Come Join the Celebration!

My dear friend, Gramma2Many, is celebrating her 200th post by having a giveaway. She's giving away a pair of socks she has knit with her own two hands. If that's not special enough for you, there's more! They are made with Panda Silk by Crystal Palace Yarns. 52% Bamboo, 43% Superwash Merino Wool and 5% combed Silk. Who wouldn't want to slip their feet into the softest pair of socks this side of Heaven! So head on over , see a picture of these designer socks and leave her a comment. You just might be the lucky winner!

The Mountains are Out! Day 2

When the mountains are out, they don't stay out for long. So I spent most of today chasing them with camera in hand, because, the rain clouds are already forming out in the Pacific Ocean and will be rolling in tomorrow, obscuring all this beauty again, for awhile.

So, here are a few more pictures to entice you to come visit our Evergreen State.

The following pic was taken from a residential area facing the Olympics and Puget Sound to the west.

The neat thing however, is that I don't have to drive down to the water to get awesome views of the mountains. They are visible right in my hometown when I'm out running errands. For example, here is a view of the Olympics from one of our main streets.

This next picture is taken in the city where I do most of my shopping. From this overpass, I can see the Olympics to the west towering over the main street in town.

Now by simply pivoting in the opposite direction, this is the road to the mall and the Cascades to the east. Believe me, it's nearly impossible to keep your eyes on the road when the mountains are out!

And finally, I drove to a city farther north to get a sweeping vista of the Cascades. It took 6 photos end to end to capture the range as far as the naked eye could see. But the total range stretches even farther in both directions. Here are just 3 photos out of the 6.

Feeling certain that I'm living in God's Country!

Love,

Homestay Mama

The Mountains Are Out!

OK, so if the mountains are out today, where were they yesterday? In? In where?

Well, anyone living in Western Washington knows that the mountains--the Cascades to the east and the Olympics to the west--are always out there! But being 'out there' is not the same as being 'out.'

Confused? Let me explain.

Seattle is named the Emerald City--because of the abundance of green trees, green grass, and yes, green moss growing everywhere--growing from the abundance of rain! Lots of rain equals lots of clouds.

Clouds. Aha!

The mountains are usually 'under cover,' so to speak--a cloud cover! So, when we say the mountains are out, we mean the clouds are gone and we can actually see our beautiful mountains.

When the mountains are 'out,' it seems to cast a spell over us and it's not uncomman to find us gravitating toward those places where views of the mountains regale the senses. Today was one of those days, and I just happened to have my camera with me! I only had time to grab a couple of photos because I had to rush off to work. If the mountains are still 'out' tomorrow, I'll take more pics to share with you.

So here are the Cascades to the east... (Click pictures for larger detail)
...and the Olympics to the west.These are just simple pics from my point and shoot digital camera. Nothing fancy like The Pioneer Woman's Nikon. Nothing enhanced with Photoshop.

However, nothing compares to standing there in person, whether gazing at the Cascades or the Olympics, and seeing mountains from as far north and as far south as the eye can see. I tell you, the beauty can take your breath away!

Especially when the mountains are out!

Love,

Homestay Mama

Just a Spring Teaser

Today our weather is back to normal--unable to decide whether to rain, hail or snow--so it did all three. At the same time. (Click on the photo for greater clarity.)


Remember how my crocuses lifted their little faces to the sun yesterday, soaking up the warmth of its rays?

Well, here are the poor little dears today--just a mere 24 hours later--pulling in their little petals and shivering all the way down to their little round bottoms--um, bulbs.

But fickle weather is to be expected during the last hurrahs of winter here in Western Washington. That's because we live in the convergence zone. The cold fronts coming down from Alaska/Canada and the warm winds coming up from California tend to get into a 'tug-o-war' right over Oregon and Washington during the month of March. It's hard to predict the outcome, and it's not uncomman to have snow, wind, chill, fog or just rain. Or rain with hail and thunderstorms. Or rain with sunbreaks. Or one whole day of sunshine like yesterday. Really? Nah! Yesterday was just a spring teaser!

And that's our weather report for today.

Love,

Homestay Mama!

P.S. Don't forget daylight savings time starts tonight-so if your area makes the switch, don't forget to set your clocks one hour forward before you go to bed.

On the Path to Healthier Living!

