weekend journal {planting & eating!}

{looking out from inside our local nursery}
{hub...a man among flowers...I love him even more when pushing a shopping cart in the nursery!}
{tiny pots of pretty at the nursery} {some gardening goods, ready to plant}
{Verbena + very dirty gloves}

{pots of lettuce and basil}

{more Verbena...I LOVE Verbena & buy it every year...this is my favorite color, pale peachy-pinkish with a white center}

{Dwarf Goat's Beard...the new Perennial I treated myself to for "my garden in the woods"}

{ my entree}
{hub's entree - look familiar?}
.....
Hub & I began the weekend with a trip the local nursery and ended the weekend with a delicious dinner out on Sunday night...with a whole lot of planting/gardening, going to the driving range, hiking near Enger Tower, and bird-watching (the Hummingbirds arrived on Friday and a pair of Robins built a nest underneath our deck) in between.

I love going to the nursery and browsing at all the plant possibilities, color everywhere, and rows upon rows of pretty flowers all mashed together. My senses are overloaded! Now that I really have my own yard and garden, I'm finding its one of the things I most look forward to each Spring. We bought my standard Impatiens & Snapdragons (which both always remind me of my Grandma J - she always had impatiens in her window boxes and I loved snapping the plump green seed pods & she always had snapdragons in her garden too). We also bought Pansies and Verbena, more standards. A few tomato plants, oregano, parsley, and lettuce. A new clematis (Ernest M...somthing?...which also happens to be my late Grandpa J's name...) for the side of our house where we did some new landscaping last weekend. We also had basil and a green bell pepper plant purchased earlier just waiting to get in the ground. I could tell everything was much happier once planted in a more permanent home!


As mentioned, we topped off the weekend right by heading out for dinner...we were going to grill but then it was one of those days where little showers were popping up and we didn't know if we'd be able to...so we headed into Canal Park, a place we don't go to very much now that we live here, and had dinner at Lake Ave Cafe...Hub and I both ordered the Deconstructed Fish & Chips (a Lake Superior whitefish). Hub ordered it the last time we were there and I kept snitching bites of his meal. It was sooo delicious! Not often do Hub and I both order the very same thing...so when that happens, you know it's really quite good. And it was!
...
Happy Monday!

marsh marigolds {the first sign of spring flora!}

Just in the past day or two, the lovely Marsh Marigolds have begun to bloom all over our marshy woods, dotting them with pretty bright yellow spots. I think this is the first wildflower to bloom here in this northern region...even a little bit early this year, given the above-average temps we've been having. And I just couldn't resist picking a little bunch the other day to brighten up our table as well. I remember when Hub and I first looked at this house...and we roamed about the property along with Mum & Dad on a particularly cloudy, gray day in May of 2007....the day we trooped through so many houses here in our hectic quest for a home. The first thing I recall (and probably always will) was Mum's joy and exclamation about the Marsh Marigolds blooming everywhere! At the time, I had never heard of them and had no idea what she was talking about...I was far more concerned with figuring out what the master bedroom would look like! Yet now, I look forward to this cheery yellow flower so much each Spring! According to my wildflower book, since this flower also grows in England, there's a plethora of antiquated common names for it as well...one of them being "Mary-buds"...which, rather interestingly, this book also notes found its way into one of Shakespeare's plays, Cymbeline:

"And winking Mary-buds begin

to ope their golden eyes;

With everything that pretty is,

My lady sweet arise!"

in the studio {card-making}

...plus a very little (messy desk) tutorial...

This afternoon I carved out a little chunk of time for some good old-fashioned card-making, something I haven’t done in awhile. I love, love, to make homemade cards. There is something so soothing and so nice about creating a little mini work of art, sort of a mini collage really. I like to lay out some elements: papers, ribbons, rippies, and other bits & bobs for adornment and just sort of see what speaks to me…what goes together without any real explanation other than it just feels right. Perhaps colors or elements you wouldn’t normally put together might seem to work well, and since it's just a little card, you can push your normal crafting boundaries and try new things. And after a little while, you find you’ve made something small and special that will no doubt bring a bit of joy to the person you’ll give it to. Usually I’ll make a card with a specific person in mind. But sometimes it’s good to just have some on hand too for last minute things or when you are absolutely not in the card-making mood.
I think my grandma was the first one who really got me started on making cards when I was very young. We would sit together in her tiny kitchen and just make cards together for hours. I remember one time when we were crafting together during a big thunderstorm and the power went out. So she lit a bunch of candles and we just kept on card-making. And it was even better when I got to go into the sacred upstairs area. Her cluttered upstairs, where I recall her sewing machine, closets full of old clothes, and boxes filled with ancient cards, was among other things, filled with all sorts of crafting treasures, nooks and crannies, and you’d never know what little delights you’d find. Such good memories...
But anyways…I’m just rambling now.

