Fiery Sky.

"Let me, O let me bathe my soul in colours;
let me swallow the sunset and drink the rainbow. "

~Kahlil Gibran

once upon a time...

A told me this story today, and I thought it would be the perfect way to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Argon.

Once upon a time there was a cat who got lost outside. He was dirty, scared and hungry. He was even more scared when a truck took him to a shelter and he had to stay in a metal box surrounded by other animals. The cat had to live there for a while, and had to have medicine and eat strange food, and listen to scary sounds all day and night.

One day, he met a family that he liked. They had come to the shelter to find a new cat, since their sweetest kitty had died only a month before and they had a hole in their hearts. He loved the little boys who pet him, and decided to make them his family. He went home with them and was so happy to have a soft bed to sleep in, kids to snuggle, and good food.


The cat was so happy that he played with the kids all the time, gave them snuggles and even ran to jump in bed with them if they made any noises while they slept. He loved getting under the covers and lying on the pillow next to the kids most of all. He loved them so much he even let the kids carry him around some times.

The cat was happy to have his forever home and lived happily ever after, the end.

corner view:: wisconsin weekend

This week the corner view is 7:45PM Friday, 7:45PM Saturday, 7:45PM Sunday. Friday night we checked into our weekend vacation cottage, went out to dinner, and then walked across the street to the park to play as the sun was going down. The boys found a basketball in the grass and played for a bit.



Saturday evening we were still in our cottage. We again went out to dinner in town and came back to go play in the park. At the edge of the park there were fruit trees, berry bushes and a restored prairie. I walked the edges looking as the boys played.


Sunday evening we were back home. The boys went with my husband and several neighbors to a neighborhood park on their bicycles as I watered the garden!

For more Corner Views be sure to visit: jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad, caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama, amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, gillian, athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, kelleyn, iris, demara, mus, liza

summer weekends.

We got away for a weekend that we all needed. We found a lovely cottage in a small town just over an hour away. It is a town full of stone cottages, old mines, log cabins, art galleries, interesting history, good restaurants, quirky old homes (a sweet yarn shop) and extremely steep hills.


The favorite thing about the cottage for the boys was the mail slot. Yep, it was fun! They also loved the cozy beds, antiques and giant hammock in the big lawn out front.


While we were only gone only 2 1/2 days, we packed in a lot of fun. The whole weekend was cool, even chilly - long pants and jackets in July! So we were able to go on long walks up steep hills to see old mining equipment, badger holes and restored prairie, walk through town, and visit many parks. Such a lovely place!


The boys loved finding out where the term Wisconsin Badgers came from. While the badger is indeed now the University mascot, the term comes from the miners who came to work in SW Wisconsin in the early 1800's who dug holes in the sides of hills to provide themselves with shelter in our cold winters as they worked to mine lead, zinc or other minerals. They dug holes like the badgers did to hole up for winter, and the name stuck!


While we were indeed perfectly happy hanging out at our cottage, going on walks, trying all the different restaurants and having ice cream at a local shop where we could also play Yahtzee!, we did venture into Iowa on Saturday to re-visit a river museum and got lucky to be there for a conservation event ... the boys saw freshwater snails, crawdads, turtles, snakes, and fish.


Very exciting! The museum also had a large lizard exhibit which we had to go back through many times before we could leave.


We had such a nice weekend the boys were sad to go. They really really miss that hammock!


And I miss seeing bats and birds and all the stars.

corner view:: the unveiling

Well, I took photos for this weeks corner view. And then my hard drive crashed. After a new hard drive was installed and my system restored from backup, I discovered my photo library was being excluded from the hourly backups due to file size. My poor husband had planned on backing up photos a different way and then forgot. SO. I lost a lot of photos (a LOT). I'm feeling a bit crushed. But I did have a pic of me in my blog folder from April - so here is 'unveiling'. 

This weeks corner view is 'the unveiling'. To see the faces behind the blogs, be sure to visit corner views from around the world.

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama, amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, gillian, jeanette, athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, satsuki

weekend wanderings.

We like mini-adventures. It is a good way to wander with boys who don't like riding in the car for long. On Saturday we packed up and headed out. We had a few destinations in mind for a loop, but also wanted the boys to look out the windows and let us know when they wanted to stop! With GPS in hand, the boys followed our route as we drove.


Our first stop was to a cheese factory. A loves his cheese. We toured their aquaculture wastewater treatment area and saw a cool way to take wash/wastewater, treat it using microbes, aquaponics, and algae, and finish with clean water!


We also picked up some yummy organic cheeses - a few we've had many times, and a few A wanted after sampling. From there we stopped a nice small town park to play and swing!


Lunch was at one of our favorite small town cafes...and while there we visited their organic/eco-friendly general store and found a few goodies to take home.


We couldn't pass up a nature walk and scenic overlook with amazing views of farms, bluffs, hills and woods.


Even though this area is tourist central and usually filled with visitors from surrounding states, wherever we went it was quiet and peaceful. A perfect day for wandering.


We even found organic farms, farm stands, odd little tourist rock shops and other quirky spots.

