March 28, 2012



Clouds over Mission Ridge
on Monday



Snow & fog on Tuesday






















And our pump still works!  Had to put it to use again yesterday as the water was back under the house.  At least we now have the means to deal with it right away and not let it sit.  It looks like I'll be climbing under the house again today as the water is back, despite pumping out of the pond every two hours during the night.

Monday was overcast with a high of 37.  I took the dogs on their morning walk while JB finished making bread.  We got kind of a late start that day.  Yesterday a very fine snow began falling about 8:30 a.m. and the fog began pussyfooting around at about noon.  The snow turned to rain about 5:00 pm and didn't let up til around midnight.  So much for winter leaving gentley.  A good inside day.  Well, I got to stay inside.  JB had to be outside with the water pump, although I don't know that I was any better off under the house in the mud and water.  I guess Sunday used up our quota of Spring weather for a while.

JB's Mom sent us an Easter package containing Peeps and pistachios, books and DVDs, treats for the dogs and some photos of JB when he was just a toddler.  So cute!  She sends us packages several times a year, always full of fun and surprises.  I broke open the box of peeps in order to let them dry out by Easter.  They are always better when they are really chewy.

Our son e-mailed us photos and a video of the grandchildren playing on the beach in Florida.  Building sand castles and trying to protect them from the waves and tide.  Do we arrive on earth pre-programmed in our genes to do that?  Such a joy to watch them.

I may not be a water person, but I do enjoy beach combing.  The rocky shores of the northern Washington Puget Sound are a treasure trove of shells, rocks and little creatures caught in tide pools.  The sandy ocean beaches further south readily give up their shells and sand dollars, pieces of driftwood and all sorts of man made detritus.  I hear that bits and pieces of the devastation from the Japan earthquake are beginning to show up now.  I have glass jars sitting on my windowsill full of shells and rocks collected on many different beaches over a lifetime.  And jars of shells and polished rocks from my Mother's collection that she used in teaching school.  I am fascinated by such gifts from Mother Nature.

And speaking of nature, one of the best magazines for natural living is "The Herbal Companion."  It is published every other month and it takes at least that long between issues to absorb all the information.  It contains all sorts of recipes using herbs and essential oils for everything you can imagine, from foods to cleansers and air fresheners to medicinal needs.

And speaking of scents, every time I open a bag of dry pine needles to use as fire starter, I am transported back to barns I have known.  The musty, hay-like smell reminds me of two barns in particular.  The first being the horse barn at the ranch on which my Grandpa Herb lived when I knew him.  I have photos of me on Grandpa's horses before I could even walk.  Probably where my love for them began.  The second was an almost-falling-down barn on a small farm my Dad and stepmother rented for a couple years in the early sixties.  I remember my Dad getting such a kick out of saying he was "out standing in his field" when they lived there.  It always made him chuckle.  This was after my Grandpa (my Dad's Father) had passed away and Dad had a couple of his horses.  I would get to ride them on weekends I spent out there when the weather was conducive.  Horseback riding was a big part of my life through junior high (middle school).  A part that I really miss.

Thought for the day:  You will hear the god you listen to. . .  Place honor where it is due, and peace will be yours.  A Course in Miracles