One Thing Led to Another

One thing led to another today and I found myself working in the garden in the middle of winter.

It started out as an ordinary Tuesday. A few morning chores, my one cup of coffee with homemade almond milk, and out the door to run errands.  My mom and I are crafting with the ladies tomorrow and we needed a punch to use with the super-cute paper I found last week. We're making garland and valentines.

I happened to notice how beautiful the weather was and could hardly wait to get home and take a walk around the yard with my camera.  It's fun to find bits of color tucked here and there, and the stationary garden life makes me smile.

The garden looked a little unkept.  Apparently I neglected to do a final cleanup before hunkering down for the winter.  Snip snip, rake rake. Much better.  A hefty rabbit scurried out from under the thyme.  I believe he's been munching on spinach, kale and mustard greens.  I'll bet he has a very strong immune system.

A few sprigs of gorgeous rosemary found their way into the house. Those crackers were SO yummy last week.  Another batch will be very nice.  We'll have them with our leftover chicken stew tonight.

One thing led to another and it turned out to be a spontaneously scattered, peaceful, and oh so beautiful day.  Happy Tuesday, Friends.

Flowers and Quilts and Stuff

It's a quiet day at our house.  We're hoping for some rain. Hubby removed the railings from our front porch :: something we've been agonizing over for quite some time.  The pickets were made from pine (Grrrrrr.....) and one by one they've started to rot.  All seventy-seven of them.  We decided to live "picketless" for a while and see how we like it. I'm thinking some big beautiful pots of fern will fill the empty space quite nicely.

An impromptu visit to the thrift shop this week turned out to be quite a treat.  A few things pulled at my heartstrings and I left with a great big smile.

The Hydrangea blooms came from an enormous bush on the side yard of my mom and dad's house.   It performed exceptionally well this year, causing neighbors to stop and comment on it's beauty.  We cut some this morning and I loaded them into my mercury glass vase.  So. Very. Pretty.

We finished the quilt top a few weeks ago.  Forty-eight flowers in all and every stitch done by hand.  It's the work of many. The backing was a tad short on width so a patchwork strip was added down the center.  It lends a cottage feel and adds a little pizazz.  A group of Mennonite women have agreed to hand quilt for us.  How happy it feels to finally pass it on.

Out Back

There's a piece of land beyond our backyard that's owned by a neighbor but cared for by a farmer.  We watch from the picture window.  

It's all very interesting and new to us and makes for wonderful weekend conversation.  We speculate about what's being grown and get a kick out of watching the baler do it's thing.  I now know the difference between hay and straw.  Hay is grown for feeding purposes.  Straw is the by-product/stalk of a grain (barley, wheat, rye) crop, used for animal bedding and mulching.  It's what's left after the seed head has been harvested. Thank you Google.  I'm pretty sure those are bales of straw.

We walked down to the "farm", camera in hand, when hubby spotted the geese.  Soybeans are growing now and apparently geese like to eat them.  Perhaps these soybeans are of the non-GMO variety.  According to Jeffrey Smith, animals refuse to eat the GMO kind and so should we.

Seeing Beauty

It gets a little more challenging, this time of year, to fill my vase that sits in the opening above the kitchen sink. 

I picked some things this morning :: the last Tomato Soup coneflower, two volunteer zinnia, chive blooms, Russian sage, and some ivy that was overstepping it's bounds.  

I had to look closely, but amidst the clumps of faded flowers there was still plenty of beauty to be found.  

Today's Harvest

There was a nice breeze this morning in the early hours and a slight coolness in the air.  I took advantage of this gift, knowing it would be a hot one today.

My vases needed filling and there were plenty of flowers to choose from.  The Shasta daisies have lived in my garden for three years.  They've grown by leaps and bounds and seem to have more longevity now than ever before.

The sunflowers are volunteers from last year.  Those are the best kind, aren't they?  No planning or planting :: just little surprises that appear out of nowhere.  These are called Moulin Rouge.

 Lots of tomatoes and strawberries today....

that turned into dinner and dessert.  The tomatoes were roasted with olive oil and sea salt, drizzled with balsamic vinegar, and sprinkled with feta cheese.  Really good.

Dessert was nice and simple.  Just strawberries and whipped cream.  Hubby made the whipped cream and let me tell you, it's serious business.  He likes to add vanilla and sugar and the texture must be gritty.  Me?  Well I'm not really a gritty kind of girl.

You're Invited

Sherry, of No Minimalist Here, is hosting an Open House and she was kind enough to feature my home and gardens.  You're invited to the party and I just know you'll enjoy browsing through her beautiful blog.  If you have a minute, please stop by.  You won't be disappointed.

And speaking of beautiful, I recently discovered this artist on Etsy and fell head over heels in love with her work.  I am now the proud owner of The Sunday Picnic (above) and I'm dreaming of this, this and this for my master bath.  Secretly though, I want them all.  Every.  Single.  One.