Quote of the day!

"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face."
~John Donne

Jumping in the leaves...a great November treat!

Quote of the Day!

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." ~G.K. Chesterton

Harvest is complete......let the thanks begin!

Quote of the Day!

"We give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way." ~Author Unknown

Jack-o-lanters are yesterday but pumpkins still reign for November!

The countdown has begun for a Kentucky visit for November....and this is the view out the kitchen window. But, the real view is in the hearts of those who gather in this house, loving each other, laughter and tears, giving each other courage and strength, praying for Shannon's healing and uplifting each other in prayer. It's a great view!

Happy Halloween!

May this day bring treats galore,
And kids with costumes to your door!
Happy Halloween!

Traditional Halloween clam chowder!

Every year the clan about five p.m. to eat some clam chowder and then trick or treat in the neighborhood, stopping by numerous times for potty breaks, unloading sacks of candy, grabbing snacks and going back into the dark street with lighted pumpkin doorways.

Here's the recipe:

In a stock pot, melt 8 oz. of cream cheese and a stick of butter......adding a quart of 2% milk, 2 14 oz. cans of fat free chicken broth....bring to simmer but do not boil. In a separate frying pan cut 1 lb. of bacon in small pieces and fry until grease is cooked out and drained. Peel six potatoes, dice and add to broth mixture along with bacon. Add 2 cups of celery slices and a large can of white shoe peg corn, 2 cans of minced clams with the juice. Season with thyme, a pinch of oregano, coarse black pepper and 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper and salt to taste. When potatoes are soft to the fork test.....thicken with 2 tbsp of cornstarch mixed with a little water or soup base. If you like it thicker add more. Serve with crusty bread!

Happy Halloween!

When goblins and ghost hide under your bed.
Remember my friends, it's all in your head.
If monsters are lurking and zombies there too.
The weapon of choice is throwing a shoe!
But, dragons are different, so take a small chance.
Hold out your hand and ask them to dance.

Happy Halloween....Joye

Youth is like spring, an over praised season more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes. Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits. ~Samuel Butler

I wish a wreath on every door!

Quote of the Day

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. ~John Muir, 1913, in L.M. Wolfe, ed., John Muir, John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, 1938

Bulb time!

You can plant gorgeous spring color now! There are lots of bulbs on the shelves to plant until the ground is frozen. True confession time....I actually used a pick axe to dig a hole after the ground was frozen....but don't try this at home! Follow directions on the package and don't forget to add a little fertilizer mixed in with the soil that you cover them with. You will so happy when the first signs of spring are blooming.

Plantings for late fall and early winter!

The beauty of a late fall garden or window box, can be enhanced by planting kale and pansies.....and accented with fresh gourds, pumpkins and cornstalks. When late fall turns to December....replace fall decor with holly branches, pine cones and cut evergreen branches and of course, twinkle lights....the more lights the better.

Grandma Bolles....the good fairy godmother!

Quote of the Day!

A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween.
~Erma Bombeck

Gracie!

Halloween is so much fun!

I remember when I stopped dressing up scary and went for the friendly godmother look. That was the time I scared a poor little tiny one so badly she bolted through the hedge and into her father's arms screaming blood murder. From then on, I tamed down the costume and answered the front door with a friendly ghost smile and a bowl full of Snickers! But, I miss sacring the smile off the teenagers faces that are too old to be trick or treating and pretend not to be afraid of anything. Life is always a trade off.....a scary mean witch or a winsome fairy godmother. Perhaps there is room for both!

Apple or Pear Butter!

Apple Butter or Pear Butter is easy......peel and dice a crock pot full of fruit, add a cup of brown sugar, 2 tbsp. of cinnamon, 1/2 cup of orange juice and cook for hours until cooked to a thick spread consistency. Seal in hot sterilized clean jars with new lids and put rings around loosely until you hear a pop....then tighten rings, cool and put away for use anytime.

Quote for the day....

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. ~Henry David Thoreau

There are those days...........

I knew there would be days that would fill you up to the brim and overflow. And gleaning apples in a Washington orchard with family was one of those. We picked, we ate, we partied in the barn.....then went home and made apple butter, apple fritters, apple pies and apple sauce. What is that saying? "An apple a day keeps the doctor away?' I think we're good for another year!

Autumn!

