Summertime ~ Hydrangea Time

Since I last posted it has officially become summer.

I hope yours is off to a good start.

Here the hydrangeas are coming into bloom which is always a highly anticipated event.

I especially like how it only takes a few blossoms to make a good sized bouquet.

This one has been on the table for over two weeks.

While the hydrangeas are thriving, the roses are struggling.

The Japanese Beetles have moved in and set up a smorgasbord.

(you might see one of the little buggers on the bottom left rose).

I have been going out there morning and evening to shake them off into a bucket of soapy water.  I am seeing more blossoms now, but the foliage looks bad.  From past experience, they eventually move on or expire and the plants rebound.  Looking forward to that day.

In other news:

My eye doctor appointment last week revealed changes that resulted in an urgent visit to a retinal specialist.  It seems I now have macular degeneration.  I received an eye injection and will be receiving them monthly.  The day after the injection the doctor advised no tv, computer or reading time.  I was a bit surprised by how often I felt the urge to pick up my phone and check all those things I check each day.  I tried to think of what I did all day before the internet and social media took over.  I often miss those days.  Back then I was raising kids and busy with all that was required for that.

It was kind of a fun challenge to find other things to keep me busy.

Drawers are being decluttered, ovens cleaned, carpets vacuumed and new recipes being tried.

So, now that I can return to my normal daily life, I think it best to greatly reduce my time spent on the computer.  Did you know that when we are on computers and devices we don't blink as often as we should?  That isn't a good thing for dry eye (which is another thing I'm dealing with).  The eye doctor told me that they are seeing a much higher amount of children with dry eye.  He said that was rare in children before electronic devices became such a part of daily life.

Anyhow, the reason I am sharing this with you is that if you don't see new posts here or comments from me on your blogs, you will know why.  I'm not ready to totally give up on blogging, just prioritizing things.

Wishing you all a wonderful summer!

Pondering Weddings Now and Weddings Then

We made a quick trip to Baltimore over the weekend to attend a nephew's wedding.  While waiting for my son to finish last minute packing, I strolled around his yard to see what was blooming.  The previous evening's raindrops were still clinging to the calla lilies.  Gazing at them conjured up thoughts of my own wedding nearly 43 years ago.  Prior to the wedding I had seen a magazine photo of a bride holding a simple bouquet of calla lilies.  To me it was a very beautiful and elegant look.  One I hoped to copy for my own wedding someday.  When that day came along and my mom and I were talking about wedding plans, she suggested using silk flowers instead.  Her thought was that real flowers were a waste of money.  All the money spent only to throw them in the trash a few days later.

Go the silk route and you and the bridesmaids can have them for years to come she said.  I could see her point and somewhat reluctantly gave up on my calla lily bouquet.

June 27, 1981

Here you see the beautiful silk candleholders the girls carried.  Pretty safe to say none of them kept them for long.

I, myself, carried a lace fan embellished with silk flowers.

I held onto that fan until we moved six years ago.  It had been sitting in a trunk all those years.  I did love my wedding gown.  Being a sentimental sort, I had visions of a future daughter wearing it one day.  Since there are no daughters, I took a closer look at it when I moved and decided there was no need to keep it either.  Although I could scarcely believe I would ever part with it, it felt good to let it go.

My nephew's bride has been involved in dance and drama since she was a little girl.  When they planned their wedding they wanted all of the most important people in their lives in attendance and they said being on the dance floor at least once was mandatory.

I don't think I have been to a wedding with so many young people in attendance.  Many of them were also dancers.

My brother (father of the groom) danced with his granddaughter.

She is only 2 and a half years old and was on the dance floor most of the evening.  With all of the dancers she was surrounded by, she will most likely grow up with a love of dancing.

At some point the bride changed from her wedding gown to this mini length fringed dress.  Her 88 year old grandmother is behind her in this picture.  Grandmother was also on the dance floor most of the evening.  
My brother and I were sitting at the table remembering how much our dad loved to dance.  We were commenting on how he would have loved to see his grandchildren and a great grand having so much fun on the dance floor.  Right about then the DJ announced that he was fulfilling a request for grandmother.  Proud Mary was the song she chose.  It is also the song my dad loved dancing to.  It prompted my brother and I to get out there and join the crowd.

Dancing with Dad.

