Hail and Welcome To My Garden

AS OF JUNE 29, 2011 - SunTiger MOVED!

2011-08-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Because I now live downtown in a city apartment, I no longer garden (except in pots) and can no longer maintain this blog as a result. Please check out my other blogs!

* PsychicSunTiger.blogspot.com - personal musings
* VampireReview.blogspot.com - all things horror (vampire books, vampire movies, zombie movies, werewolf movies, author guest posts)
* Vamchoir. blogspot.com (comics related to Ravena & The Resurrected an amazing vampire novel!)

How To Sprout Small Vegetable Seeds Indoors

2011-03-11T14:29:00.000-08:00

It's the beginning of March and while all signs of frost may NOT have disappeared, you can begin planting sensitive food crops indoors. While most people can figure out how to plant seeds directly in small pots, with organic soil, I thought I might share a technique that my dad sometimes used to start very small seeds sprouting, such as tomato seeds, before he planted them in soil. In truth, I'm hoping to grow collard greens this year and because the seeds are rather small I'm going to start them this way. (Note: collard greens are in the cabbage family and can be tolerate colder weather than other vegetable varieties - but I'm starting mine inside for fun.)

Step one: Gather three supplies. Water, old newspapers, and your tomato or other small seeds.

Step two: Open a sheet of newspaper and then open the seed packet and

Step three: Space the little seeds along one of the newspaper folds. (See image.)

Step four: Spray the seeds with enough water to make the paper very damp. Then fold the newspaper so the seeds are tucked inside.

Step five: Spray the newspaper so it's really wet. Be sure to keep the newspaper wet for the next few days.

Step six: Depending on how long it takes your seeds to sprout *usually 3-5 days) Unfold the newspaper and look inside. Your seeds now have roots and are ready to be planted in soil. Check your gardening zone. If it's too early in the season for your plants to go outside these can be potted indoors until the danger of frost has past. Otherwise, these seeds can be planted directly outside in soil suitable for the plant variety you are hoping to grow.

While Waiting For Spring (So We Can Garden)

2011-03-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

It's Been Snowing For Days & Great New Book: Hydroponic Gardening

2011-03-02T09:49:00.000-08:00

We've had record-breaking cold weather for this time of year, here lately. It's snowed nearly every day for the past week but fortunately, it changes quickly to rain and so the roads are clear for driving. Saw these two ducks while out on a walk and wondered how cold the water must be (sure wouldn't want to put MY that pond to paddle around).

Because heavy winds now gust here in the greater Seattle area I'm staying indoors and I just read:

Discovering Hydroponic Gardening: From Earth to Water by Alexandra Collins Dickerman and John Dickerman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this little paperback at an estate sale the other day and read straight through it. It's a personal account of a young couple's exploration into starting their own organic vegetable garden. The adventures begin when they purchase a small dilapidated farm and the heating system does not work inside the house. Parts of the book are quite humorous as the couple quickly learns that their newly purchase farm animals and vegetable growing are two ventures that collide.

"We now have discovered, that it isn't necessary to live on a farm to grow your own food," the authors admit, finally. "With hydroponics it is possible to live anywhere and grow a substantial supply of vegetables." This book gives instructions for a family of four to grow its own organic vegetables, spending only a couple hours each week for garden care, utilizing a 10-by-12 feet space using the hydroponics system.

"If the plant nutrients used are of the purest and highest quality, all the necessary nutrients for sturdy pant growth will be available to be absorbed directly by the plants as they need them."

The book, "Discovering Hydroponic Gardening," also suggests that water usage is kept to a minimum with this gardening system. The book includes black and white photos and effective drawings. The writing is very personable, easy to understand, and the ideas presented seem like they would be implemented rather easily provided the gardener has a little cash for setting things up.

The authors present a few different strategies for how to grow food they hydroponic way. The most complex-looking version is "the flooding method" and it involves a household timer, an aquarium air pump, a pan or container for the scaled reservoir, a growing medium such as gravel, the nutrient solution, and the pot the food grows in.

A more simple method is called "drip irrigation" where the plants are grown in peat moss and are watered with the nutrient solution to keep the roots wet but to allow little if any runoff.

The third system is called the "standing solution method" and it involves growing plants directly in the solution while aerating the roots with bubbles (perhaps using an aquarium pump).

This resourceful little book is a great reference for experience gardeners and an excellent guide for individuals wanting to start growing their first little garden.

Nice Day South Of Seattle - Let The Chickens Roam

2011-02-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

Rain is predicted for today, Wed48°F | 37°F, but it looked sunny and felt warm enough when I let the chickens out this morning. It's the first time they've been out of their covered chicken coop all winter. In this next picture, you can see, by how tall our grass has grown, that it has been raining much too often to mow. The grass has not been dry for months.

Meanwhile, I'm heading out doors! Hopefully I'll get some very necessary yard work done before the weather changes!

Thinking Of Bulbs

2011-01-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

Heavy rainfall washed away the snow and ice that glazed Portland, Seattle and other parts of the Pacific Northwest last night. As forecasters predict rain will continue falling in the days and weeks to come, I think about all the many varieties of flower bulbs I planted these past five years, and this last fall. I hope the flowers, garlic and onions are all surviving the moisture. Hopefully they will not rot in the liquid Earth as my dahlia bulbs did last spring.

Only time will tell.

Spring Planting Catalog - Just Arrived!

2011-01-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

[Click on the map to enlarge it and check the zone you garden in]

I felt so happy to find that my 2011 Garden Catalog by Burgess Seed & Plant Co had arrived in the mail today. (Their address is 905 Four Seasons Road, Bloomington, IL 61701 if you'd like to contact them that way).

Now is certainly the time to start planning to order seeds for your spring and summer gardens. Meanwhile, the catalog sells tiny saplings (e.g., weeping willow trees) as well.

For ordering the plants that are most likely to thrive in your neighborhood, view the hardiness zone map, above and order according to your zone. Now (here in the Pacific Northwest) it is time to be watching for crocuses to bloom from the bulbs we planted a few months back. A neighbor of mine (we're in zone 7 and 8) said the daffodils she planted up next to her house are already peeking like zombie fingers out of the cold, cold ground.

Moss Covered Sidewalks

2011-01-09T15:19:00.000-08:00

Only in Seattle can this much moss grow on a cement sidewalk. Well, okay, so maybe it could also happen in Forks (if Forks actually HAD a sidewalk in its rural town). Maybe this could also happen in Port Angeles. But the point is, there are not too many places on our planet besides the Pacific Northwest that gets this much rain. Granted the fir trees also offered shade to this residential walk and shielded the moss from the sun ...

Update On Why So Many Birds Died In Flocks

2011-01-06T11:16:00.000-08:00

Did you know, an estimated 1.5 million Lapland Longspurs (pictured) died together in Minnesota and Iowa? It was back in March 1904. A great storm brewed and reports say the weather is what killed all those birds in a mass death scenario.

That's a small consolation to anyone who still feels grief over all the red wing blackbirds (and starlings) that are reported to have died here recently down in Louisiana and Arkansas. Nobody knows the cause.

This report, tells a more horrific tale of how frequently massive bird deaths happen. (Not at all common).

I'm really glad my friend Arawn shared the above article with me. I still think some of things that are recorded in that piece are RIDICULOUSLY STUPID. Beyond the 1904 scenario, these recent events look like one of the largest migrating bird kills on record (and they did NOT happen due to some horrific natural storm).

I hope nobody takes Paul Slota's statement (he's a spokesperson for the USGS National Wildlife Health Centers) and becomes complacent or supposes we might not have ANY kind of responsibility for killing so many animals. Paul said: "I think people should be aware that mortality events in wildlife are normal. They are a fact of life."

It makes me want to ask Paul Slota if I shoved a fire cracker up his ass -- would he still consider it a "fact of life?" (The article seems to insist that fireworks on New Year's Eve is what killed the birds.)

Horrified By Arkansas Bird Deaths

2011-01-05T18:52:00.000-08:00

You'd have to be a hermit, with no Internet, phone, television or radio connections, to NOT know about the 4,000+ red wing black birds that died in Arkansas this week. (500 more birds fell from the sky in nearby Louisiana). While the story is terribly horrifying, it's also fascinating to read all of the hysterical suspicions about what may have caused this phenomena to transpire.

All that hype about end-of-the world scenarios? "Phlllbbbttt!"

As a gardener, and a "watcher of birds," I feel ridiculously suspicious of news reports that claim to know what caused the deaths. I also feel suspicious of claims that "only red wing blackbirds and starlings have died." On some level, I wonder if reporters have mistaken the female red wing black bird (see picture)

for the starling ... (see picture below).

Time will tell what caused the terrible hemorrhaging (broken necks, wings, internal bleeding) that forced the birds to fall. For now, one can assume that fireworks were NOT to blame (not when birds fly by day, fireworks typically happen after dark AND we've been lighting fireworks for centuries and never had this happen before.)

I also do not believe the birds suffered from some poisonous gasses that Fox News (cough) reported was released by a government official. (See previous comment about the birds suffering from hemorrhage, severe physical trauma - symptoms that gas exposure does NOT create).

