Altars EVERYWHERE: Gnome & Frog Gardens

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

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]

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

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)

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!