A little bit of this, a little bit of that....

We do a lot of waiting in the Midwest.  We wait for spring, and then in the blink of an eye it swooshes right past us. Then we wait for summer to arrive, and once it finally shows up we pray for rain so crops can grow and gardens can green up.  Last summer was a drought and by mid-July I had basically given up on my flowers, but with all the rain we've had so far everything is green, albeit a bit soggy!  Prayers go out to my beautiful college roommate and her parents, waiting out the fires in Colorado to learn the fate of their home.  God bless the firefighters and other emergency personnel who risk their lives for others.

It was a full weekend--we had a chance to catch up with good friends after work on Friday and had a great time.  Saturday we drove north to visit my daughter and her fiance' and start confirming wedding plans.  That felt...surreal.  Nice, but definitely surreal.  Surely I'm not old enough for my little girl to be engaged?!  Sunday was spent enjoying my latest blooms in the garden, including some of my cheerful yellow Oriental lilies.

“The only Commandment I ever obeyed — 'Consider the Lilies.” 

(Emily Dickinson)

Hmm....seems I wasn't the only one enjoying my garden!

Here are my last few peonies before the big storms hit over the weekend.  I love, love, love peonies!!

I also love my antique blue mason jars!  My mother crocheted the beautiful doily.

I had fun playing with color effects on PicMonkey...here is one of my peonies all gussied up.

I also played with my charm squares for the quilt I'm trying to get up the nerve to start.  I never realized how difficult it is to come up with the perfect balance of colors and patterns to create a pleasing quilt top.  My perfectionism was kicking in big time!  This isn't the final layout--my husband had some great suggestions after I took this picture.  It was hard balancing the few dark red squares.  To be honest, I'm a little intimidated!

Here's a cheerful little poem by William Blake to start off our week--have a wonderful day!

 

The Lily

The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,
The humble sheep a threat'ning horn:
While the Lily white shall in love delight,
Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.

Flora and fauna and a good old storm!

I cannot believe how fast this week has flown by!  I'm sharing the last of my pictures from last week's camping trip--I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of nature's beauty in northern Wisconsin. Besides nature walks here are a few suggestions for enjoying your time up north.

Take time to visit the small village shops.  There are no chains or big box stores but instead an amazing array of independent artist galleries and speciality shops.  While I personally wouldn't add quite so many novelty figures in my garden I loved the bright colors in this sidewalk display.  After seeing this cheerful garden I think I play it a little too safe in my own pastel colored garden!

The wind coming off the lake makes for great kite flying.  In memory of my dad, we flew the kite he designed for us and it brought back so many great memories.

You can celebrate a birthday, even if the cake gets turned over in the car and the frosting completely melts from the heat!  It's the thought that counts, right?

You can think about one of your favorite childhood books, Anne of Green Gables, and imagine yourself on Prince Edward Island, walking along Anne's beloved Lilac Lane! 

Since I missed most of my own lilacs blooming while on my May vacation, I was delighted to discover them still in bloom up north.

What's sweeter than a bench beckoning you to sit down and rest a spell?  I always think of the lines from Robert Browning, "Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made" when I see benches like these.  I can picture my husband and I years from now sitting on one, admiring the view and still enjoying each other's company.

And lest you think camping is all quiet walks and reflective moments, there are the occasional spiders and thunderstorms to liven things up a bit! 

Believe it or not....this spider was actually this big!  I've never seen one outside of an exhibit this large before.  He was resting outside a restroom door, and my daughter and I decided to forego the pleasure of his company, in case his wife might be waiting inside to greet us.

And if a thunderstorm crops up, it's the perfect time for reading a mystery by flashlight and taking a nap.  Although the mystery may come back to "haunt" you in the middle of the night when you hear strange rustlings outside your tent!

As you can see, our new mat got broken in!

You can stand spellbound in a clearing at night and ponder the mysteries of the universe....

My camera doesn't take great night photos, but here is a beautiful picture of the Milky Way over Cave Point near where we were camping.  It really is this beautiful.
Photo credit:  Ken Merrell

And last, but certainly not least, you spend time with those you love more than life itself.  Seize the day and cherish the moments!

It's a Wonderful World

I see trees of green........ red roses too

I see em bloom..... for me and for you

And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue..... clouds of white

Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights

And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky

Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by

I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do

They're really sayin......i love you.

I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow

They'll learn much more.....than I'll never know

And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world

Low tech day....

