In Like a Lion

I need to dig in the dirt in the springtime. It’s March already and I’m yearning to begin work in the garden. Last month, I finally took out last summer’s tomato cages and disposed of what was left of the dead stems and stalks, covered half the garden with black plastic to keep the spring weeds down until May when I can plant warm-weather vegetables, and weeded the other half in preparation for planting early crops.

Yesterday, we had teaser sun-breaks between rain showers, downpours, hail, and gusty wind spells. So instead of planting peas and chard, as I had planned, I started seeds indoors: tomatoes, cucumbers, Walla-Walla Sweet onions, marigolds, and a few other things. Then I put together my new 4-foot by 6-foot plastic greenhouse (in the garage). I hope to put it in the corner of the garden next week-end.

Last night it snowed! Just a little, but enough to keep me from planting peas and chard today as I had planned. So I pulled out the new camera I got for Christmas and took some shots out the back door; it was too cold and wet to go slopping around out there in my slippers. I didn’t get any spectacular shots, but experience has taught me that when there’s nothing obvious to photograph, look for the “micro” stuff. Here are the results:





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Free Snowflake Image

This digital snowflake image makes a great Christmas card or winter holiday card. This image is free for download, just right click it and choose Save Image.

Keep a stock of Greeting Card Paper on hand for printing your own cards.

Or go to my gallery at Imagekind to order professionally printed cards.

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I welcome your thoughts and ideas regarding this blog. To leave a note, please click the "Comments" link below. Or send me a personal email: leafsouplife@gmail.com

Easy Quilt - Perfect Gift

Hand made quilts are perfect gifts for wedding and baby showers. When I hear that a family member is planning a wedding, I usually get started planning a quilt right away, coordinating the colors in the quilt to the couple's favorite colors or their wedding colors. Recently, I attended my neice's wedding shower. In this case, both her favorite colors and her wedding colors are browns and beiges.

I thumbed through my most recent issue of The Quilter Magazine, November 2008, and found an appealing pattern for a lap robe size quilt (I call them snuggle-on-the-couch quilts) on page 14, that turned out to be one of the quickest quilts I ever made. As I picked leafy prints for this quilt, I couldn't resist including at least one “real” color, so I chose a green batik as the feature fabric, and a light green Fairy Frost print along with browns and beiges for the background colors.


When my niece opened this gift at the shower, she hugged it and said “These are my favorite colors!” I apologized for not having made a larger quilt, and she replied “I love it; It's a snuggle-on-the-couch-quilt!”


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I welcome your thoughts and ideas regarding this blog. To leave a note, please click the "Comments" link below. Or send me a personal email: leafsouplife@gmail.com

New Art Gallery on ImageKind

In March, few years ago, we vacationed in Sedona, Arizona. Our first hike in the area was on Bell Rock. The view toward the north, from the short hike halfway up Bell Rock, was crisp, colorful, and panoramic.This photo is included in my new art gallery on Imagekind. Matting and framing of prints is optional. Visitors can view or purchase high quality prints and greeting cards here: Gallery.
I am interested in what you like about the gallery, but mostly what you think I should change. What should I do more of? Less? I am grateful for all feedback, and am thrilled for your visit!
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To leave a note, please click the "Comments" link below. Or send me a personal email: leafsouplife@gmail.com

Vacation in Alberta - Day 5

This morning, we walked to Quarry Lake Park on the edge of the town of Canmore. The colors reflected off the perfectly flat lake surface deepened the rich colors of the surrounding scene. Across the road from the Quarry Lake Park, a short trail leads to this waterfall. We spent the afternoon shopping for souvenirs in Canmore, as we must leave this beautiful town tomorrow.
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I welcome your thoughts and ideas regarding this blog. To leave a note, please click the "Comments" link below. Or send me a personal email: leafsouplife@gmail.com

Vacation in Alberta - Day 4

We stopped first at Bow Summit, on the 386-mile round trip, from Canmore to Jasper.Mountains reflected by turquoise lakes dotted the roadsides on this windless blue-sky morning.Besides elk, that were too quick for my camera skills, mountain goats were the only other large wildlife we spotted.We stopped at Sunwapta Falls for a snack break.We explored the short trails at Athabasca Falls.Clouds began to form in the afternoon.We saw the famous Columbia Ice fields, the source of our mighty Columbia River.This is how I always expected the Rocky Mountains to look, magnificent and forbidding, and going on for hundreds of miles.A couple of showers sprinkled us in the afternoon,then rewarded us with a bright rainbow.I took pictures all day, until the light faded, and we made our way back to Banff, and then Canmore for the night.
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I welcome your thoughts and ideas regarding this blog. To leave a note, please click the "Comments" link below. Or send me a personal email: leafsouplife@gmail.com