Class Reunion of sorts

                                     

'old' friends

Absence makes the heart grow fonder they say.  Bianca, Hale and Hazel were quite fond of each other while attending Cedar House playschool as 4 year olds.  Monday they reunited  one and a half years after going their seperate ways.  Now that is a long time in child years.  A quarter of their lives.  I did the math.  No wonder they were so delighted to see each other again.

There was much squealing of delight, laughter and non-stop running toward our destination at the park.  Hazel's mom Denise and I could not possibly keep up.  But they dutifully stopped at intersections until we were close enough to see and dashed off again leaving us in their dust.  

Denise is the mother of 4 girls between the ages of 10 and 6 so she knows a thing or two about tears.  She said it would be a different story on the way back.  She calls it the trail of tears to home. 

 After wearing themselves out to the edge,  having experienced wounded feelings and territorial disputes, some of the initial joy had been diluted a bit with the reality of getting along with others in the world.

 A wearied but wiser walk home 

Holding hands on the trail home

Jewel of a park Marymoor

Cape Jewelweed

I have read that Marymoor Park is the crown jewel of the King County park stystem.  I have been wanting to go there for some time.  So my adventure partner Joanna and I did make the trip and were delighted by the beauty and the perfect weather that awaited us yesterday.   We pored over the varous maps and trail guides and found that we were both a bit map challenged.  That made me feel in good company.  Our goal was bird spotting along the Audubon Birdloop trails.   We weren't there at the best time for seeing the birds but Joanna soon was able to spot and hear a few that added up to a list of 5 or 6.                                                                          
                               
We started along the Grassy Meadow trail
                                       

                       

                           
 
       Entering
the Sheltering Forest trail

Looking toward Lake Sammamish from the platform at the end of the boardwalk

It did make me smile

We found a picnic spot looking over a large grassy field  on the Clise Mansion grounds where we watched a few of the seasons first colorful leaves drifting to earth mingled with the  flitting dragonflys darting to and fro and everything sparkling in a sundrenced light.   It was that perfect.  

Windmill on the Clise Mansion grounds

Summer Fun

Next week is back to school for the little girls who have been my joy to spend some time with as they play, giggle and exhibit just all around cuteness.   A sampling of summer fun 2014

The final touch to a perfect summer day is a tasty and huge ice cream cone.  You can just hear the 'hmmm this is so good'

Summer camp friends on a golden hot day.   The Hiawatha summer camp program and the super wonderful counselors there made every day a fun day.

A summer birthday party pile on.   I was a little nervous about the bottom person and the rough and tumble abandon.  But all came right in the end with bones intact and excess energy well used up.

The perfect climbing tree.  What more can you ask.

A group of girls.. a gaggle of girls.. a giggle of girls?   What ever they are discussing or planning, I'm sure its all sugar and spice and everything nice.

Exploring with friends

I was so happy to join Joanna and Becca for walking on the bridge and other adventures.  I am always reading the posts about their fun outings and yesterday I got to be in on the action in person.

First the pleasant, verdant and then get the heart pumping walk to UW activities center

   

Canoes at the ready

Lolling about in the Lily pads

Suzzallo library stairs

Suzzallo reading room

A walk through the UW campus convinced me this would be just the place for Bianca in 12 short years.

     We ended our day with a  yummy lunch followed by a giant ice cream cone.  I didn't know I was ordiering the giant size and I struggled mightily to finish it before the bus came.  Alas I didn't make it but it was a delicious effort.    You can see Joanna's pictures  at Joanna's dabbling duck take on our day.

A poem and pictures

Bianca has had a milestone birthday - turning 6 years old.  I found a poem by A.A. Milne that just  fits the occasion.   It is titled "Now We Are Six"
 and it goes like this:
                                                          WHEN I WAS ONE,
                                                           I WAS JUST BEGUN.

WHEN I WAS TWO,

    I WAS NEARLY NEW.

WHEN I WAS THREE,

I WAS HARDLY ME.

WHEN I WAS FOUR,

I WAS NOT MUCH MORE.

WHEN I WAS FIVE,

I WAS JUST ALIVE.

BUT NOW I AM SIX,

I'M AS CLEVER AS CLEVER.

SO I THINK I'LL BE SIX

NOW AND FOREVER

I

Catnipped!

As it so happens, I need to post an addendum to my Bugged post of the other day.   Another tale of woe.   I planted Catnip because I had read that ants don't like the smell of mint and it  might keep them away.  I happen to like the smell and it is (was) a pretty plant.
                                     

And now what to my shock do I see when glancing down at my spring growing garden..

Gasp!  I guess cats really do like it.  Here is the suspect.  A very friendly neighborhood cat who likes to visit me in my yard from time to time.   I wish at least I had seen the catnipped frenzy that must have taken place!   

Take me away Tea

Rhubarb tea made compliments of Martha Stewart's recipe treasure trove.   When I go to the Farmer's Market I want to buy every beautiful and fresh offering of spring's bounty that I see.  And often I do just that.  So I had rhubarb but no time or inclination to make the fancy dessert with it which was my  original plan.  Also all the heavy recipes didn't appeal.  So I made this simple and not very sugary tea.  One hour of simmering 4 stalks of rhubarb in 4 cups of water with a bit of sugar made this very pretty drink.  Some mint from the garden to top it off and mmmmh as lovely to drink as to see.  The day is actually cloudy and cool but this drink makes me feel I'm lounging on a sunny lanai in a tropical isle.  One can dream.

