Pictures of Apron, Finally

My beautiful apron from mom. :)

It's comfortable and covers so well to keep my clothes clean.

Naturally, Elijah sneaks in the photos. He's usually right there on that left hip, apron or no.

Wonderful First Day of Summer

It finally felt like summer, a delightful 82 degrees, just in time for the summer solstice. We enjoyed the lingering light until 10 pm last night.

Things that are blooming in the garden now, are most notably the iris's, snowball bush, bleeding hearts and spring asters.

This post is for Mom, who will recognize 'Stepping Out'.

A few of these tubers were given to me in Burns, 35-36 years ago by Naomi, a precious lady gardener. We have gone through at least 10 moves since then, and I have schlepped these iris's with me wherever we went. We have stayed put for the last 20 years, and they have greatly multiplied. Isn't 'Stepping Out' a great name for these lovely ladies in all their finery?

Few More Favorite Photos

I thought I would share some of my favorite photos from last week-end, before time moves on. It was such a fun week-end. Thursday evening was nice but cool, for the crowning ceremony and the start of Planters Day week-end. Kirk was entertaining Macy while we were waiting for things to start.
We all loved taking photos of and with Kory.
Friday was a really nice day, and the insurance man and I spent the day watching and playing and swimming with Macy.
Saturday we woke up to pouring rain, and the big parade down main street. Kory joked that it literally was 'raining on her parade'. The princesses were forced inside one of the cars to stay dry...but it looks like they were having fun anyway!


Princesses Kory and Courtney

Here's what it looked like for the rest of us, along the parade route. Sweatshirts and umbrellas were the order of the day.

This is Kirk, Joy and Macy. LOTS of candy was thrown, as well as packets of flower seeds, small frisbees, and packs of doughnut holes. Macy had fun picking it all up.

After the parade....

Kory, with her boyfriend Sam, trying to stay dry.

In the afternoon there were 'Bed Races'. The beds were on wheels, and four people pushed while one is on the bed in Pj's. At one point in the race Kory changed places with Courtney and put on the Pj's, then changed again on the way back. A little daunting in the rain.

Kory literally ran right out of her shoes, so ran most of the race barefoot : )

Sunday the weather was some better and a lot dryer! Macy can still fit on Papa's shoulders!

We took a few more photos out back of the house before heading down to the classic car show on Sunday.

Kory tried her hand at singing....a solo! We were all surprised how good she was, and how brave she was!

Then she helped Macy sing 'Twinkle, twinkle little star' for the audience. Macy knows no fear!

All in all it was a great time, celebrating with Princess Kory! We are all blessed.

Princess Kory

We are in Woodland, Washington for Planters Day weekend, and our granddaughter Kory is one of three princesses on the royal court. Here is the family gathered together at Horseshoe Lake, before the crowning ceremony last night.
The princesses arrived in a horse-drawn carriage, and Kory was SO exited!

She had both her Dads walk her to the Gazebo, and they were very proud Dads.

Each princess was introduced to the crowd...and this was Kory's turn.

Kory's friend Jessica, above, was actually crowned the Queen a few minutes later. Jessica sold the most tickets for the raffle (by a lot) which broke the existing record, which is the criteria for being Queen. She is a very sweet Christian girl, and we were exited for her. But Kory was and is an exceptional princess!

Kory, with little sister Macy. Macy wants to grow up to be a princess just like Kory!

A final photo of Princess Kory, with her beautiful dress and I'm glad to say that Kory is as beautiful inside as on the outside. (A proud Grammy talking...)

Glorious Spring

I know it is June 8th by the calendar, but it is finally Spring, wonderful Spring here in Central Oregon. We are outside every minute possible to enjoy God's bounty.

"Oh, give us pleasures in the flowers today,

and give us not to think so far away
as the uncertain harvest; keep us here

all simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating around the perfect trees.

For this is love, and nothing else is love

To which it is reserved to God above.

To sanctify to what far ends He will,

But which it only needs that we fulfill."

A PRAYER IN SPRING

by Robert Frost

Like the poem states, this tree is like nothing else by day, and like a ghost by night. It actually glows white in the dark...I went out and checked it. Of course it was the moon's beams that were reflecting off of it, but what a sight and what smells. The air is drenched with crab apple sweetness here in our yard. Glorious Spring. God was so good to covenant with us that as long as the earth endures there shall be springtime and harvest.

Memorial Day Snow and Blooms

I just had to take a photo of the insurance man trimming the grass while the snow fell last Saturday. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see the snowflakes against his blue jacket . It snowed off and on Memorial Day week-end, with no build-up on the ground. But brrrrr! Somehow the rhubarb has managed to grow with the cold temps anyway.

Then yesterday, while Julie is reporting 95+ temps and high humidity in Morgantown, we had thunder, rain and hail, and didn't even make 60 degrees.

Enough of this white stuff, I say!

But it's so amazing that even with the cold, my shrubs and trees are finding a way to bloom, albeit a couple of weeks later than usual.

Last month I posted some photos of my crab apple trees in the winter grip of ice, with no leaves or blooms in sight. This is how they look this morning, here at Crab Apple House . So, even though it does not exactly feel like spring, spring indeed has arrived. I think God was very ingenious in his art with these blooms. They come out very dark pink, then turn light pink, and finally the blooms are very white with no pink left. Incredible! Only God could do that...