Winter blooms

The first thing I noticed last night on arriving home was the profusion of blooms on this Dawn Viburnum in front of our door. It really took off in the week we were gone. It’s rather unruly but cheerful and it smells wonderful! How nice is that?
The picture is still with the iphone as my neighbor Fred who saved my camera bag when we left it a week ago, is away til tomorrow and Victoria, bless her heart, can’t find a key to the storeroom where I think he put it. (don’t worry, she’s not alone, her daughter is here visiting...)

Today I “de-christmased” the house. As I wrapped the Mexican creche in its newspaper (from 1/10/88) and put them in their original cardboard boxes (1950), it occurred to me I could maybe buy one of those nice plastic storage boxes and bubble wrap for a safer more modern storage! :-) Maybe next year.

Took a break from all that clean up work to read The Living Shore by Rowan Jacobsen about the lowly oyster in this region and the part it plays (or played) in the health and wealth of the PNW. After blippers raised several questions about oysters in my blip of yesterday, I’m planning on pursuing this mini series about oysters. Originally the area was covered with native tiny “Oympias” that Jacobson regards as living gold - as "currency of coastal cultures, engineer of ecosystems, the champagne toast of societies through the ages." The history is fascinating…stay tuned...