Rays of the Sun

I stopped by Flower World last week during a warm and sunny day, and toured the beautiful grounds.  I took this 'selfie', catching the rays of the sun over my face.  I love this photo!

Polly and the Search for Pumpkins

We took Polly with us to pick out pumpkins (here's a selfie of Polly and me!).  She was standing guard over her choices in the back seat of the truck.

Hiking the Snoqualmie Trail

Last week, we took a break from yard work, and drove to Duvall with Polly and hiked along the Snoqualmie River Trail.  It was a gorgeous fall day, and it felt so good to be out in the clear and crisp air.

Marshland Orchards in Snohomish

All of the wonderful, organic produce we buy at the Maltby Market down the street is grown in Clearview at Marshland Orchards.  We went down there last week to pick up some wine and carving pumpkins to get ready for Halloween.

There are acres and acres of vegetables and flowers still growing, and it was wonderful to see it all in this beautiful farm.

A Walk in the Woods

It has been raining in torrents the last two days, but Polly and I sneaked out of the house yesterday between squalls for a walk over to see the horses (it's really scary to hear, but Polly has been making 'whinnying' noises like the horses today!).

The light was very low during our walk, and the allee of trees kept us mostly dry.  It was a warm day in spite of the rain, and we enjoyed being out in the fresh air.

Here is a shot of the woods next to the horse pasture, and also a close-up of a beautiful mushroom.  We have so many adventures in Maltby!

A Mango-Ginger Cake for Dark Autumn Days

I have this wonderful neighbor named Kelly, and she fills our whole neighborhood with laughter, love, and home-baked goods from her beautiful kitchen (I wish I had a kitchen like she has!).  We have fun going back and forth between our homes, trading apples pies for gluten-free brownies, or cinnamon and ginger for two large pieces of a fresh Mango-Ginger Cake.  I definitely got the better part of the deal by giving her some cinnamon and a couple of teaspoons of ginger!

As darkness fell Friday night, she knocked on our door and presented this beautiful cake (with whipped cream!) on a beautiful plate.  Needless to say, we stopped what we were doing, and ate it right there on the spot.

Thank you, Kelly, for making ordinary days extraordinary!

Can you smell the ginger?

Polly the Dog

Polly the Dog is my constant companion, confidante, and squirrel-hunter.  She is my walking partner, and my food-taster, and she joins me at naps and visits to the neighborhood.  She is the best companion-dog I have ever had.

Here she is with her new toy.  She was just waking up when I took this picture, and she soon jumped off the bed and went outside with me for our first walk of the day.

"When I am old...I will wear soft gray sweatshirts...and a bandanna over my silver hair.  And I will spend my Social Security checks on my dog."