A Day in the Life

This week I undertook a "Day in the Life" photography challenge.  The idea is to snap a photo every ten or fifteen minutes to capture all the mundane moments that otherwise escape the lens.  I only lasted about an hour and a half but caught these sweet moments.  Let's call that a success.

Have you ever tried to document a whole day?  How did it go?

As Summer Fades

Yesterday we had a misty morning and a rainy afternoon.  Today I ate lunch on the sunny front step.  And so the days bounce back and forth between summer and fall.

Last you heard, here, I was taking a month away from blog land to settle into a new house.  A month away became summer vacation, but that back-to-business September energy has finally caught up with me.  I'm here with a few tidbits to share.

From Home:  This fuzzy friend crashed our front-step lunch.  I'm no naturalist, but I would like to know what sort of butterfly he will become (assuming he survives Miss S's adoration).  Does anyone know?

From the Studio:  I've been adding new listings to the Etsy shop almost daily.  Getting the photos right has been tricky this time around, but at some point the listings just have to go live.  As fall creeps in, I'm enjoying the simplicity of this burlap table runner.  What do you think?

Linking to Mosaic Monday hosted by Lavender Cottage.

Lilacs and Boxes

Lilacs and a few bluebells.  Plopped in a jar with very little fuss.  They're bright and fragrant.  A very welcome scrap of pretty.

But the real story here is in the background.   Boxes in corners are multiplying.  Walls are bare, cupboards empty.   The real work starts on Thursday when we get keys to the new house.  If I don't post for a week or two, feel free to picture me in old jeans, up a ladder with paint on my nose.

Pink and Yellow

On our walk this morning Miss S and I passed along this bit of sidewalk.

Lovely, isn't it?  These trees turn bright orange in the fall and glow with twinkle lights in the winter.  As you can see, they sing choruses of pink in the spring.  Walking under them, pushing a stroller with one hand, clutching coffee in the other, has become one of my favorite small indulgences.  This is the way to the library and the playground, but not for long.  I'm going to miss having such ready access to the town centre when we move.  

Closer to home, other things are blooming.

Miss S called them Dandy Flowers, and I think they're her favorite.  I'm pretty sure the new house will come with a few of these.

The Amazing Thing About Spring

The amazing thing about spring is that it comes whether you want it to or not.

When the inner landscape is grey and drizzly, spring explodes in sunshine and cherry blossoms.  It's a good thing too, because it's hard not to be drawn out, to feel the warmth and smile at the exuberant green.

I took a walk, yesterday, past a naturalized lawn all a dazzle with blue Scilla, spotted with pink Shooting Star.  The flowers and the beautiful morning sang together of fresh beginnings.  Miss S and her Nana walked ahead of me here, hand in hand, seeing the world together.  The loveliest sight of all.

An Explanation

January dawned with such expectation this year.  It always does, but this New Years Day I had an idea of what the coming year might hold for better or worse.  Either way, it was not going to be a mundane year.

How little did I know.  Things have really snowballed around here.  And some of these snowballs came completely out of the blue.  So please understand if I don't post for a bit now and again.  I'll be back.

Cold and Sunny

It's finally turned cold here -- and beautifully bright and sunny.  There's frost in the mornings and I've revived my winter ritual of sitting in front of the pellet stove in the mornings with a cup of coffee.  Ah, the little pleasures!

Other little pleasures:  fresh air and a glimpse of the world through a toddler's eyes.  We've been collecting sticks lately.

This deck of this boardwalk was slick with frost in the shady spots but thawed and dried instantly when the sun hit it.

Miss S's older cousin sometimes visits for the morning, so we had company on this walk.  The girls got their gum boots wet in the lake then sat side by side on the dock for a snack of oranges and almonds.  There are some very sweet pictures of them together, but I try not to post other people's children here.

I'd be interested to know what others do with photos of other people, especially kids.  Do you get permission, completely avoid posting them, or just go for it?

Finally, I have finally posted these new placemats in the shop.  It took longer than expected to finish them off, but here they are.  I think they're perfect for winter -- not overtly Christmas-y, but filled with mountains and forests and woodland critters in cool snowy colours.  