The crispness of the morning air and the slight turn of color at the very top of the trees has me thinking about hibernating in sweaters soon. But first, the dance of the leaves, the carving of the pumpkins, the wreath on the door! May the great pumpkin sit on your doorstep!

Today's quote!

"Remember God's bounty in the year. String the pearls of His favor. Hide the dark parts, except so far as they are breaking out in light! Give this one day to thanks, to joy, to gratitude!" ~Henry Ward Beecher

And so, this Sunday, after helping Amanda and Mystie can 35 quarts of pears, and I made 16 jars of pear butter......I give thanks that Grandma cleaned up the kitchen!

The harvest is great!

Quote of the day!

Love seems the swiftest but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century. ~Mark Twain

Some people are just plain beautiful!

Arm in arm....smiling and climbing that mountain together.....gotta love
the Kentucky kids! Thank you all for your wonderful caring concern and prayers.

The best invitation!

Annabelle is turning one on August 9th. Remember a year ago when she wasn't expected to live at all? Born with spina bifida this little girl is a champion, smiling, bright and beautiful! Thanks Holly and Matt (Mom and Dad) for the invitation to eat cake!

Quote for the day....

Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

There's something about summer!

Summer with all its color and sunshine thrills me. The 4th of July, fireworks and parades and thinking about freedom and how we earned it thrills me. So today.....the eve of July 4, 2009.... I celebrate with my friends and family......the birth of our nation.....God bless America.....land that I love. Happy 4th of July everyone.

In the middle of summer.......

In the middle of summer.....Washington is delightfully fragrant and tasty. Fields of lavendar are in bloom, grapes are starting to hang from the plentiful vineyards.....and wine touring/tasting is in full swing. A big surprise is one of the most beautiful wineries I've ever been to, Terra Blanca, perched on a hill above a little town, Benton City, Washington. The gardens are exquisite, the view grand.....and the sunsets with music.....soul food! Wine isn't bad either!

Quote for the day....

The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience. Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around.... Throughout history, "tender loving care" has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing. ~Larry Dossey

Happy, happy birthday Shannon!

And....ohhhhh, soooo many more! Love you much!

Quote of the Day!

On this shrunken globe, men can no longer live as strangers. ~Adlai E. Stevenson

Spring planets!

Multiplied planets, galaxies in space,

Ribbons of stars and nebulas of lace.

Orbits on journey of sequential order,

Infinite visions, no boundaries nor border.

Expanding, contracting, joining together,

Colors of gases and clouds of great weather.

Some hot and some cold, the rhythm of seasons.

We wonder and argue the rhyme and the reasons.

Pausing with awe and staring to space,

With honor and reverence embracing the grace,

Of beautiful planets that spin as if dancing,

In pinpoints of light that shimmer entrancing.

We bask in the mystery, revel in sight,

Of things yet unseen in still darkest night.

Quietly yearning to hear future’s news,

We hear angel’s whisper….there’s nothing to lose.

Quote of the Day!

For flowers that bloom about our feet,
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet,
For song of bird, and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

For blue of stream and blue of sky,
For pleasant shade of branches high,
For fragrant air and cooling breeze,
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gardens are never finished......

Much like our lives......gardens are never finished.....there is always something that needs attending to. Does it need more nourishment or life-giving water? Are there weeds clogging up the design? Do we need to dead head (my personal favorite).....simply means to pinch off the dead blossoms....for those of you who do not garden. So we need to let some ground lie fallow for awhile waiting for its healing? Forever, we are adding more color, improving the pattern, harvesting with delight and planting new seeds. Just keep growing! Just keep growing!

Isn't it nice to know......

A note to Shannon!

Hi Shannon!
Isn't it nice to know that....
We haven't seen all the smiles yet...
Or felt all of the hugs......
That we haven't laughed all of the laughs,
Or met all of our super-duper friends yet.

We are not done!

Isn't it pure heaven to know that....
we have not planted all of the flowers,
Or bought all of the birthday gifts.
That we haven't shed all of our tears,
Or played enough with those that want to play.

We are not done!

All of the healing is ahead of us....
heart, mind, body.
There is more loving to do,
grandchildren to hold,
parties to attend,
weddings to plan.

We are not done!

All of our challenges are not won...
There are triumphs to be shared,
There is more....
bridges to be crossed,
paths to follow,
races to run!

My darling Shannon.....
we are not done!

