Three Mountain Day

The day started off with high clouds and fog, but eventually burned off to a glorious clear sky.  Believe me when I say we are really craving some sunshine.  Here's the view from our patio.  I wish I could bring the mountains in a little closer, but I think you get the idea.  That's Rainier on the left, St. Helens in the middle and to the far right is Mt. Adams.

Some of the tulips are starting to open.  The white ones always go first.

And our clematis should be opening any day now too.

These are probably deer food.  This is how the deer like them served up when they come to feast.

Here comes trouble.

The kitties were glad to have us outside for a change, but they didn't out last us.  They were wanting to come inside for naps long before we were ready to give up on the day.  Mike mowed the garden and got it cleaned up for tilling.  I fed the birds and planted my rosemary and tarragon and also some sunflower seeds.  I just want to give the squirrels a hand, you know.  Also, I cleaned out the hummingbird feeders. 

I've shown you these little white guys before, but they just get prettier and prettier and a little more bell-like.

Quite a few things still had dew on them when I went around taking pictures, despite being in the bright sunshine.  That's how wet it is.

Yeah.  I don't know.  It's just a piece of fencing that caught my eye.

George always wants to be right in front of the camera unless I'm trying to take his picture.  Then he refuses to look at me.

The cherry blossoms are starting to open, and we have several dry days ahead.  This is a good thing.  I saw some bees flying around too, so we should have some cherries this year.  Sadly, the plum tree is still buttoned up tight.  I'm hoping it will bloom during a dry spell to come.  I'm not optimistic enough to think the rain will not be returning sometime next week.  But you never know.

And since he couldn't talk us into coming inside for a nap, George just stretched out on the patio to soak up the rays.

We were supposed to have dinner with some friends tonight, but that got rescheduled.  Not to worry.  I have some steaks marinating, and I'll bake some potatoes.  We have fresh chives in the culinary herb garden to put on the baked potatoes.  Yum.  

(image credit)

We're sort of pretending it's summer, since this actually might be all the summer we'll get.  And if you think I'm kidding, you don't really know Oregon.  So pretending it's summer means we'll be having one of our favorite summer cocktails out on the patio tonight.  (Yes, it's that warm!)  The cocktail is called a "Bees Knees," and here's how you make it.  Yum.  

"Yum" is the word of the day.