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Recent Posts
- Cloud Day July 23, 2021
- Summer Cool July 14, 2021
- First Potatoes July 5, 2021
- Cool Again June 29, 2021
- Cool to Hot June 23, 2021
- Do It Differently June 15, 2021
- Twilight June 3, 2021
- Bees Buzz May 30, 2021
- May, Month of Big Skies May 22, 2021
- A Spring Phenomenon May 12, 2021
- Why Aren’t Blueberry Flowers Blue? May 2, 2021
- One Bloom to the Next April 28, 2021
- Bird Song April 23, 2021
- The Last Freeze April 17, 2021
- Surprises Every Day April 8, 2021
- Cherry Blossom Blizzard April 4, 2021
- Trivial Events Lead to the Spectacular April 1, 2021
- Frosty Cherry Blossoms March 31, 2021
- All Shapes and Sizes March 25, 2021
- What It Looks Like on the Other Side March 22, 2021
- March is Pink and Yellow March 21, 2021
- I Could Watch Clouds All Day March 12, 2021
- Happy and Sad at the Same Time March 5, 2021
- Life is Full of Mystery February 27, 2021
- Walking Through a Poem February 14, 2021
- The Trip Home February 9, 2021
- Pandemic Skies February 3, 2021
- Never a Dry Moment January 30, 2021
- Red Sky at Dawn and Dusk January 20, 2021
- More Marvelous Than Fairy Tales January 18, 2021
- Red Dawn January 14, 2021
- Is It Still Winter? January 12, 2021
- Winter Skies January 4, 2021
- Happy New Year! January 1, 2021
- Stories Untold December 28, 2020
- Blink and You’ve Missed It December 22, 2020
- Chatty Mud Birds December 20, 2020
- Getting the Mail December 10, 2020
- Soothing is Good December 5, 2020
- When Life Returns to Normal, I’ll Miss Blue Skies December 1, 2020
- Blue Skies in November November 21, 2020
- Sunshine Is Just Beyond the Clouds November 17, 2020
- Winter Returns to the Hills November 14, 2020
- A Squirrel’s Fate November 8, 2020
- November at Last November 3, 2020
- November 1 and No Swans November 1, 2020
- First Frost October 23, 2020
- Too Wet to Burn October 18, 2020
- Eyes Wide Shut October 13, 2020
- The End of Flowers October 11, 2020
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Monthly Archives: February 2016
And the Oscar Goes To …
And the Oscar goes to … is it SalmonBerry in “Vermillion and Yellow”, Pepper in “Pepper Lays an Egg”, the Pear Buds in “Like Peas in a Pod”, the Daffodils in “Dancing Lemons”, the Plum Blossoms in “Fifty Shades of … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections
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Ten Days
Ten days and the arugula seeds have sprouted and are sticking their first leaves above the soft earth. What do leaves feel when they first poke out of the earth, breathe the air, and feel the sun’s rays? Is it … Continue reading
Posted in How Things Grow
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In the Hunting Stream
Special is being courted, but she’s far more interested in seeing what juicy morsels she can dig up in the stream than she is by the young rooster’s performance. Chickens enjoy hunting in streams. It’s not something you read about … Continue reading
Posted in About My Chickens, How Things Grow
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Pushing It
So many of the fruits we love to eat are so beautiful long before they become fruits. The plum branches we pruned bloomed when we brought them indoors. Soon they will be blooming outdoors too. I’m pushing it, planting vegetables … Continue reading
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From the Core
A frosty morning after a clear night. Even the daffodil leaves are dusted with frost, giving their green leaves a muted hue. Where do branches come from? Split a tree apart and it’s clear they come from the core. So … Continue reading
Posted in How Things Grow
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Special’s Voice
Special, one of Hazel’s chicks, has a call all her own. There is no doubt who has laid an egg or who has something to say when she opens her mouth. “Special, what are you up to now?” I think … Continue reading
Posted in About My Chickens
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What to Do with Tree Bones
A stack of tree bones lie on the ground, left overs from pruning a plum tree. What to do with tree bones? The thicker bones can be turned into coasters. Cut the coasters from the same bone, and you can … Continue reading
Posted in How Things Grow
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The Colors Are Back, so Is the Sting
Spring should be called Colors. The drab hues of winter give way to the brilliance of cobalt skies, iridescent hue of flowers, and emerald green of new leaves. The crocus are out which means winter has gone for sure. Billy … Continue reading
Posted in How Things Grow, Reflections
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Oem le ria era si form is – a Morning Chant
With blue in the morning sky, a walk in the woods is called for. Deep in the woods, Indian Plum or Osoberry are in full bloom, dangling their white flowers under budding leaves. These dainty white delights are among the … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections
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沈丁花 – Chinchōge
Few flowers smell as sweet as sweet daphne. It blooms in late winter and early spring, filling the air with sweetness. You can’t smell it and be sad. A native of southern China, it is popular in Japan. The Korean … Continue reading
Posted in Happiness, How Things Grow
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Sunshine in the Pacific Northwest
A sunny day in the Pacific Northwest. If there is a circular glow in the sky, it’s a sunny day. If you don’t get wet when you step outside, it’s a sunny day in the Pacific Northwest. Light gray is … Continue reading
Posted in About My Chickens, Reflections
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There Is Hope
A day’s break from the rain gave an opportunity to do some gardening, and the delight of finding a ladybug looking for something good to eat. Ladybugs eat a large variety of pests, not just aphids. There are some 6,000 … Continue reading
Posted in Happiness
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Before It’s Too Late
Wow! The sun still exists! I know because I saw it this morning, glowing brightly behind the morning clouds. I took a picture in case I never see it before I die. This time of year, when clouds rule for … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections
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The First Salmonberry Flower
I found a Salmonberry in bloom today. A sure sign that spring is well on its way. It’s a wet, wet, spring. The kale and ruby streaks are so washed with rain, that they can go straight from garden to … Continue reading
Posted in How Things Grow
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No Longer a Dream
The salmonberry leaves are sprouting. Spring is no longer a dream. The great unfurling has begun. When leaves first unfurl and take their first breath, they don’t scream like newborn babies, or do they? Is the forest filled with the … Continue reading
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Cherry Blossoms in February
It’s time to prune the cherry, plum, and apple trees. Last week we brought some pruned cherry branches indoors, and today we have cherry blossoms in February.
Posted in How Things Grow
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Time to Weed
The hazelnut catkins are in full bloom. The ruby streaks which overwintered are sending up flower stalks too. It is from tiny blossoms like these that many of our foods come. BB has found something interesting in the ruby streaks. … Continue reading
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Spring Clouds, Spring Flowers, Spring Everything
Yesterday, the sky was filled with spring clouds. The sun coaxed the daffodils to spread their petals. Winter is shedding away. All I have to do is stand and close my eyes. I can feel winter’s footsteps becoming fainter and … Continue reading
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立春 – Risshun – The Start of Spring
Yesterday, February 4, was Risshun – 立春, the start of spring according to the seasonal calendar used in Japan. Yesterday’s sunrise, with clouds burning brightly, was fitting for the first day of spring A sure sign of spring are the … Continue reading
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Helping Feet
Just because it’s cold and the snow lies heavy on the hills doesn’t mean that I can stay indoors and not tend to the compost. All of January I’ve been collecting the bedding from under the roosts and setting it … Continue reading
Posted in About My Chickens
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