Seattle Chinese Garden

Yesterday, I attended a Tai Chi class that was held at South Seattle Community College, near the Seattle Chinese Garden. I saw some beautiful peonies while I was there.

Found in the Greenbelt

We have found so many interesting items buried in the dirt of the Greenbelt site we are restoring. One of these items I found today and one was found by University of Washington students on May 13.

 

 

In the Tradition of “The Blob”

PHOTO PROMPT © Sarah Potter

 

The ivy was relentless. Keeping it from destroying everything in its path felt like a never-ending battle. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I saw that it had invaded the shed. For years, I had left a window cracked to keep the contents inside the shed from being covered with mildew. Instead of mildew, I was now faced with a scene reminiscent of the 1988 movie, The Blob. I picked up my clippers and like a warrior began to cut. I was determined to win the battle and emerge the victor… in The Invasion of the Ivy.

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Word Count: 100

Written for Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.

100 Word Stories

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Rochelle Wiseoff hosts a regular event called Friday Fictioneers. She posts a weekly photo and participants are asked to write a complete story in 100 words or less; a story that is inspired by viewing the photo. With my permission, my blogging friend Cheryl from Traces of the Soul sent Rochelle a photo of some toys I found buried in our Greenbelt restoration site. Rochelle used the photo for her June 2 prompt.

It has been fun and interesting to read the stories that emerged. At this point 70 people have participated. If you are interested in reading some of them go to http://www.inlinkz.com/new/view.php?id=716926.

Thank you Rochelle and Cheryl for giving me the opportunity to have this experience.

Keeping My Eye on the Goal

When I was showing a friend around our Greenbelt restoration project on May 25, she saw a red flower in the distance. It was too far away, and too covered by invasive plants, to know what it was. We guessed it was a rhododendron flower. (Mystery in the Making).

At the time, I was in the midst of preparing for Amma’s programs so wasn’t able to make my way to the flower. Last Saturday, I decided to do whatever it took to get close. I gathered my tools and headed for the thicket. I took the photo above just before I began to cut my way through the dead branches, blackberry vines, laurel, ivy, and downed trees.

As I worked, I realized how much I missed the excitement of freeing the trees in the Greenbelt and discovering what was under the mass of invasive plants. Most of our recent work has been to dig out blackberry root balls from areas where blackberry vines have been cut down.

Every so often I looked up to see how close I was to the red flowers.

I progressed much faster than I expected. At one point, I realized that a branch I cut was not laurel, it was a rhododendron branch. Soon I saw more rhododendron branches.

There is a steep slope along the eastern border of the property. For liability reasons, the City of Seattle does not allow us to work on slopes that steep. I noticed that the rhododendron was on the last piece of flat land before the slope began. I continued on my way, getting ever closer to my goal.

Closer and closer.

And then I was there. I knew there was no way I was going to free the whole bush, at least not on that day, but I was able to touch one of the flowers. I wish the photo was clearer but I’m glad that I have it. I realized if I had waited much longer to solve this mystery, all of the petals would have fallen off.

I looked up and saw this sight.

I also enjoyed seeing the rest of the bush.

There were so many branches, going every direction. They reminded me of a pretzel.

When I looked through the thicket, I thought I saw more rhododendron bushes. I wonder what other discoveries await me. I look forward to the time when we focus on clearing that part of the Greenbelt. For now, though, I will go back to digging out blackberry root balls!

Song Lyric Sunday: Leaving on a Jet Plane

The first song that came to my mind when I heard that the Song Lyric Sunday direction for this week was to post a song that is associated with a happy memory was Peter, Paul and Mary’s Leaving on a Jet Plane. I saw them perform in an outdoor amphitheater sometime after I moved to Seattle in the late sixties. I think the concert was held in southern Washington. Even though I don’t remember when or where I saw them, it is a treasured memory.

Leaving on a Jet Plane was written in 1966 by John Denver. Peter, Paul and Mary started singing it in 1967. The song became their biggest hit.

Lyrics

All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go
I’m standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye

But the dawn is breakin’, it’s early morn
Taxi’s waiting, he’s blowin’ his horn
Already I’m so lonesome I could cry

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you’ll wait for me
Hold me like you’ll never let me go

I’m leavin’ on a jet plane
I don’t know when I’ll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

There’s so many times I’ve let you down
So many times I’ve played around
I tell you now, they don’t mean a thing

Every place I go, I think of you
Every song I sing, I sing for you
When I come back, I’ll wear your wedding ring

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you’ll wait for me
Hold me like you’ll never let me go

I’m leavin’ on a jet plane
I don’t know when I’ll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time let me kiss you
Then close your eyes, I’ll be on my way

Dream about the days to come
When I won’t have to leave alone
About the time, I won’t have to say

Kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you’ll wait for me
Hold me like you’ll never let me go

I’m leavin’ on a jet plane
I don’t know when I’ll be back again
Leavin’ on a jet plane
I don’t know when I’ll be back again
Leavin’ on a jet plane
I don’t know when I’ll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

Red Clover: Under the Microscope

At this point, most of the red clover blossoms are withering. I looked at three of the “flowers” under the microscope.

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#2

#3

These photos were taken with an iPhone 7 connected to a microscope with an adapter. You can click on any of the galleries to see a closer view.

A Glorious Week

This is the week when the rhododendrons in my front yard are in full bloom.

 

Mystery in the Making

On Thursday, when I was showing a friend the restoration work we are doing in the Greenbelt, she asked me about the red she was seeing through the trees. It was deep into an uncleared and presently unreachable part of the project and I had never seen it before. We walked as close to it as we could get, but still couldn’t identify it. Our guess was that it is a rhododendron bush. If so, it is a first on that property.

The next day, I walked back to that area to see if I could get closer. I could still barely see the blossoms. In taking an enlarged view, this is what I saw.

I walked a different direction to see if I could get a better view. From that vantage point, I could spot a bit of red, but it was very tiny. See if you can see it.

So much of the property has already been cleared of blackberry and ivy vines and other invasive plants. I am enjoying the thought of making new discoveries when we begin working on the remaining areas of “uncharted territory”!