Company

You know what happens when you're going to have company?  You clean house, right?  Sometimes we laugh and say that's the only time the house gets thoroughly cleaned, although that's not really true, but it does get that little extra spit and polish when you know someone else is going to see it.  I know you know what I'm talking about.  

The past few weeks we have been doing lots of spitting and polishing around here.  We were invited to be part of the Palouse Home and Garden Tour this year.  It is a fund-raiser for a local group that is preserving a lovely small old church here in Palouse.  We like to support community events and agreed to do it...even though we wished it was two years from now when things will be more finished and lush and impressive.  Actually we were kind of surprised and honored that they asked us.  So we have been weeding and mowing and raking gravel and painting porch step risers and washing windows (you get the idea) for the last couple of weeks.  Whew, it was a lot of work and, at times, we wondered if we had done the right thing.  But today proved that we had.  




We had women from the church preservation group here to help, which was great.  They checked people in at the front walk. 









 



I gave tours inside the house and then turned folks over to Paul, who covered the gardens and prairie part of the tour.  It got pretty busy during the afternoon and the last people left about 4:30 (it ran from 11-4).  

 








It actually turned out to be a fun experience.  We met lots of really nice people, some local, some from farther away.  Everyone was complimentary and, seemingly, impressed with our little piece of Palouse paradise. 

Even though it was lots of work, it was worth it in the end. 

The Lupines

We live in lupine country.  Wild native lupines dot the countryside from here to the Cascades.  There are a few different varieties of natives and all are lovely, in my opinion.  Paul has come in from his prairie each day to tell about more lupines coming up in different places.  

I planted some Russell lupines (a cultivated strain) in my flower garden.  They have done quite well and are blooming in profusion right now.  








 

But lupines have a habit of spreading themselves even where they weren't planted.  Take this one.  It just showed up in this bed one day.  I didn't plant it and it's not the same color as the Russell that's close to it so, I have no idea how it came to be there.  It certainly seems happy to be there though.  It is about 3 feet tall and gorgeous... but not perfect. 

It has put up one flower spike that is quite unusual.  It has 5 ends on it.  Everyone that I show it to just shakes a head in awe and wonder.  How in the world???

I am watching as the blossom opens and continues up each of the spikes.  It will be interesting when it's completely opened up.  Can't wait to see it.


 This lupine sort of reinforces a few life truths, I think.  
1)  Make the best of where you end up.
2)  You don't have to be perfect to be beautiful.