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Hippity-Hoppity!

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Ten days til Easter! Out come the bunnies – the real, fuzzy ones are hopping all around our neighborhood, the cute do-dad ones are scattered here and there in my house.

 

 

My Mom cut back her rosemary plant and brought a big chunk to me. My nose is in heaven! I just plopped the bunch in this old bowl, and it fills the whole room with that wonderful aroma.

 

 

These are really old light covers that were in a box with equally old Christmas ornaments that my Grandad found at the green boxes. One man's trash is another man's treasure! He knows I'm goofy about antique stuff so he gave the whole box to me!

Same story with this guy. He was badly broken and going in the garbage at the flower shop my Mom worked at, and she rescued him, brought him home, and repaired him (you can barely tell, if at all, where he was broken after she fixed it). Garbage is apparently my cup of tea!

Not all my do-dads are garbage or from thrift stores (but most of them are 🙂 ).

 

A bunny “snow baby” box (that came in it's original box) I got for 50 cents at the thrift. I think it's so cute.

 

 

 

These are probably my very favorite bunnies. They are very old German candy containers.

These are also German candy containers I found at an antique store in Minnesota.

Here is a very woodsy little hippity-hop!

 

 

There's not a chance I will be able to get a picture of a real bunny in my yard. Miss Declan has discovered the fuzzy little critters while peering out the windows. Now she is obsessed! Thankfully they are staying out of harms way by sticking close to the woodpile.

My poor flower beds are in a dreadful state. They look terribly bedraggled, but Mother Nature is nursing them along, and there are bright spots starting to pop up here and there.

Sunny little daffodils.

Tough crocuses, who will show their pretty purple petals even with snow all around them.

I don't know what these tiny little flowers are called. They are spread all over the gardens, even jumping into the lawn in spots. I love their color.

The bleeding hearts are just bursting thru!

Hope you all have a very Hoppy Easter! And do remember the reason for the season!

TTFN,

Teresa 🙂

 

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A New Hat For My House

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Guess what just got finished at our house!

Yup, we have a brand spanking new roof!

This was another thing that just snuck up on us. I knew the porch shingles needed replaced because the front of our house faces east and spends the biggest part of the day in shade, so when it is snowy here (which is a big part of the time) the sun doesn't shine on the porch long enough to get the snow melted off the roof. So, consequently, it just sits on those shingles week after week, which really wrecks the heck out of them. Several times over the last few winters, Bruce had to get a ladder, climb up on the porch roof, and shovel the great drifts of snow off. Not fun, not safe. And as bad as we knew the porch roof was, we weren't prepared when we saw that the rest of the house shingles were all of a sudden looking pretty darn shabby as well. Great.

Boy, this was sure the year for it, tho. By the looks of how many roofing companies were hard at it this summer, a goodly portion of folks in our town were doing just as we were and digging deep in their wallets to remedy the “rotten shingle epidemic” our County was struck with.

This cupola and weather vane were a big splurge for me when we finished up the addition to the front of our house several years ago. I just love it, and am very happy we spent the money on it, which is a rare thing for me to say! When we scheduled with the roofing company, we made sure they did metal roofing as well as shingles. I picked a metal the same color as the cladding on our windows (which is called weathered bronze) and had them put metal on the porch instead of asphalt shingles. Now, hopefully, the snow will just slide off that metal, rather than sit there for weeks on end. They re-attached the cupola and weather vane and it looks so nice on the metal roofing. With all the trees in our yard, plus the height of the house, you can't even see the new shingles on the rest of the house. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because the garage and garden shed weren't re-roofed, and their shingles are now a different color than the house. Only those in an airplane will know that little secret!

Even tho it practically made my hand bleed to write that check to the roofing company, I am very glad we won't have to worry about leaks and/or shingles blowing off in the blizzards to come in the winter that is just around the corner. It's a good thing to take care of your home, because then it reciprocates and keeps you warm and sheltered and snug.

I know I said I wouldn't say the “f” word, but there is no sense in denying the fact that fall is now most assuredly here.

My hops are a little freeze dried, but will make nice additions to fall decorating indoors if I can get my rear in gear.

 

 

 

There is a lot of beautiful color popping up in my yard, and all over town for that matter. The birds will be able to feast on berries in my yard for the next few weeks.

I have carrots and a few onions to harvest from my veg garden boxes, and a few yummy little crab apples to pick. The worms unfortunately also love these little apples, so the lion's share goes to them. Actually I will gather all those I am unable to use, and take them to the cabin for the deer to snack on (they won't mind a worm or two in their apples 😉 ).

I need to hustle while the weather is decent and get the flower beds cleaned up and tucked in to keep them snugged up for the winter. I lost a lot of plants last winter, so I need to pay better attention this fall and mulch the dickens out of everything to blanket them.