Boys may like their toys, but when it comes to a fun day outdoors, I think I can make a better case!  Start with an early morning walk along Lake Michigan, while the sun is still coming up.  Guys off golfing, daughter still sleeping, and time alone to breathe in fresh air and take a stroll along the water.

Follow it up with a hot cup of instant Suisse mocha while sitting by the campfire, watching little chipmunks stare inquisitively from under the nearby ground cover.  Listen to the birds call out and watch the sun slowly start its upward climb.

Take a nature walk with the camera and see what different foliage you can discover:

Hang out with your loved ones, laugh a lot, and at the end of the day repeat the campfire and the slice of cherry pie.  Life is good in the slow lane!  I'm sure Rudyard Kipling would agree....

The Way Through The Woods

They shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago.
Weather and rain have undone it again,
And now you would never know
There was once a road through the woods
Before they planted the trees.
It is underneath the coppice and heath,
And the thin anemones.
Only the keeper sees
That, where the ring-dove broods,
And the badgers roll at ease,
There was once a road through the woods.

Yet, if you enter the woods
Of a summer evening late,
When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools
Where the otter whistles his mate.
(They fear not men in the woods,
Because they see so few)
You will hear the beat of a horse's feet,
And the swish of a skirt in the dew,
Steadily cantering through
The misty solitudes,
As though they perfectly knew
The old lost road through the woods….
But there is no road through the woods.

Bet you didn't know...

Boys and their toys aren't just for garages!  Lots of manly pleasure can be gained from:

high tech tents that have hinged doors for easy entry:

and come equipped with (drum roll please) interior LED lighting

that operates with an honest to goodness light switch!

There's nothing like the thrill of playing 'beat the clock'....if the tent box promises EASY UP in TEN MINUTES, well then, game on!

Ten fingers=ten minutes!

Sad to say, we lost that round, but in our defense it took us 23 minutes because it was the very first time we'd used our new tent (Phil's Christmas gift) so we had to unpack it and read directions.  I bet we can beat the clock in July!  We had better luck with our new dining canopy, though.  Our previous screen tent died a nasty zipper death last summer and we hadn't planned to replace it right away, but a rainy spring has led to a bumper crop of mosquitoes this year, and while I may be a nature girl, I do have my limits.  So off we went to the local hardware store where we inevitably wind up every single camping trip replacing something we've forgotten, and found this amazing EASY UP screen tent that promised ONE MINUTE assembly!  Yes, one minute!!  Be still my heart!  And guess what?  It delivered on its promise.  I ended up doing the happy dance around the tent, but fortunately for me Phil didn't think about capturing it on camera.

Seriously...lay it on the ground, extend the legs and lock them in place, lift it up, and poof--screen tent!

And because we live in Wisconsin, happy home of brat lovers, what better to cook them on than this nifty propane grill?  It made my husband and my daughter's fiance' very happy indeed....

And that, my friends, is how to keep a Wisconsin guy happy.  Even if he is from Pittsburgh, PA.  Stay tuned tomorrow for what makes ME happy out in the woods (hint, no assembly required!) 

How to Camp

Because I grew up camping with my parents and siblings, and then continued the tradition with my own family, I'm always surprised when I run into someone who sheepishly confesses they have never tried it.  They don't like bugs, or sleeping on the ground, or a myriad of other reasons as to why the great outdoors is not for them.  So here, my friends, is a primer for the uninitiated in HOW TO CAMP.

Early on the first day:

Grocery shop for way more groceries than you could possibly consume in 2.5 days.  This includes several kinds of cookies, chips, sandwich makings, hot dog buns, brat buns, hamburger buns AND sandwich buns, plus all of the meat to go with said bread.  Don't forget the wine coolers and wine, and a corkscrew, and most important of all, INSTANT COFFEE.

Pack way more clothes than you could possibly wear in 2.5 days.  Bring two pair of jeans, two pair of tennis shoes, lots of socks, and short sleeved and long sleeved tops, plus sweatshirts, flannel pajamas and rain gear.  It's Wisconsin, so weather changes fast.

Pack all the fun stuff you plan to use while camping--cards, Sudoku puzzles, cross stitch, magazines, books, watercolor paints.  Most of these items will never make it out of your bag, but a good camper is always prepared.  A mystery book is a must-have, because what better time to read a mystery than when you are stuck in a tent late at night in a thunderstorm (see rain gear above...)

