Like most of the west coast of the U.S., we’ve had a very rainy week. It’s been good to take a break from outdoor chores for a few days and focus on holiday preparations. My merry tasks have been accompanied by the pounding of rain on the roof and some serious wind which resulted in a rushing stream, swollen pond, and downed branches at Coppertop, but no real damage.

Today I finally completed a task I began way over a month ago:  planting bulbs!  These gardens are brimming with beautiful bulbs already, mainly crocus, siberian squill, muscari, and daffodils, which surprised and delighted us this past spring. My goal has been to pot bulbs, mainly for the deck. I like bright primary tones on the deck, and red specifically, so in the past few months I selected lots of gorgeous tulips from Brecks, Costco, and nurseries.

I added bulbs to  partially planted pots and also filled entire pots with these beauties. 

I added just one pot of bulbs at the front entry, a special variety of daffodils in honor of Maddy, our one child with green eyes.

Come spring, I’m certain we’ll enjoy looking out on varieties like these:

Since the rain let up, today’s tasks were accompanied solely by the whirring of this sweet hummingbird nearby.

Every once in a while I would pause from digging to look up through the wintry trees at the new snow on a nearby mountain. Another wonderful day with my hands in the dirt!