Goats at Play

Who doesn't love bright, playful art for the garden?  I'm a huge fan of our locally made farm and garden signs from Bainbridge Farm Goods.  These signs are made by a local artist and crafted here on Bainbridge Island.  They make great gifts and help brighten up barns, chicken coops and vegetable gardens.

I recently won this sweet "Goats at Play" sign through a contest at Inside Bainbridge.  Click here to see my winning entry, and also to check out our local online newspaper.

We installed the "goats at play" sign very appropriately on the goat barn.  And the goats watched this art installation with their usual curiosity.  Lily immediately stretched as high as she could on her hind legs, and nibbled at the bottom corner.  Of course...

Thankfully she quickly discovered that this artwork is out of her reach and not very tasty, so I think the sign will avoid future goat abuse.

Lily "at play" in front of our much more colorful goat barn.

Other signs from Bainbridge Farm Goods that I love:

 

A Few of My Favorite Things...

As I work in the garden, I am almost always inspired by something.  Sometimes its the tiny droplets of water lit up in an unexpected ray of sunshine, or suddenly seeing a tree frog right next to where I am working.  And for a moment, I pause what I am doing.

But this past winter was a very long, cold one, and seeing how little I posted to this blog shows me how little I was inspired.  Or at least how little time I had to write about what inspired me :).  But Spring--at least our soggy Northwest variety of Spring--has finally come and everything seems to be blooming all at once.

With such beautiful blooms all around me, I am finally compelled to pause...

I'd like to say that I am always present to the nature around me, but that isn't the case.  I have three busy adolescent daughters....need I say more?  Throw in a husband who works shift work, a calendar filled with volunteer commitments, family commitments and work, and a hefty does of female hormones and my brain hums along at full speed.  So like every other working mom I know, I race through my daily tasks--not really a recipe for a healthy, balanced life!  But this small act of stopping what I'm doing, and truly seeing something, gives my brain a chance to cease its incessant worrying and planning.

I am grateful for the respite the garden offers.  

A few snapshots of my daily breaks....

Earth Day 2012

In honor of Earth day....

The beach at Port Townsend, WA

Camellia flower petals covering the ground

The Enchantments outside of Leavenworth, WA

We live on such a beautiful planet.  And I love that we have a day to celebrate the beauty and wonder of our Earth, and pledge to clean it up and care for it better.

Last Friday, Sophie's Jr. High school sponsored an Earth Day clean-up of our island.  Scores of students descended upon the roads and parks to pick up garbage.  As a whole, the kids managed to clean up most of the island.

Sophia, Sophie, Larissa and Ashley

Ashley finding a bottle beside the road

Sophie and Larissa finding trash along the road

The girls I chaperoned actually had a fun afternoon. Who knew that trash collecting could be fun? But walking outside in the sunshine probably beats sitting in class. I'm sure they'll never look at garbage in quite the same way again, and as we traverse the roads around our island, things do look spruced up. Job well done!!

Hope Springs Eternal

Sunshine.....finally!

Last week we were treated to a few days of sunshine and warmer temperatures.  My soul literally sighed with relief.  The garden looked so lovely with a bit of sunshine on it too.  And it made me wonder if we sun-deprived people react a bit stronger to the sun than those who see it on a regular basis.  Everyone was outside.  Driving down our narrow road involved constant swerving around joggers, walkers and bikers.  Our goats were lounging on their favorite perches too--just soaking it up.  Eyes half-closed and fur warm from sunshine, they especially enjoyed the rain break.

But it doesn't take long for the craziness to set in.  So happy are we to feel warm again, that our energy levels rise too quickly.  We might decide to redo an entire section of the garden...in one day.  Or order far more plants than we possibly have the space for.  Such is the nature of our sun-joy.

I am always amused by the spring antics of the birds, as they perfectly act out the spring fever we all feel.  One little bird was so entranced with his beautiful reflection, that he made circles around our truck every time it was parked.

This little guy began his sun ritual by peering at himself in the front corner of the truck windshield.

He then hopped the length of the windshield, making sure to check himself out from all angles.

And finally, after spending some time fluttering in front of each side mirror, he would fly up to the cherry tree and start ripping off the pink blossoms!   Then he would begin the whole flight circle all over again...