Ball playing is in the genes!

Great niece Amanda.......you go girl!

Quote of the Day!

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
~Native American Proverb

Jerri exhibits in Scottsdale, AZ

Today....Jerri Lisk along with seven new artists, exhibits at the Calvin Charles Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. Way to go Jerri! Or.....check out the Lisk Gallery in Boise, ID www.liskgallery.com

In celebation of spring sunshine!

Drink the soft rain…

Joyously taste the dampened roots…

Swallow the silver moonlight,

And polish your soul with

the galaxies of stars.

These are gifts!

Absorb the colors of the rainbow,

Tuck a fragrant blossom behind your ear.

Drench your shoulders with golden sunshine,

Breathe the silken wind.

There is abundance!

Go barefoot in the dewy grass,

Splash in every puddle.

Romp among the yellow daffodils,

And celebrate spring.

You are given presents!

Sail the ocean blue,

Ride the frothy waves

And dive

Beneath for

Hidden treasures..

You are

so

loved

which is

the biggest

gift of

all.

Joye

Here's What's Happening!

Wyatt Lisk is beating the pants off everyone in the hurdles.....Grandson, sophmore in high school.
Amanda Montalto was voted Mid-Atlantic Division player of the week.....softball niece at Ball State.
Annabelle is doing well after her leg surgery in San Diego.....leg casts to straighten those feet.

Miracles abound......and my favorite quote from the Finding Nemo movie seems to apply.
"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming."

Quote of the Day!

The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience. Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around.... Throughout history, "tender loving care" has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing. ~Larry Dossey

Just say a little prayer!

Our beautiful Shannon has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.....the surgery is behind her....and aggressive chemo begins April 23rd. Your prayers and support are so appreciated. If you want to keep up on her healing and recovery process.....Scott has a web site set up to do that. Go to www.caringbridge.org Press Visit in the upper left hand corner....and then type in shannonlisk in the web site box. Blessings to you for sharing this journey.

April Birthdays!

Josh Blankenship
Beth Bolles
Holly Linden
Kristina Dudley

Happy Birthday Mark!

Spring is sprung!

Spring is sprung....
The grass is ris...
I wonder where
The flowers is!

Well, they are coming......one trip to Portland and all the green stuff is empirical evidence. Daffodils are blooming, plum trees, forsythia, crocus and stuff I don't recognize are blooming! See what all that drizzle in the winter produces! All the things I planted in sister's garden last summer are leafing out and cooperating with the master plan! Spring is a good thing!

Quote of the Day!

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." ~Doug Larson

Here's What's Happening!

• Jerri Lisk is at a new gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona.....Calvin Charles Gallery
• Wyatt Blankenship about to be born to Josh and Amanda
• Mason Lisk on spring break in Spain.
• Mark, Jerri and Wyatt biking on spring break in Moab, Utah
• Mark Lisk taught a workshop Photographing the West to 300 photographers in Nevada.
• Grandma Bolles moving to a cute jewel box apartment April 1st.

Happy March Birthdays! And, many more!

Amy Gardner
Mason Lisk
Mark Lisk
Lori Scala
Doug Bolles

Holy Wow! It's the first day of spring!

Forever, and ever.....spring always comes. The drive down the Columbia Gorge this morning, on my way to pick up another load of stuff.....was beautiful. The new spring growth is covering the river cliffs with soft green velvet and as I got to Hood River.....wispy white clouds bent down to lick the hilltops and curl up every crevice of the gorge. Beautiful! Welcome spring.....it's a good thing.

On my Way!

It's a great day to drive down the Columbia Gorge with my car packed full of "stuff" to move to Richland, Washington to help care for Grandma Bolles and put down some roots. After seven months of wings, my heart needs a home. To find a place to paint and write and garden a bit, listen to my music and have friends in for dinner.....ahhhhhhh, home!

"I think of life itself now as a wonderful play that I've written for myself, and so my purpose is to have the utmost fun playing my part." ~Shirley MacLaine

Putting down some roots....doesn't mean giving up your wings.

"Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place. But there is always a little corner that keeps flapping around." ~E.L. Konigsbur

In the restless moments of not knowing what

is in store, what are the best decisions you could make right now,

or think of what you want that would be for your highest and best use…..

or what is God’s plan for who you really are in this time and place.

You must remember…..

