Morning Gratitude

This week I'm taking a two-day silent retreat focusing on Gratitude. On my first meditation walk, I listened to my inner voice and ended up changing direction. I walked a different route than I intended to walk when I went out the door. I was rewarded with this:

Shrooms

At Circle Park

Gutter Blossoms

Most folks call you weeds.

But to me, you're two more pretty purple flowers

A Yellow Flower in White

Sometimes the simple form of the flower reveals itself most beautifully when all the color is drained.

A Lighter Shade of Pale

or ... purple

Delicate Purple

I walked through the park yesterday to see what Autumn left in the way of flowers.

Playing with Shapes

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Hosta's Last Dance

As Fall starts seeping into north Idaho, the plants in our front yard are beginning to show their wear.

These feisty hostas are going for one more round of blooms. The buds are shooting up from the leaves.

Then opening a little more day by day

Until they are in full bloom, adding a bit of color in their shady home at the base of the pines.

A last bit of summer splendor.

Goodbye, Summer

The last of the bell flowers bows to the waning sun.

Glass Art Garden

Last May when Jodie and I were exploring Hood River, Oregon, we followed some signs to a glass art studio. Outside, the owners created a garden filled with flowers - both natural and of glass. There were fairies

and angels,

giant glass flowers

and little glass hearts tucked away in the corners.

We were privileged to watch the artist as she formed some vases in this fire.

All Natural

While Jodie and I were out geocaching, we found this at the end of the road.

Along with the organic gardening going on in the neighborhood, were these pretty daisy-like clumps of flowers on the desert floor.

The insect population was glad to be away from the harsh chemicals, too.

Lupine Love

The lupines in our yard are volunteers

I like them so much, I can't think of them as weeds. They're far too pretty.

Besides, they remind me of one of my very favorite children's books, Miss Rumphius.

A Dawn in the Life

Dale and I woke up early, early one morning last week. We were shaking off the odiferous remnants of a middle-of-the-night skunking. It was hard to breathe, much less return to sleep. So we decided to go out to breakfast.

Across the highway, the clouds hung down so low to the ground, that the mountaintops to the north rose above them.

To the west, the moon was beginning to set.

While in the east, the oranges of a smoky dawn were giving way to blue overhead.

Our coffee and hot chocolate arrived with a jolly greeting - both by our favorite server and by the message on the cup. Dale spiked my hot chocolate with his coffee so I could get a caffeine buzz.

We rubbed the rest of the sleep out of our eyes as the meal arrived. French toast, sausage, egg whites and the most perfectly cooked hash browns I've ever seen for Dale.

A short stack and bacon bacon bacon bacon for me.

And the sun rose.
And we winked at each other across the table.
And we shared a little lovin'.

The Iris Family

Baby Bud

Tall Dark Daddy

Mamma May

Open wide and say ahhhhhh!

Addi's Afghan

Our neighbor's daughter just had a baby girl. Addison. Since I'm in the baby-afghan-making mood, I decided to make one for her.

The afghan is loosely based on a pattern by StuckAtHomeMom.com I found through Pinterest. After working with the baby yarn, changing hook sizes and checking gauge, I altered the pattern to fit my needs.

It's basically a series of half-double crochet + chain 1 for one row, then single crochet + chain one for the next row for the white rows. The colored rows are all single crochet + chain one. The stitch is formed in the chain stitch of the preceding row.

I left the color-change strands long. When making the fringe, I used 2 strands of white with one strand of the row's color. I simply wove the color-change strands into the half-hitch knot as the fringe was formed.

Addi's grandma was so pleased! When she came to pick up the gift, she brought the baby with her -- and I got to hold the sweet newborn!

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Inspired by StuckAtHomeMom via Pinterest
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Rosebuds

Something beautiful is about to happen here.

Here too!

Oh. Maybe not so much. Eek!

Bearded Beauty

This lovely iris poked its head up in my garden last June.

Welcome, Baby!

My ivy is putting out new leaves ... so pretty in the morning light.