A Full-time Life

Category: Flowers and Gardens

IN LIKE A LAMB

If it is possible to OD on daffodils I plead guilty. I stop to admire them and take pictures on every walk. And on every country drive, in every park and almost in every yard.

It's a harmless addiction, unless you count the sudden stops made on those country roads. And anyway, there's a good excuse because this is the first time in years that we've been in daffodil country in March.

I wouldn't trade the decades of winters and springs we've spent in sunny climes for anything. But the beautiful early Spring flowers have been a gift in this year when staying home was our safer and happier option.

And the winter weather here in our part of Oregon has really not been all that hard to take. Not nearly as rainy and gray as we remember. March definitely came in like a lamb with a beautiful sunny day and only a couple of partly rainy days last week. I've read a lot about places where it came in like a lion and therefore (hopefully) will go out like a lamb. But here in the Pacific Northwest, we've always heard the opposite version of that old proverb. There's actually a fact-based reason for that.

Not my picture (I wish it were). Google public domain

Here is information from CNN Weather:

Some may be familiar with a reverse version of the proverb: "March comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion."

This "reverse" of the proverb is hard to trace in its origin, but definitely makes sense if you consider those who traveled westward with the American expansion to Western states.

These western states can have incredible temperature swings this month as the polar jet stream moves from it's preferred position near Canada over the winter to a more southerly route during the spring. This tends to cause many states in the Western US to experience some of their heavier snowfalls from the end of March and into April — thus the lion (and the harsh weather it represents) coming at the end of the month.

I hope the proverb comes true for those who got the lion last week — and that it doesn't for those of us who got the lamb.

Just the usual suspects when it came to birds last week. I heard and saw a lot more species. Spring activity is picking up even here in the city, but pictures are hard to get. I've been trying to remember that just observing birds used to be enough to make me happy. Now I'm a little disappointed if I don't get a picture.

Thankful to be safe and well and enjoying this seasonal transition. It is almost a brand-new experience for us after all these years.

And thank you to the hosts of the following sharing opportunities, where I'm linking this week:

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING

March 7, 2021
THE GIFT OF FEBRUARY SUNSHINE

The weather forecast for last week called for rain and flooding, but here in our corner of the Willamette Valley we were instead blessed with sunshine and blue skies most days and very little rain.

One morning, we went for a ride through the pretty farm country west of town to the small town of Junction City and then on BLM roads through the surrounding hills down into a coastal valley.

Bill likes to drive these curvy mountain roads. We probably drove about 40 miles in this backcountry and in 4 hours did not see a single other car or person. There are a lot of places like this around our area. I do think about how easy it would be to be lost and have to admit that I checked to see if there was cell service. (There was. I guess nowadays it wouldn't be as easy.)

The drive was really a long-way round to the farm (otherwise known as our daughter and son-in-law's home.) We stopped to look at the migrating pelicans on Kirk Pond — the wild area that is within walkable distance of their house. Most of them were on the other side of the water, but these three were nice enough to swim closer to the shore.

A quick tour around their backyard on this blue-sky late February day. Spring is on the way (although the groundhog did see his shadow here, so we hedge our bets).

Tree watch, late February

Stellar Jay, Scrub Jay, and Common crow.

Three different (noisy) birds all enjoyed the same blue sky in the same winter tree.

We brought a few branches of these harbingers of Spring home. (There are pictures of the pussy willow tree in last week's post — the tree has branches to spare.)

Sunny February days are a gift here in Oregon. Thankful for blue sky days and the time to enjoy them.

Linking this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING

February 28, 2021
A MIXED BAG OF FEBRUARY

Happy Early Spring ???

Eugene Oregon February 6 2021

Our weather here in Eugene continues to be a mix of Autumn and Spring. We count our blessings. The early spring flowers above were seen in someone's yard last weekend when we took the long way home from an errand. (Someone who has a green thumb for sure!)

February 13 — the Black Walnut Tree

There was blue sky yesterday when we went to our daughter and son-in-laws. But the tree I've been watching is still definitely in Winter mode. And a good thing too, because there was a definite chill in the air. (For us anyway. Our grandson, who has been in Finland and is back in Oregon for now, was outside in a light sweater. It's all about what you're used to.)

