Blog of a Newly Minted Housewife

Field Trips!

Last summer, James and I made a list of things (locations, restaurants, experiences) we wanted to share with each other, or that we'd wanted to do and figured would be better done together. We dusted that list off this summer, since we are both free, and have been doing one or two activities a week.

Yesterday's field trip was to The Oregon Garden, which is less than an hour away in Silverton. The garden is only a few years old, so a lot of the plantings are not mature yet, but they have a few areas of older plantings that are left from previous owners. Or, in the case of a 400 year old oak tree, from "wilderness" times.

It is a beautiful place, and I can only imagine how much more beautiful it will be in ten or twenty years. There are different themed gardens - a sensory garden, wetlands, a children's garden, a "market" garden that features fruits and vegetables - and plenty of paths to connect them. There is a pavilion for flower and garden shows, and ampitheater for concerts, and of course a wedding area. There are also several sculptures, reflecting ponds, insects, birds, and frogs. Supposedly there are deer in the "rediscovery forest," but we didn't see any.

We did see lots of people at the extremes. It seemed everyone there was either very old or had young children. The young kids were the best. I heard one tell his mom, "I watched the bee, Mommy. I watched the bee!" It sounded like he'd watched it go from flower to flower for a while. It was so cute!

One of the strangest things we saw were these trees that James thought were straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. I think they are called weeping spruce, but I didn't take notes :-)

Here is a frog and, from the same pond, a waterlilly.

The view from one bench was across the garden, into the Willamette Valley, and to the coast range beyond. And in one pool, it was the reflection of the sculpture and the tree.

One of the reasons I wanted to visit the garden was to get ideas for my own yard. I didn't see too many special things that caught my eye, but James really liked these giant white daisies. Hopefully we can find out what they are. He also liked this rudbekia, and I'm glad because it is already on my "to plant" list :-)

Summer Holidays

It was a warm day in Portland today - 88 or 91, depending on which news channel you beleive. I'm sitting on my back patio, enjoying the smell of grass being watered and jumping every time a late firework goes off at my neighbor's house down the way.

As warm as it was today, it was nothing compared to the weather the weekend after James was set free for the summer. That weekend, it reached 102, hot by pretty much any standards, and scorching for Portland. Luckily, we weren't here. A teacher at James' school lent us her "beach house" for the weekend, and we stayed an extra day to escape the heat.

The house isn't really on the beach; none of them are on that strech of the coast. It was just across the highway, however. And it backs onto this little canal, which was serene and peaceful. And cool. Getting away straight after the end of school was terrific. It gave both James and I a chance to relax away from the pressure of the house "honey do" list.

While we were dutifully ignoring the peeling paint discovered under the wallpaper (a subject for another entry), we developed a little "vacation" routine. Watch the first World Cup match of the day while eating breakfast, take Addie to the beach for an hour or so, then watch another World Cup match while eating lunch. Then a nap, or maybe a trek to one of the nearby towns to window shop, or eat ice cream, or check out the bargains at the outlet mall. One day, we got massages.

Every evening, after dinner, we'd go out onto the deck and enjoy the stillness. Until, that is, these guys would show up, demanding their own dinner - pieces of bread. That white goose? He was the ring leader, the squeaky wheel. But I tried not to give him more than his share. He protested loudly every time someone else "stole" his wad of bread, though.

We were able to take Addie with us in this trip, which was a blessing. It's hard to believe sometimes that she is still around, and when she's right there, it's hard to believe she'll be 14 in a couple of months! I don't like the thought of having to board her, or leaving her alone for more than a couple of days (with a dog sitter, which we did a week later). As you can see, she wanted some of the ducks' bread for her own. I confess, we spoiled her with a piece or two!

James' parents were here for a visit over the Fourth of July, and we spent another couple of days at the coast - different town. The day we returned, there was a block party, so we got to spend some more time with the neighbors. And my in-laws helped us with house work while they were here. We were going to dig out the dirt to push back the retaining wall, but decided that was too strenuous. Instead, we took out some of the semi-tropicals which were crowding one backyard bed, did a lot of other yard work, some hedge trimming, that sort of thing. My mother-in-law even washed some windows, something I never think of doing! What a bad housewife I'm turing out to be ;-)

James is giving piano and drum lessons this summer, every Wednesday. I'm having to find ways to fill those days. So far, it's been the usual - too much time online! But this weekend, I'm hoping to hit the local library for the first time, get a library card, and check out some summer reading material. Maybe go to the movies.

Life is chugging along. A little too fast, I think, at times. And a little too slowly at others.