Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Wednesday Hodgepodge, End of March

Good morning!  It's Wednesday and the last day of March!  Here are my answers to the Wednesday Hodgepodge questions shared by Joyce at From This Side Of The Pond.  Follow the link!

From this Side of the Pond

1.  The Hodgepodge lands on the last day of March...in ten words or less bid, the month adieu.

        March was shamrocks, birthdays, daffodils.
        Bye, 'til we meet again.

2.  March 31st is National Tater Day...your favorite way to have a potato?  Given a choice would you opt for sweet, white, or red?  How often are potatoes on your menu in one form or another?  Ever been to Idaho?  If not, is that a state you'd like to visit someday?

        I love my white potatoes mashed.  I do love sweet potatoes; they must be savory not sweet.  I would say that potatoes are most likely to be added to soups at our house, about once a month.
        Idaho is the state just east of my home state where I was born and raised, Oregon.  So yes, I've been to Idaho more times than I can count.  My memory is that the first time I crossed the Snake River into Idaho was when our high school choir met in Boise for a musicale with other Christian high school choirs from the Pacific Northwest.
        Recently, several friends have moved to Idaho from California, so I would always like to visit them.
        
3.  Last time someone or something 'rained on your parade'?  Explain.
   
        Currently, I am on a short road trip with The Professor, Older Daughter and Grandson.  Grandson, The New Boy, has been in charge of finding restaurants.  He chose the perfect one we all wanted to try and it was just a few blocks from our Air BnB.  What disappointment!  The restaurant is closed until Friday for renovations/construction work.  We were sad, especially New Boy.  But we found another wonderful place to have dinner.

4.  Put all your eggs in one basket, get cracking, nest egg, bad egg, good egg, egg on, have egg on your face, or walk on eggshells...choose a phrase from the list that applies to something in your life currently and tell us how or why.

        It's time for me to 'get cracking' on starting seeds for my garden!

5.  If I visited your home would I find a lot of baskets there?  Something you like to keep in a basket?

        I think I have maybe four baskets in my whole house.  Two are in my studio room, filled with yarn and knitted items (mostly hats).  In the family room, there is a basket filled with some of my handknitted blankets, folded and waiting for someone to grab and cuddle in if they are cold.  The fourth basket is empty and sitting on the landing at the top of the stairs.  When we moved in the house in October, I plopped it there, and it hasn't moved (but it is kinda cute).

6.  Inset your own random thought here.

        Have you ever heard of Longaberger Baskets?  The company built their headquarters to look like a huge basket.  It's in the county where I live now. 


 Yep.  It's a real place. (BTW, it's for sale, if you're interested...)

Saturday, March 27, 2021

All About Daffodils

 I love daffodils.  I always have.  I always will.  Perhaps I come by my love of these cheerful yellow spring flowers honestly.  It seems like daffodils are the preferred spring flower of England (and yes, I am half English heritage).  In searching for photos of sheep,  I found picture after picture of daffodils from our trip to England in March and April 2019.  Enjoy!

Daffodils with Tintagel in the background


Daffodils gracing the Cornish hedgerows

 

 Glastonbury Abbey daffodils 



Daffodils in the middle of a field near Avebury


Daffodils decorating York town wall

 



Friday, March 26, 2021

Windy Week

 Wow!  This past week has flown by.  Literally.  We have been experiencing extremely strong winds.  Older Daughter's power is out, but at least we have not had any tornados.  It's time for Willow's Willow summed up with FRIDAY FAVE FIVES. The link will take you to where you can read other FFFs and join in, too, if you wish.

1.  SPRING flowers!  Lots of daffodils.  (Yes, I mentioned that last week, but these daffodils make me happy all day long!)

2.  More HIKES and WALKS.  Just like last week.  Notice a pattern here?  I do love being outside seeing God's creation, even if the trails are muddy.


3.  The Professor and I also ventured out on our BIKES this week.  We are slowly working up to longer rides.

4.  I asked my grandson The New Boy what I did this week.  His response:  You taught me alliteration.  Ah, yes.  I enjoy TEACHING writing/composition and find it fun to teach my grandson as part of his homeschool curriculum.