I also do not believe it is the end of the world. The world is certainly changing. Plants, birds, land animals are all migrating to new (more amicable) places to live. Climate change is certainly happening whether we know the cause or not.

I do believe we need to determine the cause of these recent bird and fish tragedies so intervention can be made and loss of wildlife will not continue.

Blessed be!

Gilman Village, Issaquah, WA [USA]

2011-01-03T15:11:00.001-08:00

I believe this photo illustrates how cold it is here right now. A bit too chilly for doing much gardening, I'm afraid.

RAIN rain RAIN ... and more rain. Then Clearing!

2010-12-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

It has rained so much here lately. Television news has reported on little else besides landslides and flood warnings. As a result, I have not done much gardening besides throw coffee grounds out on any patches of exposed soil (to hopefully to keep nutrients from running down into the storm drains and to help nourish the Earth).

This morning, we had a clear patch of sky with just overcast (thank the Cosmos, no more rain) and the weather is pleasurably warm for this time of year. So I went out and pulled grass out from between the bricks where I've made a footpath. That's also where I have attempted to encourage moss and other steppable plants to grow (see photos).

Blog Home: SunTigerXo.blogspot.com

Busy As A Hibernating Rabbit

2010-11-29T22:18:00.000-08:00

I just decided, instead of merely being a blogging, published, author, I'm now a self proclaimed Harvard Creativity Specialist. Oops. Did I say Harvard? I meant Hard-Yard. (The ground is frozen solid. What's a gardener to do?)

I'm currently cutting back all the extra growth on the apple trees, tying up raspberry vines and this next week I will be wrapping the climbing roses with evergreen tree branches so they'll survive the winter. It's also a good time to buy heirloom seeds, on-line, for planting in spring.

I am still mourning all the bulbs I lost this last spring, thanks to them rotting in the ground with all that rain we had last March, April and May. I especially miss my dahlias (bulbs that I dig up each winter and replant in spring). There's just something very sad about losing plants that I put so much energy into nourishing; year after year.

All Of Western Washington: Covered In Snow

2010-11-24T22:28:00.000-08:00

It snowed much earlier this year than any year I can remember. From childhood, I recall the first flakes of snow for the year would often fall while my family celebrated thanksgiving at Grandma's house but it seldom stuck to the roads and we wouldn't have any heavy snow until January or February.

Last Sunday (4 days ago) snow fell in an unusually heavy manner. The temperature also dropped rapidly. It's been 15 degrees C here at night pretty much since.

To care for the outdoor animals, I've been hauling hot water out to the chicken coup. I also lock the hens up at night, out of the wind inside their roosting area, where there's a heat lamp. The grateful rabbit was moved into a smaller cage with them, when he usually lives on the south side of our house.

For the wild birds, I've been setting out a warm pan of water but it freezes over in a few hours time. I imagine it's very hard for the finches to find drinking water that's not frozen. The birds continue to visit the feeders that I've moved up onto the back porch, to keep the seed dry.

Sitting by my own heater, I'm reminiscing of the day I took this photo, last April: (double click to enlarge it).

It's difficult to imagine that tulip and daffodil bulbs (below ground) could survive the harsh cold but season after season we know they do come back; they are alive under all that snow. The pond now is mostly iced over. I can still see the koi swimming slowly below the thin sheet. I feel so thankful that spring will come again (in five more months)!

Fall Garden Tips (Planting Bulbs & Fall Craft Project)

2010-11-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

It's been raining a great deal here lately, in Western Washington, but today we had clear skies. So I pulled on my garden boots and went out to plant more tulip and crocus bulbs.

I absolutely feel as though it is impossible to plant too many crocuses. Every February, they are the first flower to bloom after a harsh winter (sometimes while snow is still on the ground). When I see these dainty little flowers pop out through the frozen Earth, my heart just swells with glee. Crocuses feel like a promise to me.

They remind me that spring and warmer weather are coming. Tulips bloom a little bit later in spring, so planting their bulbs side-by-side with crocus bulbs works really well for keeping a particular garden spot in bloom longer.

Pictured right, is just a fun fall-time craft project that I made and it serves as a wonderful reminder of a very fun day I enjoyed when my sister Kelly and I drove to Leavenworth (over the mountain) to celebrate my birthday. This rock was painted to commemorate the fun.

To make it, I collected a fallen gold-colored leaf in Leavenworth. I had purchased a book so I flattened the leaf inside its pages and when I got home I slathered paint on that leaf and pressed it to this rock. The result is a lasting reminder of a most wonderful day.

HOW TO MAKE JACK O LANTERNS LAST LONGER

2010-10-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

Having discussed this topic with friends on Facebook, my friend Diane Froehlich Heidt suggested a tip that I felt I just HAD to pass on to my garden blog readers.

Diane states (to carve a pumpkin early in the Halloween season and NOT have that nasty rotten pumpkin issue before Samhain) you merely slather the carved pumpkin with Vaseline. (Reportedly it seals the pumpkin and works like some sort of air seal.)

HAPPY SPOOKY SEASON!

What Other Parent Gets To Have Onision Praise Their Garden?

2010-09-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

My adorable son (aka "Onision", the YouTube sensation) completely honored my garden by making this comedic film. He's posing as an extremely awkward young man who seems to suffer from stage fright; which makes viewing this flick rather funny. Enjoy. LOVE YOU ONISION! http://onision.com/. I'm so lucky, and blessed as a parent. It feels just overwhelmingly incredible.

Need Help Identifying This Plant

2010-09-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

NEW UPDATE!
Thanks to a highly intelligent friend, Simon Butler, who viewed this posting from a link provided on Facebook, this plant has been identified as "Jewelweed" (Impatiens capensis). According to Simon, it's also referred to as "Touch-me-not."

Here are the two hyperlinks he sent with more information:

http://www.sagebud.com/jewelweed-impatiens-capensis/

http://www.loudounwildlife.org/HHJewelweed.htm

THANK YOU MOST AWESOME SIMON!

POST AS IT WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN:
Faeries must have planted this orange-flowering herbacious bush in my yard. (Sure I understand that plants get distributed by many different means, by birds, insects, the wind, dogs that collect seed in their fur). It's just I've just never seen this variety of plant before -- not anywhere in my neighborhood, or from foraging through the woods -- never even saw it from the past and I spent most of my childhood playing in the woods where I grew up four miles from here. I've also never seen this plant inside any nursery.

This is the SECOND year it's appeared in my yard -- suggesting it's perriannual. It died back last winter and now just sprouted up again (late summer).

Any idea what this plant might be called? (Click any photo to enlarge it.)

Beyond asking that you pay close attention to the interesting nodules that formed where the branches connect to the herbacious stem, see next photo, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

No Apples Or Pears This Year

2010-09-08T11:19:00.001-07:00

Isn't it amazing how rain can act like a prism and distort the edges of a fragrant rose (making it appear more magical).

We have had such atypical weather all summer this year. More than having week after week of cloudy skies, the nights have been so cold, I've had to wear a sweatshirt and jeans all except for maybe 7 days this summer. Our apple, pear, cherry and peach trees are all barren with no fruit. Compare photos from last year's apple tree to this year's ... (click photos to enlarge them).

apple tree Sept. 2010

same apple tree Sept. 2009

We did not pick one single apple this year (there just weren't any)! Our raspberry bushes also have not produced much fruit. We did pick berries in June, but last year we had so many raspberries we were picking fruit long into October 2009.

Fortunately ... our flowers are still blooming.

Plants reaching up to collect the rain.

I've been creating special features and marked the four corners in our yard.

This is a patio plant that I keep in a pot. When it blooms, the most beautiful rust colored multi-petaled flowers appear.

More potted flowers.

Doug's garden gnomes.

Today was the first time I noticed the Hawthorn berries have appeared.

Only place I can grow carnations is in pots (thank to resident slugs who favor them).

Back yard roses have done remarkably well in spite of the rain. (That is if we can ignore the rust spots on their leaves.)

Shy little gnome playing peak-a-boo.

This is why I love pansies. Look at how they just spill over the edge of my very large flower pots.

The chickens are staying indoors on this rain-filled day.

None of our tomatoes have ripened this year either.

I planted these tomatoes up next to the house where they would get more radiating heat from the house. The tomato plants themselves looked incredibly healthy ... but the tomatoes never matured. I realize I could have cut the branches way back so the plant could send more energy to the fruit. (Learned I was allergic to tomatoes this year so I let the plant do what it wanted.)

Very few blueberries fully ripened at our house this year either.

Here's our pet Oscar, one week after he suffered a stroke. He's still pitching a little to his left but he's so much better now than he was last week when I called the vet and they said it would be most "humane" to put him down. While Oscar was barely moving for a few days, laying on his side, he was willing to eat clover that I carried to him and he still enjoyed being petted so I just watched and observed; made sure he was still drinking water. So now he's back on his feet, hopping to his food, eating the bok choi that I feed him. I didn't want to take a picture of him when he was all gnarled-looking (didn't want to remember him that way if he was going to die) but now that he's nearly recovered I wish I had those "before" photos.

Oscar. Brave stroke survivor.

May he live with us for many more years (he's about four years old now).

After Weeks Of Rain: Evil Demons Come Out!

