A Winter Walk

Yesterday morning the sky was blue and I had to go to the secret garden for a walk.

I was hoping I hadn't missed the crocus blooming, but what I found

were mostly hellebore and snowdrops.

There were a few other things beginning to bloom.

As I walked along I realized I must have been the only person to visit this magical

place all morning.  The snow on the bridge had no footprints until I walked there.

The witch hazel was in full bloom.

I had never seen a big tree of witch hazel.

Do you see snowdrops on the left and hellebore on the right of the path?

There were still many soft purple crocus, but most were afraid to open

to the cold or were battered from the winter weather.

 Snowdrops did delight my heart.

And a walk with the beauty of a blue sky in winter

was amazing!

It was a walk on the wild side, the side of nature

with no one around, just the silence of the garden.

At Bishop's Close, a garden in Portland that if you don't know it's there

you would miss. No signs marking the way.

Garden Quotes 2019

More than anything,

I must have flowers,

always, always.

~Claude Monet

Me too!

Teatime at Clockwork Rose

 A friend messaged me recently on Facebook and asked if I would like

to go to tea at Clockwork Rose in Beaverton, Oregon.

Now you know me well enough that I don't turn down a chance to go to tea.

Thus you could find me traversing the crazy traffic to meet a friend.

Clockwork Rose always has these cute little pies in the tiny tins.

There was a chicken potpie and a quiche, plus cucumber and egg salad sandwiches.

Then the wrap added a pretty touch of green to the plate.

I do love a good sausage roll, but I had never had one here.

It was good with a dab of mustard.

I had a hefty black tea that kept me awake a good portion of the night,

but I won't complain. I knew what I was doing. I take full responsibility.

I nibbled one scone with clotted cream and jam,

plus the creamy goodness in the glass at the top of the pyramid.

The other scone and sweets came home for another day.

Breakfast will include a sweet or two.

But most of all it is time spent with a new friend getting acquainted and chatting.

A time to linger over multiple cups of warm tea and delicious goodness.

Time well spent on a cozy Thursday afternoon.

Dance in the Moonlight

When I saw the lights twinkling in the trees

I wanted to find the fairies

I wanted to dance

I wanted to swoon under a full moon

I wanted to have a feast at the table

I wanted to step lightly

I wanted to sing

But most of all I wanted to join you by the fire,

share stories of delight,

and just savor each moment of the evening.

Can you imagine what you would want to do?

Would you sit by the fire, sip on a glass of wine or something warm,

wrap in a cozy blanket or dance under the moon?

Garden Quotes 2019

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly.

"One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."

~Hans Christian Andersen

from Time Began in a Garden by Emilie Barnes 

Awaiting the sunshine, freedom to roam, and 

many flowers in the garden and all around me.

It is coming, I just know it is! 

Pictures taken one year ago.
This year the daffodils are slow to open.

On a side note:
On Friday I wrote about Walking on the Wild Side.
After writing that post I realized what inspired me to write it
and wanted to share.
I had just watched a movie on Netflix called Dare to be Wild.
It is the true story of Mary Reynolds, a young garden
designer in Ireland. It had really inspired me.
If you have Netflix I can highly recommend watching this movie.

Have a great day!

Walk on the Wild Side

Do you sometimes want to walk on the wild side?

What do you find?

Is it scary?

Invigorating?

And Adventure?

There is something for me that feels energy when I step off the path.

Yes, it is very scary, but I am so proud of myself when I do it.

Sometimes it is just a small step, but sometimes I gather up my brave girl self

and take a giant step toward something new.

It usually takes a lot of self talk, a deep breath, and then a huge jump.

The landing might be hard or if the way has been padded with good wishes

the path can be like falling onto the soft mossy ground.

And yes, sometimes we get hurt in the leap, but of course we will recover

and move on, make a new path.

As a young girl I was often up for taking a dare or was it a challenge.

I loved it!

I still love the challenge, the adventure, the anticipation,

the fall and especially the landing in the unknown.

As an older woman sometimes the fall scares me deeply.

I have become more cautious.

I know in my heart I must accept the challenge,

enjoy each day and find new adventures.

Sometimes they are just around the corner

and sometimes far away.

So take a walk on the wild side, challenge yourself!

Where will it take you?

Enjoy the adventure! 

Find laughter as you fall and open your heart to what is around you.

The unknown is only the unknown until you allow it to wrap you in it's arms.

Happy Weekend, dear friends!

Enjoy the challenge and adventure each day!

A Season of Love with a Cup of Tea

Each day must have love, but at this time of the year

Love abounds in our hearts as we celebrate our Valentine's.

Dear ones that we treasure and embrace.

So a teatime was one way for me to show love

by the planning and preparing, then presenting.

The table was set by the windows in the living room,

not too far from the warmth of the fire in the fireplace.

The tea was the one I love most, a delicious Yunnan Gold.

The sandwich was chicken curry.

Cream scones with cherry jam and butter were warm from the oven.

