Why I LOVE Washington
I have to face the fact that I can't get on the computer as much as I'd like. I can scrape together an hour here and forty minutes there, but it just isn't enough for what I'd like to do: I'd like to write more. But Jake is napless, the house is still a huge time-drain, and the church people caught up with me and gave me a new job to do. (Sigh. I thought I was done with Enrichment when we moved. No, I'm not Enrichment Leader again. It's actually worse, and it proves the desperation of this ward...can you guess?)
So if I'm not coming by your blog very often—heck, if I rarely come by my own blog—now you know why. Oh well.
And now, some random pictures of things I have seen while out in the yard. Or close enough, anyway.
There is Jasper pretending that he isn't a declawed housecat (we didn't do that to him, he came that way). Poor thing. I've never seen anything sadder than him trying to climb a tree (leaps up on it, holds on for a second, then falls off and walks away, embarrassed, pretending nothing happened). Also, whenever he finds something to hunt, he announces himself to his prey by meowing at it. Somehow, this technique isn't working out very well for him.
Jasper's been ordering things out of mail catalogs again, it seems.
My newest friend. Think I'll call him Waldo.
I so wasn't kidding about the spiders trying to take over this house. When you step outside in the morning, the lawn (ahem—the dandelion jungle) is draped from one end to the other with dew-filled spiderwebs. The spiders don't seem to care about anyone else's lawn on our street; just ours.
I have my own private stock of bumblebees that hang out in my backyard. This one is trying to impress me by doing the splits.
What a pretty weed! So many things grow here—things that in other places you would actually have to plant—it's incredible. So here, blackberry bushes, ivy, ferns, pine trees, sweet peas, daisies—they're all considered weeds. How crazy is that?
Capitol building in Olympia, taken from the car window.I swear, you can't get a bad picture in this place.
16 comments:
Define "worse". Worse to me would be cub scout leader or something like that. Or RS president, that would be worse.
Love the pictures, especially of Jasper hunting. Look at his ears!! The mental image of him falling off the tree is sooo sad and pathetic. Poor kitty.
Yes, Washington is beautiful, but you are also an excellent photographer. Love the acrobatic bee.
Looks like you've got bindweed (the weed form of morning glory). They say a weed is just "a plant out of place." You'd better decide that you like the bindweed in the place that it has chosen, because if you go to battle with it, you'll lose. It is very pretty, so I say, why fight?
It also blows my mind that blackberry bushes are weeds in the Northwest. Yes, they form fortresses of impenetrable thorns twice as tall as a human being, but they also make free BLACKBERRIES! You can wander from empty lot to empty lot and gather enough unwanted blackberries to feed you all winter! Yummyummyummy!
I'm so jealous. Except about the mysterious calling. I'm with Elizabeth -- I"m guessing cub scout leader.
Worse than Enrichment leader? Hmm... I'm Enrichment leader right now... I've been Enrichment councelor and that was worse... and yeah, RS Pres would be lots worse. Scout Leader - now that is just mean. You don't even have a scout!
If I'm right, what do I win?
hi wynne: i am totally curious. what is your new calling? i have three.
i think your bumblebee is mooning you, tee hee.
i love how birdies created a nest in your mail box (i am assuming they did that before you moved there). we had two birds move into one of my front yard birdhouses for awhile this year. i loved hearing them squeek and stir around when i walked near. they are gone now, but it was fun to have the visitors for as long as they felt like roosting here.
i gotcha a really cute card tonight and will mail it very soon. this card cracked me up, hope you will like.
okay, what calling did you get asked to do? enquiring minds like mine wanna know girl! :)
take care girl, kathleen :)
My guess is the counselor in the RS presidency over Enrichment ( I don't remember which one that is).
that was my guess, too!
Ooo...I love Olympia! We used to drive through there on our way from Portland area to Vancouver, BC, all the time. Not to mention the outlet stores in Centralia. I love me some factory outlets!
I'm having to say to myself over and over...thou shalt not covet they neighbour's camera...beautiful pics!
Good luck sorting out the chaos!
elizabeth-
worse more unfavorable, difficult, unpleasant, or painful.
And I suppose it's entirely subjective. I've been in with the Cub Scouts before--it was kinda fun (because I was not the Cub Scout...whateveryoucaller...the one in charge).
For me, worse would be having more responsibility for things that I hate to do in the first place. The calling I have hated the most to date was Ward Activity Chair. That would be worst. And if you win, what do you want?
marie-
Am I correct in remembering that you once were growing some morning glory in a pot on on your desk? And what's the difference between bindweed and morning glory? I had no idea there was any.
I was driving home the other day and saw an elderly man on the side of the road goin' to town on those blackberries. His hand was going back and forth between the bush and his mouth it was a blur.
Melissa-
Enrichment leader is bad enough, isn't it? We should swap resources sometime--maybe you have some new ideas that I haven't heard?
kathleen--there you are again, being your cheery spreadin'-the-love self. *sigh* I need to get to your blog.
kristine--ditto to that.
And I'm not givin' it up yet, but at least one of you is right about the calling.
Yes, that was a morning glory on my desk. The same zealousness that makes them obnoxious weeds makes them quite good houseplants. Bindweed is white (sometimes with pale pink spokes), and is a kind of morning glory. It's the only kind that's considered a weed in Utah, because it's everywhere (and because it's not gorgeous like some other morning glories). I'm sure if the blue morning glories started invading people's lawns, they'd be considered weeds, too, but that doesn't happen here. I know my Washington aunts won't plant ANY morning glory in their gardens because up there, they will take over everything, like the blackberries.
What beautiful trials to endure. Make a nice blackberry cobbler and let Jake have an extra serving, for his envious fairy godmother.
Well I call bindweed "Satans flower" Oh yes, they look pretty, but wait until they take over and choke everything they get their creepy little tendrils on. Beware, I say! Beware!! If you don't believe me read my grapes of wrath post. I fought the bindweed and the bindweed won.
congratulations, you are the next contestant on ...
... are you the r.s. president?
wow me girl.
cool, glad to hear you rec'd your good mail. i just KNEW that that cat surgery card was the perfect wild thing to give you. i knew it would amuse you. and jeff doesn't have to understand it cause it wasn't for him! :) your comment to me made me smile. you are so awesome, kathleen :) grateful
Wow. Love the photos! Wishing you good luck in your new calling. And by the way...MY birthday is July 13--so did I read right, is it yours too? Happy Belated Birthday in any case. Hope this next year will be your best yet. =)
are you ever going to tell us what your new calling is? I bet it is better than teaching Sunday School to teenagers who don't show up to class.
Oh we needed you today and you weren't here. Actually we needed your pool key because we took the kids to the rec and it was closed because the water was too cold (whatever) and so we had to hurry and find some water. Lukcily we found a new water feature park close by. But we still would have loved for you to play with us. Please hate washington and come back here.
Well written article.
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