My Grandmom of Sixty Years Ago...

Came across this old photo and boy oh boy does it make me smile. Cousins Margie, Bob, Jack, and brother Shannon are all there with me and I am certain that I was wearing my cherished cowboy boots - which went rather well with that dress!  I wish I knew what we were laughing at :)  And at the center of it all is our ever smiling emblem of happiness:  Marguerite Bryan, blessed Grandmom.

OH NO! Bad timing little Sunflower...

Spotted this on my morning walk. Can you believe it?  October 31st and this little guy is ignoring ALL the winter signs and heading straight UP.  Can you see the tiny green spec in the lower left hand of the second photo? Talk about optimism...or stupidity...or perseverance? Or, as James Russell Lowell said in "What is so Rare as a Day in June" ( a very long poem that my grandmom taught me at the age of 4!?!):  Every clod feels a stir of might, an instinct within it that reaches and towers, and, groping blindly above it for light, climbs to a soul in grass and flowers...

But it's almost NOVEMBER little guy...

Grown up Chicks...Waiting for the EGGS!

Oh I am just an Iowa farm girl at heart...though I am VERY glad I live in the Northwest :)  My pets are pretty cool and these six chicks were the ones "sneaked" under my Little Red Hen several months ago when they were two days old. By the next morning, Little Red was convinced she had hatched them and became an ideal mama. Vern is not liking the fact that they love to roost on the two adirondack chairs on the front porch!?!?! But it's so hilarious to see them there!

Blooming Mugs Feed Cheney!

The Mason Jar was the gracious host to display and sell all 37 Cheney Blooms Mugs which netted $185 for Feed Cheney this year. Thanks to Jennifer Brock Olsen for her gorgeous succulents, Brian Greene from Greene's Greenhouse, and Chet's Flowers. I am looking forward to a new round next year. Any other flower and succulent sources are welcome to join in :)

God Bless These Little Feet

I'm still loving my three hours in the NICU each week and get the chance to send all my best hopes and dreams to these fragile kiddos. I find out their first name, think of someone else with that name, then tell the little baby all sorts of stories about their "twin"!  Let's hope these tiny feet will find a safe, fulfilling, loving path.

Fire and Beauty...

Surprise! I'm back to the "occasional" blog.  Was looking through this year's Pacific Crest Trail photos and kept coming back to this one of a 1988 fire accidentally started by loggers, which burned 3,000 acres. Was on a stretch between Stampede and Chinook Passes. Such a strange, stark, yet beautiful scene...

Forty Years - Ya Gotta Be Kidding Me!

Forty-four YEARS ago, I ended up, by a series of unusual circumstances, a freshman at this tiny little university in Iowa called Graceland. I went against my parents wishes and took a chance, just "feeling" this was the right thing to do. Well, it was :)  And now we are going back for the 40 year honor class reunion for the Class of 1976. What stories we will all have...  I just wonder HOW did this happen so quickly? :)  I'll be back in a couple of weeks and start up a slightly more regular blog on those simple observations of daily life.

A Life Changer in 1980

I am giving a little talk at church tomorrow about our trip to Nepal and did some thinking about what inspired us to go. I'd have to say my inspiration got it's start in 1980 when I went to the Philippines with a group called Outreach International, the brainchild of a man named Charles Neff. Though he is long gone, I remember much of his manner, grace, and concern for those who were oppressed. When I asked him once why he kept coming back to third world countries, and all of the problems associated with severe poverty, he replied, "You now, I feel honored that I have been accepted by the poor." Wow. Outreach International now has a big presence in 15 countries with thousands upon thousands of lives affected every day by it's mission:  "Give a person a fish and they eat for a day, teach a person to fish and they eat for a lifetime." I found this old picture of Charles and smiled to see that young boy watching him so intently...what a life changer this man was.

Jack, Succulents, and Barb Brock Occasionally...

Greetings to those few dear friends who like to humor me by looking at these "daily" posts :)  I need to try to change the name from "daily" to "occasionally" don't I?  Here's a post of my good buddy Barb Ifft's grandson, Jack, who "helped" me pot these coffee mug succulents yesterday for our local coffee shop. Tomorrow, Vern and I are off on another PCT adventure. I will return with "Two Old Beans on the PCT" highlights in a week! :)

Never Grow Up...

Dear friends Rick and Deb Sarre from Australia were with us this week. We hiked, laughed, swam, cooked, picked berries, shared stories, crossed bridges, drank lots of tea, ate Hudson's Hamburgers, cruised through art galleries, visited Boo Radley's, climbed up in a Red Wagon, fed trash to a goat, and STRETCHED ourselves in the silly mirrors. I hope none of us ever really grows up too much... :)

A Bali Bowl of Flowers

Thanks Mark and Jen for the idea of floating flowers in a shallow bowl. After seeing a lovely Bali Bowl on their kitchen table, I came right home and made my own. The petals have lasted a week and I'm about to restock the dish. This has been a summer of flower adventures!  The owner of The Mason Jar can't wait for me to bring in a fresh new bunch of 20 Cheney Bloom mugs tomorrow. I really don't know what I am doing, but they are pretty cool.

