for the love of trees

 There is an old Joni Mitchell song that goes "They paved paradise and put in a parking lot". For the nineteen years we lived in the suburbs  we will attest to that truth as being central in our desire to leave the suburbs and move back to the country. We watched the approaching changes get closer and closer, taking out the woods and creeks and putting in roads and houses. I understand perfectly, people need homes to live in and as the town grows, more land must be developed and houses must be built.

Now we reside in the country, loving the deep woods, open fields, and picturesque ridges. We own 34 acres where our home sits, and 3.5 acres across the street where our guest house is located. Since we moved here three years ago we could compose our own song that goes something like this..."The trees grew big and they called in the timber men...". So many areas around us have been timbered, and we were even contacted about having our trees timbered too.

Just the incessant noise of the large machines that take down one hundred year old trees is stressful enough, though fascinating to see the power of those wheeled machines, but to see the changes in landscape and watching the wildlife scamper and stand puzzled takes a stout heart indeed.

We wanted to buy more land around the guest house, but in the process of contacting the land owner, we discovered she was already under contract to have the land timbered. Grace filtered through, remarkably so because the logging company agreed to sell us some of the trees in the places where our property borders close to the timbering. But trees come with a high price tag, however, we were able to buy all the land as timbered, which goes for a less price. Therefore, the "timbered" land we are purchasing  in the long run we feel was an equal weight exchange overall.

Now for a few extra things to share this last day in July. Everywhere I go I hear people hardly believing July is ending, how about you?

I have been wanting to share a blog post from Under An English Sky. Shirley, a former homeschooling mother, writes an encouraging and inspiring blog and I for one anticipate her book when it is published. When I first read this particular writing, it was as if she had been reading my heart and mind. I had struggled with what I had been witnessing in our culture, and though I do little social media, what would sometimes pop up on my YouTube feeds from homemaking sites I actually acknowledged as spurious created home living.

Slow Living Today Is an Attitude, Not a Dress Code

A slow, intentional life is still very much achievable in 2025. It’s about your mindset—pausing, choosing what matters, and sometimes saying no to good things to make room for the best ones. ~Shirley

Isn’t Romanticising About Deeper Meaning?

The phrase taps into something universal—a longing to reject superficiality and embrace authenticity, simplicity, and connection—the very depths we feel placed in our hearts by our Creator. That’s beautiful. But chasing it through staged aesthetics? That’s another story.~Shirley

visits, burgers, and limelights

Charlotte and Issac are in that season of life that invites changes and sometimes those opportunities and changes can happen quickly. But then we have been praying for the Lord to lead and guide, and for His will  to be done in their lives. In the middle of some major changes they were able to visit for a few days.

I found the most remarkable burger recipe and if you like burgers, and I mean big burgers, then you might want to try this recipe. My husband purchased a
gas grill this summer so he has enjoyed grilling despite the heat and threats of thunder storms. This burger will be memorable and especially popular with the men, young and old! Women  like it too but might only be able to eat one-half of this whopper burger. I actually made my buns too.

The recipe is on Youtube, not her blog. You can go and watch all the little details regarding the recipe, but I will give an ingredient list and the simple process to see if you might like to go and listen to the video.

Hamburger meat, salted, peppered with dash of Worcestershire Sauce

Flatten 1/3 cup of raw meat between parchment paper and fill one patty side with onions and cheese, or whatever you might like. We had some that wanted onions and cheese and some only wanted cheese.

Gently scoop up the other patty and place on top of the filled part, pinch to close.

Take the burger and put on top of two pieces of criss-crossed bacon, tooth picking the bacon together.

Grill until done. 

And today I wanted to say a few words about my Limelight Hydrangeas. First of all I must declare I do love hydrangeas, any variety. Yet limelights are unequivocally my all time favorite at the present.  These bushes around my patio are three years old. I prune them late winter using the 1/3 or 2/3 cutting back ratio, I pruned mine 2/3 this past year. One produces more blooms, yet smaller, the other encourage larger blooms but less of them. I hit the jack pot and had the best of both on my bushes. A bounteous display of large blooms.