2010-09-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

Crocosmia, Vintage Barrel, Missing Chicken

2010-08-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

(DOUBLE CLICK ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT)

Front yard: Crocosmia. My mom gave me the bulbs for this beautiful flower; the plant had spread in her yard so now I get to enjoy it.

Crocosmia up close

We're enjoying incredibly hot weather here in Western Washington this week (90+ temps). I've been making sure to water early in the morning, or late at night, to give our gardens a healthy experience on these hot summer days.

Inside our back yard aviary: "Hercules" (my Russian Fantail Dove - female.) She puffs out her chest quite often so I named her after the mythical power-monger.

Bought this vintage wheelbarrel, pictured below, at an antique sale in Puyallup this past weekend. My sister, who shopped with me, said she wanted me to send her a picture when I "did something" with it. So here it is, Jennifer! That awesome old wheelbarrel with new plantings!

Here's a more panaoramic view of that same wheelbarrel.

Late yesterday afternoon, when I went to put the chickens up for the night (we allow them to roam our fenced yard -- where every fence is 6 feet tall) one of my hens was missing. It was only six p.m. and all the other hens were waiting for me on the back porch. I thought the hen might have hid herself for the night and hunkered down in the bushes somewhere but she hasn't reappeared this morning. I hope desperately that she returns (would hate to think an owl or eagle took her.) There's no sign of predation. I don't think coyotes can even get inside our yard. This is what the missing hen looks like (below).

My little sister knows I collect frogs for my gardens. She gave me these three leaping frogs on Sunday (look closely if you want to see them).

this garden blog: http://SunTigerXO.blogspot.com
awesome vampire blog: http://Vamchoir.blogspot.com

No Law Says You Must Have A Lawn (Colorful Ground Covers)

2010-08-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

This is Oscar, our 5-year-old rabbit who lives in a dog kennel with a condo-style hutch. He's been inspiring our concerted effort to shrink our lawn by eating all the grasses and clover we pull for him. There are MANY reasons why we don't want to mow grass anymore. (Color/aesthetics, time, I'm allergic to grass AND lawns are not environmentally friendly.)

Wanting to design our yard with steppable plants that our two small dogs can run upon -- I now present a VARIETY of ground covers that have been growing healthfully these past few years. Most images are of mature plants (we've lived here five years now).

This native moss, below, just showed up spontaneously one day. Most people here in Western Washington kill moss in favor of grass but, as I alluded to earlier, I've been pulling grass like its the weed. Just look at the photo and notice the many fascinating colors and textures that native moss presents for our external home.

Here next is a blooming steppable plant. (With a bit of clover growing for Oscar to eat later.)

Purple Clover

Commercialized/Spanish Moss

Beauty bark offers a great contrasting color to green plants and provides a wonderful service as a weed barrier.

This next steppable fern (brown) grew so prolific the first year I planted it -- I decided to purchased the same variety in green that next spring (I really like the way this ground cover hugs the Earth tightly!)

Strawberry plants LOVE Western Washington and grow so readily I never worry about the dogs running through it. (The Pug often stops to snack when berries are ripe.)

Hard to believe it but you can walk on either of these two gorgeous flowering plants (below) and they will survive.

Kinnikinik, below, grows in the woods around here so I knew it would do extra well in our yard where it gets watered during the dry summer months.

I grow both golden (below) and purple sage in our gardens.

This is NOT the invasive English Ivy that environmentalists warn folks about. So I've been guilt-free while training it to climb objects, such as the chicken coup exterior.

Here's another (much brighter) non-invasive ivy; below.

One cautionary word for planting VARIETY in your yard: sometimes the plants grow together. Depending on the look you desire for your gardens, you may like the variety of many plants mingling in unison. Or you might want to thin plants out as they mature (beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to gardens and what you want to let grow there).

Here's what I mean (where plants grew so well they practically hug one another)

And ... saving the BEST images for last ... while taking the above pictures this afternoon I noticed this magical-looking spider web (two images below) under a low-lying bush. I had just watered, so the web was wet. Looking at the prisms, it seemed as though the spider was capturing each droplet like a valuable treasure.

CLICK ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

(Thank you for stopping by!)

home page: http://SunTigerMOJO.com

vampire blog: http://vamchoir.blogspot.com/

Deviating From My Yard Blog For One Post ... Estate Sales!

2010-07-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

Photo #1: REDNECK RESTAURANT
Doug and I ate at one of the most crowded, yummiest, redneck diners today. Yes. I hate to admit it but that is actually DUCT TAPE forming the dooor frame there on the left and they do actually have hideous-looking buckets on an ugly push-cart left out in the main dining room (but the food is awesome) and we've never gone to this "Berryland Cafe" in Sumner without sitting down inside a very crowded restaurant. (Just goes to show, decorum isn't everything!)

PHOTO #2: Here's another photo about decorum. I admit it. This is my kitchen. I LOVE having "stuff" -- vintage stuff, mostly ... and my house is super small so I need to hang my collections on the walls and have many shelves and cabinets for holding my treasures. I do believe in having everything incredibly organized (so I can find things QUICKLY). [Those Feng-Sui experts who insist "less is more." just never appreciated the nostalgia and personality that collecting cool "stuff" brings]. What's more? My visitors stand in awe of my house; everytime they come.

This blue vertical magnet, below, is a brand new (and yet very old) treasure that I found at an estate sale just TODAY! {{Yayness!}} I've been collecting vintage kitchen utensils for quite a while now and I'm regularly looking for creative ways to put my finds on display.

PHOTO #4 (Saving the best for last) ... I actually paid LESS for this huge statue that I have placed in the window, photo below. When I bought it, today, I thought it represented Father of the Gods Ra, since it features Egypt's Cobra (which Isis made when she gained her status as deity) and the Sun. Then, a freind on Facebook advised me it's actually King Tut.

Amazingly, I paid less for this huges statue of Tut (which is 27" tall) than I did for the little Goddess Isis, with her outstretched wings, many years ago; she's positioned there directly in front of Tut. How incredible are finds such as these???

I paid only $25 for this huge statue and it sells at the museum for more than $250.

It took me a while to convince Doug that I'd find a great place to put this HUGE likeness of Ra inside our little house but I can ALWAYS find more room for the most awesome treasures -- and if not; charity is always willing to take whatever I can no longer use -- I can always MAKE room).

Camera Fixed. First Set Of Photos ...

2010-07-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

I was so tickled to have found this anitque sprinkler at an estate sale recently. People just do NOT make sturdy old-fashioned sprinklers like this anymore. Every moving part is METAL! (I think I paid something like $6 for this little treasure.) What I really like about it is: I don't have to spend a lot of time adjusting the spray direction (not like the rotaiting pendulum-sprinklers made today). I have gone through so many modern sprinklers. I reallly feel full of glee to have this sturdy vintage model on hand.

LOOK WHAT JUST BLOOMED!

So glad I didn't pull these daisies below (showed up like weeds, basically).

Does anyone have any idea what plant-variety this next photo features? It's another species that just showed up spontaneously in my yard. I let it grow ... feeling (intuitively) that it had potential. Now that it's in bloom and I'm tickled by its flowers. {Clck any photo to enlarge it}

Crocosmia bloomed for the first time this week! (Photo does NOT do her justice.)

You can see from this mother hen and chicks plant, in its pot, that it rained a great deal this year (moss growing on the container).

I'll have much better photos to post next time. *Thanks for sharing in the fun.

This Blog WILL Return ...

2010-07-24T21:42:00.001-07:00

Camera has been down for a while ... I will be updating with new photos soon as that issue is addressed.

EVERYTHING ROSES!!! [Click Any Photo To Enlarge]

2010-06-30T00:19:00.000-07:00

This first photo includes the path to our chicken coup (there on the right). I'm really pleased with how fast my climbing roses are growing over the black iron trellis. I just planted them last year and the plants were very small then. Meanwhile, my rose trees (see one example in the foreground on the left) presents just beautiful and fragrant roses as well.

These photos are untouched. Some may have been cropped (but that's all).

I'm so tickled with all the colors and variety of roses I have growing in my gardens. It's taken years of collecting plants (and accepting rose plants as gifts).

This yellow rose is one of my favorites due to the incredible aroma and just how prolific the flowers are on this little rose bush.

Not all young roses have a green tent for sleeping in the wild. This variety is special that way!

See? This next rose variety doesn't make the buds sleep inside green tents!

As difficult as it is to believe ... this next photo is completely untouched. The special effects were made just by shooting the sky in the background (and it's another atypical cold June day today -- here in Western Washington).

Look at all the character in this rose! Isn't it amazing?

This next flower, below, is called "swamp rose." It's one of the earliest varieties of roses (at least that's my understanding). This rose bush spreads pretty rapidly here in Washington ... it's a native plant! So naturally I have a few such bushes growing in my gardens.

Sorry for the blurriness in this next photo. We really haven't had much sun at all yet this summer ... hence I am working hard to just ignore the rust spots on my rose bushes (seems kind of futile to try and treat the plants when it's continually cloudy).

