Houseplant Season and a Few Fried Slugs

Oxalis triangularis. 

It's houseplant season and recently I've been busy. I hope to clean up a few neglected plants on Sunday.

Working over 40 hours a week with two part-time jobs is challenging physically but it's rewarding otherwise. 

I'm happy right now and it feels different. I'm adjusting. I'm changing. 

I wish I could say more about my caretaking job with the elderly—and the amazing people I continue to meet—but I'm sworn to secrecy due to privacy. 

It is safe to say that I've met a few green thumbs during the last few weeks. Many are physically too delicate to garden now so I tell them about gardens instead and they tell me about the gardens they've known. It is a wonderful way to interact with people whom you don't know well. One woman used to be involved in an ikebana group. We were fast friends. 

We tend to talk about the weather a lot and animals. I've heard many great stories. It will be good for me to continue the work—at least for now. 

There are two elderly cats here at home. It is not their favorite season. Luckily I'm earning more money now so I can purchase special items for them. Hopefully they'll be watching me sow some seeds soon.

I keep talking about it. I keep threatening to do it. Working is more important for now. Learning two new jobs is challenging. I at least am very confident about how to germinate seeds. That's reassuring and it feels good to be confident about something. 

Last weekend we went to my parents' house again out by the coast. It felt like a work weekend because we were both writing NaNoWriMo novels. 

This week I stopped writing mine temporarily due to swelling and hand pain. My story is writing itself and I've stepped back to better control the time I put into it. Something snapped and clicked inside of me while I was at the beach last weekend. Suddenly I saw how I write. I've never enjoyed writing fiction much but it's clicked with me. 

My book has a lot of plants and gardening in it. So I'm kind of writing about plants right now. It's just not so obvious to anyone here visiting the blog. 

John and I really like visiting my parents' house near Astoria. He enjoys cooking and the stillness while I tend to wander in the woods. This last trip I was working too hard though. I'm looking forward to having more fun next time. 

For a break we drove over to Astoria and went out to lunch and then walked the streets of our other favorite town in Oregon. 

I should have taken pictures of our meal but we ate it all too quickly. Looks like I have a good reason to go back now, don't you agree? 

John has a relative with a boat moored in the Astoria so we walked over to look at it. There were old Victorians for sale as well and a few of those caught our eye. 

But it is houseplant season and I'm back in Portland now. It's been a long week and in addition to caregiving I've been writing a lot of content for a cooking blog. I'm still in awe of the fact that I'm being paid to write quality content for someone else as a ghost blogger. I really like the woman I'm working for and cooking is so fulfilling for me. 

I'm still struggling with food photography and am setting up a home studio here for it but I will write more on that later. What's great is that I can also let some of that food spill over onto this blog too. 

Tomorrow I'm off to the Portland Farmers Market to get a wide selection of wild mushrooms. Expect some recipes soon...

In the meantime, enjoy this really interesting blog post from a few years back. The next time I hear someone proselytizing on local foods and how they have a lower impact on the environment I'll through this mushy little monkey wrench at them: Feral Food: How to Eat Slugs.

I'm such a little stinker sometimes.

More Plant Adventures along the Columbia River

Just about this time last week I was having a bit of a personal meltdown so I dashed out to the Columbia River Gorge to grab a burger and a piece of marionberry pie for dinner. The plan worked.

To say that the spontaneous retreat refreshed me is an understatement.

It recharged me and then some!

The whole escape made me feel significantly better and it gave me some much needed emotional energy.

There is still simply too much reorganization going on in my life. It is all finally coming to a close though and it is such a relief.

That evening I watched the sunset knowing I would be returning to the refuge of the Columbia River basin in just a few more days.

Here I am now, at the end of that trip. I'm writing this entry just before I return home to Portland.

The gas fireplace is lit after a long rainstorm and I can see nothing but green as I look out toward the river.

I'm sitting once again in my Dad's fishing "cabin" near the Washington Coast just north of Astoria, OR.

The blog has been here before, but I do love to post new posts from here.

(Oh, and please forgive the plastic flowers. Mom has not yet been here to plant the annual marigolds.)