 I  am able to adorn my dining room table with these flowers  for weeks. Their fragrance has become even sweeter with the humid heat.

It is a gardener's joy to have flowers to cut and bring inside all summer long. 

a sunflower tale, part 2

Remembering my woeful sunflower tale back in June, I could not wait to share my sunflowers that bloom along the back vegetable garden fence.

Sunflowers in sunlight.

"Ah sunflower, weary of time

Who countest the steps of the sun

Seeking after that sweet golden clime

Where the travellers journey is done”

– Ah! Sunflower, a sunflower poem by William Blake

while the canner jiggles...

Finding myself committed to my kitchen lately as I can vegetables, I like to listen to certain podcasts. I have lately gleaned much enjoyment while listening to Classical Et Cetera from Memoria Press. 

Because I intentionally choose to read Great Books every year I've enjoyed several of their episodes on that topic. 

Then please share your reading habits.

blueberry morning

Bright and early after a heavy night's rainfall my friend and I donned our rubber boots and enjoyed the bounty of these marvelous blueberry bushes. I  felt rather like a bear as I munched along while picking.

There are four very long rows of berries in this field. We always begin our first pickings on the lower limbs, but by the end of the season we will be toting along our ladders to reach those berries high on the top branches of the bushes..

Some are already in the freezer, many being kept in the refrigerator for eating, and six cups will go into this Rustic Blueberry Tart dessert I will serve tomorrow night when company comes for dinner.

*And, as many of you know John MacArthur went home to be with the Lord this week. I've enjoyed listening to all the tributes online given to this Faithful Servant of the Lord as I go about pickling and canning in my kitchen. Mrs. White wrote a beautiful post you may read on her blog. 

So many posts, so little time...perhaps your "song" too?  I have missed being here posting, reading and commenting on all your posts. Alas, there is a formulated plan to record the rewards of my lovely July. So stay tune if you would like...

bountiful living comes in many ways

"A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world". -        -Wendell Berry

Monday morning and the garden has yielded baskets of fresh produce. It is happening all over again, the same rewarding story every summer. Back in the spring we sowed  all those little seeds into the soil anticipating a harvest. The harvest is just getting strong. 

 The final harvest for the lettuce and beets. I pulled all the lettuce because it becomes too bitter in the mid summer's heat and  all the beets just needed to be pulled out of the ground for storage. They will store in the refrigerator for quite some time.

Tomatoes are coming in strong now, we even had our first BLT this weekend. The little cherry ones are ripening too.

Potatoes, most of them dug; they did so much better in the raised beds on the side of the house this year. What a satisfying chore is digging potatoes if done early enough in the day!

Peppers, though the heat will affect them for a spell, I have been trying to pull the large ones.

And the blackberries... are as jewels on the vine, our first year!

This past Saturday, my daughter stopped by for afternoon tea. She called saying that is what she wanted to do. I was honored. I brewed a pitcher of hibiscus tea, added mint syrup and a slice of lime, served iced. Very Refreshing.I had whipped up a batch of banana chocolate-chip muffins to serve alongside pieces of fresh cut-up peach.

“As far as her mom was concerned, tea fixed everything. Have a cold? Have some tea. Broken bones? There's a tea for that too. Somewhere in her mother's pantry, Laurel suspected, was a box of tea that said, 'In case of Armageddon, steep three to five minutes'.” 
― Aprilynne Pike, Illusions

Meet Knox, her dog.

And we had a front row seat to observe the hummingbirds.

while the peaches preserve...

  "Come to the summer, to the summer we will come"

                                                                 ~John Clare

A storm is brewing, and I am here on a  semi-dark storm infused afternoon with one ear listening to the hot water bath canner, jars of peaches I am preserving for the pantry. Quarts...25 minutes.

It has begun raining hard now, the raindrops splattering my windows creating designs on the glass. I hear it falling despite the steady sound of the canner. A summer's day storm...it will pass as quickly as it has arrived.

My Potager:

The garlic harvest was successful this year. I love the names of the hard-necked garlic I grew as much anything...Majestic, Music, and Burgundy. 

Two years ago I visited a local lavender farm and brought home two white lavender plants known as "Edelweiss". This year they have become a beautiful addition to the back garden.