5.  My art group friends and I were 'zooming' this week, discussing the book we chose to read for Lent.  As usual, we got a bit off topic and our conversation ended up at this quote (which I have written over one of my photos.


Friday, March 19, 2021

Celebrating St. Patrick and Spring!

 Did you know that the Spring equinox is this weekend?  In my time zone, spring will arrive at 11:48 tonight!  Today the weather is celebrating with sunshine (and a lot of wind thrown in for 'interest').  Since it is also Friday, I am celebrating Spring with Friday Fave Fives, my weekly collection of examples of gratitude.  This is the link to join Susanne and others in being thankful on Fridays.

1.  This is my birthday week.  Yes, I was born on St. Patrick's Day!  I appreciate how people celebrate my birthday with parades and parties and green things like beer and shamrocks.  Here at Willow's Cottage, we enjoyed a meal together.  All my family called or came by.  One of my favorite things is that my six year old grandgirl informed me that March 17th is not St. Patrick's birthday; it's the day he died.  (She looked up that information on her own!)

2.  Lots of cards from friends.  I love receiving snail mail.  Oh!  And a package, too!

3.  A week can't go by without my being happy for hikes.  In fact, we did two hikes as well as a couple of shorter trail walks.  On Sunday we explored Infirmary Mound Park, which is a 316 acre park that includes a prehistoric Hopewell mound. 


Then on Wednesday, we visited the arboretum and hiked on the east side which is described as for 'our more adventurous visitors'.  That area also has a pre-historic mound.

4.  My younger daughter and I "attended" a baby shower for one of her life long friends.  "Attended" means it was a zoom shower.  Mom-to-be's mother lives even farther away than we do, so there were people from all over the US attending the shower.  Yes, that is the baby for whom I made that hoodie sweater (I'll have to ask her for a picture!).  I'm so glad we were able to celebrate with this sweet family.

5.  The garden progresses!  I love being surprised by what shows up in this garden.  I have positive identification on three flowers.  Crocus.  Yes.  Daffodils.  Yes.  Tulips.  Yes.


And here is a bonus.  A bit of St. Patrick's Day humor.

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here are some fun answers to Hodgepodge for this week.  Click on the picture to join in.

                                                From this Side of the Pond

 1.  This week's Hodgepodge lands on St. Patrick's Day.  Will you wear green?  Eat corned beef and cabbage?  Drink green beer?  Have you even been to Ireland?  Is it on your travel 'bucket list'?

        I am wearing green.  And shamrock necklace and earrings.  No corned beef and cabbage and no green beer. I am choosing all my favorite foods for dinner tonight. Why?  Because it's my birthday!!  We will have triple berry pie for dessert.

         Although I haven't been there yet, I do want to visit Ireland and find out more about where one of my ancestresses lived there.

2.  Something you think is 'worth its weight in gold'?

         Obviously, my morning coffee!  And shamrocks!


3.  Something that makes you 'green around the gills'?

         Very few things bother me.  I don't mind bugs, spiders, dead things.  Except snakes.  I don't like snakes.  What makes me 'green'?  Turbulent airplane rides.

4.  What puts a 'spring in your step' these days?

          SUNSHINE!

5.  Write a limerick using one of the following as your theme...March, St. Patrick's Day, Covid, 2020 and/or 2021, the color green, or life lately.  Yes, you can do it.

          There was a St Pat’s girl who wore green

Every Irish birthday she could be seen

Sporting a shamrock

And bright colored sock

And drinking her liquid coffee bean.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

             It's a perfect birthday today!  Sunshine and blue skies!  Calls from my kids and favorite (only) brother!  Birthday dinner and birthday pie to look forward to this evening! 


Friday, March 12, 2021

It's (almost) Spring!

 Friday Fave Fives.  Here is Willow's Week in five little peeks into my life.  Are you looking forward to spring as much as I am? 

1.  Most the days this week have been sunny and almost warm.  That makes me so thankful!

2.  Mystery plants popping up in my new front garden area.  Maybe hyacinths?  And tulips?  Stay tuned for identification when the flowers bloom.