The Good And The Really Ugly (Bad)

2010-06-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

Here in Western Washington (USA) we've had so much rain for May and June --my yard is just not looking as beautiful as it usually does this time of year. Consider this tiger lily, for example ... with the constant rain, slugs have completely invaded my entire yard. They really are eating EVERYTHING! (This is, quite honestly, the best looking Tiger Lily I have growing this season. See how many of its leaves are eaten away? Most of these are so horribly damaged by rain and slugs they are too depressing to photograph). Meanwhile ... I want this blog to focus on what's beautiful so (scroll down) you will see some plants that LOVE the rain!

The flower boxes I planted in late February/April are doing great! (Of course, they're protected from both slugs and rain).

Here, my pink Yarrow is in bloom and aren't these flowers just lovely?

Lavender, in my back yard, is just starting to bud! If we can get some dry weather (for a change) I'll be seeing bees and pollinating insects here; hopefully soon!

Rain means plants have been growing so very lush ... I spent more than three hours weeding this morning and there's so much more weeding to do (Where is Edward Scissorhands when I need him?) but look how healthy my ground cover plants are looking!

I have strawberries all over my yard (I use this fruiting plant as an attractive ground cover as well as have plants in my garden area). The pug loves foraging through whatever strawberries are not fenced in ... he's obviously not reached these in the pot!

Valerian Root makes beautiful delicate pink and white flowers. Usually I trim these (as I did for most of my plants) to keep the herb itself more potent but every year I let a couple of plants bloom so they can self seed for next year.

This is just the cutest little stepable plant (not very big ... about the size of my hand. The pink flowers are big as a dime).

This flowering bush that I have in my front yard has benefited from the extra rain. Unpredictable weather is one very powerful reason why I plant variety in my gardens.

This flowering bush grows on the south side of our home and makes a great privacy barrier between neighbors.

I actually grew up with these pink carnations blooming in the rockery out in front of our childhood home. I had searched EVERYWHERE for them and never could find this particular variety. Then ... lo and behold ... my little sister (who didn't remember the flowers since she's 4-years-younger) had these growing in her very own yard!) Her neighbor had given them to her and they're so prolific she had extra to share with me! {{I feel so blessed to finally have them!}})

I probably have more orange California poppies growing in my gardens than any other flower. They have self-seeded each year and just bloom EVERYWHERE. I hate pulling them like weeds because they do not transplant well but we'd have no walkways if we didn't thin these out each year.

WARNING: HIDEOUSLY UGLY PHOTOS FOLLOW:

Think I have a slug problem??? This is my rhubarb patch ... (Slugs have been a horrid problem with such wet weather.

Yes! Those are actually rust spots you see on my rose, below. And in addition to bugs eating the leaves, we've got blight on the leaves as well thanks to months of rain, rain and MORE rain!

Looks like rusty leaves doesn't it! (That's because it's rained way too much ... my poor fragrant organic roses!) I cannot even treat them with a skim milk spritzer it's raining so often!

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Pink Peony ~ Just Before The Huge Lightening Storm

2010-06-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

We've been having the worst sort of weather for June this year in Western Washington (USA). Of course: there's a Welsh saying: "Warm in January: Cold in May" (And it was ridiculously warm in January this year, so GUESS WHAT!) Meanwhile, this is JUNE already. It should be warming up. Right?

As we had a little sun out today ... the skies suddenly turned very dark. I ran out to snap photos (because cloudy skies make for the best pictures). Here's my peony!

Soon as I started snapping yard photos, however, a most horrific lightening storm began. With a very heavy downpour of rain, the thunder hit the same time lightening struck in my yard (no delay in sound).

My pug (who is usually barking a lot) was completely silent but our dachshund (whose most often quiet) was barking like nuts. We all ran into the house toward safety together! These photos are all I managed to get.

After I was in the house ... it still felt too dangerous to try and take lightening photos. These bolts were flying across the sky almost sideways. It was amazing!

FIRST EVER POLITICAL MESSAGE: SKANKY SARAH PALIN

2010-06-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Those of you who are familiar with this blog may be very surprised that I took the time to edit this photo, below, to make a political statement; when I never get political here.

After learning that Sarah Palin's foul mouth is still creating horrific damage to our country, environment and world with the stinky things she's says to fumigate our surroundings ... I felt obliged to DO SOMETHING! {{PLUG THIS POLLUTING HOLE!}}

The original photo for this work of art came from this article about Alaska's half-term mayor: blaming environmentalists for causing the drilling disaster. Hate to say it: Sarah's worse than an evil nightmare hag who wakes you out of your sleep as she sits on your chest, making you feel paralyzed where you cannot even breathe!

Oh dear Mother Earth! Please tell us there's NOT MORE! Sarah Palin Says 'Trust The Oil Industry' In Aftermath Of 'Tragic' Spill

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My home: SunTigerMOJO.com

Invasion Of The Evil Demon Slugs (Salt Goddess Banishes Them!)

2010-06-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

It's been raining so steadily these past couple of weeks I haven't been out in the garden much. Yet I could not miss how our California poppies are suddenly just now starting to bloom! (Sorry this is a tad blurry. I'll try to post a better photo in the next day or two when the flowers open a little more.)

Check this out. Bumble bees seem not to mind the rain too much (see it working to the right; below).

Yellow pond lilies.

Single Pond Lily up close.

Invasion of the evil demon slugs. (Can you count all of them? I pulled more than ten off this flowering plant.)

Can you hear this flower (below) saying "Thank you Oh Great Salt-Wielding Goddess. You have saved me from demonic slug possession and utter ruin. Thank you!"

This next photo shows one of the most aromatic flowers in my gardens ... Fire Witch. (I honestly cannot get enough of this blessed aroma. It's truly divine! Wish you could smell it through your monitor!)

And finally ... a front yard yellow rose ... hardy plant that does not seem to mind the rain at all.

[If you are reading this on Facebook, my garden blog is located at http://SunTigerXO.blogspot.com]

SunTiger's home: http://SunTigerMOJO.com

Rome Italy (My Daughter's Photos)

2010-05-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

My middle kid recently went to Rome. Here's just a few of her fantastic photos ... (It's been raining way too much this past week in the greater Seattle area to post images from here).

Is it me ... or does the rock in this first photo not look a bit like the inferior aspect of a man's genitals? Do you think what would be the phallus hiding inside of the archway means anything?

Judging by the expression on this mother's face (see next photo) do you think she just learned that here in America ... the republicans have TWICE voted down a bill that would make big oil rigging companies take responsibility for polluting Earth with their horrific oil screw up?

HOME: http://SunTigerXO.blogspot.com

Flower Vase Fey

2010-05-26T16:29:00.000-07:00

I'm often inspired by artwork that I find on the Internet ...

Here's a faerie we're not likely to find in our vegetable gardens, but perhaps she'll take pleasure inhaling the aroma from the home grown roses that we place in a crystal vase!

Source: http://www.totallypimpedout.net/Graphics/Gothic/images/gothic_fairy.gif

Rainy Day In My Back Yard

2010-05-21T21:47:00.000-07:00

I wish I had thought to pull out my camera even earlier this morning. It was such a stormy (dreadfully monsoon-sort of heavy rain day). Photos do NOT show how heavily the rain was coming down. I kept marveling to see so many different birds at our feeders in spite of it all ... woodpeckers, gold finches and more common breeds (such as robins) scattered about the yard.

Here's one photo that shows two finches feeding in the rain. (Left-click any photo to make it much larger).

Then along comes the dominant starling who acts like a schoolyard bully and chases EVERYBODY else away!
Inside the backyard coup/aviary things remained very dry. Here's "Baby" (hatchling from Bonnie who I bought at auction years ago. Bonnie is still alive and well and she looks exactly like her Ring Neck dove daughter except she's missing one toe).
Oh look! The chickens are hiding their eggs! I found no dove eggs this morning, but here in the corner of the nesting boxes I found two chicken eggs!

Here's Ruby. I have never seen the chickens fighting but she always seems to be missing feathers from the left side of her top hat. (She's easy to tell apart from her sisters because of this). I like the fact that I can look her in the eye, thanks to missing feathers!)
Another hen who I have not named yet. I keep waiting for some sort of unique personality feature to come out that will help me to label this black and white Polish hen. Like Ruby, she is also missing feathers from her headdress (only on her RIGHT side). Perhaps I shall call her "Cruella Deville" since she's colored like a dalmation and acts rather comically like the cartoon!

[If you are reading this post on FaceBook, SunTiger's garden blog is located at SunTigerXO.blogspot.com]

Oyster Flowers

2010-05-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

I finally captured a photo of my oyster plant flowers when they are fully open (see bottom two photos). This delicate purple flower only stays open for a few hours every day and every time I've tried to show them to Doug they've been closed (so the plant just looks like decorative grass).

While I had my camera out, I snapped a few other photos. It wasn't the best time of day for photography (too bright) but you can at least get an idea about what's in bloom here in western Washington, USA, right now.

I think Columbine are one of my favorite flowers (see below)
My little Hawthorn tree is now in bloom with its purplish/pink blossoms.
Unbelievably, my very first rose has already opened. I'd have waited until later in the day to take the photo ... but, like I said, I really needed to capture the Oyster plant when its blooms were wide open.
My yellow rose is just now forming its buds ...
And here's the exciting photos I've been waiting to post! OYSTER PLANT! The grassy leaves are edible as a salad and the roots are the luxurious treat (steam them like potatoes ... they taste extraordinary).
Here I've zoomed out so you can see how tall the Oyster plant gets. These particular plants are now two years old. They stand about 3 1/2 to 4 feet tall.

