Sunday, June 06, 2021

Summer Daze

 



It is that time of year that I go for early morning walks and bike rides or whatever tickles my fancy when I wake up just before dawn.

I do like summer just for that reason. My days start when the glow starts outside. I don't like to sit inside and just wait for late morning to occur. I usually have walked the fence and checked the stock tanks by 6ish and visited with the mules.

The peonies have started to blossom like crazy and I do love them for those days that they offer sweet smells and vibrant colors. I have only pink. My husband thinks peonies are icky flowers and would mow them all down if he could. 
What can I say?
Yarrow, Peonies, Irisis, and Verbena are my choices for right now.


In the summer I love to have every flower I can cut and stick in a jar or vase all around the house. That is just me. The more, the merrier.

That brings me to the veggie garden. To tell you the truth, I'd like a much smaller garden than I've had for years. For whatever the reason, I just am not into the huge garden this year.
I know a woman and her husband who have been doing the Farmer's Market in town for 20 years. I decided this year to let her do the gardening and I'd come on the weekends and pick my produce from her display.
I'm even going to trade some new jars for some produce next week.

I bought some Giardiniera from her Saturday and put it in my Italian cold salad. Wow!
I came away with some real goodies from the market. It included a wonderfully fresh picked package of spinach. Even the other half enjoyed a spinach in his salad.

I came home with a raspberry/rhubarb pie to boot from the Mennonite Bakery. 

I was done with my busy morning by 9am.

Everyone who has hayfields has their hay down to be baled. First crop looks a bit thin and we need rain. 
I had to haul water out to the 'Forest Garden' with the 4 wheeler. 
Hmmm. Looks like I had visitors!


A gift that arrived in the mail the other day was two bags of toys.


I could not resist messing around with them. They were kind of cute in that I could bend their arms and legs!

During the hottest part of the day, I read a book on the porch and watched birds. Not productive at all but pleasant.


If the weather people are correct, Sunday will be much nicer and chances for rain will be the topic for the week.
We do need the rain on for the hay fields. 

My lavender is getting ready to blossom. This is my first year of overwintering one lavender plant and growing a second one. 


The Sage I planted last year somehow survived the winter and came back in a huge mound and is ready to blossom too.


Today? 
More dry winds and heat.









6 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:08 AM

    It's nice you can have the flowers in the house, I never could with my allergies, but I did enjoy them outside. :)

    You described a productive 'self care' day. I look back at my life and think how much better it could have been if I had been less stressed about societies definition of productive and instead focused on more productive self care. I can't go back and change things but I can and do focus on productive self care days in this new life of mine. :)

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    1. I have realized I may have been burning the candle at both ends. I know some folks think I took the easy path in staying home and doing things like gardening and reading on my quiet days.
      I'm let them stress about thinking I am not productive enough. I am caring for a very tough patient and some days staring at the sky is the nicest thing I can do for myself.
      I really get it and hope you are enjoying your crocheting and your self care!

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  2. Cool alien Invasion! You know, now the Government admits they ARE real. ( Well, UfO's are, anyway...) Being productive is a frame of mind, I think... Especially in my old age. I think about how my parents worked themselves into an early grave and how I don' want to follow that path. (my brother is... and will get there ahead of me, I'm betting) Being productive is being true to yourself, I think. Appreciating the forest and everything in it is one of the best ways to thank the world and appreciate the time we spend in it. Even now, I want to head outside, but it is rather hot today. Rain is promised for tomorrow... But we shall see if that forecast is right.

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    1. Thank you, the forest is my sanctuary. I skipped going to the creek today because of the heat and the winds. I should have gone.
      I'd sat in it and stayed there!
      We are hoping for some rain soon too!

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  3. Beautiful flowers & photos! Love that you fill your house with cut flowers from your gardens. I used to cut flowers and make an arrangement with whatever was blooming, at my previous home. I've only cut daffodils here. Maybe in time I will get more than one peony bloom a season lol. I wouldn't worry too much about what others think of how you are choosing to live your life. They are probably jealous. Early mornings are definitely the most productive in summer. I can't handle the heat, zaps every ounce of energy out of me. Our first crop of hay was leaner than expected. Our resident Whippoorwill keeps praying for rain, just don't want it to come down all at once. Kinda sounds like what is predicted.

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  4. Pretty sky and that Peony is beautiful! LOve your nw toys!

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