Thanks for visiting, and please remember to leave me a comment if you have thoughts on the photo issue.

Walking

This fall has been so gloriously warm, so summer-like, that I'm only now catching the feelings of fall.  The comforting hug of sweaters and scarves.  The damp smell of the forest.  The shiver of joy when rain falls hard on the roof at night.

I'm rediscovering my favorite walking trails.  They're less busy during the day now, the domain of dog-walkers and mothers with pre-schoolers.  Kids and pets.  They get us outside rain or shine.

Boardwalks are damp, the light oblique.

Everything grows green again.  Even the puddles.

I play naturalist with Miss S, walking at toddler speed and noticing everything.  Translucent mushrooms erupt from tree trunks.  Why have I not noticed them before?

Banana slugs abound, another sign of the season.  Watch them.  Poke them.  Photograph them.  The world is full of wonders.  

What have you been enjoying lately?

Cat Feet

The fog came in on little cat feet, just like in that poem that we all studied in middle school.  It came in while I was looking the other way, collecting clam shells and watching seagulls bob and fish on the inside of the breakwater.   Early fall yellows reflected.

Then, a fog horn bellowed at my back.  It reverberated across the lagoon, stirring up the gulls with its forceful melancholy.  Other ships in the straight answered in their own voices, and the first cottony wisps of mist floated overhead.

I crossed the breakwater and looked out to sea.  There was nothing -- only fog and the lapping tide.  

The fog came

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

Carl Sandburg

Tomatoes and More

I started pulling out the tomato plants this week.  I'm always a bit sad to turn so viciously on the same plants that I tucked into fresh soil a few short months ago.  Since May I've been trimming and tying, watering and wishing over these plants.  Now they're chopped up small, wilting on the compost pile.  There's not a lot of room for nostalgia in the veggie garden.  Besides, the tomatoes were good this year and I still have plenty of them.  They're mounded high in all my biggest mixing bowls and serving platters -- beautiful red and green -- waiting (not very patiently) for attention.

The cherry tomato plants, in the warmth and shelter of the eve, soldier on.  Little Miss has no idea that they too will succumb to the changing season.  She knows how to pick only the red ones and eats them out of hand like candy.

We ventured outside with a mixing bowl (I found an empty one) and basked in the sun.  There's been enough rain lately that we remember to bask when the opportunity comes.  I filled the bowl.  Little Miss filled her tummy.  The shadows were long and the spiders where out, both signs of fading summer.  

Then Little Miss had an idea:  a picnic.  Why not.  Dealing with tomatoes is hard work.  A blanket, some lunch and a glorious fall day add up to the perfect picnic.

What have you been up to?

Another Busy, Sunny Day

The sun is streaming in through the windows.  Hubby is industriously chopping tomatoes and jalapeno peppers, doing his bit to keep the mound of tomatoes on the counter in check.  This is the mound.  I can't help showing it off a bit:  45 pounds of backyard garden goodness with more to come.

I've been taking advantage of the bright afternoon to take a bite out of my own mound -- all the handmade Christmas goodies that I've been making for the Dapple Design Shop.  Here's your very first sneak peak.

Yes, my Cloth Gift Bags are back for another season.  They're reusable, easy on the planet, and oh-so-pretty.  I'll be listing these very soon, so keep your eyes open.

Today I'm linking up with Angela at Pretty Little Inspirations.  Please drop by and visit a few of the online shops joining her link party.

There Are Seeds And They Are Trying

Water is wonderful thing.  It sparkles and shines.  It feels cool and fresh.  It pours and splashes in endless ways.

It won't come as a surprise, then, that watering the new grass has become a highlight of Miss S's day.  She practically dances around me to wet her hands (or more) in the glittering spray from the hose.  It's marvelous fun for her, but I have to confess that there are few aspects of this twice daily routine that I could pass on.

For starters, I have to strip her down to her birthday suit at the font door and find dry clothes twice a day.  The bigger challenge, however, is keeping that excited little girl off the new grass.

We have a lovely story book out from the library this week that sums the situation up beautifully.