I took these pictures of the Black Walnut Tree from outside, but there is almost the same view from their living room picture window. Parker was the only family member to pose for a picture yesterday. (Because I never remember to ask anybody to do so.)

Costa Rica 2017

Last week marked the Lunar New Year and it is the Year of the Ox. These two were operating historical presses as part of a sugar plantation tour. Happy (belated) New Year to all who celebrate.

February 14, 2021

We ordered a to-go breakfast this morning. The restaurant's only about a mile and a half away from home and just across one street and a parking lot to this view of the Willamette River where we parked and ate. A lovely way to enjoy a Valentine's Day treat and we didn't even have to wear masks.

Owens Rose Garden, Summer 2020

Here are a dozen roses for Valentine's Week. (Well, a dozen pictures — there seem to be a few extra blossoms in there somehow).

Whether you celebrate Winter or Spring, Lunar New Year or Valentine's Day, or just celebrate being alive –enjoy this coming week and all it brings. Thank you for visiting and special thanks to the hosts of these sharing opportunities:

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;   TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; and SATURDAY CRITTERS

February 14, 2021
HOPE

Still in that holding pattern here and this may remain true for the foreseeable future. But there is always hope.

River Walk, January 2021

At the very least there is certainly hope that Spring is somewhere on the horizon. (And I know we are fortunate to have this kind of weather this time of year.)

This is the first time in years we've spent a Winter season here in Oregon so we may have forgotten — but it seems like the second week in January is kind of early for this flowering tree to be blossoming. I hope there isn't a February surprise to freeze its little buds.

This pair of crows was having a noisy argument. They ended up ignoring each other, but still occupying the same branch. Too much togetherness lately?

We are doing OK with our togetherness (so far) but do have hope that the Covid 19 vaccine will be available within the next month or two. Oregon seems to be lagging behind in receiving the allotment from the Federal Government, but perhaps that will improve soon. Right now our tier (old folks) is not slated to receive the first dose until February.

Skies are changeable here this time of year. We remember that from all those years we lived in Oregon (in our former life, pre-retirement). The above pictures are all from last week. If you don't like the weather, just hope for change and wait a little while — it will happen soon.

We also remember that camellias were very early bloomers. (I would have thought early February, but here they are at their prettiest last week.) One reason why we remember them is that the second winter year we lived in Oregon (in 1972 I think) we lost two beautiful bushes to a February freeze. Let us hope that this one does not meet that fate. At least it isn't our responsibility this time though — this is another beautiful flower I "stole" from the neighborhood. (via photography only of course .)

A walk to the river, January 12. 2021

It felt like Spring, it looked like Autumn, but it was a Winter Day. Since we're home a lot more with very few appointments on the calendar, it's hard sometimes to remember what day it is. And with weather like this, I'm not even sure about the season. But it's OK to be confused because I'm so grateful for every winter day that isn't freezing cold.

Peace Rose (from June 2o20, Owen Rose Garden)

We continue to hope for peace and calm for our country.

Linking this week to the following: Thank you to all of the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; and SATURDAY CRITTERS;

January 17, 2021
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

It rained hard last Thursday night!

The storm cleared the air enough so that on Friday we were able to go grocery shopping, even to the Farm Market. And on Saturday afternoon, the sun came out for a little while and the sky was blue. I even went for a neighborhood walk around the loop. The picture above is from earlier in the summer, but the sky was almost this blue on Saturday. I didn't take pictures because I was too busy appreciating the fact that I could breath fresh air.

River Road near Junction City

In fact, all pictures in today's post are from the archives. The little abandoned outbuilding is on a farm near the market where we shop for produce.

From the archives

I'm so grateful for the rain. I swear I won't ever fuss about gray days again as long as they are caused by rain, not smoke and ash. (Especially if there are rainbows after.)

Delta Ponds Pedestrian Bridge, near our neighborhood

Of course all is not sunshine and lollipops yet — over 700 structures were burned in the Holiday Farm fire which is still only about 10% contained. This fire, the closest one to us, is just one of the climate fires burning in Oregon. This one alone has burned (is burning) over 170,000 acres. The Red Cross has housed evacuees from the area in Eugene/Springfield hotels. (Some had other places to go, so the number of displaced people isn't known.)

