Strawberry Season -- A Remembrance and a Recipe

After a long winter and an odd spring, there is nothing like the arrival of strawberries to scream "Summer Is Here!"

 

I love these sweet red berries and when they arrive -- the real, picked-from-a-local-garden kind -- there is cause for celebration. I'd happily live on a diet of strawberry-based foods all season if I could. Alas, it's a short season and that wouldn't be too wise!

 

At Home: Strawberry Season

Those last days before heading north for the summer are always busy ones. This year, they were also the hottest days of the year and it sure wasn't fun doing much but reading and essentials! My life included doc appointments, lots of reading, catching up on blogs, seeing a friend's play, popping corks with Cork Poppers and time with other friends, too. In the morning I would water plants and pull some weeds, bemoaning my strawberry crop.

 

That was it. (Well, there were about four more that birds and a squirrel got to -- I saw him, sitting out there, a little red berry in his paws and munching away as happily as could be!

Postcards from the Lake -- Finally!

As I begin writing this, it's my first evening at the lake. Finally. Between appointments and physical therapy, along with a couple of fun weekend things that kept me home, I hadn't been here once. It's good to be back.

Postcards from the Lake: The Fourth and Beyond

Now that the holiday is over, we are settling into real lake life. Most of the tourists and boats have left (at least for the week) and while there are still boats on the lake, it is quieter. Slow mornings, lovely afternoons, evenings with Scrabble or a movie after the sun goes down. We've had some rain and the temperature is cooling for a few days. 

Strawberry Season Redo!

I'm rewriting my "Strawberry Season" post because I accidentally deleted it (UGH!) Things I learned today -- no way to retrieve a deleted blogger post! I'll try to post-date it so it doesn't show in your feeds but who knows if that will work. If you read that one, skip this one!

I'm Writing Today at Modern Creative Life

We have a few more days until fall officially makes its bow and we welcome a new season with the autumnal equinox. But I'm still remembering summer.

Please join me over at Modern Creative Life this week while I reflect on summer's way of being an escape from the nine-month year, those months from September through May where our schedules seem to get out of control.

The theme of this issue is "Escape" and escape I do. It may involve a black and white cat, a walk down a wooded road, or a dip in the lake.

And of course, there will be a sunset.

I'd like to take you with me, so come on over, right HERE!

Sharing this week with:   Pink Saturday   

Summer School -- All Answers Correct

A few months ago, I saw this on Vicki's blog and I loved it so I thought I'd join in.

It's too late to join the original party but thanks for a great idea. (Feel free to jump in!)

1. Walk or Bike Ride? Rick is the cyclist. I'm the walker! And this is what I see when I walk!

2. Favorite Picnic Food?   Wine, Rick's homemade bread, cheese, fruit, maybe some summer sausage or hard salami and wine! Or a wonderful tartine, if in France!

3. Pool or Lake?  When there is no lake (meaning I'm not at the cottage) I'll do laps in the pool -- but I'd rather be at my favorite Otsego Lake, swimming wild!

4. Favorite Flavor of ice cream? Peppermint Stick. Any time of year! Or lemon sorbet.

5. Ice Cream Cone or in a Dish? Sugar cone. Unless I'm being virtuous. Or even better, in a soda!

6. Flip Flops or Slides? Neither. I have awful feet that need orthotics so I can only do either of these for a very short time. It's barefoot inside and sandals or walking shoes outside.

7. Jean Shorts or Jean Capris? Either. Both.

8. Favorite summer fruit? Michigan sweet cherries. It's a short season.

Very short!

9. Corn on the Cob or Cut Off the Cob? On the cob. With butter, salt and lime.

10. Favorite summertime song? "Summertime" (and the living is easy!) -- Gershwin.

11. Favorite summertime activity? Art camp at the lake with friend Kate!

12. Favorite Berry? Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry or Blackberry? Only the really sweet strawberries, fresh picked from the market in June and early July. Otherwise, blueberries any time of year.

13. Bikini’s, tankini’s or one pieces? Tankini. It's more flexible.

14. Dresses or Skirts? I can't remember the last time I wore either one. Possibly here? (OK, really, the last time was 2013 at my retirement party.)

15. One Word to describe Summer? Short!

Postcards from the Lake: Appreciating All that is Summer

Our lake holiday has settled in with long, beautiful days, long swims in the only slightly cool water and dinner from the grill -- chicken and pork chops, pasta salad, fruit salad, corn on the cob and loads of sweet Michigan cherries. All good. Just about all of them ending with a beautiful sunset.

