Mokihana's Garden

Several weeks ago Nolemana and I drove up to Hood River to get more apples. It was a rainy day but we didn’t care. We decided to drive along the Historic Columbia Gorge Highway because it’s so lovely in the fall.

Despite the rain, there were a lot of people out; hikers in their shorts and hiking boots headed up the trails, some with babies in backpacks. Oregonians don’t stop their activities just because it’s raining!

At Horsetail Falls, which is right next to the road, I was captivated by a rainbow of dazzling color in front of me: the pink of the greyhound’s raincoat which was reflected in the road, her owner’s umbrella, the leaves turning from green to gold, and the waterfall cascading down with a roar.

Lately I have felt “afflicted and not comforted”, but the colors filling my eyes reminded me yet again that ke Akua will give me beauty for ashes, and that this gray season that I’m in will not last forever.

First of all, I would like to say that:

1: It was NOT ME who was cranky on Sunday.

2: It was NOT ME who ate too much at our church’s Thanksgiving potluck dinner.

3: It was NOT ME who was upset at the dog for being too lazy to move out of her way so that she almost tripped over that furry blob.

4: It was NOT ME who didn’t put away the laundry. (However, I think whoever it was should get some credit for folding all of it.)

5: It was NOT ME who spent too much time at the computer instead of doing something more productive. Like putting away laundry.

That’s a terrible list. Sure glad it was NOT ME! Nope. Not even.

Nolemana’s papa-san was an amazing man. Vitally interested in anything mechanical and not afraid to try anything, when he was eighty-four years old, shortly after Nolemana’s mom died, Roy built an ultralight aircraft for my brother in law. He built it from a kit, and worked on it in his garage; the final product sat out on his front yard in Paradise, CA, and what a beauty it was! My brother in law still flies in it to this very day. (more…)

I can’t post a WFW because Adobe Photoshop Elements isn’t letting me change text size in my text layer even though I change it in the toolbar. It lays down my text in a miniscule dot that I can’t even see to resize. I tried it on both of my CPU’s and it does the same thing. It began working right, but then just quit. Arrghhh!! It does it with all photos.

If anyone has a clue what’s going on, including operator error, please leave a comment, okay? I can’t think of anything I’ve done to change what I’ve been doing previously in this program.

Thanks!

Well, I’m too late to be included in her blog links, but I like the idea of Not Me Monday started over here. Better late than never. But eh, try wait! It’s still Monday here! (more…)

Gotta admit da mangoes I can get hea on da mainland stay junk compared to da ones back home. Oni half da flavah of wat I used to just take foa granted hanging heavy on da trees in our front yard. But gotta take wat I can, yeah? So when I wen find one recipe foa mango upside-down cake, I wen decide foa tryum. (more…)

Ho, so tiyad we was pulling into Ashland, but oh so happy to be back in Oregon again! I was so glad I wen make alla reservations online! TryLook wen take us right to da motel, one nice Best Western dat was full up cuz of da Shakespeare Festival going on. (more…)

Last Saturday my friend Julie and I went on our Annual Yamhill County Autumn Yarn and Fiber Pilgrimage. This has been a yearly tradition for several years now, and although two ladies in our group were missing, we had a good time.

Our first stop was in Dundee, only to find that one of the stores we always go to wasn’t there anymore. Auwe! But the persimmon tree that we usually get persimmons from (with permission) was still there, and loaded with fruit.

We had braved a couple of really heavy downpours on our way, but God blessed us with sunshine for picking the persimmons. The fruit was still kind of green, but with hearts hopeful for future ripening, we began picking it, knowing we wouldn’t be back till next year.

My sadness about my mom’s death has been compounded by several other losses lately, and though I was glad to be out and about, the gray skies and pouring rain matched the gray of my emotions. But as I picked another persimmon, I saw a sight that took my breath away. How like God to let me know in a way that only He could, that He understood my pain and wanted to bless me with something really special.

Psalm 4:8 has always had a special place in my heart, and has helped me get through some pretty rough times. And there it was, visually represented in the gift that He gave me. Holding the persimmon in my hand, my eyes filled with wonder, I saw three ladybugs, hibernating for the winter, snuggled down in the golden fruit.

I just stood there with tears in my eyes, thanking God for letting me know once again that my pain is important to Him. And just like these sleeping ladybugs, I can rest in His care, knowing that I too, dwell in safety during this winter season of my life.

I was blessed by Lea over at Shabby Old Potting Shed with this award and kind comments. Thank you so much, Lea!! Lea’s blog is one of my favorites, with wonderful photos and inspirational writings.

I am passing this award on to the following people, whose blogs I follow regularly. (more…)

Back on da road again. By dis time was starting to get dark, and Musubi stay hungry. But we still had some ways to go befoa we going stop foa da nite in Ashland. As in OREGON! (more…)

I have loved animals all my life. Our menagerie has included dogs, cats, parakeets, cockatiels, doves and fish. When we moved to our present place that had some acreage, was thrilled that we’d be able to have real livestock. We started out with sheep, added some pygmy goats, and even a cow at one point. The cow moo’ved on, but the sheep and goats have stayed. We boarded a couple of horses, which I loved having around. We purchased Maremma Livestock Guardian Dogs to protect our livestock from coyotes who prowl the area.

One day at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival , the very first one, as a matter of fact, I fell in love with a llama from Rain Dance Ranch. I’d had no intention of getting a llama, but there was Rayado, with fabulous “banana ears” and a face we simply couldn’t resist. We bought him that same day.

There’s nothing like a two-year old heifer running down a steep hill toward you with no guarantee that she’s going to stop in time, so we traded the cow for another llama whom we named Como Se. Heh heh.

There is nothing to compare with soft llama llips gobbling up wet cob (special grain) in my hand. Their mouths are so small compared to horses’ mouths; it’s a totally different feeling. I love my llama boys. I’m so grateful to God for allowing His creations to be part of my life!

Rayado in front, and yes, his tooth is supposed to be like that; he doesn’t need braces! Como Se behind him, and in the background are the pgymy goats and Thunder the horse.