Marigolds Or Slugs?

2010-05-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

Slugs have always been the bane of my gardening success. Slugs love eating attractive marigolds . . . those yellow or orange flowers that keep aphids away. Slugs don't just eat the buds. They consume the marigold's pinnate leaves and even consume the softer part of their stems so all that's left are the marigold's nubs/killing the plant.

I have no problem pouring salt on a slug to kill it. In fact, I often lift my potted plants to pour salt on the many slugs that hide beneath them. Meanwhile, I recently learned my grown children have always regarded this practice of mine as rather cruel and unusually insane.

CASE IN POINT:

After taking my daughter-in-law to a movie to celebrate her birthday, I also gave her a variety of plants from my gardens (since she also loves to work the soil and wanted some strawberry plants as well as chocolate mint). We had passed the potted plants from my trunk to hers when I suddenly realized, quite sadly, that one of the gifts I handed to her had a tiny slug clinging to it. (That's what happens when you put things in pots and wait more than a week, in Western Washington's soggy spring weather, to pass them onward).

Horrified that I had given her a slug, I brushed the little creature off and it landed on the pavement where we stood at the mall parking lot. My own offspring (her husband along with his oldest sister) felt sorry for the slug, however. They picked it up and horror of horrors put it in the mall's flower bed.

We actually dialogued about it. My grown children said they wanted the slug to live while I said it was a "killer" and would only destroy the mall plants. My offspring shrugged and said: "You mean they're killers just like us!"

{{Hmph}} . . . there are a million ways of looking at this whole slug-eat-marigold world. I am sure that slugs help recycle organic matter on some level. Even still, slugs are not NATIVE to Washington state and since they compete with marigolds, which are much more highly beneficial to this planet in my opinion, the slugs still must go!

NOTE: The only way I've managed to grow marigolds and keep them growing (safe from slugs) was to raise them in window boxes or hanging baskets as pictured!

Oh How I Love Spring!

2010-04-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

Front yard: FULL of color!Delicate little flowers blooming EVERYWHERE!
Have any idea what herb is in this next photo? (Answer is at the very bottom of this entry.) As always, you may double-click any image to enlarge it!
The Triliums are white when they first bloom and they fade to pink, then this deep pinkish purple before they fade away.
I am really happy that I've been allowing the trailing blackberry (native plant that trips hikers on trails) take over certain areas. It makes and excellent ground cover and the flowers are just an added treasure.
This hanging basket dangles from a shepherd's hook in the front yard.
Shade flowers . . .
One of the many rockeries . . .
Does this next deep red plant look WAXY to you?
Rhododendron
This red tulip is nearly spent . . .

But the grandma pink ones are just beginning to bloom!
Flowering bush . . .
Pansies . . .
This pansy looks like a lion to me.
Lilac bush . . .
Marigold . . .
Groundcover ... with weeds mixed in. LOL.
More ground cover . . .
Near the koi pond, in the shade . . .
This columbine appeared in the most unusual place ... in a crack alongside our driveway. (I know people say that Columbine self-seeds but I prefer to assume Faeries planted this beautiful gem for me.
Ah ... I took this photo of a most edible flower ... then fed it to the very grateful rabbit. (Not to worry ... the Dandelion's offspring are still healthy and well to make MORE dandelions.
Bluberry bushes are in bloom . . .
This is a blue spruce that I planted when we first moved in ... it seems to be bushing OUTWARD instead of growing upward (like I expected it to do).
Apple blossoms and buds!

The unnamed herb pictured (above) is Valerian. Boiling the roots for tea really helps the sleepless find good rest. Caution: Cooking Valerian root can make the whole house smell like dirty socks or blue cheese dressing. (The odor is rather fowl.)

Tulips & Iceland Poppy

2010-04-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

I am so in love with my grandma-pink tulips. Just look how delicate and lovely they are. (These bloomed almost a full month later than my dark pink tulips.)Here's one pink tulip up close!
I am still amazed by this Iceland Poppy (a container plant I've been growing for just more than a month now). It has SO MUCH CHARACTER!

Here we are, sticking our tongue out at ya! (LOL)

Where's The Delete/Ignore/Block Button When Ya Need It?

2010-04-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

[Click on the photo to enlarge it & see how cool this tree really is]

I went to Home Depot to pick up a bag of organic potting soil today. With so many seeds sprouting between sheets of newspaper (cluttering the kitchen counters) my need was rather urgent. Yet soon as I arrived at the garden store I saw a big sign that read "BARGAINS!" ((If that's not like dangling a carrot before a donkey, I don't know WHAT is ... ))

In the forefront of this picture you see our brand new little Norway Spruce that I bought for just $27.88. I planted it as soon as I arrived home (even while it began to thunder and rain hard!)

The point of this entry, is that while a store clerk helped me load the precious little tree into the back of my pickup ... some random woman started barking negative accusations at us. She kept insisting I was KILLING the tree (oddly enough). First she said the tree belonged in the cab of my pickup (when it was much too big to fit). I think she was upset because I had to lay the tree and its large pot on their sides since my pickup has a cover over the bed ... but I've hauled much bigger trees than this one in my little red Toyota Tacoma and I was even able to close the lid to bring this baby home!

What was rather irksome was that the woman would NOT quit blabbering about it and we listened to her rant the entire time we worked to secure the tree. I seriously cannot figure out what could have been her motivation for accosting us (other than the idea that she was fruity).

That's when I seriously missed my IGNORE button (on Facebook). If only we could address some people the way we do in virtual reality then irregular folks would have NOBODY left to talk to! IGNORE, HIDE, DELETE. Those are my FAVORITE virtual tools!

Spring Is In The Air! {{Happiness}}

2010-04-16T19:43:00.001-07:00

While sitting at my computer, doing layout work for an eBook, the sun came out. I couldn't help myself. I had to drop everything and went outside to work in our gardens. This first photo proves to me that alien species definitely exist in our world (because this Iceland Poppy definitely has an extraterrestrial-shaped head and the blossom currently looks like a little tongue). [Double-click any photo to enlarge it.]

Here's a ground cover plant that I have growing in the back yard. I bought this about three years ago and it's really taking off/spreading out. (I feel so thankful for colorful low-to-the ground foliage such as this because while I remove more and more lawn (to increase depth & color as well as be more environmentally conscious in my gardens) I can still see all the way to the fence line. Short plants like these also enable the dogs to play in the yard with very little lawn

Last year, while shopping yard sales I bought these flower boxes for about $4 each. They were red and we painted them green. I thought I had found such a great bargain until I paid for the new brackets to hang them with. All the same, this embellishment really adds a lot of personality to Dougs & my house. (I just love them and can hardly wait for the plants to grow and spread out!)
Gotta love having fresh herbs from the garden. Rosemary is one of my favorite garden herbs as it looks beautiful year-round (even when not in bloom). My husband enjoyed a sprig of purple flowering Rosemary with his pasta tonight!

Here's a snapshot of my utterly divine late-flowering cherry tree. It is just now coming into bloom (more than a month after everyone else's cherry trees have lost all of their flower petals. I just LOVE being a little different -- or a little "off" season. :-D

The soil in our yard has been so rocky that I've made fun use of all of the stones I find while I'm gardening. This display is next to our koi pond. The heart-shaped stone that I painted came from my former home, on a creek bank. (You know you're a rock collector when you're willing to pack stones for a household move!)

Here's my native salmonberry bush ... a small plant I rescued (in affiliation with the Native Plant Society) from a site that was going to be bulldozed. This will be the bush's second season in my yard and I'm hoping to finally be able to taste its pinkish-orange fruit this summer. I'm particularly fond of any flower with five petals (like a pentacle). It feels very protective and magical to me.

Amazingly enough, I found the following flower basket and organic insert at the dollar store! The plants inside cost quite a bit more ... but I'm really glad I bought this iron shepherd's hook to hang the display from. It really adds a whole 'nother level to my gardening.

Finally ... in my backyard I have this beautiful flowering vine that I believe is a clematis (it climbs a trellis and I give it hardly any attention at all but it lavishes me with beauty just the same). I planted this three years ago and have never been sorry that I did. It almost matches my flowering cherry tree!

* Interested in books or if you're writing an eBook ... check out my other blog: http://villageofRavena.blogspot.com!

As Some Hibernate - Other Plants Bloom

2010-04-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

This is Russian Sage, still in hibernation. In the next few months this plant will be so vibrant with color. We've had a ridiculously unusual winter here in western Washington this go-around. It was warm in February (usually our coldest month) and now that it's spring we experience freezing night temperatures along with the usual heavy April rains. [Click any image to enlarge it.]

This next bush is native to Washington. It's a flowering red currant. I planted it right next to the Russian Sage (so while one plant hibernates, the other is in bloom).
Look at all the weeding I need to do! This is part of my "shrink the lawn" project where I'm planting a lot of variety (instead of the more common green asphalt) all over our property. It's been raining so hard lately, and the weather is so cold when it's not raining, I haven't been out in the gardens much. [The white wood shavings you see are composted from my chicken coop. Never apply chicken manure directly to your garden without composting first because it's hot with nitrogen and will burn your plants]
I think Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs ... I cook with it year-round. What a blessing when it's in full bloom with such delicate purple flowers.

