Wordless Wednesday - Chamomile

Sunday Stroll - Last Stroll in June

The weekend was a whirlwind of activity at the farm.  

We hosted the wedding reception for my younger daughter

 and her husband at the farm on Saturday.

Many families camped in the meadow as the music 

and celebration continued far into the night.

  By early Sunday afternoon, 

only  my mother and one of my brothers were still at the farm, 

so we took them to our favorite stretch of  Michigan beach.

The waves were eager to reach the shore,

wetting our feet

as we stepped over rocks and around colorful wildflowers.

Sedum acre (Goldmoss Stonecrop)

Potentilla anserina (Silverweed)

Geranium robertianum (Herb Robert)

Aquilegia (Wild Columbine)

Anemone (Windflower)

Blue Eyed Grass (a tiny iris!)

Me and my mom

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace and good company.

If you can, please visit Steve's stroll celebrating the first day of Summer.

Wordless Wednesday - Showy Lady's Slipper

Daisy Landing Pads

On a day like this,

you can wander through a meadow

where 10,000 daisies reach for heaven.

If you hurry, you will see only sunshine and flowers,

but if you look closely,

you will see that 

the yellow disks

and the white rays

are landing pads for many tiny travelers.

The meadow is alive with

wings and petals

color and light,

moving in the grace 

of a summer afternoon.

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

Sunday Stroll - Evening in the Meadow

Late in the evening, 

Micah and I head out for our last walk of the day.

An easy breeze rocks the wildflowers to sleep 

in the long South Meadow.

The sun settles in the for the night,

as we linger outdoors,

walking slowly up to to the North Meadow,

where a gentle hill slopes upward toward the setting sun.

The air is gentle,

and the skies are soft.

We breath more easily,

with our  lungs full of fresh air and evening light

as we circle back toward the farmhouse.

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

Saturday Snapshot - Summer on the Window Sill

Summer is opening, lush and fragrant like an old fashioned peony in an exuberant garden.

As I take a few moments to appreciate the beauty of June,

I see golden sunlight easing through green leaves, through a large freshly washed window.

I hear birds outside the window, and indoors, I hear the shuffling and scuffling of five dogs; our own two, and the three belonging to our weekend guests.

I smell the mingled aromas of the peonies on the window sill and of lemon and garlic as dinner is prepared.

I taste tea, just simple English Breakfast Black tea, unsweetened.  I'm sipping a cup as I wait for our guests to return from their boating adventure out on one of our beautiful inland seas.

I feel relaxed.  I picked strawberries while our guests were away and tended the gardens.  I hung a little laundry on the line and took care of a large crew of dogs.  I am ready for the family to return.

Dogs are barking like mad.  Our guests must have pulled up the driveway!

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you good company.

Sunday Stroll - June in Bloom

The iris in my garden are blooming,

in many colors.  

All are fragrant, the orange like a child's creamsicle,

and the others like so many scrumptious flavors of cake.

The air in the garden is heady and wild.

It is nearly impossible to walk past

without slowing your pace,

then leaning down to take a long, deep, breath.

 

The garden is alive with busy pollinators,

knee deep in pollen.

The honeybees especially appreciate 

the purples and blues of chive blossoms

and the plentiful catmint.

Meanwhile, 

the wild blackberry bramble has burst into bloom,

and tiny white bouquets are scattered throughout the woods.

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

If you have a moment, please go visit Steve Out on the Prairie 

to see all the pretty things that he found on his stroll!

Sunday Stroll - Gathering at a Friend's Homestead

We spent a lovely afternoon at a friend's little homestead nearby.

Free range chickens, pensive goats, lazy dogs, and happy, chatty people 

shared a sunny afternoon celebrating our friend's 80th birthday.

Her birthday is in the winter, but she wanted to enjoy a summer celebration for a change.

She is a friend with whom I have shared some fun and memorable road trips.

Some were close to home, such as the trip a few years ago to an

Iris Farm an hour away.  We went when the iris were in full bloom,

and each bought just one variety.

We have also been known to dig up and divide our perennial plants and share, 

so many things in my home garden had their start in her's.

Some of our road trips were to far away places,

such as our trip to Pennsylvania 

through the Blue Ridge Mountains two years ago in autumn.

It is always fun to visit this friend's home,

but is especially wonderful when the flowers are in bloom.

She is knowledgeable about the cultivars she grows,

and shares her folk lore and common sense wisdom generously,

about flowers and about life.

This friend has been present at many of my local

speaking engagements, even bringing along new listeners

in support of my endeavors.

What a beautiful afternoon!

Aside from a brazen chicken stealing 

someone's half-eaten sandwich, 

there wasn't any undue drama at this event.

We listened to the chickadees chatter,

and laughed and reminisced 

about silly old songs from the 1970s,

such as Sneaky Snake and The Streak.

Oh my goodness!  Hadn't thought of that in years.

We also broke into Bobby McGee several times,

because the word Freedom crept into the conversation at one point.

Feelin' good is good enough for me!

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you good company.

If you have time to pop on over to Steve's Out on the Prairie Blog,

you can catch a little bit of Prairie Love!

Anyone else stroll today?