A Snowy Seattle Morning

What's the best part of a sunny, blue sky, snowy morning? Do you really have to asK?

I savored a late morning cup of tea, watched the twitter birds snack at the suet feeder, and knew the snow would melt before it had a chance to grow dingy. TV weather dudes predict another light snowfall tomorrow; bring it on!

Construction Clutter and Progress

Construction clutter must mean progress, right? If that's true, there's evidence of progress all over the house, garage and yard right now. Piles of important clutter abound, all visible signs of progress on our various house projects. No single project is finished yet, but there are signs of work-in-progress. 

Step inside the house and you'll note every room on the first floor is either empty or full of furniture and furnishings, "stuff" from other rooms. Repair and restoration goes on, hidden from view behind protective drapes of plastic, clearly several works in progress.

The exterior clutter includes discarded siding, trim, roof shakes and doors, all waiting to be loaded into a trailer and hauled away. The construction crew picks up tools and equipment, sweeps up miscellaneous debris and leaves an otherwise tidy job site each night... except for those piles of clutter.

Unpredictable wet weather meant the unfinished replacement siding was stained, sticked, stacked and stored in the garage to dry. Our previously large garage seems to have suddenly shrunk by half. Access to the mail slot and freezer involves tricky maneuvering and careful footwork. 

The door scorecard reads 2 doors removed, 1 new door hung still needing trim, 1 door opening covered with plywood waiting for replacement door to arrive on site, and door #3 still waiting for any action. Next week could be Finish the Doors Week. Stay tuned.

A new square window replaces the old acrylic half-dome bubble window, dramatically increasing the great room balcony's light and framing the view to the south. Those are bonus features, the important fix dealt with a sneaky leak. I can hardly wait for a clear day to snap a photo of Mt. Rainier in all its glory as seen through this new 4x4 pane. 

The Buick Emerges

After all these years, fifteen or more, my 1972 Buick Skylark convertible came out of the garage, into the sunshine, and is moving again. Moving, but not exactly self-propelled, not yet. After years of hanging out inside, under a protective tarp, it was time to send her off to the auto shop for a check-up, time to get her running again. Then what? I don't know yet. 

I am the second owner of this old girl, and we have a lot of history together, hundreds of hours of local adventures and one memorable west coast road trip south to Palo Alto for a summer computer institute. Most of these fond memories involve carefree, top-down cruising in the sunshine, and not so much the slipping and sliding on Seattle hills during a rare hit of freezing winter weather. 

RL was a hero when he found this car thirty years ago after my red '66 Chevy Impala convertible was totalled. A Subaru 4x4 traveling at 50 mph ran into the back of the Chevy while I was stopped in traffic. This yellow Buick brought a bright beam of sunshine back into my driving life and we cruised along happily for years. She handled like a dream, and what's not to love about a soft ride and classic lines?

And then...? Then a smaller, sportier, more-fun-to-drive stick shift convertible seemed an absolute necessity, an antidote against the reality of an approaching major birthday. The Buick went undercover in the garage and remained there until this week. 

What's next for the Skylark? her long-term future is uncertain, but it will be comforting to know she is still in great condition in my garage this Spring. I will enjoy driving her again in town, and perhaps someone else will have the opportunity to treasure her soon. 

Photo: This Buick is smiling again!

Fast Pheasant Footwork

In recent weeks I've caught a brief glimpse of some long-tailed, two-legged critter dashing along the fence line, infrequent sightings that were more a blur of motion rather than a real sighting. What was that quick-darting thing? Today a pair of squabbling squirrels must have distracted the bird, causing it to pay less attention to me as I sneaked outside with iPhone in hand, trying to capture an image. 

My motion made him cautious, nervous about the antics of the squirrels and wary of my approach. He darted under the rhododendrons, turned toward the squirrels, reversed and headed back toward the lake and finally took flight, clearing the fence and landing two yards away. 

The photos are blurry, but they definitely show a common or ring-necked pheasant (link) racing toward the lake. Now I'm curious to know more about this species, unusual in my immediate neighborhood but common throughout the Pacific Northwest. Did this guy escape from a penned or netted enclosure? Does he live in nearby Seward Park? Will he ever return now that I have startled him? 

Ready and Waiting for Summer

Photo: doesn't this look inviting?!

The south deck has suddenly sprouted spots of color, in keeping with the vivid blooms of the rhododendrons in the background. I can only imagine the laughter and good times that will fill up this space as the weather warms up. Good choice, Laci. 

Cute Little Critter

Our local raccoons are usually active after dark, but this character ambled along the waterfront in full afternoon sunshine, casually ignoring all human activity. That could be confidence born of experience, or lucky-so-far overconfidence. I was so captivated by its actions that I almost forgot to grab the camera and record the moment. 

