I forgot to mention that my husband and I completed the 5K race we had signed up for. It ended up being a warm, sunny morning. We had expected cold, foggy weather. It was a very nice day though. We completed the run/walk and in less time than I had thought. We could have pushed ourselves harder but this was our first time.

The 5K race course took us around several neighborhoods in Florence, with the final half taking us up a small hill. Once on top of the hill it was all downhill, with even a glimpse of the ocean.

Our friend also did the 5K. My father-in-law completed the 10K. We all watched in awe as he crossed the finish line. It is very motivating to watch him run and be involved in these events.

So, our morning competitions got us motivated to complete the race again next year, and with better times.

Florence Oregon broke its record high for May 16th, with an official high temperature reading of 99F! Wow! The same official temperature reading was also registered in Corvallis, Oregon, with another record broken.

It was hot at the beach, there is no other way to put it. We walked down to the beach, wearing shorts and T-shirts. The kids made sandcastles, girls sunbathed in bikinis, surfers and waders all ventured into the water. The sun glistened on the crashing waves. It was like we had ended up on a California beach! Yet, the water was very cold. The surfers still wore their wetsuits.

While watching the Rhododendron Festival's Grand Floral Parade, we got a little color. The classic cars drove by, the clowns honked their horns and the princesses waved, all enjoying the unusual coastal sun.

Once back in the valley, we knew it had been hot, as the house was still warm and the plants needed a drink. We were amazed at how everything had opened up in just two days. The roses are all ready to explode with color. We spent some time in the yard, watering and cutting back some of the mint. We had so much extra mint that I made some iced mint tea. It was lovely on a warm evening.

Hello!
As if I wasn't busy enough! I've started a new website for travel information.
The link is
NW Travel Online
This site will contain my travel articles and information on travel in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho and Wymoing. I want to get serious about writing useful and informative articles.

Well, we planted the vegetable garden last night, getting the last seeds in the ground just as the sun set. I am excited to watch our garden grow.

We have been so blessed to have found such a nice house with such an amazing backyard. Nestled right in town, we are able to landscaped and garden with ease, without it getting out of hand.

Now, the fruits and vegetables produced on our city lot include:

blueberries
strawberries
raspberries
currants
apples
pears
plums
beans
peas
radishes
carrots
potatoes
tomatoes
peppers
herbs: parsely, cilantro, oregano,
rosemary, sage, thyme & peppermint



Photos taken by my husband in our yard, last summer.

I had a wonderful birthday, filled with family and kind gifts. I felt very loved. It's amazing how special gifts are when you grow up and when you are least expecting them. It's also wonderful when the person knows me well enough to give the things I need.

I received writing journals from my two moms. These are treasured items for me, as I am always filling notebooks with ideas, or putting them places and then forgetting where they are! It's nice to have a notebook for each topic I am thinking about. It helps keep me organized.

This weekend is the Rhody Run in Florence. My husband and I are going to attempt the 5K. We didn't get much time to train as I was sick for about a week. But we are doing good at walking. So, we will just enjoy ourselves, and the Rhododendron Festival.

So, on Saturday, my husband and I made a trip to Home Depot, one of his favorite stores. We walked all around the store, and my feet hurt. Then, as we walked by the lumber aisle, he asked if I wanted to know what my birthday present is. I thought it odd because he really likes surprises, and I love to know ahead of time. So, with a little hesitation, I said sure. He told me he wanted to build me a vegetable garden, and it would be hard to hide it from me until my birthday. I was so happy to hear about the garden! It is such a thoughtful gift, and something I've dreamed about.

So, we bought some lumber for the raised bed. Then my husband spent several hours digging out a small hill we have in our backyard. The hill ended up being a pile of fill dirt! So, now we have a huge pile of dug up grass and dirt in our backyard. But the spot for the garden plot is coming along.

I'm excited to get home tonight and continue working on the garden. Well, I might help but will let my husband do whatever he wants since it was his idea. I might go purchase the seeds I want to grow. I already have some tomato starts.

I love gardens. I grew up on a small farm and we always had a garden. I'm excited to have a new project. I love projects too.

I'm still trying to nail down concrete ideas for my book topics. I have about four topic/ titles now. I can't seem to focus on just one. So, I might have to work on four of them simultaneously! It's hard working full-time and wanting to write. I can and do think about writing constantly. Even if I am at work, I can at least think about the books I want to write, and jot down ideas when possible.

So, my latest ideas have to do with my book on missions trips and volunteering. I've changed my focus slightly but think it's a good change. I want to include thoughts and testimonials from people I know who have gone on these trips or volunteered. I think I can use these in the book. So, I am working on that.

I also have a new book idea: a student's guide of Oregon colleges and universities. It would be informational, and useful for high school seniors and current college students. This idea is still preliminary but I think it could work.

So, that's what I'm working on. I may be contacting you if you've been volunteering or gone on a missions trip. Thanks!

After the presentation by Bill Sullivan last week, I felt an urge to read his books. I do want to read all the books written by our speakers at sometime. So, I ordered two of Bill's books. To my delight, I received a package in the mail yesterday, containing the books. Like an ice cream sundae, I devoured the pages of the first book, "Listening for Coyote" almost immediately.

Just reading the preface, I was excited and impressed with the humor, honesty and style of Bill's writing. After hearing about this adventure, straight from the author, I couldn't wait to read it first hand. Yesterday I read 40 pages and didn't want to put the book down. I know if I had a few hours, I could finish it. I just want to know what happens next!

Because he is writing about Oregon and nature, I feel like I am part of his story. I have experienced a hike through the silent forest, seen the wildlife and heard the same thundering waterfalls. I hope to share these books with my family and friends, who also love Oregon and the outdoors.

The two books by William Sullivan I bought were:
"Listening for Coyote"
"Cabin Fever: Notes from a Part-Time Pioneer"

Last week I started a new page on this site called "List of Published Articles", which you can find under the Links menu, the fourth one down. This page contains a list of my articles published by Suite101.com that were published over one year ago.

Suite101.com has electronic rights to my published articles for one year. After that, I own all rights to these published works. So, I have created a list, as an index of all my published articles, published over one year ago. I hope you find the index useful and easy to use. I may publish some kind of book of all my articles in the future. I have added a disclaimer for those wishing to use my work, requiring my permission first.

Since I begun writing over one year ago for Suite101.com, I have learned a lot about internet writing, improving my techniques. You may observe a difference in my writing from the first articles to the most recent. Remember that Internet writing differs from articles you may find in print. Readers find my articles online by searching for keywords or titles unlike magazine and newspaper articles in print. It is important that I include these keywords in my titles and subtitles, and throughout my articles. So, sometimes my use of certain words, and keywords in subtitles may seem like overkill.

What a lovely weekend in Oregon! The warm sun made all the flowers open up and the plants grow. We spent most of the weekend in the yard, mowing, pulling weeds and enjoying all of our flowers. The crabapple tree has the most bushy white flowers that smell so good! I've included a picture of it and the Bleeding Heart plant.

We heard a good tip from a gardening show called "Gardening with Ciscoe", which is a great show with a very quirky, funny host. The tip he gave was to use vinegar as an easy way to kill dandelions and other weeds. It has to be dry and warm outside. It's so easy, and doesn't take all the chemicals involved with Roundup. So, I filled a squirt bottle with vinegar and went to work. Within hours the dandelions had turned brown and wilted away! It was great! I had to be careful not to let any get on the grass, as it would have killed the grass too. So, I was able to get rid of all the weeds growing between the stones on our patio.

Here are a few pictures from our yard from the beginning of May: