Mother's Day Memories.

 My blog archive holds so many memories, going back to 2008. My Facebook Memories pop up daily and surprise me. Today I was reminded of the rhubarb pie I baked 6 years ago.

It was for our immediate family Mother's Day dinner here. I was in the practice of honoring my daughter on Mother's day. She was the one doing the active mothering.

Then a photo of two fancy rhubarb pies popped up from 2009, 17 years ago. 

They were for an extended family dinner at my sister Laurie's house. Our mother was still with us and my daughter and grands still lived in Colorado.

Today I baked a rhubarb cake. I am older and have less energy and cake is easier.

It's still delicious, and still to celebrate my daughter, and me too, I guess. As usual we will host the usual suspects, minus granddaughter Irene, who is busy with college in Bellingham. 

My mother has been gone about 15 years now. The grands have grown up. I got old. Here is my favorite photo of us mothers together, taken in 2011.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers who are still mothering, and to all those who are cherishing memories of mothers. 

More "Blooming"

 

The Glass Flowers are on display. 

It took me a second day to finish putting them all on their stakes, rearranging a few, deciding where they all are supposed to go. There are a few changes from last year. Some are not quite as I would wish, but pushing the rebar stakes into the root filled ground can be tricky, so nature sometimes picked the spot. 

Walking around the garden the next day, taking photos, my eye was caught be a few other blooms too. Enjoy the tour.

It will be a while before the roses bloom in the rose bed. Bulbs are finishing their show. 

The Secret Garden is ready for sitting. 

Some blooming things are real.

Tom's mini Hosta collection on the deck.

It's Wisteria Time!

As I sit here in the home office, across the hall Jose is finishing up the water damage restoration work that has been ongoing this past month. Painting was done yesterday and the carpet pad and reinstallation of part of the carpet is now done. Vacuuming is getting done. The result looks great. Moving furniture back in can wait. The insurance money is in our account ready for the final payment.

Tom has gone to get a borrowed pick up truck. We have several loads of yard debris to haul to the yard waste dump. We both worked hard yesterday to finish up the pruning and cleaning. I have a little bit more "yard art" to place in the garden. Costco and Safeway shopping will be done either later today or tomorrow. 

Mother's Day dinner will be here. We will eat ribs and rhubarb cake and share the beauty of nature, our garden, and our family love.  

May the Fourth

 Or "may the Force". It's Star Wars Day and I am needing the force to be with me. 

May has been a beautiful month so far. We've got lots done, and I am wearing out. Of course it doesn't take much to wear me out these days. 

On Friday, May Day, Jill brought me lilacs.

After breakfast and grocery shopping, we took the afternoon off and went plant shopping. 

We started at Starbucks, of course. 

We had a list and we found everything and more at Vassey's Nursery in Puyallup. 

We went to Watson's anyway and found a bit more. 

Of course that meant on Saturday we had to plant our new plants, which we did in between watching a Sounders Soccer match and some of the Kentucky Derby. Then we worked the new pots into the "Danger Garden" display on the patio.

I guess it was Thursday that I refreshed all of the echeveria pots and we arranged the display. 

The green and white spikey plant in the green and black pot is a new Agave. It wasn't on the list. :-)

The new Black-eyed Susan vine is in place and ready to climb the trellis. It was on the list. 

It got warm on Saturday and Tom put up the umbrella. 

Tom finally got to rest. 

Sunday Tom got all of the watering systems set up and checked out. It was 81 here on Sunday. I started putting out all of the glass flowers. Walking all over the yard carrying heavy glass flowers, two at a time in a basket, so I could have my walking stick in the other hand, wore me out and I haven't quite finished. I was going to finish them today but after laundry and mopping and dusting, I was worn out, so maybe later, maybe tomorrow. 

I am trying to learn that not everything has to be finished right now. I'm not good at that. 

Thanks for the rest. I hope your May is going OK, maybe even Merry!

May Day

 Today is May Day, the first day in the merry month of May. I can't help but think that "May Day" is also a call for HELP! Many in our country and our world are crying for help, but the outlook isn't promising. And today I promised you flowers. 

The last part of April had been so beautiful here and as we roll into May the sunshine continues and the sequence of blooming keeps on surprising. 

We still have tulips.

We have the usual one glorious bloom on our tree peony.

Columbine are just starting to bloom.

It's Rhododendron time and the few we have are beginning their show. 

R. Cynthia is an old rhodie that hasn't bloomed much lately, but this year she is looking lovely. Our extended family just recently lost a wonderful woman named Cynthia. Maybe she's saying "Remember me". We will.

R. King George is magnificent. It is also fragrant. 

I don't remember this purple one's name. 

The beds once bare in winter are now bursting with new growth. The first Welsh Poppies are blooming. 

A few Arisaema's are hiding here and there. Common name - Jack-in-pulpit, but these are not the native ones. 

On the front porch the Lewisia's are blooming. 

And there are still apple blossoms.

Happy May Day. Happy Spring!