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.