The craziness has ended....for now.  The rain has returned and the multiple, much anticipated projects sit half-complete.  But it is nice to remember that we indeed have a beautiful blue sky above the clouds.  And even though we may hunker down for months sipping cups of caffeine, we unite with collective joy when the sun comes out.

Springless in Seattle

A mixture of rain, snow and sleet raining down on the cherry tree.

March is a horrible tease.  Her weather menu changes constantly; she consults no one about their preferences.  One day she might serve us a beautiful Spring day, complete with sunshine, singing birds and newly opened blossoms.  The next day (or even hour) brings bone chilling temperatures of 37 degrees, with frost edging newly opened leaves.  And the several layers of fleece and wool I'm still wearing are not enough to stave off my shivering.

When the cold isn't enough misery, March has other weather for us to sample.  She may decide to darken the skies to a shade of grey so deep, it tricks our light-activated walkway lights into thinking it's night.  And the deluge of rain coming from these clouds is so heavy it turns soil into soup, and dampens any spring-y hopes that were emerging in our souls.

For the winter weary, this weather menu is exhausting.  It is the daily struggle between two seasons:  winter and spring.  And I find it impossible to stay off of this particular roller coaster.  My moods shift easily with this shifting weather.  On a spring-like day, the warmth on my skin, the sweet smells of blossoms, fresh earth and the fragrance I can only label as "green", make my heart feel light. And then on the dark and stormy days, I feel the cold in my bones and I am lethargic and irritated.

This unpredictable month is unsettling.  And clearly, I am not the only one who is unsettled.  But perhaps my expectations were too high to begin with?  This morning's Seattle Times had an article titled, Yeah, it's cold out; so what were you expecting?  A local meteorologist claims that our seasons don't relate to solstices or equinoxes.  He says that Summer is July and August, Fall is September and October.  Winter starts in November and lasts through February, and "there's no such things as Spring".  I tend to agree.

False Spring

The Olympic Mountains in their winter glory.

Sometimes in the midst of a cold and dreary winter, we get a little taste of Spring.  A little warmth, some sunshine, temperatures that flirt with 60 degrees...this unseasonable late winter warmth is as delicious as strawberries in December.

Seattle in the sunshine

Of course we have months of winter left, but after feeling rather frozen and damp since October, I am always surprised by two things.  First, that I've actually forgotten what it feels like to be outside and feel warm.  And second, a week of beautiful weather in early February gives me a nasty case of Spring Fever.  Which pretty much just sets a person up for disappointment. Having Spring Fever now is simply asking to suffer for several more months.  Spring is still weeks away and Summer frequently doesn't make her appearance until July.

Pretty primroses

Still, I have found something that helps with Spring Fever--buying plants.  So, even though temperatures are still dipping into freezing at night, I am assuaging my illness by buying primroses, pansies, and hardy leafy greens.  My pots look so much happier.  And I feel just a bit better.

A row of colorful "Spring" pots

A Snow Day!

Snow on the cherry tree

Those of us who live in the lowlands of Western Washington may be horrible snow drivers (Unfair national media portrayal of Seattle drivers!), but what we lack in snow driving ability, we more than make up for with our snow enthusiasm!  For the past week, forecasters have been charting, graphing and watching incoming weather data, which showed promise of a snowstorm.  We were warned of a possible "snowpocolypse"!  Or even worse, a "snowmageddon"!!  And we've all watched weather news in the hope that this storm would indeed come together.  I don't think we ever outgrow the school-child wish for a snow day.

People from the midwest and northeast undoubtedly roll their eyes at our snow excitement--much like we make fun of the Southern Californians who panic at the sight of rain.   The 5 inches of snow that arrived overnight was not the 16 inches that was at one time forecast, but it was more than enough to close school.  Plus, fresh snow around our house is beautiful--a winter wonderland right outside our front door.

Views from our snow day...

The honeysuckle arbor and orchard behind

Snow-covered berries on the barberry

Emily, excited to shovel the front path!

The garden fence topped with snow

The orchard

Ashley and Sophie

Heavy snow bending the branches of the Mahonia 'Charity'

Grace, trying to decide between building a snowman and starting a snowball fight!

The goats venturing out into their snow-covered yard

Sweet Pea nibbling on a Christmas tree