This week, most of the Lower 48 United States are experiencing chilly weather and we are not exempt. A chilly polar blast has arrived, and with it, beautiful sunshine! For most of this winter, our skies have been grey and cloudy, with lots of rain. We've had very little snow. In fact, we have not even plowed our driveway yet this winter! This week though, the polar air arrived, pushing out all the cloudy skies, and allowing brilliant blue skies and chilly weather.  

The sunshine, blue skies, and snow on the mountains were so beautiful on our drive to Sandpoint.

Thanks to all of you who shared such encouraging words about the passing of my Dad. I have mourned his passing each and every day - and have appreciated all the prayers and encouraging words each of you have shared with me! There is an ache in my soul every moment with the loss of his presence here on earth, but then I look up into the heavens, into the skies and the Lord reminds me that Dad is at peace there, with Him. What a comfort it is to know that in the darkest moments of our loss, we can still rest in comfort in that knowledge! 

The garden has been a place of solace and comfort for me. It was the place I last heard my Dad's voice. And, it is the place where the voice of our Heavenly Father speaks to me too!

The garden has offered up glorious bounties already this year. Strawberries were produced in abundance!

I have enjoyed hosting garden tea parties...

In July we and our son purchased an older model fishing boat. We have since spent quite a few hours on the rivers and lakes with the boat.

Watermelon is one of our favorite treats to enjoy while on the boat!

A neighbor invited me over for a tea party on the deck of her gorgeous log home built by she and her husband.

It was such a lovely treat to sit and visit each other!

The garden has required much work - the weeds have been abundant! My husband helps in the evenings when he can.  How I appreciate his help with these tasks that can overwhelm me quickly!

We enjoyed quad rides together in the earlier part of the summer. Now that it is so hot and dusty, we will wait until we get some rain.

Our little boat! It is small, but we are enjoying it immensely!

I've had lots of chipmunk visitors to the garden this year. They have eaten their fair share of lettuce, dill, marigolds, and cilantro! They are cute but very destructive!

Dan and I went camping on the northern end of Priest Lake with Miss Riley.  What a beautiful relaxing time it was for us. The campsite was right on the beach with these glorious views!

We went for a ride up some old logging trails - our favorite thing to do!

We enjoyed cruising around the lake with our new-to-us boat.

So quiet and peaceful, and the views are glorious!

Riley enjoys riding in the front of the boat, keeping an eye out for the ducks!

Spotted this sailboat one afternoon - against the beautiful backdrop of the mountains!

Beautiful wildflowers along the bank of the lake.  We hiked along a creekbed - so peaceful and beautiful as the afternoon sunshine filtered through the trees.

Back home - Dan and I celebrated our anniversary together by getting huckleberry ice cream after a meal together. My Dad was almost always here every year for our anniversary as he would often come up to visit in July. So we enjoyed huckleberry ice cream in memory of him! Dan and I sat outside the little burger place in town where my Dad and I would often go and sit and enjoy ice cream together. We cried and reminisced our memories of Dad.

The garden is doing splendidly this year - my clematis burst out in glorious purple blooms over the trellis!

Berry picking has been abundant this year - I am thankful to have many gallons of huckleberries picked, frozen and in my freezer to enjoy!

Raspberries were amazing this year! Really - every berry that grows here has given us a great bounty!

Another view of my garden with the clematis on the trellis.

I am sure you can understand why I've been a bit absent on the blog these past couple of months, as I've had much to do in the beautiful garden space I am blessed to care for. I anticipate a marvelous harvest this year!

I have collected quite a few pictures of the aurora borealis or Northern Lights - and I put together another video with many of my Northern Lights. I hope you will enjoy the video paired with this beautiful song "You Are My Hiding Place" by Selah. 

This has been a colder spring than we've had for several years.  Heavy snow fell late this year on Easter, and cool weather has continued into this second week of May.  We've also seen a mix of rain and snow, and freezing temperatures down into the low 20s. I am grateful more than ever for my greenhouse as my seedlings continue to grow safely inside the greenhouse until it will be time to plant! Indeed, signs of Spring are here with daffodil blooms. the buzzing of hummingbirds, and abundant green grass, but still the garden waits patiently for the slow Spring dance to end, and summer's warmth to arrive so planting can begin. 

Daffodils blooming around an old tree stump in our yard

Our Easter Sunday was so blessed and full of wonderful things! Our church holds an Easter Sunrise service every year at 6 a.m.  When we got up to get ready to leave, it was still snowing. We received about 6" of snow, and it really was beautiful, although out of season. It is Spring after all, but we truly are in the season of Springter as I call it, and sometimes it seems more winter than spring! 

Happy first week of April! 

This year is moving right along, before you know it, half the year will have passed. We are enjoying beautiful spring days here... sprinkled with lots of rain, and mixes of sunshine, and snow/slush/hail, and then beautiful clouds in the skies.  This is spring in North Idaho! 

Crocus springing up in my garden!

Oh March! It is that silly month where winter and spring dance around each other, and from moment to moment, you never know whether it will be spring or winter.  Now, we are in the muddy season where the melting snow is not so pretty, and we have lots of mud and ice.  However, we are very thankful to have gotten more moisture this late into March, and my garden is still covered in snow, which will be good for it later on in the spring and summer. 

I walked over to visit with my neighbor's horses recently, and I thought you might like to see their beautiful faces ... 

This past weekend we had two brilliant days of sunshine with skies so blue I felt I could drown in their depths, with the sun so bright and all the sparkling snow jewels; it was beauty that one's soul just soaks in every drop!  

As I was on my way to a neighbor's home, I saw two large animals standing on the side of the road.  It was a momma moose and her calf.  They turned when they saw my vehicle and ran back to the fence line, where they munched for a few minutes on tree branches as I watched in my vehicle. 

Did you catch a glimpse of the moon the last few days? Wow! It was shining during the day here with blue skies and sunshine, so amazing!

Blue brilliance!

Truly I can say I've seen the blue moon!

Do you see how bright the moon is in the picture! It was just stunning to see!

I've been able to do some cross-country skiing lately...

My favorite place to be... on skis with brilliant sunshine in the forest :)

Especially when the views open up, and the river comes into view.

I am so blessed to be able to ski out my back door into this paradise!

All things wrong with the world become a far and distant memory in the light of this glorious sunshine view!

A blue moon in the bright blue sky...

Evening shadows begin to fall and I reluctantly leave this beautiful place and turn homeward.

I wanted to stay longer to watch the sunset from this view, but I knew I didn't want to be skiing in the darkness, so it was time to head home.

This unique cloud caught my eye as I neared home. I thought it looked like praying hands? I was praying and praising as I skied... I think the Lord  can give us pictures in the skies as part of His blessings on us :)  I also think I see a heart...  What do you see in this cloud?

Back home from the ski... my little Tinker Belle (she has lots of nicknames) was waiting for me. "Where have you been Mom?"

Our church hosted a lovely Valentine's dinner...

I made Strawberry Shortcake Trifle for the occasion.