Sunday Morning, Six-Thirty

The sun popped up over the Willapa Hills all of a sudden this morning, or so it seemed. I was looking out our east windows at a calm, shadowy world one minute and, with the next sip of coffee, there was that big, blood-orange ball in the sky, mirrored perfectly on the glistening mudflats of the bay. What a glorious, smiling beginning to the day!

Yesterday was full of smiles, too. In the afternoon, we happened upon a gathering of the Holmes family at Adelaide’s – four generations, including the Uram twins and Kyle and Christy’s one-year-old daughter, Aubrey, who was stepping right out in her spiffy summer sandals!

Steppin’ in Style!

“We have thirty-two ‘greats’ now,” the senior Mr. Holmes told us. “They haven’t realized yet that they’re in the majority,” he laughed. We laughed, too, and for a fleeting instant I (who have no greats; not even grands) had just a touch of sinful Descendant Envy.

Three Greats!

When we arrived back in Oysterville, I saw Bradley working in his garden and went over to have a little tour. As always, everything looked manicured to perfection and Bradley’s laments about the ‘weeds and needs’ fell on uncomprehending ears. I said my usual silent prayer that he would continue his ‘Kind Neighbor Policy’ with regard to our yard – at least within my hearing.

We looked at the now-cleaned-up aftermath of the three huge alders that fell behind the churchyard. One of them took out several big, beautiful rhododendrons on their way earthward, but Bradley says they will come back. He had cut them down to knee-high stumps and I was delighted to see teeny tiny red/green bits of growth on each of them. “They’ll come back,” Bradley said, “and the other large ones that were damaged will fluff back out. It won’t take long.”

Behind the Church, A Teeny Tiny Beginning

Meanwhile, he has plans for planting a few more King George rhododendrons with their large, showy sweet-smelling blossoms. The two he put in year before last on the south side of the church are spectacular right now. And he picked a few blooms for me to smell and take home with me.

I spent the next couple of hours in our own south garden, weeding the bed that runs the length of the porch and planting about a gazillion nasturtium seeds. My goal is to have a show of color along that area to match Ann and Phil Gaddy’s fabulous display in Nahcotta. Garden Envy is probably another sin, but I must confess that I have it in spades (of the gardening variety, that is.)

Meanwhile, Nyel’s raised beds are coming right along and our new grassy area is filling in nicely. There’s lots to smile about in our world. That glorious sunrise was only another beginning.