Oh, by the way, here’s the best glue that I’ve found for card-making...in my opinion. Just a little tip.

Now, onto my tiny, little, & quick tutorial...more like an idea I came upon using punches and papers...nothing monumental really, but thought I'd share just for fun (please do forgive my messy little desk!):

Cut and fold a card using some pretty, double-sided heavy cardstock paper.

Punch out a shape in the front of the card to create a little "window."

Then, use another paper to punch out that shape again.

Use a corresponding punch and punch around the original shape, which creates a cute little frame.

Glue the "frame" onto the card around the original punched shape. And finish the card with cuteness! Voila! :)

Aren't punches the best?

Happy card-making!

Unintentional Stamp Collecting

The other night, while cleaning off and reorganizing my "inspiration/bulletin/everything" board above my desk (as it has a tendency to become quite the catchall for most any little piece of paper), I realized I have a variety of stamps I've liked and tucked into places on my board in random fashion. Pulling them out and piling them up, I recalled why I'd kept these various stamps. I remember the "bird" stamp was one that Hub had given to me after work one day, shortly after we'd been married. He said he tore it off an envelope simply because it had a bird on it and he thought of me. Sweet memory. Then there are those I've kept simply for the neat design, like the "bee" and "love" ones. Or the recent "MN" stamp for our state. One from my cousin who lives in Israel...and a couple from my Japanese friend who sent a card from back home. Obviously these stamps are worth keeping since they come from foreign places.

Oh, and I'm often surprised to see what stamps come in the mail on envelopes from my mom & dad...being that my dad has quite a stamp collection of his own, it's not at all unusual for me to find tucked inside the envelope of a lovely handmade card from mum, a little note on a scrap of paper, written in my dad's scrawl saying, "save the stamps!"

A good reminder indeed.

and it even swivels...

I finally found the stool to accompany my drawing table. It has been a long time of waiting to find the perfect one, but as I’ve said before…I never rush these decorating things. So be it if we have to have a perfectly good drawing table sitting idle for months on end with no stool soulmate. I just don't like to rush things like this. Because furniture and such is something you have to live with for a while. And so I want to really, really love it. So I wait patiently for the right one to come along. Now at last it has and I do so love it.

I came upon it a couple weeks ago and knew immediately that this would be the perfect stool for our drawing table. I didn’t even think to measure the height. Hub and I went back soon after so he could see it too. Right away he said, “Yep, let’s get it. I like it.” So we brought it home and pulled it up to our table and guess what? It was the just the right height…no adjustments needed to the table or stool. Just like it was meant to be. Of course it needed some new fabric on the seat which is another whole silly story in and of itself…our first re-upholstering project the other night. It's certainly not perfect, but I think it looks pretty good for us first-timers.

So back to the swivel…this was an added bonus. I love chairs that swivel. I guess it reminds me of long ago times playing in my Grandpa Sig’s basement “office”, typing away on his typewriter and taking turns twirling each other around in his big, old wooden chair on wheels. And my favorite ride at Disney this year just so happened to be the Mad Tea Party ride, where you spin round and round in an oversized teacup while the entire platform of teacups is spinning as well. So it seems quite fitting that I would chance upon this lovely, swivel-y stool with its hint of Parisian-like style and vintage flair. A stool that has been receiving a whole lot of swivel-love from me already. And much more to come I'm certain.

a lucky girl {on turning 30}

{Warning: This is a long one with rambling thoughts. But you only turn 30 once, right?}

.....

I woke up in a frenzied state, somehow aware that I shouldn’t still be asleep. I looked at the clock to confirm this.

7:45 AM! Oh no! Hub, we overslept! Get up!

Oh did we?, he says calmly. Well then I guess it’s a good thing I took the day off of work for your birthday. (He smirks.)

Wow. Wow. Not expecting that. I start to relax again and let it sink in what a wonderful, loving, caring husband I have. To honor my 30th birthday in such a way. To create a light-hearted day full of special memories and laughter and just being together. It was amazing. So I’m feeling like one very lucky girl. Very blessed. I have the best hubby in the whole wide world. Sorry folks. But I just do.

