The Shed Notebook: The Eleventh Anniversary

Eleven years ago yesterday I began writing this blog. In that time I have written 2030 posts. When I started my blog it was for the purpose of keeping a chonological order of events in my life and have a place to share sibling writing assignments . Later I began using my blog as a place to share photos. As a lover of poetry I also have shared many favorite poems.
As a teacher of writing I stopped following my own advice. I told students to just put the pencil to paper and write what comes to mind. At first it may be not be good, but just get it down. Don't lose those thoughts and ideas.  I stopped doing that. Life got in the way.
I know as a writer I need to keep up with it. Having a routine helps. I admire my two siblings that have each kept a routine of posting their own reflections each and every day. I hope to get to that point again. I remember saying the other day, "I just didn't have anything to write about" when explaining why I hadn't posted on my blog.

Thank you this quote Jodi. How true. As I continue to build a routine again and get those words down I will realize I do have something to write about each and every day. So here is post #2031 with hopes of more to come.

The Shed Notebook: Comfort Food

Usually on Sunday we hold family dinner . Today we thought we were going to be gone, Bill thought at one point he might be picking up The Deke, so we didn't plan it. We also had just had a wonderful time connecting with family Friday night.
Today I felt like comfort food. I have always liked Tuna Casserole, but have tried a variety of versions of the recipe to see if ones were better than others. Today I found a winner on Pineterest.
I liked that part of the cheese was blended with melted butter and bread crumbs on top. The mixure for the casserole was easy to prepare, and the recipe give an alternative to using cream soup.
It hit the spot.  You can tell by the pan that is looking pretty empty!
If you feel like preparing an easy recipe that falls in that comfort food category, try it. You can find it here.

The Shed Notebook: Obsession With Sunsets

When we lived in northeastern Washington we didn't ever see sunsets from our house. The mountains blocked them. We had lovely sunrises, but no sunsets. I missed them . When we moved to 514 we have a perfect sunset view from the front of the house. I was reviewing sunset pictures, marveling at how each was unique, but beautiful in its own way. Enjoy a sunset collection from 514.

The Shed Notebook:Best Buddies

Our Springer Spaniel Annie died last June. When we decided to get a brother for Tucker, we decided on a Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. Tucker is an Australian Cattle Dog or blue heeler. Above is close to when Riley arrived home.

Since the time Riley got in the car Tucker has loved his little brother, The have romped, played, ran, swam, walked, wrestled, got in some trouble, and played with toys together for the last seven months.  Riley has had some puppy challenges, but sometimes Tucker helps by herding him into shape. Tucker is the barker alert dog in the house, but Riley hasn't picked that up. I have only heard him bark a few times.

Here are some photos below that capture that brotherly love between Tucker and Riley.

Tucker teaching Riley how to do stairs when we were at a vacation house.

Checking out the view from The Shed,

Both love to watch out the window.

Riley showing off his new haircut.

Tucker showing off his new bed

Fifty-Two Cups of Poetry: Poem #3: Behind the Shed

Last week I began the Fifty-Two Cups of Poetry project. You can read it here.

I think all of us has some place that things just end up being stashed. Read on.

Behind the Shed

Broken flower baskets stashed under the eaves for safekeeping,

A dog toy we call Dirty Rope sits in a pool of mud,

The rusty garden shears areburied under the blue tarp,

And the stack of terra cotta pots seems to have multiplied again.

Somebody heaved the last pile of fall weeds out of sight from the house,

The cracked holder for potting soil is now full of water,

After lifting a broken chair the lost work glove was spotted,

And the lasting signs of dogs digging left holes to be filled.

Everyone has the place where things just get stashed,

Often it is out of sight, out of mind, out of the way,

As the winter turns to spring there is a nagging feeling,

Either we widen the shed or decide to clean up.

Christy Woolum, February 5,2018

The Shed Notebook: Photography Review

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all the pictures I have stored. I have never done a good job at labeling pictures, but at least I named folders and they are listed in chronological order. Another goal of mine is to go through and remove pictures I don't need. If I have taken five shots of the same subject, I don't often go back and remove the ones that weren't good. Sigh. That is why I am overwhelmed.
But, another fine way of procrastinating is to just look at all the photos today and enjoy them. Here are some favorites I chose to share. The one above was taken when my brother and I took a tour of the Portland Rose Gardens. Yes, it was raining. I loved this because the couple weren't bothered by the rain. They were embracing the beauty of the flowers anyway.

This is the end of our driveway at Martin Creek in winter. I loved catching the late afternoon light in the winter.

I love this picture because I actually had enough sunflowers I raised myself to arrange a bouquet. Sunflowers in a vase light up the room.

Another favorite spot at Martin Creek wss our pond. I love the red leaves of the maple tree in autumn,