Our New Favorite Little Family!

It was such a fun surprise to reconnect with a long lost "second generation cousin."  Stephanie, Josh, and adorable Oliver stopped by for an evening of chickens and walks and sandboxes and freshly picked kale and salmon and cherry pie. They are taking a long and winding road trip to their new "home" in Iowa City after seven years in California. Their visit just left us smiling and 22 month old Oliver was a true joy to behold.  SO glad they squeezed us into their trip and can't wait to hear about the new "chickens" that Oliver will soon insist upon :)

I love having a grown up girl :)

I enjoyed my babies just as much as anyone else did...but I really love having a grown up girl. No fru fru coffee tastes better, no outing to Value Village is more fun, no swim at the pool is as energizing, no berry picking is as productive, no craft/hobby is as messy and creative, and no Monopoly game is as good...as when Sydney is here! And even though you might look taller in these photos...you are not :)

Succulent MUGS with my Sweet Sis-in-Law :)

I'm attempting to decorate and design a few flower mugs for Cheney's own Mason Jar Coffee Shop each week. My sis-in-law Jennifer and I had a blast making them tonight. Thanks Jen for your expert advice and plants! Come on down to Mason Jar and walk away a Cheney Blooms Mug for only $5. All profits go to Feed Cheney's monthly dinner :)

Pink Baby Shoe in the Blue Butterfly Skywalk

Once a week, I pop between 3rd and 9th floors at the Sacred Heart NICU between the very needy babies and not-so-needy babies. To get to the 9th floor, I have to walk through a Bright Blue Hallway with butterflies hanging from the ceiling. Many butterflies are inscribed with special memorial messages and I read them each time I walk through. Today, there was a tiny little pink shoe on the window sill. I try not to read too much sorrow into that little shoe, but it's always a reminder that very few people WANT to be in a hospital...

Delightful Pacific Northwest Blackberries!

Oh how awesome to fill a bucket in a few minutes with these shiny gorgeous delights - and the season here in Spokane is just beginning! On the west side of our state, the ditches are LINED with these invasive bushes so many locals stop picking them. Well, I grew up LOVING to stain my fingers picking fruit, any kind of fruit, so it's still amazing to me :)

An Onion almost Like My Dad's!

I've ALWAYS had a garden...even when it was one row of green beans beside the sidewalk when we were in grad school at Washington State University!?! Over the years, I've been a great planter...but not such a good harvester - getting ready for my classes took a toll on the time spent in the fall. The garden is nowhere near perfect, but I am having so much more fun experimenting with different veggies. Onions generally don't do well in my garden, but for some reason, this year is a great one. Dad used to have onions that weighed 1.5 pounds and though this one was only 1 pound, I am THRILLED.

Empty Nest? Not for Long!

Well, our kids graduated and left home, the baby chicks hatched, the pets are gone, and the four sweet little robins left their comfortable nest on the front porch and flew away. BUT last night, a new resident took over that nest and made it clear that he/she is here to stay!  There are sooooo many nice moths and bugs that come to the porch light on the front step at night  - thus making that Fuchsia plant extra attractive to an enterprising tree frog. Go figure! :)

NICU Babies AND Piano Wednesdays!

Was just a tiny bit terrified when I sat down to the grand piano in the Sacred Heart Hospital lobby today...with STRANGERS everywhere...knowing I would probably screw up a few times...and interrupt their somber thoughts.  So much emotion in that place, sensitive moments, heart breaking times. At the end of one song, an elderly woman gave me a smile and I played that song again :)  And y'know, it ended up feeling pretty good and always fun to play some of my favorite pieces. I didn't make too many mistakes and lots of nice people came over to chat a little. I guess I'll be back every Wednesday for an hour right before I rock babies in the NICU. Not a bad gig at all :)

A Remarkable Man, Ken Jernberg

Ken was a champion for the homeless teens in Spokane, Washington, for nearly 40 years and a celebration "walk" was held for him today. Ken was known for saying "I just always wanted to make the person who felt small, big."  During graduation ceremonies for the Crosswalk kids, Ken had them walk across a pedestrian bridge over the turbulent Spokane River to symbolize their rite of passage from tough times into the sunshine. RIP Ken...I let this flower float off the bridge and rush on downstream today.

The Path to Bonnie Lake

I have a favorite little lake near Cheney but it's difficult to access!  One must unload kayaks in a ditch, scramble down a steep gravel path, and launch in seaweed. Then, you need to swerve around tall cattails and water lilies, often "bounce over" a beaver dam, and maneuver a curvy narrow shallow stream for one mile before you see the lake. When you do, it's a pristine, three + mile long lake surrounded by huge basalt cliffs and rock formation. Sorta fun to have something like this 30 min from home :)

Transcend the Bullshit Artist Harold Balazs, Revealed!

