Under the Tulip Tree

April Days

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It has been a stormy spring. Lots of rain (as usual) and lots of wind (not so usual). I've been sneaking out to the garden in between downpours.

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I don't mind gardening in the rain. It's kind of nice, actually. It's quiet and cool and the ground is very workable.

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But I am a summer person, through and through. In my world, it's either summer or not summer. Working with these babies does make the not summer season more tolerable, however.

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And I suppose summer wouldn't be summer without the wait. That long, cursed wait…

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In These Things, I Believe

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I believe in sunshine.

I believe in the body's ability to heal itself.

I believe in second chances.

I don't always believe in third, fourth, and fifth chances.

I do not believe things happen for a reason.

I believe that you are always where you are supposed to be because there is no other place you could be.

I believe that my children need and deserve more from me than I could ever give them.

I believe that people can change.

I believe that most people don't.

I believe that there are many ways to do and say the same thing.

I do not believe that the world will reward you with goodness if you are good.

I believe you should be good anyway.

I believe there are days when someone else could surely do my job better than me.

I believe there are days when no one else ever could.

I believe in trying as hard as you can.

I believe in the power of friendship.

I do not believe in people who think they have all the answers.

I believe in trusting your gut, even if no one else does.

I believe that people can be given too much to handle.

I believe in changing your mind.

I believe in being honest.

I believe in praising children.

I don't believe in staying quiet.

I believe in clean water and clean food.

I believe in honesty.

I believe that anything is possible.

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Unrelated Happy Things

Like second grade puppet shows.

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And local Hamster Ball Derbies.

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Will you look at the way this hamster posed for his winning shot?!

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And water fights in the backyard.

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And one of my favorite monthly meals, Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce. Yuh-um-MEE-Oh!*

 *I use ground sirloin instead of pork and serve it with a dollop of plain yogurt and toasted spelt tortillas.

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. . .yummy happy funny sunny unrelated things.

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Houses on the Lake

Last weekend, Alicia and I went on a walking tour around Oswego Lake from the book Portland City Walks by Laura Foster. My goodness it was a beautiful day. The sky was blue and the water couldn't have been more lovely.

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This house reminds me of Sweden, though I've never been there. There are lots of houses painted white with dark green trim in Portland (we used to own one, actually) and I've never liked them. But this? With red and yellow details on a sunken property by the lake? It works for me.

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Umm, you could say this one works for me, too. My lens wasn't able to fully take in the beauty of this scene. It was like a Monet painting. I love the window boxes on the boathouse and the topiaries on the deck. And the greenery behind it? I could sit here forever.

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This one is right across the water and has a little foot bridge that leads to a tiny private island. The layers and layers of foliage and architectural accents are incredible. I love it.

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I love this one, too.

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And this house is kind of dreamy, nestled in the woods like this. It's a little more rustic than most of the other houses around it but I think it's very romantic and quaint.

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And here's my last picture of the day. Such an inviting entryway, don't you think? I love the paned glass windows and the long narrow porch. Perfect for sitting in the shade and reading the paper with a glass of lemonade.

Well, that's all I have for now. I wish I would have taken pictures of more houses but I was too busy oohing and ahhing, I guess. And it's time to start tending to my own little garden. There are so many more things I'd like to do!

Hope your weekend is lovely!
~Julie xox

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Right Now, You

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Wear your heart on your sleeve.

Tell your friends you love them.

Call me sweetie.

Need to know what to expect.

Have a hard time adjusting to things you don't expect.

Have checked out every Magic School Bus book from the school library over a dozen times.

Read out loud to yourself in bed when you wake up.

Think all the contestants on American Idol should go to Hollywood.

Love egg on toast.

Love Legos.

Love your sister.

Love your teacher.

Take lots of pictures with your camera and lots of videos with your video camera.

Can hit a baseball like a high-schooler.

Write us notes when you have something to say.

Have lots of things to say.

Are nervous to try new things.

Are nervous about getting older.

Say things like, Can we have a snuggle?

Talk loud.

Work hard.

Get frustrated when you ask me a question and your father answers.

Like being around people.

Don't like getting your face wet.

Say "recept" instead of "except" and I don't correct you because I like it.

Want to be a dad when you grow up.

Are loved.

Garden Woes

Can we talk for a second? Is that okay? Good. Because I really need to discuss some of the things that are not doing well in my garden. Some plants really aren't cooperating. If you have experience in these matters, please help.

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This sweet little Dianthus was doing well for the first year of its life. Now, not so much. The brown, dying part just grows as the plant grows. It's supposed to be planted in a dry, sunny spot, right? Then what gives?

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This area is the farthest edge of the front yard, closest to the hot, hot, street on a western facing slope. I'm trying to grow Fleur de Lawn here which is an eco-friendly lawn made up of clover and little wild flowers. Watching it grow has been like sucking molasses through a straw. Why won't it grow in this patch? I've put seed down here three times. You might be thinking, Julie, I'm looking at that patch of dirt and it looks as hard as a rock. In fact, is there even any dirt there to plant seed in? And I would reply, I know! But that's what the rest of this area looked like and the seeds grew everywhere else! Please advise.

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Here's the pathetic Hawthorn. Can you even tell what's happening here? It was green all winter and now it's totally turning brown and the leaves are falling off. It's another slow grower, too. Like a filling-the-swimming-pool-with-an-eyedropper kind of slow. (Don't ask me why I'm making these comparisons, my dad used to do it.)

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Oh Lordy, what is wrong with the peach tree?! It had a bunch of healthy leaves on the branches just a few weeks ago and now it's totally naked! Last summer we had tons of big, juicy peaches. I brought one in to try for the first time and when I sliced into it, earwigs came streaming out of it and all over the counter. Arden was with me and she FREAKED out. She screamed and ran into the bedroom which made me scream and run into the bedroom. But then I imagined millions of earwigs climbing over the walls of the kitchen so I forced myself out of the bedroom and with a power I didn't know I had, washed them all down the drain with the sprayer. Mike came in after it was all over (of course) and was like, What is going ON? After we told him what had happened, he went into the kitchen and sliced off the buggy part of the peach and then ate the rest (yuck). When he went back into the bedroom where Arden was hiding, he pretended there was an earwig in his mouth. I have never seen Arden so hysterical. She hasn't touched a peach since. I haven't forgiven him yet, either.

Okay, I'm officially disturbed. Let's look at something pretty now, shall we?

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Ahh, blueberry buds. I'm feeling better already.

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Coco and Cheddar Want to Tell You Something

And they've been waiting patiently all weekend.

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And it's not that Coco is really a boy and it's not that Cheddar has a slight weight problem. (But those are good guesses!)

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And it's not that they've been able to run around the yard a lot lately.

No, it's better than that. Much better than that.

What they want to tell you is…

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The Mister got the job!

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A heavy sigh of relief was heard all across bunny land.

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