Harvest Time

For me Harvest Time has always meant Gravenstein apples.
So on Sunday I went searching for them.
I found some in Hood River, just below Mt. Hood along the Columbia River.
They were a bit green, but will make delicious pies, the best for sure.
But what I saw everywhere I looked were pears.
There were green ones, ones with a blush, and bright red ones,
then big ones and small ones too.  There were all varieties of pears.
I love this time of year when harvest is in the air.
Can there be anything more beautiful than fresh fruit, flowers, and vegetables
growing nearby at this time of year?
What is your favorite harvest produce to find right now, today?

Flowers in the Field

The flowers in the field, they dance for me.

Their tutus lighten my day with the colors of the rainbow.

There are oranges, yellows, pinks, and creams galore.

I laugh as they wave to me in JOY.

I BELIEVE they are there just for me

and they sing.

They play.

And for that moment my heart is HAPPY.

What is making your heart HAPPY today?

Spirit Whispers

At the time I took this picture I just thought it was a pretty picture.

Later looking at it again I realized in my heart what it said on the side of this boat.

PILOT

Sometimes I can feel adrift, just floating with no destination.

Sometimes I get lost in the muddle of my day to day routine.

Sometimes I lose track of where I am heading.

Do you do that?

The PILOT can help to direct us back and keep us on track.

For me PILOT is God or Spirit.

What helps you to find your way back when you are lost?

Happy Birthday, Tasha Tudor

Today is Tasha Tudor's birthday.

Although she passed away a few years ago,

she is missed.

Tasha was such an inspiration for her

creativity and life style.

So I am raising a cup of tea today

and wishing you a happy birthday,

dear Tasha Tudor.
In my cup will be Tasha Tudor's favorite,
Welsh Breakfast tea.

Alberta Last Thursday Street Fair

The last Thursday of each month the neighborhood nearby celebrates, parties, and gives opportunity

for those that want to dress up or down to parade down Alberta Avenue.

In summer the street is full of entertainment of all kinds

and street vendors of things I hadn't even thought of to sell.

I sat along the curb for awhile with my camera and watched the parade go by.

Then I walked awhile.

At one of the booths my husband recognized someone you may know.

We stopped to chat and I asked if I could take his picture.

He said only if I was in the picture.

Do you recognize him?

The younger people stopping by didn't know who he was,

but we had in years past gone to one of his concerts.

Oh my husband took the picture, but he was so jealous because

he was the fan more than myself.  Just smiling!

So here's the picture, let me know if you know who it is.
Hint: remember the song Puff the Magic Dragon?

Yes, Dutchbaby was the first to guess, it was Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary.
He was promoting his new children's book and CD.

Tea with Little Friends

Thanks for tea, it is divine!

Lily brought her handbag along for tea.

Mae checking the saucer to see if there is more tea there.

Oh yes, I think I will just sip like the British do.

More please!

Let's have a little tea on the run.

A mobile tea party is just our style.

What's a tea party without food.

Sushi and veggies were the perfect thing for this tea party.

Then there was time to make big picture hats for

our next tea party.  There was buttons,

bows, glitter glue, and great fun being creative with felt pens too.

What fun I had sharing tea with Lily (age 3) and Mae (age 1).

We are already planning our next tea party where there will be time for dress up.

Note:  double click on the pictures if you would like to see more detail.
Having a tea party for young children I am learning you must go with the flow,
and tea (or lemonade) did flow.

My August Doll House

August's Doll House project is

a cloche made from 6 picture frames.

I went to the Dollar Store and bought 6 unfinished frames.

I painted them white.

My husband helped me put the hinges inside each corner.

We made a triangle to glue into the top of the roof,

then added an ornament to hang in the gable.

I think it will be great fun to decorate during the holidays

with fun ornaments and treasures.

This project would be fun with smaller picture frames too.

A word from Pooh

from Pooh's Thotful Place:

Do not undermine your worth
by comparing yourself with
others.
It is because we are
different that each of us is 
special.

Spirit Whispers

Sacred Spaces
To me walking on the beach is a sacred space
A place where I feel closest to God
A place where we can chat
and where I can cry

Where do you feel closest to God?
Where do you go to your Sacred Space?
Where do you go to chat or to cry?

Outrageous!

What are you doing this weekend?

Are you going to go out on a limb,

do something outrageous?

Make some History?

Have some fun?

