one out of ___?

one last bottle needed. 

i thought i had enough, but obviously i am one shy. so very close to the end of a rather long project. i must say i am proud of it though.



what is this project? some might ask.

well, it started with me wanting to find an economical way of bordering in our vegetable beds because the fabulous soil was being washed away with each winter. i didn't want to use wood because face it, in the pacific nw it can be rather wet.  

i had an idea out of the blue. wine bottles. the perfect solution. most of our friends drink wine. only a few loads were from people we didn't know or neighbor's recycling. kev only picked up a few that way once or twice. they warm the ground and help keep the roots toasty.

i know how many bottles were used in the bed project. i've counted twice. 

Guess how many bottles used in the 6 beds 
and win something fabulous and wonderful!!

Guesses must be made *HERE by next Sunday, the 25th. 8:00 am pst.

* comments left at the fb posting won't be counted. i want to make this easy on my brain people!

garden photo catch-up

i finally got a chance to get out and take some photos of the life in the garden. it's not going to be a huge harvest year, i fear. i am happy for what is growing, though...

the moby grape tomatoes are doing fairly well. they're looking the best out of the six planted this year. one of the romas have thrown some fruit and my oregon spring, but that's about it so far.

 the zucchini looks to me as though it is holding court over the rest of the garden. perhaps he is cheering the rest of the plants on, giving the shout out of positive words?  we lost the first batch (of most everything) to slugs (rat-bastards) and had a few zucchini plants sprout and survive the second sewing. we plucked all but one...we're no fools.

and surprise! artie came back this year! i didn't think it would survive after the really wet winter/spring, but it did. and there are two blooms waiting to be either picked to be eaten or to open wide to the skies. i might suggest to kev that we eat these and let the other blooms open for the bees.

i love the pom-pom top of the flowers from garlic. they bring a smile to my face, but what in my garden doesn't? (besides the slugs, small pepper plants, and one garden bed that is awaiting three more bottles to be complete)


we got some volunteer garlic this year. it's a good thing, because we didn't plant any last fall. we learned our lesson, though, and will be planting some this year!!

my favorite shot of the morning has to be this last one, though...i love daisies. they are happy flowers, one of my favorites. i love how the buds take on almost an alien spaceship feel. our shastas are crazy tall. i did not bend down for the taking of this photo. i am 5'10"...


so that's the garden in a nutshell. beans are giving me a little hope, but i don't think we'll have enough to put up for the winter. only about 5 of the sprouts are pulling through. i will take what i can get, though. 

why hello

meet Abe. he is my new friend. no, he does not live with me. i just met him this morning as he and his family were standing out front of the store. i rushed out to meet him and fell head over heels. his fam said they'd make sure to stop by again so we could see each other.

they kept saying how much he seemed to like me as he perched on my shoulder. he washed his face while sitting there. 

i am happy that they will bring him back around this summer. he had my heart the moment i saw him.

the nose

gimme kiss
Originally uploaded by chlortence

Kevin was looking through old photos on the desktop computer and was talking about how different we all looked, animals included. i decided i wanted to look at the shots on the laptop to see what i could find.

well, one giant diggity dog nose. this is often a sight we see just because she loves poking us with that big wet nose to get our attention. trust me, it does!

i just couldn't resist posting a shot of my Josie's nose. doesn't she just look ready for a kiss?

nutsy

nutsy
Originally uploaded by chlortence

today was the day i helped the daughter of my deceased neighbor clean out the craft room. it was quite full, but i got there around 11:00, set us to task, and was home by 3:30. she admitted that she'd feared we'd be there much later than that. i knew we'd be done around then.

as we cleaned and organized things for the estate sale, she told me to take things if they struck my fancy. and i will admit, a few things did follow me home.

this little guy is one of them. my first thought was that i should send it to my sister in california because when she was pregnant she loved them. now every time i see a squirrel i think of her. which leads me to the second thought...i also kind of want to keep him because of the fact that i think of my sister when i look at him.

if i kept him, i might put him out someplace in the garden. (maybe the slugs who ate our corn, beans and zucchini will think it's real and stay the hell away from the second plantings...bastards.)

anyway, what do you all think?

A. send to my sister? or

B. keep because he reminds me of her?

purdy

pretty fence
Originally uploaded by chlortence

for a little while now Kev and I have talked of finishing the fence around the back yard (we have two small sections to do). it seems that Josie wants to hang a little more back there, but since she is a dog she tends to wander. not wanting to have a dead dog, lost dog, no dog...we opted for fencing. :)

we met some friends out for a beer last night and stumbled across this gorgeous fence. it is exactly what we would like our fence to look like. i sent a photo of Kev standing next to it to Ian and he said it was exactly what he had in mind. pictures as it happens...

not that long ago

not that long ago
Originally uploaded by chlortence

how i long for the warm days again. i will admit i am more than a bit "over" the rain and clouds. i've done fairly well not complaining about it too much, but then i saw this picture on my phone that i took this APRIL. i am pretty sure that was the straw that broke this camels back.

