Well, at least it’s still barely St. Paddy’s day here. Just made it in under the wire. We celebrated today with a very surprised daffodil!
I went to a friend’s house for a dinner of corned beef and cabbage tonight. It was a big old warm bowl of comfort and I loved every bite. And the company was so wonderful! It felt like it’s been so long since I was with people at a table.
After dinner I made quick trip to the post office to send this bag off to Texas. It made me a little sad to see it go.
When we got home I decided to head out for a two mile walk. It was so gorgeous out. The moon was really amazing. I wish I could get a better photo with my phone.
Once home from our walk I thought I’d just finish up the bag I’ve been working on. There wasn’t much left to do and I had it all done in about an hour.
Holy cow! Look at those colors. I just love that strip of green! And the deep reds and purples are so good together.
I decided to play off those bits of purple at the top of the bag for the lining. For me, the lining is really important. A peak of something spectacular or unexpected at the top of the bag is a great feature. This is not the place to make shortcuts!
Here’s some detail photos.
Wanda from the Exuberant Color blog commented on yesterday’s post that the blooming tree might be a red bud tree. I wasn’t sure what it was, so I took a closer look at it this afternoon when we passed it on our walk and it’s a flowering plum.
They are one of the first trees to hit full bloom in the spring. I have one in my back yard and haven’t gone out to look at the blooms in a few days. You really have to be sure to enjoy them while they are in bloom because they don’t last long. One good rain storm can knock all the petals off the tree. You can smell the blooms as you walk around the neighborhood.
Friday tomorrow! I’m actually going to take the afternoon off and get my hair cut! I’m almost embarrassed at what a mess it is! I’m going to a new hairdresser that a friend uses and I hope he’s not horrified by the mess I bring him!
agilejack 
If you don’t already have it, I highly recommend getting the SEEK app for your phone. It’s free, and it really does a great job of using your phone’s camera to identify plants, insects, birds and animals (if they stay still long enough!). I read about it in the NYTimes a couple years ago, and it has been a wonderful thing to have on our walks. Another great app is MERLIN, this one listens to bird songs and identifies the bird/s, very cool.
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Oh, very cool! I’ll check it out!
Anne
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I use it frequently!
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Your friend will LOVE ❤️ her octopus 🐙 bag! The purple bag is so cool with the lime green pocket 🥰. I made baked potatoes and then fried smoked sausage slices down and then added a bag of coleslaw to stir fry down, added Montreal steak seasoning. Family loved it , so surprised, will be making again. We got up to 78 yesterday but today should be 64, northeast Texas. We have redbuds and daffodils blooming too but am still going to wait on planting garden till closer to Easter 🐣.
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Mmm. the sausage and cabbage sounds good!
I try to get my few garden plants in around Mothers day. Usually just tomatoes, a few peppers. Last year I added a raised bed of strawberries, so hoping for a good crop this year. And lettuce! I love going out and getting lettuce for a salad for dinner.
Anne
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I enjoy your penchant for googly eyes! I, too, am a big fan. Years ago, I snuck them onto all kinds of objects in my Mom’s house (shampoo bottle, clothes washer, pickle jar, etc.) to make her laugh and, years later, they are STILL there and cause giggles! Enjoy your day!
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Haha! I love it! That gives me all kinds of ideas! I’m careful to not put them on anyone’s personal property, but government property is fair game!
Anne
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Another gorgeous bag! Amazing. Your flowering plum puts mine in CA to shame. It’s almost finished blooming I think, and we just moved in this past September, so it was likely neglected in the past. There is nothing quite like the PNW in spring. Flying into PDX this time of year is such a treat with all the flowering trees everywhere. On another note, your new hairdresser will love being able to transform your hair, so no worries! Hope you love it.
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Spring really is a gorgeous time of year her. I moved to Portland at the end of March in 2010 and everything was in bloom. It does stay really green here during the winter, but the color just explodes this time of year and continues for months… all kinds of blooming trees including dogwoods and ornamental cherries, rhododendrons are just starting to bloom and there’s so many varieties they go for months. Daffodils and crocus are out now, tulips will be coming soon. I have 11 flower pear trees in my back yard and their buds are just starting to open up!
Anne
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Just love the new bag you’re mailing off to a new home! Hairdressers love being able to ” transform” so don’t even give it a thought. Please post the ” new you”. Enjoy the nice weather and all the new blooms!
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If he wants to transform, he will have a heyday!
Anne
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen a plum tree so am surprised at the pink blossoms, We have lots of Bradford Pear trees in town and flowering crabapple trees. It sure is pretty!
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They are ornamental. they have dark purple leaves. Mine occasionally produces a handful of dark red plums about the size of a large cherry, but not every year.
Anne
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