Excellent Blog
2007 Inspiring Blog
Rockin' Girl Blogger

took back my yard today

June 17th, 2013

Purple cluster

(Photo by Steve Rawley)

oh, hallo, yard, how have you been?

you are very beautiful, yard, but I notice you’ve developed a weed problem. here, let me help. oh, hallo, asters. keep growing. hallo, snake, are you dead? no? just dehydrated, eh? here’s a saucer or 4 of water for you. you’re welcome.

Roses of Sharon! I was hoping to see you. clover, goodbye. transplanting Shasta daisies, deadheading the roses. pulling up more pop-ems and picking fresh blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.

hi, summer. i love you.

wm

and now, how about a little song?

http://youtu.be/4RjqcTsxx-8

“welcome to autumn, cussheads”

October 5th, 2012

watermelon

(Photo by Steve Rawley)

(It’s a watermelon, not a gourd, but whatever.)

This one’s for Steve Rawley.

frogger

May 11th, 2012

Mr. Frog

(Photo by Steve Rawley)

I was showing off the yard to Steve — I watered everything today and did some weeding. The lipstick-pink peonies are blooming like mad, the raspberries are taking off and the strawberries are covered with white blossoms. The snowball bushes, day lilies, Japanese iris, herbs — everything is so happy and green and sparkly. May in Oregon is a beautiful thing.

We were admiring the chicks & hens, tiny ferns and succulents that are rooting in the rock wall, and saw this guy peeking out. That wall is like looking into apartment building windows, checking in on everyone. His friend, who was even tinier, was peeking out of the apartment window below. Too hard to get a good pic of him, though, so this one will have to do.

#iheartpacifictreefrogs

Happy weekend, everybody, and as we head into the summer season, remember:

You wave at clowns in parades; you don’t marry ’em and let ’em run your life.

xo

wm

Garden progress

July 9th, 2011

Today:

Progress

A month ago:

Planted!!

The garden, she is planted

June 7th, 2011

Planted!!

 North Portland transplant Chicks and hens

See the whole set on flickr.

let’s do a “best of Wacky Mommy,” what say?

November 9th, 2010

My favorite essay I’ve ever written on the subject of chores.

the suburbs & me

August 14th, 2010

Hmm. Well, a lot has been going on the last four months. We live in the suburbs now. And you know what? I don’t just like it, I adore it. That surprises me, daily. It is quiet here, and we have mother cussing snakes in the mother cussing yard and well, that’s okay. We’re organic, they like our fresh grass.

And about the grass… everyone out here waters the grass. I haven’t seen so much emerald green since I was a child, and the neighbors were all working hard to keep up with the Joneses. Turns out you need to water… every day, pretty much, to have the Nice Grass that feels sooooooo good on the feet. First, I did not know how to use a sprinkler. Am City Girl.

Steve, doubtfully: “Did you figure out yet how the yellow tabs work? To adjust the flow one way or another?”

me: “DO NOT MOCK ME.”

I have a new trick, it’s called Water the Sidewalk and Hit the Trees on the Parking Strip, the Lawn and the Shrubs, All At Once, Woo-Hoooooo…

But before I give you a full update, here are a couple of blogs I’ve been enjoying lately:

Winn’s Window

They Call Me Jane’s Blog

Things that have remained the same:

We all still love books. Food. Playing. Hockey, hockey, hockey.

Things that are different:

Just about everything. I’ve applied for, and been accepted into, grad school. The kids will both start new schools in a few weeks. I have transferred (library work) to a new school, on the west side. In case you’re counting, that is four new schools for three people. Steve doesn’t get to go to school, but he gets to go to work and play table tennis with the guys and have snacks, so that’s something, I suppose.

We live in a different zip code area now, different city, different county. Lots of changes. I love our new house and want to show it off, but we’ve gone so far underground you can’t even find us anymore. We miss our friends; we don’t particularly miss a lot of b.s. from the old neighborhood and the old city. Too much drama. Also I shouldn’t say “b.s.” we say “cuss now.” Too much cuss in the old neighborhood.

We have more room to roam out here, and not just around the house. Lots of forests, greenspaces, parks, nature preserves. We see deer sometimes. (My Mia will say Hmmmph who cares?? to that. She has deer and they eat all of her beauteous flowers. But out here, it’s not that common to see deer wandering through your yard.)

Also, no one hangs out their laundry to dry, but that’s ridiculous. It saves a lot of money, and also prevents wear and tear on your clothing items. So Steve bought a clothesline for me, one of those twirly ones, and it looks just… like a clothesline. And a little tacky. But I hang out the laundry whenever I want and the sheets and towels smell like the fresh air and sunshine.

OK, that’s all for now, I’m tired. That’s another thing about the suburbs — you get a lot of exercise. All of that nonsense about driving everywhere? We walk a lot, ride bikes, and do about five or six sports. Thus, the laundry.

Happy Saturday, y’all. Off to finish watering the yard, without hitting the clothes that are drying on the line.

— wm

dirty hippies :)

March 5th, 2010

for steve, cuz home really is wherever i am with him. looks like it’s all coming together with the houses, we’re pretty thrilled.

— wm

happy VD, clap, everybody, clap!

February 14th, 2010

(because you knew i had to say it.)

steve took me out for a bite to eat. and vodka, cuz we’re moving and it was the middle of the afternoon and I was having an “episode.”

steve, looking around the bar (because where else would you go, in North Portland, in the middle of the afternoon on Valentine’s Day?): “I won’t miss the ironic North Portland hipsters.”

me: “yes you will.”

then i eyed four sets of lesbians making out at the bar. four sets. that’s sixteen breasts, for those of you who are counting. i gave a little sigh.

“I’ll miss that.”

i was thinking, i’ve lived in North/Northeast Portland my entire life, right? Then steve asks, Didn’t you live in New York? (my son, suddenly impressed): “You lived in New York?” me: “yeah, for awhile.)

and i lived in Southeast (off Hawthorne, and in Ladd’s Addition, in an old church; also in a heinous apartment complex in Southwest for awhile; and in chi-chi Multnomah Village — Southwest PDX — and in chi-chi Westmoreland — Southeast PDX).

I’ve lived other places.

i’ll be fine.

house on market asap; will keep y’all posted. It stinks like cleaning products in here, gives me headache and sneezes. am glad i’m not frantic mad housekeeper; it can’t be good for your brain cells.

xo

your little hunny,

wm

Chores, by Nancy

June 4th, 2009

Here’s an essay for you, since we’re talking housework. It’s from twelve years ago, it would appear, cuz Steve and I weren’t married yet. Living in sin, woot!

CHORES
by Nancy
(more…)

« Previous PageNext Page »