A Little Bit of Everything -- Friends, Flowers, Ditch and Gratitude!

Today, a smorgasbord of life in general! A bit of fun in the yard, productive time, a wonderful restaurant "make-good" and fun with friends.

 

First of all, the restaurant. I mentioned our surprisingly awful dinner back in this post. (And thanks for the support on that! I think most of you must have had a similar experience and could empathize!) Several of you mentioned "I hope you let the restaurant know about this" and yes, I did.

Early Days at the Flower Market

The redbuds are still blooming here, but soon to be replaced by green leaves. Despite cool days (though getting a bit warmer!) and (very) cold nights, spring is here!

 

My friend Jan and I went to our favorite flower/plant nursery and market to check out the plants and prices.

At Home: The Beauty of Irises

Many of you know that it is no secret that irises are one of my favorite spring flowers (and I have many favorites!). They are showy, lovely, colorful.

 

And most of all, as some of you also know, they remind me of my Aunt Iris.

At Home: More from the Orchid Show

Are you living in a world of white? Our snow is melting and should be much gone by the end of the week (apart from the big drifts where it has been stacked up by plows!) But last week I went for a color burst -- an orchid show.

 

My friend Barb suggested it and I'm so glad she did. The place was packed with beautiful displays as well as a number of vendors, an art exhibition and one by the local Ikebana group.  

Mother Goose has Hatched -- And Other News

Here's some fun news for Mother's Day! Spring has kicked in "for real" these days. On Friday, I got a double whammy of it when I first visited the nursery center and later saw a "nursery" of a different kind -- that of our friend Mother Goose!

And guess what! There aren't four babies. And, as some of you thought, there aren't five.

A Colorful World and Other Happenings

It has been a quiet week here at the homestead, with Rick on his bike hike. And sometimes, that quiet is good! I've enjoyed some walks and seeing how lovely it is now that spring seems to be setting in for real.

 

 There's a lot of pink in those trees but the green is coming in quickly.

The house is full of flowers, some from the garden. . . 

Postcards From the Lake: One Last Postcard

Before I wrap up the last of our postcards from the (mostly) lake for this season, a few images and moments I want to remember that I don't think I've posted before! So here are a load of photos (check the captions) that I don't want to leave behind.

Art

My friend Maryanne gave me these to-die-for colors for my birthday!

The Colors of Spring

When you live in the north and the colors you see for several months of the year are white, gray and dark branches against an often gray-white sky, there is nothing more pleasing to me than to welcome the colors of spring, whether they are in festive decor or outdoors! (Not that the house wasn't colorful enough with all those bunnies!)

So when I saw this post, I became inspired to paint my own eggs! (I wish I could remember which of my regular bloggers leaked to this post. Apologies -- if it was you, tell me and I'll link in!)

There really are no rules. I got the eggs a few years ago at Michael's. You want a smooth egg, not the shiny plastic ones that come apart to stuff for kids. If you get those, you'll need a coat of paint over them and who needs to spend the extra time? Then, using watercolor (which dries quickly) or the paints of your choice, even markers, just free form your favorite blooms or patterns!

Easy peasy and pretty, too. (You could also add a hanger for an egg tree!)

There are more colors than those on the eggs. My first trip to the nursery brought me face to face with these pansies that I couldn't leave behind!

And these, too!

Tulips have been a frequent companion as well.

Of course, the floral color isn't limited to "store-bought." My dwarf iris were the first to come up this spring!

Those were followed by crocus popping up in the most unexpected spots.

And then there were the mini-daffs!

Every year after buying bulb gardens, I plant them in the garden in the fall and they bring about such joy when they bloom! 

All that bright, cheery yellow! What's not to love? 

Even the birds were showing their colors!

But the best part about this spring is that I'm collecting long overdue hugs!

The visit of friends was short -- but since we were all vaccinated, we could be together mask-free!

So, find our favorite bloom, your favorite flowering tree, your happiest Easter bunny or brightest smile!

It's spring!

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First Southern Exposure Visit of the Season!

After an early autumn at the Ditch, it was time to venture farther afield for a little beauty! That means a visit to my "happy place," Southern Exposure Herb Farm, where several times a year a group of friends and I go to make lovely home decor projects, enjoy a beautiful dinner and walk through their wonderful gardens.

We recently enjoyed our first early autumn visit, making a fall botanical wreath. More on that later but first, a walk through the gardens. Their zinnias were fabulous!

Even the buds have their own exquisite details.

I don't know what these are, but I loved them!

