Walking into a new year

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace

and a Happy New Year.

Winter

Winter has fallen on these northern hills.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

A Long Quiet Autumn

I have been so quiet here, I know.  I have not posted a Sunday Stroll in so many weeks, though I have walked in the quiet places that offer peace.  I have not been taking my technology along on my walks, nor spending much time online, other than working on the classwork for my master's course.

I have been living a lot, thinking a lot, reading a lot... just not spending much time at the keyboard.  I hope to return to the "writerly life" this fall, as I complete a short book of memoirs and dive into a work of fiction for the annual "NaNoWriMo" event.  Do you know about it?  It is a great deal of fun and a wonderful challenge for those who like to write.

If anyone is still out there reading, I appreciate you.  I will be back to reading blogs soon too.

Sunday Stroll - Approaching Autumn

It is late in the season, but this summer's snapdragons are still going strong.

These beautiful daylilies have also been blooming for a long stretch of sunny days.

The first four plants to bloom have been down for a while,

but the dog bit off the stalks on this plant early in the summer. 

I was sad when it happened,

but now that I have daylilies blooming in September,

I am counting my blessings!

The wave petunias are still the stars of the show 

at the edges of the garden,

and the Autumn Joy sedum is beginning to blush nearby.

'

Roses are blooming... again,

and the antique Hungarian baby baths

 that we planted with herbs

are filling in with greenery and color.

The bees are still busy,

and so are we.

It is a good kind of busy.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

Sunday Stroll - Friendship

 Friends of ours moved into their dream house this weekend. We gave them a hand for a few minutes on Saturday.  I snuck away to stroll through the lovely gardens so I wouldn't be in the way while they squeezed a piano in through a tiny door in the cozy stone cottage.

Wherever you are,  whatever the weather,  I wish you joy.

Don't miss Steve's close-up photos from his stroll Out on the Prairie.

Sunday Stroll - A Moment to Reflect

Tomorrow, the teachers at the charter school where I work will return for a week of training before students resume.  It has been a whirlwind summer.  There have been ups and downs, but it has certainly been a time of growth: on the farm and in personal arenas.  I co-hosted Open Mic nights, participated in author's fairs, grew and preserved food, visited with friends and family, and spent time in nature.  Along with the start of the school year, the next course in my Master's Degree program launches tomorrow as well, so I anticipate busy and days and nights! We are also hoping to have another farm intern come to stay with us for a few months or longer.  It is nice to have the extra help and to provide an introduction to our farming way of life to an interested young person.  

I have not strolled yet today; been canning tomatoes instead.  May take a late evening walk with the dogs, but wanted to post this quick image of homing pigeons/doves who have been visiting the farm recently.  Not sure where they live, but we have seen them many times.  We were calling the first bird Houdini, so when he brought a friend along we decided this must be Harry (Houdini) and his Bess.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.  

Steve posted a lovely stroll, which you can pop over and see Out on the Prairie.  

Sunday Stroll - Poetry

If you name each thing you pass

As you walk to the blackberry patch,

it sounds like poetry.

Blue chicory holding

a pollen-flecked bumblebee.

An amber-winged soldier beetle

Feasting on goldenrod.

Dappled light falling

through the cedar trees.

What a beautiful world.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather,  I wish you peace.

Sunday Stroll -Bumblebees

There are pockets of color scattered around the vegetable garden.

The bees, of all sorts and sizes,

are loving the herb blossoms,

from comfrey to lavender

and everything in between.

What's in the kitchen garden?

Everything but the kitchen sink.

Oh, there's one of those too,

overflowing with salad greens (and reds!)

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

Sunday Stroll - Beautiful Sunday

With so many demands on the farm - to care for people, to care for animals, to tend and harvest plants - I feel blessed whenever I have the opportunity to slow down and appreciate the beauty that surrounds me.  The brilliant, rich colors of the pansies and the happy attitude of the snapdragons urge me to slow down... to look, to smell, to be still in the fragrant garden.

For a while, several bees hung still upon the pale pink rays of the milkweed that popped up (uninvited but VERY welcome) in the kitchen garden.  I sat still too and listened to them hum.  The deep pink rose at the center of that bed filled the air with sweetness.  I felt that, together, we were all content.

It was so hot and humid that we all drooped,

but drooping looks good on the coneflowers, doesn't it?

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

Sending prayers and good energy to Steve, Out on the Prairie.

Sunday Stroll - Last Sunday in July

It's been a week of rain

and sun

 Filled with small, beautiful moments,

and all the heady ripe sweetness of summer.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather,  I wish you peace.

Sunday Stroll - Quick Post

Summer is zipping by.  

I am spending a minimal amount of time with technology,

and loving the sunshine and fresh air.

Here are just a few photos from the past week,

which I shared on our farm's Instagram page:

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you joy.

Steve has been strolling and sharing more consistently than I have. 

 Look here AND here for some great images and inspiration.