right now? it's raining and mid 50s. i have a sweater on. isn't it June already?!?

meh.

where i write

desk
Originally uploaded by chlortence

i started thinking about the space of this house and how we could better use it. we live in a two bedroom home. one is larger, the other smaller. pretty typical. for some reason we always gravitate towards the larger bedroom to use as our master. not sure why people do that...

anyway, i used to use my yarn stash box in the living room as a desk and would sit hunched over, often tweeking my back, as i pecked away on the computer. it wasn't very comfortable, to say the least.

last night i started thinking about the two rooms and how to best utilize them. i laid down in the bed in what was the guest room and got a great feeling of calm. the garden window acts as a sort of headboard now, although that room needs paint, drapes, etc... i get to wake up every morning and see the glorious view.

i also get to turn on the light to check out what clothing i want to wear to work since my closet has remained in the now guest room. it's nice i don't have to pick things out the night before like i used to. the larger room just made sense to be the guest room/upstairs off/dressing room.

i am rather smitten with my little set up. kev sent a thumbs up from work. i sent him pictures of both rooms.

must eat a little something and then, i am going to bake a blueberry cobbler.

found

for years now i've been searching for someone. someone who was quite dear to me all throughout my college years. he was my sanity in my senior studio classes, my rock, my source of love and laughter. it was hard, going to art school without the intent of becoming an artist. almost got into a fight with a girl who couldn't believe i didn't want to be an artist. i enjoy being creative and David understood why i was there. we were two birds of a feather.

ever since i joined the Facebook scene i've searched for David. i couldn't believe my eyes when FINALLY i found him! there he was, sitting in a chair with a schnauzer on his lap. that was my David! 

i instantly sent him a message, asking if it was the same David with whom i'd gone through school. it was!! i can hardly believe that all my years of searching are over. i am sooo so happy that they are!

he still lives in the KC area so when we make it back that way, add another person i have to go visit to the list. i hope he and his partner make it out to Portland at some point, too. 

i don't know if he ever knew how much he meant to me. i'm only sorry that after i graduated we didn't stay in better touch. but now, we have all the time in the world to catch up and reconnect. 


my heart has never felt fuller.

OnPoint Contest - Excellence in Education - Teacher Award

OnPoint Contest - Excellence in Education - Teacher Award

Go there and please vote for Brett Bigham. He is not only my neighbor, but he is my friend.

Recently he received a grant so that he could put on a Prom for his students (Brett teaches Special Education). He not only put in the time while at work, but his days off as well. He made over 300 corsages (with a little help from the school's receptionist and me) so that every single person attending could have one to remember their fun evening.

He strives to provide his students with stability and "normalcy". He treats them as he would any other human on this earth. With dignity and respect, which many of these kids never really get elsewhere (I worked with the population back in Kansas and loved every single second of my four years at CLO...purely because of the individuals and teachers).

The grand prize is pretty spectacular and I can't think of anyone more deserving than Brett.

I am proud of him and am honored to be able to call him my friend.

the garden

the little guy there at the end...

he hangs with me every time i am out in the garden playing in the dirt. he eats the grubs (as well as a seed or two i'm sure). he just hangs, waiting for me to be done in an area before swooping in and munching.

it has sprung

tonight is perfection. perfection i tells you! the air is warm with a hint of a chill. the sun was bright and still fills the air with light, although it is starting to fade. 

i spent a good chunk of the night sitting on my neighbor's porch, drinking a beer and chatting. we spoke of the garden and how we have things planted. finally! five kinds of tomatoes, six plants total (can never have too many romas for the salsa!). three types of peppers, spinach, romaine, potatoes (it may be too late for them, but we're keeping fingers crossed), walla walla onions, zucchini. garlic is up and will be ready later this summer (although we failed to plant more this crop seems to be volunteer). and we have leeks! typically a fall harvest, we have many that are ready to be plucked from the earth and enjoyed. 

currently i am making a potato, leek, and ham gratin. we'll see how it turns out. 

kev's work is in the process of changing  a bit. he's staying with the company, just changing locations. until he is there permanently, his schedule is all wonky. i think we get one maybe two evenings a week together. but we know it's only temporary. meanwhile, i will be making soup to freeze for the winter with more of the leeks. it's nice to cook in the house alone sometimes. although i would prefer to get to hang with kev...ah well. this too shall pass.

ten

ten years ago today i was all aflutter because i was going to be walking down the aisle to marry my best friend. i can hardly believe it's been ten years already. it seems just like yesterday when we even met...

when we did meet he thought i asked too many questions and i thought he was cute but not my type. at least only one of us was right. :)

i can't imagine my life without my dear husband in it. he's kind, compassionate, scattered, absent minded, beautiful, funny, everything all wrapped up into one amazing person. i thank my lucky stars that i listened to my friend mark about applying to work at CLO in lawrence. had i not, i might not have met kevin...

oh oh oh! i forgot an ort!

i forgot to mention that we have had some asparagus come up already! i am pretty sure we had a mix of one and two year crowns so we are getting some to eat and will let the others fern out again this year. 

anyway, we've been able to harvest a few spears to eat. 

oh. mah. word. 

i don't know if i will ever want to eat store bought again. there is a smoothness to the flavor of the home grown. the store bought has a sharpness to it that is hard to explain. i am so excited to be having home grown asparagus for the next 14 years...

oh the posts i've written

i write posts, but mainly in my head. then, when i sit down in front of the computer i become a raccoon and all the shiny things distract me. and the internet is full of shiny things. 


so orts, here we come.