And of course even if the skies are smoke-free we still need masks whenever we leave the house.

For that reason — and for many others — we can all use some spots of sunshine. Yellow flowers always brighten my day. Even when they are pictures from the archives. May these spots of sunshine on the ground brighten yours.

RIP, RBG.

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to the hosts:

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September 20, 2020
BIRDS AND BEES ….

… AND other interesting things. It's a bit of a potpourri because that's the kind of week it was.

Here's a view of the Willamette from the West Bank Trail on a perfect walking day. Some days last week were too hot. I've been enjoying slow mornings because until very recently we've had all-day-long pleasant summer weather. It's time to re-adjust and take a walk earlier before the temperatures get uncomfortable. I don't want to waste the rest of summer by staying indoors!

The pictures above are Camas Plants — taken in April on a walk to the Lake with our daughter. I had a lot of Spring flowers to post back then and I wanted to do so some research before writing about this interesting plant. Then I kind of forgot about them until our visit to Finley Wildlife Refuge a couple of weeks ago (last week's post). How lucky … the sign shown below not only reminded me of my spring pictures but also did the research for me:

You can click the sign picture to enlarge, but here's a summary of the interesting information:

Kalapuya people occupied the Willamette Valley over 4500 years ago. They hunted deer and elk and gathered camas and hazelnuts. Tools used for grinding have been found in excavations in this area, as well as pit ovens used for roasting . They harvested camas in the Spring. This bright blue lily flourishes along streams and in seasonally flooded marshes. Slow roasting transforms the starchy bulbs into sweet delicacies.

The seasonal marsh near this sign was of course completely dry when we viewed it a couple of weeks ago. The Kalapuya would have completed their camas harvest months ago both here and at the seasonal marsh where I took the pictures.

It's very dry now at that seasonal marsh and in the fields that are also near our "kids" country home. But there's water in their backyard and look who was enjoying it last week:

Never in my life have I seen so many honey bees gathered in one spot (outside of hives we've seen in exhibits). They love this bird-bath.

Our son-in-law fills the bowl every morning and by every evening he says the bees have emptied it.

I know about planting certain flowers to encourage bees, but had never really thought about how necessary a water source was for them. Just like for backyard birds. And here's one of those:

This birdhouse is where the swallows live. The other birdhouse that I showed a few weeks ago has house sparrows. Our daughter and I watched this one for quite a while as we chatted — the mother swallow flew in and out at least ten times. On each visit, she made a quick drop into the baby's beak — each visit lasting approximately two and a half seconds. Way faster than my camera would snap. Baby looks he's eating well (and from the looks of the birdhouse, all bodily functions working perfectly as well.)

It was a good week. We are not yet bored with our Covid life. When we are home indoors, we do the things we've always done at home — just maybe more of them. We cook and we read (we are grateful for Kindle books from the Library), and we play on our computers. Time goes by much faster than I would have thought possible had I known in advance that we would be spending this much time at home.

Below are some rosy memories from this Spring and early summer (a result of my computer play):

LINKING THIS WEEK to the following sharing opportunities: Thank you to all of the hosts.

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August 2, 2020
OWEN ROSE GARDEN

We tend to stay home on weekends — letting the people who have to work during the week have their space! We can always go outside to play. But Saturday was so beautiful, I couldn't resist. It was a perfect day for a visit to the Rose Garden.

  We've had a mix of rainy and super-hot days lately, so I was pleased that there were still many perfect blooms.

I started the walk from the Greenway Bike Bridge over the Willamette River. This is kind of in our neighborhood — just a couple of miles — so could have walked here from home, but I'm a little out of shape lately from not doing much of anything. I didn't want to be too tired to continue to the Rose Garden on the foot path.

This foot and bike bridge starts just behind the parking lot for Valley River Center, the largest shopping mall in our county. The mall has re-opened, but from the looks of the parking lot it did not appear to be very busy on Saturday morning. (I had no intention of checking it out for myself.)