3.  We found an off the paved trail hiking (and mountain bike) path.   And this was sitting on the side perched on a downed tree.  I love finding those hidden trails!

4.  A knitted sweater has been sent to celebrate a new baby boy.  Of course I forgot to take a photo of the finished sweater before I popped it in to the mailing box.  Just imagine a 6 month sized cardigan with a hood made with the darker grey and stripes of the lighter grey.  And another two year old green sweater has been started.  Hopefully, I will remember to take pictures of that one.

5.   Do you ever do this?  Lately, I have had to drive about twenty-five miles each way for some physical therapy appointments.  Driving on the highways is boring.  So I've been  returning home via alternate routes. I love taking the country roads and learning about the area where I am living.  What makes this a fave?  I can explore and I have gas in my car to do it.  And it's even more beautiful because it's ALMOST SPRING!

Friday, March 05, 2021

Hikes and Walks and All Things Good

So far, March has been quite kind to us.  The skies have been blue.  The temperatures have moderated a bit.  I kinda like the month of March.  There is always much for which to be thankful.  Here are five things that stood out to me when I was thinking about what I could write about for Friday Fave Fives (follow the link to join!).

1. and 2.  The reason I am late posting my Fave Fives is because we took TWO walks today.  Our daughters both wanted to get out for a good long walk, but their schedules didn't mesh.  So we walked with one (and her dog), took a coffee break with our new friends (that's the #2 fave), then took another longer walk with our other daughter and her dog.

3.  A fun hike.  On Saturday, we all jumped in our cars and did a family hike at a local state reserve Blackhand Gorge.  It was a wonderful warm day. And there were lots of people out on the trails.  It was so much fun to be out on the trails!



4.  We ordered blinds for most of the windows in our new home.  This week they arrived and were installed.

5. The Professor got an all clear from his doctor for something that had been causing a lot of pain in his neck and shoulders.  Physical therapy has worked wonders, and he is so much better that the doctor doesn't need to see him again unless the pain returns.  Good news! 

Wednesday, March 03, 2021

March Comes Marching In

The month has Marched in with sunshine and wind.  I am happy March is here because that means the end of winter is in sight.  It is the first Wednesday of March and that means Wednesday Hodgepodge.

 From this Side of the Pond

1. Is March coming in like a lion where you live? Aslan, Simba, Elsa, The Cowardly Lion...your favorite 'famous' lion? 

            So far, March has come in hopping around like a bunny on weed.  Cold, cold nights and sunny days.  At least there hasn’t been snow.

            Without a doubt, Aslan is my lion of choice!  There is so much symbolism in CS Lewis’s depiction of Aslan.

 

2. In what way do you 'march to the beat of your own drum'? 

            Most people live in their homes and communities all their lives.  From childhood, I have been an adventurer.

 

3. What item that you don't have already, would you most like to own? Any chance of that happening soon? 

            I have everything I need and most everything I want.  We have been looking for furniture for our family room.  In the near future, we will be purchasing chairs and a sofa.

 

4. March is National Flour Month...are you a baker? Cookies-cakes-or pies...your favorite sweet treat to bake? What's the last non-sweet thing you made that called for flour?

            I enjoy baking pies and cookies.  Cakes, not at all.

            It has been so long since I baked a sweet treat, I honestly am not sure.  Maybe the Christmas cookies I baked in December?  As for a non-sweet flour food, I guess it was the dinner rolls I baked for Thanksgiving.

 

5. There are 31 days in the month of March...where were you and what were you doing when you were 31? If you haven't hit that milestone yet, then tell us where you were and what you were doing 31 months ago? (if math is not your thing, that would be August 3, 2018)

            When I turned 31 in March of that year, I was living in the jungles of Papua, Indonesia, which is the western half of the island of New Guinea (which is directly north of Australia, for those who don’t know South East Asian geography).  In March, we were living in mission housing away from our home because I had just given birth to my third child, a son, and was waiting for him to be old enough to receive a whooping cough vaccination since there was a breakout of that disease in the village where we lived.



Yes, he was adorable!



6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

        March means SPRING!