June 27, 1981

Reflecting back on my own wedding, it seems like we followed all of the traditions of the time:  church wedding, layered wedding cake, bouquet and garter toss, etc.  I remember my mom telling me that it was important to get around to each table to say hello to each of the guests.  Although I loved every minute of my wedding, I felt like by the time I fulfilled all of the obligations, the band was performing their last number and the guests were dwindling out the door.

I did, however, cherish that dance with my dear dad.

Back to the weekend wedding, the wedding took place in an outdoor garden just outside an art museum.  We migrated indoors for the reception.  The garter (do they even wear those anymore?) and bouquet were never tossed and cookies and brownies replaced the cake.  To me it seems like the weddings I have been to in recent years are more a reflection of the bride and groom's interests, talents and shared dreams.  I kind of like how they express their individuality more now rather than being tied to those traditions.

Just comparing notes on weddings here today.

Mine was everything I wanted it to be at that time.  I don't regret a thing.  Well, if I'm being honest I might have regretted those silk flowers just a tad.  :-D

Blueberries and Coneflowers

The blueberry season has arrived in my backyard garden.

I picked a bowlful this afternoon.

We eat them almost daily.

The health benefits are numerous.

They grow well in our region and are easy to pick.

The best kind of local eating. ;D

Once the blueberries were picked, I checked in on the coneflowers.

They are just coming into bloom so I snipped a few.

I added them to the one remaining sprig left from my Mother's Day bouquet.  A cheerful pop of color for the dinner table.

Speaking of dinner, I need to get to work on that now.

Time in a garden is time well spent.

Are you spending time in your garden?

Fabulous Find at the Thrift Store

It seemed a patriotic touch was in order for our Memorial Day weekend.  I took the spring wreath down and scrounged through the cupboards for a few things to bring that touch to the front entrance.  Those little flags come in handy for so many things.

The big flag was also hung and we called it good on the outdoor decorating.

Since we don't have any big plans for the long weekend, I did some leisurely putzing on the inside of the front door this morning.

In the foyer to be exact.

It all started with this chair.

Something about the blue and white topiary fabric was calling my name loudly at the thrift store yesterday.

It was in beautiful, clean condition (which isn't always the case at the thrift stores). It looked like it had just been upholstered.  I went through each of the rooms in my home wondering where I might have a place for it.  Nothing was immediately popping into my head.  Knowing I had to make a quick decision before somebody else grabbed it, I decided I just couldn't pass it up.  Especially when I saw the price tag.  Would you believe it was only six dollars and 99 cents?  I had to look twice to make sure I was seeing correctly.  

Next to my foyer table it will be a nice spot to put on one's shoes before heading out the door.  It will also come in handy when a spare chair is required as it matches the furniture in all of the other rooms.

This long foyer wall has needed something more to fill it better.

I just wasn't sure what was needed.  Sometimes the answers to these dilemmas come in unexpected ways.  I love when that happens.

***

Mother's Day Flowers and Charm Bracelets

Outside our bedroom window this morning things are looking a bit soggy.  The downspout has created a raging river at times next to the rosebushes.  The rain is a welcome sight after our rather dry month of April.

While things are a bit dark and drippy outside, this beautiful bouquet of flowers near the kitchen sink are brightening things up inside.  A thoughtful gift from my son for Mother's Day.

Another bouquet from Brett.

Bringing beauty to the dining table.

So nice the be remembered with flowers, cards and phone calls on Mother's Day.

I do hope you, too, had a nice Mother's Day.

A few days before Mother's Day I received a surprise in the mail.

My sister sent me my Mom's charm bracelet.  I suppose I had seen it as a child, although I scarcely remembered it.  As I looked at each charm, it seemed as though the story of her life unfolded before me.  Engraved charms depicting each of her children, tiny baby shoes and a tiny baby carriage which were most likely gifts when her babies were born.  A telephone and victrola ... perhaps from her days before marriage and children?  The tiny warplane... did my Dad bring it from his time in World War 2?  If my Mom were still here, I would be asking those questions.  So often at this stage of my life I wish I would have been more curious about my parents and grandparents younger years.

Either way, this charm bracelet was a little glimpse into my Mom's life and interests through the years.  More familiar to me are the golf bag and tennis racquets.  She absolutely loved tennis and thinking of the pleasure it gave her makes me happy.

