R&R

Leavenworth, WA

While it wasn't exactly rest and relaxation, our vacation at the end of June was restorative. We hiked, shopped and ate in downtown Leavenworth, WA (a Bavarian village), hiked again, and rode the Tumwater Twister.

Our first hike was in the Peshastin Pinnacles. Even early in the morning this was a very warm hike as the pinnacles are on the arid side of the Wenatchee river. We spotted a couple of lizards and a mink, and mountain goat tracks.The Pinnacles gave us a great view of the orchards below that are irrigated by the Wenatchee river. 

 

As we hiked, I was intrigued by the wide variety of vegetation we saw. All of it was new to me though, I recognized many of the plant names we learned with a plant ID app: pineapple weed, fleabane, toadflax, broadleaf arrowhead, and yarrow.

Source

I’ve always heard that pineapple weed is a common backyard weed, but it’s not in my backyard. Its fragrance is a cross between pineapple and chamomile, and it's supposed to make a good tea so I plan to try growing it next year.

 

Our next hike was much cooler as it was along the Wenatchee river and under forest canopy. The trail is an old pipeline that provided water to a powerhouse that powered electrical engines pulling trains through the Cascade Tunnel between Leavenworth and Index, WA. One of the best sights was a fern grotto.

The Leavenworth Adventure Park is new this year and features an Alpine coaster, the Tumwater Twister. The coaster is 2,700 feet long and features three 360-degree spiral helix circles. I rode it with my husband (who, I’m sure, got braking and accelerating backwards 😀). I had much more fun with my feet firmly on the ground while panning for gems in the bag of sand we purchased at a small price.

Our gems included big chunks of aventurine, carnelian, jasper, rose quartz, and sodalite. We’ll run the larger pieces through our rock polisher to bring out their color and beauty.

It was a refreshing two days at a cabin on a lake. With a few days left in our vacation, it was time to head home to rest and relax. 😌

Hungry?

  

Three Challenges Facing Food Banks

This isn’t a post about recipes, though it is about food. According to Feeding America, 10% of U.S households are food insecure.

Feeding America is a national organization helping food banks across the U.S through food programs and food rescue.

 

My local food bank regularly relies on Feeding America for many items. Hundreds of local food banks fill a large and growing need in communities throughout our country. My university also has a food pantry for students, staff, and faculty. Much of the produce comes from our university farm.

I was able to volunteer at a local food bank for years and greatly look forward to returning when I retire this year. The food bank provides

pantry staples, a small amount of pet food, and a few hygiene items to needy individuals and families weekly. It’s more than just food--it’s also a resource for community services such as health care, laundry and shower facilities, and housing. 

In addition to being a regular food bank donor and soon a volunteer, I’m happy to participate in a local little pantry that provides so much. The neighborhood pantry fills a need not only for unsheltered adults, but also local school children. Yes, it is sometimes abused and a few neighbors will complain, but most patrons are respectful and grateful.

Students from the nearby high school did an excellent video on the nearby pantry. Many of them benefit from the pantry and help maintain it. In the video, one grade school girl said the peanut butter and crackers she can pick up after school help fill her tummy on the hour drive  home with her mother. She often gets extra packs of crackers for her younger brother and her mother.

The experience of volunteering at the food bank and seeing the plight of so many has woven itself into the book I am currently writing. I’m a romance writer, and what better place for generous hearts to meet than at a food bank during the holidays?

Until I can resume volunteering, I can at least live it through the book I’m working on.*

* All proceeds from my first book go to a local organization that provides free pet care for low-income families or the unsheltered. Proceeds from the next book will go to my local food bank.

Bloom Time!

 

 

Now that plants have been well-watered by April’s showers and the sun is finally out, shrubs and trees are blooming and most notably, the neighborhood is filled with the scent of lilacs. The flowery aroma is filling the house this year because May has been warm enough to have windows open. On a recent walk we saw white lilacs and more shades of purple than I knew lilacs could be.

