100 days of summer :: day 19

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”
— Albert Schweitzer

how the two of them get me, how they listen, and how they spark something in me that makes me want to run right to my camera to try new things, for taking time in the afternoon to lay on the couch with the dog and read, and closing my eyes for a few minutes, to listen to the birds
for him coming home so excited and happy after time with a couple of our boys sporting new t-shirts for us all
for clean sheets, and clean bathrooms, and wishing the kids next door happy last day of school
for growing wiser as I age, wise enough to let go of things that just don’t work any longer and embracing what does.

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100 days of summer:: day 18

“There is nothing that is comparable to it, as satisfactory or as thrilling as gathering vegetables one has grown.”
—Alice B. Toklas

the cool breeze that came in off the deck after the heat of the past few days,
how the lake looked like glass and every shade of blue,
the sun coming out in the afternoon and taking time to just enjoy it
listening to crows, the first poppy in the garden,
spicy greens from the garden for tonights salad

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100 days of summer :: day 17

“I want to lay up like that, to float unstructured, without ambition or anxiety. I want to inhabit my life like a porch.”

― Rebecca Wells, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

falling back to sleep early this morning, when I didn’t think I would
accepting how I forget things now and then, without panic
the two of us together out in the garden for a couple of hours
fresh greens from the garden, along with lots of fresh herbs, in the salad I had for lunch
for how this practice has become a bit of routine now, how it has slowed me down,
and become a place to rethink my day, helping me to let of go of frustrations
and turning my focus instead to the simple things that bring me joy …
like daisies, in every room of the house

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100 days of summer :: day 16

“The most significant gifts are the ones most easily overlooked. Small, everyday blessings: woods, health, music, laughter, memories, books, family, friends, second chances, warm fireplaces, and all the footprints scattered throughout our days.” 

~ Sue Monk Kidd

gratitude for the warmth of the morning sun on my face and the quiet of the morning.
for a few hours with Percy, books read, bug hunting and the study of ladybugs.
for the simplicity of a peanut butter sandwich with last years rasberry jam
for him listening to the restlessness in my heart right now, and how he doesn’t try to fix it.
for celebrating vegan week out and about with my my youngest and his family
and, finding it hard to share the best butter bean humus with roasted cauliflower dish, because I wanted it all to myself!

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100 days of summer :: day 15

" A multitude of small delights constitute happiness." 

                                        ~ Charles Baudelaire 

I spent some time in the flower garden today mostly deadheading perennials. In the process I cut a few to bring inside. I tossed these peonies onto the kitchen counter and went to find a vase.
This is what I came back to…

that light coming through the kitchen window
the way the shadows play with the petals
showing off the pink within the flowers center
the smell, that the warmth of the sun, made more pronounced
how the three stems filled the perfect vase for the table

a multitude of small delights for sure!

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100 days of summer :: day 14

“When I am alone the flowers are really seen; I can pay attention to them. They are felt as presences. Without them I would die. Why do I say that? Partly because they change before my eyes. They live and die in a few days; they keep me closely in touch with process, with growth, and also with dying. I am floated on their moments.” - May Sarton

a beautiful summer day,
coffee in my pajamas with Baker on the deck,
the quiet that surrounds us, the bunny that hopped by
watching the first boats out on the lake
stick class at the marina, kites flying, picnic blankets spread about
talking around the BBQ while he grills the chicken
he cooks for us, and once again the food is amazing
how I see glimmers of the little boy he once was,
a tilt of the head, his laugh, the way he smiles

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100 days of summer :: day 13

“The library in summer is the most wonderful thing because there you get books on any subject and read them each for only as long as they hold your interest, abandoning any that don't, halfway or a quarter of the way through if you like, and store up all that knowledge in the happy corners of your mind for your own self and not to show off how much you know or spit it back at your teacher on a test paper.”

― Polly Horvath, My One Hundred Adventures

the newly designed large print section at the library
the perfect weather, sunshine and a light breeze
meeting the kids for cider and chips in the afternoon
love notes from Percy
thinking about my mom and dad today (my dad in the top left corner with the guitar
my mom with a string of fish they caught.)
wondering what they would think about the state of our country right now

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