And who can pass up visiting some horses at a stable? The boys yelled out when they saw that sign and we knew we had to turn around and stop for a visit! :)


After a fun afternoon of wandering we drove back home, tired and happy from a long interesting day!

Hope you had a nice weekend!

jungle stage.

The garden has been growing so much that if I take pix but don't post them, they are outdated in days! We are officially in jungle phase. Tomatoes are ripening, beans and peas are picked daily, raspberries are being eaten right off the cane, and the squash and cucumbers are sneaking their way around bushes and landscaping to snake throughout. There isn't an empty inch! I thought I'd post a few before and today pix - to see how the garden is growing!


The photo above is from the first week of May. Everything is empty! We have a very small yard, and have beds along the side - one side of the garden is against neighbors home, the other side against ours (we have side yards here).


This photo above is from mid-June. Filling in, but still fairly small.


And this is last week - definitely filling in. It has that chaotic beauty today, as everything is so tall and so green.


This photo above is from today - the beans have grown up the whole twine line and have reached the top of the gazebo, while below them peppers, calendula, borage, lemon balm, squash, beans and spinach are huge mixed between other flowers and plants.


Many of you asked about the rain barrel cover (yes, that is my shadow ;)). Well, in May I ran twine line from the ground and tied it into a piece of twine around the top. I just keep clearing the area just around the spout, but otherwise it is covered with morning glories. Next to that the cucumbers are vining up a metal trellis in front of our AC, and squash is going along the ground.


I was looking at photos from this time last year and can really see how much we have expanded the beds. It is amazing how pulling out a landscaping bed even just a foot can make such a huge difference!

So here is my updated list of what is growing right now:

Front porch/pots: potatoes (3 types in 5 bags), tomatoes (4 hanging, 2 pots), peppers (4), squash (1), and several small pots of herbs (basil, parsley, oregano).

Back porch/pots: shisho, oregano, marjoram, 2 types of basil, sorrel, strawberry spinach, lovage, tomatoes (3), peppers (3), savory.


Lower back raised bed: tomatillo (2), tomato (1), strawberries, raspberries, mixed flowers. Plus a small rain garden off of our downspout.

Square bed off back of deck: beets, carrots, garlic, shallots, peas, chives, mustard.

Along side of neighbors house: wonderberries, red currants, peas, kale, dill, beans (purple pole, scarlet runner), watermelon, melon, baby blue hubbard squash, butternut squash (2), tomatoes (orange flesh purple smudge (2), green zebra (2)), peppers (2), nasturtiums, lovage, cabbage, mesclun mix, calendula, chinese long beans, lemon summer squash.


Along side of our house: borage, calendula, peppers (5), tomatoes (3), cabbage, kohlrabi, peas, cucumbers (3), sunflowers, purple pole beans (3), scarlet runner beans (3), baby blue hubbard squash, butternut squash, lebanese bush marrow summer squash, white acorn bush squash (2), potatoes (in wooden barrel), white pumpkins (up arbor), lemon summer squash, raspberries.

Front raised bed: purple bush beans (4), green bush beans (2), strawberries, peppers (2), flowers.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something but that is a good list! We have fruit, vegetables, trees, bushes, flowers and more...all mingled and growing happily.


It sounds like we have a big space, I know, but interplanting small quantities within the landscaping rather than planting in rows really allows for a lot of variety in a small space. Having pots helps expand that too. I'm sure our neighbors are wondering what is going on ;), but by keeping the front and back smaller and neater with lots of colorful flowers, it keeps it looking more organized and neat, while the more gangly or bushy plants are behind our line of bushes at the arbor, not as visible from the street. It does also make it seem like we have a secret garden past our lush arbor too - with a center strip - yet plenty of room - left for little boys to play...soccer, sprinkler, T-ball, basketball...

As we expanded the beds a bit this year, we are finding that there are a few things we will change next year to help keep the back areas a bit more accessible, but overall everything is growing great!

How is your garden growing?

get a little wild.

We love parks. We visit structured playgrounds quite often. The boys like climbing, swinging, sliding. Who doesn't? But we also love to leave the mulch and venture into the 'wild'. Most of our favorite places to wander to include beaches, lakes, rivers, wooded trails, and other spots off the beaten path.


There is something about childhood that lures kids to building forts, getting dirty, climbing hills and trees, and exploring the woods. Building secret places, being free.


So while playgrounds are fun exercise and fresh air, pleasure and excitement (and creativity) come from...more... Last weekend we ventured out for a wild park outing - the boys collected sticks, built forts, climbed rocks and steep hills, hiked woodsy trails and got very dirty.


They looked for bugs, climbed fallen tree bridges, and listened to birds.


Even after climbing a steep hill dozens of times they wanted to go back to the bottom and start again -

Wouldn't you?

Brothers.

I love that they are best friends. Yes, they bicker and argue sometimes like any other siblings on the planet. But they also have a deep love for each other. They do everything together - play, explore, learn...They even prefer to share a room, so that they can stay close. Tonight as they finished reading a few books and got ready to climb into bed they gave each other a big huge hug and big huge kiss and said "I love you, good night!" Can't beat that.