Christmas in the Neighborhood
In the afternoon on Christmas Day, I put on my boots and walked down my street. A few neighbors had Christmas lights up and trees in their windows and my neighbor shared a photo of a snowman from around the…
Niko’s First Snow Experience
This Christmas Day is the first time Nicholas has even been near snow, so I opened the back door and let him check it out. He normally avoids the cold, so I was surprised to see him walk outside and…
My First White Christmas
Christmas Eve came with soft snowfall late in the day–so delicate, it was almost undetectable. It persisted through the night and I woke to a magical landscape of sparkly white, lightly piled on every surface. Each tree limb, leaf and…
Foraging Birds
Can you spot the bird in the photo above? If not, don’t worry, you’re in good company. I noticed sporadic movement on the ground outside my window one afternoon, but couldn’t see what was causing it. It wasn’t like leaves…
Recipe: Leek & Asparagus Soup
As the weather got cooler, I began craving soup. I ran across a leek and asparagus recipe on YouTube, but then couldn’t find it again when I wanted it, so I amended a leek soup recipe online. It turned out…
Reindeer!
I was expecting to check out some native plants at a local nursery, and was surprised to see these two chill ladies. Dasher and Blitzen visit Swansons Nursery in Seattle every year for their annual Reindeer Festival. The festival, one…
Victorian Structure
This interesting stand-alone structure came with my new house. It was built by the previous owner for his wife. I’m told they would have taken it with them but the cost was too high, so he has promised to build…
Alderwood Manor
The first owner of my new home was the architect. I learned this when we evaluated a series of blueprints piled up in a front closet. The blueprints specifically show the electrical system, but also include structural details and dimensions.…
Surrounded by Trees
The best feature of my home is it’s surrounded by trees. Every window looks out into greenery. It’s surprising to me this wasn’t wholly apparent in the listing, especially the picturesque living room views. It’s one of my favorite features…
My New Home
My new home is a 1969 ranch house, architected by the original owner. It sits on almost an acre of bigleaf maples and evergreens that tower above the house. It sits back on the property and over a small ravine,…
Australia!
I have arrived in Australia, Straya, Oz, the land down under–land of many nicknames. I crossed both the equator and the international date line to get here, travelled well over 16 hours, and lost a day to boot–so yeah, I’m…
Sacramento, California
Though we only stopped for an hour or so, I’m sure I could easily lose time in Sacramento’s parks, unique shops and cafes, and it’s fascinating street art. We grabbed a second cup of wakey juice for the day at…