Lady Fern, Athyrium filix-femina. 

No matter how Italian the place appears, and despite the house's awkwardness in the landscape, nature still intrudes upon the slumber here. Luckily, my parents think ferns growing randomly here and there don't need eradication. I appreciate that attitude and I suppose I share it too.

A river runs behind the house.

Dad struggles with this painful-looking giant exclamation point in the landscape. Having given the tree to him, I'm not a big fan of this sad Italian cypress. Oh how I wish it could just be put it out of its misery! So many other native plants could joyfully take its place. Don't you agree?

Piggyback Plant, (Tolmiea mensiesii).

Yesterday—for the first time in years—I wandered around the property in search of plant life.

Deep in my heart of hearts I aimed at trying to find the uncommon (or hard-to-find) terrestrial orchid Goodyera oblongifolia. No dice.

Deer Fern, (Blechnum spicant).

Though I did not find one, I found a lot of other plants.

Even so, I've decided that in the future I'll continue to seek them out in the area. Something tells me that it'll be fun to tell people I'm orchid hunting.

For the most part I just saw a lot of the usual while being cawed at by crows who didn't recognize me. Nature can be so unpleasant sometimes.

Big Leaf Maple canopy, (Acer macrophyllum). 

I enjoyed the pre-historic feel yesterday.

Sure there are neighbors around here, but I definitely didn't see any of them.

Salmonberry, (Rubus spectabilis). 

Too bad the skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) wasn't in bloom. There is honestly nothing quite like the smell of it in springtime. 

I eventually meandered into the swampy area and it was here were my paper bag full of plants exploded at my feet while I was wading in the stream.

At least the local herd of elk didn't come through and run me over.

(They travel through our property on a regular basis and when we used to camp here before the house was built they would come through while we were sleeping. It was terrifying to hear the thud of their hooves upon the ground and the branches crashing as they thundered down the hill above, through the canyon, and onward toward the river. Splashing salmon spawning nearby was a whole other experience as well. There is nothing quite like having wildlife just outside your door.)

After many years of playing in the woods of the PNW as a girl you'd think I would have known better. Paper bags do NOT like to be dragged along through tall wet grass during long walks.

After calmly extricating my little boots from the mud I emerged into the meadow on the other side of the house.

Sword ferns (Polystichum munitum) and White Inside-out Flowers (Vancouveria hexandra). 

I left my messy bag and chose to go up above the stream to the upper portion of the property. By now I'd been futzing with nature for a few hours but I couldn't get enough. I was in a very happy place.

Cow Parsnip, (Heracleum maximum). 

Oxalis oregana growing through the thick carpet of moss. 

I made it back down to the house in time for dinner. I was covered in debris from my expedition, but overall, I felt ready to face the world.

Oh groan.

Time to finish packing.

I wonder what happened in my garden while I was gone.

To be continued...

NaNoWriMo, the Amateur Bot-ann-ist, and the PNW Coast

A few years back I made an attempt (or two) at NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) but this year, with things in my life being much different, I plan to reach my goal. It will not be a garden novel, but it will be digging deeper into my past, into my heart and soul really, back to where it all began. 

It all started when I was a nature writer and reader. That's where I'm returning to, and oddly enough, it's where garden literature sprouted from as well—so I think it's quite fitting. 

I'm prepared to finish too, and that's a decent way to begin. 

There is also a fat carrot being dangled in front of my nose thanks to a dear old friend who knew me back at the beginning too, and she wants me to be the person I need to be again. 

We compromise so much of ourselves sometimes, especially when illness takes over and truly prevents us from being able to function. I was struck down before I'd even started but I have time now to change the rules a bit. 

Maurice the Cat last night performing his nightly viewing of a "cat friendly video" while I sat there wondering how to get my arm away from him without his noticing. 

My poor little laptop will make it through just so long as Maurice doesn't insist too often on "participating" with me. He really does not seem to understand why I can't keep typing while he snoozes on my arm. 

He also seems to think that the cushion in my chair belongs to him but he's learning quickly that it does not. 