What's keeping you from putting yourself out there?

What's keeping you from making some history?

Go out and play.

Be a little mischievous!

I have seen this quote before,

but it really struck me when I saw it recently

hanging on the wall of a shop I visited.

Sometimes fear keeps me from putting myself out there.

Even the fear of stepping on someone's toes.

So this weekend I plan on shining and 

maybe doing something

outrageous.

HAPPY WEEKEND, dear friends!

Tea is a Comfort

When you were a child, did your mother bring
you tea when you were sick?
This photo was taken at the Maryhill Museum.
I don't remember the artist, but love the photo.
It reminds me of the times when I was sick
and my mother fixed me tea and toast cut in strips.
No, my mother didn't look like this, but she
had the same comforting feel when she brought
me tea in bed.

"Tea was such  comfort."
-Edna St. Vincent Millay

"Take some more tea," the March Hare said
to Alice, very earnestly.
"I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended
tone, "so I can't take more."
"You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter,
"It's very easy to take more than nothing."
-Lewis Carroll

Around the Garden

Take a walk around my garden today.
The small vegetable garden sits next to the driveway.
It is the warmest place in the yard and the
vegetables grow beautifully here.
I have a weakness for roses and they
are tucked in wherever you look.
Soon there will be a rose garden just for them to shine.
Sunflowers and dahlias are blooming right now
and they just make my heart sing.

What is in your garden or on your patio that makes your heart sing?

Summer Plans

I had two goals for the summer.

They came together on Saturday evening.

One was a snowcone, or in this case shaved ice.

Oh yes, half was grape for my friend Relyn and the other half cherry, my favorite.

The other part of the evening was a free concert at Washington Park,

by the Rose Gardens.

The city of Portland has many free concerts in different parks,

plus free movies in the parks too.

What a wonderful tradition, but one my husband and I

hadn't participated in for way too long.

So this summer was the summer to change this and return to

the free concerts in the park.

The year I turned 40 I actually danced on this stage.

That was the year I went to work full time and suddenly

I didn't remember how fun it was to go to the park and dance.

Last Saturday night was dancing the salsa and what fun was that.

Are there concerts and snowcones in your summer?

I certainly hope so, as it is a "very good thing".

Spirit Whispers

Do you pray?
Meditate?
Are there symbols that help?
What symbols help you in your prayer?
Are you asking when you pray?
Are you worshiping?

Sometimes I find when things are going well,
I forget to pray or meditate or even write in my journal.
Then when difficult times come along
I turn to prayer and meditation.

Do you sometimes do that too?
I don't think I am the only one here doing this.

I am a visual person, so I think maybe I need a visual
sign to remind me to take time in quietness to say a prayer,
meditate, or write.  I am a better listener when I take time
to pray and meditate.

Free, A very good price!

A peek inside my home.

I love decorating with bargains and free things.

Recently my husband found this ladder in a pile of trash near our house.

I thought it was the perfect thing to display some of my vintage table cloths.

What do you think?

Friends gave me this vintage stroller as they were cleaning out
their family home.  It is quite sweet, but not sure what I will do with it.
Any suggestions?

Do you like to decorate your home with other peoples discards?
Find fun ways to display something unusual in your home?
Please share, I would love to hear.

*******
Thanks for your good thoughts and prayers this week for my husband.
His heart test on Monday went very well and we all have a better idea
of what has caused us to rush to emergency 4 times in the past year.
Yesterday radiation started and went well.  This will be an ongoing
for the next 7 weeks, but we expect good things from this also.

Sit with me for Awhile

Sit with me for awhile.

Sip a cup of tea.
We only have this moment.
Let's share our heart and
hold it dear.
Savor
Treasure
and know with each sip I care.

Summertime

What did you do in the summertime as a child?
The Sunday Parade that comes with the paper had an article
called The Joys of Summer.

This is something I have also thought of.
My childhood included swinging on a rope swing,
riding my bike through the neighborhood,
playing ball down at the corner with the boys,
and singing loud and clear as I swung from the branches of trees.

Kids today are not allowed to enjoy their childhood.
They don't have time to daydream or study the clouds
or just be lazy.
I do BELIEVE:
"Sometimes doing nothing is doing something."
Even as adults we need times of rejuvenation.

Now go out and encourage the child in you and those around you
to take time for daydreams.