The state flower, rhododendron, is bursting forth throughout the neighborhood in shades from pale pink to the vivid red here too.

 

 

Are we ever going to have apples this year! Pear, cherry, and plum trees also have tiny fruits beginning to grow. If I run out of freezer space for applesauce I can share the apple crop with a nearby little pantry.


 

The strawberry harvest looks to be shaping up for a good year, and I’m hoping to keep bunnies and squirrels from eating the fruit by covering it once the blossoms are done. Don’t worry, there are strawberries in the backyard for the wildlife to enjoy. Later this month more strawberry plants will be joining the blueberries and filling in bare spots in the yard.

 

 

 

Speaking of blueberries, they are flowering and this will be the first year we’ve had a crop from the raised bed in the front yard.

This little creeper, Kenilworth ivy, also graces the yard and didn't cost me a penny. Unlike many gardeners, I’m happy to have it trailing around walls and planters. 

 

 Soon bee balm, hyssop, lavender, and sage will be in bloom to provide a continuing buffet for bees that make all the fruit possible.

Ready, Set, Grow!

 

Asian pear ready to go!

It’s been an unusually cold, wet, windy March and April here in the Pacific NorthWet. Not many fruit plants are budding yet, but our Asian pear (above) is ready to get this season going! Buds are bursting out greater than previous years. Most of the other fruit trees and vines are saying "Slow down, it's still too cold and wet!"

Plum just starting to blossom

I was diligent this winter (when it was milder) about fertilizing all our fruit plants in February and again in March, also adding compost to the soil to provide good nutrients. I’m eager to see how the blueberries, raspberries, cherries, pears (new this year), plums, and apples perform. I’d love to be able to do more canning and preserving of home-grown fruit!

 

 

Garlic left in raised beds over winter is coming on strong. The asparagus planted last spring is starting to come up, and rhubarb that I divided in late winter is also robust. Several onions that I'd left as failures last year are now reaching through the soggy soil.

New this year are two elderberry plants that are slow to

Hyssop coming back vigorously

show growth, but the season is still young. I also doubled the number of blueberry plants in a raised bed last fall. Hyssop has surprised me with a vigorous re-emergence from last year, and the bee balm from last summer that I’ve already divided is coming along well.

This year I will focus on more plants to attract bees and look forward to putting in more bee balm and hyssop. Calendula is a flower I’ve never grown, but will sow outside in a couple weeks. I’m hoping the poppies I planted last year have self-sown and will also come back.

I've had some luck this year transplanting and propagating. Flowering red currant is one of my favorite plants for attracting hummingbirds, and despite the cold weather, it is showing its beauty. Later this year I'll plant ones I'm propagating for even more showy pink blossoms throughout the yard!

Flowering red currant

 

 

 

Foiled Again

 

 

My favorite foil

 No, my attempt at something wasn't thwarted. Rather, while making Christmas cards I rediscovered the joy of foiling. I did also relearn the difference between the two primary ways I make foiled cards, so I guess you could say there were some foiled attempts through this process.

The first way I can foil cards is with a device called the Go Press and Foil as seen at right.This device uses plates that are heated and a special foil that is heat activated to adhere to the paper.

 

This is the birthday card I created for my sister using the hot plate shown above. The pink outline of the flowers is foiled and I colored in the rest.

The March kit

Now that I’ve been buying quality products, I am delighted with this process and even signed up for a monthly hot foil kit-of-the-month subscription. Each month I get a new plate and die set along with a roll of foil.

The second method of foiling cards is with the Glaminator. This machine needs a product called transfer gel or embossing powder to make foil adhere to the paper. It can be trickier to get clean results, but with the Glaminator I can use stencils with transfer gel, or stamps with embossing powder that melts to allow the foil to adhere.

Glaminator success

Foils for each machine come in a variety of colors and patterns.  Having done a lot of practice this month, I now have everything well documented so there are no more foiled attempts at foiling cards. 😀

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day Readers!