MORE COFFEE, MORE COFFEE!!!

TTFN,

Teresa

 

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I Will Not Say The “F” Word (Fall will not be uttered)

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Well, just look at what we woke up to yesterday morning….

It was a balmy 37 degrees when I got up this morning. What the heck…? Plenty of the Old Timers around here are already comparing all the folklore signs that are sure fire indicators that it's going to be a particularly nasty winter – NOOOO!!! Not ready for it!

We need some more of this –

And this –

Not this –

Or this –

Miss Asia must know that there won't be much more of this warm weather left, too.

She's just been soaking it up these last few weeks when it was in the high eighties. She's been lounging in this spot on the lawn so much that it's made a little nest tucked right in the grasswhere she lays.

She and her little daughter were snuggled up on the rocking chair on the porch when it was so cold this morning, but came in the house a little later in the morning, I'm sure to get thawed out. We have a fire going in the wood stove…….We actually had to start a fire in the stove Saturday night, AUGUST 23rd, and have had it going since :-/

But, there's always a silver lining – with all this rain/snow/cool, it really brings the fire risk down significantly in the forests up here, and that is surely a good thing.

Hot chocolate anyone? 🙂

TTFN,

Teresa

 

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Allium

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Allium is just as pretty bloomed out as it is with all it's petals.

We've had a very busy weekend trying to get things organized and get my big little son all packed up and moved to a new town to start school. So, I haven't had much time to take any pictures, but thought this one I took a week or so ago was worth sharing because allium are so unique.

TTFN,

Teresa 🙂

 

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Whoa, Summer! Slow down!!

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OK, is it just me? Or has this Summer only been about 7 and 1/2 days long for everyone? I swear, it seems like it just started feeling summery a few weeks ago, and now there are already little signs of fall sneaking in here and there. Big bunches of birds are flocking in the neighborhood trees and chattering amongst themselves. The days are still plenty warm, but the thermometer is dipping way down at night. It seems to be getting dark much earlier all of a sudden. It just feels fallish in the mornings.

My flower gardens have finally achieved a little bit of color over and above the pale pinks and lavenders it sported the biggest part of this growing season.

 

 

A little bee behind sticking out of a hollyhock flower.

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of little baby Sparrows were hatched in this condo birdhouse this Summer.

My raised bed vegetable gardens seem to be doing really well this year.

I'm hoping for a bumper crop of zucchini, crook neck squash, and pumpkins. The carrots are mostly tops right now, but the peas are coming right along. Since we took our huge sick old Chinese Elm tree out last summer, there is so much more sunshine in the back yard that things are really growing by leaps and bounds this year. I tried several times in the past to grow a veg garden in my yard, but it was just too shady before. Next year, maybe we can add another box since this seems to be a good spot for happy vegetables 🙂

TTFN,

Teresa

 

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Porch Appreciation

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Nothing better than a little porch appreciation on a warm summer evening.

Sitting in the rocking chair with a kitty by my side. Crickets serenading, a cool breeze wafting, carrying on it's crest the scent of newly opened rose buds, and a nearly full moon lighting the big open sky.

Dear Summer,

Oh, how I adore you!!

Please slow down!!

Sincerely,

Teresa

 

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My Secret Garden

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Yup, it's summer. I practically need a flashlight to get from room to room in my house because everything in my yard is so big and green and forest-like, it makes it very dark in most every room.

This is an unusual year for my flower gardens. Almost everything that is flowering right now is in shades of lavender and pink.

The Bleeding Hearts were very pretty this Spring. Too bad the bloom lasts such a short time.

The Fern Leaf Peonie was loaded with blooms this year. They, too, have a short time span for their blossoms.

 

 

 

 

My kitties are sure happy to be out camping in their basket on the front porch. They use the doggie door to come in and eat when they feel like it, but for the most part, we rarely see them in the house all summer because they turn into “Porch Panthers”!

 

These are Dames Rocket. Their blooms last a very long time and smell heavenly, a lot like carnations, or cloves. You have to monitor them fairly tightly because they will happily take over your entire garden.

 

 

I planted pink Lupine last year, but so far only the established purple ones have started flowering.

Still waiting for my other peonies to open. The Fern Leaf Peonie beat these by a whole month. That's OK with me. That way, when they all take turns showcasing, you have something pretty to look at all summer.

This is variegated Dead Nettle. The have a very tiny, delicate pink flower, and are a wonderful, hardy ground cover.

 

In about another week I should have a some beautiful red roses to admire.

It's been a very cool, wet Spring here in my part of Montana, and the plants love it! Today is my day off, so I hope to make some rhubarb jam and rhubarb crisp. I have a bumper crop of it this year.

