Much Appriciated

I've been a little out of sorts all day.  I can't really explain it....except that some days are like that.  And on days like this a beautiful bloom is especially appreciated....and we have a few clematis blooms on our pool fence. 

Yesterday I got up close and took a look.....I'm never disappointed when I do.

Not only does the flower unfurl...the center does too.  Look at this center still tightly wrapped......

....and this one is just starting to open. I'm going to keep an eye on it.

And just today when I checked I found another bud starting to open.  I wouldn't really call it unfurling....it looks more like cutting into an interesting and beautiful piece of fruit. 

No matter how I describe what's happening....on thing for sure is that it was much appreciated today.   

Sensation

Back when our boys were little Paul helped them pick out a lilac bush for me for Mother's Day. They chose a variegated variety...called Sensation.  

I'm sure I have photos...but it was predigital....so it would be a chore to find them....but I remember it vividly.  I planted it at our home at the time which was a church parsonage....and when we bought a house a few years later I moved it. It thrived at the corner of our screen porch on Hallmark Road.....and I absolutely loved it.  It was hard to leave it behind when we moved into Portland.

This morning we walked by a Sensation lilac patch....and it took me right back.  

This one seemed to be both pinkish....and purplish.....I loved all of it.

The sketching and watercolor class is officially ending and I squeezed in the last assignment today. (not my best work)  We were supposed to pick something made by machine...not from nature.  I picked something silly....but some of you may remember that I am quite fond of this particular Scotties tissue box.  It's been discontinued....but I still have a stack in my closet.  Phew!  

https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2016/11/its-little-things.html

Happy Hour Bluebirds

Every day at 4:00 during happy hour, Paul and I put out dried mealworms for the bluebirds that have nested a few doors down. Within minutes they come...every day. And much to our delight for the past week or so the parents have been feeding their babies right in our backyard. 

Sometimes the babies sit right on the feeder or the birdbath...and sometimes up on a branch and wait for one of the parents to bring them some worms.  At some point soon they will probably feed themselves. Their blue is just starting to show. Paul and I are completely smitten.  

You can see a video here on my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/p/CeKNMfCpo28/

Inspired by the birds in our yard....and a little accordion book by Kit Davey I spent a few minutes making this little bird collage with some painted paper inchies.  Sometimes simple can pack a big punch!

I highly recommend checking out Kit's post with her sweet little book....it can be found here.

I will probably follow her lead and make several more for my own little book.  Or maybe I'll just make cards. I always need cards to send.

My collage matches the colorful little mushrooms in my mini hosta garden. Some of them are pretty tiny.

 

Wildflowers

"How lovely the silence of growing things." Evan Dicken

This is the time of year when our backyard woods is dappled with sweet white wildflowers....and it's always a delight.   

Sarsaparilla

Canada Mayflower

Starflower

It was time to get the June calendar page in the mail to my sister Nancy....

and I used a rainbow of little painted paper scraps in honor of Pride month.  And of course there needed to be a little handwritten heart to keep with the theme.

Given another run at it I might have done it differently....but done is better than perfect!  

Pure Magic!

Someday I'll post about something other than buds and blooms.....but for now that's what's most joyful for me.  That....and the fact that we spent another evening with friends...this time Janice and Jay.  Great food, a good round of cards...and lots of laughter.

Thank goodness I put the rest of this post together this afternoon....it's way to late for me to be thinking.

I made a quick stop at a local garden shop and was just smitten with these spent daisy blooms.  I love them more than than the ones in their prime.  Each one had a little personality....and they just made me smile because they reminded me of a little suns.  

This was my favorite....look at the little curls!!!

I happened to catch a little light beam or bubble on this one....do you see it?  Look at the bottom left corner.  Pure Magic!

This was the only actual bloom that was visible...look at that cool center. I'm assuming it's some sort of a daisy and I'm grateful it gave me such a show today.

A Good Day

I have memories of my mom planting bachelor buttons in the garden....and I've been fond of them ever since.  There's just something about that BLUE!

It was chilly enough that I actually wore gloves for our walk this morning....

....but I was the first one to take a dip in the newly opened pool this afternoon.  The water temperature was warmer than the air....so it felt fantastic!  We are so fortunate to have access to a pool...it seems to wash away some of the heaviness of the world. And there's a lot of that these days. 

Celebrating a found object...(I love when we find balls...this time a ping pong ball)

....and a great view while having dinner at Dana and Anne's condo.  

It's been a good day.

41

Paul and I were Married 41 years today! It's been a good run....and there's many more marvelous miles to go.

Even after all these years....he still surprises me....as did the monkey socks on our wedding day.

I thought I'd post our family photos from that day. 

This is Paul's family....

....and this is mine.

Speaking of surprises.....I was going through some piles getting things into the recycling today when some fun things fell out of a catalog.  I love it when I forget about something and it becomes a nice little surprise on down the road.  

These are actually some of the frilly little lettuce leaves from the never-ending salad bowl that Janice gave me.  They pressed and dried beautifully.

And don't they look pretty on this page in the catalog.

I don't remember what this is....but again....it dried and pressed beautifully.  I love a little surprise once in a while.....I wonder what Paul will surprise me with tomorrow.

What You Need

You know it's a good day when Mother Nature gives you exactly what you need. There's something pretty special about the first rain lily.  

We have been delightfully cool....and rain lilies like it hot and humid so it may be awhile before they really get going. I will remain patient and enjoy this first one.....and if you look closely you will see a second one coming.

For those of you new to the blog...rain lilies grow from bulbs that have to be wintered inside.  My original bulbs came from my sister LaVonn who got them from her mother-in-law Rose.  The multiply pretty fast so I have given several away....and the rain lily circle just get wider and wider.  It takes a little while for them to get going....but when they do it's always worth it.  This is hopefully what's coming.  

Columbine

It was a busy day today....and it's way to late for me to be writing a blog post. So I'm just going to celebrate this lovely purple columbine blooming by our pond.  I'm so lucky to live in such a beautiful place.  

New Perspective

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....even a dandelion can be beautiful given a new perspective.

Paul and I came upon this lawn that had a carpet of dandelion seed heads on our walk this morning....and it stopped me in my tracks. 

I will admit that I'm glad it's not my lawn....but I did enjoy pausing to look closely.  I do have dandelions....but not like this. We have to embrace our weeds in the city of Portland...because we can't use chemicals to treat them.  I do try to hand weed some of them out....but there is no way to keep up.

When I really got close....I was fascinated with the textures and patterns.

I didn't notice the purple violets until I uploaded this on my computer....

you have to look closely. They're there!

Look at those little curls....in come places it looks like a little yellow chain. You just never know what you'll see when you look closely.

I've had a whole new perspective on dandelions today.....

and you can tell I had fun with it this evening.