The English Lavender continues to thrive by the back steps and I always hesitate to cut the full blooming wands. The bees love it so and it is gorgeous and a joy to brush against,  but the pruning only gives more blooms and helps the plant to continue to put more energy into being a healthy plant.

There are huge magnolia trees on this property, and I mean huge! Some of the blooms are way up high in the air on those trees, but there are so many reachable blooms on many of the trees that are regularly cut and carefully placed into a vase of water where they will open and exude one of the sweetest smells of summer.

A  Sunflower Garden Disappointment

"Who knows what may lie around the next corner? There may be a window somewhere ahead. It may look out on a field of sunflowers.”
– Joe Hill

Or Not!

 Still remembering the morning in late April that I sowed the seeds dreaming big of a small field of sunflowers I hoped to enjoy this year, as I have in previous years. The first photo is the deer's first visit, the second their next visit and it has continued to nary a thriving sunflower left now. I was not to be daunted I replanted between the rows...we will see. Not hopeful at the moment. Yet, we do have some tall straight reaching to the sky sunflowers planted around the vegetable fence...

The peaches are out of the canner now. The storm stopped taking with it the humidity, the sun came out bright, now it is raining steadily. I am on the back porch watching the hummingbird...

I realize most of this post is about parts of my flower garden. I will report more on the vegetable garden another time. It is loving the recent rains! But we are now having to be vigilant about the Japanese beetles that my husband literally saw fly in this past Saturday.

I will briefly state I finished reading Christy, by Catherine Marshall. Back in my high school days I read this book and I remember it making an impact on my young life. It is still a very good read. Highly recommend. My husband enjoyed me telling him some of the happenings in this book.

Thank you all for reading and commenting when you are able!  Blessings!

a very special day...one year ago

Saturday, June 8, 2024                     59 degrees, sunny                                                                             

     The Day...it is beautiful. It is perfect... specially ordered.

Later...

    She got married and it was absolutely, wonderfully good.

Some photos of what we were doing last year on this very day.

the journal continues...

     On the front porch overlooking the ridge sipping my first cup of hot coffee. Words. At the present the words are scampering, not able to be spoken or even recorded here in this journal as I would prefer. They are just felt. Many things hidden in the heart, digging, delving deep, to settle a bit. Too much to take in all at one time. Much like a garden dream, the mature garden I hope to have one day, a touch of beautiful senses every single place you set your eyes...

I look up and I pray to my Lord, with tears. S0 very thankful. SO full of the riches of His marvelous grace, enduring mercy, and steadfast faithfulness.

It was under a tall, stately oak tree she married that June day of 2024, just liked she had planned. It was a worship service where hymns of praise were sung and prayers were lifted up before the giving of the vows.

And then we celebrated with a wedding feast... her style... with family, friends, food and dancing.

And all too soon, it was time for the new Mr. And Mrs... to leave together, wedded.

“You have been the last dream of my soul.”

 - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

In my Journal...

I can not get one beautiful picture off my swirling mind- the beaming brightness of my daughter's face as she walked down the aisle with her father- flowers in her hair- and all.

fermentation and smartphones

In the small southern town not far from where I live, a new market has recently opened that sells mainly local whole foods such as vegetables, ferments, dairy, breads, meats, and such.

As some of you might remember I enjoy the art of food fermentation. I regularly ferment cabbage, but during the summer months I usually have several ferments going on at one time.

I am no expert by any means, but I am always up to learning new things in regards to fermenting foods.

This little local store carries products from K Culture Ferments. Since the store offers free tastings I was gladly  enticed to bring home a couple of their ferments recently. Wow are they delicious! Of course, I checked  the ingredients list and today I decided I would try my hand at making a ferment using cabbage, carrots and beets. I will never be able to create the exact same ferment, but at the least I can experiment and learn to make a good one. 

While I was happily fermenting in my kitchen, I listened to this very interesting conversation at Thinking in Public between Al Mohler and Clare Morell about her book, The Tech Exit:A Practical Guide for Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones.  