I miss playing in my yard, but it's nice to know that I'm getting some moolah to get my big little son thru school, and fix up our cute, derelict little cabin….. and the gardens seem to be perfectly happy without me hovering over them!

TTFN 🙂

Teresa

 

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Randomness

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My itty bitty brain is just whirling – just a few weeks ago it was snowing pretty mightily around here; now it feels like full blown summer. I mean windows open, birds tweeting, grass growing inches per day summer! A few weeks ago, I was a domestic diva 🙂 tending my house, chopping wood, keeping my laundry up; now I'm back to alarm clock waking, trying to figure out what would be fastest to prepare for dinner after work, and making lists so I can try to keep up with everything that needs to be done in my very condensed at-home-time. Yup, no mo fairytale, it's back to the real world.

So, in order to try and achieve a little zen, I will share some pictures of random this and thats I have captured in the spare minutes I've grabbed over the last several days.

 

 

 

I have lots of pretty little flowers popping out. I was sad to see that I did lose many plants and ornamental bushes to this vicious winter we just escaped from – what a cold mean bugger he was!

We have had a few pretty substantial downpours over the last few weeks, and the bright side to that, along with the glorious greenness that presents itself, are these wonderful gifts from nature –

Morels! Oh, they are so yummy! Just soak them in water with a few teaspoons of salt and about a teaspoon of vinegar to dislodge any buggies trying to make a morel it's home, drain 'em, make sure they are nice and clean, cut them in half lengthwise, and drop them into a frying pan with a little butter, olive oil, sea salt, smoked paprika, and a smidge of pepper. For real, they are a gourmet gift to your taste buds! My big little son went down to the river and scouted out a few, which we ate for dinner that night. The next day he went out to my folk's farm and found about a quart of them. They are shiny clean and residing in the freezer, to be carefully doled out on special occasions.

 

There were at least a dozen Western Tanangers in my yard today, flitting about, eating from the suet feeder, and having a merry time. I just love watching all the birds that come to my yard. I think this giant window we put in during the kitchen remodel was the smartest thing we've done with this house. Actually, that would probably be second to the Tulikivi.

I changed a few things around in the family room. I found a beautiful print by one of our local artists, downtown at an antique/junk store. I needed another picture like I need a hole in the head, but it was so reasonably priced I couldn't resist.

I had the frame which I'd purchased several summers ago at a yard sale, so just had to have a mat cut and was good to go. It is a Russell Chatham print. I looked thru his archives online, and I believe this one is named “March Afternoon”. I truly love his work. He has lived here for decades, and the biggest majority of his art is done of this area, primarily Paradise Valley. His lithos and oil paintings go for many thousands of dollars, so I was happy to just be able to have stumbled across a print I could afford. Any kind of affordable work of his is about as scarce as hen's teeth to find. (Sorry about the reflections on the picture – I don't know how to get around that in photography yet.)

I found the “Indian Lane” street sign at a rummage sale the week before I started work. (Don't even get me started on having missed the last 4 weeks of rummage saling – I could just cry about it!) The metal Indian head is also a rummage sale find from a summer past.

Work has begun on the cabin.

 

Yikes.

It's still chilly enough in the evenings to have to start the wood stove up.

Coming home we saw this Mama and baby. Within a half mile stretch we saw the moose, at least a dozen deer, 10 antelope (which was strange because we were still in the mountains and they usually prefer being out on the flats), and these 2 courting cranes below.

So, that's a lot of randomness for sure, and is probably just the tip of the iceberg for what the summer holds. We have a lot of irons in the fire! Guess I better stock up on Wheaties! Or spinach!

TTFN,

Teresa

 

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Lots O’ Changes

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It's been a couple weeks since my last post. Boy, lots can happen in even such few days. We've had a birthday, a holiday, a funeral, a “possibly won't need surgery” doctor visit (fingers crossed – only minor surgery, but no surgery at all is a much better option), a new job!, and a new camera. Talk about hills and dales.

Anyway, I finally caved and got an awesome new camera (Canon EOS Rebel T3i). I was determined not to spend the money on something I felt was such an unneeded extravagance, especially with all the cabin repairs looming ahead of us this Spring and Summer. Good Mr.Bruce, who had been encouraging me all along to just do it, said it could be an early birthday present, to which I added it would also be a Mother's Day, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas present…….for the next 4 years. But, I think this will be a good investment in banking our memories, and I plan on making this camera earn it's keep. I'm going to document the dickens out of this cabin rejuvenation ahead.

