A couple of weeks ago, we were on a farm about an hour south of Portland visiting a cousin on Randy’s side of the family. Mary Pat is a wonderful gardener, seamstress, chef and decorator. I love visiting with her, touring her garden, and seeing her latest sewing accomplishments. We were also treated to a wonderful pasta that included a vodka sauce and fresh shrimp…mmmm.
Her garden is always a treat to see. I do wish we’d had some warmer weather before going down because more flowers would have been in bloom and the trees would have been leafed out. Still, we found plenty to see and talk about.
Mary Pat is very generous with her plants; if you see something you like, she’ll hand you a shovel and tell you to dig out some of the plants to take with you. We came home with 5 new plants for our backyard this trip. All but the dwarf pussywillow tree are in their new homes. We’re still debating about there to “ground” him!
The magnolias were trying so hard to bloom…
If only it would warm up.
The other thing I love about visiting Mary Pat’s backyard is that she adorns spaces with wonderful artwork. (This would be one of those photos where you need to tilt your head.)
These metal pieces are from a grass seed sorting machine - grass seed is a big crop in Mary Pat's part of the state. Notice the plate on the right has larger sorting holes than the plate in the middle, and the middle plate has larger holes than the plate on the right.
This swing hasn’t seen any swinging action in quite some time but it’s perfect in her backyard.
I love this little girl and her umbrella...although I think she belongs more in ND than in Oregon!
And these ladies!
These windows are on a garden shed, partially hidden behind some trees and shrubs. I smile each time I look at them.
She lightens dark corners of her garden by planting brightly colored chartreuse plants...isn't this great?
Or simply adds plants that have brightly colored blossoms, like these Oregon grape.
She lives in a big old country farmhouse with a big old front porch. The porch is right out of a Martha Stewart magazine. There's this great bentwood rocker with its welcoming cushion...
An iron rack filled with brightly colored ranunculus - how cheery are these? I love ranunculus but have never been able to keep them alive for more than a couple weeks.
Then, there’s this tall clay pot filled with pussywillow branches. I love pussywillow.
Needless-to-say, it takes me a few minutes to get from the front porch to the front door because everywhere I look, there’s something I simply must explore. If I were a bird, I'd live here.
Inside, is another wonderland. I do love wandering just to see what's new since my last visit. And there's always something - Mary Pat does a great job of with floral arrangements. Just look at this beauty! 
This swing hasn’t seen any swinging action in quite some time but it’s perfect in her backyard.
I love this little girl and her umbrella...although I think she belongs more in ND than in Oregon!
And these ladies!
These windows are on a garden shed, partially hidden behind some trees and shrubs. I smile each time I look at them.
She lightens dark corners of her garden by planting brightly colored chartreuse plants...isn't this great?Or simply adds plants that have brightly colored blossoms, like these Oregon grape.
She lives in a big old country farmhouse with a big old front porch. The porch is right out of a Martha Stewart magazine. There's this great bentwood rocker with its welcoming cushion...
An iron rack filled with brightly colored ranunculus - how cheery are these? I love ranunculus but have never been able to keep them alive for more than a couple weeks.
Then, there’s this tall clay pot filled with pussywillow branches. I love pussywillow.
Needless-to-say, it takes me a few minutes to get from the front porch to the front door because everywhere I look, there’s something I simply must explore. If I were a bird, I'd live here.
Inside, is another wonderland. I do love wandering just to see what's new since my last visit. And there's always something - Mary Pat does a great job of with floral arrangements. Just look at this beauty! She also loves experimenting with decorating and painting techniques – unlike me, she’s not afraid to try something new. If she doesn’t like, she simply paints over it. Like this hall. Do you know how long it would take me to do this? Those are actual painted stripes.
In her family room, she had a large vase filled with quince branches. 
She’d brought the branches in when the flowers were just budding. After a bit of time indoors…in the warm…they popped.
And wow, are they beautiful!
We also both love to knit but she’s far more experienced than I am. Plus, she’s not afraid to try something new…not afraid to resize the pattern here or there, or think "outside the pattern," so to speak. She made this lovely shawl for one of her daughters.
It’s absolutely beautiful. Just look at the detail. She insists it wasn’t that hard but I think I’ll be sticking with slippers, afghans and the occasional sweater!
Walking into her guest bathroom is like stepping back in time. The hat rack just opposite the door is filled with hats from a gentler era.
And this gem…the woman who wore this must have turned a lot of heads when she walked in the room. 
In her family room, she had a large vase filled with quince branches. She’d brought the branches in when the flowers were just budding. After a bit of time indoors…in the warm…they popped.
And wow, are they beautiful!
We also both love to knit but she’s far more experienced than I am. Plus, she’s not afraid to try something new…not afraid to resize the pattern here or there, or think "outside the pattern," so to speak. She made this lovely shawl for one of her daughters.
It’s absolutely beautiful. Just look at the detail. She insists it wasn’t that hard but I think I’ll be sticking with slippers, afghans and the occasional sweater!
Walking into her guest bathroom is like stepping back in time. The hat rack just opposite the door is filled with hats from a gentler era.
And this gem…the woman who wore this must have turned a lot of heads when she walked in the room. It’s amazing…just like Mary Pat.
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