6th anniversary

It was a picture perfect day across the midwest. A caravan of three cars and two trucks made its way northwest for a distance of close to 240 miles. An optimistic beginning for a journey much longer than the miles would suggest.
Our ridge meadow acres have changed but no more so than ourselves. Growth is unpredictable, nonlinear, and not without pain. Growth is life.

There is so much to be grateful for, to find joyful. Grace is truly abundant.
Should you still be pacing around the edges of a leap of faith, let me encourage you to spring forward.

sweetness and surprises

Each summer I invite something new into one of my gardens. Stevia made its debut this season. Despite being more than a bit crowded by its herbal neighbors, it became a stocky little shrub. The branches you see below are some of the harvest, resting indoors after a shower. The leaves are headed for the dehydrator.

Despite daily walkabouts there are still plants that like to pop up and surprise me. Sometimes it's those closest to the back door.

Here is an unexpected gift from one of the amaryllis plants summering on the back deck. As it had bloomed a remarkable 4 times last year, and did not produce a bloom this year, I had expected that it was taking a year off.

Nope.

high summer

No, I've not been on holiday. Just living life each day:

according to the weather

the garden

friends and family

sharing garden bounty with the flock each day

always on the lookout for wildlife …these tiny ones make it hard to mow without worry

a surprise visit by both Jerome's brothers who road their motorcycles to see us but learned to love a slower mode of transport

absolutely ridiculous rains at the third tournament of the season

but still a successful outing

Lately we've been farm sitting for our neighbors.

Life is full.