Bugged!

Daffodils seen on a walk

Another spring and another garden saga.   I'm beginning to  feel a bit Job like when it comes to my backyard.  I seem to be the lone victim in my neighborhood of various pestilent plants and insects.  I look about my neighbors' yards where everything looks sublimely unruffled and unchanged year to year and whine..."why me".   

The first year of the pests, it was the attack of the bees-actually I think they were hornets.   I believe I was told they were carnivorous.

 They sure acted like they would like to take a chunk out of me.   Walking out to my garden, the angry bees that were buzzing madly about my trees would dive bomb me from every direction.  When the pest man came to see my problem even he looked shocked.  He suited up head to toe before he returned to confront them with a spray.  I took the further step to have the trees taken down.  Garden problem solved.  

Until another spring when a  tall, ungainly and very unattractive plant was sprouting suddenly in my yard.  Growing quickly, it was taking over.  I felt overwhelmed by the sight of them and couldn't get myself motivated to yank them out where they were making themselves at home with my usual weeds.  That year I decided to have someone else do the work.  Good thing because he took one look at the plant and said it was Poison Hemlock.   Holy Socrates!  I never heard of anyone having that in their yard before.   Now I know it when I see it and it grows around Seattle.  Recognize it and don't make a salad from it!

Poison Hemlock grew quickly in my yard

The purple on the stem is an identifier.

http://www.nwcb.wa.gov/publications/poison_hemlock_brochure.pdf This is good information on how to safely remove this noxious plant.  

Next came the march of the ants.  Not just your normal amount of ants.  Oh no! Prodigious amounts.   There were ants everywhere!  I had to buy calf high rubber boots just so I could step into my garden without getting them on my pant legs and having them take a free ride back into my house.  I love nature but I'm not fond of creepy crawly things on me.   I started on a regular spraying program and ants seem to be getting under control.  Maybe my garden trials and tribulations will be behind me.

Early spring scene

Green never looks so good as when it first overtakes the grays of wintertime. 

Longfellow Creek trail lit up by the first leaves of spring

Birthday buddy

The two of us had a birthday last week.  One day difference in the birthday day and 22 years difference in the years, Matthew and I have celebrated for 45 years together.  He's still cute - me not so much.   The grainy photo, the antique phonograph, the 1960's hairdo looks pretty vintage now-like me!        
                                                 

                           
                                                 
                                           

Up a tree

at Schmitz Park school

  "I'm going to climb on mother nature"! And in a flash she was working  her way up the tree.  I was content to watch but as usual she asked me to join which makes me both very happy and a little bit sad.  I made my excuses.  I'm using a lot of those lately.  Everything I try is surprising me because it is a challenge.   Jumping, climbing and skipping are all feats of strength and agility that I took for granted.   I was pretty good at those things the last time I checked.  Which when I think about it was quite a long time ago after all.  Use it or lose it.  Those words never sounded more true.  I was never good at coming down after a good tree climb though.  My friends and I would climb and climb to the perfect sitting limb.  We would chat with legs swinging in our leafy hide away feeling on top of the world.  Then looking down and down I would lose my nerve and call 'Help' I can't get down!  Like a cat who gets too hungry to stay up the tree, I would finally work my way down limb by scary limb and then home to supper.  These days I feel rooted to the ground.  Thanks goodness Bianca is trying her best to keep me on my toes.  'You can do it grandma'

Fandemonium

 

I talked to another likeminded non football fan yesterday and was relieved to find I wasn't the only 'hypocrite".   I don't follow the sport.  If asked about it, I would usually have something negative to say about it - concussions, bad behavior, overpaid, etc.  I think my double standard started in high school while on the pep club for the boys' school- the Marquette 'Squires'   I loved wearing the special outfit, being out for the Friday night game with a screaming crowd in the crisp cold air looking down on the lighted field.  Especially I loved the pom-poms.  And the cheers.. 'first and down, take 'm down!  Push em back push em back push em way back!  Whatever that meant, I had really no idea but that didn't hamper my pure delight in the yelling of those words.  But now the Seahawks are about to play in the Super Bowl today and the excitement is palpable.  Even a football curmudgeon like myself is swept up in the feeling.  My fellow confessed football hypocrite said she thinks it is a moment of shared feeling in the city, pulling together and feeling like one in the moment.   That is it and it is a good thing while it lasts.  This includes the animal kingdom as well.  I’ve seen this trio in West Seattle before but saw them transformed for the 12th man flag raising event
      
  Now I feel further mortified by the fact there is much more to the game than my prejudices allowed.  I started to read about the players and the strategy and was overwhelmed by the complexity and even its own language.  A nose tackle?    I was stymied right at the start of an article with that term.  I have a lot to learn.  If they win today, I might just become a fanatic.
                     Blue and Green on everything
 
      Go Hawks!!