Christmas Cookie Party 2016

I hosted the Cookie Party for the first time ever today. I was trying to figure it out exactly, we've been meeting for over 20 years - probably closer to 25. January will be 30 years since I moved to Bellingham.

Today was kind of perfect because it was snowing almost the whole time, it was so pretty. I moved in here April 1st, and I like it a lot - my little house feels like a cabin in the woods. Good times. Good times.

Cookie Party 2014

WTA Christmas Bus 2014

I'm not sure when they started the tradition, but Whatcom Transit Authority decorates a couple of buses for Christmas, and I've managed to ride on one of them at least once these last two years since I've been car-less. Today I got to ride on this bus twice. It's kind of fun and makes you smile.

Susan & Don, Denise and Naomi (in the background) and Barb

Dot, Susan & Don and Denise

Denise, Naomi, Barb, Steve and Glenn

Naomi & Steve and Glenn

Jo and Maria take a selfie

Today was the Cookie Party at Denise's house. It was our normal crowd of Don & Susan, Steve & Naomi, Jo & Glenn and Jo's mom Dot. This year Barb made it again, along with Steve & Naomi's grandson's Chase and Sam. Jo is as camera shy as I am, but I pretty easily convinced her to take a selfie with me for a good cause - to send to Debra in Florida. We all miss Debra, she will always be a part of the Around the Corner Gang, but moved to Florida over a year ago to be near her mom.

We were talking a lot about old books and how they came to be acquired, when Denise told the story of buying an old trunk at the local auction house years ago, and inside the trunk were a couple of  local school annuals, one of which Steve had drawn an illustration in! Talk about serendipity, that blew me away. And of course, the end of our conversation ended up being about food! That's what brought us together, and keeps us together ☺

The Verdict Came In - Walking Pneumonia

It has been a long hard week,  most of which seems like ages ago already. I'll be picking up Woody's ashes tomorrow which may be an emotional time, although for the most part I have made peace with his passing.

I finally went to the doctor on Friday morning and got the diagnosis;  walking pneumonia. It was just in time because my lungs were so heavy I could barely breath. I'd been sleeping almost all the time that I wasn't working.

I have to give a shout out to the friends and colleagues who helped me along the way. Kelly for bringing me home from work Wednesday with a stop at Haggen for some groceries.  And Cathy bringing me home from work Thursday.

Naomi taking 2 & 1/2 hours out of her day Friday to bring me to the doctors office, pharmacy and back home.

And to end my week with something positive,  Karen chauffeured me to potluck dinner at Denise's with Barb rounding out The Gang of Four.  As usual we had a long interweaving conversation and good food to fill the evening.

Cookie Party 2013

Cookie Party 2013

I did a little collage for the Around the Corner Gang Cookie Party.

Denise hosted again this year, and we had Don & Susan, Steve & Naomi (with grandsons Chase & Sam in tow), Jo & Glen, Dot, Barbara and Tina that all brought great treats and conversation to the table. Oh, so much good stuff!

Around the Corner Picnic - August 4th

The gang was kind of small this time for the Around the Corner Picnic. Denise, Tina, Jo, Dot, Glenn, Steve & Naomi and their grandson Chase and myself.

The food was good as usual, the weather turned out fantastic! (Not always the case) and we got our favorite spot under the tree.
And we teased Denise about her almost committing the major sin of not making the Hershey's Chocolate Cake ☺ Turns out the sin was just in her heart.

Around the Corner Summer Picnic

A week from today is the Around the Corner Summer picnic held at Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale. Hopefully we will get our favorite spot next to the house under the big tree. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the dry weather continues as well.

Fragrance Garden at Tennet Lake Interpretative Center

Gardens behind Hovander Homestead house

Here are some pictures from visits to the park in the past. This is one thing I really miss about not having the car, is not being able to just head out here for a walk, or to the Maritime Park in Blaine. I love the Fragrance Garden.







I'll never forget coming out one summer evening after the dinner hour, and it was quiet and I kept seeing rabbits everywhere. I nicknamed it bunny central, including the one I saw munching on the leaves of something in the fragrance garden..

Fragrance Garden

Fragrance Garden

Wisteria at the Fragrance Garden

Giant Fossil at the Fragrance Garden

Hydrangea in front of Hovander Homestead house

The (after) Christmas Cookie Party

A few pictures from our annual Christmas Cookie party for the Around the Corner Cafe gang. 

Barb, Tina, Glen, Denise and Steve

Two months after I moved to Bellingham in January 1987, I started working for Denise and her business partner Pam at the cafe, where Little Cheerful Cafe is now located. We had some great regular customers, who became friends. After the cafe closed in 1990 we had a farewell picnic, and from that we started a regular tradition of meeting every summer for a picnic.

Naomi, Dot, Tina, Steve, Glen and Denise

And then from that tradition, another gathering at Christmas started where it's all desserts. We get all sugared up and have a good time.

Don, Susan and Jo

Rebekah and Naomi

Naomi and Dot

Bits & Pieces

Nemesia

Nemesia Close-Up

I love this plant! I bought one last spring, but had bad luck in re-potting it and it died right away. I was excited to see it again at Fred Meyer and this one is doing great.
The Sweet Peas are slowly coming along, I think it hasn't been warm enough for them to really thrive yet. I'm going to wait another week at least before planting some herb seeds in planters, hopefully it will be consistently warmer at night soon so that they will be successful.


I experienced a real bummer this last week when someone took my clay planter that I had on the front porch and smashed it to bits on the sidewalk in front of my neighbor Dave's empty house next door. I had geraniums in it that I had wintered inside for two years in a row and they were in fantastic shape. I had planned on putting a few more planters out there this year, but won't be after this. I just planted one more hanging planter, hopefully that should be safe. I planted a purplish geranium with both light and deep blue Lobelia in the hanging planter.
I worked some overtime this week, we are starting to head in to the busy season. And yesterday I met with Denise, Jo & her mom Dot, and Steve & Naomi at AB Crepes downtown. The food was good, any they were busy which is a good sign for a new business. Jo owns the building, so I really hope they are successful and good long term tenants for her.
I also read in the Herald that a Philly Cheese-Steak shop opened up out on Mount Baker Highway; and oh man! I wish it was closer! The gal managing it used to work at the one in town here that closed almost ten years ago, and I still really miss that place.