After looking at Mom's bracelet, I was compelled to dig out my own.  Far fewer charms on it as I think the fad was beginning to wear out in my generation.  I believe that most of the charms were gifts from my parents.  That little round one to the left of the roller skate says "I Love You" when you spin the circle.  

I can't think of a sweeter gift to receive for Mother's Day.

Although my Mom has been gone since 2009, something so personal brought her memories flooding back to me and that's the next best thing to having her here.

Since I know that many of my readers are from the same generation as me, I am wondering how many of you have a charm bracelet still?

If you do perhaps you would consider sharing it on your blogs??

Tackling A Few Garden Challenges

Do you have areas in your garden that present a constant challenge for one reason or another?

One such area for me is right here at the front door.

I like to have something growing in the pots to soften up the space and look more welcoming.  The challenge here is the area is in total shade.  Through the years I have tried a variety of shade loving plants (caladium, coleus, impatiens, etc.). While in most cases they lived out the season, they didn't exactly thrive and also didn't look too impressive as the season wore on.  Not what I want right at the entrance to my home.

While at the garden center over the weekend, I settled on these ferns.

I've given up on flowers here.  I do like the looks of ferns on front porches, so I have high hopes for these.

According to the information on the plant tag, it should be happy in it's new home.  I think the golden-orange fronds will add some interest too.  Plus the fact that it is a perennial will mean that it won't be necessary to replant the pots every year.

Throwing in a photo from my garden center visit.

With Mother's Day coming up, the displays were particularly pretty.

Another challenge in the garden is the state of this Sky Pencil Holly.

There is one on each side of the grill.  The one on the right looks fine.

This one has dead branches and yellowing leaves.  It just doesn't look healthy and I wasn't sure what the problem was.  The other day I noticed little bright orange dots running around the stone surfaces next to the grill.  I am guessing them to be spider mites.  That made me wonder whether that was the problem on the nearby holly.

The day I was at the garden center they were handing out ladybugs free with a purchase.  In reading the label I learned that they love to feast on spider mites and many other undesirable garden pests.

How interesting, I thought.

I learned many things about their life cycles and how to release them into the garden to obtain the best result.

It was suggested to water the affected plant well, wait until dusk or early morning and then open the bag and let them crawl out on their own.  Shaking the bag to get them out could cause them to fly away.

Here they are emerging from the mesh bag.

Now I leave them to have a feast.

I much prefer this method to spraying a bunch of pesticides.

Time will tell whether the problem will be solved.  If it is, I may purchase more lady bugs to assist in keeping the bad pests out of the garden.

Enjoy this last day of April!!

Thursday Chit Chat

Clematis in Bloom

I seem to go in spurts with blogging anymore.

One day I'm all gung ho to start posting more regularly and then the weeks slip by with nothing much happening.  At least nothing that seems worthy of turning into a blog post.  Yet, I miss my connection to this place I have been spending so much time in for the past 15 years or so.  Sometimes I'm shocked to realize how many years have gone by since the blog craze was in it's heyday.

Although most of the regular bloggers from that time seem to have
moved on, I am so glad there are still so many of you out there who continue on.

Azaleas brightening the landscape

The last couple weeks have been spent taking care of annual doctor's appointments.  The routine lab work has been less than routine.  After three unsuccessful attempts at drawing my blood, I was given another appointment for the following week.  At that appointment blood was taken from each hand.  The technician felt it would be adequate.  Apparently it wasn't.  I went back for another try this week and was told they didn't have orders from the doctor and sent me home.  Some type of mix up on the doctor's office end.  They asked me if I could come back tomorrow.  The answer was no.

This simple (?) lab work is taking a toll.  I need a break and, besides, I have more important things to do tomorrow.

This pile of birthday gifts arrived in the mail yesterday.

I've been using all my willpower to not open them until tomorrow.

I did open a few birthday cards this morning.

When you receive cards and gifts ahead of the holiday, do you open them upon arrival or wait for the big day?

Next week I will be back to the lab hoping for a successful visit.

Next up, eye doctor, dentist and mammogram.

I think somewhere along the line it seemed like a good idea to make all these appointments around my birthday.  I'm beginning to re-think that wisdom.

🎂

Let There Be Flowers and Strawberries

When we left for vacation, the daffodils were just starting to bloom.  I was happy to see them still blooming when we returned home so that I could enjoy at least one bouquet before the season came to a close for another year.

