A small town tree lighting.

I work for the organization that puts on the holiday tree lighting for our small town. Last Sunday we put the tree up and decorated it. And yesterday was the big day. After a dusting of snow in the morning, a nearly five-hour power outage, and freezing temps, it all came together. It was truly magical!

Fall skies.

The view from my sofa, where I've been spending a lot of time 

trying to recover from being sick with walking pneumonia. 

If one has to be sick, this is a beautiful spot to nurse yourself back to health.

Mending.

I embroidered these pillowcases for my mother about 40 years ago!

The embroidery has held up nicely, but the pillowcases themselves were stained

and threadbare. I've managed to get the stains out and I'm working on 

patching the torn bits. I'll see how it looks/feels. My next idea is to cut the 

embroidered ends off and sew them onto new pillowcases. 

Fall abundance.

The best time of year! After berry season that is.

a lovely evening sky...

Last night was First Friday Art Walk in our little town of Winslow. 

Every time I walked out of one of the galleries the sky was more and more beautiful.

Fall Movies.

Looks like a particularly good crop of movies this fall.

Here are a few trailers for you...

The Judge

Wild

Rosewater

The Imitation Game

Whiplash

Mr. Turner

Inherent Vice

Two Night Stand

The Two Faces of January

Enjoy!

Hello October!

Good morning!

It's a beautiful fall morning here in the Pacific NW.....

makes it very difficult for me to get out the door and off to work. 

I just want to dilly-dally, stay in my pjs, and drink tea all day. 

Wish I could, but heigh-ho, heigh-ho...

(calendar by diane kappa)

New job!

A second dreary summer day here in the Pacific Northwest. Can't complain; we really need the rain, especially in Eastern Washington where fires are burning.
Excuse my week-long absence from blogging. I had house guests right after working a bunch of extra hours and I was house/garden/cat/dog-sitting for three different neighbors. My guests have gone, all the neighbors are all back home, and I'm winding down one part-time job and I started a new one today! I wasn't looking for a new job, but it is next-to-perfect for me and I'll still be able to do my Joan of Cards business.
Another transition, but I'm learning to roll with it. The forecast is good!

Watering for a friend.

I just finished a watering job for a friend/neighbor. She has a lovely and peaceful garden on the water that inspires me to do more in my own garden! It's a little slice of heaven...

Biking for exercise.

Good morning! I'm usually heading out on a morning walk about now, but on the 4th of July I hurt my foot wearing flip-flops all day. I cut it, it got infected and very sore. So I'm on antibiotics and while it heals I'm biking instead of walking. My bike is in serious need of a tune-up and it really is a clunker, but there is a nice flat 10-mile ride from my house that I'm doing. Every other bike passes me going twice as fast, but I'm getting a work out and it feels good!

It's been hot here!

We can't complain about much in the summertime here in the Pacific Northwest, but this week has been hotter than usual and most of us don't have a/c. It's for such a short spell that it really is enjoyable and I'd take it over a cold and dark day anytime! But when you have single pane windows and face west, it's probably a good idea to move the candles, otherwise they might go a little limp. Hope it's nice wherever you are!
Happy Monday!

On my feet.

I'm in the middle of a seven-out-of-eight days of work in a row.

Feeling a bit like this guy...

Card purchased at Dana's Showhouse is by Palm Press.

Happy Friday!

Tags.

What a sweet idea! A friend asked me to make the tags for the little jars of honey she is giving away at a bridal shower this weekend. I love the way they turned out!

A night out.

I went to see Asleep at the Wheel at Jazz Alley in Seattle last night. What a fabulous venue and show! The band has nine Grammys and the original group has been playing together for 44 years. The show ended in time for us to catch the 10:05 ferry home and there was still just enough daylight to snap a few pics.

Independence Day.

Happy 4th of July to my American friends!

I'm avoiding all the downtown hoopla today and staying home. I have a cousin that just moved to Bainbridge Island so he will come over later with his family for a barbecue and bonfire, and we'll enjoy the fireworks from here. 

Wherever you are, I wish you clear skies and a safe celebration! xo

Focus.

I was trying to capture a photo of a bee, but every time I got focused it flew off. I have over a dozen photos that look just like this one, nice photos of the lavender, but not of the bee! Oh well, I love digital cameras just for this reason…lots of room for mistakes and once in a while, a surprise.
Now I'm off to get myself focused….

In the garden...

This time of year, it's all about the garden, bugs and all...