Poetic Pink

Photo by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Pink puffs perfectly poised to produce

pretty pearls of poetry.

warmed by sun's long days

life-giving nectar drawn up

to the sky; beauty

 

 

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

 

 

What about you? What do you see in pink?

Who Loved Our Spring Rain?

Pink rhododendrons adored the misty climate.

White rhododendrons drank deeply of the saturating moisture.

Coral bells tipped heavily after two days of spring precipitation.

A weed! Taller than the tulips, it relished the empowering water.

The used-to-be-a-stick dogwood tree, which blooms later than the other sort, happily weathered the storm. Now it is seeking sunlight.

Pink clouds of fluff benefited and beautify the garden.

Overwintering kale, flowering now, is ever strong and prolific. I may be sorry for letting it go to seed.

Though wind tore down all previous attempts at blooming, the rain did not hinder, but encouraged success.

Potatoes-in-bags sprang up to new heights. Time to rebury the stems.

Beans shot up overnight when their thirst was quenched.

Ever bearing kale, a new variety this year, has burst into production. Kale, anyone?

Strawberries refreshed themselves with water from heaven.

Not pictured? The slugs. Squashed does not make good photos.

Who wasn't too excited? The gray kitties. Mabel here, showing why we sometimes have flat strawberries in our garden.

What a wonderful blessing, this gift of rain!

Strawberries in the Spring

Nothing says spring better than red, ripe strawberries. Unless it is the same juicy bundles of tartness wrapped in delicate spring rain.

Black Does Not Match Shedding Season

It seems the season of shedding is upon us.

The kitties, barely one year old, are experiencing their first time of spring shedding. Fur. Abundant fluff. Hair. Way more hair than is actually on the girls is racing in droves to be the first to depart their respective feline host.

Wads of gray, tan, and orange now mingle with other carpet bunnies. Oh, please, don't reproduce!

We had some loves today, Monet and I. Black is not a good color for this time of year. "But it felt so good," said a much thinner gray girl.

Amidst the floating pieces that caught the light and the lingering ones that settled on the furniture (and my black top), one would know that this house harbors not just one defrocking cat, but two.

If you come a-visiting, don't wear black.

And never fear. I have the sticky tape roller ready to go.

Spring is Springing

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want-oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"

~ Mark Twain (as discovered in Mutts, a comic strip)

Signs of spring in the Yakima Valley.

Though Angie Quantrell loves fall best, spring brings new hope and fresh air. Not to mention beauty and bliss that is sometimes missed during the cold days of winter. Happy Spring!

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Wild Horses

It's spring!

That means wild horses and lots of adorable babies on the Yakama Reservation between Toppenish and Goldendale. We spied many sleeping, eating, and dashing spindle-legged beauties, a refreshing sight from the back of a motorcyle.

It's worth a drive and a pair of binoculars.

fake spring

What? The snow is all melted. Ok, the snow mountains in the front and back yards are still there, just much, much smaller. Roads are clear, except for piles of gravel and sand. Chinook breeze (and gale force blasts) have been blowing all day. Blue skies. Beautiful moon and stars. Walked out this morning to go get coffee with my coat on. Went right back inside and put it away. A thin sweater is more than enough. No gloves, scarf, or hat...Sunglasses were required. No heat necessary in the car. Iced coffee tasted superb.

All this fake spring (it IS still January, and not even the end of the month). My computer reads 50 degrees right now. It's almost 7:00 PM. In the fall, we call the short blast of summer before the real autumn Indian Summer. So what do we call the reverse in January where winter disappears for a short while and it seems to be spring??? Surely not Indian Spring! I think I"ll call it Pseudo-Spring.

It must be about time for a recurrence of winter. Blizzard, frigid temps, nasty roads, foggy and minimal line of sight, dangerous sidewalks, icicles, shoveling, hot cocoa...

I'm not putting away my sweaters just yet. No. Winter is not over.

Easter 'Almost' Sunrise Service

Happy Easter! A blessed day for believers worldwide, anticipated and celebrated with joyful reverence. As we watched the 'in advance' egg hiding across the water channel, our small group gathered for an Easter 'almost' sunrise service. Due to recent weather upsets (see previous entry), we decided to at least see daylight and what weather conditions applied before we headed to the park for worship. We met almost at sunrise...or slighter thereafter, to worship the King.
No snow. Sigh. But plenty of cool, crisp air and bright sun combined with blue sky gave us a beautiful setting to remember the day that Christ arose from the grave after dying on the cross for our sins. With the birds singing, the ducks on the pond quacking, and the serene (if somewhat cool) setting, we enjoyed a lovely fellowship experienced between brothers and sisters in Christ.

The fresh, spring park atmosphere reminded me of another early morning garden, when One thought dead, was alive again. The foundation and turning point of our faith.

He is alive!

Merry Christmas!

Surprise! It would have been funnier yesterday, April Fool's Day. But today is the white sky date. It is more of a surprise if one doesn't watch the news, and is therefore shocked when an early spring snow shower occurs. Studs are gone from the tires, trees are budded, some seeds are deposited in the ground, flowers are abundant and beautiful. It's Good Friday. Easter is Sunday.

Welcome snow!

Despite the wintry appearance, the temp is mild, and the ladybug wellies are plenty warm enough to slosh through the mush.


But even now, the snow turns to rain, and sky is brightening, and water pours down the gutters and sidewalks.
Grateful irrigation of the lawn, but sad loss of my beloved snow.

Spring will return.