where one follows the other

Lists are the bomb.com. You know that. You can get so much done in a day, even if you wake up late, if only there is a tidy little list waiting for you to cross it's items out.

I'm back to running and while it is basically pathetic in comparison to what my body was capable of a month and a half ago, it's better than nothing. Everything is a give and take.

Also, my garden is going to be spectacular next year. I have planted a bunch of bulbs, have a little section planned out for the tubers I'll be getting in the spring, and will still have a steady crop of veggies I think. I'm even learning about spacing and whatnot. You're only a novice once. People don't understand the growers excitement but growing things is like witnessing magic all the time. Were does all that plant come from? It can't be that tiny little seed.

This is where my garden is right now. Still harvesting tomatoes off of my cherry tomato plant, got some inside basil working away. The bush snap peas are getting bigger but not a whole lot to harvest yet, two measly spinach plants have decided to grow. Slugs are eating everything. The carrots are taking off, I have at least one daikon radish ready to pick and a couple little red radishes showing their heads, the broccoli is still tiny (thanks slugs) but I have volunteer red lettuce, one kale plant that is hardy as all get out, and a whole bunch of chinese cabbage that I don't even know what to do with.

Next year: I will have radishes, bush peas, kale, spinach and lavender at the very least (I guess thyme and rosemary too) But, I also plan on having another tomato plant, a winter squash plant, a zucchini plant and perhaps an eggplant. Get excited and plan on staying with me come august. Because, there will be too much food for my household (it is best to remain ever hopeful).

Back in

I'm back in it here at home in Portland. Back to work, back to my garden, back to cleaning the house, back to a sweet boy and unkempt crushes, back to roomies, and cooler weather.

Today, I made a salad from herbs in my garden plus lettuces from my farmshare, I went for a run with my regular running buddy and didn't sweat out all of the fluids in my body. Yesterday, I drank tea with a sweet fellow and walked amongst the eternal springtime of Portland. There are flowers everywhere.

While I was away my garden exploded. My tomato plant doubled in size and my squash isn't too far behind all of that. It is nice to remember how sweet the summer is. Bouquets have been picked and made in houses all over Portland from the sweet bounty of early summer. The next few months is going to be wondrous.

Of course, I miss the east. But finally, the winter here is paying off it's dues.

Day one of the Adventure

Surprise, surprise, I didn't take any pictures from the road.

But, no worries little people, I redoubled my efforts upon arriving in Seattle.

Here you have what I had:

building that looked cooler in real life (dagnabit my lack of camera mastery). 

 part of a underwater scene mural

Another part of that mural 

Some of the street signs are on the corners in the ground 

 Another example (and a glimpse of my new shoes)

First picture from Pike Place Market. The first of many "neon" sign viewings.  

 Shellfish at the market

 Lil' clams

 Flowers at the market

 I'm tellin' you. They love neon in this town

 Or garish signs at least

 My pants and my shoes on "vacation"

 This is when I was figuring out if you could take pictures through view finders.

Down at the dock some detritus and a ship  

Some neat column sculptures 

 Another in the series of "columns"

Mural at the hostel

Flower season!

Things aren't going perfectly over here but when do things ever go perfectly? 

Here are some pictures of a vase full of flowers that I picked in my yard. Enjoy.

 

 

Flowers (again I know)

Don't worry, I'm not going to inundate you with flower pictures as is my usual desire.

I just realized that about 80% of the photos I take are of flowers (cell phone and camera both).. Is that normal? Is that me embracing my inner girly-girl without even knowing it?

I mean, in all fairness, everyone loves flowers-not just girly-girls. I find the idea that women appreciate flowers more than men hard to get behind. Because seriously, go outside and look at a flower and tell me that one gender likes them more than the other. It just doesn't make sense. 

Alongside the coming of fragrant blossoms, I am also appreciative of the arrival of my brother Jon-Mike. It is obviously a great joy for Mamaw to have him visiting and I am pretty happy myself having him around. I look forward to a time when I can see more of my family too.

Flower Power

Mamaw's yard is full of these beautiful flowers. They are so plentiful that even picking three vases full and then a tiny vase did not even make a dent in her yard display. Here they are so you can enjoy them too.

Frost

9:15a.m. February, 6th, 2012

Chesterfield, VA 23834

Frost [frawst, frost]

Definition: extreme cold

Synonyms: Jack Frost, blight, dip, drop, freeze, hoarfrost, ice rime

Antonyms: Heat 

City of Roses

They don't call this town the city of roses for nothing. And that's what I learned upon returning to Portland*. My yard, which is generally a little unkempt, was filled with beautiful blooming roses! I shot some pictures and meant to have them up for you yesterday but got distracted as my buddy, Jamie, arrived in Portland yesterday.

Bunch of roses on the side of our house

A couple of roses in the front of our house

Rose from the back yard

Huge rose (like 4 or 5 inches in Diameter) next to our back gate

*The city of Portland is actually, called the rose city because of the existence of it's famous rose testing gardens where a variety of roses found no were else may be growing at any given time.

Now, I'm off to get ready to work. I'll see you on the flip side.

Oh, the air, the air is full of spring.

That's right. Spring is in the air.

I went on a trip to the grocery store today (funnily enough not to buy groceries but a gaggle of other necessary household items) and as it turned out the sun was out and the flowers were blooming. So I grabbed my camera.

A beautiful tree with peeling bark

tiny purple flowers

The trees are just beginning to bloom

I hope that everyone else is feeling the sweet sunshine of spring as they go about their day. More updaty updates in the future. For now I just want to share with you the joy of new beginnings.

Sunny days.

It's been beautiful here in Portland OR ever since I returned home from Augusta, GA. It's almost as if the city is welcoming me back. The weather has made the neighborhood and surrounding area ripe for our picking. Here are the last few of my days in pictures.

My friend Jonathan and I went Hiking to Mirror Lake.

learning to be outdoorsy

Mt Hood behind Mirror Lake. Beautiful.

A tree we saw on our hike.

A sunflower I saw whilst I was walking around the neighborhood

note how clear and blue the sky is in the background

A tree with some beautiful leaves in my neighborhood

Moss growing on a wall down the street

colorful houses, plants, and intersections without stop signs

For those of you who have never been to this fair city, the city of roses, quick update.

Portland is filled with colorful houses overwhelmingly productive gardens and bunches and bunches of intersections that, as far as I can tell, have not stop signs or traffic signals of any kind.

Here is what I've gathered.

Pink house close to where I'm staying

The tree about town, the Douglas Fur.

Blue house

Intersection with no know traffic guidelines

Somebody's delicious looking green tomato and beautiful garden

orange scooter and house with orange trim

yellow house with beautiful old tree in front

Flowers! Azaleas?