Pretty much everywhere you walk, you'll find statues in unique places.

And sometimes, if the dill is good, the statues, such as this madonna, become completely hidden!

They hydrangeas were enormous.

This one bloom was almost as long as my forearm from the tip of fingertips to almost my elbow!

At Southern Exposure you'll find rock sculptures in front of some of the 1800s farm buildings. I love how they add another sense of texture to the land.

The veggie gardens were looking splendid.

And the herb garden was still providing wonderful fragrances.

Apples anyone?

It was so tempting not to reach right up and grab one!

There were some beautiful color combinations -- the colors of fall.

And this red and white was pretty stunning too.

I don't know what these were -- but I loved them!

 And, hanging in an arbor near the milking parlor where we dine, some beautiful grapes.

This photo is just for Sheri from Red Rose Alley -- roses are her favorite! Maybe they're yours, too!

Angie started us out with a sangria cocktail that was yummy.

We ended up at a table with four other women from our area and laughed all through dinner and our project. We swapped photographer roles to get a photo of us with our travel pals we came with -- in my case, Kate and Jan.

Then it was on to the craft tent where our supplies were laid out before us.

And voila! The finished product -- a beautiful wreath, just perfect for welcoming in the fall season!

I was very sad to leave...

...but will be back soon for my next one!

Postcards from the Lake: Road Trips and Home Fires

Although we won't close up the cottage till late September or October, and summer doesn't officially end for another week or two, it feels as though that chapter has closed. Rick and I headed home from the cottage on Thursday after our time here this week. From now on it will be weekends only from now on. Maybe extended weekends, a Thursday or Friday departure, but shorter time. Real life begins to take over with its appointments, meetings and events. All good but all somewhere other than the lake.

Our last few days didn't offer the sunny skies and warm weather I had enjoyed previously. No swims in the lake. Walks cut short by rain. The photo below was taken in the middle of the day, the sky dark, whitecaps on the lake, rain coming down, winds whipping through the pines.

So, we settled in. A cozy fire to take off the chill.

I read. Earlier in the week I had raced to finish a wonderful book, Justin Spring's "The Gourmand's Way." It chronicles the lives of six Americans, some who were ex-pats, some who returned to the states, but all who had a passionate interest in French food and writing about it. Some of the names were familiar to me -- Julia Child, MFK Fisher, Alice B. Toklas. Others were less so -- winemaker Alexis Lachine, artist Richard Olney and journalist A.J. Liebling. It reads like a well written biography but intertwining the stories like a novelist and including comments on food and wine that make one's mouth water. So, I had to cook. Unfortunately, not one person in this book would find my lunch that day worthy! (Chicken salad on red pepper with crackers.) They would, at least, appreciate that the red pepper came from the farmer's market!

Meanwhile, Rick caught up on some work, having done his long bike ride the week before.

When I picked him up in Mackinaw City he looked a little the worse for wear and was pretty hungry!

No, we passed up the Wienerlicious restaurant and stopped for a few minutes to visit our friends Pat and Susan who lived on our way home. Susan had graciously put out some snacks for us and boy, were they appreciated! Then I enjoyed a walk around her lovely garden, where she has incorporated plantings with natural things, like this milkweed.

And these bushes were a butterfly magnet! I counted at least six different ones flying around and Susan has seen many more than that at one time.

Labor Day was warm enough for us to enjoy a bit of porch time late in the afternoon. Rick made foccacia, we enjoyed a bit of wine. All good.

While we've been closeted up with the rain, I started Julia Baird's well written "Victoria the Queen." I'm also about half-through "Lilac Girls" but I find parts of it so upsetting that I can read it only in small doses. I've read many Holocaust-related novels and non-fiction but parts of this are so gruesome that I need a break from it. I'll finish -- just not all in one haul.

Of course, the rain had to stop sometime. And when it did, while still bloody cold, it at least brought out the wildlife, including this heron -- my first spotting on the lake this year.

It also brought a visit to the farmer's market where I was tempted by the apples...

But ended up buying some veggies, peaches and a bushel of tomatoes. Guess who's making big vats of pasta sauce to freeze this week!

And, before leaving I did get out for a couple more walks, longer this time. Oh, what a beautiful time to walk -- the air crisp and clear...

...and finally, the sun appears!

And we leave.  After waking up to about 45 degrees, it heats up to a beautiful sunny and 75.

And it's time to leave. At least for a week. The end of extended time; only long weekends from now on. I'll  miss it.

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