Then, pile all of this stuff in your kitchen for your husband to pack, plus the tent, coolers, chairs, golf clubs, etc. etc. etc.  This makes my husband very happy...he loves to pack the car.  He always mutters it won't all fit, but somehow it always does.  This makes me very happy, because goodness knows I only pack the necessities!

Then drive four hours.  Be sure to miss the bright orange detour signs that point out the bridge is out up ahead, because it's fun to backtrack and spend extra time driving through little towns. 

Oops!

After arriving in Fish Creek, the most important thing is to stop at The Cookery to pick up the evening's dessert...fresh homemade Door County Cherry Pie.  This stop is non-negotiable.

Now comes the fun part!  It's time to create our weekend home-away-from-home.

Check out the site:

Hang the sign:

Erect the tent:

Our new tent--it's fantastic!

Carefully lay down the new mat (more on this later, referencing thunderstorms above...)

Is this cute or what?!

Finally, set up the intimate bug-free dining area, arrange the campfire seating, and enjoy a delicious outdoor meal followed by a roaring campfire and late night laughter with loved ones.  What more could a person ask for?

Emily Dickinson may not have ever camped, but she understood the call of Nature!

"Nature" is what we see --
The Hill -- the Afternoon --
Squirrel -- Eclipse -- the Bumble bee --
Nay -- Nature is Heaven --
Nature is what we hear --
The Bobolink -- the Sea --
Thunder -- the Cricket --
Nay -- Nature is Harmony --
Nature is what we know --
Yet have no art to say --
So impotent Our Wisdom is
To her Simplicity.

I must go down to the seas again...

Do you hear it?  That faint whisper on the wind this morning?  Something is calling my name....

It's time for our first camping trip of the season, and time to try out our brand new tent!  Time to relax, get away from it all and kick back in my camping chair with a new book and watch the stars come out tonight.  

Time for some cherry pie....

 

Some gorgeous sunsets...

and maybe a strawberry ice cream cone!

 

I do know that Lake Michigan is not a 'sea', but  this poem by John Masefield always runs through my mind as I start packing to head 'up north'.  It's titled Sea Fever and I hope you enjoy it.

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

Have a wonderful weekend!

I have to confess, between "time traveling" yesterday back to my daughter's birth day, plus a nasty bronchitis/pneumonia chest thing that is wiping me out, Ireally felt like staying in bed this morning.  But since I couldn't stay snuggled in my own comfy bed, why don't we take a peek at another bed that looks downright inviting!

Tucked in between his study and his bedroom 'proper', Jefferson redesigned parts of Monticello after his return from France.  He introduced the alcove style bed and wrote to James Madison:   "Indeed I varied my plan by shewing what it would be with alcove bedrooms, to which I am much attached." He included recesses in the interior walls of all the new bedrooms, however, in his own bedroom which was located in the older portion of the house; it was necessary to augment an already existing wall in order to accommodate a bed alcove. He chose the interior wall separating what would become his bed chamber and study, centered the alcove on an existing doorway, and built out into the larger of the two rooms to create the alcove. He placed a new doorway at the foot of the alcove.

This alcove bed, open on both sides, joins the Bedroom with Jefferson's cabinet (or office) -- a hinged, double-door screen (not shown) separated the two rooms when shut; a privy was located near one end of the bed, an early example of indoor bathroom facilities in America; the room features one of the house's thirteen skylights; and the circular openings over the bed was his closet, which utilized space efficiently and was accessible via ladder.

This is the area where Jefferson spent a lot of his time, reading and writing in his study/office, and this is the bed where he took his last breath, after inquiring whether it was indeed the fourth of July.  Here is the only surviving poem of definite authorship by Jefferson, written in 1826 at the approach of his death. Confined to bed by illness, Jefferson wrote "A death-bed Adieu" for his daughter, Martha Randolph. On July 2, two days before he died, Jefferson told Martha that he'd composed a farewell in her honor; following his instructions, she found the verse in a small box after his death.

"A death-bed Adieu. Th:J to MR."

Life's visions are vanished, it's dreams are no more.
Dear friends of my bosom, why bathed in tears?
I go to my fathers; I welcome the shore,
which crowns all my hopes, or which buries my cares.
Then farewell my dear, my lov'd daughter, Adieu!
The last pang in life is in parting from you.
Two Seraphs await me, long shrouded in death;
I will bear them your love on my last parting breath