I turned left at the end of the bridge and meandered along the walking/bike path. The River is on one side of the path and on the other it goes by open space, a couple of community gardens and a Park and Recreation building (where River sports are taught in better times). There were more people out and about on this lovely day than I've seen on neighborhood walks for a while. I'd say about half were masked and everyone seemed to be maintaining social distance. It felt completely safe.

The bike path continues but I veered off at the Rose Garden. (My phone app told me I'd walked a little fewer than 2000 steps at this point.) Paths within the Garden are for walking only …

…which is a good thing, as I wasn't the only one who kept stopping suddenly to take a picture — or just to ooh and aah. It's not a place to hurry through.

The Owen Cherry Tree is a centerpiece of the Gardens. It was planted in 1847 by Eugene Skinner, the City's founder. George Owen, for whom the park is named, later acquired the property and eventually donated it to the City.

I walked further on the bike path after a couple of circuits around the Gardens and then back-tracked to the bridge, certainly more than doubling the number of steps it took to get there.

The partial picture of a map at the bridge shows a few of the trails that start in our neighborhood. I'm grateful for the many beautiful and accessible parks and walking paths in our City and County.

Here's a whole bouquet of perfection from the Garden.

LINKING THIS WEEK to the following sharing opportunities: Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; and FRIDAY BLISS;

June 28, 2020
I thought that NOT MUCH HAPPENED last week ….

Then we downloaded the camera. And I remembered. This was one time when I was grateful to be proven wrong. All pictures are from two different days out at our daughter and son-in-law's.

There were changeable skies.

The four sky pictures were taken on the same day. The center picture — a puddle in their driveway — was from a heavy storm the day before. Alternating rain and sunny skies were the order of the week as well as of the day.

Roses began to fade …

but were were still beautiful wearing teardrops of rain.

Tiger lilies thrived.

Cyndi says a new bloom opens every day.

Coming attractions at the mini-farm

The first of a bumper crop of blueberries are nearly ripe. And a new flock of chickens are nearly ready to lay eggs. The center picture is the chicken condo.

There was much activity at one of the tiny houses in the backyard:

All bird-house pictures taken from far across the yard and highly cropped. I wasn't positive what was there until we looked at the down-loads. I assume that the mom finally brought them something to eat, but I missed that picture.

Black walnut tree picture of the week.

We are still pretty much socially isolating. I am not really minding our time at home — the hours go by surprisingly fast. We work and play on our computers and IPads. We read and are grateful for our Kindles. I sort pictures. Like everybody else these days, we cook a lot and we're having fun trying more new and different recipes. But because I take mostly nature photos, I'm doubly grateful to be able to spend time in the country as a change from walks around our own neighborhood. Not only is there good (if distant) company in a rural setting, but also I have something new to blog about.

LINKING to the following sharing opportunities: Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; SATURDAY CRITTERS; and RATHER B' BIRDING

June 21, 2020
SERVING LEFT-OVERS THIS WEEK

We stayed at home last week. But thankfully our photo archives have some fairly decent leftovers to fill up a post. Or maybe I could call them planned-overs. (That always sounds better when I'm talking about filling up with what remains in the refrigerator.)

Hendricks Park, earlier this month

Although City Parks are open, the Parks Department has asked families to forgo the Eugene tradition of visiting Hendricks Park on Mother's Day. They have a virtual tour on line. We didn't even know it was a Mother's Day tradition and were glad we visited during an earlier and quieter week. Since it is the height of the season, in normal times it would certainly be a perfect spot for the day however. So this turned out to be a pretty good week to serve up the rest of our rhody tour. Happy Mother's Day!

Below are some leftovers from last month — still good to go I think:

Along a Missouri highway, April 2020 Road-trip

This Road Sign seemed appropriate not only for our April road-trip, but also for the times in general.

There's actually more than just a street — Peculiar is a City in Missouri. The town motto is "Peculiar, where the 'odds' are with you." I like it — and its too bad that our peculiar circumstances didn't allow us to explore the area a little more!

Burns RV Park, Eastern Oregon

A large covey of quail kept us entertained at one of our overnight stops on our April trip. It's always nice when there are natural areas right near an RV Park. We didn't even have to walk out of the Park to visit this brambly area, where we saw (and heard) quail and songbirds. A relaxing way to end a day of driving.