This next flowering bush is also called a "flowering red currant. Meanwhile it does not look like the native variety (pictured above). This one's flowers are much paler while the leaves look the same on both varieties. [Note, I am uploading this photos from my laptop and do not have editing software accessible to crop out my weeding bucket ... sorry]

So hard to believe that slugs can climb my stone altar, here, but they've obviously been nibbling on my orange pansy. (Click to enlarge photo.)
Isn't spring just beautiful? I love all my flowers planted from bulbs.
I think purple, orange and pink are my favorite garden colors (next to green).
Here's what I've done to keep slugs at bay. They have completely been ridiculously persistent with my flowering carnation variety plant, below. I thought this beauty was just wintering but on closer look I realized why she was not branching out. I'm very surprised this beautiful little gem is still alive. I have continued to circle it with coffee grounds since (which slugs do not like) and if you enlarge the photo you can see how the plant is just now starting to come back with precious little buds.) Ignore the fir tree clippings. They're not part of this plant.

Aren't these tulips just the funnest color?

Amazing discovery in my chicken coop this morning. The chickens that were hatched in early-to-mid October 2009 have already begun to lay eggs. (They're just 6 months old.) My grey hen, who I call Gandolf the Grey was sitting in a corner yesterday, and the day before at feeding time. Today, when I decided to force her out of the corner (because I was worried she was not eating) I found 17 eggs under her! I had no idea they were all laying already ... obviously more than a few days work they had there! Because I didn't know how old the eggs were and they were warm I added them to the compost but TOMORROW? Fresh eggs baby!

Below is a picture of my heartache. This is Runt, fully grown. S/he's always had trouble from the time s/he was a little chick. I believe Runt is a male because he's crowed a couple of times in the last few days. Runt is very crippled. I've posted, before how "she" wasn't growing feathers as fast as the others. Well, Runt's legs are all deformed and he can barely walk. He's just the sweetest bird otherwise. I put him in a cage to make sure he can reach his food. He was growing so thin prior to that decision and when I was previously giving water directly to him the others would come eat it before he could get to it.

Poor baby. Fortunately this bird has not crowd much at all. If he did, I'd have to put him down (as I don't think any other person would want the extra care required to take care of him and roosters are not allowed where we live.

Altars EVERYWHERE: Gnome & Frog Gardens

2010-03-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

Here's a really old gnome (couple) that' I've had in my garden for a while now ... [click any photo here to enlarge it]

My husband Doug's birthday is this week ... and he LOVES gnomes so I bought him an early present, below. Gotta love the mushrooms I purchased with it. (This gnome is a bobble-head. It wiggles from a spring at the waistline.)
The next photo is a new thing I'm doing in my yard. Since Doug likes gnomes, I thought I'd build a garden to magically draw more gnomes into our gardens. Here's the front side of that newest altar.
The next photo is of the back of our gnome altar.
Here are my two garden helpers: Artemis (the pug) and Freya (the dachshund). They certainly tug on my heart every time I look at them. LOVE our fur-angels.
This year (2010) presents the very first March in 5 years of living here when my forsythia bush bloomed and it wasn't covered in snow.
Below is my personal sacred space ... I keep creating safe places for frogs and amphibians to live in our yard and so far so good ... we've got frogs croaking all the time (feel very sad to know they are endangered.) PEOPLE STOP USING PESTICIDES AND WEED KILLERS PLEASE!
The next photo is of an altar inside my home. I hope it doesn't reek too much of dogma (because we're not into organized religion at all). I feel working in my yard and hiking the woods is the best possible sanctuary for me, spiritually. Meanwhile, I do like powerful symbols from some religions and I collect such. I have Catholic items to honor Doug's upbringing. I also have a collection of Egyptian pantheon in statue form about my home to honor mythology and more free-flowing ideas of spirit.

I found this (next image) cast iron cross at the thrift store for $3. I bought the Goddess who stands on crystals yesterday from Crescent Moon Gifts in Tacoma (awesome store).

I hope this arrangement symbolizes the free-flowing Goddess worship rising out of the ashes of terribly controlling religious fundamentalism.

PEACE TO ALL.

Down & Around Seattle Today

2010-03-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

Every now and then my husband Doug and I go on a road trip. The weather was especially awesome in the greater Seattle area today (highs around 57 °F) ... so we hit the road!

Here is what Doug looks like when the wind is blowing his hair (image below). See the Olympic Mountains behind him, beyond Elliot Bay?

Our first stop for today's adventure was in North Seattle (around the University District). We shopped an estate sale there but nothing inside inspired me. While Doug shopped, I snapped the following photos from nearby gardens!

I absolutely love the various types of soft moss that grows around here in damp shady places (western Washington). The plants (division: Bryophyta) gives this otherwise hard and cold stairway some welcomed color and life!
Below, the image captures a flowering hedge ... (looks like Summerland to me!)
Doug thought these trees might belong to the Madrona family. I liked their character!

I really liked this flowering hedge! (Below.) [Click on any photo in this post to enlarge it!]

Here's another magical-looking stairway. It looks like gnomes might enjoy living here!

I love the turret (tower-shape) on this house and notice how plants on either side of the front door guard this home!
Below I managed to capture the Olympic mountains on disc (as seen from the Seattle waterfront).
Here's a more glistening view of the water as the ferry pulled alongside our dock.
I actually took this next picture more than a week ago (but it was still on my camera so you get to see it: "Buddha!")
After we left Seattle, I needed to purchase some chicken feed. So we drove out to Enumclaw where we snapped this image of Mount Rainier.
Here's a very strange-looking amphibious vessel (pictured below).
One thing I love about Seattle is that street musicians play just about everywhere! This particular musician played excellent rhythms on the 5 gallon buckets.

That's all the photos I have to share for today ... hope you enjoyed them!

VERY STRANGE DREAM [Environmentalism]

2010-02-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

LAST NIGHT I DREAMED: I was the only protester when a company I worked for replaced all employee cell phone batteries w/big fat hairless glow-worms. The electromagnetic pulses inside the worm energized the phone. Yet the poor creatures were squashed and tortured to live horrific experiences inside the phone (their casket).

When my own functional yet traditional cel phone batteries were replaced, forcefully, it became painful for me to touch my cel phone (it radiated so much from the worm's suffering and death.)

My own value system suffered! While I tend to shout "Save Earth" the reasons for using the glow worms (instead of Nickel Metal Hydride in current cel phone batteries) was that glow worms were organic, compostable and good for the environment (also much cheaper to produce).

Yet how could I possibly conform to what was "good for Earth" when the poor little creatures agonized so terribly! I wanted to "SAVE THE WORMS." Screw how toxic the old batteries were!

{Really makes me wonder why I dreamed that vivid dream ... }

For The Love Of Gnomes

2010-02-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

The following Gnomes were found hiding out around the Seattle Flower & Garden Show. (Enjoy the pictures.)

Yellow gnome.

Weather-worn gnome.

Forest gnome.

Christmas gnome.

Chomsky gnome.
Gnome bench.
Blue gnome.

Yard Photos Taken Today: Feb 18, 2010 (Kent, WA, USA)

2010-02-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

Crocuses are blooming all over my yard (thankfully). I bought my yellow variety two years ago by auction at the Enumclaw Sales Pavillion and have been so thrilled with their vibrant performance so early in the year I planted more! (See more colors, below!) ... note: you may double-click on ANY photo to enlarge it!White . . . (bought these bulbs from McClendon's Hardware store)
and purple stripes! {What a blessed way to welcome spring!)

I'm also fascinated by this Elderberry bush (pictured below) that I rescued from a site to be bulldozed two years ago. (Naturally I followed legal protocol for collecting it.) It grew so fast and was rather gangly-looking so I trimmed it this year, even while it's a native bush and I've never heard of anyone trimming Elderberry before. Just look at the fascinating growth on it already! I'm thrilled!

Next is my Flowering Red Currant. Obviously it's not in bloom yet -- even still, the stems offer such vibrant red for this time of year. (Beautiful!)
Here's kinnikinnick (below) looking rather tired after winter's cold but the berries add lovely color to this season. This was another plant I rescued by networking with the Native Plant Society (they gave me access, as a Watershed Steward/volunteer, after I dug up many other plants for resale at their nursery).
Next is a baby Magnolia tree that I purchased and planted last year. This tree stands maybe two feet tall but already it's showing an vibrant eagerness for spring!
My Oregon Grape transplant (another rescue) is native to Western Washington.
I just love the following pink bells on this early-budding bush!
Primroses seem to be in bloom early this year . . .
The photo below is taken of a rather small bush (about 3 feet tall now) but it sure captures everyone's attention blooming in winter as it does!
I love ground-covers that bloom. My goal is to eventually eliminate ALL of our lawn with much more colorful (lower maintenance) ground covers like this next one.
Look at the brand new blossoms on my old Rosemary bush (below).
The following fountain did not survive its first winter ... bought this at Home Depot ... it was rather cheap (think I paid $39.00). "Ya get what you paid for," the old adage goes.
My very young chickens wanted to be photographed today ... these are the "Top Hat" Polish variety and I thoroughly enjoy their company. They're all only 4 months old so they don't lay eggs yet. Meanwhile, they've made plenty of manure for the winter compost!

