The Longest Day

How did you spend "the longest day"? From here on out, each day will just get shorter and shorter, until the cycle starts all over again, of course. Yesterday we had 15 hours, 22 minutes, and 7 seconds of daylight. 

It was a perfect day to spend in nature. Lunch was complete with fresh foods of the season: blueberries, strawberries, Rainier cherries, and sweet onions. Fresh and local food is such a delight!

Sudo enjoyed the longest day too. She experienced her first visit to "the woods". She did quite well for a city dog. She loved attacking the pillows on the cabin sofas and took naps on a plaid, wool blanket. Actually, she took her naps burrowed under the wool blanket. She loves to be covered up! Later, she took a very long walk and actually wore herself out and begged to be carried for awhile.

There was a chill in the air and a campfire was welcoming and warming.

The wildflowers of the woods are transitioning into summer flowers. It seems like those plants that bloom with red blossoms don't show up until June. The Indian Paintbrush is lining "Paintbrush Lane" aka the winding road from gate to cabin.

Yesterday there were 24 hours of daylight at the North Pole. We didn't get close to that here, but the day was amazing anyway. How did you spend your longest day?

Happy summer!

Today I am linking up to Bernideen's Tea in the Garden

June.Garden.Beauty

Summer Green Salad with Raspberry Lemon Dressing

Summer Green Salad with Raspberry Lemon Dressing

• 1 lb. red and green artisan lettuces, torn into 1" pieces
• 1 medium green apple, peeled and diced
• 1 avocado, diced into 1" cubes
• 1 Tbsp. dried cranberries
• 2/3 cup corn kernels, defrosted

Prepare ingredients and toss together in a serving bowl.


Raspberry Lemon Dressing

• 1 small package raspberries
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup raspberry apple juice, concentrated OR raspberry white grape juice concentrate
• 1 to 2 packets stevia
• 1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh
• 3 Tbsp. black cherry fruit spread, fruit juice sweetened
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard OR 1 Tbsp. mustard powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. poppy seeds

Place all ingredients except poppy seeds in a blender. Whiz until well blended. Pour into serving pitcher and stir in poppy seeds.

Enjoy!

A Stitchin' Good Time

Our quilt guild met today for our scheduled sewing. Karleen started things off with a short business meeting and then we had "show and tell". Although it's summer and we had fewer in attendance, there were a lot of beautiful quilts to enjoy.

Mary showed us a Mystery Quilt she made awhile back. It's beautiful, isn't it?

Her granddaughter is graduating high school next week-end, and she made this lovely "film" quilt for her. What a wonderful surprise it will be! The pictures she chose to print on fabric are of her granddaughter, friends, family, and special buddy. That buddy came to check things out today. Adorable!

Karleen calls these the peacock quilts, because the prints are peacock themed. They were stitched by one of her friends and quilted by one of our guilt members. Both of these quilts are gifts for an upcoming family reunion. Someone sure will be lucky to receive them!

Louise is the first in our guild to complete this year's Mystery Quilt. It is gorgeous!

And we had a little visitor today named Joaquin. He kept himself entertained by playing Minecraft on his iPad while his mother cut out quilt blocks.

As is customary, we all looked forward to potluck and all the yummy foods that people brought. The conversation was just as good. My tea thermos came with me today, filled with Yorkshire tea. It was a good day.

Sunrise * Sunset

“There's a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free. Don't miss so many of them.” 