When the daffodil bouquet needed to be replaced, the tulips began to make their presence known.  I planted a mix of colors.  So far the yellow are the only ones in bloom.  How fun it will be to anticipate more bouquets in shades of pink and peach.

The spring flower show is underway and I couldn't be happier.

  On Saturday I made my first visit to the garden center.

The plants all looked so vibrant and healthy before the heat sets in.

The colors of the calla lilies and clematis above were so pretty against the green foliage.

I felt it necessary to take several sniffs of this lilac.

Lilacs don't grow as well here in the south as they did up north.  In

fact, I couldn't tell you when I've had the opportunity to savor that scent so I took advantage of the situation.  sniff sniff sniff

After reading the tag on this one, I was surprised to learn that it will bloom twice (spring and fall).  Somehow I don't associate lilacs with
fall.  I do, however, enjoy the scent so maybe it would be nice to have that opportunity twice per season.

When we were in Florida strawberry season had just begun.  We saw several roadside signs advertising strawberry festivals.  Unfortunately the dates didn't coincide with our visit.  Just thinking about seasonal strawberries made me crave them so when these bright red flowers caught my eye, I went in for a closer look.

Sweet Berry Strawberry

Into the cart went this beautiful plant.  

The tag tells me that it will thrive in the container it's in and provide delicious sweet strawberries throughout the growing season.

I have high hopes for a plentiful harvest.

It seems there is so much to look forward to in the spring garden.

🥀🍓🍓🍓🥀

To Florida and Back

Last week we travelled to the Sunshine State.

The first few days we visited Brett's mom.  She will turn 95 later this year and is starting to show signs of dementia.  Brett and his sister went through her storage room while I spent time going through photos with her.  A lot of time was spent reminiscing about these photos.  Often I had no idea who the people were and she couldn't remember, yet she was reluctant to toss them.  I tried to explain that the younger generation isn't typically interested in these old relics so if they didn't have meaning to her, it wasn't necessary to keep hundreds and hundreds of them.  

Meanwhile in the storage room, Brett and his sister dealt with tax papers from the 1970s to the present and every brochure for every piece of furniture, appliance, etc. that they had owned.  Once done they had 400 lbs. of paperwork to be shredded.

I don't say this to be critical of my in-laws.  Instead, it was a reminder of how much has changed regarding keeping photos and paperwork in the past few decades.  

After the work was done, we enjoyed a nice lunch overlooking the water.

The boating activity and pelicans were entertaining as we dined on fresh grouper sandwiches.

Then it was on to visit our son and his family for the remainder of the week.  Jaxson was on spring break so there was lots of time for science experiments and many, many board games.

We brought our very old tennis rackets and introduced Jaxson to the game.

Somewhere in my own old photo collection I have a similar shot of my dad with his two grandsons on the tennis court holding their rackets in this same position.  My parents loved the game and wanted all of us to love it as much as they did.  

All too soon the week was over and it was time to head home.

I never like that part and neither does Jaxson :(

Good memories will tide us over until the next visit.

🌞🌞🌞

Decorating for Easter and a Quick and Delicious Cake Recipe

Last week I was inspired to pull out the bunnies, colored eggs, chicks and tulips to set the stage for Spring's arrival (one week from today) and Easter at the very end of the month.

The cotton branches adorning the top of the hutch were a gift from a friend.  I once mentioned to her how amazed I was the first time I spotted cotton growing in a field along the country road I was driving on.  Not something one sees in my home state of Michigan.  The next time I saw her she presented me with a huge bundle of cotton from her brother's farm.  At Christmastime I put it up there thinking it looked a bit like snowballs.  Now I am letting it morph into cottontails for the Easter season.

See?

One little cotton ball that broke off has turned this bunny into Peter Cottontail.

Yesterday I had a guest coming for an impromptu dinner.

Wondering what I could come up with for a quick dessert, I remembered this recipe for King Arthur's Original Cake Pan Cake.

It goes together super quick with ingredients that I generally have on hand.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons that it is one of King Arthur's most requested recipes.

Wondering what else I had on hand to fancy it up a bit, I opted for a dollop of whipped cream and a fresh raspberry.  

Moist, chocolaty and they'll never know how easy it was.