my first choice, but to prevent bites and scratches, it will be best for her.” (And me!)
As I thought.
How Monet loves to sleep.
So, guess what $125 buys? A vet inspection. A very strong antibiotic injection. One pill. Worming medication.
And a very happy-to-be-home cat who has already brought me a moth.
Love, Laughter, and Life 