Night shift work

10 quarts of Bings, 2 of Rainiers. They all sealed!

Garden update

I love the arch of bleeding-heart stems.

Translucence is a wonderful thing. Backlighting is tricky, but worth it.

 Lewisia is new to our garden. It's a native plant, named after Meriweather Lewis. Lewis and Clark are a very big deal in Oregon history.

 After two years of waiting, this iris showed us its colors.

 The parrot tulip is in a difficult spot, but today, finally, I got it. Doesn't it remind you of Dutch prints?

 Worlds within worlds. Maltese cross, gathering its strength to bloom.

A volunteer yarrow, blooming for the first time this year, showing that it's as bright as its parent.

   I don't usually name plants, but after we planted this little lilac, we went inside and I read the passage in Pratchett's Night Watch in which Sam Vimes meets his younger self. Henceforth, this one will be known as Vimesy and the big one at the opposite corner of the house as Sergeant-At-Arms.

The shapes and colors of iris leaves and buds are so perfect.

Of course, nothing stays perfect thanks to this guy and his ilk. Half an inch long, cute as can be, and already chomping holes in the hollyhock leaves. Here he's practicing camouflage on a yarrow stalk.

Thanks for stopping by!

Spring again

My birthday falls six weeks before the average last frost here, which is also the interval between my birthdate and the date I was expected. I celebrate it by planting seedlings.

73 of them, to be precise. Daisies, both white and Painted Lady pink; Button Box, Cut and Come Again, and Pop Art zinnias; apricot and red hollyhock. They'll be ready to plant on my wouldhavebeen birthday.

I put the red sage and the two superbells in planters so I can keep them from freezing: my pomegranate superbell from last summer is still thriving after a winter indoors. 

The critters have been enjoying the new couch, especially Daisy, who is athletic even in her sleep:

At last, a respectable 9-patch!

And I've only been sewing since 1972.

They're napping, I'm working

Big, good changes are afoot, but for now, here are some cute furry critters all snuggled up together.

L to R: Sophie, Buddy, Daisy.

Applesauce!

We ordered a box of organic Fujis from our wonderful grocer and made applesauce. The lighter-colored jars are apples that were sliced and kettle-cooked: the darker color was shredded and cooked slowly on the crockpot.

They all sealed! 

We'll be processing the rest of them soon.

Cold, bright day

Despite the cold and a case of bronchitis, I found myself stepping outside to get a few photos.

The icicles on our neighbors' barn caught my eye first. They looked like claws.

One of the barn cats was tucked up against the wall of the barn, nursing and washing her baby. 

The kitten was born late last fall, which put it at a disadvantage, but it's thriving thanks to her care.

What a good mama.