It is extremely interesting to listen to her research  that clearly shows how the use of smartphones affects the development of kids and teens, in all aspects. Most of us would agree that society as a whole has dramatically changed especially due to the progressively insidious use of smartphones. I am aware of how many parents today struggle with this, even as my own children share with me how hard it is to say no to my grandchildren with any such devices. They are the wise ones, and I do pray for them.  When my boys were growing up, there were no smartphones, they did not even have cell phones. But with my girls iPods, cell phones, and even smart phones were beginning to take off. At sixteen, when my girls began to drive they were allowed a cellphone, and eventually a smartphone edged in, but still I did not trust anything called a "smartphone". I do not now either.

a June bride

 There have been wonderful declarations, quotes, and comments about the month of June written by others . And I truly give my own hearty affirmation to the beautiful month of June as it is still my most favorite month of the year.

June bursts serenely forth, it sheds its array of glories, and declares special wonder without any hesitation whatsoever.

But despite all the other things that June represents, it continues to hold favor for me as the month of brides, weddings, and marriage. Being a June bride still holds merit to me because on this third day of June forty-seven years ago I was wed.

Wedding photographs of the late 70's would not even register on a scale with the photography used today for weddings. We chose the best photographer in town and I believe this photo was considered "special effect".

(though that white line is the plastic over the photo)

My husband asked me what I wanted to do for our anniversary. He was thinking about dinner in a restaurant. From where we live, we would have to drive anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to dine at a good restaurant. As I was wanting lamb... we both love lamb... and not many restaurants serve a good lamb meal; I answered, "I'll cook." I am able to prepare a simple, but delicious lamb meal, and truthfully it has been a joy to give this day intentional focus on my blessed marriage as I go about preparing for our evening together. Therefore, we will pack a box of food, a small overnight bag and drive to the cottage where I will prepare a special anniversary meal and we will stay at the cottage for the night. A "Getaway"...across the street.

❤️

a rainy holiday

 The garden... vegetable, herb, and flower... overall has been planted, though the garlic will be harvested soon and we plan to put in more tomato plants and sow more green bean seeds after tilling that soil. I cut the scapes of the garlic plants on Saturday. Here is a delicious and easy way to use your garlic scapes.  

 Into a skillet of olive oil add unpeeled russet potatoes chunks about the size of a nickel alongside the garlic scapes chopped into 1/4" pieces. Cook until the potatoes are crispy brown and tender.

We could comprehend that we are having a "mini holiday" today since the majority of the garden is planted for now and the days of preserving have not yet begun. Since the day is rainy and cool, we took a "holiday" opportunity and opted to go to the cottage and tackle the much needed job of painting the sun porch. This turned into a most enjoyable day with my husband doing something typically "different" from the usual holiday activity. May I state how pleased I am with my choice of using the same color paint as what is on the kitchen walls? It is by Glidden and called Silk Star; I am always fascinated with the names given to paint colors, but I also like to rename them. "Sliver of Butter" is what I named this paint color 

Notably, I forgot to take an after paint photo 🙄.

Take my word for it, it looked great, just what I was hoping to accomplish by extending the color outside the back kitchen door. We hope to return tomorrow evening and add another coat. ( I will get a photo then).

 My husband used a roller to add the color...I was priming white around the new windows that were put in earlier in the year.

The sun porch is a long narrow room that was added on at some point in time, it includes the stairway that leads to the basement. The wood boards on the stairs were added recently and now need some paint too. Gray? Or perhaps another color for the steps? We are pulling up the old tiles on the floor and will be adding a floor similar in color to that "oaky" color on the subfloor

After we finished painting the first coat around half-past four, we sat down at the dining table in the cottage and savored afternoon tea.

I love the hymns.  I grew up singing them and they never cease to bless me. I keep a hymn book by me in the early morning hours and many mornings I will sing all the stanzas of a hymn in worship and praise to my LORD.

Here are the words of the third stanza from the hymn, My Jesus I love Thee.

O Jesus, My Savior

With Thee I am blest,

My life and salvation,

My joy and my rest:

Thy name be my theme,

And Thy love be my song;

Thy grace shall inspire

both my heart and my tongue.

Blessings!