He first took me to Caribou for coffee. Where I got my free birthday drink from them…a LARGE skim mocha. (It was free so I had to go all out, you know?) Yum. I hardly ever get these anymore. I used to get mochas all the time when I worked in the “corporate world” and there was a Caribou in the skyway level of my office building. I have this very distinct memory of one day when I was working there, fresh out of college, about 22 or 23. I was in the elevator with a co-worker as we were both heading out to take our lunch breaks. She had her workout bag slung over her shoulder with a tightly rolled up Yoga mat sticking out and she said to me “Once you hit 30, everything changes!” I don’t know why she said this? I don’t recall soliciting this warning. But I guess she was talking about how much harder you need to work at keeping in shape? I clearly remember thinking then as we parted ways, “Well thank goodness 30 is sooo far off. It will be a long, long, long time before I need to worry about any of that!” And off I headed to pick up my rich, chocolate-y mocha without another thought. Yet for some reason her comment and that seemingly mundane moment from my past stuck with me, hanging in the recesses of my brain. Why can’t I remember important things? And why does it seem like that was only yesterday and now 30 is here?

But I really loved turning 30. It was quite possibly one of my best birthdays to date, only closely rivaling that of the one spent in Kauai when I turned 27...see?{Kauai ~ 2006}

After we got our coffees, we came home and Hub brought out a BIG blue plastic storage bin. He gave me a sweet card that said something about how for my 30th birthday he got me 30 presents…some little, some silly, some as reminders of our fun times together.
What?! 30 presents!?!, I questioned him.
He confessed it was a little difficult getting to 30 and that he was going to add a kiss as one of the presents but that he did get to 30. So I still took the kiss for good measure.

{my very own hot pink, sparkly-tailed fishing lure}

His way of distributing the gifts was quite clever too. He had typed up all sorts of riddles corresponding to each gift. I had to draw a riddle out of an envelope and then he would give me the correct gift. I tried to guess what the gift could be from the riddle but most had me confused. This is my favorite riddle, which I just so happened to draw last:{Light bulbs...the clue: Every morning when I wake up you just ---- up my day instantly.}

And this one was a sweet idea too:

{A garden journal...the clue: I love watching things grow with you. But, what did we plant in that pot two summers ago?}

After all the "present" fun, we had a great rest of the day together. Enjoying the sunny weather. Walking to the creek. Going as far as the water-drenched land would allow us. Making it to the little wooden bridge and sitting there a bit. Listening to the ripple of flowing water and letting the sun soak into us, warming our bodies and lifting our spirits even further.

{The creek ~ last summer}

We had some absolutely fabulous food out too and he even took me (as one of my 30 gifts) to buy THE perfect stool for my drawing table. I finally came upon the one last week and so we went to look at it together and he loved it too. (A photo to come once we reupholster the seat!)

With everything Hub did, it reminds me how marriage (and relationships in general) take effort. These things, not so much the gifts although those are WONDERFUL, but more so all the thought and effort he put into the day, were like adding vital nutrients to soil of our marriage. (Sorry, but I’ve got a landscaping/gardening project on the brain.) And in difficult times or even just the dull, routine times, it’s so important to have these amazing memories to think back on, a rich source for our marriage, adding to the foundation and helping to nourish it.

See, I do have the best hubby, don’t I? ;)

(By the way, now he’s really set the bar high for his birthday.)
.....
P.S. Thank you, family & friends, for all the lovely cards, flowers, and birthday song serenades on the voicemail. Loved hearing your sweet voices. Loved seeing your cards, especially the drawings from my little nieces...they so warmed my heart. You guys are pretty wonderful too! :)

discoveries

I can’t help but notice the budding pussy willows everywhere around our house this time of year. And it reminds me of last Spring, when I was thinking of buying a bundle of them (for quite a pretty penny) from an upscale market while I was down in the Cities. Mum said to me at the time, “look around and I’ll bet you’ll see some up in your neck of the woods growing right before your eyes.”
And see some I definitely did. Not a day or two after this conversation, Hub was looking out the little windows above our kitchen sink (fully aware of my desire for pussy willows) when he noticed tiny white puffs of cottony-goodness speckling a whole bunch of trees just outside these windows.
I remember my astonishment at this discovery and immediately spurred Hub into action, shoeing him out the door with me. There was still a good foot of snow covering the ground. I held the ladder stable as he climbed upon it and cut clippings of pussy willow branches, handing them down to me. I remember thinking our new neighbors would surely wonder about us…who are these strange former city folk, climbing on ladders in the snow?

