creating space for beauty & simplicity
an amazing weekend at the lake was had.
swimming,fishing,canoeing,kayaking,bald eagles, blue herons,frogs, fairy houses, fires, home cooked meals, sangria, board games, walks in the woods, hammocks, blue skies and big cotton ball clouds.
it’s a magical place.
2 weeks can’t come soon enough.
happy august friends!
we are headed up to the lake tonight for a long weekend. i will be back on monday with some photos of our adventures.
hop on over to tend tomorrow for my garden post!
have a lovely weekend! xo
some things that make me smile….
::earl came to my bedroom window for the first time yesterday morning. i guess i need to keep a jar of nuts by my bedside. he has been bringing a lady friend around lately. we named her pearl. i think chris and i may be grandparents soon:)
::we are headed to the lake on thursday to visit friends for a long weekend and then we will head back up in a few weeks for a week long stay.
::tomatoes are coming in strong from the farm and i find myself eating something tomato-y at every meal.
::harry has found many new friends in our neighborhood and has doggy playdates almost every day. yesterday he spent the morning in a neighbor’s backyard playing with his buddy burt, a standard poodle. he came home pooped.
::swim team is over as well as camp and we now have the rest of the summer to just be before the busy fall schedule arrives.
::the heat has broken (for now) and i am a much happier camper. the forecast is sunny and 70s with no humidity for the next week and i am doing a jig!
::the attic project is close to complete. it is beautiful and bright and gets the best light in the house. i sit up there every morning and take it all in before it will soon be hannah’s space and i will have to step back a bit.
::norah and i have been dreaming up some plans for her room re-do.
some sneak peeks….
home stretch!
we took a long weekend at the shore and went on a little sunset boat ride.
it’s been hot and humid which makes me grumpy.
i wish i had more tolerance for the heat.
you would think that i would have accepted by now that summer is just hot around these parts.
i have not been out in the garden much, although it is looking happy thanks to all of the rain we have had.
we have been eating lots of tomato sandwiches, smoothies, homemade popsicles, watermelon and snack bar food at swim meets. i don’t think i have turned the stove on in almost a week. thank goodness for the food processor.
we have been going for either a late night swim or taking an ice cold shower just before bed each night to cool down.
but aside from all of that, summer has been good to us. really good.
:: chris makes a few jars of sun tea every other day in old pickle jars.
:: harry is adjusting beautifully and goes where ever we go. his breed is known for adapting well to an active family. he plays hard and sleeps hard like all of us.
:: earl still continues to stop by for a few nuts. i saw him playing with two other squirrels this morning, circling the big maple tree in my neighbor’s yard.
:: today we make pickles from an overabundant crop of cucumbers. i harvested loads of dill flowers from the farm last night to top each jar.
:: i miss the cicadas. i have hardly heard their song this summer.
:: i am counting down the days until we head to the lake. it’s my reward for getting through the dog days of summer.
meet harry!
a white dog with black spots like this fellow.
we are smitten.
he’s a coton de tulear.
and a lovebug.
he’s a 4 month old pup and a perfect mix of playful, friendly and mellow.
the girls have been begging us for a year now for a dog.
i always just said no with excuses like our house is too small. norah and i have allergies. too much time. too much money.
but luckily their persistence got me thinking more about it and we started to do some research on breeds and what kind of pup might fit well with our family.
well we found him and i can’t even believe just how perfect he fits in.
it’s like he has always been here.
on a very humid and sticky saturday last weekend we loaded in to the car all hot and bothered and headed out to a pond party.
it was a gorgeous spot in delaware on the property of a friend’s grandparents home.
the cement bottom pond was clear and refreshing and the rope swing was incredible.
everyone brought along a picnic and we ended the evening with fireworks and sky lanterns.
we walked back to our car with flashlights to the song of frogs and cicadas.
we drove home with the windows all the way down, our bodies cooled down to the core.
it was the perfect summer evening.
i know i’ve told you before but i just love my neighborhood.
many traditions have been formed here over the years that we hold near and dear to our hearts.
i love thinking of my girls carrying them all with them wherever they may go.
one of our favorites is our neighborhood fourth of july party.
our neighbor travels to new hampshire to buy an amazing selection of fireworks each year.
we host a big potluck and then at dark the show begins.
people from all over town come out to see the festivities.
good hometown fun.
nothing is more entertaining than watching my hens take a bath. a dust bath that is, the ultimate spa treatment for a chicken
they dig a shallow hole, loosen up the dirt and toss it up letting it fall in between their feathers and skin.
this little ritual helps keep them clean of lice and parasites.
it also seems to be a social and relaxing event.
once one starts a bath the others soon follow till they are all dirty and happy.
when they are finished they all hop up shake off the dirt and begin preening and cleaning their feathers.
i read that fireplace ash makes for good bath dust. now i can save my winter ashes for my roses AND my hens.
call me weird but i just love to sit and watch their quirky little ways.
it’s better than tv!