Several posts ago, I mentioned that if I hoped to continue being a 'mom' to international homestay students, I was going to have to take better care of myself. I knew I had to 'take the bull by the horns' (Can you tell I was raised on a farm?) and get my priorities back in their proper order. So finally, two weeks ago I put my foot down, gave myself a lecture and made myself map out a healthier routine to follow.

First I started cutting back on the amount of sugar and fat in my diet (gotta lose 50 pounds this year!). Then I started blogging less (that was the hardest part!) and going to bed at 11:00 p.m. instead of 3:00 a.m. so I could get up earlier and have time to go walking again--like I did six years ago when I was healthier.

Yesterday was rainy and windy, but I walked anyway! (We Pacific Northwesterners can't let a little rain stop us! If we did, we'd get nothing done!) However, this morning we had sunshine, glorious sunshine (!) and I grabbed my camera as I headed out on my walk...

...down to the nearby park...

...and followed the jogging trail that winds through the woods for about a mile. The air was a little crisp, but the sun felt good on my back.

Even though they aren't visible in this picture, the leaf buds on the trees and underbrush are pregnant with anticipation. With just a few more sunny days like today, they will soon be sporting their new, spring green outfits!

It's not hard to guess which side of the tree faces north in this picture!

This is an Oregon-grape bush which is native to the Pacific Northwest. Pretty soon that little cluster of buds barely visible in the middle of the picture will grow into a showy mass of yellow, round-shaped flowers. Then by late summer they will turn to dusty-blue berries. The berries are edible, but are very tart with large seeds, so no one eats them except the birds. However, the roots contain berberine which is used for medicinal purposes (anti-inflammatory/anti-bacterial).

Back home I noticed my crocuses were happily soaking up the sunshine. I could identify. I had walked for an hour in the sun's warmth and had loved every minute of it. (Hmmm, I see the weeds are getting a head start on me. Well, they'll just have to wait, because April 15th is coming and the tax man gets my attention first!)

Feeling healthier already!

Love,

Homestay Mama

Thanks to Bz over at The Mosquitoes Buzz, I learned how to add pictures so they will enlarge when you click on them. You can see so much more detail when they're full size.

Busy Beaver

I'm just a little swamped right now, but I'll be back soon.

Love,

Homestay Mama

Name Meme

I have been tagged by Gramma 2 Many in a game of Name Meme. Now here are the instructions for this meme so pay attention in case I 'tag' you at the end!
Directions:
1. Copy the questions from my post and paste them in a new post on your blog. Then type over my answers with yours.
2. Use the first letter of your first name to answer ALL of the following questions.
3. If the first letter of your name is the same as mine, use your middle or last name.
4. You CANNOT use any word twice, and you CANNOT use your own name for the boy/girl questions.
5. After you are done, tag 5 people.......

So, here we go:

1. What is your name?: Sue (Well, it's really Susan, but I prefer my nickname.)
2. A four-letter word: sing (Ha! You thought I was going to say sh**, didn't you!)
3. A boy's name: Sam
4. A girl's name: Samantha
5. An occupation: surgeon
6. A color: scarlet
7. Something you wear: scarf
8. A Food: salmon (yummy!)
9. Something found in the bathroom: scales (my worst enemy right now!)
10. A place: Seattle, of course!
11. A reason for being late: snow
(OK, here in the greater Seattle area, snow sends us into a tizzy!
Every time!
It happened again this week when we woke up to about 1 1/2 inches of the powdery white stuff! I know it sounds crazy, but we Northwesterners just don't cope well with snow. The buses were running late, schools started 2 hours late, the traffic was in snarls and people got to work late! And, of course, the snow was all gone by that afternoon! Yeah, I know--we deserve to be laughed at by people in the Mid-West and Northeastern states!)
12. Something you shout: S.O.S.!!
13. A movie title: Sound of Music (my all-time favorite!)
14. Something you drink: Seltzer water
15. An animal: stallion
16. A song title: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
17. A verb: (how about two?) scrimp and save

The five people I'm going to tag are:
The wife at Gizzards and Calf Fries
Libby at Neas Nuttiness
Robynn at Robynn's Ravings
Tatersmama at Tatersmama's Take on Things
Marlo at The Hafts Happenings

Just having a little fun.

Love,

Homestay Mama