I have been a writer. I have been a gardener. It's time now for me to be much more serious about being both and I plan to make that happen too. I have to since I don't know what else to do. 

Obviously, he enjoys having me there to lean on as he watches the same video for what feels like to me to be the 129th time. 

Blogging will continue as usual and I'll begin working on more plant stuff in the house. 

I will also be dashing off to the Coast a few times during the month of November to get some writing done. (I was there for several days this past weekend outlining the story and it was wonderful to get away.) 

The area will be included in the novel since it means so much to me and because Astoria is my favorite city in Oregon—other than Portland, of course!

Astoria is there on the right. Those tiny little white spots in the distance. 

Last month (on September 29th) I drove out to the area so that I could participate in the annual bridge walk/run at the mouth of the Columbia. With 2,999 other people I made the trek and it really deepened my sense for the place. The night I arrived there was a full moon and I dashed around taking photos I shared with friends on Facebook—many of whom miss home and live in other places now for various reasons.

I made it to the south jetty and watched the sunset too before heading back to get some rest before the big walk.

 The next day I walked and walked.

Entering Astoria on foot from the Washington side was truly an amazing experience. As I walked along, passing people here and there, it was clear from the stories I overheard how much they all love where they live.

Watching salmon fishermen as they waved to all of us from their boats in the river, they would stop to take pictures of us, and we'd all wave back at them.

Looking back over the bridge I was happy to see all the way to the other side where I usually stay at my parent's other house. Yes, I like Washington State too.

Me, last weekend in the backyard of my parent's coastal house. I'd spent hours watching the birds flying up and down behind the house, along the river, so I went down to see the salmon remains they were all feasting upon. It's always one of those magical moments in nature to see their white bones glowing along the riverbanks. Made me think of salmon fertilizer too and how much I love to use it in my garden.

I may have lost a lot this year, but that walk was an accomplishment that won't be taken away from me anytime soon. It was accomplishing a goal I'd long wanted to do but had been physically unable to do so.

So now comes a novel, and during the month of December I can celebrate the 1st Anniversary of being well after having been prescribed the special medication that's helped me so much. Then I have my Blogoversary too. (Check out the countdown up in the right-hand corner.) 

I think this is a nice way for a plant nerd to spend her autumn and winter, don't you? (Oh, just wait until I get to the surprise during the heart of winter. That should be fun for all of us.) 

Oh, and if you're wondering if there will be any plants, the answer is, "Yes." Just don't tell all of my friends because I know that SOME of them will writhe and groan a little bit. We cannot all have green thumbs and hearts.

Shore Acres State Park and the Darlingtonia State Natural Site

The last night of my trip was spent at another yurt, but this time it was located in Sunset Beach State Park just outside of Coos Bay, Oregon. This is an amazing part of the state just south of our huge sand dunes. I didn't have the time to visit them at length during this trip, but driving past them brought back memories from when I was a child. I'd also forgotten that once again, it is another unique environment with more unique plants so I will certainly return again soon. 

In a way, I was kind of sad my adventure was over. I've been chronically ill for ten years and it was a relief to get out and travel at my own pace with all of the necessary comforts and without any kind of static from upsetting or worrying others. Illness triggers things in all of us in different ways and it is often the elephant in the room. Chronically ill people don't like to be alone too much though, and we really hate to be told that we should hang out with other people like us so that we can find others who understand. Isolating all of us together can just hurt more. Anyone can understand what we are going through—if they want to do so. Many do not want to consider the time when they too will be faced with a health difficulty, but it will happen, and when it does, it will help a lot to have a friend who can help. 

The trip has led me to make three resolutions for the upcoming summer months concerning how to keep healthy so that I can live in my garden and hunt plants from time to time in the woods or wherever:

1. Ask for help when I need help and no more new projects so that I can finish whatever I've already started. I usually stop because I get to the point where I need help and then I won't ask. 
2. Simplify my life and my home.
3. Remember to have fun and to enjoy all of my friends while sticking to the activities that have always been essential to me. Even if my own life has changed, none of my friends will be upset for me so long as I remain who I've always been. We all return to comfort foods, and we all know who our comfort friends are, right? 

