Dysfunctional Family Delights

The Camellias are awesome this year.

Is it ever gonna stop raining?

My mom and her niece.

My cousin died Saturday night. She was only 60, so this came as a surprise to many of us. I'll be 54 in May and if I still received a state newspaper, I'd be scanning those obituaries.


This cousin hails from my maternal relatives. Sunday, we got together for a family memorial service and the house was loud and joyful with many stories of said cousin floating around the rooms. 

You have the usual family problems in this room - alcoholism, autism, too conservative for nice words, etc. This side just steamrolls over all that. All are welcome. Good natured teasing is required and these relatives know how to laugh at themselves.

On my paternal side, we suffer from the usual as well; mental illness and depressions that cause family members not to talk to each other for decades, too conservative and too liberal. It's a much smaller clan. They are very sensitive.
No steam rolling here. Arguments fester in silence. Silent treatment is the preferred way of dealing with things.

I am fond of saying, "All you gotta do is be polite," and my kids were raised to "show up." It's a family obligation. You may not have much in common or get easily frustrated but, 'just be polite' handles most situations.

I loved this family get-together. I see these people every year or two, not that often. I can recognize them but my inability to remember names is laughingly put aside as everyone embraces and kisses and hugs and teases. I just love it.

Everyone knows the value of family, but how many know how to encourage it?
How does one embrace the better attitude?

Are you prone to laughing at your foibles or do you take it personally and get affronted when confronted with family?

I've been behind in writing letters - especially to my children who no longer live nearby. Older people, especially, love to receive letters. Have you written one this month?

I go in spurts but my serious overtime gets to me and I get bogged down in minutia. Grab a card from the dollar store and address the envelope. What stops me is thinking I need to write my life's story inside. Just sign your name and throw a stamp on and send.

Steam roll over your "too much thinking, not enough doing" inner voice and just do it.
Time's too short to hang on to festering family troubles. Move on.

Photo credit: Katrina in Sitka

Still no sewing. Busy dodging rain showers and working too much. And writing cards.

Friday Flowers

 My Christmas Cheer Rhodies are spectacular this year.
We have not had snow to weigh them down although we have had rain and winds.
I've never seen them looking this nice for this long - 26 years.

 The Hostas are unfurling.
 I will have to get some slug bait out soon although they always win in the end anyway.

 A look up to the street. Christmas Cheer Rhododendron forefront. With Redbud in middle with Star Magnolia behind.

My neighbors and I have all tried RedBuds with no success. This one, was bought for an embarrassing amount of $$ and has been in place for five years or so. It's stunning in it's blooms.

 The regular rhodies starting to bloom.

 In front of the big front window are my sea of Anemones. They look a bit ravaged from the rain today but they are doing their patriotic duty!

 Over on the left side of the yard, these yellow and orange short tulips that open like a peony.

 My front door and pathway. Rusty is always leaving his toys out.

 My Sasanqua Camellia. My hubby didn't want an espalier or anything attached to the siding. So I created this by training the camellia to stakes with wire so it would be self-supporting. The entire bush can be pulled 'down' for painting.

This year, several birds have taken up residence. I don't know how I'm going to prune it without dislodging them. Another month may see any babies out of the nest when all the new growth goes all over.

 And this is my side yard I look out the kitchen window at.

The curve of Hostas at the front of the bed. With two Christmas Cheer rhodies at left, the redbud towards the right with the Star Magnolia too close by. That Star Magnolia was sheered to the ground when we cut down our leaning fir trees and then had the temerity to come back from the root stock AFTER I planted the redbud.

All that remains of the crocuses/croci

 Haha! My sis in Minnesota just had her first crocus blooms.

 I have plenty of daffodils after living here for over 25 years. Enough to keep me in bouquets anyway.

 I was trying to pose Rusty but he wasn't cooperating.

I managed to catch a hummingbird outside!


I kind of stopped throwing my flower photos on the blog. I'm much more active on Instagram with those. But Rusty wanted to go in, and then go out, then come back in, then go back out, so I took him for a walk around the yard to settle him down.

March Flowers

Snowdrops

Flowering Plum

Camellia

Star Magnolia. Fuzzy catkin about to burst forth- into a star.

Hosta

Christmas Cheer Rhododendrun

Crocuses

I am procrastinating. Not just about uploading photos from the smarty pants phone.
I need to post about SewExpo in puyallup but my word clarity needs  more gestation time.

I'm working also in my old office which took a stab at that lovely spare time I was enjoying. Working on getting out of that delicate situation. It requires finesse to have things go my way in my day job.

Spring has totally hit the Willamette Valley with flowers bursting full. Although we had a light frost this morning, everyone is suffering from Spring Fever and it was very difficult to be cooped up today with it's glorious sunny skies and warm temps in the afternoon.

I may forget clarity and go for my usual randomness.

Or, I may go put slug bait on those hostas before the snails find those tender shoots.