Now back to earlier this month:

I thought that all the "not-rhododendron" pictures I took at Hendricks were from the Native Plant Garden, but I wonder now about the top left picture! Those look like Japanese Iris to me. They do grow wild around here though — there are some in the Pond area near our daughter's and also in their yard.

I did take a lot of pictures of yellow rhody shrubs — because I had never seen them in that color before. And because yellow flowers are always favorites for me. Like spots of sunshine!!

But who could ever grow tired of rhododendrons in their more traditional color palette:

The glory of Spring in Eugene!

A paler shade of yellow

A little blue sky peeking through behind this home in our daughter and son-in-law's neighborhood (really their backyard). These neighbors were social-distancing last time I was there because they didn't even poke their heads out. I'll try again next time!

LINKING THIS WEEK to the following sharing opportunities. Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY; NATURE NOTES; ALL SEASONS; THROUGH MY LENS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS; SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; and SATURDAY CRITTERS

May 10, 2020
TWO GREAT WALKS IN ONE WEEK!

We certainly don't take simple things for granted these days! Nature walks have always been a pleasure, but now just getting outside and away from home seems like a small miracle.

We took advantage of a couple pleasant days last week. Wednesday (or maybe Tuesday — they all kind of blend together) Bill and I drove to Hendricks Park — a City Park that is famous (at least here in Eugene) for its Rhododendron Gardens. The Park is in the City's South Hills. The picture below is looking down on the University of Oregon campus from a viewpoint in the park.

I played around a little with this picture because it was the kind of day where the hills and the sky all kind of blended together. And I wanted to highlight the way our City is surrounded by hills. I couldn't stop taking pictures of the beautiful flowers in the park — here are a couple of them:

April and May are the best months for these showy flowers. It was special to visit the Park during the peak season. (We haven't been home this early in years and couldn't remember when we last visited the Rhododendron Gardens.)

Most people in this area who garden have at least one Rhodie bush in their yard. But the Park has varieties I don't ever remember seeing — and it's beautiful to see so many of them in one place.

There is also a Native Plant Garden and I have pictures from there as well as more Rhododendrons for another post. But today I also want to remember last week's second "expedition" outside of our own neighborhood:

The close-up of pink Dogwood blossoms above and the rest of today's post are from a walk out in the country. Since we'd been self-isolating for three weeks (plus the time in the car/trailer on the way back to Oregon), our daughter said she thought it would be safe for me to go with her for a walk in the country. I wore a mask (as both Bill and I did on our walk in the park earlier in the week). And on this walk, my daughter and I practiced acceptable social distancing.

I stayed outside in their yard and snapped pictures while I waited for Cyndi to get ready to go on our walk. This is another view of their black walnut tree which, on this blog anyway, is becoming as famous as Eugene's rhododendrons.

More flowers from their yard — wisteria, white tulips, the same Dogwood tree (which is actually in the neighbor's yard at the end of the driveway, but close enough to be in theirs for picture purposes.) I think the wild growing bleeding heart and the wild iris are from later in the walk.

We walked to Kirk Pond on Fern Ridge Lake and on the paths through the wild area. Lots of Spring wildflowers …

— and when we got to the Lake I spotted Grebes, Canada Geese (not shown), and this pair of Redhead Ducks. The lower center picture is Cyndi with Parker going into what looks like a longer tunnel than it is.

It felt more natural to maintain acceptable distance while walking than it did when we talked to the kids from a distance back when we parked the trailer. And it was even easier to maintain that distance toward the end of this five-mile walk. I was lagging further behind than absolutely necessary by that time.

The last part of the walk was along the top of Fern Ridge Dam and then back to their house (and the car to go home to mine). We used to spend summers on Fern Ridge Lake but it has been a while since I took a "Dam Walk". As always I enjoyed it.

I'm so grateful that both these Parks are open — and that the few other people we saw were also being careful. And of course I'm always thankful for beautiful Spring days.

#

Thank you to the hosts of the following sharing opportunities, where I'm linking this week:

MOSAIC MONDAY; ALL SEASONS; MACRO MONDAY ;   NATURE NOTES; THROUGH MY LENS; OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; SAY CHEESE;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY; FRIDAY BLISS; and SATURDAY CRITTERS

May 3, 2020