It did help ease the guilt a bit that the day I got the camera, I also found out I would be starting a new job! Yup, I've been a kept woman for the last 3 years. My last job spanned from kid-hood, to sprouting-gray-hair-hood. I worked for the same outfit from just a bit out of High School, to 3 years ago. That encompassed my entire adult life. IN. ONE. PLACE. I did some major soul searching and finally came to the conclusion that there had to be more to life than what I was experiencing, and I bailed. Talk about scary! It felt akin to jumping out the door of a jet airplane with a little, tiny parachute pack and arm floaties on. I discovered I love being a homemaker, but unfortunately it doesn't pay too well! And with a kid in college, and a new hobby (aka cabin) which I have a feeling may get to be a bit expensive during the extreme makeover that's coming, guess it's time to wake up and smell the coffee. I'm very optimistic about this new job as it is a complete 180 from what I did before; and I plan to jump in with both feet and give it my all. I thank the good Lord for this opportunity, and thank my good friend and neighbor Eileen for giving me a heads up, and a leg up on this terrific job!

So, in my last few days before jumping back into the job pool, I've been dutifully studying the camera manual, and researching tutorials online. But today I decided enough was enough, and I just wanted to go out in the beautiful Spring Day and play with the darn thing! Here are the results of my folly 🙂

I am very intrigued by the old advertising art painted on the sides of the downtown buildings here in our little town. A lot of effort has gone into trying to preserve these icons, and I think they are wonderful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think these photos prove that this is a pretty phenomenal camera when clear, sharp pictures come thru in spite of the ding-a-ling that was pushing the buttons! I'm anxious to learn how to properly operate this camera, and discover all the added nuances it offers as you gain knowledge and confidence.

When I step out my front door and turn right, this is the view I am gifted with! Our house is on a hill above the town, so our view is pretty much unobstructed. Look at that beautiful blue sky!

The biggest problem I had with my little point and shoot was trying to take pictures inside the house. Try as I might, I could never get any kind of sharpness on anything inside with the lack of natural light in my very “treed in” house.

Well, this pic and the next few, were taken in my basement, without a flash! I was impressed with the detail it showed for sure.

 

 

And these next were using the close-up function on some new posies appearing in my garden

 

So, onward and upward!! And here's hoping the best is yet to come!

TTFN 🙂

Teresa

 

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Doh – More %{?ÂŁ*# SNOW

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So, how about some pretty pictures of Hawaii……

Maybe you live in a place where there is actually hope of Spring being just around the corner. That does not seem to be the case here. So, in order to placate my own grumpy, restless, hairpulling self, I'll dust off some of my 6 year old Hawaiian vacation pictures and give myself at least a visual break from the snow, snow, snow around here. Even if it is lovely weather where you live, Hawaii is still awfully darn pretty to look at, any time.

 

Beautiful, pounding surf.

 

Whale watching.

Dolphins kept everybody on the boat entertained.

They would swim up to the boat, stick their heads out of the water, and look right at you. I wanted to pet one so bad. I suppose that is the same way tourists feel when they come to Yellowstone, and that's why a lot of them end up gored by a buffalo, or stomped by an elk etc., because they don't want to be petted by no darn tourists. Needless to say, I kept my hands in the boat.

We were on the Big Island, where even being so far away, there were lots of reminders of home. Lots of cows and horses, and open ranch land.

 

This was the beach at Honolulu. There was not a shortage of people there for sure.

 

They had some mega goldfish at a downtown shopping center. I don't know if they were considered koi or not; I'm not up on my fish breeds.

There were lots of funky people standing around on the streets in downtown Honolulu, all with different costumes or talents. Each had boxes for you to toss money into as you passed – here is one fella we went by, sitting still as a statue.

 

This giamongous aquarium was in the hotel we stayed at. You could watch the fish as you ate breakfast. The guy swimming around with them was cleaning the glass inside the tank. That would be a fun and different job, wouldn't it?

They had so many beautiful and different kinds of flowers and birds, everywhere you looked.

 

 

 

Beautiful sunsets.

 

We went to a Luau, waited a very long time for our dinner, and very shortly after the show started, here came the rain. The show cancelled, and we all ran back to our rooms, getting soaked in the process. At least the rain was warm. I was sad we missed out because they really sock you in the pocketbook for that kind of touristy entertainment, and if Mother Nature interrupts, too bad, no refunds.

We had wanted to go snorkeling, but while we were on the Big Island, a volcano erupted a little, which caused what they refer to as “vog” (volcanic fog). It makes it overcast and the water is dark from the cover, so when snorkeling you can't see the fish very well at all, we were told. So that plan got chucked.

It was a pretty view of town from the balcony on our room. The wind was warm, and it was so nice to sit and listen to the ocean.

 

 

 

So many places we stopped looked just like a postcard.

Had to visit King Kamehameha.

Lots of folks enjoyed this very calm swimming spot.

 

There, now I feel much better. It's nice and dark out, so I can't see the frozen tundra on the other side of my window. I can go to bed thinking of warm trade winds, sunny skies, and cocoanut drinks 🙂 Not that I'm griping or anything.

TTFN,

Teresa

 

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