There is an invincible summer beneath every winter’s snow…..

seeds and tendrils of new growth lie beneath the ground

covered with the deadened mulch of the past season….

there is new life.

You must ask…..

What is next that will bring me great joy and help me create

the newness of another day filled with purpose and meaning?

Who am I becoming that will help me contribute all I have to offer?

How can I build on the foundation of goodness and love?

You must allow…..

Your heart to be open, your past forgiven, your blessings appreciated…

your wounds to heal and your power to create acknowledged.

The still small whispers of the angels will guide your path, ignite your passions, clear your vision and always be with you on this journey.

And, so it is!

Quote of the day!

"I make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes." ~Sara Teasdale, The Philosopher

Perhaps this is the best advice for today and these times of financial contraction and economic upheaval. Everything changes and the best we can do is make the most of all that comes in the moment and the grieve not or clutch at all that goes. The garden teaches us this....the seasons and their cycle.....growth and rest....rampant blooming and quiet rootedness.

March is spring's bride!

They tell me that mid-winter March in Portland becomes the bride of rain….bulbs peek their heads out to embrace the light while hyacinths adorn the bridal path. Pansies repeat the vows…I do, I do, I do! New growth swells with the hope of spring, fed by the drops of water that collect on every branch, dripping with expectation. The crystal rings of dew shimmer against the green lace moss and nestle safely in the arms of pine boughs. This passion will not again succumb to drifts of snow, for the incandescent kiss of scented blooms are waiting to explode. The wedding gown of softest green is veiled against a misty sky that occasionally with a fleeting show of sun’s ray, burst into virginal clouds of frothy white. Ahhhhhh….spring is wedded to my gardener’s heart.

Happy First Birthday Gracie!

Mom's Rooster!

Once in awhile you paint something that is designed for someone special and it comes off the brush with ease. This one is for Grandma Bolles and her "rooster" phase. She gave me her oil paints and although I'm a watercolorist......the rooster was a success as a first experiment with oil paints. Err....err....err....err!

We were meant to hum....and sing and dance!

There is a time that you depend on yourself as the center of gravity…..and still keep the time-honored truth that we really do need each other. At that point…..your deepest realization that you can trust yourself, is when you begin to trust others. Developing trust is not blind faith in the Universe, God or the garden fairies…..it is a divine inner strength coming from experience that you can handle what comes at you with the grace and dignity of the powerful human spirit that you are. The resilience of the human spirit is immense….the power of the human heart is immeasurable. The recent movie, Slumdog Millionaire is a tribute to our resilience. How much can we love? How kind can we be? How strong is our resolve to make the world a better place than when we came? And always….it is a choice to be loving, kind strong and resolved to create beauty, invoke hope, be grateful for our blessings, building trust wherever we go and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.

But, there are times when as humans we get discouraged, forget the words to our song and just have to hum. One of my favorite songs is We Were Meant to Hum. The beauty of this journey is that often times we meet wonderful people who know the words and even when you cannot remember them…..sing them for you until you can. These are the human spirits that help you remember how strong you are…..not by rescuing you or by fixing you or by doing it for you…..but mouthing the words for you to hum along until the music fills and inspires you.

Yes, we were meant to hum and sing and dance….and celebrate this journey together. I think the response to the last election was a glimpse of the huge yearning to trust again, to hope again, to celebrate this journey together as irrepressible, resilient powerful human spirits. One strong human spirit reaching out to another to share the strength makes us all stronger…..and the beat goes on….the heart beat of partners who commit to love, the families who stand by one another, the neighborhoods that create a sense of community and a nation that builds a society that values the needs of the human spirit above all else.

Jerry's Geraniums!

Geraniums with a view!

Mark and Jerri's Country!

Mark, Jerri and I went exploring at Succor Creek on the border of Idaho/Oregon and it is rugged Owyhee Canyonlands......breathtaking and inspiing. Love being out their viewing things through artist's eyes.

The view of the Snake River right out the living window is awesome.....Mark and Jerri are at home.....waaaaay out in the country.

Owyhee Lake......gorgeous study in reflections and beautiful even with a winter's palette. You might say this is nature's garden.

Owyhee River with February willow brush and sagebrush colors. Awesome colors of ochre, burnt sienna and alizaron crimson.....I feel a painting coming on.

Jerri in her temporary studio with the best chair in the house!