Spring is blooming in the countryside too!  We had a run of really warm weather (high of 85!) a couple of weeks ago, and all the trees burst out in bloom.  Today, it was 28 degrees.....what a change!  Hopefully all the fruit trees had a chance to set their fruit, and the freeze doesn't hurt them.

 

I bought some bulbs and pots at Christmas, meaning to make presents with them, but...that didn't happen.  I ran across them in my gardening shed a few weeks ago and decide to go ahead and make some pots up.  I sent one home with Cindy, and put the others with my plants in the sewing room....and they are blooming!  I planted daffodils and tulips, and so far, just the daffodils are blooming. 

 

I thought I killed it - I obviously forgot to water my plants, and I didn't think this one would pull through, but....

It's doing just fine, after a good soaking!

 

My Christmas cactus is a bit confused, or just late - not sure which, but it's beautiful right now.....

 

Sorry I went MIA for a while - life got a bit busy......

I spent a week in Tacoma for training - which was a much needed boost to my confidence that Columbia will actually keep me after conversion, as well as a great opportunity to see "how they do things".  There is still no complete road map for the Umpqua conversion though - for now, I should still have a job until next March, with more details to come, of course.

Cindy came down and sat with Allison while I was gone, thank goodness - that's a true friend to give up a week of your life.....and while I was gone, it looks like I will have a permanent provider for Allison!  Eileen started last week, M-F, 8:00-4:00!!!  So much pressure gone!  Juggling watching Alli and working added a whole new meaning of stress in my life.  Eileen is great with Alli, and has started walking her and playing with her - she can hardly wait until summer to get her in the pool!

And in the hopes of summer, I put up lights on the patio this weekend!

We had our annual jewelry making party last weekend - I spent more time chatting with Leona, Meredith and Kirby and helping out than I did creating, which is even better (like I need more earrings.....)  Here are two that I made.  It was such a nice time - it felt like we were almost back to normal....

 

Alex took the dogs for  walk in the field yesterday, and played with the camera on the new phones.  It's amazing how good our phones are as a camera!  The new iphone 13 pro has a telephoto lens - not as good as my real camera, but pretty darn good for a phone!  He got a picture of a hawk in the tree.

 

We lost Indy yesterday - he spent the weekend in ICU at Asher's with a bladder infection, pancreatitis, and abnormal blood sugar levels (he's been diabetic for years) and seemed to be getting better - enough to come home at least, but he died during the night.  What a sweet, odd-ball kitten he was.

 

I give up on the dog beds....they sleep where they want!  I piled up all the dog beds from the sewing/computer room so I could vacuum in there, and Luna decided to nap in all of them at once.  Talk about a bed-hog!

 

I took the dogs out for a walk, and Ripley is doing much better off-leash - she listens as well as Luna does (which really isn't saying much, but...better that she was!)

  

        

 

New hair cut!

 

AJ took time off from enjoying his birthday yesterday and helped me trim back the crepe myrtle trees.  (I think he actually likes cutting these down to nothing....though he will never admit that he likes anything about yardwork.)

 

I buy extra dog beds, scatter them all over the house, and where does Luna sleep???