Of course we performed this same "ladder-climbing-in-the-snow" ritual again this Spring, just a couple weeks ago, so I could fill up a vase and set it upon the mantle. We laugh now when we think about the bounty of them growing right on our property, every which way we look.

I remember my astonishment at many other discoveries in our new home last Spring too…our first Spring here. That time was sort of like discovering a new little world for us. Each day brought us new delights as different things would appear, sprouting and unearthing themselves. One of my favorite discoveries is still to come. But now that I know it is there, I’ve already begun looking for it, anticipating its special appearance. I’ll let you know once it arrives. Don’t get too excited though... It seems it’s always the small things that excite me most.

Hello Spring...

The week started off with a flurry of productivity and has dwindled down to a feeling of not being able to accomplish anything very completely. And it's good to remember that plugging in the espresso machine will not successfully get your English muffin toasted. Oy. It’s snowing big flakes here on this first day of Spring in Duluth.

Yet inside the greenhouse, things are sprouting! A little update…It’s day 7 in there (I'm counting last Saturday when I planted them as day 1) and I’m amazed at how fast some things are popping up. The chamomile seeds were the first to show on day 5! Now the grass has quickly followed suit. In my childlike wonder, I feel like I’m in elementary school all over again when we planted seeds in old one liter pop bottles.

I dreamt of being in Paris last night. Of course it was nothing like being in Paris in real life but all the same I felt I was really there, mildly disappointed upon waking. This is likely due to my recent thumbing through of my very ancient “English to French, French to English” dictionary that I dug out in order to have a somewhat meaningful back and forth communication with a sweet Etsy customer located in France. I could barely string together sentences as my few years of high school French are basically long forgotten yet it came back just a little as I looked up various words. Thankfully her English was far superior to my French. I think this exchange stirred up some French memories and I’m thinking perhaps it is time for another trip to Paris, n’est-ce pas? Especially at this time of the year, on the verge of Spring when I’m so anxious for flowers and garden-y things…what I wouldn’t give to be standing in the gloriousness of Monet’s garden in Giverny. Sweet memories…I’ll have to get my photos back from my parent’s house…mum and I had been working on a joint journal/scrapbook of our last trip there together…after my graduation from college in the summer of 2001…we really need to finish this, oui?

And finally, a little tag I made today to add a little handmade-ness to a baby gift...I used my exacto knife (and a protractor first) to cut out a tiny circle to frame a cute little baby graphic I had...glued onto the backside and added a rub-on and some dainty flowers to embellish...et voila! (See?...I do remember a wee bit of French!)

Off to bake some bread now. Ever since I made homemade bread for the first time, I honestly don't think I've bought a single loaf of sandwich bread...bakery baguettes and ciabatta bread, yes...but no more Brownberry. I’ve found this to be so much more economical and far more tasty!
Have a happy first weekend of Spring!

~Au Revoir~

The Tree Story...

The weekend was full to the brim of the prettiest snowfall, Christmas tree/house-decorating, hot apple cider, homemade chex mix, games, laughter, and a very snowy Sunday afternoon walk. And it ended with happy tears as we watched the Hallmark movie on Sunday night. (I almost always tear up during Hallmark movies…and sometimes the commercials too, yes. I can’t help it.) But before all of this could ensue, we had to start the weekend by running a few errands on Friday afternoon…

.....

We'd planned to just stop by while on our way headed out to run our errands and ask how much for the spindly, spare-branched, Charlie Brown-type trees. Next thing we know we’re in their house, hearing tales from their life history. Married 58 years. 9 children. 39 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Wars fought. Triumphs and trials along the way. Heartwarming “Christmas tree-buying” stories throughout the years. And mysteriously, every character in every story he told looked like either Hub or I. We laughed so hard. And we even cried. Or at least Pappy and I did. Pappy is such a sweet man. 78 years old (if I recall correctly) and he started planting trees when he was just 6. There’s something sort of meaningful and irresistible about buying a tree from him…our neighbor a mile or so down the road...his front yard full of Balsam trees and strung with those big, old-fashioned Christmas lights. We bought our tree from him last year too…our 1st Christmas here in our new home, new town...and it never dropped a needle. It was a beautiful, full tree. But this year we had other tree-buying plans...we were going to drive out to some land that Hub’s work owns on Saturday. On this day, you could cut down your own tree for $8 and be treated to warm drinks afterwards. It sounded so ideal, so picturesque. But we really couldn’t resist Pappy and his offer of any Charlie Brown tree we wanted for $10.

