Blog for my weaving and horticulture avocations

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I am the proud granddaughter of Hungarian and Slovakian Immigrants.
This blog is where I share some insights about my avocations of Horticulture and Handweaving.


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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Oso Strong

Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
–Stevie Nicks

It has been a tough month around here.
Still getting over mom's passing a few months ago, then my cousin about her age died this past week,
And the three tragedies--the Malaysian airliner, the Seattle news Helecopter and now the Oso mudslide.
Mentally this has been hard on me for some reason. Hearing about a grandmother babysitting her 4 month old grandchild getting buried in the mudslide, when here I babysit my grandchildren makes this particularly close to home.
We live on a hill. The evidence of erosion in the forest below is ever before us. The mudslides on the railroad tracks just barely a quarter mile downhill from us happening during all this late winter rain.
What was emphasized in my geology classes at Edmonds Community college a few years back keeps coming back to me; " be aware of your surroundings when you buy a property for your home."
The strong willed, self- sufficient folks of Oso and Darrington-- Lumberjacks. Tarheels.  Enjoying the wonderful Pacific Northwest outdoors along the river where they could fish for Steelhead trout and knew the the backwoods ways.
They are there now for each other.

But they could use a little help now that mother nature has dealt them a tremendous blow.

Oso strong. They are. But they are grieving and basically stranded. What was a 50 mile route to their jobs is now a 100 mile route.
We grieve with them.

https://www.booster.com/osostrong

Oso Strong Fundraiser - unisex shirt design - front

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

March in the garden

Azara microphyllum
If you only could smell the wonderful
Chocolate fragrance!
Scoliopus biglovii

Arisaema sikokianum

Cardiocrinum giganteum var. yunnanense

Cardiocrinum giganteum var. yunnanense
Well we have had more rain in the first two weeks of March this year than our average for the whole month.
That has made it hard to get out and do much gardening. Especially that what Ii need to be doing is my fall cleanup that never got done thanks to a kidney stone and other goings on.

But I have cleaned up the potted plants that made it through the two really cold spells this winter so I hope some will be ready for a plant sale sometime this spring.
Some cool plants are blooming and coming up:

Rhododendron calophytum

Pachyphragma macrophyllum

Pulmonaria --Lungwort

Yellow Hellebore

Daphne mezereum

Corydalis 'George Baker'

Pieris japonica variegata

Helleborus hybridus white double

Haquetia epipactis

Ypsilandra thibetica
now how about those cool raindrops!

Mahonia x media 'Charity'

Native Trillium ovatum


Erythronium  Dog-tooth violet