~ Jo Walton ~

A Quiet Retreat

There are two ways to study butterflies: chase them with nets then inspect their dead bodies, or sit quietly in the garden and watch them dance among the flowers.
Nongnuch Bassham

Turkish Nut Bowls and Summer Days

 

The end of summer nears. The neighbor's cherry orchard is changing to reflect the season with leaves on the trees turning a beautiful golden color. Although the sun is going down more than an hour earlier than it did during mid-summer, the days are enjoyable and pleasant. Cooler weather in the 80's is giving the rose bushes a second wind and they are bursting forth in beautiful, colorful blossoms. It's like one last fling before autumn finally arrives. It's the time of year to pack in as many things as you can before the weather turns cold. Perhaps it's time to take a picnic lunch to the park. Or to drive to the mountains on a wildlife scouting trip. It is harvest season. Have you picked enough boxes of peaches and apples to satisfy your sweet tooth? And what about tomato sandwiches? Have you enjoyed enough of them to appreciate their yummy goodness? Take on the days and enjoy the last fleeting days of summer sun! What's on your schedule for this week-end?

Photo: Alma's neighbor shared a set of six beautiful Turkish nut bowls and they now grace my kitchen cupboard. I think they are very cute! Neighbor is a delightful English woman who knows the value of a perfectly made cup of tea. She's married to a Turkish gentleman whose family visits from Turkey each year. Together they are a hospitable team. I appreciate the gracious hospitality they have extended to me.

August

"In August, the large masses of berries, which, when in flower, had attracted many wild bees, gradually assumed their bright velvety crimson hue, and by their weight again bent down and broke their tender limbs."

Henry David Thoreau

~

"Oh, the summer night, 

Has a smile of light, 

And she sits on a sapphire throne."

Barry Cornwall

~

"Fairest of the months! 

Ripe summer's queen

The hey-day of the year

With robes that gleam with sunny sheen

Sweet August doth appear."

R. Combe Miller

Sweet Summertime

Sweet summertime! The days may be hot, but the automatic sprinkler system faithfully works every night to water the gardens and lawn. The reward is a lush, green paradise in the midst of tumbleweeds and sagebrush in the fields nearby. This is the time of year that lavender sends forth long stalks of lavender blossoms. Whenever I walk past a lavender plant, I cannot help but brush my hand on the buds and sometimes even squish them between my fingers to release their glorious scent. I know, I am a bit crazy about lavender, but who wouldn't be! While out and about in the yard, I not only see and smell lavender, but I hear the mournful yet soothing sound of the mourning doves. They nest in the pine tree near the corner of the house each summer. At the first dawn they start cooing back and forth, calling to one another in gentle tones. To some this might be bothersome, but it's a sound I enjoy each summer day. "Our" doves have discovered the bird feeder outside of the kitchen window. They fit right in with the sparrows, juncos, black-birds, and goldfinches. The grain from the feeder has made them silky and fat! I think we have the fattest mourning doves in the neighborhood! They are plump and beautiful. Doves and lavender. A delicious cup of chilled tea in the garden. Such simple pleasures that sweet summertime brings. What pleasures do you find in nature during this season?

Planning for Lavender

 
Do you enjoy the fragrance and flavor of lavender?  Some do, and a few don't.  It will be a month or so before the Spanish lavender starts blooming.  A few weeks after that, the Grosso, Hidcote, Munstead, and other lavenders will start to bloom proficiently!  If you don't have any lavender in your garden, it's time to plan ahead.  If you buy a gallon container of lavender from a nursery and plant it in your garden, you can enjoy blossoms of your own this summer.  Once the lavender starts to bud, keep watch.  Just before the buds start to blossom, harvest the lavender and place them in a warm place (outside of direct sunlight) to dry.  Once dry, remove the bud by rubbing the stems and bud between your hands.  Use a screen large enough to allow the bud to pass through, leaving the stems and leaves on the screen.  You can then use the cleaned lavender for cooking or crafts.  Here's one way of using lavender in your kitchen or for gifts, so plan ahead!

Lavender Sugar ~ flavor sugar by burying a few sprigs or bud in a bowl of sugar, and let the mixture sit for few weeks; this makes a sweet gift! Place lavender sugar in a small glass jar. Add a jar with ring and cover with tulle or cotton print. Tie with a pretty bow and add a silver teaspoon for serving into a delicious cup of tea!