So Anyways....

So, Seattle.
We did find a place and signed on everything yesterday.
I will go back at the end of the month to get the keys and take a few things down. I think my sis and nephew might even join me.
This is not a permanent residence, just a second one. The hubs won't be working in CA anymore, but Seattle. So he will also go between there and Montana.
The condo is actually in Redmond. I really like it, it had great windows, well lit and a nice view. Very close to Redmond Town Square, which I was excited about. It was nice to be 10 minutes from a store or restaurant again.
Oh and food delivery! Can't wait :)

Back in Montana now. Similar weather I think. Fifties during the day, 30's at night. There might even be snow the next couple of nights. No sign of bear so far as I can tell.
We did see herds of elk last night and the red-winged blackbirds are back. The pond is thawed and has ducks. Mainly mallards and wood ducks.
The little zoo was fine. Took me an hour to find Trout, as he obviously had gotten out. I found him in the garage. I'm not sure how long he was out, but he came running right to me and then slept just about until the next day. Of course my neck seemed to be the favorite place to sleep. Sinclair wanted the same spot, but she chose the top of my head instead.

I think they missed me :)

Seattle Random

Delicate

You Are My Sunshine

This is one of my fave's from the Tulips. It's not the best photo, it was pretty windy and I was pretty cold. But I love the mountains in the background and that one layer of yellow tulips up top.



I tried tweaking and even cropping.. it's still not the best. But it's my fave :)



The sun was out for a few this morning, but is now hiding. After house searches we might go find the Point Defiance Zoo--weather pending.

I'm hungry.
Want donut.

Oh Blah Dee, Oh Blah Da

Not much to really tell ya about.
I spent most of my day in a car or looking at property. Of course the majority of the time I was inside, the sun was out.
Come to think of it, I didn't take one photo today.

I think we found what we wanted, but have a few more to look at.
Might even head home earlier than we planned. I'll be back in a few weeks though.

This is a blah post.
I'm in a blah mood.

One house I looked at today had a kitty. I of course had to pay lots of attention to it :)

I miss my critters.

Tons of Tulips

I went into Mt.Vernon this morning for the tulip festival. It was really windy, which made if much cooler. If I wasn't shaking, the tulips were :)



There were just rows and rows of tulips and they were so pretty. Alot of them seemed to take a beating from the wind I think.



I took tons of photos (of course), and here's just a sampling. I also posted some over on my flickr page.



And, just as the car was pulling away, it started raining :)



I guess Leesa's Law stayed away today. Even though, I could have done without the wind.



The rest of the day was pretty casual, just wandering around the area seeing what's here and what's close.



We'll see what the rest of the weekend brings :)

B&W

I received these in email today, just thought I'd share.
Momma black bear with a white cub :)





Cute :)

Kitty Kitty

Pretty uneventful couple of days. Since I'm so close to John's work, we went to lunch last couple of days, Dim Sum yesterday which I am lovin :).. and mexican today. I went to Cougar Mountain Zoo for a couple of hours yesterday. It's hard to get good shots of the cats because they are behind bars, but photoshop helps a little.

I have managed to get around Seattle pretty well with the GPS system in the car. I love this thing.
The truck is a bit big for this area, but that will change once living here. I do like that people get out of my way on the freeway though :) Little girl/Big Truck equals MOVE.

Not sure what's on the agenda tomorrow, depends on the weather. I hope to find the tulip festival and a little sunshine.

One of A Kind

Many of us have had an experience in which we felt like the lone black sheep in a vast sea of white sheep. For some of us, however, this sense of not belonging runs more deeply and spans a period of many years. It is possible to feel like the black sheep in families and peer groups that are supportive, as well as in those that are not.

Even if we receive no overt criticism regarding our values, there will likely be times when it seems that relatives and friends are humoring us or waiting for us to grow out of a phase. Sometimes we may even think we have been adopted because we are so different from our family members. These feelings are not a sign that we have failed in some way to connect with others.
Rather, they should be perceived as the natural result of our willingness to articulate our individuality.

Many black sheep respond to the separateness they feel by pulling back from the very people to whom they might otherwise feel closest and embracing a different group with whom they enjoy a greater degree of commonality.
But if you feel that your very nature has set you apart from your peers and relatives, consider that you chose long ago to be raised by a specific family and to come together with specific people so that you could have certain experiences that would contribute to your ongoing evolution. You may be much more sensitive than the people around you or more artistic, aware, spiritual, or imaginative.
The disparate temperament of your values and those of your family or peers need not be a catalyst for interpersonal conflict. If you can move beyond comparisons and accept these differences, you will come to appreciate the significant role your upbringing and socialization have played in your life's unique journey.

In time, most black sheep learn to embrace their differences and be thankful for those aspects of their individuality that set them apart from others. We cannot expect that our peers and relatives will suddenly choose to embrace our values and offer us the precise form of support we need. But we can acknowledge the importance of these individuals by devoting a portion of our energy to keeping these relationships healthy while continuing to define our own identities apart from them.

Daily OM

They Wanted To Say Hi

For Marianna

There were many turtles in the pond at the japanese gardens :)

Oh and some ducks too ...

Japanese Gardens

Big Tease

So I got up this morning to grey and very very windy. I didn't mind grey so much, but the wind can make photos difficult.

Soon, the grey went away, the sun came out and even though it was still pretty windy, I thought I'd still go for it and get out.



I found Gasworks Park. As SOON as I arrived, it turned grey again. With the wind, the temps, and being so close to the water, it was really cold. At times I thought the wind was going to blow me over.



