Smugglers Cove Whidbey Island

Pebbles and stones.  Shell bits.  Mussels.  Clams hiding. Sea glass.  Where does it come from?

It has been a very long time since I have posted.  I won’t go backwards and try to fill in, at least not today.

Today was an amazing Spring Day.  We wandered over to the beach at low tide to look for clams and mussels.  Many were found.  I do not have a license, so I poked about and found a bit of sea glass.  Then, upon looking further, I found some amazing sea glass pieces.  Some have identification marks and I must look them up.

I will now happily tag along on mussel hunts.  The sea glass calls.  What to do with it?  So many great ideas.

It’s Spring.  Go outside and do something.

We have been to two Lavender Festivals in recent days.  We have successfully started several plants from seed and we wanted to see exactly how the big farms had theirs planted.  Lavender likes warm feet, so we need to dig up what we have and make some mounds for them.  Then we can plant the new seedlings.  I envision a big lavender garden.  Deer don’t like them….note to deer…

Deer also don’t like Shasta daisies….no one told our deer that.  Deer don’t like Crocosmia – ditto the above.  They love nasturtiums; but only the leaves.  I find that really interesting.  Do they somehow know that the seeds are in the flowers and if they eat the flowers, there won’t be more plants?  Yeah, I was raised on Disney and I anthropomorphize all manner of critters.

I need to rethink the plants around and on the deck.  They are absolute mosquito havens and that isn’t okay.  I need to track down some lemon grass, but I wonder if it really keeps the little beggars away?  Somehow, I doubt it.

The house remains very comfortable.  It is cool on warm days and warm on cool days.  It doesn’t get better than that.

The garden is bountiful.  So much to choose from.  So much to enjoy.  So many lessons learned.

Those pesky mosquitoes have returned full force.  They are a complete pain in the arse.  We are trying many, many remedies to dwindle their number.  It is so delightful to walk around this fabulous property – except now.

We have had loads of visitors and that has been amazing.  Kayaking!  Beach-combing!  Shopping!  Thrift Stores gleaned!  Lunches and dinners!  Fishing!

The garden is ridiculously verdant!  Lush and beautiful!  And everything is delicious.  We even have cherries on the newly planted trees.  Strawberries!  Vegetables and vegetables and vegetables! Is there anything better than fresh anything?

We are in the midst of a heat wave and that has to be tough for the local farmers.  This is not the norm.  Or is it the new norm?  I sure hope not.

Yesterday, we had several fires on the Island and that is not okay.  They were probably set and that makes it even more horrendous.  Let’s hope we get through the 4th without any more nonsense.

Remember one reason we left Colorado and came here was due to the constant threat of fire in our neck of the woods.  Well, it happened after we left and I want that constant threat left in the background.

So, go dig in the dirt and plant something.  Eat a big salad today.  Hug a tree.  Yes, I said that!  Hug lots of trees.  Oh, yesterday we saw and heard a great horned owl on the edge of the driveway.  Come back!  Hopefully this is a young owl looking for a new home.  The welcome sign is out!

Okay – Spring and early Summer are just too busy.  That is a given.  So, I’m back – we’re back – whatever.

The garden is ridiculously abundant.  Yum and yum.  The late Spring and early Summer are too warm…no, wait, HOT!  But look – our fabulous home is cool.  We live in an insulated wonderland.

We have had loads of visitors and it really helps us look anew at the house.  It is a great home.  We are comfortable.

The deer have discovered the deck and all of our plants.  So far, so good.  Their favorites seem to be the nasturtium leaves – not the flowers.  Okay…have at ’em.  They did nibble my new curly willow and that is not okay.  It is now in the protected garden area.

The frogs are enjoying the small pie pan watering hole.  Next year they must have a proper pond…that’s going to happen.

And a boat – yup, gotta have one.  For us, not the frogs!

Have a great summer – go hug a tree.