This was just too much fun to just let it go with one post.  Yesterday in downtown Spokane, I spotted "Transcend the Bullshit" at least five more times - on shirts, mugs, button, magnets, and sculptures.  The creator Harold Balazs is now in his 80's, still living in Mead, and working every day. He is AMAZING and has made dozens of fantastic sculptures all around Spokane and the Northwest!!  The sculptor for the man with the wheelbarrow featured in my last blog was Ken Spiering, but his model was Harold.  They were good friends, collaborated together, and Harold sneaked in the Transcend Bullshit statement on the bottom of the shoe. In all the blogs and posts, I never saw anyone who mentioned seeing it there.  Now YOU can be part of an elite sighting! Everything I have read states what a creative, down-to-earth, brilliant man he is. Well done, Harold - may your spark of fun continue to light up our paths.

A Pancake Turtle...Sort of...

My dear Grandmom made pancakes for me as a wee little girl, and with the last batter, always designed a cool shape which we had to decipher. When I was making blueberry pancakes this am, my nephew Spencer reminded me that Papa used to make a Turtle with his four legs sticking out. Well, I tried... :)

This Frog will Need Sunglasses!

Dug into a bag of potting soil today and dumped several scoopfuls in a bucket. Looked down right before I dumped it in a pot in the garden and saw a little fugitive that had been living in the sack!  Do you see him? I made sure he was nicely shaded in his new home - lol!

The Bottom of the Statue's Shoe

This blog was meant to make me stop more and look closely. Well, as my friends and I were walking in Spokane along the river and enjoying Riverfront Park, a dicey looking strange young man told us to look at the bottom of the statue's foot. "Go on - he says - it will change your life."  My friends and I found ourselves on the cement trying to peek under a shoe, feeling rather like fools, but here is what the screen shot on my phone showed - etched there by the sculptor. Hmmm.  Made us all think! Transcend the Bullshit

They Flew Away Today!!

What a treat to watch a tiny little family evolve and disappear all in one month.  They built a nest stick by stick, lined it with feathers, laid four beautiful bright blue eggs, HATCHED, literally outgrew their nest, bulged out the sides, and flew away!  If we had not made the trip to Iowa when we did, the Robin never would have built in the hanging basket right outside the front door, so it will probably never happen again. Nonetheless, it was a discovery full of joy. Such simple wonders in this beautiful world.

Adventures of the Great Green Gourmet Smoothie Master

My nephew, Aaron Bryan, wife Melinda and their two awesome kids, Aidan and Evie, spent last week with us and partook in several adventures from sand castle building in our sand box and Beverly Beach on the Oregon coast to smoothie making in my kitchen to Portland Thai dinners, Old Wave concerts, and campfires on an Oregon Coast beach! Of course the two pups, Mabel and Olive, entertained us all the while. Here's Aidan convincing himself AND family to try this delicious treat :)

Sand...the PERFECT Playground!

Aidan, Evie, Aaron, and I built a pretty cool fortress today!  Including a mote, several bridges, and multiple octopus and sea turtles. Ya just don't get too old for sand...

Did you know that "In 1885 an outdoor play center for children was established in the city of Boston. A large sand pile was placed in the yard of a children's mission through the efforts of the state Emergency and Hygiene Association. Each day an average of fifteen children came to play. They dug in the sand, sang songs, and marched about under the guidance of a woman who lived in the neighborhood. The area around the sand pile was open three days per week for six weeks during the months of July and August.

The Boston Sand Garden served as a forerunner of all playgrounds in America. By 1887, nine other sand gardens had opened in Boston." (Dr. Larry Jackson, http://leisurelines.blogspot.com)

Gobbling Dandelion Fluff!!

For years, Sydney would trick her friends (and me) into closing our eyes and opening wide as she blew dandelion fluff into our mouths!  YUK!  So it's rather funny that her puppy, Mabel, LOVES to grab the big puffy spheres and gobble them up. Wish I could have captured Mabel's eyes lighting up when she sees one :)

13th Annual Kids Kamp has begun!

What a treat to see so many kids come to camp over the years and return as the teenage counselors! It's always a sweet gathering and sometimes the very first "campout" for some of the youngsters. Spaghetti, homemade ice cream, campfires, SKITS, crafts, hikes, baby chicks, and samples from the garden. Thank goodness the rain paused this weekend for us - and thank goodness I don't have to sleep in the tents. :)   Kathleen, Ron, RJ, Taylor, and Amber - you counselors are the best! It's nice just being in charge of logistics.

Newbies right AT the front door!!

Home from a San Juan Island trip to find two new baby Robins a foot from the front door in the hanging fuchsia basket - and two more on the way.  (See earlier post called Too Close for Comfort!) To add to the drama, the annual Kid's Camp is on our property this weekend so all 15 of us will have to come into the house through the garage. Can't BELIEVE Mama Robin thought this was a good idea...though life in a huge fuchsia would be quite fun!