Weeds and Wildflowers

Nature fascination
Wildflowers galore
Summer skies turbulent
Sunshine hiding there
Weeds in the garden
Call my name
I will sing
For summer and the wild outdoors.

Spirit Whispers

Today instead of a whisper, I am hollering.
Sometimes don't you just feel like hollering?
This is my husband.
He always is there to carry the basket of goodies
when we have tea outdoors.
He needs a bit of a holler to spirit
as he begins radiation this week for prostate cancer.
His heart is also giving him some challenges too.
So if you could just say a little prayer today,
it would be greatly appreciated.
It can be a whisper or a holler.
 I thank you.
Do you need a whisper or a holler to spirit today?

A Summer Tradition

There is a different pace in Summer.

Different traditions.

Picking berries is one of mine

and the rewards are so worth it.

The view from the berry patch.
Mt. Hood is in the distance.
This day we were picking marionberries,
a berry particularly unique to the Pacific Northwest.

For an Old Woman Picking Wild Blackberries       by Ethel Romig Fuller

There always will be clusters left

Where someone first has been-

What if the children did pick here?

They broke the bushes in.

Take your time, old woman,

It is youth that hurries

To the next alluring patch;

Youth takes the easy berries.

The hidden fruit, the luscious fruit

Waits for one who lingers;

For one with peering, patient eyes,

With slow, exploring fingers.

And ripening on berry vines

Is always something too

No child will be discovering

Till he is old as you.

Summer Tea in the Garden

By now you must know I love having tea outdoors.

Last fall a good friend got married.

It was the second marriage for both and they had two homes to merge.

Many of their friends realized they didn't need wedding gifts;

so we gave them gifts of our time.

My gift was tea in the garden this summer.

It was a beautiful day spent with friends.

Double click on the smaller pictures if you would like a closer look.

Menu:
Marionberry sorbet
Hummus and tomato on brown bread
Egg salad with nasturtiums on white bread
Chicken curry salad on puff pastry
Cucumber with mint on nutty bread
Goat Cheese Tarts
Taiwan Black Tea
Scones with cream and jam
Lemon curd Tart with cream and cherry
Shortbread cookie
Molten Chocolate Cake with raspberries
Baozhong Oolong Tea

It was a lovely afternoon spent with friends
and a gift I enjoyed giving.

Music at the Lan Su Chinese Gardens

Last evening sitting in the twilight listening to music.
It was music that made me want to dance.
The flowers even looked as if they were dancing
with their beautiful can-can skirts flowing.
The past five Tuesday evenings I have sat here
in the gardens of the Lan Su Chinese Gardens
in downtown Portland and enjoyed the music of the evening.
Yes, there was tea and wonderful steamed buns,
but it was the music that brought me there.
There was Chinese Festival Night (dragon dance and all), The Midnight Serenaders (listen here),
Amphion String Quartet, Joe Powers (amazing harmonica) & Friends,
and last evening the Loveness Wesa & The Bantus
(music from Zimbabwe).
How lovely to sit in the twilight soaking in the ambiance
of a warm summer evening and music.
Are you doing evening adventures and soaking in the summer twilight?

Greenhouse Update

I haven't really shown the greenhouse this year.
 Thought maybe it was time for an update.
The latest addition are the vintage stained glass windows
on each side of the front door.
If you peak inside you will see more windows waiting
to be added to the roof.
We now have enough windows to finish one side completely.
We only have two more windows to find to have enough to finish the roof;
so the search is still on.
Then it will be just finishing touches, some paint,
readjusting the doors and adding the vintage lock, adding
the pot belly stove and chimney,
then adding a copper kick board on the bottom of the door.
We are hoping for a 2011 completion and celebration,
but we will see how it goes.
A stone patio is being added outside the front door too.
I think it will be too beautiful for just the plants once it is finished.
What do you think?
Still a work in progress!

Spirit Whispers

How does your inner landscape look today?
Peeking inside your heart?
Is it heavy
sweet smelling

full of tears
full of love
smiling
joyful?
Take a peek
sort of like a doctor's check up
and notice what you notice today.
Be gentle with yourself
and fill your inner landscape with
images that feed your soul.

How do you do that, you say?
Sometimes it is listening to music that is gentle,
reading beautiful poetry,
walking in a garden and relishing the beauty there,
or just looking at beautiful pictures.
Take care and treat yourself gently today and always.