But, I toughed it out and walked around the park and took a few photos. It was really a nice park, alot of kids rolling down the hills, and people flying kites. I don't know when the last time I saw someone flying a kite :)



When my fingers were finally cold enough, I decided to leave. The sun again peeked out while I was in the car (of course) and I considered turning off to see the Arboretum. As I was changing lanes and heading that way, it turned grey again.



I just decided that was enough and headed back to the room. Stopped off for some food and ended the day.



As I got back to my room, and settled and comfy..guess what. Sun and blue skies. As I sat and thought about getting out again, it stayed sunny and blue. Still windy, but pretty.



I don't know what it is, but this kind of thing always happens to me. So.. I'm hoping tomorrow I might have some luck. Either way, I'll still head out.
Oh, and I have a GPS in the truck.. I love this thing :) I just type where I want to go and it tells me. Even when I wanted to find a Shell gas station, I just typed it in and there it was.



So, that was my day. I now sit here in my room watching House and having a beer.
Oh and Click em' to Big em' ;)

Peek-a-Boo

As I mentioned before, nice weekend, nice Easter :)
I spent Saturday at John's so I could make a cheesecake for Sunday. I was immediately harassed for bringing my own eggs. Who remembers their friends have chickens that lay eggs?
I hung out there for the night, and learned how to play the Lord of The Rings game...of course I got killed my first try.
Oh and I received an Easter basket! I don't think I've gotten one in about 20yrs. It's full of chocolate of course...I need to find that gym :)

Sunday, we went to ~d~'s for Easter dinner. A wonderful dinner with the best ASPARAGUS I've ever had ;).. I hear I'll be eating it for years to come.

Today..not sure what to do yet. The weather is iffy for photos, not because of grey skies, but wind. I can never seem to get good shots when it's windy. The sun is peeking out every now and then, so maybe I'll get lucky. I may search for a park, if not.. I can always find indoor activities.

Not very good TV choices in the room. I missed the beginning of the Sopranos season and no food network. Bleh.
The internet is also pretty laggy (is that a word?). But... the goal wasn't to hang out in the room all the time.

So, that's Seattle so far.

Oh..forgot to mention. Talked to my petsitter and the bear are already out and roaming around. Oh Joy.

Happy Easter

Crosses Fingers

I hit the road for Seattle in the morning. Well, actually I guess it's today, isn't it?
Should be interesting.
I'll take photos along the way.
Let's all hope it's uneventful, and that Leesa's Law stays here :)
Well..not for my sitter, I guess.
But you know what I mean.

Dessert To-Go

I really do have things to do.
But, instead I'm doing things like this.
I'll regret it tomorrow morning I'm sure, when it's time to hit the road.
Oh well.
It keeps me sane.
Or
Maybe not ;)

Check Lists

Seems I lost a day, eh?
I've been busy the last couple of days getting ready for my trip. I like to have a clean stocked house for my house/pet sitter. As if I have her fooled that my house stays this clean. Yeah, sure.

I haven't had many photo opportunities with the crummy weather, so I bought some goodies and flowers today. I love having the flowers around, the sweets...not so much. I will leave those for my sitter too :)

I've become addicted to the show House. Dr. House actually reminds me of the hubs. He also doesn't have the best bedside manner. I always tell him it's good his patients are animals. They can't complain too much about his manner.

So my list for Seattle?
House hunting
Zoo visits
Park searching
Job visiting
And...
Anything I want, actually :)

I will have my laptop and all my gadgets (of course), so I will be here and stay updated. Pins and needles, I know :P

Oh and two things crackin' me up these days....

Sponge-Bob No-Pants
&
Mr. Barky Von-Schnauzer :)

What, No Cats?

Oh you knew this was coming, right? Funny thing is, this is about the area I'll be moving.
I would think though that cat yoga would have come first. Have you seen the positions these cats can get into?

Think Taylor is ready for yoga?

April Winter

This is today. It is windy, cold and snowy. It's a down blanket-fuzzy slipper-foo-foo-coffee kind of day.



I'd rather be here. Lying in the flowers with my camera looking for ladybugs.



Yep, that's what I'd rather be doing.

Dreamy

That was today. Kind of sunny, kind of shady, always looking for the warm spot. It was cool and breezy, and at 45 degrees that makes it a bit chilly still.
When the sun did shine in, you could find the animals in the different sun spots in the house. Dreamy :)

As soon as you think spring might be coming, you get a forecast of snow. It's supposed to snow tonight and tomorrow morning, nothing major but still, snow.
I do see a few green things trying to pop up from the ground, a few tulips a few daffodils. I hope the snow doesn't scare them away.
Which reminds me.... I can't remember when the bear start showing up again. Hmmmmm.

I can't say I accomplished much today. I took a few photos. I fought with a hay bale today, which I believe met my exercise requirement for a couple of days.
I'm really starting to hate hay. It's dusty, gets in my eyes and hair, pockets and shoes, and well.. it's annoying.
I really need to hire a farmhand. Just to deal with the hay and the mud. Any takers?

I'm hoping the snow will clear out and have a sunny day tomorrow. I have a few things to pick up for my housesitter, and photos are always a goal when out on the road.
I'm slowly preparing for my drive to Seattle. I'm really looking forward to it, even though I've never done a drive like this on my own.

I'm taking the monster truck, so small cars beware :)

Oops

Don't Cry over spilt Caramel.