Before I left for the day's adventures I found these little beauties beside the car. The one on the left is another twinberry and the one on the right is native salal.

Twinberry bloom.

That last day was much drier than the one before but it was still cool and windy. I jumped into the car and headed out to see the views that I'd remembered as having been so beautiful. 

I was so pleased that I'd chosen to go and as my eyes took all of this in for about an hour or so, my body was filled with a kind of pleasure that only the experience of art can replicate but it is always stunted by the surroundings of a museum and the disruptions of others' gazes. Nothing interfered with my experience that last day and I took it all in for as long as I was able to do so.

My love of Romanticism is showing through, as this most obviously is a manifestation of my complete understanding and acceptance of the Sublime. I think that my trip to see what has always inspired me, was a complete success since I feel recharged and so much more calm now. I hope to return to this idea more and more in the future when it comes to discussing garden and landscape design and if I am well enough, I would like to really dig in to some great critical theory as applied to gardens. 

Near the end of the road are the remains of an old estate built by a lumberman who'd made a fortune in the timber industry. Today it is Shore Acres State Park. 

The home that once stood on the site burned down years ago but the estate garden remains and that is what attracts visitors to the park. Where the home once stood, there is now an information building and shelter that can be used as a shelter for whale watching during rough weather.

Can you imagine having a patio like this one beside the ocean? Those urns are amazing and the crashing waves incredible! It must have been a lovely home. I wish I had a patio with a view like!

Shore Acres Gardens

Don't you just love the Giant Dracaena?

Hebe bloom.

Well-clipped Azalea x'Hino-Crimson'.

Garden Pavilion for weddings and concerts.

Azalea with the original gardener's quarters in the background.

Entrance to the Asian garden and pond.

Close up of Berberis darwinii.

Garden gateway to cliff overlook and private beach below. 

View looking back toward the entrance from the garden gateway to the ocean.

Some kind of hardy Heliotrope?

View looking back toward the entrance from the Asian garden.

Species Rhododendron. Not sure which.

Sorry for the blurry photo but I loved that this planter was so simply planted with only a Lamium. 

This is a very interesting and simple water feature. 

The much loved Monkey-puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana). 

Returning to the entrance.

Guest services and gift shop building that was added later. Its architecture really adds to the experience. 

I seriously applaud all of the work that has gone into keeping the park open to the public. It is a treasure and I recommend that everyone visit it if they happen to visit the area. 

Darlingtonia State Natural Site

Just north of the coastal town of Florence, Oregon sits a tiny little park. To get there from Coos Bay it takes about an hour and a half by car. Little did I know that again, my day would brighten even more with the kind of experience that you don't get often when you are delighted by a sight and a child-like happiness lingering in your heart's passageways just bursts out shocking you to discover you're still able to feel that way. It is good to be reminded of that from time to time.

Here is more information about the Darlingtonia Wayside with information about how to get there.

The short walk to the bog was full of the typical forest imagery yet it was all made more beautiful that day by the rain and the light. Bright green moss clung to everything, and the skunk cabbage stink was working its magic with the bugs. The forest world was as it should be...

And then the magic hit me and I was seriously in awe. This was so incredible—even if the plants were not necessarily at their best. 

Don't you just want to make snake noises? Ssssssssssss. Sssssssssssssssss. Ssssssssssssssssssssss.

I hope to return to this site a bit later this year so that I can catch them in bloom.

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So, this is the last post from the trip. Though I have been home for awhile now, the posts have had to go on. I am still so grateful that I was well enough to travel on my own for a few days but I have paid heavily for the vacation and I am still not quite recovered. Believe it or not, my right calf is swollen from pressing on the gas petal. Stupid swelling problems that just get sillier and sillier.

The many seeds and seedlings I have cannot wait any longer, and I have to plant my new Burpee 'Black Cat' Petunias. I don't usually fall prey to special new introductions named to make me crave them, but I totally fell for this one. They really are black and I am happy I spent a bit extra for them.