A whole hour later, tree in hand, Hub decides that since we live so close and the tree is rather dainty, I should drive home and he should just hang onto the tree out the car window. Seriously. It was about this time that it started to snow too. And I laughed harder than I have in a very long time the entire mile home. I think he got this idea from my Dad who's told us about the time he drove home while holding onto a Christmas tree out the car window at the same time. I reminded Hub of this minor detail that my Dad also drove while holding onto his tree. He replied with something like…"I know, he’s one up on me there…Just. Get. Home!” Yet he still has a pretty good story to pass on to our children someday too!

I’m so happy to finally have a little, spindly tree. Since it’s sort of in the center of our living/family room, I wanted it sparse so you could see through it. Hub always prefers a very full, healthy-looking tree and I’ve always wanted one like this...a little bit sad and tender-looking, and now I couldn’t be more pleased! With fewer branches there’s far more room to dangle ornaments. I’ve decided this is my favorite tree we’ve ever had...and I think Hub is now starting to come around to my side of thinking too!

.....

P.S. Below are some pics from today...the trees are entirely full of snow, clinging to every little branch and looking precisely like the definition of a "winter wonderland"...brightness & whiteness, every which way I look!

At The Front Door: Wildflowers & Jack O' Lantern

I’m not really into Halloween. I particularly dislike haunted houses (or a haunted “ship” as my city is known for promoting each & every fall). I don't enjoy scary movies. I run from spiders great and small. And while we're at it, roller coasters are really not my favorite thing either.

Although I do have the fondest memories of dressing up and trick-or-treating with my siblings early on and later on with friends too...the sweet, carefree innocence of that time was likely the part of Halloween I enjoyed most. I also have sweet memories of pumpkin-carving on the floor of my parent’s three-season porch, next to a roaring fire in the wood burning stove. So even though I don’t buy into the whole notion of the Halloween holiday and the darker, more sinister side of things, I do love to carry on the traditional pumpkin-carving, seed-roasting, and just generally enjoying the autumn season altogether.

Yesterday, getting into the autumn spirit on such a sunshiny-warm day, I drew upon my inner “florist” and gathered up the prettiest, dried up wildflowers from around my yard. Some wildflowers had gone to seed and were soft bursts of creamy fluff. Others were sprigs of chocolate-y brown buttons, formerly colorful flowers suddenly bitten by frost. I also spied some gorgeous red berries, perfect for adding a pop of color. I tucked them all into this old watering can along with birch logs from a previously chopped up tree.

I noticed while outside making my humble “autumn arrangement” yesterday that due (most likely) to the unusually warm weather, there seemed to be an abnormal amount of black flies and lady bugs buzzing about. And their overabundance (an overabundance of anything really, like Birds ala Alfred Hitchcock) is just plain creepy enough for me!

.....

P.S. Hub & I jointly carved a pumpkin together last night...he designed it and cut out the "lid" and I ended up doing the rest of the work...scooping out goop and cutting the design...we ended up doing an owl's head but it really isn't all that photo-worthy...so now I'm off to roast the pumpkin seeds that were drying overnight!

(Tips for roasting your own pumpkin seeds can be found at the very bottom of this previous post.)

