Oh-- the Weather Outside is Frightful

I saw a job posting on craiglist this weekend and decided to throw my hat in the ring. I polished up my resume and despite the yucky slushy-icy roads, determined to make applying for the job one of my stops in town this morning. The thought crossed my mind that if they saw this woman from the east county willing to brave the snowy weather and messy roads to come in and apply for a job it would say a lot about my level of dependability.

when I got to the the place it was closed. the sign on the door said "Closed due to the snowy weather"

Autumn, Vibrant, Golden

 One of the distinct pleasures about my little rural town is the ability to take a walk down to the river.

 to be able to look up at the mountain side, it's color palette loaded with glory

to know that the road runs east and west and both directions will take you a little bit closer to heaven.

that neighbors won't mind if you stop in their yard and enjoy their generous display of crimson. in fact they welcome you!

that you can find surprises where you least expect them....

and still be awed by little furry creatures

my favorite place to go in all of Deming is just down the street, turn right and cross the rail road tracks...

the river has changed course so much over the past years but it still takes my breath away to see it

rain or shine, the Nooksack River is beautiful

winter~spring~summer~fall anytime is a good time to visit the river~~

~~shimmer and shine; sunshine on the water looks so lovely~~

~~take a stroll down the river dyke and sing a little John Denver~~

relax on a "rock"ing chair~~ :) and sing some more.....

sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy!

sunshine on my shoulders makes me high

~~if I had a day that I could give you, I'd give you a day just like today~~

goldenrod and sage

 a perfect day for reflection and praise!

and yet, summer is not completely gone....

for in my yard, a little bloom lingers

I love the overlap of the seasons.

lunch date

 goofy washington weather strikes again! a cold rainy morning made me want to stay in bed. but i am having lunch with some girlfriends today and so i needed to decide what to wear.

as i deliberated in front of the closet and mirror, the sun started to break through the clouds! yay!!!

i have to dress in layers. it's the only way to make sense of the fluctuating temperatures!! 

so.... this is what i finally decided to wear to lunch!

the green tied died smocky tank top has quickly become my favorite this summer. not long enough to wear as a dress alone but with tights, it's perfect! (or with jeans or capris.)

now the next hard decision i make will be what to order off the menu! we're meeting at Cafe il refuggio and there are some scrumpdilicious choices offered there.

Rainy Days and Mondays

What about Rainy Mondays? And a day that starts with no water? Well, there was water-- my sweetie got his shower and we did get coffee and I was just thinking I should get in the shower because I knew yesterday that there was a leak in the town's water pipes and we lost water for 4 hours on Sunday while they worked to repair it (and our local guys deserve a standing ovation for what they do to keep our little town supplied with clean safe water-- they do it as volunteers!) and at the risk of a very long run on sentence, before I could get in the shower I discovered the water had already been shut off!

So this is the start of my week: water, water everywhere and not a drop to spare. I am watching the rain outside and super grateful for the sunshine I got to soak up yesterday. I am still in my jammies and because I don't have to go anywhere today, I might just stay in my jammies and pretend to be celebrating the fact that I don't have to go anywhere... but truth be told, I am still just a little lost over not having a job to go to this morning.

I don't want to sound whiny and I'm not really. I mean, it is nice to just relax and feel no pressure... got my hubby out the door with a well fed tummy and a nice lunch packed. I have a list 'yeah-long' of things that need attendance after being shelved all these months. Important things (though not life changing) like cleaning clutter. My husbands side of the closet looks like a tornado struck. My tupperware drawer is upside down and backwards and makes for a frustrating time when I want to match lid to bowl. There is a stack of things that need ironing (my favorite time saving device for his shirts is to throw it in the dryer with a damp towel for 5-10 minutes and then shake it really hard-- it works in a pinch-- and a pinch is what I have when I am working)

I have my goals list too. The novel (1st draft) that needs the re-write. The search for schools and a literary adviser. And there is my mother's needs to see to.

But today there is no water for a shower and it's raining again and my jammies and blanket feel very warm and comfortable. And it is after all, my first official day of being unemployed. So, sitting by the fire is really quite nice.

Now, if only I could make another cup of coffee....

sunny memory of yesterday... my beautiful Camilla bush.

How Beautiful Upon the Mountains...

is the snow that has fallen.

That said, it must be pointed out that it IS April 21 and the first day of spring was over a month ago. This is not usual weather for this part of the PNW for this time of year. The poor poor Tulips trying to bloom in Skagit Valley must be so confused!!

Still, there is much to be thankful for.  May this day be a blessing to all!

Rainy Wednesday

Went to sleep listening to the sound of the rain pounding against the windows, woke up to the sound of the rain pounding against the windows... I guess it's just going to rain!

Sitting in the living room with my morning coffee in one hand and my bible open on my lap, I could hear the rain trickling down the drain pipe right outside my window, only offset by the crackling fire in the wood stove. Thank goodness for the wood heat in a day like today!

Flood warnings are in effect for this week. The sky is the color of ash and the soggy ground on which the rain lands is taking a beating. Yet above the beat of the rain is the chirping of birds... hope in the midst of a hopeless kind of day.

That is how I feel about God. No matter how gray my day, no matter how depressing or hopeless I may feel, there is always, always HOPE.

~~the promise of better days spoken to me in the buds of the pussy willow tree~~

Wishing you HOPE, boundless hope, on this rainy Wednesday~~