October

I (almost) finished Joe's birthday present in time. I still need to add the words 'Avengers Assemble' to the bottom, and Captain America's 'A' and then it'll be finished.

The beginning of October was very sunny and dry, and the cats enjoyed watching squirrels out the window.

The trees around the corner showed magnificent color. Unfortunately all those leaves have come off in the recent storm.

I started a square for a quilt project to honor the memory of a college friend. It's the most complicated quilt square I've ever attempted, but I'm determined to give it one hundred percent.

Our haul from a small family farm. All but three of these are intended as food. In fact, we've already eaten one of them. I love the colors of carnival squash.

Even though I have no photographic proof, I've been knitting up a storm. Soon I'll be able to wear five hand-knit sweaters. Five! I almost can't believe it.

One other thing I have to mention: my five-year-old nephew called me on the phone the other day. Just because. It's by far my favorite thing that's happened this autumn.

farewell summer

Ice cream, blue skies, sun tea, adventures at the shore, roasting marshmallows, picking berries... I will miss the lazy days of summer.

Yesterday was our 48th consecutive day without rain in Seattle (the record is 51). Today is overcast but no rain yet. I think I'm ready for autumn: colored leaves, crisp air, apples, rain storms, soup, and sweaters. 

Yes, I am ready.

Paradise

I can't seem to get enough of this mountain. We went up to Paradise on a Sunday, then back up to Sunrise the following Friday. It helped that park admission is valid for 7 days. Seeing that stamped on my receipt, it seemed a waste not to go back. I hope we get at least one more Mt Rainier hike in before the weather, or our schedules, get too crazy. We'll see. Maybe we'll go twice in one week. I hope so.

Sunrise

Joe and I celebrated four years of marriage by hiking around Sunrise, Mt Rainier. It was a beautiful day. I became quite enamored with all the interesting rocks, and ended up taking far too many pictures. Part of the trail was completely covered in snow, but it was a short part, so we braved it. It really helped that we were able to watch a family cross that part of the trail just up ahead of us. If they could do it, surely I could, right?

After visiting both Sunrise and Paradise a couple of times now, I think I can say with certainty that Sunrise is my favorite. It feels like you are so much higher up compared to Paradise. I think this is due partly to the fact that so many of the trails are along ridges. Besides, the Sunrise viewpoint (just before the visitor center, at the switchback on the road) has got to be one of the best views on Earth. We could easily see Mt Adams from there. It looked like someone held a mirror up to Mt Rainier. Breathtaking.

morning bikeride

Today I decided on a whim to take my bike out and explore. During the school year I regularly drive across a small bridge over the Fairmount Ravine. I've always wondered how to get down there, so this morning I looked it up. Turns out it's a beautiful ride - although it is quite steep, so I didn't pause for photos until I arrived at the bottom. From there I rode around Alki trail to Alki point and then headed back up the hill to my house. But let's be honest: I walked the bike up the big hill.

All said, it was 6.5 miles and quite an enjoyable ride. The weather was cool and cloudy. I didn't see many people until I got near the Bathhouse, which was expected.

A beautiful start to my day!

this moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

generosity & square foot gardens

I have an amazing husband. And some amazing in-laws. It's true. And this little bit of square-foot-garden wonderful is just some of the proof.

I've been wanting to build a square-foot-garden on the grassy patch next to my door ever since my husband and I met our landlord. As he showed us the apartment, and the shared yard, he asked me if I liked to garden. We had also looked at a similar apartment across the street earlier that day. They were almost exactly the same in amenities and price (both buildings were built by my landlord's father some time ago, but the ones on the other side of the street belong to someone else now). The one up the street had something this one didn't: no-coin dedicated laundry for each apartment. That's a huge deal for renters. But the apartment we decided to rent had something else that meant more to me: the possibility for gardening. As soon as our landlord uttered those words, my husband looked at me and said "so we're going to move here, right?" He knew I was sold.

A year passed. I was busy. I knew exactly what I wanted to build, but the project kept getting pushed to the back burner. I had dreams of walking mere feet around the corner to fresh produce.

Little did I know that while I was away visiting family in Virginia, my husband and his parents got to work building two 4x2 raised beds. Imagine my surprise as I walked from the car to the apartment after flying 3,000 miles on 4 hours of sleep and found these two raised beds. Did someone else steal my idea and spot? Surely these weren't for me.

One bed even had plants in it! This couldn't be mine. No way.

But my husband assured me that yes, these were mine. He quickly told me the story of how he secretly planned this for while I was away. I was dumbstruck.

The second bed was left empty so that I could choose what to plant. I'm not sure if I will transplant some of my potted plants into it, or start some new seeds. It's very late in the season, but why not?

They also left a large watering can, gardening gloves, a copy of the square-foot gardening book and more potting soil.

Every time I take a peek outside at my little garden my heart is filled with love for the wonderful people in my life and their abundant generosity. Thank you Joe, Gary and Carol.

where have I been?

It seems I've taken a very long break from this space. My last post was in January, and it's already the latter-half of July! So what have I been up to (besides spending time with these adorable sisters?)?

I experimented with natural dyes for my spring eggs. Red cabbage is still my favorite (it makes blue).

Joe and I sometimes eat hard-boiled eggs as part of our breakfast. Since I love the look of dyed eggs, I decided to start dying my hard-boiled eggs all the time. Now I know when I reach into the fridge that the blue eggs are hard-boiled, while the white ones are not. It's especially helpful when I'm still half-asleep.

I went strawberry-picking with these three dear friends of mine. Along the way we found this old giant at a rest-stop along Interstate 5.

After many years of sewing, I finally organized my fabrics!

Now that my sewing space is more organized, I find myself sewing more often. This skirt, for example, used to be pants that had seen better days.

My local public library has seen quite a bit of me lately. I love the old brick building and its half-mile proximity to my apartment.

I recently returned from a two-week trip to Virginia where I visited with family. I love the first glimpse of the Cascade Mountains on the flight back. Seeing those snow-capped peaks reminds me how much I love living in the Pacific Northwest.

And while I love my whole family, this little man melts my heart.

Snowmageddon!

Sort of.

We have 3-5" here in Seattle today, while Tacoma and Olympia have closer to 10. School's canceled, so Joe and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. Sunday's snow was mostly big flakes. Today's snow is a ton of tiny, tiny flakes, mixed in with a bit of wind. To our delight, Zatz was open, so we had lunch.

Just for the record: that blue house is not where I live, but is pretty nevertheless. The second picture is my street.