Set the Clock Back? No! Forward

It's that time of year again, time to lose an hour of sleep as we set the clocks for Daylight Savings Time. Time to fool the body clock into thinking it's time to wake up an hour earlier. My brain will not be fooled by this clock adjustment. 


Mother Nature is doing a number on us at the same time. It seems to happen every year. The cherry blossoms are out,

the daffodils are in full, glorious bloom,

the clematis is sending out shoots and climbing up its trellis,

even the Asian pear trees are setting buds,

while the TV weather folks keep talking about the possibility of more snow. Nature's idea of a joke, perhaps? Tantalizing us with promises of Spring and then dropping another dusting of Winter snow? I revel in this wild transitional weather, as long as there are a few days of sunshine thrown into the mix.

Neighborhood Thief

This little critter may look cute and harmless, but don't be taken in by his innocent appearance. He's a thief at heart, a bad guy twice over who shows no signs of remorse for his past misdeeds. Oh no, instead he's back casing the grounds daily looking for new opportunities.

I used to scare him with a toy squirt gun, chase him out of the nearby vine maple in the courtyard, away from that tempting suet feeder. It was a hopeless effort of course, but he did learn to scamper away when he saw me move toward the door. Then one day he boldly stole the whole suet block, metal cage and all. No, I didn't catch him in the act, but he was the most likely culprit. The flickers and downy woodpeckers were certainly not suspects.

Sigh. I walked to the Seward Park Audubon Center and invested way too much money in a large seed feeder that was advertised as "squirrel proof". Imagine that, just the thing to confound my pesky squirrel. I gleefully hung the new feeder on the same branch in the same tree as the missing suet feeder. Gotcha, Mr. Squirrel.

Sigh. Now that feeder is gone too. I'm left with a 10-pound bag of birdseed and no feeder to put it in. Damned cheeky rodent! I do have to admire his go-gettum attitude... just a little. Be on the lookout in your neighborhood, I'm encouraging him to move on.

  

Signs of Spring in Winter

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Early Perennials in My Garden


January 15, 2012

February 11, 2012

... and dozens more primroses to add, just because I couldn't resist a few promising days of sunshine.

Seattle Snow

January was memorable for an early snowstorm that lingered on... and on... and on. The fresh snow was exhilarating at first as it drifted down in fat, billowy flakes. The scene outside my window quickly shifted from the usual shades of green to a complex study in black and white. Initially a treat, that blanket of white overstayed its welcome by several days. The downside of Snowmageddon 2012 was snarled traffic, school closures, an airport shutdown and thousands of people living without power for too many days after an ice storm brought branches and whole trees down on power lines. We stayed home, safe and comfortable, with power the entire week. Bored? not really, but I did read a lot, surf online, and cook up a storm (link).

Feet up on the stairwell windowsill, I kept an eye on the hummingbird feeder and played with my iPhone as the snowstorm began. 

I wasn't eager to drive on icy, rutted roads but cross-country skiing became a tempting possibility.

Three resident hummingbirds didn't stray far from the feeder. 

The ivy reindeer needed rescuing before the ice storm hit.

Brrrrrr, this cormorant looks like he could use a parka.

Who Stole the Pretty Leaves?

Last week's sunshine lit up the landscape, spotlighting the neon reds, oranges, yellows and golds of Fall colors in the neighborhood. This seasonal display drew my eye up to stunning tall trees and down to tiny deciduous shrubs. Jack Frost? Nature's Paintbrush? There was color everywhere, right here in the Evergreen State. 


And suddenly, it ended. The view changed, along with the weather forecasts.   

Last week...

...this week.

Asian pear trees changing color...

... and dropping leaves.

Leaves on the ground, snow in the mountains; winter is almost here. I'm not complaining, oh no. Last year on this date (link) we had snow on the ground here at home. I vote to keep any snow up in the mountains until 2012.

Welcome Home

Cookies by Hilary

We enjoyed some good adventures on our 2011 cruise, nonetheless it felt good to return home last week. The trip south from the boat was routine, usually a good thing when you'e on the road. We have run this route so often it seems like our SUV runs on autopilot. (Note: that's my opinion, not necessarily the driver's.) We cleared U.S. Customs at the border in record time and motored on, pausing for a visit with some good friends along the route. 


At home we opened the door to a special treat. Niece Hilary was there to welcome us with a hug, a big smile and a table of treats. The platter of homemade, hand-decorated cookies said it all. Thank you, Hilary.

We've been home for a week and are now focused on life ashore instead of life afloat. The cookies may be long gone, but that warm, welcome-home feeling remains as we reconnect with friends and our Seattle life..