Wee Bit of Weekend Work

I managed a bee block over the weekend. While my family watched our homeboys, the Vancouver Canucks, kick some serious Dallas a** last night (sorry Texas bloggy friends, but I ask you: is hockey really supposed to be played in Texas? Seriously!), I was busy next door in my sewing lair creating this for Amy :

Amy sent lots of fun fabric, plus the white and peach borders, and asked for a block made with only triangle shapes. Fun!

The sun shone brightly all weekend. I considered cleaning up all the dead stuff from last fall still standing/lying/dying all over the garden. I considered it again. Then decided to photograph the new stuff that isn't clued into the fact that it's only February 20.

Like the hellebore. An early spring keener, who loves her spot and grows defiantly where no other plant cares to grow: under the cedar tree.

Even the poppies are anxious. Fuzzy foliage is up 8 or 10" already!

I used to have hundreds of crocuses, but now only a hardy few remain. Truth be told (as has been done here a few times), I am a confirmed "plant it and hope it lives" gardener. My garden doesn't get a whole lot of Tender Loving Care from me - it is on its own. The lawn is another story. I love me a good push-mower session.

Is your garden still sleeping under a blanket of snow? I fear mine may be in for a nasty late-winter shock. We had a thunder and lightening hail storm on Friday night just to remind us that winter may still have a few plans for us yet!

Nature's Gifts Part II & a special something....

Some of you may remember this post and this post with photos of my spring garden. We don't have a lot of summer flowers, but these few have bloomed recently:

Alstroemeria

Crocosmia

Hydrangea

C + Au

Aha, see how I snuck that in there? I just picked up my new ring from Jurgen at Forge & Form. He is a wonderful German goldsmith who (he claims) is the only person locally who actually forges his gold jewelry (no pouring molten metal for him!). He made our wedding rings 16 years ago, but mine needed a re-build because the channel setting of small baguette diamonds and sapphires had completely worn down, leaving the stones exposed. The re-build would be pricey and I wasn't even sure I still liked the ring I designed when we got married.

My wonderful grandmother Paula left me her engagement ring. The setting was worn and the ring much too big for me....after Bryan proposed (without hardware) she said to me "don't worry, one day you'll have my diamond." I was so touched that she would say that, but it was never spoken of again until she passed away two years ago. So, that gorgeous diamond you see was hers, now mine, and as I told D this morning, one day it will be hers. Jurgen took my original ring back in trade and made me this amazing new one with Nan's diamond and 18K gold.

Thanks, Nan. We miss you.

D & Nan, August 2006

D & Nan, August 2007

I love that I have this beautiful remembrance of her with me always, to look at each day and think of her. She was an amazing woman; she and her great-granddaughter got on like a house on fire. It was so sad that we lived almost 6000 km apart, at opposite ends of Canada, but we were always in touch and loved each other greatly. As you can see, she had extraordinary fashion sense - always wore matching earrings, hair accessories & shoes....just one of the many things she and D had in common (along with spunk!!).

Tomorrow we depart for a 3 week visit to Ontario where we'll spend time with family and friends. I won't be blogging much, but may stop in for a few photo essays of our summer fun.

Take care friends!

Sorry for the Confusion

Dear Olympic Athletes, Coaches and Out of Town Spectators,

You have arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Home of the 2010 WINTER Olympics. You may think you've traveled through time to April. This is not the case. Today is Saturday, February 5th. Just because these

are sticking up out of my front lawn, and these

are growing out of last year's dead leaves, and this

is having it's best showing EVER, along with this tree:

doesn't mean that we aren't ready for you. Au contraire, we are psyched!!

The hay has been trucked in and the snow has been pushed down from the mountaintops to cover it. We are decked out in our red and white finery. We have our precious tickets (men's qualifying aerials, Canada vs Norway men's hockey, mens team pursuit short track speed skating), our flags and our face paint. The torch relay will run by our house on Wednesday and all of the kids will skip school to be there, cheering on the torch-bearers.

2010 Olympics here we come!!!!