Lilacs

The Lilacs are blooming.  

Their sweet fragrance reminds me of every past spring....all the way back to my earliest years.  To me, spring would not feel complete without the scent of warm soil, damp grass, and lilacs filling the air.  

I've got bouquets all over the house.....I must make sure that when Jonah is in his eighties, and inhales the lavender perfume of spring, that he remembers back to his early years of life in the wonderful Columbia River Gorge.

Lucky for me we inherited these Lilac bushes.  Or, I should say, when we first inspected the house to buy and walked among the towering oak trees and and saw the wall of lilacs, we knew, without question, that we had found home.

The pitcher is a a vintage piece that I acquired for $17.  It is marked on the bottom with the words:

A.G.M. Co. 

VIKO 

ALUMINUM

Made in the USA

From my research, A.G.M. stands for Aluminium Goods Manufacturing Company or "The Goods" as it was known locally in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.  Apparently the shareholders renamed to company in 1957, so this predates that decision.

It is a great pitcher, the prefect size for ice water in the summer or an overflowing display of blossoms.

Happy Spring to you all!

Enjoy the weekend.

xo

Falls Creek Falls

The weather this weekend was downright warm!  We had 80° temperatures for several days.  And the whole while I kept pinching myself....it is still April, right?

We decided to hike an old summertime standby for hot days -- the Falls Creek Falls Trail.  

We love this hike because the trail follows Falls Creek upstream through an old growth forest.  The canopy above offers significant shade which makes it the prefect outing on hot afternoons.  

Here is Jonah modeling this fantastic baby backpack!  This carrier is a really comfortable way to wear Jonah now that he's a little bigger.  Plus it has extra storage for a water bladder, snacks, diaper stuff, and extra layers.  Another great hand-me-down!

The trail zig zags across the "creek" over a series of bridges.  With the sudden heat and late snow pack, the water tumbling along the banks is more like a river than a creek.

Right after I took this picture, I dropped the lens cap to my camera into the water.  Grrrrr.

The whole hike is only 4 miles round trip and about 900 ft. in elevation gain.  Here we are crossing another "small" seasonal feeder creek.

Jonah thoroughly loves being outdoors and taking it all in.

Trilliums were blooming all around.

Soon we could hear the rush of the falls.....

Beautiful!

There is a nice amphitheater-esque curve to the rocks here so no matter where you stand, you have a perfect view.  Time for a few snacks.....

Mr. Adorable.

Pretty darn nice!

Another view of the trail alongside the water.  Notice how none of the deciduous trees have leaves let.  We even came across a few patches of snow.

It was an excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Here we are taking a break down by the water.  It feels wonderful to share our love of the outdoors with Jonah.  

The Fairy Glen

A final, parting shot.  The sunlight was just extraordinary while were at the falls.  I honestly wonder if I will ever see it so full of water again.

Splish Splash

Bath time is definitely Jonah's favorite indoor activity.  He has been perfectly content to splish splash around in the water solo, but recently we decided to introduce a few friends.  This Heava Rubber Duck was acquired because I felt silly singing "Rubber Ducky" without being able to show Jonah the song's protagonist.  So it is more a prop for me than for Jonah right now.  This particular rubber ducky lacks garishly painted eyes because it is made from natural rubber latex.  It has no PVC, BpA, Phthalates nor artificial colors.

This is the look I often see after Jonah has crawled into the bathroom.  

Hmmm, do you think it might be time for my bath yet?

Goody!  The answer was "yes"!  Let the bath preparations begin.....

Ready!

Getting very excited!  I love his look of anticipation.

Jonah spends most of his time in the bath with his mouth agape.  Water is both amazing and mysterious.  Because he still uses his mouth to "know" something, it makes water unlike everything else in his world.  Its transparency, texture, taste, and viscosity fascinate him every time.  It is delightful to see such pure joy and discovery.

After he has thoroughly enjoyed the simple pleasure of water, I introduce his bath friends.

These colorful Boon bath toys are great because they don't absorb water so I don't have to worry about mildew.  You can also stick them to the sides of the tub or shower or float them in the water.

They are also BpA-free, Phthalate-free and PVC-free.  10 toys in a set.  Somewhere along the way we lost the shark, so he missed the group photo.  I'll probably find him tomorrow.  To know more about this great Boon product you can click here.  

We strive to keep Jonah's toy input to a minimum, so this is all that we are using.....and a few re-purposed Tupperware food containers.  Simple joys.  I'll let you know when we introduce bubbles.

xo

Rain, Rain

I had to share this adorable photo of our entryway coat rack.  Seeing little Jonah's tiny clothes alongside ours makes me smile.  

We had a great weekend, full of house chores (pressure washing the roof, siding, & deck).....there was also time for a mountain bike ride, hike, and local winery tour.  The weather was lovely.

Today we have more spring showers.  I love them too!

More soon.....

Taste of Spring

We had a lovely time outside yesterday.  Jonah wanted to taste Spring itself.   

Mmmmm, plum blossoms.

It is fun to share my love of nature with someone equally curious.  "The petals are soft and delicate."

"Now, wait here while we 'hide' the Easter Eggs...."

For being 9 months old, I think he got the concept rather well.

It was also cool to just crawl around in the grass and feel all the textures.

Analyzing another potential snack....at least he looks at it first, right?

Hope you all had a good weekend.  Enjoy your day!

Happy Easter!

I picked a happy bouquet of tulips, hellebores, pussy willow, hyacinths, and forget-me-nots this morning.  My Mother always had posies of flowers throughout the house and it is very natural for me to carry on that tradition.  This small pewter pitcher was one of the vases she used.  I am delighted to have it in my home now.

The pitcher is made by Hanle & Debler Distinctive American Pewter.  

It is such a lovely and simple form.

Happy Easter to you!

Lenten Rose

Spring is beautiful here on our little slice of land.  And with each rain shower and sun break, a new plant comes into glory.  I enjoy strolling the perimeter with Jonah on a daily basis to monitor the astonishingly fast growth of the perennials & shrubs now that chill of winter is behind us.  The photos of the Lenten Rose are just two examples from the collection of Hellebores we have growing.  Often referred to as a Lenten Rose, the nickname is derived because of its blossoms are like wild roses and because its bloom time coincides with Lent.  And being that today is the last day of Lent, I thought it was an appropriate time to celebrate this garden beauty.

Hellebores are unknown to many gardeners despite their toughness, beauty, and wonderful habit of blooming in the winter when most other plants remain dormant.  I was only introduced to them a few years ago and now I have a collection of 6 different varieties.  I like their graceful nodding flowers and that the leaves are essentially evergreen (they stay green all winter and don't die back until the spring growth is there to replace them).  The two in these photos happen to be gifts from my Mother....who knows that I appreciate their early and cheerful presence before all the other plants have yet to wake.  Most Hellebores prefer dry shade, so they are the prefect plant to tuck into the corners of the garden beneath the oak trees.    

I'm really partial to this shot because you can see the mountains and river in the background.

Minnie's Plum Tree is also blooming.  

The ground around her grave is covered with a snow of white petals.  It is beautiful.