~mom nature seems to be laughing in my general direction. so far every day i've had off this spring has rained. and as soon as i go back to work, it's sunny and lovely. we'll see what it does this week whenever i get a day off.


~my allergies have been rather quiet this year so far. i'm not holding my breath, however. i'm sure i'll be a wreck soon enough. (okay, scratch that...my nose started running almost as soon as i wrote that)

~i had a complete stranger ask me to post the pattern to the skirt i knit because she wants to make one for herself. eep!


~i have worked more days on the sales floor than i have in a long time. we'll be hitting 7 or 8 by the time i get a day off (i hope). if my co-worker can make it through tonight (she had oral surgery) and be okay for tomorrow morning, i will have tomorrow off. if not, i will be opening that store and not having a full day off until thursday. however, i'm not complaining about it. it's been fun. tiring, but fun.


~i have reconnected with people from my past who i my past, would never have really given me the time of day (or vice versa). i am happy to have reconnected with them in a positive way. i'm glad we've all grown up.


~when someone tells me, after looking at an old picture of me from my high school days, that i've not changed a bit i get a little sad. cuz i think i have changed...for the better! 


~i am married to an amazing man who made sure he went to the store and made me dinner last night. see the note above about the amount of time i've been working. 


~my mother-in-law received a very special gift from me. she saw something i'd knit that she really liked and commented on it. since i'd not worn it in a while, i sent it off to her. she sent me pics and texts saying how much she loved it. i love her so very much and am one of the luckiest gals around! i don't know what i did to have been lucky enough to marry into the family i did. 


~the shoe store is a funny place. i've met some great friends there. i had a girl ask me to be her friend when i was working yesterday. she'd moved to pdx a year prior and said she had a serious lack of girlfriends here. i told her to look me up on facebook. 


~i need to go blow my nose...dammit, stupid allergies.

a confession

i have a confession to make. i am addicted to something. it's been a little while in the making, but it's full blown now. i don't know what i did without it before. i can't imagine life without it ever again. 

i'm addicted to...

debbie bliss prima yarn. it's drape, it's weight, it's warmth without being too warm. the only thing i am not in love with is that almost every single ball has at least one knot in it. BUT i don't let it sway me away from using it. because of the amazing qualities of the fabric it makes.

there is a slight sheen to it, too. as soon as i finished flirt, i went to the website where i had gotten the purple yarn on sale and saw they had more than enough left in brown. and it was still on sale! i just went shopping for our spring wardrobes and felt as though i was still missing something. a brown, bamboo and merino wool skirt! so yes, eventually i will make another. but not before i get a certain someone's blanket done. and i'm rapidly approaching that point...

don't send help...it's too late for me.

meet Flirt

the best laid plans

while i was at work i had thought about coming home today and getting out in the garden to till up the soil. i thought about planting a few bottles (yeah, cuz that project WILL be finished this spring) and even getting others soaking again for easy label removal. when i drove home, with my music blaring and singing along loudly (must be in the air), i thought of getting some weeds yanked while i was at it. however all those thoughts went out of my mind when i got home and saw my deceased neighbor's daughter's car in the drive (correct apostrophe usage, kids?). i knew that she was going through the things in the house. she had once offered to let me to go through the craft room whenever i pleased. she mentioned it to kevin when she saw him last week. 


the room will be a challenge, but i will help her go through it. 

spring is in the air

today i could feel it. the air was warm. people were smiling. dogs were all over the place. it's spring. it's beautiful. i reminds me that i have a hell of a lot of work in the garden that needs my attention.

it's funny and sweet

so last week i got an out of the blue email from a reader of this here blog who lives a few hours away. she and her husband were overnighting it in my neck of the woods for a conference he had to attend. she was going to shop at one of our great Asian markets since where they live they have ZERO and would i want to meet for a beer.

i thought about it and thought, why the hell not? we've emailed back and forth for a little while now and honestly, it's kind of neat...meeting someone with whom you've only shared emails/blog comments (isn't it, B?).

i had a *dentist appointment at 11:20 (yea no cavities! just two old fillings need replacing...one of which has just fallen out) and i told her i would call her when i was done.

we met close to one of her favorite markets (it's HUGE) and grabbed a bite to eat. it was so so sweet to meet you V!!!

we talked of knitting, great Thai places to eat in town (glad to hear you liked it too, V), as well as our lives. it was so easy to sit and chat with one another. a new friend in this life i live. it's funny where and how we meet people. isn't it? funny and sweet.

we'll do it again sometime, i'm sure.


*any people in pdx who need a dentist...i've got your man!