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Enumclaw Sales Pavillion . . .

2010-02-07T22:08:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to realize the crocuses are in bloom here in Western Washington. Aren't they beautiful? I planted these a couple of years ago and I'm just thrilled with how gorgeous they are. What a beautiful reminder that warmer days are coming!

Doug and I went to the Enumclaw Sales Pavillion on Saturday to sell a rooster (I only want hens in my coop ... the rooster is adorable but I don't want to upset my neighbors with his crowing). While there ... we caught breakfast and enjoyed the weekly offering of FREE live music (very short video, below. (Very sorry I turned my camera to shoot this. SHEESH!)

Seattle Flower & Garden Show (2/4/2010)

2010-02-04T00:45:00.000-08:00

I volunteered at Seattle's Flower & Garden Show, inside the Convention Center, for Bats Northwest today. The turnout was awesome. I pretty much talked to visitor after visitor non-stop and really enjoyed their enthusiasm for the native bats here in Washington.

Below are a variety of photos I took all around the garden show. If this doesn't get you feeling eager for spring and the gardening season ... I don't know WHAT will!

Antiques play a large role in many of the gardening designs (as you will see the more you scroll down).
Can't you just hear the frogs croaking their melodies while looking at this next shot?
Bonzai trees ...
Metal art ...
Burch support poles . . .

Religious statues ...
More vintage decor . . .
A more Victorian-feel . . .
Garden statues serve as planters . . .

Rustic set-ups . . .
Chic little colorful shed ...
Vintage lighting . . .
A merry-go-round horse is something EVERY garden should have!
Decorative glass and cast iron make fascinating garden accents . . .
Here's an interesting booth ... probably took a big investment in creative skill (a lot more creativity than money).
More vintage chic decorations for the patio . . .
How would you like to soak in this tub???
I wish I had a broom collection this big! Besoms are AWESOME!
Beautiful yard art! {Peaceful}
Vintage-style art ... looks like from recycled metals.
The Green Man (among other identifiable likenesses)

Was there ANYTHING boring about the Garden Show? (We say: "Neigh!")

This dragon statue was rather large (see man in background for comparison).

I loved the way these yard dolls looked like they were dancing.

More art with the vintage-metal look:

Beautiful bust . . .

Good way to recycle bottle caps (that's what the petals are made out of - caps strung together).

Ever seen a blown-glass fern growing in your yard? {Very creative!}

More blown-glass artwork.

This is a grown-up size GNOME house. (At least it looked ike a gnome's house to me!) I'd love to make one like this!
Here's a slightly different angle of this same house. You can see an adult standing to the far right for a size comparison.
Where would all the wild animals be without old scrags in our gardens. This one (below) certainly offers a peaceful feeling to its admirers.

The next four photographs are of the same display: a retired white pickup now "giving back to the Earth!"

Went To Seattle Yesterday

2010-01-30T23:17:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I drove to downtown Seattle with my husband for a passenger. Doug wanted to do genealogical research on the 9th floor of Seattle's Central Library (on 4th and Madison streets) while I had plans for scouting out Pioneer Square. Below I offer photos of this part of the city, with modern evidence of old Seattle (also known as Seattle Underground).

Here I am raising a "Starbucks" cup ... Click your mug to mine and let's go on this little trip together!

Here in Pioneer Square (among many other wooden totems) is this Goddess statue. May all of Earth be nourished by her bounty.

Amazingly, Pioneer Square seemed ridiculously abandoned on this Saturday, January 30th, 2010.
I felt drawn to photograph the uniquely shaped benches along 1st Avenue, below.

Inside the metro tunnel, in Pioneer Square.
What is it about ivy covering old brick buildings that makes the whole world seem more alive?
As the day progresses into early afternoon, more pedestrians hit the streets. I really enjoyed the many times that complete strangers walked up to talk to me. I have always loved Seattle for many reasons -- but people who hang out on the streets are one big reason.
The famous Chief Seattle statue in Pioneer Square (on First Avenue).
Here's evidence of how the City of Seattle raised its streets after the great fire that destroyed 30 blocks in 1889. See how the new elevated sidewalks block most of the old Seattle windows (which are now underground).
Brightly marked steps leading the way in to the commercially available "Seattle Underground" (via tours that begin up the road at Doc Maynard's, 601 1st Avenue).
Another nearby business covered its stairway with grating material.
Here's yet another stairwell into the underground. In other areas there is absolutely no public access made available to the City in ruins (much of the underground is barricaded and condemned).
Another way that private business owners addressed the "window below ground" situation when Seattle raised her streets was to simply start the sidewalk a couple of feet from the window.
Stairs into "Grand Central" which is FREE to the public.
Inside Grand Central ... many archways from historical Seattle have been maintained in their original good repair.

Inside Grand Central (in Seattle's underground) many shops like this one now utilize the space. The entrance is located at 214 1st Ave.
Here's a book bindery below ground at Grand Central, Seattle.
This decorative restaurant is located uphill from Pioneer Park. If I remember correctly, it was located on the 1400 block of 5th Avenue.
Even the alleys in Seattle set a certain mood. (Gotta love these old brick buildings).
Just think of all the toys a kid could send flying from these fire escapes!
This was probably my favorite alley shot.
Generic photo of buildings. Notice the sky cables that make it possible for Seattle's trolley system to work.
Looking downhill toward the bay.
Pioneer Square buildings ...
This shot was taken down at Pike Place.
4th Avenue, just one block south of the Seattle Central Library.
Another peek toward the waterfront.

Taken from Pioneer Square, you can see Qwest Field there yonder (to the right of the clock tower).
The artwork around Seattle is quite numerous and impressive.
This "walrus building" is next to the lot where I parked my pickup.
Near Pioneer Square, in Skid Row, here's a lesser known area of Seattle's Underground. Bet no public tours ever made their way down here!

Central Library (Downtown Seattle:

Here's my Doug as we rode the insane-inducing neon-green elevator (it definitely looks more green in person). I'm glad to say Doug survived the elevator mostly mentally unscathed.

Happy "Søndag" (That's "Sunday" in Norwegian)

2010-01-24T12:23:00.001-08:00

I'm excited. I joined a new Pagan women's group in Tacoma (can never have enough friends who share the same interests).

What's more, I participated in an awesome Ouija board experience the other day with a couple other women. We kept having Faeries and Garden Gnomes come through the board who spoke of spreading love, planting Hawthorn trees and the like. All three of us really liked the idea of planting more Hawthorn so while I already have such a tree in my yard, I'm trying to figure out what other variety of that incredibly beautiful tree I'm going to plant ... another pink blooming variety or the Washington Hawthorn (which has white blooms) called Crataegus phaenopyrum.

Incensed With Fox Television -- Yellowbellied SLOTHS

2010-01-14T15:56:00.000-08:00

UNfrigging believalbe. Fox television just broadcast MY SON's face, a US Air Force veteran, on the news while their yellow-bellied journalists talked about "charity scams." My son's video CLEARLY calls for donations through legitimate UNITED NATIONS efforts - the World Food Program!

What is WRONG with FOX -- that lackadaisical, lazy, unprofessional news station? How DARE them slander my son or ANY caring American like that!

Here's the FOX video (featuring MY son) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAs_DVV9Gmg

Here's my son's actual video where he clearly asks people to donate through reputable channels.

He's a caring, loving and respectable American. He just came home serving 3 years in the US Air Force/Korea last year.

THIS is how FOX TV treats our veterans???

SHAME ON YOU FOX NETWORK!

Doing Research. Finding AWESOME Information

2010-01-12T19:12:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling intuitively that the famous Seattle Underground tour covers only a very small part of what's left of the old labyrinth system of underground city sidewalks from previous centuries. I'm writing about such in my novel but it's very difficult to find verifiable information (beyond what I can see in my head and feel in my gut).

Meanwhile, I found a most entertaining post on this topic, written by a very talented writer. I hope you take time to read it (if you're interested in homeless, and the idea they've made a home out of the rain by living underground, as I "get" they really do).

Here's that fascinating account: http://explorations.undercity.org/2008/04/seattle-searching-for-underground.html

SunTiger's Chickens - very short videos (:30 seconds)

2010-01-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

First video is "Athena" a chicken I named because of the friendliest factor ... then she grew waddles and proved she's a rooster. Arrrrrrgh!

Next video is just the typical morning feeding frenzy.

And here's my favorite moment every single morning: the mass exodus from the roosting area (where the chicks are kept out of the cold) to their daylight pen.

Here's a very fun joke going around on Facebook right now:

Dont you find it Funny that after Monday(M) and Tuesday(T), the rest of the week says WTF?

Happy Day of Perihelion

2010-01-02T20:54:00.001-08:00

"Perihelion" happens Sunday, Jan 3, 2010.

That means Earth will be in its orbital point closest to our Sun, tomorrow. It may not feel like it to those of us shivering from WINTER weather (LOL) but that's due to the Earth's tilt. Astronomers insist this close proximity to our brightest star is scientifically verifiable!

