Seems the only time I  see my mom is when she is visiting my nephew in Eugene or in the hospital in PDX.  Well this time, thankfully, was not a hospital visit!  I love visiting Eugene and having my mom and sister there visiting makes it all the sweeter!  Spent a wonderful day with them hitting the thrift stores and going out to eat.  Can’t believe my mom is turning 90 this June…..I really disapprove of how fast time flies!

Another great treat was having my eldest, Christina overnight due to a  business trip.  It was sadly one night but we enjoyed every minute!  I took her out for a nice dinner and then we played in my sewing room before running over to pick up a new blue heeler puppy for her to take back home!

Christina always looks so radiant!  It was so wonderful to see her!!  I miss my girls and grands so very much!

The hubby has been promoted at work but that has meant random scheduling with no idea what the next weeks may bring.  We wanted our possible last week end off together to be special so we headed out on a country drive.  We were greeted with torrential rains when we started out but they gave way to occasional drizzles.  I had been wanting to visit the Oregon Olive Mill and we found it tucked away on a back road.

The olive oils were superb and the place beautiful!  The proprietors were delightful and happily share their story.  This is a place we will defiantly return to and a great place for gift buying!  The hubs and I love country drives and there is no more beautiful place on earth than the Pacific Northwest!

When we were visiting in Eugene we always love to visit the St Vinnys.  The best thrift shops ever and the book sections are amazing.  We both scooped up lots of books and I found this gem.

Farm Wanted by Helen Train Hilles.  Published in 1951 it is a delightful story of a couple who lived in NYC and purchased a farm.  I adore these types  of books and those written in the 1950s back to the land movement.  Helen’s writing is similar to that of Gladys Tabor but not quite so full of prose; more down to earth practicality.  This was a book that I wanted to savor and took my time reading a bit at a time.  I hated to see it end.  It is illustrated by Roger Duvoisin and the illustrations add so much additional appeal to this book.  There are numerous that I want to embroidery onto a dish cloth set.  Is there any thing more enjoyable than discovering a new to you author?  I think not!

While there I also found a Maeve Binchy that I had not read.   Minding Frankie is a fun, simple, feel good read in the style of Mauve that her readers love.  I put it top of my reading list after Farm Wanted and completed it in a few days.

With spring everything has been growing a plenty.  The front yard looks a mess.  Due to us both working we decided to just hire a yard service to clean it up and then do weekly maintenance.  This leave time for us to concentrate on the back yard.  When we moved in here the yard was rimmed with the ugliest sick looking trees all round.  I determined immediately that they were going to go.  I wanted a back yard where everything planted was edible.  The hubby built a dog run to keeps the dogs off the lawn and planting area and then he constructed simple raised beds.  I got busy planning and planting.  So far I have added blue berries, raspberries, a current bush, and a fig tree.  Today will be busy planting my veggies.  I put up two large tubs for my potatoes, an onion bed, and a bed of melons of various sorts.  I had ordered a load of compost and ended up with more than enough and then some.

We still have spots of grass to get planted but its all coming along.  That bird house has a family of finches nesting in it.  I had to move it and a was surprised to see momma bird stick her head out at me to see what was going on.  She did not leave and I saw her partner bringing more nesting material to her later on.

Dog run and all the debris we have left to haul off….

Two sweet boxers waiting for me to stop working so they can play.

I’m quite happy with how it is all shaping up!

I haven’t gotten much knitting or sewing done other than the usual bags for stitches plus purls.  I have tried out a few new dyeing ideas.  But I did order up a few stitchery books I have been drooling over.

They are all three keepers with lots of fun projects and ideas that I will actually make.  Isn’t that the rub with craft, knitting, quilting type books?  I have bought numerous before with great plans but then the projects just aren’t that appealing to me.  Instagram is a great resource for checking out projects from the various books.

And now I must off to work go.  I am finally in the swing of working once again.  It’s not so bad and I enjoy the job immensely.  So all and all can’t complain.

Happy Gardening!

Patricia