Crafting by Day, Enjoying that Night

Craftista. That is my little xbox screen name I came up with for the few times I’ve played with Hub (remember this post?)... Well, I haven’t been feeling very much like a "craftista" lately…whatever that is exactly. I have some well-intentioned projects lying around, but I just don’t have the spunk in me lately to finish them. I also have some new ideas up my sleeves…yet again, no motivation to get started on them.
This is where A Field Journal comes in. Since my creative juices are not quite flowing very smoothly, how timely it was for me to follow someone else’s craftiness…especially that which is such a simple yet lovely craft tutorial as found on Livy’s blog. Simple enough to whip up in the afternoon and hang for enjoyment later that night. Have you visited A Field Journal yet? It’s definitely one of my favorite online places to visit. In a sea of so many crafty/artsy/design blogs, where I often get overwhelmed & overloaded with new things to love, to admire, to inspire…this blog is a true gem and particularly refreshing to me. Each post seems so thoughtful and the presentation is beautiful. It is a pure delight to the eyes and the simple, beautiful photos and words really resonate with me.
So I gave Livy’s latest tutorial “Paper Leaf Garland” a try and as her post claims “the simplest craft. ever”…I think she just may be right. Since this project was all about paper cutting, something I’m totally for, I was easily hooked.
While cutting around the folded leaves, the faintest memories surfaced of making paper doll chains as a little girl using basic white paper in this same fashion. This was long before the existence of craft stores like Archiver’s and others that are filled to the brim with pretty patterned papers and every other little embellishment under the sun. So while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with craft stores filled to the brim with fun things and other lovely blogs filled to the brim with wonderful things, it’s sometimes just nice to keep things simple, to de-clutter your mind, and to complete a project that only calls for white paper (check, I have that), scissors (yep), and glue (definitely). So here are a few snapshots of the one project that I have completed lately.
Thanks for sharing, Livy!

Childhood Treasures: The Jewelry Box

Over the past several months, for whatever reason, I’ve been finding myself drawn to objects from my childhood. I only just recently came to notice this pattern. Like with this old drawing table, or this little girl figurine, and now with my newest childhood treasure that I’ve brought back into my repertoire of treasures in our home: my old jewelry box that I loved when I was a little girl. It actually first belonged to my Mum when she was a little girl and then she gave it to me.

Perhaps this phenomenon has to do with moving away this past year and wanting to hold onto things from the past. Or perhaps I’m just getting older and realizing the value of sentiment and the beauty in well-worn, well-loved things. Or maybe I’m just unconsciously reminded of sweet, innocent times whenever I gaze upon these things from my past. No matter the reason, I’m just glad I’ve hung onto some of these things rather than getting rid of them during a time in my life when perhaps I wasn’t so sentimental. I would be deeply saddened now if I had.

I recently pulled my pretty box out of the closet and found it filled with old jewelry (circa the 90s...lots of gold!) and beaded necklaces I had made as a child. All the while on my dresser sat a much smaller, rather boring and traditional, green leather jewelry box that was bursting with the few pieces of jewelry I do wear. This made no sense. So I made the switch and am loving the change...The jewelry box’s exterior is a dusty, rosy pinkish color with an embossed-like pretty pattern that rims the outside edges. I love the soft, worn look of it sitting upon and contrasting with our sleek maple dresser.
The interior's top is covered in a silky fabric with gold, swirly designs printed every so often. The bottom sections are filled with a velvety pink fabric…perfect for nestling my favorite little pieces of jewelry.

I’m not the kind of girl who wears a lot of jewelry, but I do have a few special pieces that I love and wear often. Now it's a simple pleasure every time I go to open my “new” (or "old" rather) jewelry box.

The Gravel Road

Would you like to a take a little walk, in the last rays of summer sunshine, when the late afternoon shadows are cast long?

This is the gravel road that Hub and I walk down nearly every day. These are some images from our glorious Friday afternoon walk (before the weather turned foul for the entire rest of the weekend).

Lately we’ve been noticing this gorgeous crab apple tree just bursting with ruby red apples. We usually view it in the late afternoon when the sun is catching it just right, the tiny red apples appearing almost to glow. When we first noticed it, it instantly reminded me of a childhood memory. It made me recall the beautiful, clear red crab apple jelly that my Grandma would make every year from the crab apple tree in her yard. I hadn’t thought about that in a very long time. But I remember biting into those tiny tart apples that for some reason were so irresistible, regardless of their immense tartness. And I remember the joy and simple pleasure I felt when she would send our family home with some of her special jelly. Eventually the tree grew old and needed to be cut down. I remember that day in particular and feeling a little sad about it. Oh I miss that jelly.

This healthy looking tree is now loaded with bright apples that I think no one picks. Would they mind if we picked them, I wonder... I’d just like a little taste of that tartness again.

Above is the bold, yellow "Common Tansy"...a wildflower true to its name if its abundance everywhere we look along roads and fields is any indication. It has been blooming for several weeks now and doesn't seem to be giving in just yet to the cooler weather...a sturdy little thing...no doubt which must play into its proliferation.

Finally, a sweet pair of deer greeted us where the gravel road ends. And that is where our little walk ends...thanks for coming along!