Plants overwinter here in the PNW.  That is something we never hoped for in Colorado.  The garden has been activated for the spring and summer.  Lots of planting.

Lately, the weather has been conducive to outdoor activities and gardening is at the top of the list.  I tend to migrate toward the ornamentals.  He tends to cultivate vegetables and herbs.

Yesterday, we attended the Island Garden Club plant sale.  I came away with a tomato and some strawberry plants.  I also bought more fuchsias.  I love fuchsias!  He came away with a lovely flowering vinca.  Good thing we complement each other!  Unfortunately, the tomato had a badly bent stem, unbeknownst to me, so I don’t hold out much hope it’ll survive.  I planted it deep and wrapped plastic around it.  The plastic was recycled from a large bag of tp from Costco.  He laughed!

Another beautiful day on tap.  Tickets to one-act plays this afternoon.  Hmmmm.  Sun or indoors?  Sun or indoors?  It’ll be a hard call.  Enjoy your day!

We have planted several rhododendrons.  At the moment, most of them line the driveway.  Some of them have bloomed thus far.  Right now, this one has burst forth.  The leaves and the flowers are variegated.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

The garden is exploding.  A cold frame was built and seedlings have gone from the garage, to the cold frame and into the garden.  The Master Gardener found rabbit poop in the garden – not okay.  He is now in the process of adding a strip of wire to block their entry.  The deer have also taken notice of the expanding plant zone.  Yesterday, we watched as one just wandered at the edge of the new plants.  What was it thinking?

“Where are the dogs?”

“Do I dare stroll in there and nibble?”

The deer munched on the new spring grasses and left the valuable plants alone.  Many of those plants have wire cages – a must.

Last weekend, we drove around to several nurseries on the Island.  We visited a new one to us.  The plants were spectacular.  Of course, we bought a few things.  Tomorrow, they’ll go in the ground.  The weather is slowly warming and we even saw 70’s in the forecast.  Perfect!  This is an exciting time of year.  The days have lengthened and we appreciate those added hours of sunshine.

Go dig in the dirt.  Plant a few seeds.  I want to make some seed bombs with my grandson and toss them hither and yon!  Good times.

Was the last posting really in January?  So many changes.  So much to share.

It’s April.  Our garden is being planted, shrubs going into the ground, trees mulched, seeds sown.

The photo is from a lovely old Seattle garden.  We are thrilled that garden is now in the care of our daughter and son-in-law.  Oh, and their gorgeous new daughter.  Yes, it has been quite a ride the past few months!

We have had a few folks ask us about our home and how the construction went.  We learn more about the house everyday.  The boss checked the propane tank today.  We started at 80% full and after all this time it is down to 68%.  That is just amazing.  The sun is turning towards the solar panels and they need to be washed!

Our son daughter-in-law and grandson are still on the Island and now in a wonderful home.  Good times.

Welcome Spring.  Look for the sprouts as they are the future.

Things I need to remember – Go to the beach and walk.  Do that way more often.  Walk down the street.  That’s something I have not really done, because of the dogs.  I know that sounds crazy, but our dogs would much rather be sans leash than on a leash.  No surprise there, but it makes a trek down the street difficult.  So, if I go it alone, they stay inside and sulk.  Big time sulking.  So, I don’t go and that needs to change.  I need to walk more at the farm.  It’s right down the street and a lovely place.

The beach and the farm have one drawback – no, wait – one irritation – people who do not clean up their dog’s refuse.  It makes me utterly crazy.

Whenever I go to the beach, I take a garbage bag and pick up litter.  Lots of debris washes ashore and lots of trash is dropped.  Plastic is easily seen.  There are no colors in the natural world the same as a piece of plastic.  Thankfully so.

The house chugs along and we are cozy.  We do love our woodstove.  There is almost nothing as cozy as a wood fire on a cold winter day.  We have loads of wood thanks to some major wind storms this season.  We will not run out of wood anytime soon.  We also have a new log-splitter that is just amazing.  It is a great addition!