. . . or maybe it was the bears and all that stomping, because bears can't read signs that say things like "please do not stomp here -- there are seeds and they are trying."

Bears.   Toddlers.  Neither can read signs.

We're still waiting and watering.  Looking for those first green shoots.

. . . and the brown, still brown, has a greenish hum that you can only hear if you put your ear to the ground and close your eyes

That book, in case you're wondering is called And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead.

Growing

Warm weather has arrived sooner than expected.  I'm not sure if that has more to do with an early summer or conservative expectations.  Either way, I can feel the tingle of the sun all the way down to my toes.  Happy days.  

Busy days too -- in the very best ways.  Being outside is a pleasure when the sun is warm and the wind cool.  So are long walks to distant playgrounds and lunches on the grass.  Somehow the essential work is getting done.  Laundry.  Supper.  But I try not to fuss too much.

Just for a moment, I'm living in the moment, wondering which is growing faster, my garden or my daughter.  Both are pure joy to watch.

This Moment

Summer arrived this week.  It's just a short visit.  She dropped by unexpectedly so we fired up the grill and treated ourselves to the first patio supper of the year.  Warm breeze.  Juicy steak.  A long lingering meal in the fresh air.  She'll come and go a few times yet before settling down to stay.


Joining SouleMama and others in a Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your moment in the comments for all to find and see.

Inspection

The days of daily garden inspections are here.  Sometimes I make an excuse -- that compost bucket on my counter is full again.  Sometimes I slip into shoes and make the rounds for no good reason save the pleasure of watching plants grow.  I circle slowly past the strawberry bed and the pear tree.  I bend to gauge a peony bud.  I lift rhubarb leaves and smell future treats.  Fiddle heads unfurl.  Miss S follows and imitates and dances in the grass.  What joy.

This Week in My Kitchen

Cooking inspiration runs a little slim this time of year when I see the garden begin to grow, but there's nothing to pick save for kale, chives and tulips.  But being forced to dig a little deeper isn't a terrible thing.  This week, inspiration came . . .

. . . from a a conversation with my mother.  She served fish cakes this week and that sounded good.  These are salmon and potato cakes, waiting to be dredged in flour and pan fried.

. . . from a library cook book.  This kale panini with feta cheese and zippy banana peppers is sure to appear on our table again.

. . . from the pantry.  There's nothing like cracking open a jar of last summer's tomato-y goodness to enjoy over pasta.

And finally, inspiration came from a string of sunny days and a few spring showers -- reminders that the abundance of summer will come soon enough.

What's cooking at your house?

I'm joining, for the first time, This Week in my Kitchen at Beauty That Moves.  This blog hop is all about capturing a love of whole foods, combined with the activity of a bustling kitchen.  A weekly collection of photos from the centre of my home.

This Moment

One fish, two fish, red fish blue fish.  And pink and black and orange and yellow.  Miss S meticulously matches green fish tail to green fish head -- no designer fish allowed -- then gleefully dumps the works upside down and begins again with equal concentration.

Joining SouleMama and others in "a Friday ritual. A single photo . . . capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see."

Busy, Stormy Days

The electricity faltered and flickered a couple of times today, but stayed on.  It's just as well, because, after days of wind and downpour, I'm less excited about stormy weather and the resulting days indoors.  Don't get me wrong, Miss S and I are west coast girls.  We don't mind getting rained on -- that's what gum boots and Muddy Buddies are for -- but this wind is something else.  We're starting to feel a little house bound.

How do we make the most of indoor days?  With projects, of course.  This is a little sneak peak at something I'm working on for my Etsy shop.

And this is a tunic dress that I started for Miss S.  I'm only just now getting my gumption up to sew for her.  Part of the trouble is that a pattern costs as much or more than an off the rack outfit, never mind fabric and notions.  But I want to sew for her, so I'm making extensive changes to an old dress pattern borrowed from my mother-in-law and hoping to end up with something Miss S and I will both be happy with.  Fingers crossed.  This is new territory for me.

Here's a little sunshine on a stormy day.  Miss S's project involved playdough and cookie cutters.

What do you do on indoor days?  Looking at the weather forecast, I'm pretty sure I'll need some more ideas.