The sweets were strawberries, lemon bars, and red velvet cupcakes with a sugar cookie on top.

I have always been fascinated with the heart shape of the strawberry.

And of course there must be flowers.

Chrysanthemums and tulips seemed to sing to my heart.

Sending love to you this week as you celebrate with those you love.

May you be surrounded by the warm of the day.

"May the echo of the teacup's message

be heard not only on special occasions

but any time friends come together."

~Emilie Barnes

Garden Quotes 2019

And don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter.

It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.

~Rumi

The crocus are beginning to show their beautiful faces
in my garden.
Sometimes through the snow this past week I still see them. 
They are persistent and for that I love them.
Search for those little things each day.

Adventure to the Coast

I knew last Saturday was going to be a good day to venture to the sea.

This week the weather has become winter here in Oregon

and with that prediction I had to go.

There has been a little snow, but the temperatures have considerably dropped.

More snow is due tonight and for the next few days.

So off to the Pacific Ocean at Oceanside, Oregon and a walk along the shoreline.

Yes, there was some tea in the cup by the sea too.

The picture is a bit fuzzy, but I had to be quick.

I wanted a picture with the foam surrounding the cup.

Well now you might think that is a crazy idea, 

but I had to try.

I know others walking nearby probably thought I was some crazy lady.

The waves caught me almost to my knees and the cup almost floated away.

It was rather hilarious! I loved it!

Thankful the sun was out, as I did it not once but four times.

Do  you think I would learn? Ha! I was determined!

This is the best I could get with my camera by the sea.

Oh I love the blue peeking out and reflecting on the sand.

There were quite a few others taking a pause in their day to enjoy time by the shoreline.

Head's down, of course, for you never know what you might find.

Sometimes there is an agate or two in amongst the rocks.

And yes, the sipping did continue, but at a safer distance.

It was a gorgeous day to adventure to the Coast,

walk awhile, and see what we can see.

I hope for you a weekend of adventure whether to the sea or just down the street.

Let's keep walking and discovering, then laugh if something catches you by surprise.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Year of the Pig

 Happy Chinese New Year, the year of the Pig!

The Pig takes the last place on the zodiac list.

Some say he is rather lazy, but in reality he had to 

rebuild his house before he could join the group.

He is the sign of wealth and fortune.

Celebrate this year of the pig with a sip of tea in your cup.

Lift it high and sing a song of joy, for the pig does know

how to celebrate the simple things of life.

A bit of snow this week in the garden encouraged me to take tea to the garden.

A personal way to celebrate the new year.

The tea in the cups is Muzha Tie Guan Yin oolong.

One of my favorite oolongs from Taiwan's Muzha region. 

The tea table was surrounded by the tea growing in the garden.

Are you celebrating the Chinese New Year's?

Garden Quotes 2019

And this is certain; if so be

You could just now my garden see,

The aspic of my flowers so bright

Would make you shudder with delight.

~Edward Lear

Here we are at the first of February.

For me it is rain and more rain.

Waiting slightly impatiently for the many buds on the camellias to bloom.

When I go to the garden to see what is new I am always surprised by the little things.

Are you watching, anticipating?

Each surprise delights me!

Old Barn Love

Painting by Georgia O'Keefe

Somewhere in the Southwest

You probably don't know that I have old barn love.

When I see an old barn along the road I try to scream "stop"

to my driver, as I need, I must snap a picture and savor for a few moments.

It doesn't always work to be able to stop, but the ones here worked.

There was a place along the road to stop and snap away.

I was walking behind my "niece" on her property when I snapped the one above.

It is an old hops barn that she is hoping to revive and rent out for weddings.

I think she has barn love too.

This one was a quick stop on Whidbey Island.

I love seeing nature growing up to capture these old barns.

This was a quick snap as my "driver" drove by.

These were found on the island too.

Now the one right below I saw every time I drove south of Portland.

One day I pulled off the freeway and got up close and snapped a picture.

For some reason I felt like it was haunted, there was just something about it.

I am so glad I captured the picture because now it is gone.

The barn below was a quick snap from the car in Idaho.

And this final barn was found recently while bird watching on Sauvie Island.

I loved old barns even as a child.

When I would visit my uncle I would hang out in his barn watching him milk cows

or climbing on hay bales. 

There would be treasures to find there, memories are treasures.

Old barns just delight my heart.

Do not let a flattering woman coax and wheedle you and deceive you; she is after your barn. Hesiod
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/barn

Do not let a flattering woman coax and wheedle you and deceive you; she is after your barn. Hesiod
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/barn

Do not let a flattering woman coax and wheedle you and deceive you; she is after your barn. Hesiod
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/barn

The Greek poet Hesiod once said: 
Do not let a flattering woman coax and
wheedle you and deceive you;
she is after your barn.
from Brainy Quotes
This just made me smile.

Do you like old barns?

Maybe it is time to go exploring?

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Hoping to go out exploring this weekend.