For more details see: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/01/02/perihelion/

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T11:03:00.001-08:00

Here I am (on the left) with my lover/husband Doug. We're both wearing the hats I made for bringing in the Year of the Tiger - 2010!

At the party, when we realized our store-bought noise makers were not LOUD enough ... we did the old fashioned thing and pulled out the pots and pans!
What a bunch of crazy percussionists!

Mary ~ so much fun, I never grow tired of looking at her!
Kiss at midnight! {Smooch}
Precious darling Ila ... youngest bell-ringer calling in the New Year from one door while the oldest bell ringer called in the New Year from the other entrance.
Gotta love the occasional orb that shows up in our photos ... :-D
Nobody is more fun at a party than these two (below).
Doug just HAPPENED to be the eldest person at the party so he was the second bell ringer! (Opposite Ila, the youngest bell ringer).

How awesome that we had a full moon on New Year's Eve and that it was a BLUE MOON (same night as a lunar eclipse).

Merry Christmas Everyone

2009-12-25T23:23:00.001-08:00

Doug and Jerry at our house ... Christmas Eve 2009.
Jessie & her mom, Mary.
Judy Lynn, John, Mayda, Jessie & Mary
My back yard chickens ... looking GOOD! {Notice the orb inside my chicken coop}. LOL
My kids, left-to-right: Christina, Joanna, daughter-in-law Skye & Gregory.
Artemis (Santa Pug) my forever shadow.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

2009-12-18T16:52:00.000-08:00

2012 prophecy is dangerous & interesting at the same time. At any given moment Earth could spontaneously explode sending blood and guts splattering everywhere. Of course, it will never really happen. That's what makes life so boring. At times it's dull, repetitive, & tedious. Thus we imagine even more Armageddon scenarios and feel revived talking about it.

Worst Christmas Party Ever

2009-12-16T21:41:00.000-08:00

I just got home from the absolutely DUMBEST holiday party ever. The host would read a riddle and guests were supposed to guess, from her clues, what was hidden inside a wrapped holiday box.

It might have been an alright game if the riddles had made any sense. Meanwhile, clues the game master provided for a pair of safety goggles included the hint that they were something "you played with as a child."

{{?Safety goggles?}} Yep!

Another ridiculous example for the horrid riddles (giving false info): "You can only use this item in ONE place. It is often used during road-side emergencies to warn other drivers of a hazard."

Answer: (if you're thinking emergency FLAIR -- you're WRONG) The only answer they allowed: helmet-flashlight!

I actually sat through more dreadful and irrelevant "riddles" like that. The evening became SO-o-o-o-o-o-o-o outrageously hysterical because of it. (Sadly, such was NOT the host's intent.)

OTHER PARTY TABOOS??? There weren't even enough chairs for everyone to sit down!!! Arrrrrrrghhhhhh.

Other people at our table kept allowing their unruly children to stand on the metal folding chairs. I kept worrying about the possibility that a chair could collapse and a child might get hurt. The parents also argued with each other about what one parent had told their daughter to do or not do. Bleh.

I'm laughing about it NOW-w-w-w-w but it's a while after I made Doug attend this party with me; and he was previously so tired from an extra long day at work.

{Very sorry Doug.}

Forks Washington Photos

2009-12-14T10:01:00.001-08:00

My nephew Thaddeus took these photos of Forks, Washington. They look so peaceful to me. You can see why Stephenie Meyer would pick this typically overcast location for her vampire series the Twilight novels.

Just stare at the photos for a while and you'll begin to feel more peaceful; your heart rate will go down. Gotta love the Forks River shot that Thad took, bottom photo.

One Nation Under Friggin' Cold Weather!

2009-12-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

It's so cold outside right now. 15* F here in the greater Seattle area (breaking records) but it's eerily DRY so it doesn't feel quite THAT cold (not like a wet-cold). Even still, I've been worried about Dougs and my outdoor pets so I added a SECOND heat lamp to the enclosed chicken coup. All animals were fed a hot baked potato this morning and given hot tap water to drink this blistery cold day (as usual when it's more than chilly).

Watching the weather station this morning I realize other states are snow-bound, flooded, and suffering ice storms. I'm so thankful I'm not living THERE right now.

Here's a fun exchange I had on FaceBook this morning . . . {{Gotta love my FaceBook friends}}

SunTiger Xo I rock. I may not BE a rock, emotionally, but I rock just the same. I may not sing rock music. I may not be handsome as was Rock Hudson. I'm not nearly funny as is Chris Rock. But I can certainly sway back and forth (you know: ROCK, with my arms cradled around myself). LOL

10 hours ago · Comment ·

Christine Harrelson

Some people don't find Chris Rock very funny. So, you might be as or more, depending on the opinion :) Hey, are you as gay as Rock Hudson?

10 hours ago · Delete

Diane Heidt

You rock, my friend! I knew it all along! :-)

10 hours ago · Delete

Gail Bixler-Lafavers

You DO Rrrrrrrrrock!

9 hours ago · Delete

Sue Hericz Hagan

I think you ROCK!

2 hours ago · Delete

Lenn Waters

I think you rock too!!!

about an hour ago · Delete

Michelle Corbett

Maybe you should put on "Jingle Bell Rock" and rock to it! Hope your day rocks!

59 minutes ago · Delete

SunTiger Xo

Christine ~ I'ml 100% gay about my love life. :-D

Diane ~ Ahhhhh. Thank you!

Gail ~ Wow. Two of you said that now. THANKS!!!

Sue ~ You make THREE people who think I rock (seriously rocking now).

Lenn ~ OMG. Really? FOUR people on this planet think I rock. I really MUST rock!

Michelle ~ All these awesome comments? My day totally DOES rock. Thank you!

Empowering Song: I Will Never Be Your Stepping Stone

2009-12-08T12:28:00.001-08:00

Moving Onward & Upward {Like The Fool}

2009-12-02T17:04:00.000-08:00

Life-time struggle. I finally just gave up. I'm going a different direction -- just to fully "Be" without being near someone I love who continually bosses. No longer am I swimming that up-stream battle-tide (when maintaining my ideal means consistently banging against the most incorrigible personalities). Making that decision to move on feels so much better. Finally. {{I was insane to keep such relationships going for so long. Stupid ideals. Expecting a different reaction by repeatedly loving (doing the same thing) is just crazy}}.

Funny how - regardless of how much self analysis I do -- I'm always finding aspects of myself that need to improve. "Letting go" of something that doesn't work is sometimes very difficult.

I'm sending distant Reiki ... asking the Universe to heal relationships without me needing to be present; in the muck.

Time to do as this Tarot Card suggests. Move ahead in faith, like The Fool, trusting to experience a better tomorrow.

Our Happy Yule Tree 2009

2009-11-30T12:18:00.000-08:00

Our Yule Tree is nearly completely decorated (I still need to add my collection of red cardinal ornaments to it). I'm really sad how the photographs do not convey the true glowing ambiance of it. (This tree literally glows PINK in the most comforting and unique way, with its exclusively pink lights and pink or silver bulbs but the flash makes the tree look terribly ghetto red; sorry about that -- photos diminish the wonder of this work of art).

Beyond not being able to share the true beauty of this tree; I hope some sense of magic is able to emanate from photos. I've exerted quite a deal of effort collecting vintage elves and such for that goal.

I learned, from my daughter-in-law Skye, when she stayed with us last year, that having an artificial tree totally works in our household with two cats. I hadn't decorated a tree for more than ten years because the felines had always climbed our live trees, destroyed ornaments and risked their own well-being by getting tangled in the tinsel. [I also didn't want to do anything to support the whole Christmas materialism-consumerism idea but after years of processing the whole winter holiday phenomena I now feel I can have a Yule tree, honoring my own spiritual and environmental-responsible beliefs]. Putting a tree together is a very artsy thing to do {it's therapeutic even} as the decorator works with texture, color, and depth; arranging ornaments until they work well together, in balance.

The cats are absolutely NOT drawn to this artificial tree . . . so the Yule tree is BACK! {Hurrah!}
Richest wintry blessings and comfortable warmth to you now and always (from our home to yours).

Gotta Love Fremont {Thanksgiving 2009}

2009-11-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

Doug and I decided to spend Thanksgiving down in Fremont today (Fremont, if you don't know, is located on the northern part of Seattle, WA). Imagine my surprise when I saw this temporary placement of a huge statue featuring Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Russian Communist. Note: Neither Doug nor I wanted to POSE with this statue. Meanwhile, it seems a resident of Issaquah, WA, saw this bronze art tipped over in Russia and he mortgaged his home to bring it to our state. It's now for sale by the family that survives him. . .

[Double-click any photo to see it up close.]

This next photo makes me want to say "eat your heart out New York." Instead of piling our garbage in the streets, we designate our real estate in alley ways for for collecting recyclable materials as well as trash.
I was thrilled when I saw this very personable work of art -- a plethera of vintage chairs tied to a tree.
If a tree in my yard should ever break -- I'm going to turn it into a mushroom just like this one (below)
Finally, as we were leaving Fremont and drove through Ballard, we saw THIS mushroom. See how large it is (use the street lamp for scale)