My walks bring a lovely landscape. This garden (actually photographed earlier; I'll do an update!) is particularly lovely and well tended.

I loved the planter this woman's mom made for her -- covering mailbox with stone. Now it has some greenery peeking out of the top.

And I always check out the Little Free Library. On one walk, I met the "librarian" who tends it. I have a few contributions to make on one of my sojourns!

My cousin Jack came for the day. He lives in China but spends a couple of months here in the summer and it was good to catch up with him.

Rick's been practicing, providing a lovely soundtrack!

I've been painting and reading and recently proofed a copy of an upcoming book called "Red Jacket" for my friend and writer Richard Lassin. He hopes to have it on Amazon in the next month or two and I found it a very satisfying read. It's a story that combines the history of Michigan's Copper Country with some suspense, mystery, danger, past lives and romance. I'll have more on this when it's ready to read for all!

Our first visit and time together here with Rick has been all too short and combined with tasks (tackling the weedy beach and raking pine needles) but it has also been a good one. Easy and breezy!

After all,  when you days begin to slow down with this...

...and end like this...

...what's not to love?

Postcards from the Lake: Settling In

My happy place.

No, I didn't mess with color or filters on this.

Just another night (or couple of nights in Paradise.)

The Duckster family does their nightly duck-rotabtics out in front of the house.

Then they settle down and head to their evening nesting.

Lizzie and I settled into cottage life. She, checking out her surroundings...

...me, taking daily walks ...

...getting ready to plant...

...and painting.

So far, four watercolors done (or nearly. I fuss). This one is Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, and a copy, more or less from another painting. I claim no originality, only whatever technique I have.

This is from one of my photos -- Martha's VIneyard.

And done. Unless I go put another wash or two of shadow on it. (Yes, I fuss.)

There's work to be done. I've been raking pine needles, weeding the beach and must call to have this partially uprooted tree removed before it falls on something.

But all good. And even better, because now Rick is here. Settling in...

...and life is good.

Sharing with:  Let's Add Sprinkles    

An Announcement Soon!

The heat has broken, at least for now! After two weeks of oppressive heat it has cooled off to a respectable 80-something and sometimes a little cooler! And life in the hood continues!

I think I've said before that there are ten days in a year when I wish Rick or I had air. I think I've been through eight or nine of them over the past two weeks. Poor Lizzie can hardly move, except for food -- and sometimes even that isn't enough to get her to change positions.

The garden is looking great. My sweet peas have definitely morphed into Audrey Two of "Little Shop of Horror" fame and spreading out across the front of the house. Fortunately they require little maintenance.

Neither does the hosta garden. And it's like a jungle out there.

The bunnies are loving it. Some have settled into the woodpile (courtesy of the tree-cutters last spring -- all pine and not burnable).

I haven't seen any babies, but Wrennie keeps stuffing things into the Bed and Breakfast. I even caught this photo of her -- a tad blurry as I shot it through the screen.

The hydrangeas are rocking it, too. I love them white but even more when they turn that wonderful shade of chartreuse in the fall and dry so well!

I don't know if this is last year's nest or if all have flown (no signs of egg shells) but it was a nice find in the bushes.

And of course guess who figured out where the bird seed is. I don't mind him nearly so much as the squirrels.

I've been harvesting loads of oregano, dill and thyme and had a good batch of pesto from the basil. The tomatoes are blooming (no fruit yet) and soon there will be blooms on the black eyed Susans and the cone flowers.

In an attempt to get a bit of cool, Rick and I went to "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" -- the Mister Rogers movie. Heartily recommended. It should be required for every parent or anyone who is ever around a small child but it wouldn't hurt every adult in America to see it as well. David Brooks had a wonderful take on it in his recent New York Times  piece HERE.

It reminded me again of meeting Fred Rogers at a PBS meeting in the long-ago. The line went the length of the ballroom, following his lunchtime speech and there were sessions after. I feel for those who were in those sessions -- the attendance was probably dismal.

He greeted every person in that line (which isn't that big a deal). But what was is that he took time with every person in that line. Direct eye-to-eye communication. He asked us about the kinds of things we did, not just at the station but in our real lives. I remember telling him about the work I did for Ele's Place, a children's grief center where I worked as a facilitator for ten years as a volunteer. It was a conversation. And it was like that with anyone in the line, at least those I saw.  I will never forget it.

As I write this, we are still waiting for our Baby Grand Two to make his appearance. He was due July 1. By the time it posts, perhaps we'll have our little guy and once his mom and dad make his presence known, I'll be eager to share with you.

Till then, we are biding our time. And waiting with baited breath!